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Persona 5 Strikers manages to add an exciting new chapter to the beloved title. Not only does it feel like a true crossover, rather than a reskinned version of another game, it genuinely brings out the best things both franchises have to offer. Combine this with great visuals, cool concepts, and striking cutscenes and it's a must for anyone who loves either game or just wants to play a Persona game without investing in an RPG. Sure, it might start off slow but it's an experience well worth the investment.
For the most part, that is what Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- The Prophecy of the Throne comes down to. Fans will likely enjoy the new content, newcomers can enjoy it, though execution leaves something to be desired. Simply replacing the gameplay sections with character interactions would likely go far, especially when they do very little to sell the concept. As a fan, this is unfortunate, though I can at least respect that it attempts to capture what fans loved in the source.
Despite Ys IX: Monstrum Nox having some faults, it still provides a fantastic experience. Once you get past the dated graphics and simple combat, it's an engaging game that has a fascinating story. It's the type of thing where mindlessly killing enemies is fun but the world is so interesting you'll want to see what secrets it holds. Add in some cute characters, interesting mechanics, and plenty to do and it's hard not to see the value in Ys IX: Monstrum Nox.
For the most part, Sword of the Necromancer is decent fun in a rather flawed package. I can't imagine anyone could have fun playing with decreased levels and losing gear since even without that stuff it isn't particularly amazing. Toss in lazy enemy names, kiddie pool level depth, and a generic story, and Sword of the Necromancer falls short of where you want to be. Especially when there are so many other games that handle rogue-like elements better. Maybe if it goes on a deep sale it might be worth it but at full price, it's a hard sell.
Overall, The Medium is able to evoke the same kind of feelings you might expect from a game like Silent Hill. There are tense scenes and an eerie atmosphere that is engaging from start to finish. Naturally, there are some flaws, such as difficult puzzles, clunky controls or subpar stealth mechanics, but the deep story through the two worlds more than makes up for it, making it start as a strong showing for Xbox this year.
Overall, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is what you'd expect from a sequel. It builds on the base, continues Ryza's adventure, and holds true to what players love about the franchise. The performance boost found on the PlayStation 5 is welcome, as is the more dynamic gameplay, though it is still going to be an adventure that appeals to that specific demographic. If that is fine, odds are you'll have a blast seeing what the future holds for Ryza, whereas everyone else might want to sit this one out.
Needless to say, Hitman 3 manages to stick to landing. The story concludes in an interesting and fun way, while holding true to what made the franchise so great. The additional options are welcome, as is the attention to detail, though those who couldn't get into the previous titles will likely dislike it. Toss in a lot of fun and alternate ways to complete a mission and it makes for a methodically fun time.
Typically when a definitive edition releases there is a certain sense of disappointment. Either it provides a better value, through included DLC, or small touches that add a lot. But, when it comes to Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition, there is enough there to make most people happy. The 2D mode will appeal to returning fans and those who grew up with the franchise, with new stories and more to add to the already compelling adventure. Quicker battles and commands streamline the core experience to make it easier to complete what needs to be done. This also applies to crafting and other mechanics too. Honestly, in general, Square Enix took an already good base, thought of a welcome way to add content without making fans feel like they missed out, and addressed some concerns to make for a compelling experience. So, whether you loved the original release or are waiting to see what Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition offers, it's an experience everyone should strongly consider.
On paper, there are a lot of cool things about Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia. Lots of characters, monsters, tactics, mechanics, elements, and more to play with. Seriously, it's overwhelming, to say the least. Where things fall off the rails is how much management is involved. You could, quite honestly, spend 20 minutes picking who to send get gear, which locations have the best monsters to summon, getting people to the right places, and deciding the ideal play to fight. That is a lot to ask from any player for a relatively unimpressive strategy RPG. When push comes to shove, the goal is to spend a bunch of time so when you move characters across a grid and attack whoever or whatever gets in your way, it won't end in total defeat. Maybe if there was more or it took longer for everything to unfold but in its current state, it really won't appeal to everyone.
Overall, Immortals Fenyx Rising is a fantastic game and one of the better open-world exploration titles in recent memory. Combat is great, puzzles are fun and there is so much to see and experience that it's easy to get sidetracked. It would be nice if some of the puzzles were a bit less tedious, but I can hardly fault them for trying to offer a more engaging experience. So if you want a lovely world to explore, look no further than Immortals Fenyx Rising.
To make it simple, there are really two ways to look at Heroes of Hammerwatch – Ultimate Edition. Either you decide you love the simple and engaging gameplay, the one where you run around, fight swarms of enemies and slowly build up the town or it's a grind-heavy mess. As a fan of the roguelike and roguelike genres, it falls more in the grind-heavy mentality, simply because the limits are less skill and more resources. Still, it's engaging enough to, if nothing else, get some fun out of it.
If the answer to that question is a story, it really is a wild ride. The new arc has been interesting and the latest addition continues things in a way that makes me excited for the next release. However, if you want to stealth kill some enemies, scale buildings, and more, this really isn't for you. Norway is a largely bland world with mountain ranges and other less interesting things to deal with. It really isn't a bad experience, it's just when push comes to shove, it's essentially what you'd expect given the previous entries.
Even if Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is more The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild than Dynasty Warriors, both games are present. The gameplay is still an odd mix of mindless fun and engaging challenge that makes it really fun to play. It would be nice to see more done with the concept, though there is only so much that can be said for the concept. Perhaps the best way to put it is, given the concept, it's the best possible outcome and that is really all that matters.
For those who have a PC, the Xbox version that you purchase digitally will give you access to the Windows 10 version of it as well. It also has the Play Anywhere feature meaning you can continue your progress whether you are playing on an Xbox console or PC. Sadly, I've experienced several crashes when playing on PC but it certainly looks the best on PC running at max settings on an RTX 3080.
There is only so much you can say about Destiny 2 Beyond Light before it becomes a question of what is worth grinding for. The new classes add a fun new take on the experience, as does a new location, but right now the main draw is the story. It's a good adventure, even if it is just a couple hours, though at the end of the day it's still more Destiny 2.
There really isn't a whole lot of new things to say about Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition. It's a stunning game that added a new character, giving players something new to experience, plus various improvements to the overall experience. Ideally, it will be an idea of things to come, over one of the early games that suggested gimmicks were actually features but regardless of the outcome, it's easily one of the most impressive games you can play on PS5 right now.
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is honestly a very straightforward experience. Regardless of what Sora, Goofy, Donald, or whomever you decide to play as are doing, it's a game that comes down to pushing specific buttons at exact times. Cute visuals and an interesting idea, along with good music, make it easy to get into and enjoy. Toss in a couple of difficulties, some items to make things easier and it is a cute game that is fun to play both in short and long durations.
Where Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is difficult to comment on is the whole experience. Making farming such a critical part is going to turn off a lot of people and even skipping it makes things more tedious than it needs to be. As for combat, it's fun, though not overly deep. I found myself having fun and easily knew what to do to prevent dying, even if I still occasionally got overran. Unfortunately, a lot of this hinges on how much of a deal-breaker farming is. Even if you can skip most of it, things just get harder or you need to devote different amounts of effort to it. For some that is fine but you need to make that call for yourself.
Truth be told, Godfall is a hard experience to review. You have a serviceable story, impressive graphics for a launch title, satisfying combat centered around an underwhelming loot system, RPG mechanics, and diversity. I will honestly say I did not get the experience I was expecting, something like Destiny centered around swords, but it was still good. There are certainly great things to be said about everything here, you should just go in expecting more of a hack and slash game than one centered around loot.
The hard thing about Ghostrunner is that it's brutal, deceptively complicated and a blast once you get it down. Those learning might be turned off by the brutally accurate AI, easy deaths, and repeated failures. Still, it's a neat game that certainly has a place and is a lot of fun to both play and watch.