Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Renews My Hope in the Franchise

Back in 2017, I played and reviewed the original Yooka-Laylee game over on Virtual Bastion, the spiritual successor to the much-loved Banjo-Kazooie series, made by the very same people who brought us the famous bear and bird duo back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.  I had some mixed feelings about the game, and owing to the fact that I wasn’t alone in my feelings, considering the game’s lukewarm reception, I assumed that was that.  Yooka-Laylee was a rather unsuccessful experiment to revive a long-lost style of game from the dead, and there was a good chance we’d never see our chameleon and bat pair ever again.  And then, much to probably everyone’s surprise, along came Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair.  And while I wished Playtonic luck in their endeavors, I must admit that I was a bit reluctant to give the series another chance.

The Room: Puzzling at Its Finest

The Duck recently had the pleasure of playing a little puzzle game called The Room, which I heard about from fellow blogger The Shameful Narcissist.  Originally released as an iOS game in 2012, I got to play the Switch version, which came about far more recently (2018…I’m always late for things).  This game was a short and sweet experience, so this review will be, as well.

Spyro: Year of the Dragon Review

At last, I have completed the entire Spyro Reignited Trilogy with 100% in every game, including trophies and skill points.  That means it’s time to finally review the third and final game in the trilogy, Year of the Dragon…and provide just a little overview of my general experience with everyone’s favorite purple dragon.

Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage Review

I have now completed the first two Spyro games in the Reignited Trilogy, so it is time for another review.  As is often the case with sequels, Spyro 2 adds a lot of new features to the Spyro formula.  While there are a lot of improvements, there were plenty of frustrating moments, as well.  Let’s get to it!

Luigi’s Mansion 3: So Good, It’s Scary!

I just finished Luigi’s Mansion 3, and boy, what an amazing experience it was!  As much as I enjoyed the original game, this game completely blows that one out of the water.  If you liked the first game, then you don’t even need to read my review.  Just go out and buy it!  …But, if you’re so inclined to hear my thoughts, a spoiler-free review awaits you below….

Spyro the Dragon: A Short Review

For the past decade or so, I have been trying to catch up on the major PS1 games that I had missed.  For about $10 per game on Amazon (with a few exceptions), I was able to play all of the old PS1 Final Fantasy games, including a few SNES ones that were remade and bundled with other games.  I caught up on the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy thanks to the N. Sane Trilogy.  And last of all, to complete my PS1 tour, I have begun the Spyro Reignited Trilogy.  I have played through the first game thus far, and below are my thoughts.  (If you’re interested, we’re also playing through the full trilogy on our Virtual Bastion Youtube channel.)

Comparing Crash Bandicoot 1-3

After many long hours of platforming peril, both delightful and frustrating, the Duck has finally completed the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.  And almost with 100%, too.  While I was able to get 100% in the first two games (minus the relics), I was not able to get the final gem in the third game.  Since it, you know, required me to get all those silly relics, gold or higher.  Which is…not happening.  Though I had planned on writing a separate review for each of these three games, I decided it would be more fun to write a single review comparing my experiences with all of them.

My Time With Trico in the Last Guardian

It was thanks to a simple advertisement inside the case of Uncharted 4 that I first learned about The Last Guardian.  It was the majestic form of the massive beast called Trico that got my attention, and it was for that reason that I got the game some while later for the Christmas of 2017.  Much of the time, my expectations for a game are not indicative of the real experience.  Strangely enough, however, this time, I think I was fairly spot on.

The Last Guardian is…an interesting game about a nameless boy and a huge creature quite similar to a griffin, if griffins have the face of a dog and the grace of a cat.  You spend the entire game traversing ruins and solving puzzles with the assistance of your newfound companion, and I think the entire experience can be divided into two very distinct parts, the gameplay itself and the bond you form with Trico.