Lucky Gamer Recap 8/4/17

Revelations, Anime, and Amiibo

Introducing the “Lucky Gamer” weekly recap. Every week I’m going to look at the 7 coolest gaming related news articles that should make you feel lucky to be a gamer. So put the control down for a second, crack open a bag of cotton candy, and bask in the glory of our lucky charms. Or do none of those things and just read this on your phone as you wish you could leave work.

1. Resident Evil Revelations 1 & 2 coming to a Nintendo Switch near you! (You know cause you probably haven’t been able to buy one yet.)

Capcom stated a few weeks back that they were pleasantly surprised by the performance of Street Fighter on Switch but I doubt this is completely a result of that. Regardless, it’s exciting to say that the 2012 surprise hit and the 2015 sequel will both be playable on the Nintendo Switch at some point before the end of 2017. No specific date was given so maybe it was a direct response to the success of Street Fighter, but either way, bravo Capcom. Now kindly, where is Deep Down?

2. Ark: Survival Evolved full release delayed.

Now I know at this moment you’re probably saying to yourself, “how does a game being delayed make me a lucky gamer?” and honestly, I have no clue. But this right here felt like an important piece of information to share with my fellow gamers. The big old official release of this amazing game most gamers have already been playing for two years has been delayed. Delayed to when you may ask? Well thats what this article is here for, to share knowledge and give you the information that matters. Ark’s full release has moved from August 8th to August 29th.

3. Persona 5 Anime TV Series coming in 2018.

Persona 5 is an amazing game. For some people it may be to cumbersome to really be able to dive in and enjoy it in all its glory. For those people this news should be incredible exciting because if its anything like the last time Atlus converted a Persona game into an anime this will be great. It will be all of the amazing plot without all of the high school life simulation gameplay. There you have ya baby, go watch the anime instead of playing the game.

4. Metroid: Samus Returns “Fusion Mode” is an Amibo Exclusive?

Nintendo announced that four different amiibo will work for the upcoming 3DS Metroid game and each contain it’s own extra content. That extra content can only be accessed by using the little NFC enabled toys. This is pretty scary but considering we all felt that way about Online Passes at first and they are still around it’s no biggie. Oh wait they are not? Eh, doesn’t matter, it’s Nintendo. They can do no wrong. Here’s a quick list: New Squishy unlocks Fusion Mode, New Samus Aran unlocks Metroid 2 art gallery, Zero Suit Samus unlocks sound test mode, and classic Samus unlocks a missile tank and concept art. Yea, nothing wrong here.

5. Playstation Plus & Games With Gold August freebies announced.
Sure it’s mandatory now so it doesn’t feel quite as great to get free games with the purchase of PS Plus or Xbox Gold but, wait… no it actually does. Actually it feels even better because I was going to play online anyway so this is totally a bonus. Anyway first lets rattle off the PS Plus bonuses, well you know because I’m the Playstation guy. As of August 2nd you’ll be able to download Just Cause 3 and Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry for your PS4, Super Motherload and Snakeball for your PS3, & Downwell and Level 22 for your PS Vita (Hard Tip: Downwell works on PS4 and Level 22 works on PS4 & PS3.) One on the big green machine, Xbox gamers get to download Slime Rancher, Bayonetta, Trials Fusion, & Red Faction: Armageddon, playable on 360 and the One. Have fun and don’t forget to download them before the end of the month!

6. FIFA 18 to have multiple versions of historic players.

Some times playing only one game from a specific genre spoils and leaves you confused. This is announcement is a prime example. Baseball games are the only sport genre games I play. In Baseball games this has been a thing for a really long time. Either way the excitement should be real for any long time FIFA fans who want to play as legendary players from back in their day. Tread carefully and prepare for angry internet people as there will only be up to 3 unique versions of certain legendary players. Actually scratch that, I can’t really imagine why there would be more.

7. WNBA Teams and Players will be playable in NBA Live 18!?

Women’s basketball. Enough said. No I’m kidding this is actually pretty cool. This will be the first non fighting sport game that has female athletes. Huge statement for females all around the globe. Ladies we love you. Sincerely, Hard Mode Gamers. P.S. We are still hoping to get some females on the team so shoot an email over and let us begin negotiations. And shout to EA for making this a thing, hope it does well for their sales.

Thats all for this week folks, but feel free to leave some of your favorite pieces of news in the comments below. Have a great weekend.

Posted in Articles Tagged with: ark, ark survival evolved, ask, fifa, games, gaming, gaming news, luck, lucky, metroid, Microsoft, nba, news, persona, persona 5, playstation, ps3, ps4, resident evil, resident evil revelations, revelations, roundup, Sony, video games, videogames, vita, xbox, xbox 360, xbox one

Persona 5 – Official Review

“Not Another Teen Movie” meets “Ocean’s 11” except it’s in Japan and it’s 90 Hours Long

In the universe of Japanese Role Playing Games there are an infinite amount of worlds that represent characteristics of Japanese culture. The Persona series is one that focuses on cultural tropes centered around the experience of being a high school student. Persona 5, published and developed by Atlus, is the sixth installment in the Persona series, which itself is part of the larger Shin Megami Tensei franchise. Released on April 4th, 2017 Persona 5 is part high school life simulator and part grind based monster slaying RPG tangled up in the web of an intricate story with an unbelievable soundtrack as additional garnish.

GRAPHICS: 2/2

Rather than join the over flowing bucket of hyper realistic games, Atlus has chosen to maintain its stronghold on the anime cell shaded art style that fans of the series have grown to adore. With a few refinements for good measure. The fluidity of character movement is hard to appreciate because it is consistently overshadowed by the gorgeous color popping visuals at every environment. Even when exploring thematic dungeons using a consistent color scheme and decor, every new area feels refreshing and exciting. When not exploring the dungeon, the developments team’s determination to recreate the city of Tokyo truly shines through. Train stations and public areas are populated by many unique NPCs. Distant locations never seem broken or incomplete at any point, and shops are full of vibrant displays representative of items the player can actually interact with. Combined with the music, which will be covered later, even the loading screens are enjoyable. The best part are the back and fourth seamless transitions between fully animated anime style cutscenes and in engine dialogue based scripted moments. The refreshing visuals make it possible to play and enjoy endless hours in the world Persona 5.

STORY: 1/2

25 hours in, Persona 5 is “Not Another Teen Movie” meets “Ocean’s 11” in Japan. Although each segment individually provides an incredible narrative providing every reason to want to grind through the missions and palace presented, the overarching story still doesn’t exist. At the beginning a mystery began to unfold surrounding a series of strange events happening in the city, however that premise is quickly overshadowed by the issues that present immediate concern. The big issue with this story is that despite how incredible it may actually be, the amount of cutscenes and time invested doesn’t have anything spectacular going on. The plot bides its time a bit too long.

AUDIO: 2/2

First and foremost, the soundtrack composition throughout the entire Persona series has been phenomenal but, it was after Persona 3 that series become well recognized for its music. A never ending blend of upbeat jazz and subtle electronic vibes keep things exciting during the slower moments of the game while the intense scoring kicks pop in during battle sequences and heavy monologue. Every in-game object also comes with it’s own unique sound effects, whether it be footsteps, raindrops, or automatic doors opening. Each sound is instantly recognizable without question. The voice acting is also immaculate. Despite Japan’s culture surrounding the overly sexualized sound of females speaking, conversations sound realistic and the emotions portrayed easily resonate. Moments of anger, sadness, and joy truly shine through at all times, appropriately making it very simple to feel for the characters introduced throughout the game.

GAMEPLAY: 1/2

Outside of the inclusion of the gun as an attack option in battle, there’s nothing new here. Persona 5 keeps the long standing tradition of being a lot of high school simulation with a heavy splash of dungeon crawling thrown in the mix. Fans of the series will be excited to learn about the additional romance options that have been added to the game and also to know that the day management system remains unchanged. Players can accomplish one task per time block per day to develop the statistics of their character and build relationships with NPCs that will help through out the game. One major change in the game can be found in the choice of setting. For the first time in the series, the development team has opted to go with a major city as opposed to the typical small town feel. This expansion, at first, can feel overwhelming but provides the inclusion of an immense amount of stat building activities that keep everyday feeling exciting and non-repetitive. Almost gone are the days of feeling the need to accomplish the same task over and over to build up one statistic, because now everything has multiple ways to build and some places even receive bonuses based on numerous in game decisions and real world timing. Unfortunately, most modern day gamers will be turned off by the turn based battle system relegating this game to a niche crowd almost instantly.

FUN: 2/2

Is Persona 5 fun? The answer is: obviously way more than it ever should be. Persona 5 presents the opportunity to explore the most awkward stage of most peoples lives and get everything right while including a story that only the player can be the hero of. Although it may be overwhelming at first, anyone who is willing or interested in indulging in the prospect of using every day to become the best person, at a social level and heroic level, will find it difficult to put the control down. Add to the mix, a compelling story that manages to dance carefully on the line of childishly ludicrous yet inspiringing and brilliant. Persona 5 keeps every battle mindlessly interesting while educating and entertaining. Ever wanted to be the smartest kid in class, the most charming person at any social gathering, or the most athletic player at any field? This game encourages the player to do that and then go out hunting demons at night with the people whose relationship to the player are most meaningful (because building strong relationships makes the teammate’s physically more powerful). What could possibly be more fun than that?

The world of JRPG’s is a sensitive place in which fan service, intricate story telling, and non-stop grinding dominate and Persona 5 has no problem claiming a seat in the top ranks. It’s quirky characters and dungeon crawling gameplay pave the way for a fantastic story full of emotion that is difficult to pull out of once it pulls you in. Arguably the most compelling parts of the game are the unique visuals and the fine tuned soundtrack, but make no mistake! Persona 5 will live on along side many others as a legendary game.

SCORE: 8/10

Posted in Reviews Tagged with: atlus, atlus games, dating simulator, high school, high school simulator, japan, jrpg, persona, persona 3, persona 5, rpg, tokyo, video games, videogames