Justin Nation's Reviews
What it all boils down to is whether or not you’re a fan of classic slasher horror and some solid puzzles. If you haven’t indulged in Slayaway Camp you have an additional decision to make since the games are so much alike. I personally prefer the way it was able to paint with a much wider brush and touch on so many franchises. Jason may be a horror legend, and his hockey mask and whisper are both iconic for good reason, but for me he was always a bit lacking in flair. I love the puzzle and the kills are sufficiently ridiculous that it keeps my interest, but next I’d love to see them tackle a killer with personality like Freddy, or best of all just move to a different decade of horror and send up the tropes and series that they’re remembered for.
As a whole younger gamers may really get a kick out of Nickelodeon Kart Racers but I’d say their enjoyment would heavily depend on both their familiarity with Mario Kart and their outright love for these characters. The further they are on the scale towards the latter rather than the former the better hopes that the game will have some longevity. For all of the modes and small touches that it brings to the table, though, it’s impossible to escape the fact that overall it feels like a knock off and without its colorful and popular license it likely wouldn’t warrant much attention at all.
Despite the controls being strange and not very responsive as long as you pace yourself and try to account for them they don’t sink the game. The real issue is simply that it’s dull. You’ll drive somewhere to get a shape, a new area will reveal itself, you’ll try to remember where you saw that before and drive there, lather, rinse, and repeat. There’s an attempt at an odd story of this land you’re trying to restore and how you got involved but it, too, is just not terribly interesting. Given the pacing perhaps it would work out for a more casual audience since it isn’t very demanding but as a package Car Quest is a bit of a clunker.
While it has a retro appeal both visually and in terms of its feel aside from giving you something that’s easy to pick up and put down and that throws increasingly-difficult stages at you there’s not a great deal to it. In terms of complaints other than the limits of what it will offer I will say that the hitbox for your weapon and monsters sometimes feels a little big but with time you get used to the range and can generally compensate. Likely for older or retro gaming fans who appreciate what feels like a pretty authentic arcade experience.
If you have smaller kids in the house who aren’t quite ready for something more substantial the motion controls and easy-to-understand gameplay may make this an excellent starter title. Paired up with some siblings, parents, and perhaps some grandparents this could provide some very accessible family fun. Short of those circumstances I doubt most people would find enough here to warrant a purchase, but I do applaud the fact that this game is extremely accessible and appears to accomplish all it set out to reasonably well.
Word Maze will challenge you to snake through a collection of letters to form words that all share a common theme...
If you haven’t been eager to play Mahjong on the Switch, I doubt a review that has positive things to say about it will likely change your mind (though that would beg the question of why you’re reading it)...
As a warning, for at least the first week after launch online play won’t yet be available but it appears the intent is to have the game patched shortly after launch. Assuming that online play, since the game is pretty straight-forward, won’t have crippling problems I’d consider it a “nice to have” but ultimately availability of other players will be a wild card beyond the first week or two after the game’s release… so there’s no way to predict what net positive or negative effect it will have ultimately. If you’re an old fan from the arcades or are looking for a cheaper and less elaborate sports title you can enjoy with a friend Windjammers plays well and is a solid game for what it is. If online is critical to whether you’re interested be sure to keep an eye out for news on its availability and quality somewhere around the 30th hopefully to get a more refined answer.
This year's Party Pack is, as always, filled with a little something that will hopefully appeal to just about anyone. Whether you've got friends who are trivia buffs, have a hidden marketing and sales skillset, or an inner poet who can throw down some tough slams it's reasonable to assume everyone can be good at something here. If your groups tend towards a more intimate two couple size earlier Packs may be a better bet but if you're rocking a decently-sized party the wide net these games pack should provide for some fun.
While I would have preferred that they’d bundled all of the titles for this series together and let you buy them together. Instead, it appears the plan is to release them one by one (maybe once they’re all done then we’ll see a bundle) and though the price is a pretty reasonable one it’s worth noting the game is available on pretty well any touchscreen device and probably cheaper. Assuming the reason you haven’t already gotten it elsewhere is that the Switch is your preferred device, just keep in mind that though its physical controls offer some added convenience there’s nothing else clearly pointing to this version being superior. That said, I’d say that any self-respecting puzzle fan should buy at least one iteration of this series, as its stellar reputation for quality is well-deserved.
You’re introduced to your eclectic team as a rookie pilot looking to make an impression...
Though I initially struggled with it, wanting it to be a twin-stick shooter, once I got into the unique rhythm of I Hate Running Backwards I became a big fan...
The essence of Sinner is that you’re dropped pretty unceremoniously, and with little preparation (the tutorial involves learning only the barest of fundamentals to kill a handful of ghosts), right into the deep end...
While mechanically this is a sort of shooter adventure in terms of gameplay it's the presentation and story of Zarvot that makes it entertaining...
If you listen through the somewhat monotone voice acting you’ll be introduced to a story of power and betrayal, classic medieval royalty kind of stuff...
Starting with the positives the game absolutely looks great, has a ridiculous roster of players (including the likes of Michael Jordan), and features all sorts of preposterous on-court moves and dunks...
In the game you command your primary and secondary naval vessels as they move through enemy waters...
Starting out you’ll be playing as an armed panda-esque soldier determined to blow some things up real good...
Offering up a mix of iconic tetronimoes with a tower-building mechanic and some real concerns with gravity and your creation topping over this title can make for a lot of fun with friends...
The story starts out in a bit of a confusing manner, leaving you a bit disoriented as to what’s happening and why, but that seems to be by design...