Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha (NS)

Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha is an all-star compilation of previously unreleased Japanese arcade shmups. Ported to the Nintendo Switch for the Western audience in an easy to play, and truly gamer friendly way this collection of six different shoot 'em ups from the not so distant past offers tweaks, and gameplay with a variety of unique gimmicks tied to the base genre they hail from. Within the collection you get the first three entries of "Strikers 1945", "Sol Divide", "Dragon Blaze", and "Zero Gunner 2". Most of which are top down types with the exception of "Sol Divide" which is a side-scrolling shmup. With each game made accessible through a rotary menu with title image shown you not only gain instant access to whatever title you wish, but you also get settings that can be accessed through the plus button that allow you change such settings as the screen direction, the display filter, the credits count, the associated wallpaper, the set language, and even the dialogue's original or reworked subtitles. Along with all of that you gain access to sound settings, the control layout, and rule guides. For those of you worried about the quarter munching difficulty associated with each game the developer has been kind enough to throw in seven different difficulties ranging from "Monkey" to "Hardcore" as well as an unlimited credits option, and an increased life stock option to make the journey from beginning to end a little less abusive.

Demons With Shotguns | A Pump Actioned Religious Fight & Smite Pixel Party Platformer

Demons With Shotguns is a competitive, and cooperative action platformer in the guise of a religiously themed 2D brawler/shooter. The kind of game that harkens back to Smash Brothers, but with a more mature tone. It features a handful of playable characters to choose from including a gruff cigar smoking angel, a traditional nun, a Satan looking deceiver, Death, a bulky demon, and a worse for wear preacher. Each with the same selection of weapons, and abilities. Including things like a shield for blocking and bashing, a shotgun with limited ammo for shooting, and a holy water bomb for tossing. These base abilities are further enhanced in-game, and within the modes by power-ups that come in the form of symbol marked tarot cards. Cards that can boost speed, and give other religious buffs like the power of Christ shield, the Holy Spirit damage boost, Angelic wings, and the power of Satan bullets. All things that once gathered activate under an announcer's voice that sounds an awfully lot like the honest trailers dude. Overall it's not the most complex game of it's kind, and as such it does have it's limitations in regards to fun value. If you buy into it you'll either be playing locally with friends in a 2-4 player versus mode, or you'll be going solo or locally co-op in a wave based fight for survival known as the "End of Time" against the minions of darkness with one other friend. With the available stages unlocked in order as you complete one of two difficulties per stage.

Straimium Immortaly | Space Ninjas Fighting Tha Queeni & Her Nasties

If "The Binding of Isaac" were warped six ways from Sunday, and thrown into the void of space in the presence of a crude alien narrator with worms gouging out it's eye sockets then "Stramium Immortaly" would be that experience. It's oddities, and innuendos know no Earthly bounds, and the stuff you'll encounter as a Straima Ninja is not something easily rationalized. Amid the grotesque alien world, and it's biologically diverse ecosystem you'll be tasked with engaging a randomized room to room hunt for loot, keys, and the final boss. It is a trek with numerous secrets to uncover, and mysteries to reveal. Much like Isaac's battle through his Mother's dungeon basement you will travel room by room dealing with deadly enemies of varying types as you find weapon upgrades, and abilities to see you through to the end. It is by no means an easy undertaking even with the modifiers you can unlock to cheat the system. Nor is it made any easier with the seed keys that can be generated for map replay.

Demon Pit | Arcade Arena Shooting In Hell

Demon pit, a pit of demons. That pretty much sums up this oldschool 3D arena shooter. You are basically a no named demon hunter who finally succumbs to death, and is thrown into the fiery pits of hell with the very demons you killed in life. While that would be torment in, and of itself, this unnamed and marked protagonist that you are is not unarmed. He comes packing a pistol with infinite ammo, and can collect new weapons as he faces endless waves of demonic denizens. The end goal, being to survive as long as humanly possible before being put back into the fray again with weapons collected remaining available. Outside of the simple plot it is a score based affair with a global leaderboard. A leaderboard with waves completed, and score accounted for.High scores being the endgame.

Tamashii | Puzzling Occult Horror

Normally one wouldn't think of occult horror when they think of December or the Christmas holiday season. That sort of entertainment is usually reserved for Spring time or October for Halloween's sake. Oddly enough Digerati Distribution decided to publish, and release such a game though. That game being "Tamashii". Tamashii which could best be described as Luciferian, or Pagan in nature features a light illuminated, and pyramid headed female-like God whose temple has been corrupted by minions of darkness. To combat the problem he/she send his/her loyal subject, which happens to be the character you play as, to deal with the corruption culprits. To do this you will be entering portal chambers in puzzle platforming areas that require your timer inclusive effigies (a limited set of 3) that can be sped up to deactivate or waited on in order to activate switches, avoid hazards, and do what needs to be done to open up sealed gates to the next area. Along with an additional double jump or delayed jump you will need to figure out each room's puzzle, solve it, and move on until you reach the boss. Between start, and finish you will find challenge portals that are either difficult and highly rewarding, or easier and less rewarding. A play on the left hand and right hand of God premise with the left handed choice bringing the biggest reward.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle Expansion | Bonus DLC For The Right Price

Not too long ago Arc System Works released a big patch to the core BBTAG base game. It was called patch 2.0, and with it came a laundry list of feature, system, and character changes (2.0 Update). This patch was freely given to any owner of the game, and allowed the base players to play against 2.0 characters without having to purchase the additional DLC expansion. The expansion, which this review will be about, comes with 9 additional characters, a newly introduced scenario, new character interactions, and colors. You even get access to special lobby avatars not available in the base game. It's a $24.99 dollar upgrade that holds it's own in value. Normally character DLC would cost you around $7.99 a pop, but with this DLC you get what equates to three new sets of characters plus the bonus content. It's definitely a discount deal in that regard. That having been said if you have yet to get into BBTAG, and are interested in the current full experience there is a full price special edition that will set you back $49.99. The difference is that it includes character DLC 1-7 plus the new expansion. The physical edition, in particular, comes with a code for the new expansion. Needless to say you have choices when it comes to BBTAG 2.0 and it's content.

Gunlord X | 32bit Shoot 'em Up Metroidvania Platforming At It's Finest!

Nostalgia level over 9,000!!! Gunlord X has a lot of good going for it. NG-DEV's improved upon version of the retro Turrican inspired classic comes to life not only with 32Bit oldschool aesthetics intact, but also with new quality of life tweaks, and additional content not originally included. This smooth as butter platforming shmup hybrid with collect-a-thon goals and a quest to save the waifu is one that will no doubt leave a mark in modern gaming history. It is hailed as being the definitive version of the classic. The one that's worth playing, and worth owning. To that extent I think it definitely lives up to the boastful claims. Though it is still extremely challenging, and borderline unforgiving Gordian Gaiden's fight against the demonic soul stealing alien menace known as the "The Master" is one not easily forgotten, or passed up.

Pinball FX3 | William's Pinball Vol. 5 (PS4)

William's Pinball Volume 5 under the Pinball FX3 label continues the tribute trend by treating the players with a trio of new yet old tables. In this collection you'll find two tables by John Popadiuk, and one by Pat Lawlor. Each table in question hailing from the late 1990's, specifically around 1996 and 1997. John's tables are both interesting selections focusing on a more magical set of themes. One table is the "Cirqus Voltaire" Bally release, and the other the "Arabian Nights" table that most of you will be familiar with. Pat's table tribute is one lesser known, but definitely inspired table called "No Good Gofers". A table that reminds me an awfully lot of the old Bill Murray inclusive film, "Caddyshack". As a collective the set of tables is one of unique quality with each table bringing something notably different to the player. Of course the challenges with each also vary as do the many scoring opportunities made available.

SuperEpic: The Entertainment War | A Poignant Parody Of The Pig-Like State of Gaming (PS4)

SuperEpic is a poignant parody of the pig-like state of the pay to play, and pay to win parasite that is a good portion of today's games industry. In it's humor, and quite fun metroidvania platforming experience the game not only opens the gamers' eyes to what is going on in real life, but offers gameplay not ruined by the monetization efforts it pokes fun at. The story that you'll start off playing features a raccoon protagonist named TanTan, and his Llama sidekick. An unlikely duo that dishes out corporate punishment via a trio of weapons that allow for direct, upwards, and downwards strikes that can be delivered from the back of your trusty Llama pal. With this accompanied by RPG gear, upgrades, and abilities tied to meters TanTan is set to join the revolution against Regnant Corp, and it's staff.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare Battle Pass | Impressions

Battle passes have seemingly become a staple of live service games these days. A common creation goal for game developers, and publishers to implement for business sake. On average they'll cost you, at base level, around ten dollars. That, and commitment to grinding for each reward tier in order to be able to get the most out of what you paid for. Most battle passes are centered around experience point earnings, and will utilize the game's XP system in order to make your ascent up the tier ladder either cumbersome or quickly progressed. In the case of Fortnite's battle pass the XP earned is fast tracked via events that allow the players to capitalize on significant bonus XP for completing certain missions or feats. In Modern Warfare's battle pass though you creep along at a snail's pace on a per kill basis in multiplayer or Spec-Ops until you unlock a tier with an XP boost that can be used to amplify your experience points earnings for 30 minutes to an hour. Even with the boost though the grind in MW, per tier, can take several matches to complete, and in a battle pass that is filled with filler rewards such as XP tokens and lesser items it makes the grind to 100 all the more tedious, and demanding of your time. Once you buy into MW's battle pass for 1,100 COD tokens ($9.99), and the season begins you will have 60 days to complete the 100 tier pass, and unlock everything there is to unlock. While the grind is doable if you clear at least 2 tiers per day it is the artificial lengthening of the pass, and the filler materials that take up potential item unlocks that makes the whole thing less than desirable.

Pinball FX 3 - William's Pinball: Universal Monster Set

The guys, and gals at Zen Studios know pinball. This fact is continuously made evident with each new table set they bring to their pinball platforms. If you haven't followed them in a while you might not know that they've actually begun creating tribute tables of the William's variety as a sort of set extension to their main brand. Each pack which costs roughly around ten dollars for two to three tables comes complete with a table history via textual intro facts, and the usual embellishments that come with the Zen Studios line of original table creations. That as well as the original artistic design. For example with the 'Universal Monster Set' you get a sort of dual design option that keeps the original design in mind as well as an enhanced version complete with the added video game flair Zen Studios is more known for. Point pop-ups, animatronics, holograms, 3D models, and a side dot matrix display where table events unfold in real time along with your achieved high score. Such things as that. With a single pressing of  'CIRCLE' you can effectively switch on, and off visual enhancements as you play. Similar to the way you change the table views, but with a different button. In a way this dual branding gifts the player two different versions of the two included tables. Allowing said players to experience in a more historically accurate way or in the Zen Studios way.

Mononoke Slashdown | Simple Yet Complex Hack & Slash Ninja Action

FK Digital's "Mononoke Slashdown" is a game with a plot somewhat lost in translation. Through roughly translated English text, and an equally confusing intro we find that Kagemaru is our ninja hero, and that he's out to end some evil. That evil comes in the form of Mononoke, or demons. Through several chapters filled with several stages each Kagemaru is designated to take out the demonic armies with a sword, kunai, and a certain set of skills. It is through ninja like reflexes, and the tools of the trade that Kagemaru will either prevail or fail the challenges at hand. Given your guidance or lack thereof.

Citadel: Forged With Fire | A Verdict Rewritten

I like to be upfront, and honest when I've made an unfair judgment, or shared something that does not hold true. My recent verdict for Citadel falls in line with that very situation. I had disclosed that the grind on the servers were unfairly balanced according to resources made available, and the pace at which your character levels up. While my claim holds true on some servers there exists other custom servers that allow for fast tracking leveling, and material harvesting. Each server comes labeled accordingly, and through menu toggles you can sort through the various custom lobbies within the listing. Both on the PVE, and PvP side of things. I recently got into a PVE server for my area, and leveling was quickly done as was the harvesting of needed materials. Making it an experience on par with the singleplayer I absolutely adore, but with other online players accounted for. The stress on the servers wasn't bad either though there still exists some lag, and frame rate drops.

Citadel: Forged With Fire | PVP, PVE & A Final Verdict

I've spent some serious time in all three of Citadel's modes of play. I've tried out the easy grind, and the slow and methodical grind. Both offline, and online. For the most part it's the same experience throughout. All modes incorporate the same base crafting, and building mechanics while featuring the same maps filled with the same quests, looting opportunities, and boss/creature battles. Singleplayer itself can be played alone with the tedious grind settings in check or with advanced mods turned on that will allow you to enjoy the game without the hassle of needing to really farm or grind for anything. The opposite goes for multiplayer server play where PvP, and PVE demands the tedious grind in order for you to build your created character up to a point that he/she can engage in the endgame activities. One thing holds true any way you choose to play though, and that is the fact that character leveling does not reset upon death. This allows for picking up where you left off with the ability to craft everything you've unlocked through experience gained as well as your equipped gear still intact. It goes without saying that backtracking to pick up lost loot will be required if you want to regain all you've collected.

Citadel: Forged With Fire | Mechanics & Impressions Update

I've spent some more time tinkering around with Citadel's singleplayer mode, and I've noticed some things that I did not notice before including a whole other menu of options that further simplifies the crafting system, and character progression. If you startup singleplayer after having created your character, and played around a bit you will find an 'Advanced' option at the main menu continue point that has a series of sliders, and toggles that will allow you to tweak things like player points earned, whether or not you need to farm for materials, and other useful things tied to the character, and crafting mechanics. It's basically a mod menu of sorts that allows you to enjoy the game without having to slowly grind to a point that you can craft the things you need in order to fortify your long term existence in the various locations that you can begin in. The spawn areas, or beginning locations number three initially, and will open up more as you travel outward into Citadel's world visiting quest givers, and facing boss fights among other things. The game also offers the option to fast travel via portals that bring up a map with marked points of interest. A map that shows various icons, or points of interest that you can go to, to engage in various MMO oriented tasks. The very map that can also be brought up by pressing down on the DPad in-game.

Citadel: Forged With Fire | Impressions Thus Far ...

Citadel is a game I need to spend more time on than usual to gain a proper perspective of what it has to offer on a full scale. That having been said I have played it to a point I'm getting a proper feel for the type of grind, and crafting it entails. For those of you who don't know "Citadel: Forged With Fire" is an MMORPG sandbox type of game that can be played in singleplayer or on PVE, and PvP servers. It's about a magical world of wizards borne from flame who can fly around on broomsticks, and dragons. Wizards that can engage in combat, and build fortified castles beyond imagination. The world itself is brought to life in a beautiful, and colorful rendering done on the Unreal 4 engine. It pushes the PS4 to it's limits, but looks quite impressive for the console port that it is. As far as gameplay is concerned you'll find that in singleplayer it is smooth. There is no game breaking lag, or frame rate issues that really hinder the gameplay. For now I can't say the same for PVE or PvP, because I've yet to play on the provided servers.

From your character's creation at the main menu startup to their birth from a fiery pit in-game, and the grind that follows you'll be able to level up, and grow your character's set of abilities. It is ultimately through experience earned, skill points applied, and learned crafting skills that you'll be able to establish your sustained existence as your created character in the world of Citadel. The Touchpad menu from which everything is done in regards to this, outside of character control, houses six different themed diamonds for each interactive sub-menu that will give you quick access to everything that can be done. This includes the equipment loadout, the crafting, the crafting skills, the spells, creature taming, and your House or clan setup. It's a quick access hub for all you can do with your character, and the world around you. Much more streamlined than other games of the same genre.

Rebranded Review: Disgaea 4 Complete+ | Formerly Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited

This is probably something unheard of among gaming journalists, but there happens to exist a complete version of Disgaea 4 for the PS Vita that mirrors the new complete version for consoles. I think while it harbors similarities it's worth reviving my initial review of the game for those of you interested, or curious about the new complete version for the PS4. I went all in with the former review, and I'd basically be repeating what I said if I were to review it again, and I think sometimes reviews that are already telling enough are telling enough. I hope this rebranded review gives you the insight necessary to decide whether or not Disgaea 4 Complete+ is something worth your time, and money.

AGONY | Abandon All Hope Those Who Enter Here

Dismal, bleak, and dark is this Nintendo Switch port of Agony. A hopeless endeavor for those hoping it to be otherwise. Taking with it all the controversial material including full-on nudity, and hellish gore from MadMind Studios' original PS4, and PC debut this abysmal tale of a tormented soul cast into the fiery pits of Hell makes it's second coming appearance on the Switch more broken than it was before. The first-person survival horror that it is comes to life, or rather the afterlife in a laggy, and muddied presentation of visuals that do no favors for the creator's intended vision. Through puzzle solving, platforming, and mild combat you'll face the story of a tormented soul known as Amraphel whose pact with the devil in life served as his damnation, and beckoning call to the Red Queen. A succubus who holds the secrets to the only way of escape from the torture Amraphel faces. You'll be forced to trek through miles upon miles of blood, guts, and gore as you meet other damned souls, and make your way to the Red Queen in hopes for some semblance of relief, and remembrance. Along the way enhancing your skills, and abilities as you face the puzzles of the Labyrinth of the Mind, and other key locales.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | The Multiplayer Experience As Seen By A Returning CoD Player

I know you guys, and gals have likely got a million questions running through your mind if you have not already bought into the new Call of Duty game. You've likely heard that the camping is causing people to cancel their pre-orders, and that the maps are littered with so many camping spots that it forces players to camp. Having currently spent six hours in multiplayer I can say that it is very campy, but that it's more on the side of realism than it is simply an experience built around camping. It is a very tactical war-like multiplayer that makes you advance as if you were in a real war, and to that extent it's not all that bad. Infinity Ward does good to give you all the necessary tools to combat the threats at hand, and offers counter vantage points that level out the playing field no matter which direction either team of players might be approaching from. With the usual gun setup that is very similar to past Call of Duty games in a lot of ways also comes the ability to mount your gun against surfaces Rainbow Six style for sneaky peeking. I'd say, all things considered, this new Call of Duty is a mixture of the old CoD experience, Rainbow Six Siege, and Battlefield. Borrowing a little from each in a well balanced format that is most definitely an esports worthy venture.

Driven Out | A Straightforward Side-Scrolling Souls-Like Experience

NoPest Production's "Driven Out" is what I like to call a straightforward side-scrolling Souls-like experience. The premise is simple, but the execution thereof extremely difficult to master. Basically, as a female protagonist driven out of her village for undisclosed reasons you must journey out into the world fighting anything, and anyone that you confront. This includes everything from medieval soldiers, and peasants to mythical creatures. Using only a sword dropped by an initially combative, and elusive knight in armor this lady villager must ultimately progress ever forward while utilizing a tool of witchcraft she stumbled upon that allows her to place a sort of resurrection marker for when she falls in battle. As long as the marker has the energy, and remains undamaged by the assailants she can continue where the witchcraft contraption has been placed. Making it a checkpoint for progress sake. Thus is the gimmick of the game.