Topic: Last Game You Beat

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Super Mario 3D World (Switch)

Another past gen port to Nintendo's hybrid hit, and my first experience with it. This also comes with the new Bowser's Fury game, which I'll be reviewing seperately.

Gameplay:

• It takes the classic 2D style Mario platforming of running and jumping through mostly linear obstacle courses under a time limit and adapts it to 3D space. In addition to Mario (who's an all 'rounder), you can play as Luigi (slippery but can jump high), a Blue Toad (Runs super fast but has a low jump), and even Princess Peach herself (slow movement but has long floaty jumps). There's also an unlockable secret character.
• As extra objectives each level holds 3 collectable Green Stars as well as one Stamp in hidden/hard to reach locations, as well as the incentive to hit the top of the end level Flag Pole. There are some levels along the way that are locked until you have a certain number of Green Stars, the Stamps can be used to decorate photos (it has a photo mode), and collecting all Green Stars, Stamps, & Flag Pole tops is necessary to access some of the penultimate post game challenges.
• Powerups come in two flavors. First you have the "transforming" types (of which you can only have one active at a time, and can be taken from level to level) such as the Super Mushroom (makes small Mario big), Fire Flower (throw fireballs), Tanooki Suit (float & tail swipe attack), Boomerang Suit (throw boomerangs that can grab items), and the all new Cat Suit (climb walls & claw attack). Then you have the "wearable" types (these can stack on top of whatever "transforming" powerup you have, and even on top of each other in some instances, though can only be used within the level found) such as the Starman (brief invincibility), Propeller Box (massive jumps with slow descent), Coin Box (coins with every step), Boom Box (fires cannon balls), and the all new Goomba Mask (enemies won't attack), Goomba's Skate (better control on ice & can cross spikes), and Double Cherry (multiplies your character up to five at once). In a class of it's own you also have the Mega Mushroom (temporarily become an invincible terrain smashing giant, though this overrides and erases any other powerups you have). Needless to say, there are lots of options at play.
• Just like the 2D games the levels are accessed via a world map, though you're not locked to the yellow path and can run around the little environments. Nothing near the scope of the hub worlds of traditional 3D Mario games, but these do hold the occasional small secret here & there.
  
  Like the rest of the game, the world map is very aesthetically pleasing.
• In addition to traditional levels, each world also houses either a Mystery House or Captain Toad level. Mystery Houses string together (usually 10) small timed challenges back to back to back (earning you a Green Star for each challenge completed), while Captain Toad levels are the real standout (as you can guess getting it's own spinoff, also on Switch). In Captain Toad levels you have to guide the little guy around little dioramic levels trying to grab 5 Green Stars. You can move the levels around to get a better look at all their secrets, but the Captain himself lacks the ability to jump.
  
  A different perspective on gameplay.
• I also wanted to give a shout-out to the boss lineup, which came as a nice surprise. I wasn't sure what to expect going in as 3D Land (the preceding 3DS title) had a pretty lackluster slate of bosses, but the roster has been expanded & what's here is pretty good.
  
  If there's such a thing as a good clown, I haven't found it.
• All in all, there isn't a whole lot to complain about, gameplay is quick, fluid, instantly fun, and while Mario's moveset isn't quite as diverse as it is in other 3D titles, there's so much diversity thanks to all the power ups, other playable characters, and other level gimmicks (like levels/sections where you ride Plessie, the aquatic equivalent of Yoshi, through obstacle courses) it never gets boring. Some may complain that the semi-fixed/isometric camera angles can interfere with the platforming, but that's honestly a nitpick from my experience. Sure I've had a death or two I blame on it, but if you just pick one of the more janky scenarios in 64 or Sunshine (and let's be honest, each game has at least a few), that in itself will lead to more grief than 3D World's camera will during an entire playthrough.
• It also features both local & online multiplayer, though I didn't get a chance to check this out. Another common complaint related to this is that "the environments are too large to really enjoy in single player", but I honestly don't see it. The Savannah level is the only one that came close enough for me to wonder if I'd be able to fully explore it within the time limit, while on the other hand there are multiple levels I can think of that I'd imagine would be very cramped with multiple players, particularly the later ones.

Visual/Audio:

• It's a very colorful game, in some places I'd even say impressive (I liked the rain effects), and it's a super, super smooth experience. There are tons of different environments, from themes that repeat a few times like grasslands, Bowser's castle levels, & snowy areas, to largely one off treats such as a Japanese castle, Mario Kart themed level, or a haunted shipwreck.
  
  
  
  
  There are varied locales, including a pretty suggestive looking bridge (seriously, look at that last shot again, lol).
• Something else that has proved somewhat divisive is the lack of coherent theming. At first glance it would seem that each world has a specific theme going for it (look at the cloudy theme of the World 6 map I posted earlier), however in practice only one or two levels within the world actually match up with said theme (usually just the first level in a world), and it's much more content to experiment & jump around with theme level by level. It's largely neither here nor there for me (and if levels did stick thematically closer to their associated world, we'd probably get calls of "cliche!"), but I generally like the surprise. I would have liked World 8 to have more coherent level theming though, as the theme given off by the world map itself here is anything but generic for the series. Oddly enough World 7 stands out as the only one where it's levels largely did stick to theme, which was a nice change of pace.
• the Mario series has always been one with a lot of catchy music to bop along to, and 3D World is no exception. Things get really good in post game where a larger share of tunes from past games comes into play, and I particularly liked the return of some great Galaxy music.

Story:

• There's nothing much to say here other than the fact that it drops the "damsel in distress" bit and Peach joins the Bros. on their adventure. This time Bowser has invaded the Sprixie Kingdom (which looks a lot like the Mushroom Kingdom, but with the appearance of clear pipes & purple crystalline block bricks), and kidnapped the Sprixies, but other than that things play out as you'd expect.
  
  I hope this nice walk isn't interrupted by anything.
• I do like the tiny bit of worldbuilding connecting it to a past game in the series. Particularly the appearance of a past hub world appearing at the end of the credits, forshadowing the theme the post game will adopt (at least for it's world map, if not most of the levels themselves, as has been the case for this game).

Conclusion:

• It may not be as grand in scope & theming as past 3D titles (though a nice step up from the similarly structured 3D Land in this regard), but it's an absolute masterclass in platforming mechanics that makes it an absolute joy to play around in. Definitely don't sleep on it if you have a Switch & haven't played it on Wii U.
  
  "It's Meow, Mario!"

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Bowser's Fury (Switch) - The standalone new mode included with Super Mario 3D World on Switch.

Fur is gonna' fly.

Gameplay:

• While core SM3DW took 2D style Mario gameplay and applied it to a 3D plane (much like SM3DL before it), Bowser's Fury goes a few steps further. It still retains the power up based life system of the 2D games (rather than a health bar like traditional 3D titles), and generally linear, obstacle course style level design, but that's about it from the 2D side of things. You see, the world of Bowser's Fury is made up of one large open world lake, and the linear(ish) levels are islands you can freely explore between.
• It takes cues from the earlier 3D titles where there are multiple objectives in a level, and each island has multiple (5) "Cat Shines" to collect. One is almost always a linear "get to the end of the course" type challenge, and they also all share a "Cat Shard" collecting objective (think the "Red Coin" missions in 64/Sunshine), as well as a Fury Blocks Shine (a Cat Shine hidden behind special blocks only Fury Bowser can break). Other objectives aren't shared between all islands but show up more than once, such as Blue Coin Challenges (collect these in a certain time limit), Caged Shines (find a key somewhere on the island and use it to unlock a caged Shine near the level's start), & Shadow Luigi challenges (similar to the Shadow Mario chases in Sunshine). Every once in awhile an island will have a completely unique objective (or at least a set of objectives exclusive to that island), such as a coliseum island which houses various boss fights with Boom Boom & Pom Pom.
• While it sounds like things could get get a bit repetitive, and in some cases that's true, I found that the issue isn't that bad due to the various unique gimmicks of the islands themselves, which can make completing similar objectives feel different enough. For example, in addition to the boss fight centric island, there's one that centers on a structure completely surrounded by a maze of clear pipes, another that's one long icy slide, one that consists of an invisible structure (whose ground is illuminated in your immediate vicinity) that you must scale, and yet another that consists of a series of floating lava filled rotating platforms, etc.
• There are also various Cat Shines you can collect on the lake inbetween the islands, such as various timed challenges riding Plessie (the Loch Ness monster type creature introduced in SM3DW) out on the open lake (such as collecting a series of Plessie coins before they dissapear, or traversing a little obstacle course in time), as well some challenges that exist on the sort of "hub islands" that usually sit in the middle of a cluster of "level islands" & house Giga Bells (more on these later).
  
  Finding lost kittens & delivering them to their mother is one of the extra types of Cat Shine mission that exists outside of the main level islands themselves.
• When you start out only three of the main islands are available (the rest of the lake is covered in black goop), and by earning enough Cat Shines you earn the opportunity to advance through the game & unlock more islands (this is like 64/Galaxy where you had to collect most, though not all, Stars in order to progress).
• The biggest shake up is "Fury Bowser" himself. See, something has happened to the big guy and he's transformed into a Godzilla sized monstrosity that's terrorizing the lake. Every once in awhile he'll rise from the center of the lake (which you can slowly see in real time as you're playing) causing chaos. He'll rain down fireballs, blast flaming energy beams, & alter the environment, making whatever you're doing at that given time much harder. He'll (usually) go away after a few minutes or after collecting a Cat Shine (some of which you need him to access, such as the aforementioned Fury Block Shines), but if you want to put him down a bit harder you'll need to use a Giga Bell.
• As mentioned before there are "hub islands" of sorts that sit inbetween a cluster of the main level type islands. Each of these houses a Giga Bell (these turn our hero into the super sized Giga Cat Mario that can tussle with Fury Bowser), but their powers have been drained by the black goop. Only by collecting a specified number of Cat Shines can their powers be unlocked, letting you fight Fury Bowser in epic Kaiju combat (seriously fun boss fights, just for the sheer scale), clean up a section of the lake & unlock the next cluster of islands. I'll also note that driving Fury Bowser away by collecting a Cat Shine will usually chip away some of his health, making the fight portion slightly easier when you do become big enough to fight him directly.
• You'll only need 50 Cat Shines to see the game to it's end (and it sort of forces your hand into completing it around then), which will only take a few hours, but there are 100 Shines total, which just might be worth striving for.
• Other things to note are that Bowser Jr. joins you on the adventure, attacking enemies & summoning powerups from graffiti in the environment (you can adjust how much he helps you in the menu, and can be controlled by a second player), and that it does away with a lives system (you just lose some coins & are sent back to the entrance of whatever island you were on). Due to it's more open world nature you're able to store up to 5 of each kind of powerup (Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Super Leaf, Boomerang Flower, Super Bell, & Lucky Bell all accounted for) to make it easier to tackle any given task in front of you. Instead of granting you a life, grabbing 100 coins gifts you a random powerup.

Story:

• While taking a stroll outside Peach's Castle Mario runs across a familiar goopy "M" graffiti, which acts as a portal transporting him to the ruined Lake Lapcat, where he's immediately accosted by Fury Bowser, who he must drive away by collecting his first Cat Shine. Afterwards he runs into Bowser Jr., who charades his way through the explanation of what happened to his dad, Mario agrees to help, and the game is afoot.
  
  Charades champ right here, folks.
• It's not terribly deep, but it's quite a departure from the typical events that kickstart events in this series, so it's a nice change of pace. Bowser's transformation is explained during the credits, but it's nothing too exciting.

Visual/Audio:

• It's an absolutely stunning looking game, and I'm ashamed of myself for not taking more environmental shots. Whether it be the volcanic Mount Magmeow, a large Windmill themed island, or the coliseum that rises higher into the air the more of it you complete, it has some truly inviting looking locales that organically set off your thirst for exploration without the need of questmarkers to guide you to your next objective (only after the credits roll do the locations of uncollected Cat Shines dot the map & does fast travel open up).
  
  
  
  Fury Bowser slowly rises up in a cat's world. The enemies are cats, the plants are cats, the birds are cats, the clouds are cats, heck, even the cats are cats (well, that last one makes sense).
• There are a lot of different lovely particle effects in play (especially when Fury Bowser himself comes out to play), such as rain, embers, & more, and though they can cause the framerate to stutter a bit, it's overall a smooth & snappy playing game, just like 3D World proper.
• Fury Bowser himself looks totally awesome (maybe he'll replace the Giga Bowser transformation in the next Smash?), a level of terror applied to the character that hasn't been seen in a long time. Giga Cat Mario on the other hand fitingly has an air of divinity about him, especially amongst the stormy, darkened skies that are summoned whenever Fury Bowser is active.
• The music organically changes from area to area, with a cool relaxing yet somewhat melancholic vibe amongst the "hub islands", peppy adventure tunes on the "level islands" & open lake, and thrashing metal whenever Fury Bowser is bearing down on you.

Conclusion:

• This was a great experiment for the Mario formula, & I'd be interested in seeing it expanded in a full blown adventure. It was fun (& short) enough that I went out of my way to 100% comple it, which is something I never do.
  
  Another adventure in the books.

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Ratchet & Clank (PS4) - The modern reimagining of one of PlayStation's longest running platformer franchises.

Gameplay:

• A hybrid platformer/third person shooter, most levels have a linear progression, though of course there are hidden collectables right off the beaten path as well as the occasional optional objective that branches off from the main route. There are some attempts at non-linearity at times too, such as having a choice between which of the next two levels you want to tackle first, or one level that really opens up upon acquisition of a jetpack & is much more exploration based.
• The platforming itself never asks much of the player (outside of some of the later rail grinding objectives), but the shooting really mixes things up & there are tons of weapons play around with from your standard laser blaster, grenades, flamethrower, rocket launcher, & sniper rifle, to more fanciful fare such as the Sheepinator (turns foes into sheep), Groovatron (makes enemies in it's area of effect dance), & Pixelizer (turns enemies retro). You're bound to find a few that really click with you, though things can get annoying if you're in the middle of a fire fight and have to switch to a weapon that you don't have mapped for quick access, especially in the later game where you have well over a dozen to sift between. Of course, Ratchet also has a melee attack he can perform with his ratchet if enemies get up too close
  
• Occasionally there'll be some other sort of gameplay you'll be thrown into, such as ship dogfighting (pictured below), hoverboard racing, or some other mountable weapon, and while they do mix things up they usually don't come along too often. The most prevalent of these are laser based puzzles you'll need to solve to unlock doors/barriers (there is an auto-solve option for these if you don't want to get stuck on them, but I persevered on my own capabilities).
  
• At times Clank (who usually just functions as Ratchet's double/extended jumps) will be seperated from Ratchet & you'll find yourself tasked with more methodical puzzle platforming. These segments usually revolve around utilizing a limited number of "gagebots" (which can function as trampolines, bridges, or electrical switches) in order to traverse the environment. Sometimes you'll have to survive while fleeing a stronger foe as well (pictured below).
  
• In terms of collectables the most common type are Bolts, which you get for doing pretty much anything and are used to purchase new weapons (and refilling your health/ammo) at designated points. Otherwise you have Raritanium which can be found at single use harvest points & randomly dropped by enemies (use to upgrade weapons), & Golden Bolts (there are only 28 of them in the game, these coveted collectables unlock concept art, costumes, paint jobs, & even optional infinite ammo & invincibility toggles).
• The most in depth collectables in the game are the Holocards. There are packs of these hidden away at various points in levels (and they're also randomly dropped by enemies), and they feature art & information about various characters/weapons throughout series history. They are arranged in sets of three, and if you complete a set you'll get a various buff, such as a 5% increase in the amount of Bolts or Raritanium you earn (you can swap 5 duplicates for a card you don't have, helping you to complete your collection). The most coveted of the Holocards are the RYNO cards, of which there are 9 and unlock the game's ultimate weapon if you find them (they can only be collected by accessing their hidden locations, and aren't randomly dropped by enemies).
• Of course you often won't be able to access all of a level's big collectables on your first visit, so will need to return with new gear to access previously inaccessible areas. Also, in the second to last level there's an optional objective that will reward you with the ability to see the locations of all missing collectables on your map (which you can bring up by pressing the touch pad), if there are any that have eluded you.
• There are some light RPG elements included as well (as with pretty much everything these days). Ratchet earns EXP for defeating enemies (though you only gain more overall health upon level up), and weapons level up individually as well (they each have their own skill tree that grows in size upon level up, and you spend the aforementioned Raritanium to activate the nodes, which do things such as increase maximum ammo, area of effect, range, etc). You won't be able to fully upgrade everything on a single playthrough, so just focus on your favorites.

Story:

• A reboot that retells the story of the original game, it launched around the same time as a movie adaptation, & many of the game's cutscenes are straight up pulled from the film (you aren't allowed to take screenshots during such scenes, in contrast to events that happen in engine).
• A comedic take on an epic space faring sci-fi adventure, it follows a young Lombax engineer named Ratchet who is excited to partake in tryouts for the Galactic Rangers, the galaxy's premier super hero team. While he may not have the base brawn traditionally needed for the job, thanks to his mechanical know how & the assistance of Clank (a "defective" warbot that escaped the villainous Drex Industries) he's able to perform above his level, and along with the info Clank gives him about Drex's nefarious schemes, he earns a spot on the team.
  

Visual/Audio:

• It really is a lovely looking game, and each planet you visit (which are the game's levels) has a very distinctive vibe, whether it be a tropical paradise, metropolis, industrial, volcanic, etc. I just couldn't help myself and took many screenshots of the environments, many of which you can see below.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Performance is mostly rock solid on base PS4, though I noticed the occasional dropped frame here or there. Nothing I'd say impacts the experience though, and it's understandable as A LOT can be happening on screen at once.
• I wouldn't say the soundtrack stands out, but it fits the sci-fi adventure vibe the game has going.

Conclusion:

• This was my first experience with a Ratchet & Clank game, & while the core platforming isn't quite as tight as something Nintendo would put out (which was noticeable as I started this while still playing SM3DW on Switch), but it's still a high quality well crafted game, and the mixture with third person shooting with a variety of fun weapons really definitely makes it stand out in comparison to other platformers.
  
  Don't be sheepish, give it a whirl.

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One Piece: Unlimited World Red (Switch) - A launch year action tie in to the hit anime series (I believe previously released on 3DS & Wii U).

Gameplay:

• Conceptually it's a pretty standard dungeon crawler. It has "dungeons" based upon the various locales featured in the anime wherein you gather various loot, and a centralized town you return to inbetween where you can use said loot to upgrade your characters, equipment, and the town itself.
• Combat is pretty basic "beat 'em up/hack & slash" fare, and while you can button mash your way through most mobs of enemies, it encourages you to utilize various combos in your arsenal via a combo list in the lower right corner of the screen (seen below), as pulling them all off before taking too much damage yourself (which resets the list) causes enemies to enter a "Break" state where they're easier to stun. It also features system where a button prompt to dodge or deflect an attack will let you avoid incoming damage (this can change based upon who you're playing as, as Luffy can deflect gunfire, while Nami will dodge instead, for example), & by pressing "L" you bring up a list of a character's specials, which you can engage if you have a special bar filled up (if all characters have a special bar filled, you can also choose to activate a flashy team attack, which you can also see Nami activating below).
  
  
• While fights against the various mooks are nothing to write home about, the boss fights are surprisingly bombastic & challenging. Take an early boss as an example (pictured below), which ocasionally summons a giant sword of sand that'll cleave the battle area in two.
• Loot itself can be found by destroying objects in the environment, in treasure chests, dropped by enemies, and pictured below you can pull your best Animal Crossing impression by catching critters with a net or going fishing at designated spots (both of which require you to input some sort of QTE). Some loot can only be accessed (or is easier to access) depending on who you have in your party. For example getting enemy drops is easier with Nami as she can steal from downed foes, chests behind gates can only be accessed by slicing the gates with Zoro's sword, and distant islands can only be reached by Brook being able to run on water.
  
  
• Back in town you can only play as Luffy (who, pictured below, can "Spider-Man" himself about the place), and by using the loot you collect on your adventures you can open up new locations such as pharmacies that offer a wider range of healing items, a tavern which is used to take on sidequests (one of the first things you open), as well as a host of other establishments (a library for example, lets you view character models/bios). There are also various optional minigames dotted about the place, most of which take the guise of Game & Watch like fare (pictured below), though you can also collect balloons randomly puked out across town which can be traded with a girl for (random?) items.
  
  
• Of course characters level up as you take them into battle & there's no EXP share here, so characters not in your active party will get left behind if you don't use them (you have a total of 9 characters, and can only use 3 at a time when heading out). It's not too big of a deal though as (other than Luffy) the game doesn't require you to use specific characters to clear the story & only the character you're directly in control of takes damage, so it's safe to take a low level character into a high level area to power level them. To further strengthen your party, once you have the restaurant in town built you can have dishes made (as long as you have the prerequisite loot) that permanently raise HP and/or Attack stats of whomever eats them (there's no limit to this as far as I could tell, though the boost a dish gives does diminish a bit each time you feed it to the same character).
• Unique to this game are the "Strong Word" & "Item Word" systems. "Strong Words" are quotes spoken by a character in the anime that you can equip to said character to give them a stat boost or some other boon. While this may sound confusing it's literally just a replacement for the standard equipment system you usually see in JRPGs (instead of equipping different pieces of armor, you equip different quotes). Each "Strong Word" has a cost associated with it, and the higher level a character is the higher cost cap they'll have, letting you equip multiple (or higher quality) quotes to them. "Item Words" are exactly what they sound like. They as well are quotes, but instead of equipping them to the appropriate character they act as items you can use while out in a dungeon while controlling their related character (they have unlimited uses, but have a cool down timer so you can't spam them). Also there is an NPC in town who, if you have the required loot, can upgrade the effect of both "Strong Words" & "Item Words".
• For an RPG the main story doesn't last too long, in fact if you really stuck to it you could probably run through it in under 10 hours. The real meat of the game lies in the large selection of sidequests. These are all timed challenges, though usually generously, and range from the typical collect "X" number of this item, or defeat "Y" number of enemies, to remixed boss fights or boss gauntlets, and even feature bosses that don't show up in the main story. I imagine you could probably get 25-30 hours out of it if you really got into the sidequest content, though I only did some of them. Also, a "Hard Mode" for the main story becomes available once you complete it.

Story:

• The Strawhats find themselves arriving at the sunny shores of Trans Town, and while the gang starts out in good spirits (as you can see below), they discover that the town has been ruined & they soon find themselves engaged in a plot orchestrated by the infamous pirate Redfield (an game original character, but explained as being equal to the most powerful figures in official lore) who is trapping them within illusions of adventures past for his own mysterious purposes (it's essentially Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for One Piece, narratively).
  
• You'll naturally get the most out of it if you're an established One Piece fan, but as someone who'se mostly neutral on the series I still had a pretty decent time with the mostly likeable cast. Every major face seems accounted for & is represented well.

Visual/Audio:

• While the game's age/budget shows a bit in spots, thanks to the vibrant art direction it still looks pretty good, and the unique locales pulled from the anime (many of which are pictured below) keep the dungeons from falling into the cliché tropes for the most part (though Alabasta is 80% generic desert).
  
  
  
  
  
  
• It mostly runs solid, though there are occasional frame rate drops. First I noticed was in the Drum Island dungeon (a snowy biome) in an area with a heavy blizzard effect active, though there are like two tiny spots in Skypea's jungle area that cause the frame rate to tank for reasons I can't think of.
• The soundtrack fits the series well. I'm not a huge fan of the show, but I think I recognized some tunes from the anime.

Conclusion:

• Not a must play game, but still pretty solid if you're into the anime or characters.
  Setting sail for new adventures.

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Star Wars: Republic Commando (Switch)

Tactical FPS set in a galaxy far, far away heads out on a Nintendo platform for the first time ever (originally an OG Xbox console exclusive).

Gameplay:

• A Tactical FPS, it sees you and 3 AI teammates working your way through three different campaigns (each split up into multiple missions) in largely linear fashion. Each campaign should take you only a few hours each, for a total playtime of 9-10 hours (maybe less, depending on how adept you are at it).
• While there were small instances of stuff like a teammate getting in my line of fire (and friendly fire IS a thing, so you can hurt each other & yourself with your own grenades & the like) your ally AI is surprisingly good and they're generally pretty good at taking care of themselves. However taking command is a requirement for success, and there are two types of commands you can give out to them.
• The first of which are more general all encompassing orders triggered by a combination of the "A" button & a D-Pad input. You have "Search & Destroy" (the default command, this leaves your squad to their own devices, for better or worse), "Form Up" (they'll stay close to you), "Secure Position" (they'll defend the spot you're currently aiming at), & "Cancel Manoeuver" (this cancels all commands currently engaged). Also, pressing "A" while aiming at an enemy will cause your squad to focus on it exclusively. I personally like to have everyone "Form Up" after clearing a room, as once too often I'll be rooting around for any dropped ammo only to learn that my squad took it upon themselves to advance to the next room engaging the enemy before I was ready.
• The other type are more specific orders given to a single member. You'll see symbols littered throughout the environment that denote things such as sniping & grenade positions, mountable turrets, hackable computer terminals, surfaces to place an explosive charge, & more. Simply aim at one of these symbols & press "A" for the nearest squadmate to take up position. Many of these things you can also do yourself (as seen below), & you'll have to decide whether it's better for you to place a charge or hack a terminal yourself, or to help provide cover for an AI ally to do so instead (most charges & terminals can be activated in 10 seconds, but some take into the minutes to activate). To cancel these more specific positions, aim at the location & press "A" again, or use the "Cancel Manoeuver" command (this affects everyone though). If everyone is already locked into a position when you pick a new one, the furthest back squad mate will drop his current position for the new one. If you don't call off a squadmate's command they will stay there even after you've moved on, so make sure you keep tabs on them.
  
• You'll need to make use of these commands too, else you'll run into situations where you'll be routinely slaughtered until you think of the right strategy. It isn't an easy game (I played on Normal) & there are some sudden difficulty spikes in spots, but it does a lot to ease the frustration. Firstly, it isn't a game over until everyone is dead as you can indefinitely revive your allies (to half health) & they can revive you as well. Secondly there are healing stations (called Bacta Tanks) installed liberally through the levels that have unlimited uses (usually every couple rooms, or even stationed around an area you're expected to hold for several minutes). Allies will heal up automatically if they're gravely injured, but you can also command them manually to top off too. Finally, auto saves come pretty quickly & you can make manual saves at any time as well, which particularly comes in handy as this is an older game & the auto save system will put you into some unfavorable positions at times.
• I also want to point out that in terms of structure I think it fits the Switch surprisingly well. Each of the three campaigns has 4-6 missions, and each of those is usually broken down into several smaller segments (probably for loading purposes). Each segment is usually just a few rooms big, which (alongside the frequent saving ability) makes the whole thing pretty digestible in more bite size sessions.
• The UI is organically built into the presentation as well. You view the world through the helmet of your Clone Trooper, and UI elements such as your (easily depleted) sheild power, health (as well as that of your squad), & equipped grenade type appear to be part of your helmet's display. Also, a wrapon's total ammo (as well as what's left in it's current clip) is built directly into it's design, all of which you can see in the screenshot below. While this is mostly cook, one small problem with this approach is the one timed objective in the game. The first campaign is capped off with a task that must be completed in 5 minutes (IMO, the hardest part of the game, since it requires a more gung ho approach that kind of runs counter to the tactical nature of the rest of the game), but it isn't made immediately apparent as the countdown is presented sort of in the background by the computerized voice of the facility you're in (there's no on screen representation of it), and you don't really realize the countdown isn't just for effect (as there'll be ominous warnings elsewhere presented similarly which are just that) until it's too late.
  
• Let's talk ordinance, shall we? There are three weapons you'll have on you at all times (technically, 3 configurations of the same weapon), the first of which is an Assault Rifle (the default configuration, you access it by pressing up on the D-Pad), a Sniping configuration (press right on the D-Pad), & an Anti-Armor configuration (launches charges that really obliterate enemies but only holds 4 shots at a time, press left on the D-Pad to access it). Ammo for these weapons tend to be lying around after every other skirmish, usually near Bacta Tanks or in the corners/slightly hidden nooks of larger rooms you may be fighting in for awhile.
• Other than those you can also pick up enemy weapons (of which you can hold one at a time), which are accessed by pressing down on the D-Pad. These range from Assault Rifles, Shotguns, Bowguns, Laser Cannons, Concussion Rifles, to Rocket Launchers. My favorite was a heavy duty Chain Gun which could really mow down foes. To replenish ammo simply walk over a dropped weapon of the same type you're currently in possession of.
• If you run completely out of ammo you'll revert to a basic laser blaster that has unlimited ammo, but an overheating feature so you can't just spam it. You can also access it at any time by double tapping down on the D-Pad if you want to conserve ammo elsewhere or for whatever other reason.
• You also have 4 grenade types at your disposal (of which you can hold up to 5 of each), and you cycle through them with "L" (the game never tells you this though, and you don't automatically switch over to the next type when you run out of another, so it took awhile to figure out). Thermal Detonators are your basic grenades & EMP Grenades are extra effective against Droid based foes, but you also have Sonic Detonators (I'm not sure what specific effect these have, but I'm guessing they may be extra effective against organic enemies?), as well as Flash Grenades that temporarily blind enemies. Extras are often found alongside the ammo for your main 3 weapon types.
• You'll need to know when and where to use what weapon, as some enemies (particularly the tougher Droid types) are absolute bullet sponges unless under the effect of an EMP Grenade or picked off by a couple of well aimed shot of the Sniping configuration. The game likes throwing new enemies (or altered versions of current ones) at you at a pretty regular pace throughout the first 2 campaigns, and while the final campaign only introduces one new enemy type, it's an absolute doozy that'll ask the most of you whenever it shows up (plus, enemy types introduced in the first campaign that skipped the second return here, so it throws everything you've been introduced to at you).
• Other things to note are that "L2" & "R2" are used to lob grenades & fire your weapon respectively (pressing the right stick as a button lets you aim down your sight), "R" cycles visor modes (in addition to your standard view you have a "Low Light Mode" that gives everything a lo-fi black & white look that lets you see in dark places, and a "Tactical Mode" that adds some extra noise to your view, though I'm not sure it's exact purpose), "B" performs a melee attack, "Y" is jump (I literally got stuck at a downed pipe for 10 minutes as I didn't know you could do this, lol), & "X" reloads. Oh, and you have to press the left stick as a button to crouch (and hold it down to keep doing so), which is a bit of a pain.
• You unlock development extras such as videos of concept art or developer interviews after clearing each campaign, but much like the pre rendered cutscenes in titles such as Onimusha & the Devil May Cry games, no attempt has been made to remaster these videos into HD. Also, I think there might be a glitch as the last one didn't unlock after I finished the last campaign which the game stipulates as it's unlock condition (not a huge deal though).

Story:

• Set during the events of the "Clone Wars" in Star Wars canon (though I'm not sure if the events are still considered as such after the big Disney retcon), the game does away with lightsabers & Jedi & instead follows "Delta Squad" (of which you're the commander), a specially trained strikeforce of Clone Troopers who take on missions of insurmountable odds in support of the Republic's war efforts. You exist on the periphery of the overall Star Wars narrative and as such there's no game long story arc (each campaign, though played through in a set order, is largely stand alone), and what few famous figures do appear (such as the shot of the villainous General Grievous below) do so in fleeting cameos. What the game lacks in overall narrative & recognizable faces it makes up for with a strong brotherhood between your squad (who'll begin to rib each other with playful "Bro" talk as you get further in) & a surprisingly gritty war torn atmosphere for the Star Wars universe.
  
• The first campaign takes place during a major battle on the rocky desert world of Geonosis (I believe it's supposed to be the same battle featured during the climax of the Star Wars: Attack of the Clones! film), and while your team is first sent in for an assassination mission, the powers that be decide you may as well destroy the enemy HQ while you're there. Despite the generally limited scope of being a linear shooter it does a great job of making you feel like you're in the middle of a massive battle, and it's all that action on the periphery that I believe helps contribute to Switch's frame rate woes (while frame rate hiccups do appear elsewhere, they feel most prominent during the opening campaign).
  
• The second campaign takes place on a Republic Assault Ship which has sent out a distress signal, and it's my absolute favorite of the bunch. Your team is split up at the onset of the mission, and due to the isolation & the foreboding atmosphere of "something" gone wrong (such as dead Clone Troopers), which builds up to seeing other Clone Troopers assailed by myserious assailants just out of your reach, and ultimately a tense solo trek which sees enemies surprising you by jumping out of grates & other sudden encounters, it gives off an almost Metroid vibe that's unlike anything else in the game, and it feels good to finally meet back up with your squad to kick some butt and take the ship back.
• The final campaign sees you off to Kashyyyk, the forested homeworld of the Wookies, where you must free the imprisoned resistance & help them retake their occupied home. I'm sure it'll put a huge smile on any Star Wars fan's face to team up with the famous creatures, and it is neat to see them toss around foes like ragdolls (and similarly sad to see them die due to their tendency to rush headfirst into danger).
• The narrative unfolds organically as you play, and as such there's a minimum of cutscenes (and nothing pre-rendered). The game does have brief prologue & epilogue scenes that bookend the adventure, but even in those you can move the camera around to some degree. Each campaign will also start you off rooted in place as your squad huddles around a hologram of your commanding officer (usually riding in a transport vessel where you can look out the door to the action outside), but once it puts things in your control it never wrestles the controls from you to focus the scene, as more modern adventure games tend to do.

Visual Audio:

• It has a grittier take on the franchise to really focus on the wartorn aspect of it all, and while there can be a bit of hallway deja vu in the design every now and then, I generally feel it changes things up just often enough where it never feels too repetitive. There's at least one screenshot from each of the three campaigns below, but picking them out I had to keep myself from making it all Assault Ship shots. While it is the most "hallway-ized" campaign in the game, due to the simpler geometric shapes that make up it's environments I felt like it held up the best graphically (I didn't post a screenshot of one, but there are these vents you occasionally crawl through in the early portion that have a heat effect, and I thought these looked really good).
  
  
  
• There's a great attention to detail in the action as well, as your visor will be smeared by raindrops in rainy areas & enemy "blood" (black from Droids, orange from the insect like Geonosians, & green from the lizard like Trandosians) whenever you get a kill up close, which is quickly wiped away by a an electric "wiper" (this you can see back in my UI screenshot).
• There's a lot of recognizable elements from the wider franchise present, whether it be the unmistakable blaster sounds & musical cues, to common enemies such as the Battle Droids, Super Battle Droids, & Droidekas (which I've always called "rolly poly robots" until now, lol) which appear prominently in the prequel films, as well as the aforementioned Wookies & the unmentioned R2 units that roam the halls of the Assault Ship.
• The big convo regarding the Switch version is in relashion to the aforementioned frame drops, and while a patch is promised for early May to fix the issue, as I write this I can say that the issue is currently pretty prominent. It wasn't enough to keep me from enjoying the game & I felt like they became less frequent the further I got, but if you have any issue with this at all it may be better to wait for the patch (and as an OG Xbox game the problem shouldn't have been there to begin with in all honesty).

Conclusion:

• It may have it's share of technical hiccups and general dated elements, but this is still a really strong example of the genre. I may not rate it quite as highly as other gen 6 HD conversions like FFX & Okami (though genre bias will play a part in your own ranking), but I'm more than glad to have been able to play it on Switch and as always hope to see more games from the era cleaned up and given a new lease on life.
  
  Accomplished, your mission is.