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Flynn: Son of Crimson was ultimately worth the wait. If you’re a fan of retro-inspired games that harken back to the ’90s, I’d check it out.
In conclusion, Contagious Memories is not an experience I could recommend in good faith to even the most ardent of survival horror fans. My lingering thought as I put the game down and began writing up this review was, “who is this for”? If you want a classic survival horror fix, then there are much more appealing options out there, including the greats that Contagious Memories imitates cheaply. And if you’re looking for a more modern take on classic survival horror as, Contagious Memories purports to be, then go and play the excellent Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes. In any event, my advice would be to avoid Contagious Memories at all costs, as it is more likely to harm your love of the genre than anything else.
As a massive fan of the original game, I had high hopes for The House of the Dead Remake. Unfortunately, this one mostly misses the mark as far as updates go due to its constant performance issues and control schemes that range from merely unsatisfying to downright frustrating. While extras like the Horde mode and in-game achievements are welcome, it’s hard to imagine many players will want to trudge through the experience all over again after wrapping up the main story once or twice. If you’re dying for an arcade-style shooter to plow through with a friend, The House of the Dead Remake might keep you busy for an evening. Anyone else would be better off letting the dead rest.
There’s so much good going for Janitor Bleeds, creating plenty of scares with its well-executed main concept of having to play an arcade game while stalked by a mysterious entity.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is one of the best Sherlock Holmes games available on the Switch — and maybe even ever released. The sum of many outstanding details working together seamlessly, it has uniquely clever mechanics that really drive home that “wow” factor — the added morality behind choices is a breath of fresh air in a long-standing series that usually relies purely on logic. Although the Switch port performs wonderfully, the game itself is starting to show its age in a few areas; with that being said, there are just too many little details that still keep this 8 year old game competitive against newer releases. If you’re a fan of mystery titles, getting Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is simply elementary!
Big Bang Pro Wrestling looks great, and parts of it hold up really well, even 22 years after its initial release. Its gameplay is a somewhat odd mix of simple mechanics, which require a bit too precise of timing and positioning, but get some friends together who loved wrestling in the era it was originally made, and I’m confident you’ll have some fun.
Z-Warp isn’t exactly breaking new ground, but it offers enough of a unique feel to pull in SHMUP fans looking for something new. Once you figure out how its mechanics work, they’re a lot of fun and kept my attention much longer than I initially expected. It’s the sort of game that makes you say “one more run” so often that you’ll think you’ve traveled through time.
There was so much room for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim to just not work. So many threads are weaved together in a way where, by far, the most likely outcome of the whole thing should have been an interesting failure. That it instead sticks the landing, weaving together a plot that has no business being this moving and satisfying, is astonishing. If you’re at all interested in visual novels, or adventure games, or science fiction, and you don’t play 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, you must be suffering from brain overload.
Syberia: The World Before is a very mixed bag. With wonderful characters, terrific sights, and a beautiful story, there’s a lot to recommend about it. Unfortunately, that story relies far too much on happenstance, and the more you think about it, the less it makes sense, but if you can suspend your disbelief and just go with it, you’ll find a game that will please long term fans of the series and create some new fans as well.
While it may lack the extra content fans of the series might expect to find, Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files is easy to recommend to armchair detectives looking for another exciting case to crack thanks to its satisfying combat and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s masterful storytelling. If nothing else, it definitively shows that if the contract issues surrounding actor Takuya Kimura prevent him from reprising his role, the Yagami Detective Agency would still be in perfectly capable hands.
When I have to struggle to pry myself away from a game to actually write my review, you know it’s done something very right! Minor gripes such as the lack of a proper title screen and the procedural generation skipping leg day here and there are completely outweighed by how much raw fun can be had from blasting demon hordes away with some of the most creative guns I’ve seen in a long while. With a rocking soundtrack, addicting gameplay loop, and creative progression system, Nightmare Reaper delivers a bloody and bountiful harvest. If you’re a fan of old-school shooters, there’s no reason to miss out on this one.
Vengeful Heart is worthy of your time if you are at all interested in visual novels. The overall narrative is gripping, and it’s no overstatement to say that at times, I found the visuals and soundtrack mesmerizing. The early stages undoubtedly contain some uneven writing, but it’s a small issue when contrasted with everything the game gets right. If you can look past this, and the linearity of the narrative, then Vengeful Heart is an absolute gem of a visual novel that I would encourage you to support and try out.
The Skywalker Saga is a triumphant return to form for TT Games. Covering all nine big screen Episodes in one game has presented players with a Star Wars sandbox like no other. With meaningful developments in the gameplay department and a level of immersion that surpasses not only all LEGO games that have come before but all Star Wars games also, this is a title to treasure for Star Wars fans and lovers of collectathons alike.
Unless you have the patience of a saint, I would steer clear of In Nightmare. It really is a shame, as there’s an interesting story being told from Bill’s eyes and a really vibrant and vivid world with a unique style to explore, but any semblance of gameplay is horribly hampered by a nightmare of poor gameplay designs. I’ll keep dreaming of how much I’d enjoy this game once it sees some quality of life improvements show up to fix the plethora of lackluster stealth gameplay and frustrating “puzzles”.
Gal*Gun Double Peace makes the jump to the Nintendo Switch fully intact and slightly undressed. Whether flinging pheromones at frisky schoolgirls on your TV or in handheld mode, the game runs well and its vibrant visuals, while not particularly detailed, still manage to pop off the screen the same way they did when it was first released in 2015. Solid performance aside, however, just how much enjoyment you’ll get out of this risque rail shooter depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re already a fan of the franchise and itching for more fanservice-filled firefights, you’ll undoubtedly find those here. However, if you’re looking for a satisfying shooter that will test your reflexes with thrilling boss battles and exciting locales to blast your way through, I’d probably wait for The House of the Dead: Remake to shuffle its way onto the Switch instead.
While not perfect, Andro Dunos 2 is an excellent revival of Visco’s 16-bit shooter series that deserves your attention. With its killer retro-inspired presentation, driving music, and plenty of exhilarating boss battles to test your mettle, it’s a game that’s easy to recommend to anyone who has a passing interest in shoot-’em-ups. If nothing else, it makes me excited to see what else publisher PixelHeart has in the works for Visco’s other IP. If the upcoming Ganryu 2 is anywhere near as good, nostalgic Neo Geo fans should be in for a treat.
Overall, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is still a tremendous adventure. It makes the transition from 2D to 3D effortlessly, and offers an expansive adventure full of replay value. While I was frustrated by some curious omissions, this is still one of the best Kirby games in quite a while and easily the best one yet on Nintendo Switch. A must-own for fans of the pink puffball.
Developer Thinking Stars have come out swinging with Anno: Mutationem, a lot of it works, and some of it not so much. The game feels like the first act of an anime series, or the first part of a bigger story. There is a tease that there could be more to come, but we’ll have to wait and see. As it stands now, Anno: Mutationem is a little rough around the edges, but despite its flaws, I kept going back to it and was endlessly impressed by its scope, ambition, and excellent combat.
Weird West sometimes gets its wagon wheels stuck on the sand with its exciting but underdeveloped ideas. Nonetheless, it’s still well worth a fair few silver dollars for being an ambitiously open-ended Action-RPG with a truly unique story and ambiance. So saddle up, partner. We’ve got some outlaws and zombies to hunt!
I have nothing but praise for Wobbledogs. It’s ridiculous yet captivating, its enduring adorability carrying players through the occasional wait times between prayers to the RNG gods (spindly Wobbledog why are you so hard to get??!). If you loved Spore and Viva Pinata and want the perfect blend between the pair, it’d be a doggone shame if you passed up Wobbledogs.