Category Archives: Review

Essay, Opinion, Pokémon, Pokémon Sword and Shield, Review, Switch

Pokémon Sword & Shield – A Step in the Wrong Direction

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When Pokémon Sword & Shield were first announced, I was excited – I’ve been a fan of the Pokémon series for years, after all – but as we know, Sword & Shield have been the subject of scrutiny for some time now. I’ve played Pokémon Sword for 800 hours, give or take, and I think it’s finally time for me to write out my complete thoughts on the entirety of the game. And believe me, we are going to be covering all of it.

Most players have already formed an opinion on Sword & Shield, and most of them are understandably negative. If you’re somehow still on the fence regarding these games, my goal is to change that. Buckle up and put on your reading glasses, because today’s review is going to be our longest yet. Let’s get started!

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Essay, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Opinion, Review, Switch, The Legend of Zelda

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – A Surprisingly Deep Spin-Off

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My experience with the demo version of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity wasn’t a good one, to say the least. Fast-paced, combo-heavy action games definitely aren’t my cup of tea, and at first it seemed Age of Calamity was no exception. It didn’t help that the game’s frame rate was unstable – especially in co-op play and handheld mode – and when frames start dropping, I tend to focus on the game’s performance more than I do the actual game.

Why did I decide to give the full version of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity a shot, then? I’m not exactly sure, but long story short, I’m almost seventy hours in. The game is much better than I expected, but I don’t think it’s for everyone. Unfortunately, this review is just a little bit late. I can’t get games early like some fancy review sites can, so it took me a few weeks to play through the entire campaign and come to a conclusion of my own. Nintendo, if you’re listening, call me and we can work something out.

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Essay, Indie, Opinion, Review, Switch

Cave Story – An Indie Classic Taken Too Far

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“Classic.” That’s a word that’s thrown around a lot these days. Even here on our own site! But as far as indie games go, Cave Story is most certainly a classic. It was released to the public for free in December 2004, and was developed in its entirety by just one person. That’s about as “indie” as indie gets. You could say Cave Story set the standard for indie games, and you’d be absolutely correct. This game’s got a big history, and we’re going to take a look at all of it today. Though I’ve played four or five different versions of Cave Story, we’ll be specifically reviewing the Nintendo Switch version, Cave Story+.

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Angry Rant, Essay, Opinion, Review, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario Bros., Switch

Super Mario 3D All-Stars – A Mediocre Collection of Great Games

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It’s finally time. In September of this year, Nintendo released a highly-rumored anniversary collection, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which consists of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. We’ve taken a look at all three of these games, how they’ve held up over the years, and what playing them might be like in 2020. Now it’s time for our most negative article yet: a review of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. Not the games contained — the collection of those games.

On the whole, I think the collection is fine, but even then, I’m being a bit generous. We’re all well aware of the whole “limited-time release” controversy, and we’ll be talking about that later on. Super Mario 3D All-Stars is currently retailing for $60 – the norm for most Switch games – and we’re also going to talk about why I don’t think the price is entirely fair. We’ve got quite a bit of ground to cover, so let’s get started!

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Essay, Nintendo 64, Opinion, Review, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario Bros., Switch

Super Mario 64 – An Aging Classic

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A few months back, we reviewed Super Mario Galaxy. A few weeks back, we reviewed Super Mario Sunshine. And now it’s finally time to review the final piece of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection: Super Mario 64! This game’s got a lot of history. It first released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64, and set many an important milestone for 3D platformers. It’s been showing its age for a long time, though, and I personally believe the 3D All-Stars version shows said age most prominently.

Before we begin, I’d like to acknowledge Super Mario 64’s place in history. It was a huge step forward, and the developers’ innovations set the standard for decades to come. But it isn’t 1996 anymore; it’s 2020, so I have to take a look at Super Mario 64 from a 2020 perspective. And if there’s one thing we know about 2020 perspectives, it’s that they’re usually negative. No worries, though — we’re going to balance positive and negative and take a complete look at the game that started it all! (And by all, I mean “the 3D Super Mario games.)

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