Hello, readers. Welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 19, 2024. Today’s article concludes the week with an unusual review. I spent some time on it. Hot Lap RacingAnd I’m ready to give my verdict. After that, we head to today’s new releases. A small selection that still offers something for you to enjoy. We end with a look at today’s new and expired discounts, as we always do. Let’s get started!
Reviews and Mini Views
Hot Lap Racing ($34.99)
He who chases two rabbits will catch neither. See, proverbs are not always true. But the wise words of Confucius echoed in my head most of the time when I was playing. Hot Lap Racing. The game is advertised as a “simulation racing game” and indeed has elements from both the sim/arcade divide. However, instead of making a game that can please everyone, it seems to struggle to properly satisfy fans of both types of games. There’s too much sim for arcade fans, and too much arcade for sim fans.
You are doused in a bucket of cold water almost immediately. In the game’s career mode, you cannot move an inch without getting your first license, and you can do this by completing one of two incredibly demanding activities. You can do a training exercise that requires precise movements of turning, braking and accelerating, or you can take on a challenge where you have to complete a lap within a certain time. Don’t even dare stray off the road or breathe on a pylon, or you’ll have to start all over again. This turns out to be the game’s pace-setting, and it’s far too strict and demanding for its arcade racing roots. The game constantly nags you at every turn to do things differently than it wants you to.
But will simulation fans be happy? They will likely be equally frustrated by the unrealistic physics engine and the general lack of tuning options. The way the cars move on the track and grip the track is… weird. Which actually makes the requirements even more surprising. They want to give you a car that handles weirdly, but still follows real racing skills and rules. Oh, and I should mention the AI of other cars on the road, because this is also very annoying. The cars do whatever they have to do, so at the start of each race, it’s like you’re herding cattle and driving leisurely without anyone catching up.
Performance-wise, the game manages to avoid being the blurry mess that other racers on Switch can be. It generally looks pretty good, which is impressive given the team’s resources. It’s targeting 30fps, and… well, we all know what it means when something “targets” frame rate, right? Those moments when you’re trying to weave your way through a herd of cows can be downright dangerous, as can some turns where there’s just too much onscreen. It’s not horrible or anything, but it was noticeable, even for me, a clown who rarely notices frame rate drops.
Having said all that, Hot Lap Racing There are some pretty good points. There’s an eclectic mix of real and fictional cars from various eras. Most are set in very similar areas, but there are a fair number of courses. The career mode is really cool if you can meet the requirements, as you can add information to a small encyclopedia if you compete and beat real drivers. Again, considering the size of the developer, this is actually a pretty solid and professional-feeling racer. It has its flaws, but you can forgive it for what it does well.
I really wanted to like it Hot Lap RacingBecause the Switch really needs more great racers. I can’t say I’ve ever hated it, but I’ve occasionally, so overall I think it’s pretty good. I think this developer can build on this foundation and do some really great things in the future. But ultimately, I think it falls short of its goal of straddling the line between simulation and arcade-style racing. The two contrasting tastes don’t mix well here, and when you add in the performance issues, it becomes a racer that I can only lightly recommend.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
Select a new release
Tori’s Panic Pack ($0.99)
You can’t really argue with the value for money of these. Tory Games. Sure, it’s short and somewhat flashy (in a charming way), but for $1 you get a decent little experience. The pack includes three minigames, each with seven levels and 24 challenge missions. As usual, it’s pretty hard to complete completely. It’s definitely worth a try.
ProGurai ($4.99)
If you want a simple puzzle game that you can play for $5 on the weekend, Progurai You don’t even know what you’re chasing. You’re a little frog samurai, and you have to do various tasks to open the exit door in 50 stages, and then you have to go out. This gimmick is one we’ve seen before, where you push in one direction and the character keeps moving in that direction until he hits something. It’s a bit interesting because you don’t always have the same goal for each stage. If you like this kind of game, it’s not bad at all.
Cosmic Fantasy ($26.50)
Cosmic Fantasy 2 ($26.50)
These classic RPGs can now be purchased separately from the collection, but you can still save a bit of money by purchasing the collection.
Ninja Chowdown: Glaze of Glory ($9.99)
It’s an auto-run game where you play as an overweight ninja chasing down a thief who stole the most valuable donuts from the dojo. Yes, there are coins. Yes, there are unlockable costumes and other goodies. It’s not. Ninjin: Clash of the CarrotsWhat should I say?
4 Elements ($8.99)
This is an action platformer with some very light puzzle solving that involves using the right character for the right situation. There are four elements of nature that you have to switch between as needed or set up some cool combos to look like a pro. Gain new abilities, explore the stages for secrets, and fight big-pants bosses. You know how it goes. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but it does what it’s supposed to do with a decent level of competence. Don’t worry about the Metroidvania claim. It’s not that kind of thing at all. It’s more like this: Mega Man X-It’s a style incident.
sales
(North American eShop, US pricing)
If you like games with an anime aesthetic, today’s new sale list has a lot to offer. There aren’t any titles to specifically mention today, but the list isn’t that long. The weekend’s Outbox is shorter, so as usual, I recommend checking out both lists before heading out.
New Sales Options
Sack: Rice and Destruction (Discounted from $29.99 to $14.99 until 7/26)
Akihabara’s Journey: Undead & Undressed DC (Discounted from $29.99 to $14.99 until 7/26)
Longing for a new world (Discounted from $24.99 to $12.49 until 7/26)
Fate/EXTELLA Umbral Star (Discounted from $39.99 to $19.99 until 7/26)
Corpse Party (Discounted from $19.99 to $9.99 until 7/26)
Trinity Trigger (Discounted from $39.99 to $19.99 until 7/26)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: AS Battle R UE (Discounted from $84.99 to $33.99 until 7/29)
Dragon Ball Fighters ($59.99 down to $9.59 until 7/29)
Dragon Ball Z Kakarot LE (Discounted from $109.99 to $32.99 until 7/29)
Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris (Discounted from $49.99 to $19.99 until 7/29)
Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet CE ($59.99 down to $9.59 until 7/29)
Sword Art Online Hollow Realization DE (Discounted from $49.99 to $4.99 until 7/29)
Namco Museum Archive Vol 1 (Discounted from $19.99 to $4.99 until 7/29)
Pac-Man World Repack (Discounted from $29.99 to $8.99 until 7/29)
Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster (Discounted from $49.99 to $29.99 until 7/29)
Digimon World: Next Order ($59.99 to $19.79 until 7/29)
Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash UE (Discounted from $99.99 to $69.99 until 7/29)
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm (Discounted from $19.99 to $4.99 until 7/29)
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 (Discounted from $19.99 to $4.99 until 7/29)
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 (Discounted from $19.99 to $4.99 until 7/29)
Rainbow High: Runway Rush (Discounted from $39.99 to $19.99 until 7/30)
Scrap Rush ($4.50 off $15.00 until 8/1)
Parhelion Yohane Numazu in the Mirage (Discounted from $29.99 to $23.99 until 8/1)
Ancient Weapon Holly (Discounted from $17.99 to $14.39 until 8/1)
The Fall of the Temple of Elena (Discounted from $2.99 to $2.39 until 8/1)
Persia and the Magic Labyrinth ($9.99 to $3.39 until 8/1)
Tanuki Sunset ($16.99 to $6.79 until 8/2)
Among us ($3.00 off $5.00 until 8/4)
Telenet Shooting Collection ($44.99 to $31.49 until 8/8)
Ballis the Phantasm Soldier Collection (Discounted from $39.99 to $19.99 until 8/8)
Ballis the Phantasm Soldier Collection 2 ($44.99 to $22.49 until 8/8)
Ballis the Phantasm Soldier Collection 3 ($54.99 to $27.49 until 8/8)
JDM Racing (From $4.99 to $1.99 until 8/8)
7 Day Heroes (Discounted from $9.99 to $4.99 until 8/8)
The road to fuzzy (Discounted from $14.99 to $8.99 until 8/8)
The Witch’s Life Story (Discounted from $19.99 to $11.99 until 8/8)
SWAN Chernobyl Unexplored ($12.49 to $3.12 until 8/8)
Ancient Islands ($12.49 to $3.12 until 8/8)
Sale ends this weekend
Assault Suit Falcon (Discounted from $24.99 to $9.99 until 7/20)
Berserk Boy ($20.00 to $14.00 until 7/20)
Frog Detective: The Complete Mystery ($19.95 to $13.96 until 7/20)
People who died in Vinland (Discounted from $27.99 to $2.79 until 7/21)
Mystery Box: Escape Room (Discounted from $9.99 to $4.99 until 7/21)
Mystery Box: Evolution (Discounted from $9.99 to $4.99 until 7/21)
Mystery Box: The Journey (Discounted from $9.99 to $4.99 until 7/21)
Right and down and dice (Discounted from $11.99 to $7.99 until 7/21)
Super Shadow Break Showdown (Discounted from $12.99 to $5.19 until 7/21)
Zotrix Starglider (From $9.99 to $1.99 until 7/21)
That’s it for today, friends. I’ll be back next week with more new products, more sales, more reviews, and some news. It’s going to be a hard week again this weekend. I have some more work to do. Hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
