An answer I'd accept for "what is the best Nintendo game of the 2010s," of which I think the only real competition is Breath of the Wild, and I'd probably take Pocket Card Jockey over BOTW at this point. See, I love solitaire. A lot. And not only is this game an absolutely fantastic version of solitaire, it also contains some of the best writing that's ever been in a Nintendo game of deeply absurd stories. Direly undersung. One day they'll put that iOS one on the Switch and I'll scream to death, come back to life, and play the shit out of it, much like my homie the Pocket Card Jockey does.
Another one of GameFreak’s games that gets overlooked because it doesn’t involve monsters of the pocket variety, Pocket Card Jockey is proof that the simplest mechanics often make the best games. An addictive combo of solitaire and horse racing with charm spilling out of its every pixel, PCJ is one of the few games I would classify as perfect. Not because it’s flawless, but because I don’t know what more you could want out of it.
of course, good for what it is, but starts to falter when you get into the weeds of it.
don't get me wrong, this game is great when you're first picking it up! but as you spend more time with it and look to improve and win races more often, you're thrown into a sea of card RNG and systems way more complex than they need to be for a 3ds solitaire game best played in 15 minute bursts. play it for the novelty for a little while but don't feel pressured to "beat" it, which from the 5-10 hours I played over the span of like 6 months seems like it would probably take years to complete at that pace lol.
don't get me wrong, this game is great when you're first picking it up! but as you spend more time with it and look to improve and win races more often, you're thrown into a sea of card RNG and systems way more complex than they need to be for a 3ds solitaire game best played in 15 minute bursts. play it for the novelty for a little while but don't feel pressured to "beat" it, which from the 5-10 hours I played over the span of like 6 months seems like it would probably take years to complete at that pace lol.
Keep in mind, this review as written as I've completed most of the game's content except for the big final race.
Pocket Card Jockey is a true gem of game design. On the surface, this is a game about doing races over and over again. However, the roguelike-esque mechanic of retiring horses after a certain number of losses, combined with a calendar system that makes so you can miss out on certain races means that the stakes are always incredibly high.
This allows the player to create their own personal narratives with each horse, filled with training arcs, underdogs and redemption. It might as well be the best Pokémon game on the 3DS, as far as I'm concerned.
Pocket Card Jockey is a true gem of game design. On the surface, this is a game about doing races over and over again. However, the roguelike-esque mechanic of retiring horses after a certain number of losses, combined with a calendar system that makes so you can miss out on certain races means that the stakes are always incredibly high.
This allows the player to create their own personal narratives with each horse, filled with training arcs, underdogs and redemption. It might as well be the best Pokémon game on the 3DS, as far as I'm concerned.
Dril Dozer better be the best game ever made because I've played 3 non-pokemon game freak titles and they were all BORING. Many people refer to this game as being addictive but all the constant, mindless interruptions from the shortest solitaire games you'll ever play put me to sleep, and I'm one of the few people who actually give a shit about solitaire.
Freecell is the best solitaire format, btw.
Freecell is the best solitaire format, btw.
made me enjoy solitaire enough to play it for more than 30 seconds but is there is ultimately only so much solitaire i can take without getting frustrated. this is probably the best possible packaging of the concept but i still could only play for like 6 hours before banishing it to the folder on my 3ds where i pretend i might play the games within again (i will not) (ever)