To reiterate what I said at the beginning of this review, though: your mileage on all this will vary depending on how much love you have for cheap-looking adventure games with a very British sense of humour. If you pine for the early ‘90s and wish games like Day of the Tentacle could come back (albeit in a much dumbed-down form), then this may seem like an answer to your prayers. As it stands, though, if you aren’t in that mood, then there’s nothing going on in The Mystery of Woolley Mountain that’s likely to win you over.

The Outer Worlds is an absolute steal if you’re opting to go the Xbox Game Pass route, but even at $60, it’s well worth your time. It’s exciting to see a viable alternative to the Fallout series, which is exactly what Obsidian has created here.

Unfortunately for When Ski Lifts Go Wrong, however, it exists in this world, where Bridge Constructor is a thing and this game just feels like a so-so imitator. Given that Bridge Constructor is between half a decade and a decade old (depending on where you first played it), there’s still room for a so-so imitator, but be aware of the fact that much of the time when you’re playing When Ski Lifts Go Wrong, you’ll be kind of wishing you were playing something else instead.

Of course, seeing as Type:Rider is only $3 or so, it’s hard to know how harshly to judge the game. For that price, it’s almost worth it just to see the graphics in action — provided you’re aware that dealing with lousy platforming is part of the price of admission as well.

It’s not hard to imagine Rest in Pieces being tweaked just so (i.e. being more generous with its coins) in a way that solves its problems, but as it stands, it’s too stuck on its mobile roots to live up to its full potential.

To be sure, I’m still going to play it obsessively until I’ve finished every one of the 120 puzzles. It won’t take that long, and I’m a sucker for word games. That’s no reason for me to recommend it to anyone else, though. It’s a fun concept for a little while, but if you’re looking for a fun word game that doesn’t wear out its welcome, you’re better off with one of Lightwood’s other offerings.

That’s really the best way to think of Dragon Star Varnir: as a much more interesting take on the Idea Factory formula. True, I may think differently if it turns out to be the first of a dozen or so takes on the high fantasy genre set within the same universe over the next decade, but right now, this seems like a fresh new direction for the venerable JRPG maker.

If the worst things you could say about Jet Kave Adventure are that it copies Donkey Kong Country and it’s a little short…well, that’s about right. It’s not going to make you forget the original, and you may feel slightly short-changed as far as value goes, but I’ve definitely played much worse than those.

Whatever fun there is to be found in Thief Simulator is buried beneath layers of nonsense and bad design. It’s not hard to imagine this being a fun game in the right hands, like a less bloody version of Hitman — but it’s painfully obvious that this game wasn’t made in the right hands.

It’s not as if the original game was all that stunning or anything, but there are plenty of moments here where Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered just looks blurry and kind of ugly. That’s not enough to make me not recommend it, though. In fact, I’m almost certainly going to go out and buy myself a copy of the game on the Switch, just so I can have it with me at home and on the go. Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is likely only going to appeal to people who have some nostalgia for the movies — but if you have that nostalgia, it’s practically a must-play.

The levels really only feature different colour palettes, and the environments don’t change all that much. They get a little trickier the further in you get, but there’s no way any of these are going to stump you, even if you’re not particularly good at solving puzzles. Does that make Super Box Land Demake a bad game? Not really. But it does make this a game you shouldn’t feel bad about skipping entirely — unless, of course, you absolutely must have an easy Platinum, in which case I suppose you could do much worse.

The dialogue is enjoyably sarcastic, and it blends in political commentary in an impressively unobtrusive way, getting the point across without feeling like it has to slam you over the head with it. It’s still not funny enough to make it worth your while to play A Knight’s Quest, though. There are numerous games that do the same thing but in a much better, more interesting way, and you’d be better off playing any — or all — of them than wasting your time and money here.

It’s mostly okay, but if you go in expecting a flawless experience, you’ll be disappointed. If, however, you go in hoping for a game that’s merely fun, then Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition will more than fit the bill. It’s a good reminder of why people were so pleased when the series was reborn last year, and it’s a solid action game to have in your Switch library.

It does exactly the same things that shmups and shooters were doing 30 years ago, only it doesn’t do them in a way that’s anywhere near as interesting.

Outside of the server issues, I’ve certainly enjoyed my time spent with Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. It’s a solid follow-up to a unique shooter series that I don’t think gets enough attention, and if you haven’t given this series a shot yet, this would certainly be a good jumping on point. It’s a nice alternative to the more serious multiplayer shooters out there and even serves up a solid alternative to more like-minded games like Overwatch. You may want to give it a little time to iron out some flaws here and there, but definitely check it out when you get a chance.

Given its absurdity, it would be easy to look at Untitled Goose Game and simply dismiss it as a joke taken way too far. But the reality is far different. This is one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year, and it’s well worth checking out.

To be sure, Legend of the Skyfish isn’t going to make anyone forget The Legend of Zelda, or even many of its imitators and copycats. What it will do, however, is offer a fun couple of hours at a pretty decent price, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s enough to make it well worth your time.

The Witcher 3 on the Switch is a marvel in more ways than one, and if you want a game that you can sink dozens upon dozens of hours into without ever feeling like you’re doing the same things over and over again, then look no further because it’s right here.

$29.99 is a great price for this level of digital pinball perfection. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking this collection up. I’m looking forward to what Zen Studios is cooking up next!

If you’ve never played the original games, or you’re just a fan of beat ‘em ups in general, I’d absolutely suggest picking up The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors on the platform of your choice. I played through on the Nintendo Switch, which has been an excellent platform for the game, but I’d imagine you’d be fine from a performance perspective on PS4 too. It’s a real gem of a game that’s long been overlooked and is certainly worth your time.

Basically, there’s absolutely no reason why you should check out Radiation City. It’s a broken, buggy mess that doesn’t do anything right, and it’s a massive waste of your time, money, and memory card space.

It’s far less insidious than any of the myriad match-3 games that clog up Apple and Google’s respective storefronts, but it’s also not all that fun unless you really love grinding your way through match-3 puzzles. It could be a lot worse, and kudos to the game’s developers for resisting the allure of monetization, but Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns’ appeal will definitely be limited.

I enjoyed my time with The Impossible Lair. Even with it’s minor issues, I still managed to keep having fun, and that’s really what it’s all about. Yooka-Laylee works much better as a 2D platformer and I hope Team 17 will continue to develop these characters in this style. This game is a great starting point for the new direction and I hope we see more sequels like this in the future.

Great visuals and a solid racing feel might not be enough to divert your attention from an already busy holiday line-up. There have been so many excellent racers in the past few years, that GRID just doesn’t do enough to justify its purchase price in my mind. It’s a fun game, sure, but I don’t think you’ll find it to be all that memorable in the long run.

If you’re a less cynical person than me, then, I’ll say that there may be something here you’ll enjoy — but even if there is, the camera-work may be terrible enough that not even the most optimistic person will want to give up on this game and admit defeat.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age performs really well on the Switch. I’ve played almost exclusively on a Nintendo Switch Lite, and even in 3D mode it holds up really well. Performance is solid, I never really noticed severe framerate issues, and load times feel in line with the PS4 version of the game if not better.

Humour is extremely subjective, so I’m sure that some people out there will think that Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse is absolutely hilarious, and if they do, I won’t judge them too much for it. Personally, though, I like funny games that are, you know, actually funny, which is why it’s hard to get too enthusiastic for this one.

A weak story and uninteresting side-quests and characters keep The Surge 2 from reaching true greatness beyond the original, but it is clear that the developers ARE learning and improving. Although it may not be a better game overall, the combat improvements go to show just how good a future title could be.