Catherine Full Body really has gone from a love triangle to a love square. The introduction of Rin into the story hasn’t just been bolted on as an additional chapter, it’s been integrated into the whole Catherine experience. And by implementing new difficulty options, the game is now accessible for all types of players and combats the difficulty spikes of the original game. Saying that, there are still themes in the game that not everyone will be able to agree with and it is most certainly a mature game that deals with mature situations.
Man of Medan is a great first entry in what looks to be a very engaging and spooky anthology series. I loved it’s spooky setting, it’s environmental storytelling and the vastly different ways it’s story could play out. Whether you choose to play it alone or with others, you’re in for a really fun and tight horror experience. I’m really looking forward to what’s to come in The Dark Pictures anthology.
PlatinumGames have shown yet again why they are masters of the action-adventure genre. Astral Chain delivers a fun and engaging story that is enhanced with fast paced combat with a unique tethering mechanic. It’s a game that’s right at home on the Nintendo Switch. If you’re a fan of PlatinumGame’s previous offerings or like games with anime art directions and tropes you’re going to have a lot of fun with Astral Chain.
Although it’s certainly weird and has a story that leaves you in the dark, slowly piecing together what on Earth is going on, when it all comes together, Control offers a really satisfying and enjoyable game. It’s world and characters are complex and like the game’s story, hide some very interesting things below the surface. If you’re a fan of mystery stories, or ever dreamed of being part of the X-Men you’re going to really enjoy what Remedy have done with Control.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist was already one of the highest regarded games when it came to current Yu-Gi-Oh! titles, but now with the game making it’s way to the Nintendo Switch with the Link Evolution version it’s hard to argue that this isn’t the definitive version of the game. It’s packed full of value, including all of the previous add-ons, 5 full campaigns, over 9000 cards and it’s all playable on the go. I think Yu-Gi-Oh! fans are going to get a real kick out of the game, but it’s also extremely friendly to newcomers that may have never tried Yu-Gi-Oh! before.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a game I’m going to be coming back to and playing for a long time to come. It nails it’s characters and their sense of growth, has some really fun and strategic combat and gives you the freedom to control how things play out. It’s a long game, but it’s a great one. And if you too want to see all three story paths, it’s going to keep you entertained for a long time to come too.
While I can appreciate that Machine Games may have wanted to push the envelope and try something new with a series they’ve been hard at work on for years, I think they may have pushed the boat a little too far all at once. This is a very different Wolfenstein experience, and while it’s not bad, it’s certainly not what I’d expected from them based on the history of the series and the pre-release previews of the game. I’m still very much interested in seeing where they take the Wolfenstein franchise from here though.
Kill La Kill:IF is a great first entry into the world of video games for the Kill La Kill franchise. It offers a unique roster of characters that each feel different to play and have captured the signature Trigger art style of the source material. Though the main story is on the short side so if you’re a player that just wants to play purely for the new story, then you may be best off waiting for a sale.
Even though it may look cute and targeted at children, there is a fully fleshed out RPG here with Dragon Quest Builder 2. It contains some really fun and addicting building mechanics and deep and likeable characters that will keep you entertained for a long time, which is good because the game is quite lengthy. This isn’t just a big sandbox to build stuff in and it’s certainly not ‘just another Minecraft clone’. If you enjoy JRPG’s and building games you’ll probably really enjoy Dragon Quest Builder 2.
Senran Kagura: Peach Ball is a really solid pinball game with a Senran Kagura coat of paint. The fanservice on offer certainly won’t be for everyone but if you can deal with that, you’ve got yourself a fun pinball game with highly interactive tables, bright lights and Vegas style visual stimulation. My only negative is that many areas of the game left me wanting more and could have been fleshed out in deeper ways. But this foundation has also left me pretty excited for future add-ons or a sequel game.
As a Stranger Things fan, I loved that there was something to jump into to continue living in Hawkins and adventuring with familiar characters after I rolled credits on season 3. Being able to freely move around Hawkins, collect items, beat up enemies, solve puzzles, converse with other key characters in the town and complete the numerous main and side missions brought a lot of fun. While it is still something I can only recommend to existing fans of the franchise, if you’re someone who enjoys the Stranger Things universe you’ll likely have a fun time with Stranger Things 3: The Game.
Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle expands the scope of the original game introducing new ways to traverse the battlefield and take down Titans. It also faithfully adapts the storyline of the third season of the anime. Players that play through these games just for the story missions alone may be left a bit disappointed but for those that enjoyed the gameplay loop of AOT2 and get a kick out of levelling up your character and unlocking new gear, you’re in for more of a good thing.
With plenty of weapons to find, powers to unlock and secrets to uncover Bloodstained will keep you adventuring through the castle for quite a while. If you’re into the Metroid-Vania genre you should definitely check it out. Igarashi has delivered a solid spiritual successor to his classic Castlevania titles but has also given Bloodstained it’s own two feet to stand on. I’d love to see where he decides to take this series next.
Octopath Traveler really is a love letter to the JRPG’s of old. It’s story narrative isn’t as strong as some of the classics, but it’s branching storyline, customisation options and complex, strategy based combat system provide a ton of fun and will keep you engaged for a long time, whether you decide to do one playthrough or many.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is another solid port and a welcome addition to the suite of Final Fantasy games making their way to the Nintendo Switch. Although it’s apparent that the game was designed some time ago, it still looks and runs great on the Switch and comes with some much appreciated quality of life improvements that assist in streamlining your experience with the game.
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth is a fantastic game and a quality send off for the Nintendo 3DS. Best of all it treats the Persona license with a lot of respect and acts as a fanservice filled love letter to fans of the last 3 Persona games. If you like labyrinth based dungeon crawlers filled with great character interactions then there’s a lot for you to love in Persona Q2. And I do mean a lot, there’s easily enough content, ‘special screening’ missions and persona’s to fuse to keep you playing for over 50 hours.
If you’ve ever watched an action movie and thought you’d like to try your chances being the hero, piling up bodies as you make your way closer and closer to the villain then Blood & Truth is definitely something you’re going to want to check out. Thanks to it’s gunplay mechanic and it’s cast of characters I found it to be one of the most immersive VR experiences I’ve ever played. I was so engrossed in the game that I was physically ducking out of the way of incoming bullets and exploding debris while making my way through the stages. Blood & Truth offers an engaging 5 hour experience and is the exclusive that PSVR owners have been waiting for.
Throughout it’s 5-7 hour campaign Observation will take you on a thrilling journey and put you front and centre inside a space craft. Slowly uncovering the game’s mysteries by completing numerous puzzles. While I really enjoyed my time with Observation I would have loved for some of these puzzles to be more complex to solve. And while the environments on the ship look great No Code haven’t quite hit that AAA level of quality when it comes to the primary character models just yet. But they have definitely produced a quality title here and I’m really looking forward to see what the team puts out next.
Overall, Final Fantasy X and X-2 are very welcome additions to the Nintendo Switch. You get 2 great games in one package that together offer over 100 hours of gameplay. It’s a bit of a shame the games haven’t incorporated the new quality of life improvements that the Final Fantasy 7 or 9 re-releases have done but if you haven’t played through either of the games previously or want to jump back in with complete freedom of how or where you choose to play, you should definitely consider picking up these JRPG classics on the Switch.
If I was to sum up Rage 2 in a single word it would be ‘fun’. The gunplay feels so good and when chained together with Walker’s Nanotrite abilities you can have a real blast taking down the bandits and mutants that plague Rage 2’s wasteland. While I would have loved a more engaging story and deeper characters I did love the true open world and it’s visual diversity. It’s a big step up from the original Rage and if the team’s take on player feedback, Rage 3 is well on it’s way to being something amazing.