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. For anyone who enjoys over-the-top beat ‘em ups and/or immersing oneself in the richness of Japanese culture, getting into the Yakuza series is an absolute must. For the price of one game, Yakuza Remastered Collection offers you triple the hostess romancing, arcade machine playing, face kicking fun.
Puyo Puyo 2 fans rejoice. The game you’ve been waiting 25 years for is finally (officially) here. Even though the full package is not 100% localized for the English language, it’s still easy to jump into and enjoy. The rewind feature is a welcome addition and will help newcomers get acclimated with the flow of the game. Just be sure to get tons of practice before going head-to-head in an online match. Trust us.
Ciel Fledge: A Daughter Raising Simulator is one of the best indie games that I’ve played in quite some time, and was some of the most fun that I’ve had with a simulator like this since I played Long Live the Queen. Sure, it’s not perfect. It’s probably a little too long for its own good, and I could see people getting tired of its repetitiveness if they don’t know what they’re in for. But all of those things are fairly trivial; they don’t really matter in the long run because they’re so small. What does matter is that this game is fun. Plain and simple. If you’re in the mood for a quality simulator, then you need not look further than this one.
Death and Taxes has so much more going for it than I’ve even been able to discuss. The art style is fantastic, the voice acting is perfection, the music is brilliant, and the mechanic is sure to delight any Papers, Please fans. But what really, really stuck with me was not only how it dove deeply into existentialism in an entertaining way that didn’t get mired in the macabre, but how it quietly — so subtle, you could miss it — elevated the feel right back up at the end, aligning morals back to a human scale and setting the expectation and desire to do better.
Overall, Azur Lane: Crosswave is a good game chock-full of fan service. If you’re a fan of the mobile game you’ll have plenty to like here. Many of the systems in the game function the same as they do on mobile so it is very easy to play, looks nice, and sounds nice too. Though the story segments can seem to drag on at times, they do add some good depth to the myriad of characters throughout the game by showing their interactions with one another.
Without a doubt, LUNA The Shadow Dust is the most beautiful game I’ve played in a long time. A scintillating yet simple story told with no words, only the deepest emotions conveyed through glorious art and hypnotizing music, I was legitimately moved to tears multiple times. Of course, a few of those tears shed were in frustration over a puzzle or two, but in the end, it only extended my time with a phenomenal masterpiece crafted by video game artisans. A powerful, cautionary tale of those who forget that the brightest lights yield the longest shadows, LUNA The Shadow Dust is worth every single penny and will no doubt stay with players for years to come.
SEGA AGES Fantasy Zone isn’t anything fancy. But it doesn’t have to be. What we have here is a beloved SEGA classic with a few fun, new implementations thrown in, adding up to a retro experience that’s sure to add up to a fun at-home or on-the-go arcade experience with a decent amount of replayability. Whether you’ve visited Opa-Opa’s world before, or want to finally set foot into it for the first time, for $8, it’s pretty hard wrong with a game like this one.
Code Shifter is an overall decent platformer, but I was expecting much more. Maybe it was the constant shifting between characters that made it too cumbersome, or maybe it was Stella’s awkward controls while walking around the office. There is a reason to go back to Code Shifter after the story is finished, but this is only to go through the same levels with a higher difficulty, which I didn’t find too exciting. If you’re a big fan of Arc System Works you’ll find a lot to love in Code Shifter. If you’re not familiar with the characters, you’re better off finding a different action platformer to dive into.
You might have noticed that I’ve reviewed both the Switch and PlayStation 4 versions of this game. And, while I fully admitted that I had fun with the PS4 version, I can’t say the same for this. Part of the appeal of the Switch is being able to play the game on the go—something that you can’t currently do with this version of the game. If you really want to play the game and don’t want to wait, I’d just suggest getting it for PS4 as it runs more smoothly. But, for those diehard handheld fanatics out there, I’d hold off on getting this until it gets patched. If it ever gets patched at all.
Coffee Talk may remind players of The Red Strings Club or VA-11 HALL-A, and while it certainly looks the part, it’s as different as a cocktail is from a cappuccino. If you understand the absolute joy that comes from sipping your favorite brew in a coffee shop window, listening to lo fi beats as you watch city lights twinkle while rain lightly falls from the heavens, you will immediately understand Coffee Talk. Perhaps it’s an acquired taste; those with refined palates will easily see how perfect Coffee Talk is — not too sweet, not too bitter — but a bold, refreshing experience that leaves players immensely satisfied until the very last drop.
Whether you’re an FPS fan or not, Immortal Redneck is a game that you should take out of your backlog and try it out for yourself. It isn’t something that demands all your attention, you can take your time or just speed run it as best as you can. What’s more, if you’re looking for a challenge I honestly couldn’t think of recommending any other game than this one.
Past Cure is a title with tons of ambition that’s hobbled by sloppy execution. The game’s varied cocktail or horror, gunplay, stealth, and a strong, story-driven narrative could have made it something truly special. However, the lack of polish, repetitive design decisions, and some serious technical issues that extend right down to subtitles that don’t even match the onscreen dialog, make for a game that’s hard to recommend to all but the most starved shooter fans.
As its own scenario, its own experiment, it’s own idea of how to raise tension and adrenaline. Outpacing giants on horseback, tricking monsters off ledges or into traps, and weaving through the woods and mountains and deserts and piecing together what once was, is just as magical as it ever was. Bluepoint found one of the most unique atmospheres of isolation in exploration in gaming, and managed to keep it intact as they rebuilt Shadow of the Colossus; by mountain, by forest, by titanic hulking beast.
Whether the game purposely asks such deep questions about self-preservation and the significance of artificial intelligence is hard to say. But if you’re one of those that enjoys inferring a deeper meaning from your video games, The Fall Part 2 will deliver to be sure.
Crossing Souls is a game that wears its pixelated heart proudly on its cut-off denim sleeve. From its blocky character sprites to its neon-saturated title screen and grainy, static-filled VHS-esque cutscenes, it’s obvious the game is geared to players with a fondness for the era that gave rise to such riches as E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Bonkers fruit chews, and the ever-looming specter of nuclear annihilation.
The jump to the Switch isn’t perfect, and does in fact damage the experience in some small ways. But ways regardless, Superbeat Xonic is still a damn fine rhythm game to take with you on the go, wherever you might need to scream in frustration at a dance synth track with an anime girl on the cover.
While it does suffer from occasional control hiccups and a dated UI, it’s easy to overlook given just how engaging each of the included games is. If you have a soft spot for point-and-click adventures, this nostalgic collection is worth every penny.
This is the Switch’s first realistic racing title, and it’s a damn good one.
As a modern-day homage to the Golden Age of Gaming, Lumo manages to put a refreshing and contemporary spin on a number of the wonderful retro games that so many remember fondly.
With the visual, sound, and bug issues aside, I love having Skyrim on my Switch. To be able to lose myself in that world at the drop of a hat is something that I’ll never get used to.