Category Archives: Game Reviews

Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge Review

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It’s time for a Mega Man marathon thanks to the Nintendo Switch Online. These game boy titles may appear at first glance to be straight remakes of the original games but that isn’t the case. Instead they are merged hybrids of sorts with a new villain thrown into the mix. It’s a pretty good time although the games do feel a bit compact so you will be done with them quickly. The sheer difficulty in some of these is so intense that I wonder how people pulled this off back in the day.

The game starts with Wily up to his old tricks so Dr. Light is forced to call in the legendary Mega Man to take down the evil robot masters. Mega Man is one of the strongest robots out there but beating up on his fellow robots isn’t exactly the guy’s idea of a good time. Still, he will do what he has too, because that is the role of a true hero. Mega Man is not one to shirk his responsibilities after all and will do whatever he can in order to achieve victory.

The gameplay is your classic 2D shooter style. You have your mega buster and you jump past obstacles and enemies. In most cases it’s best to beat the minions as they come along because otherwise they will really make you feel the pain. Trust me, they definitely don’t hold back. One wrong hit and you’ll find yourself falling off the platform and being defeated. That or you’ll just lose because you are out of health points. To be honest, either outcome is definitely a real possibility here.

I died numerous times while playing this one. It has to be one of the hardest Mega Man games that I’ve played. You have to be near frame perfect to get past some of these obstacles. I had to use the rewind feature quite a lot because they were just too tricky. The bosses are also really difficult particularly since they don’t always move the same way. For example, lets say I lose to a low attack that I needed to jump over. When I rewind and jump, the boss goes for an aerial attack instead. It’s definitely something that makes this title even harder.

To all of the players who actually pulled this off back in the day though, more power to you. That’s definitely not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination. It is still a fun game though. You really get to test your reaction times and fundamental skills. You may not always come out on top but that’s okay. I do have a pet peeve as far as the gameplay is concerned though. The bosses appear to be immune to all of the special weapons except their specific weakness. That feels like a shame because it removes the point of having them to a large extent. Even if they only do as much damage as a mega buster, all weapons should work.

This is something that I’m glad they changed for future games. I always liked switching up the weapons but figuring out which one would work ended up being too tedious at times so what I would just do is use the mega buster for everyone. It’s a really well balanced weapon so either way I would say that it worked pretty well. I just would have liked to have had more of a choice.

The soundtrack is not bad. Not really any boppers that you’ll be looking up on Youtube though. They tend to blend together and will be forgotten rather quickly. The graphics also don’t get a chance to show out since the whole thing is covered in green. So it doesn’t age nearly as well as it should have otherwise. Turning any game into a single color is usually going to be a recipe for disaster.

In the end, this may be a short game but the sheer difficulty will help to extend the replay time. The boss battles are all extremely difficult and the same goes for the stages. When you complete this game you will really feel like a champion. While it’s on the Switch Online you should give it a shot and see just how far the series has come. We desperately need more Mega Man games in the present but for some reason Capcom has been fumbling the bag on that for a very long time.

Overall 6/10

Tetris Review

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It’s time to dive into the world of Tetris. I’ve played Tetris 99 a lot before and I want to say that I’ve played the original Tetris at some point before but this is the first time I get to formally dive into the world of the original one. It’s a fun game and I can see how it got really big over the years. Mainly I’d just say the problem is that I’m so used to the fast paced adventures of Tetris 99 and having to dodge a bunch of obstacles and play around the enemies’ movements. So going back to solo play just doesn’t go as hard as it would have otherwise.

The goal of the game is to continue filling each row with the shapes as quickly as possible. If you can pull this off then you will be in a good spot and ready to claim victory. However, if you don’t properly fill the rows then the blocks will reach to the ceiling and you will lose. So you really need to be careful where you put the shapes because if you put them in the wrong way then you will create a blind spot which will really come back to bite you. It’s the kind of game that you definitely improve on as you get used to the shapes and which ones connect perfectly with others.

Online you see people landing really crazy high scores after they have gotten used to the game and that makes sense. It is a game that absolutely encourages replaying and it’s a very calm experience so that also makes things a bit easier.

In terms of the graphics, the game looks good. It’s aged well and this one used a simple artstyle so it’s not like it needs a lot of power to run. There’s not much chance for the game to really show off either because there aren’t any real backgrounds or special effects. This is again where Tetris 99 really stepped up to the plate because that game really went all out with the bonus features. I’m not saying that they’re necessary or anything like that but they definitely do help to balance things out.

There isn’t much of a soundtrack here either. I would like for them to have added some more. Imagine if you were hearing Mario music or something as you played through the game. These are subtle elements that would just help boost the game to the next level if you ask me. They aren’t necessary for the game by any means but it still would have been cool. At the end of the day the game is just super basic and there’s nothing wrong with that but it does mean that there isn’t much to say about this one.

With Tetris, what you see is what you get. You either really enjoy the gameplay or you don’t. I do enjoy the gameplay but at the same time I don’t love it enough to keep playing and try to test my skills or anything like that. I’ll play it for a little bit but it doesn’t even work as a multiplayer title where you alternate because it would take too long between turns. Maybe if you put it on high speed mode then that would change things up. I do appreciate that you can alter the speed of the game to make things more difficult and really test if you know what you’re doing.

Overall, Tetris is a good game. It’s not really my thing for long periods of time though. It just won’t capture my attention the way that it would for long time fans. That said, I would still recommend checking it out. It’s a part of video game history and it is made in a very well crafted way. You won’t be seeing any bugs or glitches while playing this game. Yes there is RNG in terms of what shapes appear but for the most part if you win or lose, you can really only blame yourself. I remember a kid was on the news for actually beating the entire game so it is possible, but incredibly difficult. Over 99.9% of people on the planet will never be able to complete the game and that’s fine. Just playing it is still a good experience.

Overall 6/10

Game & Watch: Gallery 3 Review

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This game is really like a minigame collection through and through. It allows you to play through fun little titles featuring a lot of Nintendo’s greatest warriors like Mario and Yoshi. It’s one of those games that is fun but there’s not a whole lot to do here so it’ll quickly get repetitive the more that you play through it. After a while you will probably be wondering what else there is to do and that’s when you will put it down. A minigame title would need way more options for it to really grab your attention. This one has 5-6 minigames when you start and you can unlock the next 5-6 after you get enough high scores. So that does help a little bit with the replay value but even then it’s not going to take you a super long time to pull that off. Trust me on this, this isn’t one of those super long games like that.

I think the biggest problem here is that for the most part, the games are too easy. You will get high scores without much effort but a lot of the time you will have to lose on purpose in order to stop. Without knowing what score you need for the highest medal though, you are basically stuck trying to figure that out. So ironically you may choose to let yourself die too early and now you have to try again. This is a big quality of life mistake and one that should be corrected. The target score for the highest rank should always be noted so you have something to compare yourself to. Without that, it’s all a guess which is annoying.

Each minigame can be played on normal and then hard mode. Additionally you can play modern or classic mode. Each one has their own set of medals so you will want to really be playing each game several times over. The modern versions have the classic Nintendo characters while the classic versions default you to various Game and Watch fighters. I feel like the gameplay also feels tighter on the modern settings but that could very well just be placebo effect at work. I wouldn’t be shocked so I need to make sure I keep that possibility open.

I highly recommend playing hard mode for all of the minigames first. The speed is higher so it definitely does make the experience considerably more fun than standard. I just feel like this should be the default speed and it would make the whole game more fun. Also, it should tell us what score we need right from the jump as opposed to having us guess the whole time. Now that would be way better and more efficient wouldn’t you say? It would help quite a bit. Meanwhile the graphics do look good though. I like the way all of the characters look and they’re all really expressive which is another W in Nintendo’s cap. The soundtrack is a bit more forgettable though.

So lets talk about some of the minigames. My favorite one is about eating the fruits as Yoshi. Basically there are 4 roads by which fruit is approaching you. You have to eat all of the fruit that comes your way without eating any bombs or other dangerous objects. It takes a good amount of speed and reaction times on your end (In hard mode at least) so you can’t let your guard down. It’s the most fun out of all the minigames and I found it to be soothing as I racked up the score as high as possible.

Then we have a food minigame where you play as a Toad getting items from Mario over to Peach. You have to jump on the birds to get to the other side. You have to make sure not to go on them when they are reaching for food though or you will end up falling down. So it’s all about timing similar to the first game. The constant eating does mean that you get delayed a lot so it’s a slower paced game though. I would say it’s also more difficult because you are always tempted to just rush in ahead and try to squeeze in another point even if it’s way too dangerous to make a move. You just can’t help it, ya know? You really want to get that score high.

After that is a cake delivery mission. As Mario and Luigi you have to package a cake as it goes up the conveyer belt. So Mario packs it and sends it forward, then as Luigi you put something on it and put it to the next layer. Mario follows upwards and this keeps on until you are at the 4th layer and take it to the truck. So you have to be moving both characters to keep track of each cake and you lose a point when a cake falls on the ground. This is a pretty good game for really testing your multi task skills. If you make any kind of mistake then it is all over for you.

Surprisingly the Donkey Kong Jr game is one of my least favorites. You have to go grab a key and then take it over to a cage. You do this by swinging on vines and dodging enemies that come your way. You can’t move while jumping so this means you do have to take your time as enemies arrive. It takes the most skill by far so I’ll give the game credit there but it also means that this is the slowest paced game. I imagine you won’t need nearly as high of a score as the others to get full points on your medals but I’m not really sure what kind of score they are looking for here. It’s a bit of a mystery really.

Finally you have a game where you are protecting some plants from both ground and aerial enemies. You have to outwit both sides in order to claim victory here and I can tell you that this is no easy feat. If you lower your guard for even a moment then it’s all over. This was a really fun one. It does fall into the trap of being easy so you will have to choose when to die but I still liked the idea of the game. It’s another calming one that just works really well.

I only played one of the unlockable games but it was a classic game where you memorize the opponent’s movements and copy them. In another one you have to follow along quickly. Both variations of the game were pretty cool and remind me of Simon Says. I also generally like memory games so this fit in really well with that kind of approach.

Overall, This is a fun game. There is some replay value with how you can play the games over and over but I do feel like it could have been smoother overall. The games should move fast to really let you keep on playing them without feeling like it’s a real time sink. I also think that a game should have way more minigames if that’s the entirety of the content. At least 30 minigames or so for the variety. Even with the unlockables this one only goes up to around 12 which isn’t much at all. So now that it’s on the Switch Online I would recommend checking it out but if you had to pay for it I would suggest getting the game at a great price!

Overall 6/10

Castlevania Legends Review

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It’s time for a really old school Castlevania game. I haven’t really gotten very deep into the series just yet so this was a pretty fun preview. This isn’t going to really reflect the average Castlevania experience but it was pretty fun. It plays out like a classic sidescroller just with some vampires thrown into the mix. I’m always up for that in this context because you don’t have to worry about much of the ole bloodsucking in a Game Boy game. The title definitely ends rather quickly though.

You play as Sonia who is working to stop Dracula once and for all. To do this she will have to find him and destroy a bunch of vampires along the way. Fortunately she is ready for this. With her trusty whip she has slain many opponents over the years so this will really be no different. She can also shoot energy blasts out of the whip when she has enough power ups. So this is definitely not a fighter to be taken lightly. Underestimate her at your own peril!

Each level is fairly long but to make up for that there are only 5 real levels here. Each one has a boss at the end that you have to conquer. Once per level you can use your bomb energy to become completely invincible for about 10 seconds which is super handy. Obviously you should save that for the boss each time or you may be in for a bit of trouble. You can also use hearts to mess with the timer but I couldn’t quite figure out how that works. So I guess it’s not very important. I only lost via a time out once so you should be fine. The game just has some passages that lead to dead ends in an attempt to trick you. It’s a bit slippery and dare I say underhanded…but you’ll get used to it. Trust me, getting used to these things is what we do best.

The final boss really spams different attacks at you that are difficult to dodge though. He throws out so many shadow heads at once that your head will be positively spinning. It’s extremely difficult to dodge these attacks. You basically have to create a lot of room between you and the boss right away because if you’re anywhere close then you are doomed. There’s even one minion that’s really difficult to deal with. It’s a flying bat that is always around, plotting its next move. If it gets close to you then you don’t have any easy way to hit it before you are also attacked. Yeah the game definitely gives you a whole lot to think about at all times but that’s one of its charms I suppose.

The soundtrack is extremely limited though. Be prepared to hear the same tunes over and over and over again. It would have been nice if they could have squeezed some more variety in. As for the graphics, they’re really not bad. I don’t like all of the green everywhere but that’s more of a console thing than the game itself so I can’t say much there. Since the gameplay is good, the 2 hours go by quickly. I just would have liked if there was some more content. I’ll take what I can get of course and this game is quite old but they probably could have added a few more bosses or something.

I give the game credit for actually having some cutscenes near the end though. For a little while there it seemed like the game was not going to have any cutscenes which would have been a bit much. I need something to show off the story and hype up the characters right? So that did the trick and did boost the game further. It definitely made a good difference while also making the final boss feel more personal. I’d definitely be up for Sonia returning some day and of course checking out more Castlevania games will be fun. There are definitely a lot that have come out over the years.

Overall, Castlevania Legends is a good game. It’s a bit of a basic platformer but I still had a good time with it. There aren’t a lot of frills and excitement here in particular but you won’t be bored which is the most important thing here. Just keep on going through the levels and you will have it completed in no time. You want to be patient when approaching the enemies because of how easily you can be hit. Additionally they reappear when you get them out of view so be careful about that. Otherwise you’ll keep fighting the same enemies. Without the rewinds I dare say that this could have actually been quite the challenge too. They really don’t make games the way that they used to. To think that this was considered an easy title back in the day.

Overall 6/10

BurgerTime Deluxe Review

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I could use a good burger right now. A triple cheeseburger, well done with extra bacon? Yes sirrrrrrr that sounds good. Playing a game like this definitely makes me hungry and it’s easy to see why because the ingredients all show up here. You even fight using black pepper! It’s a simple enough game but one that manages to stay fun all the way through so I had a good time.

The basic gameplay is that there are parts of the burger scattered across different floors. You have to send them all to the basement and you do that by walking on each ingredient. For example if there is a burger patty on the third floor and you walk on it, it will get sent down to the 2nd floor. Go to the 2nd floor and then it’ll go to the first floor. Finally, step on it there and it will land in the goal in the basement. Once you have gotten all pieces to the goal then you are all set for the races.

You can move around but you can’t jump which is a key thing to note. So if the enemy is behind you and there are no exits in front then you have just fallen into the trap and are doomed. At that point there is nothing you can do and you are absolutely finished. Always keep some black pepper around for times like this since you can throw it in the enemy’s face and then you will be safe. At this point that is all you can do but those vials are very rare so you won’t come across many of them.

The game definitely gets really difficult as you move through it. In some levels there are long segments where there is no backup exit meaning that getting those pieces is next to impossible. In the 6th world I couldn’t figure out how to get those pieces even with rewind. No matter where you went or how fast you walked, the enemies would catch up to you. The A.I. is actually really smart here. They will actually surround you and basically make traps all the way around the levels. So don’t underestimate them if you want to claim victory here.

I liked the simplicity of the gameplay and it reminds me of Pac Man to an extent. There are other games that are even more similar with the whole layered setup. This is the kind of game you could picture having a lot of fun with on a mobile device and a modern remake with a whole story would really be fun. There’s a ton of potential for this kind of game and I miss the simple arcade concepts. The artstyle has aged quite well here so the graphics are good.

The soundtrack is more forgettable but that’s how it goes. In terms of replay value, it seems like the game just keeps on going and paired with the difficulty you should definitely be here for a while. You can also try to just improve your score and efficiency in the levels as well. Definitely a lot to enjoy here and the fun never has to stop. Realistically I do think you will eventually call it a day because there are just too many other games to have fun with but this one does hold its own.

With a game like Burger Time I’m assuming you were thinking of something super low budget but that wasn’t the case here. I dare say that the developers really took this one seriously all the way through. No corners were cut. There’s not much else to say about the game due to the nature of the gameplay but it definitely does take real skill. If you are able to really predict your opponent’s movements and take advantage of them then you will be in a great spot without a doubt.

Overall, BurgerTime Deluxe is a good game. It would need a little something more to reach the next level but I was satisfied with the product. It can be reasonably addicting and when you lose you really want to keep on trying until you win. The difficulty level is really high but aside from the final level I was up to, it never really felt impossible. You just have to be very careful on your tactics and strategy. Once you go in one direction then you’ve really got to live with it because turning back just gives the enemy more time to catch you.

Overall 6/10

Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked Review

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Believe it or not, I actually hadn’t heard of these games before. So playing them in a collection was definitely different although it was pretty fun. It’s definitely got that retro platformer vibe with a lot of fun level designs and colorful characters. I’d be down for a modern remake/reboot at some point.

The 3 games are all fairly similar but I’ll break down the differences. The core gameplay in each one is a 2D platformer. You have a jet pack which you can use to charge into enemies and through obstacles. You also have your close quarters weapon which does a lot of damage. Often times you will eventually have a vehicle or some other kind of assist tech that can really get you places. So definitely don’t lose that or you are probably going to be in a lot of trouble here. It can be tough to defend yourself in those suits so move with extreme caution.

One thing you will notice right away about the first game is that the difficulty level is incredibly high. You are going to absolutely have to pull out each and every stop in order to win without rewinding. I can tell you that I died so many hundreds of times that I absolutely needed it. This is a game where that feature is pretty much mandatory. Without it I would have been in a whole lot of trouble. You are able to save after each level so you can try doing that to potentially dodge the rewinding but the levels are rather long so I can tell you that this will still be a very difficult task.

The second game changes the boost feature so that it’s a separate button now. This makes things easier because you can just spam that without having to hold any of the controls down. Pretty handy stuff I would say. Unfortunately the trade off is that your blade doesn’t shoot any projectiles anymore so you have to get really close to the enemies. Your health bar is fairly low and your attack range is short so this is risky. When possible, use your boost instead. Of course the one drawback is when you use the boost attack, the recoil will often cause you to fall into another attack. So you will definitely have to watch out for that.

Sometimes you would get yourself into a loop where you get hit, rewind, get hit again, etc. Because once you’ve already boosted it’s hard to control yourself and everything is happening so fast. One thing about rewinding that you have to understand is when you are thrown back into the level, you have to immediately do whatever movement you were doing before. If you lose your momentum then you will be slow and will get hit by another attack. Even with the rewind this ended up being very difficult and not many games can say that.

Then we have the third game. I like how this one was the most colorful of the 3 and the characters were super expressive. It plays out more like the first one even down to the story. (Well all 3 don’t have much of a story beyond the Princess getting kidnapped but 3 is really just doing the same scenario as 1) Once again you have to charge up for your boost and your sword shoots energy blasts. I would say that it is the easiest of the 3 games though. I still had to rewind a whole lot mind you but the levels were considerably shorter.

The toughest part was definitely the final level. Defeating the giant mech suit I was up against was tough. I’m still not sure if I was really doing that the right way but it was fun. The third game experimented a bit more with the different fighting styles like riding on a kangaroo type dinosaur robot and then using an aerial one later. Platformers can always have a lot of fun like that but of course the main gameplay is always the best part.

The graphics are pretty solid like I said. The artstyle has really aged well for all 3 games. Meanwhile the soundtrack is also good although not quite as memorable. It’s not quite the next Sonic The Hedgehog in that regard. In terms of length, the games are all short but this brings all 3 of them so that helps a whole lot. You’re still going to wind up getting some good bang for your buck. There is also some replay value in going for the Platinum and I guarantee that won’t be super easy. You have to beat all 3 of the games roughly 3 times and you have to do the boss rushes. With enough rewinds you can pull it off but I was having trouble on easy mode. I can’t imagine what hard mode is like!

I’d definitely be up for a modern reboot for the series some day. The main guy has a lot of potential with the cool design. I also like how he’s not crazy about the princess like some other heroes and just runs off after saving the day. It works for a good contrast. There are naturally tons of stories you can tell within this universe and we just need some writers to step up and give it the ole go. There were definitely a whole lot of platformers back in the day and I look forward to seeing how the next one is.

Overall, Rocket Knight is a pretty fun game. Definitely one of the all time most difficult platformers that I’ve played. I don’t know how kids would have pulled this one off back in the day. It definitely would have taken a whole lot of dedication and effort to memorize all of the enemy patterns and keep it moving. So I give them a whole lot of props there. That being said, a remastered port should always have some quality of life updates and this game succeeded in a very big way. Rewind and Access Points are very huge. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun time.

Overall 7/10

Metroid: Other M Review

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“Samus respond….responnnnnnndddddd!!” is something you will hear a whole lot of in this game. It’s the phrase that’s used when you die and I died quite a few times in the adventure. I thought it was kind of hilarious though. It’s the way the guy says the line, there’s something about it that’s just super funny. Hey, you gotta take the humor where you can and at the end of the day this is a pretty good game even if it is held back a bit by the control setup and Samus herself being wildly out of character.

The game starts with Samus responding to a distress signal in the middle of deep space. She enters a ship that has seemingly been abandoned to a bunch of giant monsters and then the Federation show up. The main problem is that the Federation are a bunch of jerks and they’re led by her old captain Adam. Adam explains that Samus will obey his orders now and so he quickly tells her not to use any of her stronger weapons which causes her to nearly die many times. Samus agrees because for some bizarre reason she still wants his approval. What she doesn’t realize is that this place is extremely dangerous.

Here is where you have to separate the story from the writing. The story itself is pretty good. You have a mystery here of who sent the SOS and what kind of crazy experiments were going on in this ship. You also learn a lot more about Samus’ past here and her time with the Federation. It’s all pretty interesting stuff so I appreciate this. Also there are a lot of cutscenes and full voice acting which I am a big fan of. These are all positives and it’s important to keep them in mind. Now where we have the problem is in Samus’ portrayal.

Samus is usually a hardened warrior. Someone who always gets the job done and is tough as nails. In this game she is instead rather nervous at times and less sure of herself. Why would she possibly agree to not use her weapons just because Adam says so? He literally has to tell her she can use the latest guns in boss fights where the enemies are unaffected. I can ignore some parts as gameplay mechanics but most of these instances are parts of the actual story. Samus panicking in front of Ridley has always been the most infamous scene in the game and I can see why. It makes no sense and takes away from her hype character.

So, I like to think this isn’t Samus at all. It’s a very weird portrayal but the game is good otherwise. The gameplay is on point with the platforming and shooting hybrid style. My only issue is they had to force in some motion controls so you have to point at the screen for various eye spy segments and also to shoot missiles. This usually results in the enemy landing a free hit while you locate your Wii sensor.

You do have a quick dodge/counter attack mechanic which is very handy though. I didn’t find out about it until super late in the game but there was no going back from there. It is easily the most efficient way to battle. Just keep tapping every control stick side on the d pad and when an enemy is close you will do a quick dodge. This amps up your blaster to the max and allows you to use the charge shot. You can keep on doing this over and over as you deal massive damage. Some attacks can be hard to time but for most you can just spam this with no real downside.

The game has its difficult moments to be sure though. Like I said, I died a whole lot. The enemies don’t play around here but it’s all rather balanced. There are a few annoying puzzles that will slow you down for a while but they’re not too numerous which I really appreciated. That would have made the whole thing overstay its welcome. In general the game is fairly short. You won’t take too long to complete it but they do manage to still have a lot of story in here.

The graphics have aged well, this looks like a really solid Wii game. It may not be as bright as something like Mario for example but even so this is a game that looks good. The soundtrack is also really good. You will probably recognize every track here. Other M was really inspiring, you will even recognize a Super Smash Bros moveset was really created from this game. It’s easy to see how this could have been the big reawakening of the Metroid franchise if it just got bigger and sold more units right away. I would have been a bit disappointed if it meant that this style of portrayal for Samus would be the new norm but on the whole she is still a good lead so I’d survive.

As a sidenote though, the game has a really terrible map. It’s hard to tell where a room starts or ends when you’re looking at the map. Additionally you can’t go to a specific floor in the map unless you pause, back space, back space again, and then select the floor. There are too many menus on what should be a very simple map screen. I don’t think this was a high priority for the team considering how smooth everything else is.

Overall, Metroid: Other M is a pretty good game. I do think it would have been an easy 8 without the motion controls though. I still think it’s crazy that the game goes out of its way to have you hold the remote sideways so you figure there won’t be any motion but for some reason locks the missiles to the motion side. Does that really make any sense? Well, you’re still going to have a really good time blasting the monsters and saving the world. Make sure you use the quick dodge, it immediately made the whole gameplay a lot faster and more intense. It was a real game changer to be honest. I liked how dynamic the gameplay was because Metroid is a series that you should equate to being intense. Even more than the other big Nintendo flagship titles. There’s so much you can always do with Sci-Fi and I look forward to getting more Metroid titles soon.

Overall 7/10

Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble Review

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It’s time for my next Kirby experience. Typically these games are always a lot of fun. Kirby makes for a good lead and the platforming genre is always on point. Well, this time it’s a bit different because this isn’t your classic Kirby title. It’s actually using motion controls and we already know how that tends to pan out. It’s unfortunate…but I’m afraid that Tilt n Tumble is really not going to be able to stick with the all time greats.

The basic plot is that King Dedede seems to be off to some mischief so Kirby decides to stop him. We have no proof of any wrongdoing mind you, but Kirby has seen this guy around a lot before and he’s usually getting into all kinds of trouble. So why wait for the trouble to arrive when you can do something about it now right? Unfortunately the game’s ending doesn’t give much closure either, we get a handshake but that’s about it. So you’re not playing the game for its story but I suppose in a way it’s rare that you would be doing that.

So lets talk about the gameplay. Basically it’s like Monkey Ball. You have to roll Kirby past a bunch of obstacles so that he can get to the goal. This should be a pretty easy proposition right? Just focus up and get the job done! Unfortunately this is where the motion controls come in. You have to tilt your controller in order to move him and so you can’t even use the pro controller. The motion controls are super sensitive and tilting backwards too quickly will have you use the jump command by mistake.

The game is definitely harder than other Kirby games as a result. I found myself using the rewind feature as needed in several instances. It’s a game you could definitely beat without the rewind, it’ll just take a bit longer for the random points where you roll off the map. That’s always my problem with motion controls, I don’t mind losing because I messed up. But to lose because the controls weren’t precise and I rolled too far off the map? Nahhhhh that’s not satisfying at all. That just feels bad in the end. Whether I win or lose it should all come down to my own gaming skills.

So the gameplay itself had some potential with a proper control setup. I really liked the classic Monkey Ball games for Gamecube after all. They were the right balance of being really difficult and satisfying without ever being cheap or annoying. These were games that always kept you wanting to play no matter how many times you died. It took a ton of skill and you had nobody to blame but yourself. This game is different because half of the times you die, you will feel like you should have lived and the game messed you over. Yeah that might be you being a little on the salted side. I can’t argue with that but we will never know for sure.

The soundtrack is nice and pleasant though. It has all of the fun Kirby themes that you will recognize because of how iconic they always are. Then you have the graphics which are pretty good. The colorful vibes work well with the title as they always do. So I have no issues there and the technical elements really help to balance out the gameplay really well. At the very least it helps to mask my issues with the motion controls a little bit since I have less time to dwell on them. Instead I’m having fun listening to all of the tunes.

One last complement I will give to the game is that all of the boss battles are fun. The ground ones are all reskins so it’s the same boss over and over but I liked how you had to try and jump on him using your motion controls. It’s the one time I thought the style was actually rather clever. Then you had the aerial boss battles where you had to fly around and blast away at him with your air buster. That was a lot of fun and you had to balance being aggressive with grabbing another balloon so you could stay in the air. A lot of balance right there.

Overall, Kirby Tilt is a game that I won’t soon be forgetting but it’s too bad because it could and should have been way better. Motion controls don’t always have to automatically hurt a game but it does feel like more often than not they do a whole lot of damage. Just give me the traditional controls and I’m all set. Check this one out if you have the Switch Online but don’t expect that it’ll be all that great for you. It’s a unique experience but as with many other unique things, it’s a nice way of saying that it’s not as good as the standard option.

Overall 6/10

Alleyway Review

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Alleyway is one of those games with a very simple premise but if it is executed well enough then there won’t be a problem. The issue is that this didn’t happen so the game isn’t nearly as fun as it should have been. I really feel like this game could and should have been a lot better. All it would have needed was one change too…increasing the gameplay speed. Seriously that’s it.

So the general gameplay here is the kind where a ball is launched up and down and you slide your paddle around to keep it from falling below the screen. This naturally takes a lot of skills and split second timing. If you can pull it off though, you will have saved the world! It’s cool that Mario is the one piloting the ship but otherwise it just isn’t very plot heavy as a game. There are no other cutscenes to be honest and the whole game is really just bouncing the ball around. The level designs can’t really change that much either due to the nature of the gameplay.

They do create some nice shapes in the background though. For example I liked seeing Mario’s head floating around and it shows how creative you can be with the different blocks. As someone who is not very artistic, it would take me ages and ages to actually pull that off. So the visuals are fun, the sprites are used well. The soundtrack is a little more forgettable but I want to say that it’s not bad. It still gets the job done at the end of the day.

The technicals are really not holding this one back at all. It’s just the gameplay which is really not that cool. It’s too easy and you don’t hear me saying that very often. So you just get bored at how slowly the ball is moving around. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll definitely die eventually when you don’t time things right but it’s all so slow paced. There should either be obstacles trying to get in your way or the ball should be zooming around. The game doesn’t capture your attention this way and I tend to like a lot of the block titles like Tetris. Alleyway though? Ehhhh it just wasn’t fun the way that it should have been.

There’s really not much else to say about it either because the gameplay is as simple as possible and there are no other modes. This is the definition of a one trick pony. That’s not a bad thing per say as some of the most iconic games of all time were basic. Take Pac-Man, you can describe that game to anyone very quickly but it’s still a lot of fun that you can play through for hours. Why? Well, it may be simple but it is still really challenging and rewarding. You know that you have to bring out your best if you want to win it all. It’s always very tense as the ghosts speed up.

There is a clear progression of difficulty in the game and that is something that Alleyway lacks. I played a bunch of levels in the game and the speed in level 11 is the same as level 1. Yes, there are slightly more difficult level layouts now since some blocks are blocked by different objects but all that means is that the level will take longer to complete. It doesn’t actually solve the issue of the game being way too easy the whole time. That’s the real problem here.

Overall, Alleyway is one of those games that is just not too much fun to play for long batches. You might have some fun for say 10-15 minutes but not even that. I was over the game very quickly and in large part it’s because of how slow it is. Make the speed 2X and it would be a lot easier to get through. I still need some kind of story to make this one really stand out though. I know you have to cut the older games some slack since stories weren’t always such a huge thing but they really do enhance a game. If you have the Switch Online then you may as well check this one out for free but otherwise you can give it a hearty skip.

Overall 4/10

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Review

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It’s time for Xenoverse 2, one of the most well known games in all of Dragon Ball. That alone is a very impressive feat because there have been so many huge games over the years. Basically what happened is that the game has a ton of DLC updates and they have been going on and on for years with no end in sight. So at this point some people have basically grown up alongside the game which is super impressive. With the game being ported over to the PS5, I knew it was time to dive right in!

The basic plot here is that villains have returned to cause a bunch of trouble with the timestream. I’m not talking basic troubles either but end of the world type stuff. Mira and Towa are going to make it so that evil wins the day. Trunks and Terry from the first game are possibly in over their heads so that’s where Terry Jr comes in. He is ready to help save the day and show off the true powers of a Saiyan elite! You have the option to pick from a bunch of different races but of course I was going to go with the Saiyans. They’re always the best after all! There’s a lot of special dialogue you get from the characters too for being a Saiyan although I imagine that’s probably true for the rest of the types as well.

My only issue with the story is that it goes a bit too linearly. This was my slight problem with the first game too. Naturally the villains decide to mess with the Saiyan Saga first, then Namek, then Androids, then Buu, etc. We follow DBZ through the 2 DBZ-Super movies in a row without going out of order once. Considering that the game is about messing with the timeline and everything, it feels like the game jus plays it way too safe. I’m always glad to see Mira show up with the other villains to break things up but it’s really like reliving DBZ with some new elements as opposed to it being a completely new story.

I love all the classic DBZ content as much as the next guy so I still have a blast the whole time but it just feels like a wasted opportunity considering how many expanded villains and scenarios you could pull off with the timeline going crazy. Without a doubt this could have been as crazy as Dragon Ball Heroes. Ah well, I did really appreciate that you get to see the avatar from the first game return. That was a cool attention to detail and a reminder on the strong continuity between the two games.

Naturally the gameplay is a real blast here. It’s a full 3D fighter with a ton of characters and you get to really test out all of their moves. For your avatar you can naturally change the moveset up a ton. So feel free to try out all of the special abilities until you find one that you like. It takes a while to unlock the transformation into a Super Saiyan but in the meantime you still have plenty to work with. There is also a level system so make sure you get those level ups promptly.

The hub world is so huge that you might even find it to be rather intimidating the whole time. There are so many side missions and bonus content to tackle there that you barely know where to start. There’s over 100 Parallel Quests, different instructors, etc. They just keep on coming over and over and over. The trickiest part is when the game randomly makes this part of the story like getting 15 badges. That took a while because I never bothered with that at all. So I would recommend doing some side content early on to start building up your stash and getting that ready. Likewise with the instructor trainings to get Super Saiyan 2 or you will have to do a whole lot at once.

You can tell that the devs really wanted you to go ahead and play through a bunch of the content that they set up. I definitely get it, they worked hard on that. At the same time, it does feel rather forced which I do have to admit here. Just let me continue the battles! The gameplay has dramatically improved from the first title though. The hits link up way better and now there’s an actual reason to use special techniques as opposed to just punching everyone into oblivion. I really appreciated that since in the first game I did find it weird how weak the energy blasts were.

A sequel should always improve upon the original and that’s exactly what Xenoverse 2 did. Naturally the same is true for the graphics which are a bit sharper and look great as you would expect. Then you have the soundtrack which was a big jump up. The ost is incredible with a whole lot of big rock themes around every corner. A good soundtrack can also help to make the story events themselves more impressive as well so that’s a nice ripple effect. I had to Youtube a bunch of the themes right away after hearing them. They were too good to pass up.

Overall, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is really the complete package. There’s just so much content to play around with here. It’s extremely impressive and the gameplay is top tier. While the story could have been bolder, I definitely still enjoyed it a lot. Whenever the game would switch from a cutscene to a fully hand drawn scene I also felt the extra hype there. You can bet that I would be lining up to buy Xenoverse 3 immediately on day 1 as soon as it comes out. You just can’t miss out on content like this.

Overall 9/10