[Review] Super Mario RPG
Posted on 1 day ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 17, 2023
Developer: Square Enix / ArtePiazza
Publisher: Nintendo
As a classic of the SNES era of RPGs, a remake of Super Mario RPG was a bit of a shock reveal earlier this year. Originally a collaboration between Nintendo and Square, it was a bit of a surprise back then as well. With a complete and from the ground up remake, we see new 3D graphics, crisp menus, and a bit of extra content for a game on Switch that many would say is one of the best RPGs of its time – but what about now? Let’s take a look at how Super Mario RPG fairs in today’s standards, as spoiler free as possible.
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[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – December 2023
Posted on 5 days ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
A new month started up yesterday. Now that we’re in December, we want to know what you’ve been playing.
Are you still going through Super Mario RPG? Maybe you’ve picked up the just-released Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince? No matter the case, let us know in the comments below.
[Review] Persona 5 Tactica
Posted on 1 week ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 17, 2023
Developer: Atlus / P-Studio
Publisher: SEGA
From dancing and dungeon-crawling to road-trip adventuring, the Phantom Thieves have been awfully busy since the events of 2017’s Persona 5. Of course, with that game being one of the most acclaimed RPGs of the past decade, there’s been plenty of fan demand for spin-offs and sequels, some of which have been truly excellent. That said, even as a fan of Joker and company I was having a hard time getting excited about Persona 5 Tactica – 2021’s Persona 5 Strikers put such a nice bow on the characters’ stories that I didn’t expect a shift to grid-based strategy to shake things up enough. The good news is that it’s a solid tactics game that introduces some fun ideas to the series, even when its story beats don’t quite hit the mark.
More: Atlus, highlight, Persona 5 Tactica, top
[Review] Virche Evermore – ErroR: Salvation
Posted on 1 week ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 9, 2023
Developer: Idea Factory
Publisher: Aksys Games
Curling up with a book is one of my favourite pastimes, and I have always thought that the Switch’s handheld mode makes it the perfect fit for visual novels because of this. Fortunately Aksys Games agrees with me, and has supported the system with a plethora of otome since it first released. With Virche Evermore – ErroR: Salvation, the publisher has brought a noticeably dark story that, although it won’t appeal to everyone, stands out for its exceptional worldbuilding, engaging cast, and superb presentation.
[Let’s Talk] Favorite Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC track
Posted on 1 week ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
The dust has settled on the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass DLC. 48 tracks were added to the game across six waves, increasing the scope of content even further. Some games were given a bit more love than others, but ultimately all of the past Mario Kart games were represented.
Since the Booster Course Pass has now wrapped up, we’d like to know what your favorite track was (or multiple tracks if you can’t decide on one). How’d you feel about the DLC overall? Let us know in the comments.
[Review] Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections
Posted on 1 week ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 17, 2023
Developer: CyberConnect2
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Naruto is a series that needs no introduction at this point; if you’ve ever looked into anime before (and even if you haven’t) then you’ll almost certainly have encountered the rambunctious, optimistic, orange-clad ninja-in-training with the grandiose dream of becoming the Hokage of his village. With his story concluded, his son Boruto is now currently starring in his own manga and anime series, and anyone familiar with CyberConnect’s Ultimate Ninja Storm series knew it was only a matter of time before we had a game starring the two of them, with the previous game’s expansion, Road to Boruto, offering a glimpse of that future. Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections might not be the game that long-time fans were hoping for, and it’s definitely not the celebratory title that the franchise deserves, but it is nonetheless a solid entry in the long-running franchise and a worthwhile pickup if you’re craving some more Naruto-themed arena-fighter action, provided your expectations don’t go beyond that.
[Review] Spells & Secrets
Posted on 2 weeks ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 9, 2023
Developer: Alchemist Interactive
Publisher: Merge Games
Roguelikes and roguelites are an interesting genre of games, being predicated as they are on doing the same content repeatedly with incremental progress, in a way that would be extremely frustrating and tedious in just about any other circumstances. It takes a special kind of game to get that balance just right, to make each death feel more like a minor setback than a crushing defeat, and inspire you to venture forth into its murky depths for “just one more run” until you finally succeed. Spells & Secrets., developed by Alchemist Interactive, has some interesting ideas to contribute to the genre, but unfortunately it fails to capture any kind of real magic.
[Let’s Talk] November 2023 Indie World Showcase reactions
Posted on 2 weeks ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
Another Indie World Showcase took place this week, marking what should be Nintendo’s final notable presentation of 2023. It contained the usual slew of indie titles for Switch with some new announcements, shadowdrops, and smaller updates.
The event opened up with Shantae: Risky Revolution, which we previously knew about, but was officially confirmed for Switch. We also finally got an update on Outer Wilds, which heads to the console next month. On Your Tail, Blade Chimera, Core Keeper, and Planet of Lana were some of the other notable titles. Backpack Hero, Howl, Enjoy the Diner, and Passpartout 2 all hit the eShop that day. The full recap can be found here.
What’d you think of this week’s Indie World Showcase? What was your personal highlight? Let us know in the comments.
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[Review] Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 16, 2023
Developer: Inti Creates
Publisher: Inti Creates
Inti Creates has certainly earned a reputation for developing high quality 2D action titles having brought games such as Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and its sequel as well as the Blaster Master Zero series to the Switch over the years. The studio’s latest game, Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue, is based on a fantasy spinoff of Love Live! Sunshine!! The setting lends itself well to a video game and it has a solid foundation that makes it fun while it lasts, but unfortunately it doesn’t capitalize on this enough to make it any more than a middling experience at best.
[Rapid Review] WarioWare: Move It
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 3, 2023
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
One of the most encouraging things about WarioWare as a franchise, is that it’s always just been like that. Seriously – go back and play 2003’s original entry (which you can enjoy via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass), and you’ll see every bit of the quirky and offbeat charm that the series still exudes today, fully formed at its point of origin. Multiple entries across every Nintendo platform since the GBA haven’t dulled the appeal of playing rapid-fire five-second microgames in quick succession. Now we get a traditional WarioWare outing in the form of Warioware: Move It on Switch. A direct continuation of the motion-based waggle-fest that was WarioWare: Smooth Moves on the Wii, this one sees Wario and co. whisked away to an island resort to, let’s face it, just play a bunch of minigames.
