amphibious_ReViews

Although I love the Legend of Zelda franchise, Phantom Hourglass was a game that I was skeptical about revisiting. This was one of the first titles that I ever played on the DS , and for some reason I was unable to make it past the first run of the temple of the ocean king (granted, I was very young). Ultimately, I traded my copy away for Pokémon Ranger  (a move that I do not regret) and forgot about it for a long time. My attention was brought back to the game when my interest in the franchise was being rejuvenated by Ocarina of Time 3d  and Skyward Sword , but many reviews online recommended skipping it due to the tedious repetition of the temple of the ocean king, as well as the slight annoyance that comes with almost-pure touch-controls. I heeded that warning for a while, but I am currently on a mission to beat every Zelda game, so I needed to play this one eventually. Upon finally playing it, I realized that the touch controls were far from ideal at certain times, but Nint

I was very excited when I had first found this game on Steam (and at a huge discount), so I bought it almost immediately. The  The House of the Dead franchise was my favorite arcade series for a very long time, and other on-rails shooters pale in comparison, so having an adaptation on my PC seemed like a dream come true! Unfortunately, this game just doesn't live up to the legacy of it's numbered companions. The magic that the staple over-the-top story situations bring while plowing down zombies is still present, just in a much smaller capacity. However, where the previous games excelled in delightfully corny (B-movie-esque) acting and stories, Overkill tried something different with a curse every two words and ridiculously uncalled-for sexual jokes and innuendos. For some, that may be a perfect mix, but it isn't floating any of my boats. I'm a sucker for a good story, and the The House of the Dead franchise as a whole doesn't necessarily lead the charge her

I think it's appropriate to begin this review by mentioning that I don't like sports games. As one who cares little for sports in the first place, they never really have any reason to grab my attention. However, I feel quite the opposite about online competitive games, such as my old favorite Team Fortress 2 , as I always appreciated a purely skill-based, short competition and the fun of collecting show-offy cosmetic items. I bought Rocket League thanks to a recommendation from a friend, and immediately noticed that it combined those two aforementioned genres, but improved them both immensely! My love for this car-soccer title (or "soccar" as it is referred to in-game) comes from many places, both in and out of play. I think my absolute favorite thing about Rocket League is that it is an online competetive game, and yet it still encourages local split-screen multiplayer! It's hard to find good online titles that both allow and encourage simultaneous play o

Although I was essentially forced to get this game (it came in one of  GameStop 's manipulative bundle deals), I'm actually really glad that I got it! Because my major focus on the Switch  was Breath of the Wild  and its single-player experience, it was nice to have a multiplayer option available that allowed me to share the magic of the Switch  by cooperating (or competing) with my family and friends! The simple basis of Snipperclips , cutting your partner in order to solve mind-bending puzzles, was surprisingly intuitive and enjoyable! The characters and settings are well-crafted, and frankly, super adorable. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed that the base game only had three "worlds" of content, but the four-player party mode was enough for me to be content for a while. For those looking for even more content, the DLC introduced new levels, modes, and more! However, I still haven't had a chance to purchase or play that yet, so I will update this rev

At first, I was a bit skeptical at coming back to Minesweeper . I was aching for a good, old-fashioned puzzle, like sudoku, but I never really got around to finding one. Soon after, Minesweeper came to my attention again, but I was a bit wary to give it another chance, as my only experience with it previously was as a clueless child clicking boxes (which was no fun, I'll have you know.) But upon my return, I was pleasantly surprised! The thought process in this early  Microsoft  gem is very similar to that of sudoku, which I was pleased to discover, but I found that Minesweeper is plenty of fun, whether or not I'm craving a puzzle! The gameplay is engrossing and addictive, causing a "one more round" type of mentality. However, it isn't without it's flaws. The one major downfall that I've found with this game is that it can't all be solved with just deep-thinking. There is always a degree of luck required, especially when you're pitted with

Reminiscent of the DOS era video games that it parodies, Peasant's Quest is the hilarious interactive masterpiece from the minds behind homestarrunner.com . Having grown up on the sass and wit of Strong Bad , the humor in this text-controlled adventure was both familiar and surprising, yet completely enjoyable throughout! I played this game alongside a couple friends, and we had an awesome time finding the jokes scattered throughout the small, explorable world. The premise of the game follows Rather Dashing, a peasant wearing short pants, in his quest to take revenge on the dragon Trogdor. Although the game isn't terribly easy, it is short enough to be fully played through in an hour or two, and it definitely makes it worth the time. Without spoiling it, I will say that the ending keeps with the comedic theme, and I had a smile on my face from beginning to end! Plus, it's free and can be played on any flash-supporting browser! Hop on a computer and enjoy your next co

I had quite the adventure with Miitomo , and I still remember my rush to download it within hours of its release! The fact that Nintendo was finally willing to release a game (if you can call it that) on hardware other than their own was enough to get me on board immediately. The basis was simple: use a mii to connect with your friends in a pseudo-social-media pseudo-videogame crossover. The game focused on answering questions and learning your friend's answers in order to get to know each other better. Unfortunately, the amount of friends I had playing was pretty pitiful, and I didn't really end up doing much with the app until later in its life as new features were released. Upon finding out that Nintendo planned to discontinue the Miitomo service in May 2018, I decided to revisit it before it was too late. What I found was a far more complicated system with so many new options that I wasn't really sure where to start. After gathering my bearings, I was able to

Although it was a relatively short experience, feeling a bit simple at times, The Sacred Cards somehow managed to keep me engrossed from start to finish. I admit, I had my nostalgia glasses on, as this was the first game that I ever actually bought for myself, but the fact that I played it all the way through most be some sort of testament to its quality. The Sacred Cards creates a unique character for the player and sends them through the majority of the show's second season. You visit a variety of locales in order to duel different opponents in the hopes of securing six "locator cards" that will gain you entrance to the finals of Kaiba's Duel Monsters championship. I believe that this biggest draw of this game is the fact that it forces strategy. Although buying or winning powerful cards isn't very difficult, higher value cards require a certain level of skill to be put in your deck. As a result, I found myself forced to plan my deck out between ever

Inspired by the ever popular Candy Box and Candy Box 2 , Space Lich Omega is an browser-based RPG adventure with an almost entirely ASCII display. However, it chose to step away from the established fantasy style of it's inspiration for a more science-fantasy theme. I ended up having a fun time with this game, despite its need for a little polish, thanks to the unique story and hilarious pop-culture Easter eggs that can be discovered throughout the different explorable locations. Despite the crude-ish interface, I never had any trouble navigating throughout the game. I actually ended up beating it in a relatively short time, especially when I had my gunk production going all out, allowing me to jump my health up enormously. Although I did need to do a little grinding every now and then for an item that I missed, that didn't interfere with my enjoyment too much. Ultimately, this is no Candy Box , but it still has its merits and is worth playing if you ever find yourself in

My first experience with this game was truly phenomenal. I was searching for games similar to Universal Paperclips (I was on a minimalism high) and this game blew me away. My girlfriend teases me all the time because I'm pretty crappy at visualization when I read, while she creates entire worlds in her head. However, A Dark Room somehow managed to temporarily fix my literary handicap, and it was amazing! The text that scrolls down the side of the game essentially explains what's going on from the perspective of the player, and when the first straggler stumbled into my cottage, I immediately decided that this was a movie that I wanted to see. As the game progressed, new gameplay elements continued to be introduced, requiring me to learn how they work and take advantage of them as best I could to grow and protect my village. Although I won't go into further details about the story for the sake of spoilers, I do recommend reading everything, especially when exploring

In an effort to find browser games that I could play in my free time, and the Candy Box franchise was one of the Internet's top recommendations. Unfortunately, aniwey had to shut down his servers for financial reasons. But lucky for me, both games were backed up on the glorious Internet Archive ! However, the first game has some saving issues in its backed up form, so I decided to jump right into the sequel instead. At first, the game is very basic, and it seems as though there isn't much to it. But with just a little bit of interaction, the true magic is revealed. Combining a small portion of the incremental aspects of idle games into an intriguing ASCII adventure definitely do this title justice, especially with the added collectible-based growth mechanic that rewards completions like myself with increased strength for discovering different secrets throughout the world.  Candy Box 2 managed to stay enticing the whole time that I played, and each little step of pr

The origin to my favorite series is still quite the adventure, despite its age. However, the amount of ambiguity surrounding what is required of the player to advance in the game makes it rather frustrating. Without neighborhood friends to talk about game secrets with, or the fabled assistance of Nintendo Power , this game almost guarantees that modern players will reference an online walkthrough if they intend to beat it. However, that ambiguity seemed to really be the game's only major flaw. The Legend of Zelda is exciting, and progression always feels fantastic. Plus, though the story is rather thin on the surface, details within the game, such as the sparse and hidden population amongst the monster-ridden world, fueled my curiosity like body spray in a campfire. Although this game ultimately doesn't earn a place as one of my favorites in the franchise, I always enjoy returning to it for an adventure through the first Hyrule that the world ever knew. This is absolute