While these Recharged games do not really set the world on fire, they are super fun to play, especially for those who may have not played the originals. If you are familiar with the original game, you will love what Sneaky Box has done here. The extra gameplay elements don’t really change the overall feel of the game at all and are welcome additions. I would really like to see some online modes, but I suppose those can be added in the future. I can highly recommend this and pretty much every Recharged game as a classic game fan and a gamer in general. Try this and any other game in the series out if you have the means, you will have a lot of fun!

And that’s the key takeaway from World War Z on the Switch: it’s fun. It may not be the prettiest game, nor is it the most original, but when you’re mowing down row after row of zombies, it more than does the trick.

Maneater, for all its problems, at least had some personality. Strip that away — along with anyone else remotely good about the game, and you’re left with…well, you’re left with Angry Alligator.

Is Ni No Kuni II better than the first game overall? It’s quite possible — the slight difference in graphics is more than made up for by the improved combat and deeper gameplay, though much of that can also be written down to personal preference. What I know for certain, however, is that if the first game was an impressive achievement, this one is too, and, like it’s predecessor, Ni No Kuni II is a worthy addition to any Switch owner’s library.

If World’s End Club existed in a vacuum — or even in a world where neither Danganronpa or Zero Escape didn’t exist — it might seem a little more interesting. The premise is solid, and there’s nothing inherently objectionable about the gameplay, it’s just not incredibly interesting since we’ve seen it done so much better elsewhere. But that’s precisely the problem — it’s been done much, much better, and those games are all still quite available, with the Danganronpa trilogy slated to arrive on the Switch in a few weeks. You’re better old holding out for that, rather than wasting your time with this pale imitation.

I mean, the whole game leads to moments of hilarity; that’s the point of Jackbox, after all. But The Jackbox Party Pack 8 may be better than most of the other entries in the series — and seeing as we’re talking about a series that has produced some amazing games, that should tell you a lot.

All in all, Halo Infinite is a bit of a mixed bag. The multiplayer is on track to be the best it has ever been, but a lot of the campaign feels like an afterthought. There is a great, focused story there but it is sidetracked and bogged down in the attempts to bring it to the open world. A cluttered map and boring open-world missions fill the empty time in between the outstanding main missions, but the quality of those missions only serves to further highlight the disparity between the two. Those complaints, coupled with the fact that the campaign is the *only* part of the game that you have to pay for, make suggesting the purchase a bit difficult. Ultimately, what I will tell people is “check it out on Game Pass”, and I think that is maybe what Microsoft wanted all along.

The remaster effects are really well done, and I can’t overstate that fact enough. It also helps that Final Fantasy V is an excellent Final Fantasy entry in general, and one that tends to be overlooked in North America due to the lack of an original SNES release. So if you’ve never played it before, or haven’t pulled the trigger on one of these Pixel Remaster releases yet, then I’d urge you to give Final Fantasy V a try, you won’t be disappointed.

There aren’t really any other games like this on the Switch, so as long as you’re okay with — or at least willing to tolerate — visuals that pale in comparison to how they look elsewhere, then you’re in for one of the last gen’s best zombie games.

The marble you’re controlling is almost weightless, and you can never totally tell which way it’s going to roll, or how quickly, or whether you’ll get a sudden burst of speed for no apparent reason. Likewise, you have to fight with the camera constantly to get a good angle, which means you’ll spend a lot of time rolling right off the edge of a platform into nothingness and starting from the last checkpoint. But even with these flaws and this lack of originality, Orbibot is an okay game. It’s not going to blow you away, but it’s certainly decent enough that you should keep playing after the Platinum Trophy pops.

Centipede Recharged is a good example of bringing back a classic game for a more modern audience. The changes they have made are welcome, and don’t take anything away from the core gameplay. On the flip side, there isn’t much here to get excited about if you are not familiar with the classic game. Most modern gamers may not click with the simple gameplay and the “one life, one chance” concept. For fans of the original or classic games in general, you will have a blast with Centipede Recharged. For everyone else, I say give it a try and you might like what you experience.

If you just want to build, there’s nothing wrong with that, and Townscaper will provide you with exactly the kind of non-directed gameplay you’re after. But if you want anything of substance, or even just a city-builder that feels like you’re creating an actual city, keep on looking, because you won’t find that here.

I think Mr. Driller DrillLand is a pretty solid time, provided you enjoy throwback arcade style games like this to begin with. The story elements are light and certainly not a highlight, the presentation is a little underwhelming, and the unlockables aren’t ultra compelling either. But the core gameplay is fun enough to keep you coming back for more, and spread across 5 modes, most of which are distinct, gives you just enough to do to keep you entertained and coming back for more. It’s also pretty much the only readily available Mr. Driller game on modern platforms, so if you’ve ever been curious about the series, this would be the one to check out.

I realize this review can basically be boiled down to “I liked Darksiders III, and here’s several paragraphs on why it wasn’t that good” — and even I see the contradiction. But honestly, the game is so shallow that that’s really what you need to know about it. Darksiders III is fun in small bursts, but also very shallow, and the more of it you play, the shallower it feels.

Again, I don’t have a ton of experience with Doctor Who, so I may be the completely wrong person to be judging The Edge of Reality. But given that the series has been around for about sixty years, I’m perfectly willing to accept that it’s a fun, substantive universe. Unfortunately, none of that comes through with this game.

Russian Subway Dogs isn’t quite the perfect swan song for the Vita (personally, that would’ve been either inFamous Vita or Bioshock Vita ever seeing the light of day), but it’s still an incredible high note for the system to go out on. It’s a passion project where you can see exactly why the creator was so passionate, and anyone who still has a Vita should be sure to check it out.

I’m sure that with plenty of patches, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition could reach a point where it becomes worth revisiting these games, but at this point in time, that seems a long, long way off.

Overall, there isn’t much content to even write about with Battlefield 2042. There’s 7 maps in the base game (this doesn’t include the 6 maps available in Portal, because those are just direct pulls from their respective original games), and 3 game modes to choose from. The game is enjoyable, but it doesn’t do much to stand out from the last few iterations of the series and without a campaign, feels like it’s lacking in content. Hopefully some updates and adjustments can help clear up some of the issues I experienced, especially with the balancing in the Breakthrough mode. As it stands, if you’re looking for just more Battlefield, but with a different setting, this is a good option. If you’ve not been a big fan of Battlefield in the past, or at least in the recent past entries, I don’t think they’ve changed enough here to change your mind.

Everything looks blurry and unfocused, and the game makes use of the old “shroud everything in fog to hide shortcomings” trick that horror games used a few generations ago. Even worse, you can practically see the world falling apart, whether you’re looking from a distance (and you see gaps where buildings need to pop in) or up close (where the game’s assets don’t fully materialize). It’s bad, and there’s no way around that unfortunate fact. And it really is unfortunate, because, as I said, there are quite a few good elements to be found here. I’d even go so far as to say that if you can overlook how hideous it is, then Lost in Random is incredibly rewarding. But at the same time, there are some very real performance issues here, and if you don’t want to spend dozens of hours straining your eyes at ugly graphics, I certainly wouldn’t blame you.

Dreamscaper is absolutely gorgeous. As befits a game that takes place in dreams — where you go to battle the monsters of sadness and loss — the whole thing has a dreamlike quality, with the edges of each room barely sketched in. In fact, even when the heroine is awake, the game still retains a half-awake, otherworldly feeling thanks to its graphics. Yet, despite all these good qualities, I still can’t get into Dreamscaper. But, because of all these good qualities, I totally get why others might be able to. It’s not my cup of tea, but if you like a well-made roguelike, it’s very likely that it will be yours.

Obviously, Don’t Touch This Button is hampered by the fact that other games have mined very similar territory, and done the same kind of thing much better. If this were a world where none of those games existed, Don’t Touch This Button might have more to recommend it, but as it stands, you should probably just play those games instead.

There’s a lot to discover and uncover in Golf Club: Wasteland. Each course offers rewards in the form of log entries, detailing the events that lead the character you play as to where he is now. The game may not be super long, but a lot of love is clearly present from the development team. If you’re looking for a calm game to just kick back, put on some headphones and just play, few get to nearly the same level of peacefulness.

Add it all up, and Astro Aqua Kitty is a delight in every way imaginable.

I absolutely adore Forza Horizon 5, and while it’s possible to fault it as being a bit more of the same when compared to Forza Horizon 4, I’m not sure that’s actually a bad thing. It’s a more polished experience overall, and while it may be playing it safe just a tad, it’s hard to deny that the game is a technical marvel, and a fantastic show piece for Xbox Series X and 4K displays everywhere. Even if you opt to play in performance mode to hit that sweet 60fps spot, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how great everything looks in motion. So yes, if you’re not already convinced, do yourself a favor and check out Forza Horizon 5 when it launches this week.

Is it on par with FIFA’s production values? Of course not: it’s an indie-made, retro-tinged soccer game. But simply by making soccer feel fun and fast-moving, Super Arcade Football is a worthy entry into the Switch’s crowded soccer field.

Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is a dull, uninspired action RPG that never rises above mediocrity, and unless you really want to waste 20+ hours on something that’s totally generic, I don’t see why you’d want to bother.

Perhaps the weirdest thing about Mickey Storm and the Cursed Mask is that it’s very clearly aimed at young kids. It’s been years since I was a kid, but based on the few young kid gamers I know, I can’t imagine many would have the patience to deal with terrible controls like these — particularly when there are plenty of much better, much fairer platformers available to them. For that matter, I don’t have the patience to deal with Mickey Storm and the Cursed Mask’s terrible controls. Or anything else about it, really. It may look bright and shiny and welcoming, but it quickly becomes clear that there are far better platformers out there.

Overall, Call of Duty: Vanguard is a very welcome addition to the Call of Duty franchise. Sledgehammer has always helped drive the franchise forward into adventurous new territories and Vanguard is no exception. If you find yourself itching for a new FPS in your life, Vanguard is ready for you to pick up and is easy enough to drop into so that you’ll never feel out of place as a new player. If you’re wary about picking this game up because you’re someone who didn’t like the change from 2019 Modern Warfare’s engine to Treyarch’s in Cold War, then you’ll be happy to learn that this runs on Modern Warfare’s engine and the gunplay and visuals remain entirely intact.