Pierre-Yves’ Games of the Year – 2017

Unlike last year I struggled to select my choices for this year. There were a lot of amazing titles and as we set ourselves strict guidelines, choices had to be made. That said, here are my Games of the Year, my Pleasant Surprise, Guilty Pleasure and my Biggest Disappointment.

Game of the Year

Before sitting down to and losing myself in Original Sin 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera sat as king. Both were amazing across the board in what they could offer as well as their stellar presentations. Sadly I went with one title per category and as great as Torment was, Divinity took the crown.

What stood out the most for me was Divinity Original Sin 2’s characters. While you could create your own custom character there were also Origin Characters that come with their own added dialog lines, extra events that may happen and above all of that, these characters already exist in the game. It was awesome that you could chose pre-existing people and play out the story as them instead of someone who would otherwise “not exist” in this world.

From there the rest of the experience is just as amazing as the original. Environmental effects are back and just as useful as before with the ability to light oil patches on fire, electricity water, freeze water or douse anyone or anything on fire. More than these options for combat was the fact that just because everyone was in a party didn’t mean that they were all treated equally. I’m still surprised, and happily, that just because one person pissed off a merchant didn’t mean that the other people couldn’t still keep dealing with them. All of these just made it into a title that stood out above the rest. PY’sReview

Platform: PC	Genre(s): RPG, Strategy
Developer(s): Larian Studios	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Larian Studios	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation 4 Microsoft Xbox One

1st runner up

It seems like a lot of my J/RPG adventures started off either with a friend lending them to me or one fateful day at an EB Games and the Atelier series is no exception to the later.

Since that first fateful day with the release of Atelier Iris on the PS2 I have played through each release even if I wasn’t overly fond of the timelines. While Sophie did away with them and Firis brought them back they did so in the best possible way giving you a full year in order to learn as much as possible while making it towards your goal.

The journey was an incredible one. Firis is finally allowed to leave her underground home accompanied by her sister Liane on the bet that if she can’t become an alchemist within the year she is to return and never again discuss leaving for the outside. On that journey you were also no longer subject to always returning to your base of operations as Sophie, Firis’ teacher, gives her a portable lab. This allowed for constant discovery and moving forward with interesting party members and people’s along the way.

It’s rare to finish a large game like this off the bat but I was so absorbed into it that next thing I knew credits were rolling after a couple dozen hours. Better yet? There was a no time limit post story to keep things going. PY’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): RPG
Developer(s): Gust	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Koei Tecmo	Other Platform(s): PC

2nd runner up

Like the Atelier series, my love for the Ys also started one fateful day at an EB Games. Minimum wage job, not that much money in my bank account, I totally bought the Ark of Napishtim back on the PS2. Since that point I’ve played just about every entry and re-release short of Origins. Guess what I’m hopefully doing this holiday break?

Ys 8: The Lacrimosa of Dana has to be me favorite in the series if for nothing else than it was different. Red haired protagonist Adol? Check. Shipwrecks inbound? Check. Stuck on an island with no other sign of civilization or peoples living there to sell you stuff? That was new and in one of the best ways possible.

This latest entry took a lot of what made the series what it is while simultaneously doing new things. Stuck on this island there’s plenty to explore in order to find materials in order to fortify your settlement to keep those that washed ashore safe. While being out and about you sometimes had to rush back in order to protect that settlement from a horde of incoming monsters in a Tower Defense while also being able to do the reverse. The graphics while never a huge factor in this series were amazing, the soundtrack as always did not disappoint and the new style of scenario just brought it all together. PY’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): Action, Adventure, RPG
Developer(s): Falcom	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): NIS America	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation Vita, PC

Surprise of the Year

Taking one look at Cosmic Star Heroine and my nostalgia could have already told you that I would enjoy it. What that would not be able to tell you however is that this ten to twelve hour experience was more than just enjoyable. It was downright amazing being more than just another tribute to the SNES greats.

Cosmic Star Heroine has a lot going for it before even getting into it being a love letter to older shooled gamers. The music is great, the character designs are amazing I mean come on, they have a robot Freddie Mercury who uses music to fight and to top it off the battle system keeps things interesting from start to finish as you can’t just spam your way from intro to outro. The effort and the love from the developers was clear to see and I’m glad that they are working on getting the Vita version right as well as that this stellar title will be gracing the Nintendo Switch in the new year. PY’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): RPG
Developer(s): Zeboyd Games	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Zeboyd Games	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation Vita (2018) PC

Biggest Dissapointment

I… I don’t even know where to start. I had been looking forward to Elex since originally hearing about it. A post apocalyptic world with three main factions that look and act differently than one another in an alien world that while having an Earth Dinosaur extinction level event is still moving forward. Add in combat and plenty to explore and it had all the elements to be something incredible. Sadly it was anything but.

While Elex has all of the elements that it needs it sadly just couldn’t put it together. The combat system feels clunky as they add in a Soul’s esque stamina system that just doesn’t fit, enemies regardless of where you are can go from being challenging to outright killing you in a sneeze. Grinding endgame gear in an MMO I think is easier than the amount of grinding that it took to simply wield a new weapon. And while I can generally be lenient on game freezing and crashing… with everything else and HOW OFTEN it happened. Nope.

While I really wanted to love Elex… I just couldn’t. It had all the pieces but none of the execution. PY’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): Action, Adventure, RPG
Developer(s): Piranha Bytes	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): THQ Nordic	Other Platform(s): Microsoft Xbox One PC

Guilty Pleasure

This is Nick’s fault. He originally reviewed the first and second with this 2.5 action title thereafter on the Vita. So when they finally made their way to the PS4 he passed them my way allowing me the chance to see what it was all about. Feelings. Lots of feelings and some of the best script writing that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and listening to as the voice acting was superb.

Ultra Despair Girls while being an action title more than a Visual Novel has to be one of the things that I’ve had the most guilty pleasure in experiencing this year. Shooting Monokumas with a loudspeaker while running around a ruined Japan as both a schoolgirl and a serial killer psychopath was both hilarious and satisfying at the same time. Nick’sReview – Vita
PY’sReview – PS4

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): Action, Visual Novel
Developer(s): Spike Chunsoft	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): NIS America	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation Vita PC

 

Article by: Pierre-Yves

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Richard’s Games of the Year – 2017

Game of the Year

If I clock 30+ hours in two days on a game, it damn well better be my game of the year pick.
Richard’s Review – Vita
Nick’s Review – PS4

Platform: Sony PlayStation Vita	Genre(s): RPG
Developer(s): Experience Inc.	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): NIS America	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation 4

1st runner up

A nice nostalgic throwback to the old point and click adventurers of yore. Engaging story where all of your actions actually impact your ending, regardless of how slightly. A level of detail that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Richard’s Review

Platform: PC	Genre(s): Point and Click Visual Novel
Developer(s): Cherrymochi	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Square Enix	Other Platform(s): None

2nd runner up

I’ve always been told to pick up the Ys series, but never did before playing this one. Past me was very dumb.

Richard’s Review – Vita
Nick’s Review – PS4

Platform: Vita	Genre(s): Action, Adventure, RPG
Developer(s): Falcom	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): DotEmu	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation 4

Surprise of the Year

Zwei was funny, quirky, enjoyable, and the MUSCLES?!.

Richard’s Review

Platform: PC	Genre(s): Action, RPG
Developer(s): Nihon Falcom	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Xseed Games Marvelous USA	Other Platform(s): None

Biggest Disappointment

Seriously, go Google mass effect Andromeda funny glitches, but imagine them not funny. I basically only picked it up because I had fun with ME3s multiplayer. Yeah, no, not anymore.

Nick’s Review

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): RPG
Developer(s): BioWare	Mode(s): Single Player Multiplayer
Publisher(s): Electronic Arts	Other Platform(s): Microsoft Xbox One PC

Guilty Pleasure

There was a lot about this game I could point out as really poorly done: the storyline, the animations, the acting, even some of the gameplay decisions, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t have a lot of fun throwing underpants at zombies. Richard’s Review

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): Action, Shooter
Developer(s): Tamsoft	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Aksys Games	Other Platform(s): None

 

Article by: Richard

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Games of the Year 2017

Hello everyone and welcome to our Game of the Year 2017 Edition!

Doing something a little differently this year we've gone and changed up how we decided to present to you our lists.

For everyone that jumped in you'll have our:

●     Game of the Year;

●     1st Runner-up;

●     2nd Runner-up;

●     Surprise of the Year;

●     Guilty Pleasure; and finally our

●     Disappointment of the Year

So without further ado, here they will be over the course of the last week before the holiday break!

●     Nick: December 18th

●     Richard: December 19th

●     Pierre-Yves: December 20th

●     Chris: December 21st

●     Robert: December 22nd

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SOMA - Xbox One Review

SOMA first released on PC a couple of years ago, but now it is making its way onto consoles and fans of suspenseful, narrative-driven games should make sure to play this title if they missed it the first time around.

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2017 CGR Games of the Year

Hello everyone and welcome to our Game of the Year 2017 Edition!

Doing something a little differently this year we've gone and changed up how we decided to present to you our lists.

For everyone that jumped in you'll have our:

• Game of the Year;
• 1^st Runner-up;
• 2^nd Runner-up;
• Surprise of the Year;
• Guilty Pleasure; and finally our
• Disappointment of the Year

Just head on over to our 2017 Games of the Year page to see what made the cut or what we thought seriously needed work.

Enjoy!
The Chalgyr's Game Room Team

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Nick’s Games of the Year – 2017

Game of the Year

While I still personally preferred Persona 4 by a narrow margin, and there is an argument that Persona 5 lasted a bit longer than it should have at the end, the game is still fantastic in almost every way. The visual style and music are distinctive, the way the story it sold is interesting, the characters are memorable and at its heart, we still have a turn-based RPG that is as good as they come. Nick’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): RPG
Developer(s): Atlus	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Atlus	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation 3

1st runner up

It seemed implausible back when Nintendo first showed a trailer for this game. A Skyrim-esque open world featuring link? Surely it would be too great a technical challenge? Or the game would lose some of its ‘Zelda’ soul in the process? Nope, instead we have a game that is still being played by multiple people in my house and easily became my family’s most played title in 2017. MarcL’s Review – Switch
PY’sReview – WiiU

Platforms: Nintendo Switch	Genre(s): Adventure
Developer(s): Nintendo	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Nintendo	Other Platform(s): Nintendo WiiU

2nd runner up

It’s been a few years since I played a proper Danganronpa game, and yet V3 picks up where we left off, adding a few new wrinkles to an already fantastic formula. When the first Danganronpa released on Vita years ago, it changed how people looked at the Visual Novel genre, and V3 continues that standard of excellence through it’s unique visuals and twisted, emotional story. Nick’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): Adventure
Developer(s): Spike Chunsoft	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): NIS America Spike Chunsoft	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation Vita PC

Surprise of the Year

I am a huge turn-based, RPG/strategy fan. In many ways, the Sega Genesis was arguably my favorite console due to genre titles such as Warsong, Shining Force and even Sega CD games like Dark Wizard. So what happens when you take one of my favorite stories and merge this non-traditional narrative with comfortable, familiar gameplay? You get Godseekers, and I loved it. Nick’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): Strategy, RPG
Developer(s): Omega Force	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Koei Tecmo Games	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation Vita

Biggest Disappointment

I love Double Dragon. The arcade original ate many of my quarters and still has one of the best tunes in the history of video game music. I spent countless hours playing Double Dragons I & II on the NES. Double Dragon III was a huge misstep in the arcade, and hard-as-they-come but interesting headache on the NES. I liked Double Dragon Neon even. So how the heck did Double Dragon IV go so wrong? It looks and sounds the part of a 25 year old game, with no modern sensibilities and terrible collision detection. Huge letdown from a lifelong fan of the series. Nick’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): Action, Brawler
Developer(s): Arc System Works	Mode(s): Single / Local Multiplayer
Publisher(s): Arc System Works	Other Platform(s): PC

Guilty Pleasure

I enjoyed this game when it came out on the PS2 originally, but haven’t played it since. It’s weird, it’s different, with its unusual Gambit system, a lot of unfamiliar bosses and lots of walking / backtracking. But the updated version looks better, added some nice conveniences such as 2x and 4x speed and I was still going back and beating end-game content like Yiazmat in November. It’s not a new game, but it has staying power. Nick’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): RPG
Developer(s): Square Enix	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Square Enix	Other Platform(s): Original: Sony PlayStation 2

 

 

Article by:  Nick

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Pinball FX3: Carnivals & Legends - Switch Review

Simply put, Pinball FX3 is a fantastic fit for the Nintendo Switch, and its new set of tables (which are free if you hurry up and download them) are a welcome addition to the family. Pinball FX3: Carnivals & Legends provides two tables, one of which is good and the other which is great and both of which should be played immediately if you are a fan of Zen Studios' creative brand of video game pinball.

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Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock - XB1 Review

Robert was a big fan of Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock on the PC and there's no much of a question as to why. Slitherine is a name that already boasts confidence and with them behind Black Lab Games, the first Cylon War in Battlestar's history was something to experience. Put in charge of a very formidable installation, welcome to a deadlocked situation which will often have you questioning if what you just did was actually a good decision.

I'll start off with the fact that Deadlock is not something that you can dive into headfirst and expect to succeed every time. This is also a good thing as there's a depth to the system that can both make or break you. While I found the controls a bit iffy through the controller, you'll eventually adapt as the hours roll on by.

Deadlock puts you into an interesting situation that while being turned based also contains real-time elements. All decision making will be done while paused but once you are done with your choices you get to see them played out in real time. This allows you to adapt from a potentially previous bad decision and hope that your next one will save you.

Your turns themselves will have you plan out the movement of your ships and their orders for that turn. Using their turrets, missile barrages or repair orders on the numerous fundamental systems can all be issued while either closing the gap or trying to create one between your ships and the enemy.

What I truly appreciated is that because this is “space” there's more than simply two-dimensional movement. When issuing move orders you can also tell ships to adjust, using the two-dimensional logic, up or down. This allows for some feats that could be considered tactical brilliance while it could also be the cause of you wondering why your fleet isn't attacking the oncoming enemy. Elevation matters for firing solutions and it may have happened more than once that I oops on this effect.

One of the other features that I appreciated was the choice in difficulty and exactly what you could expect. While the choice is a fairly common thing that one could expect it was the specifics that left nothing to the imagination as to exactly how evenly matched or out-matched one would be. Even on “normal” in which you are given the same allotment as the enemy things can get tough if you stupidly issued orders getting your ships destroyed. I swear I'm not talking from experience…

The only part of the experience that I didn't like per say were the controls. Even after a good deal of time I still found myself getting the directions to pan or zoom in wrong. If anything, and I don't say this often, I would have preferred a mouse and keyboard in order to issue my orders and let my fleet carry them out.

That said that was the only issue. Not only is the overall system that handles the gameplay great, but the visuals of the ships and the systems that you explore are pleasing to the eye. The music that accompanies your starting orders and the battle sequences sound great and fit the experience very well.

Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock is not only an amazing strategy experience in the depths of space but also a great Battlestar entry. While losing battles to the toasters can be a bit disappointing because you only have yourself to blame, winning brings about a sense of accomplishment that you won the day and that humanity can keep going on for a little bit longer. So say we all.

Game Information

Platform:
Microsoft Xbox One
Developer(s):
Black Lab Games
Publisher(s):
Slitherine Ltd.
Genre(s):
Strategy
Mode(s):
Single Player
Multiplayer
Other Platform(s):
PC

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Black Mirror - PS4 Review

There are a lot of moments where Black Mirror is pushing just on the verge of being a really solid adventure game, but those moments are too few and far between, hampered by technical issues and sloppy controls. The story is a good one, and those who are willing to wrestle with these shortcomings in favor of an interesting narrative will likely enjoy their time with Black Mirror, but in the end it is a barely better than average title.

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