impressions

Treasure Stack Review

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Remember Wario’s Woods? No? I don’t blame you. Released as the final officially-licensed NES game in 1994 (and released on the SNES later that year), this puzzle game felt like it got lost in the shuffle even at the time. Despite being a fan of Nintendo games and puzzle games, this one slipped through my fingers for reasons that elude me.

Not to say that it’s bad. Its core gameplay concept is actually rather interesting. Instead of taking direct control of the pieces as they fall down the well, you controlled a character inside the well who had to pick up, move, and drop the pieces in order to create sets and clear blocks. Haven’t really seen any games try that concept since.

Decades later, Treasure Stacker by indie studio PIXELAKES builds on the concept. Does this modern take prove that gaming shouldn’t have abandoned the idea when it did?

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Early Notes Regarding Pokemon Sword and Shield

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Pokemon Sword and Shield is Nintendo’s flagship release for 2019. A ton of hype followed this title up to its release, but also a lot of controversy due to the ways in which this game veers from precedents set by past games. We’ll get to that later in this post.

As of writing, my character “Jettt” is standing on the steps of the first gym. With a full review not coming anytime soon, I thought I’d share a few early notes about my experiences thus far.

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Fumbling Through the First Dungeon in Moonlighter

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(NOTE: This post contains mild spoilers for the first dungeon of Moonlighter)

Billed to me as part Legend of Zelda, part roguelike, and part management sim, Moonlighter has been on my radar for quite some time. However, due to life getting in the way, the only time I’ve had to play it was a one-week pocket of time between Super Mario Maker 2 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Thus far, I really enjoy what I’ve played. Be that as it may, I’ve struggled to get a grip on playing the game the right way. It feels like I should be much farther along relative to the time I’ve spent with it.

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Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled Impressions

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Growing up as a stubborn Nintendo loyalist, I dismissed any kart racer not named Mario Kart. Why bother with the rest when you already know the best? That ignorance would come back to bite me.

During my 2nd go-around in college, a classmate of mine introduced me to Crash Team Racing. With her PlayStation at the ready, we argued over which kart racing series was better while leaving me in the dust. Though this argument continues to this day, that classmate is now my wife and I guess you could count that Crash Team Racing session as our first date.

Mario Kart may still rule the roost, but there’s a segment of gamers who share a deep love and nostalgia for Crash Team Racing. And rightfully so, as even I have to acknowledge that Crash’s kart racer was a solid game. Decades later, Crash Team Racing gets the remaster treatment in Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled.

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Anthem Live Stream: Preventative Precautions and See in the Dark

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I know Anthem has been roasted by the press and the gaming public, but is it ACTUALLY as bad as people make it out to be? I’m enjoying my time with it so far and we played through a few early missions together on stream in this video!

Make sure to never miss a stream by following my channel and turning your notifications on! You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram for stream updates and other cool stuff posted daily!

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Daemon X Machina: Prototype Missions Impressions

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First making its debut at E3 2018 as part of Nintendo’s E3 presentation, we now have the opportunity to try out Daemon X Machina for ourselves thanks to a demo on the eShop. Having never really played Armored Core or any other mech game for that matter, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. By the end of the hour-ish demo, I got a pretty good sense of what this game was about and whether this was something I’d interested in picking up someday.

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Yoshi’s Crafted World Demo Impressions

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Following the thread left by Yoshi’s Wooly World, Nintendo goes back to the craft supplies drawer for Yoshi’s Crafted World. Based on what we’ve seen from the demo, any sort of art supplies appear to be fair game this time around. But is there more to this Nintendo Switch platformer than the addition of paper, cardboard, and buttons?

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Anthem Demo Impressions

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Best known for making meaty single-player RPGs with a heavy emphasis on storytelling, BioWare is trying something different with Anthem. They don’t completely leave the RPG genre behind, but this is an action game to the core. So much so, that it’s heavily recommended you play the experience online with friends or strangers through matchmaking. Does BioWare have the chops to create a game this far out of their comfort zone? And for fans of their previous works, does Anthem provide enough reasons for you to join them on this journey? The full game isn’t out yet, but I tried out the demo to get a taste of what’s to come.

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Ashe Impressions in Overwatch

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Leader of the Deadlock Gang, Ashe enters the world of Overwatch as the latest playable character. Packing an assortment of guns, explosives, and a large weaponized robot on speed dial, she’s looking to get her hands dirty on the battlefield. The initial trailer piqued my interest in her, but having played her for the past few weeks has been really eye-opening.

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My Intro to MOBAs through Arena of Valor

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Save for an hour of noodling with Guardians of Middle-Earth on PS3 many years ago, the entire MOBA movement has essentially eluded me. Flagship titles like League of Legends and Dota 2 have a home on PC, a platform I don’t play games on. Furthermore, my eyes tend glaze over any time I try to watch a match or have someone explain to me how these games work. Probably the same reaction I get from most people when I go in-depth about fighting games.

With Arena of Valor on the Switch, it’s an opportunity for me to meet the genre half way. I can play it on a platform I routinely use, and the game from what I’ve heard is a more streamlined version of the genre’s titans. After two hours of play, did I enjoy my time with the Switch MOBA? And could this be a stepping-stone towards the real deal?

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