I find the game is best in short bursts. I think we've all played 3D brawlers that outclass Smashing the Battle in virtually every category. Having said that, I do find myself enjoying the game. It's not perfect, but it has heart. Well, that and an impossibly voluptuous woman in ill-fitting battle armor.
Azure Saga: Pathfinder is perfectly serviceable, and apart from my frustrations with the economy, there's a lot to like here. It's just not something I'm itching to go back to. If you need a JRPG fix for your Switch—and have already been through the boatload of them already available—Azure Saga might scratch that particular itch for you.
So it’s a good game with another player, not so great solo.
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter Remastered is the best possible way to experience this N64 classic, either on your TV or in Handheld/Tabletop Mode (where it performs flawlessly). Turok influenced a lot of first-person shooters that came after it, and it's still very enjoyable in 2018—thanks in large part to Night Dive's boatload of options. You don't wind up hunting a lot of dinosaurs, but you do manage to fight a Dimetrodon that has a minigun strapped to its back, which makes up for a lot.
Despite those complaints, Sundered has turned out to be a fun, addictive game that I can't get enough of. This gameplay loop really works for me, and while I sometimes wish I wasn't doing so much backtracking, it's not a big enough deal that I'm dissuaded from playing. If you, too, like this kind of loop, I think you'll get a kick out of Sundered.
This is not something I usually do with racing games. I kind of wish online multiplayer was in here (it does have persistent global and friend leaderboards), but it's a small price to pay for this lovely package. Horizon Chase Turbo was a very pleasant surprise--go play it.
The music is also surprisingly catchy. The Bug Butcher is a fun Pang-style romp that works in bursts or in longer play sessions—I found it a good game to play while catching up on TV shows. If you like this arcade game style, The Bug Butcher should definitely be on your radar.
If you really long for those days of playing Street Fighter II and Metal Slug while you wait for your Book It group's pizza to come out, you might want to give Eternum EX a look. I feel like it needs a two-player mode to keep things fresh because otherwise it runs out of steam pretty quickly.
I'm excited to see more Williams tables, as they are consistently praised, but of these four initial releases, I only fell in love with Medieval Madness. Hilariously, you cannot escape Fish Tales, because it will be distributed for free to anyone who already has Pinball FX3. Perhaps they knew nobody would actually buy it?
Reflexions is not great. There's not much content, there aren't enough massage mini-games, there aren't enough dress-up options (at least, not yet), and the voyeuristic tone is creepy. And then there's the fantasy involving Asuka being your "little sister," which almost makes me want to nuke the game from orbit. For the Senran Kagura superfan, it's probably required reading but everyone else can just wait for Peach Beach Pinball.
*I've been stuck in a hospital room for the last eight days and of course the hospital WiFi is from the Bronze Age, so online multiplayer was not in the cards. Thanks to Daan for the assist!
This is a fun, accessible fighter that casuals can jump into that also has depth that more seasoned fighting fans will appreciate. It's definitely worth checking out.
**You want to read Crime and Punishment? I have a suggestion: read The Tell-Tale Heart. There. I saved you a hundred hours.
I do [overall like it]. It harkens back to the first three games in a big way. They even brought Vile back.
Iconoclasts is one of the biggest surprises of the year. Despite occasionally suffering through the story sequences, I found that I couldn't stop playing (it's about 10 hours long). I can't recommend the game highly enough--go play it.
However, the problems Bunnylord faces are the same as any other character. It feels wrong to end this review on such a tired phrase, but your mileage may vary regarding Not a Hero. I enjoyed it but it didn't grab me like similar games such as Mercenary Kings did. If you like comically-violent, pixelated shooters, you might try this out, but I suspect it's playing to a crowd that doesn't necessarily include me.
I can't much fault the Mega Man X Legacy Collection Volume 1 for what it is. All four of these games are varying degrees of good and it's nice to have them on my Switch. I just wish it wasn't quite so sterile.
Runbow is a fantastic, colorful, energetic platformer with great style and plenty of content for both solo and group players. At the very least, it is definitely worthy of a spot in your "great multiplayer games" folder.
I also wish the game had used a bigger selection of puzzle pieces to craft more true-to-life prehistoric oddities. One of the blueprints I found was of a sea serpent, but I couldn't help but wish it was a mosasaur or a plesiosaur. It's a little bit sad that a DS game from 2008 is still the best paleontology-based video game on the market—Fossil Hunters does not scratch that itch.
If you like meta-commentary in your video games, ICEY might be right up your alley, but I found the narration to be overdone, overlong, and overly aggressive. I appreciate ICEY's attempt to differentiate itself but…not like this. Not like this.