[Rapid Review] 30XX
Posted on 7 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 24, 2023
Developer: Colorgrave
Publisher: Colorgrave
It would be fair to say that while Capcom hasn’t entirely abandoned the Mega Man franchise, it has been somewhat lax with support for it within recent times, favoring collective releases of past series rather than making entirely new games. It has fallen to smaller studios to carry the torch and deliver new experiences, and Battery Staple Games has risen to the occasion magnificently with 30XX, a follow-up to their previous take on the formula.
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[Preview] Little Goody Two Shoes – PAX West 2023
Posted on 7 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
If you’ve never heard of the classic fairytale “The History of Little Goody Two Shoes,” don’t worry, you’re not alone. This over 250-year-old story may have been one of the first children’s books to reach a widespread English audience, but its tale of a poor orphan’s journey journey to a life of riches hasn’t prevailed in the cultural zeitgeist in the way other classics from that era have. That hasn’t stopped Square Enix Collective – the indie publishing division of the JRPG giant – from greenlighting an experimental new release called Little Goody Two Shoes, which they bill as a “mysterious new fairytale anime adventure with a dark twist.” I had the chance to demo this off-the-wall title at PAX West recently, and while I had no idea what to expect going in, what I played was unsettling, beautiful, and immediately absorbing.
More: AstralShift, highlight, Little Goody Two Shoes, Square Enix, top
[Review] Super Bomberman R 2
Posted on 7 months ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 13, 2023
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
When the Switch first launched back in 2017, the original Super Bomberman R was a launch title. While it may have been outshined by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild also releasing on the same day, a lot of owners ended up picking up the title as a go-to for multiplayer gameplay. Now way further down the line in the Switch’s life cycle, the sequel appears with a brand new story and new modes for multiplayer in the form of Super Bomberman R 2.
More: highlight, Konami, Super Bomberman R 2, top
[Let’s Talk] September 2023 Nintendo Direct reactions
Posted on 7 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch | 0 comments
The September 2023 Nintendo Direct took place earlier this week, and we’re curious to hear about your reactions concerning the presentation.
Nintendo itself actually had quite a bit of content on display. Some titles were known about previously, and there were a bunch of remasters thrown into the mix. Highlights include Princess Peach: Showtime, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, F-Zero 99, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and Another Code: Recollection.
From third-parties, announcements included Unicorn Overlord, Contra: Operation Galuga, SaGa Emerald Beyond, and Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft.
We have the full recap of the show here, but for those that tuned in, what’d you think of the Nintendo Direct? What was your personal highlight? Let us know in the comments below.
More: highlight, Nintendo Direct, top
[Review] Mon-Yu
Posted on 7 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: September 21, 2023
Developer: Experience
Publisher: Aksys Games
If you’re a fan of anime or light novels, you’re probably familiar with the interesting trend of giving a series an overly long and descriptive sentence for a title. Mon Yu: Defeat Monsters and Gain Strong Weapons and Armor. You May Be Defeated, but Don’t Give Up, Become Stronger. I Believe There Will Be a Day When the Heroes Defeat the Devil King (hereafter referred to simply as just Mon-Yu for obvious reasons) is the latest in a long line of DRPGs from Experience, and has clearly been inspired by this trend in some ways, with its colorful chibi character art style suggesting a light-hearted, easygoing adventure to rid the world of evil. However, beneath this seemingly cheerful aesthetic lies a core of steel that cuts a little too sharply to be appealing.
More: Aksys Games, Experience, highlight, Mon-Yu, top
6 narrative-rich Switch indies we played at PAX West 2023
Posted on 7 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Features, Switch | 0 comments
We’ve already highlighted a ton of great games that we had the chance to demo at PAX West 2023, but some of the best titles at the show this year were ones that look to be experimenting with storytelling in new or compelling ways, often innovating with game mechanics too. Here are just a handful of narrative-rich games that we had the opportunity to play during Seattle’s big annual gaming expo – and if you’re a fan of particularly off-the-wall premises and presentation, you’ll have even more to look forward to.
[Preview] Rift of the Necrodancer – PAX West 2023
Posted on 7 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
It was all the way back at PAX Prime 2013 that Crypt of the Necrodancer – a very successful dungeon crawler rougelite with rhythm-based combat – first started getting widespread love. Upon its full release, the game became so highly acclaimed that the team behind it was eventually able to work with Nintendo on a Legend of Zelda-themed spinoff called Cadence of Hyrule. Back for another victory lap, developer Brace Yourself Games attended PAX West 2023 to show off their latest project, Rift of the Necrodancer. While it’s a much more traditional rhythm game than the developer’s previous experiments, my demo with Rift highlighted some interesting twists on the genre that I think will surprise even seasoned fans of the genre.
[Preview] Fashion Dreamer – PAX West 2023
Posted on 7 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
It’s a bit mind-boggling to think about, but somehow the Switch has gone its entire lifespan so far without receiving a Style Savvy game from Nintendo, despite getting three great titles in the series on the 3DS. Fortunately for fashion fans, XSEED Games and Marvelous are bringing a spiritual successor of sorts to the platform with Fashion Dreamer, a Switch exclusive that represents something of a new approach to the genre, emphasizing freeform play and social sharing in ways that just wouldn’t have been possible during the 3DS era.
More: Fashion Dreamer, highlight, marvelous, Syn Sophia, top, XSEED Games
[Review] Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils
Posted on 7 months ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 24, 2023
Developer: Colorgrave
Publisher: Colorgrave
Side-scrolling platformers are a classic genre – in fact, for many players they’re the first kind of game ever picked up. As a child in the 90s, my introduction to video games was a classic NES Mario title, and upon booting up Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils, I had a wave of nostalgia wash over me, reminding me of what games looked like when I was small. The intro sets up the back story just like what I was used to, and seeing character portraits and pixelated text felt like a blast from the past. The chiptune soundtrack made me crack a smile immediately. Diving a little deeper, I wanted to know if Curse Crackers was more than just an homage to bygone times, or if it could stand by games of the modern age.
5 lighthearted indies we demoed for Switch at PAX West 2023
Posted on 7 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
We played more games at PAX West this year than we have time to feature individually, but there were a ton of little surprises we had the chance to try that we’re looking forward to seeing on Switch. If you’re looking for some low-key games to unwind to after a busy day, here are five chill and relaxing games to keep an eye on!
