Skull & Co StandGrip review for Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 2 days ago by Ethan in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments
We’ve got another Nintendo Switch 2 accessory review for you – this time for the Skull & Co StandGrip.
By now, the Savage Raven line of grips for Nintendo Switch 2 is one of the only ones that hasn’t been surrounded by some sort of production controversy. Quite the opposite, actually – generally speaking, it seems both the Neo Grip and the StandGrip have been received positively so far. Today, we’re focusing specifically on the StandGrip, which is available from the Skull & Co website for around $20 right now. Despite appearing like a budget option, the StandGrip is currently my favorite out of the Nintendo Switch 2 grips I’ve tried. I’m someone who almost exclusively plays in handheld mode, and for that purpose the StandGrip works excellently. It might not suit everybody’s play style for reasons we’ll delve into in a moment, but this grip should absolutely be on your radar if you’re looking for a good one.
Here’s how Nintendo could handle Mario Kart World updates
Posted on 3 days ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Today, we’re discussing Mario Kart World and how Nintendo could add new content to the game, plus the kind of characters and courses we could wind up seeing.
To start, we need to make something clear right away: Mario Kart World is a fantastic game as-is. Is it worth $80 when purchased outside the bundle? That’s up for you to decide, but ultimately Nintendo could further bolster the game with free updates. Think of it this way: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe cost $60 on launch even though it was a port and not an all-new title, and then it received a $25 DLC pack on top of that – which adds up to an $85 price tag (although you can technically borrow the DLC for free with a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack plan). This is a big assumption, but Nintendo could potentially earn back some good will by releasing free updates. It’s also entirely possible that Nintendo decides to charge for DLC packs – it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if they did, but we feel like Mario Kart World has already received some substantial backlash for its $80 price tag. Adding DLC on top of that wouldn’t make the situation much better.
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How to win in online play in Mario Kart World
Posted on 6 days ago by Ethan in Guides, Switch 2 | 0 comments
To an extent, online play at a high level has always been difficult in the Mario Kart series. That said, Mario Kart World has upped the difficulty in pretty much every category. Items are more chaotic, the game’s skill ceiling is much higher, and items are much more chaotic (again). These factors make racking up wins online much more difficult, with Knockout Tour in particular being specifically brutal in big groups. Given all the factors out of your control, it’s probably impossible to guarantee wins online – but today, we’re going over some tips and tricks that might help you improve your placement in big races.
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Is Sonic x Shadow Generations worth double dipping on Nintendo Switch 2? We decide
Posted on 1 week ago by Ethan in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Switch 2 brought with it several launch titles like Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, but one game that also launched with the console that flew under the radar was the Sonic x Shadow Generations. The game released for Nintendo Switch late last year and was generally well-received. As per our original review, however, one of the game’s biggest flaws was its performance. Both Sonic and Shadow Generations targeted 30 frames per second, and while the former often hit that target, the latter struggled to do so and also struggled with extremely poor resolution.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Sonic x Shadow Generations doesn’t include any new content – it’s strictly a performance upgrade for the game. With that in mind, we’re going to focus on the game’s graphics and frame rate for the purposes of this feature. If you’d like to read more about how the actual game holds up, check out our original review – which still holds up in full.
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The best character and kart combos in Mario Kart World
Posted on 1 week ago by Ethan in Guides, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Today, we’re going over some of the best character and kart combos in Mario Kart World.
If you’ve played online in Mario Kart World so far, then you may have noticed certain characters and especially karts are more popular than others. Indeed, only a few weeks after the game’s launch, players have already determined the best character and kart combos to use. That being said, there isn’t one specific combo that’s best for every mode. Depending on the exact mode you’re playing, be it online or Time Trials or Grand Prix, the optimal character and kart changes. Of course, you don’t have to use an “optimal” build by any means – for the most part, you can get away with playing your favorite character as long as the stats you wind up with are fairly balanced.
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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment story and character predictions
Posted on 2 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
The big Nintendo Switch 2 presentation in April announced a ton of new games: Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, plus new trailers for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Lost in all the hype was Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which just about flew under the radar in comparison to the Direct’s big reveals. In a similar vein as Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Age of Imprisonment is meant to serve as a direct prequel to Tears of the Kingdom. We don’t really know much about the game otherwise, but we figure it’s a good time to make some story and gameplay predictions before it releases later this year. We’ll be discussing spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom and Age of Calamity, so keep that in mind before you continue.
Here’s how Mario Kart World could improve Free Roam mode
Posted on 2 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Today, we’re going over some improvements Nintendo could implement to further improve Mario Kart World’s Free Roam mode.
During the marketing campaign that led up to its release, Free Roam was Mario Kart World’s big selling point. At the time, we didn’t know how many secrets it would hold – in fact, we didn’t know much about it at all other than the presence of numerous P-Switch missions. In the end, it turns out Mario Kart World’s Free Roam mode only has P-Switches, ? Block Panels, and Peach Medallions that offer exclusive stickers as rewards. Though I personally am a fan of Free Roam’s relaxed, slow-paced nature, it’s clear that it isn’t exactly what every Mario Kart fan was looking for. Uncovering the open world’s many hundreds of collectibles is fun and satisfying, but there are a number of improvements Nintendo could have made to make Free Roam feel more substantial.
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Genki Attack Vector grip for Nintendo Switch 2 review
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Ethan in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments
The Nintendo Switch (and Nintendo Switch 2) are the most versatile consoles Nintendo has ever released. You can play them docked with any kind of controller you want, or you can opt to play the console in handheld mode to have it with you wherever you go. For me personally, I play just about exclusively in handheld mode – you can sit wherever you want with it, plus being nearsighted makes focusing on a TV kind of difficult after a while. With that in mind, though, holding the Switch 2 by itself for extended periods of time isn’t great – your hands cramp up after a while, which means you really need a grip to make those long gaming sessions easier.
That’s where Genki’s new Attack Vector grip comes in. It promises three swappable styles, an easy fit into the Switch 2 dock, and the ability to detach the Joy-Con controllers even with the grips equipped. Unfortunately, the Attack Vector winds up being more of a liability than an asset – so much so that I went back to using no grip instead of this one.
Here’s what we could see in Kirby Air Riders
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
2025 is a great year for racing games! Everybody’s talking about Mario Kart World right now, but the new Kirby Air Riders is also coming out sometime in 2025. It’s directed by Masahiro Sakurai, and it’s actually the first Kirby game he’s directed since the original Kirby Air Ride on GameCube over 20 years ago. Though Kirby Air Ride was met with mixed reviews on launch, it’s since become something of a cult classic. It’s beloved for its addictive City Trial mode, and the crazy part is that the entire game was developed in three and a half months. According to Sakurai, Kirby Air Riders has been in active development since April 2022, which means it’s had over three years to cook. In other words, Kirby Air Riders might be a bigger game than we realize – which makes sense, given it’s had over ten times the development time of the original game!
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Mario Kart World 150cc Knockout Tour guide – how to easily win
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Ethan in Guides, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Today, we’re going over some tips and strategies on how to more easily win in Mario Kart World’s new Knockout Tour mode.
In order to unlock all the content Mario Kart World has to offer, you’ll have to earn 3 stars on every single cup in both Grand Prix and Knockout Tour. We’ve already covered tricks for Grand Prix via our corresponding guide, but today we’re focusing on strategies that apply specifically to Knockout Tour. Compared to Grand Prix mode, Knockout Tour places a much higher emphasis on straight pathways – which means the Speed stat is incredibly important here.
