DENNIS GAGLIARDOTTO
Shadow Corridor Review
Shadow Corridor has elements in it that can easily make it a great game if it left its brutal design to higher difficulty levels rather than making it the default design of the game, and while the game does have an easy mode that allows for a mini-map to be displayed, it doesn't change the fact that checkpoints are few and far between with all progress essentially being lost with a few exceptions like collectibles that all leave your inventory upon death. The designs of the locations with Shadow Corridor are fine, but its massive maps feel almost endless when realistically an estate would have at least some sort of limited floorplan put into place. Instead, every map in Shadow Corridor feels like an amusement park, but one where the amusement is the last thing on anyone's mind.
Stranger of Sword City Revisited / Savior of Sapphire Wings Review
The package of Saviors of Sapphire Wings and Stranger of Sword City is an incredibly solid duo of one of the fondest experiences when it was mainly calling Vita its home next to its PC and Xbox releases, and thankfully some of its biggest issues have been addressed and polished between its interfaces and structures, though odd little omissions like the lack of an options menu in Saviors of Sapphire Wings certainly make it questionable as to why it wasn't touched up further. Having an already great dungeon RPG ported to the Switch alongside the never before localized Savior of Sapphire Wings, however, makes this an enticing and must-have package for any RPG fan looking for some turn-based dungeon goodness.
Destiny Connect Review
Destiny Connect: Tick Tock Travelers is a wonderful RPG that's simple yet effective, with a solid score filled with melodies and sounds that take you on your way through past, present, and future, and a story that's wholesome and heartwarming. It’s an experience that’s one-of-a-kind, thoughtful, and innocent while still being appealing to an RPG fan both old and new, young and old.
The Caligula Effect: Overdose Review
Fast-forward to 2019 and Caligula Effect loses its Vita exclusivity and makes its presence known now on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 as The Caligula Effect: Overdose. Surely with an increase in power on both of these systems, all the issues that held the Vita version back should be cleaned up and addressed, but unfortunately all we really get here is a feeling of déjà vu made to be covered up by a new story route, avatar, and content that are practically negligible.
METAL MAX Xeno Review
With Humanity on the brink of extinction, its unique view on how technology ruined the world - almost Horizon Zero Dawn-esque - keeps things intriguing for the player throughout, and while the world is empty - understandably so - that feeling of hopelessness and scarcity lingers with the player as they traverse through Dystokio.
Tokyo Tattoo Girls Review
Tokyo Tattoo Girls is misleading in a lot of ways. For those like me that saw the trailer earlier in the year, we were all a little dumbfounded as to what exactly was going on. It just showed slideshows of the characters in the game that would occasionally switch to a shot of them getting tattooed. Makes sense I guess, I mean, these are girls. In Tokyo. Getting tattoos. The name speaks for itself, but unfortunately, beyond this and what was shown - or the lack of it for that matter - there isn't much beyond that.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana Review
Stranded on a cursed Island, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana takes you on a journey of recollection, mystery, and adventure as you go on a journey in the shoes of Adol Christin - the recurring main protagonist throughout the Ys franchise. While stuck on the island due to an attack on his ship, The Lombardia, Adol must find a way to get back hope and find others along the way that have been stranded to help him on his journey.
Operation Babel: New Tokyo Legacy Review
The sequel to NIS America's Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy, Operation Babel: New Tokyo Legacy, arrives exclusively on the PlayStation Vita nearly two years later and brings with it a brand new mission in the heart of Tokyo, where otherworldly monsters known as Variants have crossed over into our dimension and have begun to wreak havoc. It is up to you, a high school student unbeknownst of the powers you hold, to form a team of others like you and help save Tokyo from a potential demise.