VIRTUAL BASTION

Top 5: Games to Get Now That I Have a Nintendo Switch

Woohooooo! With extra WOO! Just this past weekend, and brand new toy arrived at the house, and I’m still stunned! You can tell it’s true by all the exclamation points! You know how it is when you get an idea into your head, and it’s all you can do to not think about it? Well,…

Fracter is Coming to PC Soon

PC gamers are finally going to be able to get their hands on another intriguing indie puzzle game soon in the form of the Steam release of Fracter. This is game that’s already enjoying both critical and commercial success on the iOS and Android platforms, so it’s likely to fit quite well into the collections…

Want to See Your Super Mario Maker 2 Levels on YouTube?

Good day, everyone! I recently got a copy of Super Mario Maker 2 and have been spending many hours playing through all kinds of cool and creative stages created by fellow Mario fans all across the globe. Which got me thinking…it could be really cool to record your Mario Maker stages on our Virtual Bastion…

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is Just the Right Mix of Old and New

The Fire Emblem series was, for the longest time, a complete mystery to me. For the longest time, all I knew about it was that Marth and Roy were in it. Who were Marth and Roy? Just two annoying swordsmen characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee. That was about all the contact I had with…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #117

Up this week: Neverwinter (PS4, 2016) – an action combat MMORPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe that was first released on the PC in 2013 Metroid Prime (Wii, 2009) – follow the adventures of Samus on the mysterious world of Tallon IV in this highly praised 3D action game Spyro Reignited Trilogy (PS4,…

Unforgettable: The Interactive Intro of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

When I first started playing video games in earnest, words like “Atari” and “arcade” were commonplace. “Nintendo” and “Mario” soon followed, and with them came a chasm-like leap in video game technology. After spending countless hours with relatively simple (but not simplistic) games like Pole Position and Defender, I was utterly wowed by what would…

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan’s Shared Story Mode Goes Further Than Expected

Supermassive Games is really swinging for the fences with their next branching-narrative horror game: The Dark Pictures Anthology – Man of Medan. It has everything that fans of Until Dawn enjoyed, but massively expanded and with a shared story experienced deftly woven throughout. Multiplayer may sound like an odd choice for this kind of game,…

Challenge Mode: Assorted Metroid Prime 2 Baddies

The Metroid Prime games are some of the most challenging I’ve faced. The first two, in fact, had to originally be completed over the course of years as I got stuck at one boss after another. While this issue has since been eliminated due to simply growing as a gamer, it is the second game…

Yoshi’s Crafted World is Way Too Charming

I knew going in that Yoshi’s Crafted World was going to be the warmest and fuzziest game I was going to play all year. I knew it, but somehow I was still unprepared for the sheer amount of cute and innocence on display here. Seriously, if you thought Yoshi’s Wolly World was adorable, you haven’t…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #116

Fallout 76 and ESO: A Novice’s Views

It wasn’t too long after purchasing Fallout 76 that my husband and I decided to give The Elder Scrolls Online a try. After all, I had a shiny, new PlayStation Plus membership to make use of, and he had been interested in playing ESO for some time but never found the motivation to invest in…

New Super Lucky’s Tale Coming to Nintendo Switch

Classical collect-em-up fans rejoice! Super Lucky’s Tale is no longer an Xbox One exclusive! While not enough to move a system like the Xbox One, Super Lucky’s Tale is decent enough to make one’s inner Spyro-fan jump with excitement.

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #115

Up this week: Completed Sonic Adventure 2 (GameCube, 2002) – 3D platforming with everyone’s favorite speedy hedgehog Star Fox Adventures (GameCube, 2002) – blast off with Fox, Falco, and the rest of the Star Fox crew in this launch title for the GameCube Continuing Neverwinter (PS4, 2016) – an action combat MMORPG set in the…

“Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights” May Foreshadow Dragon Age 4’s Setting

Talk about a paper-bound tease! A newly-announced collection of Dragon Age short stories subtitled “Tevinter Nights” is setting DA fan’s radars ablaze (mine included) with the hopes that it might provide a big clue as to where things may be headed the next Dragon Age game. That “where” is the mysterious Tevinter Imperium.

New Hero ‘Sigma’ Coming to Overwatch

Overwatch will be gaining another cast member soon, but this one is going to be a little different from the rest. Like the others, Sigma has his own suite of unique abilities. Unlike just about every other character though, he’s suffering from a…split of sorts.

Spyro the Dragon: A Short Review

For the past decade or so, I have been trying to catch up on the major PS1 games that I had missed. For about $10 per game on Amazon (with a few exceptions), I was able to play all of the old PS1 Final Fantasy games, including a few SNES ones that were remade and…

Switch Lite is Replacing the 3DS, That’s Actually Pretty Significant

For about as long as Nintendo has been making home consoles, they’ve also always had a separate handheld system to accompany it. During the days of the NES, SNES, and N64, Nintendo fans also had the GameBoy (Original, Pocket, Color, etc). The Gamecube had the Gameboy Advance as a partner, the Wii had the DS,…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #114

Up this week: Sonic Adventure 2 (GameCube, 2002) – 3D platforming with everyone’s favorite speedy hedgehog Star Fox Adventures (GameCube, 2002) – blast off with Fox, Falco, and the rest of the Star Fox crew in this launch title for the GameCube Neverwinter (PS4, 2016) – an action combat MMORPG set in the Dungeons &…

I’m Pretty Keen on the Nintendo Switch Lite

It’s true that my Nintendo fandom has worn thin with time. In 2013, I lightly considered getting a 2DS, but I just wasn’t in a mobile gaming mindset. I’ve watched as the Nintendo Switch has slowly but surely won over the hearts and minds of gamers since its 2017 release, but I’ve only watched. I…

Blue Protocol Has an Impressive Character Creator

Blue Protocol is a new online RPG from Bandai Namco that’s appears to sitting somewhere between Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy XIV on the scale. There isn’t all that much info available about the game, but we can at least say that it looks absolutely gorgeous. Of course, there are plenty of good-looking game out…

Day 23: Game with the Best Graphics or Art Style

Continuing my way ever so slowly through the 30 days of video game topics, we come to the game with the best graphics or art style. Though in recent times, I was thoroughly impressed with the graphics of Kingdom Hearts 3, which are easily some of the best I’ve ever seen, I wanted instead to…

Super Mario Maker 2: Making is Even More Fun than Playing

When the original Super Mario Maker released for the Wii U back in 201X, I remember feeling rather dubious about it. Sure it sounded interesting, but would it really be able to match a proper Mario game? It turns out that the answer was a resounding “YES!” Mario fans took to the game almost instantly,…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #113

Ann Gets Her Own Persona 5: The Royal Trailer

Ann Takamaki has been a favorite of many Person 5 players since even before the game’s original release. Part of that is undoubtedly due to her character design, but there’s also something to be said for the character’s personality too. Ann is portrayed as a very upbeat sort of person who spends much more time…

Day 22: A Game Sequel Which Disappointed You

As I slowly inch my way forward through the 30 days’ worth of video game topics, I arrive upon a pretty easy one, a game sequel which disappointed me. One game in particular springs to mind, but since it is such an obvious choice, I also wanted to briefly discuss one of the biggest crimes…

Google Stadia Worries Me

As we near the end of this eighth generation of consoles draws to a close, more and more information about what the so-called future of gaming is becoming available. Some of it, like Nintendo’s and Sony’s plans, is encouraging. The rest, not so much. It seems every major publisher wants to launch their own game…

Remedy Finally Recovers Full Rights to ‘Alan Wake’

At long last, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel for fans of horror series Alan Wake. The first game release to both critical and commercial acclaim in 2010, and it was almost immediately followed up by pseudo-sequel Alan Wake’s American Nightmare in 2011. After that though, absolutely nothing. One would think that…

Close to the Sun Looks a Lot Like BioShock, and I’m Psyched

It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything even remotely close to a new BioShock. It’s not too surprising of course; Kevin Levine did close his studio (Irrational Games) after completing work on BioShock Infinite, but it’s still kind of odd since 2K still owns the rights to the series. Whatever the case, we’re in…

I Almost Got a VR Headset

Despite finding the idea of virtual reality fascinating, the thought of actually buying a VR headset, of taking the next step into immersive gaming, has always…kind of scared me. Those bulky headsets are just a bit intimidating, to be honest.

Pushing All The Wrong Buttons

I’m usually not the sort to buy a game and leave it unfinished. Games are expensive things afters all, so spending all that money only to not wind up getting your money’s worth doesn’t really make sense to me. There are times though where a game just doesn’t jive with me. I’ll do my best…

Cities: Skylines Industries Comes to Consoles

Most PC gamers likely know about Cities: Skylines by now. The popular city building and management game has been available on PC for four years now, and it has even gotten a full expansion by now. Meanwhile, console gamers have had to content themselves with simply looking at the incredible creations of their PC peers….

Banjo and Kazooie Are Coming to Smash!

It’s happening, folks. Once again, a recent trailer has blown my mind…and the minds of pretty much every other gamer in existence. Banjo and Kazooie are coming to Super Smash Bros Ultimate as DLC fighters!

E3 2019 Had Some Great-Looking Games

Many seem to be rather disappointed by E3 2019 for some reason. Sure, we didn’t get any earth-shattering reveals or peeks at the new console generation, but there was still plenty there to get excited about. I watched everything live this week, and I saw quite a few games that had me raising an interested…

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Finally Has a Release Date!

One of the games I absolutely was dying to see at this year’s E3 was the new Animal Crossing game for Nintendo Switch. Nintendo has been teasing it for at least two years now, and I was going to be incredibly bummed if I didn’t get either gameplay or a release date this time around….

What I Want To See at E3 2019

E3 2019 is finally upon us! The announcements will have already started rolling in once this post goes up, but I still wanted the chance to talk about the things I hope to see at the show this year. I’m not everything on the list will get attention, but you never know. E3 may be…

For Some Reason, Super Mario Maker 2 is Really Exciting

Despite having been a gamer for about 24 years now (holy cow!), I still can’t say for certain which games will pique my interest and which won’t. I know what genres gravitate towards, features I tend to value, roles I like to play and content I like to avoid. That should be enough to know…