Miguel Moran's Reviews
Left Alive is an ambitious new development from Square Enix. Unfortunately, that ambition is squandered. The gameplay is dreadful, the enemy AI is broken, and the visuals are bland as all hell. Those issues are complemented by a boring story and a slew of audio and gameplay bugs that simply make Left Alive a failure on all fronts.
Sky Gamblers - Afterburner is the latest game from a studio that has spent 10 years churning out similar phone-only dogfighting games, and it absolutely shows. Every visual and 3D model in the game looks like something that would be running on a five year old iPhone. The story is simply...there, and has little care or thought put into it, but I can appreciate that the gameplay is successful, and the visual customisation is a fun touch, too. If you just want to get in a jet and shoot down some bogeys, Sky Gamblers - Afterburner is fine, but certainly not ideal.
Horizon Shift '81 is simple, stellar fun. The arcade shooter inspired gameplay puts a fun twist on the classic genre that provides hours of pure, flashy entertainment. Boss fights bring a fun, modern twist to the game, but could have used some sound effects in order to make them even stronger. Overall, if you've got a Switch and have the itch for some old-school arcade blast-em-up fun, Horizon Shift '81 is a great way to feed that craving.
Oniken does a few things right, but flounders when it comes to the most important parts of the experience. The visuals and audio of the game are a faithful and accurate tribute to the style of classic NES action games, sure. All of the artistic flair in the world can't help a game that simply isn't fun to play, though. Action in Oniken is consistently stiff and frustrating, and while boss encounters can provide brief moments of gratifying gameplay, only the most dedicated of action platformer fans will have the patience to reach those encounters.
Still, despite those issues, Ape Out is simply an outstanding and utterly enjoyable experience. The moment I became that big, angry monkey, I was glued to the screen and never wanted the action to end. The music dropped my jaw, the visuals made my eyes go wide, and the addictive gameplay kept me entranced until I reached the final level. The ape is truly out, my friends.
Arcade Spirits is a successful experiment in creating an inclusive and immersive visual novel experience, it just needs to nail the "novel" part of that experience. Yet, for as flawed as the line-to-line writing of Arcade Spirits can be, I still found myself really enjoying the overall story of the game. Arcade Spirits already won a lot of points with me for being a relatively bite-sized adventure, but I also loved the cast of characters and the casual nature of the entire experience. Unfortunately, a lot of rough writing and dialogue in the game keeps me from truly loving it.
RemiLore lays a decent groundwork in terms of gameplay and design, but it never really goes beyond that. Combat is simple and promising, but the lack of depth makes it hard to stay engaged with it for very long.
Compile Heart set out to prove they could do something different by making Death end re;Quest, and they absolutely succeeded. Unfortunately, the interesting ideas at the heart of the game are undone by the groan-inducing and lengthy dialogue that often tries too hard to be taken seriously. Edgy writing aside, Death end re;Quest has marvellous gameplay that kept me glued to my controller. It's a strong package for JRPG fans, but you might end up wanting to use that skip button during cutscenes.
Crossover games are nothing new to Bandai Namco or Shonen Jump, so it surprises and disappoints me to see that none of the good aspects or successful mechanics of these previous games made their way into Jump Force at all. Jump Force is a visual mess, It lacks the fun and charm that a wild crossover like this should embrace, and It's just a technical mess from top to bottom. Jump Force is a huge celebration of some of the most iconic manga in history, but it fails to do any of them justice.
Fans of Advance Wars will be right at home with Wargroove, but don’t be surprised if you end up becoming an even bigger Wargroove fan.
My favorite gaming experiences are the ones that elicit a pure and physical response from me. Whether it's a horror game making me clench my cheeks or a story-driven game dropping my jaw and pulling a tear from my eye, those kinds of experiences are the ones that stick with me the most. With Pikuniku, I was smiling and laughing throughout the entire thing, and too few games get that kind of response out of me. Pikuniku is a treasure of a game, and I can't wait to see more from this team.
Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal is a breath of fresh air after the fumbles of the last few games in the series. I got on board with this franchise for the unique characters and addictive combat, and this game has both of those things in spades. It's a treat to see the origins of the cast redone on home console, but if you've never played a single game in the series before, Burst Re:Newal is the best this franchise has to offer for you.
If you love No More Heroes, or any work of Suda51's, then Travis Strikes Again is a must-play game.
London Detective Mysteria does a few things new within the genre of otome dating sims, but at the end of the day, it isn't anything revolutionary. If you've played an otome game before, then this one will be more of the same, for better or worse. The silly cast of characters and attempts at dramatic detective plotlines are interesting, but not executed entirely well. Fans of the genre will be able to happily add this one to your pile, but if you need convincing to try out a game like this, London Detective Mysteria isn't the one for you.
Atari Flashback Collection is a wonderful way to experience gaming history for the first time, or reminisce over your favourites one more time.
While Atelier Meruru is my favorite of the trilogy, each of the games in this pack is cute and fun enough to warrant a purchase, especially if you’re an established fan of the franchise who hasn’t gotten a chance to try the Arland trilogy out yet.
It’s tough to have to pick between sharp visuals or consistent performance, but when it comes to this kind of game, performance is key, and they nailed it with this port.
Rival Megagun isn't a perfect package, but it offers a unique gameplay experience that nobody else is trying to create right now. Shoot 'em ups are blood-pumping adrenaline adventures, and adapting that into a competitive game is a feat that Rival Megagun does impressively well. While some gameplay balance issues and a bland story mode tarnish the final product, Rival Megagun is still an engaging title worth checking out if you and a loved one need a new way to settle your arguments.
Whenever there's a conversation about video games and if they can be considered art, Katamari Damacy needs to be involved. 15 years ago, it arrived on PlayStation 2 touting an absolutely unheard of style of gameplay, art and music. 15 years later on the Nintendo Switch, and it remains one of a kind. Katamari Damacy is a wholly unique video game, and it is an unabashed love letter to the copy-and-paste pop aesthetic of Japanese 1990s pop culture. It's bright, weird, silly and cute, and is a must play for anyone, anywhere.
Earth Defense Force 5 is as video gamey as they come. No frills, just kills. If you want to unwind after a long day and just blast some baddies and see explosions until your eyes go red, you can get no better than this game.