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Castle of Shikigami is an important piece of shoot-'em-up history, but at this point it's more of a relic. Its own sequels stepped up the unique character loadouts and gave us more interesting bullet patterns and bosses, so this one is best left for the hardcore crowd to munch on.
There's a lot of personality on the surface in Arms (mainly I love that title theme song), and I hope Nintendo continues to build on it as planned. It works as a fighter, I just wish there was more to do in this debut entry -- both pragmatically in terms of modes and on an emotional level, as I haven't really connected with its universe yet despite its raw style.
All told, this is a content-rich collection, one that is especially worth investing in for WipEout newcomers. Longtime players might feel fatigue from tracks that have seen repeated use over the years, but even then, I'd argue the audio and visual polish present in Omega Collection makes it worthwhile -- with or without a 4K-ready setup. The dream of the '90s is alive at PlayStation.
Monolith might sound like a million other indie games on Steam, but I just found that is a perfect goulash of cute, fun, challenging, and addictive. I've been doing run after run with no hesitation, back to back, over and over; and I'm still not tired of it.
While Elder Scrolls Online has improved through the release of Morrowind, it still isn't enough of a jump to warrant a resounding recommendation (the 4v4v4 PVP mode here still isn't enough to get me into ESO PVP). If you already own it and are coasting by on free-to-play fumes, you should still think about upgrading and exploring the pointed, more focused land of Vvardenfell.
As a history teacher, I love the historical backdrop and attention to detail; as a gamer, I love the blending of strategy and excitement that comes with the intermingling of mechanics old and new to the genre. Somehow, World War II has become en vogue once more and Steel Division has come at a perfect time in the cycle of gaming trends. It's hard to remember the last time an RTS game gave me both the challenge of careful planning and the thrill of execution at the same time. Those only interested in a single-player affair might come away a little disappointed, but the package itself is very well-rounded and breathes some much-needed life into the genre.
Ultimately, while Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series: Under Pressure's array of choices doesn't quite feel as "consequential" as one might expect of the typical Telltale pitch, the new episode improves on the promise of the first outing's strengths in characterization, while still building up the main narrative into something a tad more engaging. Only the future will be able to show if these decisions will snowball properly, but the series now has me wanting to actually see that eventuality, which means it's done its job.
There aren't many games that can offer a camaraderie aspect to the survival horror genre, and Friday the 13th delivers in that regard. It could certainly use a lot more fine tuning and adjustments, but for now, it delivers on a solidly campy experience.
Stellaris: Utopia fills out a game that was already bursting. In the time I've had with it, I've played planet-devouring swarms, robotic foxes, militant birdmen, and slaving psionic jellyfish… things. While combat remains a sticking point, and hive minds feel like they have a ways to go before the idea is fully-formed, there is more potential than ever to do what the title does best – tell a story.
The story threatens to be interesting, but is laughably bad, as is the dialogue in the game (such as the lady who constantly talks about being "punished"). I'll give it this, it has a pretty cool version of Moonlight Sonata as part of its soundtrack. At least Phantom Dust dared to try something different, which is more than can be said for most AAA games these days.
Even though Compile Heart had a couple interesting ideas with this game, its execution failed to bring out its true potential. And despite having two Tales of series members on board, their involvement couldn't stop Dark Rose Valkyrie from wasting people's valuable time. At least Fujishima's character designs continue to look gorgeous.
I was pleasantly surprised with Tekken 7: Fated Retribution, and will be keeping up with the meta and pro scene for the first time in years. While Harada and his crew could have easily given us a little more to do long term other than chase more treasure, it doesn't feel like grinding in the slightest given how fun it is to play.
I have a very strange relationship with Block'hood. I've enjoyed my time with it, though I did get frustrated because my eyes are dumb and don't see colors well. I also never quite felt inspired to create the grandiose skyscrapers that the promotional materials and community show off. The story mode is delightfully elegant and the challenge mode is great for fans of puzzle games, though I don't think this is a game for the hardcore city-building crowd.
Even with the occasional camera-related annoyance and a couple of less-than-stellar timed platforming challenges, Tokyo 42 is a thrilling game.
If A New Frontier is a sort of mission statement for this franchise going forward, does it succeed in making me want another season of The Walking Dead? I know I don't want the Season Four they're selling (which is set up in a manner that makes me think Telltale is threatening me personally) but if we're looking at this season by itself, as a whole the character work in A New Frontier does a lot to make up for the finale's shortcomings. I got the ending I wanted, but I wouldn't have wanted a specific ending if I didn't care about these people and where they ended up. A disappointing finale doesn't completely undo the goodwill earned by the rest of the season, but a sour aftertaste is still pretty hard to wash out.
In the end, isn't that exactly what Danger Zone should be? It may be short, but it is ever so sweet. Hopefully we can see more of this, either with a full-on sequel or some DLC, because it's been too damn long since we've had a proper Burnout game. Arcade racers need a comeback and Danger Zone would be a perfect reigning champion.
Astro Duel Deluxe is easily the least impressive game visually on the console, does little to nothing to show off your fancy new tech, and it isn't all that fun for more than half an hour at a time. I will say it has a decent soundtrack -- not "$15 for short bursts of gameplay" decent -- but pretty good.
The low price of admission is also nice, since spending $5 is hardly what I'd call expensive. I don't know if I care for choose-your-own-adventure games (they, effectively, have no drama), but Emily is Away Too does enough right to make it easy to recommend.
In general, as much as I enjoy the experience of Rock Band VR, it's hard to imagine coming back to it time and time again. The DLC songs cost more than they do in the console counterparts and can only be played on guitar, so those who don't typically play guitar like me may not have a long-term interest in the product. The experience is wonderful and I am excited to introduce others to it, but its lasting appeal is a hard sell, especially for those who can simply jump over to traditional Rock Band and play any other instrument.
I was really torn on Rime until I got caught up in its emotional ending, capped off by a fantastic unexpected chapter select reveal. I really saw what Tequila Works was trying to do by the time the curtain closed and it ended up spurring another partial playthrough in the process. Even during its most underwhelming moments Rime got a response out of me, and I'll remember it for years to come.