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Crossroads Inn might not be the first medieval sim (that honor probably goes to 2011’s The Sims Medieval) and there are quite a few castle builders out there as well, but as a narrowly focused genre blend of builder and sim, Crossroads Inn stakes out some specific territory.
It’s clear that earlier Frontier games like Kinectimals, Zoo Tycoon and Planet Coaster have been stage-setters for this ultimate zoo sim. Whether you enjoy theme park builders, economic sims or most importantly, creating the zoo of your dreams, Planet Zoo will satisfy you, but be prepared for an order of complexity that the previous games managed to avoid, or at least hid a little better.
Humor in any narrative is highly subjective. Afterparty starts out strong, with a clear and vibrant sense of style that is unlike many other games. The game can be funny, clever and smart but it can also seem random, indulgent and perplexing and thin on the amount of interesting stuff for the player to actually do, other than experience the story, dialog and a few mini-games.
As fun as Columns II can be, the poor difficulty curve and lack of online opponents don’t make it the easiest game to recommend. Before long you’re left with a still rather simple puzzle game on a system which has an overwhelming number of strong options in the genre. The first and third Columns titles are even available as part of the Sega Genesis Classics collection on the Switch.
uigi's Mansion 3 is the perfect mix between spooky and fun gameplay, suitable for fans of any age. The mass amount of variation continuously keeps the game feeling fresh as you play. The option for co-operative play also adds another layer to the game, increasing the replayability further. From the gorgeous graphics to the fantastic music, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is nothing but an enjoyable experience.
A passable entry in the long-running series, the latest Modern Warfare is polished but lacks creativity. It’s certainly more of the same as a return to a once-beloved sub-series.
There’s no denying that The Outer Worlds bears the imprint of earlier Obsidian games and a number of other timeless RPGs as well, but those influences do little to diminish the accomplishment of some amazing worldbuilding, entertaining storytelling and brilliantly realized characters.
Disco Elysium deserves applause for having a singular vision and generally bringing it to fruition through its art, writing, setting, characters and gameplay mechanics which suggest the heyday of classic isometric RPGs.
Mario and Sonic’s collaborative Switch outing may not be a huge upgrade from previous entries, but there’s enough variety and content, all wrapped around a ten-hour story mode and adorned with multiplayer functionality.
If the game features a trophy for dying 50 games, you will know that it won’t be a walk in the park. Especially when you’re most likely to score it early on and there are even no difficulty levels, putting everyone to face the same ordeal. It’s an entirely different matter whether the challenge is fair or unfair, though. After all, the line between the two is notoriously thin.
I love the game that is bubbling under all the excess garbage. This year’s MyPlayer is pretty much what I would have liked to see before in the series, even though I had to play it with Plan B characters as photo uploading in-game didn’t initially work. Despite its crappy presentation, MyCareer is also endearing and inspiring.
Death Stranding is a Kojima game through and through and all of the idiosyncrasies, intricacies, and eccentricities that defined his work through the years are well intact.
Although the Switch version is a new way to play, it really doesn't add anything new to the game. If you were a fan before, you'll either want to play it again or you won't. But if you're a new player picking Overwatch up for the first time, then you'll very much enjoy the experience on Nintendo.
While it lacks the processing punch of a PC-tethered headset, the mobility and no-strings-attached freedom of the Oculus Quest has allowed me to dive deep into the headset as a fitness product, and Beat Saber, Box VR and a few other titles are in regular rotation.
The problem with all puzzle games is that they are almost always a single-play through experience, so that initial run has to be the memorable one. Moons of Madness has some jump scares and other surprises, but its biggest draw might be that it takes Lovecraftian elements into a wholly new environment and replaces combat with exploration, puzzles and a slow-growing sense of confusion and dread.
Galaxy Champions TV is a decent little game, and an instant purchase for those who miss Smash TV. Otherwise, I feel like this is the sort of game perfectly suited to the Switch. Just something to play during your morning train ride. Simple, engaging for a short time, and rounds are over quickly.
It works as a solid point-and-click adventure along with the 3D environments to add some extra depth and uniqueness. The graphics really make it feel more like games such as The Witness or The Talos Principle, rather than just another point-and-click game, though there is nothing bad about those.
Iron Rain echoes Insect Armageddon as a spin-off that tries to take the well-loved series in a new direction. Unfortunately, it drained out a lot of the charm that made the older titles so fun to begin with.
There’s a lot to enjoy here for BurgerTime fans, and I have always been one of them. If you are already a fan, I think you will really enjoy the game. However, if you already know you aren’t a fan of the series, then please skip the game. The new ingredients (pun intended again) will not change your mind at all and may actually reinforce the elements you don’t like.
I enjoyed my time in the world of Trine 4. The puzzles are engaging, the world is attractive, and there are few puzzle platform games with local co-op out there. There were a few issues here and there, but I recommend Trine 4 to anyone looking for a game to play with a friend.