Checkpoint Gaming
HomepageA dull comparison to the legendary monster-catching games of yore that we know and love, Monster Crown fails to catch ’em all.
Whether it’s your first time shooting zombies or you’re a Left 4 Dead veteran, Back 4 Blood is frantic action that you’ll love.
After 8 years of annual releases, The Jackbox Party Pack 8 certainly doesn’t feel as special as past games, but the entertainment found within is undeniable.
A continuation of Samus’ story from Metroid Fusion, Metroid Dread excels as a hybrid of both classic and modern Metroid gameplay. The exploration and combat are top-notch, with satisfying boss fights complete with stunning graphics and mid-action cutscenes. It’s only a few nitpicks that prevent Dread from being a masterpiece, but that still means that it’s a must-have for Metroid fans. The future holds a lot of promise for Samus Aran!
Actraiser Renaissance certainly is a SNES remake for better or worse. The 2D parts of this game have been remade poorly in regards to mechanics and visual fidelity. The gameplay loop of varying between action platformer and city-building sim did get its hooks in me but will be a harder sell for others. While it proves difficult to remain a strong recommendation, there are nuggets of character dialogue gold in there that are worth seeing through. On top of that, the visuals and music that come with these moments are special and remain evident why this is such a cult classic. If all else, I’m glad I got to check out a deeper cut in the Square Enix catalogue. Flaws and all, it’s at the very least got some heart.
At best, the gameplay teased me with what could have been. At its worst, it was a frustrating and laborious mess.
With a gigantic open world filled with delightful distractions, Far Cry 6 is the strongest entry in the series and is a great example of evolving a popular franchise into something special.
Alan Wake Remastered is yet another classic gaming experience that has been given a new lease on life.
Despite some of the JRPG royalty involved, Astria Ascending just isn’t able to live up to the high expectations. The good news is that Artisan Studio seem committed to updating the game over time, so ideally the rough edges present will get smoothed out.
With plenty of playtime, cute characters to play around with, minigames to battle your friends in and challenging missions to overcome, Banana Mania can be everything you’ve ever needed in an arcade game on the Switch. It’s worth going ape over, folks.