September 2020 is drawing to a close and we’re edging ever closer to the holiday season, which promises to be an extremely tumultuous time. The next generation of consoles are gearing up for a launch that could be derailed at any minute, while several of the biggest current-gen games (like Cyberpunk 2077) are waiting to hit the shelves.
TheGamer has been playing and dissecting each of the major new titles as they have been released. These are our reviews of some of the biggest releases of September 2020, including a disappointing return to some classic Mario games, a revamped version of an old organized crime outing, a vampire racing across the desert, and an amazing rollercoaster ride.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars - 2.5 Stars
Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a $60 collection of three games: Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. The collection is as barebones as they come, with upscaled graphics, altered control schemes, and the OSTs playable from the main menu being the only additions to the games.
Super Mario 64 suffers from extremely loose controls in comparison to other Mario games, which is due to its age. Super Mario Sunshine has lost the pressure-sensitive inputs for the FLUDD, forcing the player to rely on more limited controls than the GameCube version of the game. Super Mario Galaxy is the best of the bunch, especially as the controls have been reworked to replicate the WiiMote functionality. There is no denying these are all great games, but the high price tag and the lack of new additions mean that it’s hard to recommend to all but the biggest Mario fans.
The full review of Super Mario 3D All-Stars can be found here.
Mafia: Definitive Edition - 3 Stars
Mafia: Definitive Edition is a remastered version of the 2002 original, which follows a cab driver who joins the Mafia. The story in Mafia: Definitive Edition is the highlight of the experience, even if it’s a slow burn that takes a while to get started. What lets the game down is the combat, with janky hitboxes during the melee fights and an underpowered arsenal in the gun battles. The game has issues, but fans of gangster movies and video games should be able to overlook its issues and find something to enjoy.
The full review of Mafia: Definitive Edition can be found here.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Night Road - 3.5 Stars
Vampire: The Masquerade - Night Road is a CYOA-style game set in the World of Darkness. The player creates their own vampire character, who works as a courier, as the local undead establishments are being hassled by the Second Inquisition. The game has some stellar writing and it captures the World of Darkness feeling perfectly, but it’s let down by its barebones presentation. The game has tons of choices and decisions to make, but it can also be extremely deadly, in the way in which older CYOA books were.
The full review of Vampire: The Masquerade - Night Road can be found here.
Serious Sam 4 - 2.5 Stars
Serious Sam 4 is the latest entry in the frenzied first-person shooter series. The game has uninspired level designs and the skill point system locks Sam out of abilities he had in previous games until he levels up. The weapons have a real kick and the pacing keeps things exciting all the way to the end, but there are also issues with bugs and enemy pathfinding that hamper the experience. The Serious Sam series’ place has mostly been usurped by the new Doom games, and Serious Sam 4 isn’t good enough to put it back in the good graces of the fans.
The full review of Serious Sam 4 can be found here.
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition - 5 Stars
The Nintendo Switch has become a porting hub, including for games that are older than most of the people who receive the system as gifts. One game that has benefitted from the portability of the system is Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition, which is still a fantastic game, even though it was initially released in 2004. The rollercoaster management sim comes with all of the expansions and the controls have been revamped for the Joy-Cons. The game is a little trickier to run on the Switch Lite, but it doesn’t detract from the fact that this is an excellent game that still holds up after all these years.
The full review of Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition can be found here.
