FUR Squadron Phoenix (PC, NSW) Review

FUR Squadron Phoenix launches today on Steam/PC with a Nintendo Switch release happening next Wednesday, February 25th. This review covers the former. Get to ready to take flight with the SuperPhillip Central review.

Let the FUR fly.

There's no doubt a Star Fox-shaped hole in gaming that Nintendo doesn't currently seem interested in filling. That's alright, as like F-Zero before, indies are more than willing to step up to the proverbial plate. While not completely creating rote same-as experiences to mimic Nintendo's titles, we've seen a fair number of indie developers try their collective hands at making their own efforts to fill the gaps in fans' hearts.

Enter FUR Squadron Phoenix. This is clearly inspired by Star Fox, from the cast of furry bipedal characters that make up said squadron to various nudge-nudge, hint-hint references to Nintendo's flight-based shooter. That notwithstanding, FUR Squadron Phoenix also does enough to distinguish itself from its source inspiration.

Starting off, you're flung immediately into the action with the first mission. The simple controls get taught with a simple fire button, holding said button to charge a homing shot that can zone in on foes and defeat groups of adjacent baddies, a barrel roll (though not specifically called that), and a special weapon. 

The latter weapons aren't limited to Star Fox's tried and true smart bombs. Instead, you can--and in later levels against bosses are pretty much required to--use the D-Pad to switch between one of four weapons. There's bombs, rockets, an armor-piercing laser beam, and a nuke, which takes all weapon energy to utilize. 

At least it's not "too Raph" instead!

Flying back to the first level before I get too ahead of myself, it features your playable character, a bird named Robin, who enters into a mission where things go awry rather quickly. Her two squadmates end up eliminated in battle, and she of course blames herself. Fast forward ahead to months later, and Robin is a new recruit with the FUR Squadron, under helm by a conveniently enough furry creature named Blaze. To get back her confidence, Robin undergoes training in a VR simulation, crafted by the axolotl named Axel, taking a Slippy Toad role in this game.

It can be difficult to read dialogue and contend with the antics on screen.
Voiced dialogue (and not the Animalese used here) would have worked wonders.

FUR Squadron Phoenix features eight total levels, which might not seem like a lot, but there is some replay value to be found here. No doubt players will struggle even with the first VR level, perhaps even crashing and burning in an attempt to play it. Fortunately, roguelite elements appear in the game, offering purchasable upgrades with in-game points earned from casual play. The higher your score on an attempt, whether a successful one or not, the more points you earn. These points can be spent to increase Robin's shield capacity, attack power, "barrel roll" speed, and also upgrading her special attack prowess.  

You can get up to a 150% multiplier on downed enemies, as long as you don't take damage yourself.

The roguelite influences seep into the levels themselves in FUR Squadron Phoenix. Runs through levels generally feature randomized elements to them. That could be as simple as different enemy configurations or even alternate side missions. That said, the randomization is awfully limited in scope. You'll constantly see and eventually grow accustomed to the same, exact enemy fighter formations, only appearing at different times and intervals in levels. The set pieces offer more interesting design, delivering some pulse-pounding segments and sections, like one where instead of taking the fight above sea in one level, another instead goes deep underwater, having you thread your ship through submerged ruins.

That holographic dragon is big, but trust me when I say this level's boss is even bigger!

On the subject of those previously mentioned side missions, these come in the form of miniature tasks to perform mid-level. For Axel the Axolotl, those Slippy Toad influences come back hard, as you need to defeat a bogey on her tail. For Blaze, it's defeating a specific group of enemies in a section of level. Lastly, for the Falco-inspired member of the squadron, Kiro, you need to follow him through three green, glowing rings. 

An example of some ace flying required to get in Kiro's favor.

Completing these impromptu side missions gives a twofold reward. For one, Robin's relationship with that squadmate grows, resulting in new dialogue scenes in between levels, as well as stronger Overdrives. Overdrives slow down time when used, allowing Robin to take out groups of enemies and especially blast bosses with greater ease. They're best saved for trying times, as they eventually can restore Robin's ship's health and weapon energy immediately.

Ideally, I'm sure the developers wanted players to be forced to return to levels multiple times, as they perhaps bashed their heads against them, making more and more progress with each run. Unfortunately, at least in my case, this simply wasn't how the game happened. Generally--and this is said without meaning to brag--I was able to clear each level in my first run, even reaching the high score target to unlock a ship skin for each given level. There were only one or two levels that saw me needing to return to them to either attempt to survive them or to try to obtain a high score that narrowly escaped me the first time. 

Scripted sequences like these really raise the adrenaline level.

By the end of my three hours with the game, I had pretty much maxed out everything there was to do in FUR Squadron Phoenix. I rolled credits, I had all ship upgrades, I unlocked all ship skins (even the one for finding and firing at a treasure chest containing a Phoenix Badge in each level), I had Robin in great esteem with all squadmates, and obtained most of the achievements to be found in the game, too. That isn't to say there's no reason to return to this game or that everyone will blast through it as fast as I did. That's also just the nature of an on-rails game like FUR Squadron Phoenix is, too.

FUR Squadron Phoenix runs well on Steam Deck, which is where I played the game. Not a lick of slowdown or frame-rate issues seemed to present themselves, and everything played smoothly overall. While the game lacks a full-blown Nintendo Switch 2 release, those who play FUR Squadron Phoenix on the hardware through the Switch 1 release does have performance options available, allowing users to increase the frame-rate, if desired, for an even smoother flying experience. 

With eight missions, three that take place in the real-world where experience is not gained, and five in VR where experience is gained, FUR Squadron Phoenix won't last ace pilots too terribly long. The pool of available upgrades is rather limited as well, which makes for a short-lived experience all-around even when attempting to max everything out. That all notwithstanding, I definitely enjoyed my time in the cockpit with FUR Squadron, and would recommend FUR Squadron Phoenix to potential players, given they realize their time in the skies, in space, and even under the sea, won't last too terribly long.

[SPC Says: B-] 

A review copy was provided by Raptor Claw.

The Tuesday 10s - Most Anticipated Games of 2026 So Far

It's been a bit since we've last been paid a visit by The Tuesday 10s, and it's no better time than near the start of the year to roll out the red carpet for them! The Tuesday 10s are non-ordered, featured lists of ten entries. This week, we're going to look at the ten games that I'm most anticipating for 2026 so far! I have only two real rules when it comes to this list: 1) The games on this list must have a firm 2026 release date, as opposed to a vague release period (like Summer 2026, for example), 2) I have to actually have some semblance of hype for them, of course! With that, let's get to the list of ten games hyped to varying degrees by yours truly!

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (Multi)

June 18th, 2026 will see the start of Elliot's adventures in none other than The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, a new action-RPG in the vein of Ys, but with the much beloved HD-2D style. Team Asano is always one to watch, with games like Bravely Default, Octopath Traveler, and Triangle Strategy under their belt. While it's a game that's out of the team's usual wheelhouse and fare (not being turn-based, for one thing), I have the utmost faith that this game will have the juice. Plus, it also has a name that isn't pure gibberish either, so that's already a win!

Demon Tides (PC)

Fresh off the running and jumping heels of Demon Turf comes another third-person 3D platformer set in an open world. This time the high seas are calling, and our heroine is ready to answer said call through a collect-a-thon style platformer with a large repertoire of moves in her arsenal. If you played the previous game in the series, then you know developer Fabraz knows its stuff when it comes to fun-feeling movement and highly capable, challenging level design. These aspects seem to continue into Demon Tides. With this game and also Bubsy 4D (the latter releasing in May) hitting the first half of 2026, Fabraz certainly has been going above and beyond this year. Demon Tides is but a couple days away from launch, setting sail on February 19th.

Forza Horizon 6 (XBS, PS5, PC)

Forza Horizon 6's predecessor blew me away. It was my introduction to the Forza franchise, chiefly the Horizon sub-series, and I named it my favorite game of 2023. Now, three years later, Forza Horizon 6 moves from Mexico across the Pacific to Japan with the largest map in series history. Players will be able to unlock better vehicles through the return of the wristband system, dating back to the original Forza Horizon. Through completing races and events, players can work their way to better wristbands, ever inching their way to exclusive in-game content, such as Legend Island, where exclusive races and goodies await gold wristband-wearers. Forza Horizon 6 will take players for a ride through Japan starting on May 19th, 2026 on Xbox Series platforms and PC, with a PlayStation 5 release happening at a later date. 

Grand Theft Auto VI (PS5, XBS)

From one major open-world game to one that's for certain even more major, Grand Theft Auto VI is shaping up to a monumental release. Says a lot about the state of the game industry when so many analysts are propping up Rockstar's latest as somewhat of a savior for the market. Set in the fictional Florida-like Leonida, GTA VI will see players take on the roles of Jason and Lucia, a pair of lovebirds and potential jailbirds, too, circumnavigating a conspiracy while trying to survive in the process. Barring any more delays, November 19th is set to the be the release date for Grand Theft Auto VI, a full 13 years after its predecessor's launch. Here's to hoping the wait will be worth it!

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Multi)

Being touted as a love letter to Batman's legendary lore and mythos, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is shaping up to be LEGO meets Rocksteady's Arkham series of games. This May 29th release is planned to feature seven playable characters, each with their own unique abilities, as opposed to the hundreds of characters usually seen in LEGO titles. The difference here is that each character will play differently as opposed to most playing the same. Gotham City is an open world, ready for our heroes to explore, fight crime, solve puzzles, and discover various collectibles within. Behind Spider-Man, Batman is my favorite superhero and has my second favorite Rogue's Gallery as well. Seeing how this LEGO Batman entry seeks to call back on Batman in various elements from Batman--the comics, the movies, the TV shows, etc.--I'm already ready to believe that this will be that love letter to the Dark Knight that DC Comics claims.

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls (PS5, PC)

A match made in fighting game heaven, we have Arc System Works working on a Marvel fighter with Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls. While I'm not the hugest fan of the genre--it depends on the property and source material--this one looks sensational. A 4 vs. 4 fighting game, featuring a currently robust lineup of Marvel all-stars--some being less traditional picks like Danger and Magik on the Unbreakable X-Men lineup of characters--Marvel Tokon looks to deliver insane combo opportunities, plenty of intense battles online and off, and loads of modes to keep players fighting when it takes to battle on August 6th, 2026. 

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection (Multi)

I've played every Mega Man subseries except for one. Come March 27th, 2026, I'm hopeful to finally finish off the subseries I've yet to explore. Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection brings another compendium of Mega Man titles to market with the series that made its debut and home on the Nintendo DS. Despite only having three numbered entries in total , Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection features seven specific games in the collection, as the titles followed Pokémon and later Mega Man Battle Network's lead by having multiple versions. The first game has three versions, and the sequels have two apiece. The games are similar to Mega Man Battle Network, though offer a behind-the-back perspective and 3D models instead of the 2D side view that the former had. With options to orient the dual-screens to one's liking, various filters, and other features, this collection is shaping up to shoot for the stars.

Pokémon Pokopia (NS2)

Utilizing the same team behind the incredibly awesome Dragon Quest Builders 2 (among other stellar titles), Koei Tecmo's Omega Force unites with Game Freak for this charmingly cozy life sim taking place in the world of Pokémon. Play as a Ditto masquerading as a human (and all the potential uncanny creepiness that comes from this) to craft, build, and learn new abilities from befriended Pokémon to better make your world your own. As your habitat expands and grows in size and stature, new Pokémon will come calling, opening up more opportunities for new friends and features. Promising to not limit the player in what they can do each day, despite a real-time day and night cycle featured in the game, Pokémon Pokopia players should have the option to play at their own comfortable pace when the game launches exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2 on March 5th, 2026.

Resident Evil: Requiem (Multi)

Let's take a brief breather from cute and cozy and transition to morbid and macabre, hm? No idea how that kind of segue is supposed to work, but here we are, regardless. The ninth numbered installment in the long-running Resident Evil series, Resident Evil: Requiem features a dual-protagonist system that sees players switching between both characters at specific points throughout the game. We have Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy, the latter returning from RE 2 and 4. While Leon's side of the campaign is more action-focused, as expected, Grace's side focuses more on limited supplies, encounters that demand carefulness and caution, and a heavier survival-horror approach. Two sides of the same enticing coin, Resident Evil: Requiem hopes to get the balance of survival-horror and action just right when it releases on February 27th, 2026. 

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (NSW)

No less than fifteen years after the surprise hit launched on the Nintendo 3DS, its sequel, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is set to arrive on the Nintendo Switch with custom Mii characters interacting with each other in weird, wacky, and wild ways in this social sim. Rather than leaving relationships to happen with the help or hindrance of Lady Luck, the Switch entry allows more direct guidance between the player and their Miis' relationships and interactions. The entire island that players' Miis live on can be fully customized, as can the Miis themselves--purchasing clothes and accessories via in-game currency to bring out their inner fashionistas. A big win here as well is that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream features same-sex relationships and also non-binary gender types, something many decried as lacking in the 2013 release. Live the dream and tomo your dachi (what?) when Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream launches on the Nintendo Switch on April 16th, 2026.

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Which 2026 releases are you most looking for? Hit me up in the comments below with games that you're eagerly anticipating that are due to hit this year, whether they have firm release dates or not! 

Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (Multi) Review

Some reviews arrive on SPC for no purpose or contextual reason other than--"I just finished this one, and wanted to share my thoughts, despite being late to the party." This review for Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles' remaster is one of these reviews! Either way, enjoy!

The Phantom Menace Strikes Back

Do you have any guilty pleasures as games? That is, do you have those games that you play and enjoy despite them not technically being that good, or even just plain awful? Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is such a game for me. I originally stumbled upon it around its release on the original PlayStation. Being a big beat-em-up fan and finding myself especially hyped by the then-new Star Wars movie prequels like so many back in the day, I dived headfirst into the game. 

That was over 25 years ago, and Aspyr, making a point to dip into the well of old Star Wars games time and time again, is back with yet another remaster. This time around it's conspicuously for a game that isn't the most well loved, but at the same token, the publisher has sort of exhausted most of the fondly thought of 3D games as is. Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles marks the return to a galaxy far, far away and in a gaming context, it definitely feels like a long, long time ago as well.

Right away, the visuals of Jedi Power Battles have definitely gotten some sprucing up. Character models and levels are more detailed with increased geometry and polygons, widescreen support is available, reflections on some surfaces are included, and it's just a more impressive showing. It's sort of akin to looking similarly to what my 13-year-old self thought the game looked like when I originally played it. John Williams' sensational score complements and accentuates the action, offering stirring symphonic sounds that fit the exploits on screen. However, some audio balance issues do present themselves, though, especially in the eighth level, a brief but agonizing auto-scrolling vehicle level. It's here where the zooming and firing of the vehicles is extra blaring and loud, obnoxiously so. 

Honey, I'm hooooome!

While the graphics have gotten a boost, the gameplay is pretty much tried and true, for better or worse. Yes, Jedi Power Battles is essentially Star Wars: The Beat-Em-Up. It takes one of many playable Jedi characters, and heck--even some non-Jedi for fun, like Darth Maul and Jar Jar Binks--and has you scurrying through relatively linear levels, hacking, slashing, and fighting your way through robotic droids, mischievous smugglers, and other fiends to fight which stand in your way. There is a fair amount of platforming to be found as well to split up the action, as well as bosses in the end and middle of some levels.

Mace Windu losing to a nasty bug? That's a Mace Win-don't!

Speaking of, the game consists of ten levels, many of which are taken directly from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace movie, such as battling through the Trade Federation ship at the start of the film, rescuing maidens in the city streets of Theed, and of course, a duel with Darth Maul to round out the game. There are plenty of liberties taken to fit the film and make it work for a game (such as the aforementioned rescuing of maidens, locations and events in the game that don't happen in the film), but unless you're a stickler for Star Wars, it won't bother much. 

What may bother, especially if you don't have any nostalgia for the original PlayStation and Dreamcast game, is that Jedi Power Battles is not exactly the most competent, tight-feeling game. The controls are awfully stiff, attacking can feel clunky, and enemies have tons of health when you'd think a droid would easily go down from a Jedi's lightsaber strike. That said, as an improvement, jumping and performing the necessary platforming the game tasks you with doing doesn't feel anywhere near as bad as it did at least in the PS1 version. Just be mindful of your shadow when leaping! 

Cut through these droids with your lightsaber like butter.

Levels have some interesting set pieces to them to also keep things feeling interesting. The city of Theed level has your character running along the streets, occasionally reaching the palace, but not before being able to pilot a tank, causing destruction and blasting away at enemies on your journey there. Coruscant, which is the longest level in the game, sees characters hitching rides and jumping from flying vehicle to flying vehicle, carefully and cautiously running on rooftops, and soaring across chasms via lifts from vents. Meanwhile, the palace cliffs level changes things up by putting you at a crunch for time--needing to rescue six pilots before time runs out.

Qui-Gon Jinn uses the Force to make these fiends feel the pain.

Being a beat-em-up, points are the aim of the meta-game. Not only do you net points for hitting and defeating enemies, but you also can nab them from collectibles and power-ups scattered around stages. Sometimes they'll be in pure point form, while other times, like the skull icon, will result in a challenge, where your character's health and force meters are cut in half in exchange for a mighty amount of points. Points are great for getting high scores, sure, but they're also worthwhile at the end of levels. 

Here, depending on how many points your character got in the completed level, they can earn up to three different bonuses. These range from a choice between more health or force (HP or MP, in RPG terms), a selection between one of three new combo attacks, and even extra force abilities, used with a shoulder button and attack button combo. These, of course, use energy on your force gauge, but are powerful and great crowd controls moves.

Always two there are--unless there are three droids surrounding you. 

Jedi Power Battles isn't a button masher type of beat-em-up, so it's nice to have a series of combos to utilize on enemies that keep their guard up in order to pierce their defenses. Fortunately, your characters, too, can block and defend themselves. Most characters can block and deflect laser shots with their lightsaber, apart from Queen Amidala who uses a blaster. With a proper parry and timing, the shots can be deflected back into enemies to eliminate them instantly. Certainly fighting blaster fire with blaster fire, and it's darn satisfying to do--even after performing a block for the hundredth or so time. 

Deflect those blaster shots as Darth Maul (originally an unlockable character in the PS1/Dreamcast game).

If you're looking for Jedi-ing (that's an awkward verb) it up with a buddy and have someone you can coerce into playing the game with, Jedi Power Battles has local co-op available. While this isn't ideal for the hardest difficulty, Jedi Mode, or for going for high scores (as lives are shared between players and easily lost in co-op, but scores are separate between players), it's quite the fun, force-filled time, slicing up foes, leaping through levels together, and setting your sights on saving the galaxy.

Or don't and take 'em to the chin like a champ! Atta' Jedi!

Jedi Power Battles isn't too lengthy of a game. One nice thing is that all levels are available immediately from the word "go" instead of needing to play through them in a set, linear order. This also means that losing all your lives doesn't mean you have to begin the game from the beginning or any inconvenience like that. It makes returning to levels or going out of order very much possible, allowing for less rigidity and more freedom in the game's structure.   

Really, Jedi Power Battles is a guilty pleasure of mine. I know it's not a great game mechanically, but the pieces fit together for an enjoyable enough romp. I love tossing a thermal detonator for an oh-so-satisfying small, contained explosion to send a group of foes flying. I enjoy hearing Yoda giggle upon picking up a power-up. And I liked extending my lightsaber to double its size in ridiculous fashion with a power-up as well. Frustrations from glitches to game crashes (especially in Coruscant, the longest level in the game, unfortunately) hampered my fun at times, but overall, I felt my time with the game was worthwhile and didn't feel my nostalgia was ill-founded. Yes, the Force isn't necessarily strong with this one, but Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles won't exactly turn its players onto a path to the dark side, either. 

[SPC Says: C-] 

POPUCOM (PC, NSW) Review

Happy midweek, everyone! Some games come out of nowhere to surprise me in a positive way. I liked what I saw from GRYPHLINE's POPUCOM (why are all these names in all caps?) when I first saw it last year in a Nintendo Direct. I then decided to take the POPUCOM plunge and try the game out on Steam, and goodness me, am I glad I did. You'll see just why with the SuperPhillip Central review. 

Once you POPUCOM, you can't STOPUCOM.

Co-op only adventures have seen quite a boom in gaming as of late. No doubt the biggest names of said boom are games like It Takes Two and last year's Split Fiction. There's also Orbitals, heading exclusively to the Nintendo Switch 2 this summer. Not to be missed either is that of POPUCOM, a color-based third-person shooter and platformer hybrid that not only brings a creative and charming adventure to players but also one--like any good co-op game--requires effective teamwork to overcome.

POPUCOM starts with you creating your character. From face to skin color, the options are relatively small, but as the game progresses, new costumes and outfits become available to truly let your character be your own. 

From there, you're thrust into the world of POPUCOM, where you and your co-op partner embark on a strange planet that is threatened by an evil planetoid creature. This moon-like monstrosity spews meteors and enemies to the planet, and it's your duo's duty to find the means to take it out. This boils down to needing to assemble a rocket by finding and rescuing enough little egg-like characters fittingly called Yolkies to help build the rocket and get ready for liftoff. 

Play locally in split-screen...

As stated, POPUCOM is a color-centric shooter and platformer. Its main mechanic indeed involves color, with each characters' gun containing and firing Pomu gel to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. In the case of defeating enemies, matching colors tend to defeat foes. Sometimes it's as simple as firing a yellow-colored barrage of shots at the yellow weak-point of an enemy. Other times, enemies will be an amalgamation of colors. For instance, many enemies in the game can be defeated by matching three of the same color together. So, if their leg is comprised of pink and green balls, you fire two pink shots at the pink ball to form three, which instantly destroys that part of the leg. Then, repeat with green shots at the green ball to completely destroy the leg entirely, thus dealing damage to the foe.

Partners aren't stuck to just one color, however. After all, that'd be rather limiting to the game's design. Instead, each have two unique colors they can shift and switch between on the fly. This isn't just for offensive reasons, but also defensive ones, too. Such an example includes destroying giant bullets fired by enemies with the same color of gel you currently have equipped.

...or opt to take the POPUCOM fun online!

Adding to the complexity of POPUCOM is that of gadgets. These are introduced one at a time, given to players to try out on a per-level basis at first, before eventually having levels where all four gadgets are required to use. From a barrier shield that can block lasers (pending your character's shield is the correct color) as well as can carry your partner across harm's way or to higher areas, to a glove that can pick up and/or pull objects from far away and grapple hooks, too, the gadgets have myriad uses throughout the adventure.

As pink lasers rain down, use your barrier as an umbrella of sorts to protect you and your partner.

Levels were constantly surprising with new ideas and fresh concepts. They're linear in design, sure, but there are plenty of secrets to be found off the beaten path or just out of view--hidden stickers and captive Yolkies being the main collectibles. These usually demand careful observation to discover, as they're cleverly hidden in some truly tricky locations at times. Thankfully, most levels feature checkpoints that can be fast traveled to, in case you miss something, as well as points to return to if you or your partner need to quit the game. It's convenient to not have to redo an entire level, allowing partners to play at their own pace.

Aside from finding secrets, the levels themselves offer a remarkable amount of mechanics and puzzles. Some of the fun ideas include buttons that both players must stand on at once to operate, rays of light that can be bounced off of you and your partner's barriers and reflected into different mechanisms, and colored platforms that can only be stepped on by the player of that color. The latter mechanic requires the player standing on their platform of their color to hold up their barrier, allowing their partner to stand on it and freely cross. If you touch an orange platform and you're not orange yourself, you instantly perish.

This particular gadget, Captain Kitty, is a drone that can grab various objects and move them.

Needless to say, smart and effective teamwork is paramount if you want to make any semblance of progress in POPUCOM. Every challenge within the game requires cooperation between both players. One example of this involves a large platform with four tiles on it, each tile being a direction (up, down, left, and right). To move the platform, you and your partner have to stand on the appropriate tiles to move in that direction. The catch here is that each tile is a specific color, meaning you both can't just stand on tiles at your own leisure. You have to change colors, stand on the correct arrows, and move the platform. Oh, and this is all the while shifting walls of spikes or spinning laser fields stand in your path, so you best time your directional movements well!

Match three of the same color to completely erase the blocks.

In a sense, POPUCOM employs a Nintendo-like approach to its level design. It starts you off getting introduced to the level's main mechanic in a safe enough space before iterating on it with progressively more challenging takes on the mechanic. Heck, it even borrows a Super Mario Galaxy-style "platforms switch when a player jumps", except with POPUCOM's example, the platforms disappear and reappear depending on the player's color. Either way, it's incorporated in a well thought out and designed manner. 

POPUCOM features several boss battles that are incredibly cool and--both figuratively and literally--colorful spectacles. Like the standard levels, each time you take damage, you lose a heart--though it appears in a nearby bubble that can be shot at and burst so you can pick it back up to restore health. Each player gets three hearts to work with initially, and if you're feeling especially sneaky, you can steal your partner's dropped heart to give yourself an edge. That said, it's easier stated than to do to try to recover a dropped heart while evading a boss' multitude of attacks. If both players lose their hearts, it's back to a checkpoint or the beginning of the battle in a boss level's case for both of you!

Bosses are large, but they certainly won't be in charge--not if you and your teammate have anything to say about it!

Apart from POPUCOM's standard adventure, there's plenty to see and do around your hideout as well. You can purchase new cosmetics with in-game currency, change outfits, or play one of several bite-sized games within the arcade. One of my favorites is a 2D, top-down, auto-scrolling shoot-em-up that cleverly incorporates POPUCOM's color mechanics. 

If it hasn't been made obvious yet in this review--you will need at least one other human player to play POPUCOM, as it's a co-op only game. Unlike something like It Takes Two or Split Fiction, there is no friend pass to speak of--that is, if one player purchases a copy of the game, they can't share a second copy with their prospective co-op partner. The game does allow split-screen multiplayer locally, which is a nice touch, but if you're looking to play online, you must find players yourself. There is no matchmaking to speak of, and little in the way to conceivably and reasonably play with strangers unless you meet on message boards, the Steam forums, or Discord. Further, there's no dedicated voice chat in the game either--another limiting aspect of POPUCOM. For a game that practically requires it, this seems like a bit of an oversight, to say the least. 

POPUCOM is a positively gorgeous game. I loved its art style and colorful worlds plenty. On Steam Deck, the system struggled to run the game, displaying blurry visuals and long load times--the total opposite of my experience on PC. The game there ran smoothly, looked crisp and vivid, and loading times were much shorter. The frame-rate on PC stays pretty firm, though this can change depending on lag between players online, of course. On the sound side of POPUCOM's presentation, the music is suitably charming and catchy, and the plops of paint and pops of enemies delivers such great audio feedback.

For those with the means to play POPUCOM--i.e. another player available either locally or online--you're going to get a wonderful cooperative game to enjoy. The levels constantly amaze and delight with new ideas that are iterated on in smart ways, the boss encounters are generally great, and the cooperation required to get through both types of challenges makes for truly fun and rewarding times. That's not to say you and your partner won't get flustered or annoyed with each other or the game every now and then, but overall, the experience will be a strongly positive one. Color me impressed by how much I enjoyed POPUCOM, as it's a seriously special co-operative experience.

[SPC Says: B] 

Swingerz Golf (GCN) Retro Review

Some retro reviews we delve into on SuperPhillip Central have a contextual purpose. They might be because of another game in its series seeing a new entry or have something to make it topical. This is not the case with Swingerz Golf. Instead, it's merely because I wanted to try out an arcade golf game that I overlooked (for reasons detailed in this review) and wished to just share my thoughts. Regardless, here is the SPC review of the oddly titled Swingerz Golf.

 We have Hot Shots Golf at home.

Let's start off by mentioning the elephant in the room with us--or at least the elephant on the golf course with us. The name Swingerz Golf, to me, is incredibly stupid and seems to be meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator around. Sure, it was the 2000s, and seemingly everything in the West, particularly in the United States needed an edge to it because a fair number of my fellow countrymen, as proven by multiple modern elections in which they voted to shoot themselves and their country in the face for "reasons", are also incredibly stupid. Sorry, not sorry. This golf game was developed as Waiwai Golf in Japan and Ace Golf in Europe. It's only North America that contains the idiotic branding that doesn't fit this otherwise cutesy and colorful golf game at all. Well done, to the publisher Eidos, for dooming this seemingly serviceable golf game before it ever even took to the tee.

Swingerz Golf needed all the help it could get when it released back in 2002. It was a golf game exclusive to the Nintendo GameCube, suffered from being marketed to the wrong crowd, and I personally avoided it because I thought it was more like Outlaw Golf than something appealing to me like Hot Shots Golf was and still is, which this game really models itself after.

Ooh-wah. Right down the middle, baby!

From the gallery cheering your player on, heckling at times, making mention of the wind with various non sequiturs, to each of the game's six courses allow you to have a round in each of the four seasons, to interface similarities, Swingerz Golf totally feels reminiscent of a Hot Shots Golf game, particularly the third and FOOOOORE-th entries, available on the PlayStation 2. 

Now is the winter of our golfing's discontent.

That isn't to say Swingerz Golf is 1:1 with its then-PS2 competition. One of the interesting aspects of the game is how shots, drives, approaches, putts, etc. are initiated. Rather than a traditional, typical three-click shot gauge that sets power and accuracy, there is a shot meter used, but it's started by pulling back on the C-Stick of the GameCube controller. To set the power of the shot, you flick the C-Stick forward, and depending on how straight of a flick your shot was, the more accurate and true to its strength it will be. That said, trying to use a 1-Wood or higher club on say, the fairway, means the window for how straight you must flick the C-Stick forward becomes narrower. With these types of challenging shots, it can be quite easy to duff the shot with a "Bad" or "Poor" hit to the ball. Otherwise, there's usually a wide enough window to flick without worry.  

Unlike this type of shot, Swingerz Golf isn't the most "approach"-able golf game.

It's certainly not easy at the beginning. Like anything atypical, it does take some getting used to in order to swing accurately. It also doesn't help that setting the power of the shot still trips me up after over 10 hours of game time. You simply don't get the immediacy of a button press to set the power on the shot gauge than you would a button press. This often resulted in me hitting the ball too softly or too hard--both unintentionally. In a golf game that demands precision and one where the difference between making the green and your ball falling into a water hazard is a tick on the shot gauge, this quickly becomes frustrating and round-ruining.

As you can see with the white line on that circular C-Stick prompt that says "Great",
my flick of said stick wasn't the straightest, but it did the job nevertheless. 

Furthermore, if you get it into the rough or the bunker--forget about it. You're going to attempt to save par at best. When the ball is in adverse area lie-wise, then Swingerz Golf gets even more random--quite literally. A poor lie--that is, a bad area where your ball literally lies and sits after a shot--means your shot will be affected in power. An infographic in the bottom right corner reveals a percentage. When it says something like 70-100%, that means even if you hit your shot your absolutely hardest, with the most power, it can still only go 70% of that shot strength. It happens randomly, too, which for a game that already suffers from a steep difficulty, just feels incredibly cheap and stupid to play.

Ten-hut! (But hopefully don't get a hole out in ten strokes!!)

Putting is its own golf ball of worms as well. Reading greens is not beginner friendly, the opposite of the game's obvious inspiration, Hot Shots Golf. It also isn't helpful that you have to be darn accurate with your putts, as there's very little wiggle room and window given to the player. This isn't helped by the aforementioned C-Stick flicking to futilely attempt to accurately set the power, nor is it helped by how accurate you have to putt. You basically have a "correct" zone to putt--i.e. an angle and power that is 100% the correct way to go, and any putt outside of that strict window will not go in. There's very little in the way of forgiveness with putting, especially as putts that graze the hole will seldom go in, which is very unlike most golf games, arcade-y or no.

Putting put me in my place in Swingerz Golf, whether it was just or not.

Unfortunately, that's the story of Swingerz Golf. It's just an unforgiving game of golf, and an absolutely aggravating one at that. This continues with the game's single-player modes as well. Tour Mode is a fun concept in theory--you play through various stages of events, about six per stage that can be selected in any order, as you attempt to beat each event for a set amount of stars (up to three stars in 18-hole rounds, and up to two in match play rounds against a CPU opponents). Earn enough stars, and you unlock the next stage of events. 

It's easy enough going at the first couple event stages, but as you progress, especially with the versus matches, it gets tough relatively fast. The computer-controlled opponents often require you to get birdie or better to even tie. They're inconsistent, too. One hole they'll chip it a few feet away from the pin, leaving you with needing to get a birdie somehow to win (and again, with this game's putting--woo, boy). Other times, they'll smack their shots into hazards or out of bounds multiple times. There's neither a rhyme nor reason for this. It's at the leisure of the game.

Match play against the computer and a fair experience... 
Sort of goes together similarly to a hand and putting it inside a plugged-in toaster. 

As you bash your head against each event and hopefully win them in Tour Mode, you earn gear in the form of new clubs, balls, and accessories, such as the Rain Trinket that always makes it rain when equipped, or the Power Glove, that unlike the Mattel toy of the same name, it's not so bad. It's actually pretty good if you want some extra power for your character. Each character can be outfitted with a set amount of gear, but you can't just equip the top of the line stuff and call it a day. Each piece of gear has a point amount, and each character has a total point amount of available space allotted to them. If you try to equip gear that totals an amount higher than that character can carry, you can't play the round until you get the number under their maximum equip-able amount. Otherwise, you're good to go and to start your round, using each piece of gear, which levels up upon continued use on the course.

Apart from Tour Mode, there are also some mini-games to play, too. From the Mission Mode that tasks you with completing various golf challenges, ten missions per each of the game's six courses, to the ultimate test of endurance, Survival Mode, that puts you against a line of one-hole match play contests to see how many characters you can beat in a row, these are the hardest parts of Swingers Golf. For Mission Mode, there's little in the way of intelligence to how missions are set up. One can be as easy as getting par or better on a hole, while the next requires you to sink three putts in a row from an absurd distance. It's just stupidly designed. Both modes reward golfers for good play, netting them unlockable gear for every ten missions cleared and every ten opponents beaten respectively. 

That's the catch with Swingerz Golf, though. Despite its warm, approachable appearance and presentation (and the presentation is pleasant with an abundance of quippy characters and caddies, beautiful courses, and polished visuals and music), there is a truly unforgiving golf game present deeper within. This is sadly not like Hot Shots Golf in this regard. Those games and that series offers an accessible level of golf. They feel good to play, they have information on screen that is helpful, and you seldom feel cheated because of the game instead of knowing it was YOU that messed up a shot or putt. Ironically, Swingerz Golf apes nearly aspect of Hot Shots Golf except this one, one of the most important aspects of an inviting, welcoming golf game.

An excellent drive to start the 12th hole of Swingerz Golf's final course.

Which begs the question--who is Swingerz Golf for? Well, considering the game was marketed as some "too cool for school with attitude" golf game in the States, where nothing could be further from the truth in-game, that said title is totally frustrating to play even for someone like myself who identifies as a bit skilled at these golf games, and that sales were poor anyway... my guess would be Swingerz Golf is for no-one. At least after bashing my brains against trying to learn to play and try to enjoy myself despite the game doing everything in its power to ruin that for me, it's certainly and decidedly not for me. It's just a shame that the developer never got a mulligan, as there are some neat and nifty ideas here, but they don't form anything worthwhile enough to suffer for.

[SPC Says: D+]