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This game comes with the highest of recommendations – if you see Desperados III, be sure to grab it – it’s absolutely well worth it!
If you are looking for a game to play in short bursts on breaks or just to have a little bit of fun, definitely get One Finger Death Punch 2. For a game like this, I would suggest getting it on something mobile as I really think the game will shine more on there. It's more of a pickup and play game that's not meant to be taken seriously. If you like games that test your reflex skills, then this is also a game for you. With the game being so simple by nature, there's not too much more to be said. It's simple, but fun. Honestly, I can even say that I even had more fun with it than some other triple-A games on the market because its simple gameplay is just addicting. I had a lot of fun with this game and I think you will too.
Nier Replicant is a game I dedicated 80 hours to and I don’t regret it. The game is supremely fun to play. I wouldn’t say it’s addictive but I found myself enchanted by its setting. Every action was seamless and as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Although, mid-air combat definitely felt clunky unless I first locked on to enemies. What was the quintessential highlight of this experience was the music. I can’t understate how fantastic it is and I find myself humming tunes randomly, especially this. I am in love with Kainé and find her tragic tale impactful and meaningful. Each character felt alive and vibrant in a grim way. It’s hard to describe in all honestly so please, do yourself a favor and play this game. Nier Replicant isn’t a flawless masterpiece but what it hits, it nails. The music, the gameplay, and the characters result in my claim that this is a must buy.
JRPG fanatics need to add Persona 5 Royal to their collection. The character development and fearlessness to jump into dark and mature topics were appreciated. It took standard tropes and turned them all in their head. It’s visually stunning, and the music causes an ear orgasm. Atlus really paid attention and polished this four-year-old diamond, making it utterly and beautifully radiant. With the vanilla Persona 5 costing less, is it worth buying an enhanced version? Yes – all the extra content is amazing, and the quality of life additions make Persona 5 Royal the definitive version.
NEO: The World Ends With You is the sequel that no one saw coming. It does everything a sequel should do in offering an additional experience while following the themes and tones of what came before it. It's a visual buffet with gameplay in buckets to back it up and has a tale to tell that you'll never see coming. So what are you waiting for? It's time to play the game!
Sure, if I look closely I can find nits to pick over the course of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles’ 50-hour adventure—Sholmes occasionally hogs the spotlight, the cases could do more to support divergent reasoning, I would have changed a few details of the ending—but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the journey. If you’re a series veteran, Great Ace Attorney builds on everything you know and love with exciting new mechanics and the most ambitious story and characters yet. If you’re new to Ace Attorney, or even adventure games altogether, this is as good a place to start as any. Great Ace Attorney is outstanding in every facet of its design and production, and deftly avoids the problems that can make adventure games inaccessible. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is an experience not to be missed, and if you plan to skip it, I can only say one thing: OBJECTION!
Metroid Dread is one of the finest games to release this year. It not only encapsulates everything that makes Metroid, Metroid, but it does so in a way that feels new and fresh. Dread stands on its own two feet and demands to be played. The genre has been missing its namesake for far too long now, so I am happy to say that Dread is a worthy crown-bearer. I hope to see more from Samus, Nintendo, and Mercury Stream in the future.
Dusk is a game I simply cannot praise enough. It has managed to capture lightning in a bottle, fill it with viscera, and force the entirety of Louisanna to worship it as a deity. It doesn’t just bring Boomer Shooters back from a long hiatus - it actively takes steps to improve upon them. This isn’t just a throwback to Quake and its ilk - it’s the next evolution - the replacement. What few flaws Dusk has are so minor I forgot they existed - if they even exist at all. Pure perfection.
From the second I launched the game to my current second playthrough of the title, I cannot get enough of this game. I had a feeling this would be a special sequel with how unexpected the original was, but I wasn’t ready for just how good this title would be. I’ve often mentioned the fact to anyone who would listen to how much I love River City Girls from its unique style to its addictive and smooth combat. With this follow-up, WayForward has decided to completely dethrone the first title. This is frankly the perfect sequel. It adds enough while still retaining what I adored about the original. Funky performance and loading issues aside, I can’t find any faults with the girl's latest outing and anyone who may have been burned by the release that was River City Girls Zero should ignore that and join the girls and their cast for what is frankly my personal game of the year, a contender for best in the genre, and just an outright bombastic and fun adventure. Pack your bag River City Girls, you’re getting evicted by the River City Girls (too).
Dead Space Remake is a title I couldn’t enjoy more if I tried. I love Sci-Fi, I love horror, and this game just reminded me of why the original title turned as many heads as it did. It’s a labor of love and I couldn’t be happier to award an extremely rare perfect score to Dead Space Remake. It’s put every other game of 2023 on notice and will take something really special to dethrone as King of the Horror Mountain.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is a bombastic remake of one of the best games ever made and it achieves greatness in the same way the original did. It doesn't replace the original but rather compliments it and feels like a natural continuation of the previous remake titles. I was hooked from the second the game started and I'm now on the 4th replay. Even now, I still cannot get enough of its addictive gameplay and engrossing environments. Resident Evil 4 Remake is the perfect mix of horror and action that has yet to be matched in the series since the original. While Resident Evil 8: Village tried, the fourth installment's pacing here cannot be matched, especially in the remake. Once again, Resident Evil 4 rules the survival horror roost!
No number of superlatives can do this game proper justice, so I’ll cut to the chase: this game is nothing short of a masterwork that must be played. By all accounts, it is as much of an accomplishment as its predecessor. Like the game that came before it, it’s by no means perfect, but the number of new and creative things it does far outweighs that and turns it into something more important. Better still is that just about every new thing it does is well-conceived, fleshed out, and fun most of all. Even in moments of frustration or when things started to slow down, I was never anything less than enchanted by all of the new things it was doing. It’s like the game cast a spell that I was all too happy to be under. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom embodies what it means to be an outstanding video game.
Final Fantasy XVI crafts a deep world with plenty to explore, builds a multi-faceted story with characters that kept me playing for hours on end, and blew me away with awe at the visuals at times. Adding a genuinely fun customizable combat system kept the fun going the entire time too. And if you’ve not had enough at the end of the journey, it even adds in a few extras for New Game+. While I do have a lot of nostalgia for the older Final Fantasy titles, I feel this is the best one in the series yet.
The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is one of those rare, utterly exceptional games that leaves me at a loss for words upon completion. It’s a crime that this game took as long as it did to come westward, but better late than never. Better still is that it stands tall like a well-aged wine. Nayuta’s tale deftly weaves all of developer Falcom’s best talents into a single emotional and fun-filled synthesis. Crunchy, satisfying combat and platforming is strengthened further by an incredibly fun progression system that gives you more even after the credits roll. The story is imagination-filled, emotional, and left me so content that I shed some tears at its ending. I could list some nitpicks I had with the game, but they mean nothing in the face of how otherwise accomplished this package is. If you're looking for the single, shining example of what Falcom excels at, this is the game you look to.
It’s no surprise to you I’m sure, after you have sat through my gushing praise, that I wholeheartedly recommend The Shell Part II: Purgatorio. In the forty-ish hours I spent reading, I found only one unfortunate reservation, amidst an ocean of qualities worthy of recommendation. The Shell Part II is a testament to the narrative potential of visual novels. I simply will never forget this story. My recommendation is of course contingent on you being ready for the rather oppressive overtones of hopelessness and misery. The Shell Part II is a beautifully written tragedy. It is the emotional equivalent of being skinned alive, and it is the best visual novel I’ve ever read. There is nothing else that has been able to draw such genuine emotion from me, except perhaps Clannad. Though where Clannad draws sadness from the ephemeral joys of life, The Shell Part II draws from a darker place. The sadness I’m left with after The Shell Part II is more akin to the quiet despair of a child understanding for the first time that one day their mother will die. Again, I do mean that as praise. I love this game and wholeheartedly recommend it, I promise.
Between the masterful writing, exciting story, engaging mystery, and high production values, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- is absolutely worth buying.
If you are looking for a bite-sized mystery-thriller story puzzle game that makes you go “holy crap” and takes you on an emotional roller coaster, then I would extremely recommend this game.
I would highly recommend Aokana - Four Rhythms Across the Blue to visual novel fans who enjoy either the sports theme or the light comedy style the story is told with. While I did have minor complaints about the romance in most routes, I felt it was one of the best visual novels of 2019.
Sankaku Ren'ai is an absolute riot. The writing and localisation is great, all of the characters are likeable, all of the routes are interesting and production values are high all around. It's certainly very geared towards visual novel fans though - not an entry title.
Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen has an intriguing story, great characters, and a decent SRPG battle system. The story of seeing where Hakuowlo starts and where he goes from there is really the selling point here. I did have some complaints about the censorship going a bit too far and the battle system is not amazing, but overall I highly recommend it. It's certainly a candidate for my best visual novels of 2020 list.