ZTGD

What we have is fast and fun, but limited. If the core elements here don’t keep players entertained, there isn’t much to bring them back later aside from some free DLC levels coming in the near future. There is the sense that this was a quick and dirty project, created for who knows what reason, but here it is, and it’s only recommended for players extremely curious.

Heart&Slash is a fun game marred by issues that should not plague this type of game. Frame rate stutters, a sporadic camera, and a seemingly useless dodge roll are almost dealbreakers in an action game of this type. Still, when I had a good run it felt good, and I can see the intentions of what the team was trying to achieve.

These were my two biggest issues with Technomancer, but things just kept adding up. It seemed as if the longer I played it, the more I picked up on its weaknesses. Visually at times it’s interesting and the story has some intrigue, but ultimately I just found myself bored with it the longer it went on. Characters didn’t seem interesting, quests were typical, and nothing really pulled me in.

There are so many cool ideas scattered around the game that the sore aspects really stand out even more. Growing up such a huge fan of the Mega Man series has certainly left me starved in recent years, and Mighty No. 9 fills that void well. There is a great game buried in here, one that kept me coming back like the Mega Man titles I grew up with, but the rough edges really shine bright just when I start looking past them.

Despite the minor complaint, Zero Time Dilemma is a triumph in storytelling and world building with some of the most complex and yet satisfying narrative ever to grace a videogame. Whether this is the final entry to the Zero Escape series or not, the developers can rest easy knowing that they’ve managed to craft one of the finest visual novel series of all time.

Deadlight is a unique game that boasts a lot of great ideas and atmosphere. This new version does what it needs to have the remaster moniker attached to its name, but I don’t see compelling reasons to revisit it. For those that have never experienced it before, it is definitely worth checking out, if for nothing else but the aesthetic alone. The entry price feels a bit higher than I would like, and the campaign ends far too quickly, but there really isn’t much else like it floating around.

Total War: Warhammer should be given credit for breathing new life into the Total War franchise, a task it primarily accomplishes with distinct factions and a fun battle system. I have a feeling Total War veterans will get a lot more out of this game than newcomers. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – indeed, it may seem like quite an obvious statement.

While I wasn’t totally sold on the game, I didn’t hate it either. The beginning parts were really some great looks and moments in the game that were surreal and very interesting, but getting into the main crux of the game, the puzzles, was where it started to falter. I wanted more of the story, but wasn’t willing to scour the world to find all the collectibles which seemed to be the best way to figure out what was really happening.

While One Piece: Burning Blood may look pretty, offer some nice content and a bizarre cast (including a cross dressing pirate based on Rocky Horror Picture Show’s Frank N Furter), it wasn’t enough to keep me interested. I can’t even imagine fans of the anime would get much out of this release, especially as this is just the latest entry in a long line of games based on this franchise.

Kick & Fennick is a charming adventure that never realizes its potential. There is something here that feels unique and exciting, but it never manifests. I had fun romping through the short campaign, but it never really challenged me the way it should have.