AWFUL - Look elsewhere for a rogue-like adventure game. With sloppy controls, terrible combat, and irritating noises that will drive you insane, Away: Journey to the Unexpected will begin your journey to the loony bin.
BAD - No. Just…. No. Find something else to play. Terrible controls on top of poor writing on top of confusing and boring gameplay makes Disaster Report 4 a game I wouldn’t pick up in the bargain bin where they give you 99% off.
BAD - The most appealing aspect of The Caligula Effect: Overdose is the battle system which does a pretty good job at being fun for a few hours into the adventure. The game is bogged down by too many problems from boring interaction with NPCs and troublesome game mechanics to be considered something to invest your time or money into.
Looking for an amazing racing game that involves combat, thrilling speed, stellar controls, and rewarding excitement? I'm sure there is a game out there that can offer that to you, but Road Redemption is just not it. With graphical and game play issues that frustrate more than exhilarate there are far more worthy titles of your time and money.
Crush Your Enemies had the potential to be a fun strategy title that would be interesting to play with a friend. The controls make it difficult to enjoy because of time goals that get destroyed by futzing with the control stick to make selections and direct your little army to conquer each level. Avoid this one unless it goes on sale and you think you can tolerate the control schema.
MEDIOCRE - While it’s the most ambitious motorcycle racing game that I have played, the limitations of the Switch and its controllers will make this a frustrating experience for many gamers. Unless you have no other choice of console and figure you can put up with the lower framerates, scaled back graphics, and difficult control because you absolutely love the sport then, by all means, give it a try because the craftsmanship of RiMS could be well worth it for you.
MEDIOCRE - A rather bland experience that is tainted by technical issues that almost render the game unplayable on the docked Switch, but made slightly better with some published workarounds. Once the game is patched and cleaned up it might be worth checking out, but I’m not sure that’ll be enough to make the game fun.
Fans of the series will no doubt find a lot to like here. As a newcomer I found many of the gameplay systems to be lacking, the story boring, and just couldn’t get into it. There are plenty of other NIS America RPGs to enjoy on the Switch (Ys VIII and Disgaea 5 Complete to name a few) instead of this one.
An excellent game filled with all the things to love about video games. Cool characters, great music, sweet story, and graphics that fit the game perfectly. It’s just too bad that the difficulty spike absolutely killed the experience for me. I don’t rage quit very many games, but when I do… a controller usually dies a horrifying and disturbing death. Don’t worry. No controllers were harmed in the process of this review.
With a cast of characters that are forgettable and challenging gameplay that punishes you with load times and long waits between game over screen to starting at the last check point, I would steer clear of this title unless you are a fan of the previous titles. I believe there are gamers out there who are more forgiving of these things than I am, but I couldn’t recommend it to someone without outlining the frustrations I had.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Overall, the story is worth playing through. It is touching and has an ending that is quite good. The manga panel presentation of the story telling is very cool, and the music is absolutely wonderful. However, with all the unnecessary padding, inability to destroy or at least incapacitate enemies, and the insanely idiotic control scheme that is enough to drive you crazy, it may not be worth the initial price tag of $30.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is a high definition remake of a game that was originally released in 2005 and plays like it. Third person games from that era had camera issues that were really frustrating to work with so expect that going in. The story is cool and the character design is very good. If you can forgive the controls being very touchy then you can have a lot of fun with this game.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Time limits and ridiculously repetitive gameplay are the bane of Lapis x Labyrinth. The redeeming qualities are the explosive Fever episodes and the totem pole like party formation. After the first area, the game’s difficulty spikes and can make for some frustrating failures. Proceed with caution, but for the right type of player it can be a fun and rewarding experience.
WORTH CONSIDERING - The Princess Guide is fun at first, overwhelmingly complicated overall, and a little weird to be scolding or praising princesses in their training. It has some great points like crazy button mashing combat, but also has clunky menus and severely repetitive gameplay.
While a decent RPG experience I enjoyed the dungeon exploration and the mystery sleuthing the most. I grew tired of the battles early on but they became much more challenging as Hayato progressed to the end. The price is a little high for what you get so waiting for a price drop or sale may be a safer bet. That said, definitely a game I would want in my collection and a satisfying experience overall.
WORTH CONSIDERING - While not a ‘drop the mic’ action puzzle experience, Super Inefficient Golf is a fun and unique game that will entertain you for at least 4 hours before you may start to get a little bored with it. The game gives you a ball, a hole, and a bunch of charges. The fun may need to be supplied by you to try things that seem crazy. While there’s nothing here that’s mind blowing or particularly charming, the fact that failure is always an option gives enough reason to stick with it through a full course.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Unless portable ARK is the number one reason for picking it up, I would recommend getting it on something other than the Switch. PC is really the best way to play it, but the Switch does offer portability, which the PC would only give you with an expensive laptop. I did have fun playing on the Switch and taking it with me when I left. But wherever you do go, remember it's an online game so you will need a decent connection to the web should you want to play on the official servers.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Neo Atlas 1469 is a simulator that shares a lot with graphic novels. You’ll be setting up trade routes, discovering new lands, and hunting for treasure. This is such a niche genre that not everyone will find enjoyment here, but it’s worth considering for those who love this style of gameplay or for those who are new to the genre.
WORTH CONSIDERING - With roguelike overhead maze levels that don’t punish you as much for failure, you can progress the game ahead every time you enter the gauntlet. If you’re really into taking care of a digital creature, searching for food to feed it and enjoy sweeping up poop then you’re in for a real treat. If none of these things sounds like fun, then look elsewhere for a fulfilling gaming experience. For what the game boasts to be, it does it quite well, it just wasn’t my personal cup of tea.
WORTH CONSIDERING - Catan is about what you’d expect from a board game translation to a video game system. It’s fun, challenging, and it really is excellent for strategy formulation in different situations. I liked it for testing out theories I had about how settlement placement would play out and whether or not certain tactics I thought up would actually translate into a win. If you are a fan of Catan, I think you’d be very pleased with this title.