Fate/Extella Link continues offering the same entertaining blend of musou action and RPG-like progression, in a package that is bigger and better. Still, unless a big fan of the franchise, it's not exactly a must-have, as it mostly feels like an improvement that generally keeps things annoyingly safe.

Evaluated solely by its presentation quality, Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey is a solid enough point and click adventure, but it is sadly marred by technical issues and by a general lack of engaging puzzle solving. The mere concept of Arthurian characters hunting down Jack the Ripper is interesting in its own right, something the script reflects rather well, but the game design itself simply leaves too much to be desired.

While it may not be of the same quality as the greats of its era, this is a solid and enjoyable title. The puzzle sections are by far the highlight, but the exploration and Zelda-style progression are all good enough to keep the players coming back. Many, many players who have fond memories of the generation missed out on this one, and its resurrection here gives them a chance to experience something new yet nostalgic. Instead of a new game trying to capture the feel of an era, this is a lost relic, a chance to experience a "new" action-platformer from the past.

Yume Nikki: Dream Diary is a morbid, and profoundly engaging journey into a frontier rarely seen in games. It mostly succeeds with its concepts, and while the visuals might turn off most people, those who get accustomed to them will appreciate just how effective they are at creating a strong uncanniness to its atmosphere. While there is no excuse for some of the technical flaws or control issues, the overall design is strong enough to carry the weight and suck people into this spiralling descent into madness. It has a great replay value, with alternate endings and even a couple of mini-games within the core game.

Ultimately, Atari Flashback Classics is a fine collection. The sheer quantity of entertainment software is reason enough to warrant a look. Alongside certified arcade greats, is a wealth of middling-to-fun Atari 2600 and 5200 titles. Even those that weren't around back then will probably be able to find something that they can really connect with, with one example being the previously-unreleased Aquaventure. Of course, considering the era in which these were made, it might be extremely difficult to garner any appreciation for what's here. Still, it is a valuable time capsule for those who weren't around for gaming's infancy.

It's difficult to recommend Dangerous Driving in its current state, even though there aren't many crash-focused arcade racers on the market. Fans of the original series will certainly appreciate a few evenings with this, but it is no way near as repayable as anything from the actual Burnout series.

Sadly, there's the matter of performance with sluggish load times, especially before battles, and an inconsistent frame-rate rearing their ugly heads that make it hard to get sucked in by the, otherwise, interesting story and gameplay.

Presumably some of the bugs and related issues might eventually get patched out; one thing that does not change though, is the core of the game. Given it is mostly a clone of a game over 15 years old, for all intents and purposes it is worse than all across the board. Almost every aspect of [i[Warcraft III is better than this game. This would need a massive overhaul to come close to recommending.

Even as is, the core content is substantial, and even has a Zero Escape style flow chart that tracks the various branching paths and bad endings. The kills and creative deaths are actually very entertaining, and even the bizarre acting ends up working for the lack of budget. Maybe one day it can be salvaged into the cult hit people would love, since it is very clear that the ones behind NightCry really did care about what they were making. It is a shame that their vision is suffocating under the weight of so many technical flaws.

Serment - Contract with a Devil is a fine way to spend a weekend or two. There's a fair amount of depth to both exploration and fighting. The cast isn't especially complex or interesting, but it helps to move the story along. Also, it's really nice that the developer is engaged in post-launch support. Alongside a handful of bug-fixes, there are plans for additional content, including some sort of post-game mode, and more event scenes. Dungeon crawler fans looking for a temporary reprieve from the latest Etrian Odyssey might enjoy their time in this demon world.

Ayo: A Rain Tale is a simple platformer that tries to showcase the hardships that are constantly faced every day in the sub-Saharan desert. While this shows that more in a wondrous format, with mystical entities who grant her new abilities to overcome the increasing difficulty of the terrain and enemies, the atmosphere still does enough to bring the pain to the screen. This is a short journey that can be completed in less than five hours, and it features enough fun in it for the game to not overstay it's welcome, though don't expect a tough experience to challenge the brain.

Horror continues to be a real winner in VR. The tense atmosphere and the utter helplessness in playing as a child really translates through the headset. While the core gameplay is basic hide-and-seek, it's still a memorable, if short, experience. Though definitely one that is only worth experiencing in VR. While the whole game can be played without VR, it removes almost all of the tension in doing so. However, Intruders is horribly overshadowed by glaring technical issues. The repeated crashes and getting stuck destroys the immersion completely, something disastrous for a VR title.

Octahedron: Transfixed Edition is a brilliantly realised visual and audible artistic creation that demanded a lot of effort to bring to Switch, while preserving perfect performance in both modes. It is a resounding success on that front. Gameplay is also extremely tight and responsive, and the concept itself is addicting... in small doses.

Those looking for a quality RPG are not going to be satisfied, as Death end re;Quest is something that is more geared towards visual novel enthusiasts that happens to effectively masquerade as an RPG from time to time.

While it's mostly a by-the-numbers tower defence game, and a dated one at that, it's also surprisingly enjoyable. The comedic tone and writing, while not laugh-out-loud funny, has some pretty amusing moments. It's just a little too short, but fans of this one can look forward to the sequel reaching Switch soon.

Altogether, Devil Engine is an intriguing STG that's held back by rough fundamentals. Given enough tuning, it could turn out to be welcome entry in any fan's library. There's plenty of content, and the two playable ships are impressively realized. However, the weak arsenal is a constant nuisance. Attempting to destroy massive bosses or even moderately-sized foes with a pea shooter isn't fun. There are options for quickly eliminating adversity, but getting past their constant waves of fire is also an ordeal. Simply put, it feels like this is trying too hard to break its players.

Doctor Who: Master of Time feels like a missed opportunity for FarSight Studios to bring their own creative juices to the fore for The Pinball Arcade, but alas they missed the mark on what could've been one of the more memorable tables. Based off the original real-life table of 1992, this digital remaster puts the focus on the villains of the hit show instead of the different incarnations of the Doctor - but a lack of the theme song or the Dalek's screaming "Exterminate" lessens just how awesome this table could've been. It's good enough, but it's hardly the showpiece table that FarSight would've liked to have had.

Everything is not awesome. Everything is not even okay. Everything is just meh. Tt games haw finally done what a very vocal part of their audience wanted. They changed things. Drastically. And in doing so, they've taken such a huge step backward that this feels more LEPIN than LEGO. A heavily flawed shell of what the franchise had become.

Final Fantasy IX is an absolute must-buy and must-experience classic JRPG that deserved a home on a Nintendo console, and should have had one a long time ago. It starts off as the best and last proper throwback to older Final Fantasy titles of the late '80s and early '90s, but with all the enhancements that the technology of the day could afford, but also doesn't know whether to be Final Fantasy VII and VIII, or classic Final Fantasy towards the end, but overall, it is a magical experience to behold.

It works best when there is a decent cast of characters that fans want to see more of, and Fate has that in spades. Even with 26 playable characters here, it's barely scratching the surface of the roster available. That being said, this doesn't feel like much of an improvement over the Umbral Star, feeling more like a DLC - More of the same, and something only for hardcore fans.

Looking just at the root of this, it's a pretty awesome package of cool art, past stories, character skills, and so on. The problem comes ultimately from the format that, on some level, the game is a 'pay to win,' or at least a soft 'pay to play,' as players are fundamentally limited in how much progress they can make in a single day. The wall you hit limits what actually might have been an extremely cool single player experience.

TerraTech is by no means bad, and there's a lot to like and have fun with in it. The car creation aspect is wonderfully creative, and it's a lot of fun building up the car (or weird shambling monstrosity) of your dreams. A lot of effort went into this creation element, but it seems like nothing else was thought out in nearly as much detail. Creation is every bit as enjoyable as you think, but this never really gets around to having anything interesting to do with it. This emptiness, and a somewhat shoddy control scheme, are going to keep this just shy of great. But if you are just looking to get creative (and don't mind getting stuck in a rock every once in a while), TerraTech is a great way to kill some time.

With an ever stronger emphasis on hard decisions to make that will affect how Alvin Junior turns out in the end, and a strong presence of an old returning character from previous seasons, this episode ramps things up to an exploding cliffhanger that leaves what comes next completely in the dark. This makes this possibly the most gripping episode of the final season (so far), and makes the wait for March 26th even harder. However, this update to the Switch version sadly sticks to the forced shift to a 720p resolution in docked mode introduced at the release of the second episode back in September 2018.

Despite some balance issues, and problems of the game running away from the player very easily, there's actually some good, basic fun here. Playing different factions, trying different weapons, and ultimately, simply trying to be the last person in the solar system is fun. With a friend or two, multiplayer can be a fun romp, and the campaign was oddly alluring despite its ultimately simple premise.

Dragon Marked for Death is a fantastic experience when played with friends - but, only when played with friends. The lack of balance absolutely buries the experience, making single player a horribly flawed one. That could easily have been addressed, or could still be addressed, in a post-release patch. Should this happen, the game would improve massively, and easily stand out as one of the most impressive 2D scrollers in some time. Unless that happens though, this will remain a slog, a wonderful game, horribly marred by foolish design decisions. There are a few DLC chapters in the works, giving an ideal opportunity to make Dragon Marked for Death the best it can be.

While it is annoying that Bloody Palace mode is not available day one, it is coming as a free update on April 1st. Capcom has proved this gen that they are truly the best at 3D action games. They took some bold risks with the style and realistic flavour, and it pays off by taking on this new look that has never been seen before in any videogame. Even spectators are going to be extremely entertained by the spectacle that it Devil May Cry 5. Everything feels so fresh, and the advancements in the controls and fluidity in animation makes playing this refined masterpiece so hard to put down.

Nearly thirty years was a mighty long time, but ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! proves that the wait was worth it. This is an excellent sequel, and it's not just because it captures the spirit of the original. The new features, as well as quality-of-life improvements, really enhance the experience. Each level is filled with things to do, and they all serve a purpose. There aren't any meaningless distractions. Even today, where roguelikes are exponentially more common, this is one that shouldn't be passed up.

Riddled Corpses EX is one of those very satisfying guilty pleasures. It may be simplistic and braindead like the zombies in it, but it does everything so exceptionally that it becomes a full recommendation. Its lacking qualities are more than made up for thanks to the expedited game loop that wastes no time, and constantly challenges the user. The co-op features make it so even when things are at their hairiest, as a chum can still swoop in and give desperately needed back-up.