Tag: First Impressions
First Impressions Nintendo's Taken Feedback To Heart With 'Super Mario Party Jamboree'
Now, that's a flashy fiesta
Super Mario Party has returned! Okay, so it's only been a handful of years since Mario Party Superstars dropped on Switch, but we are excited — psyched even — for this latest edition, as it promises to deliver in several key areas where the series has floundered somewhat in the past. Yes, if you cast your mind back...
First Impressions Turn-Based Scrawler 'Inkulinati' Flows Well After A Wordy Intro (Exclusive)
Not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways
Yaza Games' Medieval scribe-inspired turn-based battler, Inkulinati, is coming to Switch on 22nd February. It's picked up several awards since its Early Access release on Steam, including Gamescom 2022's Best Indie Game and Most Original Game, so it's great to see the full version finally penned in on...
Down the path of a farming sim
This year's selection of Pocket Monster-catching video games has been a point of contention for fans since they were announced back in early 2021. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are from-the-ground-up remakes of the 2006 Nintendo DS games that fans have been begging for for years, so what’s the issue?...
Video We've Actually Played Metroid Dread, Does It Meet Our Expectations?
[The same 'dread' pun everyone else has made]
That's right, we've finally managed to get our mitts on Metroid Dread (temporarily); Nintendo UK were kind enough to invite us down for a good old fashioned preview in their showroom so we could have a go on it using one of those swanky new Switch OLED Model consoles to boot. Our expectations were high,...
First Impressions Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin Is An RPG Of Monstrous Potential
Yian-Kut-Kool
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin in out in just a few short weeks, but ahead of that launch we were able to get our hands on it and were granted the luxury of giving you all a bit of a whack from the ol’ impressions stick. The first game came out on the 3DS in the West after the Switch had launched and didn’t perhaps get the...
First Impressions 10 Things We Learned About Game Builder Garage
We'll be in the garage if you need us
For the most part, all of the big-name console developers have tried their hand at giving the everyday Joe a fun and approachable way to make their own games. Sony and Media Molecule released Dreams last year, Microsoft dropped Project Spark back in 2014, Nintendo released a couple of games that gave us the keys...
First Impressions 13 Things We Learned in New Pokémon Snap
A Pokémon game with voice acting!
Nintendo were kind enough to invite to an extensive viewing of the long anticipated sequel to Pokémon Snap. We got to see multiple playthroughs of the Beach level during different times of day and even caught a glimpse of the games tutorial which revealed even more details, many of which have yet to be publicly...
First Impressions Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition On Switch
Our thoughts on a hands-off demo with developer Frontier
It's rare that a game launches these days without a dreary, ill-defined subtitle hanging off the end, and that's doubly true of Switch ports. 'Definitive', 'Enhanced' and 'Special' Editions are ten-a-penny, and it generally takes some digging to find exactly what makes them so. Frontier's...
First Impressions Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
Don't get RC about it, you might like it
You probably don't need us to tell you that Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's crown jewels; the series has sold a staggering 150 million copies to date, with 35 million of those attributable to the most recent mainline instalment, Mario Kart 8 – which, in a rather unique twist, is currently the best-selling...
First Impressions Hell in a Handbasket - DOOM on Nintendo Switch
Big, dumb, and lots of fun
Now, with the Bethesda published 2016 iteration coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year, DOOM can be small and dumb, while still having its trademark 'BFG'. We got our chance to try out id Software’s upcoming port of its DOOM franchise reboot at a Bethesda event earlier this month; look, we know what questions you...
First Impressions Defying Gravity in Skyrim for Nintendo Switch
Better than an arrow to the knee
Hail and well met, travelers! Come, rest your weary feat at our fire as we regale you with stories of our time spent in the world of Skyrim! You maybe be inclined to ask, “but noble bard, wasn’t Skyrim released over half a decade ago?”, and you wouldn’t be too far off - but this, dear friends, is Skyrim on...
First Impressions Traversing Titans in Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Arts of Fighting
Of all the big Switch exclusives due this year, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 might just be the biggest; Splatoon 2 may be racking up big sales, and Super Mario Odyssey may hold more space in the collective imagination, but there’s no arguing with the vastness of Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles series. The Wii original
First Impressions Finding Our Way in Lost Sphear
Not all who wander…
Along with the open-world intrigue of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the retro goodness of Hamster’s ACA Neo Geo releases, the Switch’s launch lineup included I Am Setsuna, a retro-styled JRPG from Square Enix subsidiary Tokyo RPG Factory that delivered an old-school adventure in a snowy modern package. It’s...
First Impressions Piczle Lines DX is Another Reminder of the Switch Hybrid's Appeal
Bringing a slower pace to eShop gaming
The early Switch eShop line-up had some gems, but it arguably did little to accommodate a demographic keen on sedate gaming experiences, or indeed those with a particular love for puzzle games. The DS and 3DS, in particular, built up a broad range of titles focused around puzzles, wordplay and so on, whether...
First Impressions Running Scared from Sonic Forces
Where's the SSSSSS when you need it?
Sonic Team, for the longest time, seems to think that Sonic is all about speed. To be fair that’s what all the marketing for the original games was pushing, but in reality speed in Sonic is a reward for playing well, not the standard staple of each game in the series (in terms of the old school classics, at...
First Impressions Kicking Off With FIFA 18 on the Nintendo Switch
Taking to the pitch on the Switch
After a notable absence from Nintendo platforms, FIFA is finally making its return to a Nintendo home console. The last ‘current-generation’ release a Nintendo console has seen was as a Wii U launch title all the way back in 2012 in FIFA 13, though a few entries with minimal updates did arrive on 3DS and Wii in...
First Impressions Dropping in on Soldam: Drop, Connect, Erase
A Jaleco Jam of Falling Fruit
The launch of the Switch was an especially exciting one because, for the first time on a Nintendo system, a region-free eShop meant gamers everywhere had access to content from outside their home territory. North American gamers could grab VOEZ from the European or Japanese shops a week before its release in the region,...
First Impressions Showing our Hand in Culdcept Revolt on Nintendo 3DS
Of dice and decks
Of all the games we got to try out at E3 this year, one stood out as having perhaps the least likely origin story: Culdcept Revolt. This 3DS title, published by Nintendo in Japan but brought Westward by NIS America, is the latest game in a series that started with a Japan-exclusive game for the Sega Saturn. Combining board game...
First Impressions Going Medieval in River City: Knights of Justice
Sir Crash ’n’ the Boys
Natsume’s E3 showings have always included some sort of farming goodness through their evergreen Harvest Moon games, but for the last two years running we’ve also been treated to fresh installments in Arc System Works’ hard-hitting Kunio-kun series. Previously localised under such varying titles as River City Ransom,...
First Impressions Getting Into a Spin With Sonic Mania
With more than a dash of retro in the formula
When you remake something creative from the past, who is your audience, exactly? We ask because if you were to stray too far from the source material, you run the risk of alienating the impassioned people who most identify with the original. But on the other hand, if you stick too close to the old...
First Impressions Hacking and Slashing with Style in Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star
Switching Fate
The Fate/ series spans an impressive range of genres; beginning with an erotic visual novel (!) in 2004, it’s carried its unique narrative brand — focusing on events called Holy Grail Wars — through dungeon crawlers, JRPGs, fighting games, and more. The latest, ambitiously named game in the series — Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral...
First Impressions Leaving Crumbs And Felling FOEs In Etrian Odyssey V On 3DS
E3's other Odyssey
ATLUS’ booth at E3 this year was packed full of 3DS RPG goodies, with marquees advertising Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, and Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth. Of those heavy hitters, only Etrian Odyssey was playable, but having immensely enjoyed previous entries in the series,...
First Impressions Running Wild in Runner3
Sprinting to Switch
An early hit on WiiWare, BIT.TRIP Runner was a favourite at Nintendo Life, combining auto-running rhythm gameplay with retro-styled visuals and hypnotic chiptune music. Its sequel Runner2 was equally well-received, and now developer Choice Provisions is bringing a third installment — Runner3 — to the Switch. We were able to...
First Impressions Finding Our Roots in Harvest Moon: Light of Hope
Bucolic beacon
Natsume’s booth at this year’s E3 was a farmland oasis from the wider chaos of the showfloor, decked out in pastoral charm and filled with flowers and plenty of plush cows, chickens, and sheep. It’s a familiar scene, but it seemed particularly pleasant this year, and the cause of the celebration was clear: it’s Harvest...
First Impressions Teaming Up in Splatoon 2's Salmon Run Co-Op Mode
It's a fishy business
If you’ve played the Splatoon 2 Testfire, a timed, online trial mode where Nintendo Switch owners got their first hands-on with this anticipated shooter sequel, then you already know that Splatoon 2 looks and feels rather like the original game. In fact, the ways in which Splatoon 2 differs are less in the aesthetics and...
First Impressions A New Style of Tactical Gaming in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Ubisoft's Switch exclusive is something to bwag about
Very few were surprised by the reveal of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle when it was showcased during Ubisoft's conference last Sunday. Even if you were only loosely invested in keeping up with gaming news, it was almost a given that you knew about the title many months before its acknowledgement...
First Impressions Slicing Our Way Through Fire Emblem Warriors
Class change
First unveiled in a jam-packed January Nintendo Direct earlier this year, Fire Emblem Warriors is one of two Fire Emblems currently scheduled to hit Nintendo’s Switch. And while the still-untitled mainline adventure announced alongside it will likely continue with the grid-based strategy-RPG gameplay the series is known for, Warriors...
First Impressions Prepping for Round Two with Pokkén Tournament DX
Once more into the fray
Pokkén Tournament was a game that perhaps never had a proper chance to shine. After its debut in Japanese arcades, the fighter saw a console release on a platform that was in the autumn of its life, and which hadn’t been all that impressive (in terms of sales) to begin with. It was no wonder, then, that Pokkén Tournament...
First Impressions Beginning Our Journey With Super Mario Odyssey on Nintendo Switch
Let's-a-go!
At E3 this week we had our first opportunity to try out Super Mario Odyssey, the mustachioed plumber’s first outing on the Nintendo Switch. We got our first glimpse at the then-unnamed Mario game for a few seconds in the initial reveal of the Switch way back in October 2016, and since then Nintendo has been keeping its cards close,...
First Impressions Exploring a New Land in Ever Oasis on 3DS
A nice little spot in the shade
Recently Nintendo hosted events in London and New York City, and we were fortunate enough to attend and grab a little bit of time with one of the 3DS’s lesser-hyped upcoming titles, Ever Oasis. For a game that launches in just over a month, we’ve heard and seen surprisingly little of Grezzo’s first independent...
First Impressions Splatoon 2 - What We Learned About Weapons, Visuals and Controls
A step up on Nintendo's latest hardware
Over the past few days Nintendo Switch owners had a chance to try out Splatoon 2 in its first Global Testfire. There's no firm release date for the colourful shooter as yet, and much about it remains a mystery; as a result it's not unreasonable to wonder whether it was simply the first Global Testfire with...
First Impressions Feeling Young Again With Sonic Mania
A delicious blend of the retro and modern
On occasions in the past we've bemoaned Nintendo's tendency to shut down work by talented independent developers remixing and re-imagining their games, when an alternative is to embrace them. Capcom did this with the quirky free PC release of Mega Man X Street Fighter, which was fun if a tad flawed, but SEGA...
First Impressions Getting Some Laps In With FAST RMX
The popular racer makes the switch
FAST Racing NEO was easily one of the best indie titles on the Wii U; in our review we referred to it as one of the few titles that is "...able to stand to-to-toe with Nintendo's first-party offerings." Unfortunately it didn't get the level of attention it deserved due to being released on a console with such a...
First Impressions Getting Strategic in Disgaea 5 Complete
Layin' the smackdown on jabronies
One of the most unexpected titles coming to Nintendo Switch is Disgaea 5 Complete, a tactical RPG in the vein of genre classics like Final Fantasy Tactics. We spent quite a bit of time with the game at Nintendo's New York Switch event, and came away quite impressed with the port. If you haven't heard of the Disgaea...
First Impressions Revisiting Hyrule in Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch
Link has never looked this good
Steve Bowling and Narelle Ho Sang collaborate their thoughts on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch. At E3 2016, Nintendo showed little from upcoming games in the Wii U's twilight year. Understandable given the Switch was on the horizon, and details were still under wraps. Instead, the...
First Impressions Taking Aim in The Colourful World of Splatoon 2
Ink or sink
2015 was a funny time for Nintendo, against all the nay-sayers and all the 'Nintendoomers' the company managed to successfully re-evaluate what makes a shooter tick with Splatoon. Now it's at it again with the aptly named Splatoon 2 - sadly not Spla2oon - and we thought we should sit down to ink out the details of the preview event demo...
First Impressions 1-2-Switch is an Ideal Pack-In Game That's Missing Its Chance
Milking the release
The Joy-Con controllers are a key part of the Switch appeal. Though the core mechanic of 'switching' between the TV and portable play is right there in the name, Nintendo's messaging has put plenty of stock in the controllers and what they can bring to the party. As we outlined in our Hands On write-up on the Nintendo Switch, the...
First Impressions Round One With Ultra Street Fighter II On Nintendo Switch
Evil and Violent
Many modern-day Street Fighter fans cut their teeth on the Super NES version of Street Fighter II, the fighting game by which all others continue to be measured even to this day. It's therefore fitting that 25 years later, Capcom is releasing a new version for the Nintendo Switch. We were on-hand to play the latest entry in both...
First Impressions Going Hand-to-Hand With ARMS
Fun with fisticuffs
One of the biggest surprises during Nintendo's Switch Presentation was ARMS, a new one-on-one fighting game directly from The Big N in which you slug it out with springy, stretchy arms. We had the opportunity to spend some time with it at Nintendo's New York Switch event; we're not 100 percent sold, but there's no denying this...
First Impressions Explosive Action in Super Bomberman R
Bombs away!
One of the more pleasant surprises to come out of the weekend's Nintendo Switch announcements is Konami's Super Bomberman R. This pick-up-and-play title will be ready for the Switch's launch, and looks to be very charming, fun and accessible. For those unfamiliar with the 33-year-old franchise, Bomberman is a series in which the title...
First Impressions A Switch Surprise - Cutting Snipperclips Down to Size
A potential gem for the launch month
If this writer is pressed on his favourite game from the Nintendo Switch preview event, it isn't one of the big-hitters. Some of them were grand, for sure, but tucked away in a corner - somewhat unloved in the shadow of the section for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - was Snipperclips - Cut it out,...
First Impressions Back on Track with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Switching gear
Given that a number of gamers who pick up the Nintendo Switch may not have owned a Wii U, it makes a lot of sense to have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in the launch window for the new system. Not only is it one of the most fun games on the Wii U, but it has also been the best-selling too — with over eight million copies sold worldwide...
First Impressions Monster Hunter Stories Borrows Liberally From Iconic Nintendo Franchises
And it's not afraid to show it
Nintendo didn't show up to the Tokyo Game Show this year - it rarely does - but that didn't stop Capcom from bringing one if its most popular franchises on the 3DS along. In fact, Monster Hunter Stories was one of the only Nintendo exclusive games prominently displayed. Fitting, because playing the game felt like an...
First Impressions Exploring Whether Toad is a Fungi in Mario Party Star Rush
Getting the party started
Mario Party Star Rush was one of only a few new Nintendo announcements out of E3, with Ever Oasis by Grezzo (due in 2017) being the other major reveal. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was arguably a reveal too, but that was perhaps more of an unveiling, as it's a game we'd known about for around two years before it...
First Impressions Looking Back With Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past
The old and the new
There are a small group of titles coming to the 3DS in 2016 that will target a broad audience, but one Summer release in particular has engaged a dedicated group of RPG fans - Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past. The wait for localisation certainly made some rather unhappy, especially in Europe where the PS1...
First Impressions Working the Lands in Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns
Meanwhile, back at the ranches
This year's E3 was notable for many reasons, but for farming sim fans the bumper crop of 3DS agricultural adventures on display was one of the best. Along with the internally-developed Harvest Moon: Skytree Village at Natsume's booth, there was also the latest game in the Bokujō Monogatari series (formerly localized...
First Impressions Cowering in Fear in Corpse Party on 3DS
The kids aren’t alright
With Shantae and Story of Seasons filling XSEED's E3 booth with so much colour and cheer this year, there was one title that stood out starkly with its bloodstained logo and bleak look: Corpse Party on the 3DS. This inimitable Japanese indie horror game has been scaring people silly in various forms since 1996, and is now...
First Impressions Kicking It With Kunio-kun in River City: Tokyo Rumble
Return of the King
If you're a retro fan, chances are you've come across at least one game in the longstanding Kunio-kun series. Running steadily for the past 30 years in Japan and localized under such varied names as Renegade, River City Ransom, Street Gangs, Crash 'n The Boys, and Double Dragon, the series has been incredibly prolific and...
First Impressions Going Under the Gavel With Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice
No objections here
Nestled between the rowdy Street Fighter V stage and a rather impressive Monster Hunter airship at Capcom's E3 2016 sat an orange-tinted oasis of calm, in the Tibetan-esque temple of justice dedicated to Phoenix Wright's latest lawyerly adventure: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice. We had the chance to go hands-on with a 20-minute...
First Impressions Finding Ojipockles Is More Addictive Than You Might Assume
Hands on with the mobile title that's coming to 3DS
Yesterday's news that Bandai Namco is bringing Appliss' Android and iOS title Finding Ojipockle! to the 3DS was something of a surprise, mainly because the game had completely passed under the radar of a great many people, despite already being freely available on the Google Play store. Featuring...
