Despite the odd control or technical issue, this is still an excellent means of experiencing the cult hits of this series. it’s technically sound, has a killer soundtrack, and features every bit of content minus one notable omission, allowing you to take calls from 50 Blessings and knock a few heads (to say the least.) on the go. The Hotline Miami Collection provides one excellent game and one very good game, and between unlocking all of the weapons, masks, and finding the secrets that hide beneath its blood soaked, neon exterior, you’ll be coming back at least a few times to try and master it all.

As a challenge from the very beginning, fans who are into this sub-genre will surely enjoy Never Give Up. With clever quips from our characters, the solid controls to the satisfying jumps and evades, get ready to jump through missiles, slide through hammers and evading charging rhinos, this is definitely a title worth picking up.

Astral Chain is an excellent action game that uses the Switch’s unique hardware in creative ways. It fits handsomely in PlatinumGames’ excellent catalog and should satisfy anyone who likes Japanese action RPGs, or third-person action games. It is a wholly satisfying experience.

Even with its imperfections, the incredible design, storytelling, and gameplay chops on display boil down to this: Control is the best game Remedy has made, and it's one of the most unique narrative action games out there. It’s visually jaw-dropping and the superpower combat is entertaining as heck, but it’s the paranormal adventure and stylistic choices that really make Control sing. Those already on board the Remedy train are going to be googly-eyed with love, but this is a provocative and cerebral story set to crown Remedy with superstar status.

If you have never played the game before, the No Man’s Sky Beyond update is a perfect opportunity to start. It’s become a very player-friendly game and it is chock-full of fun things to do. Play it as a science-fiction Minecraft if you like, and build the base of your dreams. Or, take to space and explore like a Star Trek captain. And if nothing else, this is one of the best VR games you can play right now, period. If you can stomach all of the bugs, glitches, and other irritations, you’ll enjoy your time with the game. For us long-time players, Beyond is just the latest in a long series of improvements – but boy is it a big one. And like all the previous updates, it’s completely free.

I am glad to see that Mable & the Wood was able to maintain the level of quality that I saw in my earlier preview. The platforming has a nice flow to it with a good balance of enemy hazard and platforming challenge. If you are a fan of metroidvania and or retro styled platformers I recommend you give Mable a chance.

Ion Fury was an absolute treat to play and truly felt like I was reliving my teenage years again. The action is non-stop through a vast campaign with a nice assortment of weapons at your disposal. The game is loaded with secrets such as handy item drops and amusing easter eggs. While it’s a shame the game didn’t launch with multiplayer, we’re told it’s being developed and will be added later. I was disappointed that controller support was a bit lacking and the lack of Steam Achievements was a downer. With that said, the game delivers where it counts. Ion Fury is an excellent homage to classic ’90s first-person shooters like Blood, Shadow Warrior, and Duke Nukem 3D.

Zombie Driver is bad. In almost every conceivable way. It never really hits the mark on anything it attempts, leaving the player with a frustrating mess of interchangeable missions, a map that’s a chore to navigate, sluggish controls, and a story that you’ll forget before you hit the X button to close the software. You’d probably have more fun in a real zombie apocalypse.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw takes the space flight simulator genre and grinds a fantastic Wild West narrative into it the likes we have only ever seen with the beloved Firefly TV series. Sporting a brilliant soundtrack to reinforce the narrative, amazing explosions, and some pretty fun dog-fighting, the game starts to stumble when it comes to its total lack of tutorial despite having multiple systems to learn both in flight and in its mini-games. As a title that would work best with a controller in hand, Double Damages partnership with the Epic Store severely hinders accessible input controls. It does offer custom soundtracks, multiple ways to play the game and guilds to join, and the freedom of trying to achieve your goals out in the black as you see fit. For fans of space flight sims, this game is a beauty to play if only it could be handled with a controller.

While all the components are very familiar, the game is well-designed to be what it is. If a certain feature is derivative, that’s because it works for the story and gameplay experience. You can tell that this game is a labor of love, and it is maintained by a team that not only loves the source material, but loves fun games as well. And since my Switch is portable, I can grind for levels wherever I go, and take the Amazing Flamefist to the levelcap and beyond.

As a whole package, ONINAKI is a decent title. While there is somewhat of a lack of additional activities to do, it fits in extremely well with the game’s narrative. Furthermore, the narrative of ONINAKI reeled me in from start to finish. It could be described as intriguing or mysterious, though at times predictable. ONINAKI is by no means the best in the genre but offers a strong foundation for Tokyo RPG Factory to build off of in the future.

My time with Remnant was a total roller-coaster. There were moments of pure, unfiltered rage, peaks of elation, ah-ha moments, and quiet zen grinds. For the most part though, it's just a steady climb. The developers are not shy about how hard this game is. If that's your cup of tea, perfect! Every victory will be hard-fought, bloody, and beautiful once behind you. I just couldn't shake the small, nagging sense that my few successes weren't earned. I just got lucky, squeaking through the cracks. More than this minor unease, my playtime was marked by anger, by exasperated breaths and whitened knuckles. I ended up having more fun than I expected to, but that shiny nugget of suffering remains. Heed my wary words and proceed at your peril. If a tough time is your aim, then Remnant: From the Ashes is absolutely your game.

A stunning game capable of bringing joy to those who play it, Gravity Ghost provides a phenomenal experience where our eyes and ears beg for more. With a heartfelt narrative and a beautiful soundtrack, it not only provides a visual experience but also incredible gravity physics and movement. It is a great addition to any library as it is easy to pick up, is surprisingly relaxing, and helps you wind down after a long day.

Sadly, there’s no way to know what life in a computer is actually like. Exception does a damn fine job of imagining it, though. If nothing else, I hope that any sufficiently-advanced AI civilization would naturally gravitate towards neon and synth. I never got enough mileage out of the special moves, but I did love zipping around this weird little world. The soundtrack alone is almost worth the price of admission, which should lay bare my artistic priorities. If your dreams of entering the net remain withered, perhaps a little time with Exception will soothe your soul.

Wreckin’ Ball Adventure is a decent platformer that combines some existing gameplay elements and tries to do something relatively unique. While we generally don’t discuss price in reviews – it’s worth noting that Wreckin’ Ball Adventure is very cheap. Even if you have the slightest interest in it, I’d encourage you to give it a go. It’s hard to have buyers remorse if the game is cheaper than a meal at a fast food restaurant.

With the promise of DLC, on top of the essentially endless gameplay, Forager is easily something you’ll get bang for your buck with. The eShop price may seem a little high, but considering just how polished the experience comes off, it makes a strong case for your time. In what is already a surprisingly substantial offering, the promise of additional content may seem intimidating considering just how much there is to do already, but with no end in sight, I don’t really care to be honest. I eagerly look forward to returning again and again to Forager’s expanding isles for the foreseeable future.

RAD is a fun, weird, rogue-like game that is incredibly approachable for all players. Whether you love the challenge of sudden death or you just want to branch out, Double Fine has made a game that caters to both sides and has fun doing it. The heavily 80’s inspired content is refreshing and quite enjoyable from the soundtrack and over-saturated colors to cassette tapes and floppy disks as currency. Every death is met with joy and curiosity as to what horrible cartoonish monstrous limbs I’ll mutate in my next run and I could easily play for hours on end.

If you have played Mutant Year Zero on a console before and are thinking of picking this up for on the go, you may be advised to skip as the compromises are a bit jarring, given this was once a very atmospheric game. The downgrade, combined with text and menus not being scaled for Switch, can start to make you feel like a person with poor eyesight.

Friday the 13th: Ultimate Slasher Edition is not perfect by any means, but it is a perfect representation of the movie series as a whole. By providing players thrills and tense moments any Nintendo Switch owning horror fan should enjoy it, even with some of its deficiencies. The additional DLC extras, offline mode and various goodies all add to the package, and developer Black Tower Studios’s effort is one that would make even Mrs. Voorhees proud.

The Great Perhaps does not offer anything that we haven’t seen before in its gameplay, but there is an understated beauty in its presentation that I found haunting (literally … you’ll see). The trial-and-error nature of some of its puzzles may cause you to reach for a bottle of Vodka in frustration, but its world has a certain sad and subdued charm that will, in both past and present, motivate you to keep trudging along in order to save it.

With each tear shed, the story of Rei searching for her little sister all the while defeating enemies and being burdened with their last words is much deeper and darker than I expected. The use of the crying mechanics and turning her tears and sad thoughts into strength is a really unique and interesting idea. That paired with the beautiful art style, character designs and interesting story, we almost have a perfect game. Unfortunately, with the less than stellar combat mechanics, the lack of enemy variety and the lack of differentiating dungeons, it may not entice players who also want fluid gameplay. However for fans who do like narrative-driven and linear games along with dark themes and gorgeous designs, then this is definitely a title that should be added to your library.

So while the new wrinkles of Alignment present some fun twists on gameplay, and being able to become the Emperor yourself is another cool twist, it’s not going to be enough to bring you over if Total War isn’t your jam already. It’s more of the same with some changes throughout to keep it pretty fresh. If you enjoyed the main game and have an itch to come back, I recommend picking up Eight Princes if you were aiming to do another playthrough. If you are waiting for something different and novel to come along and really shake up Three Kingdoms, then I would say hold on to your dynasty hat for the time being.

While there’s definitely promise in the concept of Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, the shiny visuals don’t make up for the lack of content and subpar execution. It’s a decent showpiece for the PSVR, but at this point in the platform’s lifecycle something with more meat is the expectation.

Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is a great improvement on its predecessor Tiny Metal. If you like Tiny Metal or Advance Wars you will likely enjoy Full Metal. The price of $18.89 CAD for this game is a good deal if you are a fan of the genre. There was plenty of content both in the campaign and through the skirmish mode. The character models were well done with an overall pleasant art style. All things considered, this is a solid turn-based strategy game that builds well on the previous game.

In sum, The Church in the Darkness is a highly replayable game with shifting gameplay goals for each playthrough. The dynamic narrative that changes the motives of the cult leaders leads encourages players to give it another go, make new choices and achieve new endings. You’ll have to endure its technical mishaps, but if you get past those, you’ll have fun investigating the diverse versions of this mysterious cult.

Moonlighter: Between Dimensions is a hearty post-game DLC that lets its devoted fan base keep playing more and more of the solid adventurer/merchant amalgamation mechanics. It offers new challenges in the dimensional dungeon, new gear to craft, and countless hours to sink into getting that perfect gear. While on paper it doesn’t seem like much is being added, it’s going to take a lot of work for even the hardiest of player to get through this new threat. While the gameplay and narrative is as solid as you would expect from 11 Bit Studios, the cost to upgrade is really it’s only downside.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD is a priceless artifact, a flawed gem the size of your fist that must be seen to be believed. Especially if you’ve got a history with From Software’s other mech titles. This is a critical link in the chain with no equal in the genre’s history. On the other hand, if none of that applies to you, hot damn this game has issues. The premise and the execution are wildly disparate elements. The pacing is stuttered and archaic. The mechanics at play are padded yet flat. I can’t fault that timeless voice acting either way, though. My thoughts on the game aside, hearing president Wilson and co. deliver their lines is absolute delight. Metal Wolf Chaos XD is a weird, wonky game you should almost definitely, probably, see for yourself.

Super Mutant Alien Assault has a long name and a lot of heart. The challenging gameplay mixed with sharp looking graphics and fairly good sound, all work to create an entertaining but short-lasting game. In the end it is an enjoyable little distraction when you just want to jump into a game and have only a small amount of time to do so.

The content you get from this is incredibly worthwhile, and the challenge the bosses’ present feel achievable without being frustrating. If you already own Darksiders 3 you should buy this DLC and get the full experience, but the fact you NEED the DLC to feel like you have the full game is unfortunate to say the least. Had this been included in the game at launch and the much-needed QOL upgrades been implemented, Darksiders 3 would have truly been the successor of the franchise.

As a big fan of Stranger Things, I found some decent fun to be had with ST3TG. It’s genuinely exciting to take control of these characters we’ve gotten to know over the past three seasons, even as 16-bit renditions of themselves. I also really loved discovering the locations we’ve seen on the show. The fan service on display here might be enough to sell enthusiasts of the show, however, it’s tough to recommend this for anyone who hasn’t seen it.

Every component of GORN, from the huge assortment of weaponry to the strange physics, comes together to deliver exactly what is promised: bloody, melee carnage. It’s a no-frills experience that doesn’t concern itself with anything extraneous, like moral questions or a narrative. For some, that’s more than enough. For others, GORN is at least worth checking out, if just to see first-hand how gross dislocated eyeballs are. It’s pretty gross.

Horace is a charming homage to an era of gaming and culture that’s rapidly fading into the sunset, yet it never rests on the nostalgia factor to keep the player engaged. The sound design is messy and the cutscenes can run on too long, but its affecting story and sharp, fun platforming are bound to satisfy anyone keen on the genre. Nostalgia may be a common crutch, but with a sturdy foundation beneath it, Horace shows that feeling a little sentimentality isn’t a bad thing at all.

Professor Lupo and His Horrible Pets is anything but horrible. It is astoundingly creative with an interesting array of monsters and a touch of dark humor. The random, meaningless deaths and the sense of apathy when “running” away from monsters creates a whole new mood for the player. Some controls are questionable but you are not stuck with them as the game presents many options for movement and saving your intern’s skin. With the difficult puzzles and impressive details put into its planning, the game succeeds in providing a fun challenge suitable for anybody who is willing to die a few times to get it right.

The Madden faithful can purchase Madden NFL 20 with confidence as they do every year. On its own, it’s the best and only NFL experience in town but I would not blame you at all for skipping out this year. Madden NFL 20 remains only marginally better than Madden 19.

With a few small hiccups along the road that can probably be easily ironed out, and as long as you have patience in abundance, The Blackout Club is a good time. With never ending levels and missions to complete, and the interesting Stalker mode, the replay potential is sky high. If you have a small group of friends to play it with, it makes things that much better. Overall The Blackout Club offers a genuinely scary experience that is not only intense, but equally fun. Honestly, this is cooperative gameplay, with a dash of horror, at its absolute finest.

If you've had a Fire Emblem-shaped hole in your heart till now, Fire Emblem: Three Houses will leave you breathless, sleepless, and eager for more. I know I'll be lost in this new world for months to come.

Wolfenstein Youngblood looks great and has solid shooting mechanics, but misses the mark when it comes to the things that have become Wolfenstein’s greatest strengths. Without the wacky hijinx and startlingly engaging story of The New Colossus, Youngblood is a good co-op shooter that will struggle to stand out from the crowd. Strange design choices and repetitive quests try to bring it down further, but delicious good looks and flexible progression systems could make it attractive to the right suitor. And hey, killing Nazis never goes out of style.

While 198X did not quite live up to expectations set by its undeniably awesome trailer, the game has displayed a dedication to what it set out to do. Though its narrative at times felt more like a method to which to introduce the various levels, it definitely left me wanting to learn more about the world. Similarly, the game’s relatively shallow stages made we wish that they had been more fleshed out. Sitting at a playtime of somewhere between one and two hours, 198X gives players a glimpse of the retro-inspired world that the developers have crafted, leaving players wanting more of what they got.

Fighting games come with their own language, one assembled out of controls, concepts, and character types. We’re so well-versed in this dialect that it can be jarring to try and pick up a new one. Fantasy Strike lays this daunting task at your feet with comfort and ease. Before long, you’re wholly absorbed in the game’s unique rhythms. At the same time, you’re learning the basics common to all fighting games. When to block, when to counter, what moves work best, and when. With a little patience, you can pretty good at this game. Yet if you spend enough time in these trenches, you’ll end up better at all of them. While it’s not perfect, Fantasy Strike is a rock-solid entry in the larger fighting pantheon.

Overall, They Are Billions is an absolutely solid pick up and a real steal for its price point. It has a great aesthetic, solid gameplay, and a difficulty curve that is as impressive as it is aggravating. The only real drawback that I found was the PC ported controls that aren’t exactly designed to make PS4 gaming a breeze. If you want to test your steampunk mettle against an almost endless hoard of the undead, They Are Billions scratches that base building itch as well letting you live out your fantasies of fighting zombies. As long as you’re really, really, good at both, you’ll have no trouble with this one! Even if you’re not, this is one that is well worth the time and punishment.

Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle feels like a complete experience that’s just jam-packed with content. For those who have been waffling on picking up this title, I highly urge you to do so, especially if you’re a fan of the Attack on Titan series. The anime translates beautifully to a 3D setting and whipping through streets and fields with your Omni-directional gear is just thrilling. Not to mention killing Titans always feels badass. For players who want to pick up the base game and want to play through season 3, I would certainly say it’s worth it as you’ll have access to a ton of new content but as it’s currently at the price that you probably paid for the game upon release, I can see why fans might be a bit ticked.

God Eater 3 is a middling experience of ideas and gameplay that paradoxically work and don’t work. It can be a lot of fun and it can be a slog of dialogue. It can be an intense firefight and epic battle, but only last less than a minute before returning to base. Somewhere beneath the tangled web of ideas lies a wonderful game but for now, in its current state, it’s a serviceable experience to pass the time on the go if you ignore the narrative and stick to the hack and slash chaos. I had hoped for more out of the level design and overall presentation but sadly it feels like something from the late PS3 era. Hopefully Marvelous will learn from this experience to make God Eater 4 everything we could ever want in the end times.

While not perfect by any means, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is the Marvel game fans have been waiting years to play. Was it worth the wait? I’d say so. But the feeling I’m left with is that I want another. And another. We get two or three good Marvel movies a year; it’s made me greedy. This game will make you long to play a dozen more.

Is Terraria on Switch a must-buy? In its current state, I’d say no, but it’s still worth taking a chance on if it interests you at all. This may be an eight-year-old title, but it’s received a ton of content over the years, and you’ll be kept busy for over one hundred hours easily. Its depth and replayability put many AAA titles to shame, but the lack of some pretty big features like local wireless gameplay and its high price will definitely turn people off of it regardless. Terraria has aged fairly well, and the Switch version captures that same magic that made it so popular, despite its problems.

Etherborn is a charming game with great level design and soundtrack. While the story and character were rather flat the gameplay more than made up for it. A simple puzzle game at heart the main premises of perspective and gravity control was used to great effect. Etherborn is a rather short game and the levels don’t offer much replayability. I certainly enjoyed my time with Etherborn, but I would have liked to have a reason to return. Overall, Etherborn is a game I would recommend for anyone looking for a mellow puzzle game that will teach you how to approach problems from new perspectives.

Astro Bears is incredibly easy to learn, play, and provides a good amount of challenge depending on who you are playing against and how you work together (or against each other). The best part is that even though the levels are nothing too special because you are playing with other people, no two rounds will ever be the same. While most of its elements feel repetitive and lacks adventure, Astro Bears is really just a no-frills, fun family game. It is nothing spectacular nor extraordinary, but its playful colors and the atmosphere it creates in the room shows it is capable of bringing joy to those who play it.

My one gripe with the design choice is that some of the flying enemies are just ground enemies with wings. This is fine, but when playing on the Switch in handheld mode it can be difficult to tell them apart. This can get annoying when you are trying to full-health a level only to be surprised by a few flyers. In truth, the levels aren’t too long so it’s not much of a problem to redo, but it can be annoying. Besides that, the game is a decent tower defense with a bit of fun hack and slash thrown in.

Penn & Teller VR is a mixed bag. Its reliance on pranks, which are unlikely to come in handy unless you have access to some very gullible victims, severely limits its appeal. The minigames, while great, are too few to make a good VR showcase for when you have company over. For a game about magicians, it’s baffling that there isn’t more insight into how magic is performed. In fact, I expected Penn & Teller to pop up at some point and tell me that none of this is meant to be taken seriously, that it’s all a big joke on me, the player, but that’s not the case. As it stands, Penn & Teller VR will please only fans of the titular duo.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 took everything that worked from the original, adorable, nostalgia riddled experience and upped the ante with better graphical effects, a stronger progression structure, and a more mature narrative that still has the classic Dragon Quest charm. While the controls can still feel a little clunky from time to time, the sheer options for creativity and the joys of letting your imagination run wild more than make up for a few odd accidental button presses. It’s a game that captures the essence of fun and will make any RPG fan happy as they go from building a moderate little village in the hill into constructing an elaborate and gorgeous castle to share online with other players.

None of this is to say that Blazing Chrome is a terrible game. The run-and-gun gameplay felt great, I liked the over-the-top level design, the story was a neat throwback to a time when game stories were simple, and the bosses were memorable. I just wished the game wasn’t so frustrating to get through.

Sea of Solitude is a short but impactful, memorable experience that treats the subject matter of depression, loneliness, and mental illness with both respect and honesty. At times the content may hit a little too close to home, but pushing through the pain and reaching the end of the game is a satisfying and worthwhile experience. It is, however, only the games powerhouse storytelling that holds it together as mechanically it’s a lot of walking with some minor platforming. There is a lot of potential for some innovative and memorable puzzles here, but the games heavy focus on its emotional narrative detracts from it being, well, a game.

Although there is no actual nudity in the game, it gets down to naked with their bits covered… and groping… and lewd poses… There’s also some swearing. Peach Ball deserves its M rating, and that’s going to be a huge part of its appeal. If you’re looking for a pervy Japanese pinball game, then look no further. In the end, I can happily say that I’m glad to have a solid pinball game on my Switch.

SolSeraph’s definitely a successful copycat that lacks originality. If you haven’t heard of or played ActRaiser, SolSeraph will seem quite unique. It’s an example of the finished product being greater than the sum of its parts: a good action platformer combined with a good RTS that makes for a very good package. If you were hoping for another ActRaiser game someday, this may be the best you’ll ever get. But if you hold ActRaiser dear to your heart, you may get offended at how much SolSeraph essentially remakes that wonderful game.

While I wish I could have experienced Riverbond with a group of four friends to its full potential, I still managed to get a lot out of the game and I enjoyed the silliness the creators had intended for their players. At this price point I could certainly recommend the game for a party with friends, as there is much fun to be had with just the crazy weapon designs and plethora of character skins available, but I would be hesitant as only a solo gamer. The fast paced gameplay, mixed with the interesting visuals is sure to please a crowd, but don’t expect to get in too deep with the story, as it is only meant to give slight purpose and context to the hacking and slashing that ensues.

Hopefully, some of these issues will be addressed in subsequent patches but the current state of the game feels undercooked. The game is presented as providing a full GT3 experience but it does not. The competition in Assetto Corsa Competizione is sorely lacking. Assetto Corsa Competizione provides a satisfying driving experience but like it’s predecessor – Assetto Corsa, it leaves the driver a bit wanting at times.

Despite no attempts to evolve the series beyond its simple roots, Lovely Planet 2 is still just that; lovely. Jumping and shooting your way into the high scores is fun and challenging, and the art style has plenty of charm, accompanied by a wonderfully quirky set of tunes. There are one hundred new levels to take on and two additional modes for those seeking more once the credits roll. While Lovely Planet 2 may not blow away existing fans of the series, it will likely win over many new ones and keep those existing ones thoroughly entertained.

Catan on Switch is serene but never boring. It’s not a pulse-pounding action thriller, but it asks for a lot of thought. You will strategize, you will win, and sometimes you will lose. But the music will continue to gently encourage you, the cartoon opponents are just begging to be defeated, and there are still so many islands to clear. I don’t know how glossy you can make a game like this, but I’m happy to report that you don’t have to. An attractive package and a clear interface are the only reminders we need- Catan is a classic and being able to play it on the go is a gift.

It’s been a time since I’ve been able to play an RPG like I used to with the grind and the turn-based combat and the healing between battles in order to stay in the action. They just don’t make them like they used to! It even comes with a $14.99 price tag to boot. However, I really wished that all the things that Citizens of Space does well weren’t attached to a game that is so… in your face. It borders on obnoxious but keeps the annoying line repeats and the length of time to get anywhere just under the bar of annoying. It did, however, prevent me from being able to play for a big chunk of time and it sucked a lot of the fun out of the well-done aspects of the game. I think it says a lot that you can get a lot of enjoyment out of this game but it’s best enjoyed on mute.

All in all, The Sims 4: Island Living has blown me away. The Island of Sulani is simply beautiful and the implementation of the new jobs and career path, as well as all of the other fun things your Sims can get up to, has really made me fall even more in love with the Sims. With beautiful visuals, an impressive upgrade to clothing as well as objects in the build and buy sections and new gameplay features, I honestly feel like this will be one of the best expansions to the series yet. Plus you get to live as a freakin’ mermaid, and I mean, who doesn’t want that life, right?

This city feels alive, and despite it’s incredibly seedy underground, it’s a locale in video games that I look forward to returning to each and every chance I get, with Judgment’s story and cast being one I won’t forget.

We. The Revolution challenged my sense of justice and morals, and for that alone, I can easily recommend this title to fans of history or those craving a bit of despair. The game puts the situation into a new perspective that lets us think for ourselves, and while I may not have made some good decisions, you won’t pass judgment easily either.

Despite the imperfections, Trover Saves the Universe is a blast, a genuinely funny, entertaining and well-made game that I enjoyed from start to finish. You don’t have to play it in VR, but I recommend that you do since that was primarily what it was designed for. And at $30.00 US, you get a good value for the price, plus the developers have announced that they’ll be adding free DLC in the future. But trust me, just hearing all of Justin Roiland’s hilarious dialogue alone is well worth it.

For all the hardcore racing gamers who love to geek out over the various different cars, the realistic tracks, and put the pedal to the metal, this is your nirvana. Now if you’re anything like me, someone who doesn’t watch Formula1 or know a whole heck of a lot about cars, but just likes the humdrum of sexy ass vehicles, you’ll still have a ton of fun with F1 2019. If you’re completely new to the genre, you might find it a bit difficult at first, and it could even be a bit intimidating, but before you know it, you’ll be having just as much fun as the fanatics. Unequivocally the F1 series is at the top of its game, with this latest title leaving past 11 titles in a cloud of dust.

That's the curious power of the Mario Maker games. They can transform a passive audience member into an active participant. I'm dissecting stages and layouts with brand new vigor. Every design choice is something to be absorbed and digested for later use. Even if you don't fancy yourself a creator, I highly recommend Super Mario Maker 2. You'll be shocked at the subtle yet significant shift in your mindset.

Cadence of Hyrule is the Legend of Zelda game I didn’t know I wanted, and now can’t live without. It’s perfect for both bus rides and extended eyebleed caliber play sessions has the raddest soundtrack of the year, and is randomly generated to ensure infinite replayability. It’ll be in my rotation for a good long while, and deserves a place on your Switch wishlist, Zelda fan or not.

It demands a high level of technical skill and lacks the chaotic hilarity you’d find in Super Smash (only bob-ombs on high). That being said, it’s a gorgeous game, and I could probably rope friends in for the style alone. If you have a community of fighting game aficionados or some pals who love over the top Wu-Tang movies, there’s a lot to be found in Samurai Shodown.

The pacing is weird, you can spend a lot of time wandering around, your move set is limited, and we’ve seen all this before. The Metroidvania genre has made leaps and bounds since its creation with Symphony of the Night. On the other hand, this game feels so damn good! Every strike and every skill is pure, like a fine decanted wine. The level grinding, the power acquisition, the wild monsters, and that sparkling aesthetic all put a real humming in my blood. The thought of thirteen DLC releases on the way makes my heart race. While the score below is technically accurate, know that in my heart, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night gets an easy nine out of ten. I’ll be exploring this weird world for quite a while yet, and I suspect that many of you will be doing the same.

The Sinking City is paradoxically teeming with life and things to do while atmospherically making you feel alone and unsafe. The revamped investigation systems rely on your own powers of deduction and the combat is both tense and nerve-wracking. Save for the graphical issues, The Sinking City is heart-pounding, unrelenting, and addictive. Its powers of immersion and fear are not to be overlooked, and fans of eldritch horror, Cthulhu, and things that go bump in the night will definitely be satisfied playing in the dark.

Irony Curtain is a satirical point and click with plenty of nonpolitical humor that’s a pleasure to play. The art style is great, and the humor manages to be a good mix of political satire, references, and great jokes. Irony curtain is an excellent time if you are looking for a relaxing point and click with great atmosphere.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a top-notch kart racer. There is just a ton of content here that should keep avid fans busy for months to come. The Adventure Mode is pretty decent, with just the right amount of humor thrown in, although the difficulty levels probably could use some tweaking. Easy was way too easy, Medium was a bit too hard, and Hard was… well, not worth the frustration. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the issues I’ve mentioned are addressed in future patches. Needless to say, if you’re looking for a fun, racing game, you really can’t go wrong with Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.

Without a doubt, My Friend Pedro’s greatest strength is its gameplay. While its surrounding narrative and levels are not at the same level, they do not hinder what is an overall solid game. My Friend Pedro is a relatively unique game that is hard to compare with anything contemporary and plays well to its strengths. With the ability to replay the game on higher difficulty settings and compete for higher scores, we can see My Friend Pedro being a fun pickup-and-play title for the foreseeable future.

With 15 story missions, a batch of time trials and a few online modes, Golem Gates has a lot to offer. Unfortunately, the online lobbies were about as lively as a can of air. If you’re a beginner to RTS or CCGs, Golem Gates might be worth a shot; however, those more experienced players to the genre may be annoyed by the lack of depth.

Killing Floor 2 and Killing Floor Incursion go together like Rocky and Adrian. Each game has gaps. But different gaps that complement one another. Put together they give you a gameplaying experience where the sum is greater than the individual parts.

I understand the interest in placing a game like this on the market, but it just seems too rushed and not really necessary. The game comes off like a bit of a cash grab for the market, and priced at $40, it just seems to be too little for the price tag. It’s ambitious, I’ll give it that, but one year of Early Access really should have ironed out some of these bugs.

It’s almost unfair to assign a score to KIDS, because the experience is just so subjective. What you take away from it depends entirely on what expectations you have. Those looking for traditional gameplay elements or a cohesive story with a beginning, middle, and end will be sorely disappointed. But if you’re up to experience something wacky and stylistically unique, KIDS is well worth your time, even if you walk away confused about the meaning behind it all. After all, the point of art is to get people talking, and since I’m here talking about it, that must mean KIDS has done its job.

MotoGP 19 is a huge leap in the right direction, with this being an excellent title for the fans of MotoGP. Milestone’s making the right steps, and their next entry could be the de facto MotoGP experience if they keep trending upward. They continue to improve the quality of the game with each release to marked effect, and it’s safe to say that MotoGP is in good hands.

Project Nimbus is good to look at and great to listen to. It’s got a jammin’ old school video game soundtrack, great explosions, and the aforementioned pilot banter. Diehards of the genre will find a love letter to all things big and clanky, and if your dream is to pilot something big and fast and humanoid shaped, Project Nimbus will make you feel great.

While I do wish that Octopath had a bit more off-the-wall ambition the fact is that it definitely accomplishes what it set out to do. They really don’t make games like they used to, and this is the most playable old-school JRPG I can remember in forever. The turn-based combat is very engaging, as are the soapy stories. The style is confident, from the music to the character designs, to the lighting and motion blur, this is a game that knows what it is about. And while some of the writing and voice acting stumbles in places, that’s kind of part of the charm. For good and bad, Octopath Traveler evokes the games of the past, and for a lot of us, we miss the bad as much as we do the good.

Overall, Little Friends: Dogs & Cats has some fun to offer, and what little it does offer is well executed. The visuals for the various dogs and cats are nice, and pretty realistic looking, but the other visuals like those of the houses and parks are simplistic and basic. The gameplay draws you in at first since it is so simple, accessible … and downright adorable. But I can’t see many players coming back to play it on a regular basis. There just isn’t enough of a game here to warrant a big commitment.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons looks like it would be a fun, artsy game to play with a buddy, but most of what you do feels like pointless busy work with almost no trace of the story past the two-minute mark. You’ll run around, climb things, pull levers and move objects, but in a way that requires virtually no thought or strategy. I’d definitely recommend this game to young siblings or children in general, as it is aesthetically pretty and very low pressure. For any other audience, I think the game would be too mindless in its objectives and too frustrating in its clunky-ness to merit even its $14.99 price tag.

Void Bastards is a brilliant take on the first-person genre. The gunplay is solid and satisfying. The added tactical element makes me feel in control of my experience and less like it was just tacked on. The game can get very challenging, but I was still compelled to keep pushing and trying new strategies. Death comes at a unique cost, losing my current criminal. Heck, there were times where I’d die just to get rid of a criminal that had an annoying trait – and that’s part of what makes this game so unique. The bottom line, Void Bastards is an absolute gem and definitely worth playing.

It’s frustrating that a game that oozes style from nearly every facet can need a mechanical tune up so badly. With more fine tuned controls, and more meat on its bones, this could’ve been an absolute home run for the developer. Instead, despite all of its charm, Steel Rats simply fails to really hold the players attention for its entire journey and it’s a real shame.

Because of the lightness in content, Everybody’s Golf feels like an early access version of the game. At least the game is priced accordingly. Fortunately, the paucity of content is offset by the strong technical and gameplay aspects of the VR presentation. Further, the VR mode really captures the finesse of setting up a shot. You can take practice swings which will project how the ball will fly before you switch to address mode and ‘really’ hit the ball. Everybody’s Golf VR is another shining example of a VR implementation of a game that has to be experienced to feel how immersive it is.

Overall, I found Alt-Frequencies provided some great commentary on how the media decodes the underlying truth and spoon feeds it to the public and how governments can step in to attempt to control the narrative. It was interesting seeing the introduction of rogue elements to the story and how those played out. This experience has a lot to say about a lot of things, which is really my criticism. I wanted so much more.

The slowness of the growth and the beauty of the end result, and the intervening moments, make Green Planet a wonderful game to unwind and relax. But the challenge means you’ll also be engaged. It would have been easy to add a few new projects to the research track and call it a day, but the terraforming is so integrated into the existing game, you’ll constantly find yourself marveling at the design. But the real selling point are the wonderfully applied graphics. It’s a testament to what a different the look of a game can make, and how it can enhance the gameplay.

Vambrace: Cold Soul is a great love letter to Darkest Dungeon. The art style is very well done and the story intriguing. The character classes manage to show great variety in their kits within their limited options. While the game encourages tactical retreats to replenish resources in town, it provides no incentive to invest in your party members beyond their gear. This ultimately makes your squad feel shallow and very expendable. For fans of games like Darkest Dungeon, this is a title worth looking into.

My advice? If you haven’t played either game, you can probably skip the first one. Otherwise, only dive into The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II if you absolutely loved the previous game. It’s a fun enough experience, though it’s not worth the second round.

Layers of Fear 2 is bigger, more ambitious, and scarier than its predecessor, but it can feel a bit familiar at times too. Its story is more interesting, and the shape-shifting environments that were so praised in the first game are back in fine form. Aside from a handful of frustrating chase sequences, Layers of Fear 2 is, for the most part, a success. It might not be the most original game in its genre, but for horror fans, it’s still a fun and spooky good time.

Unruly Heroes is a fun action-platformer with a beautiful artstyle, solid puzzles, and a lighthearted sense of humor. However, one shouldn’t let its kid-friendly artstyle fool them: this game’s platforming challenges rival those found in other 2D indie platformers such as 2018’s Celeste.

Gato Roboto is polished, and there is no doubt a certain naive charm to the game, aided by catchy music and sound effects. The environments and enemies are rendered with a defined style that lends character to the game. The game also controls well which is a necessity as enemies come at you from all directions. But, and it’s a big but, the monochrome white of everything strikes me as bland. Because of it, nothing stands out. Not the environments. Not the enemies. And especially not Kiki.

If you’re looking for an addictive puzzler to compete against friends and strangers, you really can’t go wrong with Puyo Puyo Champions. Highly recommended!

Ultimately, American Fugitive lives and dies by its gameplay. Driving around and tearing through Redrock County is fun, destructive, and weirdly cathartic. Casing buildings and barely escaping before the police show up is breathtakingly thrilling. Past those two parts of the gameplay, however, there’s not much of substance to hold onto. American Fugitive is a quirky and fun open-world sandbox, but if you expect a bit more from games that tackle Grand Theft Auto’s legacy, you’ll be left wanting.

I found Persona Q2 to be very easy to get into as a relative newcomer to the spinoff series. It definitely helps that the Persona charm shines through the solid formula which includes a quality combat system and a nice aesthetic. If this is the swan song for the Nintendo 3DS, then it is for sure a quality one.

Even with the two questionable mechanics, one can’t deny Super Cane Magic ZERO certainly has charm. Its art direction compliments the overall quirky nature, and the meta-style humour is, at the very least, wholly memorable. For those with a big couch and with three other friends to play with, it will no doubt provide plenty of silly fun. Until we get a sequel to Castle Crashers (if ever), this just might be the next best thing.

For Swag and Sorcery barely qualifies as a game. I don’t know what it is, an elaborate practical joke, shovelware cash grab, or experiment gone wrong. I urge gamers to stay away from it, don’t go down the same dark hole I did. And I implore its developers, all developers really, to learn from these mistakes. This is the exact lack of interaction that makes games bad. This is the recipe for failure, and in the future, it should be used as a road map of precisely what not to do in game design.

Draugen is not a revolutionary game, but it is a smart one. The story teeters between being overly explanatory and too ambiguous but never manages to succumb to either. Additionally, the two lead characters feel deftly crafted and relatable. The short length and a lack of replay value may deter some, but Draugen is a mystery worth losing yourself in.

Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland is the perfect way to conclude this now tetralogy. That said, Gust could surprise us with another game set in the world of Arland. For now, though, Atelier Lulua is a crisp and clean experience with cute visuals and an even cuter cast of characters. While the gameplay is simple, it’s engaging enough to hold your attention and the best part is that you don’t need to have played the previous three games in order to understand this. With the added bonus of the simplified alchemy procedure, it’s an overall great title to pick up if you’ve been curious about the series.

Had the developers simply slapped the Lovecraft label on the game and not explored the rich mythos inherent in the name, this could have been a disaster of a game, but instead – and despite of its faults – Lovecraft’s Untold Stories is a rich and intoxicating set of tales weaved together, balancing mystery, combat, and madness together in an engrossing experience. Combat isn’t particularly up to snuff with today’s standards but it could be forgiven considering its aesthetic and gameplay are reminiscent of the SNES, with which the controls fit in perfectly.