It is a wonderfully designed point-and-click adventure that truly plays on the emotions, with players having to make tough choices where no option is really good or fully satisfying, just like in real life. This being set in a Supposedly Wonderful Future adds much to the experience as it both opens up for interesting choices with unfamiliar topics, but also shows of a great cynicism, and at times hope and curiosity.
It is easy to dismiss Lil Tanks prematurely because of how simple and shallow it looks as a game. This is, however, what gaming used to be back in the good ol' days, and this is one of few modern retro games that truly captures the feeling of simplicity and pure action many of those games delivered, with no frills. While certainly not for everyone, those who are looking for a classic old school shoot 'em up will find this scratches that itch.
Putting a score to a game like Pato Box is painful as parts are worthy of the highest possible score, namely the boss fights that are some of the best seen in ages and truly capture, and even enhance the source of inspiration. However, there needed to be more of those to create a better difficulty curve and less filler content in-between. The story of a game like this does not need to make sense, but the content put into it needs to.
If you are into puzzle-platformers, why are you reading this instead of playing Sling Ming right now? Sling Ming is an extremely creative experience, rivalling many great names in the pure enjoyment stakes, and comes with unique gameplay that is not found elsewhere. It is certainly a must-buy for all fans of the genre, no matter if people want some casual fun or rather prefer brain-teasing puzzles to keep their minds sharp.
It is difficult to find a more realistic economy simulator than this. All focus is on the core of how a market works, rather than to make it work well as a videogame. The result is a fantastic experience for those who are looking for just that, but few others will do so, and that is fine as Epic Car Factory never claims to do anything else. If this sounds appealing, this is certainly a game to get. If not, it is very unlikely that trying the game out will change anything. It is great for its audience, but not too many others.
Azure Saga: Pathfinder is easily recommendable to people who can stand flawed games as the core of the world and the combat system are very enjoyable and entertaining for the price-range and can actually in some aspects be seen as a textbook example of how to make a good JRPG. The many minor flaws within do quickly fill up the players metaphorical shoes with pebbles, though, which will make it very uncomfortable at times - for instance, an overly predictable story, and characters that never develop past their stupidity or goodness no matter what is thrown at them. This is a game that badly needs a polished sequel to fix the minor problems as the core is something worth continuing to work upon.
There are few games with as much personality as Kitty Powers' Love Life, and that alone makes it a truly interesting game to play for an hour or two. The problem is that it does not take too long until the game starts to feel repetitive and like work, and if there is one thing games should avoid it is for them to feel like actual work, even when simulating a profession. In the end, Kitty Powers' Love Life has a lot of personality, but needs to work out some quirks for this relationship to work out.
While somewhat flawed and sprinkled with some minor annoyances, such as treasure boxes demanding back-tracking to unlock, and a lack of a proper quest log, [i]Cat Quest[i] succeeds with what it has to and is meant to be - being a fun game filled with cat puns without ever giving the player reasons to forget this. It is adorable, quirky, fun, cute, clever, and cool all at the same time, just like the cats it is inspired by. It truly shows that oftentimes less is more.
Energy Invasion shows some interesting and bold design choices that challenge some core aspects of one perhaps the most static genres that is still relevant today. However, these changes are badly implemented, only adding too much unnecessary clutter that is sometimes annoyingly hard to spot due to the small size.
After playing Bleed, it would be very easy to be worried for the sequel not living up to expectations. While the sequel is very different from the original, it is not by any means a bad thing. At the core, Bleed 2 is still in the same spirit as the first entry, but just a bit more grown up and comfortable. Wryn is still the same cool chick she always was, ready to kick some you-know-what as before, except this time for less selfish reasons. The action anti-heroine has become a real heroine, and the bosses have got more creative and include more variety. However, this has comes at the expense of having less platforming segments, a worthwhile pay-off in the end as the most memorable parts of the first game weren't the platforming sections, but the radical boss fights, and Bleed 2 will not offer anything that disappoints on that front.
Chaos;Child is a deviously clever visual novel from start to finish. It plays the reader like a fiddle by presenting all the ingredients for a mystery novel, but without some of the necessary tools to solve it. A megalomaniac mystery fan will look for a logical solution finding none as the important pieces are hidden away from the protagonist, and by extension, the reader. It might seem insane and risky, but it works extremely well and creates a memorable read that, while perhaps annoying for some due to certain choices made during the prose, will impress many others. Like most visual novels, it is not a crowd-pleaser, but for the intended audience it is a must read, and one that will not easily be forgotten.
It is really depressing to play a game like Hyakki Castle. It has some things that could have made it a good game in a vastly underrepresented genre. It got the atmosphere just right, which is one of the most difficult things to nail perfectly. However, it is dragged down by many things that while independently does not ruin a game, it destroys the game when combined. Bad mouse and keyboard controls would not ruin a game, but the painful process of making gamepads work with the game does as it is almost mandatory to use a gamepad to enjoy the game at all, and do not even get started on the hunger system that makes exploring, which is one of the core pillars of enjoyment in the genre heavily, punishable. In the end, while it is easy to want to like Hyakki Castle and see how it could have been a great game, it is too hard to not see that it isn't a good game.
Unpolished, glitchy, and short, are some of the adjectives that describe Ben 10. It is an obvious and transparent, holiday season cash-grab, that just wants to make a quick penny out of a popular IP. Sure, there are good license games out there, but this isn't one of them. It is recommended to find something else to put under the Christmas tree, unless the receiver really is into the license, and happen to own a Nintendo Switch without anything else to play on it…
It is difficult to pull off, but Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth has managed to both make a solid SRPG and visual novel in the same game. The world is interesting, and the characters are enjoyable to play as and to see the world with, even though sometimes it is too reliant on common tropes. The combat system also has depth to it with a lot of systems in place to reward those who think several turns in advance. The problem is that both aspects of the game are somewhat bloated. For fans of both genres this will not be obvious or even an issue at all, but for those who only likes the former or the latter, this might quickly make either feel like it's overstaying its welcome, in a good 80+ hours long game.
Trulon: The Shadow Engine shows some interesting aspects in the combat that would have been much more fun to leave the experience with rather than the broken mess it currently is thanks to the error.
Farming Simulator Nintendo Switch Edition is reliable, but it needs some upgrades. It is the old tool that never really got a good upgrade that hits the same levels of quality. Fans of the franchise are going to love the meditative state ploughing the fields, and having the feeling of productivity. It has a certain magic to it in its realism that makes it a wonderful simulator, and those looking to try out the modern farmer life, or just look at the machines and drool, are not going to be left disappointed.
While X-Morph: Defense is a great title that tower defense fans and shoot 'em up fans alike will enjoy, some issues experienced while playing the game with the loading times might be a huge turnoff after a couple of hours. While a great game, a fix to this is in sincere need. The gameplay is great and shows the best sides of both genres, as it mixes together in a wonderful way that helps them enhance each other, while at the same time offering a more pure experience for the respective genres.
JYDGE does the Robocop concept really well, and has some really strong twin-shooter gameplay with its wonderfully diverse upgrades that opens up a lot of different playstyles.
Pinball FX3: Universal Classics Pinball is a very solid pinball pack offering three tables that offer varied experiences. At least one table will catch the flavour of almost any pinball player with the wide appeal of the package. The faithfulness to the movies mixed with the usual Zen Studios quality makes this an easy purchase for pinball fans and Universal movie fans alike.
Just Dance 2018 does not offer much new, but it truly does not have to at this point. The things it does offer adds to the already great experience in unexpected ways. The mojo gashapon adds yet another addictive component to the mixture of feel-good-hormones the game has offered for ages in a way that is obviously clever once explained. What players are here for, though, is the fun and addictive dance gameplay, which is as strong as ever with the ever growing Unlimited library. This makes Just Dance 2018 well worth a go for fans and newcomers alike.