Overall the game still looks and plays fantastic (although to maximize your experience, please look into using a controller that isn’t the joycons, I would recommend anything from 8bitdo). My only hope is that this collection somehow finds its way to other platforms and that SNK vs Capcom Card Fighters Clash will eventually enter this line up. It’s always good to look back and thankfully SNK is willing to give some love to a platform who couldn’t surmount Nintendo’s portable juggernaut.

Again, to be totally fair, this is still a big step up from the last trivia game from these developers, so kudos to the binary company for making something a little more interesting this time out. But there’s still a massive gulf between “mildly interesting” and “worth playing”, and Save Farty is far, far too close to the former to be worth picking up.

I’m not saying that Loot Hero DX would be better if it was harder — given that the whole thing is built around killing monsters and picking up loot as quickly as possible, I’m not sure it would even be the same game if it was harder. But I am saying that, in this state, unless you feel like paying a couple of bucks just to get a few minutes of “gameplay” and a Platinum trophy, there’s not much reason to pick this game up.

Little Nightmares II is a wonderful follow-up to the original, and manages to feel similar yet unique. The world-building is amazing, the puzzles are simple but fun, the story is intriguing, everything adds up to a really great experience. Tarsier Studios has outdone themselves with Little Nightmares II, and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next.

It’s kind of weird to use that word, “derivative”, to describe a game where your character is a piece of uncooked pasta. But that’s just the world we live in. If Freddy Spaghetti had come out ten years ago, it might feel fresh and new, but now it just feels a little stale.

To be sure, it’s not perfect, and to enjoy Wrestling Empire you need to be willing to overlook a lot. Provided you can do that, however, you’ll find that you’ve got one of the most enjoyable wrestling games in years at your fingertips.

If the platforming were better, then Journey of the Broken Circle might just have challenged Thomas Was Alone for that “best platformer starring inanimate objects” crown. As it stands, it’ll simply have to settle for being a very, very good game.

All in all, I’ve really enjoyed my time with Persona 5 Strikers. I’ve played a whole lot of Dynasty Warriors and spin-off games in that genre, and I would argue that Persona 5 Strikers feels like one of the more unique takes on a Musou game that I’ve ever seen. It really, honestly feels like a full-fledged Persona sequel, in both story and combat, but with a heavier emphasis on action. Combining these two distinct flavors of video game franchises works exceptionally well here, and if you’re into either type of game, you’ll likely find something to love about Persona 5 Strikers.

If you don’t mind the narration and you’re able to get into the narrative, then you’ll probably delight in uncovering all the neat objects and stories this island and its inhabitants are hiding. For me, though? It never quite hits the mark. I Am Dead has some interesting ideas, and it executes on a lot of them, but taken as a whole, it’s just not as good as it could be.

When things start getting really explosive — which is to say, almost immediately — what you see is a game that’s a whole lot of fun. Destropolis may only do one thing, but it does that one thing very, very well.

The more time I spend with the title, the more my opinion changes of this game. I started off thinking this game is unnecessarily punishing (A multi-phase boss on the first level…really?) to this it is only hard if I’m not playing methodically. As I got into the upgrade system, the more I find myself hoping the random drops go a certain way (I do enjoy a Skul that can do passive damage or equipping projectile based skulls vs melee based builds). If you want a challenging rogue-like to start 2021, Skul: The Hero Slayer is definitely a viable option, if the Greek Pantheon isn’t your cup of tea.

Under the Jolly Roger is best described as so-so. As mobile ports go, I’ve certainly seen a lot worse, but if you want something deeper, keep looking (or, of course, just get Black Flag instead).

Visually and mechanically it will be a bit jarring for players who cut their teeth on the series with 0 and the 2 Kiwami games. However those who can forgive these shortcomings, this collection is still quite a value. With 3 titles whose play time can clock in around 20 hours each and even more if you indulge in the plethora of mini games and substories, it’s an absolute steal that the bundled price is $40. The value is even better as this package is available to members of Microsoft’s Game Pass program.

More Dark most definitely falls into the former camp: it’s not the worst game in the world, but it’s flawed enough it’s hard to enjoy it. Given all the other retro-flavoured puzzle-platformers out there that don’t feature lousy design choices, you’re probably better off skipping More Dark and playing something else instead.

Within its limited scope — its very, very, very limited scope — Writhe does alright for itself. There’s clearly something here to build on, and even if that doesn’t mean you should pick this game up now (wait for a very deep discount from its current $10 price), it does mean that eventually it might turn into something worthwhile.

If you’re in the mood for some retro-infused 2D ninja action, Cyber Shadow is highly recommended. It’s a really enjoyable experience, with an absolutely fantastic soundtrack, and certainly worth checking out on any available platform.

Sure, it’s overly serious, and sure, my experience had a few blips along the way, but ultimately, it allowed Agent 47 to do his thing — and finish up this part of his story — in a way that felt true to this reborn version of the series. It may not be my favourite entry in the series, but it’s a good way to finish things off, and for that reason, it’s well worth your time.

There’s something awfully satisfying about getting in a groove and answering question after question, and S.U.M. – Slay Uncool Monsters is built around allowing you to do just that. It never gets in its own way, which is a bigger achievement than many games can ever muster. Sure, it’s basically designed for Grade 2 students learning their times tables — but when it comes to S.U.M. – Slay Uncool Monsters, that’s the sort of nostalgia I can get behind.

What makes all of this especially strange is that you get the sense Tin & Kuna could’ve been a fun game if it had stayed out of its own way. It’s a bright, colourful world filled with fun-looking characters, and the level-based gameplay means it’s the sort of platformer you can drop into and out of easily. What’s more, the levels are a good size and feature a good amount of variety in their island landscapes, so under different circumstances, I could totally imagine wanting to explore every bit of the game’s little world. If it had been less ambitious — or even just made it so that you weren’t expected to roll one ball with another ball — it’s easy to imagine how the game’s charm could have made it a sleeper hit. But instead, Tin & Kuna is built around the most frustrating mechanic imaginable, and it’s impossible to enjoy as a result. It may look like a happy 3D platformer, but dig just below the surface, and you’ll see that it’s nowhere near as fun as it could be.

It would be amazing if Electro Ride was secretly intended to be a critique or polemic or something. But that’s giving it way too much credit. Instead, it’s just a boring racing game that tries to cover up its significant flaws with some pretty lights and a cool soundtrack. No matter how cool Electro Ride tries to look, it can’t hide the fact that its tracks are dull and its cars can’t drive straight.

I constantly found my attention drifting as I tried focusing on where a specific square landed when a cube exploded, or guiding one cube towards another cube on a path across other cubes. Cubes, cubes, and more cubes, and at no time does the game threaten to become interesting.

It doesn’t try or claim to be anything more than a basic Metroidvania-style platformer, and it delivers that. It’s just..it’s so basic, and so forgettable, it’s hard to feel very enthusiastic about anything here. If you want a game you can play for 2 hours, see everything it has to offer, and then never think about it again, Micetopia will deliver that, but it’s hard not to think that you should want a little more out of what you’re playing.

Of course, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t every bit as addicted to Roundout by POWGI as I am every other word and puzzle game that Lightwood has released. It may not be my new favourite game, but it’s still a solid enough word game that I’ve sunk a substantial amount of time into it already, and I’m quite sure that I’ll be sinking many, many hours more into it as I try to 100% the remaining puzzles too. If you’re the kind of person who loves thinking up word combinations to pass the time, then this is sure to be right up your alley as well.

There’s enough good stuff present in Cloudbase Prime that it’s not hard to imagine how the game could be reworked into something significantly better with just a few tweaks, but as it stands, it’s feels more like a promising demo than a fully fleshed-out game.

It doesn’t take long for it to become apparent that Even the Ocean is much more ambitious than your standard platformer, to the point that it goes beyond one genre. Luckily, the game is more than able to pull off the genre-bending. There aren’t too many other visual novel-adventure-RPG-platformers out there that I can think of, but I can confidently state that Even the Ocean makes a pretty solid case for why there should be more of them.

This is definitely not a classic collection of Space Invaders Games, but a mash-up of classic and modern that is underwhelming. I really can’t recommend this release at full price, but it would be a good one to grab if on sale for Space Invaders Xtreme alone. Sadly, this is one “Classic Game Collection” that can be skipped.

As someone who owned the original, It brings joy to heart that this game is once again made available to those who want it and on a platform which is a bit more evergreen than consoles *cough cough PC cough cough*. I will say that there are other titles people could’ve been enjoying if they wanted an excellent beat’em up experience (such as Fight’N Rage and River City Girls). Now if you’ll excuse me I need to find the cash I need to buy the bevy of physical edition of this title from….you guessed it, Limited Run Games. Cause they can’t delist it if you own the disc/cartridge!

All in all, I think Super Meat Boy Forever is a really great follow-up to the original game by Team Meat, but also understand that the auto-run mechanic may take some getting used to. If you’re willing to spend more than an hour with it, running through a handful of early stages and tackling the first boss encounter, I think you’ll start to feel the rhythm of the game, and come to appreciate the puzzle approach to the way the level chunks are designed. It’s a really satisfying experience and one that shouldn’t be missed in the post-holiday game release slump.