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While it does have some good points and the adult content has obviously been a focus, Oedo Trigger VR!! just doesn't have good gameplay. Lots of small but important issues bring it down significantly. The movement and shooting are the most important of these, but it could've been better in so many ways. This is even more disappointing since it could have been a good alternative for the somewhat similar Gal*Gun 2 VR, which no longer works with modern VR equipment without workarounds.
I had a great time with Fate/stay Night Remastered. With such a compelling narrative, and truly excellent character writing, it’s easy for me to understand now how Fate became such a widely beloved franchise. The remaster provides a great entry point for people like me who are experiencing this story for the first time. I’m excited to get deeper into the series, and particularly to experience more stories featuring these characters.
Everlasting Flowers - Where there is a will, there is a way is a tepid story with high-quality presentation. It has its moments here and there of solid storytelling and some relatable character moments, but there’s not much to take away from it either. The visual novel medium is one of the more stagnant in the greater landscape of gaming and I appreciate Sprite’s attempts to make a shorter and more cinematic story that breaks somewhat from the typical mold of presentation but it ultimately doesn’t quite have the substance to match its style.
The Expression Amrilato is a visual novel that attempts to illustrate the difficulty of overcoming barriers to mutual understanding. By incorporating Esperanto, a constructed language, as its main vehicle for story progression, it subjects its readers through the same hardships its protagonist Rin goes through as she struggles to express herself in a world that does not understand her words. With the plethora of study material available within the game, it doubles as an amazing way to jumpstart your own journey to learn Esperanto.
BAKERU is a charming, inspired game that’s unfortunately dragged pretty far down by its framerate issues. When working at its best, it’s an especially fun integration of culture and fun platforming mechanics. While it’s let down somewhat by a number of gameplay features feeling underutilized, I ultimately thought what I played was a fun time… But it bears repeating that this is mainly when its technical issues aren’t getting in the way of that enjoyment. I would definitely recommend this game, but maybe wait for a patch or two first.
Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain is a title I enjoyed a lot, but it has some major flaws. Fairly basic dungeon gameplay, obtuse requirements to proceed, and the occasional technical issue don’t help. Still, if you can put up with these, there are a lot of great moments with the characters. It was worth it for me, but your mileage may vary, especially if you’re not already a Koihime Musou fan.
Aspyr’s remaster is the best way to play Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, an average but charming game, if just for the simple fact they fixed the horrid camera system. Outside of the great combat, the gameplay is nothing special, but the Star Wars atmosphere helps to carry the experience. You can choose to ignore the iffy bounty system too if you just want to plod on through this 7 to 10-hour romp as the original Mandalorian badass.
Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch wasn’t entirely what I expected going into it, but I came away satisfied. While it takes a while to hit its stride and has some odd parts here and there that don’t always click, I think it does a good job of handling several of its core themes and delivering emotional payoff. What matters most to me in a story is if there is something that I was able to get attached to and resonate with, and I absolutely found that here. The story is largely well-paced with a cast of characters I grew to care about, and it features several scenes I found to be surprisingly emotionally gripping. It might not be the most original story, but what it lacks in novelty, it largely makes up for how well-executed much of it is once the ball gets rolling. If a small-town story with personal struggle and bits of magic, fantasy, folklore, romance, growing up, and occasional silliness sounds like something you might even at all enjoy, I can definitely recommend this tale.
I have always had a love for SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, but it’s hard to turn around and say it is truly a “good” game due to its lack of polish. The difficult SNK style of gameplay along with the balancing and budget issues don’t give newcomers the smoothest of rides either, especially compared to the many alternatives on the market nowadays. Still, while it’s not comparable to the best modern fighters or even the beloved Capcom vs. SNK 2, you can still have a lot of fun with it. It’s a quirky look at a dark time for not only SNK but also fighting games in general, and it is interesting to see what SNK could do with such an eclectic pick of Capcom characters. Less-than-stellar presentation aside, this game is still a curiosity that has the potential for fun if you’re a little more invested in the fighting game genre than the casual gamer. The online netcode is smooth and the diverse roster carries the game. As long as you’re willing to wade through the more mediocre aspects of the game, you are treated with a great re-release of a quirky, curious, and budget fighting game time capsule.
Himegashima Island is a slow adventure with charming characters and a relaxed atmosphere. I found myself surprised at how invested I was in the stories of the islanders and the gameplay. There are certainly many areas where it could be improved, but these are mostly minor issues. I enjoyed the 21 hours I spent experiencing a relaxing summer as Kokomi.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is easily my favorite TMNT game in recent years, standing side by side with the mighty Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. Roguelikes aren’t for everyone by their very nature. Not everyone likes to lose and start again, but if you can look past that and embrace it, you’ll find a constantly rewarding challenge worthy of the moniker of master.
As a budget speedrunning title, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is perfectly fine, though it’s slim in terms of extra content. As this is the NES Edition, I can only hope we go into SNES, Game Boy, and even possibly Nintendo 64 territory in the future. The game is an incredibly addictive title if you fall into the niche of speedrun enjoyers. For those who are fans of stuff like Awesome Games Done Quick, this is well worth the asking price, and its addictive multiplayer features with Survival and Party mode will see you playing until the early hours trying to shave milliseconds off of your Metroid hi-scores. If on the other hand, you don’t see the appeal of being the fastest you can, you’ll not find much here to justify the price tag.
At first, Lilja and Natsuka: Painting Lies seems like a fairly lighthearted story about a cheerful girl helping to spark the imagination of a blind painter, but there is a lot behind the premise. It's a mix of mystery, surprise reveals, and most importantly an emotional journey of character growth with a hint of romance. Supported by some great-looking art and a great performance from a surprisingly well-known anime voice cast, it's worth the read.
Earth Defense Force 6 is the series at its best. Taken together, the engaging narrative, expanded enemies and locales, and class changes push EDF 6 to new heights. With the most content of any EDF game to get through, I can easily recommend picking the game up. I’ve spent 44 hours with the game so far, and I’ll easily spend a few hundred more playing through the campaign again, alone and with friends, multiple times over. The fun never stops.
Between the masterful writing, exciting story, engaging mystery, and high production values, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- is absolutely worth buying.
Hookah Haze is good, despite its shortcomings. Really, my core criticism is that the foundation is so good that it’s a shame that it is sparsely built on. If anything it’s an indication of quality that I want more of these characters and this premise. I do recommend Hookah Haze, especially considering its lower price point, but with the acknowledgement that it’s somewhat insubstantial.
Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ DX is very much a game where you'll get what you put into it. If you choose to breeze through, you probably won't enjoy it very much, but if you engage and learn the systems, there's a great gameplay loop here. While it is marred by some frustrating elements, as long as you know what you're getting into, it's an enjoyable JRPG, if perhaps not reaching the heights that some other Atelier titles do.
Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is still an alright game in spite of its myriad problems. It simply had no business being as long as it was. Its story wasn't nuanced or interesting enough to warrant the length, and the gameplay didn't evolve nearly enough for that either. Its over-reliance on the format laid out in Trails of Cold Steel strips it of some much-needed identity, leaving parts of the game feeling hollow and lacking in impact. Compared to Falcom’s other works, it's a little baffling seeing just how little originality it has. To speak positively, when I’m engaged with its best aspects, like the slice-of-life storytelling, the music, and some of the combat, it can be pretty fun. I’m definitely excited to see what they do with the forthcoming sequel, and that has to count for something.
Hana's Campus Life feels like a visual novel that wants to reach the highs of some of the medium’s greats but doesn’t really have the space to do so. It’s far too short to do everything it wants to, leading to a story that is dense with events but lacking in emotionally resonant scenes or characters to earn any satisfaction from reading it. While it doesn’t have extremely low lows, there’s a lack of striking moments, and even some of the parts I did like have an asterisk attached. The experience of trying to get all the endings was bogged down by some programming issues and requiring certain choices that sometimes didn’t make all that much sense.
After more than twenty years, the original outings on GameCube have finally found a worthy successor. Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a rousing return to form for a series that had been struggling to find its footing. While it doesn't quite reach the highs of the first two games, mainly due to performance inconsistencies and lacking multiplayer, I still really enjoyed myself. Above all else, it feels great to be excited about Super Monkey Ball’s future again.