Its layout and interface is seamless to get accustomed to and is fairly enjoyable for some on-the-go action. However, aspects like the intricate details the Samurai Warriors titles are known for can’t fully be appreciated on the 3DS due to its hardware capabilities.

Had I been more familiar with, or been a fan of the series, it’s possible I would have enjoyed Sword Art: Online Lost Song more than I did. As a newcomer to the series, the game has a lot to offer, but poor design choices ultimately lead to the game becoming mediocre instead of great.

Unless you’re interested in the subject matter — and, really, I was — you’d be better off spending your money elsewhere.

While it is fun to experience Pop-Up Pilgrims in a somewhat faux VR mode, it is really a mere 3D presentation when you get down to it. You are truly restricted to a god-like point of view. And the gameplay mechanics don’t quite gell with the VR implementation.

I Hate Running Backwards is a game that offers simple, satisfying fun and colorful, fast-paced action.

From a narrative perspective, the elevated difficulty and unfair mechanics are perfectly appropriate. How else do you make players feel like they're taking on the gods themselves? Uneven rules and impossible odds, combined with the sinister music and the desolate world, create a lasting feeling of hopeless doom. And yet for me, it's too much.

Curved Space is described as arcade-style anyways, so I don’t understand why the devs thought the story was needed at all. If they focused on polishing a mode that players can have some mindless fun, Curved Space could be leaps and bounds better. There’s a reason why rogue-lites have been finding so much success in the indie sphere: gameplay-first designs that just feel nice to play.

Bleak Faith Forsaken’s screenshots are impressive. The game’s art direction and atmosphere suggest an oppressive future world, but Bleak Faith Forsaken is all window dressing. Behind the façade, a seriously unpolished Soulslike filled with broken dreams awaits.

Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch is a fun homage to the world of Kevin Smith. Packed with jokes that capture the spirit of the stoner duo, it blends elements of the View Askewniverse into an enjoyable beat ’em up. With its surprisingly deep combat, the game keeps you engaged throughout its short runtime. Even though bugs and the conventional level design prevent it from feeling essential, fans of Smith will still find plenty to love.

I’d still recommend this game if good world-building, easter-egg hunting and puzzles are what you are looking for in survival horror titles because those elements are fantastic. But beware, as clunky mechanics and repetitive design definitely drag things down, Still, Daymare 1998 is an ambitious first game from the young Invader Studios that showcases their immense potential, and I wish them nothing but the best for what’s to come.

n many ways, HYPERGUN is like an unfinished house. It is held up by a solid foundation and looks good from the outside, but once you step inside you realize so much of what makes it function is still missing. The 80s neon aesthetic and soundtrack are great, and the fast-paced gunplay has an almost doom-like feel to it, which adds to the frantic energy. Nevertheless, that doesn’t excuse the numerous balancing issues.

Too often, the gameplay and production values took away from the joy. I’m not sure if the developers were pressed for time or under budgetary restraints, but it just felt rushed and unpolished overall. Like I said before, it’s not so much that Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son is a totally bad game — it isn’t. It’s just really disappointing that it wasn’t a lot better.

Fashion Dreamer is a game I’ll be picking up here and there for a quick look. While its features are fun, the novelty will wear off after a while. It’s not more than a dress up game and will not be for everyone. If you’re looking for a more in depth game, you might have to look elsewhere.

I have raced many a game but Overpass brings something new and unique to the racing genre. If you have a FFB wheel give this game a try. If not, only off-road racing fanatics will find something here to keep them coming back.

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.

Super Bomberman R is a Bomberman game through and through. Although the game features the classic Bomberman gameplay, an overall lack of innovation and previously developed customization makes the formula feel stale.

The upside is that, although the game feels underdeveloped, what it has is a great base to build upon, and the devs have promised ongoing support for the game. I found the art charming and expressive, and the unique characters are brimming with great stories just waiting to be told. The voice acting makes the battles feel alive with commands being shouted in Polish and German, backed up by great sound effects. Finally, there are many strategic gameplay bits that differ from its predecessor that I can see being developed into a full feature to help WARSAW really stand apart. With all that being said, I can’t recommend WARSAW to you in the current state. I’d give it a few months wait before checking it out again.

A quick thrill ride.

Desctruction AllStars had a chance to deliver some creative car combat and it mostly set it sights on being mediocre and forgettable. Granted it’s free for PS+ users so it’s not a large barrier to get into. But down the road this is not a game worth a price of admission unless they prove they can do something better. It’ll likely be forgotten in the eventual ocean of other PS5 exclusives that release down the road.

Featuring upgradeable weapons, unlockable combat companions, and hidden collectibles to find, Blue Rider’s biggest problem is overzealous movement controls that make fine-tuned bullet dodging trickier than it needs to be. While it does not feature a story or basic plot, it makes up for it with fast action, explosions, and replayability as you try to reach the top of the leaderboard.

When I previewed Dream Cycle nearly a year ago, I connected with the game’s premise and still-in-development combat mechanics and movement. Those promising elements remain, but in the full game, they’re obscured by some technical issues and the need for a lot more polish and refinement. A third-person, Lovecraft-inspired action game is a great idea. Dream Cycle comes close to making it happen. It’s not quite a nightmare, but not the sweet dream I hoped it would be.

Broken Pieces is a creative game with a plot containing a variety of puzzles, decent exploration, and questionable combat. Being the only character in the entire game, it can get rather lonely. However, that adds to the overall experience of being, well, all alone. Although this was under the psychological thriller genre, it was neither psychological nor thrilling – but it was unique. It may not be as mind-provoking as expected, but it had an intriguing story and a fairly smart protagonist, even if she was a terrible shot.

Like so much of the Warhammer 40K universe, Necromunda is a richly imagined world filled with the potential for conflict and storytelling. Using it as the setting for an action-filled shooter makes total sense. Although its mechanics are essentially a greatest-hits collection of ideas from other shooters, Necromunda: Hired Gun is a competent introduction to this particular slice of the Warhammer 40K-verse. At some point, however, repetition and fatigue with the one-note approach to pacing and the relentlessly hopeless nature of the world set in. You begin to desperately hope for some humanity, emotional depth, humor, or variety…which I guess ultimately is the plight of the Underhive’s residents. It just shouldn’t be that of the gamer.

For fans of the first game, the wait for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been long and frustrating, and the new game likely arrives with unrealistic expectations. Far from being an unmitigated disaster, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is entertaining but flawed. Excellent writing, a solid narrative, and quality performances are definitely high points. Uninspired quests and underdeveloped RPG elements suck some of the fun and potential replayability from the experience. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is probably not the game fans hoped for, but its setting, lore, and noire-ish vibe make it worth consideration for fans of all things vampire.

The lack of a story as well lack of quality music and sound are glaring issues and although the gameplay is decent it is far from perfect.

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker puts a ton of work into the acting and presentation of the characters but lacks in the actual gameplay to make it stand out as a video game.

If you really miss arcade racers and have been incredibly disappointed with other franchises like Need For Speed, then this is definitely worth your time and money. If all you want to do is race around blowing up other cars with your friends, you’re better off saving your money.

With a fantastic soundtrack and challenging addictive gameplay, it is pretty much a must own title for those Vita owners who are RTS and rhythm game fans as you won't find another game like it.

With so much to do, this package is a no-brainer for anyone who enjoys Mario sports games and needs a quick fix for their upcoming summer vacations.

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.

Tempestfall is not a terrible game. It’s just not a deep game. Other VR games have raised the bar on VR melee combat over what Tempestfall offers. For better melee combat games, try After The Fall or Swordsman, which use physics based actions. However, if you are a Warhammer fan, the story lore and setting may be enough to keep you engaged.

It wasn’t anything close to what I expected. But in the end, I wound up being pleasantly surprised. While far from a meaty experience, what’s there is all good stuff. If this is Square Enix testing the water – so to speak – with VR, then I hope there’s much more to come from them on this platform.

Intruders: Hide and Seek is a short game focused around one thing, and it does it pretty well. The hiding, seeking and sneaking gameplay works, and developers Tessera Studios interweave it with a short, decent story and not too much else to overly complicate things. The characters look like demonic dolls and the voice acting is scary for all the wrong reasons, but luckily they never play enough of a role to bring this cat-and-mouse affair down too much. If you’re looking for a stealth VR title with solid gameplay and a decent story, seek no further – Intruders: Hide and Seek is a worthy VR title hiding in plain sight.

Overall, this was a solid effort that felt quite polished. Unfortunately, it’s missing the most important thing in video games—fun. Perhaps some updates could fix this, but it would take a creative overhaul to do so.

In the end, I enjoyed my time with Morningstar: Descent to Deadrock. Anyone who has history playing these types of games will feel right at home – just don’t expect anything really new.

The PC port just isn’t able to capture everything that made the original special, even if the core game is still intact. Little King’s Story feels more like a quick pick-up and put-down instead of a polished and complete product.

The core gameplay is fun, but the constant and unrelenting fists of failure really put a damper on things. Some of the issues I found with Firegirl: Hack ‘n Splash could be improved with more polishing. However, others might take a little more work.

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.

Contagion presents a tense survival based horror game, and if you can see past its rough exterior and occasionally shoddy technical performance, there is some fun to be had here.

At the end of the day Neon Studios did a great job of beautifying Legend of Kay, and I’m sure many of the more frustrating areas are a walk in the park for those who have beaten it all the way through before.

The game is priced to match the experience at just over $5. If you’re looking for a brief but genuinely tense experience in planes of existence beyond our own, give it a try.

Although Baseball Riot has its fun moments and I could probably see myself playing it when I have nothing else to do sitting in a Doctor’s office, it’s not something I would sit down to play at home. Anyone sinking money into this title for their console might regret that decision and wish they had tossed a few bucks on it in the app store instead.

If you played Limbo, or more recently, Playdead’s “Inside”, then you already know exactly what kind of game you’re getting with Toby: The Secret Mine. While Toby is no where near as refined as either of those two games, I did enjoy it a touch more than I enjoyed Limbo, but not nearly as much as I enjoyed Inside. Still, with all the glitches and lack of originality, this is a game more for die hard fans of the genre and definitely not someone with a casual interest.

If Outward had released a decade ago, I have a feeling it would have been an instant cult classic, but in 2019, it’s harder to look past some its more outstanding issues. But even with its long list of flaws, I’d still happily get lost in Outward again.

Let’s Sing Country is a decent karaoke experience that’s well-produced and slick. And you don’t have to be a Country fan to have silly fun, crooning into your iPhone like a dorky George Strait. But the tiny number of tracks is a real downer, and put it this way, you’ll get through them long before the beer runs out (a much better measure of karaoke time, honestly). If this was a discount-priced game that would be fine, but for the price Let’s Sing Country should offer a lot more content … y’all.

It’s hard to criticize a game that offers so much originality, humor and satirical atmosphere. We Happy Few, unfortunately, lets its narrative and characters get bogged down in a desperate and, at times, tedious struggle to survive the game’s brutal environment.

I really loved battling through the various maps and tackling a pretty difficult campaign. On top of that, there are more than a few ways to replay it and one mode designed to have you checking in every day, which is something that isn’t outside of the realm of possibility given how much I liked it.

When Ghost Recon Breakpoint is working as intended, it’s a great game. I hope the visual and audio glitches are fixed over time as this is one of many constantly evolving games on the market right now. Things like the Sniper Rifles will need to be better balanced for multiplayer and upcoming DLC will likely add to the great story as gamers grind out their Year One Pass. After many hours with Breakpoint, I can safely say I’m looking forward to what’s coming next.

It’s entertaining, fun and lighthearted, making it the perfect title to pick up from time to time or to play after a long day when the mind just wants to rest.

While the game's simplistic combat, overall look and satisfying power moves will certainly appeal to younger fans of the Marvel Universe and may even warrant a purchase for them, those who are not Marvel Fans may just want to pass this Kinect title by.

At the end of the day the game is not a bad one, it is just one that has notable weaknesses and although the story is a prequel, the technical differences makes it less then the bigger console version whose release it follows.

There’s a lot of familiar territory and some attempt to move in new directions, but nothing particularly ground-breaking.

Overall, this is a pretty good step into the RTS realm. The game itself runs very smoothly and I didn’t find myself fighting with any major bugs or glaring offenses in the design of the game. I feel the game may be too rudimentary for veterans of the RTS genre, but as a less experienced player, I found myself immersed in the gameplay and pretty entertained.

Death Rally is a fantastic example of how you can play a game for two minutes at a time or an hour or two, as you will find yourself addicted and wanting to play again. This is a enjoyable PC game seriously worth downloading, as you will have lots of fun with it.

Wreckreation, a game with a vision beyond the developer’s abilities, serves as a prime example of a game released too early. This feels very much like a beta release. If fundamental aspects of the game don’t work properly, players cannot enjoy ambitious world-building features like Live Mix. To their credit, the developer is engaged in bug fixes and has published a roadmap of upcoming patches. However, these fixes may come too late to keep players engaged. For Burnout fans, wait for the next game, or until they fix the bugs in this one.

Breaking down the package as a whole Insomniac’s Fuse can be fun at times, but it is a middle of the road experience at best.

While acknowledging the 11-year-long commitment that finally brought the game to release, there are simply too many serious problems to ignore. Lost Soul Aside’s sometimes excellent action is undercut by flat characters, cliche story, terrible writing and rough mechanics.

Battle Worlds: Kronos is completely functional, even good by indie standards, but it just made me want to play other games. The story is not gripping and the neither is the gameplay.

If you’re looking for a simple, yet challenging rhythm style game, then Senran Kagura: Bon Appetit! – Full Course might fit the bill. The game has some genuinely funny moments if you can appreciate sexual humour and there are an extensive amount of almost-nude, busty girls with a ton of over-the-top bounce.

Firewall Ultra has a ton of potential. Its solid shooting, diverse maps and addictive gameplay make each match a thrill. While First Contact Entertainment nails these aspects, there are several issues that make this fall short of a complete experience. With the lack of in-game interactivity, inactive objectives and only a couple of modes, Firewall Ultra needs time to be the shooter we were hoping for.

Its niche setting and multitude of combat options make Flint: Treasure of Oblivion best suited for methodical turn-based fans and pirate enthusiasts. This is a game you’ll either be frustrated by or fall in love at the helm of this classic pirate tale.

A pretty solid package, and has no glaring flaws that I could find. But looking back at it, it doesn’t feel all too different from its previous iterations (totally flying the face of the name “revolution”).

Slitterhead takes an innovative concept and places it at the forefront of the adventure. The possession mechanic leads to a frantic combat system that encourages you to quickly switch between characters to fight formidable foes. This bleeds throughout acting as a method of traversal and stealth. Although a little clunky and lacking polish, the game manages to deliver a truly unique experience that will resonate with fans of action and horror.

Lightfield is a solid futuristic racer that definitely has some cool aspects to it. Lots of color, electronic music, and solid racing will pull you in for a time but the experience lacks depth and, for a $19.99US price tag, the variety could be greater. If you are really a fan of the genre, give Lightfield a try, but otherwise, stick to classics like WipeOut HD.

Conception is a unique game that makes me appreciate the wild ideas that JRPGs can come up with. Definitely targeted to a niche audience who enjoys the idea of courting twelve beautiful maidens with the prospect of saving the world. Conception is not a revolutionary JRPG, nor is it a stimulating dating SIM. It is a strange concept but for the purpose of the game, it works. While the storyline could use a little more excitement to keep players hooked, it is definitely worth trying if you have an interest in harem RPGs.

Despite some of the frustrations, I walked away from this game very satisfied – it’s definitely one of the more enjoyable tower defense games I’ve played. If you’re a fan of tower defense games or looking for a game that forces you to strategize, Hero Defense is an easy recommendation.

The artwork and style in Back To Bed is exceptional and fits everything together quite nicely. It’s sort of a mix of claymation and painting with a ton of surreal moments and settings.

Hyakki Castle has a lot of interesting elements. Unfortunately, it’s most talked about feature, team splitting, could have used more work and it felt like there needed to be more to it besides switching on some floor panels.

Crossfire: Legion is an exercise in nostalgia, bringing to mind real time strategy games back when the genre was at its most popular. Its mechanics are comfortably familiar, but that might also be a disappointment to gamers looking for innovation or depth. Skirmishes limited to online-only play, some bugs left over from early access and a forgettable campaign weigh against Crossfire: Legion’s basically engaging RTS gameplay and graphics. Diehard fans of the genre will absolutely appreciate the game’s classic feel, but will be left wanting more.

I’d still recommend trying out Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy just to see some of the interesting ideas floating around, and how not to design jumping in a game. It puts an interesting game-ified twist on Egyptian mythology and shows how far influence can take a project, as there are multiple prominent moments where the game is clearly trying to emulate the feel and pacing of a Zelda title. But in a time where remasters and remakes are a dime a dozen, THQ Nordic may want to put a little more effort into their IPs next time around.

If you’re in the mood for biting social commentary and atmospheric dystopian cyberpunk, play Mato Anomalies. Otherwise, you can safely skip this title. It will make a certain kind of gamer very happy. I certainly had fun in the city of Mato.

A Gummy’s Life is a mixed bag of sweet and sour candies. Free for all mode is a fun experience but after an hour of play becomes stale unless you have friends around to play alongside you. Other modes merely feel like putting sprinkles on a muffin to make it a cupcake. It isn’t a horrible game – it doesn’t have any major flaws or anything; it is a game that is perfect for when you and some friends just want to have a taste of some good fighting game fun. Rag-dolling around, falling over, and tossing each other can lead to some funny, enjoyable experiences. But when isolated to the player and a few bots however, the charm is glazed over by all the flaws of the AI and the online availability issues.

I’m utterly torn with Bloody Ties (no pun intended). On the one hand, I genuinely found myself enjoying my departure from Villedor in favor of a brutal, balls-to-the-walls tournament. On the other hand, no game I’ve played in the last decade has been as unstable as Dying Light 2. I’ve been forced to curse the sky and proclaim Techland’s latest DLC nigh-unplayable. When it works, it’s great. But these developers have some serious fixin’ to do.

While I did have some fun playing Gal Metal, I’m not sure it was the game’s intention for this to occur. By all means, check out this game. Perhaps my fumbling skills are the aberration, and I’m speaking right now to an audience of exceptional drummers. I certainly never felt like one while playing Gal Metal.

All in all, Souls of Chronos is a fun ride. It combines polished action with an unpolished translation, but the bones of the story are still engaging. It explores the cycle of poverty, betrayal, and desperation. I don’t think it will be anyone’s game of the year. But if you’re a fan of nice action and RPGs, you should check this title out.

It’s more like Cube Zero than Cube: it’s fun if you like that sort of thing, but if this was all you saw you wouldn’t be that interested.

A transcendent fusion of color, music and movement, We Are Doomed is as close as you will get to poetry in a twin-stick shooter.

All in all, Dungeons 2 is an enjoyable venture. The dungeon aspect of the game is great and really sent me down memory lane even if the controls annoyed me a bit. The Overworld RTS style play could be polished up a bit to make it more engaging.

Astor: Blade of the Monolith is a great introduction to the Soulslike mechanics that dominate ARPGs right now. I can see it appealing to younger or novice gamers. It’s family-friendly, colorful, and pretty satisfying to play. More hardcore action fans will probably find it too familiar and not quite as polished as their favorites. Overall, Astor: Blade of the Monolith brings together a collection of tried-and-true mechanics in a pretty satisfying way.

Lust From Beyond is not going to be for everyone, and fortunately, the game has two, free prequels you can play, both of which are completely unique stories, yet intertwined to the overall Lust story. These prequels will give players a proper look and feel for what Lust From Beyond has to offer, so if you enjoy them, you’ll definitely enjoy Lust From Beyond. While there were some frustrating bits throughout Lust From Beyond, I genuinely want to see the franchise continue.

The Sinking City on Nintendo Switch is extremely rough around the edges. I understand the lack of hand-holding when examining clues and evidence, but the fact of the matter is the game is so terrible in nearly every other aspect, that I wanted my hand to be held to get through it quicker! The Sinking City is the type of game that will appeal only to the most hardcore of H.P. Lovecraft, or noir fiction fans. Everyone else will be left wondering how so much could go so wrong in what really is an excellent idea for a game. Like the visions haunting Charles Reed, I’ll be seeing this one in my nightmares for quite some time.

Those who enjoy managing resources and exploration, may find something that deserves their attention, but poor U.I, lame combat, and Anime league pacing is going to leave many wanting more from the experience. Bad? No. Bland? Yes!

It’s classic art-style and gameplay are a tribute to a bygone era, but there is no excuse for the lack of content present in a title being ported to current gen consoles in 2018.

At only $32.99, I’d say Boston Lockdown is worth the money if the lag is fixed but leaves much to be desired for any die-hard fans of the tabletop game.

Obey Me does a lot right to make it a fun play and entice fans of the genre in. The gameplay isn’t overly complicated but it’s still challenging. The dungeons are visually exciting and quite lengthy. They have a scoring system after each battle that will infuriate you if you don’t get the top score. However, the characters are not as endearing as the creators hoped they would be, the dungeons are repetitive, and it’s so close to being a Diablo game … well Diablo 3 is literally right there in my library. If you’re looking for a similar game to Diablo that isn’t just rehashing a game you’ve played a hundred times and you want something with a less bleak tone, then drop the $19.99 on Obey Me. Just know what to expect when you boot it up.

As it stands I finished the game without a lot of desire to repeat the journey to flesh out the many endings (34 in total). Because while there are enjoyable moments, it’s spread across a sparse and long hallway to move through. Ashwalkers has the bones of some good ideas. I’m hoping to see more from this studio as there are unique things to be found here, Nameless XIII just never really hits their mark. There are plenty of walking simulators out there that make you forget what they are. Ashwalkers, unfortunately, is not one of them.

Sure, the combat is simple, the progress is slow, and the difficulty is high. But if a measured, elegant, austere RPG is what you’re looking for, look no further. Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is a great escape for anyone invested in the genre’s illustrious past.

While the Nintendo Switch version is lacking when compared to the other platforms, developer Behaviour Interactive has worked damn hard to fix some issues that may have occurred during the launch and it shows. But I can only recommend this version if you have no other means of playing it. If you have only a Nintendo Switch and this type of game interests you, I recommend it, maybe even with the lights out, headphones on, and volume up.

Robot at Midnight is only a handful of hours long. There isn’t a ton of replay value thanks to its limited systems, weapons, and enemies. The combat and bosses are undeniably fun, but I kept wishing the mechanics had a little more depth, and the world had more detail. At around $20, the balance between content and price might be, unfortunately, up for debate for many gamers.

While Godfall’s technical components of gameplay and graphics were solid, the game overall is just fine. As mentioned, the narrative as told throughout is relatively shallow, and despite a fun combat system, it does get repetitive. Finally, the recurrence of a number of bugs hampered my personal experience, and these do not appear to be an isolated case. While I quite enjoyed Godfall at the outset, it began to wane on me over time, and what might have been a decent launch title may not seem like it years from now.

I think The Walking Dead Onslaught might come off more positively if we hadn’t just experienced the greatness of Saints and Sinners just a few months ago. That game felt much more involved and immersive, with a great story that left an impact. By comparison, The Walking Dead Onslaught feels thin, and lacking in that atmosphere of desperation we’d expect from spending some time in the zombie apocalypse. If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead franchise and hunger for more zombie killing, the missions, gameplay and story in The Walking Dead Onslaught are not bad. But if you’re looking for something deeper to sink your teeth into, stick with Saints and Sinners.

I do admit that I for one loved some of these titles; some of the simplistic gameplay manages to stand up to the test of time. Unfortunately time is not kind to all of the games, which makes the collection a purely nostalgic purchase, not a must have.

Gamers who love the old school feel of dungeon exploring RPG's will probably enjoy most of what Unchained Blades has to offer. Unfortunately, I found the game had a few too many holes and issues to really hold my attention, but for the right gamer it could be just the thing for the start of summer.

It’s got an addictive gameplay loop and a charming atmosphere.

I prefer my life sims with a greater degree of freedom than this, I’m learning. A blank canvas is more alluring than a perfectly crafted setting, at least to me. But I also recognize the value in a place like this. Everything is built around the hobbit ideal that is food. The writing and the aesthetics are all extremely hobbit-coded. Rather than a life sim, Tales of the Shire is a hobbit sim. If that sounds like a good time, you should definitely check out this game.

Between the fighting that isn’t quite realized and the story that feels like something that could have been found on DeviantArt, I have a hard time recommending JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven.

The frantic nature of the gameplay coupled with the appropriate difficulty of the game combine to deliver a fresh experience that is best suited for co-op play. While the game’s shooting mechanics could be more precise, it almost adds an extra layer of strategy and randomness that, in a peculiar way, makes the game more enjoyable. And while the combat soundtrack is downright boring, the exploration soundtrack is lively and a whole lot of fun to play to. 8DAYS is a game of ups and downs, but its sky-high positives outweigh any menial negatives in this 1980’s era dual-stick shooter.

I’ll admit it’s a great time. I sank hours into single player, despite my frustrations, and I had even more of a blast with the multiplayer. The Switch is proving itself to be a worthy home for fun party games, and Ninja Shodown is a strong addition to that lineup.