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As far as licensed anime fighting games go, this is one that your friends probably won't refuse to play with you. Despite an incomprehensible retelling of the story, the majority of One Piece: Burning Blood is accessible enough to be picked up and learned in a few minutes. The chaotic action really pops with sketchy cartoon visuals — I especially loved the visceral satisfaction of knocking my opponents into background objects and watching the debris fall. This isn't as tight or polished as some of the other stuff out there (Naruto Shippuden's latest installment comes to mind), but it's well-worth a look if you're a One Piece junkie or just a fighting game fan looking for a little anarchic fun.
Oxenfree deals with some heavy topics in just a few hours, and manages to do something genuinely interesting with them. A phenomenal conversation system anchors most of the experience, but there's many mysteries for dedicated players to solve. Oxenfree is a game that rewards players that go the extra mile, and how much you get out of it is directly tied to how much you put in.
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is an outstanding remaster of a game many JRPG fans missed on PS2. Perhaps its most striking feature is the refreshing availability of information that comes with its fantastic interface, from easy-to-read maps to detailed descriptions of each item that comes your way. There's no denying that Vanillaware's signature style looks its best in crisp HD, and the improvements made to the controls and combat make the game feel fresh and modern. If your fingers are itching for big titles like Final Fantasy XV or Persona 5, consider keeping them busy with Leifthrasir's fast-paced and frantic battles — this is one of the best remasters on PS4, and a can't-miss for JRPG fans if you already let it pass you by in 2007.
MOBA games are now everywhere. Smite has finally made the transition over to the PlayStation 4, and I am happy to say that the transition has gone fairly smoothly. With good presentation, deceptively easy to pick up combat, and great team mechanics, SMITE will be one to invest time and money into. When you find your favorite character, the best thing to do is simply pay to unlock them. With a seemingly solid commitment to not turn this into a pay-to-win franchise, developer Hi-Rez Studios should be proud of this port.
If you’ve never vacationed on Banoi, now might be the prime time to do so, because the island looks better than it ever has before. Just be warned, the helpless locals pretty much want you to do everything for them. For those of us that have played Dead Island before, there’s not much in the Definitive Collection to drag us back. Lack of adding previously missing features like split screen and the inability to import last gen character saves make playing Dead Island again feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience. With so much else out right now, I am hard pressed to actually want to spend my time on Banoi again, prettier lighting effects or not.
It’s not perfect, but SOMI gets major points for trying something new and exploring mechanics that other games don’t. Maybe it’s time to look a little deeper into the mirror that Retsnom offers and reflect on your own reasons for avoiding indie games.
Anima: Gate of Memories is a crushing disappointment. There are plenty of places where the love Anima Project’s team has for its world is evident, but they’re buried under an avalanche of stunningly poor design choices. Being forced to listen to the terrible voice acting and relentlessly unfunny humor of protagonist Ergo made me wish for his quick and agonizing death — but even he’s not as painful as the game’s punishingly poor level design. Maybe there’s a way to make the world of this tabletop RPG fun and interesting when translated to the video game medium, but the developers sure didn’t find it this time around.
The ultimate disappointment is that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan has a solid base. A good game could’ve been made with these combat mechanics, but sadly some abysmal level design makes this 4-hour game a complete chore to play. When an uninspired boss rush level is arguably the best part of the game, then you know something went wrong.
With accessibility to spare, a real commitment to diversity and an infectious sense of innocent fun, Overwatch feels like an important game — the sort that can bridge boundaries in the oft-segmented gaming community. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this may just be the project to revitalize lapsed or disheartened gamers' interest in the medium, or the one to bring new players onboard the FPS wagon.
Homefront: The Revolution fails to stir any real revolution of its own in the genre of first-person open world games. It still has a unique premise with the notion that a unified Korea could ever overtake the United States, but the game is simply adequate. Couple uninspiring gameplay with occasionally broken physics and stupendously idiotic AI, and this is a purchase for fans of the franchise only. Otherwise, just go play Far Cry.
Shadwen makes a lot of smart decisions, and I’ll definitely miss its rewind system in other stealth games, but it never fully comes together as a whole. There’s just not enough enemy variety, and the 15-level campaign grows tiresome as the end nears. Throw in one of the most anticlimactic endings in recent memory, and a lot of the initial goodwill is used up. While far from perfect, there’s still enough ambition here for stealth fans to appreciate, but Shadwen isn’t Agent 47.
Shadow of the Beast hits many right notes for that old-school difficult feeling, even with infinite lives. It's been made more accessible for all walks of players, but that doesn't mean all players are rewarded equally, pushing for practice and building those skills all while giving extra pats to those who tame the beast. It's a rather brilliant method for bringing an old-school difficult game in front of more people.
Defying the odds, id Software has made DOOM not only a relevant series in 2016, but a great one. They've also managed to create three distinct modes that all have their own appeal and feel to them. It's an amazing package, and one that I'll continue to come back to.
I absolutely adore VEV: Viva Ex Vivo‘s concept, which only serves to make me more disappointed in the final release. Exploring these different microscope slides should be exciting, but instead players are left frustrated due to awkward controls and bored by how little there is to do.
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.