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About Kirk Hiner

Raised on Intellivision and Star Frontiers, I've been a gamer since I was old enough to say, "There's nothing on TV." There's still nothing on TV so I'm still playing games, and I likely will be until I'm able to retire to Wuhu Island.
Latest Posts | By Kirk Hiner
Spike Chunsoft’s big sale before No Sleep…
10 hours ago

Spike Chunsoft’s big sale before No Sleep…

No Sleep For Kaname Date – From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES is coming to Nintendo Switch on July 25th. And if you’re not familiar with the series, Spike Chunsoft is providing some financial incentives to help you catch up.
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Solve RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army this June
1 day ago

Solve RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army this June

A surprise entry in today’s Nintendo Direct was ATLUS’s announcement that Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army is being reborn as RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army.
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First impressions with First Break Labs’ upcoming Switch lineup
2 days ago

First impressions with First Break Labs’ upcoming Switch lineup

GDC 2025 was held in San Francisco last week, and First Break Labs was there to show off their upcoming releases. Pure Nintendo wasn’t on hand for a visit, but we did hop onto Discord for a demo of two games they’ll be sending our way: ILA: A Frosty Guide and Baseless.
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Review: Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land (Nintendo Switch)
7.5
1 week ago

Review: Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land (Nintendo Switch)

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is a step forward in the Atelier series, but not everyone’s going to like the direction it’s taking. It feels like it’s starting to leave certain core elements—and Nintendo hardware—behind.
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Review: Kamikaze Lassplanes (Nintendo Switch)
7.5
2 weeks ago

Review: Kamikaze Lassplanes (Nintendo Switch)

Kamikaze Lassplanes—thus named because the planes are the lasses and the…well, I’m not sure about the kamikaze part—leans heavily into its visual novel gameplay and ecchi art. It also serves up an engaging story and fun shoot ’em up combat throughout.
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Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 returns this summer
3 weeks ago

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 returns this summer

There are a lot of words one feels compelled to use when covering an announcement such as the remake of Tony Haw’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Those words all feel wrong coming from me, so I’m going to let the official press release do its thing.
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Review: Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity (Nintendo Switch)
8
3 weeks ago

Review: Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity (Nintendo Switch)

It’s hard for me to shake the stereotype that visual novels tend to be romances. Take a look at the eShop screens for this game, and you can see why that would be the case. But believe me, the HD remake of Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity is much more than a romance.
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Review: WARRIORS: Abyss (Nintendo Switch)
6.5
4 weeks ago

Review: WARRIORS: Abyss (Nintendo Switch)

The first thing that struck me while playing WARRIORS: Abyss was just how fond I’ve grown of these characters. I mention that because you get over 100 characters from Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. Unfortunately, you’re not given much to do with them.
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View the new overview of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
1 month ago

View the new overview of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition

It’s not really a trailer, right? It does a lot more than just promote the game; over the course of 6-1/2 minutes, it details game features, provides more story information, digs deeper into the environment and customization options, and…gives us a few key hints of things to come.
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Review: Freddy Farmer (Nintendo Switch)
8
1 month ago

Review: Freddy Farmer (Nintendo Switch)

Search levels for potion ingredients, collect them while avoiding deadly enemies, and mix them in a pot to save your daughter from an evil dragon. Such is the premise of Freddy Farmer, a throwback to ’80s and ’90s gaming.
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The regions of Atelier Yumia (and the monsters that haunt them)
1 month ago

The regions of Atelier Yumia (and the monsters that haunt them)

We’re exactly a month from the March 21st release of Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, and what better way to build hype than with a closer look at the continent of Aladiss?
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Review: X-Out: Resurfaced (Nintendo Switch)
8
1 month ago

Review: X-Out: Resurfaced (Nintendo Switch)

X-Out: Resurfaced is an extremely challenging, side-scrolling shoot ’em up from the Commodore 64 days, effectively polished for modern consoles. Will that polish help it appeal to modern arcade action fans? Let’s dive in to find out.
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Review: ROBOBEAT (Nintendo Switch)
6.5
1 month ago

Review: ROBOBEAT (Nintendo Switch)

Is ROBOBEAT the first rhythm-based first-person shooter available for the Nintendo Switch? It’s certainly the first one I’ve played, and that maybe explains my confusion. The game’s certainly unique, but is it necessary? Let’s figure that out.
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Review: The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II (Nintendo Switch)
7
2 months ago

Review: The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II (Nintendo Switch)

With so many games and so many tweaks to those games in this series, elements I like and dislike come and go. That’s expected and appreciated, but there’s one element that should remain consistent, and it’s really not in The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II.
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Review: Moons of Darsalon (Nintendo Switch)
8.5
2 months ago

Review: Moons of Darsalon (Nintendo Switch)

Whether they be more about puzzle solving, adventuring, or arcade action, platformers tend to involve a slow build into what they’re about. Moons of Darsalon starts with its foot on the gas and doesn’t let up.
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Review: Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero (Nintendo Switch)
8
2 months ago

Review: Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero (Nintendo Switch)

Nippon Ichi games test my brain in ways that most do not. The strategies required to work through them run deliberately and distinguishedly deep, and the same can be said of Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero.
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X-Out: Resurfaced digital and physical edition pre-orders available
2 months ago

X-Out: Resurfaced digital and physical edition pre-orders available

The alien terror won’t come from above, it’ll come from the deep. And it’ll rise on February 20th when ININ, Kritzelkratz 3000, and Ziggurat release the Amiga-era shoot-’em-up X-Out: Resurfaced in digital and physical editions.
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Atelier Yumia game system trailer released
2 months ago

Atelier Yumia game system trailer released

We’re just two months away from the March 21st release of Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land. Can you think of a better way to acknowledge that than with a new exploration, synthesis, and combat trailer from KOEI TECMO America and Gust?
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