GBAtemp's Reviews
Switch Sports is a fine game and generally does feel great to play. Where I find issue with it is in the lack of replayability and variety for its sports, especially in an offline setting. It's fine, but after seeing the gold standard of this series in Wii Sports Resort, it could have, and really should have, been so much more.
Visually, Trek to Yomi is a memorable ode to samurai movies while it plays it safe on the gameplay side.
As far as “walking sims” are concerned, Eternal Threads stands out with its time-manipulating narrative Rubik’s cube mechanic that adds a welcome layer of challenge and delivers an interesting approach to plot progression.
With its adorable 2.5 aesthetics and lighthearted plot, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising offers a quick fix and a promising outlook for what’s to come with Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.
With its original narrative blend of sci-fi and surreal while mixing up gameplay mechanics, Norco delivers a memorable narrative-driven experience.
The premise of Trolley Problem, Inc. might sound problematic to some but if you indulge in its dark humour as much as the game does, you’ll find in it an original little indie game apt for a party night to judge you and your friends' moral standards.
With Ghostwire: Tokyo, Tango Gameworks delivers an original title with a captivating supernatural twist on Tokyo inspired by Japanese folklore.
ANNO: Mutationem is a gorgeous-looking, original indie title that, while bearing issues with the narrative design, is a display of promising potential for developer ThinkingStars.
Elden Ring is the most fun I've had with a video game in years. I went into the game expecting to have a bit of fun and came out 100 hours later craving more. If you've been on the fence with the Souls series, there really is no better time to jump in.
I greatly appreciated Atelier Sophie 2 and it serves well as the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Atelier series. Like prior titles, Sophie 2 is a fun slice-of-life game where the stakes aren’t astronomically high, but the story is fun and the characters are lovable. It was great seeing Sophie and Plachta on yet another adventure, one that I would recommend to newcomers to the series and veterans alike.
Racers will absolutely love this title, and it finally lives up to its mantle of being a definitive sim-racing title to keep in your repertoire.
ELEX II is like a weathered veteran donning their armor for one more campaign, ready to show the youngsters some of the old tricks they may have foolishly forgotten. It's a brand-new game that somehow feels like it has a grey beard - it feels dated, in good and in bad ways. I personally enjoyed it thoroughly and I was happy to start it back up each day, eager to carry on playing because products like this one, ones that don't just play homage to the classics but rather play like the classics, are few and far between. Given the size of the team behind ELEX II it's remarkable that they've managed to push out a project this good - Piranha, you've done it again. Once again, you release a game that's bigger, better and prettier than its predecessors, and I hope you'll continue doing so for many years to come.
While it's far more valuable as an entry into the Portal series than a Steam Deck tutorial, Aperture Desk Job ably accomplishes everything it sets out to do.
I want to like this game more, but I simply didn't enjoy it because of my own lack of rhythm and timing. There is something special here, something that should definitely be given a chance, but it's up to you to unfurl the fun within its core pillars of gameplay.
While enjoyably relaxing and full of wondrous exploration, Hidden Depths manages to shrug off its strap-line sub-name and contains very little depth in content.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human lives up to the expectations by delivering an engaging gameplay in a detailed open world complimented by the series’ characteristic parkour mechanic that neatly blends in the exploration and combat.
It's easy to sound trite by saying that Pokemon Legends Arceus is a breath of fresh air that the Pokemon series desperately needed, yet it's also entirely true. For the first time in ages, I'm excited by, and fully invested in a Pokemon game.
Sucker for Love: First Date is an impressive visual novel that ably balances its horror and comedy, providing a unique take on the Cthulhu mythos you're unlikely to see anywhere else.
Overall, Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX is ok. If you're a fan of the series, or if you just want a game you can play in the background while doing something else, it may be a good choice for you. With plenty of monsters to generate and decent QoL improvements, you'll certainly get your money's worth at only $29.99. But if you're expecting an in-depth monster breeding simulator with lots to do...well, it'd be best to look elsewhere.
In this collection you have three stellar games and a bonus stocking filler. While I have my issues with Danganronpa S, it shouldn't be allowed to overshadow the brilliance of this series and the accessibility being on the Switch brings to it. Be it individually or as the Decadence collection, the Danganronpa games are ones you should check out.