Rudy Lavaux's Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Those who yearn for more of that type of interactive fun, this will likely be a blast.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The fact that a game with this style of presentation works so well to make you feel uncomfortable and creep you out is a testament to how well written and designed it is. It would have been easy to put too much of one thing or another in it so that the subtle balance of it all would be lost and this adventure feel like a complete mess, but that's not the case. It's a truly disturbing story that demands using your imagination to perceive this as more than a bunch of huge pixels on a screen, and this involvement is part of what makes the cake lift at the end of the day, and that is a genuine tour de force. That's not to say that it's perfect, as some things are not always executed brilliantly, and yet, in the end, the atmosphere and immersion are not spoiled by such little shortcomings, and the experience ultimately still comes highly recommended.
All three games present in Borderlands: Legendary Collection are well worth a play by themselves. Packed together, they represent an excellent deal on the Nintendo Switch.
Thunder Force AC is a fantastic classic shoot 'em up, and its inclusion on Switch, along with some added bonuses, is a welcome addition to the SEGA AGES line-up. It is only held back by the lack of the original version, Thunder Force III, of which this one is but a slightly remixed version. Seems like a lost opportunity, but here's hoping the developer won't dare releasing it separately.
Fantasy Zone itself is a title that was designed from the ground-up to be a short, but intense arcade romp. In this day and age, this wouldn't stand a chance by itself, but such a meaningful re-release, packed with all the features any old fan could want, makes this a thoroughly recommended classic to revisit in 2020, for both old and newer fans of Sega.
[i]The Touryst[i] may sport minimalistic visual designs, but make no mistake, it truly is a technical showcase for the Nintendo Switch with all the effects it throws around at the same time, all at a locked 1080p60 while docked. Shin'en strikes again then, and the adventure itself is pleasing and gripping throughout. Its only shortcoming is that, in the hands of capable riddle solvers, it is on the short side of things and feels like it is over a bit too quickly.
The main story feels shorter overall due to it being a less grindy affair than ever before, but storytelling benefits greatly from this, because the main game ends up being a more focused and packed experience.
GRID Autosport, in its Switch incarnation, is a technically accomplished port of a solid entry in a genre defining franchise that falls right in-between arcade fun and driving sim