NintendoWorldReport
HomepageNintendoWorldReport's Reviews
The store page for Darwin's Paradox calls it "a grand adventure worthy of a true animated movie", and I can't help but find that funny when the game honestly reminds me a lot of the licensed movie tie-ins I grew up playing. I think of the section in The Matrix: Path of Neo where you're in an attack helicopter firing a minigun at other helicopters, and it's half-baked and plays nothing like the rest of the game, but it's part of the movie so it has to be in the game! I think of the robot suit and chase sequences in Darwin's Paradox and feel like they have to be sequences from an animated movie that doesn't actually exist, and that's why they're in the game. It's a shame that this game couldn't be more focused on its puzzle platforming, because these half-baked distractions suck a lot of the fun out of what could've been something really special.
I can look fondly on the disappointment that hit me when I played that Silver Surfer game as a kid for the first time. These games are all here with basically every relevant version of them on offer. It's just relatively barebones aside from the X-Men online multiplayer (fingers crossed it works well) and in an era of Digital Eclipse documentary collection, the standard should be higher.
One look at Chico's Rebound tickled the 8-bit nostalgia strings of this '80s kid, but I found a surprising amount of depth the more I played. There's a light story and some cute characters, but these are window dressing for a challenging and satisfying block-breaking adventure that doesn't overstay its welcome. Even if you're only lightly interested in the genre, Chico's Rebound is a standout that's well worth a look.
Bridge of Spirits isn't overly unique in its gameplay, but it compensates for that with a charming story and beautiful environments. Even in handheld mode, the game holds up well and the charm remains intact. Kena: Bridge of Spirits doesn't outstay its welcome, and with luck it will continue the practice of what were once PlayStation exclusives finding a home on Nintendo platforms.
I've been keeping my eye on The Midnight Walk for a while now and was not disappointed in the final presentation. It's gross, and disfigured in all the best ways, and does amazing work with mixing animation, claymation, and film media to craft something truly special. This game is an accomplishment and one of the best arguments for games as an art form this year.
While not bad games, the series is more continuation than evolution of the previous series, especially in presentation, story, and age range. Star Force 3 was also the direct predecessor to the somewhat ongoing Mega Man drought. While the perfect cure for a shonen anime friendship speech craving, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection feels a bit interchangeable with what came before.
Minishoot' justifies the case for being worth your time in spades. This one may fly under the radar for most, but I beg of you to look up from the new triple A hotness and enjoy this fantastic diamond in the rough–for all the retro feels that it invokes, but also for doing something wholly new. Top to bottom, Minishoot shoots for the stars, and lands among game of the year material.
Its use of familiar mechanics in a novel wrapping and the enticing aesthetic and presentation do help to smooth out some of the rougher edges mentioned above. At present, I'm hovering around a lukewarm recommendation, but check out Nintendo World Report dot com closer to the game's March 25th release date for a final score update. In the meantime, DAMON and BABY does have an eShop demo with progress that carries over to the full game, so check out for yourself how it feels to play as this devilish cute duo ahead of launch.
All that said, Rotwood is doing a whole different thing from other roguelites I've been subjected to recently and it's doing it well. I do feel like the game ratchets up in difficulty once you reach the second major area, at which point a multiplayer approach becomes more advisable, but you can also farm resources in previous areas to upgrade your stuff beyond whatever recommended level a given stage recommends. I still think the industry is oversaturated with roguelites, but Rotwood is one of the good ones.
I had a good time, but was only really able to enjoy the game in shorter bursts. If you’re a platformer veteran and looking for something that is out of your comfort zone, you really cannot go wrong with Rubato. Even though I don’t think I’ll personally revisit it any time soon.
The repetitiveness of the gameplay loop is certainly less of an issue in short bursts, which is how I would approach Etrange Overlord, but I can't help but feel strangely compelled by the lane system and the strategy needed to survive some of the more diabolical challenges, like holding a key aloft until it finishes materializing, all while avoiding enemies attack from every direction. Those moments are the ones that drew me in, even if the aesthetic and story elements held little appeal for me. If you're into the art style and don't mind Etrange's constant need to be the center of attention, you may find an interesting time-sink type of action-RPG. If you're more put off by the anime-style storytelling, chibi-looking characters and combat mechanics that lack real depth, I'd say skip this one, just like I ended up skipping Etrange's musical numbers.
Whether you will stay long after the credits have rolled is ultimately up to you. But I can guarantee you that this is truly a unique game in every sense of the word. It will be the benchmark that future puzzle games will be measured against and that's no small feat.
It is transformative to the point that I almost feel like the game ought to specifically recommend it to the player on startup. Underneath all of that is an interesting, though at times inconsistent, stealth game full of unique characters and scenarios. Just be sure to have a clear surface available mouse mode and plenty of patience as you whittle away at the challenge.
Fans of Starship Troopers and classic FPS games will find enough to love here, even if the bug missions are a letdown. Everyone fights; no one quits. But maybe turn down the difficulty until you get your space legs.
Frequent but short loading screens are a minor nuisance, but they're worth the price of admission for this incredible entry in the tower defense pantheon. The name might not do it any favors, but don't judge these Bean Beasts by their cover. There's plenty of tasty meat on these bones.
Entrapping spirits with your Camera Obscura is a smart design choice that is unfortunately bogged down a little by marathon battles, but the impeccable audio design, visual horror, and the world built by the development team shows a genuine love of the horror genre and papers over what issues I may have with some of the action. The world exploration and story beats have impeccable pacing. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is a horror game for the horror movie fan, and this remake is the ideal way to experience it.
It’s a stunning, whip-smart Metroidbrainia. Öoo is a brilliantly brain-wrinkling puzzle game that belongs either above or up there with the inspirations NamaTakahashi lists in the credits (Bomb Chicken, Box Boy!, Celeste, Metroid, Yoshi's Island, Cocoon, VVVVVV). Öoo is what I want video games to be.
The story wound up being a highlight, but even the streamlining of monster dens couldn't solve the heavy-handedness of monster collection and enhancement. If you want to painstakingly tweak the dials on habitats and splice monster genes while dealing with an acquired taste of a combat system, you'll find a better time than I did in this game. Maybe at the end of the day, the twisted reflection was a metaphor for the entire game.
It might not be filled with replay value after you get through the campaign, but the pieces that make up the moment-to-moment gameplay can lead to a lot of different types of mayhem and challenge. This is an astonishingly stylish video game that sounds incredible, looks beautiful, and plays wonderfully. It's worth fighting your way through evil exes to play.
Small ties and influences to the original series for the seasoned vets, with enough new and ridiculous to hook the newbies. The Switch 2 version worked way better than I could've expected, especially with how the Switch 1 only had the cloud streaming version, and my well documented disdain for cloud streaming on the Switch. The Switch 2 has the juice y'all, and I plan to continue my journey by jumping into Resident Evil VIII Village soon after I'm done with this review. Maybe after a little break to calm my nerves.