15. Past Cure (2018)

There’s sordid plot, shoddy action and oddly ilfitting puzzles in a supernatural third person shooter…and then there’s Past Cure. The development team was small and fairly inexperienced, thus resulting in uneven AI and performance. However, that doesn’t excuse the story which was just a meandering mess when it wasn’t outright dull.

Unlimited SaGa

There are probably worse criticisms that a game could receive than “ruined the SaGa franchise” but that’s what Unlimited SaGa did. You wouldn’t know based on the game’s elegant box art with its butterflies and flowers, rendered in gorgeous water colour. It was all the more disheartening at the time because Square was releasing classics like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Drakengard, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Kingdom Hearts. Unlimited SaGa stands as proof that even Square could mess up big time (and not for the last time either).

Without further ado, let’s get started.

SNIPER ELITE V2 REMASTERED

Sniper Elite V2 was a solid entry in the stealth franchise back when it first launched, but with its subsequent instalments, it made plenty of improvements to better the quality of the experience. The remaster, released quite recently, had the opportunity to elevate the original title by introducing some of these changes, but sadly, it ends up showing how poorly Sniper Elite 2 has aged. It looks decent enough, sure, but if you’re looking for the definitive Sniper Elite experience, there are much better options out there.

Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5 ended up topping sales charts in the United Kingdom in the week of its release, Gfk-Tracker announced today. It sold 20,872 units across all platforms, and is the bestselling performance for a Devil May Cry release in the UK since DmC: Devil May Cry… which, to be fair, was the last Devil May Cry release, not counting re-masters and re-releases in the interim.

It’s not a “set charts on fire” level performance, but it did well enough, and hopefully, sales for the game will be in line with the rest of the series, given the overwhelmingly positive reception the game has received.

On the other end of the spectrum is Left Alive, the shooter from Square Enix in the Front Mission universe, which, in the wake of poor reviews, has underperformed terribly—it launched at the 39th place on the charts, with 947 units sold. Holy crap.

You can see the top ten on the charts below.

1. Devil May Cry V
   
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
   
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
   
4. Anthem
   
5. FIFA 19
   
6. Far Cry New Dawn
   
7.  The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame
   
8. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
   
9. Metro Exodus
   
10.  Grand Theft Auto V

"Gameplay in Left Alive is clunky in a way that hasn’t been seen much since the PlayStation 2 days."

Just like its Front Mission predecessors, Left Alive has a great narrative heart. The game’s story is decently compelling if you can let yourself get dragged into it. Left Alive tells the story of a bunch of people as they live through the battle happening in Novo Slava. Two nations are at war and the city along with its people are being crushed underneath the stress of battle. The narrative has you take control of various people in the city and even making choices that affect the story in small ways later on down the road. Since it’s in the Front Mission universe, expect to see some familiar sights like the hulking Wanzers. You end up seeing this conflict from multiple perspectives and it creates a pretty interesting narrative with lots of moral ambiguity.

If only the rest of the game were as polished as the story. Although you’ll probably be getting some Metal Gear Solid vibes from the character design and splash artwork, Left Alive is not so crisp a title. Gameplay in Left Alive is clunky in a way that hasn’t been seen much since the PlayStation 2 days. While the UI is acceptable and never obtrudes aside from toggleable tutorial prompts, the actual gameplay is pretty janky. The cover system is unreliable and does nothing to prevent you being spotted. The gunplay is serviceable but doesn’t engage the player much beyond just aiming at something and pulling the trigger five times until it’s dead. Stealth, a huge component of the title, is constantly undermined by the AI. Enemies in this game swing from blind stupidity to omnipotent awareness at the flip of a dime. Compounded with the enemies’ unclear range of vision, you have the recipe for a frustrating gaming experience.

For most of your playthrough, you won’t be heavily equipped. Although there are rare moments where you can find and commandeer mechs, you’ll mostly be scattering about picking up pieces of junk off the ground that you can then craft. You’ll be able to create various types of bombs, trip wires, smoke grenades, and a few other pieces of gear. You use these to set out traps for your hapless adversaries and this ends up being the main way that you’ll make your way through Left Alive. Although you have options when it comes to melee combat and firearms, traps are going to be your fall-back whenever stealth fails you. When it works well, you can feel like a mastermind, always one step ahead of your opponents. However, all of this relies on the AI. In order to set traps effectively, you must be able to predict your opponents to a certain degree. And when your enemies wig out and don’t approach you, all you can do is slink out of the situation with your head down.

"Ultimately, survivors end up being more trouble than they’re worth most of the time. What was a good idea is let down by its execution."

You also have other survivors to deal with. There are plenty of characters out there who are doing what they need to in order to survive in war-torn Novo Slava. You’ll run into them as you play through the game and will have to decide what to do with them. You’ll be able to immediately judge them on their actions and decide if you want to help them escape from danger or not. This is an interesting aspect of the game and it’s entirely optional as well. It weaves into the narrative of war-struck people and how their morals can change given the situation they’re in. In gameplay though, it amounts to escorting AI that is completely unaware of their surroundings to a safe zone. If you don’t manually stop them, survivors will run straight into an enemies’ face. This is made even more difficult do to needing to be right next to survivors in order to give them orders. Ultimately, survivors end up being more trouble than they’re worth most of the time. What was a good idea is let down by its execution.

With all that being said, Left Alive is a supremely punishing game. Though high difficulty is not a flaw in and of itself, when punishment is so heavily enforced in the face of small mistakes, it can feel frustrating. Whenever you are spotted, it’s almost impossible to escape detection, even with a few smoke grenades crafted up. You also can never effectively fight back due to your limited arsenal and you take a huge amount of damage even on normal difficulty. Left Alive’s checkpoint system is also tied to set save points that are laid out in the map, which are spaced way too far apart for such a punishing title. Sneaking through the same area over and over for fifteen minutes, hoping that the erratic AI doesn’t wig out and spot you again isn’t a rewarding experience once you finally get past it; it’s a chore.

Environments all take place within the ruined walls of Novo Slava. As such, a lot of environments have the same broken, flaming city aesthetic to them. This isn’t an issue so much as the level design is. Over the course of the 14 missions this game is comprised of, you never really get too far away from a sandbox area populated with buildings and with a few chest-high walls thrown in intermittently. While you may initially think that these open areas will allow for creative paths and playstyles, you’ll soon find that the game has not-so-subtle ways of herding you through the “correct” path. Drones and mechs will park themselves in one area, effectively cutting it off.  Enemies will constantly stare in one direction, leaving only one avenue behind their backs open to safely traverse. Level design is only as good as enemy placement allows it to be in Left Alive. And enemy placement here turns this into a truly linear title.

"Level design is only as good as enemy placement allows it to be in Left Alive. And enemy placement here turns this into a truly linear title."

Graphically, Left Alive does some things well while fumbling in other areas. Character models are rendered nicely and environments look pretty good when you’re outside. Cutscenes look nice as well, with facial emotions being rendered cleanly. Though animation is pretty inconsistent and there are some egregious examples, such as swinging through windows. Although nothing on screen will really push your console, it can still have trouble keeping up at times. When there is too much action on screen, the framerate of Left Alive chugs. Even when I switched the graphical settings into focusing on performance I didn’t see much improvement. Overall, the graphics of this title are nice and even have brief moments of excellence. But in motion, the quality of the visuals can’t keep up and goes down quite a bit.

Left Alive is squarely set as a lower-budget title from a big studio. This isn’t a bad thing, but when Left Alive brings so little new to the table, it’s disappointing to see. From its gameplay to its presentation, there is not only a lack of polish but a lack of innovation that fails to grab the player’s attention. For those of you hungry for anything new from the Front Mission universe, I’m sorry to report that this title won’t fill you. Hopefully this spin-off means that other, more promising titles are in development, but for now, Left Alive does the Front Mission franchise a disservice.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

It seems like Square Enix’s Left Alive, the stealth action game based on the Front Mission franchise, is not doing too well at all. In general, reception for the game is overwhelmingly negative, and it seems like word of mouth on the game, which did have a decent amount of hype leading to its release, has soured, too.

Famitsu is reporting that Left Alive opened to sales of just 17,000 units in Japan, next to over 70,000 copies shipped by Square Enix for its debut week. This represents a glut in the market, and has caused a catastrophic decline in its price, Twisted Vogel reports, with the game already available for 60% off from its launch price—and it’s only a week old right now, so this is a disastrous turn of events.

Maybe the western launch will go better, especially on PC (which did not see a release in the Japanese market), but given how low the marketing has been for the game, and the poor reviews, at this point I doubt it.

The newest Media Create charts for video game software and hardware sales in Japan for the week ending March 3 feature two new releases debuting in the top 5 of the software side of things. Dead or Alive 6 and Left Alive rank in first and fifth place in their debut week respectively- however, neither of them managed to sell too many units, with Dead or Alive 6 selling over 26,000 copies, and Left Alive only managing over 17,000 units sold.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is continuing to chug along, taking the second spot with over 25,000 copies sold, while New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe continues to perform as well, with over 24,000 units sold for a third place spot. Anthem, which debuted on top last week (and nearly sold through its shipment) is in fourth place, with just over 20,000 units sold.

Meanwhile, on the hardware side of things, the Nintendo Switch is still on top of the charts, to no one’s surprise. It has seen a significant boost over last week’s sales, selling over 68,000 units as opposed to last week’s 53,000. Meanwhile, the PS4 sold over 19,000 units.

You can check out the full software and hardware charts below.

Software Sales (followed by lifetime sales)

1. [PS4] Dead or Alive 6 (Square Enix, 03/01/19) – 26,442 (New)
2. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo, 12/07/18) – 25,617 (2,909,033)
3. [NSW] New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Nintendo, 01/11/19) – 24,436 (479,443)
4. [PS4] Anthem (Limited Edition Included) (Electronic Arts, 02/22/19) – 20,368 (98,306)
5. [PS4] Left Alive (Square Enix, 02/28/19) – 17,622 (New)
6. [NSW] Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! (Bundle Editions Included) (Nintendo, 11/16/18) – 12,864 (1,514,711)
7. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo, 04/28/17) – 12,369 (2,154,698)
8. [PS4] Kingdom Hearts III (Limited Edition Included) (Square Enix, 01/25/19) – 10,983 (781,051)
9. [NSW] Zoids Wild: King of Blast (Takara Tomy, 02/28/19) – 10,030 (New)
10. [NSW] Super Mario Party (Bundle Version Included) (Nintendo, 10/05/18) – 9,900 (1,037,559)
11. [NSW] Darius Cozmic Collection (Limited Edition Included) (Taito, 02/28/19) – 9,495 (New)
12. [NSW] Splatoon 2 (Bundle Version Included) (Nintendo, 07/21/17) – 8,986 (2,947,577)
13. [PS4] Jump Force (Bandai Namco, 02/14/19) – 8,655 (103,020)
14. [NSW] Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition (Bundle Version Included) (Microsoft, 06/21/18) – 8,638 (624,521)
15. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Limited Edition Included) (Nintendo, 03/03/17) – 7,694 (1,307,507)
16. [PS4] NieR: Automata Game of the YoRHa Edition (Square Enix, 02/21/19) – 6,625 (27,950)
17. [PS4] Far Cry: New Dawn (Ubisoft, 02/15/19) – 6,000 (44,668)
18. [PS4] Resident Evil 2 (Z Version and Limited Edition Included) (Capcom, 01/25/19) – 4,505 (348,778)
19. [NSW] Doraemon: Nobita’s Chronicle of the Moon Exploration (FuRyu, 02/28/19) – 3,370 (New)
20. [PS4] Catherine: Full Body (Limited Edition Included) (Atlus, 02/14/19) – 3,000 (61,855)

Hardware Sales (followed by last week’s sales)

1. Switch – 68,666 (53,270)
2. PlayStation 4 – 11,871 (10,632)
3. PlayStation 4 Pro – 7,986 (6,956)
4. New 2DS LL – 6,202 (3,388)
5. PlayStation Vita – 3,287 (3,600)
6. New 3DS LL – 1,203 (1,052)
7. 2DS – 116 (113)
8. Xbox One X – 67 (51)
9. Xbox One – 23 (21)

[Gematsu]

The Front Mission universe is back- sort of. Square Enix’s Left Alive is now available for PS4 and PC (though users in certain regions will need to wait for the Steam version to go live). A new trailer has been released, which emphasizes, once again, that survival is the only option. Check it out below.

Left Alive is set in Novo Slava in the future, suffering an invasion from enemy forces and descending into outright chaos. Exploring the story from the perspective of three different characters, the game will challenge players to act stealthy, craft traps and items, and outsmart enemies. Mechs are also available to pilot in certain scenarios.

Narrative decisions made during gameplay can influence the story and the kind of ending you receive. With so much talent involved – including Armored Core series director Toshifumi Nabeshima and Kojima Productions character designer Yoji Shinkawa – we’re looking forward to how Left Alive has turned out. Stay tuned for more details on the game in the coming days.

Square Enix’s successor to the Front Mission series, Left Alive, is out now in Japan, and releasing in the West in a few days’ time, bringing its stealth/survival/shooting blend to the PS4 and PC. If you’re going to be playing the game on PC, this might interest you. Minimum and recommended system requirements for the game have been revealed, via Steam.

At minimum, you will require an Intel Core i5-2400S processor, or an AMD A8-7650K, with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 graphics card, or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050, or an AMD Radeon R9 28. If you want to run the game on recommended settings, you’ll need an Intel Core i5-6500 processor or an AMD Ryzen 5 1400, along with either an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card or a Radeon RX Vega 56. The required amount of storage space for the game is 35 GB.

Left Alive launches in the West for the PS4 and PC on March 5. Check out its launch trailer here, or over fourteen minutes of recently revealed gameplay footage through here. Get the full system requirements below.

MINIMUM:

Devil May Cry 5

Ever since Devil Trigger exploded on the scene, we’ve been counting the days until Devil May Cry 5 was in our hands. Picking up after Devil May Cry 4 (and not DmC: Devil May Cry, thank goodness), the sequel sees Red Grave City invaded by a powerful demonic force. It’s up to Nero, Dante and a new playable character V to set things right. Nero has obtained some significant upgrades since the last game with the Devil Breaker, an item capable of unleashing different abilities depending on the equipped prosthetic. Dante can use his motorcycle that transforms into dual buzz-saws as a weapon and V can…summon familiars? That’s the Devil May Cry we know and love – it’s out on March 8^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

It’s not Dark Souls. It’s not Bloodborne. It’s not even Tenchu (FromSoftware clarified that a full stealth playthrough is not possible after all). So what is it? Set in a fantastical 16^th century Sengoku Japan, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a combination of fast-paced combat, skillful swordplay and wild cards like an axe and grappling hook hidden in a prosthetic arm. Focusing on an old samurai fighting to rescue his lord, Sekiro takes us on a sprawling journey filled with intrigue and adventure. What horrors await though and how does resurrection really work? We’ll find out on March 22^nd when it releases for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn

A remake of Kirby’s Epic Yarn, which launched for the Wii and pretty much kickstarted the yarn-based graphical style, Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn is coming to the Nintendo 3DS on March 8^th. It will have new modes, new power-ups and even lets you play as Meta Knight and King Dedede in different sub-games. Co-op has been removed having an awesome platformer with a lovable art-style like this on the go works nicely.

Dead or Alive 6

Team Ninja’s Dead or Alive series has been fairly dormant since the design shift in Dead or Alive 5. Dead or Alive 6 continues that trend, offering even more gorgeous environments and sharp characters to go with new mechanics. Simple, devastating combos are possible with the Fatal Rush and new Break Blows can be performed when the gauge is full. With 26 characters, a quest mode, story campaign and the same dynamic gameplay as its predecessor, Dead or Alive 6 is looking to be an intriguing return for an iconic franchise.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

So Anthem was kind of “eh” and Destiny 2 is kind of “meh” but hey, at least The Division 2 is almost here. Moving from the snowy reaches of Manhattan to the overgrown and chaotic Washington D.C., The Division 2 still offers some tight cover-based shooting and loot to collect. Along with three Dark Zone districts and new civilian settlements that can be contributed to, there’s also a significant focus on end-game with the Black Tusk faction, Specializations with their own unique abilities and weapons, and Invaded missions that pose tougher challenges. The Division 2 arrives on March 15^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Yoshi’s Crafted World

Not one but two cutesy platformers in March? We’re fine with that. Yoshi’s Crafted World from Good-Feel is coming to the Nintendo Switch on March 29^th and sees the Yoshis on an adventure to restore the Sundream Stone. Though it’s essentially a 2.5D platformer, the game mixes gameplay up by allowing objects in the background and foreground to be interacted with. The “flip” mechanic has been toned down since its initial reveal and it’s now more of an additional run through a level for collectibles. In its current demo though, Yoshi’s Crafted World is tons of fun and we can’t wait to dig into the final game.

The Sinking City

Known better for its Sherlock Holmes games, Frogwares embarks into the realm of cosmic horror with The Sinking City. Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s work, The Sinking City focuses on detective work and investigation – how certain quests are resolved will depend on the number of clues that players can suss out. The story sees private investigator Charles W. Reed looking into the cause of a flood that hits New England, driving everyone mad. Dare we say the one who lays dreaming is responsible? The Sinking City is out on March 21^st for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

One Piece: World Seeker

Jump Force may have fizzled but One Piece: World Seeker gives us hope. It’s developed by Ganbarion of One Piece: Grand Adventure and Unlimited World RED while the story takes us to Jail Island in the New World. Luffy and crew will fighting in an open world space while characters like Kizaru, Kuma, Smoker and Akainu make appearances. If the bombastic action of the other games was any indication, expect One Piece: World Seeker to be a blast. It arrives on March 15^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Tropico 6

El Presidente never dies and Tropico 6 may be his biggest caper yet. Spanning four eras like the previous game – Colonial, World Wars, Cold War and Modern – Tropico 6 provides an entire archipelago of islands to manage instead of one island. The adventure also extends beyond the islands as agents can steal various wonders of the world for you. Research has been revamped, citizens are simulated in greater detail and you can even customize the look of your own personal dictator. And can you say election speeches? Tropico 6 arrives on March 29^th for PC.

Left Alive

Square Enix’s Left Alive is one of the stranger releases of next month. It features the talents of Armored Core series director Toshifumi Nabeshima, Metal Gear Solid character designer Yoji Shinkawa and mech designer Takayuki Yanase. The focus is on survival, stealth and third person shooting with three different protagonists to play with. Oh and you can pilot mechs in some places. Despite all of that, Left Alive looks intriguing and could provide some kind of update on the Front Mission universe. It’s out on March 5^th for PS4 and PC.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season – Episode 4 “Take Us Back”

It’s been a turbulent ride for the final season of The Walking Dead. We’re not just talking about the closure of Telltale Games or Skybound Entertainment stepping in to finish the last two episodes. The game itself has seen Clementine and AJ committing atrocities, doing their best to stay sane and survive while protecting their new home. With the fourth episode “Take Us Back” marking the end of Clementine’s journey, will the series drag us back into the emotional pits of despair? Or provide a happy ending after all?