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.

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[Review] Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions

Posted on 7 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Reviews | 2 Comments

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.

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[Review] Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 19 Comments

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.

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[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.

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[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?

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[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.

Reviews

[Review] Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth

Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 3 Comments