P1Falchion

The year started off with Resident Evil 2 Remake from Capcom. I love that game so much and now 2 months later, Capcom has released another anticipated title in Devil May Cry V. The only games in the series I have played before DMC V is the first game and the reboot/prequel game DMC Devil May Cry. Fans of the series didn’t really like DMC and last year at E3 when Devil May Cry V was announced fans were pleased so see this game in action. For me Bayonetta was when I realized I love this action, hack and slash gameplay style that Devil May Cry made famous. I was already interested because of the gameplay, but my intrigue only grew after seeing interactions between characters like Nico and Nero via trailers. All the trailers have only raised my anticipation as did the theme song Devil Trigger. I would like to reiterate Capcom already released a fantastic game in Resident Evil 2 Remake and now they’ve done it again with another fantastic action game. Not only is DMC V a phenomenal action game but, it might actually be one of the greatest action games I have ever played. The story of DMC V starts off with Nero confronting a demon named Urizon. This demon became powerful after stealing Nero’s Devil Bringer arm and with that power Urizon has become unstoppable. This revelation results in a mysterious character named V to hire Dante, Lady, Trish and Nero to stop Urizon. Unfortunately the demon’s power is beyond what was expected which results in V and Nero escaping with Dante ready to fight more only to be defeated once more. Now that Nero knows what to expect from the demon the game now starts with Nero making his way back to Urizon and along the way he is becoming stronger especially now that he has multiple type of Devil Breaker Arms made by Nico. In this game you play as 3 characters Nero, Dante and V. These characters have unique gameplay styles with Nero being able to utilize wield his sword the Red Queen and on top of that he can wield multiple Devil Arm Breakers that range from blasting demons with an electric blast, a homing rocket punch, a time stopping arm and even a Mega Buster. V’s gameplay style is unique in the sense that V doesn’t attack, instead the way he does damage is with the help of demons he has by his side. An eagle named Griffon that attacks at a distance and deals electric attacks, a panther named Shadow, who serves better at close range with it’s spike attacks, and Nightmare, a giant golem like demon who will destroy anything in its path. The interesting aspect about V’s gameplay style is that in order to eliminate demons is after V’s demon cause enough damage V has to deliver the final blow with his cane. And last but certainly not least we have Dante who is layered with options when fighting demons. Dante uses his sword the Rebellion and along the way he acquires more weapons like a buzzsaw like weapon that transforms into a motorcycle. I can’t believe I just typed that, regardless that is stupidly awesome. He can also change his fighting style while in combat, Dante can change his style to Trickster which is used to enhance his movement and evasion. He can change to Swordmaster which is best used for close combat, Royal Guard is best used to defend and pull of counter attacks, and last but not least the Gunslinger style which is best used for enemies that are at a distance. Out of the 3 characters Dante is the character that feels like you are playing a fighting game and you are learning how to start and build up combos, the options that Dante has at his disposal is insane. Having 3 different gameplay styles at first was a little daunting but, as I played through the game I got use to each of the characters gameplay style. While Dante had to most toys to play with I personally felt more at home using Nero. While at first using Dante felt overwhelming because he really has a lot of tricks he can pull up, it wasn’t until my second run of the game when I started to land combos with him and like in a fighting game, when you learn how to pull of combos the game felt much more satisfying to play. I believe that's the biggest praise I can give this game, playing it just felt so satisfying and something as simple as the battle music building up as your rank increases is just great. In battles your rank goes from D all the way to S and sometimes SSS which when that happens it so gratifying. The praise doesn’t stop with Devil May Cry V gameplay, it continues in the graphic and music department. This game is using the RE engine and with that engine it shows off how gorgeous this game looks and I played it on the base PS4, I can only imagine how PC players, PS4 Pro users and Xbox One X users felt playing this game. The music is fantastic as well, whether it be the theme song Devil Trigger or the other songs used throughout the game, all the music used felt like they fit well with the environment as well as the scenarios each character was in.

Resident Evil 2 Remake was announced back in 2015 and like many I was excited by the announcement. With the success of Resident Evil 7 bringing the series back to it’s horror roots I couldn’t be more excited to see how Resident Evil 2 can continue that momentum. The last time Capcom remade a Resident Evil was with the original back during the Gamecube and that game was not only amazing but, it felt like it did the original justice and then some. I was a little disappointed to find out that Resident Evil 2 would be a 3rd person shooter instead of going back to tank controls like the first REmake. Finally having the chance to play and beat Resident Evil 2 Remake; I love the continuing use of horror in the series. I also really love how much at home I felt playing this game. Resident Evil 2 story revolves around Leon Kennedy, a Raccoon City Police Officer and Claire Redfield, sister of Chris Redfield from the original game. Both characters have just arrived to Raccoon City unaware of the zombie outbreak that has taken place and now they have to find a way to survive the zombies apocalypse. If you have played the original game, then you know the story beats of this game. There really isn’t anything new added to the story other than the fact that the characters are portrayed better and by the end of the game you end up really caring about all of these characters even the side characters. For me Claire has always been my favorite Resident Evil character and behind her is Leon and this game made me appreciate them more and I couldn’t ask for anything more. At first I was disappointed this game wasn’t going to play with tank controls but, luckily I was fine with it in the end because it reminded me of the Revelation games. The only difference is that in those games you can clear out zombies in those games if you wanted to but, in this game they are bullet sponges. Even if you shoot them in the head some of them will still be moving. The only way to get satisfying headshots in this game is with a heavy weapon like a Shotgun or Magnum. This game’s inventory system is pretty much the same one used in Resident Evil 7 so as you explore Resident Evil 2 you should find extra pouches in order to carry more things in your inventory. The key to surviving in Resident Evil 2 comes down to how you want to handle certain rooms will you leave zombie alive and only take out their legs so they won’t run after you or will you clear a room because you know that you will be revisiting certain areas. The best thing about Resident Evil 2 is that this game captures the horror element perfectly with its environment and sound designs. Every time I was in a dark room it got to me because I knew what was in the room whether it be a zombie or a licker it was intimidating. Seeing how it takes a lot to take down zombies this time around, this is where the sound makes a real impact because you can just hear the zombies steps, lickers crawling, and worst of all the heavy footsteps of the mighty Tyrant. The first time I saw the Tyrant I almost got a heart attack. When I thought I could take him down, he would throw a mighty swing at me and it was at that moment when I knew bullets weren’t gonna help me this time. And while you can escape from the Tyrant, this is where now more than ever you need to stay quiet meaning you better not sprint, encounter zombies, or shoot bullets otherwise the Tyrant will know where you are. Everytime I could hear the Tyrant’s steps I would get goosebumps because he can be anywhere nearby and all I can hope for is for him to walk away from where I am. Resident Evil 2 REmake is everything I wanted it be and while my first playthrough of the game lasted about 6 hours and later that number would decrease when I tried out Leon’s campaign and what was once 6 hours turned to 4 ½ hours. And as for the 2nd run they took less time because at that point I knew the layout of Resident Evil 2 so exploring became simple and the puzzles weren’t too difficult even with the change up. The best outcome of this game was the fact that I grew to like the cast of Resident Evil 2 more in this game which I appreciated. The most important question for me would the remake make it so I never want to play the original game. The only reason why I thought about this was because while I can still enjoy the original Resident Evil, the fact of the matter is the remake of Resident Evil 1 is so good that I don’t really want to play the original version anymore. I thought the same would happen to Resident Evil 2 but, with the remake not even using Tank controls I thought both games are the same but, play so differently that if a scenario were to happen where I can either play the remake or the original I would feel like there is no wrong answer. Both games are great and I can’t go wrong with either which is great because now I have two version of Resident Evil 2 that I can go back to.

Pokemon Go is something a lot of people enjoyed when it first launched. As time went by the number of people playing it decreased but, the community was still strong because of all the improvements made to it. Early this year the Pokemon Company announced two new Pokemon games which were an untitled Gen 8 Pokemon game and Let’s Go Eevee and Pikachu. Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee are basically remakes of Pokemon Yellow and the main difference with this game and the original was the graphical upgrade and the gameplay would integrate a lot of elements introduced in Pokemon Go. Like the popularity of Pokemon Go the announcement of these Let’s Go games were mixed. After playing Let’s Go Pikachu I now consider this one of my favorite Pokemon games I have ever played. Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee storywise are the same thing; the only difference is the starter you get in the beginning. The game starts with you and your rival visiting Professor Oak and getting your respective Pokemon and in my case I got Pikachu. Now after getting your Pokemon your adventure begins; which means you catch Pokemon in the wild, train them, eventually face a gym leaders, battle the elite 4, and finally face off with the champion and that's game. This game also has you encountering Team Rocket a number of times and stopping them from doing mischievous deeds. This game also features returning Team Rocket members Jessie and James many are familiar with via Pokemon Yellow or the Pokemon anime. While storywise this game is pretty straightforward, there are many times during the game where moments with certain character enhanced the experience. It was pretty neat to see Blue again, and there was a really nice moment with Lorelei that helped make her stand out more other than just being an Elite 4 member. Battles was something many were worried about because as much as I enjoyed Pokemon Go, the battle weren't exactly the best part of the game. And with the information being released about no more battling wild Pokemon the question was how will we gain experience in this game. There are main trainers you encounter as you go from city to route to cave to city. As for wild Pokemon themselves you only are able to catch them like you did in Pokemon Go and the process is literally the same where you can give Pokemon berries and the effect of each berry is different. If you are using a joy con you just fling the control in the direction the Pokemon is or if you are playing in handheld you can aim the throw with the control stick or use the gyro and then press A to throw the ball. Which begs the question why you can’t use your Pro Controller in this game because the controller does have gyro and what not. A really great feature added to this game with wild encounterment is that Pokemon can be seen in the overworld, so now you just have to go after the Pokemon you want instead of getting the same thing again and again. As for complaints I have with this game, I do think this is the easiest Pokemon game I have ever played, and with your starters its makes this game a joke. Your starters can learn new type of moves for example Eevee can learn Fire, Water, Dark, Psychic, Ice, and Fairy Type moves and some of them have guarantee status ailments, and some moves can have Eevee go first every time. It’s also unfortunate that abilities are not present in this game because the intention with this game is to welcome newcomers and people nostalgic towards the original game, and in order to do that is by not bringing in the new features introduced in later games. Which I understand why the developers decided to go that route, but for me Pokemon always felt like a nice introduction into RPG’s and the fact that the developers took out features introduced in recent games that weren’t really that complicated to understand, I just fine funny. This game has been talked bad about by a lot of fans of Pokemon. That hasn’t stopped the success of this game and really I am glad that it is doing well. This game was easy and I was fine with that. I needed a game like this because I don’t always want to play a game where you have to focus on a lot happening and in this game it was simple: catch Pokemon, battle trainers, and win that's it. This was a nice nostalgia trip for me too because I did grow up watching and playing Pokemon and this was just a great time. If the Pokemon Company wants to make more Let’s Go games true be told I would be fine with it because I know that the main series Pokemon games are still coming. Gen 8 will not play like Let’s Go but, I do hope that some features like wild Pokemon showing up in the wild is a returning feature. The music in this game is fantastic and another thing that is exciting me for Gen 8. I would recommend people to try out Pokemon Let’s Go because it is a really great time, and they may have the same feeling coming out after playing it which is excitement for what is to come for Pokemon on Switch.

Spider Man was one of the most exciting announcements back in 2016 at E3. When looking at that game most people thought that this game would pretty much play like the Batman Arkham games except it would be faster given how Spider Man moves when he fights. The other great announcement was that it was being developed by Insomniac Games who are responsible for great games like Sunset Overdrive, Ratchet and Clank, and Spyro. So with great development team taking on a well established IP like Spider Man, it’s difficult not to get excited about this game. And when the game finally came out and I got to finally experience the game for myself I was left extremely satisfied. This game is not only one of the best games of the year but, this version of Spider Man is my favorite interpretation of Peter Parker and Spider Man. Looking at the story of this game, Peter Parker has been Spider Man for some years, the games starts with him going after Wilson Fisk. Before Spider Man can finish of Fisk, Spider Man is warned that because he is sending Fisk to prison no one can protect the city from what is going to happen. And as you progress through the game you are introduced to the Demons and Mr. Negative. There is a lot that goes on during the story that helps make this one of the best if not the best adaptation of Spider Man in the world of entertainment. Without spoiling the story, this game does a great job at not only showing us the Spider Man many grew up either reading about or watching shows and movies about him, but this game also does what some of the movies really haven't done as well which is make you feel for both sides of the character. Peter Parker in this game is excellent, there are many times during this game where you just feel for the guy, and you see the difficulties he goes through because there is more of a priority on being Spider Man than his life as Peter Parker and because of that his life and relationship is affected by that job. The only thing that I had a problem with the story involves the villain of the game. Mr. Negative has the blueprints of a sympathetic villain at first but, the game doesn’t really go in depth with that side of the character. There is one scene where you see a moment with Mr.Negative not liking that he is about to resort to a life of crime. In another scene later on in the game tries to help make him sympathetic, I thought it was a little too late to add that layer because at that point I didn’t have that much of a connection to the character that it was only a moment saying "damn that **** for him" and that's it. There is another character introduced half way through the game that seemed like a fight was going to occur at some point and it never happens. There are other characters in the game that really left a great impression and I'm excited for when they show up in the eventual sequel to this game. The one thing that was evident when a lot of us saw the gameplay footage of Spider-Man was that this game basically looks like a faster version of the Arkham games. And after playing the game that is mostly true for the most part. The combat is quick and showcases the difference between Batman and Spider-Man. Batman was brutal in his fights you would see him break criminals bones before knocking them out. Spider Man drops quips as he is taking down criminals or if you want to make combat situations less stressful he can be stealth and when the moment is right you combat the remaining enemies. Another main difference I feel when comparing the Arkham games and this one is that in the Arkham games, there were moments you are in a room filled with armed enemies it felt impossible clearing that room of enemies unless you use stealth. In Spider Man it felt like his speed is what helped make those situation less of an issue. So what was almost impossible to do in one game, in this game you can clear a room and with style. Another great aspect of this game is exploring the world you are in. In Spider Man it feels great web swinging through Manhattan and the world is lively. If you wanted to interact with the people of Manhattan you can it may be minor like throwing finger guns at people like in Spider Man 3 only this did it better. Or if there is an active crime going on in the city, you hear a police radio talking about a crime occurring near your area and like that you can stop a robbery, help civilians in an accident, look for a missing person, ect. Spider-Man is easily one of the best games of the year and not only that but, it’s also one of the best adaptations of Spider-Man. This is another great exclusive that can only be played on PS4 and if you didn’t have one before this game, now The gameplay is quick and the humor Spider-Man displays is another thing that helps enhance the experience. The small complaints I have for this game honestly excites me more for the sequel because I can easily see the next game being even greater.

The WWE 2K games have been games I have stopped getting into after 2K15. The reason mainly was that I personally didn’t like the whole trying to be as realistic to what you see live on TV. I loved games like WWF No Mercy, Smackdown Here Comes the Pain, WWE Day of Reckoning, ect. The reason I loved those games was because it was pretty easy to get into and it wouldn’t take long for people to get use to the controls. So when I finally got my copy of WWE 2K19 I was excited because I can play as wrestlers from the current WWE/NXT roster, but I was also worried that the controls would be something would keep me from enjoying the game. Thankfully I grew to really enjoy this game, even though there are some things keeping it from being great. In past WWE games there were story modes that either were original stories made by the developers or the story mode would be a simulation of past wrestling moments like the Attitude Era. This time around the game's story mode revolves around current WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan. The story mode shows a lot of moments of his career like one of his first matches in WWE, when he went by the name Bryan Danielson. To his big main event matches with John Cena at Summerslam for the WWE Championship and the Triple Threat Match between him, Randy Orton, and Batista at Wrestlemania 30. I really got into this story mode mainly because I am a fan of Daniel Bryan, plus it was really cool to see all of his big matches replicated in video game form and a lot of the scripted moments during those matches were great. It felt like I was really rewatching the matches it was simulating. I really don't have an issue with the story format 2K is taking with these games but, the story mode was pretty short. I think it would have been better if there were 2 more wrestlers getting to same treatment. Someone that comes to mind is the coverboy himself AJ Styles could have gotten the same treatment. As for the gameplay which was my biggest concern walking into this game, is pretty much a more technical game, but it still is pretty easy to get into if you have played some of the WWE Smackdown vs Raw games. The only added feature is the payback abilities which is something you can trigger during a match, that can either give you a finisher stock or if there is a moment you know it will be hard to break a pin or submission you can use the resiliency ability and you automatically kick out of a pin/submission. There are a lot of abilities in this game and each superstar has something that fits their character. The way you can use payback abilities is by filling up a bar which can only be filled if you are fighting. And when the time is right payback abilities can help save you in a lot of situations. Other added features to this game include match types like 5 Man Match types, more match types for 6 Man matches, and now 8 Man matches. Looking at 8 Man matches specifically, it ran pretty well, I didn’t feel like the game was running slow because of all the wrestlers on the screen at the same time. There were a lot of times when the game would glitch in during matches like the Elimination Chamber where sometimes characters would stretch as if they were Mr. Fantastic or one of Bailey’s wacky waving inflatable tube man and while it was funny to see sometimes it did happen a couple of times and I hope things like that get patched. Overall WWE 2K19 was a game I really enjoyed playing and I’m glad I don't need to rely on past wrestling games as my only way to play wrestling games. I wanted to play a really good wrestling game with wrestlers that I watch on TV or with the help of WWE Creation in 2K19, people can make wrestlers from other companies like New Japan, TNA, ROH, ect and later upload the characters they made online and people can download them so they can be added to their games. And a lot of the created wrestlers people have made are fantastic and could have easily have passed as playable from the get go. WWE 2K19 is a really good time and while there are some improvements that can be made to it like adding more stories to go through, it was great to play a solid wrestling game.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Mega Man is one of the most iconic characters in all of video game. Last year during the Mega Man 30th Anniversary Livestream not only did they announce the Mega Man Legacy Collection and the X Collection they announced a new Mega Man game which turned out to be Mega Man 11. When it comes to Mega Man games they are a lot of fun, but are also fairly challenging. When I first played a demo of Mega Man 11 I saw for myself that it was difficult, but after beating a level I was left satisfied. Luckily that carries on for the rest of the game. As usual for Mega Man games you have to face 8 robot masters this game includes: Block Man, Acid Man, Blast Man, Fuse Man, Bounce Man, Torch Man, Impact Man, and Tundra Man. Each time you defeat a robot master you get their power and with each power you obtain you gain access to a weakness. Figuring out who is weak to the power you obtain is a key element in a Mega Man game especially if its your first run of the game. The story of this Mega Man game is Dr. Wily remembers about an invention he had made when he was young called the Double Gear System. He uses it on the 8 robot masters and now they can use the Double Gear System to their advantage. Dr. Light has the original Double Gear System that Dr. Wily has made and he gives it to Mega Man in order for him to defeat Dr. Wily. The Double Gear System is a nice addition to the Mega Man series. The way it works is that you have two option when using the system you can either gain a speed boost which basically slows down everything around you. And the power boost well give your shots an extra boost and its made most evident when you use them with the robot master powers you obtain which are devastating against all enemies and can also prove useful in instant kill segments. After beating Mega Man 11 I thought that it was a solid addition in the Classic Mega Man series. Mega Man have great replay value with them being games you can beat in one sitting and if you haven't figured out any of the bosses weakness you try playing the game again. And the second playing it will be easier because you know what to expect from levels. After beating the game I did just that and what took me 6 hours to beat my first time I then beat it in less than 3 hours. Mega Man 11 was such a delight to play and I’m ready to see what Capcom does next with Mega Man.

Valkyria Chronicles is a series that I have always been interested in playing. In recent years I have been enjoying tactical RPGs like Fire Emblem, Mario + Rabbids, Advance Wars, ect. When Valkyria Chronicles 4 was announced a couple of months ago I thought this was the best time to get in on the series and to add to the excitement, it was also going to be released on Nintendo Switch. After putting in 50+ hours into the game I am glad to say that Valkyria Chronicles 4 is not only one of my favorite tactical RPG but, it is also one of my favorite games of the year. One worry I had walking into the fourth game in the series is that I was worried that I needed to play the previous games in the series to understand the story of Valkyria Chronicles. Thankfully no knowledge of the previous games is needed because even though this game takes place at the same time as the original game, there was never a point where I needed context from the original game for me to enjoy the story of this game. The game centers around 4 characters Claude, Raz, Kai, and Riley who happen to be childhood friends. The great thing about this game is seeing how war has changed each of the main characters and not only that but seeing how they grow as characters. When moments occur you worry about these characters because you are attached to them. And when it comes to characters I believe Valkyria Chronicles 4 did a great job with the main characters and also the villains because most of the villains you meet are not just evil because the game requires them to be villians. When you see the story of the villains you understand why they are fighting for their side. One worry I had for the this game was that I thought that the other characters you control in the game would just be generic characters you order to do something and that's their roles but, when you match certain characters with each other you unlock bonus chapters that basically shows a story between those character and you get to learn more about the side characters. The gameplay is really good and the classes available in this game are great as well. The classes in this game are Scouts which have great mobility and can shoot at a distance. Shocktroopers carry machine guns and have good armor which are great for close combat. Engineers fix your tank and are the only characters in the game that can revive a fallen ally. Lancers carry armor piercing explosives which can take down tanks. Snipers are pretty self explanatory, they can shoot really well from a distance. And the new class introduced in this game is the Grenadier which are soldiers that can shoot mortars from a launcher and are a great tool for not only taking down soldiers but if their accuracy is great, they can take down tanks as well. My only really big gripe with the game is that with some of the bosses it felt like they were difficult not because they hard to fight necessarily but because there were times when the damage they were taking didn’t add up. Example being I would have a tank attack a boss and sometimes the damage dealt seems right but when I did the same action the damage taken was not the same. There are also times in the last half of the game when there is a difficulty spike and sometimes it wasn't something I couldn't handle but other times it felt cheap and impossible to win until retrying the missions 3 or 4 times. The Switch version of the game ran really well especially in handheld mode which for me helped me choose this version over the PS4 or Xbox One version. There were a couple of times when there were framerate issues, but there were not that many so I gave the game a pass seeing how I enjoyed the experience overall. Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a great game no matter which version of the game you get. The best praise I can give this game is that Valkyria Chronicles 1 is going to be re released on Switch in a couple of weeks and because I enjoyed what I played I am definitely gonna pick it up when it releases.