We’re back again in the world of the WRC! Last year I reviewed WRC 8 on Switch and found it to be… okay. It wasn’t rated well by various sites on Switch and it kind of showed why. So now I decided to come back for round 2, and to top it off, I’m reviewing this before any footage of the game has even surfaced on YouTube. That means I was going in without even knowing how the graphics looked on Switch this time, which is kind of exciting honestly. So how is it this time? Let’s rally on and find out!
Title:SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium Platform: Nintendo Switch eShop Developer: SNK/Code Mystics (Switch version) Publisher: SNK Release Date: February 17th, 2021 (NA) File Size: 164MB
Review copy provided by SNK
Yes! One of the most requested games for the Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection series on Switch has arrived! This was part of a series of crossover titles between SNK and Capcom and in the larger “Capcom vs.” series. Uniquely since this is a crossover between two game companies, both companies did their own games in the series. SNK handled the ones on Neo Geo Pocket Color and the main Neo Geo systems, while Capcom did their Capcom vs. SNK games, the sequel of which made it to GameCube. So how did this game turn out? Let’s find out!
Gematsu posted about the aforementioned leak so check that out, but what wasn’t posted are the screens and art, provided below:
As you can see, this is clearly a sequel/successor to the adorable The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince (which I actually reviewed on Switch). This new game will likely be revealed in Famitsu this week, and is set to release in Japan on June 24th, 2021.
This is quite the surprise for a number of reasons! See, back in the Wii and DS era, Takara Tomy (and its western division Tomy USA) were firing on all cylinders. Riding high on the success of the popular Naruto: Clash of Ninja and Naruto: Ninja Council games (the former by 8ing and the latter by long ago and now defunct Sonic Game Gear dev Aspect Co., Ltd.). Well once the 3DS era hit, they put out Naruto 3D: The New Era only in JP (and EU via 505 Games), but then just… took a long break. Naruto would then be all by Bandai Namco (who did the Sony titles). Takara Tomy then closed the western gaming division and just stuck to making Pretty Rhythm and PriPara arcade games with Syn Sophia (the Style Savvy/Girl’s Mode devs, with some 3DS ports on the side, and later a Switch game) for a decade under Takara Tomy ARTS (via some small merger at that time). Finally they made a comeback in 2018 with the all-new Zoids series; Zoids Wild, complete with a Switch title by Clash of Ninja dev 8ing back in the saddle (fun fact, 8ing also did Zoids: Full Metal Clash on GameCube!).
The next bit is shocking; the western release was actually by now the new common cartoon game license company Outright Games (Atlus did the last Zoids title in the west, Zoids Assault on 360, developed by SE Mobile & Online). Not to mention this retained its Switch-exclusivity, making it the only game in Outright’s catalog to be so (they always do full multiplatform releases of all their games otherwise). Also, developer Codeglue was uniquely brought in to do/assist with the localization (implementing it into the game I assume, maybe 8ing was too busy on the sequel and other projects?). So how is this game anyway? Is it a roaring success, or should it be called Zoids Tame? That was bad, sorry. Let’s find out!
Liked the first New Game+ Expo last year on June 23rd, 2020? Well it’s back, and much sooner than I would’ve expected! Indeed, the second show is coming in less than a month on March 4th, 2021 at 8AM PT / 11AM ET / 5PM CET. The stream will be hosted on Twitch initially, followed by the NGPX YouTube channel after. The event will showcase upcoming titles, exciting new updates, and there will be special guest appearances as well.
Indeed, here are all 13 episodes of Chuck Jones’ final series on YouTube in 1080p by me for your viewing pleasure! Read on for a detailed explanation on the work I did if you’re interested!
We may be very close to at long last seeing EA’s Frostbite engine running on Switch! This has been rumored for a while, at least since Jeff Grubb mentioned EA’s possible slate for Switch from their EA Play event until the year after. One of the games mentioned was Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered, which hadn’t been revealed at all at the time (hell it might’ve been the very first peep ever of the game!). And sure enough, it was revealed and released for Switch and other systems this past holiday season. Among that list was Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville, which happens to run on Forstbite (as did the two prior Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare games as well).
The NA ESRB rating board has leaked what may be a surprise Switch port of the original 2013-released LEGO Marvel Super Heroes game, previously released at that time for basically every platform; from Wii U and 3DS, to PS3, Vita, and 360, and as launch titles for the newly launched PS4 and Xbox One. Not to be forgetting PC, Mac, and mobile. I guess the Wii, DS, and PSP weren’t invited to the party.
Title:Fatal Fury First Contact Platform: Nintendo Switch eShop Developer: SNK/Code Mystics (Switch version) Publisher: SNK Release Date: December 23rd, 2020 (NA) File Size: 147MB
Review copy provided by SNK
Here’s my second review of a Neo Geo Pocket Color game on Switch. This time it’s an adaptation of the Fatal Fury franchise. The same where Terry Bogard, who some may recognize as a recent newcomer in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, originated from (yes, a LOT of folks likely were introduced to him this way!). Here the game is much like The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny on NGPC (which I just reviewed before), but how does this game compare to it? Let’s find out!
Title:Dungeon of the Endless Platform: Nintendo Switch eShop Developer: Amplitude Studios/Playdigious (Switch version) Publisher: Playdigious Release Date: May 15th, 2020 (NA) File Size: 2GB
Review copy provided by Playdigious
This review is actually massively overdue. I’ve tried for months to just play it adequately but only managed to do so a bit. It’s not the game’s fault (well, aside from the difficulty) but mine for just not being good enough to play it as well as I wish I could. However I will do my best to review it. I do have good things to say about it, so don’t for a second that I will act poorly against it because of my own faults,
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