Strategy/Sim

Looks Just Like a Good Friend of Mine

HIGH Non-violent, non-stressful, family-friendly gameplay.

LOW Might be too similar and unpolished for those familiar with Keflings.

WTF There's still no "everybody stop everything right now" function?

Needs to Go Back in the Oven

HIGH Dying on a boss near the end of the game, causing me to actually wake up and focus..

LOW Encountering a defect in the evolution system that blocked my progress and caused me to give up on it.

WTF Seriously, if you max out the xp on a form, you can no longer unlock any forms that branch from it? What sense does that make?!

The Console Wars Get Literal

HIGH The satirical cameos by unnamed game stars.

LOW Waiting for a minute for my hammer to recharge.

WTF Seeing the bruised heroine treated with "bondages" (not a typo!)

Square Enix is Out Hunting Monsters

HIGH The Lock-on System, a simple yet essential addition to the genre.

LOW Environments really aren't all that inspiring.

WTF No Infrastructure mode, seriously?

A (Very) Poor Man's Monster Hunter

HIGH The game didn't crash once on me in 40+ hours of playtime. Hurray!

LOW Tedious boss fights that feel like they're more based on luck and memorization than any kind of skill.

WTF The game doesn't have cooperative online—it is still 2011, right?

Metroid Meets Pokémon

HIGH The theme song in the Treehouse Grotto.

LOW The late-game money fetch quest that sticks out as padded play time.

WTF Why is the giant rabbit named Lobster?

Smaller. Faster. Better?

HIGH The rapid-switching gun/shield/sword/mouth mechanic is brilliant.

LOW All clothing in the game is only cosmetic; there are no effects or bonuses.

WTF Why is it called "Gods"? Every character in the game says it without the S.

I'm still working my way through Gods Eater Burst on PlayStation Portable. I haven't mentioned it here at the blog yet, but it's basically a "lite" version of Monster Hunter with a strong anime slant and combat that runs a hell of a lot faster than it does in Capcom's game—not that the speed itself is necessarily a good thing. (Spazzy alert: GO!!!)

Three Hundred Hours and Still Going Strong

HIGH A skin-of-my-teeth victory after a knock-down, drag-out, forty-five minute battle.

LOW Struggling to survive the nasty dual Tigrex mission... Twice.

WTF Watching my Felyne companion get the game-winning hit in on the last boss.

Not for Kindling

HIGH Look at those realistic flames! And all the different kinds of wood to burn!

LOW You can't stack the fire to insane proportions—no raging bonfires allowed.

WTF This is the Wii's second fireplace simulator. Is this actually a thing?