PlayStation LifeStyle
HomepagePlayStation LifeStyle's Reviews
Deep challenges and rich rewards await if you decide to take on Valkyria Chronicles Remastered. If you’re playing it for the first time, this is as good a version as any to get a taste of the excellent blend of turn-based strategy and real-time action that made the game such a hit on PS3; if you’re a returning fan, on the other hand, you might be slightly disappointed to learn that this “remastering” doesn’t look much different from the original version (or offer any new content, for that matter). In any case, there’s no denying that it’s a true original that mostly stands the test of time — and if it does well, perhaps Sega will consider bringing new PS4 exclusive Valkyria: Azure Revolution over here. We can dream, can’t we?
If you’re a massive fan of the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, or not at all picky about your hack-and-slash titles, you might get a kick out of MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies. Unfortunately, there’s not much I can say is worth the investment for anyone else; outside of a decent multiplayer mode, the game only has a mind-numbingly dull campaign to offer. That mode is so monotonous and soulless — from its endless use of the same enemies over and over again, to its trite and tired narrative — that it drew my attention to just how fatigued this entire franchise is feeling with multiple releases every year. I think it’s time to give Neptune a well-deserved vacation.
A good series should end on a high note. Naughty Dog could beat the series into perpetuity, but they chose to close this chapter of their story at a high point and allow themselves and players to move on. In some ways it feels like I'm playing Uncharted for the first time again, living that sense of incredulity and adventure as we join Nathan Drake and his charming half-tuck for one final adventure rooted in love and sacrifice. It's a bittersweet feeling, but they've gone all in to make sure that A Thief's End is the Uncharted finale that the fans deserve.
If Borderlands and the MOBA genre could have a baby, I imagine it would look something like Battleborn. Gearbox Software's signature style shines here, even if the humor falls flat most of the time. With all kinds of loot to tempt gamers into coming back for more, this "hero shooter" looks to be making a name for itself, and should hopefully stick around for a while with content updates now and in the future. There's so much stuff to unlock and master, Battleborn is one for the collectors.
After an extremely positive first hour that was tremendously terrifying, Neverending Nightmares wears thin. The gorgeous visuals aren't enough to save the game from its own tedious design, and ultimately I was bored by the time the game ended less than three hours later. There's a lot of interesting ideas, but very few are capitalized on in any captivating way.
Ray Gigant doesn’t play like your average dungeon-crawler, and that’s refreshing, but it also doesn’t do enough to warrant more than a hesitant recommendation. Genre nuts will probably eat up the weird variations on combat and character progression, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I found myself enamored with the gameplay. Still, this is far too facile and obtuse an experience to give a hearty thumbs-up — especially with its awkward translation and lackluster visuals.
The Magic Circle will appeal to anyone who can laugh at themselves. The story told here forces you to get a little introspective, especially if you’ve ever backed a game and then felt betrayed by the developer when their finished product is nothing like what you expected. This is also a game for anyone who thought they could’ve made a better Duke Nukem Forever (hint: that was a train wreck from the first delay). But with such a short, occasionally preachy story, this doesn’t appeal to everyone.
While I still think that Chapter 1 has been The Odd Gentlemen’s strongest effort for its perfect weaving of the narrative with complex puzzles, I do love Once Upon a Climb for it’s great story, deep characters, and connections it gives the player to the decisions being made and the outcomes they lead to that actually matter. Chapter 3 had me smiling the entire way throughout, and sometimes even laughing out loud. As Graham matures and makes more meaningful connections during his time in Daventry, it seems like the tale being told deepens too, and I can’t wait to see what part of Graham’s life we get to be a part of next.
Party Hard is seemingly a patch away from being a much better game. The stealth gameplay is satisfying, but a game can't be this difficult while also being unfair to the player. The technical issues that bring down publisher tinyBuild's latest game are disappointing and really tarnish a solid base.
It’s a shame that Severed came so late in the Vita’s life cycle, because it had me wondering whether or not more games like it could have saved the system. That’s just wishful thinking, of course, so it’ll just have to remain what it is: an incredible eleventh-hour treat for fans who have invested their time and money into the handheld. If you enjoyed Guacamelee!, you’ll find a lot of what you loved in that game has returned. Vibrant colors with a unique “diorama” artstyle really pop off the screen, and its inventive gameplay successfully combines touch-twitch antics and old-fashioned role playing. There may not be enough reasons to shell out for a Vita now, but if there had been more content like this arriving alongside the system back in 2012, we might have seen a very different fate for Sony’s second portable.
Alienation is another extremely polished game from Housemarque that takes well known game mechanics and combines them in unconventional ways for an experience that is not only satisfying to play on the surface, but has a layer of depth that most other twin-stick shooters cannot claim. While it could do with a deeper tutorial to engage players in the beginning and the story isn't about to win any special awards, it's a game that I repeatedly find myself coming back to, even if it's just a mission or two here and there with random players. It's one of those games that urges you to continue playing beyond the initial offering and it succeeds in giving us yet another genre to loot a bunch of really cool and powerful weapons in.
Rocketbirds 2 is a game strictly for fans of the series. With imprecise controls yet precise aiming requirements, you can expect to curse your way through most of the game’s boss fights (especially those that take place in the air, or under the water, or in space, or, well, anywhere the camera changes perspective). The main campaign is also perhaps less than half the length of the original game, but this time around the co-op fun to be had in the new Rescue mode almost completely makes up for this shortcoming. An excellently fitting soundtrack by New World Revolutions rounds out the package. Some weapon balancing issues mean that you’ll wind up using a small portion of the available arsenal, and the story is all over the place. However, for those looking for a cheap co-op action platformer, this is one to check out.
If you’ve been holding out on the Season Pass waiting for Treyarch to prove themselves, I think we can be pretty certain that they’ll deliver.
If you're in the mood for something that will really test your strategy-building chops, Invisible, Inc. Console Edition should be somewhere near the top of your wish list. It's a tantalizing combination of turn-based tactics and stealth, wrapped up in the shell of an unforgiving roguelike where every single decision matters. If that sounds way too intimidating, don't worry, you're in good company — but for the people that enjoy this kind of mind-bending challenge, this is a little slice of cold, cruel heaven that shouldn't be missed.
KOI is a game that almost went somewhere. While it has a pleasing aesthetic, and peaceful ambiance, what’s on offer is woefully short. So the score earned here, for the first game developed in China and released for Western audiences on the PlayStation 4, should serve as a sign for any other developers in China to strive for something more. KOI stands as a good start, but with a bit more development time, we could have seen a longer story mode, and perhaps some sense of what was actually going on in the world above the little fish.
Stories: The Path of Destinies may not redefine the way we think about narrative choice in video games, but it doesn't have to: it's just damn good fun. The idea of playing a game repeatedly to experience all its branching paths may bring to mind unnecessary padding and repetition, but the developers at Spearhead Games clearly took the initiative to avoid that. Stories is a lot of fun to play through multiple times, thanks to some thoroughly smooth and enjoyable combat — even though it's snatched its main ideas from the jaws of the Batman: Arkham games — and great level layouts that let you explore new territory even on multiple return trips. From an aesthetic perspective, I really think a lot of players will dig the fairytale-inspired character design and colorful environments, which might help them overlook the occasional technical hiccups. Overall, this is one action-RPG fans won't want to miss.
I knew that I was looking forward to revisiting Ratchet and Clank's origins, but I didn't know how much I'd really missed Ratchet & Clank until I got the opportunity to play it all over again for the first time, and this brand new experience is every bit as good as I remember it being 14 years ago.
Grab your sword, prepare to enjoy that character creation menu, and get ready to spend as much time in the hospital as in a 3D dungeon labyrinth. It’s time to be a Stranger.
But enough small talk — you have a past to chase, explorer. We'll see you in the Gungeon.
Dark Souls III is another punishingly hard game in an era of hand-holding that masochists will appreciate. While enemy AI is laughably dumb, those same enemies can take you down in no time flat. This is a game that forces you to learn its intricacies and quirks, and use them all to your advantage. Sporting a wonderful environment full of color, suffering, death, and a small amount of hope, fans can expect to sink several dozen, if not hundreds, of hours into the game, if they haven't already. From Software knows how to make challenging games that reward those who invest the time needed to properly engage enemies, and Dark Souls III continues in that tradition.