Risk System is a hard game to recommend on a whim, yet also pretty remarkable. Players can't expect to just jump in and blast everything in sight. First they have to get a handle on controlling their own ship, which is an awfully tall hurdle in itself. The bosses are also frustrating, especially when playing for score. Altogether, this is an anti-establishment STG. It features a learning curve of its very own, one that quite a few may never be able to appreciate.

Octopath Traveler has many little and big pros. Its 'HD-02' visual style is beautiful; the music is great; the world is very big, non-linear, and full of things to do; the characters can be customised in many different ways; and, finally, the combat is fast, yet tactical, simple, yet deep. Octopath Traveler is great. However, it also has a couple of cons that for many people will be the deciding factor of whether they should play this or not, and these are, the almost non-existent interaction between its eight characters, its somewhat… artificial vibe, and the lack of a decent main plot.

Assassin's Creed III gave you the chance to enjoy some simple yet fun Assassin's Creed action, in a vast, Colonial-era Boston - and now you can carry all that on your backpack. It wasn't perfect, sure, but the same can be said for the rest of the earlier entries as well. The real disappointment here comes from its new, remastered iteration, which doesn't really upgrade things as much as it should - at least when it comes to the Switch, which is the worst of the available versions.

Megalo Polis works... and that's the only good thing about it. There's absolutely no strategy involved, and the comedy expected from something dealing with the US elections, is restricted to a two-second smile-worthy art-style - you'll have more fun watching the actual elections.

Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is an incredibly disappointing RPG, not because it's outright bad, but because it has everything it needs to excel. Gorgeous visuals, a well directed voice cast, and the tutorial's promise of a political drama set in a city that's clearly on the verge of a coup, all make for a compelling experience. Unfortunately, the visuals are let down thanks to a painfully bland dungeon design, the script isn't anywhere near the voice cast's direction, and the actual story opts for a bafflingly generic approach following the intro. It certainly doesn't help matters that load times are abundant, dragging an already slow title to a crawl, and that the core combat is somehow both chaotic and uninteresting. Despite a relatively strong start, this simply isn't worth the time or effort.

There are things that are easy to point out as flaws, such as the unnecessary and weird flying battle system, but the root of Dragon Star Varnir is solid. The story is interesting, the characters create a curiosity to see where the plot goes, and the darker tone is so revitalizing to the genre. Yes, anime tropes exist, but when the plot revolves around girls trying to save their life from the creature growing within them, a lot of these issues can be overlooked. The beautiful artwork of the characters, the graphics of the dungeon, the music are all high points, adding the cool plot brings this package to a high recommended level for JRPG players.

While the gameplay mechanics, and the world you'll traverse are exactly the same, A Woman's Lot is a very enjoyable supplement to the core game, that follows the perspective of one of the best characters in it. Not a must have, but undoubtedly the best DLC for Kingdom Come: Deliverance released so far.

The pulse-pounding, toe-tapping remixes of fan-favourite themes from across the franchise's history, combined with a host of Easter Eggs, make this a joy for long time Zelda fans. This coupled with the solid, innovative mechanics, create an absolute must-buy for anyone with a Switch. Even though there is just four-five hours of playtime to 100% clear the game, there are leaderboards for steps and time to aim towards, multiplayer, and replays with the other characters.

For fans of Lovecraftian horror, The Sinking City is filled with... fishy details and lore that is used to enrich the world that Frogwares has created. Private Investigator Charles Reed must voyage through the deepest and most disturbing parts of his mind, as well as Oakmont itself, to find a way to rid the town residents of their visions. Doing what he does best, Reed must investigate and solve crimes while battling the horrors that jump out from the dark. While it lacks a bit of polish, The Sinking City is an otherwise weird and mind-bending journey, bundled with all the ingredients for a great experience.

The price is indeed a bit steep in that regard in this day and age, however the quality of every single release included is to be considered, as well as the fact that M2 handled this and did so just as perfectly, as we've come to expect from the people working there. It is a no-brainer purchase for Konami and Contra fans, especially on Switch, where portability without any compromises is an extra that can't be afforded by other platforms. Others who may just be interested in taking a first dive into the series may prefer to wait for a light drop in price however.

LOVE is a simple but fun game, with simple but relatively nice, ultra-retro visuals, a neat, yet simple respawn mechanic, and a decent replay value due to its simple score-chasing mindset, and its equally simple level editor. Simply put: it's ok… and that's all there is to say about it.

Want to play an old-school action/exploration game the likes of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? Well, you can't get more old-school, or more... Symphony of the Night than Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. This offers a vast castle to explore, full of monsters to slay, and with lots of ways to slay them, be it the many weapons that your Shardbinder can use, or the demonic powers that she can absorb. If you are in need for something that's NOT an exact copy of late '90s metroidvanias, though, better look elsewhere.

A comprehensive mission-driven campaign, boundless tools and tiles and additional themes serve up a tonne of potential for creators. Super Mario Maker 2 offers a canvas to create a truly authentic Super Mario Bros. experience.

For fans of NISA/NIS games in general, this is a complete let-down. None of the systems work well or are even that interesting. The story is bland, the combat unnecessarily complex and unfulfilling, and the lack of conventional progression against scaling difficulty results in an experience infuriating all the way around. Nearly everything is far more complex than it needs to be, from issuing battle commands, to simply trying to know what is being equipped or what effect is has. If one had to choose between one word to describe the whole experience this would be a battle between 'frustrating' and 'disappointing.'

This is the type of game that should be an automatic hit for RPG players, but there is something missing in the complete package. The graphics are good, and typical genre staples are present, but ultimately it gets lost in itself. Overall this is a solid title, but in the end it lacks heart. It does everything averagely, and nothing especially rises above, or provides anything unique - unfortunate, as its ingredients definitely lend itself to what might have been a really great game.

Admittedly, the Neptunia franchise has always been a bit of a hard sell. The main characters, particularly Neptune herself, are an acquired taste. Also, if someone doesn't have the stomach for fanservice, then they're going to have a very bad time. Still, there are endearing qualities. Super Neptunia RPG does a fine job of making them palatable to a wider audience. The interesting plot is backed by a unique assortment of villains. Then there's the battle system, which presents an impressive spin on familiar concepts. Aesthetically, this RPG isn't quite the same as before. Maybe that's a good thing for some, but it might not gel with others. Regardless, don't let such a minor nitpick deter you from taking on this quest.

Easily on par with its predecessors in the main Yakuza franchise, but (and this will be hard to believe) in many ways this actually stands above them. In particular, Judgment contains the best story in the franchise to date. Yagami's tale is a captivating one, filled with imaginative twists and utterly surprising moments, told with the signature Yakuza style, flawlessly juggling comedy with drama, containing many three-dimensional characters that are easy to connect to. Best of all, there's more to this than just the story. The gameplay is massively fun, and there is a positively absurd amount of things to do. For Yakuza fans this is a must buy. For those new to the franchise, this is the perfect opportunity to jump in.

New Cinema Labyrinth is wonderful for series fans. For Persona fans waiting on Persona 5 the Royale, this is a great way to fill the gap and is worth the price of admission just to watch the characters from these different games interact together. With so many inside jokes that fans will truly appreciate. Admittedly, the level design could be much better, with the labyrinths themselves a pale comparison to the Etrian Odyssey mazes it mimics. Thankfully, the addictive mapping, Persona-inspired combat, wealth of side-quests and the solid story combine to more than make up for its flaws.

Layers of Fear 2 is narratively brilliant but lacks some much-needed polish that would truly make it great. The game subsequently struggles to deliver consistently over the course of its roughly eight-hour length, but it is ultimately this short campaign and its thrilling atmosphere that saves it from becoming monotonous, allowing its expertly crafted story to truly shine. The game lives up to its name as a layered and nuanced tale of horror, making it worth experiencing for any fan of the genre.

Goat Simulator is a bundle of fun. Its baffling lack of polish and crazy misdemeanours are so charming and, in all honesty, hilarious, making this hard to put down... initially. Playing it with a friend will provide a couple more hours of entertainment, and could liven up a party a little if it needs an ice breaker. That said Goat Simulator is a lot of things and in the end it will wear thin. A fun romp but only while it lasts. In the words of its creators, you'd probably be best to spend your money on something else, if it's not on sale.

Imperfect controls and other minor annoyances aside, Vaporum is a very enjoyable dungeon-crawler. Its insistence on tile-based movement results in battles that are decided by a rather peculiar dance. Sometimes it takes quite a few steps just to create an opening in the enemy's defences. To add to this, every decision, no matter how slight, carries weight. An action as simple as turning around can leave the player in a difficult position. It's almost as if one has to adopt a sixth sense, just to keep track of where enemies are going. Provided you give your best effort, then you are sure to be rewarded. Altogether, this is a very impressive effort that's well worth anyone's time.

Although the controls aren't exactly ideal, Golem Gates is a thoughtfully crafted title that blends RTS gameplay with some solid deck building. Forging new Glyphs, reorganising a deck to make it more optimal, or simply experimenting with deck types fit so naturally in the RTS genre that it's at times shocking how well realized all the core concepts are. Unfortunately, the title is also plagued by terrible performance issues that didn't seem to be present in its initial PC release back in 2018. Load times are often long, lag is a problem, and this is prone to downright crashing should players spend too much time customising their deck... in a title all about deck building! This is a legitimately good RTS. Just not on PS4 for now.

Draugen is not bad, just disappointingly... mediocre-to-decent, when it could be so much more. The whole noir mystery narrated by an unreliable protagonist thing definitely manages to spark some interest, but this never really becomes the engrossing tale it wants to be. Forget the marvellously rendered Norwegian landscape, and the magical music that keeps it company. What lies underneath is just an okay-ish, walking simulator.

The Castlevania Anniversary Collection is a required pick-up for fans of the classic whip-slinging series. Granted, there are a couple of minor problems with this set, most notably the lack of button-remapping. Hopefully they're being worked on. Still, it's hard to argue with having four of the all-time best action-platformers around. Plus you get four other games, which range from awful to pretty good. Whether you decide to pick this up now, or wait for the region-select and other fixes, you're guaranteed a good time.

Building LEGO-like vehicles, and having them explore a vast world, do quests, and shoot at other, similar tanks or planes, might sound like a fine idea for a construction sandbox, but TerraTech isn't really that good at what it does, for the simple reason that this just isn't fun to play, especially since the transition to the Nintendo Switch has you doing all that building and rebuilding with controls that feel out of place.

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…

If you're just looking for a mildly-amusing journey to help pass the time, Warlocks 2: God Slayers isn't the worst choice. However, if your intension is to play on the highest difficulty and invest a lot of hours, then the game's flaws will become apparent. The projectile spam and frequent stutters are the leading sources of aggravation. This is extremely problematic on the harder difficulties, since everyone's a squishy mage. Without post-game content, there's not enough of an incentive to continue playing either. All in all, this title just isn't where it needs to be.

Over 100 stages of mind-boggling puzzles await anyone who decides to tackle Warlock's Tower. Depending on your patience and aptitude for problem-solving, this adventure could last for quite some time. In every respect, Midipixel has done a fine job. The charming visuals and great soundtrack accompany a wealth of challenging ordeals. Frustration and exhaustion are rarely a factor, because this puzzler never tries to do too much at once. Altogether, it's a worthwhile pick-up for genre fans.