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Roguelites are everywhere and there’s a million to play at this point, this generation alone. Knight Vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur may not be the best of them, but it’s a fine game all the same. The controls are fluent and responsive, and it’s fun to sit down and play for a run or two. The runs don’t feel overly different from one to the next the way they can in other games of the sort, but that’s only a small issue. Overall a fun experience and an easy game to pick up and play for 20-30 minutes at a time when you can find a small break.
This is honestly one of the best kart racers around, and a genuine competitor to Mario Kart. Despite the disappointing vocal performances, the rest of the game is marvelous. The controls are tight and responsive, the character roster is robust, and the level designs are really inventive. Pair that with an awesome soundtrack that retains the spirit of your favorite films, but throws its own souped up spin on it, and you’ve you a recipe for success.
I was sure Skull Island: Rise of Kong was going to be a surefire disaster of biblical proportions, but its Xbox Series port just ended up being a halfway competent, albeit an utterly mediocre platformer. It has some borderline acceptable controls and performance, but is marred by poor level design, uninteresting combat, hilarious cutscenes, and possibly the worst sound design to be included in a commercially released video game.
Whenever anyone asked how Borderlands 3 was running on Nintendo Switch, my response was “about as good as you expect.” That was quite early on. My response now would be “get ready to take breaks,” not because you’ll need to take a break from the game, but the sudden pauses will make you take a break, and they get worse the further you go. If you have any other way to play Borderlands 3, that will be a better option. If you only have a Switch, the game is fine and can still be enjoyable, just be ready to exercise some patience.
The Company of Heroes Collection for Nintendo Switch is one of those projects. It’s such an old game, and the genre to console conversion comes burdened with so much implied work. And even if it was ported over successfully, the RTS audience on Switch is hardly overwhelming. And this definitely wasn’t a case of a successful port, with the missing multiplayer, control issues, and puzzling performance decisions.
The Talos Principle 2 is something of a rarity in the gaming space. An extremely high-quality puzzle game that has a deeper meaning within its story, and interactions that make you think in more ways than one. This is on top of its breathtaking visuals, courtesy of the brand new iteration of the Unreal Engine. I cannot recommend it enough to any fans of puzzle games. The Talos Principle 2 is an absolute must-play.
It’s funny, it’s crass, it is super entertaining with a friend or by yourself, but also brutally unfair. Alien Hominid HD is a pretty good remaster of a cult class of an arcade game, but be ready to scream at it from time to time. It’s straight to the point: a solid revamp of a silly run and gun shooter from back in the day, complete with visual improvements, solid performance, and a ton of side content to keep you busy if the main campaign is too stressful for newcomers.
This brand new 10th anniversary remake of Slender: The Arrival might be an impressive visual overhaul of what was once a cheap-looking horror game, but at its core, it’s still the same janky and frustrating walking simulator released ten years ago. It may be a cult hit in the horror gaming community, but I didn’t find it very scary, nor compelling. I will give Blue Isle Studios credit for showcasing what Unreal 5 can provide to smaller games and teams, but sadly, mechanic-wise, nothing else of importance has been added.
The idea of making a story-centric truck simulator isn’t inherently bad, but Truck Driver: The American Dream, as a whole, felt incredibly unfinished. Between the dated visuals, amateurish physics, poor controls, and myriad of game crashing glitches, there isn’t a lot worth praising in this janky trucking simulator. The voice acting was good, but when everything else surrounding it was just doing their best to make me want to rage quit, I don’t think that’s exactly good enough of a positive to make you want to consider purchasing it.
Getting from point A to B in Chemically Bonded takes only the effort of reading and little else. There’s a few endings but all can be achieved rather easily. It’s a contained universe that doesn’t feel like it merits sequels, but who knows, maybe more might be on the way? The glimpse of Ceri and the art style makes me feel like there’s potential for more from ds-sans, but I hope they swing for the fences next time.
SWORD ART ONLINE Last Recollection is the most polished game in the series, with by far the best combat loop. However, I found everything else, from the RPG mechanics to the linear world structure, to be a clear downgrade from Alicization Lycoris. And I can understand the why: focus on what you can do well. But I feel like the ambition of previous titles was something the niche fans of these games had already accepted, and not continuing with that for the franchises’ (supposed) last title is doing it a disservice.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is, admittedly, a somewhat lazy remaster collection. It includes two copied and pasted efforts by Bluepoint released a decade ago, and a shoddy port of Metal Gear Solid, most likely taken straight out of the guts of the PS1 Classic. With that being said, those are still phenomenal games (well, Metal Gear Solid has aged like spoiled milk, but the point stands), and well worth your time.
Quantum Error still has the chance to become something, if the developers can take a step back and learn and grow. There is love and there is passion, you can feel it, it just outweighs the skill. So, I ask, what are you? Are you a generic asset flip or are you one of the better remasters, an homage if you will, of a never released game from the early 2000s I never had a chance to love?
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is easily the best new 2D Mario in a very long time, and it’s really fighting for my number one or two spot. Recency bias has it going head to head with older titles, but that’s the great part: you don’t have to decide. Each game brings something to the table, and Wonder’s new everything – enemies, power ups, level design – keeps it brimming with potential all the way to the very end.
I love my casual little farming games, and Rune Factory always scratches the itch for me. Even though numerically we’re going backwards from the other games already on the Nintendo Switch, Rune Factory 3 Special is a very welcome addition to the platform and a healthy return for the Nintendo DS game. With less emphasis on combat, although there is plenty of it there should you want to make it a focus, it feels a lot more casual and focused on relationship building.
I couldn’t keep from being enthralled with the mystery and wanting to know what would happen next. What helps is the gameplay structure and how it’s perfect for a pick-up-and-play approach. I do wish it conveyed a few features more concisely, like a single piece of equipment able to be worn by all three girls. Regardless, this game is easy to suggest, and with a stellar performance on the hybrid, get it anywhere.
DreamWorks Trolls Remix Rescue is so close to being a game I would have recommended to any platforming fan, regardless if you’re a Trolls fan or not. While there is a competent 3D platformer here, featuring some fun moments moments from the movies that the kids will love, unfortunately there are some issues here to keep in mind.
I couldn’t have been more surprised. Hello Kitty and Friends: Happiness Parade Hops is a great rhythm game. It’s the perfect combination of great controls, great performance, an addictive gameplay loop, and an impressive library of stupidly catchy tunes. I never thought I’d end up playing a Hello Kitty game that did not suck, let alone playing a Hello Kitty game that would win me over, but this little gem did so.
For a couple of bucks, Suika Game is a cute little distraction that you might get wildly addicted to or you may just run through twice and then forget about. The online high score list shows that the competition is real, so know what you’re getting into before considering streaming. There aren’t any glitches or bugs, so, honestly, the polish makes it worth the price tag, even if there’s a high chance you’ll just let this game rot in your refrigerator after the initial excitement fades away.
There’s a lot of compelling arguments, tons of bad endings to run into facefirst (almost gleefully) and a fairly decent hero/villain dynamic. And others may not be as pissed by the twist as I am, so that might even work out for you. I’ll keep going to find all the bad endings, as several do take some real work to uncover. But, once I’ve got everything set, I’m certain that my final logout from Archetype Arcadia will be permanent.