With February coming to a close, and a bunch of exciting games coming out in the coming weeks/month, I thought I would take a step back, and do some rapid-fire first impressions of the games I have been playing this week. As always, not all of these games will receive a review due to time constraints. That being said, I will try and go into as much detail as I can, so you can get a solid idea of what the game is about, and whether or not it is worth a gander.
Mega Man X4
This one was an obvious one. With the Mega Mega Man Marathon well and truly under way, and X3 recently receiving a review, Mega Man X4 naturally gets a fair chunk of time dedicated to it. I loved X1 and X2, but I felt X3 was a little bit of a step back in terms of overall quality and design. Mega Man X4 recaptures the magic of X1, and gives it a fresh coat of PS1 era paint. This game does so much right, that I consider it one of, if not the best, Mega Man game in the series. Period. Fantastic level design, brilliant bosses, excellent upgrades, this game has it all. A perfect introduction to the X series. I am looking forward to writing a disgustingly positive review.
RICO
I love roguelikes almost as much as I love my children. There is something special about slowly gaining real world experience and overcoming a monstrous challenge, that appeals to me on a deeply spiritual level. It certainly helps that the Switch is the perfect place indulge in the genres sadistic nature, thanks to its ‘pick up and play’ nature. RICO is a FPS roguelike where you perform a series of drug busts through the art of door kicking, head shotting, slow motion action. It has a bunch of modes that let you jump in for a few quick games, or a longer ‘Case’ mode, which strings together a number of missions and tasks you with getting to the end without dying. It is a wonderfully simple game, with dynamic objectives and a satisfying gunplay that got me hooked almost immediately. The game also comes packaged with two player co-op, which slightly changes the games mechanics and gives a real ‘buddy cop’ feel, akin to something like Lethal Weapon. It does have some performance issues, which is a shame, but I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience regardless.
Last Encounter
Due to contractual restrictions, I can’t say too much about this game, however it is certainly worth a miss. Like RICO, Last Encounter is a roguelike but fails to really engage the player thanks to an emphasis on tedious grinding, that locks off the games unique, defining features. It comes with a four player co-op mode, but that manages to exacerbate the grind, making it more or less worthless. Oh, and there are performance issues to top it all off.
Warface
Warface is so close to being a good game, that I am genuinely hoping Crytek manages to fix the inconsistent performance. The Switch is sorely lacking in competitive online FPS’s, and Warface is perfectly positioned to fill that role. It has an abundance of content, and the core mechanics are solid. A little bit of refinement, and this could be a game worth sinking untold hours into. Hopefully developers will see the success of Warface, and endeavour to create more games like it – hopefully made from the ground up to support the Switch.
Ciel Fledge – A Daughter Raising Simulator
I can’t talk about this game at all unfortunately. Damn embargo.
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
One of the highlights of the Witcher 3 was its incredibly indepth card game: Gwent. Thronebreaker takes that card game, makes some tweaks, turns it into a Heroes of Might and Magic-esque adventure RPG, and calls it a day. The card game itself is wonderful, providing plenty of challenge and opportunity to fiddle around with your deck. The thing that truly sells the experience however, is the story. Fully voiced, expertly written and utterly engrossing. If you want to experience a different side of the Witcher series, one mostly devoid of the exploits of Geralt, then Thronebreaker is a worth a look.
Cat Quest
I got this for free through the use of Gold Coins on the E-shop during a sale. This is a surprisingly addictive action RPG in the style of something like Diablo. You play as a anthropomorphic cat, in a world littered with monsters, wizards and dragons. You wander from town, to town completing quests and enjoying endless cat based puns. Whilst simple, it’s mindless fun. A perfect entry point for younger gamers who aren’t quite ready for the serious tone of Blizzards demonic epic. Oh, and the game looks fantastic. Disgustingly adorable in all the right ways.
That about does it for this week. Plenty of games, most of them worth a purchase. Let me know in the comments below if you have played any of these, and what you think of them!
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