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SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle For Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated proves that a great game is a great game regardless of age. The remaster of the campaign is phenomenal, with impressive improvements to the character models, textures, and environments. Some may be turned off by the overly saturated visuals, but it does match with the show's current look. Aside from Mr. Krabs and Mermaid Man, all of the original cast reprised their role in the initial release. The optional multiplayer horde mode disappoints, but it can easily be ignored and left untouched.
Beyond Blue's educational approach to studying sea life and learning about the various effects humanity has on life is outstanding. While marine biologists look to tag and consider these precious creatures' habits, learning about their behavior, family development, health, diseases, etc., some seem to disrupt and cause harm. The experience is relatively short; however, I genuinely enjoyed learning and scanning all of the inhabitants.
As an interactive Goosebumps experience, Cosmic Forces has successfully recreated the beloved children's series with Goosebumps Dead of Night. However, the game only lasts a handful of hours, and a small chunk of my time was spent replaying sections because I wanted to collect achievements along the way for dying to each monster.
Moonlighter: Between Dimensions adds new content to an already enjoyed experience without changing the formula. The new enemies, customer types, and mini-bosses are the highlight, especially when returning to the latest dungeon each night. The DLC is priced right for the amount of content included; make sure you are aware the majority of the substance requires you to complete the base game.
Get Packed is a charming cooperative game with wacky physics-based mayhem for up to four players offline or online. There are outfit pieces for the starting four characters and a couple of new characters to unlock. At least three new levels are coming soon, but it only gives the game 15 co-op stages. On a couple of occasions (during local multiplayer) I've experienced failure of both grab buttons for the entirety of a level, while other players were not affected.
Monster Train is a highly addicting deck-building game, with multiple clan(deck) types, and higher-level difficulties that'll have you playing for quite some time. The inclusion of online multiplayer mode provides further value, as you compete to see who can defeat heaven the fastest. If greater difficulties don't entice you, there are daily global challenges and custom challenges that let you design your own challenge and share it with friends. Not to mention, there are over 200 cards to unlock, and unique tactics to deploy based on your chosen clan combinations.
World War Z: GOTY Edition is the best way to experience the technically impressive and enjoyable online cooperative shooter.
SnowRunner's realistic depiction of driving through thick mud and dense snow across a vast sandbox is quite admirable. It is, without a doubt, a far better game than its predecessor, complete with a ton more content, and future planned DLC. The three main regions feel distinct, and while beautiful, there are plenty of frustrating moments ahead. Now, if you excuse me, I have a big rig stuck halfway up a mountain in a couple of feet of sludge.
Shred! 2 is a decent take on mountain bikes with the trial and error gameplay from the Trials series. Differentiating between pumping and jumping may take some getting used to, but after some practice, the mechanics start to make sense, although pulling off multiple tricks can feel clunky.
Filament features over 300 cleverly designed puzzles, providing plenty of challenge, in an entirely relaxed environment. Some have multiple solutions, however, seemingly, the more complex the task, the more likely there is only a single workable solution. The backstory is told through the optional objects you find and by listening to Juniper.
There just isn't enough feedback to the player to get a better grasp of the necessary mechanics.
Profane is a devastatingly frantic boss rush bullet-hell twin-stick experience that looks and plays nice on the Nintendo Switch. While you lose the Twitch and Mixer integration that the PC release has, it still includes the rogue-lite challenge mode, leaderboards, and daily challenges to keep you returning for additional runs. The timer-based currency and health system are unique, but some may have a hard time getting past the opening encounter in story mode. Thankfully, the arena mode lets you select from any of the bosses and mess around with all of the abilities already unlocked.
Shinsekai: Into the Depths may have started as a mobile title, but has found a new home on the Nintendo Switch. The sound design is simply incredible and immersive, and the game even recommends you playing while wearing headphones. Its an atmospheric side-scrolling adventure game that'll roughly last 8-9 hours on the standard difficulty.
Good Job! is an intriguing and charming title, complete with two-player local co-op. The open-ended nature of the puzzles allows for multiple different types of gameplay solutions and mechanics.
Animal Crossing is a bonafide amazing single-player experience, especially for those that haven't played the series since the Nintendo GameCube, which was a remaster of the Japanese only N64 title. The awkward shared island implementation and limitations put a damper on those playing on a single Nintendo Switch.
Yakuza 5 Remastered proves that great games are timeless, as Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has gone all out, expanding the number of playable characters and locales to explore. As expected, the voice acting is still superb, and the newly re-translated English dialogue is excellent. There are so many substories and minigames to enjoy, such as idol performances, hunting in snowy Hokkaido, fishing, batting cages, snowball fights, and more that truly brings a fantastic close to The Yakuza Remastered Collection.
Yakuza 4 shines, even if Kiryu plays less of a role than he is used to. The additional characters provide a unique spin on the traditional Yakuza formula, and more importantly, I enjoyed playing all of them. I'd say that Kiryu is the weakest part about the game, as he feels shoehorned into the game just because he is synonymous with the franchise.
I'm having a hard time directly recommending this game. Classic fans are going to love the HD remaster, but newcomers, especially ones to the RTS genre, are going to be in for a tough time. It's got a deceptively tough learning curve, and it's not very forgiving, but it's also a challenging and engaging game. Plus, who doesn't love being the Roman Empire and rolling over your enemies? If you're looking to reclaim some classic glory, go with this Praetorians, but otherwise, this might be one to miss. I should mention that during my time with the game, I never saw any multiplayer games active.
Yakuza 3 Remastered may not have received the Kiwami treatment, but still features one of the strongest and emotional narratives in the series. Some may not enjoy the focus to be on Kiryu's "softer" side by taking care of the kids at the orphanage. The mini-games are still great at cleansing the palette, with golfing and karaoke as the highlights, but overall they aren't as strong as previous titles. Shame that the narrative pacing doesn't quite deliver in the second half of the game.
Granblue Fantasy: Versus is a robust, yet accessible fighting game, and should give a boon to the popularity of the franchise. There are plenty of systems to master, yet the game doesn't feature a steep learning curve, thankfully.