Catherine Full Body Review – A vintage full-bodied delight with slight sulfites (PlayStation 4)

It’s always pleasing to see a video game that thinks outside the box. Even if it isn’t a masterpiece, the time you had with it would usually stick with you for the rest of your life. That was the feeling I had when I played 2011’s Catherine for Xbox 360. While not perfect, it was impressed how it pulled me into its world. This year’s enhanced version, Catherine Full Body, brings the Stray Sheep bar and crew back with some new faces and features, with an emphasis on a “fuller package”.

Note: We received this game for free from SEGA of America for review purposes.

Review: Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse (3DS)

shin megami tensei iv: apocalypse review

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse is not quite a sequel, side story, or even an expansion to the well-received Shin Megami Tensei IV.

If you took the movie Die Hard and filmed a What If ending showcasing what could happen if Reginald VelJohnson’s character Sgt. Al Powell had infiltrated the Nakatomi Plaza instead of waiting on the sidelines, then you would find yourself in a similar situation. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse uses this What If scenario to fine-tune the gameplay from its predecessors and treat players to a very satisfying RPG for the Nintendo 3DS.

Atlus Review: Abyss Odyssey (Xbox 360)

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If you’re familiar with ACE Team, they’re responsible for some of the most off the wall games including Zeno Clash, Rock of Ages and before they became a commercial developer, they were a pretty interesting mod developer. Their continued partnership with Atlus has brought another release that is less absurd thematically, but brings us a rogue-like title that wraps mechanics similar to the Super Smash Bros. series with Abyss Odyssey. It’s not a carbon copy of the Subspace Emissary from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, nor is it a cumbersome slog akin to Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. The game centers itself around its fighting game mechanic and drives you to advance onto closed off fighting arenas, hunting for loot and building your character to become stronger as you find better weapons and techniques.