Altogether, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition is the ideal pick-up for survival horror fans. Ethan's night of horrors is liable to go down as a classic. There's also a lot of excitement to be had in the DLC. Some of the offerings, notably Daughters, are weak and uneven, but they are still worth a play-through. At this point, anyone who hasn't already experienced this game is doing themselves a disservice. It's an astonishingly executed title that pours a lot of love into its mechanics and game design - the hallmarks of a quality Capcom product. What else can be said? The company makes it look easy.

The flaws of the free, mobile version have been carried over to the Nintendo Switch port, and as such, destroy what little fun could be had by this word-scramble title, the reason being that, rather than the ability to craft words, Spellspire is all about grinding.

Violett itself is an enjoyable point and click adventure, but it also has so many glitches and even a game-breaking bug that renders it pointless for purchase on Nintendo Switch. Since the error stems from the touch screen controls, anyone intrigued by this would be better off trying out Violett Remastered on PC to witness its charms without the problems.

Nicalis brings one of the toughest and addictive gaming experiences from almost every other format to Nintendo Switch, and the transition is seamless. With dastardly levels of difficulty, a quirky aesthetic, and an absolutely sublime soundtrack that has definitely stood the test of time, the major drawback comes from how short the experience is. Once accustomed to overcoming the challenges faced, there is not much left to do after rescuing everyone. Hopefully, an expanded successor is on the way.

Looking lovely and colourful on the TV or portable Switch screen, Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive is a quality little chibi beat 'em up that deserves a chance by any genre fan. There are plenty of characters to choose from and make available through various difficulty modes, and the ability to level up, unlock moves and build stats, compete in leaderboards, and battle in multiplayer means there is huge scope for replayability that not many other brawlers have. It can take a little getting used to, but once the mechanics are down, the depth and uniqueness in terms of each fighter is second to none, and the outlandish and just plain weird enemy designs give it its distinct personality. The one major pitfall is keeping online play at bay until Nintendo launches its paid service, which hopefully won't backfire when the time comes.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is not a perfect game, but there is a good reason why it has become one of the most popular, and discussed titles of 2017. A great synthesis of mechanics, map design, and emergent gameplay, as well as a successful reiteration of the groundwork built by previous games, mean that PUBG is a fantastic experience, when it's working as intended.

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a triumph in design, both in terms of how stages are crafted and the way the smart puzzles contained within each world are put together. Held back by its control scheme in the past, the shackles have now been removed, making this the superlative edition thanks to the excellent touch screen system now employed on Nintendo Switch, leaving Cubed3 now hungry for an upgraded version of Max & the Magic Marker in the future.

Applying a new aesthetic to the established gameplay formula of Konami's Bomberman series, BRAWL brings a unique darker feel and subtle mechanic changes, grouped together in a bundle of multiplayer goodness. There are only some frame-rate issues that hold it back slightly, and the lack of online play also proves to be a bit disappointing.

Although Embers of Mirrim doesn't last long, it has some unique ideas and stays entertaining throughout. The controls for both Mirrim and the embers are functionally solid. The most clever moments tend to unexpected, such as when trying to move the embers in different directions. Dodging minions and navigating a twisting passageway becomes quite a bit more interesting when it requires controlling two heroes at the same time. While the lack of replay-value is a shame, this is still an adventure worth experiencing.

The cinematic platformer had a very simple formula to follow and it isn't hard to make an appealing game in this genre. There have been so many over the years and the recent influx of independent developers doing their take on the whole 'kid in a nightmarish world' sub genre, there are more options now than ever. This should be at the very bottom of that list of options as it feels more like a Chinese boot-leg than anything of artistic merit. Dull, buggy, unpolished and, most of all, Albert & Otto is criminally derivative - its best quality is that it is over in about 90 minutes.

InnerSpace falls more than a bit short of the heights it aspires to. The levels feel hard to navigate and they aren't helped by the laggy controls and constant motion of the Cartographer. It feels poorly optimised for Nintendo Switch, with frequent camera stutters and choppy frame-rates. It's overall a very unsatisfying experience, which is made all the more frustrating by the sheer potential InnerSpace has. The beautiful environments and quietly haunting atmosphere are still enchanting, but everything else just feels empty.

Energy Invasion shows some interesting and bold design choices that challenge some core aspects of one perhaps the most static genres that is still relevant today. However, these changes are badly implemented, only adding too much unnecessary clutter that is sometimes annoyingly hard to spot due to the small size. It is easy to want to like Energy Invasion as it adds more action to a genre in which some people desire more action and there is a desire to see more like this, but the drawbacks and flaws slowly creep up on the player. All that can be done is to hope that a sequel or spiritual sequel to the game get made that fixes some of the annoying things and decrease clutter to make it a more enjoyable experience as there clearly is a lot of untapped potential.

What Bleed lacks in play time, it makes up for with one of the most fluid control schemes to grace a platformer. Wryn's triple jump allows for a flow of movement that encourages dodge heavy, bullet hell style level design. Coupled with a well implemented bullet-time mechanic, stages require quick reflexes to complete, especially when taking rank into consideration. While the main story takes less than two hours to complete, unlockables, Arcade mode, and higher difficulties keep Bleed a highly addictive, and highly replayable, experience.

A World to the West is actually superior to its predecessor. The puzzles are wonderful and offer up some real head-scratching challenges, and the mechanics are engaging and fun. Parallels are evident between this and A Link to the Past and considering the quality of that game, in the comparison, it shows the quality of this one. A real surprise here, it is definitely one of the best Nindies to hit Nintendo Switch yet, and considering some of the titles hitting the console recently, that's really saying something.

The blurb for The Deer God promises to Challenge your religion and your platforming skills, but it does neither. The platforming moments are ridiculously easy, and the combat is easily abused. The worst of the game, though, is the story, which constantly stresses a morality that makes no sense at all, all culminating in an absolutely moronic ending. There are many fantastic indie titles that have made the jump to Nindies. This is not one of them.

Steep: Road to the Olympics is a separate expansion, meaning it's not included as part of the season pass. That's a shame because, if it was, it would be easier to recommend. For a game all about freedom of choice and spontaneous activity, with quite an arcade-centric physics engine, it was clearly going to struggle to convey the technical side of the Winter Olympic Games. The 'Be a Legend' story-mode seems rushed and ill-devised. The footage of athletes is poorly integrated and the narrating and tutoring is all too intense, especially when the experience is so fragmented and dull. Japan, on the other hand, is a beautiful and large region, which really does expand the Steep world with a new aesthetic, new event types, and new challenges. Hence, Steep fans who persevere with the first segment, will eventually receive an impressive content injection. Fans of the Winter Olympics, however, will probably find this one quite underwhelming.

A lot of RPGs produce what can basically be described as "junk data." They pile numbers on top of numbers in order to present a dizzying array of statistics, but they always lead to the same result. In turn, the player never really learns anything. Romancing SaGa 2 is a title that deserves to be explored. This isn't just in the sense of visiting each town and opening every treasure chest. There is a variety of sub-systems and mechanics that are quite unlike the norm, and they are used to startling effect. At times, one can be left feeling a little lost, but that's part of what makes it work so well. They will pick and prod until the solution reveals itself. Every aspect of this game blends into one another quite nicely, creating an experience that any fan of the classic era is sure to appreciate.

After playing Bleed, it would be very easy to be worried for the sequel not living up to expectations. While the sequel is very different from the original, it is not by any means a bad thing. At the core, Bleed 2 is still in the same spirit as the first entry, but just a bit more grown up and comfortable. Wryn is still the same cool chick she always was, ready to kick some you-know-what as before, except this time for less selfish reasons. The action anti-heroine has become a real heroine, and the bosses have got more creative and include more variety. However, this has comes at the expense of having less platforming segments, a worthwhile pay-off in the end as the most memorable parts of the first game weren't the platforming sections, but the radical boss fights, and Bleed 2 will not offer anything that disappoints on that front.

Episode 2: Giant Consequences seems to steady the ship for Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two, as the Admin's gigantic boss fight at the beginning sets the stage for the subsequent episodes. The challenges do a great job in testing the friendships of the heroes, and the surprise twist at the end is an unexpected surprise that makes sense, and proves that the Admin is a vile creature who will stoop to any level to get exactly what he wants. The "gameplay" sequences play out more or less the same as in the first episode, with more crafting tables to get that Minecraft experience, but the unfortunate scene rough cuts are present and detract from the quality of the story delivered.

Episode 1: Hero in Residence is a slow start to the new season of Minecraft: Story Mode, as Jesse tries to ready Beacontown for the Founding Day celebrations. Fortunately, this early section of the game is quite fun to interact with, and the various characters create various types of "mini-games" to accomplish. Unfortunately, once Jesse and Petra jump into the mines to start their adventure, the story takes a bit of a downward turn, becoming a little bit cumbersome to complete due to the dullness of Jack's character. Audio cues sometimes miss their mark and the scenes have rough cuts between them that disrupt the experience. While these may seem like minor issues, for a game that doesn't revolve a lot around "game mechanics" and focuses more on story-driven episodic adventures, the story and the sound need to be the best they possibly can be to make it a worthwhile experience.

Far more complex and stressful than it lets on, Nuclien is a delightful tap 'em up that genuinely challenges players to focus like little else on Nintendo Switch. Unlike most games on the console, the gameplay actually takes advantage of the touch screen by removing the use of buttons during stages. Each world has its own tap-based gimmick to overcome, with plenty of twists and tension to endure. While the last few stages are especially hard, there's a build-up to the difficulty and players are given all the tools they need to succeed just by paying attention. It isn't particularly long, but Nuclien's reflex-based gameplay is a fantastic way of engaging the brain and the Switch's underused hardware.

Nearly eight years later, Super Meat Boy remains a master class in balancing difficulty into engaging level design. The quirk burst level structure holds up incredibly well, allowing players to fail repeatedly without getting discouraged as the goal is always just a few seconds of gameplay away. As more content unlocks by clearing stages with an A+, collecting bandages, and finding Warp Zones, it's incredibly easy to play "just one more level" for hours on end. Unfortunately, the replacement score pales in comparison to Danny Baranowsky's original soundtrack, but the core gameplay is strong enough where this can be overlooked even if longtime fans will surely be disappointed. For anyone who hasn't played Super Meat Boy, though, there's little reason not to give it the chance it more than deserves.

More of a refinement of the original than seeking to right its wrongs, The Escapists 2 on Nintendo Switch adds more of what fans enjoyed in the first place, whilst still not quite advocating enough time to entice a newer crowd.

While dying in the same place over and over gets frustrating after awhile, Son of Scoregasm does a great job pushing the player to try one more time. Bite-sized levels are so chaotic that it feels like each one was a major achievement, even if the next level is patiently waiting to show you what the real definition of difficult is. Any twin-stick fan would be remiss not to pick up Son of Scoregasm, as it's just a delightful entry to the Vita catalogue, through and through.

Against all odds, Energy Invasion manages to take its almost too simple Breakout-inspired premise and spin it into something truly original and engaging. Adding the ability to fire off miniature, bouncing balls from the main ball is an ingenious addition that elevates the gameplay from just a mere homage. While there are only 50 stages between Linear and Invasion mode, the difficulty curve allows progress to feel earned, and Endless offers an unlimited amount of levels to bounce through. Along with Nick R 61's fantastic soundtrack, Energy Invasion is a surreal, and strangely addictive, evolution of the Breakout formula.

There is not much to Mom Hid My Game! - the game promises everything it has to offer in its title. It ends far too quickly for it to be recommended to anyone other than small children. What it does offer, though, is some surreal puzzles and amusing sound design. The fun factor comes down to enjoying escape the room style puzzles with a silly coat of paint and not much else.

If the rest of the season pass content is as specialised as this, the future for Project Cars 2 certainly looks diverse.

The ending to Little Nightmares: The Hideaway is very creepy indeed, and looks to tie things together with the exploits of Six from the main adventure, perhaps in the next piece of DLC. For now, though, this finely crafted puzzle-platform-adventure is highly enjoyable and truly gripping and tense in places. More laidback than The Depths, though, this makes for a better experience overall as the whole atmosphere can be appreciated more. A few minor gameplay hiccoughs cannot take away from the fact this will definitely be a few quid well spent, and hopefully the wait for the next episode is not too long.