Digital Chumps
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Headlander doesn't spend all of its time building a monument to Super Metroid, opting instead for a dangerous medley of absurdity that's nevertheless stable and, once you really start to look at it, kind of marvelous in its ability to stand upright and qualify as evidence of meaningful dissent.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is control under the illusion of chaos. The alliance between two divergent properties seems tenuous, but when was the last time a Fire Emblem or MegaTen game didn't exceed expectations? Why wouldn't a late-term Wii U game gleefully erupt inside of its doomed platform? Sacrificed (somewhere) were elements of surprise and spontaneity, locking Tokyo Mirage Sessions to a rigid course, but its overall performance leaves little doubt of its capability; Nintendo and Atlus saved one of the best for last.
10 Second Ninja X is a wonderful test of strategy, emotions and patience. The game will last as long as your anger skills, so prepare yourself if you ninja your way into this.
It’s been too long, and man… was this nostalgic. The game offers everything that I personally enjoy in traditional JRPGs, however, I did realize that a lot of the content seemed “recycled” from other JRPGs (story, battle system, etc). While it may not be a bad thing for some, I am Setsuna delivers with a well-crafted soundtrack, great visuals, and even revived traditional RPG elements that we enjoy, such as crafting and tech combos.
Rhythm Heaven Megamix proves that there’s still room in the market for a well-made minigame collection—provided they’re unique enough. The series is still just as fun as it was back in 2006, and honestly, this is the best implementation of the concept to date.
Song of the Deep is a meandering lesson that not every reflection of Metroidvania has to be a grand odyssey. By that measure it's a serviceable decent into the great unknown with a handful of neat ideas. It's also too oblivious of its own limitations to leave a distinct impression in a crowded field. "Groundwork for something greater" isn't a beacon of optimism, but it's probably the finest impression Song of the Deep can manage.
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens isn't simply another movie licensed turned into a LEGO game. It's a beautiful opus for the LEGO series that shows that Tt Games isn't resting on its laurels enjoying the money rolling in. The developers have put a lot of love into the presentation, gameplay depth and overall experience to bring a top-tier game that should entertain both adults and kids. Kudos to them for keeping the series fresh.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a beautiful game that is well crafted in some areas, especially in the menu and combat systems. Sadly, the game trips on its own inconsistent difficulty and poor or incomplete feel of the gameplay design.
Furi becomes essential by identifying and removing what it declares expendable. There are no exotic mechanics, insatiable combo chains, or compulsory battles against waves of time-eating sycophants. Instead, Furi trusts the player to process a tiny allowance of raw actions into a dazzling exhibition of refined skill. With a Murderer's Row of bosses perfectly apt to oblige this exercise, Furi helps define a new aesthetic of rarefied action.
Inside's quiet confidence is a maneuver invented to not only disarm the player, but also destabilize assumptions that seem inseparable from an entire class of games. Plenty of games have pulled the curtain away to thunderous applause. Only Inside has room for shock, panic, and the inconceivable notion that the nightmare isn't yet over.
Trials of the Blood Dragon is a bit hit and miss, some of the gimmicks work while other frustrate and fall entirely flat. Whilst die-hard Trials fans will have preferred to have had a more pure experience one can only hope this is just a way of keep the series in gamers consciousness.
As it stands, Umbrella Corps is a hard sell even at $29.99. The content just seems void of enjoyment and entertainment because of the broken feel of the overall gameplay design. I will give Capcom and its developers props for trying something different in the RE series. The idea seems to be built on good intentions.
Creating a candid simulation of a correctional facility is Prison Architect's purpose. Its power is allowing the player to decide if moral indifference—their own or Prison Architect's—is either a strength or weakness. Prison Architect's trip to the PlayStation 4 undermines its capability with an unnecessary layer of obstruction, but the interference it creates isn't impossible to overcome.
Trials of the Blood Dragon is the equivalent of slathering a bicycle and an action figure in neon paint and then violently bashing them together until they resemble a singular, weaponized creature. Like a bike without brakes or a toy with too many moving parts, Trials of the Blood Dragon is prone to self-destruction, but its cocksure embrace of 80's action cinema and good-enough mechanics don't quite violate its contract.
One Piece: Burning Blood does a good job of incorporating some strong story pieces from the Paramount War into what should be considered a fighting game and nothing more. The story does help alleviate the sense that fighting is as far as the gameplay takes you. Ultimately what you get with One Piece: Burning Blood is just a variety of different ways to fight against other characters in different fighting modes — nothing more, nothing less.
Overall, I think the intensity and value added in terms of power-ups, how the design of the game works (moving Pac-Man quickly, while making tough strategic decisions on the fly) makes Pac-Man 256 a fantastic experience, as well as a replayable one. Drop the dough on this one, folks. It’s worth the price of admission and then some.
Edge of Nowhere is one of the more robust and better built-for-VR experiences available today. It has a few shortcomings, but the sum of these is still not enough to keep me from recommending this to anyone with an Oculus Rift that is looking for a comfortable yet still compelling game.
It's a blast.
An excellent fighting game no matter how you slice it complete with superbly detailed yet very accessible and inviting training modes that can take you from total newcomer to master if you put the time into it. Fighting fans can't miss this one.
Atelier Sophie offers a fresh start for the franchise on the PS4 and for a new trilogy. Some design changes from previous entries made this one more enjoyable for me, so if you were on the fence before, give this entry a closer look.