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Of course, there’s the everlasting conundrum regarding 2K’s monetization practices, but this game did not feel as grindy or egregious as its basketball counterparts. If you are not into online play, you won’t have a lot of options; you will most likely spending many hours grinding for experience points to upgrade your avatar. Thankfully, the gameplay is downright impeccable.
The Switch version of Sticky Business is less of a game, and more of a very clunky and shallow creative tool with not a lot to entice players for long. The progression system is silly, the gameplay loop lacks any kind of excitemente, and the controls and interface are embarassingly bad, never taking advantage of the Switch’s touchscreen, or even giving us the bare minimum of a completely cursor-based interface.
I feel The Hungry Lamb is for a specific audience, though I can’t quite align with whom that might be. It’s not thrilling enough to land in constant VN recommendations, it’s got uncomfortable relationships which will put most people off, and the endings never hit the high note that satisfies everything.
Zombies, Aliens and Guns is probably one of the least ambitious and memorable games I’ve ever played, but oddly enough, it was far from being bad. It fulfilled its reason to exist, which was to distract me for about two hours in a Thursday afternoon, entertaining me with its accessible controls, easygoing level of difficulty, and easy achievements. I played it, beat it, had a bit of fun with it, and will now probably forget about its existence. There’s nothing wrong about being competent but largely disposable.
Overall, I think Stitch is an ultra quaint title that oozes warmth and welcome in gameplay and visual presentation, and is just such a decompression tool after a long day doing literally anything. It gives me such joy and relaxation to bring together the numbers and colors until I’ve made a bicycle or a nutcracker or whatever. I’ll do Christmas puzzles in April, it’s fine and the game doesn’t judge me. Unlock more and more pieces, don’t wait for power ups or villains because there are none, and just keep making yourself happy.
A Difficult Game About Climbing is obviously frustrating, and I don’t exactly think it’s a fun pasttime, but it’s exponentially more enjoyable than the horrendous Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy. It’s actually beatable with enough trial and error. Its mechanics, whilst not exactly polished to the brim, work as intended, with no intentional input lag. It’s still clearly meant for Let’s Play youtubers to film themselves losing their minds over it, but it can still be a passable challenge if you’re up for the task.
New Star GP is adorably retro in its visuals and vibes, but it’s got some surprising amount of depth and an interesting career mode. A little hidden gem in the racing scene, without a doubt.
Had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants been released in, say, 2021, I would have definitely complained about it, but I would have also said there was no better option for us fans out there. In a post Cowabunga Collection and Shredder’s Revenge world, however, this game feels almost like a joke. I don’t know who this game is for. By being so dull, so lifeless, so devoid of joy and excitement, Wrath of the Mutants actually stands out like a sore thumb.
It’s far from being a bad game, mind you. There’s quite a bit to like about it, such as its Half-Life-esque presentation and expansive levels. With that being said, it’s not as over-the-top, and as a result, entertaining, as its predecessor, which featured better combat sections and more replayability. It does scratch a very specific itch. If you want to play something that vaguely resembles the original Half-Life in scope and gameplay, I think that Phantom Fury can satiate said niche.
Bear in mind that I appreciate the attempts at spicing up a Cretaceous-era gameplay loop with elements like the stress meter and a (forgettable, but still extant) story, but all in all, Lunar Lander Beyond is best enjoyed, and then forgotten, in 15 to 20 minute bursts. There was nothing about it that irritated me, but rarely did the game wow me, very rarely did it impress me. It’s a very honest attempt at reviving another Atari IP without the need of turning it into yet another Recharged title, but there’s just so much that you could do to update something that was already quite limited in scope even back in the 80s.
It’s a clever little title, handles well on the Switch and comes in at the same price as a Happy Meal. While it won’t blow away critics at the end of the year, The Exit 8 is memorable and serves as a good proof of concept, like how P.T. once captivated players across the world with unspeakable dread.
I’m not going to say that The Epyx Collection: Handheld is an easy recommendation, but it’s a fantastic opportunity for retro gaming enthusiasts to experience a few hidden gems which had previously only been available on a very obscure, but very underrated portable system. You may think this collection is a waste of time because nobody (aside from me and half a dozen other weirdos) owned a Lynx back in the day, but games like Gates of Zendocon and Blue Lightning are still amazing, more than 35 years later.
Overall, Cartel Tycoon can be a good replacement for other RTS type games. Everything can go wrong pretty easily, as you’d likely be familiar with if you’ve played these types of games before. Sometimes you’ll have games where you steamroll everyone else and feel pretty good about yourself as well. Much like a box of chocolates, you never really know what you’re gonna get sometimes.
Alone in the Dark had the potential to be a truly great game; I was really rooting for it. All the ingredients are present for a great cosmic horror story with interesting characters and a horror environment that could have been one of the best in years. If that’s all you want, then I would recommend picking this up on sale. However, the lacklustre gameplay, bugs, and weak horror segments bring this experience down. Maybe this franchise should be left Alone in the Dark.
I may have enjoyed the shallow, but ever amusing combat sections featured in this collection, but I had to endure utterly boring VN sequences in order to reach the next one. There was also not a lot of substance in terms of lasting appeal and amount of content, despite the “Collection” name in its title. The ridiculousness of the premise doesn’t entirely make up for the technical shortcomings or the boring plotlines, but it’s still amusing in shorter bursts.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is exactly what I wanted; an updated sequel that still hold true to what made the first game so beloved. While it may not be perfect with its lack luster visuals and performance, it more than makes up for in deep gameplay and addicting exploration. The Pawn system still remains one of the coolest party systems in an RPG, and I love the dynamic feel of them. This is absolutely a game of the year contender and may be my personal game of the year already.
It’s not a terrifically long title, but it’s got heart and a proud showing of individuality in both concept and execution. But having the game become so difficult, not because it’s intended to be, but because it’s performing poorly, reminded me less of Goodboy Galaxy and more of Faceball 2000. If there becomes a more economic way to get the straight Gameboy version, I highly recommend that and think it could be exciting for retro enthusiasts and modern players.
Corn Kidz 64 may have its fair share of issues, but it clicked with me. The visuals, the exact kind of instrumentation you’d expect from an 12MB cartridge, the nonsensical emphasis on collecting everything on sight… it’s all there. Add in some charming animations and some shockingly great level design, and what you have here is basically a staple for all future indie developers to look upon when deciding to make a N64-inspired retro platformer.
While not a game that I can play for an exceptionally long time, Freedom Planet 2 has a charm and appeal that cannot be denied, and makes for a fantastic sequel to an ambitious original. Excessive exposition moments drag down the momentum, but you can jump right back in with surprising vigor.
The problem with Hebereke Enjoy Edition is that it’s a single ROM, with no regards for localization whatsoever. It is a good game, and worth checking out if you loved Ufouria: The Saga 2. But Sunsoft and City Connection could (and should) have done a lot more to entice fans of the franchise and appeal to newcomers. With so many games in the series available in other platforms, an entire retro collection could have been created instead of this barebones pseudo-remaster of a single Famicom title.