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.
Home to Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and the place where I proposed to my now-wife, there’s a lot to like in Florida. But when the zombie apocalypse hits and salvation is north of the border, it doesn’t get much worse. If you want to keep your brains intact, you have no choice but to make the trek by any means. Death Road to Canada follows your arduous journey to safety. Will you make it out of America alive?
With the rise and popularity of games like Castles of Burgundy and Sushi Go! came the phrase “point salad”. Games of its ilk are defined by mechanics that drive players to score points through a number of different means. By the end, you’ve essentially created a point salad with different kinds of points all contributing towards your total.
Taking that phrase to its logical conclusion, AEG has published a game called Point Salad. In it, you’re collecting vegetables and salads in order to create the best tasting set of salads at the table. Is Point Salad the definitive point salad game?
Before Tetris exploded in popularity on the Game Boy, Sega made their own arcade version of the legendary block stacker. From what I gather, a port of this title for the Sega Genesis was in the works before being canned. I’ve also heard that Sega’s arcade version was well-regarded during its time. Finally, it’s arrived as part of the Sega Genesis Mini. Was it worth the wait?
From my life-long fascination with Tetris, to my love of the quilting-themed tile-placement game Patchwork, I seem to have a thing for arranging blocks into neat formations. NMBR 9 is yet another game that challenges players to arrange and stack blocks in order to gain the most points. Using interesting shapes and a unique scoring mechanic, does its take on a well-worn concept add something new to this gameplay mechanic?
From Monopoly: Millennial Edition to Game of Life: Quarter Life Crisis, Hasbro has been updating its classic board games with parody versions meant to appeal to young adults in modern times. One game in the series that I couldn’t pass up was Mystery Date: Catfished. Putting an online dating spin to the legacy title, will you swipe right on your future soulmate?
Sega could have been the publisher that kick-started the modern wave of mini retro consoles. They were releasing products in this market years before Nintendo did. Unlike the Big N though, Sega didn’t take this market seriously for a long time. Outsourcing the work to AtGames, they published shoddy devices with poor emulation meant to be sold on the cheap.
Then the NES Classic happened. Consumers appreciated its quality hardware and emulation and the device sold gangbusters. Taking the operation back in-house, the Genesis Mini represents Sega’s attempt at creating a high-caliber mini console that can not only compete against the new wave of competition, but present their legacy in a better light.
With the threat of the Dark Arts looming, Dumbledore has authorized for students to being training in the Defense Against the Dark Arts. In the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle – Defense Against the Dark Arts deck-building game, students from each of the four houses train against each other in one-on-one battles. Do you have what it takes to Wingardium Leviosa your way to victory?
Swipe left to assassinate?
Reigns: Game of Thrones takes the fantasy world of George R.R. Martin and places it into a video game with the mechanics of Tinder. Wait, what?
I don’t think we’re in Hyrule anymore.
Washed ashore after his ship is struck by lightning, Link finds himself stranded on the mysterious Koholint Island. His only chance of returning home is to collect all eight instruments and wake up the Wind Fish. Does The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening do enough to defy the old adage, “There’s no place like home?”
In Third Person 