Jacob Bukacek
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Writing For
Hardcore Gamer 
Attack of the Fanboy Latest Reviews
Super Mario Party Jamboree is something of a mixed experience. Its main mode, while offering a truly solid selection of fun minigames and interesting boards, suffers from a frustratingly slow rate of play. Unless it's addressed in a future update, most players are probably going to eventually get tired of everything taking longer than it should. Most of the side modes are “take it or leave it” affairs as well, but Koopathlon, Toad’s Item Factory and especially Bowser’s Kaboom Squad are together good enough to make up for that. Fans with friends to play it with will feel satisfied with Super Mario Party Jamboree, but those who don’t probably need not rush to pick this one up.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is still, after all these years, the prime example of Paper Mario at its very best. Its writing is still funny, its characters are quirky and fun in ways that they just aren’t in other Nintendo games, its combat is simple yet deep enough to stay interesting throughout and it’s a visual and aural treat thanks to all the enhancements made by Intelligent Systems. The improvements made both in and out of combat also go a long way towards making the game shine even more than it already did. Sure, the extra tutorials can be annoying for longtime fans, but otherwise, this new version does the original justice and makes it an even more worthy addition to any Switch owner’s library.
While it's not an out-and-out home run, this newest Alone in the Dark is perhaps the first series entry in a long time to give fans a decent horror experience. The story doesn't take very long to get going, but it doesn't just hit the gas and go full speed into crazy town either. The pacing is steady and deliberate, letting players take each step into madness right alongside Emily and Edward. Twists and insights are revealed slowly and usually only after some sort of puzzle challenge. One can take it all on with or without all the modern guidance features too, so there's a decent experience here for both puzzle-enjoyers and those who'd rather just get on with the story.
Mario Party Superstars is a worthy compilation of all of the series’ greatest hits. It has a great selection of minigames with plenty of different ways to enjoy them. The core board game works well for the most part, albeit somewhat hampered by Nintendo’s online infrastructure and some imbalanced design decisions. Online itself is functional enough, but expect to experience lag and the occasional dropped player. Rounding out the whole experience are the various unlockables on offer; all of which enhance the player experience in some way and give fans reasons to keep playing beyond just enjoying the occasional round with their friends. Indeed, Superstars is every bit the game Mario Party fans were hoping it would be, even if it does suffer from minor issues.
As should probably be expected of what's basically a port of the Wii U version, this iteration of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water offers a decidedly average horror experience. The story of Mt. Hikami and those tied to it is rather intriguing, and it is able to create a heavy, disquieting and even chilling atmosphere at times. The fundamentals of combat are strong too, but the entire experience is undermined by pervasive slowness and a not-so-great English dub. Fatal Frame fans will likely enjoy it regardless, as will those looking for a subtler horror game to play for Halloween. For everyone else, though, it might be better to either give Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water a pass or wait until it eventually goes on sale.
Surprising as it may be, Persona 5 Strikers is a solid follow-up to Persona 5. Atlus and Omega Force resisted the temptation to just make it yet another Dynasty Warriors clone, putting in actual effort instead. Its Warriors-style action combat integrates much of the quirks from Persona 5 and still manages to retain the fun factor too. Low SP and short fights hamper it somewhat, but it feels good nonetheless. Being free of time constraints is great too, but the freedom is somewhat undercut by a lack of activities. The new “BOND” skills are fun to earn too, but the process isn’t as interesting as the Confidants system was. Even so, the gang is still fun to hang around with, the new characters are interesting (especially Sophia) and the overall presentation is excellent. Persona 5 Strikers isn’t an out-and-out homerun, but it’s still something both Persona 5 fans and Warriors fans can have a great time playing.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 isn’t the game-changer that the first Puyo Puyo Tetris was. In fact, it’s just more of the same with extra toppings. The new characters, better presented Adventure mode and improved Lesson mode are all great additions, but it would have been better of more had been done to make everything else feel fresh and improved. The Skill Battle mode helps, but that mode is undercut by a poorly-implemented stats system and the existing disparity between Tetris and Puyo Puyo. With that in mind, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is better as an entry point for new fans than it is for older fans who already have the first game. It’s all the fun of the original, but there’s not enough new here to justify buying basically the same game all over again.
With Catherine: Full Body, it feels like Atlus was trying to find an acceptable midpoint between remake and remaster. As a remake, its success depends entirely on whether or not players choose to follow Rin’s route. If they do, then the story changes at least feel justified, even if one doesn’t actually like where that story thread goes. If they don’t choose Rin, though, then the whole exercise winds up feeling entirely pointless. As a remaster, however, Catherine: Full Body is successful. The game looks and sounds great, its new remix mode offers refreshing challenges to player both old and new alike, the new safety mode makes seeing all the endings easier than ever, and the addition of a fully-featured online multiplayer is sure to keep die-hard block-stackers happy for a good long while. New players and serious fans likely won’t regret picking up Catherine: Full Body on release, but everyone else would likely be better-off waiting for a sale.
Anthem is a game based on a fantastic idea. Flying around in futuristic mech-suits with friends should have been a slam dunk after six years of development, and Anthem might yet become that game someday. Unfortunately, that's not what it is right now. Despite nailing the feeling of flying around in its Javelin suits and crafting a beautiful world, there's nothing in Anthem to hold a player's interest. It all gets old quickly thanks to bland encounters, dumb enemies, a borderline empty world and a dull story. Add to that a general sense of technical instability, loading issues, non-existent end-game and utterly boring loot, and the result is a game that feels unfinished, underdeveloped and wholly unsatisfying. Maybe check it out a year from now, but don't even bother otherwise. There are many other games that offer a similar experience and they all do it better.
Despite being rather short, Pikuniku is sure to please players anyway thanks to its pleasant presentation, relaxed atmosphere, goofy characters, and its world that's just plain fun to explore.