Leonardo Faria's Reviews
I struggle to understand who is Thomas & Friends: Wonders of Sodor for. Kids won’t have the patience to learn about a complex training simulator, and will ragequit almost immediately once they face unskippable cutscenes, poorly explained mechanics, and a plethora of mission-breaking bugs. Older fans of modern train simulators already have access to the vastly more polished Train Sim World series to begin with. I tried to see this game as something aimed at a more specific demographic, but this is just too clunky and too poorly made. I had a miserable time with Wonders of Sodor, and doubt I’ll be the only one sharing this opinion.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is an interesting, but very controversial package. The recasting issues, changes to the series’ continuity, and massive drop in sidestory quality were disappointments, something I rarely see in a RGG Studio game, but there’s no denying that, when it comes to gameplay and content, this game is an exponential improvement over the original. The combat mechanics are near-pristine, the heartfelt moments with the orphans are still adorable, and the Dragon Engine keeps on impressing with ultra-detailed worlds to explore, and tons of elements onscreen at any given time.
I loved my time with Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War. In fact, this is one of the most commendable licensed games I’ve played in a long time, using videogames as a way to expand the franchise’s lore in a way only this medium is able to. Furthermore, this is an amazing, ultraviolent shooter that won me over with its fast-paced gameplay, extraordinary level design, and its hilarious live action propaganda cutscenes.
If you’re looking for an exciting career mode, licensed teams and a more AAA-esque coat of paint, then eBaseball: Pro Spirit is not the game for – just stick to MLB The Show for that matter. But if you’re unwilling to spend a hefty sum for each new MLB The Show iteration, and all you really want is a pretty, competent, and responsive baseball simulator, one which is very forgiving to newcomers and perfect for quick, local matches, then Konami’s brand new F2P sports game does a remarkably good job in that aspect. Just understand its scope is very limited. Then again, you’re not paying for it, so that’s still a lot of bang for your nonexistent buck, regardless.
GreedFall: The Dying World is not a bad RPG, but it’s a gigantic disappointment. It’s too much of a deviation from what made the first GreedFall feel like a breath of fresh air, with a ton of questionable design decisions, often feeling unnecessary or pointless. The new (and overly punitive) combat system won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and the story takes ages to become tolerable. Not to mention an irritating amount of bugs constantly annoying you and breaking your immersion.
Considering how bad its predecessors were, this game is easily the best in the trilogy so far, and a clear indication Eden Games has taken fan feedback seriously. It is obviously hampered by the Switch 2’s lack of analog triggers (and it’s not Gamecube controller compatible), but its physics are decent, its responsiveness is good enough, and its framerate is excellent. It does everything it needs to do, it gets the job done in a decent enough state.
It’s been nearly ten years, but Resident Evil 7 hasn’t aged a day. Its brand new Switch 2 port not only showcases that its gameplay is still fresh and tense after all these years, but also showcases how well Nintendo’s portable can handle some of the more demanding games from the previous generation, with a handful of improvements to make it look as good as its current-gen counterparts.
Saying that Tokyo Xtreme Racer feels like I’m playing a niche, mid-tier title from the PS2 era is not a point of criticism in this case. Even if it’s not aiming for the same kind of realism and impressive scopes seen in more recent racing gaming franchises, I can easily say there is nothing else like it out in the market. It perfectly oozes the easygoing vibes from that era of consoles without the graphical or resolution limitations from the period.
My verdict for this re-release of City Hunter is similar to pretty much any other subpar licensed game I have ever tested. If you’re a fan of the source material, as niche as it might be nowadays, you might enjoy it for a few minutes, as this is the only City Hunter game that has ever been developed and released. If you’re not part of this very specific demographic, then there’s nothing about this game that will either make you enjoy it, or turn you into a fan of the manga.
Reigns: The Witcher is superbly well-written, and masterfully integrated into the world and lore of Andrzej Sapkowski and CD Projekt Red’s works. It doesn’t feel like a cheap cashgrab. On the contrary, you can clearly see that Devolver, CDPR and Nerial worked together in order to come up with an engaging random story simulator that feels right at home in this world full of liars, deceivers, and terrible outcomes for everyone.
Revolgear Zero is the quintessential example of game feel being the most important aspect of an interactive piece of software: it doesn’t innovate in terms of visuals, sound, or controls, but knows how to appease players with how powerful your weapons are, and with the sheer insane amount of rewards you acquire whenever you defeat hordes of enemy ships or a giant boss.
Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition is an odd collection to talk about. On one hand, I was shocked at how well its visuals have aged, and I love how the addition of a rewind feature makes these once-frustrating games a lot more bearable to deal with. I also love the fact this absolute classic of a game is now preserved to posterity. But I also expected more from it. In terms of side content, the only neat inclusion worth speaking of is the 1992 SNES prototype. No interviews, no extras, no art galleries, no nothing.
God of War: Sons of Sparta is a very interesting prologue to the series as a whole, and a welcome return to the franchise’s original Greek setting, but as a metroidvania… I mean, it’s good, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen and played dozens of times before, especially in a post-Silksong and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown world.
Crisol: Theater of Idols is an immense collection of great ideas, good intentions, tons of sources of inspiration, and an interesting setting, but hampered by trying to bite way more than it could chew. I loved its setting and atmosphere, but it’s not scary enough to be called a fully-fledged horror game, it’s not action-packed enough to be considered a first-person shooter, nor is it explorable or full of gameplay elements like an immersive sim. The game sits right in the middle of all these elements, clearly showcasing its sources of inspiration, and having enough ideas to make it stand out as something unique, but never being more than just that: a good, well-intentioned, creepy, but flawed game.
Super Bomberman Collection may only cover a very specific slice of the franchise’s more than forty-game history, but it works perfectly as a reminder of why Bomberman became such a beloved series in the first place. Every single title included here is a blast to play, no pun intended. The visuals are charming, the music os fantastic, and the core gameplay loop is just THAT good.
It is an interesting game if you are looking for something that resembles the Sega arcade racers from back in the day, but to be fair, you’d be better off just sticking to the excellent remastered version of Virtua Racing available on the eShop. It’s not a bad title, but it just simply failed to make any sort of impression with me, be it positive or negative.
I do appreciate Quarantine Zone‘s gameplay loop. Its mixture of the bureaucracy analysis popularized by Papers Please, thrown into a zombie apocalypse setting, is, without a shadow of a doubt, very unique, and, at least at first, pretty engaging. Sadly, there’s just not a lot meat in it to keep you invested for long.
It’s slick, it’s stylish, and its gameplay loop is fun and centered around short levels. There’s a lot to like in Don’t Stop Girlypop, especially when it comes to how unique it looks and feels next to pretty much any other first-person shooter out there. You will need a minute to get used to its “the more you move, the faster you move” gameplay premise, and it’s best enjoyed in smaller sessions (it does get repetitive after a while), but I have nothing but the utmost respect for the sheer amount of creativity put into it.
The only people who will have some kind of enjoyment with Fighting Force Collection are those who grew up with those games and have a borderline die-hard nostalgic attachment towards them. I can’t criticise the folks at Implicit Conversions for their porting skills, as there’s nothing wrong with their remastering efforts. The problem lies at the fact these games have simply aged poorly. In fact, I don’t think they have ever been that good, even for their time.
Ultimately, what hurts MIO: Memories in Orbit the most is the fact it’s yet another artsy metroidvania in a sea of very similar and (unfortunately for it) better titles. There aren’t that many elements in it that make it stand out from the competition, even though it is, once more, a pretty decent game with great visuals and movement, albeit frustrating when it comes to its combat and progression. Die-hard fans of the genre will easily have a blast with it, but otherwise, this is a game released at a very unfortunate time.