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Panorama Cotton is a nice museum piece. It’s nice to look back and appreciate what the game was back in the day. It isn’t, however, a game worth playing. Its main draw is and was its visuals, and they simply haven’t held up. The gameplay isn’t as refined or as playable as Cotton’s 2D ventures, so all that really leaves is a good soundtrack and the occasional interesting boss. Give this one a miss.
Cotton 100% is alright. It’s a fun romp, but when put up against most modern shooters, and practically every other Cotton game released this year, it just feels a bit lacking. The existence of Cotton Reboot really invalidates this game’s whole shtick, and the fairly basic gameplay has since been expanded upon in games like Cotton 2. It’s not bad, it’s just there – it exists.
At the end of my shift, I found myself really enjoying my time at Happy's Humble Burger Farm. It managed to be a genuinely interesting title with surprisingly fun simulation gameplay. The save issue aside, I do feel the game had some genuine pacing issues and was too eager to serve the meal while I was still wolfing down the starters. If you’re a horror fan or fancy something a little different than usual I’d suggest coming on down to the Farm, but if you’re after a pure Simulation maybe skip the fast food this time.
Arcadia Fallen is a solid visual novel that paints a good old adventure of an ordinary alchemist getting involved in extraordinary situations, where they meet supportive friends who would accompany them till the journey’s end. One playthrough is likely sufficient for players to experience the full story, and there is much content to explore even in a playthrough given the roleplay choices, banters, puzzles, and optional romances included. If fantasy adventure stories that bring along thought-provoking, heartwarming, and positive messages are your jam, then do try brewing your own tale in Arcadia Fallen.
All in all Space Moth: Lunar Edition is a big boy shooter in a budget package. It's a top-tier bullet hell experience for less than a trip to McDonald's. The only thing the game lacks is a difficulty mode choice for newcomers to the genre who want to work to that 1CC - That and online leaderboards. Aside from those, this is one bug you'll want to spare its life.
As ILCA’s first project for The Pokémon Company, this is a solid showcase of their skills! The new additions and changes to this version are definite improvements, even if it means a large amount of your journey will be an easy jaunt across the Sinnoh region. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl is a faithful remake of the original game that will surely be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for many of you! So if you’ve either never played the original version or want to relive your time with it, this is an easy recommendation. However, if you’re not a fan of the Pokémon franchise, this game won’t change your outlook, as it plays too safe and doesn’t take too many risks to the established formula.
I enjoyed and continue to enjoy my time with Shin Megami Tensei V, but it isn't the title I envisioned when it was announced a few years back. It's a top-shelf JRPG with a lot of content, charm, and game time to keep the most engrossed of players demon negotiating until the wee hours. For me sadly the game lacks the identity I've come to expect from the main Shin Megami Tensei series. That alongside some performance issues, the weighty day one DLC, and the draining pace issues means this is one title that has strayed further from God than I would have liked.
Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is a great way to keep your mind active, as well as a way to fairly compete with people of all ages. As someone who rarely has to use math beyond basic addition, I could feel the skills slowly coming back to me as I continued to play. It does have some limitations such as direct multiplayer being local only and a limited selection of minigames, but considering the budget price and accessibility, it’s worth picking up.
I feel like The Humbling of a Holy Maiden will be most appreciated by a niche audience – those particularly interested in the kinks on display here. That said, there’s still certainly a lot to enjoy about it. It has an interesting setting, wonderful art, and some great voicing. It is a bit short, but it packs a lot into that time.
Henchman Story is a hilarious ride with a real heart to it, and its comic book style and full voice acting make it stand out from the crowd of English language visual novels. It’s an easy recommendation, especially if you’re looking for a change of pace from the usual anime-adjacent fare that visual novels are known for.
Knights of the Old Republic is still a fantastic RPG. Its best years are certainly behind it, but what it does well, it does better than most games released today. If you can look beyond the clunky controls and slightly janky systems, you will find a story and cast of characters that will stick with you for life.
I went into Dohna Dohna ~ Let’s Do Bad Things Together with some skepticism. I’d mostly heard about the adult scenes including forced prostitution and rape, which isn’t my type of content. Alongside that though, I found a genuinely interesting story with fun characters, surprisingly great gameplay, and amazing art. There are certainly a few issues that bring it down, but I enjoyed it a lot more than expected. As long as you know what you’re heading into and aren’t put off by those aspects, it’s one to play.
I wanted to love Demon Turf and at its bone, there is a good title here. It just seems a little disjointed and awkward at points that make this little demon stumble. The asking price is more than fine for the game, and you get around 20 hours out of it. Just note that not all of it is gold, and has more padding than a push-up bra.
Shin Megami Tensei 5 is a bastard to rate. What we have here is a game that, when everything is working in tandem, is possibly the greatest JRPG of all time. The depth, the mechanics, the loop – it’s perfect. The things it fumbles, however, makes getting to that greatness a chore at times, and it does serious damage to the overall experience. This is a 10/10 game, trapped in an 8/10 body – which is a real shame.
The biggest factor in Growing Up that convinces players to play the game more than once is its character stories, which I personally find are sufficiently good rewards in exchange for the whole grueling gameplay the game puts me through. If coming-of-age stories of young students are not one’s cup of tea, then they would have to be quite the completionist in order to stay motivated enough to replay it for all the different career endings. Otherwise, the game mechanics themselves — from the disappointing parents to the numerous Brain Maps that are easy to grow weary of — actually discourage one from replaying too many times. But considering one to three playthroughs, this game is worth playing. Its strong points lie in the art and music departments, and the general portrayal of the 1990s. All in all, Growing Up is a so-so stats-raising game with some meaningful and thought-provoking stories to tell.
Diablo 2 Resurrected is a fantastic remake of Diablo 2, in the sense that it is Diablo 2 with prettier graphics. Outside of that, Diablo 2 feels dated at best, bland at worst. There are so many better games in the genre that outshine Diablo 2, and one of those games exists within its series. This is a nostalgia trip of the long-toothed foggies, and not much else. The bugs don’t exactly help either.
Bright Memory: Infinite has a nascent vision of what it wants to be. And honestly, that vision is kind of good. With the right elements around it, Bright Memory: Infinite’s combat could have shined. Unfortunately, everything else is an incoherent mishmash of undeveloped ideas, lazy design, sloppiness, and technical problems. Even at the budget price of $9.99 I can’t recommend this mess.
If everything works properly, To The Rescue! is an average casual management sim with really cute art and chirpy music. I appreciate the work put into this game, including settings that allow players to fine-tune various aspects of the game to get the optimal difficulty level for themselves. The game could be more fun if its Shelter Construction provides players with more creative freedom. Including more unique visitors with meaningful or educational storylines could have been impactful too. However, as it stands (v1.0.7), To The Rescue! is so buggy that the bugs have overshadowed the actual game content. But all is not lost; the developers have been hard at work squashing the bugs since release. Thus, for those who wish to check out this dog shelter management sim, especially in its intended form, I’d advise waiting a bit longer.
While I had my issues with the ending of Blue Reflection: Second Light and didn’t feel the overarching plot was amazing, it easily won me over with its strong focus on the characters and their relationships. All those little moments stood out far more than uncovering the mystery of what happened to them. Supported by a particularly solid set of gameplay systems for a JRPG, it’s worth the purchase.
I find myself conflicted when it comes to Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX. It still remains the same great game I enjoyed as a youth in many ways, but perhaps it hasn’t stood the test of time in others. The second title is certainly the better of the two, and I’d happily recommend that. It could still be improved, but it’s better. As a package though, perhaps it’s worth waiting.