Video Game Reviews

Natural Doctrine
Kadokawa Games / NIS America
Reviewed on: PS4
Also on: PS3, PS Vita
Street: 09.30
I can’t remember the last time a game so flagrantly played with my emotions in the way that Natural Doctrine did.  When I got through the tutorial stage, I immediately questioned the existence of a game like this on a next-gen system.  The character and level designs looked like they had been pulled from the Fire Emblem universe, which did offer a bit of graphical nostalgia.  However, after seeing what the PS4 is capable of, the game looked dated and unpolished.  After playing a few missions, the gameplay started to gain traction for me.  Tactical, turn-based combat always revs my engine, and once I started to get the hang of the game’s combat system, I was able to forgive its technical flaws—that is, until the very combat system that I was starting to enjoy stabbed me in the back.  As you progress, the levels become punishingly difficult, ultimately pitting your meager team of adventurers up against mobs of unforgiving enemies who have a more advanced understanding of the rules.  When coupled with the painful realization that the loss of just one team member results in mission failure, Natural Doctrine requires an above-average level of endurance to properly enjoy.  –Alex Springer

NHL 15
EA Canada / EA Sports
Reviewed on: Xbox One
Also On: PlayStation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Street: 09.09
Hockey sims are a bit of a tough thing for me to review. I know the game, but I don’t know the game. And before NHL 15, I hadn’t put more than a few hours into a hockey game since the glory days of the vastly underrated NHL Hitz series (you know, before that NHL Hitz Pro bullshit). So I was a bit rusty, and felt like, especially with the heavy emphasis of the right stick on the controller, I had been left behind a bit. This is a smooth, fluid game though with some impressive visuals. Some of the games more popular modes (EASHL and Connected GM) were left out of the PS4 and Xbox One versions, which irked some long time fans and, for me, the game play feels more like an arcade experience than maybe I was expecting, mostly because of the inordinate amount of hits and fights in any given game. Jesus guys, calm the fuck down. This is still a good game though, and hockey’s debut on the new consoles should at least satiate fans’ appetites until EA’s next attempt. –Blake Leszczynski

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Arc System Works / Atlus
Reviewed On: PS3
Also on: Xbox 360, Arcade
Street: 09.30
Designed to appeal to a much broader audience than your average fighting game, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax tries valiantly to span the gap between the 2D Fighter and RPG genres. Continuing where Persona 4 Arena left off in 2012, this updated version adds eight new characters, a new “shadow type” option for more hardcore players and a few general improvements to the game’s back end—not too shabby, even for the same $60 price tag. Fans of the Persona RPGs will still find these games to be relatively faithful to the source material—especially the story mode, which plays out similarly to the original games’ lengthy conversations. However, as a fighting game, it’s still got the solid combo-centric style that Arc System Works is rightly known for. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of fighting games, you can select the option to make the game handle the fancy combo magic while you button-mash. This is not an easy game to master, but it feels a lot more fast and fluid this time around. P4AU offers staggering complexity to those who seek it out and a fun, casual fighter for the rest of us. –Henry Glasheen