Welcome to Gaming Couch Potato, your ultimate destination for all things gaming! Whether you're a hardcore gamer, a casual player, or someone who just loves staying updated on the latest in the gaming world, we've got you covered. At Gaming Couch Potato, we offer in-depth game reviews, breaking news, and insightful articles to keep you informed and entertained.
Rawr-Off is a game which seems to be much better suited to the Switch Lite, than on the big screen.
A party style multiplayer game, you hold the Switch Lite long ways, with one person at each end of the console.
The aim of the game is to destroy your opponent by shooting "waves of power" at them.
You have limited amounts of shots, so need to also collect the correct coloured "ammo" from the sides of the screen, along with power-ups, this tests your speed, and accuracy, and the person who is fastest and most accurate, will win.
You can also take your opponent's ammo, and freeze them, giving you the ultimate advantage.
There are various characters to choose from, each one has their own special ability, characters include such names as Sushi-senpai, Cosmic Dog Unicorn, Spaghetti Monster, Baby Cthulhu, Schrodinger's Cat and Zombie Laika. Just those names alone suggest to me the game's makers are staunch atheists!
Rawr-Off is the kind of game you will sit down with a friend and have a quick bash at. You can practice in a solo mode, but this game really needs to be played face to face with a friend. And if you are of drinking age, why not set up a few shots and make it much more fun.
The Good
A simple to play, colourful game, that can only add to a night in with friends.
The Bad
After the initial excitement, there is not much more to the game.
Overall
Short bursts of fun, maybe even use the game to settle an argument, who knows, who cares, it is a fun little game that doesn't take up much space on your Switch
Dexter Stardust is to be released on March 3rd on Nintendo Switch, and I was given a copy to review from the very good people at Flynn's Arcade.
Synopsis
"Space! Dexter Stardust barely escaped when the Vreesians, inhabitants of the menacing Planet X, sent a fleet of robots to destroy all life on Earth. Now, twenty years later, a mechanical man from the 10th planet seeks to communicate to Dexter a very important message - he is the key to saving both humans and Vreesians. Play the taco-loving Dexter Stardust as he, and his good friend Aurora, go on the greatest adventure of their lives and discover the mystery of the Robot from the Planet X!"
Dexter Stardust is your classic point and click adventure game, whereby you need to interact with your surroundings, solve puzzles, and move from scene to scene.
There are over 100 scenes in the game, and the game on Switch consists of all 5 episodes. Each episode acts as a new story that all connects to the main overriding story.
The game starts off with really well animated cartoon scenes, you play as Taco loving Dexter, a delivery driver in space who keeps getting himself into trouble, and once you get into the game proper, the first task will have you trying to get back to Aurora, and meet her at the house after you somehow end up in a ditch, you will then need to use your surroundings to help you navigate, and solve the puzzles, for example in the first area you find yourself in, you will notice some clay on the floor, so pick it up, in the next scene put the clay in a mould, to create the mould of a gun, then put clay mould in the sun to dry it, then fetch some wood for a handle, put mould in 3D printing type machine, switch machine on, and now you have a working gun, which will allow you to shoot a giant tentacle, and progress further.
As you can see, the puzzles are very logical, and nothing is too obscure, a bit of common sense, and straightforward thinking and you will find yourself able to solve the various problems.
The game itself is family friendly, and the controls are simple enough on a Nintendo Switch. The voice acting however is a bit rubbish. I hate to be harsh here, but at times it does feel like you have people whose English is their second language, are just sat in a small room, reading from a script. With that said, you will get used to it, and it is not really a big deal, nor will it stop you from enjoying the game. Plus, I tend to play with the sound off and read subtitles anyway, as I like to listen to music while i play video games. So, for me it wasn't a big deal.
The Good
The graphics, the animation is all brilliant, top quality, the puzzles are straightforward, which means that frustration is kept to a minimum. There will be no moments of throwing your Switch across the room as nothing makes sense, which has happened to me before in other point and click games, not mentioning any names, but Larry, I hate you.
The Bad
Some of the voice acting is a bit naff, but on a smaller budget I totally understand, and it really is the only complaint I have about the whole game.
Overall
This really is one of the better point and click adventures released in recent times. Very impressed.
I score Dexter Stardust on Nintendo Switch a strong 8/10
Guntech 2 is a retro style twin stick top-down view shooter. Reminiscent of classic games Thrust, Oids, Geometry Wars, and Asteroids.
Synopsis:
Utopos Space Station was the new hope for humans. It failed. Never underestimate human greed.
Your job is to clean up the mess. Fight alien life forms, rescue scientists, deliver vaccines to combat a deadly pandemic. The asteroid belt is filled with wild space aliens, many of them results of failed human experiments to create life that survives in space. You will even find a dragon in space!
As is often the case in such games, you fly about, shoot the aliens, get to the end point and on you go. This game has that but also a nice little twist. There is a virus pandemic affecting the solar system, and giant viruses the same size as alien rockets are floating around, and you need to take them out.
In normal times such a twist in a game would seem silly or pointless, but in current times it fits in just about perfectly. The viruses can even attach to your ship and drain your power. Along with the giant viruses and aliens, there are also demons, dragons and all sorts to fight.
Designed mainly a single player game, control of the ship is with the left stick, this includes the engine thrust, something I am not keen on, I prefer engine thrust to be controlled with a separate button, this does make control at first a bit trick and hard to get used to, but stick with it and you will get there. And the right stick controls the rail gun. You also have two additional weapons, fired using the bumpers. Unfortunately, because of the control system, these additional weapons only fire in the direction that the ship is facing, so if you are using the rail gun to fire behind you or to the side, the extra weapons become pointless.
5 worlds, Tutorial, Virus, The Dark Worlds, Space Jungle, and Cargo Hauler each with 8 levels to beat, so there is plenty to keep you going. Plus, the addition of some fun themed levels which I won't spoil for you now.
Each level has up to 3 stars to achieve for passing. Various things to achieve in a level to get the maximum stars. There is an arcade and adventure mode. Plenty of weapons to collect.
I imagine the levels with the giant virus will trigger some people, especially the boss fight with a giant virus that has a name similar to Dr Birx, one of the scientists in America who "controlled the narrative", and you need to destroy a lab from which the virus escaped. Disclaimer: Any similarities to real life events are purely coincidental.
The Good
Super colourful graphics, excellent design, and well thought out levels, plus the whole virus angle is really fun. Trying to destroy the boss virus and watching it multiply and keep coming back did amuse me.
The Bad
Not a fan of this form of control, but it is what it is. If anything, it is close to the classic Asteroids game in control method, I just never liked it.
Overall
If you are a fan of top-down space shooters, this is another to add to your collection. Hardly ground breaking, but does have unique features that give it a level of interest.
Stuttgart, Germany - April 5th, 2022 - ININ Games, in partnership with Survios and under licence from TAITO Corporation have announced the upcoming boxed retail release of Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey.
This new entry in the classic Japanese action, puzzle-game franchise brings bubble-popping puzzle fun to the third dimension for the first time and can optionally even be experienced in virtual reality via PlayStation VR (PSVR). The game is coming for PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation5 (PS5), marking ININ Games’ first release on the 9th generation of consoles, and will be available for pre-order at select retailers soon. Eager fans can already look forward to the imminent pre-order start for the Limited Edition and Collector’s Edition which contain additional collectible items. These editions will only be available at Strictly Limited Games and their partnered fan store Gamesrocket. Pre-orders kick off on Thursday, April 7th.
About the Game
Bubble dragon brothers Bub and Bob are in for a surprise when their island vacation takes an unexpected turn for an epic, bubble-popping adventure in Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey. Explore lush tropical islands, peaceful lakesides and even the pyramids while solving 100 new puzzles in Puzzle Bobble's first-ever 3D and optional VR experience, the next evolution of the classic Japanese action, puzzle-game franchise! This game is positively bursting with its cheerful design, adorable characters, and timeless, fun gameplay for fans of the series and newcomers alike.
Features:
100 New Puzzles: Brand new 3D puzzles with special bubbles, fun power-ups and items add more depth and physics for a mind-bending challenge
Full PSVR Support [optional]: Virtual reality transforms players into a bubble-popping dragon with a first-person perspective, and even physicalized interactions when paired with PlayStation Move controllers. You can switch seamlessly between playing on TV and VR.
3 Distinct Puzzle Modes: Master the 100 progressively difficult puzzles in Story Mode, kick back and pop endless puzzles in Infinite Mode, or hop into online 1v1 Duel Mode, which supports matches across PS4, PS5 and PSVR.
Easy to Pick-Up-&-Play but Challenging to Master: Simple controls and intuitive game mechanics introduces puzzle popping in a fun, non-intimidating way
Fantastic tunes: Includes an all-new score by Zuntata, the composers for the original series!
Are you a fan of isometric cyberpunk-themed action role-playing video games? If you answered yes, then you might be interested in taking a look at The Ascent, which has just been released on PS4/PS5. Originally released on Xbox and PC in the middle of last year, PlayStation owners have had to wait to get their hands on the game.
From Swedish indie game studio Neon Giant and published by Curve Digital developed using Unreal Engine 4, The Ascent is a twin stick shooter, and although the viewpoint is advertised as Isometric, it does change in some areas of the game, there is also the ability to shoot high and low, which is great when an enemy is on a higher level than you, or further away. Now you may wonder why they would develop a mechanic like this at all, well it is important as it gives you a new dimension of play, whereby you can take cover and then shoot at enemies over obstacles.
The game has the usual customization options for the character, appearance, armour, Cyberware, and so on. You also have something called a cyberdeck device, which allows you to "hack" into certain machines, for example to allow you to enter an area, or open loot chests.
As you kill enemies they will drop various items, which you can pick up, you can also destroy various environmental things, which may also drop items.
As for the story itself, you find yourself in a futuristic dystopian world called Veles, a megacorporation called "The Ascent Group" was in control. You play as a worker who had been enslaved, but now The Ascent Group has collapsed, and the world is a free for all. you have been hired by an alien called Poone. Districts now compete against each other, gangs and groups fight for control of areas, your job is to stop others from taking over your area, and find out what really happened to The Ascent Group.
You have main missions and side missions, directed by your boss Poone. Missions tend to involve your typical loot and shoot mechanics, the more you do, the better upgrades and equipment you can get, your level will grow and so on. Main missions tend to end in a typical boss fight. Shoot, run away, shoot, run away and so on. And finally, there are bounties which you can take up, to also earn extra points. You can change weapons as you play, different weapons will have different affects depending on the enemy you are trying to kill.
Weapons include your classic pistols, machine guns, and shotguns, as well as grenades. You can upgrade weapons at the various gun vendors, using points you earn through your missions.
There are also "augmentations". These are special attacks that deal extra damage. For example, a super punch that clears all around you.
Basically, there are a lot of customisations you can do to your character, weapons and armour, and all have a meaningful affect as you play.
As you play you will soon realise the scale of the game, once you get past the opening mission, you find yourself in this industrialised world, which is very impressive looking.
There are various ways to play, single player, online co-op or regular couch co-op.
The Good
Graphically the game is incredibly detailed, personally I liked the option to change the colours, this is mainly for people with various colour blindness issues, but even though I have perfect vision, I changed to a lighter scheme, as I just prefer that. It is nice the choice is there.
The game play is easy to pick up, and the game handles very well. The whole world feels very alive, with NPCs just going about their daily lives.
The Bad
The missions can get a bit repetitive, shoot, loot, collect, grind, repeat. And travelling can get tedious fast.
Overall
A fun action RPG shooter. Not very everyone, but for its genre, it is one of the better games I have played.
