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Rally Arcade Classics features a neat premise that’s a perfect fit for portable gaming PCs and, hopefully at a later date, the Nintendo Switch, but bear in mind that, despite its name, I don’t think it’s particularly “arcadey”. Sure, the physics and controls are more easygoing than any WRC game out there, but the reality is that its campaign is really long and repetitive, demanding way too much dedication from people who were just expecting to grab a little racing game to play a few arcadey rounds. It’s more of an entry-level racing simulator.
No multiplayer and an underwhelming (and voiceless) protagonist make Dynasty Warriors: Origins feel a bit less content-heavy than its predecessors, but it retains the core aspects that make a Musou game so much fun in the first place. Do I think that some of the new features Omega Force has decided to focus on are pointless? Sure, I personally wouldn’t have tried to make the progression and pacing feel as glacial as one from a JRPG, but I won’t say I didn’t have my fair share of dumb fun with Origins. Unlike its disastrous predecessor, it is a really fun experience, putting the franchise back in the spotlight in a good way.
There is not a single positive thing about Night Shift Nurses as it exists. It’s a horrific concept with the execution of someone diving into an empty pool. The graphics are fine because you don’t have to see anything, the writing creates a desire for illiteracy and the moral of the story is that God is dead and visual novels killed Him (or Her!). I would rather spend twenty dollars to have someone fly a drone with a box cutter on it into my stomach, because it would hurt less and be a more interesting story.
In some aspects, it’s probably the best 2D Zelda ever made. It has some of the best dungeons in the series, and it’s full of creative ideas. I just feel like some of its main gameplay features actively hinder it more than make it stand out. It’s just a flawed game, something you rarely see coming from this franchise. Still, if you can put up with an admittedly disappointing combat system, I wholeheartedly recommend giving Echoes of Wisdom a go. It’s the return to a traditional formula you’ve been asking for, and it’s one of the most charming Zelda adventures to date.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an absolute Indy classic that perfectly sits itself between Raiders and Crusade for the best Indy adventures. MachineGames stays 100% faithful to Indiana Jones and for some that may be good or bad. For me, this is exactly what I wanted in an Indiana Jones adventure, and while I would like maybe a bit more fleshed out combat, and some smarter AI, I couldn’t ask for a better world trotting adventure.
Sorry We’re Closed is one hell of a game. It throws a ton of ideas into a blender and comes out with a retro-action horror quite unlike anything else I played. It has such a great concept and stunning visual style that really sets it apart from the competition.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is just what the franchise needed; a better contained story with some excellent characters. Quite a few decisions actually carried some serious weight, which can vastly affect the outcome of the game. There are multiple endings, and yes, plenty of your companions can die, so there’s a huge replayability factor. The pacing is well-balanced and the combat is a delight, making this game a blast to play from start to finish. Don’t listen to the nay-sayers; if you’re a fan of this franchise, then you simply can’t miss Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Combine all this with a solid soundtrack, excellent voiceover work and the trademark silly humor of Compile Heart’s ridiculous character creations, and Tokyo Clanpool is one of the better dungeon crawlers I’ve gotten on the Switch. While exposition can take a while and the plot is a little run of the mill, it’s got heart and it’s cute, and I seriously thought the added mechanics were inventive. It takes a lot to run right alongside an Atlus mechanic and not be too samey or grotesque in your inspiration, and Tokyo Clanpool has done it.
Nightdive has, once again, to no one’s shock, delivered another stellar remastering effort. Whilst The Thing is far from being considered a perfect game (for some, even a straightforward “good” game), or even something I would have personally chosen to get the remaster treatment, it’s still a solid title that did its best to recapture the essence of the movie. If anything, I am glad that Nightdive went the extra mile to remaster something that wasn’t exactly good, but surely needed to become widely available once again; it felt like finally being able to experience a forgotten piece of video game history.
Being one of the lowest of the Mario and Luigi games is still like scoring a C+ in sushi quality in the heart of Tokyo. It’s not that your product is bad, it’s that other products are far, far better. Brothership is decent and has some really fun concepts, but there are others, already in place in other games, that I like far more and detract from my interest in continuing to explore Brothership beyond the end game. I celebrate the return of the series, and hope that the sales and the acclaim from others foster another chance at bat for wherever Nintendo steers its ship next.
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.