Nintendo Enthusiast

I’ve been struggling with how to rate The Wonderful 101: Remastered. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever played before, and it’s fantastic how it’s getting a second chance on the Nintendo Switch. I love its core gimmick; I like how it has the Bayonetta-like secret battles, optional levels, and grading system; and there were special moments that made me grin from ear to ear.

Stone is a weird game by every stretch of the imagination. What’s present isn’t bad — it just could have been a lot better. For a game in which the story is billed as the main focus, it says volumes that the plot does nothing to shine. Features such as the ability to watch a few classic movies are a nice touch but do little to tie into the actual game and feel like they were added just to create a selling point.

SNK fighters always have this Kool-Aid-drinking reputation, like you can really only appreciate the likes of King of Fighters or Mark of the Wolves if you’re a giant FGC nerd. In comparison to the mass market appeal of Street Fighter, perhaps that’s true. But as SNK Girls’ Fighters proves, the King of Fighters universe is as much about having fun and enjoying the worlds and characters within as it is huge combos and intense high-level play.

Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a fantastic game. You don’t need to be into bikes, mountains, or sports to enjoy it. The simplicity of riding down a mountain trail, even when you’re trying to beat your personal best time, is an oddly relaxing experience that you can zone out to wherever you’re playing. The short trails are perfect for quick sessions on a commute or while you’re out and about, but there’s definitely potential to sit and play for hours at a time.

Streets of Rage 4 won’t change your mind on the genre if you hate it, and that’s the only reason I’m not slapping a 10 on this bad boy. I’ve been playing these games since Turtles in Time on Super Nintendo, and Streets of Rage 4 is easily the most substantive, replayable, and gorgeous-looking brawler I’ve ever touched.

Some people will absolutely love Telling Lies. The type of person who can watch five minutes of a movie and then has to watch the entire thing will surely be absorbed into this game’s mystifying world. However, for other people, sifting through hours of footage and being forced to jigsaw a narrative out of it will just feel like a chore, even if the characters are well depicted. It’s up to you to decide which category you’re most likely to fall under.

Like Overcooked, the magic of Moving Out is in full completion. Going for the accolades of gold medals and challenge completions requires strategy and coordination that demonstrates the full potential of the game’s chaotic cooperative play. If you just walk on through collecting bronze medals, you’ll still have a solid time tossing beds and getting in slap fights, but you’ll also be robbing yourself of the game’s true strategic depth that nearly rivals the best of its genre.

At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a brief, action-filled romp, Dogurai is a great game to look into. Featuring a killer soundtrack, tight controls, and a good difficulty balance, Dogurai has almost everything I would expect from a retro-styled experience. However, it does practically nothing to explain what’s going on with the story or the universe, so don’t expect to get into things too deeply on that front. But given the entire package, my time with Dogurai still proved to be enjoyable, if only for a few hours.

Trials of Mana is a wonderful remake of a classic JRPG that most Westerners never experienced. More than that, it’s proof that Square Enix is willing to put in the work and learn from its past mistakes when updating old favorites. My hope is that it doesn’t get too overshadowed by the AAA titles that have been dominating gamers’ attentions this past month. From the story to the soundtrack to the gameplay, old fans and new will find something to love in this game.

I got mildly addicted, so I just ended up committing to several levels in one sitting. For something that’s so relatively simple, I found it almost surprising how Good Job! managed to keep my attention on lock. Thus, Good Job! does a great job at being a whimsical little experience that’s bound to keep you hooked with cathartic destruction, intuitive design, and soothing presentation.