So I finally got around playing Firewatch the other day. I used to look down on so-called “walking simulators” – which I still do in some aspects – but the less time I have to play games the more I start to appreciate titles which allow me to sit back and get the whole experience in just a few hours. Not only is Firewatch easy to digest, it’s also fun to boot.
SEGA treated us to an unlikely cult classic when Valkyria Chronicles hit the shelves all those years ago. A decade later, I’m playing what feels like a planned content expansion that got discovered just now after mysteriously vanishing in the archives. Is that bad? Let’s find out.
These events would tell a story of tragedy hidden in the mists of time. A story of courage and trust, of persecution and hate… and of love blooming, even through the face of war. What follows is a record of this conflict, and of those who fought, lived, and died.
With Mario Party 9, the iconic couch PvP series ditched the ruthless winner-takes-all gameplay in favor of making everyone feel like a loser in a crappy wagon mode that nobody asked for. I’m pleased to report that Super Mario Party is a return to form with proper boards, classic rules, and plenty of 4 player shenanigans.
Nintendo went above and beyond porting Mario Kart 8 to the Switch, and despite the impressive amount of polish I can still clearly recognize the game I fell in love with all those years ago. This is without a doubt the definitive Mario Kart experience: Pure, simple and fun.
