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The hack-and-slash moment-to-moment action works in its favor even when transitioning to a new style of play, but Dynasty Warriors 9, like some of its predecessors, is clunky and unwieldy; hampered by the aforementioned bugs and performance problems. If you're into the idea of playing an open world game where its arcadey elements are entwined with therapeutic but sometimes dry exploration, maybe give it a shot.
For what was initially a failed Kickstarter by the series' original creator to make it to a final release like this is impressive in its own right, and it is one of the few arcade-centric football experiences currently on the market. Mutant Football League is fast, dirty fun, and definitely one of my favorite sports games in recent years.
After clocking in over 200 hours across both games, on the same save file, I can safely say the Cyber Sleuth games are easily some of the best Digimon games in the franchise. Despite some minor issues, a fair bit of grinding, and while still nowhere near the production values or quality of the Persona series -- Hacker's Memory is another solid turn-based RPG and a damn good Digimon game that you shouldn't miss if you played the original.
There's a tease of depth in the fights, and I even managed to have quite a bit of fun when things fell into place. Too often, however, it felt like accidental fun. Like I wanted to enjoy what I was playing so much, I stumbled into a good time.
In the end, Break Arts II feels like a great mecha customization system in search of game. Whether or not it has legs will depend on players' willingness to put up with the racing to build their robots.
Barring some unfortunate bugs and one design decision that hampered my experience, Aegis Defenders is a smooth, well-thought-out ride. The original art, charm, and in-game universe only add to it, and I'd love to see more.
Despite the kick in the teeth, it was worth crawling back out of that hole and trying again. Any game where you're pondering the optimal setup for a chicken head that shoots egg bombs and a bee homing missile is a-okay with me. I won't be endlessly replaying it, but Octogeddon grabbed me hard for a good while.
Dandara has a firm foundation, but suffers from inherent design flaws and a lack of direction. Despite its imperfections, I mostly enjoyed my time with it. It treads a lot of familiar ground with its gameplay mechanics, but those were the portions of the game I found myself having the most fun with.
Shadow of War had a gamey quality to it and a fanfiction plot that had some moments of surprise. Blade of Galadriel is much more to the point, without much of the same flair -- either the good or the bad.
Dissidia NT is fun to play, but it could use a few tweaks that could easily come as low-effort updates along with its existing premium DLC. More modes, some UI tweaks, and combat flow upgrades would go a long way.
I'm happy Altus is doing what it can to get more people to try out Radiant Historia because the game absolutely holds up and remains a pinnacle of original JRPG storytelling. Perfect Chronology is easy to recommend if you didn't play the original but it doesn't do nearly enough to make the argument for a return trip to Vainqueur.
Tesla vs Lovecraft doesn't reinvent the twin-stick shooter genre, but it's a hell of a lot of fun and has its own weird and distinct style. I only wish there were a bit more substance to the cutscenes and a few more story missions packed in for good measure. But if you like fighting off large waves of monsters, you'll get a lot of fun out of its endless mode.
Which brings me to a little suggestion to all new players: don't do Ironman mode until you get comfortable with this game. There isn't enough variability in Nantucket to warrant the amount of frustration of losing all your progress because you went into a new whaling ground thinking it was just a bunch of whales and it turns out to be a shark ground. I do enjoy a good challenge but if you want to experience the story better, save Ironman for the replay.Some other little things that stuck out to me was that the random text encounters dealing with your crew got to be a bit annoying when you were trying to manage your resources. It was such a nice little surprise to hear sea shanties that your crew was singing but the fact that it gets cut off every time you go into a battle proved to be very jarring.Nantucket is well worth your time if you are looking for a fresh take on the strategic role-playing game genre, or are a fan of the original story that it is based on.
Even if it isn't everything it could be, Space Dave! is still a damn fun shooter and the exact type of game I want to pick up when I only have a few free minutes of downtime available. It's fast, frantic, and frequently calling me back to beat my high score. The arcade scene may be deader than the Ouya, but Dave is doing his darndest to keep the spirit of its golden age alive and relevant in this modern era of gaming.
Not to diminish the accomplishments of this remake, but it's all possible because Team Ico's Shadow of the Colossus is so impossibly perfect. It's epic and majestic and emotional and imaginative and breathtaking. There are so many superlative adjective you could attach. Shadow of the Colossus' reputation is as great as some of its tallest colossi. This remake might just help some people see that a little more clearly.
Fighting can be incredibly fluid and fun, but it's like Capybara took an idea they had for a side-scrolling beat-'em-up and stretched it beyond its limits into an ill-fitted action RPG. In that same breath, you'll be hard pressed to find a game more faithful to its source material.
When assessing these packs I try to rate the sum of their parts, and more often than not, the A-game of the zombie team elevates these DLCs. Call of Duty: WWII: The Resistance is another one of those times where the extra bits upstage the main attraction of the maps.
Dragon Ball FighterZ has the depth more dedicated players will crave, but it doesn't stop itself from being a fun experience for everyone. Much like the series it stems from, the core of the series is based on a simple premise with deeper themes for those who wish to explore it fully. But it's got a lot of filler.
If you've been skipping out on Monster Hunter games for a while because they seem to blend together, jumping into World is your chance to get in. Just know that Capcom hasn't really shaken up the formula enough to piss off veterans or appeal to people who don't welcome grinding with open arms.
For the first time in ages, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. Celeste was everything I'd hoped for and then some. I'm not saying this is the best video game I've ever played. It's much too early to start declaring things like that. What I am saying is that this is an essential gaming experience. Everything this team set out to do they accomplished. If you have any love for indie games, you're about to fall head over heels. These people have created something very close to perfection.