Semi-open worlds with quests in the form of real-time strategy battles provide a sort of 3D role-playing game spin on the continuation of this odd match-up of Mario and the Rabbids. While Sparks of Hope improves on the formula introduced five years ago, some charm has been lost in the more generic lands the heroes traverse, with a story that doesn't offer much thanks to plain characters outside of the Rabbids. Battles are still as fun as before, with plenty of customisation possible, but there isn't much to think about when skill points can be redistributed at will. That may suit the target audience, though, and the additional difficulty options are pleasing in that regard, as well. Kingdom Battle fans will enjoy this, and there is some solid tactical gameplay to be found, but it's a bit too familiar and unsurprising to elevate it beyond the original.

It's a strange one. There couldn't be a title that's more due of a remake yet also still a really good time as Knights of the old Republic. Although it came out around the same time as when the prequels were in cinemas, it has more in kin with the classic trilogy insomuch as what was once cutting edge is now low-fi and that very aspect comprises a large part of the charm. Not without issues, but to focus on those issues in the harsh light of day would feel too much like pestering an old person for losing their teeth - an influential old person, with lots of great stories. So, while a remake is most welcome one does wonder if it'll lose something in the translation about what makes this version work. It's the OG that captures the scale of the Star Wars Universe unlike any other Star Wars game. It absolutely deserves play in 2022.

Rogue Incursion can be an excellent Nintendo Switch 2 game if it gets a patch or two to address its technical hiccups. Mouse mode is completely broken and unusable, but the gyro-aim is effective and plays into the game's VR roots. Alien: Rogue Incursion - Evolved Edition is a pretty solid horror game despite its hang-ups and lack of originality. For its modest price, you can expect about five hours of thrills, and it’s solid enough to inspire hope for part two whenever that releases. If anything, a semi-episodic model like this, where a game is released in cheaper yet substantial chunks, shows that the approach can work, letting players enjoy a mostly complete experience without waiting years for a sequel.

For experienced fans of the genre, the game may be a little on the easy side, but it is certainly enjoyable none the less.

Although not without its faults in due part to the trial-and-error situations that require exhausting all options in conversations, Emio - The Smiling Man is a game that will keep fans glued to the end, topped off with a very appealing art style and fair 10+ hour storyline that doesn't overstay its welcome. There isn't much else to see and do once the full story is done, but it is one worth experiencing.

Death Squared is a cocktail of two things that, theoretically, could never become a successful mix. Having said that, and although combining couch gaming and puzzles is a concept that doesn't work as well as intended, SMG Studio handles its unique idea quite alright. As a result, those who'll look past its few flaws will surely have a blast here.

Using the Soulflame to conquer Ki's challenges gives Evergate a twist on the usual style of puzzle platformers. The innocence of Ki makes it easy to want to protect her, to help Ki figure out exactly what is going on, and why she can see memories that aren't her own. The difficulty level may prove too much of a challenge for the more casual platform fan but will provide hours of entertainment for those who seek out challenges and want to unlock every achievement in this intriguing title. Even if the end isn't reached, the highly detailed levels and clever game mechanics make any time spent in Evergate worthwhile.

Amnesia Collection on Switch may lack the slick polish and fidelity of the PlayStation 4, but at the very least, The Dark Descent survived mostly intact, and is still an excellent version of the scariest game ever made. It is too bad that the other entries in the collection are not quite up to the Frictional Games' standard of quality, but even in their own merits they are decent compared to most other first-person horror titles on Switch. A Machine For Pigs, being the least restraint and absurd, makes it hard to take it seriously, but does have some qualities that make it an amusing guilty pleasure. At the very least it never bores.

Runaway: A Twist of Fate is a solid port of the original point-and-click adventure game for the PC.

Whilst there have been cuts to the package, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 remains a solid title on Wii. The story has made it over completely and the multiplayer is as fun as ever, and will easily cut through any days of boredom. If you are into shooters, then this should tickle you the right way.

Mario Sports Mix is a solid title but by no means is it astounding.

While Tandem: A Tale of Shadows does feel like it runs out of a bit of steam by the end, overall this is still a fairly entertaining little puzzle adventure. There are plenty of places for improvement, and both the story and the gameplay really could have used a bit more refinement if this was to become something truly special. But even if it is a little rough around the edges, the biggest impression the game is going to leave behind is just how clever its puzzles are. It is the core gameplay that saves the game, even if the stuff around it might not be all that impressive. Even when the game starts to drag and become a bit more predictable, the puzzle platforming is fun enough to warrant seeing everything through until the end.

Terror Squid may not have much content, but what is there still manages to impress and terrify. The unique, personality-filled take on shmup gameplay truly can't be found anywhere else, despite the minimal variety. Players who enjoy chasing high scores through quick, replayable experiences will find a lot of value in the title. However, those looking for more to do should swim on to less dangerous waters.

Wulverblade is a fine entry in an underappreciated genre. The animation is a bit of an acquired taste, but it lends itself well to the violent action. There are enough moves to get creative with, but it's just as easy to understand how everything works, even without an ounce of experience in brawlers or slashers. There are some flawed aspects, particularly the length of the campaign mode. Perhaps arcade mode could have been truncated slightly. As it is, many of the stages run a little too long. Thankfully, it never gets to the point where boredom starts to set in. Altogether, this is good enough to stand alongside the titles that inspired it.

Compared to previous entries, Doom 3 is... well, different. It's a linear and repetitive, low-key horror first-person shooter, which looks great, but can also be frustratingly dark. Some like it, and some don't, as taste is subjective. What isn't, though, is the quality of a port, and in that regard, DOOM 3 is a near flawless one, and of the best version yet, with all additional content included, and - usually - a great price attached to it all.

While far from the definitive version of the 25+ year-old classic, realMyst: Masterpiece Edition remains a highly atmospheric, and immersive first-person adventure. It's a shame that it lacks some of the features that the PC instalment has, like for example the ability to go back to the old-school visuals with a flick of a button, but, thankfully, that's not enough to mar the experience. If you consider yourself a fan of adventure games, be sure to check it out.

MUSYNX is an excellent entry point for anyone looking to get into rhythm games, but the difficulty can ramp up early on, despite the fine-tuning and customisable controls that are available. With over 90 tracks here, it certainly isn't light on content, but there really needs to be improvements made to the presentation to make it a little bit more accessible.

Game Freak's Giga Wrecker Alt. shows that the developer has a knack for character-driven platformers. Utilizing an array of tools and physics to progress is satisfying. It's especially fun to discover solutions that weren't intended by the developers. Creativity goes a long way in this adventure. However, while the PS4 version adds a few extras over its PC counterpart, the halved frame-rate is really disappointing.

This is the perfect example of "Games as a Service" done right. Marvel's Avengers offers up a superb campaign story to play through that is promised to be expanded on in the future. The gameplay may be repetitive, but it includes just enough to keep players interested and invested in the endgame content that is available now to keep this game going until the next step in its roadmap. The possibilities and potential in the future here are hugely exciting.

Pokémon Champions, at launch, is a solid start to the new Pokémon battling experience on Nintendo Switch. Robust, flexible mechanics for newcomers to enter the battle scene and customisation for more seasoned players. As a free-to-play game, there is a surprising amount on offer - full battle modes and rental Pokémon, with paid content primarily reserved for cosmetics/time savers and storage. Pokémon Champions isn't without its choppy performance in areas and missing content, but it is a strong start that's bound to... evolve over time.

Minecraft: Story Mode - Season Two: The Telltale Series is another good inclusion to the Telltale library of adventure games, and is well worth checking out. It does tell an intriguing story with an almost child-like level of danger, as the Admin threatens the world with his petulant, whiny behaviour. A llama accompanies Jesse and the gang as their friendships become tested, in minor ways, in order to bring about an end to the evil Admin. Crafting tables bring about small puzzles that require finding the ingredients, but they are not too hard to figure out, while the story ebbs and flows with minor hiccups, and does well to highlight the importance of friendship.

A very solid and fun Lego game that tries to undo some of the more tired series trends by offering up a more interesting and varied style of humour, deeper puzzles and fighting mechanics but most importantly being less buggy. It's really a great title, and though some fans may find the gameplay still a bit stale, anyone who gives it a shot should find plenty of fun to be had and lots of value for money.

Overall, there isn't particularly much to say about Centipede: Recharged. For the most part, it succeeds in what it sets out to do, remastering an old Atari classic with a few neat bells and whistles attached. Items, co-op, challenges, and widescreen are all appreciated additions, but they aren't exactly thrilling, either. There's no big 'sexy' hook for this rerelease—it's Centipede, but better. Nothing more, nothing less. That isn't inherently a bad thing, though. It may not be reviving the IP on a huge scale or drawing in new audiences, but hey, Centipede is fun. A recharged version of it with a few minor upgrades is fun, too.

It's best to think of Punch Line the visual nove/puzzler as a sort of addendum and guidebook to the anime. Fans of the show get to revisit their favourite characters and scenes in a different format, but everyone else might have a little trouble understanding the appeal. The dirty jokes and fan-service are never in short supply. Still, as long as they have the tolerance for it, viewers might happen upon something special. It definitely helps that the characters and voice-work are fantastic. Both work in unison to make every scene work. Oh, and the puzzle elements are nice too. While not deep, they add just enough of a twist to maintain one's interest.

AR Games: Target Shooting works extremely well in terms of showing off the 3D abilities of the Nintendo 3DS and its external cameras, as well proving to be great fun as players must get up and move around quickly to shoot at all the targets and the main boss. Thoroughly entertaining for a freebie thrown into the 3DS package.

Ultimately, this is a strong twin-shooter that might be a little too confident in how much people will enjoy replaying older stages on a higher difficulty.

Despite its flaws, Master Reboot is a solid title and a welcome addition to the Wii U's horror library -- a genre which is lacking on the platform.

There is nothing overtly wrong with Farmagia, yet somehow it doesn't captivate interest as much as other Marvelous farming titles. It has an intriguing story, a lot of tasks to focus on for progression in terms of attaining skills and expanding the farm, and a variety of characters to lead the party. However, unlike other agriculture themed series, the repetitive nature of farming creatures and romping in dungeons grows old fast. It feels like it is missing a spark, but if there is a sequel, hopefully it will find the excitement that all the other Marvelous farming titles possess that is absent here.