It’s been a while since I’ve written anything for LadiesGamers. That’s not to say I’ve strayed from playing games because I’ve enjoyed playing Switch immensely since my last write-up. I’ve played a variety of titles such as Animal Crossing New Horizons (for hundreds of hours), as well as titles like Immortals: Fenyx Rising. And although life is still busy, especially with home-schooling being added to the mix, I wanted to contribute something in the form of a blurb.
Bugs, Fish, and a Pantheon of Greek God’s
Animal Crossing has been something of a triumph in that, for the first time, I’ve managed to collect every fish and bug. This probably doesn’t seem to be an accomplishment for avid players, but it ranks as a very high video game accomplishment for me. Without question, Animal Crossing New Horizons was my top game of 2020. I’m sure Nintendo didn’t plan it, but the game’s launch provided real escapism in what was a terrible year.
And my biggest shock (in gaming terms) of 2020 was how underrated Immortals: Fenyx Rising was. True, it doesn’t reach the heights of Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild, but I loved adventuring throughout the world, solving puzzles and completing quests. My biggest gripe with the game stems from the levelling up system. By the time I reached the later portions of the game, battles had become a non-event due to how powered up Fenyx had become. The final fight against Typhon should have been the high point, but sadly, it was over in a few minutes with little effort on my part.
If you’re looking for an open-world adventure leading up to Breath of the Wild 2, then Immortals: Fenyx Rising should help to fill that void. Thankfully, patches have dealt with previous performance issues, and the game runs great in both handheld and TV mode.
Super Mario Galore
Another gaming highlight for me was the launch of Super Mario 3D All-stars. I was so excited to hear that the rumours regarding a 3D Mario game compilation were right and that I only had to wait a few weeks to get my hands on it. I spent more than a hundred hours playing the compilation, and regardless of the poor voice acting, Super Mario Sunshine is the highlight of the collection. Why? Is it a better game than, say, Super Mario Galaxy? No, but I loved the different direction it took, and in a dark year, it added plenty of sunshine to a year filled with terrible news.
And Super Mario Galaxy on Switch looks and play phenomenal. The game doesn’t look and play like a 14-year-old Wii title, and according to technical reports, Nintendo could use the same emulation method to bring other Gamecube and Wii titles to Switch.
Out of interest, if at all possible, which Gamecube and Wii games would you like to see Nintendo bring to Nintendo Switch?
And one more thing…
O by the way, did anyone notice the Skyward Sword HD announcement for Nintendo Switch. For years, I’ve been eager for an HD remake of Skyward Sword, and it’s finally happening. The muddy visuals hampered my first impressions of Skyward Sword due to the Wii’s lack of HD support. According to friends, the game looked gorgeous on a CRT TV, but I made the mistake of exchanging our CRT TV for an HD one during the Wii era. Thankfully, we purchased a plasma TV later on, which improved the visuals no end. Still, I think the HD remaster will allow me to view the game as the developers originally intended.
Thank you for reading my blurb. I hope to contribute another very soon.
Jonah signing off.