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Ys X: Nordics is, hands down, one of my favorite entries in the franchise thus far. I really enjoyed the “Vikings meets pirates” theme, the characters, the naval encounters, and without a shadow of a doubt, the fast-paced and cathartic combat system.
As far as free-to-play practices go, UFL never fully tried to convince me that it was necessary to spend additional money on it in order to fully enjoy it. In fact, I didn’t expect to play it as much as I did; it’s grindy as hell, but skill-based matchmaking and the fact you need to actually learn how to play the damn game in order to succeed made it a very fair and engrossing football experience, even if it’s lacking in modes and a bit of polish. There’s a lot that needs to be improved, but as it stands, I’m quite pleased with UFL.
Is it fair to say that the best aspect about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is its fanservicey appeal? It’s nostalgic, it made me feel like a kid in the 90s once again, but there’s more to it than just a gratuitous shot of retro-tinged dopamine. It’s still a fantastic beat ’em up with great production values and fluid controls, as well as vehicular combat sections which truly make it stand out. It’s the right balance between being pure nostalgic fun and a high-quality party brawler.
I wish this collection had retained other Legacy of Kain titles, as jumping straight onto the second game in the series can be quite confusing for newcomers. But even then, I can’t complain much about Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered. Both games in this collection have aged quite a bit, but still feel shockingly modern in some regards. They look just a tad bit better, control and perform just a tad bit better, and are wrapped in a neat little package full of extras and bonus features.
In such a crowded genre, it’s hard to say that Yars Rising would manage to truly stand out, even though it did try its hardest. There are too many sections to either just didn’t fit in very well, such as the aforementioned lack of flow in the hacking bits, or just too much stuff other metroidvanias ended up doing a lot better. It’s not a bad game by any means, and it can be enjoyed if you’re a metroidvania or old-school Atari fan, but I can’t say it would be on the upper echelon of my recommended games list by any means.
This is for the gaming veterans. This is for the folk who had processors that ended in 86 and marveled at how much faster 28.8mbps could be once you upgraded your modem. For the keyboard cowboys who swapped tips on BBSs, for diehards who couldn’t imagine not having a floppy drive, for the survivors of Space Quest, Police Quest, King’s Quest and other Quests. If you have any love for those impossibly, wonderfully frustrating adventures that came before Broken Sword, The Crimson Diamond is a magnificent work of art.
Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded is a very ambitious game to try and create a VR version of especially on mobile hardware. That being said, it would have been better to make a ground up VR game for Hitman instead of trying to do a very limited and unpolished VR port of one of the best entries in the series. From the 2D cutscenes and the horrible in game visuals, to the limited VR implementation I have to say this is by far the worst way to experience this fantastic video game.
Again, I will commend the team behind Premier League Player for, at the very least, trying. They were able to come up with actually fun goalkeeping and heading minigames. The game might be ugly as sin, but I loved being inside my favorite Premier League stadium. Sadly, anything related to kicking a ball, with this bizarre makeshift “use your arms as legs” solution, was nothing short of disastrous. It is barely responsive, never intuitive, devoid of immersion, and completely lacklustre.
It might not be as charming, stylish, or memorable as Persona, but Metaphor: ReFantazio plays better than any other JRPG made by Atlus I can remember. In terms of writing, I can safely say that this is one of the most interesting and engaging plots in any JRPG, ever, even if, at first, it feels like its premise won’t ever make sense. It’s a bit shorter and its pacing is a tad bit more concise, making it more accessible and replayable. Finally, add in a fantastic combat system, and what you have here is a bonafide hit.
Maid Cafe on Electric Street does its best to veer away from simulation into very, very relaxed adventure game as soon as possible, and then you can experience the treat of Osaka’s geekdom haven in your own time. It’s not a game you should rush to finish, but it’s definitely not directionless. Instead, take your time, figure out what you need to do to succeed, and treat certain deadlines with respect (the issuance on day 33 should not be trifled with). If you do all that, you’ll have a lovely time, even if you just end up walking the streets, collecting figures and eating combini food. Which, to be honest, doesn’t seem like a bad life at all.
So here’s to you, Leo, and to Leo’s Fortune. The game may be older than my children, but it found purpose in coming back to the public eye a decade after release, and now floated its way onto the Switch in the long shadows of the console’s twilight. If you’re remotely curious, the price is right and the Switch is where it should be played, giving players an opportunity to enjoy the mobile aspect but with full console support. You’ll have a good time, even if not a long time, and who knows?
I think that the best way I can describe Empire of the Ants is to compare it to a BBC biology documentary. Sure, it’s boring, but the presentation and delivery make the product feel more interesting than it really is. It’s a jaw-dropping gorgeous experience with an additional layer of scientific research and information to be delivered to whoever plays it.
I imagine this can still be salvaged with a handful of desperately needed updates. When Asobo finishes fixing this game, then Flight Simulator 2024 might actually end up being worth your time. The potential is there, you can clearly see it. As it stands, however, I really don’t care it’s pretty, that it has more content, or a fully-fledged career mode; it’s simply too glitchy and unpolished for me to bother.
The immersiveness, great production values and excellent plot made up for many of its shortcomings. At times, Metro Awakening feels borderline revolutionary, offering AAA-quality storytelling and attention to detail to a small device like the Quest 2. Sadly, the gameplay is a bit too clunky. Between the camera limitations and poor combat, I was mostly enjoying the plot and fooling myself into believing I was inside the game’s setting, not the horror or combat sections themselves.
Even though Europa didn’t turn out to be what I’d hoped for, it’s still worth your time if you’re looking for a completely casual experience. I think I was lead astray by the trailers, which make it look more curious and puzzle-centered than it actually is. I was expecting something more along the lines of Omno or RiME, but what we got was something more akin to a Journey knock-off. It’s not bad by any means, just not quite what I was hoping for.
The multiplayer is fun, although just like it’s been for years, the skill-based matchmaking is horrendous still and the maps are generally not great overall. Zombies modes are my bread and butter and it feels like this is as “back” as zombies can be. Hopefully, they’ve learnt to new mess around with this anymore, every time they try something massively different, it absolutely kills off the player base for the mode. The fatigue is officially gone, I feel myself wanting to sit down and play a Call of Duty game daily again, and I’m not complaining at all.
It might not be as intuitive as the non-VR original, but Trombone Champ: Unflattened is still a pretty fun musical game for the Quest. If anything, it just shows how well Flat2VR is able to port games to a brand new ecosystem, making them feel even more immersive than before. I didn’t mind the fact it was a bit uglier and confusing to play. At the end of the day, I was pretending to play a trombone with a dumb smile on my face, missing most notes, without a care in the world. I just can’t wait to see what else these VR wizards are up to in the near future.
Divine Dynamo Flamefrit is a very brief experience, but one that’s quite enjoyable while it lasts. Its brevity might actually be its biggest weakness: I legit wanted more from this Zelda-lite adventure, with decent PS1-ish visuals, actually competent voice acting, straightforward controls and surprising sense of humor. I would have been able to live without the unnecessary first-person Megazord boss battles, though.
Once again, this is short, sweet and sometimes subtle, but Platform 8 delivers on all fronts what a followup game could be. Players who have come from Exit 8 may discover a bit of an easter egg towards the end, so be sure to stay locked in and accomplish everything in this well crafted, oddball world. If and when there is a third game, I’ll be there. If there’s a VR version, I’ll absolutely jump on it.
This is now the second major exclusive game that Meta has dropped for its Quest 3 headset and just like Asgard’s Wrath 2, Batman: Arkham Shadow is an absolute hit and must-play for any VR fan. The absolute care and quality Camouflaj has put into this title is breathtaking. Being able to fully adapt every aspect that the series fans expect from Arkham games into VR is astonishing. As well as being able to fit in a full length, unique story into the timeline without ruining the other games should be applauded.