Nicholas Bale
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir brings back the original, with much-improved combat and RPG mechanics, while also improving upon the frequent slowdown issues that plagued the first game. It's repetitive nature still isn't addressed as well as its other facets, but it still remains an excellent action-RPG. Read More.
The Last Door: Season 2 provides a satisfying conclusion to the horror story that began in Season 1, this time as Dr. Wakefield seeking the fate of his patient Jeremiah Devitt. The game is bigger in scope, both helping and hindering it, though both mechanics and graphics remain the same. It provides the same creeping fear that lingers in the writing, graphics, and music, acting as a creepy bow to an overall well-made package that is The Last Door. Read More.
Released for the Playstation 3, Valkryia Chronicles was a bright, but small flame that developed a following for its blend of real-time and turn-based strategy mechanics before being rereleased on the PC in 2014. A game with a lot of personality and strategy, its rerelease on the Playstation 4 brings some updated visuals, all the DLC from the original version, and trophy support as well - retaining all of its original quality in the process. Read More.
Spacejacked is a fun little game for those that want to play a different kind of tower-defense game. Teleporting between different rooms to defend them all, frantically using all the materials available to you, and following a light little story is enjoyable, but the formula quickly gets old, with not enough variety in towers or the spaces to put them. The story is short, and the game is alright, but it lacks a sort of quality to keep it above the rest. Read More.
The 'Musou' genre isn't one that's really hurting for games. What it is hurting for is some variation between many of them. Arslan: Warriors of Legend fails to bring this variation, instead feeling more like another Warriors title but with a different template thrown on, and a few concessions to change up some mechanics just a little bit. With a story that fails to really bring across the large-scale plot of the anime it's based on, it just isn't interesting enough to warrant yet another title in which you cut your way through literally thousands of enemies - and that's saying something. Read More.
Cheesy B-movie effects, aliens from space, vixens in fishbowl helmets: The Deadly Tower of Monsters brings back classic B-movie tropes in a way that's unique and good-humoured: by presenting the game as a special-edition DVD with director's commentary on the movie he made decades ago. Despite some bland gameplay elements, it manages to stay interesting throughout, for reason which include cheesy acting, a story that goes off the rails, and the titular tower in which almost the entire game takes place upon. Read More.
Yakuza 5 brings back characters from previous games, introduces new ones, and shows that even a game of the old generation can flex its muscles these years. Despite an aging combat system, fighting off numerous opponents at once still feels satisfying, and even if fighting off half the population of Tokyo isn't your thing, the massive amount of minigames and substories will be enouhg to keep your interest for days. Read More.
Persona 4: Dancing All Night brings the Investigation Team not to Inaba, but to the city, to solve the disappearance of a number of popular music idols. From there, they're forced to dance to defeat the forces that threaten the lives of those they care about (there's a reason, I swear) and save the day. A strange genre to put this plot in, but one that works nonetheless. Read More.
A popular visual novel game that was eventually made into an anime, Steins;Gate is a tale of a time-travelling 'mad scientist' in Akihabara. It's full of twists and turns, scientific terms, great characters, and, like many visual novels, not a lot of gameplay. Still, for a game that's almost entirely based around text, it creates an absorbing tale of choices made and changed, and is definitely something that will remain a classic in its field. Read More.
RymdResa is a game that does a pretty good job of portraying the loneliness and, yet, peacefulness of space. Over three chapters, you explore the void, avoiding enemies, collecting resources, and just trying to stay alive (which is easier said than done). Frustrating at times, but pleasant in a way, it won't break barriers but is at least something different in the genre. Read More.
Lost Dimension has some interesting tactical gameplay, but it makes concessions to other areas of the game for its touted 'traitor' mechanic - almost eliminating character depth and reducing the story to only existing between the party as a whole and the big bad evil villain. Add to that an ending that forces you to replay the game, and the flaws certainly stick out if you're looking for something more than just a strong tactical experience, though not quite enough to blemish the rest of the game as a whole. Read More.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse doesn't quite meet the expectations built up by its previous title, but it remains a fun title to play through. It provides a number of extra collectibles to find, an oddly asymetrical co-op mode, and a number of stages to explore, despite its less-than-stellar story. Still, a recommended title for people who just want more line-drawing, Kirby-controlling fun. Read More.
Hand of Fate doesn't seem like it should be fun. Card-based gameplay with text and third-person action combat is something I've simply never heard of before, but it's pulled off exceptionally well here. Adventuring through encounter cards from a deck that you can customize, using equipment from a deck that you can put together, all in bit-size chunks of gameplay that keep you wanting to see what else lies in store - it plays well, and except for some minor technical issues, it's just a lot of fun to flip the next card to see what awaits. Read More.
Super Mega Baseball is a game that focuses on fun over reality, but still with its own amount of depth present. Though it falls short in its presentation and variety of modes, it's a fun, simple titleto play that anyone can get into, which exudes character from every part of the game. Read More.
Citizens of Earth is a game that starts out strong, filled with possibilities, but ends up tripping over the number of options is provides you. Though you have forty party members at your disposal, they're wildly balanced, with some citizens straight up feeling useless. The large amount of options available also feel like they overstep the plot by leaps and bounds, making the game less about saving the world and more about performing chores for others. So, while the game stays strong with its charm, mechanically-speaking it falls short, creating a fun, though fairly superficial experience. Read More.
