Rudy Lavaux's Reviews
Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition takes a beloved classic of the past that hasn't necessarily aged very well and brings to players who are hungry for monuments of gaming history just the version they needed to finally take a dive if they hadn't already. Those who played it back when first released may find here a good reason to dive in again on their Wii U and reminisce youth, albeit at a kind of a steep price. Waiting on a discount may be a good idea for those who have their hesitations as the game is indeed fairly short and ultimately doesn't bring much more than HD enhanced graphics, an easier difficulty on the whole, and a lacklustre revamped collection of sound effects. Nevertheless, the simplistic design, HD rendition, great CD soundtrack of the Mega CD version, and the overall intriguing experience of trial-and-error still stand out well enough to make this a worthwhile purchase for those looking for a unique experience on the eShop at the moment.
What else can be said about Sparkle 2? It's the concept of Puzz Loop/Zuma, on the Nintendo Switch, with a few unique elements thrown into the mix to make it be enough of its own thing to feel appealing to fans of the genre, and it plays best as a handheld title via the touch screen of the system. It will appease the hunger for this type of experience on the Switch without any doubt, but should not be expected to reconcile its detractors with the concept, however, as it remains pretty close to its source material. Price is perhaps just a bit on the steep side for newcomers, but for anyone who likes a good challenge of that type, with the amount of tough as nails challenges to tackle in here to complete absolutely everything, it's a fair price.
Elliot Quest takes heavy inspiration from the first three Zelda games in general and from Zelda II: Adventure of Link in particular, while improving on some of the more tedious aspects of it. However, it does not quite go all the way to leaving behind or improving the elements that haven't aged well at all in Nintendo's classic, making for an experience that at times can be a bit more confusing than it really needs to be.
Oceanhorn is a competent, budget, bite-sized Zelda-like experience that is not without its flaws, both in terms of glitches and in terms of sheer game design.
Other than the slightly improved visuals and frame-rate that the PC allows, this version doesn't bring enough novelty when compared to the previous console HD versions.
Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force benefits from great sound design and artistic direction, and is uplifted by a story that's interesting to sit through, and, at moments, hilarious.
Those who yearn for more of that type of interactive fun, this will likely be a blast.
This second DLC pack is, just like the first, just a tool to help players grind and farm for things a little easier than the first one allowed. However, whereas the previous pack only made marginally easier the things that could already be done in the base game, this one really does help things out by a lot for players looking to maximise the potential of their party, especially post-ending.
Asdivine Cross turns out to be a surprisingly pleasant adventure to plod through. It is not too expensive and not too long, either, so it can easily fit in between meatier titles played at home and in shorter sessions on public transport and the like. Its shortcomings in terms of presentation may make it harder to grow fond of, especially early on because it does not do quite enough to make its interesting characters and story stand out. It is nevertheless a title with enough good qualities and even some surprising efforts that wouldn't normally be expected from a smaller title such as this, which all contribute to make it a recommended buy for people yearning for a 16-bit style RPG that is not a remake of something already existent.
Pinball FX3 leaves some things to be desired on the technical side of things, which can only be hoped to see fixed in the near future through an update since it looks and performs rougher than even its predecessor on the Wii U and, at least in terms of performance in handheld mode, worse than on the 3DS. Nevertheless, Pinball FX3 is an excellent way to experience original virtual pinball tables in this day and age, if not the go-to and indispensable way of doing so. Fans of pinball and/or Zen Studios' previous efforts in that area should then definitely give this new hub game a flip, but bear in mind the current technical limitations that are hard to fathom and which are yet to be resolved.
Final Fantasy IX is an absolute must-buy and must-experience classic JRPG that deserved a home on a Nintendo console, and should have had one a long time ago.
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.
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.
Light input lag and lengthy load times aside, Aces of the Luftwaffe: Squadron is an excellent party style shmup the likes of which are very rarely seen. In fact, no other shmup quite like it, in how multiplayer-centric it is, comes to mind. It may look rather simplistic, but it proves to be top notch in its game design, apart from the fact that the game is not quite as enjoyable in solo as it is in multiplayer. For all those out there able to gather three or even just one or two more players for long enough to see the full experience through to the end, however, it turns out to be a memorable piece of software, and an enjoyable experience that, who knows, may bring the band of playmates back together for more beyond the scope of the single adventure.
Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds presents a compelling and mature story to sit through, served by classic, though effective, game systems, all easily comparable to the classics of the 32-bit era that it tries to pay homage to.
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.
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.
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.
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!, as well as its almost identical counterpart, succeeds brilliantly at bridging the worlds of Pokémon Go and the mainline entries, combining evolved, simplified or even revised mechanics from both worlds into what is, make no mistake, a spin-off from the main franchise and not an actual new mainline game. Changes may not be to every old time fan's taste but diving in with expectations kept in check, everyone may find in there a lot to be enjoyed, both for fans of Pokémon Go or the modern games... or even fans of both who will best be able to appreciate it. Controls are, however, a real issue and make things more frustrating than they need to be, holding back what is otherwise a truly brilliant package. A patch to make handheld controls available in docked mode would go a long way to alleviate much of that frustration...
The Journey Down: Chapter One limits itself to simply laying down the premise of a promising narrative but, unfortunately, limits itself to just that and is altogether over fairly quickly. It does nothing else wrong in terms of gameplay or presentation, though, even if the choice of character art is a bit out of left field and hard to adjust to, at first. Player interactions with the humorous plot and colourful cast of NPCs are what build the sympathy towards Bwana, the protagonist, and his companions. Here's hoping that the one thing that falls a bit short here builds up more in the sequels.