Ye OLDE Cribbage Club: A Later Daters Game

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Bloom Digital Media Inc.

I don't know a whole lot about dating sims, but I do know a thing or two about cribbage….or rather, I did at one time. Back when I was a wee lad, during simpler times before there was an internet or cell phones in every hand, I participated in a few cribbage tournaments…and then never played the game again for the next 20 years. So, when I saw a cribbage game on the Switch, I figured, "Why not?" Until sitting down to write up this review, I honestly had no clue that this game was linked to an elderly person dating sim. The Later Daters games are described as being "wholesome" dating simulators, and based on the content of Ye OLDE Cribbage club, I believe it. Anyway, Ye OLDE Cribbage club is an okay game…but it does require you to understand the rules of cribbage. In a frustrating design choice (unless I missed the option to turn it off) this game makes you count up the score of your hand. That in itself isn't awful - that's what you'd do in a real game. However, if you miss something, the game will keep saying, "Are you sure?" while also giving you no hints on what it was that you missed. Personally, I think an option to auto-score would help in two ways . One, it would help people new to cribbage see how they got the points that they got, helping them understand how scoring works. Two, some people may just want a streamlined game without the hassles of if they had played it in real life - that's the point of a video game, isn't it? Escaping reality? Anyway, if you like cribbage, don't mind playing at a slow pace, and would enjoy playing with an elderly person lookin' for love, then Ye OLDE Cribbage Club is worth getting if you can nab it at a decent price on sale.

Review added: 07/19/2025

Yooka-Laylee

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Playtonic Games

I would probably like Yooka Laylee a bit more if I was fond of Rare's N64 platformers…unfortunately, I'm not. I liked Conker's Bad Fur Day, but that's about it. I've tried to get into Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64…and I just struggle every time. Yooka Laylee was another struggle for me. It doesn't really help that Playtonic Games used a 20-year-old formula here, too. Still, I also acknowledge that if you grew up playing Rare's games on the Nintendo 64, then the concept of Yooka Laylee is probably pretty exciting. It may even be a plus for you that it largely follows the formula of Rare's successful 3D platformers of the late 90's. I can also acknowledge that this is fantastic game for young children. Like the platformers that I keep mentioning, this game is basically a collection-fest, so that, along with the colorful characters, will probably be a big hit with younger players, and even older folks that may get some nostalgia out of it. But, as I mentioned, this game just isn't for me. I may come back to it and try it again at a later date, and if my opinion changes, so will its placement on this list, but for now, I just find this to be a passable game and not a whole lot more.

Review added: 12/29/2024