Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengence review

More of the same - in the best way.

The game that rekindled my fire for strategy RPGs is back, and this time on the PlayStation 4.  It may look the same on the surface, but the deeper you go the more in depth this game goes.  The story, as in the other games of the series almost an after sight, and certainly not the main portion of the game, the game focuses on the craziness that comes out of Japan.   

The combat in this installment is again, more of the same, you have the basic set of weapons (sword, axe, staff, gun, bow, staff, fist, and monster weapons) you have your story heroes, your generic characters that you can create, monsters, and your basic SRPG tile-based turn-basted battles.  Geo panels, field effecting (positive and negative) panels are back, plaguing some levels, also creating the ability to quickly level.   

The weakest point of this game, as with previous installments, is the sound and music.  The overworld music when you’re just walking around your base is truly atrocious, and the voice actors in this are some of the worst in the series.  Thankfully, you can change the background music (BGM) of the overworld, and I did, but the voice actors are there to stay, unless you go to the Japanese voice actors, but those are not much better.  It is something you just come to live with, but it is the weakest point of this otherwise great game. 

If you are looking for a jumping on point to Japanese RPGs, Strategy RPGs, or isgaea in general, there are worse installments than this one. Also, given how this is the first on the current generation of consoles it is a sure fit.  Currently, the previous installments are not available for the PS4, but remakes have been made for the PS Vita. 

SCORE: 4/5

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls Review

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls is a third-person action-adventure game developed by Spike Chunsoft for the Playstation Vita.  It is a spin-off of the main Danganronpa series, as well as a connecting game for Trigger Happy Havoc and Goodbye Despair.  It was released on September 1st, 2015 by publisher NIS America.

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Komaru, with the Hacking Gun and an attacking Monokuma Bot

You play as Komaru Naegi, younger sister to the main protagonist in Trigger Happy Havoc, Makoto Naegi.  The game opens with her apparently living on her own, though we learn soon that she's been a prisoner in her room for over a year.  Having no idea of what happened to the world outside, she lives in an apartment alone, going about her daily life and trying to stay sane.  Unfortunately, her life is suddenly turned upside down (again) when the door to her prison is destroyed by none other than Monokuma, one of the main villains in the series.  After escaping, we are introduced to a surviving member of the previous game, who gifts Komaru a megaphone that can apparently destroy the Monokuma robots that are suddenly attacking the city.  After learning about some about the city, as well as being introduced to our partner for the majority of the game, we are treated to a chilling introduction to the Warriors of Hope, the true villains of this particular game.  These children are controlling the Monokuma attacking the city, in the hopes of creating a paradise for children by killing all the adults - who are dehumanized by being called 'Demons' - and ridding the children of their influence.  We learn over the course of the game that the Warriors of Hope are haunted by events in their past - effectively trapping them with their own 'Demons' who they are attempting to destroy.

There is a lot more story to it, but expounding anymore will take much longer than I feel is appropriate for this review, as well as spoiling major plot points from both the previous and subsequent game.  Suffice it to say it's a very well-crafted game that holds many twists and turns before the finale.

The graphics are very similar to the games it's spun off from, though with added 3D models since a good portion of the last few games were 2D.  I'm glad they stayed true to the previous games in terms of graphics, though the game gained a lot with the introduction of the 3D modeling.  The controls are, sadly, somewhat finicky at times, making it very troublesome to hit the moving target at times.  I don't believe I found any way to fine-tune the aiming, but I jumped right into the action without really spending time in the settings so I might have simply missed the option to make aiming easier.  At any rate, I've yet to really run into any issue with the fine-tuning, so it's not really a complaint.

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As for gameplay, it's fairly straightforward. You are attempting to escape and survive in the 'Demon Hunting Game' put on by the Warriors of Hope.  With the help of your partner, Genocide Jack, you move through the city, fighting Monokuma, the Warriors of Hope and, ultimately, Despair.  The series revolves very heavily around the concepts of Hope and Despair, so the writing touches on the swing connecting these two emotions.  The writing sometimes comes off as...contrived because it reuses the 'It's hopeless I can't go on' trope more than a few times, followed immediately by the 'I might as well keep fighting' trope almost immediately after.  However, given the overall story, the writing makes sense in this regard since the story as a whole is built on the connection between the two.

You can alternate freely between Komaru and Jack, though Jack has a time limit based on the battery life of the stun gun.  Jack is invincible, which makes her ideal for large groups of Monokuma, but keeping an eye on the battery meter (as shown above) is important to keeping yourself from running out of battery life and leaving Komaru high and dry when you need backup.  This resource can be replenished by defeating Monokuma, or activating Monokuma machines, scattered around the City.  Both can drop batteries, hearts to replenish Komaru's health, or Monocoins, used to buy upgrades to Jack's abilities or 'Bling Bullets' which modify the ammo used in the Hacking Gun.

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Lastly, randomly located within the City are 'Game Rooms', which function as a challenge room.  You are given a group of enemies and a goal to achieve within the room.  In the image to the right, the clear condition is destroying all of the Monokuma in a single explosion.  The Shield Monokuma turn in unison and you're only able to use the Knockback Bullet.  For this, I had to sneak up behind the Bomb Monokuma on the right and shoot him with Knockback, blasting him down the room and he blew up all the Shield Monokuma.  These rooms add a level of strategy to the game, and helps break the monotony of running between very similar locales.  

I have a long way to go before I've finished the game; I'm just now in Chapter Two, and I'm almost certain there are five or six chapters within the game.  So I won't be seeing the end of this one for a while.  But, if this one is anything like the previous entries, and all that I've played so far suggest it's very similar, the journey to the end will be a twisting and chilling one.  I would definitely recommend this game for anyone with a Vita or a Playstation TV, because this game - as well as the other two - is one of my favorites on my Vita.

Rogue Legacy Review

Rogue Legacy is a 2D sidescrolling roguelike that was released on June 27, 2013 for Microsoft Windows, October 16, 2013 for Mac and Linux, and July 29, 2014 on PS3, PS4, and Vita. This review is for the Vita, but it should translate well to any system.

Aside from a short tutorial at the beginning, it doesn't seem to emphasize the story. Throughout your playthroughs, you encounter journal entries around the castle that flesh out the story. The main foyer of the castle also contains a massive doorway with recesses for the 'bosses' so it's possible there's a true story that I have yet to truly find.

The gameplay is solid. The enemies move predictably enough to plan out your attacks, while your character moves just slowly enough at times that if you miss a strike, you can easily die. And you will die. The game is designed around using the money you gain on each dungeon run to upgrade your character's stats. Further, the game has a system that keeps you from banking your money: before you enter the dungeon, you encounter an NPC named 'Charon' who takes all of your money - which can be lessened by the aforementioned character upgrades. Given this, you need to be mindful of your upgrades before entering each time. If you don't find enough gold in each run before you die, you're forced to start over with no money.

When you begin, you get to choose between three randomly generated characters. They have a randomly generated class (which determines how you play each run), a randomly generated spell (though if your class is archmage, you can switch between spells) and randomly generated traits. Some traits are meaningless, while others change the way the character plays. Alzheimer's, for example, make it so your character can't use the map setting - however the normal in-game minimap works as intended. Dwarfism makes you really tiny, and Gigantism makes you huge. However, Flexible and Clumsy in the above image appear to have no real use. Some traits are awesome to have (ADHD makes you move faster and OCD gives you MP for breaking objects) while others are annoying (Near and Farsightedness make some portion of your screen blurry, and Dementia makes you see enemies that aren't there), but all of them brings a new flavor to each playthrough.  You can have at most 2 traits, or as few as none, so each new heir keeps things exciting.

You start out with a few classes available, and you unlock other classes through gold. Each class also has a boosted version, which have a special ability that makes them unique - the Barbarian King, for example can shout (reminiscent of the Unrelenting Force shout from Skyrim, which is an amusing nod to that series). Once you choose your class, you begin on the manor screen, where you buy character upgrades. After running by your vendors and paying your toll to Charon, you're on. Each dungeon is randomly generated, though you can pledge some money to a vendor to keep a certain layout. Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with this feature, but the idea is spectacular.

The dungeon itself is divided into 4 distinct sections: The Castle, The Tower, The Forest and The Dungeon. Each area has a certain level range within it, with The Castle being the lowest. Each area also contains a boss which, when defeated, does not respawn. This makes death a little bit easier to complete your mission...if you can survive the journey to the next boss.

The best thing about this game is that it was cross-buy and cross-save, which means you get three games in one and you can play on any system at any time and keep your current status. This made the $16.99 price tag worth it for me.

Final Verdict: Buy.  The first bit of the game is annoying, but once you get a handle on the enemies and survival, it makes the rest of the game fall into line relatively easily.  I've never been a big fan of roguelikes, but this kept me entertained for hours, so I'm curious about trying other roguelikes in the future.

PC Review Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

         Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was developed by Starbreeze Studios and published by 505 Games.  Released as an Xbox Live Arcade title in August of 2013 and later on the PC, and PlayStation Network in September of 2013.  Brothers will have you engaged in the determination of how far two sons are willing to go to save someone they love. When their father falls deathly ill his sons are tasked with retrieving healing water to save him.  

The music is composed by Gustaf Grefberg.  Each track complements the game play very well as well as conveys the feelings of each the brothers for each other and what is happening around them.  The graphics are amazing using the Unreal Engine 3 shows off water effects, dynamic lighting, and breath taking scenery. 

       Along the way you meet some interesting characters that will need your help and in return will also help you to your own goal. Each brother has their own strengths and weaknesses to solve each obstacle they face together.  The older brother is stronger is used for pulling heavy levers and lifting the younger brother to higher places.  The younger brother being the smaller of the two is able to fit in between metal bars.

         It may seen that Brothers is a cooperative game for two players, but it is not; it was designed to be played with only one controller.  The right analog stick and trigger are used to controller the younger and the same is true for the right and the older brother.  It does take some time getting used to controlling both brothers at the same time.

          Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is not a very long game, but its unique game play and engaging story will have you glued to the seat until the end credits.  This a must buy just to experience the great game.  Available on Xbox Live, PC with keyboard and controller, and PlayStation Network.

Source:  Brothers Starbreeze Studios Steam