Yoshi and the Mysterious Book continues the tradition of cute platformers that Nintendo's iconic green dinosaur has made his calling card. Unfortunately, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is less a platformer and more a bloated, drawn-out homework assignment.
Sadly, the combat in Chronic Blunt Punch is so bland and lifeless, and is an absolute technical nightmare. Fans of View Askewniverse will likely crack a smile at the game's absurd story, but that's where the good times come to an end.
In many ways, it's a step backwards and makes the franchise's most defining feature feel like a throwaway. It also just feels so bad to play, and if you were even a casual fan of Legacy of Kain back in the day, there's not much here I can really recommend outside of hearing Michael Bell and Simon Templeman again.
Blightstone has a solid, strong foundation in terms of its combat and battle mechanics. The use of environmental hazards and interactive battle arenas is what helps the game stand out. The rest of the game feels like something of a slog, however, with some harsh RNG and an inconsistent pace that makes Blightstone feel like it can't get out of the blocks. There's something fun hidden here, but it is sadly overshadowed by a game that feels more interested in punishing you for simple things than allowing you to learn.
The games themselves have aged rather poorly, with somewhat basic combat and a game world that is determined to tell you what to do at every turn. So long as you don't mind dealing with some oddball design choices and long-winded stories, you could get a lot of enjoyment out of this unique, albeit flawed, Mega Man card game.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to recommend it to series veterans, as there's nothing here beyond the performance upgrades as far as new content goes. The performance upgrades are pretty good, and come in at a fair price of five bucks, but unless you've got another 50 hours to kill, you'll be doing just as well replaying it on the original Switch.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition isn't going to break any new ground or change the world, but if you're looking to get a spiffy upgrade for your new machine, it's potentially worth diving into. If you're tired of the desert island theme, though, there's absolutely nothing here that will remedy that.
Gothic 1 Remake reinvents a timeless PC classic from the 2000s, and does so in a way that's bound to be controversial. The original Gothic was already a game that aged rather poorly, so remaking it in such a faithful way is admirable, but leaves the game without the ability to become what it could be.
Octopath Traveler 0 introduces a new town building system to its endless turn-based battles, but doesn't innovate much outside of that. Combat feels fun and powerful, but with this being the fourth game in the series, it could use a touch up. In the end, Octopath Traveler 0 is an incredibly enjoyable JRPG, but one that feels like it's just spinning its wheels at this point. Town building is fun, but ultimately shallow.
The oddball staff members at the asylum are full of charm, and the patients are just as endearing. It struggles with some unfortunate design choices and some unusual bugs in the menus, but is overall worth a bit of your time.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is not the next-generation evolution of the franchise that you've been waiting for. And while that is disappointing, these spin-off titles have done a pretty good job of creating fun little diversions that will tide you over until the next mainline game. If you're expecting voice acting and a compelling story, you'll be disappointed, but the appeal of catching and battling with Pokémon is still a decent adventure worth undertaking.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes feels like a genuine, honest extension of the cult favorite 2004 television show. It perfectly captures the dark, unrelenting tone of hopelessness that the TV show became known for. The hectic space combat has a fun, brisk pace to it that never overstays its welcome, and it is brilliantly balanced by more human moments with the crew on your ship. It doesn't necessarily reinvent the wheel for the roguelite genre, but if you're a fan of the franchise, this is going to be a game that will make you quite happy.
If you've been exploring the series for the first time thanks to the remasters, you're getting one of the most outstanding mainline titles in the franchise, and a deep dive into what made this game so special to begin with.
Tingus Goose is a bizarre experience all around. Thankfully, it embraces its own oddities, and that's the type of weird I can get behind. If you've ever played games like Lemmings, you'll feel right at home with it. The challenge of creating a Rube Goldberg machine to guide the Tingus to the destination, while gaining as much cash as possible, is an intriguing gameplay loop that is hard to put down.
But if you're a Zelda fan looking for a fix until the next mainline entry comes along, Age of Imprisonment is a worthy adventure worth undertaking.
MARVEL MaXimum Collection brings together some heavy hitters from the 1990s in terms of comic book video games. Featuring six titles across thirteen total versions, this superheroic collection is a wave of nostalgia that is well worth the price of admission if you've ever been a fan of Marvel Comics. The games are a blast, and it also features some excellent bonus content. Online appears to be rather dead, unfortunately, so keep that in mind before you jump in.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a brilliant, majestic recreation of one of the PS1-era's most beloved JRPGs. Armed with an effortlessly charming diorama art style, impeccable music and an incredible combat system, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is simply breathtaking. There is a bit of a misfire in terms of the voices and how oddly long some of the line deliveries are, but this is a JRPG of such immense quality and care, that skipping it would not be advised. You simply can't miss out on this loving tribute to Dragon Quest's historic past.
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II is a slick, compelling tactical action RPG that focuses on hectic, chaotic combat and building out a world with genuine conflict. Each faction has its own unique feel to it, and you'll certainly want to experience both of them. There's not a ton that Mechanicus II is doing to stand out in a crowded genre, but the compelling world of Warhammer and smooth combat more than make up for that. Warhammer fans absolutely must check it out immediately, but newcomers to the franchise are also going to have a great time.
Invincible VS is a brilliantly brutal extension of the comic and Amazon Prime cartoon, offering up visceral, fluid battling and a genuinely entertaining single-player mode. The AI feels incredibly smart, adjusting its strategies mid-fight and creating a fluid pace for combat. It is missing a few key actors, but everyone does such a wonderful job, it doesn't hurt that badly. If you're looking for a way to pass the time until season 5 of the show hits in 2027, Invincible VS is a bloody good time.
The bosses are a little weak, and it is a bit on the shorter side of the JRPG spectrum at twenty hours, but I feel like that's a genuine strength of the game. If you've never played Ys before, this is a great entry point for any newcomer.