V-Rally 4 (PS4)

V-Rally 4. It's a sequel. That's a given. If you are like me though, are new to the series, and are thinking about trying it out you no doubt want to know how technical the game is. Being the off road vehicular racing game that it is 'V-Rally 4' definitely leans a lot towards the more technical side of things even though the controls are super simple. With said controls including a control scheme with two brakes, basic thumbstick steering controls, and camera angle changes you'll need to learn the track layouts as well as how to best drift along on a variety of different terrains. In being designed this way with the technicalities lying mostly with proper maneuvering/driving as a main focus, and the micro-management of career elements as close second side focal point it banks a lot of it's appeal on sports fans' interests, and gears the game towards rewarding that type of fan for their applied understanding. When it comes to the genre type this racing sequel is by no means an arcade style experience. It is most certainly not one that can be casually picked up and put down without losing the know how your next go around. You will need to commit time to learning/memorizing the tracks, micro-managing the career and sponsor contract elements as well as committing efforts to paying/recruiting the paid crew members to maximize prize potential.

Shadows: Awakening (PS4)

Sometimes I find myself scouting the PSN Store before I ever hit the internet for potential review projects. In this instance that's exactly what I did. I had been eyeing "Shadows: Awakening" for a while, and it was on my list of potential RPG pick-ups. Seeing the user based 5 star rating peaked my interest further. The PSN Store critics are usually more fair and honest than reviewers in general, because they have paid for the game out of pocket, and are more than willing to let you know if it's good, bad or somewhere between. Seeing a perfect rating is definitely something you don't often see. Upon playing my copy of the game I was personally met with a quality presentation certainly befitting of the praise. From the constant well voiced narration and the vocal NPC banter to the visuals, and gameplay the game felt worthy of it's price. While some compare it to Diablo, or oldschool DnD RPGs though I have to be the odd one out, and say this is more of a unique adventure. One that is in a class of it's own.

SNK HEROINES ... A To The Point Review

SNK Heroines, in my opinion, is not bad because of it's fan service. It's not bad, because of the revealing female attire. It's bad because the tag mechanics aren't explained well in the tutorial. It's bad, because it sacrifices SNK's traditional core mechanics for something based around casual controls, and an unnecessarily added tech that is not mandatory for achieving the end goal. The customization is also bad in that it's not as rewarding or brag worthy due to it's easily earned nature. The game, overall, is a departure from what made SNK fighters great. That is why I don't like it.

SNK HEROINES ~ Tag Team Frenzy (PS4)

Some things in life make you wonder WTF!? They literally make you wonder what in the hell someone was thinking when they did something? Such is the case with "SNK HEROINES". I was going into this playthrough, and review expecting a competent fully fledged fighter in the vein of older SNK fighters, but what I was met with felt more like a low budget novelty. It felt like it was one step above games like "Dive Kick". Moreover it felt like it was a game catering to female gamers while implying they aren't competent enough to play a proper fighting game. It was like a dollhouse dress-up fighter filled with SNK's version of Barbies made available for all those gals who like to play with said Barbies like boys do with their toys. The kind of childhood experience that leads to naked, and headless dolls. The story, which was itself lacking in seriousness, revolved around a perverted KOF character named Kukri and a pocket dimension he created just for the occasion. It felt so out of place and fantastical that the only thing that rivaled it's lackluster and ludicrous nature was the simple mechanics that anyone could pick up on and win with.