Capcom knows how to pick ‘em. Releases dates, that is. Having already capitalised on the quiet month of January, resulting in Resident Evil II’s record sales, the Japanese publisher has bagged the best possible week for Devil May Cry’s comeback – it’s the quietest one we’ve had in a while.
Reviews went live earlier today revealing Dante is back on top form. Both God is a Geek and Destructoid awarded the hack ‘n slasher top marks, while IGN deemed it worthy of an equally impressive 9.5. We’ve rounded up scores below.
Of course, it isn’t the only new release out. From Humble Bundle there’s The Occupation, a 1987-set British Bioshock alike with a political theme. Reviewers claim that it has a few technical issues but if you’re able to look past them there’s an interesting story to take in.
Wales Interactive is also back with Attack of the Earthings, a comedic tactical shooter. The PC version arrived to decent reviews roughly a year ago. It doesn’t seem to have gone down quite as well on consoles though, resulting in a mixed reception.
From Square-Enix there’s Left Alive on PS4, a survival shooter ironically DOA. It arrived in Japan last month to terrible reviews, with the Amazon Japan customer score sitting at 1.5/5 due to dated mechanics and clunky controls. Seemingly to prevent word of its poor-quality spreading, Square-Enix put a ban on live streams. Ouch!
From bad to good. Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn on 3DS sees the nine-year-old Wii platformer gain a new lease of life, addressing issues with the game’s difficulty (or rather, the lack of) along the way. Scores are a mixture of 7s, 8s, and 9s. Perhaps not the ideal candidate for a shrunken down conversion, but still pleasing to see this late in the handheld’s life.
Then we have MMORPG Black Desert, one of the more exciting games to hit Xbox One of late. “It is easily the best of its kind to be found on the Xbox One and thanks to the tweaking and simplification of the combat for the system, it’s a game that feels right at home on consoles,†said Screen Rant.
The Xbox One also receives the puzzle adventure Old Man’s Journey this week. It’s well worth your time, gaining 4/5 from The Xbox Hub and a 7.5 from Xbox Tavern. “if you’re a fan of story, puzzles, and innovation, and are happy to take it all in at a gentle pace, then it’s well worth you giving this a try,†was the former fansite’s verdict.
Finally, Puyo Puyo Tetris has finally reached PSN and Steam. Why the delay? SEGA apparently had to wait for the rights to Ubisoft’s terrible, terrible, Tetris Ultimate to expire first. Like the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait.
New release showcase:
Devil May Cry 5
Reviews:
10/10 – Destructoid: “I’m going to be playing Devil May Cry 5 weeks from now in the short term and years from now long term. This is the sort of fine-tuned wacky action game the genre deserves”
10/10 – God is a Geek: “Devil May Cry 5 is a stunning hack and slash game and never fails to amaze. Combat this good should be illegal”
9.5 – IGN: “Devil May Cry 5’s trio of outstanding combat styles set a new high bar for the series, and its mysterious story keeps things interesting along the way”
9/10 – VideoGamer: “Devil May Cry 5 revels in its own gleeful stupidity, presenting a world in which the most valuable commodity is style”
8.5 – GameInformer: “For all of its pacing issues, Devil May Cry 5 is still a lot of fun to play. Combat is a blast, and the cutscenes are delightfully absurd; fans of Devil May Cry 3 and 4 should feel right at home here. Capcom goes back to the baseline action I’ve always enjoyed, and executes that with the series’ signature over-the-top style”
The Occupation
Reviews:
6.75 – GameInformer: “If you’re willing to push past a large number of technical issues and poor stealth gameplay, there’s a fantastic story buried deep in The Occupation’s heart”
6.5 – God is a Geek: “The Occupation is an inventive political thriller that does something new, but is let down by poor AI and some frustrating bugs”
5.9 – IGN: “The Occupation is an investigation game that tries to make every second count but is ultimately a missed opportunity”
Attack of the Earthlings
Reviews:
7/10 – TheSixthAxis: “Whilst clunky controls and uninspiring visuals hamper proceedings, Attack of the Earthlings nonetheless offers an intoxicating mix of satisfying strategy, well designed levels and guffaw inducing humour”
3.5/5 – Dark Station: “Attack of the Earthlings checks off a few boxes that don’t often get checked. It’s a stealthy turn-based game with a sense of humor and flipping the role of humans to enemy is a welcome change. It’s a bit slow and the highs it hits aren’t stratospheric but fans of the genre who need a strategy fix should check it out”
2/5 – ScreenRant: “Ultimately, Attack of the Earthlings is disappointing precisely because it contains so many hints of what could have been a great game. There’s a strong tactics title buried beneath the muck, here – buried beneath inconveniences and irritations numerous enough to cross the threshold separating molehill from mountain”
Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn
Reviews:
9/10 – Nintendo Life: “For those of you that never got the chance to play the original Kirby’s Epic Yarn, this is certainly the best way to experience it, while those of you that have played it will find this to be a solid portable version that loses none of the quality of the original. Either way, Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn is a fantastic and standout addition to the deep software library of the 3DS; we’d highly encourage you to give it a go”
8.5 – Nintendo World Report: “I could tell they were trying to address the difficulty complaints, and they definitely delivered on giving the player the tools to make a harder experience. But ultimately, it comes down to how hard you want to make it for yourself. I wouldn’t call it “Extra Epic,†because of these shortcomings”
7.0 – God is a Geek: “It is a solid platformer with some good ideas. But for everyone else it will feel like a strange release that for all it’s good intentions is probably best left alone. Better to cherish the original memories than potentially tarnish them with muddled extras on offer here”
New digital multi-format releases:
R.B.I. Baseball 19
Crimson Keep
Beat Cop
I and Me
New on PSN:
Puyo Puyo Tetris
Phar Lap – Horse Racing Challenge
BugsBox VR
HexaMaze
Eternity: The Last Unicorn
Move or Die
Daggerhood
Caretaker
New on Xbox One store:
Black Desert
Old Man’s Journey
Overload
ShellShock Live
New Nintendo retail releases
Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn – 3DS
Next week: Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, ONE PIECE World Seeker, RICO, The Wizards – Enhanced Edition, MX vs. ATV All Out: Anniversary Edition, The Caligula Effect: Overdose, Blood Waves, and Sephirothic Stories.