Nathan Birch
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WCCFtech Latest Reviews
New Nintendo consoles tend to launch with a mix of heavy-hitters, like Mario and Zelda, and smaller, quirkier projects designed to show off the system’s unique features. So far, the Nintendo Switch 2 has offered plenty of the former with big games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, but, surprisingly, not really any of those oddball experimental titles. That's about to change with the release of Drag x Drive, a sci-fi-flavored arcade sports game that closely resembles wheelchair basketball and makes use of the mouse functionality and motion controls of the new Joy-Con 2 controllers in ways only Nintendo could dream up.
There’s been no shortage of The Lord of the Rings games over the years, but precious few of them focus on the real stars of J. R. R. Tolkien’s books, the humble hobbits. Granted, outside of the unlikely adventures of the Baggins family, hobbits are known for living rather unexciting lives, so perhaps it’s not surprising that game makers would rather focus on Middle-earth’s elves, orcs, and dragons. But, of course, not all games have to focus on action and excitement – enter Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, a new cozy life sim in the vein of Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing that aims to celebrate hobbit life in all its sleepy glory.
Despite being the franchise that started it all for Nintendo, Donkey Kong has never been as meticulously managed as, say, Mario or Zelda. For decades, DK was largely entrusted to teams outside Nintendo’s core Japanese development structure, with the likes of Rare, Retro Studios, and the occasional third party offering their own varying spins on the franchise. That said, between a major role in the recent Super Mario Bros. movie and new Universal Studios attractions, it seems clear Nintendo is interested in returning Donkey Kong to true top-tier franchise status. As part of this, Nintendo is rolling out Donkey Kong Bananza, a new Switch 2 3D platformer from the EPD Tokyo team behind the likes of Super Mario Odyssey.
It’s been a while since Mario upgraded his wheels. To be fair, Mario Kart 8 is a pretty tough act to follow, selling over 75 million copies between its Wii U and Switch iterations, but with the long-awaited launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, the Mushroom Kingdom crew are once again hitting the asphalt in Mario Kart World.
While not a smash hit, the 2021 EA Originals release Lost in Random has earned a modest yet dedicated fanbase thanks to its memorable Tim-Burton-meets-Double-Fine setting and unique combat system that incorporates cards, dice rolls, and other board-gamey elements. In the years since its release, the main creative minds behind Lost in Random went their own way, recently releasing a rather charming little horror game called The Midnight Walk, while original Lost in Random developer Zoink (now merged with another studio and rebranded as Stormteller Games) have opted to take the series in a new direction.
There can be something strangely unsettling about stop-motion animation, particularly the old-school stuff made before the likes of Wallace & Gromit gave the medium a softer edge. A few games over the years have tapped into that stop-motion aesthetic (last year's Harold Halibut being a good example) but the new handcrafted horror game The Midnight Walk really leans into the creepiness that sometimes accompanies the art form. The makers of The Midnight Walk, veterans of games like Fe and Lost in Random, went the extra mile, constructing actual physical models of all their characters and key props, which were then 3D scanned into the game to give everything that proper tactile look.
Xenoblade Chronicles X has long been the black sheep of Nintendo and Monolith Soft’s ambitious JRPG franchise, partly because it opts for a harder sci-fi setting than the rest of the series, partly because it simply had the bad fortune of being released on one of Nintendo’s least successful platforms. Thankfully for hardcore fans, Nintendo is now crossing off one of the final boxes on their “Wii U ports” bingo card with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition.
The WWE 2K franchise has been in a rebuilding phase for the past few years, culminating in last year’s WWE 2K24, which was one of the best pro grappling games 2K and developer Visual Concepts had delivered in years. But as most seasoned wrestling fans know, it’s one thing to prove you’re championship material; it’s another challenge altogether to stay at that elite level. That’s the test WWE 2K25 now faces.
In recent years, Josef Fares and Hazelight Studios have established themselves as the masters of a certain unique brand of co-op-focused games, including 2018’s prison-escape adventure A Way Out and 2021’s family-drama-infused multi-genre extravaganza It Takes Two. The latter ended up becoming a surprise smash hit, selling over 23 million copies worldwide, so anticipation and expectations are high for Hazelight’s latest co-op venture, Split Fiction.
Donkey Kong Country Returns is set to return yet again. The fourth entry in the Donkey Kong Country series bounded onto Wii in 2010, was revived as Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D on the 3DS in 2013, and now, over a decade later, Nintendo returns to the well with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for the Switch. You definitely can’t say The Big N hasn't recouped their original investment on this one.