I cannot say enough about The Messenger. The retro side-scrolling action works in both 8-bit and 16-bit. The story is one of the best in any retro game I’ve ever played. The soundtrack is absolute dynamite. There are some nitpicky things here and there mostly in the controls department, but nothing that kills the vibe. The Messenger is a love letter to a bygone era that drops me right back into those wonderful times as soon as I turn on the Switch.

I had a blast playing this game. The Dragon Quest series might evolve a bit slowly for some people, but I'm perfectly satisfied with this pace. Every nostalgic note resonates with gorgeous clarity, be it the monsters, the weapons or the aesthetics. While some attempts at growth fall flat, others expertly hit their mark. The character models and the graphics are the perfect expression of Akira Toriyama’s timeless art style. I wasn't in love with all the writing, but the characters were still flush with charm and personality. Whether you're a lifelong fan or new to the series, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is an easy recommendation.

Blade Strangers is a competent 2D fighter comprised of characters from hit games like Code of Princess and Shovel Knight. While the game does absolutely nothing, beyond the diverse cast, to stand out from other fighters - it's still a game that might be worth your time if you're a huge fan of fighters. My biggest gripe with Blade Strangers was the visuals when presented on TV - they just lack the smooth look that many modern 2D fighters have. For the most part, I was happy with this fighter and I really hope we see some additional post-release content added, such as more characters from Nicalis published titles.

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.

Strange Brigade brought me the most laughs of any game I’ve played in a long time and really packs the fun to boot. The narrator’s wit brings so much personality to a premise that we’ve seen before that it feels like an entirely new experience. The style and aesthetic of the game reflects the layer of polish that can be felt in the level design and combat (barring the bizarre snap-to melee) and adds to the player’s lighthearted destruction of the undead masses.

For those who have fond memories of Shenmue I & II, these ports will allow you to revisit and experience why you fell in love with them. New players who feast on GTAs and Yazukas may find the pace a little too languid but with a little perseverance should soon fall under the Shenmue spell. A stellar port by d3t and here’s to hoping Shenume III can pull off the tricky balancing act of appeasing original fans in tandem with bringing the franchise into the modern gaming world.

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.

Graveyard Keeper is an engaging and rewarding farming sim weighed down by pacing and performance issues. The GBA-style visuals compliment its contained open world, and influences from old-school Zelda games that shine through just as much as that of Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley. The PC and Xbox versions play almost exactly the same, which is unfortunate considering the game’s performance, but if you can look past all the spots and blotches, you’ll likely enjoy the challenging gathering-crafting grind, and the game’s macabre humor when it actually lands.

Would I recommend Little Dragons Café for a child? Absolutely. Would I recommend you buy Little Dragons Café for a child at its current price point? Absolutely not. There is plenty of content and it’s a decent game, but there are a lot of other games that are on-par with this one that are selling for less than half the price. Until the price comes down, I can’t in good conscience recommend that you buy it, and that’s a shame.

The battle of the Two Dragons is one of the better stories of the series, though, and you won’t be disappointed with all the upgrades that make this essentially a new game from the original Yakuza 2 in 2006 – including tons of new content and cut-scenes. If you’ve never played a Yakuza game, however, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a great place to start, as the game offers an option to catch up on the story so far. If you have a Yen for more classic Yakuza fighting action, Kiryu’s latest saga has all the right moves.

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.

While Death’s Gambit as a whole falls a bit short of expectations, the game itself is a solid action-RPG. The game looks great and runs well most of the time, with a solid challenge that is also unlikely to frustrate players too much. With multiple ways to experience the game, I can see myself returning to the game with a different playstyle. Overall, Death’s Gambit does justice to some of its lofty comparisons, though some more time in the oven would have helped polish the title.

Guacamelee 2! is everything one could ask for in a sequel. It packs in what everyone loved about the original, while building on it enough to make it well worth tagging into the ring for once again. Killer tunes, well-designed combat, and challenging bosses are all high points for a game that had a tough act to follow. It's also legitimately funny, with its references paying homage to all kinds of pop culture, from Sonic The Hedgehog and River City Ransom, even to the Star Wars themed Luchador called Boba Fight. Guacamelee 2! is a perfect second helping to the hearty offering that was the first title, and fans of the series will be pleased through and through.

If you’ve got the funds, I’d say picking up Russian Subway Dogs is well worth your time. The game offers an arcade style experience that few games can offer well. It’s likely you’ll play it more after you’ve completed your initial session, even if you have no reason to. I’ve come back into it several times to play a single level or try my hand at the Endless mode. It’s well worth the coin you’ll spend on it.

CastleStorm does a good job of combining polished mechanics from other games with a decent script to form an entertaining game. It’s nothing spectacular, but it’s certainly fun. I sat down with it for about five hours the first day I played it and found myself eager to continue playing it the following day. That’s enough for me to give it a recommendation.

I loved the idea of this game and enjoyed a few missions here and there, telling my agents where to go and having them exercise their particular skills in saving a prisoner to the backdrop of Cold War espionage chatter and tensions. Yet the gameplay and plot never lived up to its potential, and my expectations slowly lowered themselves into a shallow grave as the gameplay, initially full of potential, let me down through repetitive gameplay and a cliché plot.

Simply put, Survios has done it again. Electronauts is not only one of the most enjoyable music games I’ve ever played, but it serves as a stark reminder of why Survios are some of the very best in the business. I’m still no die-hard of EDM, but the game has certainly opened my eyes to the wide variety of music that exists within the genre and just how fun it can be to manipulate it.

The puzzles, while usually fun, can sometimes detract from the central attraction, which is undoubtedly the story. However, when a game’s biggest flaw is that it could have been even better than it is, you know the developers are onto something. I thought the emotional arc of Austin’s story was fantastic, both narratively satisfying and visually stunning, and I personally look forward to playing the next chapter.

The aesthetics were legitimately nice, but they were overshadowed by the red brought to my eyes by the gameplay. The music was nice, but a song’s repetition grows irksome after returning to a stage after each one of a multitude of deaths. The bad of the game is bad enough to darken the good of the game, which is a shame to those who truly did excellent work. Those who worked on the pixel art, on the aesthetics, or on the music, hats off to you. You did great work. I wish the game I played was of the same caliber.

Overcooked 2 takes an already tasty recipe, throws in a few new ingredients, and presents itself on a more attractive platter. Just make sure you’re sharing with a friend.

H1Z1 lacks identity, easily lost in a sea of militaristic shooters, battle royale or not, and that may be the main reason it won’t be the last man standing when the genre fad begins to fade away.

It’s short length, lack of content, and unnecessary boss battles to pad the run time of an already short experience feel weak compared to the insane and wild content of the base game itself.

While providing little bursts of harrowing, strategic survival, Grimmwood falls a little short.

After such a fantastic opening episode, I’m excited to see not only how this story plays out, but how my actions as Clem will directly shape AJ and the narrative. If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead franchise or Telltale games, this one is a must play.

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.

Flipping Death is a humor-laden puzzle platformer full of heart that I couldn’t stop playing.

Fans of the bullet hell genre may want to skip on this title and players wanting to get into this franchise may want to look elsewhere as this is not a good starting point for newcomers.

It is ironic that a game with a truly unique game playing mechanic was deposited into such a generic game, and called Detached. That’s what the end result feels like.