While not as known and loved as the competition in the arcade space, there’s much to be said about the quality and fun factor of Visco’s releases during the latter half of the arcade golden days. The handful of inclusions in this collection highlight the company’s efforts in trying to bring their own spin to established genres, and even though they pale somewhat in comparison in terms of personality, they are very well put together and are definitely worth having in your retro collection.
Don’t let its title fool you: quirky Powerwash Simulator took the gaming world by storm last year for a good reason.
Don’t let its looks fool you, Astlibra Revision is a great action RPG with hooks that will keep you coming back for more.
As long as you don’t come into it looking for an emotional rollercoaster or a whole lot of gameplay variety, but instead are willing to look past its faults – which there’s no denying there are plenty of – you might just like the way of living us virtual Alaskan drivers have for our day-to-day.
Having access to three different characters and how each of them come into play remains a highlight. Outside of Lost Vikings back in the 16-bit days, there’s nothing quite like Trine in gaming. Let’s just hope for a chance that things might get shaken up a bit by the time Trine 6 rolls around…
Air Twister is the sort of game that works well on the Switch due to its simplicity and ease of playing in short bursts. Along with the host of arcade titles that I’ve taken a look at over the course of the system’s lifespan, it’s yet another respectable addition to its catalog. Just don’t expect it to blow you away or anything – what it does might not be much, but it is as well developed as it can be for what it is.
As a fan of the source material, I came out of Hellboy: Web of Wyrd very happy with how the game turned out. While it’s not something that will last me for months, the content that there is to be enjoyed is of loving quality and shows that the folks behind its development took care into valuing the property that was licensed. If you are unfamiliar with Hellboy and would like to change that, this game is a nice entryway that will definitely compel you to read the comics – just make sure you avoid that last movie, it’s very bad.
With Spider-Man 2, the PlayStation 5 finally has a feather to hang on its hat for this year’s big releases. It’s more of what was simply awesome about the previous games as well as its faults, which are purely subjective, as your mileage may vary when it comes to combat and open-world shenanigans. As a complete package, though, the pros more than outweigh the cons, resulting in a game that anyone with Sony’s latest console should have in their library.
Then again, even without Conquest mode, Wargroove 2‘s main campaign is riveting enough, so if you decide for any reason not to engage with that game mode, you’re already getting plenty of bang for your buck. Wargroove 2 surpasses the first game in every conceivable way and goes to show that Chucklefish was looking for ways to keep the formula fresh with the addition of a content-heavy mode such as Conquest, something that nobody would bat an eye if it were post-release paid DLC. It’s that good and only works to solidify Wargroove 2‘s spot among the very best Switch out on the eShop, not just as an alternative to Advance Wars.
Then again, if you are the sort that looks for more depth in a game that’s apparent from the beginning, you’ll simply won’t find it in Project Blue. That would easily count as a negative for any other game, but due to how that’s obviously not what the folks behind this were going for with it, it gets a pass from me. It is what it is, and if you’re the sort that can accept the imposed limitation and enjoy it for what it’s going for, there’s quality time to be had here.
Fading Afternoon isn’t exactly what I would consider a game with legs, but what it does have to offer is of a level of quality writing-wise that is enough to keep you glued to your PC screen for as long as it lasts. While other elements of the game could have been done better, mainly its controls, its gripping story, characters and setting more than make up for its annoyances.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage harkens back to the franchise’s past as it shines light on a criminally overlooked setting for videogames and the culture of islam in what’s one of the most concise entries in modern Assassin’s Creed.
Samba de Amigo: Party Central is a fantastic buy for those with enough friends and family that enjoy playing and having fun together. It’s a cartoony game that’s full of care-free charm and Sega’s trademark silliness that we’ve come to love them for. If you’re the sort of player that digs arcade experiences in portable form, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Separate Ways is a fantastic reinvention of what was already a neat idea turned into its own thing, with its unique flavor and highly engaging approach to changing the core gameplay that was played up to current day, post Resident Evil 2 Remake standards. Capcom’s been on a run with their games lately and this is no exception. Yeah, it’s still a bit of a bummer that it’s paid DLC, but it’s one that is well worth getting as it’s well above average among similar expansions to other notable games.
The Crew Motorfest is Ubisoft’s answer to Forza Motorsports that should go down well with PlayStation 5-exclusive players.
As it is, though, you’re likely not to find a better or more efficient way of playing these outside of emulation, and the fact that it’s on Switch only makes it more worth your while. If you don’t mind the straight-to-the-point approach that Taito decided to take with this by not including anything other than the games, by all means pick up Taito Milestones 2. There’s bound to be something you’ll find yourself liking among the list of games included in it.
What developer Gun has managed to deliver with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is an accomplishment, same as they previously have dealing with Friday the 13th. If you can keep in mind the game’s level of commitment and don’t mind suffering through the headaches of playing with randoms, it can be an enjoyable time, And for fans of the source material, it’s got lots of little details to notice and appreciate for sure.
Devolver Digital has been on quite a run for years now and I don’t see that changing anytime soon, thanks to the excellent curation of their catalog. Gunbrella is a game that has been on my radar ever since it was announced a couple of not-E3’s ago, and now I’m glad that it was very well worth the wait. It’s the sort of game that doesn’t overstay its welcome and manages to deliver a satisfying six to eight hours of platforming/shooting goodness that anyone looking for a good retro game is bound to enjoy.
Dimension Shellshock adds an amazingly fun survival mode and new characters to last year’s greatest beat ‘em up, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
With The Making of Karateka, Digital Eclipse shifts our perception of what videogame ‘making of’ content can entail, raising the bar for future products in this new genre of “docu-games”.