Sword of the Sea is the epitome of short and sweet. All aspects of the game's presentation, from visuals to audio design to score, are the best they possibly could be, and they all go hand in hand with the game's exceptionally smooth and engaging traversal mechanics to deliver a peaceful, introspective experience that's more than deserving of just about anyone's time.

The complete lack of charm and content in Drag x Drive makes the game difficult to recommend, even at its budget price of $20. It's the best showcase yet of what can be accomplished with Switch 2 mouse controls, but offers little else. There is some fun to be had with Drag x Drive and perhaps future updates will make it a better game, but there isn't enough at launch to keep Switch 2 owners busy for any serious amount of time.

Gradius Origins would almost be worth recommending just for Salamander 3 alone, which makes it that much easier to recommend since it contains impeccable ports of other classic games in the Gradius series. Like other M2 ports, input lag is minimal, modern features make the games more enjoyable, and having them readily available under a single umbrella makes playing them more convenient. For shmup fans, Gradius Origins is the full package, and for genre newcomers, it's one of the best introductions money can buy, only held back by its lack of Gradius 4 and 5.

Mafia: The Old Country isn't a bad game, just a tepid one. Its gameplay is flaccid and restrictive, its narrative is dull and predictable, and its world has no more charm or presence than an Unreal Engine tech demo. It nails the bare minimum, but a game like this, from a franchise as beloved as Mafia, should have gone beyond that.

The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is undoubtedly the new standard for Demon Slayer games, and it does the material justice. CyberConnect2’s prestige animation is the star and its decades of designing interactive narrative experiences and action combat also show through, even if the studio is playing things safe. Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is a smooth ride through familiar territory, and it doesn't need to be anything else.

Dead Take clearly wants players to focus on uncovering its story, and the mansion is built in a way that makes exploration feel rewarding even without much resistance. The atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting, with sound and lighting creating an ever-present sense of tension that kept me leaning forward the whole time. Dead Take might not break the escape room genre wide open, but it finds a creative way to pull players into its world, and it's worth seeing through to the end.

That Ragebound's story runs concurrently to the events of the first Ninja Gaiden is fitting, as Ragebound is the best the series has felt in 2D since that iconic 1989 classic, and it's more than deserving of being talked about in the same breath as one of the greatest action-platformers of all time.

Tales of the Shire is a perfectly enjoyable life-sim that embraces its Lord of the Rings source material well. But due to some prominent graphical shortcomings (at least on Switch), it's far from a perfect adventure. There's enough content and engaging progression in Tales of the Shire to ensure that Tolkien fans have a good time with it, but those who aren't fans of the IP don't need to look far for a better alternative.

For Nintendo Switch 2 owners, Donkey Kong Bananza is a no-brainer. It successfully appeals to old-school Donkey Kong fans and newcomers to the franchise alike. Simply put, Donkey Kong Bananza is the Nintendo Switch 2's first must-have game since Mario Kart World and a good reason to go out and buy the new console.

What ultimately sets Wuchang apart is how it handles progression and customization. The Madness system adds a layer of risk, allowing players to trade safety for higher damage, while the Inner Demon mechanic creates tension without being overly punishing. The skill tree is deep but flexible, letting players reset one point at a time for free, which opens the door for testing different playstyles without starting over. Magic and melee are both viable, though neither is allowed to dominate, thanks to elemental resistances and boss-specific counters. Benedictions and Temperance bring added depth to weapon builds, while the armor system demands regular adjustments based on damage types and status effects. Altogether, these features give Wuchang a sense of depth that's easy to overlook at first glance, but becomes more impressive the longer you play.

Hell Clock has some blemishes but its core gameplay and narrative experience are compelling. The story of the Canudos people is heartbreaking and galvanizing, constantly encouraging the player to rain righteous vengeance upon their enemies. Thanks to the game's flexible combat sandbox, this process is as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally invigorating, and will have players itching for one more run. For a roguelike, it's hard to offer higher praise than that.

Unfinished Business an easy recommendation to both newcomers and series veterans alike. Whether you've played RoboCop: Rogue City or not, you can come into Unfinished Business and expect to have an absolute blast with the moment-to-moment gameplay, cementing it as a worthy follow-up to one of the most surprising FPS titles of the last few years.

For those who count Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 and SWAT 4 among some of the best tactical shooters around, playing Ready or Not feels like riding a bike. Even with the adjustment of going from PC to console, Ready or Not still shoots to the top of the list of tactical shooters available on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, because there's simply not much else on the market like it.

After my disappointing experience with the original game, I did not expect to like Death Stranding 2 as much as I did. Its huge world is fun to explore, its graphics are incredible, and its tools give players a great deal of freedom to choose how they want to handle every challenge that comes their way. The dialogue and repetitive mission structure keep it from reaching the heights of some of Kojima's other games, but Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is still a worthwhile adventure.

Chronicles of the Wolf is not for everybody. It's not even for all Metroidvania fans. But for those that it clicks with, it very well may be the best game in the genre you've played this year. It's not without its fair share of frustrations as far as its mechanics and gameplay go, but the elegance of its design and the obvious passion that Migami poured into it make those frustrations worth bearing. If you can look past a little bit of jank and forgive Chronicles of the Wolf for its old-school sentimentality, what you'll find is one of the year's best Metroidvanias on par with the best of what the genre has offered in 2025.

On the whole, Tron: Catalyst feels like a successor of sorts to the classic AA games from the Xbox 360 generation. It's a simple and fun action-adventure game that doesn't have any bloat, but it has a handful of notable problems that hold it back from greatness. Tron: Catalyst is being sold for just $25, and honestly, it’s worth the asking price. It can keep players entertained for a day or two, even if they're a newcomer to the Tron franchise.

Rematch has the potential to be the next Rocket League with its engrossing mechanics, rewarding team play, and stylized aesthetic. But the game's performance issues and lackluster progression systems might stop it from living long enough to achieve that potential.

There's a lot more good than bad in RAIDOU Remastered, fortunately. It's a wonderful walk down memory lane for fans of the original, and a worthwhile excursion for newer Atlus fans, discovering the studio via games like Persona 3 Reload and Metaphor: ReFantazio. More than anything, this new-and-improved RAIDOU is easy to love, packed to the brim with charming characters, addictive combat, and a wacky, lore-rich world to sink your teeth into, making it easy to recommend to just about anyone.

Date Everything is the very definition of creativity, and a game I’ll be turning to when my heart is heavy.

Firebreak may be a bit of a wait-and-see situation: it doesn't feel like it has enough meat on its bones to justify its $40 asking price, not to mention its paid battle passes. Firebreak has the bones of a truly exceptional co-op game, and hopefully, Remedy will get the chance to deliver it.

It's hard to go into more detail about why The Alters is so great without spoiling the experience—it truly is a game that is best enjoyed with as few preconceived opinions as possible. What is more or less undeniable is The Alters' ingenuity, its clever and thoughtful narrative structure, and its satisfying, genre-defying gameplay loop. The Alters represents a massive step forward for 11 Bit Studios, positioning its greatest strengths in a new light, and ultimately unfolding into one of the best gaming experiences you're likely to have all year.

For character action and Soulslike fans, Stellar Blade is absolutely worth picking up on PC, and it joins a growing roster of like-minded games while simultaneously standing out as one of the better entries in the genre. PC players have been waiting over a year for Stellar Blade to make its way to the platform, and ShiftUp has put in the work to make sure it arrives in the best possible state, delivering a port that lives up to the game's quality and sets a bar for how other developers should approach their PC ports of formerly console-exclusive titles.

Where things start to come apart is in the combat, which never quite finds the same footing. Melee feels stiff, stealth is undercooked, and the flow of encounters doesn't always match the scale or intensity the rest of the game sets up. But even with that in mind, there's still something satisfying about building your own identity on a planet that feels as dangerous as it does alive. Dune: Awakening isn't perfect, but it's confident in its vision, and that makes all the difference.

The real draw of Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is its gameplay, and to the game's credit, it's strong enough on its own to generate that "just one more run" feeling that the best action roguelikes do.

Everything in Survival Kids technically works and the co-op support, while not implemented nearly as well as it could have been, is still appreciated. But the game is mind-numbingly boring most of the time and, at a staggering $49.99, it's impossible to recommend it to early Switch 2 adopters. There are far better local co-op experiences on the console at launch, and money is much better spent on those games.

I am disappointed with Mario Kart World's Free Roam, but the game nails everything else. It's good for near-endless hours of entertainment, and it will definitely stay in my Switch 2 rotation for years to come. Mario Kart World is the best the series has ever looked or played and a definite must-have for Switch 2 early adopters.

Fast Fusion is available at a budget price of $14.99. Compared to some other Switch 2 games, it's super cheap, and it definitely gives players their money's worth, even with the lack of proper online multiplayer and misguided progression. Racing game fans that need something a little different from Mario Kart World should consider giving Fast Fusion a look. As long as they are aware of its shortcomings, they should still walk away satisfied with the overall package. Plus, Fast Fusion has new content on the horizon that should make it even more worthwhile.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is not an enjoyable experience in the least, but it does have a few redeeming qualities. The giant-sized versions of Switch 2 hardware looks cool, and there is more to do than expected. Someone that wants to get 100% will have to buy a couple of accessories and spend a decent chunk of time mastering the mini-games and taking all the quizzes. It's not exactly my idea of fun, but I suppose it's something to do while waiting for more exciting Switch 2 exclusives to land on the platform.