As much fun as it is to share with loved ones, Death Squared is considerably more difficult than Snipperclips, which didn't even have a failure state. Even though it has a "party mode," it's not a game I'd advise pairing with alcohol, since fine motor control is one of the first things to go when you're hammered. If you're persistent and willing to work together though, Death Squared is a good time, and definitely worth picking up on the Switch.
Unfortunately, SuperMash is a game where the concept is better than the execution. While the spritework and chiptunes are nice, the gameplay holds the whole thing back; a big problem when the gameplay is supposed to be the main feature. Ironically, the mashed-up games usually end up being less than the sum of their parts.
I want to love Wizard of Legend. It's a fun, fastpaced beat-em-up with lots of replay value, gorgeous pixel art, and an incredibly deep combat system. But the frame skipping I encountered made playing it an exercise in frustration. If the issue is ever sorted out, I'll give it a more enthusiastic recommendation. For now, I just wish it played more smoothly.
Don't get me wrong, Tombs of Terror is a lot of fun, and it's great to see the League of Explorers again after they were removed from the game three years ago. The problem is, it's the same sort of fun we've been having for two years now.
I'm conflicted. Cooperative titles like this are hard to find nowadays, especially with drop-in, drop-out co-op. There's no denying it's fun exploring with a friend and the game contains some genuinely clever challenges, especially during the boss fights. There's the seed of a great game here, and I'd genuinely like to see more like it. I really hope BonusXP gets the chance to use this engine to make something else: It's pretty good for a licenced product, but ultimately, that's all it is.
Rastakhan's Rumble isn't the best expansion Hearthstone has ever released, and it's only a small step up from August's Boomsday Project. Unfortunately, like its predecessor, the reward for completing the single-player content is extremely disappointing. Rumble Run is a decent way to spend about an hour, but that's all it is and you'll never go back to it. I hope Blizzard puts more resources into the next expansion's single-player mode.
Override: Mech City Brawl had a lot of potential, but ultimately I like the concept a lot more than the execution. The fighting engine is adequate, but I felt like it should be a lot more fun blowing up a city in a million-ton robot suit. It kinda seems like this one was sent out to die, and that's a damn shame.
It's hard to complain about new free stuff in a game I still enjoy, but I'm hopeful the last expansion for the Year of the Raven will have a better single-player mode.
I enjoyed playing through the game, but felt some of the questionable decisions and creaking technology kept it from achieving its potential. It's quite good for a licensed product, and can be fun for a couple of kids to play together, or for a parent to play with their child. It just isn't anything special, and in a game all about being Incredible, that's kind of a letdown.
So that's my recommendation. Play and enjoy the Monster Hunt mode, but stick to the Arena and Tavern Brawls when playing against others if you don't want to open your wallet. I still enjoy playing this game, but the busted meta means I'm enjoying playing against other people less and less.
Infinite Minigolf shows a lot of promise, but in its current state it's bland. Apart from the course creator, there's just nothing here that stands out from other minigolf titles. Zen has always been good about supporting their offerings after release, and I'm hopeful Infinite Minigolf will continue to receive updates to improve the experience. As it is, it's a decent time, but hard to recommend if you're not excited by the prospect of making your own courses.
I can't help but wonder what Demon Truck might be like with a more traditional control scheme, one where the player controls the movement. I frequently felt like I could have done a better job of driving than the demon behind the wheel, and I don't think that's a good sign. Despite the flaws, however, I enjoyed my time with it. From Click to Truck to Truck is Over, it's a fun time waster, and there are definitely worse ways to spend five bucks.
Kobolds and Catacombs has some great ideas, and I hope future expansions will each add something similar to Dungeon Run.
While my group and I enjoyed trying out this year's Party Pack, it's fair to say it didn't live up to my expectations. It's still a lot of fun, and there were frequent outbursts of laughter in my living room. But there really wasn't a standout title here, nothing to recommend this year's pack over previous entries in the series. It felt like all the games here would've benefited from a little more playtesting, a little more polish. I think it's telling that at the end of the night, we ended by loading up The Jackbox Party Pack 3 and playing a couple rounds of last year's Trivia Murder Party. You'll get your money's worth out of The Jackbox Party Pack 4, but you might have a better time with one of its predecessors.
Although Tokyo Rumble plays great and I had lots of fun with it, the gameplay on display has been done better, and recently. Both Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Double Dragon Neon have online and local co-op play in addition to considerably better graphics and sound. That said, neither of those games ever made it to the 3DS, so if you want to smack up some street scum on the go, it's easy to recommend River City: Tokyo Rumble. There's lots to unlock, it never stops being fun to whale on the other gangs, and despite the simple graphics, those classic character sprites show off more personality than a lot of more modern games' protagonists. If you're on the fence, I'd recommend trying the original River City Ransom on the Wii or Wii U virtual console, since this is a greatly enhanced version of the same thing. If you already have nostalgia for the series, feel free to add a couple of points to the score.
Even though it's got plenty of callbacks to Hearthstone's past, The Dalaran Heist feels like a fresh start for the five-year old game. For the first time in a long time, I'm eagerly looking forward to whatever's coming next.
Is World War Z as good as Left 4 Dead? No. Is it fun despite that? Yes. There's few pleasures in gaming that can compare to swinging a thrumming chainsaw blade through a horde of ravenous undead, and World War Z delivers. And really, it's not like Valve makes games anymore.
Lost Sphear is a colorful, charming game, and does a pretty good job of triggering the nostalgia folks like me have for SNES RPGs of their youth. It just doesn't quite reach the heights of the titles it's influenced by. There's nothing wrong with it, but by trying to be everything to everybody, Lost Sphear becomes sort of a pastiche of other RPGs rather than something which will be remembered for its own merits. I've certainly enjoyed my time with the game, and I think it's worth playing. But I know deep down that in a few years I'm far more likely to replay Chrono Trigger for a twentieth time than I am to come back to Lost Sphear.
Hiveswap: Act 1 is pretty short, and took me about two hours to play through from start to finish. It sets its hooks well though, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Playing through took me about 12 hours, though it might take more or less time if you bump up the difficulty or stick to the critical path. None of the problems I had with this game are insurmountable, and I'm hoping that Zeboyd will be able to fix them with an update. In spite of the bugs, I enjoyed exploring the galaxy with Alyssa and her crew, but you may want to wait for a patch or two before mainlining this Heroine.