Persona 3, Silent Hill, And More Of The Week’s Hottest Takes
Image: Square Enix, WB Games / DC / Kotaku, Rocksteady / WB Games, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Screenshot: Konami / Sony / Kotaku, Atlus / Kotaku, Rocksteady / WB Games, Xseed Games
In case you havenât heard, Persona 3 Reload is out, and itâs awfully darn good. Whether youâre a longtime series die-hard or just hopped on the bandwagon after Persona 5, thereâs a lot to sink your teeth into here. But not every game left us feeling quite so satisfied this week. Read on for our thoughts on Silent Hill: The Short Message, Granblue Fantasy Relink, and the secret NieR sequel you havenât played (but absolutely should).
Image: Square Enix
Nearly seven years after the release of NieR:Automata, fans are still clamoring for a third entry in the series helmed by Yoko Taro. While we are all eagerly awaiting another AAA console game in the DrakenNier universe, itâs easy to forget that a sequel is already available to playâbut it wonât be for much longer. That sequel is NieR Re[in]carnation. – Willa Rowe Read More
Screenshot: Konami / Sony / Kotaku
The announcement during last nightâs State of Play that a new entry in the Silent Hill franchise was out now and available for free immediately brought to mind the legendary P.T. demo. Sadly, the intrigue Silent Hill: The Short Message stoked during its trailer never pays off after playing through the entirety of this two-hour experience. A setting and story full of potential at the start quickly unravel into something shallow and predictable. The lasting impression The Short Message leaves is a sense of worry that this is a sign of things to come for the franchise as fans await the Silent Hill 2 remake and Silent Hill f with bated breath. – Willa Rowe Read More
Image: WB Games / DC / Kotaku
Last year, we saw the rise of video game publishers offering a few days of early access to big AAA games for a price. This year, itâs only going to get worse as it seems every large game publisher is holding games hostage and charging players a ransom fee to play a few days early. But what happens when you pay $80, $90, $100, or even more for a game and early access to it and donât actually get to play the game? Well, weâre seeing that play out with WB Games and Rocksteadyâs Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
Screenshot: Atlus / Kotaku
One of my biggest complaints with the original Persona 3 was that, even if I just wanted to be friends with any of the girls in my party, the gameâs social sim elements required you to enter a romantic relationship if you reached the end of their route. When this became clear to me, I stopped seeing their storylines through because otherwise, I would end up with a harem against my will. This is why we have YouTube playthroughs; to watch things we donât want to play. This mistake hasnât been repeated since, and Persona 4 and 5 allow you to see friendship paths through to the end. Now that Iâve played through Persona 3 Reload, Iâm happy to confirm the from-the-ground-up remake, out on February 2, finally allows you to see every characterâs relationshipâwithout having to initiate romance. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
Screenshot: Rocksteady / WB Games
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League isnât the game a lot of Arkham fans wanted. Itâs also yet another live-service video game, something that folks are less and less excited about with each passing year. And itâs not had great previews or trailers. But, Iâve enjoyed Rocksteadyâs past games a lot and the idea of playing as villains sounded intriguing. So I was hoping that the saga of Suicide Squad would conclude with a happy ending where the game turned out to be amazing. Unfortunately, 12+ hours into Suicide Squad, Iâm not sure thatâs going to happen. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
Screenshot: Xseed Games
Before multiple friends of mine went out of their way to sing the praises of Granblue Fantasy: Relink to me, I had no interest in the RPG. But with such energetic recommendations, I couldnât ignore the new title from developer Cygames, set to release on February 1 for PlayStation and PC. Thankfully, thereâs a demo out on PlayStation, and after spending a couple of hours with the game I was fully sold on Relinkâs charms. Itâs the perfect sales pitch for the game. If you too are cautiously interested in Granblue Fantasy: Relink, you have to give the demo a shot. – Willa Rowe Read More
Image: Rocksteady / WB Games
Rocksteadyâs new co-op looter-shooter, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, might not be the Batman sequel many fans wanted, but an early section of the game does offer some Arkham-like action. But this time, you are the ones being hunted by a powerful superhero hiding in the shadows. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
Image: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Tekken 8 has been out since January 26 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. While you might be tempted to jump straight into its online matches, which youâre not prepared forâtrust meâyou should check out the gameâs story mode first. Not only does it introduce you to many of Tekken 8’s characters and themes, but it also sets up a bombastic, relentlessly over-the-top narrative about breaking the chains that hold us back. And itâs a great way to acclimate yourself to some of the gameâs new mechanics. This is a story mode you shouldnât miss. – Levi Winslow Read More
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