How much can a review actually sway you if you’re up to number 11 in a series so sprawling, its creator envisions this game as roughly the halfway point in his grand tale? Don’t drop Trails now. That would be ridiculous even if Trails Through Daybreak wasn’t especially good. As it happens, it’s one of my favorite entries, and proof that Falcom is on an upward swing again between this one and Trails of Reverie before it. A little more polish could have gone a long way, but the Calvard Republic is an enjoyable place to explore, the protagonist is appreciably mature, and the story ends with that same deliciously Trails philosophy: always leave ‘em wondering how the heck they’ll ever wrap this up.
So, The Rising Tide is ultimately a mixed bag. Mysidia is beautiful, but you can feel the DLC’s budgetary constraints sometimes when some of the more important cutscenes are undercut by less involved animations than they’d have gotten in the main game. The boss fights are absurdly good, Shula’s a hoot, and there’s plenty else in there that’s worth your time. But the side quests are (mostly) still kind of whatever, and you’ll have seen everything there is to see in the setting’s village in, like, four minutes. Jill’s chance to shine is a partly-cloudy endeavor. That epilogue quest is merely serviceable. But the worldbuilding is rich, some of the new powers in Clive’s flashy array of murder tools are sublime, and Kairos Gate is a blast.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R has brought a cult classic into a new era. It's been thoughtfully retooled, but it's still packed with all the heart and soul of the original. Graphically, it's gorgeous, and the new quests and features range from fair to fabulous. It's one of my favorite video games in even finer form.
A rough localization and some familiarly frustrating RNG-related issues bog it down, but Front Mission 2: Remake is probably worth the headaches overall.
It’s almost ridiculous, then, what’s been achieved here. Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t without its technical wrinkles, but it’s a full-fledged, fully fleshed-out, absolutely massive title with lofty production values across the board. That Larian Studios has intentionally willed something like this into the world at a time when AAA projects in this vein are so scarce only helps it shine, and serves as a fine reminder that the genre doesn’t need to transform, no matter what some publishers may believe - it just needs to adapt, to evolve, and to boldly present a compelling and cohesive vision all its own. And be thought-provoking. And have witty banter. And look really pretty. And let us get told off by territorial squirrels.
Dramatic Labs' narrative-driven entry in the Star Trek canon is a rocky ride, but a welcome one.
Forever Entertainment's modern crack at a classic strategy RPG has its highs and lows, but I walk away from it feeling stoked for the Wanzer warfare remakes to come.
For a game that places so much weight on its cast and writing , Digimon Survive struggles to engage with poor characterization and weak storytelling.
Thematically rich and bursting with content, Horizon Forbidden West is a beautiful and bloated behemoth of a game.
Astria Ascending is not a great JRPG. I would hesitate to label it a good one. In a year of winners, it's not a complete outlier but it's no contemporary classic. Despite a few flirtations with intrigue, the story is generally vacant of anything compelling enough to stick around until the credits. Poor writing compounds the problem and unlikable characters can't overcome it. Gameplay ranges from strong to stale, with just enough gumption and innovation to keep things lively. Pound for pound and for all its pedigree, this is a disappointing experience I'm not inclined to recommend.
Gaming enthusiasts whose time is too limited to sample every hot Nintendo classic might want to move along. However, those among us who can still devote ample hours to our favorite franchises (and can tolerate a few terribly repetitive angles) will find a lot to love here. That’s the most I could hope for from Skyward Sword HD, and indeed, it has delivered.
For my part, Steins;Gate 0 probably will not be joining that list of all-time greats. But I am glad to have played it. I’ll speak fondly about many parts in the years to come, even if the completed puzzle isn’t the picture I was hoping it would be. Maybe check it out sometime.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is just about everything I had hoped it would be. It carries the torch from past into future, dutifully imbuing Shepard’s fantastical voyages with a sense of modernity that will help the series continue to attract new fans as we inch boldly closer to whatever comes next. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel because that’s not what it sets out to do, but it does improve the first game to a considerable degree. It takes care to transfer the largely-unchanged sequels into a new decade of gaming.