If you like your games challenging, weird, beautiful, and a little unsettling, ANIMAL WELL should be on your must-play list.
Princess Peach: Showtime! had the potential to be much more than it is. It’s upsetting that it’s so simple and easy, and feels like a waste of the sheer amount of creativity that went into the concept of the theater, plays, and costumes. It’s that creativity that’s preventing me from giving this game a lower score. But on the merits of its gameplay alone (and the fact that it’s not a very long game — I completed it in about 15 hours), this isn’t Nintendo’s strongest showing.
OTXO is a brutal game. It’s unforgiving, enemies are relentless, and you will likely find yourself frustrated by having to restart entirely from the beginning if (and when) you’re killed. But that’s the point of this game: to be a challenge and to push the player to get better with every run. If you’re invested in the story and trying to figure out the mysteries of the world, just know that it’s likely going to take a long time and many, many tries to unlock some of those secrets (or at least until you get better and can survive longer). And while OTXO is getting compared to other solid games in its genre, it’s a unique experience that shouldn’t be written off as a clone of anything. It’s incredibly fun and addicting despite being so punishing, and is a game I’ll definitely find myself returning to. Give this game a shot.
Whether you played the 2004 version of Mario vs. Donkey Kong or are just stepping into the series, I recommend giving this remake a go. It’s a fun game that feels great to play and offers a good challenge, and because it was a game initially made for GBA, it’s good for pick-up-and-play bursts. It’s also a nice change of pace from typical Mario games, and a great example of the sort of creative, unique titles that came out of the GBA era (and have aged well).
While it may seem like I have a lot of complaints for someone who started off saying I probably like the game more than Robert overall, I did genuinely enjoy this remake. I had a ton of fun with it, and it was so cool seeing one of my all-time favorite games back on the screen in a new and different way. I also made a conscious effort to try to not constantly compare the remake to the original, to give it the fair shake it deserves outside of the shadow of such a well-loved classic. But unfortunately for the remake, the original is a well-loved classic for a reason and it set an extremely high bar to try and reach, let alone surpass. And it’s honestly difficult to entirely separate the two games. While I loved the Super Mario RPG remake and would recommend that both long-time fans and newcomers play it, I can’t say that it quite met the bar its predecessor set.
While the game has a lot of room for improvement, it’s also the best Sanrio game I’ve played so far across a number of different platforms over the years, and a lot more thought was put into it than just “tap to the beat to march Sanrio characters down a path.” I say give it a shot and see if it’s for you, especially if you love Sanrio and have a good time with rhythm games.
I played CDA so you didn’t have to. Well, actually, I played CDA because I thought it would be great but it turned out to be one of the most disappointing things I’ve ever played. I have no interest in booting up a second and third playthrough to trudge through the mire of the other storylines and don’t recommend you trudge through even one of them. Play something else.
So far, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the best thing I’ve played this year and quite possibly might wind up being my game of the year. It’s a really fun, gorgeous, and creative game that was a delight to play, and I’d love to see HAL develop a sequel (or just another entry in the series) in the same style. Do yourself a favor and add this game to your Switch library.
I wouldn’t have put 50 hours into this game if I didn’t love it. While not perfect, this is the most fun I’ve had with a Pokémon game in many generations and really reignited my love for the series. I’m hoping Nintendo and Game Freak make another game in this style with another compelling story that embraces the more serious elements of Pokémon. But for now, I’ll just have to make due with the post-game content.
Ruiner is a fantastic addition to your Switch library and definitely worth your time.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition isn’t quite perfect: it suffers from somewhat muddied visuals and slightly unresponsive controls at times, but they still don’t totally detract from what is one of the most engaging, entertaining, and fun games I’ve played in a long time.
I genuinely have no complaints about the Animal Crossing DLC for Mario Kart 8 and highly recommend getting this content, as well as the first pack if you haven't yet, to expand on your Mario Kart experience. The DLC is quality, not a poorly thrown together cash-grab, and offers courses that are even better than some of the standard ones. The visuals are outstanding and the courses are varied and feel challenging without being frustrating. Nintendo, you've done it again.
Mario Golf: World Tour is a solid mix of great controls, crisp, colorful visuals, great replay value due to its amount of unlockable content, and is ultimately just a flat out great experience. Chalk this one up as another great 3DS title you should add to your library.
Yoshi’s New Island suffers from a few issues, mainly the lackluster soundtrack and some new features feeling flat and shallow, but at its core this is a fun title that takes the classic platforming formula from the SNES game before it and brings it to 3DS. A pleasing art style, fun enemy encounters, and solid controls make Yoshi’s New Island a good, but not great, experience that’s worth your time overall.