With so many scary games to choose from in recent years, Amnesia: The Bunker wouldn’t be my first or fifth go-to for horror. Even though the game starts strong, it’ predecessors are fierce competitors in terms of mechanics and scares. Amnesia: The Bunker is a good game but not a great one.

The game looks amazing, the combat system is great, and some of the comedy is extremely funny. But in terms of plot and humor and even customization, it feels like a step back from the first game, which should never be the case for a video game sequel.

After a disappointing second salvo, The Council episode 3, “Ripples,” rebounds with full gusto. Bringing a narrative and gameplay balance, players are given a better picture at what the series aims to accomplish and keeps them hooked onto what happens next.

While there isn’t anything to make Evil Dead: The Game stand out among the other asymmetrical survival horror games, what the game does, it does really well. However, that sameness will get old fairly fast.

Straddling a weird line between far too difficult and a touch too easy, Human Resource Machine has a very specific audience in mind and may not appeal to everyone with eyes on a low-cost Nintendo eShop title. But for what it is, Human Resource Machine presents a challenging diversion in the form of code string puzzling amid pleasing and amusing dystopian aesthetic. If this is the sort of mental challenge you like to carry around with you, by all means pick it up on the Nintendo Switch–it’s the ideal platform for such a game.

Vicarious Visions dresses Crash up with a swanky new outfit that looks and sounds superb in the N.Sane Trilogy, but this dogged commitment to recreating the franchise’s authenticity comes at the expense of some much-needed modernization.

Death Road to Canada is a fun play after powering through the extreme learning curve, combining zombie survival and old arcade art.

Dynasty Warriors 9 still retains the fun factor of its predecessors but has not built upon them. The inclusion of the open world and 90 playable characters does not add as much value as it should but does only a little to take away from the experience. If you are a fan of the franchise, you will enjoy this game despite its limitations and glitches.

Fire Emblem Warriors exceeded the expectations of fans and newcomers alike. The intense battles are a balanced combination of satisfying attacks and careful direction of your allies to take down generals. Strategy is key, making it impossible to take your eyes away even for a second.

Ancestors is a beautiful game that pits you against all odds in the simulated perspectives of our forebears. Go about through millions of years of evolution, but don’t expect your hand to be held throughout. It’s about exploration, survival, and learning. Curiosity and patience have to be your biggest drivers to get by. Aside from questionable AI choices and oftentimes monotonous tasking, it’s an interesting experience.

The writing is exquisite and reflects the joyful diversity of both writers and characters, blending the lines of history and fable to great effect. But the technical framework supporting the discovery of these tales is shaky, with some mechanics simply frustrating and others downright broken. Keep a very, very close eye on this game to pick up after a patch.

Unfortunately, the tediousness of the game’s mechanics erases some of the magic of seeing your dinosaur park come to life.

A middling exploration game with subpar fighting mechanics, it’ll be harder to enjoy Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles if you’re not already a fan.

Etrian Odyssey V can offer the right player a fun experience, but many players will find this game either lacking in story or just flat out too hard. Those with series experience, however, will enjoy the robust customization options and the extreme challenge.

Culdcept Revolt is a huge time commitment and is not for the faint of heart. It’s about as niche and unique of an experience as you can get. If you are a masochistic tabletop guru, then this is right up your alley.

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes has some fun references for longtime Suda 51 fans but ultimately is a merely okay top-down action game dripping with missed potential promised by its premise.

Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are fine games by virtue of being Pokemon games. They have the same fun battling and collecting mechanics you’d expect and offer an opportunity to re-explore the gorgeous and lore-rich Alola region. But their butchered retelling of Sun and Moon’s story and the addition of the obnoxious RotomDex should once again have you questioning why you would pay full price for almost the same game a year later.

Everything genuinely good about this game exists mostly because the original Diamond and Pearl games had a good story and interesting characters. This game takes all those and rehashes it only through the veil of basic 3D characters that have the mobility of Funko Pops. Boring textures and an almost purposeful lack of detail takes something that was originally served as a masterful dish and converts it into a repackaged microwaved TV dinner.

Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are fine games by virtue of being Pokemon games. They have the same fun battling and collecting mechanics you’d expect and offer an opportunity to re-explore the gorgeous and lore-rich Alola region. But their butchered retelling of Sun and Moon’s story and the addition of the obnoxious RotomDex should once again have you questioning why you would pay full price for almost the same game a year later.

The Walking Dead A New Frontier has a story worth telling at the heart of it, and Telltale eventually gets there, but the narrative stumbles at almost every turn. Repetitive gameplay, technical glitches, and the constant overshadowing of one character by another significantly blunt the set-up of the season’s cutting finale. The journey must continue in the inevitable fourth season, but I hope Telltale devises a better game plan for when that time comes.

Everything genuinely good about this game exists mostly because the original Diamond and Pearl games had a good story and interesting characters. This game takes all those and rehashes it only through the veil of basic 3D characters that have the mobility of Funko Pops. Boring textures and an almost purposeful lack of detail takes something that was originally served as a masterful dish and converts it into a repackaged microwaved TV dinner.

Horace is an enjoyable game filled with interesting platforming mechanics. Unfortunately, its fun platforming and brilliant pixel art are buried beneath a pile of constant pop culture references, an obsessive need for close-ups and a plethora of free domain music.

While the story is built around an original premise (sentient self-delivering boxes), the gameplay is lacking in creativity and becomes repetitive fairly quickly. If you must play a 3D platformer with sentient boxes, then you must play Unbox: Newbie's Adventure. If not, then stick to Crash Bandicoot.

It’s hard not to enjoy Mortal Kombat 1, but the main story is too tied into the overall gameplay, which makes the “it doesn’t make sense” execution of it too difficult to ignore. The events of the story itself indicate that none of this should not be happening. While the rest of the game goes off without a hitch, the plot holes of lore-heavy focus and deep integration of its story take away from what Mortal Kombat 1 really could be.

Though interactions with noble aristocrats throughout the manor retain their charm, these moments are undercut by poor technical performance, disappointing pacing and an unfocused series of story beats. “Hide and Seek” flirts with squandering the series’ potential.

Omensight‘s fluid combat and colorful cast of characters are the stars in this time-altering murder mystery. The beautiful art style and personality of the game is enough to overshadow some of the sketchy platforming and camera angles. But the game’s surprisingly linear progression left me yearning for more mystery solving than was provided.

While a terrific game in it’s own right, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut just doesn’t cut it on Nintendo Switch. Lengthy loading times between small rooms and different floors of buildings makes the game drag enough to completely lose the narrative flow, which is a big problem considering narrative is its primary focus. If load times get fixed alongside the poor A.I. that tends to get your character lost while trying to look at something two feet in front of them, you got a great portable game. Until then, it’s all some what of a bummer.

As is the case with Paper Mario: The Origami King, Nintendo’s ability to make consistently beautiful games will almost always manage to keep their scores above average; but, their recent refusal to make a game that does not insist on dragging the player through extremely easy gameplay, holding the player’s hand the entire time, will continue to keep their score low. This is not even mentioning the abysmal battle system.

Deck 13 have vastly improved upon their formula, and hopefully, this is a sign of great things to come. But for now, The Surge falls short of being anything more than a serviceable title that sticks to what it knows.

Ooblets has the potential to be a fantastic and calming game to fill the void lack of Animal Crossing updates. But long load times and numerous bugs turn what should be an adorable and relaxing game into a frustrating experience.

The numerous important conversational choices felt meaningful and heartfelt. But the game’s slow pace, unfinished story threads, and its restricted ending took away from the narrative’s full potential, leaving too many unanswered questions for Life is Strange fans.

Though it touches on some interesting ideas, Hey! Pikmin never ventures outside of the comfort and safety of a standard Nintendo handheld platformer. Still, its relaxing, low-stakes gameplay may prove enjoyable for many, particularly those looking for a respite in an otherwise fast-paced genre.

There’s a fine, fine line between relaxing simplification and dullness, and OK Golf straddles it rather precariously. You’ll either find it a charming, laid back way to enjoy a golf puzzle or uninstall it after the first course or two.

If you are looking for a bit of light-hearted fun or are a big puzzle game fan, Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido might be a worthwhile investment for you. If you are looking for a deeply engrossing game that will pull you in for hours, maybe give it a miss.

Another Code: Recollection collects the original Another Code with its sequel Another Code: R which never saw a North American release. While the original DS title was an absolute classic with clever puzzles that require unique usage of the DS's features, the simplified and dumbed-down Switch rerelease turns the puzzle game into a basic visual novel. While the first game's story is unique, the sequel is painfully slow to get through. Despite my love for the original, this is a very hard game to recommend, especially given its $60 price point.

While it does have some surprisingly great acting and emulates giant robot combat quite well, I would wait just a bit. Neither of those features is impressive enough to make up for Archangel VR’s boring gunfights and somewhat tedious characters.

Indivisible is a solid enough game to dive into, even if it is seriously flawed. The visuals are stellar, characters are likable as hell, and experimenting with a plethora of different characters in combat can certainly be entertaining. But the inner-core of the experience doesn’t shine quite as bright as its exterior shell, and in failing to do so makes more of a game that seems like it was a bit too ambitious for its own good.

Nantucket attempts to provide an immersive experience for players, complete with a flawless soundtrack, difficult and strategic mechanics and an interesting story based on your own decisions. However, it suffers due to the repetitive and somewhat tedious gameplay and numerous other factors that detract from the whole experience.

Amazing graphics and talented voice acting isn’t enough to save The Callisto Protocol from the beast that is bad game mechanics. The game is its own worst enemy.

If you go into The Medium with very high hopes, you will be disappointed, but if you walk in just looking for some eerie atmospheres, some award-winning voice acting and some nostalgic horror feels, then you will have some fun.

Flip Wars is yet another fun party title from Nintendo. Alas, just being fun doesn’t justify a purchase. Many of the concepts used in Flip Wars are interesting but lack the depth or volume for me to call them anything greater than a concept. It may be worth revisiting in a few months after some heavy updates.

Namco Museum on the Nintendo Switch offers a few arcade classics on the go but not really much else. The lack of online or even local multi-Switch play for all but one title, no real extras and the fact that the selection is kinda meager make this a pass for most people. It’s the absolute minimum to expect out of such a title.

Strange Brigade stays close to Rebellion's third-person formula but doesn't add enough to it to be a truly great game. The pulpy, humor delivered with a wink and nudge saves the game from being a slog.

While the gameplay had its fun moments and it didn’t make me rage quit even once, the saving system (or lack thereof) really put a wrench in the overall experience. Green Hell is the best survival game I’ve played, but let’s be honest, the bar isn’t all that high and it’s like the best house on a bad block.

Unlimited World Red shines when it puts forth an effort such as in the combat or original characters. Unfortunately, those bits are found too sporadically to make up for the game’s glaring flaws.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered has some noticeable graphical improvements, but not enough to overshadow the gameplay flaws of the original. At $30, the game is only really worth it for hardcore fans.

Opera Omnia is a polished, functional, Final Fantasy version of the style of RPG we see all over the App Store and Google Play nowadays. Don't expect any brilliance from its plot or any Dissidia-related fighting elements. If your love of Final Fantasy spans multiple games and you're happy with a passable RPG full of cameos, Opera Omnia will serve well enough.

Solid controls and fun exploration mechanics are somewhat marred by graphical slowdown and constant darkness — both in lighting and in depressing visuals and themes.

The art style, music, and core gameplay offers players a unique gaming experience unavailable elsewhere. Lady Luck isn’t always kind, however, and when combined with the occasional graphical issue, unwanted frustrations arise. Despite its flaws, it’s still worth the effort for those with patience and determination.

Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove does offer a lot of the same fun found in the original, but a meaner edge and some annoying changes keep it from surpassing its still easily available predecessor.

While fans of the series will enjoy seeing the final No More Heroes story that ends SUDA51’s incredible run with Travis Touchdown, it’s impossible to ignore the game’s faults. It’s fun, but suffers from many issues that make this game seem like a work in progress. Poor movement and driving controls, a clunky camera, and dated graphics plague what could have been a much better game if SUDA51 was more willing to adapt to the capabilities of modern systems.

No attempt at a series “refresh” is without its hurdles, and Layton’s Mystery Journey is no exception. The iffy puzzling doesn’t always hit the mark, though there’s some mind-stretching fun to be had among the hundreds of challenges. Though a disconnect in the writing between the excellent animated cutscenes and clunky written dialogue results in a strange story pacing, Katrielle’s adventure nonetheless has a satisfying payoff and a strong cast of characters that has me hopeful for future installments.

Caves of Lore can be addicting for any adventurer looking for variety and diversity in RPG exploring. I would caution anyone looking for a straightforward saga with easily accessible quests, Caves of Lore is for stat managers and detail oriented gamers. It would seem that Caves of Lore is already picking up praise as the game has won the Gold Award from Games Without Borders and has a 96% positive rating on Steam. Mike Robins spent a lot of time and details on making sure this gem scratches that old-school itch and he nailed it.

Great ideas, good connections, some decent customization, and large battles only get you so far. Every place Chivalry 2 seems to succeed, you quickly find a shortcoming. While not terrible, it’s a tough game to recommend to just any player.

Though it introduces new ideas and perspectives to players, the final episode of The Walking Dead drags on a bit too long in order to bring Clementine’s seven-year journey to a close.

Owlboy has a lot of charm but suffers from a convoluted control scheme and some serious game-crashing bugs. The best way to play it is still on the PC, even though the Nintendo Switch seemed like it would be the most ideal place to play it.

It may be a few years too late, but WWE 2K22 improves on the series in almost every way. The combat system being changed and made more reminiscent of a fighting game makes the matches faster and more exciting.

Madden 24 features some excellent on-field improvements and the gameplay is fun but the rest of the game is the same tired experience we’ve been playing for years.

I did not enjoy Graceful Explosion Machine. But you might. It hearkens back to arcade shooters in its repetitive presentation and simplicity, but if you aren’t bothered by that loop, the gameplay itself may be enough to hook you. The controls feel smooth as silk, HD Rumble makes each explosion tangibly satisfying, and the music is chill, if samey. If racking up high scores creating massive alien explosions again and again is your cup of space tea, Graceful Explosion Machine may be the Switch exclusive you need for the time being.

What worked in this finale did not make up for the flimsy story, lack of character development and general lack of focus throughout The Walking Dead: A New Frontier. Instead of going forward and telling a gripping story that focused on a brand new bunch of characters, I couldn’t help but care about just three. “From The Gallows” does as best a job as it can wrapping things up in a neat little bow, but the overall quality makes me fearful for the future of the Telltale narrative adventure.

You can almost hear BioWare repeatedly mashing the “Series Reset” button during a play-through of Mass Effect: Andromeda, but the game’s deviation from what we’ve come to expect from the franchise is largely characterized by a downgrade in quality almost across the entire board. Mass Effect: Andromeda attempts to redefine the potential for the franchise as it moves forward into the current generation, but the establishment of this new fiction makes for a disappointingly inconsistent experience.

Despite its dated graphics, stand control choices and ugly character models, there's still plenty to love about the Hotel Renovator. Whether you're trying to make your lobby more presentable, finding accommodations for a survivalist that wants a sleeping bag and tent in their room or just helping your run-of-the-mill vampire find a place for the night, it's a nice surprise. So before the game's graphics have you running for the door, take a stab at this with your steely knives.

Technical hurdles can be frustrating to overcome, and there’s very little replay value with the same group of people, but if you regularly host friends and family, even those who don’t play games much, Hidden Agenda makes for a surprising and enjoyable evening.

Detective Pikachu 2 makes a lot of fun choices to make sure gamers know the story will differ from the movie. But different doesn’t equal interesting. While there are many interesting plot points, they are separated by miles of incredibly simple and boring game play that challenges players at the same level most children’s programming does, by waving the answer directly in your face. Younger gamers will get a kick out of this low stakes detective story but older gamers are in for an absolute slog.

State of Decay 2‘s survival mechanics and combat are enjoyable at first, but quickly grow stale after repeating the same actions over and over. It has a few shining moments, but its execution is ultimately rather lackluster and shallow. The only true horror in this zombie survival game is its numerous technical issues.

Behind a terrific and exciting wrestling system in AEW Fight Forever is some odd choices, unfortunate hiccups, annoying quirks, and dumb limitations. Yukes fulfilled their promise to make an arcade game that felt like No Mercy. The problem is that we should have been more careful about what we wished for because a game made in the 90s is lacking a lot of important stuff. A wrestling fan who is looking for a good AEW time is going to be serviced by this offering. Anyone who is looking for proper competition to WWE should hold out (or wait for much-needed updates). If you absolutely need to have this game be portable than you can rest knowing the Switch has your back. Everyone else should just get it on Steam.

If 3D platforming, action-adventure, and puzzle games are your thing, XEL is going to fulfill your needs and then some. It comes with a compelling story, solid gameplay mechanics, and a beautiful world that is yours to explore freely. But until the bugs are solved, this incredible title is going to continue to be held back not by its design flaws, but by its mechanical ones.

Hood: Outlaws & Legends has a great premise, both in terms of thematic setting and core gameplay mechanics, but underdelivers on both fronts.

Guacamelee 2 takes but never quite gives; it amps up the difficulty without making the necessary changes to keep the game interesting. The result is a test of patience rather than a test of skill.

What you get with Team Sonic Racing is what you honestly better than you might expect from any modern game bearing the Sonic moniker. It’s a flawed but mostly competent kart racer that is budget priced and might be fine for kids who like the blue hedgehog and his furry friends.

The World Ends With You: Final Remix brings a cult Nintendo DS classic to a modern platform that should be a good fit, but some poor choices in how the combat is handled bring down the experience and actually makes it the inferior version.

If you had high expectations for GTA: The Trilogy Definitive Edition, that’s going to be your downfall with these games. The Trilogy is just alright and the upgraded graphics don’t cancel out the missing content and the infuriating bugs. Either play the originals or wait until the remastered games are on sale.

While it’s an interesting piece of history for die-hard Nintendo fans, going back before the hundreds of quality of life features Nintendo gradually added to the series feels punishing to anyone but the purest of purists.

Evil Genius 2 is a beautiful game that is created by a team that had an obvious love for spy comics/cartoons. However, after the first few hours, the game lacks a diversity of content for players to explore.

Neon White introduces many interesting ideas but arranges them in front of you like items at a garage sale. The stage design is simplistic, the gameplay gets old quickly, and the characters and dialogue feel like they’re about a decade or more misplaced with references to pop culture icons that are no longer en vogue. Neon White is an interesting play but, ultimately, it feels like you’re playing a tech demo for something that is supposed to be much bigger.

While a really fun experience, its lacking environments and incredibly short playtime make this a hard game to recommend at full price. But it most definitely is a game worth playing on sale or if you have it already and want to check out the PS5 or Xbox Series X upgrades. The frustrating combat scenes, simple environments and plain environments make it hard for even Lo Wang to quip into greatness.

The attention paid to solo players in MUT and some Franchise improvements are certainly noticeable and deserve credit. However, when the game is littered with a multitude of glitches, a weak story mode and no other big notable changes, it makes Madden’s price tag more difficult to justify.

While Pac-Man 99 brings that fun, fast-paced nature of Tetris 99 to yet another beloved franchise, it doesn’t translate as well here. Many of the rules never get explained and poor visual choices make for an occasionally scream-summoning experience, even for a veteran Pac-Man player like myself.

Death or Treat has a few good qualities but is held back by a design that’s intrinsic setup is outshined by poor execution.

While there are redeeming qualities in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the multiplayer offering just can’t hold up to its predecessor and the cross-platform bundle doesn’t offer enough to make up for the price boost on PS5.

In all, the execution fails a great premise for what could have been a fun romp around a city. I wanted to like this game more, but it ultimately never brought much more to the table beyond the slapstick vibe it had from its opening moments.

Dead or Alive 6 is certainly a looker; make no mistake about that. It’s even really fun to play at times, and anyone from season veterans to button-mashers can get in on the action with no problem at all. But everything else about the game makes it difficult to recommend unless a free-to-play version launches down the line.

Arcadian Atlas is a serviceable return to the older Square tactics titles of years past; but, sometimes it feels as if they went too far back, missing many of the modern features that make the newer entries more exciting.

Just Dance 2018 was a fun game, but not one that left me breathless. The addition of Kids Mode was smart and will appeal to an even broader audience. But this franchise needs some competition in order for them to amp up the content of the game because frankly, it’s just not worth $59.99.

S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored had so much potential to be one of the creepier games to play this spooky season, but it just bites off more than it can chew and takes the player out of the environment too much, ruining the effect.

Super Meat Boy Forever would be a great iOS or mobile game; but, unfortunately, that is not what Team Meat delivered. It feels cheap in its gameplay and bits of its presentation. Although, it was nice to see Edmund McMillen have fun with his animations.

Knack 2’s fun combat sparkles in its precision and the simple satisfaction of watching and hearing enemies (and yourself) crumble to pieces, though it falters somewhat if you don’t bring a friend along. Its story is beyond laughably bad. If you and a pal go make yourself a snack every time two characters open your mouths, you’ll adore Knack 2 and find it a refreshing improvement on its predecessor.

If you are looking for a game with a lot of substance, then Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus isn’t the game for you. But, if you want to kill a few hours trying to solve a mystery, then you can do a lot worse than trying to save your favorite uncle.

Before We Leave puts creativity to the test and while it has potential, it fails to reach beyond the stars and truly embrace the vastness of exploration and city-building.

Torna the Golden Country could’ve been a welcome expansion with some insight into the past of several key characters and a welcome twist on combat. However, the new “community level” mechanic that is forced upon you makes a good portion of it just a slog to get through.

Star Horizon is a solid action shooter. It’s great if you’re just looking to fly around and shoot ships but if you’re looking for the promised story, Star Horizon is about as good as a Jill Sandwich.

In setting up an explosive finale, the player's predictable busywork and inconsequential story as Javier fall into predictable, repeated tropes. Barring the final moments (some of which flip conventions on their head in a genuinely interesting turn), Telltale cannot decide how to make their protagonist compelling enough without servicing the narrative needs of others. Hopefully, the final episode carries forward with its momentum and salvages a worthy capper to the story of A New Frontier.

With all of the potential of an awesome futuristic FPS game at their fingertips, DICE and EA drop the ball on Battlefield 2042 with mediocre multiplayer, server issues and no solo campaign. Great ideas and great graphics can only go so far without a great execution.

Need for Speed Payback’s focus on microtransactions leads to a poor progression system and an over-reliance on grinding. The game takes several steps forward, but just as many back.

Lost Sphear tries so hard to be like RPGs of the past that it forgets to build on those or establish its own identity.

New Super Lucky’s Tale does boast a couple of significant improvements over the original version but it’s still a fairly forgettable 3D platformer on a console loaded with great ones.

Rally Arcade Classics succeeds in one important area: it brings back the approachable feel of classic arcade rally games. It’s fun in short bursts, and fans of rally racers will find plenty to enjoy in its car roster and gameplay. At the same time, the grind-heavy structure, lack of polish, and absence of true online racing hold it back from being a must-play. In the end, the value will depend on what you’re looking for. If you want a simple, content-rich throwback you can chip away at for hours, it’s worth a look. If you’re after a polished arcade racer with modern production values and multiplayer, you may want to wait for a sale, or stick with the classics it’s inspired by.

I'd only recommend purchasing Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia to fans who already adore the world and just want to see more of their favorite characters. Otherwise, this game might feel a little lacking in substance.