Stephan Adamus
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COGConnectedLatest Reviews
Front Mission 3 Remake is a fantastic strategy JRPG. It has excellent combat, and deep mech customization, led by an engrossing story. It’s easy to get sucked into the conflict of the Front Mission world. And that early choice leading to different narratives truly shocked me. I had no idea! The game does have some visual oddities and too much framerate stutter in its cutscenes, but I would still say Front Mission 3 Remake is a must-play for fans of strategy JRPGs.
Star Overdrive is a gorgeous and ambitious indie third-person adventure game. It has lofty dreams of being Breath of the Wild with SSX-style hoverboard traversal. The exploration and board riding feel great. I loved the gameplay loop of travelling to new areas and gaining powers from dungeons. But the combat is way too simple, and obviously masked by a way too forgiving difficulty. A lot of the RPG mechanics are light and work well, but the hoverboard crafting system is an unexpected, overly complicated mess. There are a lot of interesting ideas in Star Overdrive. Even though they’re not all well-executed, I urge anyone curious to give it a try.
The games found in Gex Trilogy are better than I thought they would be. I was especially surprised by how much I enjoyed the original Gex. These are dated, but solid mascot platformers. As a package, Gex Trilogy has a lot of the modern quality of life features players would expect, as well as a slew of extras. But there could have been more. The Game Boy Color, N64, and international versions of the games are absent. I would recommend Gex Trilogy to fans of retro platformers, who’ve played all the classics. These games aren’t must-play, but are a great option for someone wanting more platforming titles in their library.
I really enjoyed Fuga: Melodies of Steel 3. The combat and narrative are great. This was a satisfying conclusion to the tale of the children of the Taranis. The writing has also gotten better as the Fuga games progressed. There’s an excellent focus on character, and the heavier narrative moments hit hard. It’s strange to play a JRPG with no world exploration elements, but Fuga: Melodies of Steel 3 offers the most options and replayability of the trilogy. The Fuga games have continually improved, while keeping the same core mechanics. This final game is the best of the trilogy, just don’t play it until you’ve beaten the other two.
Perhaps mislabeled as a Soulslike, Blades of Fire is a third-person fantasy action game with RPG elements. Its combat is exemplary. Finding the right weapon and the right place to strike each enemy is a well-thought-out system that feels great. While story is a bit bland, it’s told through an impressive blend of cinematic cutscenes, and a cryptic info drip. I loved the amount of detail in the environments. Like its title, Blades of Fire suffers from aspects that are kind of generic. The visual design and musical score emulate Hollywood fantasy to a fault, and the gameplay is excellent. Fans of action RPGs can safely ignore the Souslike label and enjoy this very accessible game.
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is incredibly polished and option-filled. It’s a must-own collection for retro fighting game fans. Lots of these games have been trapped in arcade and Sega Dreamcast exclusivity. There are lots of players out there chomping at the bit for modern versions of the Capcom vs. SNK games, and the Power Stone games. The only thing keeping Capcom Fighting Collection 2 from a higher score is that all the games aren’t created equal. And Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper is another version of a game found on several other collections. The modern retro fighting game scene has never had so many rich options. Thank you Capcom!
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is the final major release to complete the Ace Attorney series on modern consoles. When I reviewed the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy earlier this year, I miswrote that it was the final piece of the series needed on modern consoles. There were two other side games I’d forgotten about, which are both found in this collection: Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit. There is also a crossover game with Professor Layton called “Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright”, so technically we’re still not done. But Prosecutor’s Gambit was never released in North America, which makes Ace Attorney Investigations Collection essential for any fan of the Ace Attorney series.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is the latest expansion in the long-running Final Fantasy XIV MMO. For those who haven’t played it, Final Fantasy XIV probably should have been titled Final Fantasy Online II. It’s been going since 2010, and after a very rocky first few years, it’s had 5 excellent expansions. Each expansion grew the plot, and it all came to a close with 2021’s phenomenal Endwalker finale.
Contra is one of those classic series that modern developers just can’t seem to get right. The only sequels worth playing since the 16-bit generation have been Contra: Shattered Soldier for the PlayStation 2, and Contra 4 for the Nintendo DS. Both of those titles followed the original Contra’s 2D run and gun formula without any major changes. WayForward, who developed Contra 4, just decided to not bother with any reinvention whatsoever and has remade the original Contra arcade game from 1987 in the form of Contra: Operation Galuga.
Granblue Fantasy is a Japanese-only mobile JRPG from 2014. North America has seen an anime adaptation and a fighting game spin-off. Granblue Fantasy: Relink is an action JRPG sequel that has been in development since 2016. It was started by PlatinumGames, but they left the project in 2019. The game was completed by Cygames, who developed the original Granblue Fantasy.