Franchise Hockey Manager 4 is the latest and perhaps greatest of Out of the Park Developments high quality hockey management simulator. There are a handful of improvements over the last release, and all updates to the current season as included as well. Despite some accuracy issues with simulation, and some confusing navigation, FHM 4 is a strong release, but with few must-have changes for even a dedicated player.
MLB The Show 18 is another fantastic baseball experience, and a game where high quality has become routine. The gameplay is the same, for the most part, but the game's modes have all been vastly updated with improvements, additions, and overhauls to the way progression through each mode is accomplished. These improvements are welcome additions to a game that flirts with stagnation in spite of its perennial brilliance.
60 Parsecs is a surprisingly fantastic game that has a large amount of replay value. It's well worth a look.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey is a one-two punch of fun, casual and amusing gameplay, complete with all the expected charm, humor, and challenge expected of a game in the Mario Universe. Bowser's Inside Story is one of the more odd and varied titles I've ever played, but it is a little too easy. The overall product combines several of the best game styles into one, yet the final product feels incredibly cohesive and is a must play modern Mario experience.
Catherine Classic is a port to PC of one of the more unique and surreal gaming experiences around. Scary, thought provoking, and beautiful to behold, Catherine combines horror, romance, puzzles and platforming into a must play experience for anyone. Highly repeatable and challenging gameplay defines this true classic cult hit that begs to be discovered and rediscovered despite outwardly obscuring its true nature behind the standard expectations of a game in this style.
Rack N Ruin redeems itself with a second showing on PC, but only if you abandon your controller for the ol' fashioned keyboard and mouse. The black comedic story of a demon set to enslave the earth pops with colorful backgrounds and challenging, fast-paced gameplay and finds redemption in its PC release.
Phantom Brave is an all-timer, but Phantom Brave PC feels much more like a screenprinted masterwork than the real thing. Glossed up slightly, but with very little to no changes since the last re-release, Phantom Brave PC is the least impressive of all. That said, the game itself is still wonderfully great, and new players will be rewarded with the cool breeze of phantoms coming in the air tonight.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is a highly familiar, yet fresh take on 2D platforming, and the results are a game I can easily imagine scaled down to 16-bit on a Sega Genesis. A nostalgia hound for the 90s will find a lot to love with this game, from the gameplay down to the look, feel, and story it presents. Far from perfect, but charming beyond its expectations, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is wonderfully fun.
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is a faster, more frantic, and fresh take on the old Pac-Man series, and this sequel does a great job of furthering what the original Championship Edition presented. The game is fun, and Pac-Man fans will enjoy the game while also getting a new set of challenges to face. In the end, the game is fairly simple and something you’ve seen before many times, but if you are craving a return to Pac World, this is a great place to look.
Superdimension Neptune vs. Sega Hard Girls is a match made in gaming heaven. A JRPG with some expanded and fun platforming mechanics throughout, this game improves on the Neptunia series model while sending the player on a lighthearted romp through an alternative Sega universe.
Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a morsel that updates a small bit of the past with a very nice Dream Drop Distance HD Remaster, details a bit of the present with the χ Back Cover cinematic, and shows a smidge of the glorious future with Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage. The gaming content is high quality, but low quantity, leaving you wanting more. Great for junkies needing a Kingdom Hearts bump to get them through the long wait should get this immediately.
Overall, this is a really great Madden release with a few errors that need fixing.
Accel World vs. Sword Art Online is a fairly magnificent little JRPG that surprised me with its depth of characters and customizable options within, and a world where I can fly, explore, and battle dozens of monsters along the way. I'm reminded so much of the golden PlayStation 2 era of JRPG gaming, with all the good and some of the bad that comes with that distinction. Overall, Accel World vs. Sword Art Online is a very solid JRPG title and one that any fan of the genre will enjoy.
Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon is another Koei Tecmo game that looks like so many others, but plays with a special mix of ease and uniqueness that makes it compelling and addictive. There are many fun elements for exploration and battles, not the least of which is a time limit system that keeps you moving and searching for better ways to complete tasks. Despite some monotony as you progress, there is a ton to enjoy in this fun and simple game.
The Chronicles of Nyanya looks like a bad dream, but is actually one of the most refreshing and fun RPGs that I have played in a long, long time. There is so much to love about the story and the dialogue, and the humor of the game is witty, smart, and charming. Battles are basic as is the gameplay throughout, but there are certain tweaks to that which provide more challenge and cerebrality. There are some small issues, and one big game crashing issue that drags the quality down, but overall this is a surprise triumph and well worth your attention.
Luigi's Mansion was great when it first arrived, and this remake is even more polished and complete than the first. There are a lot of problems with the controls in the game, but the creative and diverse gameplay combined with a beautiful bevy of graphics make the experience worth the frustration.
Megadimension Neptunia VII is a story about a girl in a very strange world, but that world happens to be a apocalyptic bizarro dimension inside of a video game console. The game manages to be fun with only a limited amount of improvement. Continuing with its signature game within a game concept, Megadimension Neptunia VII is going to please fans and not do much to change the minds of detractors. Very similar to the past titles in the series, this game is tried and true because Neptune never changes.
Pinball is pinball, but Zen Pinball 2 always tries their best to make an interesting product and has succeeded again with the Balls of Glory pack. While strapped with the same functional issues that all video game pinball titles share, the Balls of Glory table set packs four great Fox Animation programs into a fun, dynamic, and replayable pinball experience that can provide hours of casual fun to the young and old alike. If you ask me, that's pretty freakin' sweet.
Trails of Cold Steel doesn't lack for a pretty atmosphere throughout, and I enjoy the design elements quite a bit regardless of graphic quality. The music isn't anything mind-blowing, but it is still Falcom quality goodness.
Koi is peaceful, smart, and minimal, showing the cleansing journey of a special koi fish working against the odds and the forces of filth and darkness. Simple, but short, Koi is a refreshingly fun casual game that feels like a true video game without losing any of the casual qualities that make up the genre. If you’re an angry gamer, human, or just someone needing a break, Koi is worth a try.