Always a looker with it having a gorgeous presentation, adorable characters, and at times some expert level design that feels perfect for the grapple mechanic. I found the villain amusing, our protagonist great and you know I got hit with a burst of joy when I found out you can pet him after getting all the collectibles in a level.

But those highlights didn't stop me from finding the soundtrack REALLY numbing as it loops endlessly. The specific levels that require intense precision were rather frustrating as the grapple can be stiff at times. And a few bugs (that appear exclusive to the switch version) including a hard crash that hit me right at the end forcing me to play the final level again after beating the boss.

Despite the title being more or less a mixed bag I did have a lot of fun. I will likely go back occasional and try and nab all the collectibles. I am 100% happy to hear a sequel is coming that will hopefully address my concerns.

Grapple Dog may not end up being your favorite 2-D platformer but it has enough there to make it worth a recommendation if you can accept some problems.

If you consider the fact that I know almost nothing about Warhammer 40k, I'm not terribly into Boomer Shooters and I played the game on weakest system this 3.5 stars probably looks more like a GLOWING recommendation.

It's simple fun and there appears to be a lot under the hood. But if you had any interest in playing this game you likely already have.

To speak candidly on the performance of the switch it ranges from Solid at the start to nearly dry heaving towards the finish line. I played the title on Switch as (at the time of writing) it is the only version that got a physical release. Why they decided this I have absolutely no clue. I highly recommend you avoid it as the final chapter as a whole just did not run properly and I would call it nearly unplayable.

TLDR: I recommend you play it on anything but the Switch.

It's incredibly telling that what Nintendo did here was a great idea that was executed poorly.

The music, the concept, the characters designs, the actual combat is all really great. But there isn't anything to do here aside from online matches and Grand Prix. Grand Prix being a series of 10 AI fights ending with a OP boss at the end. Don't get me wrong this is a common problem with a lot of fighters. Many of them lack anything that would normally keep a casual fan coming back. But even back when this released fighting games were being held to a higher standard.

There is no story mode. They went above and beyond with these character designs only to give us so little in terms of actual character. All you get is a text blurb at the start of each match. Your first fight in this game is the same as the last. Other than minor differences, once you beat the Grand Prix with one character you've done it with them all. Credits roll and game over right?

Well....no... I played a bit more afterwards. I like this combat in small doses. I loved the arenas, each pulling from the background of one of these fighters. I REALLY love the music and I just wish the game had more. I want an Arms 2, I want Nintendo to give this idea another chance. Do I think it will happen? I don't know. It didn't sell great and Nintendo has ignored way more profitable IPs for this to come back. But then again it is Nintendo and they do what they want.

It's honestly just a shame. I like this game. I wanna play more of it, but not right now. This is 100% a play a match once in a while. If you can accept that I would recommend it, but if you are looking for more meat on these bones unfortunately you'll want to look elsewhere.

TLDR: I wrote enough about Arms for there to be a TLDR. That shows I'm conflicted.

Interesting to see that the SteamWorld Franchise came from such humble beginnings. The aesthetic is charming and digging your own personal maze underground are stand outs. I found moving through the dirt, avoiding obstacles and finding new upgrades to be very compelling. Death was maybe a little too forgiving at times but it all services a really strong progression system.

Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of its ending. It almost undermines the simple nature of the title with an awkward final reveal and ending cutscene. I don't think it properly set up what it was going for.

Despite that this is a tightly made and short journey into the depths of an old west mining town run by robots. I think that fun idea alone is worth a playthrough.

Sucker Punch Productions captivated an audience with their incredible PS2 Trilogy. Providing worthwhile characters, fun settings, solid levels and a witty sense of humor. This collection should have been an easy high rating. But unfortunately Sanzaru Games treated this like my first apartment and gave these games the landlord special.

It isn't a complete mess but after a while cracks really start to show. If this is your only means to play these games you will still have a great time. But now that I've platinumed all three titles, I will stick with the PS2 versions when I want to revisit this series.

Credit where it's due, the visual and audio design is actually superb. Whether on a handled or blown up on a giant tv this game is actually kind of great to look at. That's the only nice thing I have to say here!

The camera makes levels feel like a frustrating maze, controls feel stiff and objectives are incredibly annoying. I got to the end of the first world before having to call it quits. It's so frustrating tip toeing around trying to find your way to the goal, only to get knocked off the edge by an offscreen enemy and get sent back to start.

They clearly ignored the limitations of the Game Boy. Just because you can put a 3D style Spyro game on the system, doesn't mean you should.

A very strong city builder with a unique theme. Creating Dams and directing the flow of water is very fun and there is a lot of flavor between the two playable factions. Building vertical structures was also a genius idea as it makes district layouts feel like it's own puzzle.

There are two main things that hold this back however. It's UI is very messy and can make understanding how certain systems work feel like trial/error. Also there is a severe lack of dynamic events. At the time of writing the game has 2, Badwater Tides and Droughts. Both are great challenges but I think the game needs more to keep long playthroughs interesting.

Thankfully the game is in Early Access, has a strong community behind it and Devs who are open to feedback. Timberborn is a great game now and I see a bright future where it will be truly excellent. I really do look forward to checking in on this game as it updates.

I fell off from cooperative gaming a few years back. I used to have a core group of friends that I really loved to play with. But that situation became super toxic and it led me to avoid playing games with a regular crew. The fun factor was just not there as it didn't feel the same after playing with the same friends for a decade.

Due to all of this I was really apprehensive of Lethal Company. But I'm really glad I gave this a chance as it was the most fun I've ever had with a multiplayer game.

Working, laughing, screaming and cheering here was nothing short of incredible. I really hope the four of us can get together and play more of this soon.

At the time of writing Helskate has been released in Early access for about a week and to be honest...it is rough. Placeholder text, missing assets and a fair amount of glitches. Yeah problems are expected in Early Access, but for a $25 USD asking price that is kind of a lot for a game in this current state.

Aside from that while the core experience is fun it is deeply flawed as there is a struggle to meld the Tony Hawk gameplay/controls with the Rogue like combat design. I've enjoyed what I played but the idea of this one feels compromised. Rating it right now feels foolish as there is no telling where this will end up. Studio Phantom Coast has a long way to go before this even remotely reaches its potential.

I'll check in as updates roll out as I'm hoping they can land this one. But I won't be surprised if I come back saying this was a wipeout.

Its presentation is all aces. The narrator is captivating, the colors fantastic, the environments beautiful. It's a treat for the eyes and ears as the score matches everything so perfectly.

It's a curated experience that allows for some solid weapon pairing. You're not limited to a melee and ranged option. You can mix and match abilities, passives and weapons and that really adds to the experience. It doesn't drastically change gameplay but it adds more variety which is always a plus.

It starts and ends on a real high note. Strong intrigue echoes throughout the adventure and I loved its ending. Supergiant's first game is still a great one and it shows clearly from the start that this studio knew what they were doing. I highly recommend Bastion.

It's the first SteamWorld Game that just didn't ever click with me. I think the two biggest killers here are the pacing and combat design. I felt bored of the dungeon layouts and movement between areas. Battles move at snails pace making it feel like a requirement to hold down fast forward. It made the overall experience pretty rough.

The deck building and core strategies that come with it also leave a lot to be desired. It presents a decent variety of combinations that are limited by its rules. To simplify, for the 3 characters in your party each have a card limit that combine into your deck. The limit is very strict. It also doesn't help that when a character goes down you can't use those characters cards for the rest of combat. This can lead to boss fights where if one character in your party goes down you might as well wipe. The balance in this game is completely off.

It still has that SteamWorld charm that I love. Character designs aren't as strong but the artstyle is great, music is nice and the writing is charming. I made it halfway through the game before stopping. At the time of writing SteamWorld Heist 2 got announced and all I could think about is how much I would rather play that leading me to drop this one.

It's not the size of your open world, it's how you use it. Supraland showcases that perfectly with excellent puzzles in one of the best designed Metroidvanias I've seen. Great context clues, secrets around every corner and a creative list of gadgets really test you mind. Once you find one solution that in turn becomes a mechanic for later puzzles. It all really flows together seemlessly.

However, I do wish combat had either been more defined or left out of this adventue completely. I never really enjoyed it and avoiding it is next to impossible. It's a pretty big flaw, but thankfully one that doesn't bring down the adventure too much.

This is a really meaty game. Completionists will have a blast solving everything here and I look forward to checking out other games in this series. I would recommend Supraland to anyone who is interested in a good brain buster.