Stella Glow (3DS)

 This has been a long time coming.  I first purchased this game about 7 years ago when it came out.  I listened to the soundtrack and it was pretty good.  I was hyped but it went into the backlog.  2 years passed and it finally came up in my queue to play.

Everything started out okay, pretty standard Strategy RPG.  The characters were pretty neat, although some were a little annoying at times.  Nothing terrible but then a trend started.  See the main character, Alto, was pretty much requisite in every fight.  That is pretty standard for games like this.  They want you to use the character because they are important.

The trend was, almost every story fight had a lose condition if Alto fell in battle.  Okay, that makes sense story-wise.  Can't let the main character die before the end right?  Only, it didn't make sense after a while.  He could have easily just retreated, see other characters don't die when they are defeated.  There is no perma-death, they simply retreat and come back at the next fight.  

Why is this a problem?  Because after a while, the enemy AI would exploit these lose conditions with precision I've never experienced in any other game.  Alto became a huge target and liability but I had to keep him leveled because he was decent and in every fight.  Then started the other lose conditions with the one protection mission being where I lost it with this game. 

In one mission, you are required to protect an AI controlled unit.  You can't tell the unit to do anything, it will move, attack, whatever, all by itself.  Problem here, this unit was suicidal.  It would literally walk into groups of enemies and end the turn exposing the back to the highest attacking unit.  I lost 3 times with nothing I could do differently.

This game was way too random number generator dependent.  I would constantly miss attacks with 90% accuracy, only to turn around to have the enemy hit me at 43% and critical to boot.  Through out the whole game, it just felt like I could never get an advantage.  No matter what equipment I had, levels I was at.  The game was unrelenting for no reason.  

This all culminated in the last boss.  I won't spoil it but let's just say, as soon as I was done with this one, I wasn't going to touch this garbage again.  Not only did it always get two turns every 3-4 of my units but it had constantly respawning friends to help it out, giant attacks that were near impossible to get away from, and health regeneration.  I get that it was a last boss but still.  

I've played a lot of SRPGs in my life and this without a doubt is the first I have truly hated.  Not because it was bad or the story was trash but because it was completely unfair at times and I only won because the game let me win.  No matter how well thought out my strategy or how much I planned, the game would consistently change the rules in the middle of the adventure to the point that it was just frustrating.  This was Imageepoch's swan song, the last game they made.  I can see why now.  Don't punish the people playing your game and that is what this felt like, the whole way through.  A punishment I imposed on myself for completing this game.

Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (PS4)

 The survival horror genre and I have never really clicked.  I'm not the greatest at surviving things and I know that if I was personally in these games I would die almost immediately.  Luckily, zombies don't walk the earth yet and mutants are only in the movies still.  This is the latest entry in the Resident Evil story, if you don't count the recent remakes.  Gone are the tank controls and over the shoulder camera, this game is fully in first person.

While many fans disliked the change to first person, it was an interesting idea and I think they did it well.  It did make some of the horror feel a little cheap as it is really easy to make jump scares in first person titles but it worked well.  It really immerses the player in the world and you feel like you are the one being chased.

The story is good as well.  Learning the mysteries around why your character is there and just who the family is that are chasing you around their property was great.  The puzzles aren't super complicated and unlike the Resident Evil 2 remake, I don't recall this game having all that many keys to find.  

I won't spoil any of the story but there are a couple of twists and turns that are pretty well hidden.  It definitely feels like the start of a new story in the whole franchise but the key elements that link all the games are still there.  Having not played Resident Evil 6, I don't think I was lost.  I don't recall a time where I didn't know who a character was or what a key phrase meant.

The combat is good too.  Some of the bosses are a little annoying until you figure out the proper way to dodge their attacks.  Each encounter feels unique and it definitely goes without saying that you can easily die in almost any area.  Deaths never feel cheap and there is always something to learn in each try.

If you are a fan of Resident Evil or even of the survival horror genre, this is a must play.  Sure it doesn't feel like a normal Resident Evil game due to the new camera and some of the new gameplay elements but it is a solid entry.  From the look of the future, Resident Evil Village will be much of the same, which is certainly not a bad thing.  Definitely a must play.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment (PSVita)

I was never big on anime based games.  When I first started watching Sword Art Online, it wasn't a terrible show and I thought the game couldn't be that bad.  It was way worse than I could have imagined for several reasons.

Most of the time when a developer tries to convert an MMO-like game to a single-player experience, it comes with some kind of tradeoff.  Usually it ends up being a bunch of fetch quests or just a boss rush simulator.  This game is both.  The world feels empty and the characters you meet will mostly ignore you.  For being an MMO simulation, this world feels hollow.

It doesn't help that the combat is also not all that engaging.  True to MMO fashion, it is all about using as many skills as you can and then watching the cooldowns.  It is pretty neat that you get to use different kinds of weapons and each weapon type is useful against a different type of enemy.  It does add a little strategy.  It is a shame that 85% of the bosses you fight are weak to one type of weapon though.  

The story in this game would have been game if the translation wasn't so terrible it is nearly broken.  It is almost as if the whole script was just run through Google Translate and then pasted in.  I've been told this was fixed in the PS4 version of this game but on the Vita, it is gibberish at best.  This really does hurt another big feature of the game, which is the dating-sim aspects.  It is hard to romance a girl when you don't have a clue what they are talking about.

All in all, this wasn't a terrible game.  I made it through and I didn't absolutely hate it.  If I can finish it and the 80+ hours contained within, it can't be that bad. It wasn't fun but if you like Sword Art Online, it is worth playing.  It does introduce characters that aren't in the anime and they do carry those characters into future games.  So it is almost required to play this before some of the other games.

Super Smash Bros. for 3DS (3DS)

I've always been a fan of Super Smash Bros.  Ever since the first game back on the N64, I have enjoyed each entry and loved pitting my favorite characters against each other.  This was the first time the series was ever portable and I have to say that it was an incredibly fun ride.

Super Smash Bros. is the epitome of party brawler.  The player basically picks a character, I usually choose random, sets up CPUs or other players, picks a stage, and it starts.  An all-out, no-holds barred fight to the end.  Each character has unique abilities with some feeling similar to others but each being just a bit different.  There are ranged characters like Samus or close up characters like Donkey Kong and everything in between.

What makes this game so much fun is that each battle feels different.  Even if you play the same CPU level character on the same stage, there is always something different in how each match plays out.  There are a ton of characters to master or just mess around with.  Everything feels solid and the controls are tight. 

I can't really find much fault with this title.  I love the concept, the characters, and everything about the game.  There is multiplayer for those with friends.  There is a robust amount of single player content though too, with a classic mode (with varying difficulty), challenges, etc.  So much to collect and do.  I've spent hundreds of hours playing almost every Smash Bros. game and sometimes I've still not gotten everything.  If you own a 3DS, you need to own this game.  It is a must have for any collection.

Super Mario Land (GBC)

One of the first Gameboy games I ever owned.  Mario's journey through Sarasaland is interesting.  There are lots of enemies here that players wouldn't see again until the most recent Mario adventure in Super Mario Odyssey.

The premise is simple, the evil alien Tatanga has kidnapped Princess Daisy.  Mario has to traverse various lands to save Daisy and set things right.  Just like Super Mario Bros, this game is all about killing enemies, grabbing coins, and making it to the end of the stages.  Each area has a different motif, based off ancient Egypt or the Easter Isles.  There is a new power-up, the Super Ball, similar to the fire flowers from the first game but it can bounce around the screen and collect coins.

While challenging, this game is a good place to get started with the series.  Nothing is super difficult and the game can be beaten in a reasonable amount of time.  There are many differences from Super Mario Bros.  Some enemies don't behave, like turtles don't have shells but rather turn into bombs in Super Mario Land.

If you enjoy Mario games and haven't played Super Mario Land, you really are missing out.  This portable game was every bit a Mario game as the original.  The music is catchy, there are some interesting segments, and it feels like a fun little adventure.  Sure the graphics haven't aged well but for the time, it was great to play Mario on the go. 

ClaDun X2 (PSP)

ClaDun was one of my favorite games on the PSP.  It was a simple dungeon crawler with sprites and randomized floors/weapons/etc.  ClaDun X2 goes even further with the new types of random dungeons and the new classes.  It keeps the same great pacing from the first game and adds some additional features.

If the player has never played a rogue-lite dungeon crawler, this is a good series to start with.  Basically, each dungeon is a series of randomly generated floors.  The story sections aren't random but the ran-geons are.  There are random enemies and item drops.  If the player dies, they lose all the stuff they collected and portions of the EXP and money they gained.  It is a very simple concept but it can be addictive.

The biggest draw here is that the player can design their own character, down to the pixel art.  There is a character editor that is a working sprite builder.  If so desired, the game can be played as a favorite character from another series.  Even weapons can be drawn and designed.  The customization is 100% up to the player.

There is some frustration to this game though.  It can be a little daunting to go through similar dungeons over and over to try to get a random piece of loot that is only slightly better than what is already equipped.  It seems tedious but sometimes addictive.  I often would trek through dungeons, just thinking about one more run.  Just one more time to get a better artifact to complete my circle or that weapon with the better ability attached.

I would recommend this game to anybody that needs just a simple dungeon crawler.  The level of customization isn't seen in any other series and the story isn't half bad.  Some of the bosses get a little annoying and sometimes some of the enemies are really broken.  I don't typically like games like this but this was a really fun game and continuation to the series.

Terraria (PSN)

I never really got into Minecraft when it first came out.  It was an interesting concept but this was the first open world, craft/build game I played.  I have to say, I sunk many many hours into this.

If you have played Minecraft, imagine a game that is similar except it is more combat focused and set as a 2D sidescroller.  Then you pretty much have this game.  Sure it doesn't feel like Minecraft and they are generally very different but the concepts are similar.

As mentioned before, there is much more focus on combat in this game.  Exploration is easy since the world is 2D, it is easier to see things underground than in 3D where your view is hindered but what is in front of you.  There are also lots more monsters and bosses to fight. 

There is also a ton to craft.  Different weapon types, blocks, decorations, exploration gear, etc.  There is always something to work toward.  The biggest drawback is the fact that to get the really neat stuff, you either have to get really lucky with drops or chests or you have to grind bosses for the materials.  Some of the bosses are fun and others are just a nightmare.

There are also some issues with monster spawns.  Often times I would just finish a long trek and on the way back get invaded by goblins immediately after having a boss encounter.  It may have been poor planning on my part but still, it felt a little annoying. 

Whether you like Minecraft or not, this is a fun 2D exploration game.  There is a lot to explore, lots of diverse biomes, and if you play on a better supported platform (I played on PS3 and Vita) more updates and mods.  If you like grinding for materials and getting super cool equipment or even just designing your own village with the various art pieces, this is a must have. 

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (PS3)

When the first Borderlands came out, I had never played a game with a loot system like it.  Then the sequel came out and I loved the series even more than ever.  This game was just as good.

Now I'll preface this by saying, I'm not the best at shooting games.  I am a decent sniper and in all the Borderlands games I have played I typically stick with sniper rifles as my main weapons.  In this game, I decided to be stupid and play only as Claptrap.  Which wasn't a mistake.

In this entry, they introduce the oxygen system (because it takes place on the moon) and lower gravity.  I negated the oxygen thing by playing as Claptrap, who doesn't need air.  It does kind of take a little of the challenge out of the game but not so much because Claptrap is such a terrible character. 

The story is between Borderlands 1 and 2, so if you have played both of those this will seem pretty similar.  It is a good setup to the second game and you see references to both games in it.  All the fan favorite characters are there and there are some good moments throughout.  It isn't as memorable as the second game in terms of events but still a decent story for the series.

There are ton of new guns in this one with a new gun type, Lasers, and a new equipment item, O2 tanks.  Lasers were okay.  I don't recall them being spectacular but the reason behind them not being in Borderlands 2 is pretty funny.  Being Claptrap, I didn't have to deal too much with the O2 tanks.  They do give some decent bonuses and using them for the special ground pound attacks adds just one more tool to the vault hunters arsenal.

My biggest gripe with this game or rather with the series in general, is that some of the challenges are impossible to do solo.  I usually play solo because I screw around too much to keep teammates.  There are times in this game that I have to use really cheesy tactics to get by.  Yes, it was designed as a co-op loot shooter but don't penalize me by making it stupidly hard or have to grind for legendary equipment just to maybe get a chance to win.  Some of the optional missions and bosses are just outright unfair but this is something the whole series does.  At least the main story missions are all doable solo without much cheesing or grinding.

As a whole, I love the Borderlands series.  This was a fun addition and I am definitely looking forward to the third entry.  I didn't play the DLC like I did for 1 and 2 but maybe someday.  It is out on PS4 and PC now under the Handsome Collection, so there is really no reason not to get into the game.  Catch a ride!

Dead Space 2 (PS3)

Dead Space was a rare gem for me.  I'm not a huge fan of the survival horror genre but something in Dead Space really stuck with me.  Going into the sequel, I was hopeful.  I wasn't disappointed.

Dead Space 2 is a good sequel to the first game.  Not just set on a single ship but a whole great big area this time.  While the story does get a little odd, especially towards the end.  It is definitely a good ride.

The weapons and crafting system are back.  Getting power nodes to get better and have an easier time.  Each weapon has its use and some are better at fighting certain enemies.  Some are better than others but the player is never really forced to use a weapon.

As a sequel to a good game, this was a fun experience.  It wasn't as good as the first game but there are moments in it that do really bring back the fear from the first game.  Although Isaac no longer feels like a simple space engineer anymore.

Final Fantasy Type-0 (PS4)

I've always been a huge Final Fantasy fan.  It was the RPG series, along with Chrono Cross and Secret of Mana that got me into RPGs.  This game was originally a PSP game but was ported to the PS4 when it finally came to the US.  I remember watching trailers for this game when it was first announced for PSP.

When I finally got to play this when the PS4 remake came out it was alright.  Nowhere near as much fun as it looked but still a solid title in the series.  It definitely felt like playing a PSP title though.  Very little was done with the port and to call it a remake is definitely a misuse of the term.

The story is key here.  It is about a class of military students that you grow to know and learn more about as they learn about the terrors of war and just what it means.  Each character feels unique and has their own personality, abilities, and skills.  It delves a bit into the crystal stuff that Final Fantasy XIII had and there is mention of several terms across both games.  Which makes sense since this game and Final Fantasy XIII were released as part of a set, kind of.

The combat is fun at times and learning how to dodge is really the best way to win.  Once you learn to trigger deathstrikes, that is all you go for because fighting normally quickly leads to death.  In fact, some enemies are only killable with these special strikes.  Luckily, it isn't super difficult to trigger them and the player learns very quickly how to perform them.

The biggest drawback is the heavy reliance on a special minigame that takes place on the world map.  I can't recall the name of them but they were so boring and I was very happy that you can in fact skip all of them past the first one.  They do add a lot to the experience but I found them to be so tedious it was sucking the fun out of the game.  They are a kind of RTS aspect that I just couldn't get into.

The wait for this game to be released in the US was definitely long.  It was worth it though for the story alone.  Learning more about your fellow classmates and the ending of the game make it worth playing.  Sure there were some aspects of the game that were rough and having to redo the whole ending section because of a non-clear choice at the end is a big slap to the face of the player but if you enjoy Final Fantasy.  Give this a go.  It is quite fun.