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Between the masterful writing, exciting story, engaging mystery, and high production values, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- is absolutely worth buying.
Hookah Haze is good, despite its shortcomings. Really, my core criticism is that the foundation is so good that it’s a shame that it is sparsely built on. If anything it’s an indication of quality that I want more of these characters and this premise. I do recommend Hookah Haze, especially considering its lower price point, but with the acknowledgement that it’s somewhat insubstantial.
Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ DX is very much a game where you'll get what you put into it. If you choose to breeze through, you probably won't enjoy it very much, but if you engage and learn the systems, there's a great gameplay loop here. While it is marred by some frustrating elements, as long as you know what you're getting into, it's an enjoyable JRPG, if perhaps not reaching the heights that some other Atelier titles do.
Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is still an alright game in spite of its myriad problems. It simply had no business being as long as it was. Its story wasn't nuanced or interesting enough to warrant the length, and the gameplay didn't evolve nearly enough for that either. Its over-reliance on the format laid out in Trails of Cold Steel strips it of some much-needed identity, leaving parts of the game feeling hollow and lacking in impact. Compared to Falcom’s other works, it's a little baffling seeing just how little originality it has. To speak positively, when I’m engaged with its best aspects, like the slice-of-life storytelling, the music, and some of the combat, it can be pretty fun. I’m definitely excited to see what they do with the forthcoming sequel, and that has to count for something.
Hana's Campus Life feels like a visual novel that wants to reach the highs of some of the medium’s greats but doesn’t really have the space to do so. It’s far too short to do everything it wants to, leading to a story that is dense with events but lacking in emotionally resonant scenes or characters to earn any satisfaction from reading it. While it doesn’t have extremely low lows, there’s a lack of striking moments, and even some of the parts I did like have an asterisk attached. The experience of trying to get all the endings was bogged down by some programming issues and requiring certain choices that sometimes didn’t make all that much sense.
After more than twenty years, the original outings on GameCube have finally found a worthy successor. Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a rousing return to form for a series that had been struggling to find its footing. While it doesn't quite reach the highs of the first two games, mainly due to performance inconsistencies and lacking multiplayer, I still really enjoyed myself. Above all else, it feels great to be excited about Super Monkey Ball’s future again.
With an array of solid mysteries capped by some standout moments, Staffer Case is a strong entry in the murder mystery visual novel genre. I hope to see Notrick’s journey continue in future games.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin proves the age-old rule that, sometimes, bigger really is just better. A more mature storyline coupled with an improved art style and deeper gameplay makes this the definitive Monster Hunter RPG. It keeps just about everything good about the original game and makes it even better, all while sacrificing none of the charm. If you’re a fan of the monster collection genre, then this will almost certainly appeal to you in many ways. If you’re a fan of Monster Hunter, it may just make all of your dreams come true.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak made for a rather enjoyable playthrough that was hard carried by its main party and how fun combat was. I also like that it trims some of the fat that had begun building with the bloated previous arc. This is one of the best put-together Trails games in a long time, complete with some solid cutscene choreography and a near-seamless feeling of play in between combat and cutscenes.
Monster Hunter Stories is a solid RPG made better by a top-class remastering effort. The work in bringing the game over to new hardware shows how much the original 3DS release punched above its own weight. Some of the game’s more innate problems like combat frustrations are still there, but ultimately I would say it's still one well worth your time. It's an especially solid RPG for beginners and fans of the series itching to see it in a new light.
I recognize Nightdive Studios’ successful effort in porting PO'ed to modern platforms and I’m sure this game has a fanbase. Sadly, I am not part of that fanbase. I had frankly a miserable experience with the core game. Outside of its jetpack gameplay, the combat was horrid and the level design was headache-inducing. If you have a hankering for classic FPS you’d be wiser to pick up other Nightdive re-releases such as Rise of the Triad. PO'ed: Definitive Edition is the best way to play a game that I wouldn’t recommend anyone play.
Real Anime Situation! 2 lives up to the title of Real Hentai Situation! 2. As long as that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll find it, albeit with a few issues along the way. The comedy helps to keep it light despite some of the more extreme acts on display, and you’re not coming here for the plot anyway.
If you’re looking for a good indie title that’ll give you a unique adventure, I’d definitely recommend MAMIYA – A Shared Illusion of the World’s End. Even with all its flaws, I believe the experience itself is still worth a try with all the work Kokoroten put into both its scenario and art. It’s a title full of passionate storytelling, and it translates well into the ambition you can feel while reading it.
I love Capes. It’s a great game and it’s staggering just how much they got right, especially just how gripping the characters and narrative were. A massive shout-out to the writers for that. That said, it’s significantly lacking in a few areas especially when compared to similar titles. Capes is going to satisfy the hole in your life that calls out for comic books and strategy games for a good while. I do hope a sequel comes around and the developers get really wild with the team-ups, locations, and superheroes. But even if what we have now isn't perfect, it could be a fantastic origin story for this series.
Whilst AMANATSU’s heroine routes are somewhat lacking, all three do manage to be pretty fun, it’s just a shame that only Kogane’s route really managed to shine. It also benefits from an incredibly fun common route, wonderful seaside vibes, and some perfect music choices. I’d say that overall you’ve got a really nice package here, even if it is carried largely by one heroine and its common route.
The Quintessential Quintuplets – Five Memories Spent With You is an interesting story of the challenges Futaro faces after choosing one of the quintuplets. It does well making each route feel different, despite the similar themes. It’s only a pity that it was marred by localization issues.
Sisters: Last Day of Summer uses animation well to tell what I found to be a surprisingly interesting story. While it certainly doesn’t lack adult content, I found myself more engaged with the central mystery and the emotional moments.
I’ve long considered Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door to be a benchmark title for how to do a sequel well. TTYD built on a lot of the ideas that the first Paper Mario established in new and creative ways while staying true to what made the first game work. So I am excited to say that Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Switch lives up to the Gamecube’s TTYD in many ways, setting a benchmark of its own for how to make a very faithful remake while also playing up the game’s strengths. I’m hopeful that this game finds success alongside the Super Mario RPG remake and sends a message to Nintendo that there is still a place in the world of gaming for a true RPG experience starring the beloved plumber. If you own the original game, I would describe the two versions as generally comparable in overall quality. This remake adds even more personality and a few neat bonuses to an otherwise splendid game, but some performance issues hold it back from me giving it a perfect grade. If you want a more radically different remake, you won’t find it here, but what you will get is a lovingly made video game with many of the original version’s best attributes shining brighter than ever before. If you’ve never played The Thousand-Year Door in any form and you own a Switch, you owe it to yourself to play this gem of an RPG.
Umbraclaw is perhaps the artsiest game Inti Creates has ever made. From its great art direction to its fantastic voice acting, it genuinely caught me off guard with how much was put into the simple look and feel of the game. Better still is that this is all in service of a genuinely great story with a lot to say. It’s to a point that this is one of the rare platformers where story explicitly and strongly informs the gameplay. Gameplay winds up being where the game falls somewhat short, as it is simply undercooked, if still perfectly serviceable. Honestly, though, I’m fine with that. Through whatever issues it may have, Umbraclaw proves that a game can truly be more than the sum of its parts.
The Quintessential Quintuplets – Memories of a Quintessential Summer is very much only for fans of the series, and even then it isn’t an amazing experience. Still, it’s a nice way to spend more time with the quintuplets and there are certainly moments worth experiencing here.