[Review] PowerWash Simulator
Posted on 1 day ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: January 31, 2023
Developer: FuturLab
Publisher: Square Enix
At various points during my time with FutureLab and Square Enix’s PowerWash Simulator, I was struck by a sort of banal existential dilemma. During these episodes of clairvoyance, I’d become blisteringly aware of the fact that in the only physical lifetime I will ever have – in my one and single corporeal opportunity – I was opting to blast a digital stream of H2O across a fictional individual’s RV/bungalow/penny farthing. Did these sudden jolts of awareness drive me to get up and do something “worthwhile” with my time instead? No, no they didn’t. PowerWash Simulator has its hooks in me now, and I’m shackled to these blue overalls by a mix of catharsis and compulsion – but boy does it feel so good. Truth be told, this isn’t even a new development. I’ve been a slave to the machinations of the game’s grubby world since it originally launched into Steam’s Early Access model. Valve’s digital storefront seemingly recognized how dull of an individual I am, and algorithmically shoved the game in my face on the day of its release – so that was my original date of incarceration. With the game now arriving triumphantly on Switch, it feels like PowerWash Simulator has reached its final form. It’s ready to engulf your attention in ways we haven’t seen since paid actors sat slack-jawed in front of SNES’s during 90s video game commercials.
More: FuturLab, highlight, PowerWash Simulator, Square Enix, top
[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – February 2023
Posted on 1 day ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
A new month started up this week. Now that we’re in February, we want to know what you’ve been playing.
Have you been playing Fire Emblem Engage? Or how about GoldenEye 007 on Nintendo Switch Online? Maybe you’re catching up on something you have in your backlog? No matter the case, let us know in the comments below.
[Review] Risen
Posted on 2 days ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: January 24, 2023
Developer: Piranha Bytes
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Risen is a peculiar beast. This action RPG originally graced our consoles back in 2009, where it served as something of an amalgamation of various different western franchises. It featured moral conundrums akin to Mass Effect, a lush open world reminiscent of Fable, and systems that wouldn’t seem out of place in an Elder Scrolls title. The game has garnered a bit of a cult following across the community since its original release (and the release of its two sequels). With Risen’s arrival on Switch – along with the measured benefit of hindsight – have THQ Nordic and Piranha Bytes graced us with a hidden RPG gem? Or has age diminished the game’s quirky, ethereal appeal?
More: highlight, Piranha Bytes, Risen, THQ Nordic, top
[Review] Active DBG: Brave’s Rage
Posted on 2 days ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: February 2, 2023
Developer: ISVR
Publisher: Astrolabe Games
Active DBG: Brave’s Rage is a little misleading. With cute characters and popping colors, what I expected to be a walk in the park pocket RPG is actually a grueling system that takes time and significant effort to master. Fast-paced fights coupled with roguelite mechanics makes for a bit of a steep learning curve, but the tutorial’s combat and defensive basics are drilled early – and there’s a reason you’re forced to play the tutorial when first starting the game: you need to learn these mechanics. You need to know all of the tools in your arsenal to make it through and come out victorious. The “perfect block” is especially useful in aiding survivability, but is that alone enough to get your champion(s) through with their lives?
More: Active DBG: Brave's Rage, highlight, top
GoldenEye arrives on Switch Online, Life is Strange 2 and tons of indie announcements, and more | Nintendo Everything Refresh Ep. 041
Posted on 4 days ago by Nicholas Serpa in Podcast, Switch | 0 comments
It’s been a long time coming, but after existing for decades exclusively on the Nintendo 64, GoldenEye 007 has finally been rereleased on modern platforms! In this week’s episode of Nintendo Everything Refresh, we’ll discuss the long-awaited return of this classic first-person shooter and whether it can live up to the nostalgia that so many players have! We’ll chat about a handful of the many games announced for Switch last week, including a surprise port of Life Is Strange 2, the next game in the SteamWorld franchise, and much more!
[Review] SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
Posted on 6 days ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: January 31, 2023
Developer: Purple Lamp
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Of all the platforming juggernauts that come to mind when I recall the early 2000s, SpongeBob SquarePants is not among them. In 2020, THQ released a remake of Battle for Bikini Bottom – a 2003 game in every sense of the word. After selling over two million copies, it landed us with an all new spiritual sequel to that game in the form of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. The main hurdle this sequel has to overcome is being unshackled from the weapons-grade nostalgia that propelled its predecessor to success. To be fair to The Cosmic Shake, this is a difficult act to follow. How exactly do you craft a follow-up to a remake of a twenty year old game? Developer Purple Lamp has two decades of platformers to draw inspiration from, and the one it chooses to wear on its sleeve is unfortunately the remake that preceded it.
[Interview] SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake dev on origins, gameplay, Switch version, more
Posted on 1 week ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Interviews, Switch | 0 comments
Nintendo Everything recently had a chance to speak with Andreas “AJ” Jarzabek, a project manager at Purple Lamp, about SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. This title follows a remake of Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated, a remake of the 2003 3D platformer.
We discussed a range of topics with Jarzabek, including the origins of Cosmic Shake, different gameplay aspects, the Switch version, and more. You can delve into our full interview below.
[Let’s Talk] Is GoldenEye 007 as good as you remember it?
Posted on 1 week ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch | 0 comments
Something finally happened this week that many had for a long time thought would be impossible: a release of GoldenEye 007. If you’re a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber, you can play it right now. For some, this will be their first time reexperiencing the game since its release over two decades ago. GoldenEye 007 on Switch is largely the same as it was back in the day, but you can now at least play it online thanks to the built in functionality of the N64 app.
If you’re one of those people that played GoldenEye 007 when it first came out and have now started it up on Switch, how do you feel it holds up? Is it as good as you remember? And for new players, what are your thoughts on the game that has often been labeled as a true classic? Let us know in the comments.
More: GoldenEye 007, highlight, Nintendo Switch Online, top
Fire Emblem Engage & Persona 3/4 are finally here! | Nintendo Everything Refresh Ep. 040
Posted on 1 week ago by Nicholas Serpa in Podcast, Switch | 0 comments
With Fire Emblem Engage finally available worldwide and in players’ hands, how does it stack up to other entries in the franchise? In this week’s episode of Nintendo Everything Refresh, join your hosts Nick, Nicolas and Luiz (who, full disclaimer, are NOT Fire Emblem experts) as they break down reviews of the game and discuss what people love, and what others don’t. They’ll also discuss the recent Switch ports of Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden, the return of Dokapon Kingdom, cleaning Lara Croft’s (apparently) filthy mansion in Powerwash Simulator, and much much more!
Our podcast is available on most major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music and Audible, or you can check out the video version on YouTube.
[Review] Persona 4 Golden
Posted on 2 weeks ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: January 19, 2023
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
Releasing originally on the PlayStation 2 in 2008, Persona 4’s small town of Inaba is not unlike my own home town. A small, sleepy community with one grocery store, one gas station, and if you drive by it and blink, you might miss the town altogether. Small communities are generally safe, right? Moving there, one might feel secure leaving their doors unlocked, with no real worries about what could happen while you run to the convenience store. Inaba, though, has a murderer on the loose – one that seems to kill through very non-traditional means. First, a local TV personality, and next a teenage student… Is anyone safe anymore in Inaba? How does one catch a killer that leaves no trace of their crime? Why do the victims show up beforehand on the eerie Midnight Channel when it rains? Why are students being targeted in the first place? Persona 4 Golden’s murder mystery has many layers, and by taking control of our Protagonist and his friends can we really solve this situation and save the lives of those targeted?
