Recent reviews by CapnSherman

A great game made better by a community who wants everyone to be able to play it, even if that means leaving negative reviews and requesting refunds. The bulk of the bad reviews only relate to Sony/PSN shenanigans which were walked back.

It's fun

Looking for a review from a non-dragon ball fanboy? I'd help, but this game turned me into one. Ignoring what the franchise adds to the experience, Xenoverse is a pretty solid game. Defining it beyond that gets a little bit tricky, as the game is part fighting game and part action RPG with a dash of military flight simulator. Which, worded that way, sounds awful, but hear me out. The basic controls are simple, and the early combat can be approached by pressing the lock on button and any mix of the light and heavy attack buttons, with the occasional few energy (ki) blasts to keep them at bay because you have a button for those too. Yes, you have a block button and a grapple command if you're feeling the need to be a professional. The actual difficulty rises pretty quickly, and this is where the real mechanics begin to shine. There's a difference between a dodge and an evade, there's also two types of dodge. The two gauges you have besides health, which are stamina and ki, are things you'll need to be constantly aware of and plan around. You might have enough ki to launch a super move, but if your opponent blocks, do you have enough stamina to block or dodge the counterattack, or have the ki to keep the pressure on? Basically, the game plays off simple controls and a wide pool of maneuvers to create the strategic atmosphere of a good fighting game without traditionally handling like one.

Despite the surprisingly simple to learn mechanics and controls, having the know how isn't enough to beat the story. To progress, you have to level your character up. This translates into grinding outside of the story. A lot. This would normally be something I would call out as a cheap substitute and a cop out in regards to difficulty when the opponents could just be higher in skill instead. I hold this back because it was only in very select few circumstances where the grinding actually felt like a chore, and those few times were when farming optional sidequests for certain gear or moves. The reward or drop rates are random, and that goes for everything in the game, aside from specially assigned quests. Items and moves are not rare in general, and overall the process of growing your character is a wholly rewarding one. Just a few level ups is enough to see a noticeable difference. This game is about progression just as much as it is about fighting, and a little bit of farming goes a long way to make rematches with bosses that interrupted your progress prior a real fun experience. Although random drops may mean getting items or techniques your current character wouldn't benefit from, your inventory is not character specific, and the later ability to have more than one character makes it more fun to build different styles of characters later on.

While Xenoverse's RPG elements, fighting elements, and slight strategic tendencies on their own are very simple, together they add up to something there really isn't a single word for. Unique works, but it's more fun and surprisingly engaging than just calling the whole thing unique.

Flaws? If you can't forgive that a large portion of the cutscenes haven't been reworked to be lip synced to the English dub, there's that. Hate the tone of the average anime? That's kind of an oxymoron, as the only average about anime is that someone will have spiky hair. In Dragon Ball, that's pretty much everyone. Don't like shooting lasers out of your hands? Why are you even looking at this game unless you want to be Hercule.

DBZ FANS:: I have waited a long time for a game that could capture how combat in the show felt, trying demos of previous games for years now. This game nailed it. There are separate flaws to this game if you are a fan however. I have yet to see a beam clash, I'm almost positive they're gone. No imperfect Cell, android 16, or Frieza forms beyond first, final and full power, and no Chiaotzu (not that they've ever been playable in a game as far as I know, but I would've loved it!)

So yeah, it's a fun one.

Was so great I forgot about Sonic 06. Not just forgot, forgave. Fantastic level designs. The reinvisioned retro levels for modern sonic were insane fun, chemical plants have never looked so good. The reinvented modern levels for classic sonic were just as great. My only complaint is that there weren't more levels, something the story hinders slightly. Which, nudge nudge, there are mods for out there if you look hard enough. Haven't used any personally, but even those look well done. Back to this game here, best thing I've played in a long time. HIGHLY recommended.