I'm glad I was able to mark these off my bucket list of games I wanted to play but never got around to. Whatever I had to sacrifice to be able to play these games on my Switch was worth it. The story of Ezio Auditore starts a little slow, but by the end of his third game I was ready to seek out the next game. Everything can feel a little outdated compared to newer entries, but as someone who has never played these games this was a great way to experience them.
Lost Ark is light on the MMO, and heavy on the action- RPG, taking all the elements from MMOs that make them great, and a few that make them a bit dull to fans of the genre. It's easy to get lost in the customization before you even set foot in the fleshed out world. The five main classes are the big star, each feels and plays differently enough making me want to replay the game just to try them out. Being able to tackle this game with friends will make for a better overall time with the game, but it isn't required to have a good time. Lost Ark warrants a look if you like action-RPGs, MMOs, or both.
The Company Man plays out like I expected it to, but in a good way. The floors each look different, even though they look different they don't play too differently from one to the next. Boss battles are fun and different enough that I looked forward to playing each one at the end of a floor. Some of the upgrading options felt a little slow for my taste, but I only have minor complaints to file with H.R. about the game.
There isn't much to say about Clockwork Aquario. It's a side scrolling game. It doesn't stand out, looking good and having solid controls doesn't make it a must play. While Clockwork Aquario is a fun game, it's price of admission doesn't make it a must play for anyone other than a diehard 90s arcade fanboy.
Big Brain Academy: Brain Vs Brain is a great pick up and play title. I found myself becoming addicted to trying to do better each time I sat down. The new addition of multiplayer is very welcome. Allowing each user to select the starting difficulty made this a fun game to play with my very non-competitive wife. If mind games are something you enjoy, or if you've played a Brain Academy or Brain Age title this would be a good addition to your Switch line up.
Pocket Dungeon grabbed me immediately and hasn't let go. Everything in this puzzle game works; the aesthetic, controls, modes, bosses, replayability. A puzzle game that has this level of polish will stand the test of time with the likes of Tetris.
I don't know what I expected from Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX. Never playing a game in the series but wanting to try it out might have set my expectations too high. Monster Rancher is a unique take on a game, it also takes someone who wants to play a unique kind of game to get the maximum enjoyment from it. I don't think that was me, but I can appreciate two well made games, even if they're not my perfect cup of tea. The Nintendo Switch might be the best place for this type of slower paced, menu based game. Overall I enjoyed my time with the games, but not as much as I hoped to.
I need a little more hand holding than Sherlock Holmes Chapter One gives. I'm not as smart as Sherlock, and found myself bumbling around at times like a lost child. When I was in the zone I was having a good time. The variety of costumes made for a fun time, and the eavesdropping mini game were a good distraction to a worthwhile story. The game has flaws, but those can easily be overlooked with a mountain of fun and interesting mysteries to solve.
It's easy to look back with rose tinted glasses when it comes to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. But after spending a week back in this world I can easily say there are no tinted glasses here. It's as good as I recalled it back in the day. If you've never played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic this is a great way to jump in. I couldn't believe a game that came out in 2003 could still hold my attention, even on the fifth or sixth playthrough that I had while reviewing the game. The atmosphere created by the game is second to none when it comes to Star Wars games. Playing on the Nintendo Switch might be the best way to experience, load screens were fast, and the game looks great in handheld mode. The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic story is one every Star Wars fan should experience.
When your only motivation to continue is to see just how far down a tiled dungeon you can get, I became exhausted. I Love the combat system. The amount of weapons and armor you can equip your party members is great. But by not providing any story or character motivation, I became weary of the game. The repetitive music fit perfectly with the same look and feel on floor one as it did on floor 24. While I enjoyed the mechanics and searching, the somber feel of Dungeon Encounters made me realize why they don't quite make them like they used to.
The art and story of Darksiders III is engaging and beautiful to look at, even in this remastered take on the game. Adding a new game option to make the game more like its predecessors was very welcome, but not enough to save the game. Controls that don't respond when you want them to make the game frustrating in times of peril. Expecting players to understand what direction to go, or how to solve a puzzle without teaching them mechanics before hand made my time with Darksiders III unpleasant.
While Super Arcade Football puts you into the action instantly, it would have been nice if it would have shown me the ropes before expecting me to win my first match. The retro look and simple controls make picking up and playing with friends who haven't played before easy and welcoming. For a short, fun party game without much on the line, you can't go wrong. But for the single-player experience, while not terrible by any means, it wears out its welcome long before you actually finish it.
Moonshades drops you into its world and expects you to know what's going on, which is fine. Dungeon crawling is fun, combat can be as well. But Moonshades is being held back due to its controls and use of screen space, an unfortunate product of its mobile phone origins. Controls are confusing, and half the screen is taken up by spells and menu buttons. If you can work through the issues there is a fun dungeon crawler to play. Moonshades doesn't shine bright-it's more like a low glow from a campfire left unattended.
While the combat system of the Bravely Default 2 is unique and offers a high risk, high reward style of gameplay not seen elsewhere, the overall experience plays out in classic JRPG fashion. Luckily it does an excellent job of being a classic JRPG. I had fun grinding out XP for the jobs I wanted, with it never feeling like a chore, the true sign of a well made JRPG. The lack of mouse support for the PC version though is next to unacceptable with all the menus you work in. Classic JRPG style, not necessarily a modern day classic. No true innovations keep it from perfection.
Monster Harvest is retro in how it looks, which is great, but also in how it plays, which isn't as great. The gameplay doesn't feel addictive enough for a farming simulator, and the monster battle portion feels tacked on. I had fun with the game, but I never felt drawn into the world.
Bus Simulator 21 is for everyone. Being able to cater to your playstyle from the most basic of set ups to as realistic as they can make it, the game gets its hooks in you after a few hours. I always wanted to run one more route before getting up from a play session. The vehicle AI leaves something to be desired, but we can all think of a few drivers that give us road rage.
Garden Story is not the apple of my eye, nor is it rotten. I enjoyed my time helping Concord clear the rot, especially with the boss fights, but by the third town (out of four) I felt I had picked more apples than I could eat in a week. Dungeons were exciting, but the other mechanics left a sour taste as they were introduced too late to matter and became another mechanic I could easily ignore. Garden Story simply was not my jam.
Fort Triumph might not be the biggest victory for the genre, but there is plenty of fun combat to be had. While not genre defining, it's easy to get wrapped up in combat, and suddenly have a couple of hours fly by. The UI is hard to read at times, in both docked and handheld mode, but that was about my only complaint. I enjoyed Fort Triumph, but didn't fall in love.
Tribes of Midgard struggles with an outside force it has no control over that prevents it from being near perfect; it requires friends to play with. Alone, or with strangers who don't work together there is just too much going on at once, making the game feel like an endless assault of chores that need done right away. But if you can get a regular group, taking down the seasonal boss is totally worth the effort.
The developers of Cris Tales set out to make a love letter to the genre. When writing a love letter it's easy to cloud your judgement at times. You're after all so head over heels into it. Do you really care what others think? The load times, basic story, and unsatisfying ending are easy to overlook when you're in love with the genre. Cris Tales is too pretty to pass up if you want a taste of a nostalgic JRPG.