The day has finally come that I must concede to the failure of the great mission this column was designed to accomplish: getting my hands on advance review copies of upcoming games. It seems Samantha Hutz, games journalist, is doomed to obscurity.
With the Lutrinae’s upcoming summer hiatus, and my own fast-approaching graduation, this final Game Girl Advance is dedicated to looking forward to all the games I’m sad that I won’t be able to write about.
In just a few short weeks, Nintendo Switch owners will have the chance to revisit one of the greatest Gamecube titles: “Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door.” Much like the highly praised Super Mario RPG remake from earlier this year, the Paper Mario spin-off abandons the franchise’s original side-scrolling platformer roots in favor of turn-based RPG mechanics. Its iconic paper cut-out and diorama-esque art style has certainly held up over the years, but as the game has become a supremely valuable collector’s item, this re-release will allow a whole new generation of gamers to experience it. The game releases on May 23 on the Nintendo eShop and in stores for $59.99.
This March, we got our first looks at the new competitive hero shooter from NetEase Games, “Marvel Rivals.” I had signed up for the closed alpha of this game following the announcement and had I been accepted, this article likely would have reviewed its early access state.
Marvel Rivals has drawn comparisons to games like Overwatch and Apex Legends, and it appears that these similarities are very intentional. Marvel clearly hopes to use the draw of their iconic IP to get in on the competitive esports market. Truth be told, they sold me the second I saw X-Men’s Magik was playable. Though an official release date has yet to be announced, NetEase has stated that it will follow a free-to-play model.
Speaking of being a complete shill for our favorite franchises, consider this article as my official coming out as a Sonic the Hedgehog fan, who could not be more hyped for SEGA’s upcoming “Sonic X Shadow Generations.” I’ll be the first to say that these are often wildly silly and broken games, but isn’t that exactly what we love about them?
Sonic X Shadow Generations will be an expanded rerelease of 2011’s Sonic Generations, which initially featured remade iconic levels from previous games. This new title will contain all the same content, now remastered for current-gen consoles, but adds on a second campaign where players play through Shadow the Hedgehog’s greatest moments. No official release date has been given yet but promotional material teases a fall 2024 release.
Lastly, I must admit that my anticipation of this last title is very hesitant, as my reviews of both Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Skull & Bones have eroded my confidence in Ubisoft to the point of near nonexistence. I’m a pretty huge Star Wars fan, but in light of Ubisoft’s recent record, and especially their collaboration with Massive Entertainment, I can’t let myself get excited about Star Wars Outlaws just yet. The game has already come under fire from many for its incredibly high-priced premium editions, the highest tier of which only includes a few cosmetic bonuses, three-day pre-release access, and a season pass for currently unannounced future content, all for $129.99.
And with that, Game Girl Advance comes to an end. Thank you to all who have followed along with my ramblings, and thank you to the Lutrinae for letting me add to my lifelong digital footprint, for better or for worse.