Chalgyr's Game Room
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With amazing production values, characters I cared about, an entertaining story and plenty to see and do along the way, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End may not be the best game in the series overall, but it is a fitting conclusion that shows Naughty Dog continues to deliver the goods with their games.
Lumo suffers from some fairly serious shortcomings, but they are shortcomings by design. The isometric jump puzzle genre died a long time ago, as far as I’m concerned, and while Lumo is a very well done homage to this, it just brought back the urge to assume the fetal position and rock myself back to sanity. Despite this, it is a very good, if simple, game that I played through, to completion, in a single sitting. You get a crazy amount of entertainment for your money, and you aren’t bothered with fighting or health mechanics, either.
Acorn Assault: Rodent Revolution is a fun little title that at its asking price provides a good time for those looking for a tactics game without the need to study an entire encyclopedia of knowledge just to play. The rules are simple but fun, and the premise is silly but entertaining. There are certainly worse things in the world. However, those elements of charm and simplicity give way to a feeling of repetition by the game's end, and the joy of the first hour gives way to something that holds few surprises or rewards for your persistence.
The game has made an easy transition over to the console from a control standpoint, the variety of characters is truly awesome and I enjoyed the gameplay which felt unique and different to me when compared to similar titles in the genre. Given the fact that SMITE can be tried out for free, I would argue that if you have any interest in the MOBA genre, you owe it to yourself to give this game a try and see. I found the experience loop and the overall gameplay to be quite rewarding, luring me back in time and time again.
At its core, Koihime Enbu is a solid 2D fighter that is more geared towards players already familiar with the genre, and while the “story” aspect may be lacking, the focus is on combat mechanics and not plot, which can be felt in the handling. It may not be the best fighter out there, but it definitely is a solid entry into the series, despite its more…niche Koihime Musou, roots.
The biggest issue with Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- is that it is so similar to -SIGN-. We have some new characters and a new narrative, which is always a great thing. However, the core engine and gameplay are almost identical. This makes this latest game in the series feel more akin to an iterative upgrade than a true sequel. As a full priced game, that could prove a difficult pill to swallow for those who already own -SIGN-. As a result, your mileage may vary. That being said, on its own merits, Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- is a fantastic game and one of the best fighters I have ever played and absolutely worth a look if you get the chance.
One Piece Burning Blood was awesome. Hours could honestly go by while playing simply the campaign mode before even starting Wanted Posters or joining a faction online. What impressed me the most was that it has a fast paced system that was not overly burdened by needing to perform combinations in order to do anything but instead added different layers creating a much smoother experience that was much easier to enter and enjoy over longer periods of time.
Anima: Gate of Memories is a great Action Adventure RPG especially for those that loved that older style that hasn’t been seen much in the recent years. With environments to puzzle through, loads of combat to keep one occupied and grind experience on, there’s no shortage of things to do on The Bearer and Ergo’s exploration of the Tower in order to challenge The Messengers that have come to bring about the end.
In Between gets some pretty major elements right with its unique, sadly beautiful presentation and storyline. It makes for a compelling experience that is easy to recommend because so few games really do a good job of tackling such heavy material. The matter in which In Between handles the weight of impending death is both unique and satisfyingly weighty emotionally. However, for everything In Between does well as an experience, there are some basic elements of gaming where it does not always succeed. The creativity behind using the stages of grief to create unique levels is inspired, but the controls are finicky and there are a few issues with the game's timings that hold it back from greatness.
Rogue Stormers is a somewhat short game, but it is built around replay value. If the idea of a quick and dirty action game bothers you, then this one will probably miss the mark. While Rogue Stormers is not revolutionary by any means, it does execute quite well on its premise. There is going to be a core group of gamers excited by the combination of taxing action and progression that will undoubtedly keep them coming back for more. While I enjoyed my time with the title, it is one that I can put down. It is easy enough to pick up and play for short intervals as well. Given that there is a grind-like nature to it, that is probably a good thing. For me personally, prolonged sessions of play proved a little frustrating. I enjoyed Rogue Stormers more when approaching it in more bite-sized play sessions.
Hard Reset Redux has the unfortunate issue of trying to recall classic FPS games so close to the Doom release that it cannot completely escape the long shadow of comparison that Doom casts. To its credit however, Hard Reset Redux is a lower priced game and it provides good value as long as you are okay with a game that is fast, furious and fully embraces its crazy action while providing no online multiplayer and somewhat dated audio and visual presentations. FPS fans should enjoy their time with Hard Reset Redux however, so long as they set their expectations accordingly.
If the PlayStation 4 will continue to get priority from Gust I would like to see more attention spent on careful animation and getting away from the amateur-level animations and syncing that I see in Sophie. However, their writing remains top notch, their choice of seiyu and English voice actors remains some of the best in the industry, and their addictive blend of resource gathering, crafting, and more traditional JRPG goodness is masterful when it is at it's worst. Atelier Sophie: Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is a powerful entry into one of the best JRPG franchises to date.
Sub-par graphics, clunky execution and the namesake game mode being somewhat frustrating and dampening the fun obviously impact my final score. This makes it a hard game to recommend outside of those who truly bowling, or if you have a very patient child to satisfy. Unlockables and Challenge mode are the two main redeeming factors, in my opinion. However, Classic Exhibition can hold up on its own, if you can get past the frustration of those delays in button presses.
With the proper cultivation and growth, Stellaris can stand with the greats like Galactic Civilizations III or the upcoming Master of Orion reboot, but as it stands, it needs a little more love, whether that is from Paradox themselves or a dedicated fan-base, I do not know. One thing is for sure though, and that is that Stellaris is the planting of a seed that could grow into something spectacular.
If you already were a fan of the original game, there is enough change here to warrant at least some consideration towards picking the title up. If you missed the PlayStation 3 release a couple of years ago, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force is the definitive version of the game to play. With enough tweaks to make several aspects of the game feel fresh again, there is not enough of an overhaul that it should alienate those who enjoyed the game the first time around, making it easy to recommend to all RPG fans.
Grand Kingdom is a highly addictive tactic based experience that blends both online and offline very well. While there are incentives to play online and obtain experience and equipment faster, the offline modes sport quests and manners in order to level or re-level troops as needed without worrying about that monthly bandwidth cap. Just make sure to log in once a day to climb the ladder of attendance rewards.
Ara Fell is a phenomenal RPG that I could only have wished to have back on the SNES. With brand new ideas in order to explore rich environments combined with a smooth and refined battle system, there’s no shortage of places for Lita and her party to see.
The deaths that occur will lengthen your playtime, but I would guess everyone should be able to beat the game in about two to three hours, which leads us back to my opening thoughts. I really enjoyed the way the development team leveraged our toddler as a protagonist. It is a unique twist that works very well within the environment designs and plays with the notion that children really have very little understanding of their world or an ability to protect themselves, making the world a big and scary place. If anything the task is handled so well the majority of the time that I wish there was more of it, but what is here makes for a solid horror experience.
In the end Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 6: A Portal to Mystery is an adequate adventure that feels tacked on to the primary storyline. Some of its creative choices work better than others, and while I have mixed feelings on the guests in the episode as they did not interest me much personally, I can appreciate Telltale's willingness to take some chances and try something a little quirky and different.
Overall, Shinovi Versus is a game that honestly ended eating up a lot more of my time than I expected it to. The core gameplay is solid, most of the characters are at least likeable, and each one seems to have a unique background story and personality. The soundtrack is really good and it was really nice to see that in battle costume breaks actually affect the out of battle scenes. Probably the biggest issue with the PC port of Shinovi Versus is exactly that; it feels like a port. While the game was really fun and characters likeable, the frame rate drops and the fact that I wasn’t playing it on a Vita, where I would be able to easily set it down for a while, really felt like it detracted from the experience. Shinovi Versus is a solid game that suffers primarily from the extremely niche audience that it caters to. If you’re a fan of boobs, ninjas, and beat ‘em up anime-style gameplay, you’ll like Shinovi Versus, just be well aware where you set up to start playing.