Jordan Boyd
Left Alive is a tremendously disappointing return to the Front Mission universe.
That's pretty much it for Raid: World War II. You get a list filled with some missions and you level up slowly to unlock upgrades for your characters as well as new weapons. The process felt incredibly slow and you'll probably be burned out after a couple of hours — if you were ever actually planning on playing this game, that is. I'd like to think the game can be made better through updates but I'm afraid Raid: World War II will probably be forgotten about and abandoned pretty quickly. If you're itching to kill some Nazis this holiday season, stick to Wolfenstein 2: The New Order or Call of Duty: WWII instead.
Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot is one of the worst games MachineGames has made since rebooting the Wolfenstein IP and should be avoided by PS VR owners.
Space Cows is an acceptable twin-stick shooter that's dragged down by some dry comedy, poor design decisions, and moments of arbitrary difficulty.
Jump Force is a tremendous disappointment that almost completely wastes the potential of its vast cast of characters.
I didn't really enjoy Senran Kagura Reflexions at all and I don't think I'll ever be going back to it. Somebody awaken me from my long Asuka-induced hangover when a normal Senran Kagura game comes out on Switch, it sure as hell deserves one on the handheld-hybrid. Also, nobody tell my girlfriend that I reviewed this. Thanks.
It's sad when a video game title based on an anime/manga series is unable to capture the magic and fluidity fans of said series rightfully expect. Unfortunately, The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia manages to disappoint in just about every category and fails at capturing just about anything that makes the series memorable. If you've been itching to have a go at this game, I'd recommend that you just wait for a price drop. Unfortunately, I can't say that The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia will be as fondly remembered as many of the older anime games that came before it.
Earth Defense Force 5 is a shallow entry in an enjoyable series that's reliance on older mechanics in and of itself has become outdated.
Code of Princess EX might itch your craving for a Japanese-style beat em' up: if you missed the game when it released on Nintendo 3DS, it's not super expensive and might be worth a try. I don't think everyone is going to enjoy this game though; I certainly had a lot of on and off moments with it. In the end, Code of Princess needs to do a lot more if it hopes to have any staying power in the future. I will say, though, that I'm somewhat excited to see some of the characters reappear in Blade Strangers when it releases next month.
Most of you have probably already made up your mind about Metal Gear Survive. I think Survive has some redeeming qualities and, had it focused firmly on its multiplayer, I may have enjoyed the experience more. As it stands, there are just so many better titles in the survival genre, it's hard to recommend this game to anybody. I'm sad to say that Metal Gear Survive has squeezed any ounce of hope I had for this series I only recently got into.
I'd say it's a little steep paying $20 for this one. If you're a hardcore NBA fan you might have an enjoyable time with Playgrounds, I'd recommend most other players stick to the 2K series. It's hard to even recommend the Switch version because 2K seems like it's just on the horizon. If you're looking to play NBA Playgrounds I'd suggest at least waiting until online is available. But if you've really got a basketball itch, this game does a decent job at scratching it.
Carly and the Reaperman is commendable as it really tries and executes a unique idea almost flawlessly. PSVR's wire clutter might make it difficult for two players to comfortably play with proficiency, but when it does work, it works well.
Telefrag VR is a solid attempt at bringing the arena shooter genre to virtual reality, but a lack of community may cut this game's life short.
One Piece: World Seeker is a solid attempt at an open-world licensed anime game but the same attention to world building isn't applied to its gameplay to craft something that's truly memorable.
If you're a hardcore Zelda fan you may find enjoyment in Oceanhorn; the game's not bad, just very bland. It also might appeal to younger audiences who may have never played a Zelda game before. This game is a good stepping stone into that genre. Ultimately I wish Oceanhorn created more of an identity for itself but it ends up just playing it safe.
FromSoftware's once Japan-exclusive Xbox title, Metal Wolf Chaos XD, has finally made it to the west 15 years after its original release.
Splitgate: Arena Warfare has the foundation of a great shooter but its generic ideas and lack of originality get in the way of something that should feel a lot better than it is.
Square Enix's The Last Remnant Remastered is a deeply brutal JRPG that is hampered by its confusing design decisions which may drive some players away.
While it's certainly not even close to being what we got with Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm, it's still a fun and enjoyable game that surprised me quite a lot more than I expected it to. The asking price of $60 might be a bit much to some, but if you're a fan of Naruto in any capacity I'd say the game is worth checking out at some point.
Overall, Guns of Icarus Alliance works as a competitive multiplayer game still. It offers a unique steampunk setting with ship battles that are highly intensive and a lot of fun when you get a good lobby of people together. But with an annual player count of 80 to 200 players, newcomers should be prepared to prep themselves with tutorials and PVE content. With performance issues on the PS4, in particular, it's hard to recommend this game on the console, but if you've been looking for a cooperative game to check out with some friends this might be the one for you. Guns of Icarus Alliance is available now on PS4 and PC with well-implemented cross-play between the two.