Steve Watts

1 week ago | gamespot.com | Steve Watts

Donkey Kong Bananza is the next big Switch 2 game, landing firmly within "launch window" status next month. Nintendo took the wraps off DKB with a rapid-fire presentation detailing its story, features, Amiibo support, and more, and altogether it looks like a dang hoot. Donkey Kong can go Super Saiyajin or turn into a zebra, there's a cabal of evil capitalist Kongs, he collects Bananergy. High marks across the board.

1 week ago | gamespot.com | Steve Watts

When most people say their game is retro, they mean a particular era of game ranging from the NES to the PlayStation. That timespan encompasses the heyday of pixel-art gameplay and the burgeoning 3D revolution. It's not common for games to look even further back for their inspirations, to the earliest days of home console gaming. But that's exactly what Adventure of Samsara does, and it makes for a curious blend of motifs and mechanics. Adventure of Samsara itself has a relatively long history.

1 week ago | gamespot.com | Steve Watts

All of a sudden, and all at once, the entire industry seems to have come to a realization: Ninjas are cool. There have been a smattering of recent games featuring ninjas who are also turtles, but this seems to be the year that old-school human ninjas are back, baby. We already received the combo shinobi-samurai fantasy in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was announced alongside an upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4. The retro-styled Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is coming from The Game Kitchen.

1 week ago | gamespot.com | Steve Watts

Long before the Switch changed everything, I found myself more drawn to handheld gaming than the home console. I remember feeling more passionate about my Game Boy Advance library than the PlayStation 2. So it didn't come as much surprise to me when the Switch, and then the Steam Deck, captured so much of my attention and gaming time. The Steam Deck has since become my primary gaming device, due to its level of adaptability and wealth of cheap games on Steam.

1 week ago | gamespot.com | Steve Watts

More than anything, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is an odd part of the Switch 2 launch lineup because it's defined more by what it isn't than what it is. It isn't really a video game. It isn't part of a franchise. And most centrally, it isn't a free pack-in game. That last one feels instinctually unfair as a game reviewer who makes a point to ignore price in most cases. Games are worth what you're willing to pay for them, prices fluctuate, and I try to evaluate quality on its own merits.