The game — really a visual novel with light puzzle-solving elements through text — was released recently on the Switch, after coming out last year on Steam. It’s a short story from Mike Bithell, the creator behind Thomas Was Alone and Volume.
F1 2017 has my favorite single-player career mode in any sports game, ever. I’ve won two separate Grands Prix now, and am looking forward to, in a future season, becoming the first American F1 champion since Mario Andretti in 1978.
Seth recently tackled the hardcore sidescroller, Wulverblade, available on Nintendo Switch at this link.
Set in a desolate land called the Downside, Pyre’s shining achievement is in how it makes the player feel weary from loss and the journey, while remaining compelling throughout. The latest game from indie developer Supergiant, Pyre continues the company’s stellar track record in creating an engaging story, and marrying that story to gameplay. This is also a very different experience compared to Transistor and Bastion.
The screen pulsates with pink neon lasers, flashes of light and gleaming skulls that chase after me, while I dash and dodge around, searching for humans and trying to stay alive. The latest title from Housemarque, Nex Machina is an amazing visual spectacle and the pinnacle of the twin-stick shooting genre, which the Finnish developer owns almost exclusively. (Graceful Explosion Machine on Switch notwithstanding.) The pace is frenetic from the moment your hero hops off his motorcycle and into the fray of attacking robotic spiders. Each of the six worlds is broken down into stages where the goal is to simply clear out all of the alien robot enemies and “save all the humans.” Nex Machina does a great job teaching you its mechanics as the difficulty ramps up quickly.
It’s the third round of a tight match-up in ARMS. My Ribbon Girl’s life meter is dwindling away, dropping close to the 25-percent mark after my opponent — a particularly adept Kid Cobra — catches me with a throw. Ribbon Girl shakes it off and charges up her ARMS. She’s rocking two standard boxing gloves right now, one with the ice power and one with electricity. Jump. Air-dodge. Jump again. Let the electric glove fly, and it connects! She throws a paralyzed Kid Cobra to the ground, and now both competitors’ special meters are filled.
Tight controls, slick visuals, and unique additions to traditional fighting games make Injustice 2 an easy game to recommend, even if you are not deeply knowledgeable about the DC comic universe.
The biggest problem for the game is the current technical issues on the Switch. It’s bad enough that I think the game should not have been released until the issues were ironed out. The developer has stated that it is working on fixing the issues, but as of this review, the game is just in too rough a shape to recommend.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a generational leap in game design for open world games. It's not perfect, no game is, but the new take on Nintendo's beloved series coupled with the expert polish and risk taking make Breath of the Wild truly a special game.
Specter of Torment is a thrilling return to form that leaves me more excited for the next chapter in the Shovel Knight saga.
My biggest problem with the game stems from the nagging feeling that I was lucky in completing many of the levels. Figuring out a level isn’t exactly taxing on the brain, as the solution is readily apparent once you understand the mechanics of the game. Your success depends purely on your ability to execute quickly. But many times, I found myself doing the same thing 15 times in a row, only to finally grasp the goal through what felt like luck.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Linelight and think it is a must-play for puzzle game fans. It is relaxing, rewarding and well worth your time.
Battleborn is a ton of fun to play, and is unabashedly a Gearbox game, in visuals, moment-to-moment gameplay and humor. Much of the PSVG team has been playing it recently, and we have largely given it our seal of approval.
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is a great game, and possibly the best 2D Mario available on the system. The creative mentality seems to unlock the developers from holding true to past level designs, and allows creators to toy with the varied elements of a Mario level to really create something special.
The gameplay is fast-paced, exciting, difficult and just plain fun. Seraph is pure gameplay at its best, and is absolutely worth playing.
Dead Synchronicity isn’t a terrible game, and it may be better suited for PC than the PS4. But it just didn’t click with me, with its sometimes obtuse puzzles, lengthy exposition and laughable voice acting.
Clocking in at just over an hour, the experience provides a great look into the beginnings of the narrative exploration genre. I just don’t find the look to be entirely compelling on its own merits.
Valley is also a bit misleading in its design. Although you’re in the great outdoors for much of the game, the path is surprisingly linear. Every little side path leads to a discovery, whether it’s a note or upgradeable materials. The game keeps you in line by running you up against rock walls, cliffs or water. There’s really no reason to explore once you’ve figured this out.
Headlander is one of my favorite games of the year. It is beautiful, plays fluidly, has an interesting story, rewards exploration and is just plain fun.