PixlBit

It’s that time again.  Time for more links to game reviews I’ve written lately over at GamerDad.com!  Please click on as many links as you can and maybe even post a comment or like or two.  I’d really appreciate it.  OK, let’s begin!

Taito Wins This Round at Round 1 Arcade

So at the beginning of the year, my brothers were telling me about a really cool arcade near where they live.  And I finally got to go to it a couple of months ago.  I took lots of pictures, so I just now finally got a chance to post them here.  The cool thing about this arcade was that it had a lot of Japanese games that we’ve never gotten in the US before.  A lot of my favorite games were also from Taito, one of the oldest arcade game makers around (they made Space Invaders, for instance).  I also got to play the Japan only arcade version of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and a Pac-Man themed air hockey table!  Again, I took lots of pictures, so check out the link if you want to see what all I did there!

RIME (PS4)

Despite being a bit short, RIME is a really good game.  It’s similar to titles like Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian.  And if you missed not having a lot of dungeon puzzles in Breath of the Wild, RIME will fill that void perfectly.  I also have to say that RIME has one of the saddest endings I’ve ever seen in a video game.  Of course, considering the games I usually play, I don’t encounter too many sad endings.  But yeah, you’ll want to have a tissue handy when you beat this one.  So that brings me to this topic.  In the comments section, let me know which video games YOU’VE played that had a sad ending.  For me, the one that sticks out the most is the first Klonoa game on the PlayStation.  For such a cutesy game, man that ending was sad!

But I do have a few personal happy memories about RIME.  I got a great demo of it at PAX South earlier this year, and they even gave me a T shirt and plush fox from the game!  At their booth they had a lady dressed up as the main character, which confused me since I had just finished playing the demo and I was pretty sure the main character was a boy (he is).  I wanted to ask her then if she was supposed to be dressed as a boy or what, but I didn’t because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.  Especially because she was so nice and friendly and I talked with her for a good 10 to 15 minutes at the show.  And I thought she was kind of cute, but don’t tell her I said that (well, how could you?). 

Pokémon: Magikarp Jump! (iPad)

Ever since the popularity of Pokémon GO, the license has had a bit of a resurgence lately.  So they follow their mobile cash cow with a game featuring everyone’s favorite Pokémon. Well, not really, as this one stars the most useless one instead: Magikarp.  It’s really more of an interactive virtual pet simulator with RPG elements.  And while it’s not very good, I’d have to say it’s worth it for fans of Pokémon to check out, as it’s such an oddity and it did hold my interest longer than other free-to-play games usually do.  I wouldn’t mind them making other mobile titles featuring certain favorites like Snorlax, but just as long as they are actual games and are fun.

Import amiibo

As many of you may be aware, I’m a big fan of collecting amiibo figures.  Most have been released in Japan and the US, but did you know there are a few Japan exclusive amiibo?  So I actually imported them.  I did splurge a little bit on the BoxBoy amiibo, but the Monster Hunter Stories amiibo didn’t cost me any more than what they would if I had bought them in the US, so that’s why I picked them up.  Anyway, I took lots of pictures, so if you want to see what they look like, just click on the link!

Guilty Gear Xrd REV2 (PS4)

This isn’t actually a new game, just the same fighter that was released a couple of years ago with added DLC and game modes.  And I already reviewed it, but Aksys sent me a code for this anyway so I reviewed it as well.  They really should’ve had all the stuff in this game in the original in the first place, but oh well.  I do have to say that as far as anime fighters are concerned, this is still one of the best looking ones out there.  It’s hard to tell when the cartoons end and the gameplay begins.  I would’ve written a blog about my favorite Guilty Gear characters, but I did that a couple of years ago so I won’t do it again so soon here.  So I’ll just let you guess who my favorites are in the comments section.

Crazy Taxi: Gazillionaire (iPad)

I really detest endless mobile clickers, especially since one of my favorite game series, Katamari Damacy, became one.  And now one of SEGA’s best and most creative arcade titles is now one, too.  I just had to try it out of curiosity.  And I lost interest in it really fast.  I don’t know if I’d call it an endless clicker because you do have to click on certain objects.  You play as the boss of all the Crazy Taxi drivers and must tell them which customers to pick up on a map to earn money.  Then you spend that money to upgrade cars and hire drivers so you can make more money and the cycle repeats.  Only good thing about this ‘game’ is SEGA did get the rights to use the Offspring songs from the original title.  Those songs are what made Crazy Taxi, and you should never listen to these songs when you drive for real, as it might make you want to drive recklessly like in the games!

Tokyo Xanadu (Vita)

Man it’s been a long time since I played a game on my Vita.  Aksys sent me a code for this even though I didn’t ask, but since it was made by Falcom, I thought I would give it a try anyway.  I’m a big fan of Falcom, as they made the awesome Ys series, but they’ve done a lot of other series, too.  One of them is Xanadu.  There have been lots of sequels and spinoffs to Xanadu.  In fact, NES games like Faxanadu and Legacy of the Wizard are related to that series in a way.  One thing I read about the Xanadu series is that none of the games have much in common (as far as I can tell), and Tokyo Xanadu is no exception.  You play as a modern Japanese high school boy who has to juggle school and fighting monsters in dungeon mazes in an alternate dimension.  I liked the fighting monsters part, as it’s 3-D action oriented affair, sort of like Ys.  But I didn’t like the parts where you have to live out your high school life.  I did pretty well in high school, but I don’t remember enjoying it particularly well.  So why would I want to do all that stuff again in a game?  I’ve been there, done that, got the T shirt. 

Neighborhorde (PS4)

And finally in this couch multiplayer game, you pick from animal characters who are forced to go outside instead of playing video games, so they use their imagination to shoot down hordes of silly enemies using equally silly weapons in a suburban setting.  It’s not a bad game, but there are already so many twin stick shooters you can download on consoles that it didn’t grab my interest.

And that’s all for now!  Again, thanks so much for reading my reviews and posting comments on them and likes and stuff.  I really do appreciate it!  Later!  --Cary