My games of the year 2018 (GoTY 2018)

Best Action game

Senran Kagura Burst Renewal (PS4)

Although it could certainly have delivered more, the remake of Senran Kagura Burst on PS4 keeps the good gameplay basis of Estival Versus. DLC was rather good and some new stuff like the reworked ending make it an enjoyable installment for series fans.

Runner-up : none

Best Shooter

Battlefield V (PS4)

Since Battlefield 3, DICE has constantly put efforts in fine-tuning the console experience. With the new generation, console versions have been closing the gap with the PC version and now PS4 offers the promised all-out war showdown. Gifted with a brilliant solo campaign while others reject this game mode, EA’s game also stays the best for multiplayer.

Runner-up : none

Best Fighting game

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle (PS4)

Quite a few nice fighting games this year, but none that could claim victory on the generation. BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle was the most surprising, the best balanced and the most enjoyable of those overall. The tag system offers deep gameplay and instant fun at the same time, not to mention the game itself is splendid.

Runner-up : SoulCalibur VI (PS4) & Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (PS4)

Best RPG

Caligula Overdose (PS4)

Caligula Overdose shows how remakes and remasters should be done. Improved in animation but no so in graphics, Furyu’s title however boasts twice more scenario content and lots more characters. The charismatic bad guys are playable and fully inegrated in the new storyline.

Runner-up : Zanki Zero (PSVita)

Best Strategy/Puzzle game

Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4)

The return of the king. What else could be said when Valkyria Chronicles comes back in its former glory? The unmatched game system still gives the tactical ecstasy thanks to a formidable challenge and great variety in the gameplay.

Runner-up : The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince (PSVita)

Best music

Fate Extella Link (PS4)

I had first chosen Caligula Overdose for this award, but at listening to the music of the Fate Extella Link, the magnificient symphonies of the latter made me change my mind. Ultimately, Fate Extella Link is a game that failed on pretty much everything except its soundtrack

Runner-up : Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4) & Caligula Overdose (PS4)

Best narrative

Zanki Zero (PSVita)

I haven’t had the time to clear Zanki Zero yet, but the narrative style had been extremely good so far. Each chapter focuses on one character through some sort of quite fascinating animated storyboard. Progressive reveals within the story made it very hooking, especially towards the end.

Runner-up : Caligula Overdose (PS4) & Death End re;Quest (PS4)

Best atmosphere

NG (PSVita)

Experience knows that they did Something great with Death Mark. Logically, NG sticks to the same formula, sometimes a bit too much, but keeps the terrifying atmosphere that made its predecessor so fantastic. Crimes are onimous, pressure is high and fear is everywhere.

Runner-up : Transference (PSVR) & Zanki Zero (PSVita)

Best design

Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4)

One great thing about Valkyria Chronicles is its lovable characters. The 4^th game of the series is no different as party members are as diverse and charming as before. The player has no problem in making its own dream team. Depiction of Europe at war and the unique technology were once more remarkable.

Runner-up : Persona 3 Dancing Moon Night (PSVita), Persona 5 Dancing Star Night (PSVita) & Death End re;Quest (PS4)

Best game you might never play

Idol Death Game TV (PSVita)

Gaming UFO without a specific genre, I had a rather enjoyable time with Idol Death Game TV on Vita. The gameplay was quite simple but the story turned out to be surprising in such a good way that I couldn’t put down the system before the end. The animated «death sentences» of the heroines were also very amusing.

Runner-up : Sakura Sakura (PSVita)

Best graphics

Battlefield V (PS4)

Little suspense here since Battlefield 1 was already a technical prowess. DICE merely had to re-apply the same super realistic rendering to the following war, and they just did that. Battlefield V offers breathtaking conflict in massive and complex environments where up to 64 soldiers, tanks and planes clash at the same time.

Runner-up : Persona 3 Dancing Moon Night (PSVita), Persona 5 Dancing Star Night (PSVita)

Most disappointing

Mary Skelter Nightmares 2 (PS4)

Collapse. It’s the only word that comes to mind to define this 2018/2019 transition regarding Compile Heart. The people of that company are traitors, liars and now swindlers. By calling Mary Skelter Nightmares 2 a sequel, they deceived their fans and produced their most pitiful product to date. It does nothing but destroy the original and ruin the gameplay balance.

Runner-up : Gal Gun 2 (PS4)

Game of the Year

Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4)

The Valkyria Chronicles series comes back from deeper than hell : years into oblivion and then an unanimously rejected action-RPG spin-off. Against all the odds, Valkyria Chronicles 4 brought back the thrilling challenge, the tactical mastery, the lovable characters, the compelling story that had made its initial glory. Its perfectly executed return to its roots is one of the beautiful stories of 2018.

Battlefield V (PS4)

NG (PSVita)

Caligula Overdose (PS4)

Press Round-up – Autumn 2018

Reviews posted on VGchartz from October to December 2018. Click on the titles to access the reviews.

Transference (PSVR)

First real killer-app of the PSVR I played, Transference invites us in a disturbing journey full of anguish and beyond sanity. You share the past and present of Raymond Hayes, a neuro scientist who has devoted his life in creating a strange helmet to penetrate the human mind. Hayes’s family was torn apart and his memories turned into eerie phenomenons. The player faces those in virtual reality : the fear and threat are just beside you…

Caligula Overdose (PS4)

Caligula was one of the best surprises in PSVita’s life. Its striking narrative and innovative combat system made a huge impression on me, so I was curious about what Furyu could do with Unreal Engine 4 on PS4. This version doubles the content by giving the player the possibility to side with the bad guys : the wicked but charismatic Gakushi. That means a full new scenario, new playable characters, plenty of funny subevents, different endings… everything as fascinating and memorable as the original.

NG (PSV)

After the astonishingly great Death Mark, Experience finally released its spiritual successor NG on the PSVita. While sometimes it tries to emulate the previous game a bit too much, NG once again delivers a deliciously terrifying atmosphere, onimous supernatural investigation and now more choices and endings.

Battlefield V (PS4)

With Battlefield V, DICE has succeeded in bringing the quintessence of the Battlefield experience in both single and multiplayers. The campaign is great, audacious, moving, and multiplayers modes and maps are ideally structured in every aspect. The absolute best FPS I have ever played.

Preview – Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

After a solid experience with The Division, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is my 2^nd AAA rendez-vous of the year. I want to thank @SonicDX12 for delivering the fateful access code for the beta, allowing me to test it ahead of its June 9^th release.

The story background, more or less known by now, features a younger and unruly Faith. Actually the young girl is straightout wild, talking back to her comrades and getting cocky in front of the authorities.

This prequel shows a tendency to display the characters’ feelings a lot more and bringing them together as a team. Several sequences put a great emphasis on frienship and respect. It’s quite a big difference with Mirror’s Edge PS3 since the latter had cutscenes in first-person view only, so the player, not the heroine, was at the center of the game. This choice of a rough narrative made a lot of sense because the focus was a dense free run experience and nothing else. I’m OK to elaborate a bit on Faith’s personality and stuff, but a big hollywoodish blowout might only water down the experience.

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst nevertheless embodies its view of today’s society by open criticizing the “all-connected” trend. The judiciary system, which can collect whichever personal information it wants and issue a warrant against somebody for a trifle, suggest an ominous technological future. The first interface Faith is connected to, with its dashboard full a critical personal data, leaves no doubt : it is the extreme edge of the Société du Spectacle as philosopher Guy Debord saw it. DICE pushes a comprehensive logic, without making it the full story focus for now. That could, because the name of “Dogus” that was cited repeatedly in thi beta leaves room for darker development.

The futuristic atmosphere is remarkably illustrated in this new installment : the near-future is striking by its sprawling and state-of-the-art architecture, flying cars and high speed trains running through the city. It is a magnificent urban view, and light effects live up to expectations. That can’t be said about the environment near you, because rooftops and interiors are roughly as unsophisticated as before.

The gameplay stayed the same, and a bit too much the same, I’d say. We indeed are in an open world, but the use of which hasn’t been very revolutionary so far. The map is pretty large, you can go wherever you want, but in the end the heart of the gameplay is still about running around in a very closed area. We do see the now famous red objects (but you can deactivate that) to guide the player so he can go as fast as possible from rooftop to rooftop. In brief, nothing new.

Combat has evolved a lot though. Firearms are now out of the picture (what a shame, those rooftops were perfect for sniping) and everything comes down to CQC, which has grown more complex. There is a light combo, and a powerful strike that can be inserted in whatever movement for more impact (after a wall run for example). You also can give a direction to your kick with the analog stick, which is used to throw a guard into another one. But big problem here : as you’re always running, your analog stick is always pushed forward, so that action can only be achieved when halted. There’s alos a strafe system to slip behind your opponent, etc. Sincerely, I don’t think all that karate-like things are a plus. Worse, that might slow the flow of the gameplay and reduce its intensity. Before, there was just a counter button, and it was perfect like that…

Time attack is of course back, with a very well-made report of the various social results. Still, I had some problem with the delivery missions, in which the direction to take wasn’t displayed. It’s very confusing and you have only 1 or 2 minutes to reach your goal, so I’d really need to know approximately where to head to.

The only point of open world in the beta was to search for collectibles. You’ll be asked to steal electronic chips everywhere in the city, as well as documents, secrets bags (like in the first one) and strange shiny things. That will ask some searching and there’ll probably be some nice trophies but I do expect more in terms of exploration.

Interesting idea, we can hack a billboard o display an emblem, which will be your own customizable one in the final game. Once the display completed, your PSN friends will see it in their game too.

Surprise! Mirror’s Edge is now an RPG! Every action, quest, rewards experience points that can be used to unlock new moves and gear. I was appalled to see there was a grapnel : such a device can only ruin this game if it is widely used… But let’s wait and see if this progression system provides serious steps in the gameplay or if it’s just to make the game a bit longer.

Unsure. That’s my state of mind after playng this beta that hasn’t shown how Mirror’s Edge Catalyst would go beyond the original. The open world seems misused, the intensity feels a bit down and fighting looks tiresome. I hope I will be proven wrong in June.

Review – Sim City

I had been playing Sim City 3000 regularly for 10 years. I am literally hooked every single time I start that game because of my utmost love for economic planning and shiny buildings. This new Sim City thus became one of my most anticipated games and threw myself on it at release.

Maxis clearly put all they had in their new «GlassBox» 3D engine : it is a BEAUTY! Buildings are quite varied, weather effects are astonishing and there are plenty of small details that make it extremely lively! On the management side, Sim City 2013 goes well beyond everything known so far. This heavy part can be divided in 3 levels.

General management and planning doesn’t change much from older Sim City games. Old timers will be immediately familiar with the various economic and social settings to monitor. Is your population fully employed? Are businesses making enough profit? Can your inhabitants move efficiently within the city? Are they educated? Can the police cope with crime? Le list is pretty long and hours go by quickly when taking on the stack of files. The AI is pretty solid despite recurring conflicts between the surface of residential zone (even with the ¾ of the map covered in green the game still says it’s not enough), unemployment and consumer spending.

This new Sim City introduces a micro-management system in which each administrative building can be customized with additional elements to boost its efficiency : the police station can have more patrol cars, the bus terminal will have to receive more garages, the university can be extended with a business school or an engineer school, etc. This system provides you further leverage to reach prosperity, and keeps you even busier than before.

But Maxis has more and offer you to choose a specialization to personalize your city. Gambling, Hi-Tech, Tourism, Oil, … a nice array of possibilities that add further value. Let’s stress that you can choose several of those in the same city : feel free to erect the Tokyo Tower next to an exhibition center, while you pump oil not far from there! Those ones are no gimmick : the warehouse exports, derricks provide barrels for your oil plant, the stadium welcomes tourists… more parameters again for the delight of virtual managers. And if you excel in one of those, you’ll have the privilege to build prestigious social headquarters to reward your talent.

The fourth layer of awesome is that your management actually has an impact on other Sim City players. The game is organized in regions of 4 to 16 cities which are communicating permanently. Goods will come from neighbours if your industry isn’t doing enough, students form other cities will come if you have the best university, stations allow tourists to visit. Economic parameters are very detailed : there are 3 levels of wealth, 3 levels of quality for merchandises and 3 levels of qualification for workers. If the middle class can’t find goods of their liking at home, they’ll be shopping elsewhere. If you’re few to produce high-quality goods, the rich from everywhere will rush to buy. Positioning yourself within your region is a game in the game.

Beyond this competitive side, cities can cooperate by sending ambulances, patrol cars or garbage trucks. Player can also sign contracts to provide electricity or water. That’s where the whole systems finds its limits. Let’s face it, you need every possible asset you have for your city, because there’s never enough. Your neighbour isn’t always monitoring his power supply, so you can being cut by mistake. To play cooperatively, players need to know each other beforehand.

I lament that the laderboards and the world market are still to be implemented. The dev. team is still working to stabilize servers. A quick word on that : apart from the launch day, I’ve never had any problem to play.

But there’s one big problem : cities are incrdibly tiny! I don’t have any problem on the principle because I used to choose the smallest scale in Sim City 3000, but here that just isn’t working and here’s why.

The standard size of the city is about one fourth of a small city in Sim City 3000. When I constructed my 2^nd city (having drawn a map before), it took me… 3 hours. In Sim City, you must constantly invest to improve the standards of living. But you very quickly reach the point at which you can’t have further residential surfaces, which means you cannot your population and your fiscal revenues. And if, like in my first city, you choose the seaside, you’re fairly limited… the other issue lies in the expansions you can make to buildings : it can necessitate far more surface than you expected at first. If you haven’t made room in advance, you have to flatten entire blocks, lose inhabitants and revenues, which makes your budget worsen dramatically. The University fully developed is about the size of 6 residential blocks of high density! You need to make several cities to exhaust the game. I wish I had a big metropolis with everything in it, but sadly it’s not an option.

Sim City is an amazing game, so rich and complex that it seems infinite in theory. But in actual gameplay, it ends up being limited by a clear lack of polish. The dreams of ambitious managers might well be crushed by the ridiculous size of the cities.

Most anticipated games in 2013

Lightning Returns (PS3)

I’ve been soooooo excited since the reveal trailer of the last adventures of Lightning, whom I revere. Yet the trailer is lame overall, because it doesn’t show one bit of what is gonna change for the better in Lightning Returns : constant and changing world, various interactions depending on the moment of the day, deeper customization… Those who had already buried the FFXIII saga could well be surprised.

Atelier Ayesha (PS3)

It’s going to be hard for Ayesha to dethrone princess Meruru. But if those newest Alchemy centric adventures are even remotely close to its predecessor, we no doubt have another fantastic and addictive title incoming.

Shining Ark (PSP)

Shining Blade was one of those games that look disappointing when you play, but that let you precious memories. Ace illustrator Tony Taka’s art is one of the main reasons for that and has decided me to put on call option on this series again. Coming with again great music and enriched with a new crafting/agricultural system, Shining Ark now just needs to be a little more difficult than its predecessor to enter the legend, given it features no less than Sephiroth’s long lost daughter.

God Eater 2 (PSVita)

Supposed to have been released last spring, God Eater 2 is one year late! But for greater good, since it comes in a full-fledged PSVita version! This is excellent for PSVita in Japan, and for our eyes, perfect occasion to hunt invaders in this post apocalyptic action/RPG.

Senran Kagura – Shinobi Versus (PSVita)

Excellent surprise of this beginning of portable generation, Senran Kagura leaves the hostile and region-locked environment of the 3DS to come to the Japanese PSVitas and therefore… yours! It will be interesting to see to what extend the popularity of the series can expand around the blog once it is freed form these shackles. This newest episode welcomes back all the previous characters and adds equally more. The leap in graphics is astonishing, the stages are open and the physics of the outfits is more… precise than ever.

Sim City (PC)

My brand-new PC is now running and eagerly awaits March. Never management in video games will have been so meticulous, and online possibilities should introduce competition and live markets. All my appointments for March are canceled.

Ace Attorney 5 (3DS)

Phoenix Wright must have been tired of his retirement, and so were we. After his medieval return along with Professor Layton, he’s again ready to barge in Japanese courts for hilarious new trials with graphics never seen on 3DS.

Legend of Heroes – Trails of the Flash (PSVita)

I know this series by reputation only, but I’ve got a hunch I shouldn’t overlook this newest episode inserting itself in an increasingly busy Vita schedule in Japan. Curiosity makes me explore new frontiers. The attractive design of Legend of Heroes, along with top-notch tech, could make this a real gem.

Medal of Honor Warfighter vs Call of Duty Black Ops II – comparative review

For the 3^rd year now, Activsion and EA ask the patronage of millions of FPS fans with clear intention to get the biggest part of the cake. So, which one deserves your money in 2012? /!\ this review is based on the PS3 version of both games only /!\

Solo campaign

Coefficient : 1

Black Ops II

The campaign in Medal of Honor Warfighter (MoHW) was far from bad. Well paced, lots of suspense, varied gameplay, etc. The sequences in vehicles were particularity thrilling as you had to pursue, advance discretely or flee in hostile environment. But when MoH has cars, Call of Duty has horses! On-horse sniping has been a quite funny experience (but it’s really hard) and the Afghan chapter in a whole was really something. The depiction of the near-future in Black Ops II (BO2) is also impressive with all the strange weapons and mechas. BO2 have definitely more charisma than the ones in MoH : Mason and Woods are making history. The scenario in BO2 is disappointing, the historical context is very good, but the threat by a rich megalomaniac has been seen a million times. MoH is slightly better in that department. But where BO2 nails it is in the surprising RTS missions, in which you order units from above like a general, but you can also jump into the fight any time to save the day.

Graphics

Coefficient : 3

Black Ops II

MoHW benefits from the Frostbite 2 engine, but at its fullest only during single player. Multiplayer looks like it is running on Frostbite 0.5 as poor modeling and ugly textures hurt the BF3-conditioned eye. Equally fine in single player, BO2 maintains a satisfying quality in multiplayer, though far from BF3 standards. Weapons look really nice, but maps suffer from aliasing.

Sound

Coefficient : 2

Black Ops II

Firing sounds, explosions and voices are correct either side (English voices are available in the French version for both, which is cool), but the OST of BO2 was more memorable, espacially the background music that makes it especially immersive.

Multiplayer

Coefficient : 5

Black Ops II

Adding to the poor graphics I was telling you about, the multiplayer in MoHW has other issues. The maps are extremely dark, and scoping in makes them even darker… There were frequent bugs in which you respawn in the netheruniverse, and weapon balance feels strange at best. On the contrary, BO2 is a big step forward since for the series which had seen a sharp drop in quality for two years. Respawn has been fixed, weapon balance and level design (see under) welcome every playstyle, and there are plenty of game modes. Also, the menu layout in MoHW is heavy and uncomfortable, unlike BO2 fresh Pick 10 and its renewed Elite.

Sniper gameplay

Coefficient : 9999

Black Ops II

MoHW is a HUGE letdown. Maps are FLAT. There is something like one window in the entire multiplayer and obstacles to block your firing line everywhere. Bolt-actions doesn’t even one-shot kill, which is unaceptable after the complaints on BF3 forums. BO2 makes it easier for snipers than MW3 or BO1, getting close its great elder MW2 (see under for details).

Winner : Black Ops II

No problem for Call of Duty this year as Medal of Honor sinks in every aspect. Still, it’s not a victory by forfeit, because Treyarch revived the CoD franchise to new heights, especially in single player. Multiplayer fixes many of the flaws that had crippled the franchise lately, and sniping feels great again. This well deserves an early sniper montage with all four guns!