Steven Rollins
In spite of these faults, Corpse Party is an excellent horror adventure title that fans of the genre should not miss out on. If you were to do everything correctly the first time, the main story would take 6-7 hours, but realistically it'll be longer as you piece together the correct actions needed in each chapter to progress the plot. The repetition mechanic may seem to be a little gimmicky, but it adds a bit of responsibility to your actions, giving some charm to what would otherwise be an incredibly linear story. I've not played anything quite like Corpse Party before, and as such, it firmly stands near the top of my list of favorite horror games.
All in all, Never Give Up is a fun, unique take on the platformer genre.
If you’ve never experienced Amnesia before, there’s never been a better time to dive into it than now!
Steins;Gate 0 is a fantastic continuation of the Steins;Gate franchise, which science fiction fans should not miss.
Overall, both Metro 2033 Redux and Metro Last Light Redux are great shooters that you should certainly play if you're a fan of the genre. While almost nothing about these titles is game-changing, the content they provide is still worth the price of admission. Most of the few gripes I have become non-issues once you figure out how to work around them, and those that remain aren't too disastrous. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your ticket and come along for the ride!
All in all, Minecraft Dungeons is a lot fun. Coming from more of a Diablo background, I wasn't sure how well the simplified mechanics would jive with me, but I was pleasantly surprised. Everything about Minecraft Dungeons, from the enemies to the environments to the increased emphasis on higher-quality items, oozes a charming Minecraft feel. A few minor performance issues hold it back slightly, but not enough to keep me from coming back for a lot more.
Evolution Board Game is one of the overall best digital board game experiences I’ve had, out of the many I've played. Evolution's strategic gameplay is easy to pick up and fun to master, earning itself a guaranteed place in future game nights.
Overall though, these complaints are pretty minor and didn't do much to detract from the overall experience Chained provided me with. Over my roughly three-and-a-half hours, I had an absolute blast with the game. The core gameplay mechanic seems like such a simple concept, yet Studio Digital Caffeine found a way to make it incredibly engaging. If you're into short puzzle games, Chained is definitely worth a try.
If you're in the mood for a mobile-like puzzle experience, I highly recommend Sokodice on Nintendo Switch. Conceptually, it's easy to pick up, new mechanics are regularly added to increase puzzle variety and difficulty, and it's practically designed to fit perfectly in those little gaps in your day when you only have a few minutes to spare. A hint system would've been a nice addition, though it works well enough without it. One thing's for sure though - I'll definitely be coming back to this one off and on as I try to clean up them missing gold medals.
Ultimately, while Life is Strange: True Colors may have a weaker story than past entries had, its strongest elements may outshine anything I've played in the prior games. I'm particularly fond of Alex as a character and even more so of the idea of empathy as the core mechanic, since empathy is something we can all utilize in our daily lives. Regardless of whether this is my favorite Life is Strange or not though, True Colors was an absolute blast of an experience to play though, and I would absolutely recommend it.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Headliner.
If you’re looking for a great turn-based strategy title, XCOM 2 Collection is a fantastic option. However, it’s a little hard for me to fully recommend the Switch version due to the numerous performance issues I encountered.
As someone who has grown tired of the ever increasing emphasis on competitive multiplayer games, I really wasn’t expecting to like Spellbreak. However, I was pleasantly surprised after I tried it. The combat is simple, yet provides enough depth for on-the-fly strategy changes. Despite the unique concept, much of Spellbreak is rooted in traditional battle royale mechanics, so ultimately the game's success will rely heavily on future content updates. For now though, Spellbreak is definitely worth a try.
Despite these qualms, I mostly enjoyed my time with Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story. There are definite issues I have with it as a rhythm platformer, and these make it a bit of a slog to play through in long sessions. However, for short bursts, there's little I can ultimately fault it for. If you're already a League of Legends fan looking for a different sort of experience, it's hard not to recommend Hextech Mayhem, though it may be a slightly tougher sell otherwise.
Complaints aside, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is a fun, unique take on shooters. Given that the HD remaster is around a decade old, Stranger's Wrath does look and feel a little dated. However, if you can look past its age, there's still a mighty fine experience to be had here.
Ultimately, SpongeBob fanatics and hardcore platforming fans won't want to miss this release, but otherwise, you need not rush out to get it.
All in all, I think Capcom Arcade Stadium is generally worth picking up, especially if you're a fan of older Capcom titles. For those less familiar with these offerings, I would instead suggest that you look at each pack to see what interests you. If you're only interested in a small subset of the included titles, there's not much of a reason to fork out for the entire collection when you can get a single pack for about a third of the cost. There's certainly potential for a great gathering of games here, but given all of the collection's faults, it falls just short of hitting that high score.
As it stands, Fuga: Melodies of Steel is pretty good, but it falls a bit short of greatness. It toys with some really interesting ideas but ultimately failed to fully capitalize on them. Even so, I did enjoy my time with it and look forward to giving it another go here in a few months when it's a bit more removed from my memory. If you're looking for a fairly short (about 15 hours) turn-based RPG experience, you can certainly do a lot worse, though I'd recommend waiting for a sale.
Overall, whether I'd recommend Cruis'n Blast on Nintendo Switch depends on how you're going to play it. For short bursts, it's a solid entry and you'll likely have a lot of fun with it, though you may want to wait for a sale anyway. The controls work well, and there's a lot of replayability when it comes to finding all the keys. But there's a reason these games are meant for arcades and not for home release. There's simply not enough track variety to play for an extended period without feeling like you've replayed the same courses over and over. The best parts of the game are using the wacky vehicles like a Triceratops to race, but even the novelty of that will likely wear off after a few races. If you're looking for something bigger or more long-term, you'd be better off looking elsewhere.
If you’re looking for a pixel-styled platformer, you can certainly do worse than Furwind. Though pretty to look at, It’s a bit generic and could do more to introduce variety throughout the game. That doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable, though. It’s got its share of issues, but if you can overlook them for a few hours, you’ll find a reasonably good time.