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With an array of solid mysteries capped by some standout moments, Staffer Case is a strong entry in the murder mystery visual novel genre. I hope to see Notrick’s journey continue in future games.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin proves the age-old rule that, sometimes, bigger really is just better. A more mature storyline coupled with an improved art style and deeper gameplay makes this the definitive Monster Hunter RPG. It keeps just about everything good about the original game and makes it even better, all while sacrificing none of the charm. If you’re a fan of the monster collection genre, then this will almost certainly appeal to you in many ways. If you’re a fan of Monster Hunter, it may just make all of your dreams come true.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak made for a rather enjoyable playthrough that was hard carried by its main party and how fun combat was. I also like that it trims some of the fat that had begun building with the bloated previous arc. This is one of the best put-together Trails games in a long time, complete with some solid cutscene choreography and a near-seamless feeling of play in between combat and cutscenes.
Monster Hunter Stories is a solid RPG made better by a top-class remastering effort. The work in bringing the game over to new hardware shows how much the original 3DS release punched above its own weight. Some of the game’s more innate problems like combat frustrations are still there, but ultimately I would say it's still one well worth your time. It's an especially solid RPG for beginners and fans of the series itching to see it in a new light.
I recognize Nightdive Studios’ successful effort in porting PO'ed to modern platforms and I’m sure this game has a fanbase. Sadly, I am not part of that fanbase. I had frankly a miserable experience with the core game. Outside of its jetpack gameplay, the combat was horrid and the level design was headache-inducing. If you have a hankering for classic FPS you’d be wiser to pick up other Nightdive re-releases such as Rise of the Triad. PO'ed: Definitive Edition is the best way to play a game that I wouldn’t recommend anyone play.
Real Anime Situation! 2 lives up to the title of Real Hentai Situation! 2. As long as that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll find it, albeit with a few issues along the way. The comedy helps to keep it light despite some of the more extreme acts on display, and you’re not coming here for the plot anyway.
If you’re looking for a good indie title that’ll give you a unique adventure, I’d definitely recommend MAMIYA – A Shared Illusion of the World’s End. Even with all its flaws, I believe the experience itself is still worth a try with all the work Kokoroten put into both its scenario and art. It’s a title full of passionate storytelling, and it translates well into the ambition you can feel while reading it.
I love Capes. It’s a great game and it’s staggering just how much they got right, especially just how gripping the characters and narrative were. A massive shout-out to the writers for that. That said, it’s significantly lacking in a few areas especially when compared to similar titles. Capes is going to satisfy the hole in your life that calls out for comic books and strategy games for a good while. I do hope a sequel comes around and the developers get really wild with the team-ups, locations, and superheroes. But even if what we have now isn't perfect, it could be a fantastic origin story for this series.
Whilst AMANATSU’s heroine routes are somewhat lacking, all three do manage to be pretty fun, it’s just a shame that only Kogane’s route really managed to shine. It also benefits from an incredibly fun common route, wonderful seaside vibes, and some perfect music choices. I’d say that overall you’ve got a really nice package here, even if it is carried largely by one heroine and its common route.
The Quintessential Quintuplets – Five Memories Spent With You is an interesting story of the challenges Futaro faces after choosing one of the quintuplets. It does well making each route feel different, despite the similar themes. It’s only a pity that it was marred by localization issues.
Sisters: Last Day of Summer uses animation well to tell what I found to be a surprisingly interesting story. While it certainly doesn’t lack adult content, I found myself more engaged with the central mystery and the emotional moments.
I’ve long considered Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door to be a benchmark title for how to do a sequel well. TTYD built on a lot of the ideas that the first Paper Mario established in new and creative ways while staying true to what made the first game work. So I am excited to say that Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Switch lives up to the Gamecube’s TTYD in many ways, setting a benchmark of its own for how to make a very faithful remake while also playing up the game’s strengths. I’m hopeful that this game finds success alongside the Super Mario RPG remake and sends a message to Nintendo that there is still a place in the world of gaming for a true RPG experience starring the beloved plumber. If you own the original game, I would describe the two versions as generally comparable in overall quality. This remake adds even more personality and a few neat bonuses to an otherwise splendid game, but some performance issues hold it back from me giving it a perfect grade. If you want a more radically different remake, you won’t find it here, but what you will get is a lovingly made video game with many of the original version’s best attributes shining brighter than ever before. If you’ve never played The Thousand-Year Door in any form and you own a Switch, you owe it to yourself to play this gem of an RPG.
Umbraclaw is perhaps the artsiest game Inti Creates has ever made. From its great art direction to its fantastic voice acting, it genuinely caught me off guard with how much was put into the simple look and feel of the game. Better still is that this is all in service of a genuinely great story with a lot to say. It’s to a point that this is one of the rare platformers where story explicitly and strongly informs the gameplay. Gameplay winds up being where the game falls somewhat short, as it is simply undercooked, if still perfectly serviceable. Honestly, though, I’m fine with that. Through whatever issues it may have, Umbraclaw proves that a game can truly be more than the sum of its parts.
The Quintessential Quintuplets – Memories of a Quintessential Summer is very much only for fans of the series, and even then it isn’t an amazing experience. Still, it’s a nice way to spend more time with the quintuplets and there are certainly moments worth experiencing here.
Rainbow Cotton is fortunately a much better product than Panorama Cotton, the closest title I can compare it to. Sadly, beyond that little accolade and the fantastic soundtrack, it just feels rather limp when compared to the more traditional Cotton titles on offer for similar or even lower price points. I’ll never say no to more Cotton. If you are a fan of the franchise, then the HD graphics, English translation for the cutscenes, and lock-on feature make this an ideal way to play the game. But, if you are new to the franchise and want to know why there is seemingly a re-release every 6 months I would suggest looking at Cotton Reboot and considering picking this curio up on sale down the line.
Aoi Tori tries to do a lot, but it doesn’t do much particularly well. Plot elements clash and leave the story feeling disjointed. Two of the four routes are just not good overall, and even the two better ones have significant pitfalls. It has a small cast of characters it focuses on, but outside of Mary I seldom found myself actually caring for or about most of them.
Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution’s character interactions and comedy make it worth playing. However, it’s let down by its gameplay, which is occasionally good, often mediocre, and sometimes actively bad. I say this as a long-time fan of Neptunia, which might be the only group that this title appeals to.
SaGa Emerald Beyond is a curious beast of a game. The global release, demo, and marketing would have you believe this is going to be an ideal game for newcomers. It's not. Making this your first SaGa title could easily put you off the franchise for life. It’s a quirky and obscure adventure where many of its mechanics are hidden. It feels completely random at times and you’ll be hours deep into it before you feel semi-competent at the battle system. As much of a “JRPG” as this is, it's not what most gamers would expect from a game of this genre at all. The game requires a lot of attention, experimentation, and tolerance for confusion. It’s tough for me to suggest to anyone who isn’t familiar with SaGa Scarlet Grace, even for those of you coming from Romancing SaGa or SaGa Frontier might not click with this one. Like most of the franchise, this is one you’ll either love or hate, and the fact that there's a demo will be invaluable here to many players.
Once again, Nightdive has released an official, definitive way to play another classic FPS with Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster. It may seem like a basic FPS even by the standards of its original era, but it still looks and feels authentically Star Wars and makes for a fun as heck playthrough.
Mashiroiro Symphony HD -Sana Edition- is a nice addition to -Love is Pure White- and I can certainly see why Sana won a popularity poll. Sana’s route had a lot to measure up to, and while it falls short of some of the -Love is Pure White- routes, it was still a great read.