Rudy Lavaux's Reviews
The somewhat restrictive nature of the controls of FOX n FORESTS, coupled with the lengthy stages where death means sitting multiple times through the same section, keep it from being the glowing homage to the 16-bit era and the SNES, in particular, that its fantastic soundtrack and awesome graphical design would have otherwise allowed it to be. Nevertheless, what is on offer here is still well worth checking out, if only for one heck of a nostalgia trip to the first half of the 1990s.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - Donkey Kong Adventure turns out to be much less focused on strategy this time around but more on the actual enjoyment of the story and universe with more laid back battles that are easier to approach than the rest of the full package, in no small part due to how powerful Donkey Kong and Rabbid Cranky are in battle. The base game had lots of charm with its colourful and humorous universe and this is all intact here, if not even more pleasant than ever before. The small downside to this is that those who loved the base for the challenge and variety of possible strategies will not quite find the same depth here. For others, though, this will be a solid addition to an already solid experience.
Shining Resonance Refrain has its small irritating bits here and there and turns out to not be a very large scale JRPG, but that doesn't mean that it should be shunned for it. Its smaller scale and relatively simpler structure makes it easier to sink some time into than an even more massive JRPG like the Xenoblade titles, which may be more intimidating as a result of their scope. As for its minor setbacks, they are easily offset by its other intrinsic qualities, chiefly the loveable cast of main characters. Fans of the JRPG genre in its more classical form, but also of manga/anime style adventure stories, should find plenty to enjoy here.
Cast of the Seven Godsends is not without its frustrating and/or unfair moments, but it manages to provide a rewarding feeling in small doses, when an obstacle is finally overcome with enough perseverance. However, the uninspiring visuals and a soundtrack that doesn't quite manage to do its job of reinforcing the hectic and sometimes heavy atmosphere, prevent it from truly landing its grip on gamers who will not be compelled to come back for more afterwards. Fans of Ghosts 'N Goblins-like titles may want to have a look at this, but wait perhaps for a sale to do so as, indeed, it lacks some replay value after finally seeing the ending.
Riptide GP: Renegade on Switch turns to be a faithful port of other home console versions of the same game, complete with the same qualities but also a slightly regrettable lack of two features that could have been possible: gyro/touchscreen controls, as well as support for local wireless or LAN multiplayer. It does add, however, an excellent implementation of single Joy-Con support, ensuring wonderful two-player sessions on the go in split-screen or simply allowing a player with few available controllers to invite friends to participate in the fun when playing in the comfort of their home.
Bundling together three tables based on three great games, all complete with great soundtracks and visuals properly licensed from their creators without funky alterations or replacements, the Bethesda Pinball pack is perhaps the best licensed package available in Pinball FX3 to this day, not just for the content represented, but also because of the great gameplay mechanics and systems being used here to enhance the pinball experience in unique, original ways.
While this is obviously not Red Dead Redemption or anything of the sort, West of Loathing proves to be truly entertaining for what it is.
Small performance hiccups on boss explosions aside, which were already present in an even worse state back on the GameCube, this is the new definitive edition of the great classic on Nintendo Switch. Not only is it enjoyable and fully featured both at 1080p60 in docked mode and 720p60 in handheld mode, but it is obviously way more enjoyable on the go than the version available for smart devices due to real built-in controls but also, for the first time, portable two-player mode on the same device with split Joy-Con, which happens to work really well. It is still as challenging a romp as it ever was, but for anyone remotely interested by the genre, it will prove indispensable.
Like Pokémon Shuffle before it, Pokémon Quest proves to be a pleasant piece of gaming that is best enjoyed while doing something else, like watching TV or during short trips on public transport, due to the short nature of the experience and limited amount of free play time offered by the base software. Like Pokémon Shuffle, however, even if it is on a console that is handheld at core, it will be best enjoyed portably on a device that people are carrying on their person at all times, like a smartphone, with notifications warning the player that their free plays have recharged and the like, so it's probably best to wait for a smart device version before investing any money in there that may not transfer between different versions.
Even when taking into account that some of these games are not very different from one another, the content on offer in Street Fighter II 30th Anniversary Collection presents arguably the best value for money in that specific genre on Nintendo Switch and the bonus features, like museum and sprite viewer, are actually well worth checking out for lovers of the series. However, one of the main components, the online mode, is not really enjoyable in its current state so, unless a fix is on the way, this removes some of the fun that there would otherwise be in playing this on Nintendo Switch. What remains, however, is the only version that can easily be enjoyed wherever, whenever, and with whomever and that should never suffer from disc rot due to the sturdy cartridge format, and which won't look any worse here than anywhere else due to these games not being exactly very recent.
Despite some hiccups in performance that are perfectly understandable given the scope, limited budget, and the engine used, Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles in its Nintendo Switch incarnation retains all of its charm. It is not a Triple-A product, and yet what it manages to achieve is a wonder to behold.
Castle of Heart is a pleasing concept at its core, but is held back only by a few minor annoyances in the gameplay department. The most original aspect - the hero being turned to stone and losing health progressively - ends up also being a hindrance at times, which gets almost frustrating after replaying through the same section multiple times. Overall, though, it feels good to play and is an all-round pleasant experience with production values so high that it's worthy of applause. It feels perhaps a bit too linear at times, when some environments could have probably benefited from being more open to exploration but, nevertheless, it is well worth checking out. Its price is a bit steep for the amount of content currently, but those who strive to complete it 100%, finding all the crystals, should get their money's worth.
Spelunker Party! offers a rather meaty package that will certainly provide dozens of hours of gameplay to the right audience, those able to stand the controls and difficulty or are looking for that sort of experience. Such people certainly exist out there and, while of course the unfairness certainly doesn't reach the levels of the NES or 8-Bit computer versions, the stiffness and accuracy required when playing still feels like something from a different age that won't necessarily appeal to everybody. With that in mind, however, Spelunker Party!, like other Spelunker games, chooses that approach on purpose so as to appeal to its fan-base and certainly does succeed in that regard! It is, therefore, a fairly good rendition of the series on Nintendo Switch that should lend itself well to multiplayer Spelunker parties amongst fans both online and locally, on the go.
A solid package all round
It was easy to see Portal and pinball going well together. As soon as thinking of the concept, balls flying through one portal and coming out of another sounds like an amusing and fresh take on the genre, and it is a marriage made in heaven, indeed. Pinball FX3: Portal is a blazing score-fest that keeps gamers on their toes and hooked fairly easily.
Rendering an adventure in pinball form is something that can't really be expected to play identically to the original, but it is surprisingly faithful, and that is as much of a commendable effort now as it was over three years ago when it first graced consoles. It is also a standalone table, so no other tables come attached, so it is maybe an even easier choice to make whether to pick it up or not.
It is a solid experience faithful to the Dragon Quest franchise that suffers only from very minor gripes with the gameplay and comes highly recommended for anyone who sees in there something that tickles their fancy.
The franchises represented here are amongst the most popular ever put on film, but it is sad that their content could not be perfectly represented with the content not being fully licensed.
The tables are up to the standards of what one can expect from Zen Studios, which is to say frantic action that takes full advantage of this being a videogame and not an actual physical pinball machine to push the boundaries of what can be expected from a pinball title, and there's certainly an audience for that kind of content on Nintendo Switch.
They are both well worth the purchase even now that they are not free anymore.