About Kirk Hiner

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a direct sequel to 2019’s Daemon X Machina. Don’t worry about that, though.. These games may have stories, but they’re not about them; they’re about mech combat. And on that front, Titanic Scion delivers.
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I love that gamers in 2025 get an adaptation of a relatively obscure 1982 anime. I love that it actually incorporates cutscenes from that anime. I don’t love the game itself, but I like quite a bit of it, so let’s tune in to Space Adventure Cobra – Awakening.
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The world is going to end in 168 days. Bad news, right? Not to the Shuten Order. They seem to be welcoming it. But then their leader and founder is murdered, apparently by one of his top ministers. You know this because you were that leader and founder.
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Space Adventure Cobra may be before your time. It was kind of before my time. But if you’re a fan of ’70/’80s anime and manga, you’re no doubt ready for Space Adventure Cobra – The Awakening which is now available for Nintendo Switch.
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I’ve spent a few weeks playing Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, which will be released for Nintendo Switch 2 on September 5th. And if this isn’t one you had on your launch-window radar, add it.
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KEMCO has returned with a new adventure for retro JRPG fans: Astral Takers. This release was developed by VANGUARD, the company who earlier this year gave us Dragon Takers. We weren’t fond of that one, but are happy to say Astral Takers fares better.
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KOEI TECMO America and developer Gust recently unveiled plans for DX versions of the games that comprise the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy. We now know “the definitive version of Ryza’s summer adventures,” will arrive on Switch and Switch 2 on Nov. 13.
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I had high hopes when starting Shadow Labyrinth that the game would be as bizarre as presented in its announcement trailer. I’m happy to say it is. But I’m unhappy to say it also gets caught in what should have been avoidable traps of the 2D action/platformer genre.
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What lies beyond the horizon? We’ll find out January 15, 2026, when The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon is released for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Or, you know, you could just watch the trailer beyond the jump.
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The most rewarding question I can ask myself during a review period is, “What have I been missing?” I asked myself this early and repeatedly while playing No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES.
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Heading off on a trip, Dracula tasks his kids with protecting pumpkins from an endless onslaught of insects in Flora & Fang: Guardians of the Vampire Garden. It’s a difficult ’80s arcade throwback, but that’s par for the course at Flynn’s Arcade.
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When Nintendo unveiled the mouse controls for Switch 2, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition is the type of game that popped into my mind. I took this review specifically to test out the Switch 2’s Joy-Con mouse functionality, and it makes a world of difference.
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The “myth-fueled bullet heaven” Achilles: Survivor will launching on PC and those other consoles this month, but that doesn’t mean Switch players won’t get their chance to tear through it. They’ll just have to wait until Q3 2025 to do so.
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Wannabe action hero Klaus Lee may not have stood a chance in the ’80s, but gamers can finally experience his platforming adventures (and his magnificent mustache) in Klaus Lee – Thunderballs.
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If you’ve been wondering where those Switch 2 game announcements have been, you just haven’t been looking into the dystopian future of 2089 Japan. That’s where we’ll be meeting D3Publisher’s Full Metal Schoolgirl.
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As long as everything looks like a rave is about to break out, Disney will slap their name on anything Tron related and return their attention to the next Pixar flop. That being the case, I have to say TRON: Catalyst is one of the franchise’s better game entries in a long time.
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HITMAN World of Assassination – Signature Edition is a hard game to get into—not because it’s not fun, but because of prohibitive Internet requirements, excessive legalese, and numerous bugs. But when you’re able to execute a mission without interference, it’s wonderfully entertaining.
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It’s not often we get press releases as “outrageous” as today’s announcement that Klaus Lee – Thunderballs will be arriving on Nintendo Switch next week. So, when one comes in, we kind of have to share it.
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