Author: Joel

New Pokémon Snap was a surprise announcement for the Nintendo Switch. After laying dormant for so many years, the original Pokémon Snap finally has a worthy successor. While it is not perfect by any means and does carry some flaws, there are several aspects of the game that improved over its predecessor and we are not just talking about the visuals. New Pokémon Snap is a completely different spin-off from a standard Pokémon game. While we are collecting Pokémon and having them fight each other in most of the other spin-offs, this one takes a radically different approach. Instead of…

It is strange to see Nier as a popular franchise now because it was a fairly obscure one when the original Nier debuted on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The main criticism against the game was for its lackluster gameplay and combat but praised for its character development and story. Overall, it was critically panned and failed to become a commercial success thus leading to the franchise being put on ice. It was not until Nier Automata released in 2019 that the franchise just exploded in popularity. Nier Automata was a successor to the original Nier that offered a completely…

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has mostly worked on the popular Yakuza series but when they try to experiment outside it, they have delivered some fantastic games like Binary Domain and Judgment. Judgment is not a new game per se, since it was originally released for the PS4 back in 2019. This newly remastered version brings in a host of improvements from the visual to the performance. Any of the additional post-launch content has also been bundled with this release making it the definitive way to experience the game. Judgment offers a familiar but fresh perspective. It combines the crazy high-stakes…

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 brings back the most beloved entries in the Tony Hawk’s series, and with the capabilities of modern hardware, both entries have received a series of overhauls. In order to make this happen, Activision enlisted the help of developer Vicarious Visions, the studio that gave Crash Bandicoot a similar makeover with the N. Sane Trilogy back in 2017. The studio isn’t new to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, however, as it has been involved in the development of a number of Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS titles. Vicarious Visions has done full justice to…

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time looks and plays like a Naughty Dog developed modern entry in the series would have if the studio still been at the helm of the IP. It’s the first true sequel in over a decade, and, as such, developer Toys for Bob has put in a commendable effort in not only capturing the essence of the original trilogy but also taking things one step further in terms of the overall design. The story continues right where Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped left off. Doctor Neo Cortex, N. Trophy, and Uka Uka find themselves captive in…

Bravely Default II, just like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, attempts to retain its charm of being a classic JRPG while trying to innovate it for the modern era. It bears the same tropes that we have come to love from the genre. Although, due to the oversaturation of the genre due to so many games released across the past few generations, these tropes tend to feel overplayed now. Bravely Default II attempts to avoid this fate by diversifying its combat with a job system and striving to offer a simple but engaging story. Bravely Default II is a good…

Dragon Quest XI doesn’t need an introduction. It was first released for the PS4 and Nintendo 3DS in 2017 but in Japan. It took a whole year for the localization to happen but the platforms changed from a Nintendo 3DS to PC in addition to PS4. For fans of the Nintendo ecosystem, they had to wait a whole year for the launch of the Dragon Quest XI S, which added tons of new content and several quality-of-life changes to the game. There was just one minor issue, and that was the visual downgrade that occurred in the transition to the…

Mortal Kombat 11 was released more than one year ago and has received an expansion since then with Aftermath, and a definitive bundle now with the Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate. This is the perfect time to get such a bundle out now with the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series signaling the start of a new generation of consoles. Ultimate Edition is offering a chance for new players to get into the game while also bringing in many other improvements for existing players, from the visuals to the addition of a new fighter pack that brings an unlikely new…

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is the second game in the series, and for fans of Breath of the Wild, it acts as a stop-gap until the release of the sequel. Nintendo has also made this a prequel to draw the attention of fans of The Legend of Zelda, after all, Breath of the Wild is one of the best-selling games in the franchise. Hyrule Warriors is basically a re-skinned Dynasty Warriors. For those who are not familiar, it is primarily a hack-and-slash game that pits one player-controlled character against hundreds of foes. We are talking about hundreds of different…

Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition continues Capcom’s tradition of re-released entries in the DMC series. Much like the ones before it, this definitive release brings additional content that fans have been asking for since the vanilla version. It also takes advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X’s horsepower by adding some new modes and technical enhancements over the original. For the uninitiated, DMC5 takes place in Red Grave city five years after the events of Devil May Cry 4. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Dante and Nero are reunited and join forces to take on a powerful demon…