John Whitehouse
An amazingly quirky, colorful and ever so slightly nutty return of an old classic and his new best friend. It had been a long time since I last thought about a good game of Tetris, and I had never even seen a Puyo Puyo before, but having these two games come together in such a way has been a true delight.
Tango Fiesta has a few nice touches here and there, but nothing really in the way of originality. It's not the best twin-stick shooter out there, by a long mile. And it isn't even the best eighties action film inspired game either. If you like some couch co-op shooting action, then it may be worth a look, but wait until it goes on sale.
There is little to complain about with Spellspire. It's a jolly little game, with a colorful art style and some nice touches of humor. But this is a word puzzle game; if you're not great with word games like Boggle or Scrabble, then it may not be the game for you..
Overall I was left feeling empty whilst playing Randall. A game that tried very hard to shine with its varying gameplay styles, but ends up failing on all fronts; and totally messes up the platforming elements, making it frustrating to play.
I have always been a massive fan of Super Stardust HD, but I never thought Housemarque would be able to reach those dizzying heights again. I was wrong. Nex Machina takes all that was good about SSHD and turns the dial up, making this game my new favorite Housemarque game and one that I urge each and every one of your to go out and buy. Be warned however, it's going to make your thumbs sore.
Although having a few highlights in both the art design and soundtrack, AereA falls down in almost all other areas – a dungeon crawler that offers nothing new, other than a cool concept, and fails in the things that are essential to an action game, such as combat and quest design. It may offer local 4-player co-op, but even playing with friends won't bring this game to life.
There is a huge amount of content on offer here, helped by a creator community that seems to be doing a mostly great job of keeping new courses coming. But even without the created courses, Infinite MiniGolf still has a wide array of content to keep you entertained for ages, and with great local or online multiplayer, playing with friends is an absolute joy.
This game is probably best being held off on until a price drop.
Blaster Master Zero is just one more feather in the Switch's cap and one that sits nicely on the eShop at a very welcoming price point.
All of the nods to the Mario universe, how many staples of said universe feature in how the gameplay works with this unique title and the attention to every little detail makes this not only a fresh take on a classic character, but possibly my favorite Mario game ever.
On the outside, Thumper looks bizarre with its strange design and nightmarish visuals. But don't let that fool you, Thumper has it where it counts.
Although there aren't that many 1-on-1 shooter/fighters on the market, I do believe that your money would be better spent elsewhere. Maybe wait for a price drop before picking this up, if you really think that this will interest you.
Tricky Towers is a party game first and foremost, best played with friends. Grab some extra controllers and have hours of fun trying to knock the bricks out of your mates. The ease in which your friends will be able to grasp the mechanics is Tricky Tower's greatest asset, and it is worth the asking price alone.
Once again Image & Form continue to pour heart, soul and quality into their games. Steamworld Dig 2 is another near perfect entry in the Steamworld universe, and the enhanced art design makes me wish that they go back to both the original Dig and Heist and update them and release them on the Switch. I would be the first in line to buy them again.
I have to give props to Light Tracer for attempting to take a classic genre and flipping it on its head to fit in VR. In some areas it shines, but it is where it counts the most, in the controls, that the game just falls short on. If you have a PSVR collecting dust, then there is value in picking Light Tracer up and giving it a try, if only to experience a platformer in VR. But I would recommend maybe holding off for an inevitable sale.
If you are looking for something to dip in and out of during the busy Fall period, then look no further.
The idea of a superhero FPS sounds great on paper, but an intriguing story and a cool concept cannot save Megaton Rainfall from being a subpar action shooter; one that fails to realise the potential of the genre.
Frustrating controls and poor gameplay design are the things you want to try and avoid when making a platformer. But it is the slow pace of both the game and the progression that feels most out of place and one that makes this game the kind you want to avoid.
In the end though, it is very difficult for me to recommend this version of the game. We all know that Skyrim is amazing, but many people have played it for hundreds of hours at this point and the massive price tag just doesn't seem worth it to experience it in VR. I also can't see anyone wanting to spend the kind of time that this game demands with a headset strapped to their face.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a pure dose of fan service to Marvel enthusiasts, with its long list of characters, recognizable locations and its nods to storylines and in-jokes, but I feel that these games have lost their way over time. It isn't to say that I didn't enjoy my time with it, but I certainly won't be going back to it time and again, trying to achieve that 100% completion stat.