ZTGD

Coming kind of out of nowhere, A Hat in Time should be played by anyone who enjoyed 3D platformers like Mario 64. If you enjoyed Mario 64, you’re going to enjoy this. It is a nice homage to the king of platformers and one that I highly recommend checking out. There’s a lot to see and do here, and the platforming is well done with level design being thought out and intricate. I really enjoyed my time with it and any platforming fan will too.

Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth continues the proud tradition of the franchise with its stellar character customization and level designs as it poses a daunting challenge, well worth conquering- one tile at a time. Fun Tidbit – While classes like Mage and Shaman feel weak at the start, they really start to shine in mid to late game so stick with them and you’ll be rewarded with your patience!

Loot boxes feel like a small blemish on an otherwise outstanding game. Forza continues to deliver year-in and year-out. This outing will also be a showcase for Microsoft’s upcoming 4K console. Turn 10 continues to deliver, and if nothing else Microsoft has this genre on lockdown for the time being. Glad to see the team not get complacent. Forza Motorsport 7 is yet another must-own for racing game fans.

In the end, Mystik Belle is a decently fun game that has a few issues when it comes to the action more than anything. Luckily, the puzzles and item trading are the main focus of the game, and it is the best part of the entire experience. Fans of old school Dizzy games and puzzle games in general will enjoy this title. If you’re coming here for the action parts of a Metroidvania game, beware. It’s not the best in that department, but for fifteen bucks, you can most certainly do a lot worse.

NHL 18 will satisfy hockey fans; that goes without saying. Its real achievement though is in its design, which will seamlessly teach and assist a player who knows nothing about hockey. They’re likely to stick around too, because as it turns out, hockey is a blast in videogame form.

Ruiner succeeds upon completion though. The second outing feels like the balance the game should have had, and it is a lot more fun. For players willing to suffer through it once, it almost makes up for the tedium. The problem arises once again in that there are so many games out there that work on the first try. Maybe the developers will patch out the issues, and if so Ruiner is a great idea with some truly questionable mechanics that make it a chore to play more often than it should.

My time with Superstar Saga has been a joy – filled with hearty laughs and exciting boss encounters. Even though I can’t say whether it’s a remake worth revisiting to those who finished the original back on the GBA, I can say with confidence that those who missed it the first time around are in certainly in for a good time.

Once again Image & Form continue to pour heart, soul and quality into their games. Steamworld Dig 2 is another near perfect entry in the Steamworld universe, and the enhanced art design makes me wish that they go back to both the original Dig and Heist and update them and release them on the Switch. I would be the first in line to buy them again.

Thankfully, the game is adamant about auto-saving constantly, so it helps circumvent some of the frustration. Even with all these issues, I still persisted in playing because beneath the technical problems that hopefully get ironed out over time, this is a gem of a turn based RPG and I recommend, even with its faults, fans of the genre need to give some attention to Battle Chasers. It might come from a small development team, it might be rough around the edges, but it’s could be one of 2017 most unexpected RPG hits that more people should be aware of.

One Piece: Unlimited World Red certainly looks and sounds the part of a solid One Piece game but it drops the booty with its stiff controls and unsatisfying combat engine.