Tales of Vesperia once started life as an Xbox 360 exclusive way back in 2008. It eventually saw an expanded port to the PlayStation 3. This version featured additional content but never saw a release outside of Japan. Now, a decade later, that expanded version has been released worldwide as Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition.
Originally released on the PlayStation 2 back in 2001, Capcom has splashed a new coat of paint on the original Onimusha. While I would have preferred to have seen a remaster of the superior version that released a year later on the original Xbox, it is still an absolute delight to revisit one of Capcom’s greatest, and yet lesser known, franchises.
After hearing the title mentioned in a recent gaming podcast, I curiously checked it out on the Nintendo Switch eshop store. A cheap price here, a download there, and within minutes, I was swept away by its gorgeous visuals and haunting soundtrack. While GRIS is not a terribly long experience, clocking in at around 3 hours, it is one that is incredibly memorable, and one of the best games I’ve ever played.
While I’ve been a longtime fan of the Pokemon craze, including that of its mobile counterpart; Pokemon Go, It was Pokemon Yellow that consumed much of my youth. And so it is fitting that Pokemon Let’s Go! Pikachu and Eevee is a built for the Nintendo Switch version of that very game, albeit with a few significant changes.
When Darksiders 2 was released, it was better in nearly every way, It was a stellar sequel that paved the way for future installments to adapt and innovate upon. However, Darksiders 3 feels like lesser of a sequel than its predecessor, and more of a step backwards for the franchise, despite being a fairly enjoyable experience.
While certain aspects of the game work extremely well and can be a very enjoyable time with the right group of friends, Fallout 76 is a technical mess that lacks polish in nearly every moment to moment experience the game offers. Fallout 76 is most certainly a good game, it just doesn’t feel anywhere remotely finished.
I’m torn on whether or not I fully enjoyed this story-based expansion to Xenoblade Chronicles 2. While I absolutely adored the story components that Monolithsoft have delivered here, the supplemental side quests bog down the experience and cause this expansion to feel as if I was progressing through it at a snail’s pace, as if I was being punished somehow.
Where Red Dead Redemption 2 excels so perfectly is in its storytelling. It’s not a far off assessment to say that this might very well be one of the best written games ever crafted, not only in its main quest, but in its side activities as well. In fact, the side quests are probably my favorite moments I’ve had during my 60+ hours with the game.
While I was quite taken with Origin’s use of Egyptian history, albeit a mostly fictional one, Its mechanical flaws and mediocre side-quests held it back from being a truly remarkable game. While some of those flaws still exist here in its follow-up, Odyssey improves greatly on its open world, its quests, and offers us a better game overall.
With the announcement that Game Pass would include all future first party titles on the day of their release, I recently got behind the wheel of Forza Horizon 4 and left my backlog in the dust. While often overlooked during conversations about first party dominance, Forza Horizon 4 is one of the best brand exclusives out there right now and a much needed win for Microsoft.
Senran Kagura has featured a wealth of humor mixed with its incredibly non-subtle approach to fan service, yet has always had a certain charm baked in to each subsequent release. Its latest title; however, lacks nearly everything that makes each of the other Senran Kagura games feel worthwhile and comes off as a complete waste of time.
When the surprise announcement came that Insomniac, developers of the Ratchet and Clank series was working on a brand new Spider-Man title, the hype was incredibly real and it became one of the most anticipated games in recent memory. Thankfully, all that hype was justified and not only is Spider-Man a true marvel, but it is also one of the best superhero games of all time.
Lara Croft has been a gaming icon for over twenty years, spanning numerous reboots and three major motion pictures. The character has been portrayed by several actresses, all doing their part to bring the character to life in one form or another. When Crystal Dynamics rebooted the franchise some five years ago, it reintroduced us to Lara Croft all over again.
While 2015's Helldivers did manage to be a fairly entertaining title, it failed to be memorable or leave a lasting impression like other titles of its ilk. Warhammer 40K - Inquisitor: Martyr is the latest sci-fi based hack and slash dungeon crawler to see a release and while it is certainly fun and action-packed, the title is certainly rough around the edges.
From a visual standpoint, Dead Cells was a game that I had been intrigued by for a fairly long time. Dead Cells is a game that needs to be on people's radar, a game that truly needs to be celebrated. Dead Cells is one of the best games I've played in 2018 and a strong contender for my Game of the Year.
