As an indie title that captured the polish and effervescent charm of a first-party Nintendo game, 2013’s SteamWorld Dig was a rarity. For a follow-up, Image & Form crafted SteamWorld Heist, which was based in ...
Read More »X-Morph: Defense review
What is the concept? Since the 1978 release of Space Invaders, players have persistently protected the Earth from alien attack. But with X-Morph: Defense, the tables are turned, with gamers playing the role of intergalactic ...
Read More »Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana review
There’s the tacit expectation that franchises will evolve over time. But occasionally, the pressure to advance can spoil an otherwise splendid series when rash ideas or slipshod mechanics are needlessly shoehorned into a sequel. In ...
Read More »Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth review
When Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception was released last May, we gave the title an affirmative review; albeit with a major caveat. Box art and promotional screenshots made the game look like a strategy role-playing game, ...
Read More »Rock of Ages II: Bigger & Boulder review
Few developers have a body of work that demonstrates as much creativity as Santiago-based ACE Team. From surreal first-person fighter Zeno Clash, the integration of Chilean folklore and art nouveau into platformer Abyss Odyssey, to ...
Read More »Warriors All-Stars review
For the last seventeen years, Koei’s (and since 2009, Koei Tecmo’s) Warriors franchises have been crafted around a cumulative approach, inserting content into each successive iteration. As such, series like Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors ...
Read More »Yakuza Kiwami review
In Japan, the Yakuza franchise has enjoyed success since the original 2005 release. But in the States, the series has only earned a modest following for most of its existence. For curious players, the games ...
Read More »Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma (PS4) review
Here’s the irony surrounding a discussion of Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma– revealing even the slightest detail threatens to diminish the experience. So, if you were a fan of 2009’s Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine ...
Read More »Infinite Minigolf review
Although Zen Studios is best known for their prolific output of pinball tables, the Budapest-based developers are known to take an occasional hiatus from the orb-focused efforts. Veteran gamers might remember 2010’s Planet Minigolf, where ...
Read More »Sudden Strike 4 review
Occasionally, a franchise can lose track of the elements that once secured success. Such was the case with 2008’s Sudden Strike 3. Developer Fireglow’s follow-up retained many of the positive qualities of its predecessors, relinquishing ...
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