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Aokana – EXTRA2 is a fitting follow-up to Misaki’s route in the original Aokana, with an exciting focus on Flying Circus and the feelings that occur when competing in sports with friends and rivals. Even as someone with no interest in sports, I was hooked. If you enjoyed this side of Aokana, I’d certainly recommend you pick it up.
Front Mission 1st Remake is a bizarre title. It is a true remake rather than a remaster, but all the effort has still gone into the visual side of things rather than tweaking the gameplay to make it more in line with the modern era of gaming. It’s a slow-paced title with painful RNG that really isn’t too interested in providing more than a basic SRPG experience with customizable mechs. It’s great to see the series back once again. With a remake of further titles planned, I can only hope this serves as a stepping stone to provide players with a much more fun and engaging title in the future. Unfortunately, as it stands, Front Mission 1st Remake is a pretty title that while offers some fun, really doesn’t stand out in any real meaningful way compared to its many, many peers.
Signalis is as traditional survival horror as Resident Evil 1 to 3 and Silent Hill. It has a unique art style and a different camera angle, but the result still hits just as hard. It has a compelling mystery, interesting puzzles, combat that works within the genre, and tension that at times is frankly astounding. Signalis is an essential horror title for anyone who loves a good scare, with just enough science fiction in it to keep fans engaged.
Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten is a difficult one to rate. It has an excellent story, better than a lot of other visual novels or JRPGs, but it is severely hampered by the dated gameplay and certain design choices. If you’ve played and loved all of the Utawarerumono visual novels, I’d recommend it. Even if I found myself often frustrated, I’d certainly sign up for any potential sequel after playing.
What Samurai Maiden lacks in plot, it makes up for with excellent relationship-building scenes, and surprisingly tactical hack’n’slash gameplay. While there were a few issues, I had fun throughout. It goes beyond fanservice and delivers a surprisingly great game.
Judging it by its own merits, Didnapper 2 is a very well-made RPG, but you have to know what you're getting into. The game was clearly made by and for fans of bondage, and that could very well be a deal-breaker for some players. Its inclusion often distracts from an otherwise great story and the mature undertones, despite there being no explicit content, could be quite offputting for some. But if you can look past these elements, the unique gameplay mechanics, a well-written story, and a solid presentation make Didnapper 2 an adventure that's well worth your time!
Pokémon Scarlet/Violet is a potential 10/10 game, trapped behind severe issues. I personally had some of the most fun I’ve had with any game all year, but there’s a lot to criticize and it certainly shouldn’t have been released in the state it was. It does bring up a conflict in terms of scoring and not everyone will agree, but I feel recommending it is still fair due to all the positives and the sheer amount of fun I had with it – if not at such a high rating
As a longtime fan of the Blue Blur, I am overjoyed by Sonic Frontiers and what it represents for the series moving forward. With solid new gameplay ideas, an engaging and rewarding story, one of the best soundtracks in the series, and a good length, it’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had with a Sonic game. What holds it back are inconsistent visuals, a general lack of polish in some places, and not being particularly newcomer friendly. That being said, it’s a game I can still recommend with ease because of the sheer amount of heart it has, and how addicting it is when taken on its own terms. It’s a new frontier, and the air has never been so fresh.
Minor blemishes aside, I had a thoroughly great time with Moonscars. When all is said and done, Moonscars is an example of what makes indie developers so brilliant. Risks have been taken here, in terms of artstyle and approach, but a masterful understanding of what makes such games engaging makes Moonscars one of the more stand-out titles in this genre.
I needed to love Gungrave G.O.R.E. It's exactly my kind of thing as a sequel to two of my favorite "AA" titles from the PS2 era. Full of shooting and over-the-top anime action scenes, this game was penned to be my niche experience of the year. Unfortunately, it lacks the soul of the previous games. Instead, it has been padded out to an unenjoyable slog, where the endearing jank because egregious and the simple yet engaging gameplay is spread that thin it reaches new levels of repetition and annoyance. Fans of Gungrave will find enjoyment here. It just needs to be in small doses. Otherwise, the realization that this is kind of a cheap, soulless cash-in kicks in too quickly and you're left wishing the series hadn't been resurrected.
Chaos;Head is bold, powerful, and one of the most thematically interesting visual novels you can read. Despite its substantial flaws, Chaos;Head NOAH is the only way to officially experience Chaos;Head in English, and I highly recommend it.
Shovel Knight Dig is a good Shovel Knight title, but it doesn't do anything different than any other roguelike on the market. I think that could be the sticking point for it. The game looks great, plays great, and sounds amazing. It just doesn't reinvent the wheel. With every other game being a roguelike or a deck builder nowadays, the game relies solely on the strength of its source material.
Bayonetta 3 is the best and the worst in the series at the same time. I feel that it manages to reach the highest points of the series yet, but is also paired with some of the lowest. The over-the-top cutscenes and combat have never been better and the gameplay is truly diverse throughout. Unfortunately, the performance, the weak story, and some horrid open-level design really harm the product from what initially on paper could have been the definitive Bayonetta experience. Bayonetta 3 for better or worse is a culmination of everything Platinum has created up to this point. Even on its darkest day, Bayonetta 3 is still a must-play for not only fans of the series but fans of the genre.
I’m happy I got to play Chasm: The Rift. The fact this version is playable out of the box, includes all the content, and even comes with a DOSBOX version of the game, does help you get all the bang out of your buck for this one. As I mentioned it’s certainly a curious title, and you can see very early on why it was called a “Poor Mans Quake”, but the charm of the different levels and the character models do a lot to help carry it further than just being distinctly average. I wouldn’t recommend you jump onto Chasm: The Rift like it’s an essential purchase. It's something to soak up a few hours, without expecting something completely revolutionary. It's more of an rather irritating, yet charming title, with a little splash of something extra at times. Rifts may be a side effect of Quakes, but this one doesn’t leave any lasting damage.
I picked up Alpha-Nighthawk as the sci-fi setting sounded interesting and it didn’t disappoint. While I do have some issues with the ending, the majority of the story was interesting and I would’ve liked to see more. The banter between characters was often great too. I hope that people don’t continue just to dismiss it as a ‘furry visual novel’ and actually give it a chance.
Cultic: Chapter One is quite honestly my favorite horror experience of the year, with some of the finest booming and shooting I've done. In a year that's also presented Turbo Overkill and Metal: Hellsinger, that should show you just how highly I think of the game. I only have two real issues with the game. The similar feel of the levels in nature is one of them. The only other is the episodic nature of the game leaving me I'm chomping at the bit to get Chapter 2, especially after the way this one ends. Aside from those, Cultic: Chapter One is an essential purchase for horror and shooter fans alike. It's up there with the absolute best games of 2022.
Eye-catching paper art aesthetics aside, the biggest lure of Paper Ghost Stories: 7PM is its Malaysian setting and focus on the Hungry Ghost Festival for its horror narrative. While jump scares form a good portion of the scare tactics in this title, a few stand out because of their ties to the Hungry Ghost Festival. As for the other scare tactic, both the audio and visuals work nicely in tandem to create a sense of undisturbed peace in one moment and unsettling tension in the next. The slice-of-life story conveyed in this short game is pretty short and sweet, even if it feels like nothing quite happened in this first installment of the Paper Ghost Stories series. So long as you are not takut (afraid), for a short horror game with a refreshing Southeast Asian setting:
After my initial confusion on the first couple of screens on Faith: Chapter One, I buckled down and embraced the game for all its tension and world-building and found that I couldn't get enough of it. Even while writing this review I'm itching to go back and go through the trinity again to pick at its bones and just get more from it. I want to challenge myself and uncover everything Faith: The Unholy Trinity has to offer. Be it the spooky season or the resurgence of the horror genre but something about Faith: The Unholy Trinity just clicked. If you have a passion for the macabre, you need to play this game. Just have a Bible and a priest handy.
I loved my time with Serial Cleaners, which clocked in at around 10 hours. It was everything you could expect from a sequel of a game that showed some real promise. The greater lean on narrative and the gritty aesthetic carried the game much further than the original Serial Cleaner, but sadly the core gameplay loop remains mostly unchanged. This is fine initially but wears thin toward the end. If you're a fan of Stealth games and movies such as Pulp Fiction, you'll lap up everything Serial Cleaners has to offer. While it outstayed its welcome, I'd have no qualms about hiring this motley crew for another clean-up.
Nine Noir Lives is a wholly original take on a genre that doesn’t get much love any more. The things that are great about this game make it worth playing for sure. The story is properly fleshed out, the characters are unique and well written and the puzzles themselves really do make you feel like you’re occupying a world of complex cats and critters. That said, there are aspects here that could do to be improved and as such, I’m inclined to award Nine Noir Lives seven slow blinks out of ten.