This month marks the 20th Anniversary of the fantasy/space series, Star Ocean. The original game launched on the Super Famicom in Japan on July 19, 1996. I meant to write about this earlier in July, but certain events got in the way. It’s here now so relax. You can read my feature on GameSpew and watch the video retrospective on my accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer. Or you know, below. Hope you enjoy it!
Headlander takes place in a 70s-esque sci-fi future where humans have plugged their consciousness into robots in order to become immortal. Players awaken as a frozen head when a disembodied voice, Earl, warns them of danger. Earl guides them off the ship and into a space station wherein an evil AI, METHEUSALAH, is enslaving humanity. What Earl and METHEUSALAH want is beyond our hero’s knowledge, but being as this is a game, they follow along without question.
The game certainly has a good vibe to it and flying around, as a head is strange. However, unlike most of Double Fine’s games, there isn’t a lot of comedy to be had. It’s a weird concept and there are chuckles here and there, but primarily this is a different tale for them. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing, but I was a little crushed truthfully. Gameplay seems to have finally trumped their writing.
This can best be described as a 2D Metroidvania. It’s the usual explore an environment, get new powers, and unlock passageways kind of thing. As a rocket powered head, players can take control enemies by either shooting, or sucking off their heads. If that body is destroyed, the head will remain intact, but it won’t last long in combat without a torso to protect it.
Inhabiting soldiers, or Shepherds, has more of a puzzle role to them. Shepherds are color coded, which comes into play when going through gates. A red soldier is needed to get through a red door, an orange through an orange door, and you get the picture. Thankfully higher colors can go backwards as well so that orange can proceed through a red gate, but not vice versa. Sometimes it can be tricky to find the right color, only for that body to be destroyed right before you need it.
While this can be frustrating, death in general is to the player’s favor. Saves occur primarily every time one waltzes thorough an entryway. If one dies in that room, it’ll just reset with a quick load. This alleviates frustration, making Headlander all about the experience and not the challenge. Not only that, but the map points to most everything if one can acquire a map droid. Unlike other Metroidvanias, players will rarely get lost. This hand-holding and lack of difficulty may be painful in itself for some, but I welcomed it. When a game respects my time, I respect it.
Let’s dial it back to the combat for a second. While the game primarily prods players to take control of the laser-wielding Shepherds, you aren’t completely useless as a head. Collecting energy throughout the environment will accrue into points. These can be spent on passive and defensive abilities. Sucking heads off of robots is great, but dashing through them, or using that head as a bomb is even cooler. That said fighting isn’t great to begin with. Aiming the laser and firing just doesn’t feel right as a Shepherd. And the head, while packed full of gadgets, dies too quickly to engage enemies in that context.
I was stricken by its visuals the moment Headlander started. Yet it wasn’t until I was looking at screenshots I had taken did I notice how artistically colorful the game is. Almost like a painting. Not only that, but they nail the retro, cheesy look of early space operas. The humming synths in the score complete this homage. While there are a few glitches, it runs relatively smooth and the loads, while infrequent, are super fast. It’s short, but it rarely drags, and the curiosity of exploring the next corridor is too much to ignore.
Headlander may not be Double Fine’s funniest game, but it is one of their best video games. Sure the combat can be awkward and it leans on the easier side of things, but the rest of the game is fantastic. In a world filled with Metroidvanias, Headlander nails what makes them great while introducing new techniques to the genre. Play for the experience, not the challenge.
Score: 4/5
Special Notes: The publisher provided a review code for Headlander. Check out the video review of Headlander on the accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer.
At the beginning of the year I decided to review video games in a quarterly fashion. I play a lot of games for review, but there’s also a lot I play just for fun. That said I still want to give voice to the games I never get around to writing anything on. It was started for Examiner, but I’m going to continue that feature right here on Game Jurk.
In the accompanying video I go through every big release that was on my top twenty most anticipated for Q2 including Uncharted 4, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, DOOM, Overwatch, and more. I won’t delve any deeper into those thoughts here, but there is one more addition to my madness.
Closing out Q2 means there’s another round of games to look forward to. Below are fifteen games I’m looking forward to in July, August, and September. Yes I know July is almost wrapped up, but I was busy sifting through the wreckage of my career to do it any sooner. Tears aside, let’s get to it!
July
5th:
8th:
12th:
19th:
August
2nd:
9th:
19th:
23rd:
30th:
September
6th:
13th:
16th:
27th:
30th:
Special Notes: Check out the video review on Q2 on the accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer.
Mighty No. 9 is a spiritual successor to Mega Man. In the future, robots are used for every day tasks. One day every robot goes haywire except for the hero, Beck, who was programmed differently. Professor Sanda and Beck’s creator, Dr. White, task Beck with curing the other Mighty Numbers and tracking down the culprit behind the incident. Small cut-scenes play out between bosses, every few missions, and dialogue is spoken throughout each stage to give some context to the gameplay. The English voice cast is great, but it’s a shame the actual writing doesn’t back it up. It’s a plot all too familiar that doesn’t expand past winks and nods to the Blue Bomber’s history.
Beck is rigged with an arm cannon and a dash attack. Shooting enemies will eventually weaken their defenses, allowing for a quick charge to finish them off, which is called AcXeleration. They can be vanquished with the gun, but it takes a lot longer. It’s obvious the game leans towards players using the dash ability, as they not only finish off foes faster, but also grant Beck bonuses. These temporary upgrades, or AcXel Boosts, can increase damage, speed, defense, and health recovery.
As always, there are eight robot masters to tackle, each with a corresponding shtick. Pyrogen has the power of flames, locked away in an oil refinery. Cryosphere has the ability of ice and hides in a water treatment facility. The list goes on. And yes, defeating them grants Beck their skills. Yet despite these similarities, Mighty No. 9 actually introduces a few twists to an otherwise tired formula.
Boss weapons have multiple uses other than pummeling foes. For instance, Aviator’s power lets Beck jump higher and float slowly toward the ground. When released, a spinning helicopter blade darts forward. Another example is Battalion’s missiles, which can shatter certain rocks, creating new paths to traverse as well as uncovering secrets. Not only that, but released Mighty Numbers will accompany Beck on missions corresponding to that master’s weakness. It’s a gimmick, sure, but cool nonetheless.
Another great thing about the bosses is that their fights feel dynamic. Well, some at least. Countershade’s room is smaller and filled with various cover stations to hide behind as he aims his sniper rifle, which is not only a boon for him, but tactical players as well. His stage in general is an interesting setup as it’s one big loop wherein players have to track his position down based off of where the shots are coming from. There are other instances of creative boss layers, but it’s important not to give too much away.
It’s a shame more of the game’s overlay wasn’t given as much attention to detail as Countershade’s. The level design would be fine save for a few curious decisions. One, lives are back. Dying will warp players back to a checkpoint, which for the most part, are scattered decently throughout stages. However, certain areas would have warranted better positioning as their dangers are more severe than others. Most of these cases involve instant killing devices such as glowing pink spikes, which by this point in video games, should be outlawed. If these difficult obstacles weren’t hindered by limited lives and obscure checkpoints then, sure, all would be forgiven.
They’re not challenging so much as they are mean spirited and frustrating toward the player. The stage outline isn’t the only issue here. Mighty No. 9 is unpleasant to look at. Characters and enemies all look fantastic, but they’re placed in a lifeless world as if the backgrounds aren’t finished yet. Cryosphere’s level is the worst, featuring murky water and frame rate dips aplenty. The rest of the game runs fine at least.
Other than the story, Mighty No. 9 offers Challenges to get players acquitted with the controls in VR missions. Scores for both Challenges and levels can be uploaded to Leaderboards, which is great for players who follow that sort of trend. There’s also a more prominent online mode where players can race each other in stages. However, even after launch, the network code seemed to be broken. Even when a match was synced, the game would lag and just plain not work making Cryosphere’s problems look infinitesimal.
Mighty No. 9 is a good game worth fighting for. The gameplay feels tight, building combos can be exhilarating, and the bosses are awesome. The worst parts are its unfair difficulty and ugly art aesthetic. It’s plain to see Keiji Inafune’s love in the game, but sometimes things get in the way. It’s hard not to discuss the game’s troubled development when reviewing the game. Further delays could have fixed certain issues, but at a certain point, it’s probably a better strategy to cut losses.
This game will not be heralded as a classic in the same vein as Mega Man. However, the original Mega Man isn’t the best either. Fans debate back and forth between Mega Man 2 and 3 as their favorites (MM3 for this writer’s money). Another example is the first Assassin’s Creed. Great concept, failed delivery. The point is, despite its flaws, Mighty No. 9 is a good step toward reviving the Mega Man style in all but name. Hopefully the team will learn from their mistakes and make the next game the classic fans want it to be.
Score: 3/5 Stars
Special Notes: The publisher provided a review copy. This article was originally published on June 24, 2016 via my Examiner account before the website shut down. It was also Examiner’s official review for the game. Check out the supporting video review on the accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer.
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a HD remake of the original PS2 game that launched on May 22, 2007 in the U.S. It takes place in a fantasy world, based around Norse mythology, following the lives of Gwendolyn, Cornelius, Mercedes, Oswald, and Velvet. The plot involves wars, rebellions, revenge, espionage, and of course, a little bit of romance. Like a Tarantino movie, the larger narrative unfolds by going back and forth between character scenarios. It’s a bit confusing to keep track of, but thankfully there’s an in game timeline to study if one gets lost. Ultimately the story is slow due to its complicated structure and the voice cast, while great, has a stoic delivery. The lore was greater than its execution.
Leifthrasir can best be described as a 2D hack and slash RPG. Every character plays relatively the same save for a few special abilities. For example, most heroes are armed with melee weapons, but Mercedes has a bow and can hit enemies from a distance. Another example is Oswald’s berserk meter that transforms him into a powerful shadow for a set amount of time. There are other differences, but those two are the biggest outliers.
Aside from slashing foes, heroes can use alchemic potions as well as special abilities. The alchemic system is pretty simple: combine something with a bottle and bam. Players can create supporting blends like healing potions, or destructive combinations like the fire forming Blaze. As for said specials, Physical abilities use POW while magical ones use PP. Recipes, along with skills, are gained through each character’s campaign via a skill tree. There’s also a passive set of traits gained through using medals obtained through bosses.
Traditionally leveling up is a bit complex. Enemies drop experience and pink orbs called Phozons. Phozons power up skills, replenish PP, and are used to grow seeds, which yield EXP filled food. Food, actually, is the fastest way to grind as enemies don’t hold a lot of EXP. Aside from growing one’s own food, restaurants in town and along the dungeons can be accessed for greater rewards. Shops also contain consumables along with equipment and alchemic materials. It’s an odd system to keep track of for a RPG, but after the first campaign, aka Gwendolyn, it starts to sink in.
The gameplay loop that surrounds the hack and slash trappings are fantastic. The combat looks simple, but is surprisingly deep. It’s also gorgeous. What looked amazing on the PS2 has been intensified tremendously with this remake. The one thing that is irksome is the repetition. While stories may differ, each character exists in the same world, retreading the previous’ steps albeit in a remixed fashion. After the second time it definitely feels less fresh. That said each campaign is only about five hours, with the entire game lasting about 25+ depending on what level of extras one wants to uncover.
Speaking of, the changes and extra content added to Leifthrasir is astounding. This writer has fond memories of playing the original back on the PS2. Playing this remake was how he remembered it. However, the original version, dubbed as Classic, is contained within. Retreading those waters was eye opening to how different the game really was. Compared to Leifthrasir, Odin Sphere feels archaic, slow paced, and cumbersome. The best part of its inclusion in the package is how much gamers will appreciate the changes. It’s a brilliant move.
Now this writer played the PS4 and PS Vita versions of Odin Sphere Leifthrasir. There’s also a PS3 version, but he had no time with it. The game looks great on both, but it looks strikingly better on the PS Vita due to its screen. Plus the repetitive nature of Odin Sphere is perfectly fit for a handheld, much like Vanillaware’s other PS Vita port, Muramasa Rebirth. The aforementioned extras are a great bonus on top of an already stellar remake, most of which this writer won’t go into because they’re actually pretty cool surprises. No spoilers.
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is continued proof that HD remakes still have a place in the modern game space. It took a great PS2 game and made it infinitely better. Yes there are some setbacks in that the story is slowly paced and the retread through the world five times can be tiring. Still everything else bout the game is amazing. Leifthrasir is fun on both PS4 and PS Vita, but this writer highly recommends purchasing the PS Vita version. It just feels right.
Score: 4/5 Stars
Special Notes: The publisher provided a review copy. This article was originally published on June 1, 2016 via my Examiner account before the website shut down. Check out the supporting video review on the accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer.
Hard Reset Redux takes place in a cyberpunk universe where machines are on the verge of extinguishing the human race. It opens with the last city, Bezoar, overrun with robots, seemingly let in from an inside source. Major Fletcher, a soldier in the CLN, is tasked with protecting Bezoar from this menace along with tracking down the culprit behind this betrayal. The story is told through comic strips and voice over given on missions, both of which are sparsely implemented. The comics actually look really good; it’s jus too bland of a story to care about despite some interesting mythos.
At it’s core, Hard Reset is trying to revive 90s shooters. There are no reloads, little story, and hoards of enemies. Fletcher is armed with two guns. One based on ammunition and the other other plasma. Players can upgrade these weapons along with unlocking new modes instead of gaining different weapons. For example, the standard assault rifle can become a shotgun, or a grenade launcher. It’s actually a great concept, but the guns don’t have any flair behind them.
In general, there’s little pizzazz in the game at all. Fletcher is a silent destroyer. The enemy robots provide little threat. Bezoar is a bland setting for a cyberpunk universe. Even the carnage is uninteresting. It definitely has the feel for an early first-person shooter, but it doesn’t go far enough into that territory to give itself a personality.
Hard Reset Redux is a competent video game, but not a fun one. Technically it runs fine, the controls feel tight, and it does look improved for this PS4 port. It’s not that it’s bad so much as it’s just plain boring: the worst thing anyone could say about a video game. At the very least, it’s short.
Score: 2/5 Stars
Special Notes: The publisher provided a review copy. This article was originally published on June 26, 2016 via my Examiner account before the website shut down. Check out the supporting video review on the accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer.
Grand Kingdom takes place in a fantasy world plagued by war. Four nations are battling for control over the continent after the fall of the Uldein Empire one hundred years ago. Players are the leader of a clan within The Guild: a mercenary group who welcomes in those without a home. The larger story involves rival clans and a group of rebels trying to resurrect the Empire through dark means. It goes some interesting places and the leader’s assistants, Flint and Lillia, make for an entertaining duo, but it doesn’t do much beyond Grand Kingdom’s true focus: gameplay.
While the story may be simplistic, the mechanics aren’t so let’s delve through them slowly. First of all, players can create up to six groups of four character parties. Team members can be hired and will randomly generate daily in a pool of eight. There are a variety of classes that’s fairly standard in terms of RPGs including melee, ranged, magic, and supportive roles. Every character can be customized and while it may not be as dynamic as other creation systems, it does the job well enough.
It’s important to use strategy when deciding the lineup even before the battle begins. An obvious statement if ever there was one, but here’s an example of a group Grand Kingdom starts players off with: Medic, Witch, Fighter, and Hunter. The Fighter can protect the party in front, dealing out heavy damage and absorbing blows as the other three, all ranged, can hang back and launch attacks from afar. A useful ability for the Fighter later on forms a protective guard across the whole party making his defensive stance even more useful. As other heroes level up, their diversity on the battlefield also increases and makes the team feel like they’re really evolving from experience.
Running into an enemy icon on the mission map will trigger combat. Each character has a move and action gauge. Heroes can move freely between the 2D space, separated by three lanes, until the meter runs dry, or the player halts progress. Each skill depletes the action gauge similar to a magic meter in other RPGs from standard weapon slashes, to obliterating area magic. Any left over move energy is converted into actions, which is a nice bonus.
Story and side missions are fairly basic involving defeating enemies, capturing points, finishing objectives, etc. There are also a number of free-range territories without objectives littered with loot and enemies to tackle at the player’s leisure and are a great place to grind. Another good way to gain experience is through online play. By choosing a nation to align with, players will support that side in online warfare by going through battles manually, or by dispatching teams. This is a good reason why players should establish more than one party. Diversifying groups and strategically sending them out between online and offline play will grant better and more frequent rewards thus accelerating the clan’s prowess.
As fun as Grand Kingdom can be, there’s a lot of technical jargon to climb over. It’s easy to jump in, but it’s hard to master. The game’s odds are seemingly stacked against the player from the beginning. Once the party, or parties, level up, those options seem to tilt further on the heroes’ side. Like real war, it’s a greats emulation of conquering challenges in the greatest of odds. It’s nowhere near as domineering as say a Dark Souls, but it’s not simple either. It’s a grind, but one worth fighting for.
Visually Grand Kingdom is spectacular on a small scale with graphics reminiscent of a painting. It looks good on the PS4, but even better on the PS Vita’s smaller screen. The music is fittingly similar to Final Fantasy Tactics and the English dub, while minimal, is great too. The game’s overall design in general is spectacular especially with its use of online integration. There are a few pitfalls though including the aforementioned slow build, long load times, and the inability to save while on a mission. Some quests are a bit long without the latter option and can become tedious.
Grand Kingdom is another reason why the PS Vita should exist. The design of the game’s mechanics both online and off are more fitting for a handheld. It’s great the option is there for PS4 players and it runs smoothly on there as well, but for this writer’s money, the PS Vita is the way to go. The few gripes there are become overshadowed by everything else. It’s gorgeous, fun, and addictive as hell: a perfect summertime treat.
Score: 4/5 Stars
Special Notes: The publisher provided a review copy. This article was originally published on June 21, 2016 via my Examiner account before the website shut down. Check out the supporting video review on the accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer.
Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is the 17th game in the series. Budding alchemist Sophie has inherited her grandmother’s equipment. She discovers a talking book, Plachta, who holds the secrets to her grandmother’s research, but unfortunately has amnesia. Perfect. Like other games in the franchise the story is secondary and relies more on character interactions. They’re likable for the most part despite clichés aplenty. It’s nothing as exciting as saving the world, but the mystery surrounding Plachta’s origins is interesting to say the least. Along with this, the voice cast is pretty great and it’s actually in English, which may seem like a strange note, but it’s becoming increasingly rare for Japanese RPGs.
The core of Atelier relies on alchemy. Three other characters can accompany Sophie in her quests around the world map, plotted with various dungeons and fields. Explore, collect materials, fight monsters, and repeat. The battle system itself is a pretty standard turn-based setup. Aside from selecting attacks, or items, there’s an offensive and defensive stance to take note of. If the timeline on the left indicates a strong attack from the enemy, it’s a good strategy to switch the party into a defensive guard. There’s nothing groundbreaking behind the combat, but it’s fine for the most part. That said it’s definitely a lot harder to grind than other RPGs. Plus the menu system is a bit cumbersome.
For example, party members can be equipped with usable items, such as healing salves, or bombs, within the hub town of Kirchen Bell. If the party ventures into the field, and looses all charges from that item, well, that’s it. It can’t be replenished, or even switched out for another item in the field. Players have to go all the way back to Kirchen Bell in order to equip new items. This in turn makes it harder to continually fight monsters for experience, creating a constant loop of traveling back and forth. It gets smoother as the game progresses and items become easier to manufacture.
On the plus side to going back to town new events will unlock as time progress. Everything Sophie does in the game passes time from literally traveling, to fighting monsters, to picking up items. New formulas and character events will appear, progressing both the inventory in Sophie’s alchemic knowledge along with the plot. Even with this in mind, it’s hard to keep track of everything.
For instance, a certain character may have something new to say, but there’s no indication that he/she does. A simple exclamation point, or marker would have communicated this perfectly. Instead players will have to rely on checking everywhere in town as they reenter Kirchen Bell continuously. Between the item slots and unclear objectives, well, it all starts to feel like a hassle. One that gets smoother as the game progresses, but it fells like a terrible deterrence for new players.
Visually this writer loves cel-shading in games as it genuinely stands the test of time compared to more realistic graphics. That said, as pretty as Atelier Sophie can be the design in general feels lacking. The characters and monsters are great, but Kirchen Bell and the field environments feel sparse. The series has always kind of a niche budget title, but it’s still disheartening to see the series jump on the PS4 so nonchalantly. It’s not a gripe everyone will care about, but it’s worth mentioning at least.
Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is a good RPG, but a let down for Atelier fans. It plays the game safe without any striking changes, which is disappointing for its first entry on the PS4, not to mention it being the 17th in the franchise. The gameplay loop and the story start off slow, but become increasingly addictive as the game progresses, followed by another downward spiral. It’s a fun, but uneven, lighthearted adventure all in all.
Score: 3/5 Stars
Special Notes: The publisher provided a review copy. This article was originally published on June 7, 2016 via my Examiner account before the website shut down. Check out the supporting video review on the accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer.
Valkyria Chronicles originally released for the PS3 on September 23, 2008 in the U.S. It received two sequels for the PSP in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Sadly, the third was never localized and the series was in hibernation until the first game was ported to Steam in 2014, which brings us to the present. Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is based off of that PC port. With that snippet of history out of the way, let’s get to work.
Two countries in Europa are warring over the resource, Ragnite, which brings them both to the neutral country of Gallia. The Empire strikes the border town of Bruhl and is fended off by a war hero’s son, Welkin, his adopted sister, Isara, and the town watch guard, Alicia. The three escape to the capital, joining up with Gallia’s forces to fight back the Empire as Squad 7. A story modeled after WWII infused with steampunk and anime influences, as weird as that may sound, combine amazingly well. The best parts of the narrative reside in the side stories encompassing Squad 7’s members. It can be cliché at times, and it definitely takes awhile to get going, but it still holds up relatively well.
While the story is great, the best part of VC is the battle system. It’s a combination of strategy RPGs and third-person cover shooters. Players choose members of Squad 7 to participle in each mission and said characters are placed into five classes: Engineers, Lancers, Scouts, Shocktroopers, and Snipers. Scouts, for example, have a long range of movement and are generally intended to scope out the area for enemies. Lancers, on the other hand, have a short range of movement, high defense, and are great for taking on tanks. On that note, Welkin and Isara pilot a Squad 7’s tank making them a special class all their own. Obviously some classes are more useful on certain missions, but as there’s no information prior to venturing out, it’s best to come prepared with a good mix.
Characters level up as a unit, increasing every hero in that class. Jobs even evolve through time, granting troops access to new abilities and weapons. This system is simple but inviting to players to rotate party members more often. Other RPGs with large casts, like Suikoden, rarely have any kind of experience share, making it a tough choice on whom to chose. A new hero may look great, but if they’re significantly lower than the previous party, well, the point is obvious. Valkyria Chronicles may lack individual customization, but seeing as they are soldiers in a war, it makes sense contextually.
As to the gameplay itself, a gauge of golden medals represents the amount of moves players can act in a single turn. Tanks cost two, soldiers cost one, and issuing orders, such as healing the party, vary in cost. A single unit can be used repeatedly, but their effectiveness, such as their movement range, lowers with each consecutive selection. On said movement, characters have a free range to move wherever they want, with enemies shooting freely as they do so. Attacking causes the game to freeze, allowing players to aim precisely on their enemies. Targeting the broad area of the body results in better accuracy, but aiming for the head will do more damage. Characters can also take cover by sandbags, or eve lay low in grass resulting in increased evasiveness.
While there is no permadeath like in the similar strategy RPG franchise Fire Emblem, it retains the difficulty. Grinding for levels and better gear is a must as is a tactful mind when it comes to movement. Going in guns blazing in the open will result in quick deaths. It can be frustrating at times as enemies often times have the advantage, but it’s this challenge that makes VC so rewarding and addicting.
For this writer, Valkyria Chronicles looks as beautiful as it did back on the PS3. Its use of cel-shading is more akin to a painting than a cartoon. That said, even without the improved visuals, it would still hold up. The music is great along with the voice cast. However, some of the delivery is awkwardly paced and the lip-syncing looks silly at times. Other than that it runs great, is chalk full of content, and is, well, fantastic in every other respect.
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is a timeless treasure that’s as good now as it was eight years ago. It’s virtually the same game except for the aforementioned improved visuals and access to all the original DLC. It’s not new and it’s barely changed, but how can one improve a masterpiece anyway? Exactly. They can’t and they don’t have to. To those that missed out on one of the best PS3 RPGs, please, don’t pass this one up again.
Score: 5/5 Stars
Special Notes: The publisher provided a review copy. This article was originally published on May 10, 2016 via my Examiner account before the website shut down. Check out the supporting video review on the accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer.
When Tales from the Borderlands was announced, this writer couldn’t help but feel pessimistic. He liked Borderlands fine enough, but the story never really hooked him. He ignored Tales last year despite the overwhelming critical response, having feeling scored from the Game of Thrones episodes. Despite all this he decided to finally check out Tales from the Borderlands now that the entire collection was on a disc.
To be blunt: wow. It’s not only the greatest Borderlands game, but it’s the best Telltale game to date. Okay, well, funniest to date, but still really good. The voice cast is great, the gameplay is a clever twist on Telltale’s style, it features some of the best intros to any episodic game, and it actually runs well on the PS4 while retaining that awesome cel-shaded look.
Dialing back a bit, the story is essentially about a heist gone wrong and the whacky hijinks that follow. Rhys, an employee of Hyperion, is swindled out of his promotion so he teams up with his best friend to steal a deal from under his boss’ nose. Fiona, a con artist, assembles a team for the con of a lifetime i.e. Rhys’. What happens next is usual caper stuff of new alliances, love, smarmy humor, and good old action. It actually has one of the funniest and most epic battles in recent memory. In a Telltale game no less!
Part of the joy of TftB is discovery so no more discussion on the matter. Yet to further alleviate hesitators, know that the constant ramming of memes Borderlands is known for is absent. Telltale’s writers are far more clever and well, less annoying. This is one of the best games ever made. Believe it, bro!
Score: 5/5 Stars
Special Notes: This article was originally published on May 24, 2016 via my Examiner account before the website shut down. Check out the supporting video review on the accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer.
Game Jurk 