Unfortunately for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, the Nintendo Switch isn’t exactly hurting for Japanese role-playing games, though few can match its breadth and width. If you’ve been curious about the title and managed to miss out on both the Wii and 3DS versions, picking up the Switch one is practically a no-brainer, even if it does feel like a bit of a throwback. If you’ve played it before and loved it, maybe Future Connected is plenty enough reason to return. But if you are just generally interested in games more broadly, there are probably better uses of your time. If they had seriously reworked the combat in some way, it probably wouldn’t really be Xenoblade Chronicles any longer, but I imagine I also would have had a much better time with it.

Somerville feels like a game that is going through growing pains. As the first title to come from Jumpship, there's a fair amount to like here and quite a bit that can be built off of moving forward. Still, Somerville isn't also without its problems, especially when it comes to creating an enjoyable gameplay experience. As a result, Somerville itself isn't something that I would deem a must-play, but Jumpship as a whole is a studio that I'll continue to keep an eye on as time goes on. 

Hot Wheels Unleashed -- in all caps and bolded letters -- is a passable arcade racer that sticks out from other middle-of-the-road racing games thanks to its devotion to nostalgia and some great ideas that are unfortunately not completely realized due to obvious budgetary restrictions. If you're desperate to get behind the wheel of your favorite Hot Wheel, it will scratch that itch, but not much else.

This title certainly marks the next phase of Just Dance, and it makes baby steps towards innovation. If you were hoping Just Dance 2021 would revolutionize the franchise as a whole, well, you will be disappointed there. The game feels and functions much like recent entries from 2019 and 2020. Still, its challenging choreography and updated features are sure to please newcomers and diehard dancers all the same.

Even with the beloved characters and charming interactions, as with most Shonen Jump crossover games, how much you get out of it will largely depend on how much you love these stories. For fans who only have access to a Switch, the journey will be worth it for you to experience this game, especially as the holidays loom and sales come through, but for anime fans looking for the best version of the game, you might want to get out that Dragon Radar and look at the offerings on PS4 and Xbox One.

Ultimately, Saints Row may not be the grand return to the franchise that fans were hoping for, but that doesn't mean it's not worth giving a look. Despite a poorly-paced story with average characters, it still has a ton of content and a sandbox that is ripe for hours of co-op fun. Even if you're playing solo, building a criminal empire is empowering and elevates Saints Row beyond being yet another open-world crime game. If it didn't take some steps back or feel buggy and dated, this game would get a more glowing recommendation, but unfortunately, it doesn't hit all of its marks.

Regardless of whether or not you're familiar with Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, if you're looking for a breezy arcade-style soccer game that relies heavily on its anime influence and has some strong mechanics, this game is worth a look.

Worms Rumble is fairly limited out of the gate given the small number of maps that tend to repeat with irritating frequency. However, the gameplay itself is an entertaining twist on a classic formula and still features the signature Worms touches. It remains to be seen whether the promise of new maps, seasonal modes, and outfits is enough to keep players engaged for long stretches of time.

When Ninja Gaiden 4 is at its best, the graphics paint a vivid portait of a bloodsoaked ninja moving through enemies like a ghost while cutting them to pieces with brutal efficiency. In these moments, everything falls away and players are left with a rich experience of unstoppable power. More often than not, however, players may be more frustrated by needing to cut down the same looking soldier for the 50th time in a level just so they can turn in a side-mission to unlock another air combo. A solid entry point for the series and an enjoyable enough experience for gamers who love a good action title, long-time fans might find themselves disappointed in the lack of variety in Ninja Gaiden 4 — but if you’re looking for an excuse to cut up ninjas in gruesome high-definition video, this is the game for you.

If you’re absolutely craving a new game that has tight gunplay and a loot loop that you can get into for a long period of time, Outriders definitely isn’t your worst option. But if you have played a litany of games like this over the past few years, I’m hard-pressed to think that there is anything about this one that will resonate with you on a greater level.

The underlying combo-heavy combat has enough of a crunch to give it all weight, even as the pacing and mechanics sometimes can’t live up to the potential. While the story mode is a fairly tight action game with a short run time, the various playable characters available provide enough extra edges to make replays fun. While lacking the pace of more successful modern beat ’em ups, Rushing Beat X has more than enough internal depth and external charm to be great for fans of the 90s era — and side-scrolling action games in general.

This remake does recreate the world of Trials with a wondrous, effervescent glow, but that doesn't make up for the clumsy presentation. If you've played the game before and are fond of it, or don't mind the remake's storytelling style, this may be an interesting means of seeing the game in a new light. The combat is fun even if the progression system hamstrings it early on, but the update does more to hold the game back than to breathe new life into it.

As part of its gameplay loop, Living the Dream incorporates real-time elements, with shops refreshing daily. That does make you want to keep coming back to see what new items you’ll unlock. And checking in on the Miis is pretty entertaining at first, too. But as I mentioned, many of the requests and cutscenes start to repeat, which unfortunately made this game grow a bit stale for me far sooner than I would’ve liked. I enjoyed Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream very much for the first several hours I played it, but after the novelty wore off, I found myself wishing for a bit more.

Melody of Memory is indeed a Kingdom Hearts title. It's kind of like Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded in that dedicated fans might not want to overlook this one too much. Really, this is a game made for those fans anyway as it offers a fun way to re-experience the music of the series with some fun Disney extras. With bite-size stages that are easy to take in, it might help alleviate the pains of waiting for the next title just a little.

EA FC 24 is great in spurts, but everything feels so by the numbers that it's impossible to recommend if you've been sticking with the series through the FIFA years. Like most sports games these days, I'd recommend buying every three or four entries and maybe putting on some parental locks in Ultimate Team so you don't waste your money. Trust me, you can compete with the rest of us weekend warriors without dropping hundreds of dollars. And who knows, maybe next year EAFC will finally go from okay to great again.

Biomutant isn't a terrible game -- the fighting and crafting systems are both top-notch and give players a ton of choice. But while the world of Biomutant is hauntingly beautiful, the game lacks any sort of narrative substance or character. If you're looking for a strong story or even a weak story, Biomutant will leave you unsatisfied. However, if you enjoy exploration for the sake of exploration, then you'll probably lose yourself in Biomutant.

Ultimately, 2K and HB Studios created a platform for golf fans to create a memorable career while visiting some iconic courses, and they largely succeeded with a solidly-built game.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R is a great experience for fans already familiar with the original series and those that are jumping into the fighter as a result. There is a lot to love in that regard as the personality from the original manga is in full force, but there's much less of that "bizarre adventure" that is also at the core of Araki's series. The fighting has been improved, and there are plenty of characters to mess around with, but more fighting does not always equal more fun in this case.

There’s a fun concept in Ascendance right from the jump, reintroducing one of gaming’s most beloved vampire epics with a riff on one of their closest peers in the medium. However, the game is held back by some lackluster design choices and overall lack of depth. While the game can be fun, Legacy of Kain: Ascendance never quite matches the ambitions it set for itself.

There's no denying Death Stranding: Director's Cut's technical achievements. It's incredibly immersive, putting every new capability built into the PlayStation 5 to the test and coming out triumphant. If you were disappointed by Death Stranding's unwieldy gameplay the first time around, the Director's Cut isn't going to win you over. But if Kojima's storytelling took you in, this will be a worthwhile upgrade.

God of War Sons of Sparta is not a terrible game by any means. Even in spite of all of its flaws, this is a very competent Metroidvania that will undoubtedly scratch any itch you might have to play a game in the genre. Still, Sons of Sparta is a major swing and a miss on PlayStation’s part. This game had the potential to establish God of War as something new outside of the mainline series that could help keep it fresh for years to come. Instead, I’m now hoping that we see fewer experiments with the IP going forward if this is how they’re going to pan out.

While Chocobo GP feels very much like a Mario Kart clone, it would do the Nintendo game a major disservice to call these titles equal. Square Enix has a polished game here that races rather well, and its surprising difficulty will challenge racing veterans. However, it is just too cluttered with junk to enjoy. Its lacking story mode can be overlooked easily enough by most, but its limited local co-op will make it a no-go for plenty. But if you're strictly in this for moogles and magic, well – Chocobo GP might not be so bad.

Crime Boss: Rockay City isn't a terrible game, but it is one that fails to even scratch the surface of its own potential. Sometimes mediocrity is worse than being bad, though, especially when all of the game's most unique concepts feel half-baked and the core gameplay experience is average at best. For a game that draws immediate parallels to other highly successful co-op crime games, Crime Boss fails to make itself stand out and tries to cover that up with gimmick-y Hollywood performances.

Unless you're a Poke-Fanatic or a young child, Detective Pikachu Returns probably won't hold very much for you. Detective Pikachu is still a joy to watch, but his shenanigans are hardly worth the $50 price tag. However, I think that this game would be a great fit for younger Pokemon fans who aren't looking for deep multi-layered mysteries. As much as I wished that Detective Pikachu Returns had a stronger storyline, Detective Pikachu still has plenty of charm and the kids seem to enjoy his shenanigans as much as they did during his movie.

But the "6" in "Far Cry 6" means you know what you're getting at this point, so none of this should be exceptionally surprising. Longtime fans were worried about things like reduced customizations for Dani and the first-person cutscenes, but the real issue here is that the formula feels less sustainable now more than ever. The big, beautiful country of Yara was squandered by Far Cry staples, and it'd be a shame to see that happen to whatever world comes next.

Trek to Yomi starts to come into its own only as it heads towards its finish. It's easy to admire what Flying Wild Hog set you to do with Trek to Yomi. It's an attempt to blend the appeal of the classic samurai film genre with the interactive moodiness of fellow indie games like Playdead's Limbo or Inside. It's partially successful in that regard, but while the ideas underpinning the game are solid, their execution leaves something to be desired. Ultimately, Trek to Yomi could have benefitted from more time studying the blade.

It’s a surprising disconnect, one that evokes the game’s very title. Darwin’s Paradox’s name is derived from biologist Charles Darwin’s observation that coral reefs thrive in water without many nutrients. How can something so lively sustain itself in a barren environment? While unintended, Darwin’s Paradox offers up a similar conundrum: How can something so lively and pretty be so boring and bland on the inside?

The game really does deliver on a beautiful, cozy environment. I found myself pausing at vistas to take screenshots like I might snap a photo while camping in real life. If only that world offered a bit more engagement and a better overall balance of grind and reward, Outbound could deliver on its promise. The good news is, the game itself runs well on PC, and many of the biggest issues here feel fixable in time. As it stands, however, the game left me feeling more frustrated than immersed, and I wanted a bit more from this one.