Overall, Berseria has its flaws, but those feel like nitpicks compared to the solid core gameplay and story, and it marks a strong return to form for an older series that doesn't quite command the same respect it used to. The writing and characters are better than they've ever been, and the skill-based combat is no slouch either. On the other hand, dungeon-crawling can get a little tedious, the crafting system is acceptable at best, and a rushed localization certainly doesn't help either. But despite all that, any fan of the series deserves to check this out, and probably even people who aren't fans yet.

As a stand-alone product, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization has very little to recommend it. Gameplay is decent enough to hold interest, but better versions of every aspect can be readily found elsewhere. Even for ardent fans of the series, it's highly debatable whether the game is worth the time. Hollow Realization shows no progress for a series that appears to be relying solely on its base franchise for sales.

Darkest Dungeon is a game that absolutely deserves to be played. It is an emotional ride for the player, a fun tactical battler, and an RPG that amazingly manages to live up to its horror theme. The art direction is sublime, the sound remarkable, and the direction astounding. Worth more than its bloated weight may let on, Red Hook Studios manages to deliver a product both mentally challenging and rewarding, complete in the truest sense of the word. Just expect it to take a good long while to get there.

The developers of Blade & Bones intended their game as an entry in the style pioneered by Demon's Souls and perfected by its successors. Although its combat system clearly misses that mark, the game still manages to greatly succeed on other fronts including its Metroidvania design, wondrous world, open-ended exploration, cleverly hidden and densely packed secrets, and magical environment visuals. Players looking for robust, weighty battles with responsive and fluid controls will not find that here, but those craving a beautiful game that entices exploration of every nook and cranny and knows how to reward players with meaningful treasures and discoveries are in for a truly satisfying experience — so long as they remember to avoid the dreadful combat.

Sword Coast Legends has overreached far beyond its abilities. What might have been a fine successor to Neverwinter Nights is instead a playable, but dull experience for every playstyle it offers. Dungeons & Dragons brand name represents a long lineage of CRPGs. Some excellent, some considerably less so. I, personally, had hoped that this entry could have been the former, given its ambitions to the Neverwinter Nights lineage, but ultimately this game fails to interest for any length of time.

There were many times when I started to become invested in this game's world, and enjoyed what it had to offer. Then one of the issues unfortunately present in the Vita version would stop me in my tracks. After about the twentieth crash that forced me to restart the game and endure its beginning load times once more, all the mercy had left my system. Dex is an interesting title that ought to interest many — just not with the Vita version.

While I completed Yakuza 0 in roughly thirty hours, I didn't feel like I had done everything the game had to offer. This is a game that is completely bursting with content just begging to be uncovered and explored. With each successive Yakuza game, it's clear that this series is growing in a variety of ways, and it makes my heart so happy. Yakuza 0 has risen to the top of my favourite games of all time, easily pushing past Yakuza 2, which had held the spot as my favourite Yakuza for many years. Whether you are a newcomer to the series or a veteran of it, Yakuza 0 offers so much to gamers with its spellbinding storytelling and plethora of content. Enchanting until the last chapter, Yakuza 0 is the pinnacle of the series and it looks to be difficult to unseat.

This is not the worst game ever. Somehow, the experience adds up to more than the sum of its parts, and it manages to be a mostly inoffensive adventure. Its predictability is a bit like comfort food, in that it recalls a childhood of being easily entertained. The battle system isn't interesting enough to hold up the game on its own, but fiddling with stats to avoid a level grind can be rewarding in its own right. There are probably worse ways to spend a couple dozen hours, but on the other hand there are also better.

Not every game has to push the envelope, and Unlucky Mage certainly doesn't. Yet it could deliver better in terms of story and execution.

Offers a unique and enjoyable experience that straddles the lines between RPG, movie, and novel, and delivers a satisfying fantasy adventure. However, the many technical glitches can be frustrating, and the dull combat and noticeable lack of meaty RPG gameplay elements will turn off players looking for a richer gameplay-focused experience.

This is not the very rare type of licensed game that will convert non-fans of the subject matter, but neither is it an abomination. Dragon Ball fans don't have a great number of solid RPGs set in the universe to play, and this one manages at least that much.

Overall, Mordheim: City of the Damned is compelling for strategy fanatics who enjoy a challenge, but doesn't offer much else to other players. Even with the setting of Warhammer behind it, limiting things to a single city with a handful of factions can make things feel small and repetitive. The gameplay is fairly deep, but the steep learning curve will potentially turn off a lot of players.

Despite some mechanics that didn't get the necessary fix they sorely needed, Yo-Kai Watch 2 definitely is stronger than its predecessor by leaps and bounds. While the recruitment system is still a sore spot, the wealth of content and freedom of exploration in Yo-Kai Watch 2 builds a much more solid foundation, making it a great sequel and a worthwhile purchase.

Despite some mechanics that didn't get the necessary fix they sorely needed, Yo-Kai Watch 2 definitely is stronger than its predecessor by leaps and bounds. While the recruitment system is still a sore spot, the wealth of content and freedom of exploration in Yo-Kai Watch 2 builds a much more solid foundation, making it a great sequel and a worthwhile purchase.

One Way Heroics is not for everyone, but it's been one of the most accessible roguelikes I've played and that's because it's far from a traditional one. It's not a game where players are punished for dying, but one where it's a benefit to do so. Play sessions can be short, so even losses aren't a waste of time. It helps that on longer runs there are occasional save options mid-run, but even those are strategic in their use. It's a solid experience that might not be one people ever finish, but getting the first ending isn't too tough. The others will take learning and patience, but are doable over time. One Way Heroics is a good long-term experience, albeit one best played in sprints rather than as a single marathon.

Final Fantasy XV offered a lot of surprises, some good, some bad. As you make progress, it eventually feels like you're playing through two different games merged into one. Some will be more forgiving than others, though it never ruined the experience for me.

If you crave an exploration-heavy, open-ended, lore driven game Serpent in the Staglands will satisfy that craving like few other games today. But take care to brace yourself for the jarring impact that will bring it all crashing down in the end.

This is not a revolutionary title that set the Japanese gaming world on fire and crossed the Pacific with spectacular expectations. Xanadu Next is instead a game that had to wait eleven years after its original release to cross the Pacific (unless the N-Gage release played by approximately seven people counts), but at least it's a solid title. Falcom tends to deliver worthy action RPGs, and this one is definitely worth experiencing for anyone interested in hacking and slashing to victory.

The Pokémon franchise is one that has been consistently good throughout its twenty year history, but Pokémon Sun & Moon aren't just good, they're fantastic.

The Pokémon franchise is one that has been consistently good throughout its twenty year history, but Pokémon Sun & Moon aren't just good, they're fantastic

God Eater 2: Rage Burst cements the series as the best alternative to Monster Hunter, and potentially surpasses it for those looking for a narrative within the gameplay experience both series offer. All of its parts work together to make enough improvements and updates on the previous entry, while keeping its flavour intact.

World of Final Fantasy is an easily misleading game. It appears to be nothing more than a Final Fantasy-flavored monster-collecting knock-off, but turns out to be much more than that. Beyond the appeal of collecting familiar monsters and creatures, the world features enough series characters, locations, and music to satisfy the most ardent nostalgic. There is a ton of content, and it is all wrapped up in a package that is as beautiful to look at as it is to listen to. Still, not everything is perfect. The combat system is skewed towards grinding, menus are unwieldy, and the main story takes an awfully long time to ramp up. However, there is very little reason for gamers to not give World of Final Fantasy a serious look. While it may resemble Final Fantasy Jr., it offers more than enough for veterans of the series to sink their teeth into.

Overall, Dex is a worthwhile game featuring a compelling, beautifully rendered universe and setting, a well-paced immersive story, and deep characters. It offers a very enjoyable experience that will keep players driven to explore its world and progress in its narrative. The core foundations of its gameplay styles are fun, and chock-full of potential, even if that potential isn't fully realized in some areas. In many ways, Dex's main flaw is that the game doesn't deliver more of the possibilities promised by its strong foundations, and that is not the worst flaw for a game to have.

While hardly the greatest dungeon crawler ever produced, exploring this labyrinth is worthwhile for a certain audience. Falcom has plenty of other series that have gone without new iterations for many years, though the length of time since Brandish was remade seems to indicate that it unfortunately didn't start a trend.

Exist Archive is a game with a lot of potential that ultimately feels like it's missing something. The story starts with a heap of promise but ends up going nowhere with it, and the great combat is unfortunately marred by frustrating, lengthy level design. While I wouldn't go so far as to say the game is bad, it is disappointing in too many ways to really call it good.

I am frustrated with Criminal Girls 2, because on one hand it's a very solid dungeon crawler that most of the time doesn't outstay its welcome. It has the right pacing, the battle system has some neat little quirks to it, and yet the downside is that it becomes grindy in more ways than needed. While I didn't hate my time with Criminal Girls 2, I feel like it needed a much clearer direction to make the gameplay and story components more cohesive, and that's where it fails. If you liked the first game, this review likely won't sway you, but for those who are curious, just be prepared for a lot of scrubby brushes and goo flinging awkwardness.

In the end, there doesn't seem to be much reason to think of Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity as more than a left-field oddity. Newcomers to the established universe will be nonplussed by its cast of characters who lack all introduction and its fly-by-night story. Repeat visitors to Gensokyo will still be hard-pressed to locate any challenge or semblance of fun within its dreary gameplay and level design.

Those hoping for a solid all-around RPG experience will find Masquerada lacking. However, as a relatively quick narratively-focused experience — clocking in at a bit over ten hours, or more depending on how players approach the combat — the game does an entertaining job.