Justin Oneil's Reviews
I may be a bit biased as Metal Gear is one of my favorite franchises but I recommend Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 to anyone out there that has played the previous games. Metal Gear Solid 4 finally being available on every major current platform makes this collection worth it alone in my opinion but Peace Walker and Ghost Babel both add a lot more playtime to the collection. All of these games have never played better either as they run at a smooth 60FPS and look better than ever.
Rugrats: Retro Rewind Collection is one that is going to mostly appeal to prior fans of these games as anyone new will likely find their outdated design to be too unappealing. If you’re a huge Rugrats fan maybe the wonky camera, controls, and pretty meh visuals won’t bother you too much as you head down this nostalgia trip. It’s a collection I’m glad exists because older games should be preserved but anyone considering it should probably buy it on sale.
Overall, EA Sports College Football 27 isn’t a huge leap forward but it has seen mostly positive improvements year over year. The Dynasty mode and Road to Glory modes are now more fleshed out giving you deeper levels of control while both sides of the ball in the gameplay have made upgrades.
MULLET MADJACK is pretty much downright boomer shooter, fast-paced fun. Having to rush to stay alive makes it feel different from other similar games and the roguelike elements and difficulty options help encourage a ton of replayability. All of that action is complimented by a great presentation. It can feel a little repetitive at times but I don’t think that will stop you from having a great time shooting through these robots.
If you have any interest in top-down twin-stick shooters or games with fun exploration I can’t recommend Minishoot’ Adventures to you enough.
While I would’ve liked to see a new 3D Mario for this anniversary, getting to jump back into both Super Mario Galaxy titles was a nice way to celebrate it nonetheless. Despite their age both of these titles still stand out thanks to their timeless level design and cool mechanics. They’ve both never looked better and the controls have transitioned well to the Nintendo Switch regardless of which mode you play it in.
Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening is a fun romp that should please fans of the classic anime or movie but newcomers should find it enjoyable too. It has some annoyances in the level design at times and the controls can be a bit cumbersome at times but none of it hurts the experience much and the presentation really helps carry the whole package.
Drag x Drive is a neat little budget title from Nintendo’s weird side but many things about it may turn someone off from jumping into the court. The unique mouse control method works well but how long you can endure it will vary from person to person. The game also lacks anything to work towards, doesn’t have much to offer for modes or content, and lacks that NIntendo magic visually. I personally would recommend skipping this one for now unless some changes are made to it.
Gears of War: Reloaded is a welcome introduction to the universe for PlayStation players who never played it before but it not being a remake causes it to show its age. The campaign is still fun but the dated enemy AI is frustrating and the visuals, while improved, don’t impress in a lot of areas.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a remake that remains faithful to Kojima’s masterful original vision while also making it look stunning and play like a modern day game.
Konami and M2 have crafted a fine collection here that any fan of Gradius should check out. With three Gradius titles, three Salamander titles, and Life Force here there is a lot of shoot ’em up gameplay to enjoy even if it is hard as heck.
College Football 26 has worked to improve in most of the right areas over the product that was put on the field last year. Dynasty Mode has brought back a lot of missing features from older entries, the gameplay has been expanded and tuned to give you more options and more fair, and the visual and audio presentation immerses you in the game day experience more than ever.
Sonic x Shadow Generations on the Nintendo Switch 2 is an experience far closer to say the PlayStation 5 version but it isn’t worth double dipping for.
Mario Kart World is hard to not recommend for those who pick up a Nintendo Switch 2 but at launch it doesn’t surpass Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the podium.
Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut is probably still the best place to start if you are new to Yakuza but previous players won’t be missing much. The new story scenes and Red Light mode aren’t worth it in my opinion to pay full price again for this if you played Yakuza 0 before. If you are new though I can’t recommend it enough and the new English voices are a nice addition.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is the best version of the game you can play, that is undeniable. This version cleans up all the performance issues that were present on the Nintendo Switch while also giving a nice resolution boost with HDR. The Zelda Notes feature is kind of useless to me but others may find it helpful.
When I think over my few hours spent with Sunshine Manor, I can’t think of a lot I didn’t like about it. It has a great retro presentation that makes good use of creepy imagery, the sound design is well done, and solving the puzzles never was frustrating. Some may wish it was longer or more challenging but if you just want a spooky adventure to last you a night this is one worth going on.
Gastro Force wears its DOOM inspirations on its sleeve but it doesn’t do anything to elevate itself to being as memorable. It plays well and looks good but doesn’t have enough variety in the visuals, enemies, music, or weapons to really stand out.
Days of Doom has an appealing comic book presentation and some nice ideas but it doesn’t do enough to standout from other tactical roguelites.
Smurfs Kart is a family-friendly kart racer that makes good use of the Smurfs license but runs out of gas a bit too fast. The controls are easy for anyone to pick up, the tracks have some nice layouts, and the characters feel different enough but there just isn’t enough here for modes to make this a must-play for kart racing fans.