Missy's Game Shelf

I meant to do a review of this game sooner and even had a draft ready, but things got busy and I forgot about it. Since then that review has been outdated so here is a review of the game years late and with the latest patch.

Cassette Beasts is a Creature Capture RPG released on all platforms. I played the Switch version. It is a lot harder than other games in this genre. Type effectiveness is also different every monster has a type and as it gains experience points it earns stars. At 5 stars the creature can evolve into a new form. Each monster also has specific buffs and debuffs with its type. if a Monster has the type advantage then damage can still be done but the monster will often put a few debuffs and if the opposite monster attacks then the monster will get buffs. This can be used as certain buffs are more useful than others.

Fights can seem repetitive though and work differently than even most games. You don’t need to worry about level too much, rather than monsters leveling up traditionally the character levels up and the monster earns stars and can evolve or remaster after 5 stars. The game has an AP or stamina system you start with no stamina and can earn 1-3 per turn. This is due to a common status affect called energized which gives you three and drained which gives one. Also certain moves can steal AP. More powerful moves cost a lot of it so there is a risk. use your weakest moves and try and save up or use healing and status moves to help gain an advantage.

The game is mostly open world you can do tasks at your own pace keep in mind that one side of the map has easier monsters than the other the game loads one side at a time so you will only be surprised at the jump in levels the first time and even then you can run from battles and fast travel to the main town to heal or any previously defeated train station. Campsites cost wood but you’ll often have thousands regardless.

The games story revolves around the characters stuck on an island after mysterious circumstances and trying to get back to their own world while battling powerful creatures. It is overall a fun game that I would recommend to anyone.

Score: 9/10

This year I didn’t go into my thoughts for the recent directs too much simply because I don’t plan on getting a Switch 2. All Playstation and Xbox have to do this year is announce prices to win people over and they get a majority of gamers. The Switch 2 is releasing with a $500 price tag and the added price of $80 games. The Switch 2 is mostly just the Switch with a bigger screen and better frame rate. If that wasn’t enough the games are coming out for $80 far more than the industry standard. No one really knows why Nintendo is trying this especially after Xbox tried and failed this sort of thing a few years ago. Further, I don’t know anyone who could afford this with recent inflation and prices going up as well as a recession in the US it is by far the most tone deaf announcement people are struggling to buy anything and this price hike will cause even more people to avoid anything they release. Also the whole re-release of games already out as well as charging more and even charging to get the current version updated is also poor business. When games on Playstation and Xbox release on previous generations usually an update comes out for free to try and mimic the higher standards as best they can comes out and sometimes it looks on par or even better depending on the game. Most of the third party games will likely release on Steam and other Consoles and the other Nintendo games announced some are releasing on Switch and others are already out on Switch. A few interviews and Nintendo representatives have spoken saying the tariffs placed on Japan are the reason for this as the Switch 2 is easily $150 cheaper in other areas. This also may explain the games going up in price and the delay in pre order not that anyone is lining up for that price.. Consumers are paying for the tariff not the billionaires who make these things. All that will really happen is Nintendo will lose significant markets then when Playstation or Xbox say their prices people will go to what is more sustainable for their wallets. Nintendo will then panic and lower prices to be more appealing. How do I know this? It happened with the 3DS and Wii U they already tried this and it failed miserably. They have the nerve to claim that it is due to the experience they are charging so much I remember the “experiences” I had when Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and Pokemon Sword and Sheild, all experienced slow down and crashes I don’t think they are variable pricing or even worth the $60 let alone $80. Got some news for Nintendo Horizon Zero Dawn, Crash Team Racing, and Spyro Reignited Triliogy are all $60 and in my opinion better than Zelda, Mario Kart, or Odessey simply because they are worth the price nothing is worth $80 from Nintendo.

Sources:

Frushtick, Russ. “Why the Switch 2 is so expensive, according to Nintendo.” Polygon, Apr 7, 2025, https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-switch-2/553517/price-interview-tariffs. Accessed April, 8 2025

The Switch 2 Direct announced last week is ready and it is time to look at upcoming and launch titles for the system.

Mario Kart World

Mario Kart is the first thing announced this makes me wonder if Link and the Animal Crossing Villagers will return or will more characters come from other games. We know planes and other vehicles are being added strangely making me think of Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64. Really time to wait and see what this game turns out to be. This game is coming out when the Switch 2 releases and more information on its own Direct on the 17th of April.

Next was Gamechat which lets you talk with friends while playing a game. We already have that its called Discord, but seems more integrated in Switch 2. Also introducing game share where you can play together using multiple systems and only own one copy of a game.

Next Hardware for the Switch 2 a bigger screen and buttons are great but it compounds the drift glitch I am wondering if they will continue to ignore that or fix it with Switch 2. It also has better sound and the better storage means downloading and saved data easier. There seems to be some backwards compatibility though not every game is playable.

A tech demo game Nintendo Switch Welcome Tour announced and it seems to be a focus on the hardware of the Switch with minigames to test it and introduce the new features to players. Which most will likely discover on their own through regular gameplay anyway. It also looks like there will be a new Pro Controller. The new system will launch June 5th this year.

Next a few switch games will be reciving upgrades and rereleases on Switch 2. Mario Party Jamboree will get a new game mode that uses the camera, Kirby and the forgotten lands will have new story elements, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, Pokemon Legends ZA and Metroid Prime 4 will have enhanced graphics and gameplay compared to switch as well.

Next a game focusing on the mouse control capabilities of the new Joy Con, Drag and Drive. you move by dragging the controller honestly it didn’t seem that interesting and just was a basketball game with a strange control scheme. It releases summer if that interests you.

Elden Ring is coming to Switch 2 as a new edition. The Souls gameplay and difficult yet oddly the most forgiving game in the series. Hades 2 is also coming to Switch 2. Capcom is bringing Street Fighter 6 to Switch 2 along with amiibo of the fighters. Deamon X Machina was announced and aside from flashy visuals nothing else is really known. Split Fiction a sci fi fantasy game similar to It Takes Two where you and a friend need to beat the game by working together. EA then announced its latest travesty coming to Switch a sports game not much else. Hogwarts Legacy is getting a rerelease on Switch 2 I already 100% completed it on Switch so I’d prefer a sequel or followup. A remake of Tony Hawk 3 and 4 is coming to Switch 2 I would care, but the absolute state Tony Hawk 5 released in makes me have doubts. Hitman World of Assassination is coming to Switch 2 the stealth game was announced by IO Interactive alongside a 007 James Bond game 007 games are usually shooters so it is nice to see a developer who specializes in stealth games take the reigns and with James Bonds gadgets it seems a good way to tackle the character in new ways. A remaster of the 3DS game Bravely Default is coming to Switch 2 with new features and minigames. Yakuza 0 is having another rerelease how many times is that now seems this game is rivalling Skyrim with the amount of ports. Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment is coming to Switch 2 in the winter by Koei Teckmo I assume a sequel to age of Calamity and takes place prior to Tears of the Kingdom. Deltarune chapters 1-4 are coming to Switch 2. Borderlands 4, Civ 7, and WWE 2K is also releasing from Take Two games. From Software announced Dusk Bloods another painful yet rewarding Souls game from the developer known for their unforgiving yet rewarding games. Also a lot of games from the previous direct will have Switch 2 enhanced versions. Finally Kirby Air Riders and Donkey Kong Bananza I’m more interested in Kirby since this spinoff was fun but never recieved the proper attention I’m glad they are bring it back. Donkey Kong seems to be a 3D platformer with all of Donkey Kongs exclusive abilities like punching, climbing and takling.

Alright, so the Minecraft movie honestly looks awful. First, Minecraft’s player base is targeted to all ages not just kids, but the movie’s marketing is mostly aimed at children. Also, consistency, zombies, Pigman, and villagers as well as several human like creatures show up in these trailers and they fit into the world around them, but the main characters are live action it feels off they stick out like a sore thumb. The reason Pikachu and Sonic’s redesign in live action works is because it fits with the world around them. Designers of these characters spent hours trying to make it work here it feels as though the actors don’t fit in the world aesthetically. The world is blocky and the environments look like they do in the game, but the main cast just look like they don’t fit in the world. Imagine if in the Mario movie every major character would suddenly be live action when the world around them is filled with cartoony enemies and characters. Further, even if Steve is here he doesn’t look like Minecraft Steve. Jack Black who plays him is a good voice actor and while he has done live action it is so unfitting here. In the Sonic movies I can still tell who the characters are despite their redesign the same goes for Detective Pikachu I can tell that it is Pikachu among other Pokemon that were featured.

Minecraft is a staple of the games industry mostly because it started as a indie game that was easy to understand hard to master. It embraces creativity and imagination, but also has things for survival and the ability to choose how you want to play.

Alright recently I’ve been trying to focus more on smaller games or by small teams. So inevitably I was going to cover Untitled Goose Game, however a few major hiccups happened. Thank Goodness You’re Here released late last year in August and I wasn’t really interested in talking about it. Well it just went on sale on Switch not long ago and I wanted to talk about more Indie games so this happened. Both focus on slapstick humor taking place in English towns. House House being Australian and Coal Supper near Yorkshire being incredibly small Indie Studios and both published by the same company perhaps the most inappropriately named Panic Inc. Given they are also responsible for Firewatch, Arco, and multiple mobile games they publish great stuff that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.

Both these games have their focus on comedy, but I found Thank Goodness You’re Here is actually funnier mostly due to trying to be a cartoon rather than more realistic and grounded like Untitled Goose Game. Now Thank Goodness You’re Here has a shorter game time, but you’ll be free to explore until all of the objectives finish up then the area and there are only the move, jump, and slap buttons. Untitled Goose Game works the same way, but rather than the player finding the objectives on their own it has a checklist that crosses out as the player completes it. Along with its stealth gameplay, you have a raise and lower head movement to stay hidden, a honk button to cause distractions, a flap wings button that is useful in some circumstances, basic controls and a run button.

Both are very simple games that can be beaten relatively quickly. They are oddly more satisfying than the $60 full priced game. At $20 each they aren’t long, but great games that deserve attention.