NJInkling
2020
Very few kids can say "I made a game and it's on consoles!" But a group of 12-year-olds did just that. And this game does have some neat ideas with its presentation and theme, though the gameplay is generic 2D platformer. Worth checking out though for its interesting origin.
2014
Came out at a time when I was still in nostalgia mode. But the gameplay is pretty good and music catchy (for being chiptunes). Combine it all with the timing, and I liked this game a lot at the time.
2021
My niece loved this game and replayed it a bunch of times, which says something. And she's not old enough to get the jokes about the working world and adult world! But the jokes are so well written, they work on both a surface level that kids can laugh at and the additional depth that adults find funny. It works great!
2023
Take everything I liked about Road 96 and throw most of it out. Randomized elements? Suspense that has a purpose? Ability to die? Moral quandries? Gone. All of it. The only moral choice here is "Is Zoe an idiot who's in denial about how corrupt her government is or not?"
So much just felt badly done compared to how well put together the original game was. I'd say I regret playing this, but I feel like I had to play it to both learn firsthand how bad this is, and appreciate the original much more.
So much just felt badly done compared to how well put together the original game was. I'd say I regret playing this, but I feel like I had to play it to both learn firsthand how bad this is, and appreciate the original much more.
2021
A game unlike any other I'd played. It's like a playable story with roguelite elements, and gameplay elements like a life meter and money. My niece, nephew and teen cousin were hooked watching me play, and my cousin in particular bought it himself, beat it 3 times, and showed it to friends. I beat it 5 times.
A road trip in a corrupt country with corrupt cops, a divided populace, and you're just trying to escape. A colorful cast of characters, a mixture of comedy, drama and suspense, and a lot of interesting minigames that mix things up. There's nothing else quite like it out there and I loved the experience. (But I hated the sequel, Mile 0.)
A road trip in a corrupt country with corrupt cops, a divided populace, and you're just trying to escape. A colorful cast of characters, a mixture of comedy, drama and suspense, and a lot of interesting minigames that mix things up. There's nothing else quite like it out there and I loved the experience. (But I hated the sequel, Mile 0.)
2022
My issue with this game, besides the pixel art, is that it's River City Ransom. Oh, and with a sense of humor I found pretty annoying. Brevity is the soul of wit and these characters need to shut up.
The gameplay is retro, even if modernized a bit with a bigger variety of moves. But it's basically punch up enemies, get money, level up, etc. 4-player is nice, and the only family member who liked the game besides me is my niece, who I later learned showed it to a friend and played it 2-player with her. But I just lost interest in this and so did she later on.
The gameplay is retro, even if modernized a bit with a bigger variety of moves. But it's basically punch up enemies, get money, level up, etc. 4-player is nice, and the only family member who liked the game besides me is my niece, who I later learned showed it to a friend and played it 2-player with her. But I just lost interest in this and so did she later on.
2016
To me, this is the true successor to Wave Race. I wish it weren't so obscure, but I had a lot of fun with it. Nice water mechanics and creative race course design. Although there's only 9 race courses, it's also a super cheap game (10 bucks!), so instead of ripped off, I felt like I'd gotten a bargain for something this fun with graphics this quality. Gradually increasing difficulty and speed and upgrades in the campaign mode keeps those 9 courses from getting stale. Really liked this one.
2022
Great fun with the right group of people!!
Not a Pokemon fan, but this was the only Pokemon game I enjoyed watching others play. I love its setting and open world elements and its more real-time gameplay elements (although fights are still turn-based). And I bought it and played it for a bit, but eventually got pulled away by other games. Maybe if I'd stuck with it I'd enjoy it more, I dunno.
2019
A charming little 2D platformer with simple colors that give off a different kind of retro vibe than pixel art would. Cute, amusing dialog, and simple gameplay. I found it charming enough to beat it twice.
2019
A tactical RPG that isn't about winning fights, but simply escaping. Join with new people and deal with changing situations. I like the idea but feel it could have had more content and more presentation. The short conversations the characters have with each other are a nice detail but they have barely any personality to them.
To me, this is a good evolution of Wii Sports. The soccer and swordfighting are great additions, and the bowling is as great as ever. Online makes the game!
2021
Niece, nephew and I had a lot of fun playing this game and taking turns trying to outdo each other with better photos. This goes way beyond the original Pokemon Snap, with way more features.
It shows its retro gameplay, with things like enemies that refuse to follow you through doors, and always respawn in the exact same starting spots when you revisit an area. I did enjoy it overall though.
2021
Beat it twice. I found this to be a pretty good little 2D Metroid. Scary it was not. Considering that Fusion had a nice horror-like feel to it, I was a bit disappointed there. But it's otherwise a very good game.