[Review] Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
Posted on 3 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: June 25, 2021
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Publisher: Activision
There’s a very specific vibe that permeates every second of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, out now on Nintendo Switch. I’d like to think it’s more than nostalgia – although I would be lying if early 2000’s skateboarding games didn’t hold a special place in my heart – but there’s just something romantic about grinding down a staircase at a California skatepark while Rage Against the Machine’s “Guerilla Warfare” blasts in the background. Having barely touched a skateboarding game since Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 on the GameCube, I was excited to see how this ground-up remake of two of the series’ highest-rated games would hold up on a handheld.
[Review] Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny
Posted on 3 years ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: June 29, 2021
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher: NIS America
Disgaea originally debuted in Japan back in 2003, with Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, which has seen re-release and a DS port. Each of the games adheres to series staples, with colorful underworld units and pixel graphics. They’re mostly managed in an underworld hub, with combat being experienced in a variety of levels and worlds, each with a distinct style. As a tactical roleplaying game, Disgaea has become a staple series in the genre, with multiple games, spin-offs, a manga series, and an anime under its belt. Diving in to the newest entry in the series, let’s see how it shapes up, shall we?
[Review] Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: The Official Videogame
Posted on 3 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: June 22, 2021
Developer: SEGA
Publisher: SEGA
Some people eat, sleep and breathe sports. I’m not one of those people, but even I can appreciate the Olympics and what they represent – the coming together of cultures, the excitement of seeing the best athletes in the world compete against each other, and of course, all of the associated spectacle. I decidedly do not enjoy, however, the decidedly average minigame collections that typically get churned out every few years to tie in with the event. That is why I’m thrilled to report that not only is Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: The Official Videogame an excellent Olympics game, but it is also one of the best pick-up-and-play sports games I’ve experienced in a long time.
[Review] LEGO Builder’s Journey
Posted on 3 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: June 22, 2021
Developer: Light Brick Studio
Publisher: LEGO System
LEGO has had a long history of making games in which their mini figures take center stage and are adapted for different licenses across film, television, books, and more. One of the biggest challenges, however, is that the bricks themselves can sometimes feel neglected. Light Brick Studio’s LEGO Builder’s Journey is the first brand new IP not only from the studio, but from the brand in quite some time. It aims to finally have the plastic bricks be recognized as a star of their own, giving us not only a game that provides ingenuity, but – much like the blocks themselves – creative freedom on how you place and manipulate the blocks as you carve and build a journey for yourself through a sequence of beautifully poetic puzzles and masterful narration through environmental storytelling.
[Review] Miitopia (Switch)
Posted on 3 years ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: May 21, 2021
Developer: Nintendo / Grezzo
Publisher: Nintendo
Miitopia is an adventure where you can insert yourself, your friends, your family, your boss, your favorite comedian…. really anyone into the game and adventure alongside them. Different roles are needed throughout the journey – kings, townsfolk, guards, terribly evil overlords. You get the gist. There are many faces that you’ll need to create, or if you want to you can stick to the default ones provided, but who wants to do that in a game where some of the best fun is had in beating up an iteration of your high school bully and making the hyper child in the starting town into your own little brother because it’s just the perfect fit for him? And so what if you make the king into the literal Henry the VIII? Plenty of people do that, I’m sure! Don’t let anything stop you. Insert your friends, insert your foes, and just have fun with it. This games shines most when you let go and embrace the silliness of it all.
[Review] Famicom Detective Club
Posted on 3 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: May 14, 2021
Developer: Mages / Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Plenty of video games have elements of mystery in their narrative – that feeling of unraveling something ambiguous can be a highly effective means to motivate a player to see the end of a story – but it takes something special to truly evoke the feeling that you are a real detective. It’s a feeling that I hadn’t really experienced in a game since L.A. Noire released, but I’m thrilled to report that both Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and its prequel game The Girl Who Stands Behind, excel at being compelling, immaculately produced mystery stories that I didn’t want to put down.
[Review] Maneater
Posted on 3 years ago by Campbell(@CampbellSGill) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: May 25, 2021
Developer: Tripwire Interactive
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive
Perhaps no creature in the animal kingdom has as much of a publicity problem as the humble shark. Relatively docile toward humans in real life, sharks have become murderous monsters in public opinion thanks to sensational media and bloody shark thrillers. Tripwire Interactive’s open-world action game Maneater gleefully plays with this idea, letting players take control of an obscenely bloodthirsty creature on a gruesome rampage against every living creature nearby. Although its gameplay may feel as shallow as its freshwater levels at times, an emphasis on campy violence means there is still some brutal fun to be had in this Switch rendition of the game.
More: highlight, Maneater, top, Tripwire Interactive
[Review] Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster
Posted on 3 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: May 25, 2021
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is an exhausting game. I don’t just mean exhausting in that it has a long name that I’m already tired of typing out, but rather, exhausting as an experience overall. Its world is bleak, barren and void of any semblance of hope for its inhabitants. Its gameplay, consisting almost entirely of archaic turn-based combat, can be unforgiving and occasionally opaque. And while the game has been given a small facelift for this 2021 rerelease, it largely embraces its PlayStation 2 origins and does little to modernize itself today’s audiences. Depending on what type of player you are, this may be enough to turn you off from the game entirely, but those who enjoy patiently unpacking a cryptic, challenging experience will likely find themselves deeply absorbed in Shin Megami Tensei III.
[Review] New Pokemon Snap
Posted on 3 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: April 30, 2021
Developer: Bandai Namco
Publisher: Nintendo
It’s been two decades after the original release of Pokemon Snap on Nintendo 64, and since then fans have been both nostalgic and petitioning for a worthy successor. Despite its failure, when the Wii U was Nintendo’s current console on the market, many were certain that a new entry would materialize as the GamePad seemed like the perfect controller for a truly next generation Pokemon Snap experience. New Pokemon Snap now finally sees the long awaited and almost mythical release of a sequel on Switch, and brings a slew of new features, replayability, and stunning graphics that lets us look at Pokemon in a way we’ve never seen them before. It lets players get up close and personal with their trusty cameras once again to take wondrous shots, all in the comfort of their own home or on the go instead of a Blockbuster.
More: Bandai Namco, highlight, New Pokemon Snap, top
[Review] Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition
Posted on 3 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: April 15, 2021
Developer: Chibig
Publisher: Chibig
Summer in Mara was one of the more recent games that took me by surprise in terms of how much I enjoyed it, as I really love the sense of serenity it offers with a small but playful map that gives just enough to keep things consistently fun – especially for the explorative types. Though Chibig is no stranger to game development, it was the first of their portfolio to hit consoles, and while the Switch version had a few quirks, it still retained what was most important without having to sacrifice much outside of some visual quality. Deiland may be new to some, but the game has technically been out since Chibig brought it to mobile in 2016. Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition on Switch now marks the third time it has been released, but as someone who’s played it briefly on mobile and then on PC just before the Switch version for the purposes of this review, this would also mark the third time Deiland has simply been… Deiland, with little between releases to feel like a sizeable update or enhancement from prior SKUs.
