Despite my lack of excessive enthusiasm for half of what this collection offers, Tales of Symphonia Chronicles is still an awesome bundle to have, if only for the first game alone.

The solid twin-stick shooting is worth the price of admission alone.

Overall, the game is too easy and you can complete it in around 4 hours. Still, there’s a lot of fun to be had. Especially if you grew up in the Atari era or are a big fan of the Atari 2600 era of gaming.

The launch of Rocket Arena feels like season one of Fortnite in the sense that it feels like something huge but it just needs the community and celebrity support behind it. It’s easy to get stuck playing another match after completing one, which is a key hallmark of the battle royale genre. Once I pick up Rocket Arena in any given day, it’s hard to put it down until I absolutely need to. The gameplay is addicting even if the colourful visuals seem more directed towards kids. While Rocket Arena is a great game for adults to master, it’s the perfect game for a kid to enjoy due to the cartoon violence with a competitive edge.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is quite the enjoyable epic journey, warts and all. When realism is the aim, it’s hard not to notice imperfections. We do live in the real world, so it’s hard not to compare. But all the little imperfections don’t keep this from being one heck of a great ride. The story alone is 50-hours of gameplay and overall there are around 100 hours of quests to complete. There is a lot there. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the first time I played Elder Scrolls: Arena 20+ years ago. The sense of scale, that awe of something you were not expecting to be so grand.

While Bayonetta requires a bit more grit during boss battles, both are still easy enough for anyone to pick up and not feel lost or unpracticed, and I highly recommend this bundle as a starting point for interested players. If you are a fan of hack and slash gameplay and creative finishers or fast-paced shooters where you just want to have fun and not think much of it, these games should definitely satisfy your needs.

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is a fun and satisfying addition to the Switch’s ever-growing library of games. Being a port built for playing on the go, it feels naturally at home on the Switch for the gamer who likes to play in short bursts, however, anyone interested in sitting down to sink serious hours into a Monster Hunter title might get burned out on the repetition quickly. With solid gameplay, enjoyable and colorful hunting grounds, and customizable combat styles, the only thing holding this hunter back is the immense amount of tutorials and the general lack of a motivating narrative.

No More Heroes 3 is absurd, silly, and ridiculously fun. With its slick aesthetic, accentuating the deep and smooth combat, Grasshopper Manufacture has managed to surpass previous entries in the franchise. Packed with a ton of mini-games, this diverse trip will take you to strange and wonderful places. Although the empty open-world areas are plagued with performance issues, it doesn’t take away from the ingenuity that is imbued within.

Some racing sims split the difference between arcade-like accessibility and realism, but RiMS Racing leans pretty hard towards the latter. While not entirely unfriendly to novices, this is a game geared towards the motorcycle enthusiast. With its emphasis on what happens in the shop between races at least as much as on the races itself, RiMS Racing has a supply-your-own-drama career mode, but excels in supplying an exacting and sometimes thrilling simulator of racing on two wheels.

Partisans 1941 takes some getting used to in terms of controlling a squad while moving the camera around. The artistic graphics play off the brilliant lighting of the Unreal Engine and the diverse voice acting is believable for the setting. Daedalic Entertainment and Alter Games have come together to bring a perfect blend of stealth and RTS with a twist on history full of rich lore to discover.

Between the dungeon size, the bite-size story chunks, and the clear objectives, this is a game meant for picking up at a moment’s notice. Ultimately, players torn between this version and a home console one are choosing either function or form. Dedicated Switch gamers, on the other hand, would be fools to pass this one up.

The game’s style is good, and the basic structure is engaging and challenging. Combat could be a little more tactical, but overall it’s a solid game that provides a great outlet for any turn-based craving you might have.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is an excellent game buried under a few layers of frustration and potential hang-ups. Excavation efforts are easier than they might appear, and the game does an okay job of helping you out. The game can be frustrating and off-putting for some, but if you know where and how to interact with your opponent’s multi-minute combo turns, a whole world will open up for you. Even as I write this, I find myself tempted to boot it back up for “just one more game.” And given how close I am to my assigned word cap, I might do just that.

With beautiful graphics, simple and concise controls, and a decent array of weapons to choose from, Alienation only really falters from a tired plot and lack of character customization.

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is a bit of a mixed bag. It probably has the best gameplay in the series, but loses some of the scope and campiness of the mainline games. Also, the timing of its release is weird, coming out only 2 months after Earth Defense Force 6. While I reviewed the PS5 version of World Brothers 2, and found it ran beautifully, at the time of preorder, the Switch version was $46.79 CAD, while the PlayStation version was $66.99. That’s pretty major savings to consider if cost is an issue. If you’ve never played an Earth Defense Force game before, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 would be a great place to start. If you’re already a diehard EDF fan, then this is a quality entry. I just wish the series staggered its releases more.

Playing the game in bite-size chunks is a blast, and I think I’ll be traveling down the Death Road to Canada for a while whenever I need a break from other games. A little zombie bashing once in a while could do me some good.

Capcom Arcade Stadium is a solid mix of arcade classics and some lessor known titles. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Street Fighter games not included. Having one of the X-Men fighting games would have been awesome but the Marvel rights are probably too expensive to secure. Capcom certainly went beyond just straight porting of the games. The presentation of each game is solid with a ton of options. Another nice touch is that a manual for each game is included too. This will be a boon to newbies and veterans alike and will save players from making side trips to the internet looking for tips.

Overall the art of the game complements the gameplay really well. If the music wasn’t good and the visuals weren’t good, it would get extremely taxing as I die and respawn repeatedly in the early stages of figuring out the mechanics of the game. It’s clear that just like the original, Risk of Rain 2 is a labor of love and if you’re a gamer who likes supporting independent titles, this is a great one to pick up.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a well-made Metroidvania with an intriguing and culturally unique narrative and setting. It doesn't try to reinvent the genre, but there's nothing wrong with sticking to a familiar path if the result is polished and fun. Tales of Kenzera: Zau has a colorful, welcoming vibe with a mythic story to tell and enough action to keep players engaged.

With a ton of ways to play and a spiffy new upgrade, Edge of Control is a lot of fun and held my attention better than many other racing games.

Pepper Grinder is an innovative platformer that doubles down on its unique gameplay mechanic. Rather than just sticking with the premise, it evolves and adds new ideas to make levels distinct. Although there’s a difficulty spike with bosses and the controls take a little to get used to, the short adventure is a thrill. For fans of platformers looking for something that pushes the genre in a novel direction, Pepper Grinder is a treasure worth unearthing.

Despite several issues, Iron Man VR was worth the time. A severely repetitive mission structure, lackluster enemy variety, mediocre environments, and a dull story can’t stop this train from rolling. It’s the beauty in the uniqueness of its sales pitch. This is the closest to being Iron Man you’ll ever get. We’re in this exciting, quiet-before-the-storm era of VR gaming. Developers have the opportunity to lay extensive groundwork and show us the possibility of what we’ll see in the future. That’s what Iron Man VR has going for it.

The more I played Minoria, the more I liked it. This became a game I was rooting for, and that’s a great feeling. It sets a high mark for the Momodora series and stands tall about the slew of other Metroidvania options out there. If you’re a fan of Metroidvanias, platformers, or 2D combat, Minoria comes highly recommended. And if you’re a fan of the Momodora series, Minoria is the series best. Highly recommended!

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a fast-paced, energetic racer that captures the speed and spirit of the Blue Blur. Each course delivers unexpected twists thanks to the impressive CrossWorld mechanic, which lets you speed through iconic areas from the franchise’s history. The tight and responsive controls with the Gadget system make each race a thrill as you always know that there’s a chance to reach the podium. While a few more modes would have better catered to solo players, the game makes up for it with a wealth of multiplayer options. And with the mustachioed rival locked to the Switch, this stands as the best kart racer available on other consoles.

Aztez certainly is a fun game and very quick to the action, but I felt the tactical layer hid too much of the great brawler underneath.

College Football 25 is a success. Period. There will always be individuals who can’t accept EA Sports delivering a solid product, but I’m giving credit where credit is due. This game has gotten me excited about simulated football again—something that Madden hasn’t done since the mid-2000s. It’s not perfect, but nothing is. The year ahead with College Football 25 is officially exciting, and if Madden can replicate what it does well, it’ll be a glorious time for football fans.

Technically, the superb hand-drawn art is alive and well in the DLC with satisfying blood splatter and the über-fluid animations of horses and other wildlife. There isn’t much of any sound to immerse yourself in though, which is especially a shame for a title that should have had me craving to explore a fully realized Western world like in the upcoming Red Dead 2. This is especially surprising as the live action trailer made sure to focus on atmosphere, but it isn’t something that significantly harmed my overall experience. 12 Is Better Than 6’s The Apostles campaign is a ton of fun for those who want to jump back in or even for fans of games like Hotline Miami who are looking for a different kind of top-down shooter that has some whacky characters.

Norse: Oath of Blood delivered more than I expected, which is always a nice surprise. I really enjoyed the story and characters and the mix of history, melodrama, and humor. The combat was challenging and offered lots of tactical flexibility. Base building and activities between combat missions were nicely streamlined and kept the overall momentum going. Like a good movie or TV series, Norse: Oath of Blood balances historical elements with entertainment, then adds engaging combat and varied side content to round out the package.