Niche Gamer
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Ultimately, Under the Island is a fantastic game that suffers from some frustrating controls and enemy design. However, Under the Sea impresses with its creative design, colorful characters, and challenging boss fights and puzzles. When I look past the controls and rank-and-file enemies, what’s left is a spectacular game that just needs a bit of tweaking.
REANIMAL is a fantastic co-op game for the Nintendo Switch 2, running at 60 fps most of the time. The simple, minimalistic controls make it a breeze to play with Joy-Cons shared between two players. It’s also an excellent gateway horror game for kids to get into since it’s easy to pick up and play and feels responsive as hell.
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Nioh was great the way it was, it didn’t need to be revamped. It had a niche audience and while I think this game will definitely appeal to a much larger audience, I wish Koei Tecmo had taken a step back and tried their hand at revamping Wo Long again instead of bastardizing our beloved Nioh into yet another open world slop fest.
Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition can be a bit of a slog to get through, but there is no denying that Bloober understands the true mechanics of horror. Their panache for visuals and making the most out of the Switch 2’s specs suggest they could do anything on it. If you want a more conventional and evenly paced horror game from Bloober on Switch 2, get Cronos. Either way, you’re gonna piss your pants in fear.
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The developers should spend more time improving the interface, as it feels jarring and unintuitive, especially when crafting items. That said, despite its small flaws, Philna Fantasy clearly comes from a team determined to make the best game possible with all the right ideas, and they’re impressively close to hitting that mark.
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I never thought a game like vanilla Ninja Gaiden 2 would ever be allowed to be made again. This is still largely the case because, despite its breakneck, unrelenting speed, Ninja Gaiden 4 still plays more fair than 2. There will never be another game quite like that, but 4 comes very close and, in some ways, is even better thanks to the incredible depth of its systems and its outstanding replay value.
But the story? The story absolutely shines. It’s engrossing, introspective, and often existential. It makes you think. And while it’s not the next Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, it deserves attention for being a truly unforgettable experience.
For the price, it feels a bit steep, and you don’t really get a lot out of it since it runs about five to six hours and has very thin gameplay, while leaning hard on the surrealist horror imagery.
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Unfortunately, the ridiculously long wait for Metroid Prime 4 didn’t fully pay off, as it turned out to be just an okay game. At least you can see where all the work went into it, since it is a beautiful-looking game and runs at a rock-solid frame rate on the first Switch and an utterly insane 120fps on Switch 2.
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Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return was overlooked for a reason. It’s a disappointing follow-up that plays it safe and feels worse to play. If you are already a fan, this Special Edition is a no-brainer. It may not be as good as the first game, but it’s good to have it preserved and widely available at a low cost, with QOL features to soften the questionable design choices.
If you are debating about picking up Dispatch, just pick it up; you’ll be glad you did. The release of episodes within a close window is what kept players’ attention and made them come back for more immediately, rather than waiting weeks.
Most skate games take themselves too seriously, sticking rigidly to the demands and image set by the league and its players. Skate Story shows that there was an underlying artistry to extreme sports and brings it to the forefront without compromising on stylish and addictive gameplay.
Ultimately, She’s Leaving is a fantastic first project for Blue Hat Studios, and they clearly have vision and pride in their work as we can see with the voice acting and writing. But I can’t help but feel they need a more ambitious project to really shine. As it stands, She’s Leaving is a pretty standard survival horror game which tries something new, but relies too much on a gimmick to stand apart.
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