amphibious_ReViews

Playing Q*Bert is definitely a unique experience. Although it looks a little bit like Pac-Man and Dig Dug had a weird soul-baby, the gameplay is a very fresh experience. My introduction to this gibberish-spewing, orange bouncy-ball was actually Disney 's Wreck it Ralph , in which Q*Bert was an adorable supporting character easing his way back into the limelight he held back in 1982. Unfortunately, his appearance in Pixels  was a little bit bigger, and a whole lot worse. However, it was enough to get me intrigued. I took on the arcade classic version of this game through the Internet Archive 's "Internet Arcade," which took a little getting used as I was forced to use arrow keys on an isometric field. However, once I understood the controls, I had a pretty good time hopping on color changing cubes and avoiding springy snakes! As the game progressed, the difficulty followed suit, and I had a little bit of trouble keeping up with all the additional enemies, but

Alter Ego  is a game that wasn't originally even in my line of sight. I have a lot of games waiting to be played, so a DOS game about living a whole new life didn't even cross my mind. However, I was browsing through the Internet Archive 's collection of saved DOS games and I thought this one might be worth a go. I anticipated it to be a short little choose-your-own-adventure style game, and in a way I was right. However, this game isn't short, and the choices I made mattered more than I thought they would. Alter Ego  is a hard-hitting life simulator that pits you with nearly everything life has to offer, even the bits you would have never thought about. You are tasked with balancing your health, reputation, relationships, finances, education, and more while being given very little direction. Every choice and decision impacts your personal "stats," which in turn alter what choices you can make in the future and the consequences of those choices. What I rea

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