Ollie Barder's Reviews
Overall, this is a great collection of both important and genuinely great Irem shmups. The inclusion of Image Fight II is also great, as that was previously only available on the WiiU. However, both the original Image Fight and X-Multiply make this collection worth picking up for anyone that is a serious fan of shmups.
Overall, Armored Core VI is a proper mecha action game. It’s not the best game in the series, but it is solidly done. The new target assist setup works fine and is also able to be turned off if need be. The story and localization are great, and very much inline with the Japanese dialogue for the first time in the series’ history. It’s also definitely a return to form for the Armored Core series, but the never-ending boss fights do take away from the decent mission structure and pacing, especially later in the game. However, for someone like me that’s been playing Armored Core games for over 25 years, it’s nice that this series is back and finally being given a proper chance to shine
So if you ever wondered what made the Ray series of shmups so special, then this collection should hopefully help you with that, along with an abundance of homing lasers.
Overall, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is an excellent collection and remake of a pair of highly regarded Game Boy Advance strategy games. This game may look cute and simple in terms of its artstyle, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth in terms of its technical and exacting strategy-based gameplay.
Overall, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe is a very nice remaster of a solid Wii game that had a great deal of affection from longtime players of the series back in the day. This remaster also runs very well on the Switch and is definitely worth picking up if you are a Kirby fan. However, if you are new to Kirby and want to experience the best of its 2D offerings, then I would have to recommend Planet Robobot instead.
Overall, Octopath Traveler II is an excellent sequel to the endearing and much loved first game. It doesn’t offer up anything all that new in the gameplay department, but all the new characters and their stories are nicely engaging, as is the excellent combat.
Overall, SD Gundam Battle Alliance is a solid mecha game and one that shows how far Artdink has come since their PlayStation Portable days. It’s also a very accessible game in terms of its controls and combat, which the cute approach only helps to accentuate.
Overall, Sonic Origins is an excellent collection of games to introduce newer players to what made Sonic the Hedgehog so interesting and unique. However, after Sonic Mania it does feel a bit of a step down with the reduced difficulty.
Overall, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers is a fun remix of the Earth Defense Force formula. Not only is the art style almost entirely adorable, but the way the gameplay has been split across your team members keeps the game fresh and fun.
Overall, R-Type Final 2 is a significant improvement over R-Type Final and has decently solid level design throughout. As R-Type games go though, R-Type Final 2 does not live up to the masterful R-Type Delta. That said, it is still a proper R-Type game and a well-crafted shmup. So blast off and have fun destroying the Bydo Empire all over again.
Overall, New Pokémon Snap is a relaxing but still a quite involved game There’s a lot to do in the Lental Region and the game definitely turned out better than I ever expected it to. While it can get a bit repetitive, there are enough surprises to keep you engaged.
Overall, this is a very faithful remake of a classic and beloved shoot-em-up with a fascinating world setting, now brought to life in a new and visually vibrant way.
Overall, Samurai Shodown is very much true to its gaming lineage and works a lot better on the Switch than you would expect. So if you like quick paced fighting games with lots of vicious bladed weaponry and a surprising amount of tactics, then this is definitely worth a look.
If you like to play with nicely designed mecha packed full of weapons and destroy all kinds of robotic enemies, then Daemon X Machina does a good job letting you do just that. So ignore the more casual players out there and try this out, as this is a proper mecha game.
Overall, Metal Wolf Chaos XD is a decent enough port of a cult classic mecha game but misses the mark over the Xbox original.
Iron Rain is a solid shooter and reminiscent of what made the mainline games so much fun. However, I think some of the backend changes don’t really work and the visual and aural impact of the weapons feel diminished.
Overall, Octopath Traveler is a very solid and engaging game.
Overall, Pokémon: Let’s Go is definitely something fans of Pokémon will have fun with and will also be familiar to newer players who have enjoyed Pokémon GO. However, don’t be fooled by the sweet looking presentation, as there is a solid challenge to be had here.
If you're a Zelda fan and want something more combat oriented with a strong element of strategy to it, then Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is worth checking out.
Overall, Senko no Ronde 2 is as good as the game it is based off and comes highly recommended to anyone that enjoys a different kind of arena battler.