Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is a fine compilation title without the celebratory features, and a rather mixed bag of games on hand. Fortunately, being able to buy them separately rather than strictly in bundles can help you navigate the wheat from the chaff. The lack of online multiplayer harms this package much like the previous one, and I'm still unsure why it required a completely separate 'launcher' when everything but the games are the same.
Live A Live is a fantastic experience that any JRPG fan should try for at least a few chapters before writing off. It's still a unique and fresh title after nearly 2 decades and provides as much emotion in its shorter run time as some 80-plus-hour titles. While I've held back on some of the surprises the game has on offer, rest assured the game has enough diversity and allure to keep anyone engaged. Live a Live is an essential title that has finally broken through the western release barrier.
It's always fun when Kunio leaves the streets to take on other roles. River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is certainly no exception. This is a much stronger outing for the River City franchise than the recent River City Girls Zero. Its overall quality and fun combat have skyrocketed the game firmly into one of my favorites from the franchise. While there isn't enough here to convert the naysayers, anyone who's enjoyed previous titles or even just the genre could find quite a lot to love about this title. Here's hoping that we see even more River City Saga titles in the future.
It's hard to recommend Horgihugh and Friends when I had such high expectations dashed. It's not a bad game per se, but it's full of annoying cheap deaths and the visual department doesn't hit where it needs to. It certainly isn't my "go-to" cute 'em up, but there is certainly is worse on the market. Sorry, Horgi - you're not the best boy.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is a brilliant little package for fans and newcomers alike. That said, the latter may have to wade through some of the more basic stuff before they hit on why Klonoa has such a cult following. The graphics and funky physics paint a deceptive picture that the game is "budget" or "cheap", but it's simply a faithful remastering of two titles that are still very much rooted in the late 90s to early 00s. The same titles that have so much heart it would make the Kingdom Hearts crew green with envy. The lack of extras outside of the DLC and the omission of the GBA titles does mean that the title slightly misses the mark, and it isn't the most original title around nowadays, but the cheap price point and overall charm win the day in the end.
Final Vendetta is a brilliant time capsule of an era currently making a comeback. While it doesn't exactly move the needle in innovation, it does provide fans of the genre a much-needed booster of brawling fun. Deliciously 90s in all the right areas, this is certainly one for the retro enthusiasts who like a bit of a challenge when they roam the mean streets dishing out some justice.
I do not doubt that Remote Life will be a marmite-style title. It’ll have its fans and its haters. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a game I enjoyed that much, but I can appreciate what the developer tried to do.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is a game for and by series fans, but also doubles up as one of the most fun beat 'em ups around. It even edges out mighty titles like Streets of Rage 4 and Scott Pilgrim with its intuitive controls and 6-player multiplayer. To put it into perspective, I am a fan of the Turtles but haven't followed them since I was a child. From start to finish, I was grinning from ear to ear as nostalgia washed over me and my love of beat 'em ups was catered to with its addictive gameplay. While it's more of an essential purchase for fans of the Ninja Turtles and provides long-time fans with references and nostalgia by the boatload, there is enough fun to be had here to not only justify its price tag but make it feel like that feel-good game of the summer. It's one where you can sit down either by yourself or with friends and really have a great time every time you play.
Biomotor Unitron is yet another curiosity in the NeoGeo Pocket Color library much like Card Fighters’ Clash and Big Bang Pro Wrestling. Fortunately, it falls in the more playable and enjoyable court of the former than the latter, which while unique and nice-looking didn’t play too well. If you’re a fan of mechs, don’t want to spend too much, and have 10 hours spare, then you can’t do much better than Biomotor Unitron.
Solid fun gameplay, outstanding performance, and those timeless Nintendo visuals make Mario Strikers: Battle League Football yet another fun Nintendo Switch exclusive title that can convert the masses to pick up and play sports. Even the ones like myself that detest the source game it comes from!
It's hard to say that Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising isn't worth the small asking price of £12.99 when it feels more like an indie Metroidvania than a taster of what's to come in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising - at least from a world-building aspect. On the other hand, I just didn't find too much of the game enjoyable. It mostly boils down to inane tasks held together with weak combat and shallow exploration, along with very light city-building aspects. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising manages to land firmly as a middle-of-the-road title for me. While not a horrible game by any standard, it just did nothing to convert me to its cause. Unless you're extremely hyped for the main event, it might be worth picking up on a sale out of curiosity at best.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is an interesting time capsule from an era that wasn't actually a long time ago but feels like forever. It's a fun 8-hour romp as long as you turn your mind off and expect a somewhat budget feeling PS2 era title. Visually and in its gameplay it has started to show its age. It's a shame that the 360/PS3 version didn't make the jump. I feel these stand up to today's standards a little better than its Frankenstein of a baby brother. It's not got the legacy of Jedi Knight and it's not in the same league as Jedi Fallen Order, but there is still a decent bit of budget fun that can be found here. If nothing else, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is still miles better than its rushed-out sequel!
Cotton Fantasy is frankly my favorite Cute 'em Up I've played in years. The different character playstyles caught me off guard and I fell in love with the title so quickly. In the gameplay department, it does very little long and sets the standard of the series for the most part. If it took the omissions from Cotton Reboot for a potential sequel we could be looking at a G.O.A.T contender. Sadly the visuals do let the overall package down and I feel that may have done some damage to the stage designs. It's not enough to knock the title down but is something that could be easily addressed in a future title in the series. This Cotton anniversary stretch has been great and what better way to cap it all off with the best gameplay the franchise has seen? The only thing sweeter than Willows it seems is Cotton Fantasy!
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a 35-hour love letter to Japanese Manga and late 80s to early 90s Science Fiction with outstanding writing but ultimately average combat sections. While I did enjoy the city defense aspect of the game, it stunk of missed opportunities. It didn't have that same allure, love, and feeling of weight and scale that the other half of the game had. I'm not a fan of visual novel gameplay, but I enjoyed nearly every hour with 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. While it's also available on other platforms, playing it on the Switch allowed me to pick off story sections in my spare time, and I think that helped keep my interest. While not the perfect game I wanted it to be, it's close. But as we know close is no cigar. That said, I still suggest if you have an interest in the genres mentioned above you put 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim on your list ASAP.
Z-Warp is a bargain-priced, arcade romp and just a generally all-around good time. It controls well, has addictive scoring, an endearing art style, and it doesn't damage your wallet for the privilege. While not oozing in content, the price and quality do put this title over as a serious contender for a perfect introductory Shmup for newcomers or a great snack before a hardcore player's next conquest.
Big Bang Pro Wrestling is a curiosity from the Neo Geo Pocket Color. While it looks nice, it hasn't aged quite as well as previous releases on the Neo Geo Pocket Colour Selection Volume 1 or the more recent SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighters Clash. This title is more for die-hard fans of the console or someone struggling for a wrestling fix on the Nintendo Switch, though there are alternatives such as Arcade Action Wrestling. Sadly this game is more Legend than Heavyweight Champion of the World.
I wasn’t a huge fan of this in Early Access. It was a great idea but more of an unpolished diamond than something I would have raved about. I’m glad I went back to this title in its final release as all the issues I had with the game have been addressed. It’s more of a complete package and meets the expectations I had when it dropped into my inbox many moons ago. It’s with great and disturbed pleasure that I take back most of my grievances with Forgive Me Father, open my arms in my mentally weak state and offer my soul to Dagon.
Great title for hardcore shmupers.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a cult fighting game hit for all the right reasons. It’s such a genuine pleasure to have the title once again readily available on modern platforms. It offers enough options for fans of Persona 3/4/5 who may not be fighting game fans to have a good time, but it also offers enough heft and chaos that only an Arc System Works fighting game can provide. It’s a shame that not all ports are created equal and the Switch owners are going to be missing out on the Rollback patch, which will no doubt breathe even more life into the game, but with its plethora of modes, unlockable artwork, and hefty roster to play around with, it’s very hard not to recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of the source material or the genre in which the game is set. Even though it's been years, every day at your Junes is still fantastic!
Triangle Strategy is old school through and through, from its graphics down to the amount of investment it requires from the player. In a world after Fire Emblem: The Three Houses, the investment required might be a little too much for some, but those that give it the initial time and attention it requires are in for a slow burn of an SRPG with an amazing finish.