A Year in Review: App Trigger’s video game reviews of 2017

May

• Birthdays: The Beginning (PC) – 7/10 – “Awkward controls and a requirement of patience are the only things holding Birthdays the Beginning back from excellence as a scientific twist on a world simulation.”
• Prey (PS4) – 8/10 – “Taken together, Prey is a brilliant but flawed descent into a world of science gone wrong, driven by a well told, cerebrally satisfying story which makes up for the mechanical inconsistencies of the experience.”
• Human: Fall Flat (PS4) – 7/10 – “By putting a little more finesse and care into building the parameters of its goofy concept, it’s far more enjoyable than your average “Gabe Newell Physician Simulator 5000” found on the daily sales page of Steam, making this purchase well worth its slightly steeper asking price.”
• NBA Playgrounds (NS) – 7/10 – “NBA Playgrounds has some rough spots, but one cannot deny that it is a fun arcade-style basketball game. Local multiplayer is a joy, and the single-player modes are entertaining enough to warrant a playthrough.”
• OK Golf (Android) – 6.5/10 – “There’s a fine, fine line between relaxing simplification and dullness, and OK Golf straddles it rather precariously. You’ll either find it a charming, laid back way to enjoy a golf puzzle, or uninstall it after the first course or two.”
• Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition (NS) – 7/10 – “Stripped of the game’s best aspects and with a limited amount of skin packs, much of Minecraft’s appeal is lost. Split-screen co-op and portability options do what they can to entice an audience, and may attract some eager to expand their Nintendo Switch library.”
• Persona 5 (PS4) – 9/10 – “Persona 5 is an exquisitely put together RPG overflowing with incredible style and a main cast you will sorely miss when the game is done. It’s easily the best RPG I’ve played in a few years.”
• Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS) – 8/10 – “Fire Emblem Echoes is not here to make waves in a tried and true formula–certainly not as a remake of a very old game. But it’s one of the most competent remakes that I’ve seen in years and more than enough for anyone wistfully longing for a new series entry.”
• Disgaea 5 Complete (NS) – 9/10 – “Disgaea 5 Complete on Switch is the best way to play and to experience Disgaea 5.”
• Shadow Warrior 2 (PS4) – 8/10 – “…I thought I had consumed my year’s fill on politically incorrect, self-referential and overtly phallic humor. That was before Shadow Warrior 2 grabbed me by the collar, screamed a barrage of innuendos in my face and sat me down on the couch for another first-person dismemberment parade that I couldn’t help but find myself grinning along with.”

• Injustice 2 (PS4) – 9/10 – “Outside of frustrating zoning characters at the time of release and a few business practice decisions…Injustice 2 demonstrates how fighting games should be done in this console generation.”
• The Surge (PC) – 6.5/10 – “The game struggles with identifying how to successfully balance difficulty, giving the impression of being hard for the sake of being hard. Deck 13 have vastly improved upon their formula, and hopefully, this is a sign of great things to come.”
• Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (NS) – 6/10 – “With a functional, but extremely bare bones online component, the game nonetheless offers great visuals and audio quality. Underwhelming new gameplay modes and controls just don’t transfer well to the standard Joy-Con controls for the Nintendo Switch.”
• Magikarp Jump (Android) – 5/10 – “At least, unlike the Magikarp that you can buy in the main games for 500 Pokedollars, with Magikarp Jump you get what you pay for.”
• RiME (PC) – 9/10 – “Rime expertly weaves a truly meaningful tale in with enjoyable gameplay while giving that play significant narrative impact–a feat I hope more and more games over time come to master.”
• The Walking Dead: A New Frontier episode 5 – From the Gallows (PC) – 6.5/10 – “What worked in this finale did not make up for the flimsy story, lack of character development and general lack of focus throughout The Walking Dead: A New Frontier.“
• The Walking Dead: A New Frontier (Full Season) (PC) – 6.5/10 – “Repetitive gameplay, technical glitches, and the constant overshadowing of one character by another significantly blunt the set-up of the season’s cutting finale. The journey must continue in the inevitable fourth season, but I hope Telltale devises a better game plan for when that time comes.”

June

• Tekken 7 (PS4) – 7/10 – “Make no mistake, Tekken 7 is a game for diehard fans of the series. It features solid combat and a story that, while not very strong, can justify fans wanting a solid conclusion to the nearly 25-year-long Mishima Saga.”
• Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy episode 2: Under Pressure (PC) – 7/10 – “An oddly-paced episode is made up for with a deep characterization of the Guardians of the Galaxy, further supplanting the series as a character-driven comedy adventure game.”
• ARMS (NS) – 7.5/10 – “ARMS is not going to be for everybody, but it tries to present something different in the fighting genre much like Splatoon did for shooters. And I feel like it mostly succeeds.”
• Randall (PS4) – 4/10 – “Randall is not a bad looking or broken game, but its lack of variety in level and enemy design, along with the lackluster plot, confusing dialogue and cutscenes, make it a chore to finish.”
• Cave Story+ (NS) – 9/10 – “Cave Story+ is an absolute blast of a game. It’s addicting, it’s entertaining, and the multiple endings will keep you playing time and time again.”
• Ever Oasis (3DS) – 8/10 – “Supplemented by a beautiful score and packed with sidequests and replayability, Ever Oasis proves a sorely-needed bit of refreshment for 3DS owners waiting for a title they can get lost in.”
• Dead by Daylight (PS4) – 3.5/10 – “The look of the game seems to be one that could fit just as easily on the previous generation, and the replayability factor is rather low given the limited maps and ways to win.”
• Diablo 3: Rise of the Necromancer (PC) – “Coughing up $15 for a single class is a tough pill to swallow, though, which is a shame considering its well thought out design. Hardcore players will certainly want the added flexibility of the Necromancer class, especially when Season 11 goes live.”
• Crash Bandicoot: N.Sane Trilogy (PS4) – 7/10 – “Looks aren’t everything (as I’m sure N.Gin will be pleased to hear), after all, and the old-school design sensibilities of Crash – left largely untouched by Vicarious Visions in the N.Sane Trilogy – have aged about as well as a raw chicken in a Turkish sauna.”
• Valkyria Revolution (PS4) – 4/10 – “It’s hard to understand why Valkyria Revolution even exists.”
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Master Trials (NS) – 7.5/10 – “Put it all together, and the Master Trials DLC works well to entice players of all stripes back. Though I personally did not embrace Master Mode, its challenges will be eagerly met by those who didn’t find Breath of the Wild’s combat punishing enough the first go around.”