SPC Highlights

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Whipseey and the Lost Atlas (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC) Review

Let's ease into this month of reviews with a short game (and that's putting it mildly). It's Whipseey and the Lost Atlas for all current major gaming platforms.

A game that needed to get whipped into better shape


I enjoy cute platformers, whether it's Kirby, LittleBigPlanet, or even The Legendary Starfy--by the way, Nintendo, bring that series back! Whipseey and the Lost Atlas has all the makings of an enjoyable platformer. It has tight controls, it has a reasonable difficulty to it, and it's just delightful with its pixel art appearance. Unfortunately, it has one costly issue that doesn't make for an appealing overall game.

Whipseey and the Lost Atlas reminds me greatly of earlier Kirby adventures, particular Kirby's Dream Land. It was a basic platformer that introduced Kirby to the world, but it was over all too quickly. Here, then, is Whipseey and the Lost Atlas, also introducing a new character to the world, the pink blob known as Whipseey, but instead of inhaling enemies and spitting them out, our pudgy hero whips foes into submission. This whip also can be used to grasp onto hooks and allow Whipseey to swing across chasms.

And like, Kirby's Dream Land, Whipseey and the Lost Atlas, too, is over far too quickly. You can imagine my surprise when I set aside a two-hour play session for Whipseey's adventure only to find that I had already beaten the game with a little over an hour to spare. Yes, there are only five levels in Whipseey and the Lost Atlas, and there are no secrets to discover. No hidden rooms, no optional goals, no in-game achievements for Switch owners to shoot for. Nothing.

The main difference between Kirby's Dream Land and Whipseey and the Lost Atlas is that the latter is actually rather challenging in parts. There are lot of precarious jumps where enemies await to ambush you, or require you to master midair whips to clear the way so you can safely land. Meanwhile, bosses all have patterns to make note of and master in order to beat them into submission. With limited lives and limited health, levels have a way of bringing on the challenge. Though, when I found myself with only one or two lives at the start of a new level, I'd purposely get a game over, so I'd be booted back to the world map screen. That way I could resume the level with a greater amount of lives.

My biggest issue with Whipseey and the Lost Atlas is that there's potential for a greater adventure with Whipseey's solid enough mechanics, but then you blink and it's all over and the potential was completely squandered. When there are so many cheaper and better options available to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC players, it's insanely difficult to recommend spending the five dollar asking price for Whipseey and the Lost Atlas. It has its heart in the right place, but Whipseey doesn't have much more than that. When plenty of free game demos offer way more content than what is on offer with this particular game, Whipseey and the Lost Atlas is not a game I can recommend at its current price.

[SPC Says: D]

A review code was provided for this game.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (NSW) Announcement Trailer

Announced at the tail end of yesterday evening's Nintendo Direct, perhaps the third time is the charm for me, after playing a decent way through the Wii original and never touching the New Nintendo 3DS port despite owning it, I'll finally play through and complete Xenoblade Chronicles with this newly announced Nintendo Switch Definitive Edition. To think that Nintendo was brought kicking and screaming to localize the original Wii game, and now it's one of the platform holder's most celebrated franchises. What a difference ten years makes!

 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (NSW) Nintendo Direct Trailer

Looking for a refresher on all of the information provided during E3 about Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Then, Nintendo's trailer during the Nintendo Direct yesterday evening will provide you with just that. For everyone else, there's not much new information in this trailer, but there is a lot of gorgeous graphics to gawk at. Animal Crossing: New Horizons casts away onto the Nintendo Switch on March 20th, 2020.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Review Round-Up - August 2019

Adol the ardent adventurer's latest was one of the best in the Ys series with Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana.
The final full month of summer came and went, and it's now September here at SuperPhillip Central. School's in session now for many, so SPC is doing some homework of its own with a lot of games to review for this upcoming month.

Before I get ahead of myself though, it's time to look back at the four reviews posted in the month of August. Starting off rough was the recently released Switch port of Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power, which ended abruptly and suffered from quite a few glitches and bugs. It conjured by a C- score. Following that was Nicalis' Puzzle Fighter-inspired Crystal Crisis, which got a satisfying B. Meanwhile, after a year from its Nintendo Switch release, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was reviewed on SuperPhillip Central, getting a fantastic A- grade, showing the wait was most definitely worth it. Finally, the Switch version of Mortal Kombat 11 impressed with its transition to Nintendo's lesser powered hardware, earning a B.

Check out every review ever posted on SuperPhillip Central with the SPC Review Archive!

Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power (NSW) - C-
Crystal Crisis (NSW, PS4, PC) - B
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (NSW, PS4, Vita) - A-
Mortal Kombat 11 (NSW) - B

Meanwhile, the Mortal Kombat series' return to a Nintendo platform was a gore-ious one.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PS4, NSW, XB1) Release Date Trailer

Tonics make Yooka-Laylee's world go 'round and they're back in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, due out October 8th! Change how chameleon and bat duo of Yooka and Laylee look or alter the visuals of the game completely with unlockable tonics! Pre-order the game for four tonics right from the get-go. As a fan of the original Yooka-Laylee and a big fan of Donkey Kong Country, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair seems to be a winning combination thus far!

Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4) "The Suits of Marvel's Spider-Man" Trailer

With the surprise release of the Game of the Year Edition of Marvel's Spider-Man (no doubt referring to being number three on SuperPhillip Central's Games of 2018 list... cough) last week, Insomniac Games' exquisite PlayStation 4 exclusive has gotten back into the gaming news. PlayStation celebrates this with this trailer featuring dozens upon dozens of the unlockable suits that the webhead can wear in the game.