But Why Tho?
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Fight Crab doesn’t do much outside of its very shallow premise. It delivers on exactly what it promises and not much else. If you can acclimate yourself to the purposefully messy controls, there is some fun to be found within its short playtime. It is in no way going to be the next big fighter or take the tournament scene by storm, but it doesn’t need to nor is it trying to. It’s silly enough to be a brief distraction and sometimes that’s all a game needs to be.
Neversong is a challenging cinematic platformer with beauty, whimsy, and elements of horror, that has a touching story to tell. While the game will be frustrating for some, it’s a challenge worth undertaking especially on the Nintendo Switch. While the game was out on PC before, the Switch is the perfect platform for both the game-type and design of the game.
Overall, Destroy All Humans! is a fantastic remake that I’m sure will please returning fans of the series but might frustrate new audiences. Everything about the game looks great and runs well but since nothing about the core gameplay has changed, it feels stuck in the early 2000s.
Carrion takes the formula of many of the great 2D adventures that came before it and repackages it with grisly body horror and the twist of being a monster on the loose. It doesn’t change up the formula too drastically with its basic genre mechanics, but it still manages to do everything that it does do near-perfectly in a short amount of time.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is an absolutely phenomenal game. It simultaneously makes a return to what made the original games so great, namely the exploration and humor, while still progressing forward with new, creative battle systems and ideas. I had a blast playing through the game, finding collectibles, rescuing Toads, and saving the Mushroom Kingdom in a beautiful, paper world that always kept me laughing.
When all is said and done though, Röki is a lovable game with deep storytelling, and while the mechanics behind crafting and puzzle-solving isn’t my cup of tea, the narrative and art are. This game offers beauty in its design and emotion in its narrative. At only 12-15 hours of playtime, this is an easy game to pick up and play through.
Ghost of Tsushima is a visually stunning and heartwrenching experience that pays homage to the era of the Samurai. Fans of open-world gaming or Kurosawa’s filmography will definitely want to play it. Sucker Punch Productions has produced another stellar gaming experience, and I hope we don’t have to wait long for their next project.
Given that Corsus in the base game felt like the weakest planet in terms of content and storyline, “Swamps of Corsus” brings some much-needed content. The enemies and story are great in Adventure mode and Survival mode is really addicting.
Ultimately, I had a lot of fun during my time with Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise after I was able to shut my brain off and simply go along for the janky skateboard ride through Le Carré. I found it to be charming and maybe I’m just a mark for garbage games, but I can see this having the same life as it’s predecessor if people decide to give it a shot and embrace this insane mystery.
If you have not experienced The Messenger yet, there is no better time than now. Its unique and witty take on a tried and true genre is challenging and fun with nice replayability. Never frustrating and always asking you to improve your platforming abilities, the 2D platformer is one of the best of recent years.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a fun blast to the past if you’re full of nostalgia for the original game like I am. Unfortunately, if you’re lacking that nostalgia, it may be a little underwhelming, especially if you’re comparing it to more modern farming simulators and the repetition of farming on such a small map can get monotonous after a while. However, if you’re willing to look past that, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a fun, cute, and charming experience that will take you straight back to 2003 in the best possible way.
The music is reminiscent of all the 1990s SNES games I loved as a kid, the pixelated art style is well-done and great to look at, and the game feels exactly how I want a 2D top-down RPG to feel in 2020. It takes cues from games like A Link to the Past while updating the gameplay for modern audiences and controllers, all without losing its artistic charm and still paying tribute to beloved retro titles.
Overall, I have to say Ninjala: Gumball Shinobi is a blast to play. It does have its shortcomings, but for a game to come out the gate this polished and fun, I can see myself playing this game for quite some time. Ninjala is a ninja’s fan introduction game and I feel it does a good job. If you’re curious to check this game out, pick it up now on the Nintendo Switch eShop for the cool price of Free!
As a gamer who loves mobile gaming, not a lot of games keep my interest. I really enjoy Pokémon Cafe Mix because, for the most part, I love Pokemon. I have been a fan of the franchise since its inception in the 90s. Also, I have a love-hate relationship with puzzle games, from not wanting to think but to also strengthen that main muscle we use every day. Cafe Mix creates this relaxing atmosphere that allows me to think out of the box, even if the object of the game is just swirling icons around. It’s great to see the little monsters I have grown up with, in another capacity other than battling. And what better way to experience that, in making food, something that brings everyone together.
I would spend minutes reading through conversations and cutscenes, falling in love with characters and the lore of each nation and tribe. I wanted more and you do get that from playing the game and progressing through the seasons. But sitting through half-hour to 45 minutes battles just isn’t worth it.
Whether you have nostalgia for the original or not, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is a genuinely worthwhile game to pick up in 2020 and enjoy. It offers enough to do to warrant the price tag and is certainly a step-up in terms of presentation compared to the original. While it doesn’t offer much new, what it does offer is a great looking, smooth playing action-platformer from the tail-end of the Golden Age of Collectathons.
Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s Isle of Armor is groundbreaking but it gets the job done in pulling trainers back into its world. It’s exciting to see the expansion of the Galar Region with new geography and new stories. Pokemon catching may be the selling point of these games but this time around it is the story and level design that shines brightest.
The Last of Us Part II is what I have been waiting for since its announcement. All of the delays and the months of no updates was definitely worth it. I was hooked, just from the first few minutes of playing the game. While the new game mechanics were a bit difficult to deal with, it added enough challenges to make the game enjoyable.
Overall, I can’t praise this game enough, to be honest. Anytime someone asks me what I’m currently playing, this is the first game that comes out of my mouth. My favorite part about saying that is that I can tell people all about this game, and possibly persuade them to check it out too. I feel once Phantasy Star Online 2 expands to other consoles like it’s Japanese brethren, and possibly even pops up on Steam, this game will take off and be around for years to come.
Although I enjoyed the plot, horror elements, and game mechanics of Goosebumps: Dead of Night!, there were various elements that lowered my enjoyment of the game. Having to restart my game or deal with lengthy pauses disturbed my enjoyment of the game, which is quite disappointing because of how much I love the Goosebumps franchise. However, the horror and game graphics were enough to keep me playing the game. I’ll surely go back and play in the future, especially with the great sense of nostalgia that it brought me.