Review Round-Up - August 2020

The Won-Stoppable 101 reunited on SuperPhillip Central for one seriously insane superhero adventure.

New month? Check. Time for another Review Round-Up? Double check! It's the beginning of September, but before we say goodbye to August totally, let's take a look at the games reviewed last month as part of the Review Round-Up!

Four games were reviewed and each received a unique grade. We started things off with an oldie but an... average-y (?) with Bomberman Jetters on GameCube and PlayStation 2. The gameplay was slow, the camera needed some work, and the maze-like levels frustrated more than they engaged, thus the game received a C.

Following that Retro Review were two Nintendo Switch eShop games, one was a clever take on the Metroidvania genre taking place in the deep with Shinsekai: Into the Depths (earning a B) and the other was a Mario sports-style RPG in Golf Story (earning a B+, the best grade of the month).

Finally, it only seemed fitting that a site named SuperPhillip Central would review a game featuring a band of one-hundred superheroes with The Wonderful 101 Remastered from Platinum Games. The game made some needed changes from the Wii U original, and now more gamers can play the game with its release on the Switch, PS4, and PC. The grade for this occasionally frustrating remaster was a satisfying B-.

Closing out this edition of the Review Round-Up, take a look at these excerpts from all four reviews published this past August. Lastly, a reminder that the SPC Review Archive is your destination for every review ever posted on this site. See you next month, Review Round-Up!

Bomberman Jetters (GCN, PS2) - C

Bomberman Jetters doesn't make the case for itself a much-needed sequel to Bomberman Generation or make the case that the GameCube needed a second Bomberman game to begin with. By no means is it terrible, but a lackluster story mode really hurts the overall package despite Jetters having a rather entertaining multiplayer component. If you are still in possession of your Nintendo GameCube, have it still hooked up, in working order, and REALLY need a Bomberman game for it, take a look at Bomberman Generation instead.

Shinsekai: Into the Depths (NSW) - B

As a game originating on iOS devices via the Apple Arcade initiative, it didn't take much housekeeping for Capcom's game to arrive on the Nintendo Switch in a positive manner, but Shinsekai: Into the Depths is a successful port of a sublime and creative take on the Metroidvania genre. Aquaphobics may feel some unease playing this particular title, but for everyone else, Shinsekai: Into the Depths delivers an engaging, if not short-lived underwater adventure worthy of diving in and enjoying.

Golf Story (NSW) - B+

Even without its Story Mode attached, I believe there would be enough here with Golf Story to make for a good game of top-down golf. Thankfully, however, there's no need to be concerned with that, as not only do you get a good game of golf with Golf Story, but you also get an overall well done Mario-style golf RPG as well (though not without its issues, of course)! With its strong mix of rewarding exploration, creative scenarios, and solid golf mechanics, Golf Story, for the most part, comes off of the golf course and into the clubhouse a champion.

The Wonderful 101 Remastered (NSW, PS4, PC) - B-

The Wonderful 101 Remastered is a second chance for Platinum Games' oft overlooked "mass hero" action game to gain an audience. Whether it deserves one is in the eye of the beholder, but for me, even with all of the obnoxious and borderline rage quit-inducing moments that the game supplied me with, a replay on my Nintendo Switch version saw me happy to revisit The Wonderful 100 and save the universe from GEATHJERK once more. It's certainly nowhere near the most accessible and beginner-friendly game out there, but give the game a chance (and a FAQ a look) and you might discover a game that surpasses your expectations. Just don't be surprised if your frustration becomes as big as many of the spectacles, scenarios and showdowns The Wonderful 101 Remastered has to offer!

Meanwhile, newcomer Sidebar Games sank its putt to deliver a highly satisfying
golf RPG reminiscent of the Game Boy Mario Golf titles.