• Dragon Quest Builders 2

    I really don’t care for games like Minecraft, but let me tell you about this little gem, Dragon Quest Builders 2. Hyperbole aside, I’d like to preface this review with a simple statement. I didn’t play the first Dragon Quest Builders game. I did play through the demo of the first game, but I never picked up the full game, and I’m glad I waited. After speaking with some people who have played both, this game is a much superior title. There’s a chance I may have been pushed away from this one had I played that first. I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into when I…

  • Longstory

    After 2064: Read Only Memories left a rather bad impression of “inclusive gaming” on me, I figured I would give another story-driven game that touts itself as an “LGBTQ+ friendly dating sim”. Before I begin, I want to preface that I am not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and I don’t think that should matter for someone to enjoy a game that wants to be inclusive. Dating sims aren’t really my thing. I have no issue with them, but rarely have found them to be something worth drowning myself in. Most are anime or fan-service oriented. This one has its own art style, and looked somewhat appealing. I was…

  • SNK 40th Anniversary Collection

    It seems that everyone these days has some sort of compilation or collection to sell you. Very few do anything ambitious. Perhaps that is why Digital Eclipse was formed. If you are unfamiliar with that name, as I was, they are a collective that is dedicated to the preservation and archival of classic games. Below is a screen capture from their site, which you can find at http://www.digitaleclipse.com/. As you can see, they don’t seem to be as thirsty for your money as most companies are. Instead, they really want to create the most comprehensive products with a bevy of information along with the games in the package. That said, I’m…

  • Pocket Rumble

    I love fighting games. This may be lost on many of you, but I fell in love with fighters back at a local arcade called Aladdin’s Castle. Like most arcades, it was stocked full of ticket racing games, skill games, and side-scrolling beat-em-ups. Alongside all of these were a boatload of fighting games from Capcom, Midway, Namco, and SNK. Whenever we would go to J.C. Penny, I would beg my mom to let me go to the arcade. Most of the time, after I had gotten my back-to-school clothes, she would give me a few dollars to go have fun so she and her sister could grab a bite to…

  • 2064 Read Only Memories

    So, I read some articles in the past about Read Only Memories and there was a lot of positive stuff out there for it. I had not read the articles in full, but I got that it was a cyberpunk adventure game with a non-binary support character. Bravo for being inclusive! That’s what I thought at the time, however, now that I’m playing the game, I’m seeing things a bit differently. I, in no way, feel that people should be ostracized for their sexual or gender orientations. 2064 Read Only Memories feels like it’s trying to send a message more than it wants to be a good game. I think…

  • Waterfield Switchpack

    In my search for a carry case for my Nintendo Switch, I’ve gone through quite a few different cases. After reaching out to sfbags.com, I was able to get my hands on their latest Switch case, the Switchpack. The Switchpack offers a lot of storage at about the same profile as other cases I’ve had, most notably the TakeCase and the RDS Switch Deluxe Travel. While it is nearly twice the width of the RDS Switch Deluxe Travel case, it can hold almost as much as the RDS Switch Deluxe System case. After modding my dock to be more portable, I can even get that in here without adding any…

  • Skull & Co Grip Case

    It’s been quite a long time since I’ve done any hardware or accessory reviews, but I’ve been looking around, and I’ve gone through numerous cases for the Nintendo Switch. This will be the first of many reviews, culminating in an article that compares my favorites and their features. With said, let’s start with the rather popular case/grip combo simply called the Grip Case from Skull & Co. I first found out about Skull & Co.’s Grip Case when my girlfriend showed me their Kickstarter page. I really wanted the case because it looked like it would have enough room to stow my portable battery in the bottom, and all she…

  • BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle

    When I think of fighting games, I think of semi-complex motions, perfect timing, and a strong focus on competition. It’s you vs me in a battle to the death…or knock out. It’s a battle of wits and skill. In many fighting games, a good deal of skill is dedicated to being able to perform the previously mentioned semi-complex motions with perfect timing. In BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle (BBCTB), things are slightly different. Fighting games have always struggled to hit the mainstream market in a meaningful way. Sure, most casual gamers know who Chun-Li, Kazuya, and Scorpion are, but most of you don’t really identify with Cerebella, Iori, or Sol Badguy.…

  • The Longest 5 Minutes

    The Longest 5 Minutes should have just been a visual novel, full stop. I guess I can expand on that thought. Let me start by what I feel the game sets out to do and build from there. The Longest 5 Minutes is a traditional JRPG told in such a way that you, the player, are experiencing memories of the main character who has lost his memory during the final fight with the game’s final boss, the Demon King. These memories take the form of micro dungeons and specific encounters. In each of these, the characters have a set starting level, gear, and money. Each of these memories have anywhere…

  • Rive: Ultimate Edition

    If I were to judge this game based on its logo and screen shots, I would probably pass it by. That’s exactly what I did. It may be what you did, too. Well, I picked it up to see what it’s about and I was pleasantly surprised. First off, I’ve heard people call it a metroidvania-like game. It’s not; not really. While you will likely revisit areas, it’s from a central hub area. The story mode has the player going through levels, sometimes repeating areas with a different path. It’s definitely not an open world game like those classics, but that doesn’t mean its not good. In fact, I found…