NGMAN1987

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

I bought this as I was pretty dissatisfied with Mario Kart World. And my gosh, this is the most fun I’ve had with a video game in such a long time. It’s a game I didn’t know I needed until i played it. It captures the true embodiment of what a video game should be, fun and accessible with optional depth if you wanted to master it. My GOTY

Absolutely brutal strategic warfare. Fans of tactical RPGS and Darkest Dungeon will love this. I will say, there is a very slow learning curve. I’ve been playing for 150hrs and still consider myself a noob. I’m going to attempt my first Ironman run now I’ve got the basics. You will get attached to your brothers and you will either lose them altogether or they will at least lose a limb. 0 handholding

The Good: -Nice 2d Bloodborne-like -Nice visuals and animations -Fully voice acted -Weapons are cool -Really cool map and some decent level design. (There is a con) -Decent challenge - Not overly difficult. -Lots of enemy variety and bosses are ok. The Bad: -Builds don’t really matter -No mention of cut off point before ending meaning some things get locked out. -Instant death pits -Level design sometimes is a bit forced and thinks it’s being clever. -No NG+ -grabbing corners can be naff The Ugly: -Performance is bad, frame rate dips, audio cutting, and sometimes the background art doesn’t even load in. -Crashes a lot usually between changing rooms -Random buttons stop working and the only fix is resetting the controls in the menu. -This is all following the recent switch ‘performance’ patch in May 24. It’s a decent game marred by performance issues. A game like this really shouldn’t be running the way it does. 6.5/10

A solid 7. It’s got all the makings **** game. But it’s just lacking something. Pros. Tight responsive controls, the Titular Gunbrella is incredibly fun to use. Very great idea, well executed. Atmosphere and world building is cool. Some decent difficulty in the platforming sections. Not too long. Not too difficult. Some great memorable set pieces. Cons Boss battles are too easy and cheesible. Pacing is up and down. I don’t think it’s the best story they could have told. No more game changing mechanics on the Gunbrella, what you start with is what you get albeit some stat upgrades. No substantial reason to replay. I’d love to see some challenge modes added down the line. Let’s see how difficult they could make it.

Dark Souls: BOTW edition. Fans of the Soulsbourne series of games will lap this up. I’m one of them. Takes all the best elements of the games before it and makes it into this huge beautiful sprawling world to get lost in. Some of the best boss fights I’ve ever had in any game ever. Runs superb on the Series S. I’m 40 hours in and I’ve barely **** the surface of the game.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

If you’re a fan of Dark Souls and Metroidvanias, I guarantee you’ll dig this game. I can tell a lot of effort went into its revival and it deserves the recognition. It’s not the greatest metroidvania but it’s a very good 2D Soulslike. Big boss fights!

An absolute gem ****. I’m a massive roguelike fan already but this got me into card building games as well. Once it hooks you in, you’ll be playing for hundreds of hours. Four characters and 20 difficulty ascensions to work through with all of them. Simple to play, difficult to master. Will appeal to anyone who enjoys using their brain.

Love skill based and reflex tuned platforming games? Love short pick up and play games? Love seemingly endless content for a budget price? Love speedrunning? This game is awesome, it may look like it was made by a toddler but thats just to put you off how much this game will kick your ass and you'll keep coming back for more. Shed loads of levels, 2 expansions, loads of mini games, collectibles, leaderboards. Control scheme is smooth, and levels are very varied. Boss battles are also pretty fun! Usually always on sale in the eshop for fiver or a tenner normally. Absolute gem for whatever price you pay.

One of the best survival games out there now in the palm of your hand. If you've never played Don't Starve, watch a few youtube videos and I guarantee it will draw you in. Plays perfectly on the Switch, features two major dlc packs. Charming, challenging and brings out the survivalist in you.

One of the my favourite JRPS since Final Fantasy X. I won't go into the game too much but Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has many many features that would work well in the evolution of the Gamefreak Pokemon series. Mainly in terms of the Blade (Blades are basically humanoid(ish) pokemon) levelling up system where Blades have to meet certain criteria to upgrade perks in the skilltree. I think this would work well in Pokemon. It's funny when people ask whether to get Pokemon Sword or Shield, I answer with Xenoblade Chronicles 2, because its the game Gamefreak should be aspiring to.

A must have for all switch owners. I've put 150 hours into Super Mario Maker 2. I've made two levels. The rest of my gameplay time is literally just playing endless mode and tackling amazing levels promoted by streamers and whatever is popular in the charts. Some level creators know the creation tools inside out and have created some truly marvellous levels. Since it's release, there have been two free major content updates which has kept the game fresh. You can even play as Link, sword, bow, bombs and shield all in tow. As I said before, I've only made 2 levels. So goes to show you don't have to get this game just for the creation side. It is an infinite mario maker featuring 5 distinct mario styles from the last 30 years. It completely overshadows the newer mainline 2D games. Super Mario U Deluxe for example, is just stale in comparison and I got bored very quickly. There are multiplayer modes which unfortunetely as per usual Nintendo service, laggy as heck. And i've avoided playing them. The new addition of the world creator is a much wanted feature Nintendo were kind enough to give to us in recent months. Would be a 10/10 but 9/10 due to laggy multiplayer.

Considering this game completely went under my radar and I had no idea of it's existence until it's release on the eShop. A trailer view later and it was an instant purchase. It really looks, sounds and feels as great as it actually is and then some. For a game that I didn't have to build up any expectations up until it's release. It is a 10/10 top tier, superb, excellent indie game that any run'n'gun fan or nostalgia seeker will love from the bottom of their heart. And for me, it is GOTY. To summarise: Graphics: 10/10 this is cream of the crop handcrafted pixel goodness. It may look like it's from the 90s but it's quite clearly been designed in the 2020s. It is an absolute marvel to look at even down to the small details. Nothing has been overlooked, the world looks and feels alive. Gameplay: Brutally difficult but honestly fair. You will die a lot. But the more you play, the better you'll get. The shooting feels hefty, the cover system is awesome and implements well. Enemy variety is quite a standard affair when it comes to any game like this but the boss battles are very memorable and you will end up with a 'favourite' guaranteed. Gun variety is a mix but nothing too over the top. All levels follow the same structure i.e complete 3 sections then a boss. Reviewers has critiqued on this but I think its designed this way for speedrunners. There is nothing more satisfying then turning up to a gun fight with a baseball bat and a boomerang and singlehandlely taking down every enemy without taking a hit. Sound: 10/10 - This game is fully voice acted which surprised me. Bosses have catchphrases, enemies talk to one another and your chosen hero has their own set of one liners when taking out the trash. Music is very retro with many influences taking from the futuristic worlds of 80s/ early 90s action flicks. Sound can usually get overlooked in a game like this but certainly not the case here. Performance: 9/10 - It runs like a hot knife through butter with no lag, stuttering or frame drops throughout the whole playthrough. The only glitches I've seen so far are sound clipping and some minor graphic gltiches, but this only seems to happen when you are through mid clip and you get killed. Never offputting because it happens when you're dead. Longevity: 2 starting difficulty's, easy and hard (I recommend hard as the most authentic experience) An even harder mode unlocks after completing it on hard (one hit dead). I am thoroughly enjoying the newly unlocked difficulty. There are 20 levels altogether, and while the levels aren't huge. there are 3 optional challenges to complete in every level. One particular challenge (complete the level without dying) will keep you busy for a very long time, as it's going to take a lot of practice to get to that stage. This game has gripped me enough with it's charm and challenge that I will be coming back to this game to attempt to 100% it. Extras: Best opening credit pixel cinematic I've ever seen in any game ever. It sets the tone for the entire game and hearing the narrator profoundly growl 'Huntdown' never gets old. It's a shame this game will unfortunetely go under everyones radar due to a minimal ad campaign and I just hope it gets the credit it deserves because this is the best indie title I've played since Katana Zero.