All in all I had a great time with the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection. I had a wonderful trip down memory lane with great title selections here and I’m certainly glad these titles will now find their way into the hands of this generation. The controls are solid, the audio is top notch and the graphics look great, but I would like to see some more filters added via the next patch if possible. If you’re an old timer like me you will certainly want to snag this one up. If you’ve never seen or heard of any these game before at the $39.99 price tag I feel like this is well worth it not only for the great games, but Museum Mode is great for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of the industry as well. Just don’t try to stick quarters into your Switch, it probably wouldn’t go so well.
While I don’t think this is the best game in the series, Warriors Orochi 4 is far from a bad game. The game runs at a solid framerate, the combat is fun and there are tons of enemies to slay. The lack of alternate routes and some dry storytelling do set this one back a bit, but the massive cast helps make up for it somewhat. You’ll get 20 to 30 hours of gameplay out of this one for its $60 price tag. If you’re a fan of Musou games there is still a lot to love here, but I can’t help but feel a little disappointed since I was expecting something on par with Warriors Orochi 3 and this didn’t quite live up to that.
Battle Princess Madelyn is what a classic throwback should be. It mixes the old and the new seamlessly together and is probably one of best quality indie titles I’ve played in a while. I put around 10 hours into this one and there were plenty of secrets left to discover. While I may have some complaints about the gameplay here, don’t take that as sign that Battle Princess Madelyn is a bad game. Games like this were never really my cup of tea, but I know there are those out there that love hardcore platforming challenges like this, and if you are one of those people go buy this game now. At $19.99 it’s a fantastic value, and you will love every minute of it!
I have to say, while I thought the story was a bit lacking and some of the unlocking felt like a grind, I had a wonderful time with the Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection. The gameplay is still rock solid, the characters and animations have improved over the last outing, and there is tons of replay value here. I loved all the playlists and the VR model viewer was a nice touch as well. I know folks may think the $99 price tag is a bit high, but that’s 33 bucks a game for three pretty great games, so I don’t really think that is too bad personally. If you’re a Persona fan this a must-own collection of titles, and if you’re just a fan of great rhythm games in general, you’ll find a lot to love here as well!
I feel like Gensokyo Defenders is a mixed bag at the end of the day. The story and music are pretty weak, but the gameplay and artwork are top notch. I feel Touhou fans would certainly have fun with this one for the gameplay alone and fans of Tower Defense games will find a lot to love here as well. I just wouldn’t go into this one expecting super high production values at its $19.99 price tag, but if you want a solid Tower Defense game, this one is very likely worth your coin.
At the end of the day, I loved this game when I reviewed it years ago, and Koei Tecmo has given me a wonderful port with even more content. I know some will think the $39.99 price tag is a bit much. But I still feel with this amount of content and the fact you’re getting the best portable version of the game ever, that it is totally worth it. I mean, they say some things age badly, while others age like fine wine. Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition is an example of the finest wine!
If you’ve never experienced Atelier Rorona there is no time like the present. Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ DX is the best release of the game to date, and while some may find the price of these re-releases a little steep at around $90 for all three, this is a quality title with hours and hours of gameplay to be had. The inclusion of the DLC and the fact it is portable if you snag it up on the Switch still make this a pretty attractive purchase at what breaks down to 30 bucks a title.
This is one of the best games in the Senran Kagura franchise. The story here is what started it all and some will find it a bit dark compared to the stories we get today. I loved it back in 2013 and my feelings on it have not changed to this day. These characters are so well written that I felt connected to them and that is why I fell in love with this series to begin with. The fan service is great and it wouldn’t be Senran Kagura without it, but there is a deep, rich story here with amazing girls underneath all that. That has not changed even to this day, even though some of newer titles go much harder on the fan service. The combat in this game is a ton of fun, and if this is one of the best soundtracks in all of gaming. It will take right around 8 hours to complete each squad’s story and there’s a ton of free missions to play with as well. It’s worth every penny of the $39.99 price tag, and if you’ve ever wanted to explore the series for the first time, now is the perfect time to do so. If you’re like me and have loved it since 2013, picking this up is a no brainier.
While I think Dragon Marked for Death isn’t balanced very well for a single player game, I think the online play more than makes up for that. There is a ton of quest variety, the levels have tons of depth and the game is just simply a blast to play with a friend. I’m not even a big fan of multiplayer games like this, and if I had more time I’d still be playing right now. I think the amount of quests here and replay value more than justify the inexpensive entry price, and hack and slash fans should grab a friend and be all over this one.
I had a good time with Sakura Sakura. The writing is fantastic, and I caught myself laughing out loud many times while playing this one. It does drag on a bit, especially in the beginning, but so long as you aren’t looking for a super serious story I think most will give it a pass on that. You get 30+ hours of gameplay here for $34.99, so if your jam is a very funny romantic comedy with some amazing girls, this is must-buy title.
Despite my few beefs with the game, if you are a fan of the series Dead or Alive 6 is a must own title for you at the $59.99 price tag. The game is still very sexy with tons of jiggle and service fans have come to know and love. The fighting is still deep and fun like always, and honestly I feel like the game just simply plays so much better than the previous one did. I can pull off moves and combos here easily that I had a much harder time pulling off last time around. If you’ve always been interested in fighting games but thought they were too complex for you to enjoy I think you should give this one a shot. The game is so well made and easy to pick up that I think anyone could hop right in here and have some fun.
That being said, I still feel what the game does right by far outshines its flaws. If you’re looking for something different that is a bit darker than your average JRPG, I would highly recommend you pick this game up today. You will not regret it, and while I can compare certain aspects of it to other titles, there is really nothing else like this out there today. I spent about 30 hours on one run and quite a bit more to get the other endings via New Game+. This one is well worth the $59.99 price tag, just be prepared for a rough ride and be sure to save often. Death is around every corner and you will be re;Questing a lot!
I feel like RemiLore: Lost Girl in the Lands of Lore is a must buy title for fans of hack-n-slash and rogue-like games. This game combines both in one flawless package and plays just as good as it looks. The story and writing here are both very high quality and will have you laughing out loud at the character’s antics in no time. My only complaint is having to restart the entire level when dying on a stage but this is a very minor beef with such a great package. If you have a sweet tooth for a solid game on your Nintendo Switch, RemiLore will certainly satisfy your craving.
Fate/EXTELLA LINK proves that sometimes little tweaks can make a huge difference in a game. The combat here is so much better than in the previous game. It’s much faster and far more fluid. The new mission objectives make the stages feel alive and ever changing. Last but not least, the soundtrack here is one the best I’ve heard in a long time. At its $49.99 price tag, you get about 15 hours of story missions and a slew of extra missions that unlock while you’re progressing through the story. If you are a fan of the Fate series, this is a must own title. The characters and story alone are well worth the price of admission here. If you love Musou games, this might be the best of one of this generation. This game did what a good sequel should do, it improved on the first game in every way possible and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for this series down the line.
All in all if you own the PlayStation 4 version of this you can get the new content via DLC, so you’ll probably want to skip this. If you don’t own the PlayStation 4 version, are a huge Girls Und Panzer fan, or just want to play it on the go, this is a great option for you. It does come at steeper price than usual with an import running $72.99 on the Switch. You can snag this on PlayStation 4 from Play-Asia for much less at $38.99. In the end, no matter which version of this you buy I think you’ll have a lot of fun and I do recommend anyone that is a fan of the series or that loves tank combat games to check it out.
I won’t say Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists ~Ateliers of the New World~ is a bad game; it’s just not a very exciting one. The game looks good and has a wonderful soundtrack, but the gameplay is just kinda boring. After around 25 hours of playtime I was totally burned out on the city building. The lack of exploration, way dumbed down alchemy and combat really hurt this one. It is wonderful to see all your favorite alchemists from previous games hanging out and having fun together. These interactions are pretty much the highlight of this game, and everything else is lacking. At $59.99 I would only pick this up if you are hardcore fan of the Atelier series. For everyone else I’d recommend you hold off for the upcoming Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~ to get that alchemy fix.
Moero Chronicle Hyper is an excellent port. The new features such as auto travel and HD Rumble make the experience even better than before. If you love dungeon crawlers and want to spend some quality time with amazing monster girls, this will be the best 20 bucks you ever spent on the eShop. I highly recommend it.
I have to say I was very surprised at how good Lapis x Labyrinth was. After 20 hours I found the gameplay fast, fluid and most importantly fun. The upgrade system is slowly introduced so you never feel overwhelmed, and I thought the difficulty curve was just about right for this type of game. Some of the maps can get a bit confusing even with guidance they give you and some of the enemies late in the game can be very cheap with attacks that cause instant death or knock your stack out of whack. Still I have to say if you want a great Action RPG you could do a lot worse at the $49.99 price for the limited edition that comes with some extra goodies.
I have to say I had a lot of fun with Void Bastards. The artwork is here amazing. I loved all of the different designs for the enemies and comic book style cut-ins are just a pure joy as well. The quirky British voices the aliens have and just the overall silliness of what you’re doing gives you a big smile. The shooting here is pretty tight and there are a few different difficulty levels to choose from, if FPS games aren’t really your thing. At the $29.99 price you get a nice 15 hour campaign that has New Game + so you can keep collecting and killing bigger aliens. This might seem a little steep, but PC games go on sale often, so if you wait for sale you’ll get an even better value here. I would recommend this one to anyone that has a passing interest in rouge-like or FPS games. This is one very unique title. It does have some quirks and you will get screwed over by the rouge-like nature of it, but there’s nothing else quite like it out there.
I spent 22 hours to complete the main quest and there is some postgame content to delve into as well. If you’re a fan of the series you’ll probably want to pick this one up as well. It will be worth the $49.99 asking price. While it’s not as good as other spin offs there is still some value here. If you are new to franchise this may not be the best entry point, but you don’t need any knowledge of the rest of the franchise to jump in either.