Yeah, it might be mean to say that Hot Wheels Unleashed is better than it has any right to be, I admit. It’s incredibly competently put together and it’s clear a lot of care has gone into its making. This isn’t a hastily developed cash grab in any way, and as far as licensed games go, it’s among the better ones you can buy right now.
I’m a huge fan of games like this, that are respectable to what came before them and don’t try to merely ape them, but add something tasty to the formula. While Steel Assault stumbles somewhat along the way in its delivery, it’s still very playable and is a pleasurable challenging romp that is very much possible to succeed at if you stick with it.
Concept games like Lake are great for what they are and for how long they last you. You shouldn’t come to them expecting to be blown away, but for what they aim to present. Lake is especially good at delivering a satisfyingly light and encapsulated experience, but not much else.
Bandai Namco has been on a roll with its Japanese releases this year, starting with the very stylish Scarlet Nexus a couple of months ago. Tales of Arise is yet another hit in the series that you’ll want to add to your JRPG library, and one that is very likely to keep you entertained for weeks, if not months, to come.
Trust me, you’ll want to have Spelunky 2 to play on Switch as it’ll easily net you hundreds of hours of fun provided you’re into the idea of repeated play and inching your way to success.
It’s the relationships that you carve as you play that are by far the best thing going for Boyfriend Dungeon. As someone who’s had a relatively late blooming when it came to romance, it’s fun to see how fluid your love life can be in this game, and in that regard I can see others feel the same way and even help some folks climb out of their shells. Boyfriend Dungeon is a very fun experiment that makes up for its lack of depth with an engaging dating aspect that is sure to keep you going til the end.
All in all, WRC 10 is yet another solid entry in the series. It’s sad to see that it’s probably going to be one of the last ever, but props to KT Racing and Nacon for going the extra mile to make that goodbye go off with a bang as they do with this game. The historical racing is a joy to behold for sure, and the trademark franchise modes found in WRC 10 make it an extremely worthwhile pickup for rally fans and casual racers alike.
Anyone starting Ghost of Tsushima now should totally play this DLC as soon as possible in their campaign, which is as act 2 opens up in the main game. I’m now anxious to jump back and see how the new gear from Iki will help me deal with the original content which at first play kicked my samurai butt seriously.
As it stands, F1 2021 is still a very solid racing simulation game. You’ll be hard pressed to find an alternative when it comes to delivering an authentic experience as this one, with the dedicated, laser-focused aim of covering a single category, F1. 2022’s entry will be even better if Codemasters can dust off some of the issues I had with this one and go ahead and provide even more fun situations to swerve into in a new Braking Point storyline.
There’s enough juicy meat on the bone here for you to enjoy for quite a while, even though in terms of replayability there’s little to come back to once you get through all the cases. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles shows off the amazing talent and creativity of a series that’s in a genre of its own among visual novel games, really. Inherent faults and all, Ace Attorney is absolutely the type of game you’d want to have on whatever system you decide to pick it up for.
Streets of Rage 4 was already the pinnacle of beat ‘em ups in the modern age, and Mr. X Nightmare only fans its flames even more with the new additions it brings. If you have yet to give the game a go for whatever reason, now’s the perfect time to do so.
A grim reaper crow, many souls to collect and one hell of an adventure await you in Death’s Door.
Scarlet Nexus might lean heavily on the anime for your taste as it did mine, but don’t be surprised if you find it incredibly satisfying anyway, in spite of it. And that’s quite an achievement that developer Tose has managed to accomplish.
Hardcore Monster Hunter fans might turn their nose at Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin’s sheer straight to the point approach to gameplay, but what it goes for is done surprisingly well, and folks who find themselves intimidated by the still high barrier of entry to the main entries might find it a good entry point into the series. It’s got basically every trait from what characterizes a Monster Hunter in one easy to digest JRPG formula.
Wave Break is an eclectic mix of different styles that is almost a guaranteed recommendation on the Switch. It’s a colorful game that’s sure to please anyone looking for a quick pick up n’ play download. But given that the eShop is already packed with similar bite-sized titles, I imagine it’ll be hard for it to set itself apart in the long run, for as nutty as its premise can be.
The Battle for Steeltown goes for the same mix of seriousness and borderline ridiculousness as the main content, this time dealing with the toils of capitalism in the apocalypse and how it’s just as bad as it was when the world wasn’t a pile of rubble, maybe even worse, actually. So if you’ve enjoyed what Wasteland 3 was going for originally, you’ll certainly dig what this DLC serves up.
It’s truly exciting to think that there are devs out there like Jankenteam who are so evidently in love with a game that they’re able to remake it as well as they did with Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX. Fans of the original are sure to get a kick out of this beautiful re-release, and those like me who might’ve missed it the first time around or are too young to have been around when it was new are sure to get a kick — or better put, a punch — out of it as well, thanks to its lovingly put together presentation and great, albeit simple gameplay.
Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is probably the most approachable Capcom's hardcore platformer franchise will ever get at this point. Yeah, it’s still rough around the edges by sheer design, but if you can stomach its trial and error nature there’s a gem to be had and conquered, or better put, slayed with this one.
The Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection does what it came for in spades. That’s even more so whether you go for it on older gen consoles like the PlayStation 4 as I did for this review, or like my pal Leo did on Nintendo Switch (link to be included when this goes live), where they run as smoothly as expected for older titles such as these.
Without a doubt, if you’ve never touched Mass Effect before, the Legendary Edition is by far the best way to enjoy the series. Yeah, the original Mass Effect might not be to everyone’s taste even with the added improvements, but on the other hand, it’s probably as playable now as it’s ever going to be.