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WarioWare: Get It Together doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it keeps the bizarre charm of the series going with a whole new layer of gameplay. I adored how well the developers were able to keep everything feeling fresh after almost 20 years of this series. It's funny, it's challenging, it's addicting, and it reeks of Wario. This is a real gift to all the microgame fans out there.
Don't get me wrong - I had a fun time with BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites. The rebalanced difficulty is great, and there's even an option for sadists that enjoy the original. Combat has some strategy I appreciated, especially with figuring out when and where to detonate infected enemies for maximum effect. (I still received many C grades for my time and life scores at the end of levels, though.) It's just that I wish some of the platforming were better and the characters were given more personality. Hopefully, this re-release will garner interest in BloodRayne, and a fleshed-out sequel will head our way one day.
Eastward contains phenomenal art and colorful writing, yet the plot meanders breezily from moment to moment with little care for pacing and an unoriginal core storyline. Factor in average combat and puzzle-solving and a couple bugs that should be addressed, and Eastward is not quite as fun to play as it could be. That being said, a lot of people are going to fall completely in love with it anyway for the things it does right, and you might be one of them.
Overall, whether I'd recommend Cruis'n Blast on Nintendo Switch depends on how you're going to play it. For short bursts, it's a solid entry and you'll likely have a lot of fun with it, though you may want to wait for a sale anyway. The controls work well, and there's a lot of replayability when it comes to finding all the keys. But there's a reason these games are meant for arcades and not for home release. There's simply not enough track variety to play for an extended period without feeling like you've replayed the same courses over and over. The best parts of the game are using the wacky vehicles like a Triceratops to race, but even the novelty of that will likely wear off after a few races. If you're looking for something bigger or more long-term, you'd be better off looking elsewhere.
Despite some issues, Sonic Colors: Ultimate is a fun, replayable, fast-paced Sonic game with a distinct variety of stages. The new additions provide a small extra layer of depth to an already fantastic game, but it would have been nice to see more gameplay additions. If you're after an excellent journey through space, then Sonic Colors: Ultimate is definitely worth your time. As per usual, don't go in expecting the Nintendo Switch version to be the definitive version to play, as the game obviously plays better on other platforms. However, being able to play this classic portably is something to be excited about.
After reviewing Quake, I feel it's still an incredible game that holds up well even today. You get a ton of content for the price, and on top of that, there's so much replayability between the various difficulties and multiplayer options. While I wish some effort would have been made to modernize some archaic elements, they don't take away too much from the overall experience. If you're a fan of shooters at all, Quake should absolutely have a place in your Switch library.
No More Heroes 3 is the joyride fans have been waiting for.
Hoa is short and contains rather basic platforming and flawed controls. However, Hoa is also one of the most beautiful video games ever made, with preposterously strong visuals and music that will be remembered for years to come. It's up to you if the latter can make up for the former, but personally, I would recommend this game to almost anyone.
As it stands, Fuga: Melodies of Steel is pretty good, but it falls a bit short of greatness. It toys with some really interesting ideas but ultimately failed to fully capitalize on them. Even so, I did enjoy my time with it and look forward to giving it another go here in a few months when it's a bit more removed from my memory. If you're looking for a fairly short (about 15 hours) turn-based RPG experience, you can certainly do a lot worse, though I'd recommend waiting for a sale.
Ultimately, though, Trigger Witch is still a worthy venture on Nintendo Switch for fans of twin-stick shooters or for fans of The Legend of Zelda that are looking for something a little different. Should you dash into the game, you'll find fun combat, an enjoyable story, and a few great puzzles. The game's positives are more than enough to establish its presence as a solid entry in a growing population of Zelda-likes. Despite a few yawn-inducing puzzles and not enough early difficulty, Trigger Witch will certainly charm its way into the hearts of plenty of players.
Road 96 is a road trip that doesn't feel as procedural as it makes itself out to be, which is a compliment to its unpredictability and strong writing. Player dialogue decisions and actions shape the outcome of the teenage protagonists attempting to flee to the border and the wonderful characters you'll meet along the way. Varied and fun scenarios keep the game feeling fresh and engaging from one scene to the next. However, on Nintendo Switch myriad technical problems hold the game back from reaching the full potential that its fantastic premise and characters create. It's a journey worth taking, but unless you're willing to put up with its shortcomings, it's one that I'd recommend you play elsewhere.
Hacking is the other big new feature in Axiom Verge 2, although it finds its roots in the glitch gun of the first game. Indra can hack the game's robotic enemies, reprogramming them with options like "Overclock," "Allegiance," and "Platform." It provides an alternate approach to combat, supplementing the melee weapons. Hacking is also used to unlock doors throughout the world. This has the potential to add to the replayability and speedrunning options, as some doors require a higher Skill Point investment in the Infection stat than others.
Ultimately, Button City delivers a deceptively poignant story wrapped up in an extremely adorable package. The playable arcade games also add some brief extra fun and novelty to what is otherwise a straightforward adventure. In total, it adds up to be a unique, memorable piece of art. But the slow walking speed is a drag, and the game's so buggy right now that maybe you should wishlist it and wait a few weeks to play it.
After all is said and done, Unbound: Worlds Apart is a special little game. Sure, it wears its Ori influence pretty tightly on its sleeve, it has a bit of an unstable frame rate, and there are some difficulty spikes in the latter half. But the wildly different portals you get to summon and the puzzles that are intertwined with them are unlike anything I've seen before. They are quite creative and always made me hungry for the next area and its new gimmick. Give it a whirl if you enjoy variety, puzzles, and Metroidvanias.
The soundtrack is monotonous, the menus are a slog, and it often becomes too easy to button-mash to victory. But otherwise, NEO: The World Ends with You is a really cleverly designed game that packs a terrific amount of content into a small game world, and that even stays true continuing into the postgame. An engaging narrative that successfully expands upon the world of the original brings the entire experience together, and the final result is another inimitably unique action RPG from Square Enix.
Dreamscaper was a rich, deep, intimate experience through the mind of a person suffering under the weight of her trauma. The gameplay and the story serve each other in a way that's rare to see in video games. There are a ton of little touches that make it a joy to play, and I found myself wanting to learn more about Cassidy and what happened to her after her sister died. While not everything wound up being a home run, I enjoyed the game overall. I'm grateful to the team at Afterburner for this sometimes satisfying, sometimes painful piece of art.
In short, Pokémon Unite features simple objectives that can easily become addictive. There is a variety of playable Pokémon to choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Although the core gameplay is absolutely fantastic, the character balancing, stage elements, and microtransactions need to be reworked. Nevertheless, Pokémon Unite is worth downloading for those of you who are after a fun competitive game on Nintendo Switch. The mobile version is scheduled to launch sometime in September, and Zeraora (despite being overpowered) is available for free until the end of next month.
Whether you're a newcomer to the franchise or a longtime fan, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles offers something for you on Nintendo Switch. Newcomers will find an excellent entry point into the series, as it does not rely on any prior knowledge. Meanwhile, longtime fans will find yet another quality Ace Attorney adventure, at least on par with the best the series has offered thus far. This collection stands near or at the top of my list of favorite Ace Attorney games and will be one I come back to time and time again.
All in all, Mr. X Nightmare is a great add-on for Streets of Rage 4. For less than $10, gamers get new characters and an infinitely replayable Survival Mode. The free update just adds a cherry on top. Grab it when you can, and enjoy playing while dreaming of a possible Streets of Rage 5.
Cotton Reboot! isn't just a new way to play a stellar old-school shoot 'em up; it's also essentially a modern sequel to this dormant shooter series thanks to the gorgeous new Arrange mode. Classic Cotton is cute and easy to pick up, but Arrange is a fast and wild experience that is definitely hard to master. There's some on-screen messiness in Arrange mode and the lack of gallery-style bonuses is a bummer, but this is still a must-play shoot 'em up for any fans of the genre.