Leonardo Faria's Reviews
Snowrunner might only be thoroughly enjoyed by a small niche audience, but they will have the time of their life with it. It is bigger, prettier, and a bit more fun than its predecessor, even if the camera controls are exponentially more annoying to deal with this time around.
Grimvalor is a delightful surprise. Not exactly the most innovative metroidvania out there, nor the most challenge game with gameplay elements derived from Dark Souls, but it manages to provide a satisfactory level of challenge and a lot of secrets to unfold in one inexpensive package.
Streets of Rage 4 is exactly how the franchise should have been handled in the 21st century. It features brand new visual upgrades, gameplay improvements, online multiplayer, and a killer modern soundtrack, but it still retains the charm and soul of the Mega Drive classics.
I’ll admit I expected little from Task Force Kampas other than a quick and unenthusiastic pastime. It ended up being a lot better than I could have expected. It’s ugly and limited, that’s for sure, but it’s tons of fun. It’s a perfect “pick up and play” experience that’s stupidly challenging, but not enough to be considered frustrating.
Ministry of Broadcast ended up being an enjoyable throwback to the heyday of cinematic platformers, but its weighty gameplay wasn’t what I enjoyed the most about it. Even though it played and felt like something the developers of Flashback would have developed twenty-five years ago, the best thing about it is its dreary atmosphere and dark sense of humor.
Antigraviator is a fine futuristic racing game that might fill in a momentary gap while we wait for the eventual release of Pacer. This is a game that’s best enjoyed on an Xbox One, not because it plays better on that console, but because it’s where it faces the least competition.
All in all, SuperMash succeeds because, even though it might have some flaws in its technical department, it’s still a fantastic idea that leaves a lot of room for experimentation and replayability. I have already played more than fifty mishmashes and I feel I have only scratched the surface of what this game has to offer.
You may look at Gorn gameplay footage and think it’s nothing special, but this is one of the most entertaining VR games I’ve played in a long time. Killing these intentionally janky barbarians is not only a cathartic way to have fun in VR, but also a great way to burn some calories without ever thinking that you’re working out.
Songs For a Hero is the kind of game that might not impress you with its gameplay and visuals, but will certainly win you over with its funny lyrics and overall cute sense of humor.
I think this is the perfect case of a game in which its themes and message were crafted with a higher degree of priority than its gameplay loop. Arrest of a Stone Buddha tries to provide players with moments of reflection in between bouts of ultraviolent gunplay, but its actual gameplay loop is so clunky and frustrating that the only thing you’ll want to think once a level is over is “who the hell designed that level”.
I don’t think I would have enjoyed Red Wings: Aces of the Sky if I had played anywhere else but the Switch. Its arcade-like controls inspired by Rogue Squadron, short missions, and excellent survival mode are a perfect fit for a portable system.
Maneater is a game made by people who knew the limitations imposed by their budget, the current gen of consoles, and the overall nature of open world games. They managed to craft an incredibly polished murderfest experience that makes you want to kill everything in sight due to how fun its gameplay is.
Shantae and the Seven Sirens is an excellent return to form for the belly-dancing indie heroine. It’s a game that looked back to its previous iterations, took notes of what people liked the most about each one of them, and added everything to a blender together with some new gameplay features and quality of life improvements.
Missile Command: Recharged didn’t try to revamp the franchise’s formula with revolutionary gameplay changes, but honestly, I think that worked for the best. It’s just a fairly good attempt to bring the franchise to modern consoles, being best enjoyed on the Switch due to its portability.
Finally, I do appreciate how the artists tried to promote their (bad, but funny) music with a video game. A terrible video game, granted, but that’s still somewhat commendable. Don’t get me wrong, Whiteboyz Wit Attitude: The Pursuit of Money is awful, but I still think you should give it a try. I’ve played worse games and had to pay for them.
The Switch port of Bioshock might have been a disappointment, but I’m glad they didn’t botch the port of Bioshock Infinite. This game still looks as gorgeous as it used to when it first came out seven years ago, and it’s still one hell of an emotional and entertaining ride from beginning to end.
You can still have a ton of fun with the Switch port of Bioshock, as this is the best portable version of this classic masterpiece. Although, when compared to all of the other previously released versions of the game, this is only technically superior to the clunky iOS port from 2014.
Sludge Life isn’t a game that will be pleasing for everyone. This is the kind of game that revels in ineffective sarcasm and a sense of dourness. It’s the video game equivalent of a sad mumble rap song, a title that attempts to exude a sense of rebelliousness with a coating of indifference.
A fantastic idea and a brand new way of telling a story in a video game, all hampered by underwhelming gameplay and an overall lack of polish: that’s Liberated in a nutshell.
Is this the best version of The Outer Worlds out there? No. Should this be the version for you to consider purchasing in case you have never played this game before? Absofreakinglutely not. Is is still a fantastic RPG with one of the best plots and characters in recent memory? Without a shadow of a doubt.