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Star Wars Pinball – Switch Review

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What do you get when you mash together the world’s biggest pop culture franchise with one of the best video pinball developers on the planet? You guessed it, you get Zen Studios‘ Star Wars Pinball!

Zen Studios has somehow crammed 19 Star Wars themed pinball tables on this Switch release, which are damn brilliant and will satisfy any discerning Jedi pinball master – we were going to say wizard, but we reckon that has been done to death. The superlatives don’t just end there, there are additional features and modes that are exclusive on the Nintendo Switch, like HD Rumble, Vertical Play (grab your Flip Grip!), Cantina Jukebox, Galactic Struggle and Career Mode to name just a few.

As the title suggest, this is a pinball game at heart, meaning it is easy to get into and instantly enjoyable to flip the silver-ball. This is thanks to Zen Studios honing their skill in creating wonderful pinball experiences on consoles. The added bonus here is that the whole package is wrapped up in all things Star Wars. If you scratch the surface of this title and start looking deeper, there is a lot of content that will keep you playing for a long long time (in a galaxy nearby).

As mentioned, the unique gameplay modes on the Switch allow players to participate in community-wide Galactic struggles, allowing for contribution points to the light or dark side, depending on how you feel. Likewise, the new career mode allows players to join the ranks of the Jedi or Sith as they achieve up to 50 career ranks, and simply playing any table unlocks special Force Power bonuses that can be applied toward bigger scores. Playing any table unlocks special Force Power bonuses that can be applied towards bigger scores, and a Force Training mode to help pinball Padawans maximize their flipping potential.

The 19 Star Wars pinball tables are centred around the movies and TV show franchises, with iconic characters, memorable locations, and general Star Wars goodness:

  • Movies Adaptations: Episodes IV, V, VI, VII and VIII, plus Rogue One: A Star Wars™ Story and Solo: A Star Wars™ Story
  • TV Adaptations: Star Wars™: The Clone Wars™, Star Wars Rebels™
  • Characters: Han Solo, Darth Vader, Lando Calrissian in The Calrissian Chronicles table, Boba Fett, Droids
  • Locations: Ahch-To Island, Mimban (Battle of Mimban)
  • Themes: Jedi vs. Sith (Masters of the Force), X-wings vs. TIE fighters (Starfighter Assault), being the bad guy (Might of the First Order)

No matter which side you choose, Light or Dark, Jedi or Sith, you will Feel the Force in Zen Studios’ Star Wars Pinball on the Nintendo Switch. We highly recommend you give this awesome game a flip!

Disclosure: Star Wars Pinball [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Zen Studios for this review.

 

 

Untitled Goose Game – Nintendo Switch Review

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Get reading for a honking good time with Untitled Goose Game, the latest game from the team at House House on Nintendo Switch, PC and Mac.

Untitled Goose Game is a game where you assault a calm english country styled village as an annoying goose, stealing keys and tormenting children. Players will honk as they guide their feathered fiend through the nameless sleepy village leaving broken items, rubbish and cranky residents in their wake. Untitled Goose Game is pretty straightforward in its approach, each location has a list of things to do before you can move on to the next area of the village. Players shouldn’t limit themselves to just the list though, there are quite a few secret to-do items to discover, each one just as fowl as the last! It is also best to go into Untitled Goose Game with as little prior knowledge as possible since the majority of the fun is discovering how to wreak havoc for yourself.

Considering how much chaos the player can cause in the village, Untitled Goose Game is a rather relaxing journey that is full of fun and laughter. The art style looks very much like a children’s story book with it’s simple shapes and colours that evokes joy in even the simplest tasks. There is a surprising number of things to do and lots of different ways to approach each situation that makes exploration and “out of the box” thinking incredibly rewarding. Controls are very simple making Untitled Goose Game great for anyone to just pick up and play. Every game needs a dedicated “HONK” button as far as I’m concerned. It is also just as entertaining to watch others attempt challenges as no two people seem to play the same way.

There is not much else you can say about Untitled Goose Game that wouldn’t ruin the experience for those that haven’t played it yet. It may feel a little on the short side once you finish the main to-do list but there is plenty of reason to dive back in with all the extra challenges. It is a charming and beautiful little game that is guaranteed to bring a smile to players faces. Make sure you give this one a gander!

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrate Batman Day 2019 By Playing Stern’s Batman ’66 Pinball Machine via the Internet!

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We celebrate this (Batman’s 80th anniversary) by playing Stern Pinball’s BATMAN ’66 pinball machine via the internet!

Yep, you read that right. Finnish company Surrogate, with their motto of rethinking the way video games have been designed and bringing real-life gaming to the internet, have teamed up with pinball celebrity, Jack Danger of DeadFlip fame, to build the first internet-connected Batman ‘66 pinball machine – a world first where anyone can control the pinball machine from anywhere on this planet!

To inspire other pinball enthusiasts, check out the build video below where Shane (Surrogate CEO) and Jack (DeadFlip) go in-depth on how anyone can hook-up a pinball machine to the internet.


source: SurrogateTV

What are you waiting for? You can go and play Batman ’66 pinball over the internet right now from anywhere in the world – Play Batman ’66 here!

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Pinball Press
Pinball Press is here to spread the word on everything pinball across the known universe. For business / PR email: [email protected]

Follow Pinball Press on Twitter and Facebook

 

 

 

Vambrace: Cold Soul – Nintendo Switch Review

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Face the frost fall and seek answers in Vambrace: Cold Soul, the latest title from Devespresso and Headup Games for the Nintendo Switch.

Vambrace: Cold Soul is both a beautiful and brutal RPG with roguelike elements that will punish and test players looking for a challenge. The city of Icenaire has been put under the blight of “The Frost Fall” a spell that has formed an ice wall around the city, driven the citizens underground and caused the dead to rise as wraiths. You take command of Lyric, the first outsider to enter Icenaire, that has come into possession of a mystical Vambrace that allows her to traverse the frost walls. As she seeks answers about her father, players will forge alliances and attempt to uncover the mystery of her father’s disappearance. On your adventure you will create a team of up to four to travel to the surface in search of answers. Each character has different sets of skills to help you fight and survive the horrors that await you including ghosts, wraiths, golems and bandits. Players must attempt to traverse “dungeons” that are set up as surrounding neighbourhoods and city districts, moving to the end of the level will move player’s teams deeper into the fray bringing greater risk and reward. At the end of each dungeon there is a boss battle that really tests players mettle in combat.

Combat in Vambrace: Cold Soul has fairly by-the-numbers turn based combat where each character has a certain “reach,” meaning you want the tankiest member of your squad up front pulling damage and ranged characters at the back. Tactical thinking is rewarded as both sides can be buffed or debuffed depending on the skills and class of your teammates. Enemies start off feeling fairly easy but get progressively harder as you move through each dungeon, a Geistometer measures the terror in your team and once filled signals the arrival of stronger wraiths, so don’t stick around for too long in one place. As you explore each area you will find constant resources and loot but also booby traps and other hidden dangers. Characters will fall if either their health or vigor falls to zero, this leads to some real tough situations where party members can fall shortly before or after big battles which feels rather frustrating.

Where the game really shines is in the art which looks terrific, Vambrace: Cold Soul has impressive amounts of detail in both character and world art. The majority of the game is done as side-scrolling adventure sections with pop up interactions for looting and other various actions but there are also illustrated random encounters players will stumble onto as they progress. The story is interesting and there is a fair amount of mystery and intrigue as both the player and Lyric learn about the city of Icenaire. Side quests can be completed in multiple ways allowing Lyric to make new allies and enemies depending on whom players choose to help. There is quite a lot going on under the surface in Vambrace: Cold Soul meaning that the game is as unforgiving as the city it is set in.

Overall Vambrace: Cold Soul is an interesting game that unfortunately has some uneven difficulty spikes that may leave players feeling a little cheated. There is plenty to enjoy here and dedicated players that are able to dig deep and take in all the mechanics will be rewarded with lush visuals and an interesting story.

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Vambrace: Cold Soul [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Headup Games for this review.

 

 

Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble – Nintendo Switch Review

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Lock and load soldier, it’s time to stand for king and country in Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble on the Nintendo Switch from the team at Area 35.

Tiny Metal is an exciting, isometric styled turn-based strategy game that puts players in control of a commander and their various units on the battlefield. Players can choose from a variety of modes from the fully voiced campaign mode, Single player Skirmish mode and Online Multiplayer mode. Each side gets a commander that has various attribute modifiers that can affect armor, mobility or line of sight but this can also change unit production costs. As with all War Simulation games, players will start the match with a small armed force that depends on settings and mode selected. Moving across the battlefield, players will have to capture cities, factories and other buildings to earn money which allows the construction of further units and resupply of existing units. Tactics play a vital role in Tiny Metal and there are plenty of different mechanics at play to let you find a style that suits you, bonus objectives will also allow players to mix things up and really push themselves to try new play styles.

Those that are familiar with the “Advance Wars” series will instantly recognise the style that Area 35 is trying to replicate but you can tell that they have put in some real passion and made it their own. Character models and illustrations are crammed full of charm, colour and unique personalities that makes Tiny Metal a well crafted and loving homage to a long languished series. The voice over work is fantastic, commanding officers have some great interactions with each other in the Campaign mode and the individual units all have some great personas that make them feel like much more than just pawns on a chessboard. There are also plenty of unlocks from new skirmish maps to music tracks, that are redeemed by spending currency players can earn from each battle.

Tiny Metal is a game that is perfectly suited to the varying play styles of the Nintendo Switch, from short pick up and play battles to long drawn out skirmishes that really get you thinking tactically. Controls feel nice and are well adapted to make use of thumbsticks with the only gripe being an occasionally fiddly cursor locking itself into the movement boundaries rather than being free floating. This is only a minor concern as most of the time players will find themselves rapidly switching between units, traversing the battlefield and issuing orders.

There is also a bit of “Unreal texture pop in” when viewing the campaign mission map but nothing that will spoil players enjoyment of the game.

Don’t let the colourful and cute graphics fool you, Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is a surprisingly deep turn-based War simulation game packed full of replayability and is a fantastic addition to the switch.

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

 

 

My Lovely Daughter: Nintendo Switch Review

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Harness the power of alchemy and create terrible homunculi in My Lovely Daughter, the latest title from Game Changer Studio. 

My Lovely Daughter is a strange and twisted affair that is full of confronting themes, centring on child labour, abusive parenting and ignorant societies, and the creators of the game even warn you it is designed to make you feel uncomfortable. You awake in a room with no memories, a soul orb containing your daughters soul and the husk of your daughter decaying slowly in the bed. To restore your daughter’s soul you must create homunculi daughters using alchemy and various ingredients like water, clay, wood and metal. After you have made a daughter, you must infuse them with human characteristics such as sadness, joy, fear and anger by making them work for you in town, learning from the townsfolk and then eventually sacrifice them for your actual daughter’s soul. Sacrificing a homunculi will also give you a higher quality alchemy ingredient than what you started with depending on their current level. This is as twisted as it may sound since you must keep your newly created daughters happy while also exploiting them. 

There is a lot of micro management involved in My Lovely Daughter to get the results you desire for restoring your daughter’s soul. Each daughter will level up the more they work, different emotions suit different tasks in town and eventually special tasks are given to you for them to carry out on top of their normal duties. You also need to keep your homunculi happy, you achieve this by either giving them gifts and treats or by spending time with one of them during your single day back at your house. There is a stark contrast in imagery from your character happily running next to, drinking tea or playing catch with your daughters to then mercilessly killing them for their essence and resources by setting them on fire, letting them drown, decapitating them or one of many other terrible fates. All for the greater good of your character’s actual daughter.

My Lovely Daughter is framed with a sketchy and hand drawn art style that gives it a dark and sinister feel that really sets the tone from the start. The mansion in which you live feels cold and eerie, strange things are seen outside the windows and when you eliminate a homunculi there is a trail of blood left from their room to your daughters room. Apart from the overtly dark themes there is also a lot of subtle references to the themes addressed in both artwork and character interaction, especially as the story starts moving along. Homunculi will become more attached to you and start changing how they talk to and address you, occasionally writing you letters to tell you how they feel. Daughters will also plead with you as you decide to kill them, making the decision even more difficult than just if you have enough essence built up or levels for a better resource.

At its core My lovely Daughter is a deep management style game with themes that are very oppressive and may put some people off but that really is the whole point. A great game that is worth your time but not for the overly kind or faint of heart.

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: My Lovely Daughter [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Toge Productions for this review.

 

 

The Fast and the Furious: Agent Shaw Video Game?

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

I finally watched the Fast & Furious spinoff film “Hobbs & Shaw.” It was better than I expected. As I was watching the film, I thought, this would make a great video game. Certain action sequences would be perfect for a combat on different levels video game.

Dwayne Johnson and Jason Stratham had great chemistry; their dynamic was fun, but Vanesa Kirby as Agent Hattie Shaw stole the film out from under the two stars. She gave a standout, humorous performance that made my friend ask, when we were leaving the theatre, “Who was that?” Kirby gained attention in small roles in “The Crown” and “Mission Impossible: Fallout.” They were small, but she shined in both roles. I enjoyed her character so much, a new Fast & Furious video game centered on her MI-6 character could be intriguing.

There are several games based on the Fast & Furious franchise, but they are mostly driving, race based games. I’ve played a Fast & Furious driving game at an arcade and it was a lot of fun. However, it was slightly on the expensive side when it came to tokens.

image source: commonsensemedia

I’ve heard a rumor that an animated series based on characters from the Fast & Furious franchise is in the development stages; I believe for Netflix? Agent Shaw’s character would be perfect for a 30-minute cartoon. Perhaps Vanessa Kirby could voice the animated version of her character. Action packed animated series are hot at the moment, and the Fast & Furious name gets viewer’s attention.

An Agent Shaw game could be a first-person-shooter effort but the gaming industry seems to be saturated with them. And if you’re not Fortnite right now, it’s difficult to carve out your own niche in the market as a FPS game. With some really creative developers, a game similar to the Tomb Raider or Resident Evil series could be successful if done with some passion and Fast & Furious insight.

Goldeneye, one of the greatest first-person-shooter games, was based on a movie franchise. Like that classic, Agent Shaw could be just as thrilling with a modern-day spy feel to it.

Streets of Rage 4 Platforms and New Character Revealed

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As huge fans of the classic Mega Drive beat’em up series, Streets of Rage, this news about Streets of Rage 4 has definitely got us very very excited!

Let’s get straight to it, fans looking forward to playing Streets of Rage 4 next year will be able to do so on their platform of choice, as publisher and co-developer Dotemu (Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, Windjammers 1 and 2) with co-developers Lizardcube (Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap) and Guard Crush Games (Streets of Fury) today announced that the title will make its way on to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch – now that is awesome news! Oh yeah, a brand new gameplay trailer released today also introduced the latest character to join Blaze Fielding and Axel Stone: a badass guitar-playing warrior named Cherry Hunter.


source: DotEmu

Cherry Hunter is the daughter of Adam Hunter from the original Streets of Rage. Trained by her father and Axel, Cherry learned self-defense from a young age. Her interest in following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a cop soon faded out, replaced by her love of music. Nowadays, she plays with her electro progressive rock band in some of the most dangerous places in Wood Oak City. She may look young but make no mistake – she is a seasoned veteran of kicking ass and taking names.

The new trailer also reveals several more levels in the upcoming game at different times of day:  neon lighted urban rooftops, elevator, seedy airport hangars, dirty sewers, thumping music stage and many more are all yours for the taking – lay the smackdown and don’t look back.

Just in case you have been living in a cave, Streets of Rage 4 will be the first entry to the core series in 25 years, standing as Axel and Blaze’s glorious return to serving up side-scrolling beatdowns. With lush hand-drawn animations, new combat abilities, and fresh tracks from an amazing team of composers, Streets of Rage 4 will be a masterful tribute to and revitalization of the classic action fans adore.

To keep your skull-cracking combo on the latest Streets of Rage 4 news going, head over to www.streets4rage.com, visit www.facebook.com/StreetsofRage4!

image source: Games Press

 

TAITO’S 80’s Cult Bubble Bobble Gets Sequel Exclusively for Nintendo Switch

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After more than 10 years, a sequel to the iconic video game classic will finally be released exclusively for Nintendo Switch via ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games!

After a long decade, Nintendo Switch players can now look forward to a sequel to the cult 80’s game series Bubble Bobble by TAITO. The new Bubble Bobble 4 Friends was developed by the original studio TAITO Corporation and will include a brand new local 4-player mode. The sequel will be released both digitally and physically exclusively for Nintendo Switch in Europe on November 19, 2019, with the release in the USA to follow in the first quarter of 2020.

As in the previous highly popular series, the thrilling and epic bubble fight starts again!

One night, a child’s room became enfolded by a miraculous light and every object under its rays suddenly came to life – including the child’s most favourite toy, the little dragon called Bub. Full of jealousy, the wicked magician Baron von Blubba challenges the friendly dragon to battle.

In the ’80s and ’90s, the players jumped through the levels either solo or in the two-player mode. In the new part of the popular Bubble Bobble series, a 4-player cooperative mode is integrated, providing even more fun with friends.

“Bubble Bobble is an extremely popular title in Europe, so we decided to implement a pre-sale in Europe in conjunction with ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games. It is also the first internally developed title since Taito has re-entered the consumer market, and the development team is thrilled to be working on this famous IP. I deeply hope that many people will enjoy it” says Hiroshi Uemura, Executive Officer, Division Manager of Development, TAITO CORPORATION.

Collectors can look forward to the Collector’s Edition of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, distributed exclusively by Strictly Limited Games. The ININ publishing label markets the retail versions and digital releases on the Nintendo eShop.

We honestly can’t wait for Bubble Bobble 4 Friends! 🙂

News story and image source: Games Press

 

KILL la KILL – IF: Nintendo Switch Review

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Prepare to battle it out in Kill La Kill IF the latest from A+ Games that transforms the popular anime into a Cell shaded 3D fighter that packs a punch.

Kill La Kill IF is a fast, arena based fighter that certainly doesn’t hold anything back, in fact it also doesn’t even leave much to the imagination. Those that are familiar with the Anime or Manga will know exactly what I am talking about but players that don’t know might be in for a slight shock. The Story of Kill La Kill IF revolves around an academy that specialises in fighting and students are ranked from No-Star to Three Star. The most skilled fighters receive “Goku Uniforms” that gives the wearer superhuman strength and abilities, these uniforms are unique for each wearer but often are quite revealing. The story follows various characters in their struggle and is a story offshoot that is written and supervised by the anime’s head writer. Apart from the main story mode there is a versus mode and a handful of challenge modes that are good fun for new or experienced players to hone their skills.

The fighting system in Kill La Kill IF feels very tight and focuses very heavily on combos and special attacks. Guard breaks or quick side steps are quite often required to avoid an enemy’s barrage of attacks and turn the tide of the battle in your favour. Charging up a power meter will allow you to carry out a variety of special attacks and having at least 50% of it full will allow you to carry out a “Valor Burst” either defensively or offensively. This can also lead to a “Bloody Valor” which is a rock/paper/scissor scene that will allow your Valor level to increase by 1 up to a maximum of 3 if the attacker succeeds. Reaching level 3 lets you carry out a “SEN-I-SOSHITSU secret art” attack, which is a devastating and round ending move that is always impressive to behold.

The visuals in Kill La Kill IF are great, the game engine looks beautiful even on the switch in handheld mode. There is always so much going on visually that it’s hard to believe it looks as good as it does and there are times when the cell shading is so effective that the cutscenes almost feel like you are watching the anime. One thing that might put off those not familiar with the series is the amount of fan service present, which is very in your face. Female characters often have extremely skimpy outfits and there are multiple occasions when characters, both male and female, are reduced to underwear. Fans will enjoy the fact that there is a plethora of things to unlock in the gallery mode, Voice library and sound test by spending the GP you earn when playing through the games various modes.

Overall Kill La Kill IF is a fun fighting game with lots of replayability that is obviously taking a very fan-centric approach that will either convert you to the cause or might completely put you off the franchise. Certainly worth a look for those that are unsure but want to try a fun and flashy fighting game.

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: KILL la KILL – IF [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Strangely Compelling PR for this review.