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Reviews

System: Switch
Release date: November 17, 2017
Developer: Two Tribes
Publisher: Two Tribes


In RIVE, you control a spider-mech that is piloted by a loud mouthed, raunchy captain as he tries to escape a space warehouse that constantly pours threat after threat his way. As far as story- that’s as much as you’re going to get, aside from awkward one-liners and poor pop culture references. The story never grows into much more than that, but that’s completely fine. A game like RIVE doesn’t need a huge encompassing tale to keep you invested, just the quick paced action of the 7ish hour campaign will keep you invested enough.

System: Switch
Release date: November 14, 2017
Developer: Ludosity
Publisher: Nicalis


Years after Ludosity’s well-received Ittle Dew back in 2013 on Steam before making its way to consoles about a year later, Ittle Dew 2+ is here and makes its way over to the Switch, offering fans of top-down dungeon crawlers and old-school Zelda players something to look forward to, and a sequel that finds itself just as wildly charming and humorous as it was the first time around. The game brings with it some new treats that make it feel like a fresh, albeit familiar, new adventure for our protagonists Ittle Dew and Tippsie.

System: Switch
Release date: October 24, 2017
Developer: PolyKid
Publisher: Alliance Digital Media


Poi is a tribute to the nearly forgotten exploratory 3D platformer. Nearly, that is, if 2017 hadn’t seen a sudden resurgence of the genre with Yooka-Laylee, A Hat in Time and, of course, Super Mario Odyssey. Poi isn’t inventive – it’s nostalgic to a fault. It hasn’t made strides to progress past Super Mario 64’s game flow of hub world-to-level-to-hub world. Even within that flow there aren’t many ideas or mechanics that haven’t already been thoroughly explored in past 3D Mario games, to the point where Poi stop being referential and becomes just plain derivative. Taken on these terms the game isn’t remarkable, but it’s not trying to be remarkable. It’s a throwback.

System: 3DS
Release date: October 17, 2017
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus


Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth makes its numbered return since Legends of the Titan released back in 2013 for North American 3DS owners and brings with it a fresh new outlook while retaining the series’ staple of creating your own characters and telling yet another story of Yggdrasil, for better or for worse. While I’m a firm believer that Etrian Odyssey is one of the best dungeon RPGs around, if not the one currently leading the pack, Etrian Odyssey V also reminds me that while the classic mode is perfectly fine, the lack of any significant story makes for an overall grindy and unrewarding experience that doesn’t have exciting enough gameplay to make up for it.

System: 3DS
Release date: October 6, 2017
Developer: AlphaDream
Publisher: Nintendo


For many of us, Mario titles were the games we fell in love with growing up. Whether you were raised on the NES, N64, or even playing the more recent releases like Super Mario 3D World on Wii U, it’s likely you have some fond memories. For me, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was that game. I remember the very concept of having a game this large in my pocket with me everywhere I went fascinated me all that time ago, and to hear that Nintendo is finally looking back on it with a glorious remodel filled my heart with joy. As someone who has already completed Superstar Saga several times over, I was a bit concerned about this new look being enough to buckle me in for a revisit. Yet thanks to some new additions, a trip down memory lane was definitely worth it.

System: Switch
Release date: September 22, 2017
Developer: Dimps
Publisher: Bandai Namco


The illustrious Dragon Ball franchise by the brilliant mind of Akira Toriyama still goes strong today over 30 years later thanks to its unforgettable characters, world, and expansions into realms of other media such as films, video games, and more, including its brand new anime follow-up Dragon Ball Super. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 takes the core concept and canon of the series and adds a twist to it, giving players a “what if” scenario by having them right the wrongs of altered history as a Time Patroller – a character which you’ll create before starting the game to serve as your primary avatar on your journey through time. Unlike other titles that have you reliving the show, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 feels like a fresh take on the series.

System: Switch
Release date: September 22, 2017
Developer:: Bandai Namco
Publisher: Nintendo


In what feels like an annual tradition now, Pokken Tournament will be making another debut following its initial 2015 release in arcades, then 2016 for Wii U, and now in 2017 on Switch. While the Wii U version was missing a few Pokemon from the arcade version for whatever reason, the game itself presented a fun and unique take on mixing great elements from Tekken and Soulcalibur and infusing them with the world of Pokemon. For fighting fans and Pokemon enthusiasts, it was a great game to own and add to your Wii U library, and, while not entirely robust, certainly kept the attention and fun for a while following its release. The Switch port, Pokken Tournament DX, aims to be the “deluxe”, or definitive, version of the game much like how Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is. But unlike Mario Kart 8 Deluxe where it felt like a genuine upgrade on Switch riding its way from the Wii U, Pokken Tournament DX fails to deliver any plausible reason to jump in for round 2 unless you didn’t own a Wii U or skipped out the first time around.

System: Switch
Release date: September 5, 2017
Developer: TT Games
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive


Minecraft stole the market for the kind of LEGO game that as a kid, I, and I’m sure many others dreamed of. LEGO was my go-to toy, but those bricks are expensive. It only takes one missing piece or one wrong brick color to throw a whole construction project off. At least for a kid who was a little too detail obsessed.

System: 3DS
Release date: September 15, 2017
Developer: MercurySteam / Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo


Samus Aran has a long history with the video games and is easily one of the most iconic and recognizable characters of all time. But unfortunately, the famous bounty hunter along with the Metroid series itself have been mostly dormant for quite a while. However, now Samus is back, and it feels incredible to have her at the forefront once again. Even if Metroid: Samus Returns is just a remake and not a brand new title, beggars can’t be choosers, and I can promise that everything the game has to offer touches base with everything we’ve wanted from a classic Metroid title for a long time while remaining fresh and feeling contemporary in its mechanics, gameplay, progression, and world.

System: 3DS
Release date: September 8, 2017
Developer: Capcom / Marvelous
Publisher: Nintendo


To be quite frank, Monster Hunter Stories came as a surprise to me. I didn’t look too much into what the game was before trying it out, because with all my previous Monster Hunter experience I should be fine, right? Upon starting the game, I only knew fragments of information from the announcement trailer. But once my time with Monster Hunter Stories began, the game subverted my expectations, and it became clear that this wasn’t such a bad thing.


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