The Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01: Variety Kit is just what it says on the tin - one that serves up a variety of unique and interactive toys to build. Through a brilliant interface and robust card shapes, the kit offers hours of DIY building fun - with an interactive pay-off. The mini-games are somewhat short, leaning more towards concept pieces, but with the Labo Garage included, it creates limitless possibilities to explore and invoke a little mischief, too!

By Mario RPG standards, this is not one of the better ones, particularly when it comes to the pacing, design, and story. What saves Mario & Luigi: Brothership from sinking completely is the strategically engaging and fun battle system, delightful animations that go hand-in-hand with the cartoony art style, and the excellent soundtrack. Other gameplay ideas miss their target, and things become a drag far too quickly.

Despite its age, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD maintains exceptional quality, offering engaging platforming sequences, visually impressive set-pieces, dazzling vistas, and a high level of difficulty. While the majority of collectibles offer limited in-game value beyond unlocking mirror mode, their inherent appeal, driven by ingrained desire, compels players to seek them out. It's highly replayable and highly addictive, leaving gamers eager to keep playing. It is disappointing that this remaster doesn't include anything new for veterans, but when the foundation is so enjoyable, it's hard to be dissatisfied.

Despite entering a crowded genre on the Nintendo Switch, Touhou Spell Bubble stands out above most for a brilliant audio collection, and unique addictive take on the classic Puzzle Bobble system. A lack of online support, bar the downloadable song packs, is a shame, but for local one-on-one, and an enjoyable solo endeavour, this nails that essential feel of "easy to learn, hard to master."

Within Persona 4 Arena Ultimax players will find a more-than-decent fighter, that those experienced with Arc System Works games will like quite a lot. Persona fans will enjoy seeing their favourite characters once more, but be warned that the story hasn't been handled as well as one would expect.

For a kid's game, Ufouria: The Saga 2 is certainly going to capture the imaginations of its target audience. Fans of the original Ufouria are likely in their late 30s to early 40s and will likely find this to be a very safe and by-the-numbers languid platformer. Anyone who enjoys the likes of Kirby will feel right at home with this surreal and charming Metroidvania, but those that have grown tired of the genre will be better off looking elsewhere for thrills.

The problems with Othercide are mainly some lack of polish, some pacing issues and the repetitious grind that is going to hit hard. The novelty of the game is surprising, and the quality is actually good. Some choices, like practically requiring soldier sacrifice, are going to be off-putting, along with the colour scheme and dark tones and story. Beyond this, the progress run to run feels too slow and may be off-putting on an otherwise unique game.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is a very specific type of RPG that can be overwhelming in large parts, but rewards in spades if able to quickly adapt to its sweeping approach and quest-based structure. Locking down story missions to character levels can drastically halt momentum and be an issue for those looking to get caught up in the story, but its strengths lie in the exploration-based format across a beautiful world. It is one enhanced by resolution and framerate boosts on the TV, but the massive hit to handheld play with disturbingly bad visual upscaling is a cause for concern that is hoped can be addressed.

Sitting down and reading about a puzzle game based around arithmetic may put some people off, but after giving this even just a short try will convert people instantly, forcing them to flex their brains more than they could imagine and proving to be much more fun that Brain Training.

It is mired by a litany of hurdles, that perhaps a more patient player can deal with, but many will really wrestle with this - for them it is advised to seek out PoEII on a platform that it's design is more inherent. At very least, wait until a patch can fix some glitches, and the egregious loading times, in particular. Someone that can get beyond those inconveniences will discover there is a deep novel-esque adventure to be had. This adventure is full of loot, bounties, ship battles, and engaging fetch quests; all of the usual RPG fare that would keep aficionados happy. The island setting is memorable and full of lyrical, witty writing to be discovered which is great. When it works, it can be immersive and no doubt extensively replayable. It's just a shame that it didn't quite nail the port execution.

Luigi's Mansion 2 HD still has the feeling of a portable game that was tailored to the system it was built for, but for the most part, things have been ported over extremely well. The mission-based structure that pulls players out of the game on a frequent basis, constant interruptions from E. Gadd, and a lack of saving until stages are completed detract from what is otherwise a light-hearted and fun little adventure rife with plenty of secrets to discover and puzzles galore, albeit one that isn't on par with the first and third entries in the series. The improved visuals and controls are a boon that make Luigi's Mansion 2 a better game than it was before, but with a lack of much else that's new, the high price tag is a big ask.

With an engrossing story, immersive gameplay, and enough scares to get the heart racing, Project Zero 2: Wii Edition continues the trend of strong Wii releases in 2012 and is the perfect plat du jour after the tasty entrée that was Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir.

As far as throwbacks go, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a worthwhile venture. It captures the essence of yesteryear's classics, while offering numerous options to comfort an audience that might be unfamiliar with that time period. The game is also quite entertaining, and the replay-value is quite high. Still, it is not possible to shake the feeling that something is missing. It's as if the developer decided the safe choice was the right one, and left all of the risk-taking up to the player. Will this game be remembered in thirty years? Only time will tell.

It is a very refreshing adventure game that is dense with content and things to do. The world feels so alive with an almost fetishistic attention to detail. It is clear why it fell into obscurity, but it is very obvious why it was so amazing when it came out. Anyone willing to give Flashback: 25th Anniversary the time will not be disappointed.

True to its name, Whispers of a Machine does exactly that: it whispers. Rather than "shouting," with flashy audio-visuals, cool action, and in-your-face storytelling, it uses the humble, grey-haired Adventure Game Studio, to offer something that's far more subtle in its approach. Clifftop Games creation is a simple, yet stunningly well-written, immersive, and all around fun point-and-click adventure game, with a gripping sci-fi plot, and an unwavering focus in its flawless, detective-style gameplay loop. Currently just a hidden gem, this must-have needs you, fellow adventure fan, to spread the word…

Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection is a wonderful repackaging of three of the best RPGs on the Nintendo DS, maintaining nearly all the benefits of dual screens while offering players respectable quality-of-life features. What Etrian Odyssey lacks in conventional narrative, the series makes up for with its emphasis on player-driven pacing and highly customisable party building. Although the price point is certainly steep, there's no getting around the fact that these are the definitive versions of the first three Etrian Odysseys. Visually crisp with great audio and some of the best dungeon-crawling the genre has seen, all three titles offer RPG fans hundreds of hours of dense dungeon-crawling all on their own. Together, the collection offers audiences a high-class trilogy that'll realistically last them the rest of 2023 - if not even longer. Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection is frankly a steal at $80.

It looks good (mostly), and has all the qualities that seem like it would make a great game. Not only does it fail to come together coherently, yet it also it lacks a sense of magic or "heart" that the art style would suggest it possesses. While nothing is largely technically wrong with Indivisible, it fails to be engaging as a RPG, its platforming fails to recommend it on this front, and the story never goes anywhere significant to offer this up either. This isn't bad, but it just isn't that good either.

EA Sports FC 26 makes some big changes to its systems, modes and gameplay. The most obvious of these are quite effective, and even those that aren’t seen are surely felt. The fresh additions to Career Mode are a step in the right direction, while the on-field adjustments and introduction of Authentic and Competitive modes serves to freshen things up just enough for another year. Long-time players will likely still have some recurring gripes, but the best compliment that can be paid to FC 26 is that it’s fun. If this was developer EA Sports’ sole aim, then mission accomplished.

Blasphemous is an admirable piece of art. It does the whole metroidvania thing in a much less tedious way than most indie games do these days, and is bolstered by its distinct flavour and style. While fans who adore the character-building gameplay of most soulslikes will be found wanting, anyone who is nostalgic for Simon's Quest is going to find respite in finally playing what could be best described as the latter's best outcome. Maybe with a couple of tweaks and minor adjustments, and with a patch or two, this could be perfect. In its current state with slightly annoying quibbles, players are still going to be floored by its insane imagery and the penitent one's crusade for purification.

Onrush does well to fill that racing void as a non-serious arcade, destruction-derby type of vehicular mayhem experience. However, as enjoyable and heart-pounding as the matches can be, the novelty eventually begins to wear thin and, once that happens, there is little else that can reignite the flame in this racer. The foundations, though, have been laid for a bright and positive future, and who knows, a sequel with additional gameplay mechanics can allow for the series to grow into something bigger. Onrush, as it stands, is a great vehicular-destruction game that focuses less on winning races, and more on wrecking opponents, and that's really all that matters.

Overall, Observer: System Redux is a great pickup for those looking to see just exactly how well their shiny new consoles can perform, as well as having an interesting experience to boot (you know, like a computer). Environments are beautiful in a truly depressing, atmospheric manner, and lead Rutger Hauer really makes the effort to portray a downtrodden detective tired of the new cybernetic world order. This is a clear pick up for fans of psychological horror drama, looking for a few jump scares and… uncomfortable-ness over a few hours. For the rest, however, it's an interesting experiment that perhaps could benefitted from less of the shocks and more of the Detective chops.

Batman: The Enemy Within - Episode 1: The Enigma is easily the best episode of Telltale's Batman story so far. While Season One put the wheels in motion, The Riddler's return to Gotham invites The Agency into town to make its presence felt, while Lucius Fox, Alfred, and Bruce Wayne are still trying to fully come to terms with the events of the first season. The story is a lot tighter, and the animations are well-polished and cleaner, setting the expectation for what to expect throughout the second season.

Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster is frustrating because it is so close to being great and is only undermined by its utterly perplexing choices put into the boosters. The meta of resisting the boosters is too distracting for the experience, and succumbing turns these games into walking sims with some visual novel elements. The new UI elements have an air of "mobile game" about them, but thankfully the in-game visuals still look hot, and the QOL feature to speed up combat is a worthwhile addition. Baten Kaitos I & II are not the best from Monolith Soft, but they are both still way better than Xenosaga: Episode II and are roughly on the same level as Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Even without the boosters, there are better retro JPRGs out there, but few of them will look as nice as these.

Bomb Chicken isn't going to be breaking any molds. What it does, countless others have done before, and better. That doesn't mean it isn't a ton of fun, though, if a little brief. It is an ideal new title for speed-runners to stream, and all-in-all a fun, addictive, crazy, little arcade experience. Based on this, Nitrome is one to watch; it certainly has a promising future ahead.

Ittle Dew 2+ is more than the sum of its parts. It has many small great qualities that tie everything together to make it a worthy Zelda-style adventure. It is too bad that the combat is not one of those working parts. This adventure has a true spirit of exploration and a ton of puzzles and secrets to uncover. The legitimately funny character banter should manage to get a laugh out of even cold and dead inside cynical reviewers. The humour has a dryness to it that is unexpected for such a colourful and wacky looking videogame - most of which is derived from the flying fox, Tippsie (the best character in the game). The load times can be really lengthy at times, which is confusing since Ittle Dew 2+ is certainly not taxing the Nintendo Switch, but they are ultimately worth it in this quaint action-adventure game.

Fast-paced, brawler/shooter hybrid Super Crush KO isn't very innovative. Or varied. Or demanding… and then you try to get better the best possible score at each level, and the game suddenly shows its true colours. Getting better and better is where the challenge and replayability is at. Worry not about the fact that things remain the same from beginning to end, as fighting is too damn fun for this to grow stale. Plus, Vertex Pop's indie gem has a beautiful, distinct, ultra-colourful wrapping.

3D Classics: Kid Icarus is definitely worthy of its "Classic" title in this re-release for the Nintendo 3DS.

KORG M01D is a great piece of music creation software, which, whilst not as robust as similar programs found on PCs, does what it sets out to do: provides a faithful emulation of KORG's popular 80s synthesiser. For those who are curious about music creation, this is probably one of the best ways to get started!