Darris Pope

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is one of, if not the best, role-playing game available for the Nintendo Switch. It feels like a next-gen game on a last gen system, and that's not saying it performs poorly; it looks great and plays great as well and any RPG fan should be sure to check it out. Monolith Soft worked hard optimizing the game, thinking about game and character design, the soundtrack is excellent and practically every aspect of this game works together beautifully and it shows. The payoff is a rich story, with very relatable characters, fun combat and a gripping adventure that makes you want to play it again and again. I'm more than 250 hours in enjoying new game plus now! It can probably best be described as an open-world RPG similar to playing an MMORPG but offline. There's fairly snappy combat, and with chain attacks and fusion combos even fighting bullet sponges is still entertaining. I don't know many other games that can make a 7 member party work that you have complete control over. Not only that, but XBC3 is rife with dozens of hours of cutscenes, all rendered in-game that look fantastic, including battle choreography. The class system is cool and it's fun unlocking and upgrading every single one and even min-maxing your party comp is interesting with the amount of variety at your fingertips. The further you unlock the classes, the more you can actually have their arts and skills be kept permanently no matter what class you currently are making for some interesting combinations. There aren't many downfalls to the game, but if I had to say, it's that the cities aren't quite as robust as in the second game, and thus feel less alive; there are plenty of quests, but treasure chests and rewards also aren't as fruitful as XBC2. You don't get weapons to equip so all the treasure is money or accessories — many of the accessories being so niche that about a small portion of them are really of any use. Xenoblade has always been a quirky series. I didn't get in to it until the second game (also on Switch), and have also played the remake of the first game. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 does away with the anime tropes of XBC2 (and introduces several quality of life features) and the gacha blade system, and some of the things that made the first game a bit stale. Nopons aren't quite as annoying in this game (or plentiful, sorry if you like Nopons!), and while the story still has high stakes, it isn't quite as bleak as the first game with Shulk, or carefree as the second with Rex. Noah and his friends are trying to free a world forced in to violence for survival, and Noah and all his friends really are just too pure for this world. It's a heartwarming adventure watching them grow together. Hats off to the devs for making all of the main characters and even most of the side characters engaging with their own stories to tell that will have you rooting for them, or punch you right in the heartstrings at times as well. Do yourself a favor and check this game out!!

A great show, and a great Netflix watch perfect for binging. I almost gave this 4 stars, but deferred to 5 as the show is quite engaging and refreshing, especially for its genre (on a second re-watch with my partner). The Umbrella Academy stands out to me with its "super-hero" meets "permanently dysfunctional" family elements, while also telling quite a bit of backstory and intricately woven plot points. The soundtrack and choice of music accompaniments are excellent and well-fitting. The cast is a joy to watch on-screen as their characters develop and the pacing is just-right. One of the things I love most about this show, albeit slightly to its detriment in the final season, is that it never takes itself too seriously. Something that can't be said about other "superhero" shows is Umbrella Academy never shies away from a laugh, and it genuinely does make you laugh in ways that are both whole-hearted and endearing. Without spoiling anything, I felt like the show became a little too unbelievable by its final season, but again, this may just be as it's based off its source material. If you're looking for something "different", without too much seriousness invested, this is a great watch!

Disclaimer: I'm not super high level and will re-review when I am. I'm a very casual gamer (about level 26 right now.) I've had a lot of friends jump in when the game released, except those stuck on FF XIV who will never leave, and have already left New World. That said... New World feels a bit more casual to me than most MMORPGs. Yes, you can invest thousands of hours into it, to be fair, I'm not super far into FFXIV either (about level 40, not even to expansions yet). But I'm enjoying my time in New World far more than FFXIV, I think for the sheer fact it's newer, we'll see if that lasts. I also enjoy only paying $40 once with no subscription fee. As I saw someone else mention, the game kind of has a "next gen" feel. Now, the graphics aren't ridiculously beautiful (its not like Cyberpunk on Insane level) but the game world looks nice. The combat system is interesting. It feels good actively fighting and blocking and not just auto-attacking enemies. Though there aren't a ton of skills this makes every battle feel that much more alive. The crafting system is excellent (at least so far). I have never played a game before where I spent this much time crafting, am genuinely excited to craft things and even think about and plan what I'm going to gather and craft each time I leave town/a settlement. New World definitely picked the right sound effects and visual flairs to give you that dopamine hit every time you level a trade skill, a weapon skill or get this your map skill (lol, well you have "territory" levels kind of like reputation). If you want to play something new, give it a go.

So far, so good. I've played BRs like Apex Legends and Warzone, but this is a nice refreshing change of pace. Spellbreak reminds me of Fortnite, which I haven't played much of, but with magic instead of guns and the variety of magic is a lot more entertaining. I'm interested to see where this game goes and appreciate that it's crossplay, cross-progression between four consoles. It's easy to hop right in a match and get to killing people. Only things I'd say need work right now is maybe footstep audio, although usually when you hear a spell going off or if you get nicked damage, somebody, somewhere is firing at you. It can be hard to tell when people are actually attacking you. Also a better ping system would be nice, but still, it's fun.

Wargroove is a solid turn based strategy game. In some ways, it fills the void that was left from the wonderful Advance Wars series on the Game Boy Advance. Unfortunately, it is not quite exactly like those games, but is passable. While I did enjoy the game, I found it to be a bit repetitive and the AI difficulty rather pronounced. Still, if you yearn for a tactical strategy game (one you can play on the go with Switch), Wargroove is worth checking out.

I've been playing Apex Legends since it launched in Feb. 2019. This was my first Battle Royale, before Apex, I played Fortnite maybe 3 times total and didn't like it at all. The game is not perfect and has it's own issues, mostly server stability but it is a hell of a fun game. It does away with the cartoony-ness of Fortnite for a more realistic look, without all the building. The gameplay is reminiscent of Call of Duty with a touch of Halo and Overwatch, and character abilities similar to Overwatch. Despite the similarities, Apex Legends is more fast-paced than all three of those shooters. Essentially, you land in Kings Canyon with 20 other squads, each consisting of teams of three Legends. Each legend has their own tactical ability and ultimate which can change the tide of any battle. These range from healing drones, airstrikes, teleportation portals, jump pads and more. What Apex Legends does superbly is place an emphasis on teamwork with the squad system and Ping system. You can ping almost anything in the game which will place a marker on an object or a symbol on an area (looting, defending, attacking, go here). Ping an enemy far off and your legend says, "Hostile, on my marker!!" You can ping ammo, health drops, whether an area has been looted and many other things with the press of a button with full voice acting from each legend. Essentially, the Ping system allows you to communicate vital information to your squad mates quickly and without the need of a mic. This kind of ease of life sets Apex apart and further emphasizes the teamwork of each match. While it is possible to win alone, it's easier and far more satisfying when you do it with your teammates. Apex also offers a respawn system giving those who get killed early or by bad luck a second chance at life, albeit from a dangerously risky maneuver required in game, but with big payoff. I have put hundreds of hours into Apex, level 100, level 110 season 1, level 90 season 2 and don't see myself getting tired of this game anytime soon.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a quality RPG game and one of the best major games on Nintendo Switch. Solid combat, great RPG/strategy elements, full voice acting, beautiful and plentiful cutscenes, tough decisions and branching dialogue/story options, and plenty of exploration make for a wonderful game. I am a pretty big RPG fan, but have only played a handful of Fire Emblem games, the last being the 3DS titles. I was wary of a "console" Fire Emblem, as the last one on Gamecube, many thought was terrible. Three Houses exceeded all my expectations, and I bought it blind a few days after release before hearing about it. To me, it takes all the elements of Fire Emblem: Birthright/Conquest (which I beat, played a bit of Valentia) and puts them on a console worthy scale. It's the classic Fire Emblem gameplay, commanding units on a grid battlefield, but the depth of each character, even characters who aren't yours is vast. Everyone is fully voiced. Everyone has personalities, likes, dislikes, and can interact with you. You choose which house you want to follow, a la Game of Thrones, and YOU choose how to respond to people, who to recruit, who to further and advance and who to romance. I went into this game expecting a sequel to the Gamecube Fire Emblem game (which did nothing but make the series 3D). I was completely wrong. Intelligent Systems clearly put LOTS of time and work into creating a fully fleshed out Fire Emblem world, with a great story, plenty of exploration, characters, pitting you as a professor, the teacher and peer to many. Everyone with a Switch should check out Three Houses.