After a high-stakes opening salvo, Batman: The Enemy Within episode 2 feels more like a retaliating sling of an arrow. With the exception of an intriguing interpretation of this episode’s focal antagonist, Telltale Games misfires on many facets of narrative and gameplay design.

Though lacking the difficulty, complexity, and ribbing humor of its successors, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions is an aesthetically pleasing and fun enough remake of a beloved GBA title.

In essence, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a pretty average RPG with some interesting tweaks to combat, but suffers from tedious crafting, bad party management, and padding and serious crashing issues that need to be addressed immediately.

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.

Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story delivers on the uncomfortable, important, and personal journey it promises. Clever UI design, superb writing, and intricate, complex puzzling weave together to accurately simulate both a lost phone and the world of the real person it belonged to. Though it’s a brief, one-way ride, the takeaways (and music tracks!) will stay with you long after you’ve pocketed the device.

With no one single way to finish a level and constantly changing enemies, the game’s intense electronic soundtrack will get your adrenaline pumping as you slice, dice, and blow your enemies into pieces.

NBA 2K18 is a game that really understands a ton of the community around basketball and what makes it special. Unfortunately, it requires a bit of microtransactions patience and an internet connection to enjoy a lot of it.

The awkward story mode, lackluster roster and poor presentation overall don’t live up to the standard of the series. Though casuals should probably proceed with caution, Infinite has a decent game just lying beneath everything bad about it; it’ll just take those patient and forgiving enough to find it.

Minus some occasional glaring AI issues, it's off to the races with yet another stunning simulation racer.

Peach Beach Splash is a lovely addition to the Senran Kagura franchise. The game acts as a wonderfully fun third-person shooter, with immense levels of customization available right out of the box. Unfortunately, it does at times feel held back by its over-the-top, lewd, anime roots.

Danganronpa V3 doesn’t manage to completely shake that feeling of “been there, done that” for anyone who is a little bored of the formula, but that won’t be a problem for anyone new to the series. Anyone craving a wacky murder mystery/grand world conspiracy fix would do well to check out this latest entry, which while definitely iterative, is the most well-tuned to date.

If you were still playing Pokken Tournament on the Wii U or intend to play competitively, you shouldn’t miss this version’s five new characters and slight tweaks like Daily Challenges and Team Battles. But if your copy of the original was gathering dust, you’re not missing anything more than the equivalent of a DLC patch.

For some, grabbing the latest hockey game annually is as habitual as picking up their daily Tim Hortons. NHL 18 does bring a great Threes gameplay mode, advanced stick maneuverability and expanded franchise functionality while doing little to address play-by-play commentary, single-player campaign and microtransaction concerns. Great to pick up for the first time in years, but not as big a step forward for year-to-year fans.

Bursting with personality and fun everywhere from the menu to the game's 120+ levels, Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition oozes with the spirit of fun, competition, and cooperation that the Nintendo Switch wants to put front and center on its console.

Story aside, Metroid: Samus Returns functions more as a new installment that brings the best bits of multiple Metroid games together. By offering tons of upgrade and weapon options alongside improved combat, the game is truly enjoyable.

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.

Despite its occasional cringeworthy moments, the story hits the nail on the head when it matters most. While this introductory episode starts off a bit slow, by the end it will have you longing for more.

Last Day of June emphasizes emotional, visual, and aural beauty and excels in all three departments to the detriment of its gameplay loop.

Absolver spends so much time honing the development of its fascinating, ambitious combat system that it leaves a shallow narrative structure in its foundation. An ever-evolving gameplay mechanic cannot carry a game's excellence on its own merit, and unfortunately, there is little draw to the world of Adal than the encounters within it.

Make no mistake, Windjammers’ biggest strength is in its fun and addictive gameplay. It cuts through the white noise and just delivers some fast-paced, super competitive action that anyone can pick up and play.

Ys VIII abandons the sprawling, dramatic settings of other JRPGs for a restrained world and cast, then gives us every reason to fall in love with both. From combat to story to exploration to sound, Ys VIII offers subtle, but refreshing distinctions from the usual genre fare.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle offers its own take on the turn-based strategy genre while managing to be fun and deeper than you'd ever expect, even if the experience is over with just a little too soon.

With a touching look into the backstory of Gamora and Nebula and an existential question over the morality of life, Guardians of the Galaxy episode 3 sets up an emotionally provocative endgame with a superbly fleshed out group of characters.

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.

Yakuza Kiwami represents a solid reimagining of the Kamurocho of old.

Despite some hiccups with the ambitious new story mode, Madden NFL 18 remains a solid entry in the franchise.

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.

Severed loses little, if anything, by coming to Nintendo Switch. It gains screen space for the player to bask in its incredible, artistic environments, and though the console can be heavy to hold one-handed for longer play sessions, that’s hardly a reason to stay away from this title. Given its brevity, you may dismiss Severed as a game for a rainy, bored day, but don’t. This is one of only a handful of must-plays in the Nintendo Switch library.