Stuart Gipp

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Feb 22, 2022

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Once again, Kingdom Hearts 3 + Re:Mind on Switch is impossible to recommend without caveats as long as Cloud gaming relies on an erratic, unreliable provision of service. When it does work, it's a joy; every bit as good as any given title in the series, a dream to explore and thrilling in its spectacle. But then it falters, the input lag kicks in, and the illusion is taken away in a matter of moments. Buy this game and you are effectively renting an imperfect version for the duration of the Cloud service's lifespan. Want to play Kingdom Hearts on handheld? Well, there's always the Steam Deck, we suppose.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Feb 22, 2022

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Ultimately, there are a ton of potential issues you may or may not run into, and seemingly no real advantages to running Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece on Switch - unless you simply have no other choice but to play these games on this console. As a fan, and as a player who just wants a consistent gameplay experience, it's incredibly disappointing. If you can buy this package for another system we'd earnestly implore you to do so - it may not be handheld, but at least it would be yours to keep and it would run reliably and consistently. As it stands, Kingdom Hearts on Nintendo Switch is defined by compromise.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Feb 16, 2022

Critic50/100

Agreement—

What we have here remains a fine collection of games and an interesting demonstration of the first decade of the Kingdom Hearts series. If you have a reliable enough internet connection, this is almost as good a way to play Kingdom Hearts as any other. If you don't, absolutely leave it on the digital shelf. We'd like to score Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMix on the assumption that you can run it, but that's not necessarily an accurate representation of what many people's experience is going to be, and our experience - with robust and rapid internet - was patchy. If you have any other way at all of playing these games, we recommend you do so. Ultimately, this is a great package delivered in the worst possible way.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Feb 15, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Grapple Dog isn't quite perfect. We feel that more could have been done with the grapple itself, as it's a little restrictive in its application. A less friendly, more freeform approach would interfere to an extent with the tight level design, but it would still be cool for speedrunners if the grapple really let them cut loose. That's pretty nitpicky, though, because developer Medallion does precisely what it sets out to do — deliver an unpretentious platformer that's a hell of a lot of fun to play.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Feb 11, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

While Infernax is tough, it's resolutely fair - you can't really make the game 'easy', but you can absolutely mitigate the difficulty or take a break doing something else when you get stuck. Don't expect a simple ride, though, and don't expect to take the right decisions on a first playthrough - not that anything seems particularly 'right' in this beautifully bloody little world. It's only familiarity that lets Infernax down - there's nothing really new here, but it's all done and delivered so well that you won't really care unless you're desperate for a completely fresh experience. In which case why play a faux-retro NES throwback to begin with? A cut above most efforts in the subgenre, Infernax both demands and requires attention.

Push Square

Stuart Gipp·Feb 2, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

A brilliant first effort from Original Fire Games, then, and a racing game rather unlike anything else out there on the virtual shelves. This intoxicating, content-rich, and yet fascinatingly accessible racer is liable to get its hooks into gamers looking for something a little less knockabout. You may struggle to get the hang of things at first but we promise this little journey through racing history gives as good as it gets.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Jan 18, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Shadow Man has never been a masterpiece, but it is a clear labour of love with plenty to offer those willing to endure its more aged mechanics and structural curiosities. We can only hope that plenty will have the patience to do so.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Jan 16, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

As good as it ever was and now incredible value, SNK Vs. Capcom: Card Fighters' Clash is still essential. Obviously the card-based gameplay isn't going to appeal to everyone, but at this asking price we'd say it's worth a go even if card games usually turn you off, especially if you dig SNK/Capcom's extensive character rosters. Many, many series are represented here and everything you need to learn to play is available in the scanned manual as well in-game via tutorials. Let it get its hooks into you and you've got a bit of a masterpiece here, and we're absolutely delighted that it's graced the Nintendo Switch with its excellence.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Jan 5, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

It's tricky to review games like this, especially re-releases where many will already know if they want it. The Telltale formula hadn't been scaled back to "interactive cinema" yet, so you're dealing with clunky puzzles and somewhat clunky delivery of clunky comedy, but you might love it. In a sense, each to their own. As a port it's difficult to fault, but as a game it's really no great shakes. But then again, if you dig that lagomorph, it doesn't need to be.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Dec 23, 2021

Critic90/100

Agreement—

As an adventure game, Chicory is quite sincerely up there with the very best of the genre. There's plenty to see and do and a full completion run will probably take you 25-30 hours. The characters and their travails are rich and likeable, the game's sense of humour is generally inspired, and it's all very sweet without being sugary-twee and talking down to the player. It's also an affecting little tearjerker that will definitely strike a chord if you make art, and almost certainly will even if you don't – so long as you're capable of pretty basic empathy. Chicory is simple to play but impressively long and complex, with perfect controls, performance and visuals. Throw yourself into painting the world and you'll be left with a game that's very much your own and speaks to you directly – a beautiful marriage of mechanics, themes and visuals.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Dec 16, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Super Impossible Road is a strong effort and a pleasant surprise.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Dec 14, 2021

Critic40/100

Agreement—

A bijou Doctor Who experience, Edge of Reality is impressively dedicated to the beloved TV show but unfortunately suffers in its transition from VR exclusive to traditional console game. Limited inputs and fetch-questy scenarios hardly inflame the imagination and it's not until the game's last quarter that things start to feel more tailored for the Switch - because they are. It's too short and there aren't enough clear save points (we lost a fair amount of progress when we quit during the first area to play something else and it simply hadn't saved the game yet) but the fact that performance is so all over the place is Edge of Reality's main issue, and one that will absolutely affect your enjoyment of an otherwise serviceable adventure. Overall, it's the most cautious of recommendations to Doctor Who fans, then. Everyone else almost certainly need not apply.

Push Square

Stuart Gipp·Dec 13, 2021

Critic60/100

Agreement—

While fitfully fun and well designed, Sam 4 disappoints as both a sequel and a next-gen product. While it wasn’t particularly optimised on PC it still represents a low for PS5 performance. A compromised port of a game that’s only slightly above average in the first place. A serious shame.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Dec 4, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Repentance by name, and wonderful, welcome repentance by nature, this expansion is an apology for what became of Isaac and a promise to do better — a promise that it very much delivers on.

Nintendo Life

Stuart Gipp·Nov 29, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc offers a memorable Killing Game with fantastic, iconic characters, a genuinely funny and smart script, and some superior twists and turns along the way with well-earned emotional hooks and at times shocking violence. It's funny, it's dramatic and it's very problematic, so exercise some caution - this is resolutely not a game for kids, but even adults will struggle with some of its less savoury or more overtly brash, thoughtless content. It's not enough to mark the game down in any way, but readers should be aware that this is not a tactful piece of software, which for some will ward them away but we suspect for others is a major selling point. We urge you to check the game out for yourself, as it is, quite frankly, a classic in the visual novel genre.