NookGaming
HomepageNookGaming's Reviews
Persona 5 Tactica impressed me by going well beyond my expectations. By merging traditional tactics RPG gameplay with ideas and concepts unique to the Persona series, it creates a fresh, exciting experience. When you bundle this creative foray into a new genre with a loveable cast of characters and an engaging narrative, you get one of the best games of 2023. If you loved Persona 5, pick this up. If you haven’t played Persona 5, do that, and then pick this up.
The Song of Saya is an interesting play on the boy-meets-girl romance story. Grotesquely interesting, it pulls you in with its absurdly vivid artwork and throws you for a loop through its subtle psychological horror. Instead of overtly scary tactics, The Song of Saya instills psychological fear through its narrative and character actions, never fully materializing its horrific aspects, and leaving it to the reader to fully visualize the rest of its scenes. This is not without its drawbacks, however, as its singular focus on the situation detracts from creating a fictional setting that is both immersive and fleshed out. However, with the exceptional use of its characters and the struggle itself, it raises stakes high enough to warrant your full attention. Overall, the Song of Saya is an incredible experience, with or without the adult content. I recommend it to anyone with the courage to try it out for themselves
I’d recommend Like A Dragon Gaiden to any fan of the series, without hesitation. Of course, if you’re not caught up with the series then you’ll want to get up to the end of Yakuza: Like A Dragon before diving into Gaiden. This is definitely not a good entry point for the series, just in case you were wondering. With a grounded, cohesive narrative the game perfectly sets the stage for Infinite Wealth. It’s a joy to be back playing as Kiryu, and seeing him still growing as a character after all this time is incredibly rewarding. I enjoyed every moment of my time with Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and, barring some disappointment with the weaker than usual substories, I don’t have any real complaints. Another fantastic entry in a fantastic series.
Fashion Dreamer isn’t a perfect game, in fact it’s got quite a lot of issues. That said, I really enjoyed my time with it, and I plan on playing a whole lot more even after wrapping up my review. If you’re interested in fashion games, then you sort of have to pick this one up. There’s not much else like it out there nowadays. There are problems sure, but there’s also so much to love. The online social elements have been executed masterfully, and that should inject some real longevity to the game if the developers can address some of the quality of life concerns in the future. There is so much fun to be had, and so I do recommend Fashion Dreamer overall, just with the caveat that you’re going to rub up against some rough edges if you dive in.
GINKA can be a bit sloppy and frustratingly tropey at times, but it hits where it counts with a heartfelt story about the lengths people will go to reach the ones they love.
Criminal Border 1st Offence (Liminal Border Part I) is a great introduction for the episodic series. I thoroughly enjoyed the 6 hours I spent with it. The narrative built to a strong conclusion that left me excited to pick up the next episode when it releases. I love the direction Purple Software took with the art style, giving the title a unique visual identity that fits well with its mature narrative. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Criminal Border and I hope it can deliver on the potential shown in this first episode.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister overall is a quite fun experience that makes sure players can enjoy every aspect of a D&D campaign without needing previous knowledge. I wouldn't say it's the most groundbreaking execution, but I do feel this game is a perfect start for someone interested in any campaign where they can just be a half-elf ready to shoot people down. It's a fun journey for you to enter the universe of D&D and more accessible to most than the old ways of gathering around a table with pen and paper.
If Detective Pikachu Returns’ goal was to make a mystery game that any kid could enjoy, then it’s almost a complete failure. This is most certainly no Professor Layton, nor is it anywhere close to that pedigree in any category. The mysteries are robbed of all of their catharsis because the game doesn’t ever trust the player’s intellect and intuition. Not that you may want to see the story to its end when the main narrative can’t make up its mind on what it wants to be. For only a very brief stint of time was I invested, but then I soon realized that I already saw everything that it had to offer. Its few bright spots in character interaction and charm couldn’t hide that. This isn’t a broken game, but it’s something I found worse: it’s boring.
UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~ is a serious story not just about a growing relationship between two girls, but the nature of love, family issues, and self-discovery. With a well-paced and thoughtful story, great character dynamics, and high production values, it’s certainly worth reading.
River City: Rival Showdown is a unique title in the River City franchise, sadly to its detriment at times. The balance is all screwy, the soundtrack repeating kills the pacing, and it takes far too long to open up in terms of combat. On the other hand, there is a lot here that fans of the series will love, and more River City is always a good time. Sadly, after the last two really strong releases, this one comes off as just a little lacking.
SYNESTHESIA offers a compelling story with interesting ideas and well-written characters, and I’d recommend it to fans of science fiction and mystery. I can’t help but think it could have been better with more attention to detail, but I still enjoyed my time with SYNESTHESIA.
Sonic Superstars is a largely successful evolution of the classic formula. Although its multiplayer component doesn't really appeal to me, the addition of Emerald Powers when combined with more ambitious levels won me over and then some. It doesn't quite touch the peak that Sonic 3 & Knuckles still sits upon, but it makes a valiant effort to stand tall with its peers. What holds it back from claiming the throne for itself are inconsistencies in its visuals and music, but those are easy things to forgive with how much it ends up getting right. I'll likely be playing this one for years to come alongside the other classics, and that's all I really want at the end of the day.
Destiny Star Girlfriend is a very focused experience and, while short, this works to its benefit. It delivers a sweet romance, occasional moments of surprising depth, and plenty of comedy, supported by some great visuals. Perhaps it could have given us a chance to get to know the other characters a little more, but that's what the sequels are for.
With an emotional sci-fi adventure plot, a great dynamic between the characters, and fun hack-and-slash gameplay, Crymachina has a lot to offer. There are a few areas that let it down, but it's still certainly worth the buy.
In the end, Sword Art Online Last Recollection is a disappointment. The enticing promise of 45 playable characters is undercut by the monotony of combat, and the story is decently executed but entirely trite and predictable. This is the last entry in the Sword Art Online Gameverse, and I went in really wanting to love it. I’ve developed an appreciation for the game series over the years, in spite of its flaws. But I can’t find much appreciation at all for this. The game took me about forty hours to clear, and all I can say is that was about thirty hours too long. At least it's mercifully short compared to Alicization Lycoris. For diehard fans of the series perhaps it is worth picking up eventually, if only to see the journey through to the end. But for the majority of players who might be interested, I can’t recommend Sword Art Online Last Recollection. There was potential here, but it’s squandered. For the last entry in the series, this is no swan song. More like a goose gurgle.
Rise of the Triad Ludicrous Edition is hands down the gold standard of re-releases. It runs beautifully, it has every single officially released Expansion pack and a brand-new one on top of that. It even has quality-of-life tweaks such as "Nerf the Monk HP" and every version of the soundtrack you need. It is frankly the definitive way to play Rise of the Triad. This is an absolute labor of love and if you are a fan of the older shooters this is an absolute treat. If you were a fan of Rise of the Triad back when it was released or even the remake then you need this game in your life. The love and respect the developers have for the original game just shine through every single pore of this title.
Blasphemous II would have always had big shoes to fill. It would always have to have been ambitious. When I think back to the 20+ hours I’ve already spent in this game, I can wholeheartedly say the successor to Blasphemous is bigger than the boots it needed to fill. The ambition, rather than stifling the developers, has led them to produce a game of such exquisite quality that it is easily one of the best games of 2023.
If you want to see a busty ninja or two humiliated and violated by all manner of creatures, Taimanin Asagi has its issues, but is something you might appreciate. It has its charms, especially when it comes to the artwork. Just don't go into it expecting much in the way of story or the same standards as modern visual novels.
Tokyo Chronos is a particularly unique experience, not just as a rare VR visual novel, but due to its story, which is best experienced with few details beforehand. The replay mechanism works particularly well, without being tedious, which is a failing of some games with loop mechanics.
As someone who hadn’t played these titles originally I was very apprehensive coming into Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster. These games have a cult following and you either haven’t heard of or played them, or you love them. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground and I was worried they were overhyped or would have been outshined by more modern games. I was wrong, Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster is quite possibly my favorite JRPG title of the year. The games feel, for the most part, just as fresh as they would have at release, and the QoL features help where some rust has gathered. Two genuinely forgotten gems that shine far too bright for the lack of exposure these games have had. I hope this package gives Bandai the nudge to greenlight Baten Kaitos 3. If you’re a JRPG fan and haven’t tried these titles before, you owe it to yourself to discover Bandai Namco’s best-kept secret.