[Review] Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Posted on 17 hours ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments | 0 Likes
System: Switch
Release date: June 26, 2018
Developer: Falcom
Publisher: NIS America
Nihon Falcom, or just Falcom as they’re more commonly known today, is a Japanese video game developer known for producing some of the earliest JRPGs alongside rival companies previously known as Square and Enix. Although Falcom has a history of developing their many titles for PC, titles will often get ported onto consoles after the fact for a broader audience to experience. For a very long time, Falcom was mainly focusing on the PlayStation family of consoles, but with the incredible success of Switch, Nintendo is getting a port of Falcom’s latest entry in the Ys series – Ys VIII: The Lacrimosa of Dana. Falcom as a company has a lot of history under its belt, but how does Ys VIII live up to its hearty legacy?
More: Falcom, highlight, Nippon Ichi, NIS America, top
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[Review] MUSYNX
Posted on 2 days ago by Dennis(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments | 0 Likes
System: Switch
Release date: June 21, 2018
Developer: I-Inferno
Publisher: PM Studios
Music does a lot for the soul, whether you’re an avid listener of a multitude of genres or a musician yourself, and that’s why I’ve always felt that rhythm games were one of the best places to escape reality. While we’ve seen the rhythm genre take on multiple forms and have its highs and lows, at the end of the day it’s the games that focus on the music and accessibility more than anything else that shine the most and remain consistent in relevancy and lifespan. With MUSYNX’s eclectic library of music and ease of access for beginners and veterans alike, I think we can safely add it to a promising new wave of rhythm games looking to blend forward-thinking ideas with an extremely clean interface where it’s just you and the music.
More: Acttil, highlight, MUSYNX, PM Studios, top
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[Review] Runner3
Posted on 1 month ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments | 0 Likes
System: Switch
Release date: May 22, 2018
Developer: Choice Provisions
Publisher: Choice Provisions / Nicalis
The Bit.Trip series has had an interesting aesthetic progression. Starting out as an assortment of simple WiiWare rhythm games with mock Atari 2600-style visuals, it treated a few simple gameplay concepts with a kind of low fidelity presentation suitable for the WiiWare service’s strict file size limitations. Out of this collection, Bit.Trip Runner found the most success. Being the least abstract of the series, the autorunning rhythm platformer was fashioned after Pitfall, if Pitfall had trance-inducing chiptune music. Runner2 released with a revamped 3D art style and a musical style that was appropriately more sophisticated. In most ways, Runner3 is a natural progression from Runner2, cutting down on superfluous gameplay concepts and evolving the Bit.Trip formula to an impressive degree. Its control nuances and smart level design makes for one of the least stiff and most improvisational autorunning games that I’ve played.
More: Choice Provisions, highlight, Nicalis, Runner3, top
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[Review] Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
Posted on 1 month ago by Dennis(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 0 comments | 0 Likes
System: 3DS
Release date: May 15, 2018
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
Shin Megami Tensei’s extensive and illustrious history since the late 80s (as Megami Tensei) and early 90s has rightfully set it as one of gaming’s original RPGs that established trends and influenced a multitude of games that succeeded it. What’s also made it so great is that outside of its mainline titles, the myriad of spinoffs have tackled various genres and have been consistently great with addictive yet intuitive demon taming and fusion mechanics. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux now brings new life to 2009’s Strange Journey by adding tons of quality of life enhancements, a new storyline and character(s), new apps, endings and tons more to make it one of 3DS’s best dungeon-crawling titles, and yet another gem for Atlus.
[Review] Battle Chasers: Nightwar
Posted on 1 month ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments | 0 Likes
System: Switch
Release date: May 15, 2018
Developer: Airship Syndicate
Publisher: THQ Nordic
With the Switch’s boom in popularity over its past year, more and more developers are clamoring to get their games onto Nintendo’s newest hardware. While it’s an absolute treat to see indies and third-party developers finally wanting to invest in Nintendo, sometimes the rush to get onto the market can lead to problems along the way. While Battle Chasers: Nightwar has the makings of a solid little JRPG, it feels like it could’ve used a little bit more time before making its debut on the Switch.
[Review] Penny-Punching Princess
Posted on 2 months ago by Dennis(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments | 0 Likes
System: Switch
Release date: April 3, 2018
Developer: Nippon Ichi
Publisher: NIS America
Penny-Punching Princess checks all the right boxes in things I love: it’s got arcade-inspired gameplay in which you’ll brawl your way through dungeons (or castles) in a level, a section by section format that is reminiscent of classics like Double Dragon or Streets of Rage, a simple light and heavy attack button that you can mix and match for combos, and a very straight-forward approach in how to complete each level. Racking up points and cash so you can bribe, upgrade, and loot your way to victory is also an intriguing element, and the adorable pixel art style looks nice. However, all of the enjoyment is quickly interrupted thanks to non-intuitive controls, uninspired levels, repetitive gameplay, and a story that’s so banal and aimless you’ll find yourself either falling asleep to the dialogue or skipping the text entirely.
[Review] Attack on Titan 2
Posted on 2 months ago by Dennis(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments | 0 Likes
System: Switch
Release date: March 20, 2018
Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
If you watch anime or have even the slightest knowledge of it, chances are you’ve heard of Attack on Titan. In the last few years alone, the franchise has grown to be a globally known property that’s quickly making its way up the ranks to the likes of Tokyo Ghoul, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and One Punch Man in terms of surge of popularity, and it shows no signs of slowing down. For its new game, Attack on Titan 2 sees developer Omega Force return for a sequel to the 2016 original, and while that title undoubtedly had issues with its repetitiveness and uninspired progression, this new title feels very much like an overhaul where they’ve learned from mistakes, what worked and didn’t work, and with an attempt to make this a lot more personal and captivating by experiencing the events through the eyes of your created character, rather than simply playing what you’ve watched and read. There are still improvements to be made before we get that perfect Attack on Titan experience, but this is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
[Review] Subsurface Circular
Posted on 3 months ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments | 0 Likes
System: Switch (eShop)
Release date: March 1, 2018
Developer: Bithell Games
Publisher: Bithell Games
With the growing popularity of Switch, developers all across the industry are seeing just how big of an impact Nintendo’s newest console is having on the market. As a result, the system has received an influx of not only third-party developed games, but also a barrage of creative and imaginative indie titles. One such title, Subsurface Circular, is now making the jump to the Switch after its initial release in August 2017. Developed by Mike Bithell Games, the same developer responsible for Thomas Was Alone, Subsurface Circular takes an interesting approach to one of the earliest video games genres ever created: the text-based adventure.
[Review] Payday 2
Posted on 3 months ago by Vincent Ward in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments | 0 Likes
System: Switch
Release date: February 27, 2018
Developer: Overkill Software / Sumo Digital
Publisher: Starbreeze
Payday 2 originally released in 2013 on most major consoles of the time, all except for the Wii U. It only took a short five years for it to eventually come to a Nintendo system, and so we have Payday 2 on the Switch. Over the past few months, we’ve seen some excellent ports of games onto this system, so it seemed the recipe for perfection was falling into place for this team-based heist shooter. Unfortunately, something that should’ve been super sweet ended up just a little too sour.
[Review] Dragon Quest Builders
Posted on 3 months ago by Dennis(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments | 0 Likes
System: Switch
Release date: February 9, 2018
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Nintendo
Dragon Quest has always been one of those series that’s remained niche for some reason, despite having a long and seminal history within video games. Throughout its many installments, we’ve seen Dragon Quest branch out and explore genres outside of its familiar RPG style. Dragon Quest, unlike some other properties that have a myriad of spinoffs, has actually adapted into these other genres rather fluidly, and the addition of Dragon Quest Builders adds to the list of awesome titles that hold their own outside of the main series, bringing a Minecraft aesthetic to the universe. While it may look like Minecraft at a glance, at the end of the day this really is just another Dragon Quest RPG, only with an emphasis for building and crafting. It’s an amazing mechanic that works to its favor, and with a storyline and vibrant worlds to keep you busy from chapter to chapter, Dragon Quest Builders is a game that’s very difficult to put down whether you’re familiar with the series, genre or not.
