For the most part, you'll spend your time solving pleasant puzzles, enjoying a pleasant story, and having a pleasant time. The Layton series can be so much better than this, though, and I hope their next outing, no matter who it stars, aims higher.

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time has some fun ideas and offers fans a great opportunity to go on a time-hopping adventure with the greatest alien hero television has ever seen. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite feel ready for prime time nor is it optimized well enough on the PlayStation 4.

If you’re only after the latest technological breaks or think that gun oil smells better than a flower field in spring, Shenmue III really isn’t for you. On the other hand, in a world where the climate change is real yet stubborn and ignorant powers that be refuse to believe it and where narrow-minded right-wing populism gains a foothold and tries to hinder the progress towards equality in all things, we need a game that advocates the values we need to survive as species. Still, Shenmue III takes a certain state of mind because it’s unmistakably what Shenmue used to be, and not how it’s supposed to be now. I hope that there will be Shenmue IV to give closure to the story and like this, it will stay true to what it is.

Pokémon Sword is the best Pokémon game in many ways. With a necessary streamlining and major leaps in presentation, Game Freak has developed a title that impresses in all the right ways. However, the occasional peculiarity in design manages to wriggle its way into the game, slightly hindering the experience. Regardless, it’s an incredible title that moves above and beyond in many aspects, while tripping up in others. Pokémon Sword is undoubtedly worth recommending as it irons out major design issues from the series, while creating an engaging, fresh Pokémon journey with plenty to offer.

As a hobbyist and critic, I’ve played a lot of games in the past few years that feel like they make a solid case for VR, games of imagination or innovation that simply couldn’t exist in any other medium. In contrast, Last Labyrinth just demonstrates that a poor game is not redeemed by VR, but made exponentially worse. Dark, dull and depressingly devoid of real entertainment value, Last Labyrinth is — like a shadow-filled room — best avoided.

I feel on principle, I should be over the moon with Jedi: Fallen Order. Even with all the negative things I brought up in this review, I strongly feel that it is one of the best Star Wars experiences money can buy. It certainly washes away the bad taste of Force Unleashed II. As much as I struggled with the SekiDarkSoulsBorne gameplay, it offers the best realization of lightsaber combat that I really, really wanted to get good at. I don’t feel it matches the finesse of the From Software titles but at the end of the day, I can appreciate it. What hurts the game overall, though, are its technical problems that cover the product with a notable stain.

When a game is genuinely good, it doesn’t feel like I’m playing it just for the sake of the review. Need for Speed Heat evokes that feeling as I’m simply having too much fun with it. Compared to its obvious role models, it doesn’t ramble all over the place but has a grateful focus to it. The game comfortably speeds along a yellow brick road that goes neatly between calculated appeal of Forza Horizon and the excess abundance of The Crew, and that’s why I liked it better than those two. In fact, I’m afraid that NFS Heat kind of spoils its genre. I need games with a human touch and after this, racing games without this much personality just won’t do anymore

Tangle Tower is still worth exploring despite its issues, especially for those with access to Apple Arcade. At it's piecemeal $20 price tag, though, the game's flaws are less forgivable. If anything, Tangle Tower makes a compelling case for a long-running franchise starring Detective Grimoire and Sally. The foundation is there: sharp writing, beautiful presentation, phenomenal voice work, stellar music. With just a little more time in the oven, SFB's next game could be something truly special. For now, we'll just have to settle for "good."

Blacksad: Under the Skin is stylish, involving, exciting and despite its animal characters – or because of them – harrowingly humane, a gripping pastime for any mystery buff.

Crying Sun is stylish, fast-paced and simple to play but its content runs thin and it can also be often unfair because of its high reliance on random factor. It may be true that half of everything is luck but in the long run, it doesn’t always turn into meaningful gameplay. The game would also need broader grasp on content and allow more creativity. Still, it’s a perfect pick-up-and-play title for its speedy gameplay that keeps each session nicely bite-sized.

Disney Tsum Tsum Festival is a conflicting title. It definitely appears to be a low-effort game that borders on shovelware, but there are glimpses of quality spread throughout. With more experiences like Bubble Hockey and Lost Treasure, the game would’ve been great, but as it is now, I’d much rather play Mario Party. Though it’s worth playing for dedicated fans, it’s not worth playing for others. Overall, Disney Tsum Tsum Festival can be fun for young kids who enjoy Tsum characters, but holding the game to a higher standard, there’s little to keep playing.

Although I can’t confirm the differences between the original Xbox One X version and the new Switch edition, I can say that I had a lot of fun with this gem. It was dull and unfocused at times, but it never felt like a slog. Perhaps the game can be remembered fondly one day as a rare 3D platformer throwback of this decade, alongside Super Mario Odyssey, Yooka-Laylee, and A Hat in Time. Or at the very least, some may consider this the long-lost spiritual imagining of Rare’s Twelve Tales: Conker 64.

There’s something to be said for a stripped down to basics game experience, without too many complications or intricacies that get in the way of the fun. Pistol Whip is entertaining and another of the growing list of successful arguments for VR as a near-staple for gamers. As a music game, it doesn’t have the depth or addictive appeal of Beat Saber. It can be fun and is one of the better action/arcade games in the VR space, but given its limited playlist and mechanics, I suspect it doesn’t have the long-term appeal of other, more fully-featured games.

Suda51 is nothing if not subtle. His games always feel outrageous and over-the-top in ways that can be difficult to hold onto some measure of appeal. I love his stuff solely because I can never expect what he’s going to do. Travis Strikes Again was a huge disappointment because it doesn’t have the same high energy or memorable experiences of its predecessors. I do like all of the weird mixed media stuff going on but if you strip the presentation away, there isn’t anything left worth sticking around for.

The Bradwell Conspiracy runs terribly, the visuals are nothing special and the narrative is silly at best but that doesn’t stop Amber and the dialogue from standing out. I’d love to see what the developers, A Brave Plan, could do with more focus on the characters rather than plot, and a bigger budget for art and QA. There are the seeds of a great studio visible within the game but the fruit is not currently evident. I look forward to what A Brave Plan makes next but I can’t recommend The Bradwell Conspiracy.

While the hack and slash gameplay of each individual character is somewhat simple, the variance between each of the six is substantial, keeping things fairly fresh throughout the many runs. Additionally, skill trees and constant stat improvements grant a sense of empowerment and progression. It may not upheave the mechanical norms of roguelikes, but Children of Morta does a good job of weaving storytelling into the well-worn tropes of the genre to create something that feels unique.

I can absolutely recommend the game, but for all the good things it does, one which would be even stronger if you weren't taken out of the experience a little too often. I wanted to achieve true transcendence but the limitations the game places on you too often stop it from reaching its full potential. I have a feeling you’ll still want to experience it, though, and don’t be surprised if you make everyone around you do the same.

All in all these games are truly a blast from the past, and back in their day (1999 / 2000) were some of the best RPG outings you could find on the PC. Today though, I can't say that they are anything more than a nostalgic cash grab. There are no updates here and the amount of bugs I had to get through is just plain unacceptable. Don't get me wrong: Icewind Dale is still a fun dungeon-exploring D&D adventure and Planescape has one of gaming's best stories hands-down but even with them coming to modern consoles these games really show their age. Tread carefully!

Overall, Super Monkey Ball banana Blitz HD is too difficult to play due to the controls. It made me feel sick, and it lacks a lot of the fun extras that were a draw for the series, or at least what should be expected in one for the current generation of consoles.

Ichidant-R is a challenging taste of retro gameplay. If you have good reflexes and a sharp brain, it’s the game for you. Otherwise, grab a buddy and conquer it together.

Crossroads Inn might not be the first medieval sim (that honor probably goes to 2011’s The Sims Medieval) and there are quite a few castle builders out there as well, but as a narrowly focused genre blend of builder and sim, Crossroads Inn stakes out some specific territory. Whether the game reaches its potential to own that little niche depends on whether the developers can squash the many bugs that plague the game and degrade the experience of playing it.

It’s clear that earlier Frontier games like Kinectimals, Zoo Tycoon and Planet Coaster have been stage-setters for this ultimate zoo sim. Whether you enjoy theme park builders, economic sims or most importantly, creating the zoo of your dreams, Planet Zoo will satisfy you, but be prepared for an order of complexity that the previous games managed to avoid, or at least hid a little better. Although it lacks an “immediate gratification” mode, Planet Zoo is still an amazing tool for exercising your imagination and enjoying your love of animals.

Humor in any narrative is highly subjective. Afterparty starts out strong, with a clear and vibrant sense of style that is unlike many other games. The game can be funny, clever and smart but it can also seem random, indulgent and perplexing and thin on the amount of interesting stuff for the player to actually do, other than experience the story, dialog and a few mini-games. The price to content ratio might be out of whack for some folks but Afterparty does have a unique, out of left field kind of kookyness that is worth paying attention to for its short length.

If you’re starved for another fun puzzle title, you can definitely do worse but there are more fully-featured, well-rounded puzzle games available on the Switch.

Luigi's Mansion 3 is the perfect mix between spooky and fun gameplay, suitable for fans of any age. The mass amount of variation continuously keeps the game feeling fresh as you play. The option for co-operative play also adds another layer to the game, increasing the replayability further. From the gorgeous graphics to the fantastic music, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is nothing but an enjoyable experience. Going in as a new player to the series was also fantastic. I can definitely see why so many people love the series, and we would love to see Nintendo take it to new and refreshing places in the future, once again.

A passable entry in the long-running series, the latest Modern Warfare is polished but lacks creativity. It’s certainly more of the same as a return to a once-beloved sub-series. Sadly, it fails to invigorate and impress on the same level as the groundbreaking Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Still , the game has a dedicated fanbase and the developers undoubtedly cater to that crowd. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare lives up to the series as a whole, but ultimately fails to match up with the best of the sub-series it attempts reboot.

There’s no denying that The Outer Worlds bears the imprint of earlier Obsidian games and a number of other timeless RPGs as well, but those influences do little to diminish the accomplishment of some amazing worldbuilding, entertaining storytelling and brilliantly realized characters. The Outer World tackles some serious subjects but never feels weighted down by them and it’s a fully realized example of an RPG that allows for an immense amount of player agency while keeping its larger narrative on track.

Disco Elysium deserves applause for having a singular vision and generally bringing it to fruition through its art, writing, setting, characters and gameplay mechanics which suggest the heyday of classic isometric RPGs. At the same time, it can feel joyless and self-consciously weighted down by its bleak vision of the world, despite a steady drip of cynical, eccentric humor. Disco Elysium was perhaps the best example in years of a game that I appreciated but didn’t much enjoy.