Solomon_Rambling

13/17, which if we’re being real, is basically a perfect score. I have a photographic memory; it’s just that all of the photos are really grainy and blurry.

Being a Nintendo gamer is not a cheap hobby, but I generally feel they charge a fair price for a premium product. I appreciate what they have done with the virtual game cards. As a digital-only gamer, being able to lend games to other Switch owners is awesome. My wife and I don’t need to double-dip on digital games or use difficult work-arounds to play each other’s games now.

I’m certainly intrigued by the review, but I imagine I would be one of those who would be frustrated by the game’s inscrutability. It’s tough to measure up to Undertale, especially when all of its potential paths are pretty straightforward but refreshingly different from each other. I’ll skip this one, but I always appreciate a thoughtful review, no matter how late it is.

I’ll also give a shout out to Bokura: planet. The game is only 2-3 hours and has a nice balance of puzzles and story. It’s definitely a game that could be played twice, and part of the fun is you have no idea what the other player is experiencing. It doesn’t have the production values of a Hazelight game as Norman mentioned, but it still scratched a co-op itch I didn’t know I had. I intend to check out the first game; it’s on sale right now for $2.

With the Switch 2 coming out this year, I’ve played more games from this year than I usually do. My top three this year are:

1. Animal Well (an extraordinarily unique experience)
2. Mario Kart World (I needed the formula to be shaken up)
3. UFO 50 (a blast to play through every game, even if I just scratched the surface for many of them)

Honorable mention: Gnosia (the anime is pretty solid too)

Like others have said, a couple of hours of gameplay is a plus. If I end up not liking it, at least I haven’t wasted too much of my time. The reviews for this game have been overwhelmingly positive, so I’ll put it on my wishlist and likely play it at some point in the Switch 2’s lifespan.

I remember Neopets being my go-to website for gaming when I was elementary school. RuneScape was the highlight of middle school, and I sunk a ton of time into Newgrounds/Kongregate in high school. I don’t know if nostalgia is enough to make me play what were essentially knock-offs of better games, but I’m certainly intrigued to see how the Neopets game fares with reviewers.

This looks absolutely gorgeous, and the song accompanying the trailer was catchy as well. I’ll keep an eye on this one!

Oh heck yes. This was my third GameCube game I ever owned (after Animal Crossing and Sonic Mega Collection), and I remember I was underwhelmed by how short it was. That didn’t stop me from beating it multiple times, and I’m eager to jump into it once again. Wah!

I had Tonic Trouble as a kid, but I don’t think I made much progress in it. I’ll look forward to trying this one again. Rayman 2 is also solid, but I played the DS version, so I don’t know how much that version enhanced/changed the experience.

I enjoyed it for the 20 or so hours I played it with my wife last year. It gives you quite a bit of freedom to choose how you explore and live in the cave. The game is unfortunately a bit shallow and repetitive, especially in the late game, so I don’t see myself returning despite the Switch 2 upgrade. I’m glad others will get the opportunity to play it with better features!

It’s the Little Nightmares 3 we had all wanted. Stoked for this one!

I love me a collection, and this one looks interesting enough for me to try. I’ve played Year Walk and Sayonara Wild Hearts. Neither were stunning to me, but I appreciate how Simogo tries to do something different with their games.

@TheExile285

My worry is that this shows the computer opponents won’t be all that difficult even on max setting. No doubt Sakurai is probably great at the game, but it didn’t really seem like he was driving exceptionally well. Could be I’m not giving him enough credit! There was a lot happening in that race, so maybe he was doing more than I had noticed.

What a fever dream of a game. My sister saved up her money and bought it when we were little. We played so much of it even though it was janky as all get out. So many fond memories of us screaming the same command repeatedly at Pikachu.

I went with the NA cover.

I wonder how much KC Green is involved in this. It would be awesome if the game included more characters from his webcomic, Gunshow, but the trailer seems to show that it won’t be the case. Bummer!

After how awesome the second game was, I don’t know if I want to dilute the series with a mediocre third game, especially one without couch co-op. What a bummer! It was one of my most anticipated releases this year. Looks like Powerwash Simulator 2 will be my co-op game of the month.

Getting to play 50 new games created a heck of a unique experience. I loved going though each of UFO’s games, even if it was just to take a peek at the gameplay and pop right out. My motivation to go back and get gold/cherry for each cartridge isn’t that high, and I really wish you could make save points or rewind the games. It’d make the game significantly easier, but I’m not up for grinding these arcade games until I can master them. “Git gud,” I suppose, but I don’t want to.

The first FAR game was a surprise hit for me, and I loved its story, atmosphere, and gameplay loop. If FAR was an 8.5, the second game was a 7. Same feel, just not as good.

The Herdling trailer was boring to me, and this review hasn’t convinced me I would have fun with the game, regardless of the wonderful atmosphere. I still hope it does well in terms of sales because I appreciate what the developer tries to do with their games!

@eldersnake

I dislike it for its difficulty, its lack of a linear structure, and its backtracking. You know, most of the things that others consider the highlights. Despite how little I enjoyed it, I think it’s a fantastic game, and I beat it. I’ve also just grown tired of the metroidvania genre this last console generation.

@SpaceboyScreams

Thank god you all love me. I was worried my feelings weren’t reciprocated.

I hope it is absolutely phenomenal for those who have been waiting for it. I hated Hollow Knight, and this game sounds like it won’t change my mind about the series.

It looked bizarre during the partner direct, and it reads like a bizarre game in this review. I’m all for weird games, but this sounds more like an oddity than an oddly interesting game.

I know I owned this game on the GameCube. I have no idea if I beat it, and the graphics have been revamped so much that it looks like an entirely different game. All I can remember is the main village and the tree level with the spiders.

With memory this poor, I don’t have the nostalgia to enjoy this game.

Awesome to see this review. I might grab it if my wife doesn’t. Also good to see some love for the Fisherman!

Bananza has taken all of my attention this month. As for the above titles, Time Flies is the only one I’ve wishlisted.

I loved Minit, and this concept is wacky enough to interest me. I’ll pick this up at some point in the future.

I have absolutely no interest in playing Drag x Drive, but I’m super interested in seeing how others like it. I’ll also keep an eye out for how the Kirby DLC reviews.

I had a wonderful time with the game, but it’s strange that it hasn’t left much of an impression on me. I think the graphics, tone, puzzles, and exploration elements (and everything else) are all remarkable, but looking back on the game, I feel just “eh.”

Perhaps it’s because the “third layer” was inaccessible to me without heavily relying on online guides. I think it’s cool that the developer hid so many goodies in the game, but I’m still disappointed I’ll miss out on the content because I’m not ready to dedicate my life to this game.

All that said, I heartily recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in Metroidvanias.

The game has me highly impressed for the few hours I’ve played it. Although bananas are as prevalent as moons were in Odyssey, they feel more satisfying to me because they act as rewards for engaging in the game’s main mechanic: reckless destruction. I also don’t mind it being easy either because it feels on theme. Of course everything crumbles to your punches because you’re an all powerful ape.

I didn’t enjoy my time with the trilogy, at least the first two games. I don’t know if the jump mechanics were what frustrated me, but movement in general didn’t seem as tight as what I expect from other platformers.

@ShieldHero

I’ve been around the internet long enough to know that you’re hiding an actual spoiler or some joke about a spoiler.

Either way, you can’t fool me. I’m not clicking that!

I love how no one in this comment section is spoiling the content of this playtest. It’s kind of like I’m being excluded from some inside joke. Hopefully I can try it out the second time around.

@N00BiSH

I take issue with your comment.

I enjoy the heavy reliance on "remember this" setpieces to substitute for the flaccidly written narrative and poorly represented characters. It’s like I can turn off most of my brain except for that one spot that pumps out nostalgic dopamine.

Great interview!

The first game was a dud for me. Like @Druidsbrook, the sudden shifts in tone really perturbed me, and I could do without all the pervy jokes. The Somnium sections seemed overly reliant on guesswork, so I dreaded them. The overarching narrative was good, but I couldn’t enjoy it due to all the other faults.

Chibi-Robo didn’t resonate with me when I bought it for the GameCube, but I’m more open to casual platformers these days. I still have to pick up Lil Gator Game, and if that doesn’t scratch my platformer itch, I may go for this game.

I would welcome all of the features mentioned. I appreciate the new direction Nintendo took with World, but the lack of options and customizability are disappointing, especially with the game’s heftier price tag. As ridiculous as it sounds, this Mario Kart feels like the first game in a new series in that it has a great idea but hasn’t had time to refine it.

What I’m trying to say is I’m looking forward to Mario Kart World 2.

Almost sounds like a bad version of Inscryption.

It still is cool to see how developers try to reinvent the gameplay of these old games. I almost want to see a compilation title where multiple developers offer bite-sized reimaginings of a classic.

Finally got around to playing Dredge this year, and it was a solid 8/10. If you’re considering the game, I’d recommend grabbing the DLC from the start. The base game still offers a good amount of content, but the DLC is best played alongside the rest of the story rather than playing it by itself.

I look forward to their next games!

It sucks that those who have had their Switch 2 bricked for using pirated software can pass on their punishment to a person who hasn’t done anything wrong. As others have mentioned, I think Nintendo has a right to go after piracy, but this current solution is lacking at the moment.

@Dpishere

I agree that I would much prefer it to be on the Switch Online service.

I have some fond memories of it, but it wasn’t a great game. Polishing it as a remaster could make it a better version of itself but not a better game. It’s worth a look if it’s part of my subscription but not if I have to pay for it.

I imagine it will absolutely ruin the atmosphere, but adding co-op to this game has made it that much more appealing to me.

“Slow burns” are risky purchases for me these days. I can appreciate a game taking its time to establish tone and setting, but I find myself growing more impatient and bored more easily than I maybe did in the past when I had more time to play games. I’d love to know how the supernatural aspect plays out in this game, but I think I’ll probably pass on it for now.

If Mario Kart World is a 0 or 1 for you, you’ve lived a privileged gaming life.

As with most years, I play more games from previous years than I do new releases. I’ve really enjoyed Mario Kart World, although I think a younger me would’ve been frustrated by the lack of traditional three-lap modes. Into the Restless Ruins was novel while it lasted, but its progression system and do-it-yourself challenge mechanics turned me off from bingeing it after I beat all the maps.

In terms of the old games, Animal Well was a hoot while I was playing it, although it hasn’t endured in my memories as much as I thought it would. It probably isn’t my game of the year, but Gnosia was an incredible game. I’m sad I’ve seen all of the content because I would’ve invested at least another ten hours into its loops.

@CaleBoi25

That’s a perfect comparison and makes a lot of sense! Thank you for this!

I’d make a joke about the possibility of cozy horror or cozy Souls-like games existing, but I’m pretty sure both of those are a thing.

@ozwally @CaleBoi25 @dugan

I love the discussion!

From all of your comments, I think I’m still trying to understand what constitutes a cozy game as well. Animal Crossing is definitely a cozy game to me. Although Stardew Valley has a cozy atmosphere, its time management aspect makes it more stressful to me. I wouldn’t consider Construction Simulator cozy at all, but I totally see how the gameplay is repetitive/chill enough to create that cozy vibe.

Maybe my problem is that I see “cozy” as a genre instead of a general feel of a game. I have to remind myself that not everything has to be forced to fit a category.

Cozy games skirt a fine line between chill and boring. Although I imagine the fun factor is partly up to personal taste, I’d love to see an analysis (or a Talking Point) that examines how great cozy games manage to be low stakes but still enjoyable.

I don’t envy the people who have to guess how many units a console will sell at launch. The Switch 2 launch seems leagues better than the launch of the first console in terms of supply. Hopefully everyone who wants one will eventually get one in that next few months!

I’ve never been interested in this series. To be fair, I’ve never played a soccer/football game before, just assuming I wouldn’t like it due to my general dislike of sports games. I’ll give Strikers a shot to test my assumption.

As for a GameCube game I’d love to play, it’d be fun to play Kirby Air Ride before the new one comes out.

I’m still trying to gauge how much I enjoy these indie 3D platformers and if I can overlook certain flaws. I loved Lunistice, was underwhelmed by Toree 3D, and disliked Cavern of Dreams. Even if Ruffy has a few glowing reviews, I don’t know if it will entertain me or just make me wish I was playing a 3D Mario game.