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System: Switch
Release date: March 10, 2022
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix


It takes some guts to release a Switch-exclusive kart racer on the same platform that houses the sales juggernaut that is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe; it takes even more guts to ape Nintendo’s kart racer so closely at a mechanical level that comparisons will be all but inevitable. Chocobo GP is the latest entry in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy-themed series of racing games, and it tries to set itself apart from the competition by including a fully-voiced story mode, a unique approach to power-ups, and oodles of Final Fantasy charm. Unfortunately, the slim track count and safe but unremarkable racing mechanics makes Chocobo GP feel inessential at best.

sea of stars preview

Sabotage Studio brought us The Messenger back in 2018, and was quick to launch a Kickstarter for its next project, Sea of Stars. With a team that has grown from 7 to 25 strong, the game has been in the works since 2017. We were recently invited to sit in on a playthrough of a section of the game, and to have a casual chat with the studio about their latest endeavor. As before, this new project boasts detailed pixel graphics that truly bring their world alive, but what sets Sea of Stars apart from it’s predecessor the most is not the use of more colors, but the changeover of genres into the turn-based RPG realm of gaming.

Atelier Sophie 2 review

System: Switch
Release date: February 25, 2022
Developer: Gust
Publisher: Koei Tecmo


While the Atelier series continues to grow and bring in fans both new and old with each new colorful outing, protagonist, and luscious worlds we find ourselves on a journey with, there has also been a resurgence in some of its more seminal titles that helped bring the series to where it is today. With so many entries, characters, and overlapping stories set within particular worlds, each brings its own flavor and personality to the table. One such installment of the many Ateliers centers around Sophie Neuenmuller, the star of Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book. While games within the franchise have all been standalone, some of them have also followed a certain theme and world that they share. Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream now brings Sophie back into the spotlight and tries to offer a conclusion to the answers she was still looking for years ago. Not only does everything look great in this new engine, but it’s the most well-optimized and beautiful Atelier game to date on Switch, also containing some of the cleanest interfaces, polished battles, and vibrant worlds yet.

Despite it being a weekend, a pretty big Nintendo-related presentation took place today. Pokemon Presents is something we’ve seen previously, but it made a return again for Pokemon Day.

It goes without saying that Pokemon Scarlet / Violet was the biggest announcement of the show, closing out the presentation. Gen 9 is here, and it’s bringing along an open-world with it. We also got a new update for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Shaymin’s appearance in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl, Alola Pokemon for Pokemon GO, and more. You can catch up on all of the news here.

What are your thoughts on the Pokemon Presents video that aired earlier today? How do you feel about Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet thus far? Let us know in the comments below. 

Should Nintendo ever use dual screens again?

This may sound like a strange question, but after looking back on Nintendo consoles in the recent past, we know that the concept was used three times. Switch then represented the end of that trend, but could the idea could come back in the future?

In today’s video, I discuss the pros and cons of dual screen gameplay and, in the process, try to figure out if it is an idea that Nintendo should revisit in the future. You can check out the video down below.

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Pokemon Presents live stream February 2022

It’s officially Pokemon Day, and The Pokemon Company is celebrating with a special February 2022 live stream known as Pokemon Presents. Today’s 14-minute presentation will deliver the latest news about the franchise. As a reminder, it will go live at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 2 PM in the UK / 3 PM in Europe.

We’ve included today’s live stream for the February 2022 Pokemon Presents below. Any notable news and announcements will be posted on the site as they’re made known. We’ll have coverage during the event and a bit after as well.

[Review] Monark

Posted on 2 years ago by in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments

monark review

System: Switch
Release date: February 22, 2022
Developer: Lancarse
Publisher: NIS America


The air hangs thick with mist, the shrouded school halls hard to navigate in the ever-present haze. You don’t remember anything. Not your name, your grade, or anything about what caused this to happen. You descend the stairs to clean air and students like yourself attempting to remain calm. Panic does no one any good, after all. The Shin Mikado Academy is enshrouded in a mysterious barrier, and its going to take a lot of work to get to the bottom of this ordeal in Monark.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires review

System: Switch
Release date: February 15, 2022
Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Koei Tecmo


Around four years ago to the date, Dynasty Warriors 9 released globally and introduced a new perspective for the franchise with an open world format, though the feature seemed partially unnecessary. It was a neat idea that was unfortunately poorly implemented and left a bad taste in a lot of players’ mouths. Could an Empires edition – which many thought would be skipped – be able to unlock the original game’s potential? I truly believe that was the plan, and though this is a version that’s packed with all the content and changes Dynasty Warriors 9 spent years building post-launch, Empires is just a stripped down reminder that the title had a lot of its issues deep-rooted in its foundation that simply can’t be changed by adding more stuff as a distraction, and to make matters worse, the Switch version is borderline unplayable with how it runs.

There’s a huge contrast between Xenoblade position as a series today and twelve years ago when it started. Early on in the series, Nintendo didn’t even consider releasing the first game in North America, which led to the creation of “Operation Rainfall” – a campaign in which fans asked for the western release of 3 Wii games, including Xenoblade Chronicles.

Well, things are very different right now. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was just announced and the level of popularity has increased considerably. Taking all of this into consideration, I discuss the good place that Xenoblade is in right now and why Nintendo is promoting the series so much. You can check out the video down below.

One of the big pieces of Nintendo news this week concerns the eShop, as in one way, the digital store will be ending on both Wii U and 3DS. Starting in late March 2023, it will be closing down for business on these platforms. New purchases will no longer be possible.

Many Wii U and 3DS games have made their way over to Switch, but a ton have also stayed behind. That means a lot of hidden gems will be left behind without a way for new players to get their hands on them once March 2023 rolls by.

With that in mind, we want to hear about some of your top picks that you’d suggest Wii U and 3DS owners should pick up. Are there any particular games you feel flew under the radar? Let us know in the comments below.

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