If you get a kick out of Starship Troopers’ brand of satire and enjoy a good old-fashioned throwback shooter, Ultimate Bug War! will be a comfort food kind of game for you. It’s simple fun, uncomplicated in exactly the way a shooter of this ilk should be, has a noticeable appreciation for its source material, and doesn’t overstay its welcome besides. Does it bring anything new to the table that might cause someone not fitting this description to go out of their way? Probably not, but in the wide, chaotic world of video games based on movies, this one is worth checking out for prospective citizens.
Scott Pilgrim EX is yet another fantastic effort from Tribute Games, and fans should breathe easy. It’s a worthy follow-up to a beloved brawler, retains the trappings fans loved about its predecessor, and suceeds at being an all around great game in its own right. This is an easy thumbs up for me, and those looking to fill their evening with a solid beat ’em up experience will surely find that here. Sometimes, it can be worth the wait.
Hamstermind offers a variety of unique challenges. Some work out better than others, but the experience is pretty high on the quality scale, for the most part. It’s an enjoyable romp, as long as you prepare yourself to get stumped, as the difficulty ramps up fast. You don’t see this sort of game too often these days, so if you’ve a hankering for games that really make you think, this could be a good choice. But maybe you could toss another hint or two my way, Righteous Tree? Thanks! Ahem.
Part of me kinda wanted for Romeo Is A Dead Man to let me in on a joke. There’s a sense throughout the game that I’m missing a comment or two, that if I just had the right combination I could get a sense of what Suda51 really wants to say, and it would make the whole product feel even better or more coherent. And I can’t quite get there. But that’s part of the fun, and it’s what makes the game not just unique but compelling in the way that a more coherent title probably couldn’t manage. Some people are going to give this game a shot and bounce off it hard, and I think that’s valid. But I think that if you enjoy the game it’s going to be something you keep coming back to, and it’s definitely a game I would encourage people to buy on Steam because if you decide it’s not for you, hey, you can figure that out within the refund window. It’s either going to be very much not for you or very much for you, and I think some people are going to realize that this is their game in a way they wouldn’t have if it hadn’t sort of swept in from nowhere. The moral of the story is that Romeo Is A Dead Man has something to say, but what it’s saying is more about a feeling than anything. That is the lesson.
Whether you’re a hardened veteran of the genre or interested in trying it out for the first time, Mewgenics is a roguelike well worthy of your time. What starts out as a decent SRPG difficulty curve expands in lockstep with the complexity of the game expanding as more and more content becomes available and new challenges present themselves. It’s all about slowly learning the ins and outs of its systems as you play. Whether you’re sitting down for a single run or locking in for a longer session, optimizing your play style while uncovering new synergistic combos through passives is the special sauce that keeps you playing. And, y’know, it lets you be a hoarder and take care of a bunch of cats. What more could you want?
The game's sheer complexity and overwhelming mass of systems and stuff makes it a bit hard to recommend, and there were definitely times when I was pulling out my hair in frustration in the game or finding myself unclear on how I was supposed to proceed. I feel like a smaller and more balanced game would have likely been an overall better experience. But at the end of the day, Nioh 3 aims big. While I can't say if it's going to satisfy series fans perfectly, this one is definitely earning a thumbs up from me.
At its core, Woolhaven feels more fleshed out than the base game did when I initially played it, and we saw that get plenty of free content updates over the years. With similar postgame additions, I’d love to see where Woolhaven goes from here.
It takes a lot to be noticed in this sea of remakes and remasters, and Dragon Quest VII Reimagined mananages to stand out in the crowd with relative ease. This game easily stands above its original release and its 3DS remake, and gleefully succeeds at modernizing itself while also staying true to its roots. I doubt this will be the last we see of the modern takes on other classic entries, but this game and Square Enix’s prior efforts as of late give me confidence that this won’t be the last modern remake we’ll see from them. I just hope that if they do, they’re just as good as this. This remake is a triumph, and you shouldn’t think twice about buying it.
If you don’t mind slogging through repetitive gameplay, there is an interesting narrative to be found here, so don’t let me discourage you if your desire is to simply enjoy the story. I just felt it was my duty to offer a fair warning that, despite the destination being worth it, the journey itself is rough.
If you were hoping for a really deep and engaging horror ride, you will be somewhat disappointed, but if you want a solid roguelike with a horror flavor, I think The Spirit Lift is a charming opportunity. And so by giving the game a chance, I went from “cordial dislike” to “actually quite fond of this one.” That’s why you take chances sometimes, and I’m glad I took one here.
