If you're just looking for a mildly-amusing journey to help pass the time, Warlocks 2: God Slayers isn't the worst choice. However, if your intension is to play on the highest difficulty and invest a lot of hours, then the game's flaws will become apparent.
Altogether, Devil Engine is an intriguing STG that's held back by rough fundamentals. Given enough tuning, it could turn out to be welcome entry in any fan's library. There's plenty of content, and the two playable ships are impressively realized. However, the weak arsenal is a constant nuisance. Attempting to destroy massive bosses or even moderately-sized foes with a pea shooter isn't fun. There are options for quickly eliminating adversity, but getting past their constant waves of fire is also an ordeal. Simply put, it feels like this is trying too hard to break its players.
Witch Thief understands the importance of working with 3D space in a difficult genre. Beyond that, however, it's hard to look at as anything more than an interesting curiosity. The randomness of something as essential as an extra life makes every attempt feel like it is being influenced by outside forces. It's also hard to get excited about fighting the same dolls over and over again. Then there are the bosses, which are either destroyed in seconds, or chased around the room for several minutes. There's no solidly enjoyable middle ground.
This shmup is only recommended for those out there willing to put up with a lot of tedium.
In short, Last Encounter has a neat concept, but fails to follow through with it. A good challenge is the lifeblood of a videogame, especially when it comes to roguelikes. If the level of difficulty is incapable of matching and growing with the player's skill and arsenal, then there's no purpose in continuing to play. Before long, what should be a thrilling run deep into enemy territory becomes nothing more than a thirty-minute spectacle of light and sound. Anyone who picks this title up will inevitably face a tough choice. Do they make full use of the overpowered weapon system, knowing that they will rarely have any fun, or do they ignore everything, thereby stripping the game of its identity?
Much like a relic from a forgotten age, Assault Gunners HD Edition struggles to find its place in today's gaming landscape.
Really, there's not much else to say here. Aces of the Luftwaffe: Squadron tries to go its own way in a crowded genre, but it fails to light that proverbial fire. Surviving a constant barrage of enemy fire is supposed to be thrilling, but it's just not the case here. Even during the most intense shoot-outs, some will find it hard to stay awake. All in all, this shmup is tough to connect with, let alone enjoy.
Battle Cars can't be faulted for a lack of content. However, it begs the question: Who is this expansion for?
Given the title, Panty Party doesn't really throw a lot curveballs. Seeing as how each pair of undies has their own strengths and weaknesses, there's actually a bit of depth to the action. As long as players make effective use of cover and manage their stamina, they can avoid getting shredded to pieces. The three modes of play are also appreciated. However, the camera is a constant nuisance. Aiming is really unreliable, and the lock-on isn't great, either. Then there's all of the lolicon garbage, which has no place anywhere. Altogether, this is a strange and only somewhat amusing game. It just can't quite reach its full potential.
Rocking Pilot has the basics down, but it doesn't have much in the way of staying power. The potentially neat scoring system is held back by some baffling design decisions. The game never really has the chance to establish any sort of flow, due to control repeatedly being taken away from the player. Every minute there's another milestone reached or objective accomplished, and skills don't get nearly as tested as they should. Ultimately, this shmup, while fun, is a little too disjointed, shallow, and easy.
The main problem with Switch - Or Die Trying is that it has clever ideas, but doesn't take advantage of them. Game mechanics, when they're not fully explored, are just gimmicks. If switching is integral, then it needs to have a presence in the entirety of the game, not just a portion. Maybe the switch could have more abilities, such as powering fans that push the hero where he needs to go. Ghosts could chase him, depending on whether he's a big I or a little i. This puzzle-platformer has a lot of untapped potential, and that's a shame.
Tears Revolude is a formulaic adventure that accounts for the necessities, but doesn't have any style. The cast was designed by a focus group, the plot is straight out of the early 90s, and the dialogue is amusingly simple. Again, it's actually rather charming, but perhaps this is just the easily-ignorable ramblings of an old man. However, it's impossible to defend the grating music and poor graphics. Good visuals aren't quite necessary when it comes to RPGs, but the audio side can't be ignored. On the whole, this is an adventure that probably isn't worth the effort, even though it is quite short.
To put it bluntly, Toby: The Secret Mine plays it too safe. It settles for a basic understanding of the fundamentals, and does little to push the player. The pacing is appropriate, the adventure never becomes monotonous, but there aren't any inventive or exciting elements. Trial-and-error game design has its own problems, but at least more effort could have been put into Toby's death animations. Usually, he falls over like a puppet that lost its strings. In some cases, he doesn't do anything, and gamers are merely kicked back to the last checkpoint. If death is such an integral part, at least make it fun.
LostWinds is a fine game that doesn't require a lot of effort to see through to the end. The short play time, easy puzzles, and practically non-existent enemies make for a fine way to spend a lazy Sunday. Unfortunately, its lack of substance and long-term appeal guarantees that it will be forgotten before long.
While Hunter's Legacy has some nice qualities, too much of it is spent on laborious boss battles. The other elements such as exploration and puzzle-solving are competently handled, and the dealings with minor foes are appropriately brief. Unfortunately, these feelings of goodwill are eroded and then all but erased by encounters that rely too much on randomness, and don't provide enough of a legitimate challenge. If someone is willing to look past that, then they'll find Hunter's Legacy to be pretty enjoyable. Although, that's a contradiction, isn't it? It's impossible to look past something that has to be done.
Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story is a mundane beat 'em up that's held aloft by a couple clever ideas. The combat is fun at first, but the doldrums set in long before completing the first of potentially many play-throughs. Some fights, particularly the finale, definitely could've used a few tweaks. Still, figuring out the fastest route to the end is really cool. It gives the adventure a tinge of replay-value. However, unless you "have" to play every game in the River City Ransom canon, then this won't catch your interest.
There's really not much that needs to be said about Neptunia Shooter. It's a decent shmup with an identity of its own. However, it could've been a little more ambitious.
Battle Princess Madelyn is a difficult game to recommend on a whim. Its design and mechanics calls to mind the classics of yesteryear, but there's a distinct lack of follow-through. The story mode isn't hurting for content, as it features a slew of worlds to explore, bosses to battle, and goodies to collect. Unfortunately, not all of it is arranged in a manner that is appropriately compelling. The arcade mode trims most of the fat, but it lacks the challenge and polish that defined the arcade era. Still, one has to appreciate the effort that went towards appealing to fans of action-adventure and arcade games. If they're willing to look past the issues present in both modes, they might enjoy themselves. It helps that the art direction and music are really charming.
Even though Earthfall is, in most respects, mechanically sound and competently designed, it's still a hard game to recommend. This co-operative FPS never successfully manages to step out of the shadow of its inspiration. The ability to set up defensive measures, including turrets and barricades, is pretty neat. However, that's not enough, particularly when every other moment feels overly familiar and sometimes worse. All in all, this rendition of humanity's last stand won't hold anyone's attention for very long.
After spending some time with SEGA Mega Drive Classics, the nagging feeling is why these compilations are always riddled with issues. There aren't many complaints to be had when it comes to the library, yet the emulation is never up to snuff. Perhaps dedicating such a large amount of resources to the UI wasn't the right call. A number of features are poorly-realised and implemented. It's hard to enjoy the games when nothing sounds or feels quite right. The stuttering is especially baffling. While its appearance is rare, it should be non-existent. In short, fans of the console deserve better.