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Nioh is a game of highs and lows. It’s a tremendous blast when the combat gets to shine, but it often gets the spotlight after hours of tedium. Instead of crafting a tight 20-hour experience like Ninja Gaiden, Team Ninja has opted to create a title that had me constantly grinding. It’s a flawed experience that really has no respect for the player’s time, but one that I’m ultimately glad to have experienced.
Sabotage is a great map pack that improves on much of what Infinite Warfare’s base game offered. The maps are getting better at not promoting excessive flanking or being shot from behind, but Dominion is a huge step backward. Everything in each of the maps looks visually stunning though, and Rave in the Redwoods is a worthy follow up to Zombies in Spaceland, upping the ante on Zombies, and really making me curious what kinds of ideas they’ll explore going forward.
I honestly dislike coming down on a game, because I know the developers behind it usually put their hearts and souls into their finished product. Perhaps if they baked their ideas a bit longer, fine tuned the controls, and fixed some of the latency issues (especially with loading), Divide could have been the big sci-fi adventure they clearly aimed for. But as it is, I was only relieved it didn’t take too long to complete.
Dexed employs plenty of great ideas that could have been expanded on since its game jam concept. It can be completed fully in under a half an hour, with score chasing and trophy requirements being the only things to bring players back for more, many of which provide quite difficult challenges such as clearing all enemies on the highest difficulty and reaching certain score thresholds. The launch price does match the content, coming in at under $10, but I desperately wanted more, even if it drove the price up. Dexed is worth getting some time with for the unique ideas it provides, but don’t expect to spend a ton of time in Ninja Theory’s VR world.
If you enjoy turn-based games, you may want to give Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers a look. A lengthy (if somewhat convoluted) campaign is extended with multiple side missions, and battles usually last for a decent amount of time. Creating new weapons can mix things up, and choosing item and skills loadouts on characters provides for some variety on the battlefield. However, after a dozen or so battles, the game’s lack of real strategic depth can be seen. Coupled with some less-than-stellar presentation, and disappointing ally AI, and Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers feels like a good idea that wasn’t executed to its fullest potential.
As a game that was obviously meant to reinvigorate old fans and introduce new ones to the series during the wake of the reboot movie, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Mega Battle feels more like an afterthought than an actual attempt at making a new and good Power Rangers game. While it may be something old fans of the TV show could enjoy just to scratch that nostalgia itch, as a video game released in 2017 it just fails to hit the mark and is far from being something that could be called a good gaming experience. It can even be said that some of the older games created for the franchise are much better and would be more recommended than this.
Altogether it’s a sharp crossroads between horror films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes, and the classic slow paced survival horror of Resident Evil. The grotesque cunning of the murderous backwoods family is decidedly scarier than mindless creatures, and there are many moments that reminded me of those in the Spencer mansion, like things crashing through windows and creative massive scale boss fights. By the end, Resident Evil 7’s place within the Resident Evil franchise is definitively confirmed, and it marks not just a clear uptick, but a new beginning for a flagging series that was in desperate need of a shot in the arm. Add in that it’s one of the best VR experiences to date, and the PS4 version of Resident Evil 7 biohazard is not just a great Resident Evil game, or a great horror game, it’s a great game in general.
One of the great things about the Tales of series is that you can jump in any of the games at any time and not be lost with either the story or combat. Tales of Berseria is a great launch point for newcomers, and of course a fabulous return point for veterans. JRPG fans who have never tried a Tales of game but always wanted to, this is a perfect place to start. Be sure to have the tissues close by.
I’d heartily recommend this for KH fans, although I caution that perhaps they should wait for the price to drop. Newcomers to the franchise entirely should avoid this title until the first two anthologies are under the belt. This is definitely not an installment that is easy to jump into.
Fans of the series will no doubt be thankful Sega took the time to localize Yakuza 0, and those looking for a good starting point for the series can begin with this excellent prequel.
The Flame in the Flood is an incredibly charming survival game. Even those that don't tend to love the harsh genre will enjoy the visual flair and fantastic soundtrack on offer. There's also several different options to make the game more difficult or easier (checkpoints can be added) depending on how much of a challenge you want. Whether players actually complete their trip will come down to their determination, but they'll have a good time, even if the rafting session ends a bit early due to a wolf attack.
I am fully willing to admit that I approached Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star with lower expectations than I probably should have. With limited knowledge of the franchise, it was hard to predict what the game had in store. This is why it was such a pleasant surprise when it turned out to be an extremely competent brawler, with a shockingly expansive, albeit slightly disjointed, core campaign. Despite its narrative shortcomings, the moment-to-moment combat is fast paced, visually arresting and extremely entertaining. If you are looking for a fun mindless jaunt to kick off the New Year, look no further.
Gravity Rush 2 lacks quite a bit in the story department, even with the side missions, but the improved combat and series-unique exploration make it difficult to put the game down. Even when Kat’s flailings are incredibly annoying and detrimental, and even with the awful stealth missions, it’s even more difficult to not have fun this adventure. Previous experience isn’t required either, as Kat basically has to learn everything all over from the beginning anyway. If Gravity Rush was always a game you meant to get into, there’s no better place to start than Gravity Rush 2.
Considering the amount of content that Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone offers, it really had the potential to be a standout game. Instead, it’s only a paradise for hardcore fans as anyone else will likely grow tired of going through the extremely long tracklist. There’s very few hooks to grab the player’s attention, and unless you love the high score grind then there really isn’t much here. No story is being told like in Elite Beat Agents, and there’s not the slightest sense of progression as in Guitar Hero. Give Future Tone a go if you’re a Miku fan, but don’t be surprised if you find out that bigger isn’t always better.
Xenoraid is a unique spin on the space shooter genre that offers its own brand of challenge for seasoned players. The short missions are perfect for handheld gameplay, as well, making it easy to pick up and play whenever you have a spare few minutes. Space shooter fans looking for something new that isn’t a dual stick shooter should be fairly pleased with what Xenoraid has to offer.
To put it bluntly, sitting through a Tijuana back-alley dentistry that would be more enjoyable than this disaster. Unless a major patch hits soon, this is a procedure that has graduated from terminal to dead on arrival.
Wild Guns: Reloaded is a decent way to experience the SNES classic, but it’s brought down by some rather odd design choices. The new characters are difficult to use and are probably best left for die-hard players, leaving newcomers to feel left out. No additions have been made from a design standpoint to make the game more accessible, and it’s too difficult for its own good. Check it out if you’re already a fan, but this is a severely disappointing package otherwise.
There is nothing more satisfying than when a developer learns from their past mistakes, and WayForward has finally refined the Shantae experience. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is the belly dancing heroine’s best adventure yet, and doesn’t suffer from any huge leaps in difficulties like previous titles. While there are parts that will feel a bit too familiar for series veterans (certainly there has to be other characters that exist in Shantae’s world), it’s a highly polished title that provides plenty of fun from start to finish.
Lethal VR fails to dial up the phasers from stun to kill, a decidedly less lethal experience on PlayStation VR than its original Vive counterpart. It has a really fun arcadey core that could make for some great quick VR shooting gallery moments, but is hamstrung on PSVR by a tightened field of action and piss-poor accuracy using the Move controllers. Lack of any real stats outside of local high scores limits replayability and I was happy to delete it off of my PS4 after only an hour and a 100% trophy list, feeling no real desire to revisit the range. I’m a huge supporter of VR, but Lethal VR on PlayStation VR feels like the kind of rushed and gimmicky experience that could end up doing more harm to the medium than good.
It’s a fun way to celebrate Marvel vs. Capcom‘s past, while looking forward to the future next year.