Posted February 19th, 2020
Who doesn’t love a good sale? Nobody. Not a single person. Ever.
Anyway, yeah, I bought a bunch of cheap Nintendo Switch games the past few days- somewhat of a Valentine present to myself, because, you know- I’m pretty much like the new Birds of Prey movie- flopping at the box office and getting my thunder stolen by a blue hedgehog. But enough about my love life- let’s look at bunch of (hopefully) hidden gems!
My “rules” (yes, there are rules to this excursion!) were to get any game I wanted under 1.99- a rule a broke near the end, but hey! That’s life!
In total, I spent about $30 on all these games- sounds like a lot, but I actually think I walked away with a pretty good assortment of weird, off kilter, and actually quite decent games…. and a few stinkers. I’ll let you know with a simple thumbs down/ thumbs up if I recommend the games, which are in the order I bought/ played them, and are mostly my initial first impressions of each. So, let’s get into it!
Key:
Recommended!
Not Really…..
No Way Punk!
Dyna Bomb
Price Paid: $1.59
Also on: Android, Steam, Mac
It looked like a fun little platformer… and I guess I was sort of right. Dynabomber is a game where you control a guy (or girl) around a level, using a jetpack, hurling bombs, and collecting gems in order to find your way to the exit. It’s… okay. The gameplay works fine, though there are some collision detection issues (why do those round things kill me?) and one hit kills are iffy in general. However, what turns me off is it’s presentation- it’s menus are laid out as if it’s a mobile game, and it’s just… not good. Also uses that “Get three stars!” system you see in so many mobile games. A lack of any kind of story just makes it really bland. It’s not too bad for the price…. but I think it could have been better….
Recommendation:
Paranautical Activity
Price Paid: $0.99
Also on: Steam, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U (No Joke!)
Okay, this is one I actually heard of, and for some infamous reasons. Apparently, the devs go furious when the game was labeled as Early Access (even though the game was complete) on Steam, and proceeded to hurl death threats at Valve and Gabe Newell. Yeah, that didn’t over so good, as it was pulled from the Steam storefront for a hot minute. It later did get put back up, and years after, a Nintendo Switch version was made…. and wow. You CANNOT really play this game on a controller- it’s practically SCREAMS to be played with a mouse and keyboard! It is a FPS game- one that pretty much demands precise aiming. Have no idea if it’s a good port…. but from what I gathered, it’s just really meh. I might play more…. or just get the Steam version, which goes for cheap as well…. Really on the fence about this one….
Recommendation:
Crypt of the Serpent King
Price Paid: $0.99
Also on: PS4, Xbox One, Steam
Oh boy…. we have our first bad game on this list! Crypt of the Serpent King, or CoSK for short, is a really rough roguelite…. that’s really not a roguelite. You see, you don’t really pick up anything but gold and food, which are in chests….. gold (along with EXP) can only be used at the end of each level. So your just there, in the first level, with nothing but a terrible weapon, fighting a bunch of rat people (or possibly kobolds) which just gang up on you if your not careful. Oh, and you have to collect keys, which are surrounded by lava, which, you guessed it, kill you instantly. Yeah…..Afterwards, you go though the same kind of setup with a new coat of paint, and a new monster with the same attack patterns (wait for attack. Attack. Repeat until dead) and you do that for about 7 floors, and the game is over. That’s it. You unlock a harder mode. It’s…not good. Just the same dungeon patterns over and over again (its randomized, sure, but it’s just the same atrium and hallways. No unique rooms or anything). Yeah, just go play Delver or Barony instead- it’s pretty much what this game SHOULD have been!
Recommendation:
Adrenaline Rush: Miami Drive
Price Paid: $1.99
Also on: Android and iOS (Sadly delisted on both)
I bought this, thinking it was some sort of arcade style racing game. I was wrong… Guess what type of game it is. Just guess… Here’s a hint: it’s a popular mobile game genre. That’s right! It’s a waifu collecting sim! Jk, it’s a friggin endless runner, but with cars!
At first, I thought it was a port of a mobile game, just without ads and (thankfully!) no microtransactions…. and I was right! It was released in 2014 on the Apple Store. I just paid 1.99 for a game that was once f2p….. Yes, I know you can’t really get the mobile versions any more, and yes, there’s no ads or microtransactions, and yes, the game actually plays well…. but it’s still a mobile game! I just feel so…. betrayed. It’s not too bad. I’ll give it a “meh”
Recommendation:
Super BlackJack Battle 2: Turbo Edition
Price Paid: $0.99
Also on: PS4, Xbox One, Steam
Okay- finally a game I can recommend….. but only if you like both Blackjack and Street Fighter II (or at least, SF II aesthetic) What we have here is pretty much a parody of SF II, but instead of pummeling each other, you play Black jack. Yep, it’s black jack, but presented as if it took place in the SF universe, complete with a rocking soundtrack, locales all over the world, a final boss, and yes- even win quotes! It’s as goofy as it sounds, and though simple, can be a bit fun.. but only if you like blackjack. I’ll actually recommend this one!
Recommendation:
Biolab Wars
Price Paid: $1.33
Also on: Steam
Another game that is pretty decent, and the first of a few NES inspired games of this group! Biolab Wars is pretty much a send off of games like Contra and Shatterhand and the like, complete with a ridiculous story that sounds like a bad 80’s movie plot. It plays well, and looks great, pretty much an NES game with HD visuals and resolution. The game does seem on the easy side, but it most likely gets harder. Reminds be a lot of Blazing Chrome, another game that pays tribute to Contra, albeit with 16-bit inspired graphics (and overall, the better game). Recommended to those who want a NES style game!
Also, you can play as a Dog in power armor. Nuff’ Said.
Recommendation:
No Thing
Price Paid: $0.19
Also on: Android, Steam
First of all, that price point is not a typo- they’re were several games that were a measly 19 cents a piece. I really only grabbed this one… and wow. I not even sure if this one is a pretentious indie game or not…. Its pretty much a weird first person game where you go left or right, making sure your character doesn’t fall off as some weird voice tells you random nonsense, along with some trippy visuals. What I hated was that when you died, it would play this awful…. and I mean AWFUL sound ….that just pierces your ears. Not sure if this is worth playing… It’s definitely a strange one, though.
Recommendation:
Phantaruk
Price Paid: $0.99
Also on: Steam, PS4, Xbox One
I picked up this one for one thing and one thing only- I wanted at least one terrible “spooky” game to play in this pack… and boy, there were sure a lot of them (well, at least 4 or 5, anyway). I played it and wow…. much better then I expected! Very Dead Space like visuals, and a nice, Event Horizon style setting…. Probably not that good, but much better then others I mentioned before! First impression was solid, and I actually look forward to this one in the future!
Recommendation:
Gate of Doom, Super Burger Time, Night Slashers, Joe and Mac Returns, and Nitro Ball
Price Paid: $1.99 a piece (About $10 total)
Okay, now this is the good stuff! Presented by Johnny Turbo (the mascot for the Turbografx 16- have no idea why he’s here) this list of games are all somewhat overlooked arcade classics by Data East. Gate of Doom is pretty cool arcade dungeon crawler, Super Burger Time is burger time on hard drugs, Night Slashers is a violent beat’em up where you face zombies and werewolves, Joe and Mac Returns is one of those single screen platformers where you clear the screen of enemies, and Nitro Ball is a wacky shooter game like Smash TV.
Each game is pretty much arcade perfect and has a ton of display options and filters, as well as options to add coins and such, meaning unlimited continues and you can enjoy the attract screens (you have no idea how many compilations do this!). Even better is the fact that most of these games didn’t have a home port until this point- MAME was your only option! It’s all pretty good, though I wish they just made a physical compilation like they did on the Wii ( which is pretty rare now- I got a copy for cheap back in the wii’s hayday!) but this is still pretty good.
Other games in the “Johnny Turbo presents” line includes Bad Dudes, Two Crude Dudes, Joe and Mac 1 (the good Joe and Mac game!) and Sly Spy (all which were in the aforementioned Wii compilation). Definitely some of the better games I bought in this pack for sure!
Recommendation:
Moto Rush GT
Price Paid: $1.49
Switch Exclusive!
The other racing game on this list…. and as far as I’m concerned, the superior one! The game is a tad simple, though- you race your motorcycle thorough traffic at blistering speeds, trying to go fast and not crash (so pretty much what it’s like driving in Las Vegas!) The cool thing here is that it not only has motion controls (which work great!) but it also has Nintendo Labo support, so you can finally use those pieces of cardboard you paid a small fortune for to good use! It also boasts a lengthy campaign with over 100 different missions, so there’s that! Definitely one I am going to re visit!
Recommendation:
Venture Kid
Price Paid: $1.99
Also on: Steam, iOS
Another NES inspired game on this list, this one inspired by Megaman, and it’s a great little tribute to the blue bomber (within copyright laws, of course!) You shoot and jump your way though some wonderfully colorful levels with some rocking chiptunes. It has multiple modes, including one that let’s you select your level in any order, just like in those Megaman games of old. It even has an endless mode similar to MM 9 and 10’s! It wears it’s inspiration on it’s sleeve, but it doesn’t disrespect it!
Recommendation:
Rogue Singularity
Price Paid: $1.99
Also on: PS4, Xbox One, Steam
Up next we have a roguelite- get this- 3d platformer. That’s right- someone managed to combine 3d platformers with random elements to create a solid experience that takes inspiration from Super Mario Galaxy and the like. You guide a robot dude though randomly generated obstacle courses filled with enemies and traps while collecting coins and lives. It works pretty well, though the controls do take some getting used to. First impressions look good, and I’ll be playing more of this one for sure!
Recommendation:
Crazy Zen Mini-Golf
Price Paid: $1.79
Switch…. Exclusive?
I’m going to admit- I like golfing games. There- I said it! I especially like mini golf games, and let me tell you, a good mini golf video game seems to be a dime a dozen (I know there is a few good ones on the wii, but I digress) Along come Zen Mini Golf, and it’s…. not too bad, actually! It has a cool mechanic that let’s you control the ball after you hit it, and you can even jump over things, which is nuts! However, the biggest drawback is it’s content- only 3 nine hole courses (or, that’s what it seems like) I’ll play more of this one… but hopefully, 27 holes are enough…..
Also, there’s not a lot of info about this game online. Did I just buy a game that doesn’t even exist?
Recommendation:
Q-Yo Blaster
Price Paid: $ 0.75
Also on: Steam
Oh man…. what a crazy game! You are greeted with this insane fever dream of a story about some weird aliens preparing to attack earth, so it doesn’t collide with their planet. You start the game and are shown a host of 18 different characters to play as… These include the dismembered zombified head of a dog, someone’s Deviantart OC’s, and some weird cutesy animals that seemed to be torn straight out a Japanese game. It’s insane… I haven’t talked about the gameplay, which is a very well done horizontal shooter similar to Gradius (or Parodius, in this instance) with some gorgeous off the wall pixel art…. Yeah, I really recommend this one, especially for fans of games like the aforementioned Parodius and what not!
Recommendation:
Tiny Arms Adventure
Price Paid: $0.75
Also on: Ps4, Xbox One, Steam
Another disappointing game IMO…. but one that at least seems to have some kind of effort put in to it! Tiny Arms Adventure is a 3d platformer that takes a lot of inspiration from Crash Bandicoot, with it’s fixed camera angles, collecting secret gems, and crate smashing. Everything works okay, but it is abundantly clear that the game needed more time in the oven, so to speak. I try not to be too harsh on games like this, as it’s apparent that’s its done by some amateur game creators, but it just isn’t too bueno. Still better then the Crypt of the Serpent King. Also, no music, which creates a strange vibe…. really feels like I’m playing some kind of forgotten prototype. Can’t really recommend it- but will try to play through one day.
Recommendation:
Shalnor Legends
Price Paid: $0.99
Also on: Ps4, Xbox One, Steam
Another retro inspired indie game, this one taking a page from the classic 2D Legend of Zelda playbook. Thankfully, like Venture Kid, the games hits all the right notes for me, all while being it’s own thing with things like an weapon/armor upgrade system, and a crafting system, among other things. While I have played better Zelda clones, this one is quite decent, and I look forward to playing though it some more!
Recommendation:
Fin and the Ancient Mystery
Price Paid: $0.74
Also on: Android
This is another case of “it looked interesting and cheap, so I bought it”, just like most on this games on this list. What I played is not too bad, though the graphics do come off as a bit wonky. Fin and the Ancient Mystery is about a young fennec fox who discovers his father has been murdered. This jumpstarts his quest to save the world from, you guessed it, an ancient evil! It’s a hack and slash platformer where you slash your way though enemies, earning xp along the way to level up, and solving puzzles. It’s actually all well done. Like I said, the only thing I’m not huge on is the graphics- they look a bit off. The first level has this weird black gradient at the bottom of the screen, and the menu’s scream “MOBILE PORT”. In fact, it is indeed a port of a mobile game, but with (thankfully) no ads or microtransactions. Really wish mobile devs would clean up their designs before porting their games over to the Switch. However, what I experienced, I liked, and would like to see more of it!
Recommendation:
Animal Fight Club
Price Paid: $2.69
Also on: Steam
Okay, so I broke my “nothing over 1.99” rule for this one… but I’m glad I did! This game is something else! Taking clear inspiration from Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator, AFC is game where you not only raise an army of different animals to fight each other (TO THE DEATH!) but you can also fuse to animals together to make the animals of your dreams… or your NIGHTMARES! You then pit your army of mutant offspring against other groups of animals in a battle for supremacy! Buggy, and a bit ugly…… I can’t recommend this one enough! It’s just too much fun combining animals to get insane combos. Easily the most unforgettable of this pack!
Recommendation:
99 Vidas
Price Paid: $0.99
Also on: PS3, PsVita, PS4, Xbox One, Steam
So what is this? What is it based off of? Why does it look (and sound) so good? 99 Vidas is a beat’em up clearly inspired of classics like Golden Ax, Streets of Rage, and the like, and is based on- of all things- a Brazilian gaming podcast. That’s right- if you told me one of the best beat’em ups was based on a podcast of all things, I would have looked at you funny and then called the cops, but here we are. In fact, 99 Vidas might be one of the best games on this list…. It has solid gameplay, with different easy to pull off moves, beautiful pixel art, and some great Sega Genesis/ Megadrive inspired music. If your a fan of beat’em ups and Brazilian gaming podcasts, then you owe it to yourself to pick this one up!
Recommendation:
So there you have it! My first impression of 23 games I bought on a random whim! I will now break down what I got into groups. Take these recommendations as you will, and remember that these are based on my first impressions and whether or not I would actually consider playing though each game. The Higher the game on this list, the more I recommend it!
Highly Recommend:
- Johnny Turbo Presents: Data East Arcade Classics (Various)
- Moto Rush GP
- 99 Vidas
- Venture Kid
- Animal Fight Club
- Rogue Singularity
- Q-Yo Blaster
- Biolab Wars
- Shalnor Adventures
- Phantaruk
- Fin and the Ancient Mystery
- Super Black Jack 2
Sort of Recommend:
- Dyna Blaster
- Crazy Zen Mini-Golf
- Paranautical Activity
- No Thing
- Adrenaline Rush: Miami Drive
Do not Recommend:
- Tiny Arm Adventures
- Crypt of the Serpent King
And that’s that! I think I’ll dedicate every Valentine’s Day to these kinds of sales…. Just a bunch a random of assortment I might think is fun! I might even do this for Steam and other platforms as well…. We’ll see! And I continue to do so until I find a significant other I can spend Valentine’s Day with… which means one thing…. We’re going to see a lot more of these in the future! GOOD NIGHT, EVERYBODY!
What do you think? Do I continue to have terrible taste in video games? Let me know in the comments below, and recommend your own weird, terrible, or underrated Switch games as well!
Gamer's Edge 