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[Light side of the Force, or Dark? Blue lightsaber, or orange? Decisions, decisions...]

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TalkBack / STAR WARS Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Switch) Review

« on: April 06, 2020, 03:14:11 AM »

Light side of the Force, or Dark? Blue lightsaber, or orange? Decisions, decisions...

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/53415/star-wars-jedi-knight-jedi-academy-switch-review

What would it be like to be a student at Luke Skywalker’s school for Jedi? The return of the Star Wars Jedi Knight series to Nintendo Switch completes the September 2019 claim that a port of Jedi Outcast’s sequel, Jedi Academy, would launch in the first quarter of 2020. Aspyr presents this 2003 Raven Software title that originally launched on PC and Xbox, giving Switch a Star Wars action-adventure game that offers player avatar customization, an accessible suite of Force powers, and competitive online multiplayer modes. So, do more options allow for a better adventure or does it feel too forced?

In the Star Wars universe, it has been ten years since the end of Return of the Jedi. Following the events of Jedi Outcast and Kyle Katarn’s ascent as a powerful Jedi Knight, Jedi Academy allows the player to assume the role of Jaden Korr, a student who notably already has their own lightsaber weapon. Jaden can be male or female, depending on the player’s choice, but as they approach the Jedi temple on Yavin IV, Jaden befriends the recklessly over-competitive Rosh Penin. After the transport ship has to make an emergency landing, Jaden and Rosh discover a woman draining energy from the temple with a staff, which greatly concerns the legendary Luke Skywalker. Ultimately, Jaden and Rosh are assigned to train under Master Kyle Katarn, because they will soon have roles to play in confronting the nefarious Disciples of Ragnos cult.

Since Jedi Academy originally launched 18 months after Jedi Outcast, it’s understandably based on the same game engine, with many of the same gameplay fundamentals. The player will navigate a 3D world during missions with a variety of means to dispose of enemies, whether this is shooting weapons in a first or third-person perspective, or using a lightsaber and force powers in third-person. By completing assigned missions, players can spend skill points to access and improve additional Force abilities from the Light and the Dark side, allowing Jaden to become the Jedi that the player imagines. Weapon loadouts can also be customized going into each mission, which is especially important in earlier missions, as players will likely lean on shooting mechanics more, before Jaden’s lightsaber skills can handle enemy blaster fire appropriately.

Like Jedi Outcast before it, Jedi Academy is an especially engaging and believable Star Wars adventure for its time. From the music, to the character and location recreations, the LucasArts stamp of approval is easily apparent with the accuracy of the Star Wars iconography. It is also encouraging that the player’s interpretation of Jaden Korr—be they human or alien, in addition to gender choice—also begins Jedi training immediately in the game, instead of wading through tedious shooting levels, as Jedi Outcast’s first few hours did. The options for how to develop a wide range of Jaden’s powers, leading them more to the Light or Dark side of the Force, are welcome in this sequel. Not only does this simplified morality system change how the player can approach missions on future replays of the game, but the narrative also bends, depending on what kind of Jedi Jaden is becoming. Even the smallest touches, such as the limitation of cheap deaths, addition of reliable checkpoints, and a finger press icon to represent the interactivity of an environmental item, are greatly appreciated as improvements over the previous Jedi Knight game. Aspyr’s port work is also well done here as performance is stable; the portability and optional motion controls make this an ideal way for Jedi Academy veterans to experience the game today.

However, Jedi Academy also carries over much of Jedi Outcast’s baggage, in that it is a difficult sell for new players in 2020. Between slippery platforming, inconsistent hitbox detection for weapon fire, chaotic lightsaber combat, and questionable cutscene direction, the 2003 game experience does not hold up well, especially when young franchise enthusiasts are coming off of 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. As an example, players should prepare for a lack of a mini-map or compass for quest direction, especially when Jaden is wandering the snowy fields of Hoth or trying to escape the maw of a sandworm. Cinematically narrative action-adventure games have changed drastically over time and nostalgia can only fuel so much, when it comes to what audiences consider as a standard for how a game feels to control in 2020.

Additionally, it is also disappointing to only come across a handful of missions that directly advance the game’s storyline. In between those, the players are fed chunks of five missions to complete. While these are important to give players those Force skill points, they are the definition of busywork in both function and narrative purpose. As a result, these missions, which can be completed in any order, feel like padding and do not advance the story in any significant way. While Jedi Academy also includes a range of online multiplayer modes for those that want them, it is frustrating to find that these can only be played either solo against bots or against random human opponents. That’s right, it’s an online mode in 2020 that doesn’t allow for playing with your Switch friends, in addition to a lack of game customization options. What is ultimately an improved experience over Jedi Outcast can still be a trying game experience for new players on Switch.

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a loyal interpretation of an early 2000s classic, now on Nintendo Switch. Once again with this series on this platform, the nostalgia is strong with those who stick by this as an example of what gaming should be today, but new players should be aware of what this game actually is, so that their expectations can be properly tempered. Jedi Academy takes the foundation of its previous game and uses player customization to provide polish and a deeper engagement with the story in a 10-12 hour experience, but it falls short in providing meaningful options in both side missions and online play. If that earns your purchase, then the question remains: what kind of Jedi will you become?

[An action RPG with a moral dilemma that lacks bite]

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TalkBack / Vampyr (Switch) Review

« on: December 17, 2019, 06:22:50 AM »

An action RPG with a moral dilemma that lacks bite

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/52368/vampyr-switch-review

Imagine, if you will, that you are a doctor who has become a vampire. Your Hippocratic Oath compels you to do no harm, but your thirst for blood makes you yearn to do just that by consuming human flesh. Forget the premise of John Dorian’s “Dr. Acula” from Scrubs, this is the setup in a post-war, flu-ridden London in Vampyr on Nintendo Switch.

Vampyr is a third-person, open-world adventure that is powered by a character-driven narrative, with dodge-and-strike combat opportunities littered throughout the environment. It was originally developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Focus Home Interactive, but this Switch version comes to us via Saber Interactive. In fact, one of this port’s best accomplishments is to simply get the open-world adventure of Vampyr running on Switch. It’s not the miraculous accomplishment that The Witcher III’s Switch iteration was, but it makes sense when you consider that Saber Interactive assisted on that game as well. Regardless, running a game of this scale on Switch is a marvel in itself.

For Dontnod Entertainment, Vampyr is a return to a game concept with the scale and combat of Remember Me, rather than the intimate adventure of Life Is Strange. Players assume the identity of Jonathan Reid, a doctor who has returned to London from the Great War in 1918, to discover that a pandemic is running rampant, all while he has awoken with vampiric abilities and urges. After being discovered by Dr. Edgar Swansea and recruited to maintain the appearance of medical practice at the local Pembroke Hospital, Jonathan must use the night to explore the town and discover the secrets of his vampire origins. Experience points allow you to flesh out a skill tree, and these points can be attained through mission completion or as a result of combat. However, the most experience-rich targets are the sixty characters who live in London’s four districts, each with their own stories and secrets to share. The well-acted web of relationships creates a believably inhabited world, which amplifies the overall narrative.

These characters are intended to be the main hook and moral dilemma of Vampyr, in the sense that fostering interpersonal relationships with these characters deepens the worldbuilding and storytelling in the game. However, this character growth also makes those individuals irresistible pools of experience points. Because Jonathan Reid is a vampire, he can choose to kill any of these characters to feast upon the points that their blood offers, but doing so has narrative consequences. Not only would these bitten characters cease to become quest-givers, but their personal arcs and their impacts on others are frozen, and as a result, the story can be directed to any of its four endings. This is Vampyr’s attempt at creating a compelling moral dilemma as a means of difficulty. If the combat is too difficult and the player needs to level up or attain a new ability on the skill tree, the experience points are there for Jonathan’s consumption, and so you make the choice of who must die to give the vampire life. Unfortunately, this means that the selected combat difficulty level at the start of the game, along with player factors such as combat competency and vampire roleplaying willingness, can render this dilemma moot. After all, if the combat doesn’t provide a challenge, does the vampire have to feast when he can get by on experience points from combat and missions?

Unfortunately, the act of playing Vampyr shows frayed edges, demonstrating that a strong narrative foundation with well-realized characters only goes so far. Conversations make use of an unusual camera angle, with a wheel of options that slowly drip-feeds exposition. Experimenting in the open world shows technical struggles and immersion-breaking animations, such as the destruction of crates and barrels. Worst of all, however, is a combat gameplay loop that is neither fun nor rewarding, leading to stale encounters and an increasingly dull experience. Using a variety of melee weapons, bites, and special powers, you can dispatch enemies by dodging and attacking effectively, especially during boss battles. I can’t describe the experience as smooth, though, especially when stealth is a haphazard experience with a questionable tutorial and enemy AI that can spot you around corners. When it comes to its gameplay, Vampyr seems like a textbook case of combat dragging down an intriguing narrative premise, creating an overall middling experience.

Ultimately, this leads us to the question of whether Vampyr is worth your time with its Switch version. The port appears to be faithful to the original 2018 game, so if you enjoyed your time with that, London is yours to explore on the go. But I would be hesitant to recommend this game to most people, especially to those who expect a Life Is Strange-like experience from Dontnod. That being said, if a stale combat experience wouldn’t distract you from a strong narrative or if you are especially fascinated by the vampire aesthetic and its attached dilemmas, Vampyr might just be worth sinking your teeth into on Nintendo Switch.

[A mirror for mental health counseling and the tech industry's role in it.]

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TalkBack / Eliza (Switch) Review

« on: November 01, 2019, 03:35:26 AM »

A mirror for mental health counseling and the tech industry's role in it.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/52077/eliza-switch-review

Life is rarely ever easy. In order to make sense of the world’s difficulties, it’s often recommended to talk it out with a friend or a therapist. But what if that counselor was a computer program following a script, with all of its data controlled by a large tech company?

Eliza comes to Nintendo Switch after a PC release earlier this year through developer and publisher Zachtronics. While the developer’s founder Zach Barth is known for creating engineering and programming puzzle games such as Infinifactory and Opus Magnum, Eliza is a drastic departure in terms of scope and genre for the team. This is because Eliza is a visual novel, written and scored by Matthew Seiji Burns—a former Treyarch and 343 Industries employee who wanted to tell a story about burnout in the tech industry’s crunch culture. Through the lens of mental health, the rise of technology’s ubiquity, interpersonal relationships, and one’s purpose in life, Eliza’s narrative presents the player with a range of currently relevant topics in a thoughtful way that few games tackle.

In Eliza, the player assumes the role of Evelyn Ishino-Aubrey, a 34-year-old software engineer who is returning to Seattle’s present-day tech industry after a three-year absence that was caused by a traumatic event. Evelyn has accepted a new job at the tech giant Skandha as a proxy for the mental wellness program known as Eliza. The program is designed to listen to patients during counseling sessions, as well as study a variety of their physiological factors, in order to provide the best response to continue the conversation optimally. A proxy, by extension, must provide a human face and voice for this programmed response, in order to build the best rapport with the patient, and a good Skandha employee must always stick to the script. Outside of work, Evelyn is trying to find meaning in her life after this hiatus and piece things back together by making connections with old friends and new acquaintances.

It’s these characters who help give shape to Evelyn’s world and present her with a variety of options for how to move forward with her life. These include her current boss at the proxy job, an old colleague who has started a new electronic music career, a former boss who is trying to make waves with his own tech startup, and even Skandha’s CEO with his own big plans for Eliza’s future. On top of that, Evelyn will encounter a range of patients through her proxy job, each with their own struggles in life. Every character is remarkably well acted, and you really get a sense for how each is either trying to convince Evelyn to come to their side or attempting to show how the Eliza system is flawed in certain ways. I found myself particularly empathizing the most with Maya, a struggling artist in dire need of a fresh start, whose pain can truly be felt behind her voice during counseling.

A visual novel is rarely ever demanding in terms of gameplay and that continues to be true with Eliza. Evelyn can open her cell phone at any time to distract from the main story, in order to read emails and text messages, relax with an artistic thought of the day, or even play a fleshed-out rendition of solitaire. Still, plenty of button presses to advance the text will be required, though I wish that a control stick input wasn’t necessary to highlight the only selectable response option on the screen. The game has a heartfelt artistic style that draws the player in, with character and menu design that blends the best of both hand-drawn and pixel art. Musically, the soundtrack supports the mood of each scene nicely, but never stands out enough to have its themes be memorable. It all culminates in an experience that may present the illusion of choice, but a linear narrative will play out, whether you want it to or not. This isn’t an inherent problem with the possibilities of storytelling in games, but it is somewhat disheartening that the only decisions with actual weight come towards the very end of the game, particularly the ultimate choice that drives the player to one of the game’s several endings. Fortunately, a chapter select option on the title screen means that full playthroughs are not required to see the other outcomes, even though a player’s first choice should best represent their own thoughts on the game’s narrative themes.

Expect to spend about five hours playing through the story of Eliza, assuming that the solitaire minigame doesn’t end up becoming much of a distraction. Fortunately, it is a compelling tale that comments on difficult topics with sensitivity, while presenting thoughtful challenges that humanity will have to wrestle with in the coming years. While I was pleased with how my selected ending mirrored how I would have responded to a similar situation, I just wish that my journey to get there could have been more customized, instead of feeling like all endings were possible at the end, no matter what. Still, fans of visual novels with deep thought experiments and realistic characters should certainly download Eliza for lots of engaging reading on their Nintendo Switch.

[A galactic adventure that is far, far away from what new players expect today.]

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TalkBack / STAR WARS Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (Switch) Review

« on: September 23, 2019, 11:02:25 PM »

A galactic adventure that is far, far away from what new players expect today.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/51796/star-wars-jedi-knight-ii-jedi-outcast-switch-review

2002 was a crucial year in the lifespan of the Nintendo Gamecube. It was the year of Super Mario Sunshine. Metroid Prime launched in North America, while The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker released in Japan. Meanwhile, late November 2002 featured Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, with Vicarious Visions developing a version of the game for consoles, after Raven Software created the original, a March 2002 title on PC.

Jedi Outcast is considered the third installment in the Jedi Knight series that is published by Lucasarts, although this Switch port comes to us from Aspyr. The game follows 1995’s Star Wars: Dark Forces and 1997’s Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. In this context, the title Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast makes sense. Those who are new to the series in 2019 must have been confused, then, when it was announced during September’s Nintendo Direct that Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast would launch before Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. In fact, Jedi Academy is the sequel to Jedi Outcast, which justifies its current Q1 2020 release window on Switch. This also means that Jedi Outcast is built on upon the narratives and mechanics of the games that came before it.

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast begins as a first-person shooter, before changing to a third-person action-adventure game once new abilities are unlocked. This may seem jarring at first glance, but the game begins with series protagonist Kyle Katarn working as a mercenary for the New Republic after severing his connection with the Force after the previous game’s events. It has been eight years after Return of the Jedi in the timeline of the Star Wars extended universe and Kyle only begins his journey with a variety of blasters at his disposal, until the plot’s events necessitate the re-learning of the lightsaber and Jedi abilities. Accessing the lightsaber shifts the game into a third-person perspective and using Force powers for puzzle solving shows moments of clever design, while returning to blasters and other weaponry funnels the game back into first-person.

The Star Wars setting shines here, thanks to help from the original publishing partnership with Lucasarts. Character models for familiar Star Wars faces are accurate for the graphical capabilities of the time, weapon sound effects are exactly as they should be, and the music plays off of memorable riffs from John Williams’ famous scores. It’s this type of Star Wars-specific presentation that really allows the player to believe and become invested in this world, especially if they are already familiar with the film franchise. Aspyr also deserves to be praised for the quality of this port. Performance is smooth in docked and handheld mode, optional gyro motion controls are added for those who want them for aiming, and textures are cleaned up enough to properly support graphics from 2002 in 1080p resolution, without the visuals undergoing a complete overhaul from scratch. Players who simply yearn for the original experience, translated as smoothly as possible to Switch, will be pleased.

While the accuracy of the original experience may be intact, those who are looking to jump into Jedi Outcast for the first time in 2019 should be warned that the game’s age shows in plenty of unsatisfying ways. A tutorial in the first level is sorely missed, when the player is thrown into a 3D world with zero conveyance of how to interact with it. What is a BioTech Bacta Canister, or that glowing green object in the room? It’s 2002 game design, so you figure it out. Objective direction is purposely vague and a penchant for obtuse puzzles shows through when interacting at a specific point with a panel of lights is the key to progressing forward. The lack of a mini-map on the heads-up display, or even the lack of a map on a pause screen is completely baffling for a game with vast 3D environments. Managing a health and armor system with item pickups in the world adds a manufactured trial-and-error difficulty, when an enemy could be around the corner at any moment. It may be a player’s preference to experience games “how they used to be,” but it also should be considered that most modern games have strayed away from these design decisions for a variety of reasons.

To go with this, the gameplay experience unfortunately leaves much to be desired for those that have become accustomed to conventional shooters and action-adventure games. Kyle Katarn controls very loosely, as he slides around the world and repeats the same vocal grunt after every jump input during forced platforming segments. For a game that wants to initially establish itself as a first-person shooter, the aiming of blasters and the overall hitbox detection on enemies is maddeningly inconsistent, which only highlights the infancy of the genre on consoles after the refinement of 2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved. Even after Jedi powers are introduced with a clever level of learning through puzzles, the game immediately throws the player into a stage littered with enemies firing sniper rifles. Cutscenes and voiceovers especially show their age, with questionable cinematography, flat acting with crunchy audio fidelity, and only the slightest attempt at trying to match lip flaps. Most frustrating of all is the necessity of the player’s heavy reliance on a manual save system, when death is just a room or a missed jump away. There’s a certain brutality involved with this game experience, and while that may appeal to some nostalgic players, it likely will not to those who have become comfortable with action-adventure games from this decade.

I can certainly appreciate what Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast tried to accomplish at the time in 2002. After the appearance of Attack of the Clones in movie theaters earlier that year, the adventures of Kyle Katarn continued in the medium of video games. For those who are looking to recapture their memories of playing the original game just as it was, the Switch version is a fine means of relishing in that. As a video game releasing in 2019, however, new players should be cautious and, at the very least, aware of what they are getting into. Players who are familiar with the mechanics could complete the campaign in about 12 hours, while several to many more hours will be added for those who are new.

If players want to discover what Star Wars games used to be like before the arrival of November’s Jedi: Fallen Order, this is a reasonable point of comparison. After all, 2002 seems like a long time ago when it comes to cinematic action-adventure game design. Sunshine, Metroid Prime, and Wind Waker all hold up as game experiences from this era. Jedi Outcast is far, far away from doing so.

[Who are the most likely remaining characters to join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as DLC characters in the Fighters Pass?]

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TalkBack / Top 5 Remaining Smash Bros. DLC Character Predictions

« on: August 28, 2019, 03:00:46 AM »

Who are the most likely remaining characters to join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as DLC characters in the Fighters Pass?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/51525/top-5-remaining-smash-bros-dlc-character-predictions

With Dragon Quest’s Hero making RNG waves and with Banjo-Kazooie’s release slated for fall 2019, fans of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate find their hype and speculation levels in an unusual position. The final two DLC characters that make up the Fighters Pass are completely unknown at this point, after having months of fan expectations for Dragon Quest and Microsoft involvement rewarded. That said, the most fervent Smash Bros. enthusiasts here at Nintendo World Report have put our heads together, regarding who those two remaining playable fighters might be.

#5

We start this list by acknowledging the slight possibility that Nintendo may want to promote one of their own characters in the Fighters Pass. Does it make more sense for a third-party to want a cut of the revenue, all so that gaming’s greatest crossover series can continue to grow its connections to new franchises? Absolutely. But let’s take Masahiro Sakurai’s fervor for the Fire Emblem franchise into account, as well as the recent release of Three Houses, to say that Edelgard von Hresvelg would be the most likely Nintendo representative.

Before the Smash Bros. fanbase goes into an uproar about the inclusion of ANOTHER Fire Emblem character, it’s important to consider that not only would a female Lord be a refreshing representation choice, but Edelgard’s use of an axe as a primary weapon would be a first for a Smash fighter. Sure, the case could be made for Byleth, the Three Houses player avatar, but when Smash already has Robin, Byleth’s inclusion would be redundant and they would be an echo fighter, at best. Since Fire Emblem: Three Houses launched, in-game leaderboards have indicated that the Black Eagles are the most popular house choice for players, giving Edelgard’s inclusion chances a leg up over Dimitri or Claude. Other possible characters that could promote Switch-exclusive games could be Travis Touchdown for No More Heroes III or Sylux for Metroid Prime 4. While the DLC trend so far has been third-party characters from franchises that are new to Smash, we didn’t want to leave out the possibility of a Nintendo character in a Nintendo game.

#4

It stands to reason that Bandai-Namco would want some representation in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Fighters Pass. After all, since they played a significant role in developing the base game, why not give them some more love in the game’s DLC? While there was speculation at one time for Tekken’s Heihachi to be included, a few factors regarding the fate of the character now leave Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia as the most likely Bandai-Namco representative.

Representation from the Tales Of series would be a natural fit alongside other popular JRPG series in Smash, such as Final Fantasy and now Dragon Quest. Tales of Symphonia was a stand-out exclusive on the Gamecube, upon its initial Japanese release in 2003, and its simplified combat control scheme drew many parallels to Super Smash Bros. Melee at the time. As far as movesets go, Lloyd would bring dual swords to the fray, which only Pit and Dark Pit currently utilize in the roster. Ultimately, while some fans would prefer Tales of Vesperia's Yuri Lowell, Sakurai said in an interview translated by Source Gaming that he “really think it has to be Lloyd here” and he is “not sure if there [is] any other appropriate choice” for the franchise. Other possible Bandai-Namco characters could include Soulcalibur's Nightmare and Dark Souls' Chosen Undead. But if you ask us, if Bandai-Namco gets a DLC spot, Lloyd's likely to move from a Mii Costume in Smash for Wii U to a playable character in Ultimate.

#3

The industry could feel the love at E3 2019, when the inclusion of Banjo-Kazooie into Super Smash Bros. signified that Microsoft worked with Nintendo to get this deal done. What if a partnership like this could bear fruit again, with a character that many associate with Sony and PlayStation? Of course, the catch here is that the rights for Crash Bandicoot currently belong to Activision, who must be thrilled with the recent performances of N. Sane Trilogy and Team Racing Nitro-Fueled on Switch.

Now, Spyro the Dragon would be another tempting PlayStation-turned-Activision mascot. But Crash’s spins and jumps are just begging for another platforming icon to join the battle. On top of that, Sakurai must surely remember the infamous mascot megaphone ads. To put differences in the past, to have a show of unity across all three major console manufacturers, and to stick it to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale one last time? Crash Bandicoot would be a sneaky DLC pick that would have a Banjo-like reaction across the industry.

#2

Sega has Joker, Square-Enix has Hero, and we’ve already talked about Bandai-Namco, so where is the love for more Smash representation from Capcom? If any character is most likely to join Mega Man, Ryu, and Ken in the fighting fray, look no further than the demon slayer himself, Dante from Devil May Cry.

You could honestly pick any look for Dante from his history of featured games and it would be a good pick, though Devil May Cry 3 would be a safe, youthful bet. We wouldn’t say no to any alternate skins, or even a nod to Vergil, though! Dante’s biggest potential in his favor for inclusion is his moveset and what variety that can bring to Super Smash Bros. Cycling between his Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger, and Royal Guard styles should keep those sword, gun, and jumping skills fresh and varied. After all, we know with Joker that simply firing a gun isn’t a sticking point for a moveset. And speaking of flashy characters with guns, just imagine how cool a dream duel with Bayonetta would be! Other possible Capcom representatives still waiting in the wings could be Leon Kennedy, Phoenix Wright, and Monster Hunter. However, there’s only one fighter that would allow you to slap that sticker with “Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series” on the package.

#1

Picture the scene. It’s The Game Awards 2019. One more character still has to be announced for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, before a February 2020 release. It’s the same stage where Joker sent shockwaves throughout the world last year. The lights go out. And then the music hits you.

If there’s one thing that’s clear about Masahiro Sakurai, it’s that the man has a profound respect for and immense knowledge of the video game industry. Whether you call the character Doom Marine or Doomguy, the Doom Slayer represents the popularization of an entire genre in the early 90s. Today, Bethesda is one of the biggest supporters of the Switch among AAA Western publishers, making The Game Awards a perfect place for a reveal, especially after Doom Eternal releases a couple weeks before the show airs. It’s likely that the character’s violence would have to be toned down slightly, but a moveset made up of guns, a chainsaw, punching, and grappling is entirely reasonable. The Doom Slayer is a character that’s meant to utilize the arena space to its fullest and to go on the attack, which is perfect for a platform fighting game. And can you imagine if Sakurai uses his classic face as the character portrait near his damage percentage? Other characters from Bethesda could include Skyrim’s Dragonborn and Wolfenstein’s B.J. Blazkowicz. But with the recent return of the classic first-person shooter franchise, combined with its historical roots, all supported on Switch by Bethesda - now’s a perfect time for the Doom Slayer to rip and tear his way into Super Smash Bros.

So we wanted to make the case for characters like Shantae, Rayman, Scorpion, and Jibanyan, but those are our top five choices for remaining DLC characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, here at Nintendo World Report. Thank you so much for reading!

[Dodging bullets on the go has never felt so SUPER. HOT. SUPER. HOT.]

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TalkBack / SUPERHOT (Switch) Review

« on: August 25, 2019, 02:41:12 PM »

Dodging bullets on the go has never felt so SUPER. HOT. SUPER. HOT.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/51507/superhot-switch-review

To date, SUPERHOT VR is the most immersive virtual reality experience that I have ever had.

I say this not as a means of any predisposition towards the latest Switch iteration of the first-person shooter where “time moves only when you move,” but merely to express that at this point, SUPERHOT is generally a known quantity in the game industry. Its concept is well-established, its platforms are diverse, and its audience is vast. If anything, the mobile space is currently the only gaming platform where SUPERHOT cannot be played.

So when Nintendo announced during their Gamescom Indie World presentation that SUPERHOT Team was making their popular first-person shooter available that day, it was a relief to Switch owners. One of the more well-known games of the last few years has finally arrived on a Nintendo platform, especially one that can be taken portably with optional gyro controls. How does it hold up? Put simply, it’s a blast.

If this your first foray into the world of the extra warm, SUPERHOT presents the player with a series of monochromatic, white and grey rooms to clear. The obstacles are polygonal, red-orange enemies that have pistols, rifles, and shotguns at their disposal to take you down. As the player, time is your greatest tool when it comes to surviving these challenges. The oft-repeated tagline of “time moves only when you move” rings true here, where combat plays out similarly to a turn-based strategy encounter.

Patience is rewarded in SUPERHOT. You read the environment, decide how to dispatch an enemy target by anticipating their actions, and move throughout the space at your own timely discretion, dodging bullets along the way. Fortunately, a selection of black weapons are littered around each room for you to pick up and use. If those aren’t satisfying enough, you can throw your weapon or an object to stun an enemy, grab their weapon that’s flying towards you, or just settle things with your fists. It’s a delicate dance at the speed of your choice, and because one-hit kills are at play in this world—no matter where shots land on your enemies or on your own body—learning through repetitive trial and error is essential. After clearing each room, the player is rewarded by watching their perfect run in real time, without any time manipulation, to completely relish in that action-hero fantasy.

The narrative begins simply. A friend of yours has messaged you on the piOS “operating system of the future,” wondering if you’ve played something called “superhot” yet, and that he’s “never seen anything like it.” From there, he sends you a superhot.exe program to run and before you know it, the gameplay takes over. It’s a setup that does its job adequately, yet as the plot developed throughout the adventure, I found my mind returning to think about different aspects of this software premise.

SUPERHOT’s graphics and sound design won’t impress players at first glance, but the effectiveness of both truly lies in their simplicity. In a white and grey world, players need to identify red enemies and black weapons quickly, so any other visual distractions are superfluous. That being said, red bullet trails are especially helpful for allowing the player to use time to properly dodge. Similarly, hearing gunshots and where they are being fired from is everything in a controlled, first-person perspective, so there is no need to add extra intensity to the experience with a musical soundtrack. The use of color and silence is finely tuned to accentuate what is most important for this experience: the pure, distilled gameplay loop.

Since players may be returning for a repeat playthrough in this installment of SUPERHOT on Switch, it’s important to note what this version does differently than any others. For one, the Switch’s portability works like a dream for this game. The prospect of controlling the flow of time with character movement while you’re out and about is an enjoyable novelty, and the handheld setup also allows for easy, small breaks when some levels just seem too difficult at the time. The Switch version also allows for optional gyro control, for those who want that extra level of immersion. While it is functional, I found that it lacked the level of precision that the game required to properly place shots in some of the later levels, at least when it came to my personal control tastes. Fortunately, this is an option that is easily toggled in a flashy on-screen manner with the (-) button, without having to navigate menus for enabling the setting. Regardless of control scheme and input device, players will find a means of navigating the world and shooting weapons that works perfectly well for them.

Upon an initial playthrough, players should expect to spend about 2-3 hours to reach SUPERHOT’s credits, which is a sweet spot based on the mechanics that are presented. Performance issues during gameplay were negligible, with the only visual hang-ups appearing in a TV static effect that is used to mask loading the environments. While the last few levels may represent a steep difficulty spike with a seemingly excessive number of enemies, it is absolutely worth pushing past them to see how the story resolves itself. Furthermore, players are encouraged to continue their SUPERHOT experience with the unlocked Endless and Challenge modes, though your mileage may vary here. Ultimately, the amount of content here should strike a balance for all kinds of players, even if some may balk at the campaign’s duration before they play it for themselves.

When I reflect fondly on my previously-mentioned SUPERHOT VR experience, I think about looking fully around the environment, physically ducking to avoid bullets, and even using a throwing motion to launch objects across the room. While that version was exhausting and exhilarating, SUPERHOT on Switch feels like an ideal complement with its encapsulated, portable, and original take on the adventure. For players who are looking to jump into the world of SUPERHOT for the first time, Nintendo Switch feels like the right place to get shooting and moving.

It’s as your in-game friend tells you: you’ve “never seen anything like it.”