Cozy and Critical
The Gamers Lounge is a video game news, review and opinion site run by gamers like you.
For four years LucidSound has made premium, affordable gaming headsets that have not only had great sound but great build quality. With the release of the Xbox Series X/S John had the chance to try out the LucidSound LS50X Wireless + Bluetooth Gaming Headset.
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One genre of games the Nintendo Switch has been lacking is racing. There have been a few, the best being Mario Kart. Aquiris has set out to change that. Enter Horizon Chase Turbo, an arcade racer that pays homage to Outrun and Top Gear. Is this game worthy to be in mentioned with these classic games? Let’s find out.
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Release Date: November 28, 2018
Developer: Irem
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), Steam
Price: $14.99
R-Type Dimensions EX on the Switch is two games in one. It’s arcade ports of R-Type and R-Type 2. It includes all 8 original R-Type levels and all 6 original R-Type II levels. The gameplay is unchanged and is as challenging as they were in the arcade. But if you are not as skilled as some, Irem has made the game more approachable to casual shooter fans. They have included an Infinite mode that gives you endless lives.
While many will cry foul at this, I find it refreshing. As someone who is a fan of shooters, I am not very good at them. I have played this game for years and would get frustrated to the point of rage quitting. In this mode I may die, a lot, but I still have fun seeing the levels I never had before, even though it may take me 20 lives to get there. The game does keep track of how many lives you lost and your total score and once you beat the game it uploads the info to online leader boards. So there is reason to go back and try to beat your previous totals and get better at the game. Also these leader boards are separate from your normal mode, so you hardcore players wont have to worry about being lumped in with “the nOObs”.
There are two different graphic modes in the game which can be changed on the fly. The classic 2D and new 3D versions. It is very cool to switch back and forth to see the difference in the graphics. Even the music has been upgraded and will switch between new and classic when changing the graphics. The game looks and plays fantastic both in docked and handheld mode. Swapping back and forth really shows the detail in both graphic versions and is a welcome addition.
Even though this is pretty much the same game that came out on 360 and PS3 many years ago it is still worth picking up today. With the ability to play in handheld mode, swap between 2D/3D and infinite mode makes it a great game for the hardcore and casual shooter fans alike.
PROS:
2D/3D Graphics and Music are Great
Infinite Mode is Great for New Players/Casuals
CONS:
Not Much Change Over Older Release
Thanks to Tozai Games for providing a code for review.
Peter Leigh (the Nostalgia Nerd) who has taken his addiction of retro consoles and turn it into a successful YouTube channel has curated a new book that adds to the preserve the history games and gaming consoles in his own special way. Is is a book worthy of your bookshelf? Let’s find out!
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Gaming history is important to preserve. Many restore old consoles and games but there are also several book out there that have a visual history of video games. The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox is one of those books. But this book sets itself apart from the rest.
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Retro collections are very popular right now. With Namco, Sega and Nintendo releasing systems and game collections that have been well received. Now NIS America is releasing the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection for the Nintendo Switch. How does this collection of games hold up? Lets take a look.
Read MoreJohn from The Gamers Lounge takes a look at a few accessories from PowerA for the Switch and Xbox One and shares his thoughts if they are worth your cash.
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Bitmap Books over the past few years have been the gold standard for affordable, quality book about video games. From their visual Commpendium series to game and box art books Bitmap has covered games from the arcade to the Neo-Geo. Now their new book the Art of Point and Click Adventure Games takes a look at one of the most loved genres in gaming history.
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The NEOGEO was the pinnacle of video gaming. An elite, exclusive console that didn’t just emulate the arcade experience – as so many 8 and 16-bit consoles tried to do – it was the arcade experience, pixel for pixel on your TV at home. NEOGEO: a visual history is the first officially licensed NEOGEO art book of its kind released in the English language released by Bitmap Books. Have they produced the bible for the NEOGEO fan?
Read MoreDid you know there are new NES and Genesis games released in 2017? Enter Mega Cat Studios who is producing high quality releases for the NES and Genesis. The Gamers Lounge was luck enough to be able to check out some of their 2017 releases.
Read MoreThe Nintendo Switch released on March 3rd 2017 and like with any new console release there are a lot of different accessories hitting the market. John of the Gamers Lounge was lucky enough to get his hands on several different ones and he shares his thoughts if they are worth your money.
Read MoreOver the past few years books about video games have been very popular kickstarter with Artcade, the Genesis Collected Works and more. Bitmap books have been on the for front releasing several high quality books in their Visual Compendium Series. The series includes Commodore 64, Amiga and ZX Spectrum. After a very successful Kickstarter the forth book NES/Famicom has officially been released. Does it get the Nintendo Seal of Quality?
Read MoreThis past April Geek Line Publishing ran a successful Kickstarter to fund their next book. The Nintendo 64 Anthology, the ultimate guide to everything N64 and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the system. Raising over €67,000 (or $70,000 US) the campaign surpassed their goal and now has offically been released. Is this book a fitting tribute to the N64?
Read MoreCable and satellite bills have gotten expensive and more and more people are cutting the cord. There are many options out there to stream entertainment to your home, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and more. Main Brain TV wants to do more. Live sports, TV, movies and more with now fees. Sound to good to be true? John from The Gamers Lounge has spent a month with device. Does it live up to its promices?
Read MoreMost gamers from the 70's, 80's and even the 90's remember the arcades. Tim Nicholls is one of those people and he has taken his passion for the art of the arcade and turned it into a book. Not only is Artcade a book of just arcade game art, it is a lasting record of the golden era of video games that any gamer would enjoy.
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Valkyria Chronicles was originally released on the PlayStation 3 in 2008 and at the time was considered by some to be a revolutionary take on the tactical RPG genre. Hailing an average score on Metacritic of 86 and selling just over 1 million copies worldwide it spawned two sequels on the PSP and last year was released on PC. Now the Remastered edition makes its way to the PlayStation 4. Does this 8 year old game still hold up?
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Earlier this month the Disney Infinity team announced rather than releasing Disney Infinity 4.0 that they would continue to support 3.0 with new play set and figures from there four core brands at The Walt Disney Company: Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars. The first was released this week, Marvel Battlegrounds. John at The Gamers Lounge was lucky enough to be able to review this play set.
Read MoreSeveral months ago the Amiiqo device was released that gave you the ability to copy or emulate Amiibo’s. The big drawback to this device was you had to own an Android phone with NFC capabilities. But the folks that brought you Maxlander (for Skylanders) have now released their Amiibo device, NaMiiO. How does it compare? Check out our review!
Read MoreEight months ago, Joetsu Electronics released L2-R2 Grips for the 2000 model Vita. This grip greatly improved remote play by adding physical L2-R2 buttons to the Vita. 1000 model Vita owners were left in the cold, but with a new year comes grips for the 1000 model. Let’s take a look at this new product.
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The Yakuza series has always had a strong cult following. Originally released in Japan in 2005 by Sega from director Toshihiro Nagoshi, telling the story of Kazuma Kiryu of the Tojo Clan. Every time Japan would get a new game in the series, the West would beg and plead for Sega to localize it. With most of the main games of the series released in the west, minus Kenzan!, Ishin!, and the two PSP spin-offs, Yakuza 5 seemed that it would not be heading to the West anytime soon. Originally released in Japan in 2012, Sega said they could not afford to localize 5, that they did not have the manpower or money. But, thanks to Sony’s #BuildingTheList campaign, they announced in December 2014 that they would be partnering with Sega to release the game digitally on PSN in the west. Now almost one year to the date of that announcement, the game has been released. How does the three year old game hold up in the tail end of the PS3 lifecycle? Read on to find out!
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