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MACROSS -Shooting Insight- has some great ideas and a nice mix of gameplay, but parts of it are very poorly implemented. It has tons of bonus content to unlock and more to do than many other shoot 'em ups, while simultaneously seeming to skimp in certain other areas. If you happen to be a Macross fan who is very good at the genre and doesn't mind some iffy mechanics, this might be for you. Otherwise, it's fun to play around with, see some of the unique ideas, and to experience the story, but that's it.
I loved replaying The Thing. You can tell what a labor of love this was for the team at Nightdive who have a fantastic track record for not just porting titles to modern but making them a much more enticing product for everyone. Yes, the game still feels like an older title but it's both easier on the eye and easier to play. This makes The Thing: Remastered the definitive way to experience The Thing. There are so many nods and cameos relating to the original film you'd be hard-pressed to find such an impassioned love letter to a source material anywhere else.
Having played other titles from Team Ladybug, I had a feeling that Blade Chimera was going to be good, but I wasn’t expecting it to forcibly inject its way into being one of my favorite Metroidvania titles of all time. A good (albeit rather clichéd) story perfectly carried by a bloody trio of fantastic combat, smooth and responsive controls, and some of the smoothest sprite work I’ve ever seen in my life creates an almost perfect storm for fans of the genre and those tempted to dip their toes in.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a game that I have no trouble saying is better than its predecessor, yet I’m left with the sense that it’s not as much of an upgrade as it ought to be. I have no complaints with the story and feel it is about as good as a sequel to the original should have been. While in terms of gameplay, it offers up some varied systems that allows for player freedom and fun improvisation that provides dynamic play, it’s also undoubtedly cumbersome. Game speed is slow and the way it completely eschews quality of life features means that a lot of time is spent tediously fiddling with menus rather than engaging with the meat of its strategy elements. Its tutorialization is equally as clumsy, and coupled with its high difficulty, it means I can only really recommend this to highly dedicated SRPG players. A charming game with rich mechanics, to be certain, but you’ll have to wade through some weeds to fully grasp the fun.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector’s science fiction narrative stands out for its focus on the downtrodden and message of empathy, delivered through some of the best writing you’ll find in the game medium. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in narrative games or thoughtful science fiction.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD makes for an okay way to play a pretty decent and generally fun (if perhaps conservative) platformer, especially if you haven’t already played Donkey Kong Country Returns before. Otherwise, it’s a pretty unremarkable remaster which lacks many meaningful improvements and has a share of minor-yet-noticeable downsides, which is a bit of a letdown for its price tag on release. While ultimately a charming and enjoyable game with some pretty good levels at spots, I find it to be just a touch on the safe side and not as dense with ideas or moments that blew me away, especially when compared to the game that followed which received much better treatment on its move to the Switch by comparison.
Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT! has some great heroines, plenty of fun interactions, and a pretty good plot to enjoy with some beautiful illustrations. It's a somewhat long read, but worth the time.
Reviewing The Shell Part III: Paradiso has been difficult. I’m so disappointed that it wasn’t able to live up to the high of The Shell Part II. This should have been a triumph, it should have been excellent, but it’s not. If you could somehow remove the context of the prior games, then The Shell Part III is an alright mystery visual novel with some gorgeous art and music. I can’t judge it on its own merits alone though, it has a legacy to live up to. I do think it is worth playing through The Shell Part III to see how this story comes to an end, and to get closure for its characters. That said, there is a voice in the back of my head that wonders if perhaps this game needed to exist at all. It does exist, and so this is the series’ conclusion, there’s no avoiding that. I just think maybe I would be happier living forever in the aftermath of The Shell Part II, even if it meant leaving some loose threads behind. Given that I’m wondering if things would be better had The Shell Part III never been created, I suppose I can’t recommend it, as sad as that makes me. I’ll always love The Shell, and The Shell Part II in particular is an experience that I’ll never forget, but I’ll also never forget the disappointment the series’s conclusion has left me with.
SACRIFICE VILLAINS is a superhero nukige centering around the ironic chase for justice using degenerate means. Featuring large amounts of violence and sexual assault, it’s a visual novel that’s definitely not for those who are just looking for a quick and good time. The game caters more to readers who might have unique tastes related to the hobby, promising a large selection of scenes that’s sure to tickle at least one person’s fancy. For people looking for a serious story, this is definitely not the place to look for it. Although it excels quite well in the art department, perhaps due to ramping up the concentration of adult content in SACRIFICE VILLAINS, the more interesting premise of a villainous world order was put aside to focus on creating a satisfying experience rehabilitating rebellious heroines. Most of its story elements are taken for granted and are introduced as convenient plot devices to justify the use of particular instruments in adult scenes. In a way, to best enjoy the visual novel, it necessitates taking its content at face value and just enjoying what you can see and hear. If you’re feeling freaky and craving something new, then SACRIFICE VILLAINS might just have the thing for you.
While Tales of Graces f Remastered won't win any awards for its typical plot about an ever-growing threat, its tale of friendship and the moments between characters just might. It's an excellent remaster of a JRPG with surprisingly engaging combat, and well worth playing.
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou is a hardcore shmup title to its bones. If you’re new to the genre then this probably isn’t going to be the title that converts you; rather it’s a love letter to ship-flying, credit-popping, bomb dropping gamers who love to hit the wall of Level 3 over and over again, maximizing those scores and using the smallest of windows to avoid colorful death. The lack of an English translation beyond a few menus does a major disservice to this release, but as a whole, it is great to see such an obscure and highly sought title in a more convenient to purchase and play package. It’s a game I’ll be returning to night after night trying to push ever closer to the mythos that is the one-credit clear true last boss which, much like this title, has never been more attainable.
Pirates VR: Jolly Roger gives a good first impression, but this pirate adventure quickly loses its luster. The gameplay has quite a few issues, leading it to be quite a disappointment. I wish I had more to say about this VR game, but there just isn’t really much worth talking about here. Perhaps there’s some charm here in the environment, but I found myself glad that it was such a short experience.
Dreamlike Love with Seira is a sweet romance story about being served by a beautiful maid to comfort you from the hardships of daily life. Indulgent to readers’ fantasies, it is a nice and relaxing read that definitely helps the reader wind down from the high tension stories pervasive in a lot of mainstream media titles. Simple and cute, there’s not much to think about besides putting your feet up and enjoying your time with Seira. Featuring gorgeous art by Rubi-sama and at an incredibly affordable price tag, readers will find themselves satisfied with their overall experience with the visual novel. I recommend grabbing Dreamlike Love with Seira if you’re currently craving a low investment, instant feel-good read to help soothe your wounds from the rough and cruel reality of our day-to-day lives. You never know, you might be the next person to encounter a visit from the girl of your literal dreams!
As a remaster, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is subtly slick and exactly what it needed to be. While it doesn’t necessarily improve my thoughts on The Oath in Felghana foundationally, it is the best version that you can buy. It looks sharp, runs great, and additions like new artwork and narration for Adol help to further uplift the story. That said, it’s difficult to overstress that these additions don’t fix the game’s problems, nor was that necessarily the point. It still has an anemic story and a noticeably weak first half. Frustrations like poor hitboxes and a smattering of horrible bosses also still remain. While it does have good pacing, I’m also left with the sense that a lot of its gameplay elements aren’t able to fully breathe. To its credit, it comes together quite admirably during its climax and in a few instances offers up some of the most memorable encounters in the series. Once it gets good, it stays good, but the aforementioned problems leave me weary of the prospect of playing it again in the future. Fun for the one time, but ultimately not what I would call a favorite despite its strengths.
No Case Should Remain Unsolved makes for a nice game to scratch that mystery game itch that can be completed in a single afternoon, one that I felt was more than worth the $7 price of admission. While taking a rather minimalistic approach, it executes most everything it sets out to do within a reasonable scope. At the same time, it also feels surprisingly heartfelt and left me quite satisfied by the time the credits rolled.
I have a lot of pure nostalgia for these games, but I also feel that maybe Soul Reaver 1 aging so damn well carries the package here. While not a flawless ride by any stretch of the imagination, the world-building, the writing, and the atmosphere are still unrivaled. Aspyr has developed the ideal way to play a stone-cold classic (and the sadly lacking follow-up).
Divine Dynamo Flamefrit is like a playable version of your standard milquetoast seasonal anime. It’s short and doesn’t do anything to really upset me, but it also lacks any real sense of risk taking or depth. While in the moment, it can provide mild fun, it never once really becomes anything more than that because of how it never evolves and remains so simple. It also feels short on ideas despite its length, with repetitive stage design and few enemy types, with only the boss battles feeling like they got some originality injected into them. Even putting those aside, its aesthetic, music, and story are all quite bland, leaning so hard into its inspirations that it can’t really stand on its own two feet. A bad game? Not really, but even as of writing this, I’ve already forgotten about most of it.
Hatsuyuki Sakura is a sometimes depressing story, but one well worth experiencing. It has a compelling plot and uses the visual novel format particularly well to build it.
Come for the beautiful dioramas, stay for the fun and challenging boss fights. Fantasian Neo Dimension is definitely a game I was left hoping for a bit more out of its story and characters, and it's not without some frustrations and less-than-stellar design choices here and there, but when things click the game makes for some of the most fun I've had playing a JRPG in years. It's a tough game that requires you to pay attention and be willing to change up your game plan if it doesn't work, and it can feel like trial and error in spots, but it's immensely satisfying to progress through and conquer its greatest challenges. While Fantasian Neo Dimension is an experience rooted in nostalgia to some extent, it does more than enough on its own to stand out in a crowded pool of retro-inspired JRPGs coming out these days.
Natsu no Sagashimono ~What We Found That Summer~ has fairly unengaging gameplay, but it does well at creating that feeling of summer in the countryside and getting to know the locals. The slice-of-life scenes are enjoyable and even if brief the more serious elements were welcome. It would've been nice to see improvements in some areas, but it feels fair considering the low price.