Steven Rollins
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is nothing short of a masterpiece and highly recommended to anyone who can handle darker content. It navigates the jump from PC to console well overall, with new mechanics developed to handle gameplay situations that would normally be impossible outside of PC. The extra content, especially the Side Stories, is terrific as well, though it may not be enough to justify a $15 price tag given that the original game is still free on PC.
Catherine: Full Body has aged like a fine wine thanks to its new offerings. Not only do these add to an already great experience, but they made the game feel fresh. Rin's introduction to the storyline added a whole new dimension to the already twisted love triangle, while Remix mode did the same for the puzzles. If you haven't played Catherine before, now's a great chance to jump on the train. If you have, Catherine: Full Body is certainly worthy of the encore.
For someone who generally shies away from more casual games such as Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, it really did a lot to win me over.
If you’re familiar with Curse of the Moon, you’ll feel right at home with its sequel. It’s more or less the same great experience you’ve come to expect, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. We may not have needed Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2, but now that it’s here, it’s sure to become a staple of my library.
Though I still think it's a bit strange to put Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory on Nintendo Switch, given that there are currently no plans to bring others in the franchise over, there's almost no better home for it. The short bursts of gameplay mesh well with the pick-up-and-play nature of Switch. No matter whether you're a longtime fan of Kingdom Hearts or a newcomer looking to get in before the next main game, you'll find a lot to enjoy in Melody of Memory. It may not be the Kingdom Hearts game we wanted, but this is one love letter that definitely deserves to be read.
A code for There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension review was provided by the publisher.
Whether you're a newcomer to the franchise or a longtime fan, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles offers something for you on Nintendo Switch. Newcomers will find an excellent entry point into the series, as it does not rely on any prior knowledge. Meanwhile, longtime fans will find yet another quality Ace Attorney adventure, at least on par with the best the series has offered thus far. This collection stands near or at the top of my list of favorite Ace Attorney games and will be one I come back to time and time again.
Despite a few missing features, Murder by Numbers is still a delightful twist on a classic puzzle game. Fans of Ace Attorney or Picross will not want to let this one fly under their radar. This is a universe begging for a sequel.
Ion Fury is nothing short of a giant love letter to the classic shooters of the 1990s. From the cheesy one-liners to the secret-filled stages, the game oozes style in spades. Though it doesn't improve much over its predecessors, Ion Fury really doesn't need to. Fans of classic shooters will definitely not want to miss this, while fans of modern shooters looking for a change will find an experience not too far outside of their comfort zone.
Monster Prom: XXL may seem pretty strange, but it's precisely this strangeness that elevates it to greatness. It was clearly designed with multiplayer in mind, as this mode stands as the strongest experience in the game. Even in single-player though, Monster Prom is sure to capture you with its quick wit and charming art style. There's a lot to love here, and I hope that there's a place in your heart for that special monster.
It's not often that I review a game in which I want to dive right back in after I finish with it, but Ys Origin is one of those rare exceptions. With the exceptional boss fights, the copious amount of unlockables, and the short runtime, I can already hear the game calling to me to return. However, if there's one thing that really stands out to me about how good this game is, it's that it makes me want to check out the rest of the series.
All in all, I think The Crown Tundra is the better of Pokémon Sword and Shield's two expansions. It's yet another step forward over improving the Wild Area, so much so that I think it could serve as a really good foundation for creating a full open-world Pokémon title. It's not without its faults, but I haven't been able to stop playing since I started it and don't see myself voluntarily letting up any time soon.
That said, Disc Room is a fantastic game. When I was playing, I got completely absorbed into the experience, so much so that the night I started I put four straight hours into it without realizing. It can be a little on the difficult side (rarely unfairly so), but this really added to the sense of accomplishment and progression that kept me locked into the game. I'm completely blown away that, for a game with such a simple concept, there's so much variety in design and so much content to discover. The team behind Disc Room obviously put a lot of love and effort into making it, and it shows. If you're even the slightest bit interested in it, you should give Disc Room a try.
Ultimately, Sniper Elite 4 not only carries on a tradition of excellence for the franchise, but elevates it to new heights. The focus on stealth and long-range combat provides for a rather unique experience among shooters. Larger levels and multi-use items provide even more freedom over past entries to tackle missions in whatever way you want. The biggest complaint is that finding an online multiplayer match may be difficult without friends, but if you can find one, it works well. If you're looking for a new shooter to dive into, Sniper Elite 4 should be at the top of your list.
If you’re looking for a soul-crushingly difficult platformer, look no farther than Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection. It retains a lot of what made the original such a classic, while also updating it with some more modern mechanics. Despite a few areas that felt a little unfair, with patience, you should be able to complete a single run within a few hours, allowing the game to never feel like it overstays its welcome, even after completing it three times over a single weekend. Whether you’re a newcomer to the franchise or a long-time veteran, Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is one hauntingly good time.
Overall, Rip Them Off is a pretty unique take on the tower defense genre. While there aren't a ton of maps, there's plenty of room to revisit them to try to improve your scores. Further, the later maps are incredibly difficult, so you'll probably be playing them for a while. Thankfully, the game accounts for these factors and provides an effective way to tinker with your setups. If you want a game that's easy to pick up, yet hard to master, Rip Them Off is well worth your time.
Rain on Your Parade is an excellent little game and is well worth anyone's time. It's cute, it's funny, and I've not played anything quite like it before. For me as a speedrunner, I'm always looking for new games to throw in my arsenal, so it says a lot to me about the quality of a game when I find one I seriously want to dedicate countless hours to. But I've certainly found such a game here. I believe just about everyone would be able to get some enjoyment out of Rain on Your Parade, and I might even go so far as to say it's my favorite indie I've played thus far this year.
By today's standards, there's nothing revolutionary about Famicom Detective Club, but that doesn't stop both games from being really solid experiences. Despite a bit of predictability in the plots, both stories were incredibly engaging and nothing short of a complete joy to play through. It's easy to see that Mages really took a lot of pride in crafting a quality remake here, since every little detail shines through. If you're at all curious to see what these games are about, you owe it to yourself to give at least one of them a look.
After reviewing Quake, I feel it's still an incredible game that holds up well even today. You get a ton of content for the price, and on top of that, there's so much replayability between the various difficulties and multiplayer options. While I wish some effort would have been made to modernize some archaic elements, they don't take away too much from the overall experience. If you're a fan of shooters at all, Quake should absolutely have a place in your Switch library.
As a big fan of Diablo II to begin with, I found in this review that Diablo II: Resurrected hit all my buttons and truly brought me back to my childhood. Gameplay-wise, it's as faithful an experience to the original as you can hope to get, and while the modern graphics are dazzling, I'm here for one reason and one reason only - to kick some demon butt. Newcomers may be a bit put off by some dated mechanics, but for fans of dungeon crawlers or those who just want to relive one of the best PC games of all time, Diablo II: Resurrected won't disappoint.