Gadgetory

- There are some awesome games coming out on the Switch but sometimes I think we get a little too bogged down on all the obvious big hits. Yes that's awesome we're getting a main line Pokemon game on the Switch. Yes, we're finally getting a new Metroid Prime. There's a new fire emblem on the way. All awesome stuff, but let's not let those overshadow all the other great titles that are going to be making their way into the system. So let's talk about some great Switch games you should not pass up. First on the list and the soonest one to be coming out in just a little under a month, is Katana Zero. Now this was actually announced a couple years back for PC, but at the most recent Nintendo Nindies showcase it was announced that it was making its way to the switch as well, and this looks so much fun to me. It actually reminds me a lot of Hotline Miami, but instead of being a top down shooter, it's a side-scrolling action game. Now if you haven't played Hotline Miami before the big focus there is that it's an action game where enemies are very fragile. It just takes one hit to take them out, but it only takes one hit to take you out as well. So it's very easy to mess up and die, but every time you do, the level resets very quickly, and the focus is just doing it again and again, until you get that one perfect play through to get through it. Now this might sound a little repetitive, but honestly, it happens in such short bursts that it's just this really addictive experience. It looks like Katana Zero is running with the same basic concept, but once again, is instead a 2D platform or action style kind of game, which I do prefer, and adds a little bit of time control mechanics as well. Honestly, this thing looks like it's a really cool concept. I cannot wait to get my hands on it in just a month to find out if it lives up to that same kind of heart pounding action. Next is the only port on this list. There are a ton of amazing ports coming out to the Switch. So much so that it's probably going to be it's own video at some point, but there's one in particular I really want to talk about, because I think that bringing it to the switch unlocks a way to play it that was previously not possible, and that's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Now if you're not familiar with Crystal Chronicles it's a sub-series of Final Fantasy, a spin-off that happened originally on the Game Cube, and it's focused on being a cooperative action-adventure kind of styled title. The problem is when it came out originally, the Game Cube, doing multiplayer was a massive hassle. See, back when this game originally came out you couldn't just play multiplayer by hooking up four Game Cube controllers to a system. No, that'd be way too convenient and simple. Instead, if you wanted to do multiplayer, each player individually had to use a Game Boy Advance that was plugged into the Game Cube with a specialty cable that not everyone owned. Basically it was really, really difficult to find a full group of friends to actually play this game in proper four player co-op with, which was a real shame, because in all the later sequels on the DS that offered co-op, was really fun. The Switch is the perfect platform to revive and re-adapt this style of formula, because I think one of the biggest strengths of that system aside from the whole going to portable, out of portable aspect, is that it's really built for local co-op, whether you're doing it in tabletop or on a TV. So being able to do that for this game finally, and with cleaned up HD graphics, is just something I am so excited about. Sadly, we don't have a hard release date just yet, but it is planned to come out sometime in 2019. Next up is Hollow Knight Silk Song. Now if you've not played the originally Hollow Knight yet, right after this video go download IT and play it right away, because it is an amazing game. The metroidvania genre is one that a lot of indie games have kind of taken a run with, and there's been a lot of good ones, but this is honestly my personal favorite, and I think one of the best executions of it. It takes the concept of the metroidvania where you explore a map, fight bosses, get stronger, eventually make your way to the ending. All well and good, but then it just adds a little bit of Dark Soul. It's not necessarily the gameplay aspect of Dark Soul. It's not that style of RPG, or not quite as crushingly difficult, but it's the tone. This kind of very dark world with just snippets of lore here and there for you to pick up that adds this whole air of mystery to the entire thing that just makes you want to learn more and more the longer you play. So it's no surprise that because I love this game so much I am super excited for its direct squeal Silk Song, which is getting released on PC and Mac as well, but when it comes to consoles, Switch is the exclusive home, at least for now. Now it does share the same kind of basic concept of metroidvania the the original Hollow Knight has, but the gameplay's been revamped a little more to feature a faster-paced, more acrobatic style combat, which looks really fun. This one is still technically TBA as far as release dates go, but I've got a very good feeling, or maybe I'm just super optimistic, that we will get it sometime this year. By the way, if you want an easy and safe way to customize your Switch, check out skins from today's Sponsor D Brand. They come in a variety of different colors and patterns, like this carbon fiber. You can get them for the Switch itself, the joy cons, or your dock. Check out the link down below. Let's get a little bit weirder with Windjammers 2. Now, the history of the original Windjammers is kind of a weird thing, because it first came out back in arcades in 1994, and while it didn't have the best critical reception, and it didn't have a massive following, it did develop a cult audience. And as time went on, the game started getting re-released on newer systems like the Switch, a whole different generation of people started rediscovering and found out wow, this is actually a really fun game. Imagine playing air hockey except it's with a Frisbee that constantly catches on fire, and you can throw it so hard that it smashes into your opponent sending them into the goal line, and you still score points for that. It is a very fast-paced reflex twitch-based style sports game, perfect for one-on-one gameplay. Takes a lot of skill and technique to eventually get actually really good at it, but once you do, matches get super intense. Given the series renewed success, the team responsible for porting it over to modern systems is now working on a sequel that has redone graphics that has a more cartoony art style, and still focuses on so much of that amazing late 80s, early 90s charm. There are a lot of classic retro games getting a second life right now, and while this isn't necessarily one of the biggest names in history, it is not one you should miss out on. Everyone loves Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It is one of the top selling games on the switch, and for good reason, but, there's another arcade racer coming soon to the Switch that you should keep your eyes on, and it's from Mario's oldest rival; Team Sonic Racing. The spinoff series of Sonic racing games is one that I think has not gotten the love it deserves. They are fantastic cart racing games that just don't always get as much attention because well, Mario Kart exists, but they're really good. And Team Sonic is mixing up the formula a little bit to try and do something a bit different. Instead of being the traditional kind of racing game where it's just you as your racer trying to get to the finish line first, the game focuses on racing as a team of racers and doing your best to get the whole group through as quickly as possible by working together. Based on early snippets of gameplay, the core racing mechanics look really good and a ton of fun. The only thing that has me a little worried is that currently at launch the game only features original Sonic characters whereas, past Sonic racing games like Allstar featured a bunch of different Sega properties. So hopefully with DLC being a thing, that will change. Either way, I look forward to trying this game out when it comes to the Switch on May 21st of this year. Now I know I already talked about one metroidvania game in this video with Hollow Knight Silk Song, but there's one other one I really want to talk about that should finally be coming out this year, and it's a spiritual successor to the original game that actually started that whole genre; Blood Stained Ritual The Knight. This was a very successfully kick started game that was led by the man responsible for making Castlevania Symphony of the Knight. And in fact, we've already got one kind of spin-off type of game that's already been released called Curse of the Moon, which is absolutely amazing. It's more based on older-school NES Castlevania style games, but if it is any indication of the kind of quality and just gameplay style that this game is going to have, I cannot wait to actually have it in my hands. Unlike a lot of other games in the genre, this one is pushing forward a little bit. And instead of doing older school graphics, or any kind of 2D art style, it is focused on doing that kind of 2D - 3D hybrid while still maintaining that 2D platforming gameplay. If you have any love for the Castlevania franchise do yourself a favor and play Curse the Moon right now and join me in waiting for all the hype that is Blood Stain Ritual the Knight