pros and cons – Golden Age Gamers

Pros and Cons of Captain Toad Treasure Tracker on Nintendo Switch

However, with the new release come some clear improvements, but also some puzzling decisions. Here are my pros and cons for Captain Toad Treasure Tracker.

Author: Nathan Doverspike

I played Captain Toad on the Wii U when it came out in November of 2014, and while I didn’t beat the game completely at the time, I’m sure that won’t be the case with its recent release in the Switch. However, with the new release come some clear improvements, but also some puzzling decisions. Here are my pros and cons for Captain Toad Treasure Tracker.

2018072603560400-A6C056CABE0E1894654A3769FAF6D11E — Handheld mode is the best way to play Captain Toad on the Switch.

Pros

Art Style Still Impresses

After its release in late 2014, Captain Toad was a beautiful title on the Wii U that I believe rivaled Bayonetta 2 and Super Smash Bros. for the best looking game on that console released that year. Now, with its release on Nintendo Switch in July of 2018, I still stand by that belief. This game looks amazing with its wealth of color and silky smooth textures. I can’t get enough of the art style, which makes replaying levels to get full completion still a joy even after playing the level for the third or fourth time.

Level Design Is Top Notch

Without the ability to jump, it would be reasonable to assume that this game would have a very limited number of ways to vary the dozens of levels it offers players. To my surprise, each level feels unique and it didn’t feel stale at any point throughout the game. A puzzle game with limited movement options needs variety in its puzzles, and Captain Toad is thankfully full of variety.

Easy Controls

Whether you’re shooting for finding every Pixel Toad, finding all the secret objectives on every level, or 100% completion in general, Captain Toad is easy to master with its intuitive controls for any age. This game allows for youngsters to fully enjoy this game without the normal barrier of more complex controls that other titles like Mario Odyssey tout. It’s always nice to see games that are accessible to anyone and any age.

2018072300022800-A6C056CABE0E1894654A3769FAF6D11E — This city looks very new and donk…

Plenty of New Levels

I was surprised at the number of new levels, all of which are inspired by Mario Odyssey. The art style meshes with that game perfectly, and seeing New Donk City condensed into a level in Captain Toad is really fascinating. The levels that focus on sprinting are by far my least favorite, but that’s a minor gripe and a small percentage of the levels.

Cons

Price seems a little high

At $40, Captain Toad is a little pricey, in my honest opinion. Sure it has new levels, but even they aren’t enough to justify the steep price. It’s still the same game you played on the Wii U. The addition of coop is nice, but it doesn’t change things up enough to justify almost a full price for this title. I enjoy the game, most than most I would presume, but I would be more satisfied if it was slightly cheaper at release.

2018072300024300-A6C056CABE0E1894654A3769FAF6D11E — Even when condensed to a city block, New Donk City is still gorgeous.

Touch Pointer Is Obtrusive

When docked, a pointer is always present. There is no way to play the game without it while the Switch is docked, which I feel is a mistake. This is not an issue when playing in handheld mode since you can use your fingers on the touch screen, but just beware of playing it docked if that is your primary way of playing games on the Switch. It gets in the way of seeing where Toad is in the level, and can also be distracting. It would be better if it disappeared when you weren’t using the right analog stick when you need to interact with the environment. A patch to correct this would be very much appreciated.

Coop Isn’t Always Great

Speaking of the pointer and coop, the Switch version of Captain Toad introduces coop into the game. You each take a joy con, with the first player controlling toad and the second player taking control of the camera and pointer, which they can use to shoot enemies. Most levels end up being frustrating in coop, since both players can control the camera and with the second player controlling the pointer you both need to be on the same page at all times or you will inevitably fail levels due to the split in duties. The idea is nice, but the implementation isn’t ideal.

I want you hear from you. Did you pick up Captain Toad for the first time on Switch? Did you play it previously on the Wii U and pick it up again. Are you waiting for a price drop before adding it to your Switch library? Let me know in the comments!

Pros and Cons of God of War (PS4) – The Summit of Gaming

While there aren’t many things to gripe out with this game, here are my pros and cons for God of War for your reading pleasure.

Author: Nathan Doverspike

If the title didn’t give it away already, this is one of my favorite games. Ever. I don’t say that phrase often either. Only Mass Effect 2 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt fit into that category for me in the last 10 years of video games. There aren’t many things to gripe about with this game, so here are my pros and cons for God of War for your reading pleasure.

Pros

The Combat Is The Best in The Series

From the minute you were able to throw the ax at an enemy’s head, have it stick in it and freeze them, then lunge forward with a flying punch to the face, I knew this game was going to be special. You don’t get as many weapons in this game as you did in the past God of War games, but they more than make up for it with robust

The Visuals Aren’t Just Breathtaking, They’re The Best

Graphics aren’t everything. Mass Effect 2 looks slightly aged now, but I still think it’s one of the greatest RPG’s ever. But unlike Mass Effect 2, God of War looks leagues better than its competition in a way that the Mass Effect series never did. The fact that I took a screen shot of mud in the game…should tell you everything you need to know about how great this title looks.

Exploring the Worlds Is As Enjoyable As You Would Expect

With so much effort placed in making the visuals some of the best in a video game to date, just as much effort was placed in making the gorgeous locations just as fun to explore. From solving puzzles to defeating powerful foes in the late game content, I never grew bored of any of the numerous caves, beaches, or treks up a mountain. Finding new paths to take as you gain more abilities and progressively better loot was always a great time.

Extra Content After The Story

This is something that I certainly didn’t expect. I had a feeling this game would have a lengthy story for and action RPG, but I didn’t expect it to have a bunch of side quests and content that is unlocked after you complete the story. With all of this content available to complete, this game gives you reason after reason to keep playing, even after the main story is finished.

Bonus: New Game Plus Added

Did you finish God of War and ask yourself: What next? Lucky for you, Santa Monica added a New Game Plus mode that allows you to carry over all of your gear, experience, currency, and talismans to experience the story again. You also have the ability to skip cutscenes, craft new armor and weapons, and even some previously unavailable abilities will be available! The new armor sets add a wonderful twist with positive and negative effects, breathing new life into an already spectacular Game of the Year winner.

The Story

I don’t normally get emotional playing games, especially not ones that feature Kratos yelling and grunting his way through them (of which he does a considerable amount less than the previous titles). God of War redefined my expectations for this series moving forward, offering an incredible story and a very moving ending with twist after twist. I love where the story goes, and the curve balls the developers boldly throw at you until the credits roll.

Cons

Odin’s Ravens

I understand the idea behind having clever things hidden in the environment for the player to find. However, to me the 51 Odin’s Ravens scattered throughout the game are more of a pain than they are worth to find. There are other collectibles like chests, artifacts, and special enemies hidden that are far more interesting and fun to find. Personally, I wish there weren’t as many to collect or didn’t literally blend in with some of the environments to the point of being almost completely impossible to see.

Attitude of Atreus Half-Way Into The Story

This is a minor gripe, since in the context of the story it makes sense. The story is about the journey and how it changes both Kratos and Atreus along the way. At one point, I grew tired of Atreus’s attitude. I understand what the developers were doing with his character, but it didn’t make it any less annoying. Thankfully, his personality doesn’t remain this way for too long.

How are you enjoying the game? Were there any points you think I missed? Let me know in the comments!

The Pros and Cons of Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom

Instead of doing a traditional review, I am making the creative decision to do a list of pros and cons for the game (hopefully with similarly positive results like those in this masterpiece of a video game). Not only does this allow me to produce more quality content in the same amount of time, but it also let’s me provide a concise list of what features stood out the most, both good and bad.

Author: Nathan Doverspike

Pros

Art Style-continuing the hand-drawn look of the first game that stands up to Studio Ghibli’s pedigree was a smart decision. This game looks just as good as the original, and possibly even better during battles and in the over-world.
Re-imagined Combat-The switch to a more Tales-like combat style that emphasizes mobility and quick decisions without the ability to pause the action mid-combat paid off. I think it is the most improved aspect in the sequel and a major reason I poured over 70 hours into my play-through.
City Building-Ni No Kuni 2 introduces a robust and enjoyable city building feature that is something other games could implement in the future. While it isn’t necessary to engaged with this system, it is well worth your time if you plan on getting the platinum trophy.
Higgledies-I wasn’t sold on the concept of Pikmin in my Ni No Kuni game, until I realized how valuable they are to succeeding in combat (in additional to be adorable). Having a Hiddledie that can boost your elemental resistance when fighting a dragon can be a difference maker, especially on late game enemies. They can also have abilities like bringing another Hiddledie to battle when they power up (Awaken), transform into a cannon with their respective element, or even boost your attack. With so many different ones to find in the world and create in your city, the variety of combinations is impressive.
Side Quests-Most JPRG’s have fetch quests galore. Thankfully, this game mixes up the objectives required to complete the plethora of quests. From getting specific items, to completing strategic battles where you control four groups of different warriors with different abilities and battle against other groups on the over-world map.
Pacing-Something that should not be overlooked in games is the pacing, whether it’s a story that drags on a dozen hours too much, or has too many points where you can’t progress without completing certain objectives. Whereas the first game did have some pacing problems, often slowing down the progression of the game to a crawl, I am happy to report that the pacing in this game is nearly perfect. It took me about 30-40 hours to complete just the main story, which to me felt like the perfect amount of time.
The Map and Traversal-I included both of these in this point since they are closely linked. The traversal in this game is vastly superior to that in the original, to the point that going and playing the original has been a tough sell lately for me. The map itself may not feel as large as the original game once you acquire all types of traversal, but the layout and getting from point to point is easy and doesn’t require too much additional travel time in between. Also, the Traps (teleport spots) scattered throughout make getting where you need to very accessible.

Cons

The Story Until The Last Chapter-I want to be very specific about this point. The last chapter in this game is phenomenal, and has a giant twist that I honestly didn’t see coming. However, until then I feel the story was slightly underwhelming and that a few of the story beats that should have been momentous instead fell a little flat. Still, overall it was enjoyable and the last chapter made up for all the previous areas that didn’t have the impact of the original game.
Strategic Group Battles-There are battles in the game where you are able to choose four groups of warriors, each with their own individual stats, strengths, and abilities, and are asked to complete objectives that normally include defeating the enemy groups. There isn’t a ton of variety in these battles, and to fully complete the game you need to grind out a minimum of 50 of these (something I am slowly working towards completing). They aren’t always exciting, sometimes have very high level requirements, and occasionally leave me wishing this feature wouldn’t have been relied on as heavily as it is for the side quests.

Those are my Pros and Cons for Ni No Kuni 2. Hopefully you are able to find these helpful and informative. Are there any that you feel I missed? What do you think of my choices? Let me know in the comments!