DENNIS GAGLIARDOTTO
Aliens: Dark Descent Review
Aliens: Dark Descent is without a doubt the best Aliens experience since Alien Isolation. However, just because it's the best experience *since* then, doesn't make it on par with what is undoubtedly one of the greatest horror experiences in all of gaming regardless of your attachment to the Alien IP. Its flaws unfortunately tend to bring the overall quality of the game down, though it’s arguably got some of the best cinematics gaming has seen to date.
The Rumble Fish 2 Review
For avid fans of the fighting genre - especially those that grew up with the arcades - there's a lot about The Rumble Fish 2 that will more or less leave that crowd content with it, especially when being looked at as a piece of history. However, when compared to Switch's other offerings - and the industry as a whole - fighting games are at an all-time high with new, remastered, remade, and enhanced ports of intellectual properties currently, so there's a bit of an oversaturation that has vastly better offerings than what The Rumble Fish 2 can offer for its price of entry.
EDENGATE: The Edge of Life Review
There are a lot of Indie games that do their best to make a grand event out of a small budget. In some cases, it can be an impressive feat, but in other cases, it can be a massive letdown when a bigger budget could have helped the game reach its full potential. EDENGATE: The Edge of Life sits somewhere in the middle, but it has its heart in the right place and makes use of its resources the best it can to present a game that's entertaining and interesting enough to be worth completing all the way through, even if its story lacks a clear-cut vision.
The Entropy Centre Review
Though we've seen games in all sorts of genres in puzzles, adventures, platformers, etc. utilize time reversal, forwarding, slowing, bending, and more as a gameplay loop, The Entropy Centre stands out as one that is not only consistent with the mechanic but witty and humorous throughout, making for an entertaining trek through puzzles in a Portal-like manner that wears its inspirations proudly on its sleeve.
Asterigos: Curse of the Stars Review
Even though it's wearing its inspirations on its sleeve, there's still enough about Asterigos: Curse of the Stars that makes it a great game in its own right and provides its own identity, and a big part of that has to do with its flexibility, accessibility, and simple intuitiveness of its gameplay that makes it a comfortable and enjoyable experience compared to most within the genre.
Voyage: Xbox Edition Review
Voyage right away leads players into a vibrant adventure with an emotional story driving the immersion and pacing, and does so in a mostly efficient way depending on how the player can reasonably handle two characters at once.
Dead by Daylight: Resident Evil - PROJECT W Review
Dead by Daylight: Resident Evil - PROJECT W is a solid chapter that brings in some more fan favorites of one of horror's most prestigious and celebrated titles, and all the content in PROJECT W feels genuine and respectful of the source material while adapting them into the Dead by Daylight universe. Albert Wesker, Ada Wong, and Rebecca Chambers all wonderfully work themselves into the formula while retaining the fun of its core gameplay.
Disney Dreamlight Valley (Switch) Review
Disney Dreamlight Valley is fantastic in every sense of the word when it works—but only when it works. While we can't speak for other platforms at the moment, the Nintendo Switch version is an unfortunate mess riddled with bugs and technical issues that brings with it some of the most frequent and egregious crashes seen since the launch of Nintendo Switch. The lingering feeling of progress being lost once again and a crash being triggered by basically *existing* throws any sense of comfort out of the window while playing Disney Dreamlight Valley, and what should have been the most magical farming experience ended up diminishing in quality with each passing hour.
XEL (Switch) Review
There has never been a shortage of Zelda-like titles, and for good reason - they're usually fun, charming, and riveting. However, some almost become too reliant on the nostalgia and aesthetic, providing a false promise and a disappointing venture into what otherwise could have been a promising experience in the right hands. Unfortunately, XEL finds itself in that camp, providing a game that more often than not loses its soul, feeling careless in the process.
Infinite Links (Switch) Review
There's a lot to like about Infinite Links that will please more casual players than hardcore, but even the hardcore crowd like myself should have something to appreciate here as the simplicity of it all makes the experience oddly relaxing as you're essentially on auto-pilot while playing. From a compelling enough group of characters, diverse kingdoms, and biomes, as well as a battle system that's palatable and intuitive, Infinite Links is a great pick-me-up for those wanting a budget-friendly JRPG that won't ask too much of you while still providing an epic that's engaging enough to sink your teeth into no differently than the juggernauts of the genre.
V Rising (Early Access) Review
V Rising adds itself to the list of ever-expanding lore and content within the vampire genre, and does so with an influenced yet identifiable panache that helps it give it a life of its own, all while remaining incredibly engaging, visually appealing, and most importantly fun to play, and even in its Early Access state V Rising has already begun to feel like the true definitive vampire experience.
Wonder Boy Collection Review
Wonder Boy Collection houses four classics of the localized Monster World series that bring us through a nostalgic trip through some of the most seminal platformers of their time. For some, it may feel empty on the surface, but ultimately when you jump back into these games you'll find yourself having a ton of fun with every entry even if the frustrations tend to build due to the era they come from, but it’s a solid collection for both fans of the series and those wanting to educate themselves with a piece of history.
Time Loader Review
Time Loader won't blow puzzle fans away by any means, but it's a nice and relaxing enough trek through a time period that's so vastly overlooked in favor of the decades between the 40s and 80s we see so much of, though its caveats and slow-paced nature will likely bore more than entertain, and it's a shame when a lot of detail has clearly been put into its level design despite the lack of graphical fidelity on Nintendo Switch.
Ocean's Heart Review
Ocean's Heart from top to bottom is a beautiful game that no doubt wears its inspirations on its sleeve and showcases them in a way that feels both nostalgic and modern, with a familiar UI reminiscent of the greats, and takes you on a genuine journey throughout a multitude of towns, dungeons, and areas across the seas that feel fleshed out and polished, all while remaining immersive and fun.
Welcome to Elk Review
Welcome to Elk hits all the right notes when it comes to an adventure that builds upon its mysteries and weirdness, and does so in an odd slice-of-life approach that works extremely well to the structure of how the game paces itself and plays. Welcome to Elk is excellent in this regard if you can get over the art direction that typically comes tacked onto more raunchy adult cartoons, and it's also one worth checking out whether on the Switch or elsewhere to experience and share these stories that feel like they only come once in a lifetime.
White Shadows Review
With such a creative and visually appealing direction, there's no denying that White Shadows could be up there with the greats of the genre such as Little Nightmares and Inside, however a sloppy checkpoint system that feels simultaneously fair and unfair can lead to frequent frustrations. In the end, however, White Shadows is yet another wonderful addition to the narrative genre of dark, side-scrolling puzzle games that tell a story through its environment, and wonderfully weaves in a unique creative direction to tackle sensitive subjects.
Arcadia Fallen Review
Arcadia Fallen's blend of alchemic and magical fantasy weaved in with the politics of war make it a thrilling adventure and remains captivating throughout thanks to the strength of its dialogue and characters, and it further goes to show that a good story or game can be presented in any fashion so long as one enjoying the art has a bit of imagination.
Beyond Blue for Nintendo Switch Review
Beyond Blue is an exceptional game that really highlights the beauty of the deep blue sea and its marine life without forcing the player into random acts of survival, and instead opting to have them experience the tranquility and freedom of the vast world underwater that houses all sorts of fascinating sea life, and even with its technical shortcomings it's still worth a dive whether Switch is your main platform or not.
Reviver Dia Plus by Brook: Pokémon GO Auto-Catcher Review
With a solid, premium feel and build to it, the Dia+ Auto Catcher is a device that's suitable to just about any lifestyle and tasks with no risk of visible wear and tear that can ruin or alter the experience. Regardless of the model being chosen, Brook has built a multi-use, multi-purpose peripheral that, to me, exceeds even first-party devices and helps streamline the quality of life and comfort of Pokémon GO as a whole, becoming a device that I now can't see myself without.
Cupid Parasite Review
Cupid Parasite is a unique take on the Otome genre that, while not exactly aimed towards men, is entertaining and flexible enough that even those outside of the target demographic can enjoy with its touch on mythologies and how we handle and interpret love in modern day society.