MLB The Show 25 on the Switch certainly won’t win any awards for looks, but if you’re hoping that the game gets a decent send-off on the hybrid platform – or even if you just want it to run better than last year – you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing is still a decent racer overall. Much like the studio that inspired it, it’s not going to make you forget the genre’s king, but there’s fun to be found here if you give it a chance.

I do think it’s worth at least downloading the game and testing it out, as I definitely have had fun with it despite its shortcomings. That said, I also don’t see myself sticking with it in its current state, but hopefully as new additions and patches roll out I’ll have reason to return to FBC: Firebreak.

Beautiful visuals and an inventive story can only take you so far; at some point the gameplay needs to be there too, and as you’ll see time and again, that’s not the case here.

I wish I could say that everyone wins in the end when playing Jackbox Party Pack 11…but they really don’t. It’s certainly a step up from last year’s Naughty Pack, but the games on offer here are too inconsistent to be worth your while. As always, a good group of friends can always probably make anything fun, but it’ll take a lot more effort here than you’d like.

There’s a lot of this stuff that will just never make it to platforms like Virtual Console, so I’m happy to see someone out there doing the work to try and put these releases together despite the quality of original games. It also helps that nothing appears to have been mucked up along the way, each of these titles plays exactly as I remember, which is definitely the key when going back and doing these retro collections. So if you’re like me, and have any fond memories of these games growing up as a kid in the 90’s, then I’d say Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection is certainly worth a look.

Depending on expectations, Dragon Age: The Veilguard can provide an enjoyable action RPG experience. If you’re seeking a worthy successor to Dragon Age: Origins or even Inquisition in companions or plot, it doubtless falls short, feeling more comfortably bland than outright terrible. The combat may be worth the price of admission if you’re keen on real-time action without too much thought for your companions beyond choosing which targets to detonate. Similarly, the visuals can be gorgeous, backed by incredible music, even as the facial animations, odd image quality, and voice acting can feel uneven. It’s nowhere near BioWare’s best, especially in the storytelling department, but after all its past failures and uncertainty, there are certainly far worse alternatives than “good enough.”

To be fair, I didn’t hate my time with Kaya’s Prophecy. It doesn’t do anything original, but it also copies other, better games so well that it can’t help but get some reflected glow. But because it doesn’t add anything to either of those well-established formulas, I’d be hard-pressed to recommend it over its influences. Maybe check it out if you’re a fan of Slay the Spire or Stacklands, but don’t expect it to be more than the sum of its influences.

I can’t say that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a bad game. It’s a solid attempt at recreating that Suikoden experience, and I can appreciate that someone out there is still trying to keep its spirit alive in some manner. I think, and hope, that a sequel will ideally work out some of these issues and make for a better showing, but if you absolutely want to capture the feel of playing through a Suikoden title again, then Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will likely be right up your alley.

Overall, I think there is fun to be had with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but the lack of meaningful exploration and the meandering desert stretches from one zone to the next really drag down what should have been an amazing return to form for the series. How much of this came from the prior development issues the game faced I’m not sure, but something about Prime 4 feels really disjointed and not nearly as polished as the original trilogy. I hope Nintendo does give the Prime series another chance, maybe this time without all the starts and stops that Prime 4’s development had, which will ideally give us the next-gen Metroid Prime game I was hoping this one would be.

Personally, I can only recommend Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition if you are familiar with the original game and already know what you are getting into or are looking for a challenge that, many people have tried and failed to beat. It’s definitely not for everyone, so if there is interest, proceed with caution.

I don’t know that Jaleco Sports: Bases Loaded is necessary for anyone other than video game historians and baseball diehards, but I’m still glad it exists.

While I largely tend towards the latter point of view, it’s nonetheless neat to see KreatureKind attempt to try something new, even if it doesn’t succeed. Add in a very chill-sounding soundtrack and visuals that are pleasant to look at, and you can see what KreatureKind’s developers were trying to do, even if they don’t quite succeed in the end.

As I said up top, the whole game is something you’re either going to love or hate. Pacific Drive isn’t going to leave many (or any) people saying, “Enh, it was okay.” You might think it’s a brilliant take on the survival genre, or you might think it’s endless amounts of busy work without enough of a payoff, but either way, it’s guaranteed to get a reaction out of you.

Death on the Nile isn’t a must-play adventure, but it’s at least generally tolerable – which is more than can be said about it as an Agatha Christie adaptation. On that front, it fails, so if that’s why you’re interested in it, prepare for disappointment. Still, if you’re fond of point-and-click mysteries, there’s probably enough here to be interesting.

If you’re after a solid stealth game it delivers, provided you can live with feeling like the game could’ve been a little bit more.

It’s an intriguing idea for a game, but it’s not nearly deep enough to sustain itself.

Madden 25 gameplay is very much in line with Madden 24 and is more so just a refinement than any brand new gameplay mechanics or engine implementations, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I found the gameplay smooth, seamless, and all around a good experience. Now is College Football 25 a better experience? In my opinion it is and that is coming from a diehard NFL fan who watches little to no college football. But if you want the NFL players and teams, Madden is really your only option for better or worse.

Overall, it’s safe to say that Pokémon Legends Z-A is a good game, albeit with some shortcomings. It’s fun, it’s enjoyable, and brings the return of the best battle mechanic in the series’ history. Both versions of the game (Switch 1 and Switch 2) run well on their respective platforms, with the Switch 2 getting a 60fps version of the game. Legends Z-A does also have its DLC expansion planned for release later on, bringing new story content and Mega Evolutions. It’ll also (presumably) bring in more Pokémon that aren’t already in the game, so there should be some fun surprises for all of us when we get to see the new Mega forms. Pokémon Legends Z-A marks an enjoyable breath of fresh air, but it could still do with some growth to catch up with the times.

This is a destructible, semi-open world where you can run (er, roll) around smashing things to your heart’s content. That may not be enough to fully redeem Bang-On Balls: Chronicles, but it’s at least enough to make it fun in doses – even if it’s not as fun as I would’ve hoped.

There’s a great game somewhere inside Penny’s Big Breakaway, and it’s entirely possible we’ll see it one day, but right now, it’s just not there yet.

Unfortunately for Dog Witch, the gameplay does very little to differentiate itself or to set the game apart. The game claims to have 150+ items that can be mixed and matched in different ways, but all in all, it mostly feels like you’re playing the same actions over and over again. While it certainly takes a little longer to master than your average Slay the Spire clone – in part, I think, because every run feels so short – the gameplay feels a little lacking in the sort of inspiration that will keep you coming back again and again.

Overall, Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection is a fine, well put together collection that sadly features not so fantastic games. If your curious about how bad Bubsy game are, or if you like being frustrated with terrible control and gameplay, then you will find something to like, or absolutely hate here. If you are not a fan of Bubsy, then you won’t be interested in anything in this collection. I’m giving this props for being a well presented collection but the subject matter is just not very good. I mean, it’s Bubsy, thats basically all you need to know.

Overall I enjoyed my time with Alien: Rogue Incursion – Part One: Evolved Edition. It’s not a particularly long experience, something you’d definitely be able to knock out over the course of a weekend, and offers some fun firefights and creepy locales to check out. The shift away from VR doesn’t appear to hurt the game in the least bit, and while I’d imagine it’s certainly more immersive in VR, it’s a completely passable experience without it.

You might look at Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon and see the top-down view and pixel graphics and think that the franchise has taken a turn for the very retro, looking to the very earliest Zelda games for inspiration. And while that’s sort of correct – it’s definitely got more of a retro flavour than either of the previous Oceanhorn games – at the same time, it’s also totally wrong. Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon looks like any number of dungeon crawlers from decades ago – and that’s its biggest problem.

The Suikoden series has its good games and bad, but Suikoden 1 and 2 are my two favorites in the series. For those looking to scratch the itch of a classic JRPG, these games will do it. I hope that other companies take notes, as they kept the core game play and didn’t make any major changes to the battle system — I’m looking at you Final Fantasy VII Remake. The Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remaster isn’t perfect though, and Konami should have made a few more quality of life improvements, specifically to the inventory system. The story to both games is there in all of its glory, the second game’s story especially. Overall, Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars is a solid update to some classically good JRPGs!

Overall, I think Metro Awakening VR is a worthy VR experience and a good Metro game, but it is not particularly groundbreaking on either front. I am thrilled to see more mainstream AAA titles getting VR releases that are more than just tacked-on afterthoughts. The quality that Metro Awakening manages to display is more than enough to justify other developers looking into making similar games and perhaps even a low-risk way to revive some other dormant franchises in VR (Resistance, please, I’m begging you). I hope to see more of this type of VR title in the future and am happy to see the medium continue to move forward.

Just Dance 2025 Edition continues to be a franchise built on fun. If you’re a lifelong fan of the series you won’t be getting very much added to your experience other than the new songs. New players will experience the lore (yes, the game’s dancing avatars have lore!) Most importantly Just Dance 2025 Edition will make you move. No matter who you are, this game has something for you, and if you can deal with the price for the full experience (Just Dance 2025 Edition, Just Dance Plus and add-ons) then you’re really in for a non-stop dance party this holiday season.