TheSixthAxis
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Guilty Gear XRD Revelator feels more like an expansion than a legitimate sequel, but this isn't a bad thing, as the fighting is still highly engaging and the numerous teaching materials allow newer players to get up to speed nicely. No English dub after Sign's decent dub is a bit of a black mark, but if you're not bothered by fighters in an anime style, Guilty Gear XRD Revelator is the best of the bunch.
To brand the game as a failure would be unjust, however. Although far from being essential, it's easy to see why The Sun and Moon cleaned up at Ludum Dare 29. It's just a shame that the end result lacks the substance and feature set needed to embrace a larger, more diverse audience.
If Blood and Wine is to be The Witcher series’ finale, then it’s going out on a high note that befits the high standards that have been set over the years. If you’ve enjoyed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, then this expansion is essential.
The fact of the matter is: Anima: Gate of Memories just isn’t fun. It’s not that the puzzles themselves are bad, nor that the lack of handholding is a huge deterrent in itself. Yet, the game gives very little feedback as to where to go, features mediocre combat and poor visual presentation to boot, whilst featuring some of the most hackneyed narrative and voice acting of recent years.
Having played a few of Wales Interactive games, Soul Axiom is a disappointing release from a studio that is capable of better. Muddled in with the disjointed story and an uninteresting cast of characters, there are a few glimpses of genius design that only serve to highlight the lacklustre moments that surround them. Soul Axiom tries to discuss the subject of the soul, but doesn't have one itself.
I'd love to be able to give Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter a stronger review, but it simply isn't possible. The story is solid, if a little unusual for a Sherlock Holmes tale, and the collection of mechanics and mini-games that could easily feel thrown together actually work well together, leaving you guessing about what comes next.
Atelier Sophie is a wonderful change of pace from every other JRPG I've played. The simple, homegrown story is a breath of fresh air, and the unique focus on alchemy and item gathering over combat and grinding helps it stand out even more. Most surprising of all, though, is that a game all about picking up items, navigating menus and walking around the same town for hours and hours kept me more engaged than almost any other JRPG I've played. Atelier Sophie is a wonderful game, and if you're a new player like me, it's a great way to get yourself hooked on the rest of the franchise.
At its best, Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a joyous flight across the rooftops of a gorgeous city, with a grace that belies the weight to Faith's movement, but DICE seem to forget this on a few occasions, dragging it down with combat that brings the free running to a halt. It's a fantastic game at times, but just as with the utopian setting, there are problems that lie breath the surface.
Whatever excitement I have is matched by an immediate sense of bewilderment as I prepare to memorise everything around me, knowing it will be another few hours before I can walk away truly satisfied with my in-game performance.
One Piece: Burning Blood is a great example of a licensed videogame, and it gets so much right, bringing the characters of One Piece to life in spectacular fashion. It's a shame that the limited and unwelcoming narrative scope and unnecessary difficulty spikes take away from what is otherwise a great arena brawler.
The controls for your ship feel just a little bit awkward, and it can be tiring to hold your arm up to move around – I took to lazily resting it on my leg and using this as the new centre point. More jarring is the way that every time you load to a new location, you’re booted out to the SteamVR void for a few moments, which led me to believe the game had crashed the first couple of times.
In short sessions, preferably with other players, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in tearing through each level like a bull in a china shop. That said, the longer you play Dangerous Golf, the harder it becomes to overlooks the game’s shortcomings. It’s a respectable debut from Three Fields, if one that doesn’t quite live up to its full potential.
Honestly, Hard Reset Redux is an easy game to recommend for those wanting a little more of what made Doom such a success last month. Fast-paced shooting, combined with some great visual design and a few upgrades to keep your arsenal fresh. If you’ve not played Hard Reset before, Hard Redux is well worth the price of admission.
Quar’s a game that could very easily live outside of VR, and this is a game that can easily be played sat down, but it’s also a good example of how VR can give you a fresh perspective on a genre.
Translating the physical contact between putter and golf ball to the player needs a little work and, as with SelfieTennis, the physics can sometimes feel a bit simplistic at times.
The actual puzzles are very well thought out, but the graphics are simplistic and, to be honest, the reason why there’s lasers being bounced around doesn’t make much sense.
Given how much I was hyped for the game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan is a bitter disappointment, meeting only some of the expectations I had and feeling like it was heavily rushed through development to meet a deadline. It’s not Platinum’s worst by any means, as it certainly looks and sounds the part, but the combat and level structure leave a lot to be desired. This is a classic case of a game that is more of a cowa-bummer.
The world tends towards the dull and brown, shrouded in fog to help keep the frame rate high, and the floating barges don’t result in the kinds of running battles that you might expect, but rather see people crash into each other and then take pot shots. It’s an interesting attempt, but not the multiplayer shooter I was hoping for.
In retrospect, adapting Flight Control to VR is a no brainer, but Phaser Lock Interactive have endeavoured to build on that games core idea, and pretty much pulled it off.
Falls into the same traps of “simulator” games on any platform, with not quite enough variety and substance to get by.