[Review] Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch, Switch eShop | 21 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: May 26, 2017
Developer:: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Chances are nowadays that when you talk to someone about fighting games, one of the first titles to come to mind is Street Fighter. The series has spanned decades, with 2017 marking its 30th anniversary which is further celebrated with the updated release of one of the most seminal fighting games of all time, Street Fighter II. Before the imminent release of Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers on Switch, the game had already returned many times in the past. To some this may seem excessive, but for the most hardcore of Street Fighter fans, it’s a way to continually preserve the history of one of the most successful fighting game franchises of all time, as well as one of the most important titles in the series. However you look at it, Ultra Street Fighter II has a lot to love about it if you’re an avid Street Fighter fan, but may leave a lot to be desired to those looking to jump in for the first time or have casually spent time with the series over the last three decades.
[Review] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 30 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: April 28, 2017
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
Two years ago, I wrote an article on my relationship with Mario Kart and how Mario Kart 8 revitalized the series. In making that game, Nintendo reignited the magic I used to feel towards the franchise during the N64 and GameCube days. Mario Kart 8 shed a whole new light on kart racers and the potential they had at a time where most felt stale or rehashed, with Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed being the new “king” of that genre before Mario Kart 8 returned to reclaim. Now in 2017, we’re back with the definitive version of one of Wii U’s best titles on its successor, the Nintendo Switch, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It’s as extravagant and beautiful as it was on Wii U, but this time with a revamped battle mode, all DLC included, a few new features, and plenty to love all over again.
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[Review] I Am Setsuna
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 46 Comments
System: Switch (eShop)
Release date: March 3, 2017
Developer: Tokyo RPG Factory
Publisher Square Enix
Sometimes nostalgia gets the best of us. We look back on the vast history of video games and how far we’ve come, what’s changed and what hasn’t, for better or for worse. There are certain mechanics that evolve so much over time throughout all genres that we tend to forget how things once were when they became innovative for their time. The RPG genre has come a long way, stepping away from the linearity and turn-based tradition and heading more towards an open-world and free-form combat in a flashy hack-n-slash fashion. Sometimes, however, you want to go back to basics and back to a time that makes you fall in love with the genre all over again and elicits strong feelings of nostalgia and purity that may have faded over time as we’ve grown. I Am Setsuna brings us back to the 90’s at a time when Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Parasite Eve, and a slew of other Square titles were pushing a new wave of gameplay with their Active Time Battle systems – ATB for short – where you could attack at any given point once a meter was filled rather than wait your turn in a chess-like fashion like traditional RPGs. I Am Setsuna not only brings us back to a time where RPGs were at their best thanks to their deep worlds, battle systems, and innocent art styles, but brings with it a reimagining to a forgotten style of gameplay that feels fantastic to have back in a modern take.
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[Review] Super Bomberman R
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 10 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 3, 2017
Developer: Konami / Hexadrive
Publisher Konami
Super Bomberman R sees the return of a series that’s been dormant for nearly a decade, this time returning exclusively on Switch. Bomberman has a long and illustrious history thanks to its simple gameplay and arcade-like presentation that makes it easy for anyone to jump in at any time and have fun, regardless of skill level or familiarity with the series or the medium in general. Super Bomberman R, however, for all its worth lacks quite a bit for its price of entry, and while the fun and arcade feeling is still there, don’t expect to feel fulfilled by the end of it all – especially if you’re playing solo.
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[Review] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch, Wii U | 11 Comments
System: Switch (reviewed) / Wii U
Release date: March 3, 2017
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda’s prolific, seminal history has been striking the hearts of players across the globe for three decades. Attachment fans have with the series has withstood the test of time thanks to its immense and vibrant world of Hyrule, memorable characters, iconic set pieces, composition, and more. Now the newest Zelda game is finally here and puts players back in Hyrule where they must protect the kingdom from the ferocious evil that is Calamity Ganon after being asleep for 100 years. Breath of the Wild breaks out of a lot of classic Zelda traits, while instilling new ones and simultaneously making the world and game familiar for veterans, as well as accessible and eye-opening to new players alike. Breath of the Wild is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, not just for Zelda standards, but for gaming as a whole.
[Review] Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 6 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: February 3, 2017
Developer: Good-Feel
Publisher Nintendo
Yoshi and his Woolly World are back to entertain you again, but this time on the 3DS – and with a friend. Yoshi has seen a long and healthy run in the handheld space with Yoshi Island remakes, spinoffs, and sequels, before going back to the console space. Now he returns home in Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World on 3DS. After Super Mario Maker, this is the newest 3DS port of a Wii U title from its library, but what’s the difference, if any, between its console counterpart?
[Review] Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Posted on 8 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 5 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: December 2, 2016
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
Last September Nintendo graced us with a Mario fan’s dream when Super Mario Maker released for the Wii U. It gave veterans, newcomers, and creatives alike the power to build Mario levels at their own accord and release their inner Shigeru Miyamoto, as well as play brand new courses designed directly by Nintendo and gamers from around the world. Now the 3DS version of the game – revealed just a few months ago during a Nintendo Direct – is here for all to experience, and while it is identical in many ways, there are some things that differentiate it from its home console counterpart that alter the experience, for better or for worse.
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[Review] Corpse Party
Posted on 8 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 5 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: October 25, 2016
Developer: Marvelous
Publisher XSEED Games
Halloween is around the corner ladies and gentlemen, and as far as I’m concerned, there’s no better way (or game) to get you in the spirit of all things creepy and dead than Corpse Party. A series that I love dearly is finally making its way over to 3DS for the western audience to enjoy, and it brings along extra chapters not before seen in any of the previous ports and iterations.
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[Review] Yo-kai Watch 2
Posted on 8 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 52 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: September 30, 2016
Developer: Level-5
Publisher Nintendo
One year ago, Nintendo and Level-5 graced us with the surprise hit Japan has enjoyed for a while by bringing Yo-kai Watch over to the west. This year, we’re getting Yo-kai Watch 2 in two separate versions: Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls. While Japan has enjoyed the second entry long before we got the first, it’s nice to see both titles finally making their way over in 2016 to give 3DS owners and fans of the original something to look forward to once again.
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[Review] Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
Posted on 8 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 13 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: September 20, 2016
Developer: Atlus
Publisher Atlus
With Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, one of the finest Japanese RPGs to be released on the 3DS gets a gigantic and apocalyptic semi-sequel. Everything you know and love about Shin Megami Tensei IV and the series’ past entries are here, but in a vastly improved format. The game is meant to be accessible to players of all types, whether you’re here for the grind, the story, the challenge, the exploration, or a little bit of everything.
