Pangeon is simply a bad attempt at trying to capture the nostalgic feel of a classic dungeon crawler. With its lack of attention to detail, gameplay continuity to give confidence to the player, and a design that feels incomplete and uninspired, it struggled to keep my attention.
In recent history, we've seen a lot of indie games launch with hardcore combat with musical soundtracks that could be considered a good album. Down to Hell looks to create that same feeling but forgot to make a quality game in the process. The number of glitches and bugs are by far too many to ignore. They impact the game to the point where it's unplayable and not worth the frustration.
Delta Squad is a four-player local co-op game that completely misses the mark. Even with its basic controls and simplistic gameplay, nothing about the game warrants a first playthrough. With enemies that seem confused as to what to do, an imbalance in ammo, and the cookie cutter level design, it's hard to see how this game can get four people in the room together at the same time to play. With a price tag of $5.99, it's a hard buy when there are many free mobile games that offer more enjoyment.
These are one of those times when games are simply made to capitalize on the license of an intellectual property. Though there is a lot of potential in the story for the gameplay and mechanics to flesh out, it never does. There are moments when you believe there's something special to experience, but then you're constantly loading into areas, slowed to a snail's pace, and burdened with unnecessary banter.
Crysis Remastered is an amazing technical achievement to have it run on the Nintendo Switch, but at what cost? On the surface, in handheld mode, it suffers from framerate issues and stability; in docked mode, things get better and make the gameplay tolerable. Unfortunately, it's the technical issues that hurt the game the most.
Riverbond is a game that feels as if it were meant to be part of a larger and more ambitious world. It's great for jumping into a quick game to feed your hack and slash needs throughout the day, but with no in-game saves, no perks for skins collected, and a world that offers no room for real exploration, I find it hard to want to play with four friends because the enemies aren't challenging enough. Coupled by an imbalance in weapon damage and objectives that don't fit the style of play, I'd say Riverbond doesn't stand out in a genre that's already crowded.
Ultracore is a blast from the past game that really nails what many side-scrolling shooters were like in the 90s; and coupled with modern controls, it's a game worth playing. Though there are a few oversights like getting hit and not knowing it, unlabeled special items, and low difficulty, it's worth a try.
The visuals and 80s soundtrack are amazing and look great whether playing on a TV or on the Switch in mobile mode. Too often did I feel I was on the back foot when it came to weapons, upgrades, and dealing with random enemies. There's definitely a balance issue when it comes to the procedurally generated mechanics.
Samurai Shodown is a breath of fresh air to the series, because of its choice to make the battles more of a duel and not a button mashing frenzy – and I respect that. With each character feeling different enough to make your mind race with possibilities of offensive and defensive strategies, it almost fails because of the timing system.
3000th Duel is an amazing action-adventure game that pulls out all the stops to give us the experience of nostalgic gameplay with current videogame nuances. With a rich world to explore, visuals and audio hints that make you believe that the world is constantly evolving, and boss battles that shake you to the core, this is a must on the Switch.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 introduces some great fighting mechanics, overhauled systems from previous iterations, and smoother and more rewarding gameplay to the franchise. While it doesn't do anything new to uplift the Musou genre of games, it's a good game to pick up and beat the crap out of pirates as Luffy tries to become the king of the pirates.
Moons of Madness plays more like a cinematic experience than an actual game. Its immersion visually is sublime, and though objects are intuitively interactive, the story lacks the emotional pull needed to match the tone and mood set forth. You will undoubtedly feel as if you are on an alien planet, but that's it. The imbalance of story, gameplay, and interactivity with the enemy becomes apparent the more you play. And with much of the story being told through accessing terminals and listening to banter dialogue, I often felt as if I was no longer interested in what was occurring around me.
Gun Crazy is a fun game that anyone should want to jump into and wreak havoc of pixelated destruction from start to finish. With its classic gameplay and frantic style of pace, Gun Crazy is easily one of the easiest games to jump into. Though it's lacking on the level design and the overall necessities of feeling like recent game, it's the panic-stricken pace and boss battles that will keep you coming back.
Dune Sea plays more like an endless runner than an adventure game. Soaring high above the ground and through obstacles as you try and reunite with fellow geese is a relaxing and sometimes effortless breeze. When the game wants, it's charming and has a lot of character, especially with its unique art-style and level design. Other times, the game mechanics and glitches will make you fall out of favor with your lovable goose.
Rune 2 is an impressive game that has a lot to offer casual and RPG fans. With its simplistic inventory and crafting system, it's easy for players to grasp. It often feels like a bunch of stories and ideas packed together to attempt to make a cohesive story. Along with the bugs and glitches, it was hard to get a consistent feeling of where the game wanted to go. Maybe with a few updates the game will offer a more consistent experience.
When you think of this game as an interactive, cinematic game, you can look past many of the shortcoming of this 3 ½ hour game. It teeters on wanting to focus only on a story while trying to maintain an interactive experience. The eerie feeling that the game creates is masterful, and its ability to make you feel like you're experiencing the world is better than most triple-A experiences. With a possible DLC in the works to explain the abrupt ending, maybe the developers can master the balance.
Argonus and the Gods of Stone is an ambitious game that recreates a world that is rich with lore and beauty. Playing a game that is narratively driven and offers a different style of gameplay is refreshing and necessary in a world where sequels and copycats are too frequent. The story and musical score are top notch as it helps set the mood for a game that you're a part of. The performance and the way you interact with objects in the world are the biggest dilemmas to overcome in this title.
With all its puzzling adventures, out-of-the-box thinking, and stunning hand drawn visuals, it's a memorable game in its genre. Solving the puzzles offers such gratification that one looks forward to continuing climbing the tower and solving the next. But with a lack of a meaningful story, it lacks complete immersion from the player.
Hot Garbage is an expansion that delivers gameplay that I hope to expect in future DLC, where the gameplay is centered around putting the player in situations where combat and skills are essential to progression. Though on a new planet, Hot Garbage falls short of creating an all-encompassing experience that makes one believe they're on an all-new world.
This is exactly what Street Fighter players have wanted. A game where all of their favorite characters and skins are available, and not having to wait for Capcom to release them when they see fit. The fighting is engaging and rewarding. Each fighter feels unique and offers a wide array of offensive attacks that land as intended. But with most modes locked behind the PS Plus service, it's a hard buy, even if you are looking to upgrade from the base Street Fighter V game.