More remakes please, Nintendo
Posted on 1 year ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Features, Switch | 0 comments
Historically speaking, I’m someone who has long turned my nose up at the industry practice of repackaging something old and passing it off as new. In my mind, the best games have always been transformative experiences that focus on innovating – whether via a new IP in a familiar genre, or an established franchise being taken in an unexpected direction (or, heaven forbid, something new entirely). Even before remakes became the game industry’s golden goose, the deluge of seen-it-before sequels and risk averse, rinse and repeat game design had me reasonably fatigued with the state of things. When I consider the games I have enjoyed the most over the last few months then, I’m scratching my head – because they’re all remakes.
Super Mario Movie final trailer, Level-5’s new games, breaking Wii Us, and more | Nintendo Everything Refresh Ep. 047
Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in General Nintendo, Podcast, Switch, Wii U | 0 comments
This past week’s Nintendo Direct wasn’t focused on games, but it did give us a detailed look at the one thing we all wanted to see – Mario’s Boots (oh, and a new Super Mario Movie trailer). In this week’s episode of Nintendo Everything Refresh, your hosts Nick, Nicolas, Dennis and Luiz will also talk about the most interesting games shown off during various virtual events this week, including Level 5’s MASSIVE slate of releases (Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, DecaPolice and more!). Stick around for some conversation about Wii U’s that are mysteriously breaking, the new RoboCop game, and more!
[Review] Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: March 9, 2023
Developer: Koei Tecmo
Publisher: Nintendo
After a whopping 15 years, the fourth mainline entry in the Fatal Frame franchise is finally accessible for English-speaking players for the first time, and as such, the release of Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse feels like something of an event for horror fans. These games have long been singular experiences, possessing a unique weight that is felt in each footstep, each click of a camera shutter, each piece of unsettling lore. I was excited to finally have a chance to experience this acclaimed piece of horror history on a modern platform, and to see why fans have been begging for a localization for so long. While I enjoyed unraveling the weaving, sinister story threads of Mask of the Lunar Eclipse and soaking in its atmosphere, the game’s unrefined pacing and desperate need for extra polish should make casual horror fans pause.
[Review] Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
Posted on 1 year ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: March 9, 2023
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
In the realm of horror, the genre has numerous ways to latch onto the viewer, player, or reader in ways that most other genres wouldn’t. That sense of mystery that comes from being unable to discern what it is that haunts piques a level of curiosity that keeps the one consuming the media involved and captivated, and Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo does an incredible job of getting players in an engrossing story that never overstays its welcome and gets to-the-point in a matter of minutes. On Switch, especially the OLED, the game shines despite its dark colors and atmosphere, and Square Enix has done a tremendous job in creating a unique visual novel that can be up there with the genre’s greats.
[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – March 2023
Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
A new month started up last week. Now that we’re in March, we want to know what you’ve been playing.
Have you been interested in some of the more recent releases like Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, Metroid Prime Remastered, or Octopath Traveler II? Going through an older game in your backlog? No matter the case, let us know in the comments.
[Review] Session: Skate Sim
Posted on 1 year ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 9, 2023
Developer: Crea-ture Studios
Publisher: Nacon
For a lapsed real-world skateboarder like myself, Session: Skate Sim is a sobering reality check. Back in 2020, Activision’s Tony Hawk’s remake momentarily convinced me that I had the skills to recommit to the sport – that within a few weeks I’d be busting out Tre Flips with the best of them. If only I had been given access to Session: Skate Sim back then, so that I could be brought back down to earth and reminded of just how achingly difficult skateboarding really is. Upon casting your eye over Session for the first time, you may be fooled into thinking that it follows in the footsteps of EA’s Skate franchise. In reality this game is to Skate what actually going outside and skateboarding is to sitting on the couch and thinking about it. It’s incredibly hard. Session: Skate Sim comes to us Switch owners at the end of a long Early Access run on other platforms. Following years of iterative patches and improvements, the game has now reached its version 1.0 milestone. Unfortunately, the game we’ve been landed with feels anything but finished.
Ranking Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Wave 4 DLC tracks
Posted on 1 year ago by Tom in Features, Switch, Videos | 0 comments
Wave 4 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass was just released, so Sam and I got together to do a tier list to see if the new tracks stand up to scrutiny.
The Wave 4 DLC included two cups – the Fruit Cup and Boomerang Cup. The former featured four tracks: Amsterdam Drift from Mario Kart Tour, Riverside Park from Mario Kart Super Circuit, DK Summit from Mario Kart Wii, and the brand new course, Yoshi’s Island. The Boomerang Cup also includes four tracks: Bangkok Rush from Mario Kart Tour, Waluigi Stadium from Mario Kart Double Dash, Mario Circuit from Mario Kart DS, and Singapore Speedway from Mario Kart Tour. Birdo returned alongside the new cups, the first roster addition we’ve seen from the Booster Course Pass.
More: highlight, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, top
Scarlet/Violet DLC, Pokemon Sleep, new Mario Kart 8 DLC tracks, and more | Nintendo Everything Refresh Ep. 046
Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Podcast, Switch | 0 comments
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet may still be in rough technical shape for some players, but that didn’t stop Game Freak from announcing a wave of new expansions last week for these controversial (but still widely loved) games. In this week’s episode of Nintendo Everything Refresh, your hosts Nick and Nicolas will chat about the announcements from the recent Pokémon Presents showcase, including a new Poké Ball-style accessory that you are seriously supposed to sleep with, and a freshly announced Pokémon TV series. We’ll also discuss the upcoming Wave 4 of tracks for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the launch of Metroid Fusion on Switch Online, and much more!
[Review] Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release Date: February 24, 2023
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
The original Wii launch of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land has always felt like a particularly important game for the franchise; at the time it released, it had been in development in some form for over a decade, after multiple attempts at creating a new mainline Kirby game never reached fruition. That’s a big part of the reason why Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, a remaster of the 2011 original, feels like such a fitting way to wrap up the pink puffball’s 30th anniversary celebrations – it’s a testament to just how much the franchise has grown and evolved since then. But how well does this classic Kirby game hold up after all these years, and is the new content added into this remaster strong enough to justify a full-price rerelease?
[Review] Digimon World: Next Order
Posted on 1 year ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: February 22, 2023
Developer: Hyde
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Six years into the Switch’s lifecycle, it’s still the go-to destination for ports and bringing older, potentially forgotten games into a more modern setting and for a wider audience. Digimon World: Next Order adds itself to that list, giving it another chance to shine following the positive reception to Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth and Digimon Survive. With the Digimon World brand having been around since 1999 in Japan, Next Order brings the 2017 title from PlayStation 4 and PS Vita to a Nintendo system. Though Digimon has always been a flexible property and taken on almost every genre under the sun, Digimon World stood by as a fond memory for decades for fans, but Next Order in 2017 didn’t necessarily point the series or the property in the right direction. Now in 2022, we’re meant to revisit a game that, while fun, is just too subpar at best to really warrant paying full price all over again.
