Fire Emblem adds another essential title to its franchise.
The Last Remnant is a fascinating and frustrating experience. Beneath a fundamentally mediocre game are a lot of interesting ideas. The story is epic and interesting, but only in parts. The battle system is wholly unique and feels massive in scope. Except you have to play the game for hours and hours before it becomes any fun. The Switch is full of quality RPG ports at the moment, and there are plenty more coming. The Last Remnant is not one of them.
Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age is great. It was great in 2017 on the PS4. It’s greater now on the Switch. It looks amazing and the frame rate is consistent in the dock and in handheld.
Overall it's a very solid packaged. Both games are fantastic in their own way and still hold up. The feature upgrades available in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IX are nowhere to be found when they would have been most welcome. Considering the upcoming Final Fantasy XII remaster also contains these features makes this package stand out all the more. It is also a steep price point. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster may include two full games, but charging $80 seems a little ridiculous. Despite this it still comes highly recommended. Maybe just wait for a sale first.
One of the defining games of the 90s is ported to the Switch with a few bells and whistles. Essential playing for newcomers and veterans.
Final Fantasy IX is a fantastic game with an average port. The price is steep for a 20 year old game with no major upgrades. But once you start playing you won't be able to put it down.
Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition continues the winning streak of ports for the Nintendo Switch.
HoPiKo is challenging and moves at a lightning pace, although it can't escape the fact that it feels more like a game you'd play on your phone than on a console.
For all the grumbling about Nintendo's strategy of releasing last-gen ports to their new console, it's hard to argue when the games are as high quality as New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. Nintendo has also added their typically high gloss coat of paint, with new features, new characters and even an entire bonus game.
Even with the new levels of accessibility and staff assisted help, Football Manager 2019 is not for the faint of heart. It's not going to convince non-football fans finally hop aboard. Similarly it's probably not going to lure fans of the flashy action that FIFA provides over to its hard-core data analysis. But for football buffs and management wannabes there is simply no equal to Football Manager. Nothing else has the depth, nothing else summons the feelings, nothing else feels quite as true to life. Improvements have been made and it is still the biggest, most detailed football simulation out there. You will lose months of your life over it, cursing to yourself over trivial things such as substituting your left back too early. It is a beautiful game for the beautiful game.
For every cool idea in Sonic Forces, there is a half-hearted execution, and while that may give me warm memories of my childhood, it doesn't make for something I could whole heartedly recommend.
Grab a partner and enjoy more of one of the Switch's best multiplayer games!
The Banner Saga 3 is a fitting and triumphant conclusion to the franchise. It's not without its small problems, but the overall experience is polished and deeply rewarding. It may be completely inaccessible to newer players, but people who have stuck with it will not be disappointed.
While parts of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy seem like they should be consigned to the bin of 90s relics (looking at you sexy Bandicoot from the first game), there is plenty of inventive and challenging platforming to be found. The game runs like a dream on the Switch and will leave you swearing to have one more go, even as you fall to your death cheaply for the umpteenth time.
The Banner Saga 2 is well worth your time.
The Banner Saga is a highly worthwhile addition to any Switch library.
World of Warriors may look great on the PS4 but it become tedious...
Star Ocean: The Last Hope is an ambitious but flawed game. Exploring planets can be thrilling, but spending time with some of the characters will wear on the nerves. The combat can at times be deep and strategic, but it happens so frequently that the pleasurable aspects of it are often dulled. The graphical remaster looks great, but the presentation of cut scenes and the voice acting are bargain basement, especially compared to something like Persona 5. For those interested in Star Ocean as a franchise, the discount on this remaster could make it worth your while. For people looking for a great JRPG though, 2017 has seen a slew of great current and remastered games to make Star Ocean: The Last Hope essential.
Long time franchise fans and newcomers will find plenty to like with Yakuza Kiwami, even if it falls slightly short of its later entries.
Sunset Overdrive wants to be liked and it wants to be different. Badly. The fact that it manages to pull this off in spite of more than a few annoyances is an achievement in itself. At the end of the day, it is a hell of a lot of fun to navigate the city and blast enemies, the customization is enjoyable to mess around with and even some of the attempts at humour land (The re-spawn animations in particular). The shortcomings are there however, and it prevents Sunset Overdrive from being the game it so desperately wants to be seen as.