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Simple as it might look, but Yomawari is a remarkably complex game that aims to be something far loftier than most attempts at interactive horror. Its intensity is in its subtleties, and the way it is constructed makes it a masterclass in the aesthetics and theming of one of the most important art traditions to have ever come from Japanese culture.
I want Mario Party to get its mojo back. The development teams behind the games need to understand why it was so entertaining back in the day; yes, it had minigames, but those minigames were made entertaining because you were playing a glorified Snakes & Ladders game at the same time, with all the hilarity that comes when a friend rolls their dice and has the misfortune of landing on a snake. Sadly, Mario Party: Star Rush is the latest game that fails to realise that simple truth behind the appeal of the franchise.
With its rich characterisation, documentary style focus and its unrelenting scrutiny of the darkness within American culture, Mafia 3 provides a thoughtful and at times confrontational experience which since now has been missing from the open world genre.
The game is decent at times but it lacks some features that would have made this a better experience. Things like mutiplayer and a leader board would have really helped to give Dogos legs. There's also some irritations in the art style, frame rate and general presentation, and the lack of a narrative to give context to what's going on hurts as well. It's fun and all, but Dogos is simply too limited for its own good.
I really wish there was more to 140 because while it is a short and engaging experience, I was left wanting more. There's plenty in the game Jepp can build on into a sequel, so for now I guess we just need to play a game of wait-and-see on whether 140 was successful enough to warrant Jepp returning to it.
All in all River City: Tokyo Rumble is a fun little adventure that doesn't really take a lot of chances with a formula that was first established about thirty years ago. That might be playing things a little too safe, but it is also a testament to how good River City Ransom was that three decades later the core gameplay still holds up as an entertaining if somewhat shallow experience.
Whilst there’s an admirable amount of content and game modes on offer here, I would’ve liked to see a more varied experience overall which could capture a group’s attention for a bit longer. That being said, Giant Margarita has proved that it knows its stuff, and we’re excited to see what the team brings to the table next time.
Classy in tone and hugely interesting in design, this is a game that is worth supporting simply on that basis; there's some elements that don't work as well as they should, but then that's the consequence of experimentation. What is important is that the game is deeply playable, very creative, and hugely entertaining as a result.
The Silver Case takes a little time to find its footing, but it finishes more strongly than it begins, and is a real treat for genre fans.
If you’re within the niche that A Bastard’s Tale is targeting, you’ll find it plenty rewarding. It takes the “fail better” approach to game design and distills it to its very essence, taking the often repetitious process of dying and retrying and turning it into something captivating enough to endure the occasional frustrations that always come with repeated failure. “Just one more try!”
Zenith’s gameplay issues don’t stop it from being a very workable system in a very entertaining genre. If it was devoid of its plot (or, better yet, with a more interesting narrative), I’d actually be arguing that it’s an enjoyable little game. However, the relentlessly juvenile attempts at humour never let up, and I didn’t laugh once. I think that says all that needs to be said about Zenith’s fundamental issues.
Slain: Back from Hell is a unique fish in a sea of pixel-art platforming throwbacks. The level design for the most part is well-done. The difficulty suits the atmosphere created by the music and art style. I mentioned earlier that Slain awoke a part of my past-self. Needless to say, it was fun to feel a similar adrenaline to what I felt as a 17-year-old. It felt like Wolf Brew reached into my brain, and plucked out a combination of my favourite things growing up. If the element of luck was reduced some of the checkpoints a little more forgiving, this would be essential.
Each Dead Rising is an interesting experience on its own. While these three titles do in certain cases show their age, and don't really work as a collection as they are too similar to one another, individually they are all worth diving into as they are a lot of tense fun to play around with.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is frustrating on one level because it’s so completely in thrall of the blockbuster system that you can feel the creative frustration on several levels through the game, from its storytelling through level design. That frustration has resulted in a blockbuster that almost breaks free of its limitations at times, and it’s certainly an enjoyable game. It’s just that it would be interesting to see what the developers could come up with if they had a more limited budget (and thus lower sales expectations, allowing them to go after a more specific audience with a more focused game).
Without a doubt NBA 2K17 is the best basketball game on the market so far. There are a handful of flaws, but when weighed against everything that Visual Concepts got right, they are pretty insignificant. I have always felt that basketball is probably one of the most challenging (if not the most challenging) sport to represent in a video game, but as a lifelong fan of the NBA this is as close as the medium has taken me to enjoying the sport.
Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity doesn't merge its two genres as seamlessly as its recently localised sibling, but it’s still an exceptionally fresh curiosity buy. Though ultimately not quite as polished as either Ys or a main-series Touhou outing, the underlying gameplay is so clever it elevates the whole experience. The adoption of bullet-hell mechanics by classic genres continues to pay dividends.
ReCore isn't perfect - but that doesn't mean it's not an enjoyable experience.
The game is about as long as a movie, making it short at three or so hours in length, but I enjoyed the ride. The gameplay is a tad weak due to the puzzles being very easy to figure out, but realistically you are in this one purely for the storytelling. Also, the game has a satisfying ending which a lot of games seem to be lacking these days.
Mount & Blade Warband is a really entertaining premise, and one that’s quite unique to boot. An RPG that is more about building an army and then leading it into battle is in many ways so much more interesting than an RPG where you’re in control of a one-man army and in pursuit of personal power. I only hope that the release of this game, now, means that there is more Mount & Blade coming, because there really is nothing else like it out there.
While I certainly respect Minecraft, I prefer Dragon Quest Builders. It doesn’t offer the sheer depth that Minecraft does, of course, and there will be no “educational edition” of the game being sold into schools, as there is with Minecraft. What it is, however, is a down-to-earth and genuinely entertaining little game that shares far, far more in common with its JRPG roots than even the game itself wants to admit. And as a long-suffering Dragon Quest fan, that makes Builders special indeed.