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That said, the only real downside to Turrican Anthology Vol. 1 is the limited selection of games on offer. This is a series currently spanning two volumes, which some will rightly see as unceremonious enterprising. The Turrican games exist in so many formats and in so many guises, that it would have made sense to build the ultimate compilation and serve everyone at once, perhaps including obscurities like the PC Engine, original Commodore 64, or even Atari ST entries for the sake of completeness and preservation. As it stands, while a package that provides hours of gritty action gaming, its main drawback is its hefty price tag and meagre curation in respect of multiple volumes. Still, that soundtrack though.
Mega Turrican represents one of the series highlights, and there’s a certain amount of intrigue in Super Turrican 2’s adjustment of the formula. The rest is largely recycled. The package has all the same awesome, tweakable features and options featured in Vol. 1 as well as continued bonuses in the form of galleries, jukeboxes, and a remastered soundtrack option. But the price for what’s on offer is somewhat lofty. As we mentioned in our review of Turrican Anthology Vol.1, there’s no real need to split these titles between two releases except to wring more money out of consumers. While the titles herein and the quality of the ports are generally excellent, the lack of unique content leaves something to be desired.
Ultimately, Wave 2 Of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe doesn't quite knock it out of the park. We know we've been bashing these courses left, right, and centre, but when it comes to Mario Kart, we have pretty high standards, you know. However, none of the tracks on offer are straight-up bad; most of them just feel like "b-side" filler when compared to the main tracks created specifically for Mario Kart 8. There's still a great deal of fun to be had here, particularly when you crank up the difficulty to 200cc. We have to keep reminding ourselves of the bigger picture, too; we've now got sixteen new courses for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and we're not even halfway through yet. We've still got a ways to go.
Hindsight does what it does with technical and artistic aplomb. The story is eloquent, mature and moving, and the core mechanic of diving into objects creates perfect madeleine moments that boost the experience beyond many other story games. It only asks for a few hours of your time and repays the investment generously.
Digimon Survive is one of the best visual novels to come out so far this year, with plenty of heart and tension to carry you through to the final act. Fans looking for an engaging story with well-written and presented characters that deal with life-and-death situations will enjoy the ride, while players focused on the combat will probably find that the game comes up short. Despite its sluggish, padded start, Digimon Survive is well worth the long wait.
Frogun sets out to do exactly what it intends. There is more than enough to enjoy in the game, with around a five hours campaign to play through and the added replayability of finding collectibles that you may have missed the first time. And, although the story is simple, at no point did we find ourselves getting bored. Even the frustration of repeating levels is genuinely reflective of early gaming. It's safe to say that Frogun succeeds in evoking that retro-style puzzle-platforming of the '90s.
Omori isn't a game that we would say is for everyone, but it's the kind of thing that seems like it will deeply resonate with its intended audience. If you're looking for a funny, sad, creepy, and downright disorienting RPG adventure, Omori is something you won't want to miss. The memorable narrative, offbeat sense of style, and high replayability make this one easy to recommend, even if the plot pacing can feel sluggish and the combat doesn't always deliver on its potential. We think Omori is an experience that's worth your time; give it a shot if you want to try something a little different.
Coromon takes aim at one of the greatest series of all time and, while it isn't any threat to Pokémon's worldwide domination, it is a charming and fun nostalgia trip for fans. Excessive grinding and a story that takes its time to get going mar what is otherwise a worthwhile journey, but if you're a fan of old-school Pokémon, that shouldn't put you off investigating this title up. Whether you're a new trainer or you've been catching 'em all for years now, Coromon has something for you to enjoy.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a genuine masterpiece and the highlight of Monolith Soft's superb series thus far. There's an emotionally-charged and surprisingly edgy epic to get stuck into here, a sprawling and hugely engaging narrative populated by a cast of unforgettable characters that's backed up by some of the very best combat we've had the pleasure of getting to grips with in this genre to date. Over 100 hours into this one, we're as captivated now as we were when we first booted it up and it has more than delivered every bit of the adventure, emotion, and action that its key art promised it might. Aionios awaits, it's time to seize the future.
It's tough to say whether Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 is a clear improvement over its predecessors, but this entry is every bit as action-packed and razor sharp as them. Kirin offers up a refreshing new take on the tried and tested gameplay, while the tight level designs and focus on the ranking system make this one a highly replayable experience. The only real downsides here are that the gacha system feels awkwardly implemented and the story can be a slog, but both these things are easily ignored when the thrilling gameplay really gets its hooks in you. If you at all enjoyed the previous entries, it goes without saying that you owe it to yourself to pick up Azure Striker Gunvolt 3, but we'd encourage newcomers to give it a shot, too. Action platformers like this don't come along too often, and we're pleased to report that Inti Creates clearly hasn't lost its mojo in this space.
The game runs near-flawlessly on Switch aside from a few levels near the end (that being said, you’ll be in slo-mo for the majority of the game anyway). However, the two biggest issues with the game rear their heads here. Games like this typically have near instantaneous restarts to ensure the action is always moving. Severed Steel’s load times aren't obnoxiously long by any means, but just long enough to add to the frustration of losses. The other (and biggest) issue is the complete lack of gyro-aiming, which — especially for a game this fast-paced — feels like a large oversight. But still, we’re talking about a game where you can throw your gun at someone, slo-mo, dive over their head, steal another from their back pocket, then blast them with it. Which is pretty rad.
Redout 2 more satisfying the longer you stick with it. It’s hard to recommend if you’re looking for something to pick up and play, though, and — especially on Switch — the lack of local multiplayer is a real disappointment.
Live A Live has been well worth the long wait. This remake reintroduces an influential, unique JRPG to the wider world with aplomb, with a cacophony of different gameplay styles, music, and visuals that somehow hang together beautifully. Despite looking like Octopath Traveler and perfecting the HD-2D visual style, you'd do well to remember that this is still a Super Famicom RPG, with many of the frustrations that come with ‘90s RPGs still intact in this remake. Still, we admire that Square Enix decided not to change too much with this remake, instead delivering an authentic and faithful update to the game that the majority of players outside Japan missed nearly three decades ago. This is a piece of gaming history we have loved getting to experience for the first time.
Bright Memory: Infinite is a short but could-be-much-sweeter shooter, and a hard one to recommend. It's glitchy, it has an incoherent story that ends abruptly, the AI is inconsistent, and the whole thing is over in just about two hours. And yet, in spite of all of that, we still had fun due to its strong core gameplay and frankly, ridiculous story and setpiece moments. For a game made by just one person, it has a really solid foundation and some impressive production values despite the glitches. However, it desperately needs further iteration to be worthy of recommendation for anyone outside of a select few.
One challenge for the graphic adventure has always been how to meld puzzles, which are essentially abstract snippets of logic, with telling a story, which essentially needs to flow, without stopping to do sudokus 'round every corner. Growbot makes its most common puzzle part of the world, with its flower-based music mechanic, and the art makes everything look like there’s a story behind it. Unfortunately, that appearance of story is only skin-deep, and the puzzles hang oddly on the bare frame of a plot. Outside the musical sequencing, there are some infuriating blockers – especially when doing contrived things with contrived items for contrived reasons. That Goldilocks sweet spot of difficulty that makes the player feel in control proves too elusive, but there's melodious, mechanical enjoyment to be had here if you're not fussed about story.
Pokémon Puzzle League is really just Panel de Pon / Tetris Attack with a Pokémon makeover, but far from being a bad thing, it makes this an even more thrilling puzzler. Panel de Pon fanatics will have the time of their lives regardless, but the Pokémon wrapper helps draw in and hold the attention of new players long enough for the puzzling to grab hold. With the added Pokémon anime nostalgia factor that's grown over the decades, there's even more reason to investigate Pokémon Puzzle League if it passed you by all those years ago. It's still the same old game, and it still rocks.
As long as you're okay with its unreasonable lack of online functionality and screen filter niggles, there are hundreds of hours of fun to be had with Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium. 32 mostly excellent games and another historically notable preservation piece, it recalls the essence of what an arcade felt like. Achieving that feeling, however brief, will be enough to justify a purchase for those with an affinity for gaming's rich history.
XEL takes many of its cues from the Zelda franchise, with combat and puzzles that keep things interesting throughout as well as a charming, fun cast of characters. However, technical glitches in the Switch version make it difficult to enjoy at launch. There is the potential for a great game in here, possibly after a hefty patch to fix some of the bugs, but despite its obvious promise it fails to live up to its potential in its current state.
Make no mistake, Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is the best way to currently play these two platforming classics and Namco has done a decent job of presenting these titles in the best possible light. With around 25 hours of dreamy, retro-styled platforming contained in this package, Klonoa veterans and younger platforming fans will find lots to love in the whimsical worlds and puzzle-platforming level design on offer here. Some performance issues aside, it's tough not to fall in love with this duology. Catch it when you can.
Although we may sound quite negative when discussing the game, FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch really is worth playing; it just has so much potential that it doesn't quite reach. It rides on the cusp of greatness so often, while not quite making it over the hurdle. We can't wait to play a sequel because if it was iterated on, FIST could be something really special. Sadly, due to the technical issues associated with this Switch version such as the unbearably long load times, it's let down even further. Overall, a promising foundation that we hope leads to better things in the future.