Persona 3, Silent Hill, And More Of The Week's Hottest Takes

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In case you haven’t heard, Persona 3 Reload is out, and it’s awfully darn good. Whether you’re a longtime series die-hard or just hopped on the bandwagon after Persona 5, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into here. But not every game left us feeling quite so satisfied this week. Read on for our thoughts on Silent Hill: The Short Message, Granblue Fantasy Relink, and the secret NieR sequel you haven’t played (but absolutely should).

Nearly seven years after the release of NieR:Automata, fans are still clamoring for a third entry in the series helmed by Yoko Taro. While we are all eagerly awaiting another AAA console game in the DrakenNier universe, it’s easy to forget that a sequel is already available to play—but it won’t be for much longer. That sequel is NieR Re[in]carnation. - Willa Rowe Read More

The announcement during last night’s State of Play that a new entry in the Silent Hill franchise was out now and available for free immediately brought to mind the legendary P.T. demo. Sadly, the intrigue Silent Hill: The Short Message stoked during its trailer never pays off after playing through the entirety of this two-hour experience. A setting and story full of potential at the start quickly unravel into something shallow and predictable. The lasting impression The Short Message leaves is a sense of worry that this is a sign of things to come for the franchise as fans await the Silent Hill 2 remake and Silent Hill f with bated breath. - Willa Rowe Read More

An image shows the Suicide Squad behind broken glass.

Last year, we saw the rise of video game publishers offering a few days of early access to big AAA games for a price. This year, it’s only going to get worse as it seems every large game publisher is holding games hostage and charging players a ransom fee to play a few days early. But what happens when you pay $80, $90, $100, or even more for a game and early access to it and don’t actually get to play the game? Well, we’re seeing that play out with WB Games and Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. - Zack Zwiezen Read More

One of my biggest complaints with the original Persona 3 was that, even if I just wanted to be friends with any of the girls in my party, the game’s social sim elements required you to enter a romantic relationship if you reached the end of their route. When this became clear to me, I stopped seeing their storylines through because otherwise, I would end up with a harem against my will. This is why we have YouTube playthroughs; to watch things we don’t want to play. This mistake hasn’t been repeated since, and Persona 4 and 5 allow you to see friendship paths through to the end. Now that I’ve played through Persona 3 Reload, I’m happy to confirm the from-the-ground-up remake, out on February 2, finally allows you to see every character’s relationship—without having to initiate romance. - Kenneth Shepard Read More

An image shows the main characters from the game looking down.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League isn’t the game a lot of Arkham fans wanted. It’s also yet another live-service video game, something that folks are less and less excited about with each passing year. And it’s not had great previews or trailers. But, I’ve enjoyed Rocksteady’s past games a lot and the idea of playing as villains sounded intriguing. So I was hoping that the saga of Suicide Squad would conclude with a happy ending where the game turned out to be amazing. Unfortunately, 12+ hours into Suicide Squad, I’m not sure that’s going to happen. - Zack Zwiezen Read More

Relink party walking and talking towards the camera

Before multiple friends of mine went out of their way to sing the praises of Granblue Fantasy: Relink to me, I had no interest in the RPG. But with such energetic recommendations, I couldn’t ignore the new title from developer Cygames, set to release on February 1 for PlayStation and PC. Thankfully, there’s a demo out on PlayStation, and after spending a couple of hours with the game I was fully sold on Relink’s charms. It’s the perfect sales pitch for the game. If you too are cautiously interested in Granblue Fantasy: Relink, you have to give the demo a shot. - Willa Rowe Read More

An image shows Batman with purple eyes in front of purple smoke.

Rocksteady’s new co-op looter-shooter, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, might not be the Batman sequel many fans wanted, but an early section of the game does offer some Arkham-like action. But this time, you are the ones being hunted by a powerful superhero hiding in the shadows. - Zack Zwiezen Read More

Tekken 8 protagonist Jin Kazama glares at his red-glowing fist as fire erupts behind him.

Tekken 8 has been out since January 26 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. While you might be tempted to jump straight into its online matches, which you’re not prepared for—trust me—you should check out the game’s story mode first. Not only does it introduce you to many of Tekken 8's characters and themes, but it also sets up a bombastic, relentlessly over-the-top narrative about breaking the chains that hold us back. And it’s a great way to acclimate yourself to some of the game’s new mechanics. This is a story mode you shouldn’t miss. - Levi Winslow Read More

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