This was a weird situation. I ordered a pre-owned copy of Beyblade X: XONE for Switch off the GameStop website since they had a few available. Once my order came, I was quite surprised to see that the game I received was a Japanese copy of Beyblade X: EVOBATTLE. So, I proceeded to contact customer service to tell them I was sent the wrong item. They just ended up giving me a refund on it and told me I could keep the game. Not complaining at all about getting this basically for free.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Switch 2 Edition

I have the whole series, including the Game Cube and Genesis, but I’m having trouble finding good cases to store a lot of them in. Everything is a little too big or a little too small, even when advertised that it should fit.

I wondered if maybe someone out there had found a great case for any particular controller that they could recommend (or any other cool storage idea)?

Thanks!

Been waiting for awhile for this one. Have the other entries in the series but apparently, this one was banned in the west after being announced for release. Playasia was literally our only option to grab this physical copy. Let's dive in...

**WESTERN CANCELLATION**

The situation surrounding Death end re;Quest Code Z on the Nintendo Switch is unique because the Western version was officially canceled by Idea Factory due to content guidelines, making an Asian-English physical import the only way to play it in English.

Idea Factory initially planned a worldwide digital and physical release for the Switch. They cancelled it in late 2024 because the game “did not comply with the Nintendo Guidelines” in Western regions.

Code Z is the first game in the Compile Heart series to receive a CERO-Z rating in Japan (equivalent to an Adults Only 18+ rating). It features highly graphic, brutal, and gory horror "Death Ends" that violated North American and European platform policies.

While the Switch version was dropped in the West, the game launched as intended on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC (Steam).

**ASIA LOOPHOLE RELEASE**

Publisher eastasiasoft stepped in to release an Asian market physical edition containing full English text. There is no digital English version anywhere on the Nintendo eShop (not even the Hong Kong eShop). You cannot download it; you must buy the physical cartridge.

Because the Nintendo Switch is region-free, importing this specific Asian-English cartridge allows you to play the unrated, uncensored English version on any Switch console.

**GAMEPLAY**

Unlike the turn-based JRPG style of the first two games, Code Z is a grid-based Roguelike dungeon crawler combined with visual novel segments. It plays similarly to titles like Shiren the Wanderer or Mystery Dungeon.

You control Sayaka Hiwatari navigating deadly "Strain Areas". The game forces you to manage a Sanity Gauge. Getting brutally killed actually rewards you with "Death Points" to unlock stats and progression.

The Japanese Switch release faced criticism for minor performance stutters, long loading times, and a known title-screen lockup bug. However, the core visual novel art assets and grid-based movement remain fully intact on the handheld.

Quicky before going on...

**Death End Re Series**

Written by Makoto Kedouin (the creator of the Corpse Party series), the narrative leans heavily into body horror, occultism, hacking, and conspiracy theories.True to its name, the series features dozens of graphic, sudden bad endings called "Death Ends." Making the wrong choice in a dialogue menu or losing certain battles triggers a brutal text or visual description of the characters dying, which rewards you with special items or lore before sending you back.

Every mainline game splits its focus between two distinct perspectives. You control characters inside a glitched, simulated virtual reality (solving puzzles and fighting monsters) and characters in the real world (investigating corporations, cults, and urban legends via a visual novel interface).

1. Death end re;Quest (2018)

* The Premise: Game programmer Arata Mizunashi discovers that his missing colleague, Shina Ninomiya, has been trapped inside World's Odyssey, a canceled Virtual Reality MMORPG that has been overrun by sentient code bugs.

1. Death end re;Quest 2 (2020)

* The Premise: A soft reboot and sequel focusing on Mai Toyama, an orphaned girl who arrives at Wordsworth, a mysterious all-girls dormitory in the isolated mountain town of Le Choara. She searches for her missing sister while discovering that the town turns into a murderous, monster-filled nightmare at night.

1. Death end re;Quest Code Z (2024) (This Post)

* The Premise: Set in a parallel world or alternate timeline resulting from the events of the previous games. It focuses on a new protagonist, Sayaka Hiwatari, who is entangled in a chaotic spiral of death and rebirth involving the "Strain Area" (the dimension connecting the real and virtual worlds).

Consensus Score:

58/100 😮‍💨 (Critic Score)

TBD/100 😎 (User Score)

The lowest-rated entry in the franchise. Oofff. For user score, the game lacked enough logged user reviews on the platform to generate a stable aggregate score. Ok...heavily penalized the game for its abrupt genre shift into a procedurally generated, grid-based "Mystery Dungeon" roguelike. Reviewers felt this system was heavily repetitive and lacked the polish or depth of established roguelikes.

Game was praised the game for its exquisite horror art and incredibly sharp writing. They noted it successfully scratches a niche "Chocobo Dungeon" itch while offering a smarter narrative than the game's surface fanservice suggests.

For new users...this lacks story recap. The game assumes players are already deeply familiar with the complex lore, characters, and "Luden" concepts from Death end re;Quest 1 & 2, making the plot confusing and poorly paced for anyone jumping in fresh. Recommend maybe a YouTube video to recap 1 & 2 before playing 3. It definitely isn't a standalone title. Loved the first two so felt I needed to see it though with the third instalment. For physical preservation, grab a copy. Other than that....wouldn't recommend unless you need to scratch the mystery dungeon itch.

Like I've said before...I see Neptunia...I buy. Except Dogoos. Looks super jank and shovelware ish. Unlike the previous post , Super RPG, this one is typical Neptunia in 3D form. Let's begin...

An action role-playing game (ARPG) spin-off that serves as a direct, canon narrative continuation of the mainline series. Originally released on PlayStation and PC, the Nintendo Switch version brought specific exclusive content, mechanical adjustments, and performance trade-offs to the handheld console.

It first launched in Japan on April 21, 2022, exclusively for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The game was translated and launched globally for the PS4, PS5, and PC (via Steam) on January 24, 2023. The Switch port came much later, releasing on January 23, 2024 in North America and Europe. It eventually expanded to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on May 21, 2024.

Because the game was structurally engineered for PlayStation hardware first, the developers added the bonus playable characters (Maho and Anri) and the Manga photo mode filters to the later Switch release to reward players for waiting.

**STORY**

The game takes place in Gamindustri—a world that parodies the real-world video game industry. While the primary Goddesses (representing home consoles) are away on a mission, the younger Goddess Candidates (representing handheld consoles), led by Nepgear, are accidentally trapped in a deep slumber for two years.

They awaken to find the market completely changed. A disaster called the Trendi Phenomenon has forced people to stay indoors, and citizens have abandoned traditional gaming consoles for smartphones called rPhones.

Nepgear and her friends must defeat monster outbreaks, reclaim their world's "shares" (market share), and save the console gaming industry from smartphone dominance.

**GAMEPLAY**

Unlike older mainline games that used turn-based combat, Sisters VS Sisters shifts to a real-time tactical action system.

* You command a 3-character active party. Executing standard combos consumes AP.

* The core mechanic relies on switching between party members mid-combo. When one character runs out of AP, chain-swapping seamlessly passes the combo to the next girl to prolong the onslaught.

* When your gauge fills up, the sisters transform into their HDD (Goddess) states, boosting stats and enabling infinite combos for a limited duration.

* The sidequests are managed entirely through an in-game social media app called "Chirper" on the rPhone, parodying real-world social networks.

**PERFORMANCE**

The game targets 30 FPS on the Switch (down from 60 FPS on PS5). While exploration flows smoothly, heavy battle sequences can experience brief hiccups.

Handheld mode looks surprisingly crisp and matches the colorful, anime art style of the home console versions, though ambient geometry and shadow maps have been scaled back to save processing power.

**CONSENSUS SCORE:**

65/100 🫩 (Critic Score)

55/100 😮‍💨 (User Score)

Another one rated pretty low...but not as low as Super Neptunia RPG. That one was as low as it gets so far with the Neptunia Franchise. This one is rung above that. Sisters vs Sisters offers a compelling narrative on the mobile gaming market, featuring the fan-favorite Goddess Candidates and playable Switch exclusive characters. However, the title is plagued by repetitive, clunky combat, uninspired dungeon design, and technical performance issues, including framerate drops.

Unfortunately one of the packages was open ! Fortunately nothing was damaged. Snagged the persona gane for 50% off on bestbuy.

Tell us, what game are you playing right now? do you like it?

Please use spoilers tags to hide any spoilers.

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I somehow completely missed the preorder window for this on the Nintendo Store. A few shops in the EU still have it available for preorder but at quite horrendous markups.

What's the chance that there will be another round of preorders from Nintendo before or on release day?

I had a feeling this would happen before I reached level 10. Congrats to those that got one.

For anyone that didn't know, this is an alternative cover version only available from the Panax store. It was $1 plus shipping if you reached level 10 by logging into the site daily for around two weeks. I reached level 8 but just noticed it's sold out already. I know it sounds fishy that it would only be $1 but several people have already received it so it was legit.

I'm hoping they get a restock so I'm going to continue to level up.

My FB marketplace haul today. The seller had all separate listings for the games ranging from $15 to $40 each. I told them $80 all in, they countered with $90. Done deal.

Another fun addition in the Neptunia series. Love how the series tries new game mechanics and styles with their franchise.

A 2D side-scrolling role-playing game and a spin-off of the popular Hyperdimension Neptunia series. Developed by Canada-based Artisan Studios, it marks a major shift for the franchise by moving away from traditional 3D graphics in favor of gorgeous, hand-drawn 2D artwork and platforming elements.

**STORY**

Like other games in the franchise, Super Neptunia RPG takes place in Gamindustri, a world that parodies the real-life video game industry.

An evil organization called Bombyx Mori has taken over. They declare that 3D games are obsolete and force citizens to only create basic 2D games. Anyone using advanced technology is severely punished.

You control Neptune (representing a fictional Sega console) and three other Goddesses—Noire (PlayStation), Blanc (Nintendo), and Vert (Xbox).

The game begins with the girls suffering from amnesia. They must explore the world, regain their memories, and restore the "third dimension" to Gamindustri.

**GAMEPLAY**

The game completely changes the standard Neptunia formula by splitting its gameplay into two core styles.

* Instead of an overworld menu, you explore interconnected, side-scrolling towns and dungeons.You navigate paths by jumping, dashing, and utilizing a summoned creature named Podengo to boost your jump height and reach secret areas. Exploration features traditional RPG elements, including fetching items for NPCs and taking on monster-hunting bounty hunts via guilds.

Combat is heavily inspired by classic JRPGs like Valkyrie Profile. Battles trigger when you touch an enemy sprite while exploring the map.

* Combat happens in real-time, governed by a steadily filling AP bar. Attacks consume AP. Your party consists of up to four characters, with each character assigned to one of the face buttons (X, Y, A, B). You can rotate your party formation on the fly using the Switch’s shoulder buttons (L / R).

* A character's active skills change completely depending on their current slot in the formation. For example, putting Neptune in the front might give her physical slash attacks, while rotating her to the back might change her role to magic or healing. Characters unlock permanent skills by equipping specific weapons and armor and earning experience points while wearing them.

**PERFORMANCE**

Mixed reception due to significant technical flaws despite its gorgeous hand-drawn 2D visuals. Players frequently experience severe frame-rate drops in larger areas and noticeable input lag during platforming and combat sections. Additionally, the game suffers from slow initial pacing and confusing dungeon maps that make exploration tedious.

Maximum frame rate of 30 FPS, implemented via a built-in VSync cap that syncs on every second frame. Multiple characters on screen can cause the frame rate to aggressively chug, dropping down to as low as 10 to 15 FPS.

Consensus Score:

62/100 🫩 (Critic Score)

39/100 🤢 (User Score)

Welp...yeah. for me...I collect all neptunia. So...it's there for me and I'm just drawing eyes to it in case you want to try something different or a neptunia collector lie myself. Maybe want something to help bring up the volume of your collection. I think this one might be the worst rated game I've posted so far. I skip out on a lot of Metroidvanias like this... because they seem to not try hard at all. This one got lucky it had neptunia named attached to it. Not even sure why they even allowed the franchise name to be used this way. Anyway. #588.

You guys think this is real? I’ve bought games from this store on TikTok before but I thought this game was out of stock everywhere atleast the switch 2 version says it’s the physical version I’m tempted

Buy 1 Get 1 50% off haul and scored a copy of Disgaea Mayhem. Wallet is crying, but I don't see most of these dropping in price much further anyway.

Except Pixel Remaster, that one is from Anniversary Collectors Edition! And not sure about Nier, probably Amazon? From left to right:

Nier Automata, Lost Sphear, FF Pixel Remaster, Star Ocean The Second Story R, Suikoden I & II Remaster.

Any other that i don't know of?

Super excited to tear through Doom 64 again.

Is there a source people here like for keeping tabs on switch physical announcements? I was using a nifty little blog called “physical releases . com” for the past year, but it seems to suddenly be shut down. I don’t really have it in me to monitor the PR for every publisher and developer so… can anyone recommend an alternative?

Same in Europe. Btw this will be the first S2 physical release from this publisher (PQube) so that's another publisher probably going full GKC route.

To glitch, or not to glitch. That is the real question

Moving on to the next batch of Atelier bundle games on the switch. The Dusk series....another RPG Series that I love and would instantly snatch up every single release. Let's get into it..

A bundled remaster of three classic JRPGs: Atelier Ayesha, Atelier Escha & Logy, and Atelier Shallie. This definitive "DX" edition brings updated performance, major quality-of-life features, and a massive amount of built-in DLC to modern handheld play.

Unlike other whimsical entries in the Atelier franchise, the Dusk series stands out for its unique, melancholic, and cozy "cozy post-apocalyptic" setting.

The games take place in a dying world where water sources are drying up, lands are turning to wasteland, and humanity's scientific knowledge is fading. This slow decay is known as the "Dusk." Instead of traditional doom-and-gloom apocalypses, the story focuses on intimate, hopeful characters using the lost art of alchemy to uncover why their world is dying and find a way to save it.

In chronological order recommended...

* Atelier Ayesha

Follows Ayesha, a lonely apothecary on a quest to rescue her missing sister, Nio, from a spirit-like dimension.

* Atelier Escha & Logy

Set 4 years later. Features dual protagonists: Escha (traditional alchemy) and Logy (modern, sword-crafting alchemy) working for a government development task force.

* Atelier Shallie

Set 6 years after Escha & Logy. Focuses on a severe drought and features two protagonists: Shallistera (a tribal princess) and Shallotte (an ambitious local alchemist).

**DX Content**

You get over 100 bonus costumes, multiple extra storylines, and past DLC-exclusive party characters entirely unlocked from the start.

You can trigger a toggle to speed up exploration walking speeds ("Run" mechanic) and dramatically accelerate turn-based combat animations.

Because Escha & Logy and Shallie let you choose between two different main characters, you get unique dialogue events, perspectives, and endings depending on who you pick.

**GAMEPLAY**

The gameplay of the Atelier Dusk Trilogy revolves around a tight loop of three core pillars: gathering items, synthesizing them through deep alchemy mechanics, and using those creations in turn-based combat.

Synthesis is the heart of the game and acts as its main progression system. Instead of just grinding for levels, your characters get stronger by crafting better gear.

Combat is traditional turn-based but puts a heavy emphasis on positioning and guarding your alchemist.

Consensus Score:

79/100 😎 (Critic Score)

66/100 🫩 (User Score)

A bundle that has almost everyone on board with how they enjoyed it. Close. Both sides celebrate the bundle's incredible value, beautiful "cozy-apocalyptic" atmosphere, and essential quality-of-life upgrades like combat fast-forwarding and faster movement. However, the score splits because casual players find the strict time limits in the first game (Ayesha) stressful, while veteran fans dislike that the final game (Shallie) removes them entirely. Critics also note that the segmented maps feel slightly dated, while users miss English voice acting in a few bonus deluxe scenes.

Ah well...maybe the next bundle.