Croixleur Sigma is a fast paced wave based beat’em up originally developed by Souvnir Cir and it now finds its way onto Nintendo Switch with a digital release on the E-Shop thanks to publisher Active Game Media. Having previously played Croixleur Sigma on PC at various game conferences in 2016 and on my own personal PlayStation Vita two years ago, I was well versed in this short but enjoyable arcade-like anime action game before even booting it up on my Switch. If juggling enemies in the air, large scores and extended combos are your jam then you’ll probably eat Croileur Sigma up. A certain demon hunter owned by Capcom (*cough* Dante *cough*) might be missing in action on Switch, but hopefully the bright cast of Croixleur Sigma can help fill that hack n’ slash hole missing in your library.
Croixleur’s narrative is centred on Lucrezia Visconti and her rivalry with fellow Magical Knight academy student Francesca Storaro as the two venture up the many floors of a mysterious tour. One of the most enjoyable parts of the short story campaign, which can be completed in a little under half an hour, is the banter between Francesca and Lucrezia. Clearly the pair of them have it out for one another but it’s never really comes across as a mean spirited rivalry, but more as a contest between close friends who have may have let the stakes get to them. The game features some really well crafted digitally painted character sprites that help express Lucrezia and Francesca’s mood throughout the brief story and all of their interactions are fully voiced in Japanese with English subtitles.
Combat in Croixleur Sigma is fast paced, as the game’s marketing materials and website often remind. Each floor of the gigantic tower is filled with waves of baddies that want nothing more than to stop your ascent. To deal with these increasingly difficult monstrosities Lucrezia & Co have a wide arrangement of handheld weapons and special attacks to thwart their foes. The now ubiquitous Heavy and Light attacks will get most button mashers through the early stages of the campaign but where Croixleur really shines is its weapon variation and special abilities. Every time you enter the tower your character is able to equip four separate special magical weapons – a broadsword, a sword made of flame, a mace etc. Each weapon has the same basic and heavy attacks, and about the same range, but weapon has its own unique special attack which is only available after building up successive chains of attacks. Special attacks can turn the tide of a given stage – whether that’s unleashing a large spin attack (think Link from The Legend of Zelda) or slamming down from the air with a great sword unleashing a wave of shock energy – these special attacks will almost certainly obliterate anything around you.
Outside of the main story campaign Croixleur Sigma offers 2 additional characters to unlock outside of Lucrezia and Francesca – each of the 4 girls have their strengths and weaknesses, encouraging experienced players to try repeat throughways. Extra modes available upon booting up the game include a High Score challenge that pits a fighter of your choice against waves of baddies with a three minute time limit, Survival Mode which is basically an endless gauntlet of encounters until your chosen heroine has run out of health and a training mode to help new players hone their skills before taking on some of the tougher extras. Exclusive to the console release, aside from the 2 extra characters added since the 2014 PC Release, as an epilogue story that continues Lucrezia and Francesca’s rivalry and fills in the gaps in the story after their adventure in the tower.
It’d be a missed opportunity to not mention the character customization that is possible thanks to the Equipment System. During battle enemies will drop silver and gold coins, which are persistent between sessions and even game modes. Earn enough of both coins and you can dress your favourite magical girl with a set of cat ears, a devil tail, an angel halo, multiple types of sunglasses and that’s just the start. In total there are 38 different accessories to collection, and while yes a lot of them fall into multiple anime stereotypes, I found them to be both adorable and a reason to go for just one more run. Fashion isn’t the only reason to customize your character, each peace of equipment purchased has a special property to aid you in battle – whether that’s a wide radius vacuum effect to suck up gold/silver coins, invincibility frames, the ability to revive once if killed or faster attack speed – they all help accomplish the goal of keeping combat flowing smoothly.
Whether Croixleur Sigma is worth your time on Nintendo Switch will probably come down to a few factors: Clearly this game is aimed at players who are alright with repeating content over and over. Unlocking all 20 weapons, 4 characters, getting a high score in the challenge mode and unlocking all 40 achievements is a tall order but Croixleur isn’t going to suddenly thrpw brand new mechanics, twists and turns within its established game-play formula or god-like boss monsters at you as you progress. Having every weapon unlocked will allow you to change up strategies when it comes to special move utilization but it’s not going fundamentally change how the game is played: at the end of the day its all about racking up huge combos. Secondly, I feel like the decision whether or not to play Croixleur Sigma is going to comedown with whether or not you’ve played it on another console or PC. Local Co-Op is supported on all platforms but this game hasn’t really had accessible local Co-Op aside from wireless play on the Vita and the Joy-Cons by their nature make co-op beat’em up sessions as easy as sliding them off the system and popping up the kickstand.
Croixleur Sigma’s publisher provided a review copy to us.
The city management genre has long been a favorite of mine – able to consume a vast number of hours with ease. I’m no stranger to Paradox Interactive’s Cities: Skylines series either – having reviewed the base game back in 2015 when it debuted on PC. Needless to say, I’ve spent a lot of time planning new residential zones, placing down roads and dealing with the odd unexpected pandemic or two. Now with the game coming to Nintendo Switch alongside two of the already released DLC packs, should returning mayors like myself double dip on the only portable version of Skylines to date?
Cities: Skylines is a sandbox simulation game that offers little in the way of larger goals, instead relying on the player’s creativity and long-term vision for their city to craft any sort of tangible goals and ultimately determines what a positive outcome. Like other games in the genre Cities Skylines tasks players with place a network of roads, properly zoning (and sub-zoning) sections of their city for Industrial, Residential and Industrial use.
Those looking for a sense of progression will find that advanced buildings like University Campuses, confusingly Clean Energy power-plants, large hospitals and the ability to “dense” versions of the three basic zone types are locked behind predetermined population numbers. This gives new players or those who aren’t quite familiar with Cities: Skylines systems the chance to slowly grow accustomed to providing needs like a network of water pipes for their city or making sure that education coverage is at least adequate across their ever-expanding metropolis. It’s easy to imagine a scenario where a new player might accidently build a mega-water pump, large hospital with the capacity of 10,000 patients or other piece of infrastructure when their town only has a few hundred residents.
Economic Enigma
At first blush Cities: Skylines appears to provide not only a lot of freedom to the player but also a robust simulation of modern neoliberal city budgeting. Players can adjust the level of funding for almost every aspect of their tiny digital urban center: the % of funding needed for road maintenance, the amount of $ going towards that newly built university, how much of the cities cash reserves will go towards fire prevention etc. However, like capitalism itself, this seeming abundance of choice and prosperity is a smoke screen obscuring the flaws, hazards and limitations that these both of these systems create.
Cities: Skylines attempts to make budgeting for the population of thousands of simulants similar to how a household budget may work. Funds are based around the total amount of money collected from taxes (more on that in a moment) and then distributed among a set of priorities to meet the needs of the city’s inhabitants. Except this is not how city budgets operate at all. Deficit spending is common among municipal, provincial and federal governments when large infrastructure projects and transformative social policy are implemented to better serve the needs of the populace.
Problems begin to appear when the amount of available funds starts to approach the literal red. If you need to build some much-needed medical centers, make public transit free or simply need to connect a few roads to fix a traffic congestion problem you’ll be met with the inability to move forward at all until you wait for revenue to come in or take out a loan at a high interest rate. Not only does this bring any plans players may have for their cities to a grinding halt but also does a disservice to the very thing the game is trying to simulate. Should a major bridge collapse, a building burn down or a disaster strike a major city in the real world– the cities’ government couldn’t twiddle their thumbs and do nothing waiting for tax dollars to roll in.
Limiting new construction due to a flawed budgeting model and the lack of deficit spending aren’t the only way that Cities: Skylines tries to push players towards fiscal conservatism and thus a worse overall society as a whole. In the budgeting panel it is very clear that not only are the Residential, Industrial and Commercial tax rates adjustable per type but tax rates can differ depending on player defined neighborhood and night / day. Once again, Cities appears to provide a lot of choice to its Mayors in how they want to run their town but this choice is merely an illusion as behind the scenes Cities has a pre-defined “optimum tax rate” before severe negative consciences start to manifest that can, at times, doom a city to go from a large home of millions to a literal ghost town in a number of months.
Community lead research has found that the “Optimum Tax Rate” for the denizens of Cities: Skylines is anywhere between 9% to 12&. Any higher than that and simulants start to leave a city in droves regardless of other factors like the availability of education, transit, leisure activities or pollution level. Despite all of these factors being able to be simulated by Cities, they don’t factor into the decisions that the populace makes at all – making the simulants not feel like real people at all. Once the tax rate goes over that magic number they pack up and leave – despite the fact that in the real world, no one would move out of their city if everything was going great but taxes suddenly jumped up one percent.
Streamlined For Switch
Skylines is not a perfect game when it comes to the simulation part of things but it still scratches that itch to – plan, execute and evaluate a growing city like the original release did. Paradox Interactive have made a number of changes to how the menus in Skylines work to accommodate for the lack of a Keyboard or Mouse on the Switch. Instead of clicking on an individual icon and then scrolling through a set of sub-menus the Switch version uses a “ribbon interface” where broad categories are selected using the Joy-Con’s d-pad. It works and once you get used to it, the changes to the interface are just as comfortable as the PC original.
For fans of City Management / City Planning games, Cities Skylines for the Nintendo Switch is an easy recommendation to make. Not because it’s the only game in town at the moment but because what Skylines does get right – managing public transit, road placement, day night cycle – are so well execute that it is still a joy to watch buildings grow as they are under construction. For $49.99 CDN not only do Switch get a re-worked interface, the full base game running at a steady 30FPS but also two of the post-release expansions After Dark and Snowfall which add Day/Night and weather effects respectively. Potential mayors should be aware that Skylinesis going to make creating a progressive socialist society as difficult as possible and that the unlimited money option is unlocked right from the get-go.
Paradox Interactive Provided Broken Joysticks with a digital review copy of the game.
Ever since Hollow Knight had come out on the PC last year by developer Team Cherry, I had heard rave reviews about it. I heard about it fondly from friends and fellow reviewers alike and since I am not as much a PC gamer, it made me immensely happy to see there were plans to bring it to my favorite console, the Switch. Now with the game out on Nintendo Switch it is time to take a look at Hollow Kniogt as I am a huge fan of dark, Gothic aesthetic and I also enjoy very much enjoy Metroidvania style games.
For the uninitiated, Metroidvania style games are a sub genre of action adventure games that combine mechanics of both Metroid and Castlevania games. Some key features are large maps to explore that have some parts blocked by obstacles that need to be overcome usually through the process of obtaining special items or skills. They are typically sidescrolling platformers with very careful attention to character and level design. Story, level design and character progression need to be tightly woven together to successfully pull off a Metroidvania game – for a classic example of this done right think Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. An engaging metroidvania needs to encourage exploration and experimentation to get the player immersed in the world and characters. With all of this in mind, Hollow Knight had a lot to pack in such a small package of sidescrolling platforming, map exploration, upgrades and engaging lore. I was certainly hoping the game could live up to the hype surrounding it.
The first immediate thing I noticed with Hollow Knight is the atmosphere and aesthetic. Now, This may be the horror fan in me desensitized to a lot of horrific imagery, but I found the atmosphere to be almost whimsical along with Gothic. Yes, there are skulls, spikes, insects and a dark, bleak color palate, but there is also a charming fairy tale like feeling to the game – bold hand drawn animation combined with post-processing effects and smart lighting lighting choices gives the world of Hallow Nest an otherworldly feel . The Knight as a character, as well as others, are certainly designed in a very cute illustrative way and this helps with the fairy tale feeling.
The plot also inspires thoughts of old fairy tales as well. The story of a Knight fighting against the evil deity like creature ruling as Queen of the bug-kind and meeting all sorts of monster and friend alike along the way. Much like Bandai Namco’s Dark Souls series – the large calamity has already occurred. Rather than being “the chosen one” or an anointed savior, The Knight is learning about the environment and picking up the pieces alongside the player. Even with that said there are great battles, deception and a hero’s inner conflict as well for good measure to be found within. All of this combined makes everything very dream like, surreal, and it all just won me over and showed me why so many others have fell in love with Hallow Knight.
As with many Metroidvania games, this game has many difficulty spikes to be found within the exploitable caverns, lush forests and other environments. I am not usually turned off by games that are designed to be challenging – but there were times with my time with Hallow Knight that I had wished there was a few changes to make the game easier. I understand many people were satisfied with the games difficulty level, but other difficulty modes might have been welcome and something for Team Cherry to maybe consider when creating future games. Hallow Knight doesn’t provide a lot of modern quality of life mechanics that have become common place – things like completely visible maps and even way-markers that lead the way are present when the Knight begins their journey. Potential players will need to pay attention to areas of the map that are impassable as they likely will become paths to new areas with just a single upgrade.
Overall, Hollow Knight is a very pleasant game that provides an old school challenge and some very challenging optional content for those looking for a real trial. Its a great addition to the Switch and great to curl up in bed with on a dark and stormy night. If you desire another challenging side-scrolling Metroidvania game with a beautiful Gothic aesthetic and enchanting story / setting, this is definitely a title to pick up, especially for the Switch. Get yourself immersed in this beautiful world that was so carefully designed with intricate detail and nuance. The developers clearly are passionate about their project and made something very special in a genre that has nearly saturated the market with both good and bad games. This game is anything but hollow and deserves the attention it gets.
David Cage is a name that doesn’t sit will with many Players, especially after allegations of a toxic work environment and workplace harassment that has occurred at Quantic Dream. To say his games are for a particular niche is an understatement. Critics have not panned his games, in fact many have praised them for their rich story and environment, but the average consumer might go as far as to say his games barely qualify as games. I was recently asked how to sell someone on a David Cage game, and my answer was simple:
“Have you ever watched a movie and wish you could do something different? Have you ever thought if you were in a particular scenario you could make better choices than the characters? Then a David Cage game could be worth a try”
Detroit: Become Human is definitely a David Cage game. The gameplay doesn’t differ much other Cage games. You go through a story, make your choices that will affect the story and characters and perform in quicktime events at pee-determined times.
I found navigating within Detroit’s world be a little cumbersome. There are some issues controlling the character and getting them to move in the exact direction I wanted to and I found they moved a little slow for my taste. The quick time events were standard for a Cage game. For the most part they worked for the story, felt fluid and didn’t ruin the immersion – in fact, some QTEs fit in really well with android perspective technology.
The real star of the show is the story and characters and is the probable reason anyone is going to play a David Cage game. Detroit: Become Human takes a stab at the age old sci-fi story of robots gaining sentience.As many have pointed out post-release, Detroit: Become Human‘s are an analogy for real world racism – right down to the game’s sentient machines being placed at the back of a train and being forced to stand, no sitting for robots in the world. Oh, and apparently the world of Detroit Become Human is one where racism doesn’t exist because machines have gained sentience.
The main story is that of androids beginning to gain self awareness and humanity. Now androids want the same rights as every other person and the player follows three particular characters and what they will do to make a better life for themselves and even others around them who are suffering as well and how the world reacts to such a change and events that occur.
Your first playable character and storyline is “Connor, the android sent from Cyberlife”. He is an android cop who’s one goal is to finish his investigation into an outbreak of rogue androids and murders caused by them.Partnered with the salty cop Hank Anderson, you can choose how to approach the investigation, if you let perpetrators go, if you build a relationship with Hank and what you will do about the rogue androids and your own inner conflict. I found his story offers some wonderful character moments, fun action sequences and interesting choices that drastically change the outcome of his story-line
The second you meet is Kara, an android purchased by a questionable man who is meant to be a maid for the house and child care taker of sorts to his neglected daughter. Kara simply wants to get the little girl to safety and to start a new life free of what is essentially slavery. I very much enjoyed Kara’s heartwarming love for the girl Alice and their journey was genuinely interesting with some moments I definitely did not predict, one involving a robot bear. If you’ve paid attention to Quantic Dream’s PlayStation tech demos over the years you might remember the 2012 “Kara” tech demo which asked a lot of interesting questions about what it would mean for machines to gain sentience. That 2012 demo formed as the inspiration for Detroit: Become Human but it is hard to say that it laid the foundation for the game.
Overall, Detroit: Become Human plays like a choose your own adventure Sci-Fi TV season with some gameplay elements throughout. If you are in the mood for somewhat cliche sci fi story with decent world building, interesting and enjoyable characters and aren’t turned off by David Cage games, definitely give it a try; if you aren’t a fan of his games though, this most likely won’t change your mind about them.
For further reading on the on-going issues with Quantic Dream as a developer and the problematic content found within Detroit: Become Human the following articles are recommended:
ARC Systemwork’s latest multiplatform fighting game is a dream matchup more than half a decade in the making as the cast of ARC’s Blazblue square off against the protagonists of Persona 4: Ultimax. Joining the fray as well are several fighters from Ecole Software’s Under Night: Rebirth series. As if borrowing characters from the developer of Melty Blood wasn’t enough of a reason to be paying attention to Blazblue Cross Tag Team Battle, Team RWBY from Rooster Teeth’s multi-season animated action show join the cast to round out a roster that spans more than 40 characters.
CAN’T ESCAPE FROM CROSSING FATE
At its core Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle is a 2 Vs 2 fighting game that utilizes flashy finishers, character specific special moves, assists and timely character swaps, not unlike the Marvel Vs Capcom franchise. Merging together three existing fighting franchises (each well known for their signature mechanics) together and incorporating RBWY characters while making the whole package feel cohesive might sound like an impossible task. Rather than merge mechanics from Blazblue, Persona and Under Night franchises into the basic systems – ARC Systemwork’s decided to start with a simple easy to understand base and build from there. Characters (generally speaking) will share a common set of input commands for their special moves, counters and basic attacks. Blazblue Cross Tag Battle is also incredibly new player friendly thanks to the Auto Combo system – by simply pressing either the A or B buttons in succession (A + A +A or B + B +B for example) the game will perform preset combos for you. Similarly, Distortion Finishes and EX Moves also share a pool of input commands that make it approach to try out different team combinations without having to master all of the nuance first. Players looking to turn the tide in battle can also hold down the C button to launch a brand-new type of attack – the cross attack – where both team members jump on screen and hit their opponent for a good chunk of damage. All of these mechanics come together to form the basis of a fighting system that is extremely beginner friendly while still offering the depth and fighting game aficionados demand.
Where nuance starts to show is with the characters themselves rather than the base system. Each franchise has slightly unique gameplay alterations that change-up how they are played. Blazblue fighters handle pretty much identical to their their Central Fiction counterparts, so if you’ve played that title or any of the previous Blazblue games you should feel right at home with Ragna, Makoto, Noel and crew. Yukiko, Yue, Chie and the rest of the Persona crew are able to call their series’ iconic personality manifestations forward to aid them in battle. Persona’s generally come in for a second or two to deal damage but in one specific case heal your opponent. Unlike the Persona Summons in Ultimax, the ones in Cross Tag Battle can actually be destroyed. Unlike their colleagues, Under Night In Birth characters’ combos work a little differently than the others. Rather than using moves of the same type (A + A +A), Linne and company are able to freely swap between light, heavy and even sweep attacks while maintaining their combos.
HEAVEN OR HELL LET’S ROCK
Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle has a lot to offer folks like myself who prefer to play their fighting games offline. While yes, ranked online play is present and very much alive on Nintendo Switch, it was not the focus of my three weeks with the game. A four chapter long single player campaign is available right from the start. Not counting the prologue each one comes in at about an hour and a half – complete with visual novel style dialogue sections, animated portraits and fantastic voice work. Once you’ve mastered the single player campaign there’s also your standard VS mode with multiple difficulty levels (although adjustable difficulty levels being hidden in the options menu is a bit of a crime). Those looking for a more traditional arcade experience will probably enjoy the challenge of Survival Mode as it comes the closest to scratching that particular itch. Also of note is Cross Tag Battle’s training mode that doesn’t just include the basics than throw you to the wolves – advanced tactics, counters and nuance are taught in the later tutorials and anyone who wants to get serious about BBCTB should check it out.
I’ve enjoyed my time with Blazblue Cross Tag Battle – everything from the sprite work to the remixed music tracks absolutely feel like they belong in their respective franchises. With well-known voice actors coming into reprise their characters – and the voice cast of RWBY joining in, the whole thing feels lovingly crafted. Mechanically speaking Cross Tag is very deep while still being approachable. I also felt like my time was respected as everything you do from online matches to training to just playing around in training earns you in-game currency which can be spent on unlocking alternate colors, customization character cards and concept art.
In 2011, developer Level- 5 along with Studio Ghibli created something beautiful and unique; it was the game Ni No Kuni. With all the charm of a Studio Ghibli film and a unique gameplay, it was no wonder why a sequel would happen. This time around, Level-5 is on its own without the help of Ghibli. This could have either meant a recipe for disaster or a way for Level-5 to prove itself a champion among RPG developers. Could Level-5 continue the charm of the first Ni No Kuni? Let’s take a closer look at Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom.
This time around, we connect our world and the “other world” via main character from (presumably) our world. The character this time around is name Roland. He is the president of some unnamed country and due to a bomb going off, he is transported to the other world of Ding Dong Dell. Roland is then thrown into the position of assisting a young and enthusiastic king, Evan, to save his life and kingdom from a usurper and even starting a new kingdom to promote the uniting of all kingdoms and end all war instead of seeking revenge on the usurper who threatened Evan and more. That is the basic bare bones of the story, but of course there is much more story to discover in this story and many more characters to meet. Overall, this story is not some dark and gritty tale but one that promotes more optimism and child like wonder. Some might be turned off and call the story saccharine and too sweet, but I for one enjoy a happy story once in a while. Some might also be turned off the personalities of the main characters. Roland isn’t a terrible character, but can be bland and Evan might be seen as annoying and insufferable. While Evan was not as appealing to me as Oliver from the first game, I didn’t find him to be a deal breaker for the game for me.
The gameplay is significantly improved, in my opinion from the first game. Revenant Kingdom has done away with the familiar system and the combination of real time and turn based combat. This time the gameplay is all real time and you don’t have familiars, but creatures called Higgledys that assist you. You can command them to perform tasks or you can let them do their own attacks and movements. This is a much more simple, but effective gameplay system that definitely makes the game flow better and fluidly. It feels less cumbersome and leaves room for another fun game mechanic.
The second change to Revenant Kingdom is the addition of the kingdom building system. Part way through the game, you will be introduced to a kingdom building system in which you will employ people to run various shops or services and recruit others to become one of your citizens. While this is almost optional, I quickly became very enamored with improving and building up my little kingdom to give me very helpful tools and bonuses.
Of course, you must also have defense for your kingdom. Ni No Kuni II also introduces an army mechanic of sorts. There are times you will need to fight off hordes of enemies, for example, bandits. You will control your forces and lead them by commanding them, to take on your enemies. There are special attacks and special units to employ. You will have to keep track of your military might and budget your special attacks. Hopefully, they are strong enough and plentiful enough to fend them off and defend or claim your territory.
Overall, Ni No Kuni II is a sweet game with addicting gameplay. You can easily invest 40+ hours into the game and not feel like you are just padding time. The story may be too sweet and simplistic for some, but if you have a love for child like wonder and adventure, solid gameplay and JRPGs, this game is not to be missed. I haven’t found myself in love with a new JRPG like this for some time and didn’t think I would love it almost as much as the original. To me, it was worth the full price to play, but maybe wait for a sale if the story concept or characters don’t seem to appeal to you.
“You can rescue homeless cats for a cat café. 10/10”
…
Written By: Jeb Wrench
I have been informed by my editor that I need to provide more information than just that for this review.
Editors Note: Cats will always be welcome here on Broken Joysticks.
That is a fairly reasonable request, so what’s all this about Yakuza 6 then? Yakuza 6 is, naturally, the seventh numbered edition of Sega’s Yakuza series (if you’re confused as to why this is the seventh entry, there is also a prequel known as Yukaza 0), a series that has managed to successfully straddle the thin line between grittiness and extravagance. The series is equally comfortable having its characters sipping whisky in smoky bars talking about crimes as it is having them sing karaoke or take their hand at a game or two of Puyo-Puyo.
A word of warning is required, though. Yakuza 6 is extremely violent, and as such there are very vicious acts of violence and bloodshed on display as you play. As well, the game is, like its predecessors, not great at depicting women. Often women in the game fall victim to the ever-popular fridging trope, and there are inferences to sexual violence and harassment towards women as you progress through the storyline. If these sorts of things turn you away for whatever reason, it is probably for the best you avoid Yakuza 6.
Once again in the well-worn suit of Kiryu Kazuma, the game is set in Tokyo’s Kamurocho district, a bustling area full of bright lights, opportunities, and crimes. Lots of crimes. Fresh out of prison, it is 2016 and Kiryu is looking to get back to his now civilian life running his orphanage in Okinawa, looking after the kids he’s been raising since getting out of the Yakuza.
This, of course, does not go entirely as planned, as one of the girls he’s raised, Haruka Sawamura, has gone missing after retiring as an Idol. This is what leads him once again into Kamurocho, as what few leads he has lead him there. Shortly after arriving, Haruka is involved in a hit and run, and falls into a coma leaving Kiryu with more questions, and to his great surprise, a baby.
Naturally, this begins a larger chain of events that drags Kiryu through layers of betrayal, deception, misdirection, and conspiracy as he tries to find out if Haruka’s accident was really an accident as well as who the father of baby Haruto really is. Thus, he finds himself in the small shipbuilding town of Onomichi in Hiroshima. From there, he gets dragged further and further into the layers of conspiracy, travelling back and forth between the two locales looking for the truth.
Kiryu is versed in several useful skills to do his truth-seeking, all of them involving liberal applications of violence. Thugs, goons, and yakuza alike all get to experience firsthand why “The Dragon of Dojima” has long been such a legendary figure. Combat is integral to the Yakuza 6 experience, and it is its strongest aspect.
Strikes are quick and powerful, grapples and throws are effective crowd-control moves, and as always there are a lot of environmental moves and weapons to use in the heat of a scrap. While some, like the fruit crate, seem ineffective, the sheer brutality of objects like the sledgehammer, or breaking someone’s arm by countering their swing of a crowbar make up for that. And no matter how many times I execute the move, busting out an ushigoroshi on one mook to drop them on another is highly satisfying.
Being a Yakuza game, you would expect lots of side content in The Song of Life, and it does not disappoint. Minigames are everywhere in both locales, letting you play various Sega arcade games like the aforementioned Puyo-Puyo, Virtua Fighter 5, and Fantasy Zone amongst others, try your hand shooting darts or batting balls, or, well, uh, chatting with virtual hostesses online. These minigames give you rewards primarily in the form of experience, which you can spend to upgrade Kiryu’s stats or learn new abilities.
There is a saying that goes “jack of all trades, master of none”. This was what came to mind while I was playing Square Enix’s newly licensed game Fear Effect Sedna. While this in no way means Fear Effect Sedna is a terrible game, it does suffer from trying to accomplish t0 many things at once while not particularly achieving greatness in anything.
Fear Effect Sedna was brought to life via Kickstarter campaign from developer Sushee and is the third installment in the Fear Effect franchise. The original Fear Effect was a PlayStation 1 era game and this new addition to the franchise seems like it picks off right where the last two entries left off – straight out of the late 90s to early 2000s.
You got your sexy mercenaries, cyber punk / neo noir aesthetic and of course a dose of hacking and terrorism to boot. I have not experienced the past two games in this series, but I did pick up on things fairly quickly as far as the characters go. I enjoy Hana and her posse as they lurk in the shadows, take on missions and even share a sexy moment or two between each other. I enjoy the nostalgic feel of the game even with its silly early 00’s “post The Matrix” feel.
The plot of this game is similar to many heist movies. Our protagonists get in over their head when what was supposed to be a simple art theft turns into something much bigger than they imagined. The difference is, this game involves inuit magic along with this heist. From what I understand, this is not the first time this group has gotten into some mystical shenanigans. (Editor’s note: Video games have a long and troubling history appropriating aboriginal culture. For more on the subject, Dia Lacina’s Medium Post “What We Talk About, When We Talk About Natives” , is good reading material on this subject.)
The plot may be passable and interesting, but the script I feel is where this game falls flat, with dialogue that can be stilted and cliche, enough so at times it even made me cringe. The game could have done with another pass by an editor to take care of some of the lines. Overall, passable in story, characters and dialogue, but nothing impressive.
The gameplay is an isometric top down shooter with some puzzles added in as well. There is a distinct lack of challenge in these missions and puzzles. It is fairly simply to mow down enemies with your weapon as long as you start with some stealth to get your target in the optimal position. It’s not to say I didn’t enjoy feeling powerful against my enemies or finding my way through levels, it just seemed somewhat repetitive after a bit and less thrilling which I feel was the actual intent of the creators. I did enjoy the combat system though and the whole fear effect which involves an on-screen fear meter rising and the effect being more damage output, but your characters are weaker against enemy attacks.
I also felt a lack of challenge from the puzzles as well. A couple had me stumped for a bit, but for the most part I found them pretty easy and sometimes even just stumbled upon the answer by accident. I will admit, I enjoyed the variety of types of puzzles at least. From disarming a bomb, to hacking computers, the puzzles offered a breath of fresh air in the game..
Overall, this game is about quantity over quality. There is a lot this game is trying to add and include in this game, but little that impresses. There is a variety in the type of game it is whether it is a strategy game, a shooter game or a puzzle game, but none stand out. The game has passable art style, passable plot and passable dialogue. The characters are fun, but a tad cliche. Overall, this is an average game that only fans of the series would want to check out for the $17.99 price.
Everyone has a mountain to climb, sometimes symbolically, sometimes literally. Everyone has their own journey they need to go on and their own life goals. It is in this way, I believe everyone can relate at least a little to the game Celeste.
Celeste was brought to you by the Canadian team, “Matt Makes Games”, who also brought us Towerfall back in 2013 for PS Vita, PS4, Xbox One, PC and other platforms. Celeste is a 2-D platformer that makes full use of Microsoft’s now defunct XNA framework. The platforming is challenging, but fluid and when you perform a move, it seems to work with little to no problems. Celeste is a tight game with great controls and little in the way of annoying bugs or omissions.
In Celeste, you start out slow, doing basic moves and jumps. You eventually learn more maneuvers across a number of levels – mastering moves like double jumps and mid air dashes that will assist you with problem solving; be clever however, because you can only hold onto walls for a limited amount of time and can only mid air dash once before needing a cool down or regeneration item.
Throughout this game, there are also puzzles to solve as well. Some involve pattern recognition, some involve timing and others involve careful maneuvering. The puzzles are challenging, especially those that involve gathering collectibles or special items. Puzzles also get more challenging as you climb the mountain, but that is nothing out of the ordinary.
Celeste’s graphics are simple, but the pixel art is a work of beauty. There are scenes when the use of shading and clever lighting look like mosaic paintings. My only wish would be that the character designs were a little more detailed in terms of overall design. They are perfectly serviceable, I just wish the sprites had a little more expression. This one area that could have been just a little better doesn’t take away from this game in the slightest. This game may have a simplistic visual design, but don’t underestimate the art that Amora Bettany and Pedro Medeiros created for Celeste.
Celeste has a beautiful story to tell on top of having beautiful pixel art and wonderfully executed gameplay. You play as Madeline and her desire to climb to the top of the titular mountain, Celeste. This mountain is unlike any other, in that is can turn one’s “inner turmoil” and “true self” into reality. She meets many other characters along the way and goes through many trials and tribulations leading to her main hurdle, her mental health. She starts to come face to face with her depression and anxiety and her many inner demons. I am not ashamed to say this was extremely relateable and had me teary eyed at many moments.
Celeste is a beautiful allegory for those fighting their own inner demons and climbing their own mountain. Madeline is the type of hero we don’t see nearly often enough in the video game medium. The only other recent example of something similar was Senua from Hellblade. Madeline may be troubled, but she’s a fighter. She is brave and even when faced with the scariest in her life, she keeps climbing that mountain. This game is the perfect opportunity to set an example for those dealing with similar issues feel that they are not alone and that they too can overcome. Seeing as this game is also rated E for everyone, this game can also reach younger players who are still figuring themselves out at a vulnerable time in their lives.
Celeste is not only a well designed and executed game, but the type of important game that brings the industry to a higher level. It is always my pleasure to come across a game like this and contribute to the attention it deserves. I am happy to see others review it, feature it and show it to a wide audience. Play it for yourself and support Matt Makes Games so they continue their work and surprise us with their future creations.
Publisher Raw Fury and developer Long Hat House have come together to give us quite the indie game. Dandara is a Metroidvania style game with focus on exploration and 2D action-adventure gameplay and while this may seem a bit commonplace and trendy, Dandara caught my attention in a big way with its concept, character development and world building. Originally released for the iphone in December of last year, this metroidvania inspired game makes the leap on to the Nintendo Switch.
Dandara’s concept is loosely based on the story of an Afro-Brazilian warrior who fought aside men against slavery during the colonial period of Brazil’s history. This makes sense considering the developers are from that country and considering such little known this tale may be in North America, a game is an excellent medium to spread what is known about her story and inspire others to try and learn about this little known historical figure. Even though the game is abstract, Dandara as a character definitely displays the strength and cunning of a true heroic warrior and her interactions with the characters definitely help build her legend throughout the game.
The game takes a more futuristic dystopian atmosphere with fantastical elements to this warrior’s story than relying on a historical period for its setting.. You are Dandara, and it is up to you to explore this world of Salt and to save it from the brink of destruction. Along the way you will come across beautifully colorful and equally as beautiful dark areas of this nearly ruined world to find items, currency and characters that can help you on your mission.
The way you explore this world is through a series of platform jumping, dodging attacks and landing strikes and the right moment – critical skills for most games in its genre. Throughout the world there are these areas you can jump to by bending gravity as well. Dandara will seem to blink to your target as you continue working your way around the world, finding new ways to unlock areas and finding ever more powerful enemies to conquer.
Combat is also fairly straight forward. Dandara has a gun that she can aim at enemies. Much like the platforming, you aim and press a button or tap the screen to where you want the shot to hit. Since this game is made for both touch screens and console games, it can make the controls a little funny when compared to its contemporaries that only have one style of control. There were times I felt the aiming was slightly difficult to maneuver, especially trying to make my way around corners or through tight areas with the analog sticks of the Switch joy-con. I also found combat to be a bit frustrating as aiming and shooting can sometimes be a bit slow and therefore you have to be more methodical with your shots – planning them out with precision. Perhaps that was the point the developers were going through though.
This game is less of a run and gun, rapid paced adventure and more of a strategic platformer. You need to plot out where you want to go to best avoid being hit by enemies, the timing of your jumps and learn the movement pattern of the enemies before aiming so you can hit them accurately. You can also improve your longevity and gameplay by obtaining the games currency, called salt, and using it to increase your health or weapon effectiveness.
This game may get frustrating at times, but its unique concept and beautiful pixel art make it all worth it to explore and experience this game. It is also notable to add that this game has a beautiful soundtrack to accompany it which really makes the experience all the more rich.
Overall, I found this game deeply enthralling and unique. For the price of $15 USD for the Switch version of the game, I would say it is definitely worth supporting this developer and see what they will come up with next. I learned something about Brazilian history and got a beautiful experience thanks to Long Hat House. The gaming industry needs more like this when the market is flooded by asset flippers and loot box abuse. We need to get back to passion and fun and creators who simply want to create art, tell a story or just make a fun game.
Worms W.M.D, developed and published by Team 17 is a turn-based artillery tactics game released for the Nintendo Switch. While very similar to another game in the Worms series, such as Worms Armageddon, the question becomes “will this game stand out enough on its own?” and “how well would a Worms title do on the Switch?”. With a large selection of missions and a new multiplayer mode, let’s take a deeper look at this game and see if it is truly explosive as its marketing made it out to be.
While I was never the biggest fan of the series, I did know about past Worms games and after playing Worms WMD I definitely plan on playing some of the past games in my free time. I am a huge fan of tactics games of all sorts and I want to know exactly what I have missed over the years with this series. One of my favorite things is discovering what seems to be a whole world that I hadn’t explored before and Worms WMD certainly opened me up to the series
The gameplay is pretty easy to learn and intuitive even after all of these years and iterations. You have your army of worms, and the enemy has theirs. You use whatever means are at your disposal to crush your enemy and be the last worm standing. You can use tanks, bazookas, grenades and even helicopters to strike down your enemies. A wide selection of cartoonish and sometimes invention weaponry has been a long running staple of the Worms franchise. This may sound old hat and unimpressive at first, but once you see that the terrain is also fully destructible and learn that the environment and weather conditions affect movement and can be used to your advantage, you’;ll see there is more nuance to this game than at first glance.
The customization available available in Worms WMD is also quite impressive. You can customize the worms voices, outfits, dances, music and even their headstones. I am not ashamed to admit I spent more than my fair share of time playing around with this aspect of the game.
Multiplayer, however, is probably how most will spend their time with this game; at least that’s what you’d would think. The problem is, it was fairly hard to find a match for casual multiplayer over the course of this review. I am not much of a competitive multiplayer person so I tend to avoid ranked competitive modes in games if it can be helped. Being on possibly the most portable friendly home console available, local multiplayer is also featured predominately in Worms WMD on Nintendo Switch. Two players can go head to head using a set of Joy-Cons each, a single Joy-Con for each player, a mix & match of Pro Controllers or even GameCube controllers as well. By taking advantage of the diverse set of input options the Switch provides, Worms WMD multiplayer can be enjoyed with friends in handheld mode, tabletop mode or while docked.
I imagine the appeal of this game on the Switch would be the ability to visit a friend and quickly set up a couch co-op or local competitive game. I was still a tad disappointed that there were very few instances where I could actually find a casual match online for this game, but I suppose that comes with the territory of being a somewhat smaller release. I feel the Worms WMD makes up for this by making it a great example of how to do local multiplayer within the limits of the Switch’s joycon controls. Because of the simpler graphics, simpler controls and easy to pick up nature of this game, this is a great game to pick up for a fun evening with a good friend and should be appealing to a wide variety of wolks.
Overall, this is a solid title to download from the Nintendo eShop. If you are a fan of tactical games and want something humorous to get into or something simple to get into with a friend, this is one to pick up. The price of $30 USD might seem excessive when compared to other strategy offerings, but there is a whole lot to this game that makes it well worth it if this franchise or genre suits you. If you have played Worms games in the past, I can’t imagine why this wouldn’t appeal to you because it certainly has made me interested in the past games of this fun and funny series
A copy of Worms W.M.D was provided by the publisher for our consideration. It was valued at $29.99 USD as of the writing of this review.
Version Tested: PlayStation 4 (Played On a Launch PS4)
Team ICO’s titles have taken on almost a mythical status among PlayStation Exclusives. While The Last Guardian my stand as the example of a “once in a generation release” for a much anticipated title to be resurrected – Shadow of the Colossus wowed both players and critics back in 2005 with its larger than life beasts, minimalist design and sweeping soundtrack. Almost a decade and a half later – does BluePoint’s remake on the PlayStation 4 wow us yet again with technical feats of grand scale or crush us under the weight of SOTC’s long legacy?
Players take on the role of a young male protagonist known as Wander who has brings his significant other to an ancient temple within The Forbidden Lands in the hopes of resurrecting her. It is here that he is informed by the deity Dormin that resurrecting a human soul is difficult, if not impossible and highly frowned upon by society. By making a pact with this shadowy god, Wander is tasked with taking down 16 towering colossi before his request will be granted. SOTC’s story has never been the main draw for players, but it at least sets up the protagonist’s motivations in motion well enough. Returning players should take note that this remastered version does not include any additional narrative or lore and presents Wander’s struggle exactly the way you remember it from the PS2 release.
Shadow of the Colossus is a puzzle game hiding under the guise of an action adventure title. While Wander can sprint large distances, attack with his sword and leap across chasms, these aren’t player’s primary tool when dealing with the colossi. Having a keen eye, observing your surrounding and in some cases the structure of the colossi themselves can be the key to overcoming the obstacles in front of Wander. One encounter has you charging forward at full speed and hopping off of Wander’s horse to gain ground on the colossi and another has Wander hanging on for dear life as a serpent-like colossi emerges under the waves as he makes his way to the glowing weak points. Each colossi fight has its own unique presentation but most encounters can be boiled down to the formula of “find way onto to the colossi, expose the various weak points and then slash with your sword until dead”.
Controlling Wander’s movements while playing SOTC is simple and uncomplicated but there are situations where it can be unclear when you’ll regain control of your character again. This is particularly apparent when Wander is hanging off of the fur of a colossus and is shaken around like a ragdoll. Simple and responsive are unfortunately not words to describe the unpleasant experience of riding Agro the horse. While Agro can reach speeds that Wander could never dream of achieving, Agro will lose all of its momentum as soon as it collides with any object larger than a pebble. More modern games would have Agro simply side-step over small obstacles and continue at a brisk pace but time has not been pleasant to poor Agro and riding the pony express has more “stop start” than downtown at rush hour. This is made all the more agonizing with the realization that more than one colossus was designed specifically with the use of the horse in mind. While it is possible to complete this encounter without Aggro (we did during our review playthrough) – it is painfully slow and removes any tension or urgency from the battle.
Visually Shadow of the colossus can be breathtaking and jaw droppingly beautiful at times. BluePoint Games have successfully recreated Shadow of the Colossus‘ unique visual style and vibrant palate while both simultaneously staying true to Team Ico’s vision from the 2005 and updating model / asset fidelity for the HD era. Running across SOTC‘s vast green fields while stating at mountain ranges far off into the distance with waterfalls below you truly has to be seen in motion to be believed, static screenshots do not do BluePoint’s work on SOTC‘s revitalized visuals justice. If you’re looking for a title that will show friends who might not own a PlayStation 4 that capability of Sony’s latest system – Shadow of the Colossus is THAT title.
All of the work that originally went into the unique designs of the 16 colossi back in 2005 is preserved in the 2018 remake. If you get a chance while battling one of these towering stone monsters, stop and observe their movements. It shows that the original developers paid extra attention to how way each colossi would shift their body weight and position their limbs during movement. Whether Wander is facing off against the large stone serpent, the small boar-like creature or the bipedal first colossus – each one moves slowly, deliberately and uniquely. All of this attention to detail was unthinkable back in 2005 and 13 years later it still holds up as some of the best intricate creature design. Just don’t get Wander squashed as you marvel at the slow finesse of the colossi.
There was nothing quite like Shadow of the Colossus when it debuted on the PS2 and two generations later it still shines as one of the most unique PlayStation exclusives. BluePoint games did a tremendous job bringing Team ICO’s original game forward in time to 2018. SOTC on PS4 looks gorgeous, sounds great and at times feels just as epic as the original. Returning players may be disappointed to learn that this remake offers no additional content over either the PS2 release or the updated PS3 remaster. After completing the campaign players unlock New Game+, Mirror World Mode and Time Attack – just as they did in previous releases. If you haven’t played SOTC before and can stomach some minor control issues (especially with the horse) this is the definitive version to experience the 2005 classic. Returning players can expect a gorgeous trip down memory lane that plays exactly how they remember it – except in 4K and beyond.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Canada provided BrokenJoysticks with a digital pre-release copy of Shadow of the Colossus on PlayStation 4 for review. The game was reviewed in 1080p on a launch PlayStation 4 unit – although the game does provide PlayStation Pro specific enhancements that we could not test. Shadow of the Colossus is expected to retail for $49.99 CDN.
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch. Published By Microids and Developed By Eden Games
In the eight months since release, the Nintendo Switch has seen a fair share of racing titles released for it. Yet despite the multiple futuristic zero-g racers, Nintendo’s own mascot kart racer and at least one top-down classic arcade style indie, one racing genre have gone completely unrepresented – the realistic racing sim featuring real-world cars. Enter Gear.Club Unlimited, an enhanced port of a mobile free-to-play title featuring over 30 licensed vehicles from top manufacturers and 400-course variations (!!). Rev up your engines for my review-in-progress of this surprisingly fun realistic ride.
The goal in Gear.Club Unlimited is to win race circuits and special events to amass a vast fortune of virtual credits to fill their garage with the highest-grade performance cars available. Cars are graded using a combination of letter “Class” and numbered “SubClass” – starting the game with a simple stock “A-1” class vehicle after the first initial half an hour or so the dealership for the second class “A-2” becomes available. Bringing an “A-1” into an “A-2” event is advisable and requires the purchase of an entire second vehicle to progress throughout the ladder of available challenges.
Progressing through the vehicles in this fashion – about 4 at a time per “subclass” – doesn’t feel like a hindrance but rather a steady form of progression. After upgrading the initial “A-1” type vehicle to its’ first set of limits, switching things up with a faster subclass of car within the same type can feel refreshing while still giving reason to go back to previous vehicles once more options have been unlocked or more credits amassed.
Gear.Club Unlimited presents drivers with a series of themed challenges based not just on the main class/sub class of a vehicle but also the various locales. One particular set of challenges may have you racing along seaside ports in a warm California-like climate while another will another circuit might present mostly night courses. These courses can often look their best during the daylight driving sections when lens-flare strikes just over the roof of the car as you make a hairpin turn. Each course has its own unique layout and varied background objects like buildings, houses and set pieces to help complete the illusion that you are racing down populated metropolis streets. Play close enough attention and you might notice that some courses might reuse sections of tracks, background objects or may be simply reversed or night-time versions of previously played courses entirely. This is certainly understandable when considering the amount, of course, variation Gear.Club Unlimitedis providing players, expecting 400 completely unique course variations for a budget price would not only be unheard of but also an unrealistic expectation.
The exterior bodies of the cars featured in Gear.Club Unlimited is quite detailed with realistic reflections from the sporty contours make up their designs. Vehicles from famous manufacturers like DODGE have their own feel – features like the instantly recognizable boxy chassis of a Challenger or the distinctive front grill of the Mustang GT 2015, even if familiarly with cars isn’t your forte (I’m certainly no car buff and these two models still stood out to me). The interiors of each car are also well represented, even if you’ll never see them when racing. When viewing cars in the tuning shop or at the dealership, players are able to spin them in 360 degrees, pan out the camera and even up the passenger doors, front doors and engine hoods to get a peek at the inner workings. Details like this just scream out for a photo-mode where players could turn off the HUD, pause the racing action or take a moment to rest ion the dealership and compose custom screenshots. Sadly, the launch version of Gear.Club Unlimited is missing this feature, which is standard in most AAA racing titles, although it isn’t too common to find such extras in budget racing titles so perhaps that explains its exclusion.
Around The Corner To The Finish Line
I haven’t quite crossed the finish line in terms of content within Gear.Club Unlimited, certainly not enough to make a final judgment on how the game’s upgrade and progression pan out in the later “C” and “D” grade cars. The majority of my time with Gear.Club Unlimited this past weekend was spent entirely in the handheld mode where the game performs at a rock solid 30 FPS at least and with Airplane Mode enabled lasted an entire day while out and about. Over the next few days, I am going to work on unlocking the last two tiers of cars, experiencing the online multiplayer and split-screen local multiplayer on a larger television before reporting back with my final thoughts and verdict.
Gear.Club’s publisher provided Broken Joysticks with an early review copy of the game for consideration on Nintendo Switch. The aproximate retail value of this title is $49.99 CDN when purchased digitally.
Mario has been a staple of the gaming industry since the very early arcade days when he was just a humble sprite named Jump Man who wanted nothing more than to save a poor woman he loved named Pauline from a beast, barrel throwing ape named Donkey Kong. Since those early days, things have changed immensely for our humble protagonist and he has since been on many adventures through many lands and beyond even to the galaxy. After Super Mario Galaxy however, a question entered the minds of me and my friends and that question was “Where could Mario possibly go exploring the entire galaxy?” and we joked and theorized, but we could not have possibly guessed the answer in store for us; that answer was possession. Yes, Mario and his new friend Cappy can possess various beings in the world in order to help him, of course, save Princess Peach; some things will never change. This time, however, there is a forced marriage to Bowser that needs to be foiled.
There are two main differences in this game. The first difference is the scale of the world and the second is the gameplay. Regarding the former, the world is simply put, huge. You may think the world is large during the story campaign, but once you complete the story you will see just how big in scale this game is. There are large areas to explore in this world and even beyond the world to the moon at one point. Each area is filled with so many nooks and crannies and secrets it took many hours to fully explore some places. Aside from just the aesthetic value, your main incentive for exploring and discovering each area’s secrets is to find Power Moons that give you moon power. What does moon power do for you? Well, it fuels and repairs your titular ship, The Odyssey and also gives completionist a nice long scavenger hunt challenge to find all the moons. Once you have the necessary moon power to fuel or repair your ship, you’re off to the next land. While in these lands, you will see how different the gameplay is to other Mario games.
Instead of just hopping on Goombas or swatting an enemy with a tanooki tail, you now have your friend Cappy who replaces your signature cap after Bowser destroys the original. Cappy can be thrown by Mario to kill enemies or even more fun, possess enemies to perform various tasks to either get past puzzles or get from platform to platform to get to particular parts in the world. You may need to possess a Goomba and jump on other Goombas to create a stack of them to reach high points or you may need to become a Hammerhead brother and knock down walls. The end of the game has a particularly special possession that really was a satisfying conclusion along with the end to the story campaign. You also can not ignore the joy of literally becoming a T-rex in a Mario game and smashing everything in your way. If you want to play along with a friend or partner or family member, there is a multiplayer mode similar to that of Mario Galaxy that allows for someone to control Cappy. Along with Cappy being able to change forms into various styles of hats, Mario too can purchase new outfits and styles in each level’s store with a special unique currency exclusive to that world. Each store different theme of clothes associated with the area you’re in.
Mario Odyssey is one of the most satisfying Mario games that I have experienced since Mario 64, way back in 1996. With many touching tributes to Mario past, exciting new gameplay and plenty of gorgeous lands to explore and all the hours of exploring and challenges, even if you are not a fan of Mario games, this is highly recommended. If you need a reason to get yourself a Nintendo Switch, this is it. I foresee this game making plenty of critic top 10 lists for the year, and it isn’t without reason. Mario Oddsey is truly a special experience and shouldn’t be missed.
A Word Regarding Review Copies: Electronic Arts acknowledged Broken Joysticks’ request for a review copy of Star Wars: Battlefront II but did not provide the site with a review code in time for publication. This review is based on several hours of play time with the 10-hour “Origin Trial”, which is too my knowledge the final retail code that players will experience on November 17th. I played the PC version of Battlefront II but the EA Access trial was also available to owners of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Xbox One X consoles as well.
Update 11.13.2017 3:50 MST:
Electronic Arts have issued a blog post detailing changes coming to Star Wars Battlefront II in an immediate patch after the massive backlash from online communities and outlets like ours. Prices for heroes are to be decreased by 75% across the board. Below is a portion of EA’s official statement followed by my original review. It should be noted that these changes do not affect the time it will take to earn achievements that are solely tied to kill, does not affect the core criticism of selling in-game power via loot boxes and certainly does not restore any of the cut features from the first game. I believe that my core criticism of Battlefront II stands even with the price of heroes being reduced.
“We’re reducing the amount of credits needed to unlock the top heroes by 75%. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader will now be available for 15,000 credits; Emperor Palpatine, Chewbacca, and Leia Organa for 10,000 credits; and Iden at 5,000 credits. Based on what we’ve seen in the trial, this amount will make earning these heroes an achievement, but one that will be accessible to all players.”
Version Reviewed: PC (10-hour Origin Access Trial)
Coming almost exactly two years after the tepid reception of the original Star Wars Battlefront this highly anticipated sequel looks to not repeat the mistakes of DICE’s 2015 reboot while also sharing the pre-release hype surrounding upcoming film Star Wars: The Last Jedi. While Battlefront II‘s campaign is still shrouded in mystery, the game’s multiplayer mode and offline arcade have been available to Origin Access subscribers for the past few days. After spending a considerable amount of time with the final build of Battlefront II, what follows is my review of the multiplayer component of DICE’s sophomore effort – blemishes and all.
Battlefront II’s grand scale combat will come as no surprise to anyone who played the 2015 iteration or any of their modern entries in their flagship Battlefield series. Two sides take up arms against each other over a series of objectives, boiled down to their most simplistic forms, the two games can sound very similar but BFII tries to distinguish itself from DICE’s other main franchise by introducing a couple of unique twists to the developer’s long-running formula. In a science fiction world where space wizards can shoot lightning from their fingertips, not everything goes according to plan.
Game Modes
The main mode that Electronic Arts showed off several times during the E3 hype cycle and last month’s open beta is known as Galactic Assault. Like conquest, it is still down to two large forces vying for objectives but unlike conquest in the Battlefield games, BFII’s Galactic Assault mode sees the map, objectives, and options available to either side shift depending on the outcome of several different stages. Resistance fighters might be tasked with stealing a shuttle or shutting down First Order communication arrays – this initial object does change depending on the map. Secondary objectives are determined based on the outcome of that initial push. It could see either the Order wait for stronger reinforcements or the Resistance falling back to designated defensive positions in the hopes of evacuating as many unseen NPCs as possible. These hypothetical situations aren’t exact descriptions of the situations featured on Galactic Assault maps but an amalgamation of several different scenarios to give you the idea of the scale that DICE is going for with this mode, without spoiling the surprises that await you on each map.
Starfighter Assaultis an expanded version of the dogfighting combat that was introduced in the last game. Returning players might be disappointed to learn that just like in the last entry – fighters are restricted to their initial airspace. What I mean by this is that there is no seamless transition from say fighting over the orbit of Naboo in large capital ships to seamlessly transition over the skies of the capital city. What was teased in Free Radical’s canceled Xbox 360 vision for Battlefront III will have to remain the wishes of hopeful fans because it is not to be found here.
DICE has expanded the selection of ships and the roles that they play during dogfights. In one instance while playing as the Original Trilogy era empire I was given the choice between becoming a Tie-Fighter and engaging X-wings directly, filling the pilot seat of a TIE-Bomber and laying waste to the Rebellion’s capital fleet or taking on the challenge of flying the TIE-Interceptor with its’ electronic warfare kit. Yup, large capital ships join in on the space combat this time around and provide large objective points but also vast set pieces for skilled pilots to weave in and out of. Starfighter Assault retains the tight flight controls that made flying in a ship in the first Battlefront so fun while transporting pilots to large-scale battles befitting the climax of a Star Wars film or novel.
Arcade Mode is Battlefront II’s offline non-campaign single player component and just like Battlefront I it allows players to set up a custom game with tweakable options to battle against A.I opponents. Several options are tweakable including the amount of respawns each side has, whether Heroes are enabled / turned-off or regular troops are disabled – which leads to some hilarious all out hero brawls- time limit and even smaller details right down to the amount of time it takes abilities to refresh. Sadly the multi-stage objective based Galatic Assault and ship to ship combat of Starfighter Assualt are entirely absent from Arcade Mode. This is kind of perplexing for two reasons: 1) Battlefront II had its signature mode Walker Assault and Ship Battles playable with A.I opponents, in fact, they were the only two modes available offline. Secondly, you’d think DICE and EA would want to put the mode they spent so much time, energy and money promoting into the highly accessible Arcade Mode for new players to experience.
Onslaught Mode is one of the key pillars of Arcade Mode’s customizable experience. Onslaught mode might sound like an objective based mode but sadly it’s not. It’s a fancy way of saying that you’ll spawn alone in one of the beautifully crafted environments and fight off an endless wave of enemies until the score limit has been reached. Battle Points, the new per-match reward for kills, assists, and objectives (which are then spent as spawning as special classes and any of the era-specific Heroes regardless if you’ve unlocked them in regular multiplayer while playing in Onslaught mode. This provides Arcade Mode players with an endless sandbox of enemies to help them find the optimial strategies for murdering their opponets using Darth Mauls’ double sabre.
Lastly Arcade Mode also offers a ladder of prepared challenges in both Light Side and Dark Side flavors. DICE has matched up their roster of Heroes with environments that fit with their character but also their era as well. During the opening segments of both ladders, you’ll assault Starkiller base as Rey, defend the Mos Eisley Catina as Han Solo and defeat waves of Galatic Republic Battle Droids as Darth Maul. Out of all of the content found in Arcade Mode the Light Side and Dark Side challenges were probably the most enjoyable and they did bring a smile to my face. Rank one challenges are rather easy and can be completed in only a handful of minutes but once you’ve finished the entire ladder there are two more difficulty tiers waiting for you. Arcade Mode can also dole out small amounts of credits, usually about 100 per challenge on Rank 1, but these have a daily cap complete with a 20-hour refresh timer – YIKES.
EA Finds Your Lack of Continuing Payment Disturbing
No discussion about Star Wars Battlefront II can really be had without discussing how EA and DICE have decided to monetize the game. A big deal was made during their E3 2017 press conference that there would be no separate season’s pass or purchasable downloadable content for the game that would split the userbase. They wanted us to know that they weren’t going to split up the Battlefront community again – unlike the first game which had a stand-alone version, 4 add-on DLC packs or a Season’s Pass that included the four DLC packs at a discounted price. A unified community sounds like an admirable and awesome goal for an online game to have but in the case of Battlefront II it comes at a great cost (to either your wallet or your patience).
For the most part, this section of my review is going to be a discussion about progression, how it worked in the previous Battlefront title on PS4 / Xbox One and how the “progression” system in Battlefront II isn’t progression at all. BF II’s progression system is throwing you against a nearly immovable paywall to grind for minuscule amounts of in-game currency unless you open up your wallet and potentially deposit more than the price of the base game into EA’s coffers and pray you get good RNG.
Best Hope Your Favorite Hero Isn’t Locked Behind Hours of Grinding.
In the first game, players earned Credits, an in-game currency, based on their actions completed while in the match. Just showing up and standing around or intentionally dying over and over without assisting your team on the objective would earn you the absolute bare minimum of credits – a small bonus awarded for completing a match. I imagine this was designed in such a way to discourage idle farming for credits and encourage team-based gameplay. BFII takes this system throws it entirely out the window. Now credit payouts are seemingly random ranging anywhere from 150 to 300 credits per match regardless of leaderboard position, # of kills, amount of time spent on the objective points or other measurable metrics. Any upsides to this brand-new system – such as new players and those without experience of the genre earning the same amount of credits as a seasoned pro – are quickly discarded when you realize that by drip feeding players only a handful of credits (as opposed to the 1000+ that were common in BFI) EA can sell us all more loot boxes.
Participating in one of the worst gaming trends of 2017, Battlefront II has not one, not two or even three kinds of loot boxes – but four different kinds of RNG based loot boxes that you are encouraged to spend real world money on! There are boxes that will provide you with Star Cards (additional power-ups and statistical advantages) for your heroes, a separate box for your Star Fighters and the third kind of box reserved for Heroes. Oh and Star Cards now have the usual rarity colors assigned to them as well – from grey to blue and even epic orange. The rarer the level of your Star Card the higher your statistical advantage in a given category or the more powerful the certain ability that you’ve equipped. Crates are priced at between 2000 and 4000 credits meaning that they’re asking you to grind out between 15 and 30 games for the CHANCE at decent upgrades or part with real-world cash for an immediate infusion of cards. Oh and there’s the Daily Login crate as well, but as you’d probably expect, be prepared to be flooded with basic grey cards and the occasional green if you are lucky.
Opening One of Battlefront II’s Many Different Crate Types, [Image Source]
If you’ve stuck with the game and decided “it’s fine I just won’t spend any real-world cash on loot boxes and stash my credits away”, be prepared for one of the worst psychological waiting torture tests to be found in a video game, well ever. In the previous Battlefront, you could spend your credits on a number of cosmetic options for your troop classes such as new weapons, playable races and even the option to be a Rebellion / Imperial unit without a helmet. All of those cool little rewards – yeah, they’ve been completely removed. In their place: Iconic heroes like Luke & Vader are locked behind a 60,000 credit wall that could take upwards of 200 matches to unlock just one of them. (Correction – the 60,000 credit figure for Luke & Vadar was true when this review was published. Due to community backlash EA reduced the # of credits required to unlock heroes by 75% in a pre-release patch.) Purchasing weapons for credits have also been got the axe – in favor of tying weapon unlocks to the # of kills performed as that class. Objective time? Kill assists? Helping out teammates? Nah, none of that matters as it is all about your KDR!! Want to play the Rebellion Assault class as a female Twi’lek like you could in the first game? Too bad, all of the gender & racial unlocks from BFI have been removed entirely and now base classes are completely gender locked for no discernable reason.
Conclusion
Star Wars Battlefront II provides a highly polished multiplayer experience that is probably the closest we’ve ever gotten to a cinema quality interactive Star Wars experience in the past thirty years. Characters are recreated faithfully; iconic weapons and starfighters feel great to fly and the rush of adrenaline and nostalgia that comes with buzzing past a Star Destroyer cannot be denied. The moment to moment gameplay, soundtrack and graphics are all polished & shined to near perfect level. Battlefront II had the potential to be one of the greatest Star Wars games ever, to sit alongside 2003’s Knights of the Old Republic as one of the few Star Wars titles that not only represented Lucas’ fictional universe nearly flawlessly but also appealed to fans of its genre outside of the weighty license it carries.
All of the goodwill with fans surrounding their DLC policy, all of the love & care that obviously went into recreating the Star Wars experience so faithfully is immediately irreversibly tarnished by Electronic Arts’ monetization “strategy” with Battlefront II. Locking iconic Heroes & other playable characters behind a hard in-game paywall that either requires the purchases of dozens of loot boxes or playing hundreds of multiplayer matches immediately sours the experience. Taking away customization options, earnable rewards and extras from players in the transition to BFII leave players with a multiplayer shooter that doesn’t offer them an outlet to express themselves at all. EA has turned Battlefront II into a psychological waiting test that you don’t have to endure, it’s not worth it for the fantastic moment to moment gameplay that is present because chances are some of the content you want to experience is locked away.
Don’t buy this game new, don’t pay full price for it, Electronic Arts are going to sell millions of copies based on the Star Wars license alone. Perhaps Battlefront II will also see “success” as an example of how a publisher should not monetize a highly anticipated title. Battlefront II has all of the psychological manipulation and shady practices found within free to play and mobile games and they’re asking you to fork over $59.99 USD for the “privilege” of possibly playing as your favorite Heroes & Villans after hours of grinding. If you must play Battlefront II I’d suggest either subscribing to Origin Access / EA Access and only giving EA the $5 they as for one month or waiting a few weeks and buying it used, thus denying EA a cut of the sale. “Voting with your wallet” is just as much B.S. as Battlefront II’s progression system and it doesn’t work when gigantic corporations like EA aren’t going to even notice the lack of a single full-price sale, it’s a drop in the bucket. But by speaking out, taking a stand, posting on social media and other platforms we can let DICE & EA know that this type of grindy paywall isn’t alright.
Battlefront II’s economy may change closer to Friday’s launch or sometime down the line with a future patch (such is the way of “Games As A Service”) but that doesn’t excuse what they’ve presented to players now as a “premium AAA experience”. Should BFII‘s life stealing grind wall disappear I will update this review with a notice right at the top stating as such. While the gameplay, presentation, and mood are spot-on, in the shape Battlefront II’s multiplayer experience is in now, it isn’t worth recommending.
