A picture-perfect slice of 90s futuristic drift racing. Ride the Synthwave!
Addictive gaming at its very best, it may be set in Hell but this game was heaven sent!.
THIS.IS.PARADISE.
An essential must play experience
NEO: The World Ends With You is the sequel that no one saw coming. It does everything a sequel should do in offering an additional experience while following the themes and tones of what came before it. It's a visual buffet with gameplay in buckets to back it up and has a tale to tell that you'll never see coming. So what are you waiting for? It's time to play the game!
Essential Switch Shmup Action
From the second I launched the game to my current second playthrough of the title, I cannot get enough of this game. I had a feeling this would be a special sequel with how unexpected the original was, but I wasn’t ready for just how good this title would be. I’ve often mentioned the fact to anyone who would listen to how much I love River City Girls from its unique style to its addictive and smooth combat. With this follow-up, WayForward has decided to completely dethrone the first title. This is frankly the perfect sequel. It adds enough while still retaining what I adored about the original. Funky performance and loading issues aside, I can’t find any faults with the girl's latest outing and anyone who may have been burned by the release that was River City Girls Zero should ignore that and join the girls and their cast for what is frankly my personal game of the year, a contender for best in the genre, and just an outright bombastic and fun adventure. Pack your bag River City Girls, you’re getting evicted by the River City Girls (too).
Dead Space Remake is a title I couldn’t enjoy more if I tried. I love Sci-Fi, I love horror, and this game just reminded me of why the original title turned as many heads as it did. It’s a labor of love and I couldn’t be happier to award an extremely rare perfect score to Dead Space Remake. It’s put every other game of 2023 on notice and will take something really special to dethrone as King of the Horror Mountain.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is a bombastic remake of one of the best games ever made and it achieves greatness in the same way the original did. It doesn't replace the original but rather compliments it and feels like a natural continuation of the previous remake titles. I was hooked from the second the game started and I'm now on the 4th replay. Even now, I still cannot get enough of its addictive gameplay and engrossing environments. Resident Evil 4 Remake is the perfect mix of horror and action that has yet to be matched in the series since the original. While Resident Evil 8: Village tried, the fourth installment's pacing here cannot be matched, especially in the remake. Once again, Resident Evil 4 rules the survival horror roost!
CAVE are likely the most well-known craft masters of the genre and for good reason. Mushihimesama is not only accessible for newcomers but challenging for pros. It’s addictive, it’s visually unique with its bug theme, and has all the nuance and quirk any good Shmup needs to succeed. I couldn’t say if this is THE game that would convert the non-believers but in terms of pure Shmup action, it still shines brightly. I’d say it is one of the strongest additions to the Nintendo Switch library.
The King of Fighters XV is one of the highest points of the franchise. It plays like classic KoF and looks just as good as it plays. It feels like SNK have taken all the criticism from King of Fighters XIV and Samurai Shodown and successfully created a game worthy of their legacy. Not only that but one but interesting and charming enough to tempt players over to the series again. Despite being a little thin on content for single players, the meat of the genre lies within its multiplayer. With the sterling netcode, it's never been easier and smoother to throw down with fighters all over the world. Move over Street Fighter and shove off Tekken, The King of Fighters is back and long may it reign.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Radiant Silvergun is a legendary title for a reason. It's addictive, it rewards your time, and it offers players an experience that initially would seem quite routine at first, but it isn't long until the depth shines through and it has its hooks in you. Treasure is an iconic developer, and with titles like this under their belt, you can see why. It's a perfect blend of home and arcade experience that deserves to stand next to the better-known Ikaruga as an all-time great. It shouldn't just be famous for its price tag.
Metal: Hellsinger was an adrenaline-fuelled experience that left me with a smile and a sore neck each time I turned the game on. It managed to not only present me with a visceral and focused First Person Shooter, but also my current musical obsession. The gameplay gave me no middle ground in the best way and pushed me to play better with each trial and difficulty setting. Initially, if I couldn’t catch the beat I’d play very poorly, but once it clicked with me I’d find myself headbanging, foot stomping, and playing with all the ferocity of Slayer possessed by Lucifer Morningstar himself. Metal: Hellsinger is quite possibly the game I’ve needed ever since Doom Eternal’s curtains closed and I for one throw the devil horns into the heavens at the prospect of more to come.
After my initial confusion on the first couple of screens on Faith: Chapter One, I buckled down and embraced the game for all its tension and world-building and found that I couldn't get enough of it. Even while writing this review I'm itching to go back and go through the trinity again to pick at its bones and just get more from it. I want to challenge myself and uncover everything Faith: The Unholy Trinity has to offer. Be it the spooky season or the resurgence of the horror genre but something about Faith: The Unholy Trinity just clicked. If you have a passion for the macabre, you need to play this game. Just have a Bible and a priest handy.