Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 9 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: January 28, 2025
Developer: Compile Heart
Publisher: Idea Factory
Pick up any JRPG and the chances are good that one of the first enemies you’ll encounter on your adventure will be some kind of slime. The gelatinous mass of vaguely sentient ooze has been an unspoken staple of the genre since its foundation, but it is still often little more than a stepping stone on our heroes’ journey to greatness. The Neptunia series variation of this creature is the Dogoo, and it has usually served much the same role as an early game encounter that you quickly forget about. Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos puts the questionably adorable canine-based blobs in a more active role, and unfortunately the result is about what you would expect if you ran over a small blob with a motorcycle.
Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 9 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: January 23, 2025
Developer: Aspyr
Publisher: Aspyr
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, many of the long-standing franchises that now dominate the industry were either still in their infancy, or hadn’t even been conceived yet. Consequently, there was significantly less choice for the young gamer when compared to modern times. But one thing we did not suffer from a lack of, and which filled that empty void, was movie tie-ins. With the release of The Phantom Menace, there were few franchises as ripe for exploitation on this front as Star Wars, and over the course of the mid-to-late-2000s we were bombarded with video game adaptations and spin-offs of the still highly divisive prequel trilogy. Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is an unfortunate example of the less civilized part of that age.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 9 months ago by Taioh in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: January 30, 2025
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher: NIS America
Few games have left a lasting impression quite like Phantom Brave, the tactical JRPG developed by Nippon Ichi Software. Released over twenty years ago, the original title earned a devoted following for its unique blend of free-range combat, touching storytelling, and unforgettable characters. Now, after years of anticipation, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is set to deliver the next chapter in this beloved series. With a modern twist on the classic formula, this sequel aims to honor its predecessor while introducing a new generation of fans to the enchanting world of Ivoire.
Tales of Graces f Remastered review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 9 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: January 17, 2025
Developer: Bandai Namco
Publisher: Bandai Namco
As a long-time fan of the Tales series I was excited when Bandai Namco announced the Tales of Series 30th Anniversary Remastered Project, which promised to bring the older titles to modern systems and, hopefully, finally make it a more accessible series. As the games have hopped between platforms over the years, and either haven’t been released outside of North America or in some cases been localized at all, there are still several I haven’t had the opportunity to play. Tales of Graces was originally released on the Wii, but didn’t make its way to western audiences until the PS3 re-release, Tales of Graces f, which added a new epilogue chapter to the story and various quality-of-life improvements. Tales of Graces f Remastered brings this version to the Nintendo Switch and, barring a single glaring flaw, does so with (dare I say it) style and grace.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 9 months ago by Ethan in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: January 16, 2025
Developer: Forever Entertainment / Retro Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
With all the buzz around the new Nintendo Switch 2, it’s easy to forget that Donkey Kong Country Returns HD released on the same day of the big reveal. The original game released on Wii way back in 2010 and was praised for bringing the series back into the limelight for the first time in over ten years. Three years later, the game was ported to Nintendo 3DS where it received additional content in the form of brand new post-game levels. Now it’s 2025, and Donkey Kong has returned for a third time – and at full price to boot. Is Donkey Kong Country Returns HD a worthy Nintendo Switch remaster, and how does it stack up to its original release and 3DS port? And perhaps more importantly, how does it hold up against its sequel, which is also available on the console?
Freedom Wars Remastered review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 9 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: January 10, 2025
Developer: Dimps
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Despite the overwhelming and uncontested success of the Nintendo 3DS, I have always felt as though Sony gave up on the PlayStation Vita far too soon, and Freedom Wars is a fine illustration of this point. Originally released in 2014, the game went on to become one of the most successful first-party published titles for the system in Japan and easily filled the void left by the departure of Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise to Nintendo systems. With its post-apocalyptic dystopian setting, more detailed narrative, and varied mission structure that went beyond simply hunting large single targets over and over again, it felt like the next step for hunting-style action RPGs, limited only by its chosen platform. Playing through the game again over a decade later, Freedom Wars Remastered holds up surprisingly well.
More: Bandai Namco, Freedom Wars Remastered, highlight, top
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 10 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: January 7, 2024
Developer: Falcom
Publisher: Marvelous
Despite arguably being dethroned as Falcom’s flagship series over the years by the Trails series, Ys has nonetheless seen a rising amount of success since the release of Lacrimosa of Dana. The standalone nature of the games make it an easy series to jump onto at any point, and although it’s a difficult series to access in its entirety outside of PC ports thanks to several of the games being decades old and trapped on outdated platforms, it’s gradually making its way onto modern consoles through remakes and remasters. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is the latest chapter in Adol’s expansive adventures to come to Nintendo Switch, and is another strong instalment despite its age and notably different gameplay style from its successors.
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 10 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: December 10, 2024
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Aspyr
One of many series that I have mourned the loss of over the last two decades is Legacy of Kain. After the disastrous Nosgoth spinoff was cancelled and the IP was passed back and forth over the years with various acquisitions, it seemed to be a series that would be eventually forgotten about. The Soul Reaver duology received widespread critical acclaim at the time of their release, and even though this was 25 years ago, their resurrection on the Nintendo Switch as Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered shows that time has done little to dull what made them such noteworthy titles when they were first released.
Fantasian Neo Dimension review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 10 months ago by Taioh in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: December 5, 2024
Developer: Mistwalker
Publisher: Square Enix
After talk of retiring with the original release of Fantasian on Apple Arcade in 2021, Hironobu Sakaguchi, previously of Square Enix’s golden age of RPGs, has decided that he’s not quite ready to stop doing what he loves. As a joint project between his studio, Mistwalker, and Square Enix, Sakaguchi’s latest effort brings us Fantasian Neo Dimension – an enhanced full release of the RPG. While the game was already seeing acclaim on mobile, this new version takes it to new platforms with improved features, making the experience more accessible than ever. If you’ve been curious about Fantasian but had no avenue to play it due to its Apple Arcade prison sentence, now’s your chance to finally dive into this unique RPG.
More: Fantasian, highlight, Mistwalker, Square Enix, top
MySims: Cozy Bundle review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 11 months ago by Edan in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 19, 2024
Developer: EA
Publisher: EA
When is a “cozy” game not, in fact, a cozy game? EA’s surprise re-release of the Wii-era MySims games for Nintendo Switch is a curious case of historical revisionism, given that both the original game and its follow-up MySims: Kingdom both pre-date the term by at least a decade. Nevertheless, the original games’ twee 2000’s aesthetic and alleged cozy credentials have merited a quick and dirty remaster job for the Nintendo’s hybrid. Nostalgic pull aside, the awkward holdovers that come with Wii Remote controls, and stiff competition within the genre dull the franchise’s grand re-appearance.
