Review: The Smurfs – Dreams (Switch) – Not Quite Smurf, But Surprisingly Smurf

Don’t smurf on this one.

We have a confession to make: we were almost certain we knew how this review was going to go before we even started playing The Smurfs – Dreams.

After all, on paper it didn’t appear that anything special was on the cards. Publisher Microids is generally known for releasing solid enough games, but French developer Ocellus is – with the greatest of respect to it – not quite an industry powerhouse, with a few mobile spin-offs based on Talking Tom and the well-regarded Marsupilami: Hoobadventure to its name.

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Review: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge Of The Seven (Switch) – A Remake That’s Equally Intriguing & Underwhelming

Two steps forward, one step back.

Square Enix has been putting out some AA mid-tier entries for some of its forgotten franchises lately, including Visions of Mana (not on Switch) and not one, but two SaGa games in 2024. The first one was SaGa Emerald Beyond in April and now Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven.

As a remake of the original 1993 Romancing SaGa 2, Revenge of the Seven attempts to bring one of the more popular SaGa entries to the modern age. The original was groundbreaking during its time of release, embracing a non-linear narrative structure and a unique generational party mechanic that not many RPGs had. Revenge of the Seven retains what made the original special, but loses a bit of charm along the way with its poor presentation and load times.

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Review: Shin chan: Shiro And The Coal Town (Switch) – A Stunningly Beautiful Game, Uncomplicated Yet Weird

Trolley dash.

Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is based on the long-running manga and anime series, Crayon Shin-chan (Kureshin in Japanese), about a peculiar five-year-old named Shinnosuke (Shin-chan) and his family. The game follows up on the successful 2022 Western release of Shin chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation – The Endless Seven-Day Journey, which puts this in the lineage of Kaz Ayabe’s Bokunatsu series. This time around, we’re working with a mercifully shorter title.

At the beginning of the game, Shin-chan’s family moves to a village because his dad gets a work assignment close to where he grew up in Akita. Playing as Shin-chan himself, you’re tasked with exploring the village and helping out the other people who live there via fetch quests, fishing, and bug catching.

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Video: Sonic X Shadow Generations Graphics Comparison (Switch, Xbox 360, PS5)

Switch resolution and frame rate seemingly revealed.

If you’re eager to know more about the Switch version of Sonic X Shadow Generations ahead of its arrival later this week, read on…

YouTube channel ‘ElAnalistaDeBits’ has shared a comparison video of the Nintendo release alongside the original Xbox 360 version and the PlayStation 5 version of the game.

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Fantasian Neo Dimension Physical Switch Release Seemingly Cancelled In Select Locations

Sorry, Australia and New Zealand.

Ahead of the release of FANTASIAN Neo Dimension release this December, there’s a new story about the physical Switch release skipping select locations.

Australian and New Zealand retailers have apparently removed their physical listings last weekend. Aussie website Vooks reached out to Bandai Namco Australia, who distributes a lot of Square Enix releases locally, and it seems the game is “no longer” getting a physical release in these countries.

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Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed (Switch) – Pleasingly Ambitious But Bloated

Secret of the Snooze.

It has been a little over a year since Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem arrived in cinemas, and a lot has changed for the heroes in a half-shell. Shredder’s Revenge has welcomed not one, but two DLC packs, THQ Nordic has announced a Last Ronin adaptation and, in 2024 alone, the Switch has already landed a pair of new TMNT releases. In short, when Outright Games and developer A Heartful of Games announced they were working on a tie-in to the 2023 movie, our reaction was something along the lines of, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

One year on, and we are quite frankly impressed at how ambitious that tie-in turned out to be. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed packs an entire follow-up story into its 15-hour runtime with wonderful voice acting and far more Persona (yes!) influence than we ever would have expected. It’s very much not without its flaws — the combat is repetitive, the plot feels bloated, and the performance on Switch regularly moves at a snail’s (or should that be turtle’s?) pace — but it does aim for something slightly different, and that deserves praise.

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HAL Laboratory’s Lovely Physics Puzzler ‘Part Time UFO’ Has Been Delisted On Mobile

Switch version is still available.

The mobile version of HAL Laboratory’s Part Time UFO has been delisted from storefronts as of today, the game’s official Twitter has announced. But don’t worry, the Switch version isn’t going anywhere.

Shared on Bluesky by AK, Part Time UFO’s original mobile release is no longer available to download on mobile devices. The game originally launched on phones in 2017 in Japan, before getting a worldwide release in 2018, and an expanded Switch version in 2020.

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Neo Geo Beat ‘Em Up ‘Vengeance Hunters’ Brings The Fight To Switch Next Week

A pretty pixel art punch up.

Developer Nalua Studio revealed its classic side-scrolling beat ’em up Vengeance Hunters earlier this year, and its Switch launch is right around the corner, with this one punching onto the eShop on 28th October.

Developed for the Neo Geo, this one will see you playing as one of three unique fighters — the blade-wielding brawler Candy, the mechanised menace Golem and the rocket-firing scientist Loony — as you make your way through five worlds packed with fearsome foes and bosses.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com