Category Archives: Reviews

TMNT Splintered Fate Review

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It’s time for one of the most impressive Apple Arcade titles. Some of these games have been a little hit or miss to be honest but this one was a full on grand slam. It’s a title that holds its own with the big ninja turtle games and has impressive production values all around. The only weak part is the incomplete story that does its best to feel like a mobile title. Ah well, I likely won’t be around to see the ending of the game as my free trial will be over by then but otherwise this was a great game all around.

The game starts with Leonardo getting crushed by the Shredder and his goons. He’s then warped back home where it turns out that the Shredder has kidnapped Splinter. The Turtles will have to go and save him but the tricky thing here is that there are so many unanswered questions. Who has this teleportation technology at the ready that is backing the Shredder and why do they need Splinter? For now the Turtles will have to worry about that later and dash in to secure their victory.

It’s a good thing that they don’t have time to worry about the mystery because the game doesn’t either. Lets just say that the game ends with more questions than answers. The final cutscenes have a ton of moments where they break the 4th wall and do so rather unapologetically. Now granted, I actually thought that was pretty funny to an extent but the game should have had a little more of an ending. It gave me flashbacks to Mega Man X Dive which always loved to taunt you with future developments that just never ended up happening. It would just taunt you over and over again. It’s too early to say if that is really the case with this game or not though.

So the gameplay is an aerial beat em up. I’ve seen it compared to Hades and that sounds about right. I really like this rogue style where you really do get stronger in each run. There are several ways to handle this, for example Has Been Heroes is one such game that I played. I did enjoy it a lot but the problem is that there are no permanent upgrades. So when you die you start from scratch but aside from just getting better at the game there is no easy way to progress further. It’s difficult but without a level up system or anything it drags on a bit too long.

This game is much better with that as every loss gives you new hope as you get more currency to start your next run in a much stronger state. For example you can buy upgrades so you start out with 10% more health, 10% more damage, etc. They continue to accumulate as you play. It’s at a rate which is just quick enough to make a difference without being too fast that it makes the game too easy or anything like that. It’s got a perfect balance all the way through if you ask me. Then inside of the actual levels there is a ton of variety as well. For example in each level you get a power up. 3 random abilities will appear and you have to pick one.

There are so many types that each run will have you experiencing different options. You have to see which combination gives you the most potential and highest amount of offensive capabilities. For me I liked fire abilities (big surprise right?) like an explosion at the end of your swings and leaving a fire trail while I dash. You can equip power ups to your attacks, specials, and tools. Once you have chosen one, you can later discard it for another element or power it up. At shops you can quickly replenish health or get even more powers.

It’s always a real debate you have to have with yourself. Do you go with the immediate power up right now and get stronger or do you take the slow and steady approach by gaining more health? Personally I say to always go for the health and get any power ups if you have leftover currency. That said, if you’re early on in the game and know you won’t get far then I’d say to get coins which are what you use to get the permanent upgrades. Each run can take anywhere from 20-60 minutes depending on how far you get so it’s easy to keep on playing.

The title has so much depth that it’s hard to talk about it all. Basically just know that you were in real good hands with this one. You can just keep playing it over and over and over again and when you finally do get the win you will feel really good. The levels and bosses all have a few different varieties to them as well so there is some RNG in your run. For example one version of the Karai boss was so tough it would always set me back a little. Her mystic form I think it was. Once you win the first time it’ll get easier to keep on winning though as you’ll really have the gameplay down at that point.

When it comes to the graphics, those are naturally top tier. I also especially like the character designs here, they are some of the best that I’ve seen for the Turtles. The costumes for Shredder and Karai work really well too and then the graphics in-game are really solid. The soundtrack is less memorable but it works well enough. There was clearly a ton of budget put into this game which is why I hope they really start to speed up with adding in more content. This is the kind of game that has so much potential but even while it is unfinished it is good enough to play right away.

Overall, TMNT Splintered Fate is a great game. It’s really a powerhouse on the Apple Arcade and the kind of game I could easily spend hours and hours on. It’s just really addicting with a tremendous gameplay style that has a lot of variety. I definitely enjoyed every minute of this game and would love to see more titles use this kind of gameplay. The feeling of growing stronger in a tangible way is something I’ve always loved. Shantae is another series that does really well with this. Most RPGs have this feature but it especially feels nice with more of a real time system like this game. So even if you are not a big TMNT fan, I would suggest checking this game out because it really is just that fun.

Overall 8/10

Amazing Bomberman Review

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Bomberman is the next big icon to show up on the Apple Arcade. Unfortunately they didn’t give him the biggest effort here. The game really does the bare minimum and so ultimately I do think that it will be doomed to fade away rather quickly. This is really a game that is 90% focused on the online components with just some offline stuff. For example you can play an offline game with some bots but that’s it. There’s no set mission structure or anything like that. You can level up to unlock new parts which are called missions by doing a lot of different tasks but that’s the only time you will ever go to offline. Most tasks can be done online and are even easier that way.

So there’s no story or anything. When you jump in you will learn the basics and then jump into action. The controls are the classic Bomberman ones so it shouldn’t take long to master them. You walk around the map and drop off bombs that you want to hit the enemies with. You have to be careful as you can die to your own bomb though so there is a lot of strategy here. As you blow away enemies and objects you will pick up objects that increase your power, speed, and the number of bombs that you hold. They’re all pretty handy to be sure so you will want to keep that in mind at all times.

Now there is one part of the game that I will give some high praise and that is the soundtrack. We’re talking full lyrical pop songs that are actually pretty exciting and then some classic tunes as well. You unlock more music as you level up which is a fun bonus. It felt like the game really went above and beyond the call to action with this ost. It really overshadows the rest of the game which probably sounds like a massive diss to be honest but that’s just how it goes sometimes. The graphics are more on the okay side. They’re fine but don’t really stand out.

The gameplay is fun as always but I would say that it doesn’t work super well on the phone. It’s hard to come to a complete stop so you’ll get hit by bombs in moments where you know that you really shouldn’t have gotten tagged. That is always one of the most frustrating moments out there because there was just no reason for it. I know a controller could fix that but again, a mobile game should work well on the mobile right? I’d get more used to it the more I go though.

At the end of the day it’s still okay but the problem is there’s really no reason to play this one for long. I at least need some more single player content here. Multiplayer only/focused games can absolutely work like Fortnite but for every one that works there are probably at least 20 that don’t. This is one of those, Bomberman needs a story, it’s one of the things that he is known for. Without it, well he just doesn’t stand out quite as much.

Overall, This wasn’t my favorite title but it’s still worth checking out if you have the Arcade. I think right away you’ll see why it didn’t really work for me. It’s fun enough but just doesn’t have enough content to play around with which holds it back in a big way. Throwing in some missions or a proper story would have been great. As with any multiplayer mode you can probably buff up the enjoyment factor by 10 if you have any friends who play the game so you can hang out with them but that’s probably a longshot. I doubt this game has a very wide user base to be honest although I could be wrong. It just feels like there are too many rivals around at this point who would have probably gotten a bunch of users on their side already by now. That’s the beauty of the industry though, the amount of games that are around are basically endless.

Overall 5/10

Rayman Mini Review

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It’s time for the return of Rayman! Definitely nice to see that he has managed to continue to get new games even if it has to be through the Arcade. This one’s an endless runner which is a pretty good idea for a mobile game because that works really well with the phone setup. That being said, could it be enough to make this a really solid title? Well the most disappointing thing is that there is 0 story, not even an opening cutscene. Surely they could have added something right? So it is a fun game but one that is more limited than it should be.

For some reason Rayman is tiny and so you play through the levels trying to get to the end where you will probably be turned back to normal size. Probably…hopefully. The gameplay is a 2D auto runner like I mentioned so what you can do is jump and attack but he won’t stop running. This means in a way the platforming is very simple and yet it can still be rather difficult because you need a lot of good timing for this one. You’ll have mastered the controls right away but you need to definitely make sure you react quickly at all times.

The graphics are solid here. I would not say they keep up with the most high end of the Arcade games but ultimately it has that Rayman artstyle matched pretty well. As for the soundtrack, it wasn’t too remarkable so you’ll forget it pretty quickly. This game will mainly be surviving off of the gameplay which is fun enough to keep it afloat for a while. I had a good time with it at least even if this game doesn’t come close to Bubsy when it comes to this genre.

The game does have a lot of variety in the level designs and backdrops though. That’s one area where I dare say it may even surpass Bubsy so the game does have that going for it. Longtime Rayman fans also may notice some cameos and such that I wouldn’t really notice since I’m not quite as involved in the fandom…yet. It’s also really satisfying when you do end up completing a level after a lot of attempts. The more difficult the challenge, the greater the triumph right? At least that’s the way that I see it.

There isn’t a whole lot more to talk about for this game though. Auto runners aren’t exactly complicated which is why the gameplay segment was short and there isn’t really anything else to do in the game. It just comes down to how much you like the gameplay since there isn’t a story or anything like that. If you have the Arcade then you should give this a download but of course if you don’t have the Arcade yet then this would not be enough for you to buy that package. It’s a game that works well in the supporting role, not as a starring player.

Overall, Rayman Mini is a fun game. The collectathon elements will buy you some extra time here outside of the missions so you have a good amount of content to play around with here. If you’re a longtime Rayman fan or you just like auto runners then I would recommend picking this one up. It’s fairly polished and also gets decently difficult in the latter levels. Particularly the boss levels at the end of each world really do not hold back. You will need to memorize each level. The levels themselves aren’t too long which is a good thing because then you can keep on replaying the levels as many times as you need to until you get the hang of them.

Overall 6/10

PAC-Man Party Royale Review

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You already know that this isn’t the real Pac Man because he never runs from a fight. That said, it’s always cool to see the franchise getting new games even if this one is locked on the Apple Arcade for now. While I’ve got the free trial it seemed like a good idea to jump in though. I think the concept is cool but the control scheme doesn’t work amazingly on the phone. (Disclaimer that these games can all be played with a controller but I didn’t bother setting it up. If you’re on the Arcade then you should work well even on mobile right?

There isn’t a story here so mainly what you’re doing is playing through a bunch of stages to see just how skilled you are. There is also a heavy online component as well of course. The gameplay is mainly similar to the classic game but then it introduces a lot of new control gimmicks and objectives. For example in one style you have to stop the other Pac Men and the way to do that is to literally fire off energy blasts. Pretty cool right? Well the concept is cool even if it doesn’t feel like Pac Man. Other times you have to eat all of the ghosts instead of getting all of the pellets.

There is a decent amount of variety here but because of that I do think the fundamentals are not as strong as the original Pac Man. Let me explain. The first Pac Man is a fairly simple game through and through but one that has one of the most addicting gameplay styles of all time. This one is so busy trying to top it that it loses the plot. I think sticking to the original and adding some kind of basic plot would have worked so much better. In some ways I would say to think of this more like a Pac Man Party kind of approach. It has a lot of styles to it but none of them are super developed.

Getting to the control scheme, it’s also not very smooth. The game opts to ditch the typical motion stick used for titles like Sonic, TMNT, and Mega Man in place of having to swipe on the screen in order to move. The problem is that this takes longer to do of course and so it puts you in a rather difficult spot. So you end up dying more and further realize that this doesn’t work so well. There’s no excuse because I’ve seen games work well with tons of different gameplay styles. Me personally I tend to find that collecting and matching games end to work best on mobile with their consistency but there are also many great platformers and such on here.

So the game gets a bit of a thumbs down there. Ultimately there just isn’t a ton of content to keep you busy. The missions can last you for a little bit but there’s not a lot of incentive to actually playing through them. This is where even a short story could have helped out a lot. So the game is totally reliant on you knowing someone who also owns the game so you can play with friends and since a lot of people don’t own the Apple Arcade as it is, it’s not the greatest selling point imaginable.

The graphics are pretty good though. Nothing super top tier or anything like that but they hold their own. The soundtrack is also decent although not the most memorable. On a technical level the game certainly suffices and is ultimately just let down by a rather lackluster main gameplay style. Even if this was on console I don’t think it would have done all that well as the Championship Edition does all of this but in a far better way with more enticing rewards at the ready. This is sort of like a miniature version of that.

Now, the final question is should they keep the energy blasts or not? Me personally? I’d say to keep it in, it is a pretty interesting mechanic but maybe instead of that being the power for a whole level, let it be an attack you can use once per life. That will keep people from spamming it and also add a little more strategy into the equation. Yes, this sounds like a good idea to me.

Overall, Pac Man: Party Royale is a game that had a lot of potential but I feel like it’s not really at the level where it should be. I didn’t play this one for very long next to the other mobile titles as it got stale quickly. I think it’s fair to say that it might be the weakest of the Pac Man titles all around. Hopefully they give this another try at some point because I think the next great Pac Man game might just be around the corner! They just gotta put a little more oomph into the next one.

Overall 5/10

Sonic Dream Team Review

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When this game came out there were some massive waves among the gaming community. After all the game would be Apple exclusive and it’s crazy to see Sonic stuck on the mobile market since he’s usually on all of the big consoles. It’s a sign of how things are changing though and hopefully a port comes out at some point. In the meantime I figured this was the time to break out the 3 month free trial offer that Apple has. The game’s fairly short so it’s definitely beatable within that time.

The basic plot is that Eggman gets in a little over his head with a dream device but somehow puts up the ultimate comeback effort and takes over the dream world. I have to say that I was quite impressed with that since usually he would have lost. The guardian over the dream world is forced to ask Sonic and friends for help after they fell for Eggman’s trap and land inside the dream as well. Sonic and friends are always ready for a challenge and so they accept but will they really have what it takes to win this?

There are 4 worlds and each world has 3 levels and then a boss stage. Each level has 8 mini levels inside of them so that’s a fairly good amount. Beating each stage grants you an orb and you need orbs to unlock future levels. You will find that you need to clear most of the levels in order to reach the end but they tend to be bite sized so it’s not a huge undertaking. The first level is always the longest one and then they branch out from there.

The game steadily ramps up the difficulty level as the worlds go on though so you’ll notice yourself moving a bit slower after a while. The game has an infinite respawn mechanic so don’t worry about game overs or anything like that. The only kind of level you may have to restart are the time trials but otherwise you can die as often as you need to in order to understand and master the level. Once that has happened then you will be all set.

The boss battles are all handled pretty well. I appreciate that the game has unique bosses and they all fight differently. The final boss is the most different as you don’t actually fight him. It’s more of a chase scene type of level as you have to keep on running and dodging until you make it to the end. It’s definitely a very climactic way to end things off but it does come across as a little on the easy side. The rest of the bosses were all more difficult.

The graphics here are very good. This definitely looks like a full AAA Sonic game even though it’s for mobile and it shows just how far the market has gone over the years. Gone are the days where a mobile game looked like a last gen title. I also have to give a special shoutout to the soundtrack which is excellent. A lot of very catchy tunes here. They’re going for a very electronic vibe for just about the whole soundtrack and it works really well.

I’m also really glad that there’s a real story here. It would have been so easy for the game to have just skipped that and called it a day but that wasn’t the case here. The cutscenes may not have traditional movement but there are a lot of slides to get the feeling across. Also the opening is definitely very high budget. Hopefully the new character returns and I want them to keep on making more Sonic games with full stories like this. Sonic Dream Team keeps the light tone of the old games while having a full story like the Adventure titles which should keep both sides of the fanbase pretty happy. (Well most of them anyway)

The mobile controls do get a little tricky but of course I would say that’s not a big thing to be upset about since you can pair your PS4 controller to it. I didn’t bother in this case, I would have if this was a 50 hour RPG or something but I’m used to the phone pretty well as it is. I’ve been mobile gaming for several years at this point even if I’m still more of a console gamer overall. Now while I did enjoy the game, I do hope they really limit how many games are exclusive to Arcade because once this free trial is gone I doubt I’ll be able to get another.

For some closing notes, it’s nice how you can play as several different characters. It uses a system like Adventure 2 Battle where there are different classes and then each character in that class has the same abilities. So in this game that means there are 3 pairs: Sonic/Amy, Tails/Cream, and Rouge/Knuckles. Having 3 different gameplay styles is pretty fun and being able to change during a level is also cool. The game’s really trying out some interesting ideas here. I mainly stuck as Sonic when I was given a choice but there are many times you are forced to play as someone else so I recommend you to be as familiar with all of them as possible.

Overall, Sonic Dream Team is definitely a pretty good game. It’s not really as short as you would expect, I want to say that I put in around 4 hours so it’s about Sonic Forces level. There is some replay value as well although not a ton so I don’t want to trick you on that one. The levels are just big enough where getting all of the collectibles will likely take some work but also short enough where they are easy to replay and also just a lot of fun. I think that’s the biggest thing the game gets right, it’s just a lot of fun the whole time with colorful levels and high speed gameplay. Longtime Sonic fans will probably have fun 100% completing the game. Hey if you have Apple Arcade then you should absolutely play this game. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to play it if I didn’t have the free trial but I’m sure it is the best game on the whole Arcade system so you don’t want to miss out on it.

Overall 7/10

Mario Party Review

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It’s time to look at the game that really started one of the most iconic series of all time. Mario Party is a tried and true tradition in the hearts of many and has been for decades. Not just because of how chaotic the games are but because it showed just how fun a party game can be. It’s also been a difficult genre for any other franchise to pull off despite many games trying to do so. This one has a lot of the fun elements that you are used to in the series while at the same time also lacks some of the polished quality of life features you would be thinking about later on down the road. So it’s pretty fun, but not quite as elite as Mario Party 4.

There is a basic story here as well with all of the heroes fighting among themselves and generally being a little on the petty side. Each one wants to prove that they are the true superstar around here. It’s a noble goal to be sure….heh. Well maybe not that noble but I get why they would really want to appear to be the best. It just makes a lot of sense. Still, there can only be one champion and so they all decide to fight in various party games to prove it. Along the way each world is transformed by your actions which is a nice touch. Can they conquer all of the maps?

The character roster is rather small here. It’s crazy to think that even Daisy wasn’t around yet although that would change soon. There is a decent amount of minigames here but not as much as in later games of course. Fortunately the games here are all rather solid. For example the minigame where you try to bump your opponents off the field while on your ball is a true classic. I really had a blast there and it’s aged incredibly well. I tend to enjoy all of the platformer ones as well and for the most part the games are all pretty good.

There are some that don’t feel very balanced though, particularly the 1 vs 3 games. Either the solo player is incredibly overpowered or has no realistic chance to win. There is rarely a real middleground there. I’m guessing it’s probably the hardest type of game to develop though so I feel for the developers there. One interesting kind of game that you don’t see in the newer ones is the 4 player team up game. There are a few games here where you all actually have to team up and when you win, everyone gets their 10 coins. If one person loses then you all lose.

It’s an interesting idea but I can see why it was scrapped since you’re usually in it for yourself so that would have been a bit of an odd segway. One thing I wouldn’t mind if they had kept is how if you lose a minigame here, you actually lose 5 coins as opposed to not changing. Perhaps they thought it was a bit too harsh but it certainly meant that you did not want to lose. Let me tell you, I lost a lot of the minigames when starting out because it takes a little time to get used to them. The controls are simple enough but it’s the mechanics that get tricky. Like knowing when to time your jump and how far you go.

Mario Party is the master of really quick minigames and so by the time you’ve gotten the controls down, the minigame is over. Definitely not too forgiving in that sense but I think it’s the right move. If a minigame was too long then that would be a true problem. Much more of one than if the minigame was too short after all. Particularly since the shortest amount of turns you can set the games for is 20 instead of 15 here. So even the shortest game can feel rather long by the end of its run.

Where the game shows its age a little is in some of the smaller ways like how you can’t skip the computer’s turn. You have to watch them slowly play the minigames and walk around the board. It’s another reason why it’s good that the minigames are short but even so this slows down the pacing quite a lot. You should not have to sit there and wait while the computer does their thing because there are so many event spaces and extra minigames that they add up considerably. It just feels like too long before you get back to your turn. I was actually able to catch Pokemon and do other stuff while waiting which is always a bad sign.

Meanwhile the graphics are definitely pretty solid though. This is definitely on the higher end for the Nintendo 64 titles. Additionally the soundtrack is definitely on point here as well. A lot of classic tunes to be found here at all times. The level designs are also very distinct which I appreciate. Each stage has their own gimmicks so they feel completely different. Sometimes it can be in annoying ways like the Bob Omb level but you can’t win them all as they say. You know that at least the game was never lazy in the slightest.

Overall, Mario Party is a pretty fun title. The games are on point and it has a very nice feeling to it. Even when you lose you’ll be having a good time here. You’ll probably be a little salted when the RNG goes against you but that’s just how it goes. I do think it’s a little iffy when the computer targets you for a star instead of the guy in 1st….but just play as if all of the computers are against you and you’ll be fine. The game could do with a little less distractions and adding in some of those quality of life features I mentioned but for Nintendo’s first journey into this genre I definitely have to say that they did a good job. They were really creative in thinking up all of these fun minigame ideas.

Overall 7/10

Kuru Kuru Kururin Review

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It’s time for a puzzle game from the Switch Online! This one has a pretty nice gimmick to it. The gameplay is fairly unique and also fun because the levels are kept quite short. The game’s difficulty level is fairly high so you will die a lot but you are really rewarded for just trying over and over again. You will eventually make it through and the game always feels fair about the whole thing. There is really no RNG here, it all comes down to your timing and reaction speed.

There isn’t really much of a plot to this but the basics is that a bunch of birds have wandered off and are now missing. You must find them and bring them all home. If you miss some of the birds you can still finish the game but the ending won’t exactly be optimal. If you get all of them though then the ending will really be on point and you can say that you have completed the job flawlessly. Pretty good incentive eh? Well not enough for me to get the last of the bird to be honest but it was still a good idea I’d say. The main thing I like about this is that you don’t feel like you are forced to obtain all the collectibles. So you can really just have fun at your own pace.

The game is fairly short. Each world is only 3 levels long and each level is typically between 45 seconds to a minute and a half. There are around 10 worlds I believe and so while the difficulty stretches the length out a bit, it’s not a game that you should have any trouble clearing in 2 hours or so. There is a little replay value in trying to get all of the birds. I appreciate that the game lets you know exactly in which levels you missed one. The levels aren’t large so you will be able to get them all fairly quick. So even with that I don’t see the game lasting more than 3 hours long. It just seems unlikely.

The graphics are decent. I wouldn’t say they are some of the higher end ones that I’ve seen for the AGBA though. In part I think that’s due to the pale artstyle that the game is going for but I also just don’t think it’s quite the AAA experience you were thinking about. Meanwhile the soundtrack is very forgettable, I can’t say that I really recall just about any of the tunes at this point which is not good for the game. You don’t always have to have a top tier soundtrack or anything like that of course but you at least want something that’ll pop out at you right? On a technical level the game could have done better.

So it’s very short without much of a story or bonus content to deal with. You can see how there are a lot of factors against it. That being said, gameplay is once again the real deciding factor here and fortunately that aspect is pretty good. The game holds up there and it’s just fun. I tend to like puzzles like this that purely rely on your physical skill as opposed to ones where you are wondering what the game is really asking you to do. So this is right up my alley the whole time. I can at least justify the positive score because the game was fun and in the end that is the ultimate objective of any game right? So long as you ace that part then the rest is sure to follow without issue.

Overall, Kuru is a good game. It’s a little basic and there isn’t a ton of replay value which does keep it from getting a higher score though. There isn’t really even much to say about it because of how direct the whole thing is. You’ll have fun playing through the game but I really doubt you will be talking about it much in the future. It’s just not that kind of title since there are no real discussion points. If the game could have had more of a story or some bonus modes then it would have really been able to climb a level. Still, I do want to underscore that it’s a good game either way, it’s just not what I would call a great one. If they ever bring this franchise back they need to add some kind of hook to really take this to the next level.

Overall 6/10

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge Review

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It’s been a while since I’ve played a TMNT game so this was fun to check out. It’s definitely a very retro title really putting the beat em up genre back on the map. It’s got a good amount of levels to it too. As a whole the beat em up genre tends to be fairly short but I would say this game was definitely longer than the average one I’ve played like this. The collectibles also help to give it some replay value although I couldn’t figure out how the score matters. I know that helping side characters get their mementos increased it but there was nothing to spend the score on. I did get a trophy out of that though.

The basic plot is that the Shredder is back in action and he’s getting ready to take over New York. The Ninja Turtles have to unite and fight but Shredder has a ton of powerful lackeys at his beck and call. If the main characters are not extremely careful then they are about to get absolutely destroyed here. Do they have what it takes to win or are they completely doomed here? Only time will tell.

There are illustrations at the beginning of each level with a little narration so that’s how you get the plot moving. I would have liked a little more animation in these cutscenes since the game is fairly new even though it’s going for the retro vibe. Still, it works out well enough and I had a good time playing through this one. The gameplay is fast paced and really rewards your creativity in how you approach your opponents. You have a lot of options for how you attack and move around and have to have quick reaction times because most of the enemies really try to rush you right out of the gate.

One thing I highly recommend is grabbing a bunch of your enemies. You grab automatically by going close to them so the trick is to toss them at the screen. It’s an automatic one hit KO for any minion that you are able to throw. So please note that this will not work on enemies in the latter levels as they start to resist everything you throw at them but the early ones? Yeah they don’t stand a chance against this attack. It also helps you not be in a position where you will get hit a lot.

If it’s not possible though, throw a few attacks and then quickly dash. When you dash it cancels out your lag so you can attack right away again. It really works and is a tremendous way to take the advantage in every fight. Trust me when I say that the enemies won’t see it coming. As much as possible you should save your super attacks for the bosses because of how much damage it does. You will be wiping significant amounts of their health with a single hit and your can store up more and more super attacks as you level up. Try not to waste it for when they are in an invincible state though. Just be patient and attack when the enemy is attacking you or something like that.

The graphics are definitely really solid here. Everything is super clear and there is a lot of detail on the screen at all times. There is no real lag at all and so the stage transitions are really smooth. The soundtrack is pretty catchy as well so the game definitely put in a good effort on both of these fields. As mentioned there is a decent length here and also a good amount of replay value. Getting the Platinum Trophy will not be easy by any stretch because some of those trophies are really hard. So just keep that in mind but it’s still a good way to get a lot more content out of this one.

I’d definitely be down with more beat em up style games like this in the future. There’s just a lot of potential here and I feel like they should be easy to develop. You don’t want to rush too hard and make the games feel like cash-ins though so you have to tread very carefully. Still, imagine this with DBZ characters, the Justice League, etc. They don’t make too many beat em up style games like this anymore so it was a fun blast down memory lane. Fans of the TMNT franchise will definitely appreciate all of the nostalgia here as well.

Overall, This was a pretty fun game. You really got to see the Ninja Turtles crushing everyone in their way and the gameplay is just a lot of fun. Who doesn’t like just shredding into all of your opponents right? I would also say that 2D beat em ups like this can actually be fairly difficult. You can’t just run in and attack like in the 3D games or you will end up being defeated. Here you want to do a lot of jumping, weaving in and out, etc. Only after you’ve done all of that can you beat a level safely. I didn’t get any game overs but I did lose a life or two on occasion to be sure. Just fight in a smart way and you’ll be okay.

Overall 7/10

Pokémon Stadium 2 Review

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It’s time for the return of the Pokemon Stadium adventures! This is a game that really takes me back, it’s incredibly difficult on every aspect of the game. You’re going to have to fight against numerous opponents with no save points in between each gym battle collection and the individual trainers are really difficult. Some use cheesy strategies like putting you to sleep over and over again or making you miss for a while. Yeah these fights are not to be underestimated. I had doubts on if I would actually be able to defeat Lance in the end, but ultimately it ended up being a very proud accomplishment.

The game has numerous modes like the academy, minigames, vs mode, etc. Of course the main mode to get into is still the gym challenge. You have to go up against all of the gym leaders and then after beating them you get to go up against the Elite 4. A collection of fighters so powerful that you have to win 5 battles in a row with the 6 Pokemon you selected and no save points. This does get into the realm of artificial difficulty though. I don’t think it’s reasonable to have to fight that many opponents in a row without saving. I just don’t think so.

So it’s a lot of fun of course but without save states man would you be in trouble. The A.I. uses one hit KO moves, your attacks miss at times, etc. I do think it’s all RNG for the most part but I wouldn’t be shocked if there are some moments during the adventure where they quickly switch it up to make things interesting. In particular Lance is extremely infamous for being almost impossible to defeat with the rental Pokemon. It’s worth noting that in some ways the Switch version is even harder than usual because you can’t transfer your Pokemon in from the handheld games. The rentals that you have to use instead have intentionally sub optimal moves to make things trickier.

Still, after tons and tons of attempts I did finally beat Lance. Defeating him unlock all of the Kanto gym leaders and then another go at everyone which I think is super impressive. This game really had a ton of content which is super impressive. Like I said there are even other modes here like the minigames which are also pretty fun in their own right. This game easily justifies the purchase but of course with the Switch Online package there is no additional cost anyway which definitely feels good.

The graphics are really on point here as you can expect. The game improved quite a bit from the first title and the artstyle is handled well enough where this holds up even by 2023 standards. So once again I have no real issues with the technicals in the slightest. The soundtrack is good and I also really like the announcer here. He gets real shocked when you choose your Pokemon and injects a whole lot of hype and excitement into every match. You look forward to seeing what he’ll say next and it even makes you feel like the game has more of a plot than it would otherwise.

My personal recommendation is to always choose Pokemon with a really high level of speed. Moving first is absolutely ideal here and can often mean the difference between victory and defense. So most legendaries are fast and fully evolved Pokemon. I tend to like having Alakazam on my roster because his psychic attacks hit really hard but other really strong Pokemon to have at the ready include Raikou and Articuno. Machamp is also good although I wish that his elemental attacks did more damage.

You want to pick your Pokemon so that they beat the gym leader’s preferred type but once you get to the Elite Four then you just want a really balanced lineup that can account for most types. It’s not possible to get them all with just 6 Pokemon of course but do your best. The better your team, the more likely it is that you’ll at least have some counters and can survive the others. Pick your team strategically and you will definitely be okay.

Overall, Pokemon Stadium 2 is definitely a great game all around. A title that you can pick up and play as you enjoy all of the fights. The sheer difficulty level means that you won’t be breezing past it of course but you can still jump in and get a lot done. The minigames are also there of course so you can switch between modes and have fun that way. Either way there is definitely a lot of fun to be had here without a doubt. It’s a fairly simple game but one that is directly fun and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Overall 8/10

Goldeneye 007 Review

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All right it’s time for one of the more iconic Nintendo games. Everyone knows about Goldeneye from back in the day after all. It’s won many awards and everything. A lot of its acclaim comes from the multiplayer mode though so what happens when you go into the single player campaign? Well I would say that it doesn’t age quite as well as some of the other shooters with all of the bonus objectives you have to accomplish but props to the folks who managed to conquer this game. It gets deceptively hard by the end and without a guide some of the puzzles would have really had you stumped for quite a while.

The game follows the story of the movie with Bond having to save a girl and stop an enemy threat. You know, classic Bond stuff. But is he really ready to take on this new terrorist organization that has a seemingly endless amount of fighters at the ready to put an end to him? He will have to definitely harness all of his skills and experience with a gun in order to end this. If he can’t pull off the win…then it’s quite possible that nobody can.

Right away you can tell that the graphics here are pretty solid. The characters are a little blocky but the fact that the game has massive environments and lots of variations of guns and ammo is really impressive. The soundtrack also has the classic 007 theme among others so that gets a thumbs up as well. They went all out with the technical aspects of the game and you will not be disappointed at any point. The quality of the actual gameplay is also really good. I’m glad that the gun auto locks on to an extent but that you also have the ability to manually select your targets too.

It’s really the best of both worlds here and doesn’t force you to make a big decision either way until you are ready. I mostly stuck to the classic lock on but it did have a weakness for targets that were high up like the auto gunners so you will have to switch styles there. Your machine gun is the best bet for taking out enemies but at the same time it does use your ammo up very quickly so just be careful about that. Don’t overextend yourself or you will really be in trouble.

I did die a number of times in the gunfights but the really tough part in my opinion are the puzzles. Some of them I just really didn’t understand from the vague mission requirements. Whether it was taking a picture of a satellite that was nowhere to be found or having to access a bunch of computers you are often left in a really dicey position. Definitely not one to be underestimated and the game loses a bit of steam there. I guarantee you that it would have been a lot more fun if you could have just plunged ahead and had a blast dealing devastating damage to everyone in your path. Just make it a classic shoot your way to the finish. Instead the objectives mean you sometimes have to backtrack and the endless stream of regenerating minions will eventually take you down.

The length of the game is fairly decent. There are around 17 levels here and some can be short while others are pretty long. The difficulty also varies a lot so you are really on your toes the whole time. Just be careful because one slip up can result in your losing the level like if you break the object you were supposed to take a picture of or if your teammate end up getting shot. That last one is particularly difficult since she will often run in front of you so make sure you have terrific aim or start running immediately to stay in front.

There seems to be some replay value in playing on a higher difficulty which unlocks further levels but additionally the multiplayer aspect gives unlimited replay value. There is always something to do in that part after all. Multiplayer is the kind of content that keeps on giving which is why more and more game should strive to copy that approach. It’s definitely the way to go. Make no mistake either, the multiplayer is what really saves the game because if it was single player only then it would be good but not very good. It certainly wouldn’t be put on the pedestal that you can often find it nowadays.

Overall, Goldeneye is a pretty good game. I had my issues with it like the vague objectives but on the whole the gameplay is fun which is the important part. The story may not have been the strongest as I didn’t love the way it was told through long mission briefings as opposed to more cutscenes but the game is on the older side so I’ll cut it some slack. I would say that despite the reputation, this game is surpassed by the Gamecube ones. The Gamecube titles are top tier though so there’s really no shame in that. Sometimes that’s just the way that the cookie crumbles.

Overall 7/10