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Overall, Thronebreaker is a revolutionary game within the CCG genre, and I hope other companies take note. With a 40-hour story to support an engaging card game, there's nothing else quite like it, and its unique nature is to its overall benefit. It's made me realize how much I can and do enjoy card games when they're done right. I always loved the idea of CCGs, but it often takes a lot of time and grinding to get up to par with others. CD Projekt Red remedies this by slowly teaching the complexities of Gwent to the player with an engaging plot to keep players enthralled all the way through. It's time to take all my hard-earned rewards and experience gained in Thronebreaker and have my ego obliterated by a horde of Nekkers controlled by a 13-year-old kid — and I couldn't be more excited.
Minor issues aside, Grip: Combat Racing is a great experience for both veterans of arcade combat racers as well as those who are willing to learn the genre. The initial learning pains and massive difficulty spikes toward the end of the game may turn away newcomers, and the catch-up mechanics and sometimes questionable physics may dissuade veteran players. For all others, though, Grip is a wild ride that offers fantastic tracks that are exhilarating to race on at lightning-fast speeds.
Aggelos works great as both a homage to the source material and as a game on its own merit. The faithful reproduction of the Wonder Boy style still holds up today, and while the new powers don't significantly change things for the better, they don't detract from the game, either. The gameplay is solid, and the gameplay length comes in at a good running time, so you'll get your money's worth from the experience even before you set out to play it again on Hard mode. With a great presentation backing up the entire experience, Aggelos is a great title for classic adventure platformer fans.
Onimusha: Warlords HD Remaster is intended for those looking for a trip down memory lane, but it won't impress others. It's an interesting historical artifact, but that's about all it has going for it. (A true remake would be delightful!) Otherwise, it's just Samurai Resident Evil, and even then, it doesn't stand out much from the crowd. The HD remaster makes it the best-looking version of the game, but it's far from a definitive version. It's a nice trip back in time for those who played the game when it was fresh, but without the shine of being "next-gen," it may not hold a lot of appeal for others.
Gris is a beautiful explosion of color with a touching and emotional journey. Hand-drawn visuals show that it's a title crafted with love. While the story is loose and can leave players feeling a little lost, there are emotional cues that symbolize this as a journey of loss and healing. The excellent soundtrack, level design and commitment to themes make Gris a memorable title for all. With fun, adventurous platforming and puzzles that are both challenging and intuitive, its playstyle keeps things simple by placing player cognition at the forefront. Gris is a true work of indie art that prides itself on attention to details. Fans of works of art and video games will find a relatable home in Gris. Although this is Nomada Studio's first title, it has hit every possible note out of the park.
It is by no means a masterpiece, but Attack of the Earthlings provides a fun and a solid strategy experience for those who aren't looking for something extremely deep. The levels have a good layout, and there's a wide variety of smart and dumb enemies to keep you invested. Your offensive abilities, from setting up traps to body disposal, are fun, and the humor keeps things lively. It is a short experience that doesn't have much replayability due to the lack of variable difficulty, but you'll still enjoy your time with Attack of the Earthlings.
As mentioned at the beginning of the review, the mode you choose to play will influence your impression of Battle Princess Madelyn. For arcade mode players, the game retains the spirit of Ghosts 'n Goblins, and while there are a few concessions to make the game seem a touch easier for newcomers, some of the design decisions suck away that enjoyment. For story mode players, those flaws are compounded by more design issues that make it a frustrating Metroidvania clone. In the end, the game's charm isn't enough to attract anyone but genre die-hards who are looking for a near-impossible challenge.
Death's Gambit saw the opportunity to take two genres and tweak them enough to make a new game out of it — and it worked. The core mechanics, while markedly unoriginal, are genuinely fun to play, and the stunning sound and visuals make it a treat to experience. This game is far from perfect, though, with a lacking story and unfortunately glitchy points, but is still worth the time and money to check out. While I wouldn't say that Death's Gambit is an improvement upon either Metroidvania or Souls-like games, it's a great addition to both genres.
All in all, My Hero's One Justice is a fun experience for fans, but that's about its limit. It's faithful to the source material almost to a fault, and it does a great job of including little touches and inside jokes that make it clear that a lot of love for the franchise was included in the game. As a game on its own merits, though, it is thoroughly average. The unbalanced gameplay feels appropriate for the franchise, but it can also lead to it not being very fun for head-to-head play. If you're a big fan of the "My Hero Academia" anime and manga, you'll get your money's worth from this game, but anyone else should wait for a price drop.
Regardless of platform, Groove Coaster is an interesting rhythm game. Although it has leaderboards to please the more competitive types, the game is really about experiencing the songs as a visual ride. Correct inputs act as the mechanism to make the ride more audibly pleasant. The controls work well enough, but the amount of songs available is dwarfed by those in the mobile release. The need to replay all of the songs on all of the difficulty levels can feel tedious. The PC version may not be the best one, but it's still a good port of a fresh rhythm title.
Earth Defense Force 5 is a tried-and-true entry in the franchise. It's cheap, cheesy, low-budget, and a ridiculous amount of fun. All the same flaws and foibles from the previous games are still present and accounted for, but some of the additional polish makes the game more enjoyable for casual play. All in all, EDF5 is a completely by-the-numbers offering that delivers exactly what it says on the box. If you want to experience the franchise for the first time, EDF5 is a great place to start. If you're a longtime fan hoping for something new, you might want to wait for a price drop.
This was a tale of two (or really, one-and-a-half story playthroughs) for me. During the first one, I was like many people and wanted to mash through the story and reach its end, and it was a truly satisfying experience, aside from what I thought was a really soft ending. Then I jumped in again, this time looking to interact with every possible encounter, using as little fast-travel as possible. That's when I ran into most of the crazy side-stories I mentioned above. That's when Arthur really got to know many of the people in camp instead of just riding with them on designated story missions. I've gone from waiting for it to end to sort of gearing myself up for the end when I see it the next time. We know what happens to Arthur Morgan at the end, but there's a moment during that end where he gets to see a pretty sunset, and the game lets you take a long look. He's dying, but that long look ends up being just enough.
Ultimately, LEGO The Incredibles isn't "totally wicked," but TT Games has created another charming LEGO game. Sure, the puzzles and quests are fairly mundane, and this isn't much different from the other LEGO games. At this point, it seems like everyone knows what to expect from a LEGO title, and they know why they're gravitating toward it. Thought-provoking narrative, branching dialogue trees, and complex side-quests aren't expected when booting up one of these games. Players are looking for charm, nostalgia, and pun-filled quips within a beloved universe, and in that regard, LEGO The Incredibles delivers. The game can be completed within 10-15 hours and has a decent-sized open world, 12 story missions, and tons of characters spread across various Pixar universes. LEGO The Incredibles offers just enough content to put a smile on your face without overstaying its welcome.
Ultimately, Proxy Studios has stripped away some of the complexities commonly found within the 4X genre and distilled Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War to an Ork-infested blood-fest. It's a bold decision, and to some extent, it works. There's a reason why folks created the Nuclear Ghandi meme from the Civilization series; at the end of the day, it's fun to make guns, destroy opponents, complete research, and make bigger guns is fun. However, in Gladius' case, the guns don't come without a few hiccups. Performance issues, counterintuitive visual design, and lackluster sound are prevalent concerns. It makes for a strategy game that is so close to succeeding but falls short of something special. After spending roughly 30 hours with Gladius and getting familiar with each of the factions, I'm comfortable recommending the game to fans of the genre who are desperate for something new or for those looking for a 4X game they can enjoy at a more relaxed pace. What's more relaxing than smashing Space Marine skulls on a Saturday morning with a maxed-out Warboss? Waaaaaghhh!
Gal Metal is a rhythm game that may be an acquired taste for some players. The lack of direction will be confusing at first, but once you get used to listening to the song a few times, you'll come to appreciate the more freeform nature of rhythm. Though the game lacks original tracks, it does a good job with the metal-tinged classic songs, and while the story has seemingly endless cut scenes, at least it's humorous. While the Switch has a number of solid rhythm games, this flawed title is still worth checking out if you're looking for a different experience.
In the end, Detective Gallo is a fun adventure game for those starting to get their feet wet in the genre. The environments are limited, but that also takes away the frustration of getting lost. The puzzles can be a little obtuse but not to the point of being nonsensical. The constant backtracking can be annoying at times, but that's all mitigated by the previously mentioned elements. It is a funny game, though, and humor always serves as a good gateway for those wanting to get into a new genre. It isn't the best the genre can offer, but it's good enough for those who aren't already entrenched in the genre's more difficult offerings.
While it's not the best VR game, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is the most massive RPG on PSVR, and it's just as addictive as it's always been. Regardless of whether you play the main quests, chase down all of the side content, go hunting, go dungeoneering, be a smith and forge your own weapons, or go wherever you want to go, Skyrim works well enough, and that should be good enough for most players.
In the end, Creepy Road ends up being more frustrating than fun. The poor pacing, heightened difficulty, and lack of tight controls kill any goodwill generated by the humor and good graphics presented on-screen. There's a difference between good difficulty and cheap difficulty, and with the game favoring the latter, only the masochistic and the hardcore genre fans should entertain the idea of playing Creepy Road.
Despite the lack of a physical Taiko drum controller, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session is a great game for rhythm fans. The songs are excellent, and although the amount of available DLC songs is overwhelming, there are more than a handful of tunes anyone can have a good time with. Better yet, the challenges presented by the bingo cards and online play give you plenty of incentive to start getting better at the whole soundtrack, and it's something you'd like to see utilized in other rhythm games. In short, Drum Session is well worth checking out.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Silver Lining wraps up a story and plants seeds for a possible sequel. These are important points since this episode doesn't introduce new mechanics beyond giving you some meaningful content if you've already finished the main campaign. In the end, it's good enough to keep you entertained if you need more web-crawling action.