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On one hand, Tales of Hearts R is a paint-by-numbers game that does little to stray outside of the usual series boundaries. On the other hand, the strong character dialogue, dungeon puzzles, and Chase Link combat system inject a lot of energy and entertainment into the title. It's not a video gaming masterpiece, but its fun to play. As long as you're tolerant of the lack of English dub and don't mind the anime style and plot, it's an RPG that's very much worth picking up.
The Mario Party series has been around for a long time now, yet even after so many iterations, it doesn't feel like each subsequent entry is a departure from its predecessor. In some cases, that is a good thing, but in Mario Party's case, it needs more than new music and a spin on game boards to evoke a sense of innovation. The mini-games must be more than simple variations of past offerings or lackluster uses of system features (like the touch screen and microphone). And the series absolutely needs online multiplayer, no exception. That said, I still had fun with Mario Party: Island Tour, and it was nice to have a brief but satisfying match while out and about.
Personally, I found this remaster to have improved things just enough to cement me as a fan of Twilight Princess. The world is far more vibrant than before, and turning off motion controls removes almost all the frustration I experienced with the Wii version. I have an enduring affection for Twilight Princess' idiosyncrasies, creepy Malo Mart and all, and I'm glad we've had the chance to see the title refreshed for the HD generation.
Needless to say, NBA Live 16 has a lot of promise but only comes in a little bit above average at its current state. Hopefully EA Sports provides gamers with an October patch or else the game will fall well below the ranks of its highly touted expectations.
I'd definitely recommend Disney Infinity 3.0 for families with kids who adore Star Wars, as well as for gamers of all ages who love Disney and enjoy creating their own games and levels. If you don't fit into either of those categories, I'm not sure that the game holds its appeal past a few hours of play set fun, and that's a shame considering how much money you need to sink into the game's starter set and any additional characters and play sets you might want to buy. Though I enjoyed my time with the game, I couldn't entirely get past its bugs and quirks. Disney Infinity 3.0 is still leaning on the many possibilities of community-generated content and endless opportunities for customers to empty their wallets for plastic doodads, and not everybody is going to be willing to prop it up.
Mafia III is an ambitious game that tackles serious, relevant themes. Unfortunately, it lacks technical polish, and the mechanics aren't much better than anything on the market, let alone offer anything new. Still, it's a good game that's worth your time for at least one serious play-through. Whether you replay it depends on how enthralled you are by the adventure and if you can tolerate the repetition.
Crackdown 3 feels like a product of a prior generation. If it had been released in 2014 or 2015, alongside Saints Row IV or inFamous: Second Son, people might have lauded the way it has to smoke out your opponents and praised its many opportunities for destruction.
Overall, Dr. Luigi certainly scratches that virus-busting itch, and is especially fun with two players. Fans of the series and Tetris addicts shouldn't hesitate to pick it up from the Wii U eShop. It's the kind of game that doesn't need to change a great deal between versions, and its designers have wisely stuck to the basics while adding some entertaining twists to the gameplay with Operation L.
But then again, this is nothing we haven't experienced before in prior Dance Central games, and this is the first title for the Xbox One after all. I think what this game really is, is just a 10 dollar download fee so that you don't have to constantly switch consoles back and forth to play. To be honest, that's not so bad. If you still have the dancing bug in you, give Dance Central: Spotlight a shot. If not, well, it's not like you are missing out on much other than a short 10 track offering.
But is Resident Evil 4: Ultimate HD edition the definitive version of the game? Well that's a hard question to answer. It has all the cool extras that every other version before it had, minus Wiimote motion controls of course, but it doesn't have much more. It's just as good looking at the Wii version, just as good sounding as pretty much every other version, and has all the content of the PS2 version. So, in the end, the definitive version of the game will depend on what style of controls you like more. If you dig motion controls, pick it up for the Wii, if not, pick it up on PC.
At the end of the day, even though I had a good time playing Ryse: Son of Rome, it just didn't have too much to offer. Sure, it has online multiplayer and a gladiator mode, but these regurgitations of the single-player combat engine still feel repetitive and over-used. The story is shallow but well executed, with next-gen visuals and high-end sound production that make the experience worth having, if only once. I saw a lot of potential in Ryse: Son of Rome. With a little love, I could see a sequel to this game with several playable characters, combat styles, and a more diverse command structure that could seriously take this game to the next level. But for now, it is just a "pretty good game."
It's always a thrill (especially for us gamers of the bit-war era) to see Mario and Sonic duke it out. Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is as good a venue as any to support your preferred publisher as well as your country. The updated visuals and online functionality are welcome improvements, but if you've already spent hours nailing high scores and low times four years ago, the events haven't changed drastically enough to warrant two purchases.
So, I guess you have to ask yourself one question--How big of a Metal Gear fan are you? If you can wait, the price of this game will almost certainly go down quickly. But if you can't wait and you have the extra money, you will love Ground Zeroes no matter how short it is. It gives us a glimpse of the greatness that is sure to come in The Phantom Pain, let's us get our Metal Gear fix, and shows us the future of stealth games on next-gen consoles. While I don't agree with the price, I can most definitely say it is the most fun I've had in a MGS game in a long time and is easily worth your time. But will fans pay for it? Only time will tell on that one. Hopefully, this little experiment won't start a flood of partially completed games touting themselves as "prologues" hitting the market. If so, we may see the end of demos, and none of us want that.
Entwined is one of the better digital games to be released on the PlayStation 4, although a lack of strong competition weighs into that estimation. It's lovely and challenges gamers in an unusual way, but it is also hampered by an awkward (and possibly painful) control scheme and dropped frames. Still, if you're one of those head-patters and belly-rubbers, it's only $10, so why not give it a try?
If you like EA's first venture into the MMA world, you will probably like EA UFC. If you are a UFC fan, you will definitely like EA UFC. Heck, the roster is over 100 fighters huge, and that's saying something. However, if you are a fighting game fan, this isn't the game for you. If you are looking for a sports like simulation experience, this isn't the game for you. If you aren't looking to play with other players, this isn't the game for you. In the end, you just can't take EA Sports UFC all that seriously, and if you can manage that, it's a pretty fun distraction to play with friends and fans of the sport. However, if you are looking for a lot of replay value or a deep strategic fighting experience, then you are probably climbing into the wrong ring.
Overall, FIFA 15 is an ok game. It's an upgrade over FIFA 14. The problem is that's all it feels like…an upgrade. It doesn't feel like you are actually playing a new game in the franchise, rather it feels very much like you are playing an updated and expanded version of last year's game. This is probably enough for some FIFA fans out there. However, for a casual soccer player like me, I was less impressed.
But even with its bland environment and uninteresting story, Lords of the Fallen is fun. The combat is enjoyable, leveling up is a blast, and when you beat the game you unlock New Game Plus which is a great treat. In a game that seems to build itself off the ability to be broken in a format where you feel underpowered, New Game Plus is just the icing on the overpowered cake.
The best way to describe LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is fun, but frustrating. If you are a PC player, you'll run into a ton of glitches and controller issues and game crashes and just general unpleasant technical fidgeting. Even if you aren't the game's tedious puzzles will make you shake your controller with rage. However, if you manage to get past all that, there is a decent game here, with interesting action sequences, decent tongue-in-cheek humor, and a lot of fan service. I wouldn't call the game a "must have" title, but if you are looking for a new LEGO title you sink your teeth into, you could do a lot worse than this one.
Despite its flaws, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is still a neat game. It's not mind blowing and it isn't going to be winning any game of the year awards, but it's an inexpensive title that you can have fun with, especially if you have a dedicated group of friends to play it with. I kind of like that Tomb Raider now means different things to different people. It means we can all play the Tomb Raider that we like the most.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is a hard game to review, because honestly it's a good game. However, it's only a good game because of everything that Dead or Alive 5, Dead or Alive 5: Plus, and Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate did. If you want to upgrade to a next-generation version of this fun fighter, go ahead. If you really really want two new characters, go for it. But if you are looking for something truly new and different, you are unfortunately looking in the wrong place. I would like to say that Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is the definitive version of the game, and if it were the last version of the game to come out it would be, but there's nothing to say that Koei Tecmo won't release Dead or Alive 5: Super Mega Ultra Deluxe Edition a year from now, no matter how many times we hear this is the last one.