Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless doesn't stray far from the familiar formula, but it stands out as one of the finest entries in the Disgaea series. For fans of its humor, storytelling, and core gameplay, the game rectifies some past missteps. While it's not without flaws – notably, the post-game content falls short of previous entries – it's still a must-play for those seeking a challenging RPG with extensive grinding opportunities.
Lies of P is an interesting game with some elements reminiscent of Soulslike titles. While it doesn't fully embrace the challenging yet rewarding approach that defines the source experiences, it also distinguishes itself by not attempting to be a mere clone. Notable differences can be found in its durability and weapon-swapping mechanics, as well as its more traditional narrative style. Consequently, players will likely have strong opinions about this unique approach. Although it isn't inherently flawed, there's room for improvement through thoughtful design changes.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie is what you’d expect, given previous entries. The narrative is easily the best part, which does a great job of closing out the last story arcs. Gameplay isn’t revolutionary for the franchise, yet that is far from a complaint. It would be nice to see some improvements in graphics/performance, but other than that, it’s a solid experience fans will likely love.
Crash Team Rumble is far from perfect, but the current form is fun. Matches are quick without being too one-sided. Utilizing specific mechanics and a good understanding of the mechanics can turn a particular loss into a win. Unfortunately, I fear long-term, the community will adopt the more oppressive meta I already see, though I have hopes future characters/patches will help balance things. So if you’re looking for a fun multiplayer game for a few hours here and there, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Gunfire Reborn is a fun game that suffers from some pretty substantial problems. Online is simply a mess; regardless of where the fault lies, it results in a negative experience for all. Add in a lack of updates and questionable history on Xbox, and it’s a hard sell for Gunfire Reborn. Sure, it has good gunplay, charming weapons, and a lot of build potential; unfortunately, these issues exist. Perhaps things will improve now that more resources can be poured into the console side of things, but for now, I would stick to PC or Xbox via Game Pass.
Capcom did a fantastic job with Street Fighter 6. It retains the fighting mechanics players love, and its approach to newcomers is commendable. Even if you don’t want to play online, getting your money’s worth is easy, which is great to know going into it. Some of the other changes, like modern controls, further help make things accessible to a more significant number of people. Street Fighter 6 is a slam dunk worth considering for all these reasons and more.
In many ways, Protodroid Delta reminds me of Mighty No. 9. I can see where Mega Man X influenced Protodroid Delta, but it takes some of the franchise's worse parts without offering many improvements. The floaty controls will put some off, and others will have unintended glitches or weak art direction, in addition to the other things mentioned. For these reasons, it will probably appeal to fans of Mega Man X, itching for a new experience, but likely not anyone else.
Monster Menu: The Scavenger’s Cookbook is ultimately in a weird place. The gameplay is enjoyable if you like the genre, but so many elements won’t resonate with people. As someone who dislikes resource management, those frequent sections get old quickly. For this reason, I suggest giving the demo (PlayStation / Switch) a go. The core gameplay loop is relatively unchanged from early and late games, so you should instantly know if this is a winner or a dud.
I don’t particularly appreciate giving games low scores, especially to a game that was a labor of love by a small team, but Death or Treat is a hard sell. It’s short, features only four bosses, limited variety, is poorly balanced, and is filled with bugs. The last one is significant because I can overlook some of these things, but in its current state, I can’t recommend it. This is a shame because the jokes and core gameplay loop are enjoyable, but the flaws are impossible to miss.
If I am being sincere, Redfall feels closer to a beta than a finished product. It isn’t just missing polish; many elements are in the wrong place. There isn’t much of an end game or reason to grind, nor did I find any weapon that seemingly changed the face of the game. At most, I found more accessible ways to do things resulting in my build always having a UV and stake weapons. Despite this, I think Redfall will benefit significantly from Xbox Game Pass. Even if the product I reviewed was in a rough place, I still had fun. Arkane Studios has time to improve it, two additional characters are coming in the future, and 60 FPS is in the works; it’s just a shame our first impression was nowhere near what we’ve come to expect from Arkane Studios or the genre.
Overall, Trinity Trigger has some interesting ideas that don’t really pan out. Gameplay starts as a fun action RPG before evolving into a convoluted system where various encounters require swapping between various weapons/characters. Narrative also has some interesting elements, they are just lost in a rather predictable loop that overstays its welcome. For these reasons, there is still some charm if you love the genre, but otherwise I’d hold off for a bit.
Overall, I would say I enjoyed playing through Ghostwire: Tokyo. Some of this might just be my love of the setting and overall culture, though it’s unique and often fascinating. It’s just a shame a wide variety of choices hold it back. Turning an open-world game into a long series of checkboxes is rarely good, with combat following an odd curve. It starts fun, then feels unsatisfying, followed by it slowly building back to being fun. Given it eventually becomes a satisfying experience I would say it’s worth considering, though it is absolutely not an experience I’d say is for everyone.
All things considered, Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is a good spin-off. It feels different enough to stand out, without it being so different to throw fans off. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite check every box. Combat could be a little better, gameplay a bit deeper, story a little less goofy and so forth but it’s a good first attempt. One that is worth giving a go if you enjoy either experience.
Blue Reflection: Second Light does a good job of building on what worked in the first adventure. It’s cute, the characters are charming, with deep enough mechanics to make gameplay engaging. It might not be perfect like stealth sections are fairly pointless, but fans of the previous or this style of RPG will enjoy it. Even if it’s only over the delightful visuals.
The hard part about the introductory chapter is starting with a bang. It doesn’t feel like the story actually starts until the very end of Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation Code Fairy Vol. 1, with gameplay that is simply not appealing enough to carry the rest. As a result, this is going to be an experience, at least in its current form, that appeals to a very small set of people. Maybe if you’re a fan of the Gundam Battle Operation series, otherwise I’d wait to see how the second volume goes.
In a lot of ways, I applaud the concept behind Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars. It’s different, commits fully, and absolutely captures the experience it wants to create. The problem is, a gimmick like that can make it a hard sell. Games as a medium have distinctly different advantages, as well as those games catering to different elements, making it more of a well-executed concept. Naturally, fans of Dungeons and Dragons will likely find the experience comforting and enjoyable, whereas most other players will see a unique-looking game that plays like a rather generic RPG.
here are a lot of things going on in Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi. It’s a simple-looking game that relies heavily on a love of the tactical side of RPGs. There is also a strong story, one that does a good job hooking players quickly, though can lose them with frequent tutorials and vague answers. At its core, Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi does a decent job in the genre and certainly has its own perks, it just might not be enough to make it stand out next to similar titles or fall short of some of the better games in the genre.
Despite having some bumps, the core story, character interactions, and setting more than make Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy worth playing. I found myself amused by Star-Lord’s antics, gripped by his past and curious about the future. Throw in some delightful songs, weird situations, and a fascinating setting that requires a team of at least some level of teamwork to accomplish and you have a game worth exploring.
Even if Neptunia X Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars isn’t reinventing the wheel, it’s the type of experience that will speak to fans. The jokes are good, the setting offers a fair amount of new subject matter to explore and the gameplay is interesting enough to enjoy. What it lacks is some of the depth or sheer content you’d find in a similar game, which is somewhat disappointing. Still, fans of Neptunia will likely find themselves having fun seeing what trouble Neptune has gotten herself into.
The tricky thing about Dungeon Encounters is that it’s an engaging game. I found myself saying I would do one more floor a couple of times before realizing I had to stop. But, by the same token, there are plenty of games with deeper mechanics and more to it than a board and boxes fighting one another. For this reason, I think it appeals to people who love the imaginative side of Dungeon and Dragons, but many RPG fans will likely find the lack of practically anything boring. After a while, you just realize you’re swapping numbers, with a team eventually winning or losing.