Late to the Party: Lost Judgment

eing a Spin-Off from a popular series is hard because you’re either as beloved as Family Matters, or as forgettable as The Cleveland Show—the reception to these ventures is rarely in-between.

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s first foray into the Yakuza Universe outside of Kiryu’s story continuity, Judgment, fringes between both ends of that measuring stick. The crux of this weakness fell upon its failure to carve a meaningful identity of its own from the rich source material it pulls from, well, aside from a fickle protagonist who was charming one second and irritatingly cringe-worthy the next at the very least.

Inconsistent delivery aside though, the premise of an Ex-Lawyer turned Private Eye in the world of Kamurcho still carries plenty of merits to re-visit in its own right, especially with mainline Yakuza series shifting into the Turn-Based RPG Genre for the indefinite future. This is where the follow-up sequel to Takayuki Yagami crime-solving caper, Lost Judgement, comes into the grand picture.

The Private Eye’s latest case leads him to the rough streets of Ijincho, and the setting isn’t the only thing that’s new as Lost Judgment is a sequel that boldly builds upon its formula instead of trying to deliver a familiar formula with some forced twists, making for an immensely better experience this time around.

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QCF: Firegirl: Hack 'N Splash Rescue

ith a city on fire in the background, a young firefighter desperately tries to save anyone that may be still inside the collapsing building. With little breath left in her body and even less water to fight the blaze, she continues to push forward in desperate hopes of making a difference. All this, on her very first night with the fire department. Okay, maybe it’s not that serious, but it sets the stage for an epic experience. In Firegirl: Hack 'N Splash Rescue the noir themes and roguelite gameplay elements blend very well in an experience that is difficult to master but equally hard to put down.

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QCF: Cyber Shadow

f there’s only one video game platform from the past that has to lead an everlasting brain trust spread throughout all walks of life, it’s the Nintendo Entertainment System. There are a bevy of other 8-bit machines that have their fans sure, but the NES has defined what people consider the 8-bit generation to be, establishing a style that still permeates a majority of the throwback indie titles that’s seen in the market today.

Drawing inspiration from the system’s aesthetics is one thing, but capturing the gameplay of that era is an entirely different beast, especially when it comes to channeling the essence of the challenge it’s famous for in an age of Save States and unlimited continues. Enter Mechanical Head Studio’s Cyber Shadow, a new title published by Yacht Club that chases the old ghosts of NES classics like Ninja Gaiden, Power Blade, Shatterhand, Shadow of the Ninja, and so much more—complete with a modern touch that aims to balance the scale of difficulty and fairness on the tightest of ropes.

There’s a lot to enjoy here for those who cut their teeth on the action genre during the days of the rectangular controller, but on that same token, arguably much of the beauty behind that generation is the “less is more” philosophy behind those games—something that Cyber Shadow is remiss to forget in its occasionally clumsy ambition.

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QCF: The Procession To Calvary (Steam)

t can be difficult to find something new and interesting in the genre of adventure games, a form of media that has existed for over forty years. In The Procession To Calvary, it’s creator Joe Richardson is able to create an unapologetic and humorous entry into the market utilizing free use artwork from the Renaissance and public domain music that is a refreshing ode to the cutout hilarity of Monty Python. And although the mechanics of the game are also laughable, it does not take away the fact that it has a sense of humor that was exactly on my level of gross and stupid.

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Bullet Heaven #236 - Rym 9000 (PS4)

EPILEPSY AND PHOTOSENSITIVITY WARNING IS IN FULL PLAY. 

Ear Bleeding? Eye Melting? Is this really what we need in a shmup? Without a doubt, it definitely earns its Epilepsy warning. Rym 9000 makes its case for use of extreme audiovisual means. But how does it stack up?   

In the credits: 

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Bullet Heaven 233.5: Star Fox SECRETS!

Bullet Heaven 234: Devil Engine

Bullet Heaven 235: Iron Crypticle

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Bullet Heaven #234 - Devil Engine (Switch)

There has to be something to those rare games that literally everyone wants us to weigh in on But what is it about Devil Engine? Well, we think we have the answer to why this standard, traditional horizontal shooting game with a touch of Thunder Force DNA is such a hot contact on everyone's radar. But how does it stack up? 

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Bullet Heaven 232: Horizon Shift '81
Bullet Heaven 233: Star Fox
Bullet Heaven 233.5: Star Fox Secrets!

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Bullet Heaven #226 - Zero Ranger (PC)

There are a lot of great vertical shooters out there, but none do quite what Zero Ranger (formerly known as Final Boss) does. Even though there isn't anything especially noteworthy about its individual parts, it really all comes together to make an experience that's unlike any other shooter we've played yet. But how does it stack up? 

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Bullet Heaven 223: Shikhondo Soul Eater
Bullet Heaven 224: Battle City
Bullet Heaven 225: Velocity 2X

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QCF: We Happy Few

fter multiple showcases at conventions, and a buzzworthy trailer debut during Microsoft’s keynote at E3 that was soon followed by a number of delays, We Happy Few has finally out on store shelves. Not only did the latest first-person narrative adventure from Compulsion Games have some lofty expectations to live up to, but it also had to stand out within a year that had so many high-pedigree releases like God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and so many more.

Regardless of the imposing odds that lay before it though, We Happy Few, unfortunately, falls under the weight of its own ambitions, and quickly devolves into one of the worst releases seen in 2018.

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