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Whether it's because I can play it untethered from the television or how it eschews the alien threat for a relatively more grounded espionage take on the genre, I found the break-up between on-the-ground missions and reconnaissance activities fresh if uneven, and the removal of dice rolls for hit rate removes obfuscation that for me made combat a much more rewarding endeavor. If you're someone like me who liked Mario + Rabbids but wished there was more depth or don't particularly love sci-fi themes, Phantom Doctrine is a worthy alternative.
I think the developers of Hamsterdam are on the right track, and I look forward to any future games they make using lessons learned from this one, but I cannot see myself returning to the streets of Hamsterdam any time soon.
Unfortunately the result is something that many fans of the series weren't asking for. Instead of an over-the-top story filled with addictingly fun gameplay, we got a diluted adventure filled with punishing enemies that require grinding to overcome. Add in microtransactions, no way to communicate, and muddy graphics and you're better off passing this one by.
I admire Solo: Islands of the Heart for its ambition, but virtually every aspect of the game falls short of the noble goals of making an introspective puzzle game centered on love and relationships. The narrative is limited and mildly antagonistic, the block puzzle gameplay transforms into a disaster once the magic staff is introduced, and the serenity of the islands and graphics are dragged down by a middling port to Switch. If you really want someone to question your decisions on love, go see a therapist. This isn't the game for that.
Even though completing achievements (Feats) unlocks extras like comics and a music player, the fact remains that getting to 100 percent completion seems to be the primary objective of the game. Reaching this milestone will take hours and hours of grinding and repetition, so this is a game better played in the background, perhaps while watching TV or listening to a podcast. Ultimately, Forager has potential, but a little more scavenging is needed to take it from an appetizer to a main course.
More than 500 puzzles are present, with the recent series addition of Color Picross returning in a limited but welcome form. Here's the full breakdown: 162 Picross and Mega Picross puzzles, 330 Clip Picross puzzles, and 27 Color Picross puzzles. I do wish there was less focus on Clip Picross and more on the good Color Picross implementation, but my desire for Picross is satiated for now with Lord of the Nazarick. I appreciate the stylistic departure and I hope Jupiter does more adventurous Picross games like this in the future.
Regrettably, the game that surrounds this mechanic is a shallow and repetitive misunderstanding of open-world design. Add to this the less than impressive performance levels of the Switch version and you're left with a great idea that just doesn't have the design to support it. Much like the result of its primary game mechanic, Red Faction Guerrilla crumbles without the support of more engaging gameplay to surround that mechanic.
Even if you've played these games before, I'd say this collection is absolutely worth picking up. It's wonderful to have them all on Switch since they were spread between three platforms originally (3DS, Wii U, Steam), and the Mighty Switch Force games are just plain fun and full of personality. I would like to have seen a collection of concept art a la the SNK and Street Fighter collections because Digital Eclipse has spoiled me forever with that kind of bonus content, but that doesn't take away from the experience, and I will never, ever get sick of kicking that ugly baby.
undefined.Chroma Squad certainly does a solid job of providing an experience that invokes pleasant memories of days past. After several hours of playtime I found myself watching old episodes of the original Power Rangers on Netflix. Only three days later and my kids are halfway through season one, eagerly waiting for the introduction of the Green Ranger. While the tactical-based combat provides a decent reason for younger fans to try out Chroma Squad, it's abundantly clear which audience is going to appreciate this game the most.
Combining the crapshoot of your ending with a few technical problems drags the whole game down. The actual character arcs, complete with fully voiced interactions, do a great job of accounting for the limitations, thankfully. Three Houses is certainly worth seeing through, but it is way more about the journey than the end.
Whether you want to play single games against friends, compete in online leagues, or sit back and binge a season by yourself offline, Super Mega Baseball 2 delivers in spades. This is a Triple Crown-winning batter, a multiple Cy Young-winning pitcher, and a first-ballot Hall of Famer all wrapped into one. This is the greatest baseball game I have ever played.
They've addressed a few complaints about the game, especially in handheld mode for me, which is pretty impressive for a year and a half turnaround between games. If the initial load and maps themselves weren't so long as to make it a chore to play in bursts, this could be an all timer. It's not a general, but sometimes you need staff sergeants.
undefined.As someone who is primarily a casual fighting game fan, Fantasy Strike scratches an itch in a different way than Street Fighters and the like do. The simplicity of the control inputs puts it more in the space in between, almost like a less platforming-focused Smash Bros. The overall approachability makes it a great choice for less experienced fighters, but beneath the sheen of less combos and button inputs still lies a deep game with tense strategy, complete with a variety of ways to play it both online and off.
Hyperlight Ultimate is still a great game, and now that it's on a modern console you should definitely play it.
I enjoyed slashing away at Aragami enough to have a good bit of fun with the combat, but I could never escape the feeling that I could be having so much more fun by playing a better game in the same genre.
Whether playing docked or portably, Rise certainly makes a name for itself in this regard. Rise: Race the Future is a fantastic racing game at its core that is held back only by the limits of its own ambition. While it would benefit greatly from a further exploration of its own mechanics and multiplayer functionality, it remains a very fun and technically-solid racer that can more than hold its own against the system's best.
The environments, voices, and the general feel is strong. Obviously, the camera issues and endless corridors can drag down moments of the fun, but the action keeps everything flowing and enjoyable. The action never stops, which is the ultimate strength of the title.
But these are overshadowed by the thin layer of frustration caused by the loose controls and overly restrictive camera. There is potential here and if you enjoy more artful puzzle games like the ones this game has been heavily compared to, it's at least worth a look. Just be ready for a few hangups along the way that might take you out of the experience.
While clearly a throwback, they put enough of their own spin on the various formulas they leveraged to make something that feels familiar but still unique. For fans of point-and-click games, Irony Curtain is a sure thing. For people inexperienced with the genre it's a friendly starting point.
The only downside of Vectronom is that it should only take a few hours to complete. Each beat of this experience is so jam-packed and the gameplay concepts switch up so frequently that I would love each one to be explored more. Don't let that stop you from exploring what's here, though — this gem is a design feat and one of the most delightful platforming games I've ever played.