Natalie, you really missed an opportunity to troll the readership. Should’ve started with two lines:

Looter shooters aren’t my thing, but I’m genuinely interested in them from an industry perspective. I wonder what Anthem’s player count looked like before and after the release of the Division 2.

Already did. Loved it.

They were overly ambitious

Those Tenchu games were....not very good. I know from first hand experience. That’s part of the reason I’m happy Sekiro is getting such positive reactions. It may not be a Tenchu game in name, but it clearly takes elements from it, and more importantly, updates it for modern audiences.

Sounds like they’ve done something incredible. On one hand, they’re giving people who started on their Souls games a brand new challenging experience. On the other, From stealthily (pun intended) rebooted/reimagined Tenchu, which is awesome for a ninja aficionado like myself.

A fellow Tenchu and Ninja Gaiden player? Nice. Didn’t think there were that many of us around. Nowdays, it seems like everyone’s main point of reference for a challenging game begins with SoulsBorne.

Looks like Sekiro and Katana Zero are the only games I’m buying this spring. Are there any indies anything flying under the radar?

I’m genuinely surprised Activision agreed to those terms. Sure, a From title is practically guaranteed money, but it won’t sell COD numbers. Guess they’re seeing Sekiro more along the lines as a (profitable) feather in their cap?

I didn’t mind starting on DH. To me, DMC games are a slog until I have access to each character’s full kit, and DH allowed me to do that at an extremely quick pace. That first mission with Nero and Dante felt sooo terrible without the ability to jump cancel or do any of their advance sh!t. No way in hell I would’ve…

DMC5 I can recommend without reservation. As for the older games, that depends. I love them, but I also grew up in that era (early/mid 00's). It would behoove you to watch some clips on Youtube (a piece of a Let’s Play and some combo videos should be enough). If you decide to take the plunge, then remember to get the…

DMC5! Just finished S-ranking the Sons of Sparda difficulty, so now it’s time for Dante Must Die. Then Bloody Palace on April 1st! This game scratches that combo based action itch like no other title can.

Too bad thats all we’ll be playing of the franchise for a while.

Yeah, that’s what I was getting at, but I guess I wasn’t clear enough. Thanks for doing it for me.

Here’s another tip for people who are are looking “git gud” at DMC5's combo system: buy Enemy Step early since it unlocks the ability to Jump Cancel. This is how you extend combos while you’re in the air and keep yourself safe when you’re being swarmed by enemies. Get gud enuff and you’ll rarely have to touch the…

Heather, your overview of Left Alive reminds me of how I felt about Yoko Taro’s games prior to Nier:Automata; great ideas, but not-so-great to actually play. That’s kind of hard to overlook in a video game. It’s too bad, I was hoping Left Alive would be solid so it could possibly drum up support for a Front Mission…

If you’re a sexy enough bitch, Devil May Cry 5 will let you know.

So far, my biggest complaint about DMC5 is that inertia manipulation seems to have been removed. Hopefully there’s some other tech that makes up for it, but for now, no guard flying makes me a sad panda.

Ah, so the DLC is where the Core Values will shine brightest.

Mike, did you test online on all 3 platforms? I’ve heard PS4 is a bit laggier than XB1, but that was only from one person.