It’s got its world-building down pat, but the developers forgot to make the world fun to play in at the same time.

The LEGO aspect also comes shining through in the dialogue and the humour. The game loves throwing in little jokes – both spoken and visual – to remind you that you shouldn’t take anything too seriously, and, as is the case in most LEGO games, it works.

All in all, Mina the Hollower is another fantastic retro-inspired entry from developer Yacht Club Games. The unique world combined with strange NPC’s and tons of secrets scattered throughout make for a memorable experience that nobody should miss. And if you find those early hours to be too tough or not to your liking, the customizable modifiers can help a lot to alleviate most concerns, turning frustration into fun with a simple press of the switch.

As a complete package, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for Switch 2 excels where it needs to. It makes some necessary compromises with the visuals and general map object clutter, but it’s a small price to pay for being able to experience the second stage of Final Fantasy VII’s remake trilogy. It plays well on the Switch 2 Joy Con 2 controllers, even when they’re not slotted into the grip, it runs generally at a stable 30, and introduces the new Head Start mode for players that just want to coast through the story and relax. To top it all off, you’re getting this complete package for $50, so you’re getting it even cheaper than someone that might’ve played on release. You’ll notice some bundle deals with Remake as well, so keep an eye out if you’re looking to jump into Final Fantasy VII’s remake saga. If you’ve already played FF7 Remake on Switch 2 and were looking into the sequel, you won’t be disappointed.

Even if Rune Dice isn’t quite at the very top of the genre, it’s definitely in the upper tier. For me, the key measure of success for a roguelike deckbuilder is how often you reach the end of a run and say to yourself, “Okay, just one more, but that’s it!” – and there have been several nights where I’ve found myself getting to bed a little too late because I was sure I had one good run of dice just around the corner. If that’s not success, I don’t know what is.

Directive 8020 is still another good quality release from Supermassive Games, and if you were a fan of Until Dawn, The Quarry, and/or previous Dark Pictures Anthology games, you will definitely enjoy it; at least so long as the space-faring setting is of interest to you. There’s a lot to enjoy in the storytelling, and so long as you have the patience to put up with repetitive stealth scenes, I think it is a game worth playing. Directive 8020 is just another example of how well they’ve nailed down their formula, including all of its oddities and quirks for better or worse. Fans of the series will consider the quirks almost a requirement, so don’t write it off too quickly. There’s a lot to love.

Like any good dream, it’s almost impossible to describe to others, but while you’re in it, it all feels oddly riveting. Is it for everyone? Probably not, but it’s definitely something worth experiencing.

A few final thoughts on Bluey’s Quest for The Gold Pen; I do wish Bluey moved faster, there were more quests and more variety for set collection. (This would have fleshed out each land for me and made the game a bit longer.) Fans of all ages will like this game. Cozy childhood nostalgia for some adults, and a fun romp in Bluey’s world with puzzles, gnomes, and Mum and Dad for the kids.

If you’re a fan of classic 3D platformers, Dracamar evokes those in all the right ways. It may feel like a lost oddity from another continent and generation, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s all part of its charm.

If you have a PS5 or Xbox Series X, those versions are the best way to experience the game visually. But if portability matters—or if Switch 2 is your preferred option—this is still an adventure well worth taking. After all, great treasure hunts aren’t about perfect conditions—they’re about the journey.

Say what you want about Xbox and its library, they really came out swinging hard for the fences with Playground Games and Forza Horizon 6. It’s an extremely gorgeous title with tight racing, a soundtrack that’s sure to please anybody (and this is before any added stations from future updates like Epitaph in 5), and a fantastic set of roads to race on. If you’re looking for more Forza Horizon in a new locale, it doesn’t get any better.

I’d really like to love Prime Monster, because it ticks off so many boxes for me in terms of my personal interests. And it shows signs of being an inventive game. But showing signs of being interesting doesn’t mean actually interesting, and it’s hard to see how this game bridges that substantial gap without some pretty major changes.

As a whole package, it’s still early on in its life, so while it may be currently barebones, I do think that Pokémon Champions has an excellent blueprint laid out for future updates. Looking at it for what it is, a way to get new players into the competitive scene and to practice for official events, Pokémon Champions nails exactly that. It needs some work to be where it probably should be, but even as it is now it’s a respectable official battle simulator.

It’s an interesting title full of whimsy and charm that targets a specific style of audience, but when it’s with that audience, it really clicks. If you’re seeking a fairly mindless fun time but aren’t sure about the full release, feel free to check out the demo before you buy.

If you like roguelike games, this is one you should not miss. Likewise,if you like challenging shooters or elliptical storytelling, Saros is also here for you. All three of these things run primarily beside each other throughout the experience, and playing will not disappoint you. An excellent game by any measure, I’d recommend Saros to almost anyone even slightly interested.

Invincible VS pulls together many concepts and mechanics from fighting games such as Dragon Ball FighterZ, Killer Instinct (It certainly helps that Quarter Up do have devs from Double Helix, the studio which revived KI in the 2010s) and Mortal Kombat. The end result is something that is accessible to both casual Invincible fans as well as fighting game veterans. I guess if Quarter Up had to answer Omni-Man’s infamous query “What will you have after 500 years?!”, they can hold their heads up high and retort “One hell of a debut title”. Although I do hope they’ll have made more than just a singular game in half a millennium, nonetheless this is a great introduction.

The world is well-imagined and the aesthetics are perfection, but the fact they’re all built around an absurdly fun first-person shooter makes this a game you absolutely need to play.

There is a ton to do in Starfield, from building outposts, to designing your own ship, to crafting and cooking. Overall, I think Starfield is just okay, and while it does have some shiny spots, it still has a lot of rust on it too. I like the game’s story, and it grabbed my attention and held on tightly enough where I just wanted to do the main quest, as everything else was just noise to me. I was not a fan of the non-space combat but both flying, and ship-to-ship combat was quite fun. Overall Starfield just didn’t hold my interest like past Bethesda games did.

Spica Adventure can appeal to every type of gamer out there from the hardcore to the casual. It’s fun, while maintaining a pretty decent challenge. Whether you are looking for a challenge, or just want to play a cool arcade platformer, this game will be great. Trying to 100% everything is quite a task, but rewards you for your efforts, while simply going for the finish of the game without grabbing every collectable is also its own reward. Any overly difficult spot or boss you may encounter can be beaten by applying a moderate level of skill. Again, some of the bosses can be a little weird and hard to overcome, but nothing is broken or unbeatable. Spica Adventure is a very sweet and colorful game that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. Try it out if you have the means, I’m pretty sure you will like it.

I did enjoy it, to some extent – it’s still a game where you get to spell out words, which isn’t something I’ll ever get bored of doing. But there are much better examples of roguelike deckbuilder word games that do something new and interesting and unique, and I’d much rather play those games than this one.

All-in-all, these re-releases are the best ways to experience the Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen games. The censor inclusion is mostly whatever, and you do have to buy each language separately as a unique game, but you do get the upcoming support for Pokémon Home, access to legendary and mythical Pokémon not available anymore in the original games, and a significantly larger screen than the 2” screen of a Game Boy Advance to play the games on. Whether you’re a longtime fan looking to relive that nostalgia from when you were younger, a newer fan looking to experience the classics, or someone who’s just now looking into playing Pokémon for the first time, these ports are a great option.

All-in-all, these re-releases are the best ways to experience the Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen games. The censor inclusion is mostly whatever, and you do have to buy each language separately as a unique game, but you do get the upcoming support for Pokémon Home, access to legendary and mythical Pokémon not available anymore in the original games, and a significantly larger screen than the 2” screen of a Game Boy Advance to play the games on. Whether you’re a longtime fan looking to relive that nostalgia from when you were younger, a newer fan looking to experience the classics, or someone who’s just now looking into playing Pokémon for the first time, these ports are a great option.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Pragmata. It does a great job of breathing fresh air into the third-person shooter genre, while offering up an interesting story, great lead characters, and some fantastic looking designs throughout. I certainly hope to see more from the Pragmata universe in the future, as it seems like there’d be plenty of room for a sequel down the road, and I think players will really have a great time with this one when it launches at the end of the week. Definitely check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

The visuals are still lagging well behind how they look on other systems. It still runs surprising well, without any crazy load times or crashes. Home Run Derbies still feel like the pitcher is actively trying to strike you out. The ball still feels a little deader here. All of which means that you still don’t need to pick up MLB The Show 26 if you have any other recent editions.

Pokémon Pokopia is a genuine treat and I cannot recommend it enough. Whether you’re a fan of the Pokémon franchise in its usual form looking for something new, a fan of the almost life-simulation style of games, or just a creative looking for a sandbox to let you go absolutely crazy with, Pokopia has something for you. It’s great for all ages too so anybody can pick up and play it without any issues. With the last couple releases of the mainline Pokémon series being some stinkers, we’re reminded that Pokémon can be nothing short of fantastic with the right bells and whistles and the time it needs to cook. If you’re looking for something new to play as we enter this spring season, this might just be the perfect game to consider.

In other words, it’s hard to say that Meetup in Bellabel Park makes Super Mario Bros. Wonder any better than it already was. To be sure, “what it already was” is a must-play game, so if you missed out on it a few years ago, now is definitely the time to play it again – but unless you really like moderately enjoyable minigames, you can stick with the base game and get the most important experience.

Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club is relaxed and undemanding, kind of what you’d think cozy games would be like if the term hadn’t come to be used for a genre that’s aggressively twee and “quirky.” If you have kids and want to steer them in this direction, you could definitely do a lot worse.

While it is an older title, I’m still surprised at the quality and general smoothness of Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage on the Switch 2. It plays incredibly well, the online is generally smooth, and runs pretty great. SEGA definitely took some care with this port and it shows. Between the ability to use handheld mode, arcade sticks if you get compatible models, and the ease of portability of the console itself, this might be the best way to play VF5 currently. Whether you’re a returning vet or looking to start with Virtua Fighter ahead of future releases, you probably won’t find a better option.