Kakuchopurei
HomepageKakuchopurei's Reviews
In a year filled with already great JRPGs like Persona 3 Reload, Visions Of Mana, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio still manages to stand out and be a masterful game worthy of the highest praise. This is a clear GOTY candidate for 2024 and it's also perhaps what I could even arguably be Atlus' magnum opus to date.
Amber Isle has the potential to be one of the top cozy management games if the dev team played their cards right, but it currently feels pretty barebones except for the visuals. The shop management system only scratches the surface, the exploration area seems large on the map but feels limited once you explore it. [...] The concept of running your own chibi-dinosaur island and growing your business into a thriving centre in the village seems promising. However, Amber Isle makes this idea seem too good to be true, offering little to explore in this adorable prehistoric world. In short, it feels and plays as outdated as its subjects.
While the game is not the most in-depth title from a competitive standpoint, Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is this generation's best Dragon Ball-themed 3D fighter complete with thrills, spills, and fanservice up the wazoo.
With a unique 2D aesthetic, a rockin' old-school soundtrack, and fast-and-furious racing and rally action, Victory Heat Rally revs up just fine on the 3D road in its pixel-on-polygonal livery.
All in all, FC 25 is not a perfect game. There are still areas which EA Sports could improve starting with making FUT less dependent on overpowered cards and capitalizing on FC IQ. [...] However, I enjoyed this iteration more because it honestly tried harder to add more about what I love: offline and online high-level football gaming with stellar production values. The improvements & attempts here made me come back to FC 25 moreso than usual, even if it's the only major console-centric football game in the market.
Balatro is a triumph in simple-yet-airtight game design, combining the old-schoolness of poker & card shark mechanics with the new roguelike and deck-building-to-perfection loop that leads to an addictive time.
Ara History Untold might be the one game that finally gets me into the genre. It's a good game for newcomers to the 4X strategy genre and Oxide Games is definitely a developer to look out for, since this is only their first title.
...[I]f you need slick Sega Saturn-style racing that's just about drifting in style and full of winding turns and loops, you can't go wrong with Parking Garage Rally Circuit. It's not a complicated sim affair, but it isn't meant to be since it's straightforward and focused on what it's delivering, wrapped up in a quaint purposefully old-school 3D wrapping.
Spectre Divide brings an innovative twist to the tactical FPS scene with its dual-body mechanic and modular gameplay options. For those who enjoy deep strategy and tactical depth, this game provides plenty of opportunities to flex those mental muscles. However, the steep learning curve and slower-than-expected pace might frustrate players looking for a more fast-paced experience.
The Plucky Squire may not be the most challenging game you'll play. It is, however, the most charming, most beautiful, and most engrossing of these 2D action-adventure titles you'll have the pleasure of experiencing.
If I had high blood pressure, I would probably pop a blood vessel playing this game. Unless you like grappling with some of the wonkiest, jankiest, and clunkiest gameplay around, there are loads of better Metroidvania games out there than this.
Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc is best enjoyed as a fleeting party game, one that provides a few laughs and memorable moments with friends, but probably won't hold your attention for the long haul.
If you're looking for a fun space western cowboy game or if you're a fan of anything with a spaghetti western vibe, Wild Bastards will satisfy your hunger just like a good can of beans.
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is the quintessential scifi action game experience you need to tune to if you fancy bloodshed, some co-op and PvP, and an all-round great-to-control 3D beat-em-up with solid gunplay. [...] A god emperor-worthy sequel to a 2011 gem, long story short.
While this Uma Musume spin-off game is fun, it's rather short and simplistic to a fault. It clearly needs more than 4 games to carry the entire package; RM128 isn't exactly cheap for a party game with just a few offerings and a bonus roguelite Vampire Survivor-but-on-track-and-field game. Fans will eat this up like carrots on stick, but this isn't the right gateway to the true Uma Musume experience. It's a serviceable party game with cute pixel graphics at best, and an expensive fan-tailored barebones gaming experience at worse.
WayForward's handling of this Atari franchise following this new 2D search action direction has a lot of potential. With a little more tweaking and refining, the next game in the series could be a breakout hit. As it stands, Yars Rising is a solid take on a tried-and-true Metroidvania formula with slick controls and the occasional challenge.
Cygni: All Guns Blazing provides an exhilarating and action-packed shmup experience for hardcore players. The customizable ship options are impressive, the energy allocation mechanic is unique, the visual and sounds are immersive, and the game is sure to keep players on the edge of their seats, bringing its full bullet hell twin stick shooter glory to modern audiences.
Team Asobi's Astro Bot is proof and evidence that the best 3D platformers are timeless and will always be fun when they're well-made with passion and love, and that's exactly what Astro Bot is. If you're a long-time PlayStation fan who's been with the brand since the original PS1 days, there's no way Astro Bot won't make you relive your best nostalgic memories and make you feel like a kid again, in all the best ways.
All in all, Concord feels like a missed opportunity that arrived far too late. It’s as if the game is trying to recapture the magic of a bygone era, but the spark just isn’t there.
For someone who typically doesn’t dabble in platformers, Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn was a challenging yet rewarding experience for myself. I won’t lie—it pushed my buttons in more ways than one, and I might not rush back to it anytime soon. Still, the game does a great job of honouring its origins while inviting a new wave of (possible sado-masochistic) players to join in.