Heavy's Reviews
As far as fighting game reboots go, Samurai Shodown does a great job of pleasing its loyal fanbase and featuring new mechanics that change it for the better.
Curious players who’ve never touched a Yakuza game now have the perfect entry point to enjoy.
While this racer is passable to some extent, its problems will make fans yearn for a true sequel to Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed. Here’s hoping that Sumo Digital makes it way back to what worked so well in the first place.
As far as 2019 fighting games go, Mortal Kombat 11 easily tops the competition.
For anyone looking to experience something comparable to Left 4 Dead, you’ll find what you’re looking for in World War Z. While it sticks a bit too close to the successful formula from Valve’s zombie shooter, it differentiates itself by featuring the amazing Swarm Engine
Burnout fans who want to revisit the series pre-Paradise will love everything Dangerous Driving offers. But it’s hard to look past the nagging issues and missing features that could have pushed Dangerous Driving past the competition.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice easily cements itself as one of the best modern action/adventure games of the generation.
While it’s rough around the edges, World Seeker easily takes the top spot as the finest One Piece video game.
Devil May Cry 5 is without a doubt the new series plateau.
Even with the lack of a tag team mode and the issues present in how costume pattern parts are utilized, Dead or Alive 6 still stands as the most refreshing entry in the series.
Jump Force certainly has its issues. The off-putting visual representation of some of the cast members, cheap-looking animations during cinematic sequences, and bland lobby appearance are among those problems. But there’s a fun fighter buried underneath all those negatives that you’ll come to appreciate. The massive roster (which is still growing), amazingly chaotic battles and somewhat deep battle system provides plenty of reason for players to act out their best dream match scenarios. Jump Force may not be a manga/anime fan’s dream game, but it comes close enough to fulfilling that wish.
Crackdown 3 as a whole is certainly rough around the edges and more of a mid-tier 1st-party exclusive. There’s some fun to be had, of course. But its overall staying power is a step below other open-world games of its ilk.
God Eater 3 is easily the best entry in Bandai Namco’s monster hunting franchise.
Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal is a solid love letter to its burgeoning fanbase. The 3D action gameplay is a huge step above the original’s 2.5D combat. The anime stylized visuals look quite nice, the beat ’em up gameplay provides some bouts of entertainment, and the story is a bit deeper than you’d expect. But what keeps it from being a true recommendation is its repetitive gameplay and all too obvious reliance on boobs, butts, and…well, you know what else. Fans will love it, of course. It’s a remake that caters to them and them only. Everyone else should steer clear of its perverted thrills.
Resident Evil 2 has been reborn and retooled in all the best ways possible. This is the best video game remake that other modernized classics of its ilk should be judged by.
The extra characters/party members, skits, battle abilities, and costumes do a lot to endear itself to those in the know and those who want to experience it for the very first time. The lack of quality of life improvements hamper the experience a bit for current-gen gamers, but Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition still maintains the lofty praise the original version garnered in years past.
With that said, this is still the core Borderlands 2 experience translated to VR. If you’re looking for another reason to play through the game again and you’re a fan of VR, this will give you exactly what you’re looking for, just with some minor issues but nothing game-breaking.
The longer you play through it though, the more you’ll start to notice its cracks. The repetitive mission structure, bugs/glitches, and the lack of those fun weather moments during non-main campaign tasks are sadly noticeable. Just Cause 4 is a bit shoddy in some areas and is one of those releases whose fun factor depletes over time. It still provides a slew of entertaining moments, but not enough interesting takes on the types of themes that are starting to feel a bit played out.
Worst of all, Ubisoft compromised the game’s progression system to get you to pay more money on top of the money you already gave them. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey‘s underlying problem is not that it didn’t innovate enough, but that it innovated in ways that put the publisher’s pocketbook over its players.
This compilation still manages to offer three rewarding experiences for anyone who chooses to embrace them.