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Wulverblade is a game about killing things in all sorts of manners, except on occasion your fallen enemies drop elegantly written pieces of history. The historical setting, the devotion to detail and colourful artstyle are sure to draw its share of fans, and the gameplay is also a perfectly functional modern reimagining of 80's era beat-em-ups. It is my dream that there forms a devoted fanbase who appreciate both of those things, but for now this is a game divided between two aims.
Koei Tecmo has done a remarkable job of telling the many stories of the many people that make Romance of the Three Kingdoms such a compelling book and period of history, and the beautiful cinematic consistency makes it the most perfect realisation of everything Koei Tecmo has been aiming for with this series since way back on the PlayStation 2.
There's so much raw content in this package that, as long as you're a fan of the standard tactics JRPG formula, you won't be able to help but get plenty of value out of this trilogy. And the standard tactics JRPG formula is so damn good that it's timeless. Making Mercenaries Saga itself functionally timeless.
All said, The Seven Deadly Sins is a fun anime franchise, and that sense of fun does translate to the game. It's not a perfect game by any means, and has some genuinely aggravating elements, though, and that means it is going to be one that only fans of the franchise are going to enjoy.
There are aspects of the game that are really annoying, but I don't think that they ultimately get in the way of what is a really good game. If you enjoyed either Digimon or Pokémon way back 18 years ago, there's a lot to discover in this game, particularly if the more child-friendly shows have become a turn off over the years.
If the developers were to take the tower defence sections and spin that into an entire, dedicated game, Aegis Defenders could be really something worthwhile. That side of the game is truly enjoyable. But it's let down by trying to be something more than that, and the platforming and "exploration" elements just don't gel well with the good stuff to make this game as cohesive as it needed to be.
There's so much love and creativity gone into the roster, and that, more than anything else, will make or break a fighting game.
This is quite simply the best Monster Hunter game I have ever played.
A good detective novel can spellbind its readers with only words. A Case of Distrust can too, if you have the patience and concentration to make it through the whole way.
The Men of Yoshiwara is a really interesting little visual novel about the idea of the "floating worlds" of old Japan's night life, the people that participated in them, and what people got up to there. You may well baulk at first at the idea of a game about "dating male prostitutes," but really, this is a strong bit of storytelling that goes a long way to describe the differing understanding that Japan and the west have about what a sex worker is (or, at least, once was in Japan), and that makes it interesting.
If you are someone who really enjoys puzzle games and is happy to repeat levels numerous times until you've discovered the solution than Vesta is the game for you. Otherwise, the gameplay isn't enough to carry the simple story and Vesta shouldn't be played in anticipation of the engrossing dystopian tale that it initially promises.
The Longest Five Minutes is a love letter to the genre that wants you to remember that you're meant to enjoy the journey in a JRPG, too, and I certainly walked away from this game with a renewed appreciation for the spirit of adventure in these games itself.
Eventually the charm of the game's scenarios and limited number of characters wears off; one gets the point. Perhaps Insult Simulator won't be the game you play longer than Persona 5, but I have no quarrel whatsoever with games that know what they can deliver and avoid overstaying their welcome. Insult Simulator is one such game, and it is no insult to say I had much fun with it.
I was engaged for several days, spending plenty of time playing the game, but the reasons that most people continue to play an EA Sports title until the next iteration comes along just isn't as strong in EA Sports UFC 3.
There's no fun to be had in Baseball Riot, just monotony.
The game may not do too much more than tick the boxes of what one expects of a platformer, and stumbles a few times on level design and coherence, but the wrapping of the game is a masterfully neat bow that will really help to draw in an audience.
This is, genuinely, the first time I've ever been hooked on an online-orientated competitive game.
There's nothing genuinely like Shadow of the Colossus out there, and hopefully this new, pretty version, as superficial as that prettiness is to what makes the game so important, encourages a new generation of players to try it for themselves.
I could create a laundry list of what I like in Purrfect Dating, but in the end I think this sums it up best: I can't stop screencapping because it is all just so adorable or hilarious, or both.
The game plays beautifully, is perfectly comfortable with a controller, is expansive, and is both enjoyable and illuminating. Everything that a good simulation game should be, really.