[Review] Pokken Tournament DX
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 14 Comments
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.
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[Review] LEGO Worlds
Posted on 7 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in Reviews, Switch | 9 Comments
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.
More: highlight, LEGO Worlds, top, TT Games, Warner Bros. Interactive
[Review] Metroid: Samus Returns
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Reviews | 11 Comments
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.
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[Review] Monster Hunter Stories
Posted on 7 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Reviews | 12 Comments
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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[Review] Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Posted on 7 years ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in Reviews, Switch | 24 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 29, 2017
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bigger turnabout regarding the reception of a game than I have with Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. When the first major leak regarding Ubisoft’s newest Nintendo crossover game happened, the general reaction was one of confusion and general displeasure. That was the case up until Ubisoft’s E3 2017 press conference in June, where Mario + Rabbids was finally unveiled in full with the help of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto himself. That, compounded with a truly heartwarming moment from the game’s creative director Davide Soliani and the overall presentation of the game, quickly garnered new feelings of excitement and hope that Mario + Rabbids was something to look forward to. So, after months of anticipation, is Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle able to keep that feeling of hope and excitement alive, or does it leave us wishing the Rabbids would have just stayed home?
[Review] Sonic Mania
Posted on 7 years ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in Reviews, Switch | 14 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 15, 2017
Developer: Headcannon / PagodaWest Games
Publisher: SEGA
Sonic the Hedgehog is a series that’s both famous and infamous for many different reasons. In his hay-day, Sonic was perhaps the number one rival to Nintendo’s best known character, Mario. During Sonic’s early days on the SEGA Genesis, or the SEGA Mega Drive for those outside of the U.S., the Sonic the Hedgehog titles received high praise from all over game’s media, and was seen by most critics as SEGA’s answer to Mario’s popularity. This success continued throughout Sonic’s 2D era of games, with subsequent entries receiving just as much, if not more praise than the last. However, once SEGA decided to make the jump from 2D to 3D, opinions regarding the changes to the series’ core became a bit more polarizing. Some critics and fans regarded the changes as a necessity to move forward in-step with the evolving industry; while others felt that the series was straying too far from the its roots and was starting to water-down what made Sonic the Hedgehog appealing to begin with. Over the years, SEGA has attempted to bring the series back to its roots in several ways, but none have ever quite captured that same magic that fans were hoping for. That is, until Sonic Mania.
More: Headcannon, highlight, PagodaWest Games, SEGA, Sonic Mania, Tantalus, top
[Review] Hey! Pikmin
Posted on 7 years ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in 3DS, Reviews | 9 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: July 28, 2017
Developer:: Arzest
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre-altering spinoffs are not an entirely new concept in the gaming world, especially when it comes to Nintendo. Sometimes taking an existing IP and changing its genre and play style can breathe new life into a series; other times (more often than not it seems) it can work against the franchise and can leave fans of a certain series wanting a bit more than what was presented. In Hey! Pikmin for the 3DS, we see Nintendo and developer Arzest try and introduce those adorable sentient carrots and our intrepid, inter-galactic delivery man to Nintendo’s handheld. While Hey! Pikmin has plenty of the same charm that the mainline console Pikmin titles have, it lacks the depth and strategy that fans have come to admire the series for.
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[Review] Miitopia
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 8 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: July 28, 2017
Developer:: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Miis have seen a long history of games and appearances ranging from party titles like Wii Play and Wii Sports to spinoff Mario titles such as Mario Kart and Mario Tennis. Now from a fancy island resort in 2013’s quirky Tomodachi Life to the fantasy wonderlands of an RPG, Miitopia sees Nintendo’s Mii avatars come front and center once again on the 3DS. Miitopia builds ground and gives Miis a more robust experience compared to the simulator nature of Tomodachi Life, but it falls short in many areas to really make this a game worth owning, even if it is just as fun and absurd as one would expect from a Mii driven title – for better or for worse.
[Review] Splatoon 2
Posted on 7 years ago by Vincent Ward in Reviews, Switch | 17 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: July 21, 2017
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
One of the best things about the original Splatoon when it first rolled onto store shelves a few years back was how it was never afraid to be itself. When creating a new IP, Nintendo didn’t choose to play it safe and instead provided completely new gameplay we had never seen before and a booming world to dive into like no other. It’s no wonder fans took an immediate liking to the concept, and throughout its near two years of support, players kept coming back. It makes perfect sense that Nintendo rolled out a sequel just in time for the Switch’s first year to put a “fresh” IP in the spotlight once again, but does this sequel provide enough to justify the 2, or does it provide “2” little?
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[Review] Ever Oasis
Posted on 7 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Reviews | 39 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: June 23, 2017
Developer:: Grezzo
Publisher: Nintendo
At E3 last year, Nintendo showcased a brand new 3DS game from Grezzo. An action RPG curated by the team that gave us the Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask remakes, Ever Oasis gives us a look into the developer’s own original ideas and concepts and very much showcases what they can do. Is this creative idea enough to revive life into the 3DS, or should everybody find their own oasis back on the Switch?