I doesn't like writing negative reviews and actually doesn't even write reviews if I can say all-good things from a game. I played this game on PSVita alongside with Re:Birth2. While I loved Re:Birth1 but I have to be honest, the other two games are the exact same, even the storyline shares a way too similarities. If you played the first game, you alredy finished this one as well Re:Birth2. There is only the same overused elements and jokes, and plays the exact same against the same threats. The GOG rating system only let you to rate the games as whole but I have to note I still give 5/5 for the gameplay. Absolutely awesome battle and equipment systems. You just can't get bored of fighing like how you do in most of the general turn-based RPGs. However the story, the overused musics and jokes, as well the copied contents worth only 1/5. This game is nothing more than the very first game with a different starting position. If I could call the whole series as Hyperdimension Universe, these games only repeat the events all the time. This game is worthy only for a fan, being a title from a good developer based an excelent idea. As a game it not worth another 6 Gb next to the already 6 + 6 Gb of the two other games, it is nearily like copying the first game to an another drive.
Usually I write review only when I'm completely satifished by the game, or it is a classic that can be loved with the "legendary" bugs. The so called instant five-star games. Now I feel bad for a little because I rate this game 4 star only. Tempest is an action sailing game (whoo a new genre!). You are the captain, and you have to menage your ship to survive. This game follows the path of the many classic RPGs where everything depends on everything. You, the captain only gives some bonus to your ship, the main stats however comes from the equipments. Cannons, hull, sail, as well different cannonballs for different purposes. There are equipable addons for the equipments, special weapons, and tools for support. Also there are your crew. The crew gives the efficiency of your ship. Even with the best possible equipment you're nothing without the right crew setup. There are also special crew members that boost the specific efficiency with some additional stat bonus. The crew also important when you want to board a hostile ship. Yes, you can capture enemy ships for seilling, using, or just using its material to repair yourself. Pretty nasty option to keep you entertaining. And now the main question, where the game lose that one star. The multiplayer. The store page states it has multiplayer, as well the developer himself talk about it (and I even seen it working in the Steam version), but actually there is no multiplayer. Can't connect to the Steam server or I don't know. Even worse there is no other option for multiplayer. The game completely lacks every kind of LAN options. It is just shame for such a promising game.
Let me start with the fact: there is a lot of 8 or 16 bit-like games. These are intend to bring back the feels of the classic titles. Oniken however a little different kind of game. Since all of these games are placing old styles into the modern possibilities, Oniken stays at the point that nothing more than a Nintendo Entertainment System game... and this is the greatest success I ever seen. Oniken not just a nostalgic copy, but a real retro game that was released in 2014. It exactly plays like as a NES game, and shares the same difficulty and tricks during play. Whenever the events of the story starts to break down a little, an epic twist (complete with an epic music) occurs to put you back to the horse. Simple: move, then slash, then move again, then jump, it is like this. You must watch out what you tries to take first, because as in many old games you can easily trapped at the wrong place causing powerful crossfire. I talked about the difficulty before, now let me explain it a little more. As you start the game there is a very simple and linear stage to stage saving with HP refil after every area of the actual stage. This is easy and very good for learning the game's tricks. Beating the game will unlock a "Hardcore" mode for not just hardcore fans. This mode could be called "original NES" mode. It removes the save at the end of the stages and the HP refil completely. You must finish the game without help, just like in the old days of Ninja Gaiden. Awesome if you ask me. The story is a realy retro cartridge story. Cyberpunk world, a little silly plot, and a lot of "an another threat appeared" scene. It is complete with the rythmic and totally fitting original 8 bit tunes. The epic moments always receive the well-deserved epic themes just to make you excited. For a closing line, Oniken is a style I totally missed even after playing on Shovel Knight, Rabi-Rabi, Shantae, Odallus and other titles. It is perfectly like a game that survived 1990.
Okay I accept the title doesn't really show how much I loved this game back then, but it is the "key" feature. Battlefront II is a tactical shooter, a Battlefield game build around the Star Wars universe. Do not let this description deceive you, because it is much more! As other games in this genre, your goal is to overrun the opposite team with strategy or brutal power. It is essential to use the environment to your advantage, while trying to prevent the enemy doing the same. There are vehicles you can drive (the well known and legendary machines of Star Wars). Some of them are powerful warmachines, while others are team carriers. There is a wide variety of classes with different weapons. Every type has its own situation for use, and all of them are required for effective teamplay. However not just the weapons change per classes, but often the whole character with its properities. Some of them are faster, others has more HP, or having special, sometimes completely unique properties (the droideka for example). The stronger classes always require some points before you could use it. When I say "stronger" then I mean "legendary strong" as there are heroes as class either. Heroes are far more powerful than what usually you can use. They are the pinnacle of the strategy you can depend on. Strong enough to protect an assault team, or powerful to break through an entire army. This however works only with real skills behind. It is a large scale game with bot support even during multiplayer. I haven't seen other games from this genre having this much fun and playability, no matter if you're into singleplayer or multiplayer.
