Leonardo Faria's Reviews
The final question: does Elden Ring hold up after nearly half a year? Yes. Is it still the best game of 2022, after the barrage of titles we’ve seen from March to July? Absolutely. That initial buzz may have died out a bit, but I’d have to be insane not to call it one of the most impressive games I’ve played in years, and most importantly, FromSoftware’s greatest title of all time. It’s as special now as it was back when it dropped onto the world like a nuke.
The Origin: Blind Maid is further proof that having great ideas for a game is just 50% of what makes it a banger. If you can’t deliver on your vision, all you’ll have to offer is a disappoint game that will reek of “what could have been”. The ideas are there, the ambition is laudable, but the execution left much to be desired.
It’s hard to talk a lot about Redout 2. It’s much better than its 2017 predecessor in almost every single aspect, but it’s just serviceable. Decent at best. It’s a good antigrav racing game, but I can’t point out a single thing about it that makes it stand out against other titles like Fast RMX, Pacer, or even the Wipeout remasters for PS4.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is a collection of good, but not outstanding platformer remasters. They are charming as all hell and quite relaxing to play, but they feel dated in terms of its mechanics. Tying the reach of your attacks to the difficulty level of choosing was a totally unnecessary call, and its hit detection could have received some extra tinkering in order to feel less clunky.
Glitchy and low-budgeted as it might be, DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace has a great foundation for one of the best Star Fox clones released in years. It nails everything it needed in order to offer a younger demographic an entry-level version of a rail shooter, with a great gameplay loop, some educational value, and a fair, but ever-increasing difficulty curve that’s perfectly suited for them.
Even if it’s unfair and beyond cheap at times (it’s a Contra clone, after all), I loved Spidersaurs. It’s not just because of its utterly bonkers premise; its gameplay is tight, its level and enemy designs are superb, and it’s really replayable. One of the best Contra-inspired games I’ve ever played, and one of my favorite WayForward games of all time. It’s just a shame this game had to remain an Apple Arcade exclusive for so many years. I’m just glad it will finally be embraced in a way that does its gameplay justice.
There aren’t many glaring issues. It’s not very ambitious, but it succeeds in what it set out to do. The only big problem I have with it is that, despite featuring a sizeable amount of content, and even being fun on your own, it’s a bit pricey. Were this about ten bucks cheaper, I’d call it a must-have on your console’s party game catalog. I fully recommend Rabbids: Party of Legends, as it ended up being a lot more entertaining than I could have ever imagined, but just wait for a slight price drop.
It might not exactly be a pretty game when it comes to its presentation, nor does it feature the most robust of rosters, but Matchpoint Tennis Championships nails the essentials. With regards to its gameplay, I haven’t played a tennis game like this since the golden days of Top Spin for the original Xbox. As a tennis enthusiast, I was salivating for a game like this for many years. It lets me play and come up with strategies on the fly, just like I’d do in real life. Whether you decide to tackle a career or just play a quick arcade match, Matchpoint Tennis Championships delivers. It’s one grand slam of a game.
Zero Tolerance Collection is a really weird retro compilation. Technically speaking, you are getting a bunch of really dated, janky, poorly performing first-person shooters that haven’t managed to stand the test of time. On the other hand, they are a fascinating achievement for their time, being better first-person shooters than even the titles available for the Super Nintendo. The sole fact they exist, and run as well as they do on such dated hardware, makes this collection worth checking out if you’re a retro enthusiast.
Finding issues in these games is the real challenge. I just can’t. I’m not even angry, I’m being so sincere right now: Portal: Companion Collection is the real deal. It’s easily one of the best “retro” compilations on the Switch. You get two of the best games of all time running flawlessly on both docked and portable modes, with a fantastic framerate, motion controls, developer commentary, additional maps, online multiplayer, and more. Do yourself a favor and grab this cheap as hell collection if you’re a Switch owner. Even if you’ve played Portal a bagillion times before, it’s still worth another playthrough. Or ten.
MX vs ATV Legends is not a bad game, but considering the benefits granted by improved hardware, and the ever-increasing scope of the racing genre, I expected a bit more from it other than just “the same, but slightly prettier”. For everything it does right, such as its great environments and lighting effects, as well as great controls, it bogs the experience down with terrible animations, a plethora of glitches, and an open world that is way less exciting than the one seen in its predecessor.
If you’re a fan of retro shooters, there’s a lot to like in here. If you’re a fan of the 16-bit era of gaming, you’ll love these slightly revamped graphics. The game is cute as all hell, I can’t deny that. Sadly, there’s a fine line between challenging and frustrating and Pocky & Rocky Reshrined loves to mentally torture me by jumping between these two states, all due to some questionable (and dated) gameplay mechanics.
Bassmaster Fishing 2022: Super Deluxe Edition is a game that gets the job when it comes to pleasing a stupidly specific niche of gamers (hardcore fishing enthusiasts with Nintendo Switches), but it’s a nearly impossible sell for anyone else.
I love Capcom Fighting Collection. It pays respect to the company’s past, all while giving players a brand new (and refined) way to play some of the best fighting and puzzle games of all time, complete in one, smooth-as-silk, pristinley remastered package. Its online play is reliable, its presentation is sublime, and its extras are satisfactory.
ElecHead is a delightful chunk of a game that is innovative, thought-provoking, and really entertaining… while it lasts. The biggest issue about it is the fact you can beat it in a sitting without making an effort. I can absolutely understand its minuscule length, considering this was made by a single person in his spare time, but it was so fun I just ended up wanting more out of it.
Destroy All Humans! – Clone Carnage is worse than dead on arrival. The thing had already rotted beyond recognition before launch. Online lobbies are absolutely deserted, there are no bots, and playing this locally, while possible, is boring. The worst part about this title as a whole is the fact THQ Nordic decided to release it as a standalone expansion that doesn’t require the base game at all. Not only does it cost more than your average DLC deal, but that also means it’s susceptible to being treated as a game of its own. And as a game of its own, this is an embarrassment.
When Sonic Origins was first announced, I honestly thought it was going to be the single most pointless re-release in the history of pointless Sega re-releases. Even though its dumb DLC packs are absurd, the compilation itself is excellent. This is the single best way to play all of the Mega Drive-era Sonic games with tons of extra features and quality of life improvements. It basically justifies its existence as something more than a mere cash grab to celebrate the franchise’s (belated) 30th anniversary.
Don’t expect a lot from THE Bass Fishing, other than being a passable and competent fishing simulator for a niche audience. Even if its presentation and amount of content leave a lot to be desired, it stands out from its competition with some really good motion controls, being one of the very few recent Switch games to take advantage of the Joy-Con’s capabilities.
Wreckfest is a shockingly good time on Nintendo’s handheld, even if it clearly doesn’t hold up when compared to other console ports in terms of visuals and performance. Being able to crash a bunch of cars inside an arena while driving a deranged combined harvester, on-the-go? I’d be a madman if I said I wasn’t having a ton of fun doing that.
I like Gravitar: Recharged more than the vast majority of Atari’s Recharged series of retro revivals. It’s the one game in this series where I feel like a lot more effort has been put in order to make it stand out among the myriad of arcade-inspired indies out in the market.