Journey to the Savage Planet is a frustrating game. Not because it’s that hard (it’s not, at least not intentionally), and not because it’s broken (at least not too much). No, it’s frustrating because it’s so close to being a good game, and you can see the tweaks that would have made it a good game…but absent those tweaks, it all just feels like a giant missed opportunity.

It’s fine for what it is — but, if you’re looking for a good kart racer or 3D platformer, there are better options out there. On the Switch alone, there’s Super Mario Odyssey, of course, but also plenty of other decent games of this ilk. Even if you’re thinking strictly in terms of PS4 or Xbox (and I kind of am, since I liked this game enough that I want to pick it up for my niece to follow up on my Paw Patrol and kids’ PS4 controller at Christmas), there are still games like Yooka-Laylee or Tearaway that are higher quality. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get your kids Gigantosaurus: The Game ever, only that there are other games you should get for them before this one. It’s hardly a must-play, but if you’re looking for ways to get your kids hooked on gaming at a young age, this one might be the way to start.

So yeah, I really found myself loving Final Fantasy VII Remake, to a degree that I’m likely going to go back through it on Hard mode (which unlocks post-game) and try to platinum it if I can find the time. Even after 40 hours spent with it I’m finding it hard to pull myself away from the game, and I think there’s a good chance you’ll feel the same way too.

While professional sports have been cancelled indefinitely, something like Dunk Lords arrived just in time to help with social distancing (I mean it doesn’t even have online play…although I hope they implement it at some point otherwise it might prevent the title from having serious legs). That said Dunk Lords is close to a total package for an arcade sports game. Great gameplay, fun gimmicks, colorful cast, I certainly look forward to a console port.

As it stands, I’m not going to say this one is a must-play, but it’s solid enough that if Ratalaika and Petite want to continue on with another sequel in this series, I certainly wouldn’t complain.

Whether intentionally or not, Wizards of Brandel isn’t afraid to show it has a sense of humour, and it makes the rest of the game seem a lot more palatable, even enjoyable. Admittedly, if you don’t find that hilarious, then you’ll just find Wizards of Brandel to be yet another in a long line of unremarkable, indistinguishable JRPGs. And, what’s more, if you hate microtransactions, then you may even find this game intolerable. Personally, though, this was the best KEMCO JRPG I’ve seen in a long time — possibly ever — and I’m willing to ignore those microtransactions if it means the game leans in on the silliness as much as this one does.

If we’re talking about things like reduced load times as a big plus, I think it’s clear that R.B.I. Baseball 20 isn’t the (relatively) smashing success that R.B.I. Baseball 19 was. But it still points to the game making an effort to improve, which clearly wasn’t the case up until last year’s outing. Whether that will help the series next year when MLB The Show stops being a Sony exclusive remains to be seen, but for now, at least it means that anyone who wants a baseball game outside of the PlayStation ecosystem won’t have to suffer through a game that’s a complete write-off.

It’s really hard to enjoy Draugen when it all feels like it’s a collection of nods to other, better games. A game shouldn’t make you want to play other games, yet most of the time I spent with Draugen I was wondering about whether it was too soon to go back and play Gone Home or What Remains of Edith Finch. If you’ve never played those before, this won’t seem nearly as derivative — but that’s more an argument for playing those other games than it is for playing Draugen.

I genuinely cannot find a real fault with this game. Sound design is incredible, the visuals are stunning, the story exceeds all expectations, combat and puzzle design manage to remain true to what fans would want, while also seamlessly translating themselves to the VR space, there is humor, there is horror, everything comes together and creates the perfect Half-Life game. This is the game that VR was waiting for, this is the game that VR was built for, and if you have VR technology, you owe it to yourself to play this game. If you have been waiting for the right game to come along and make the VR purchase worth it, Half-Life: Alyx is it.

It’s a decent enough game that improves a little when you realize that it’s not actively trying to kill you at every opportunity. Not exactly the stuff of eventual GOTY material or anything, but I’ve definitely played worse.

Hidden Through Time is pretty cute. It’s got an art style that comes off as a cross between Scribblenauts and The Oatmeal, and as someone who likes both of those things, that appeals to me. Every time I finished a level, some part of me half-expected to hear that little Scribblenauts tune that played whenever you found a shard, which should give you an idea of just how close the resemblance is. But intuitive controls and fun design don’t make for a great game — that would require the game itself to be fun, and honestly, Hidden Through Time just didn’t do it for me. If you’re a diehard hidden object fan who really wants a challenge, it might be worth your time, but if you’re looking for something you can play with your kids, I have a hard time imagining it would pass muster.

Trancelation works as entertainment, but not edutainment. You’re probably not going to come out of it fluent in any more languages than you went into it with, but if you just feel like dodging around the screen to a great beat, it’ll do the job.

As I said before, we’re talking about a KEMCO game, so you more or less getting exactly what you’d expect when it comes to Asdivine Dios. There are far worse JRPGs out there, but there are also far better ones, and this one comes in right where you’d expect, in the exact midpoint between those two extremes.

Being able to play the game with family in the same household may require a bit much (multiple Switch consoles and copies of the game) but when you get it all up and running, it is a great way to spend your time stuck at home. I’ve spent hours with the game every day since launch, and have yet to come close to being exhausted with it, and seemingly never run out of things to do. So, if for some reason you have yet to pick this one up, I’d definitely recommend doing so.

It’s not ground-breaking in any way, but it’s a solid game nonetheless, and it offers a fun way to pass a couple of hours (and boost your Trophy count/Gamerscore in the process).

All in all, I found Bubble Bobble 4 Friends to be a really fun take on the old Taito franchise, and a great experience for old and new players alike. It makes for a really solid family game that’s appropriate for all ages, but one with a difficulty curve that won’t make the game a bore for parents or older siblings. So check it out now on the Nintendo Switch, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Twin Breaker is a nice diversion while we wait for the year’s bigger releases. Surely Moriarty’s detractors will find ways to nitpick his initial foray into game development, thankfully I won’t be one of them. I do look forward to the inevitable sequel which will probably introduce controlling 6 ships. Until then I will ask…Switch when (cause you know it’s the only handheld that matters)?

Overall, Resident Evil 3/Resident Evil Resistance is a solid release that hardcore fans will love and will bring something fresh for newcomers to the series. It may not be RE2R, but that doesn’t hurt it in the end. It’s a memorable experience and can’t wait to complete it on Hardcore.

I have to give Nerved credit for doing one thing surprisingly well — creating the right environment for a horror game. No matter that literally every other aspect of it is bad, it still does that one thing right. It’s not enough to make the game worth checking out, but it is enough to say the game isn’t a complete failure.

Despite the technical hiccups, Afterparty is certainly worth your time. I don’t see much of a reason to pick up the Switch version over the previous releases necessarily, but it at least seems on par with other consoles. So yeah, check out Afterparty if you haven’t already, I really, really enjoyed it.

Milo’s Quest is a pretty solid way to kill an hour (or, likely, less), and if you go in not expecting too much out of it, you’ll probably enjoy it.

It’s not the quantity of a game that counts, it’s the quality, and Speed Dating for Ghosts has more than enough of the latter to make up for the relative lack of the former. It’s a relatively unique game, so if you’re in the market for something different, be sure to check it out.

As I said, if you have an emotional connection to the era, 198X may be exactly what you need in your life. But if you don’t pine for the ‘80s and arcades as a stand-in for your lost youth, then 198X probably isn’t something you need to play.

Just about the only good things that can be said about Bucket Knight are that it’s short, it generally works (though the jumping physics occasionally seem a little wonky), and it has an easy Platinum. It’s far from the worst game I’ve ever played, but there’s really nothing here that makes it worth recommending.

It’s a good enough game this year, like it was a good enough game last year, like it was a good enough game in 2018, like I’m sure it’ll be a good enough game in 2021 on the PS5. But considering that MLB The Show was once the gold-standard for sports games, simply being good enough seems like a lot of wasted potential.

In addition to the quality content that Warlords of New York delivers upfront, there is an entire year of further additions planned. The Division 2 looks like it is going to be following the seasonal model that had become so popular recently, and players who purchase Warlords of New York will have access to Season 1 content for free, with later seasons requiring additional purchases. The knee-jerk reaction might be a bit negative, with the paid seasons splitting a lot of gamers 50/50, but if they continue to deliver quality content updates like they have with Warlords of New York, the paid seasons will probably end up being more than worth it.

What’s really striking about the two games in The Rebel Collection is that, like I said up top, unlike ACIII they’ve both aged fairly well. Both Black Flag and Rogue are excellent additions to your Switch library, and they’re well worth the dozens of hours you’ll get out of both.

This game could’ve been good if it just stopped getting in its own way. Given that toy trains have been around a century, I would’ve guessed that it wouldn’t be too hard to translate the experience to a video game. And yet, Mini Trains would suggest otherwise.