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Just Cause 4 introduces some new interesting features like strike missions and an immersive frontline but does so at the cost of doing away with the familiar liberation system that fans of the series know and love. The result is a Just Cause game that doesn't quite feel like a Just Cause game, which might not sit well with some folks. Hopefully, the next game in the series finds a way to merge both as the game's base mechanics continue to be a hoot for players with creative minds.
Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is a tale of two games. The storytelling is excellent and top notch, featuring the exact kind of humor and charm that fans of the series adore. The gameplay, however, lacks polish and can feel cumbersome, which is a bummer. While it won’t be for everyone, fans of the series who are willing to go through less than perfect gameplay likely will still enjoy it for its original story, which definitely does justice to the source material.
As helter-skelter as the game can be at times there will be folks who will love The 25th Ward. I mean, I personally tuned out of Evangelion toward the end but there are folks who love that series' confusing and, at times, raw and disturbing style. If you love games with an aesthetic and plot akin to an M.C. Escher lithograph, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case will be right up your alley. Or inverted stairs.
There will be people who will absolutely love Sea of Thieves and the unbridled freedom it provides. Others, however, will be left wanting more. Although the game looks great and has a solid foundation, it's missing key pieces to bring together its more solid elements. It certainly has its flashes of brilliance and can be a blast when played with a group of friends. A poor solo experience, however, combined with a lack of diversity as far as things to do, make its waters seem shallower than initially expected.
Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package is the definitive edition for fans who want to experience the fourth mainline entry in the game. Although the addition of extras like “Capcom Heroes” is nice, the aging combat is starting to feel as fresh a zombie. The removal of the timer might disappoint purists, though it makes the game more accessible to newcomers. It feels like a series at a crossroads, for sure.
Like a nice car that comes with an aftermarket spoiler that doesn’t quite match, Need for Speed Payback is a game with some interesting parts that don’t quite mesh into one synergistic package. Its open world is beautifully vast and its diverse car selection will have something for everyone. Unlikable characters, however, combined with grindy gameplay with a hint of mobile gaming elements stall the momentum of a game with potential.
Ultra Street Fighter 2 looks like a love letter to fans such as myself who spent tons of time and even more quarters at the arcades during SF2's heyday. While classic mode remains fun and modern mode looks nice, a lack of extra features and a poorly implemented first-person mode with waggle controls sours what should have been a celebration of Street Fighter 2's legacy. It's still a solid title but also represents a missed opportunity.
The Caligula Effect features a nifty concept as well as some notable minds behind its story, music and character design. At the same time, the PS Vita JRPG is also the victim of bad timing as everything it does, Persona 5 does much better. If you haven't played the latter, then I recommend getting that instead. Otherwise, if you're looking for a more old-school Persona-style game, then The Caligula Effect can be worth checking out.
Despite some promising elements, mismatched expectations and an unsuccessful attempt to set things right cause this Valkyria Chronicles spinoff to crumble under its own weight. Ultimately, Valkyria Revolution is a game that suffers from an identity crisis and ends up not being quite sure of what it wants to be. I just hope that the Valkyria franchise gets another chance to do what it does best and deliver a new entry that's more faithful to its roots.
Mario Sports Superstars takes the mechanics from some of Nintendo's popular sports series and puts them in one package. While games like tennis and golf do a good job in emulating the gameplay of Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, the bare bones features make the total experience feel stripped down — essentially turning it into a jack of all trades and master of none. If you like simple minigame collections, however, this is one of the better ones out there.
Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity is the kind of low-budget title that’s light on bells and whistles but still carries a distinct appeal for fans of offbeat Japanese titles. Like Touhou Gensou: Bullet Ballet, this side adventure admittedly does not have the polish of a triple-A game or even the tight gameplay of the mainline bullet-hell titles of the Touhou franchise. As a fan-made game, however, it has heart as well as a certain whimsy to it that I find charming in its own right. It won’t be for everybody but fans of titles with an Akiba-flavor to them will likely enjoy this one.
Like a delicious cronut, Touhou Gensou Rondo: Bullet Ballet combines two fun genres while throwing in some beloved characters with a dedicated cult following. The shmup and bullet hell parts of the equation have their fun moments but the melee can be cumbersome and awkward. The game also has some nice bones but could admittedly use more meat as both the gameplay and story, while cute, can feel shallow after extended play. It's not a game that would float everyone's boat for sure, but fans of Japanese titles with both an otaku flair and indie feel might still want to check this one out. Now bring over the main Touhou games!
Overall, Mind Zero is a fun romp for fans looking to satisfy their dungeon-crawling fill. It doesn’t have the polish of the Persona series or notable dungeon crawlers and JRPGs to earn a place in the upper echelon of the genre. If you’re looking for a dungeon crawler to sink your teeth into, however, it still might be worth trying out, especially given how rare such games are these days.
I hope that we eventually get that from No Man’s Sky and I will come back and continue to try to find that experience. As it currently stands though this game stands out as being just completely average.
The first episode of "The Walking Dead: Michonne," serves up nice production values and a strong protagonist that commands attention. At the same time, it lacks the tension and suspense of the debut episode of Telltale's first Walking Dead game, which should be a strong point for a story-driven game based on a horror-survival series. With the setup out of the way, let's hope this new series steps up its game and freshens up its familiar story-adventure formula in the following episodes.
Box Boy is a charming game that can provide a nice challenge and is affordable to boot. If you like puzzlers and subscribe to the philosophy of gameplay over graphics, you'll want to give this game a look.
Admittedly, Miracle Cure can get repetitive after long jaunts and the harder stages can be frustrating for folks who aren't used to puzzle games. I also wish it added more new things to shake the formula up, even if it's just something as simple as a wacky story mode like Puyo Puyo does, for example. Still, it's a pretty solid title that introduces a classic to newcomers who may not have had the opportunity to try its earlier incarnations. If you like Tetris-style puzzle games, then Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure might be a pill you'll want to swallow.
Ultimately, Happy Home Designer is an adorable and charming game that will delight fans interested in more lighthearted Animal Crossing fare. It might not have enough variety of content for the series' more hardcore fanbase, so if you're looking for another New Leaf this likely isn't the title for you. Folks who thoroughly enjoyed the design aspects of the last mainline game, however, should get more mileage out of Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.
After a solid setup from the first game about a world-ending evil, Minecraft Story Mode Episode 2, loses a bit of steam due to a shorter adventure that feels like it's just going through the motions. The foundation is still there for a fun adventure so, but Telltale will need to ratchet things up a notch in the next episode, "The Last Place You Look," especially with the excellent precedent that "Tales From the Borderlands" has set.
Mario Tennis Ultra Smash does a good job in refining the base gameplay with new mechanics but also suffers from a lack of modes and features compared to its predecessors. Mega Battles also feel gimmicky as opposed to a new game changing feature and amiibo integration could have been better. Although the single-player experience is lacking, however, Mario Tennis Ultra Smash continues to shine in its multiplayer matches, which remain a fun experience locally with friends and family as well as against online foes. Gather a bunch of folks in the living room and get ready for some wacky tennis hijinks and lots of hilarious screaming.