I still don’t think that’s enough to justify the game’s existence on the Switch, particularly when it’s twice as much as it is on mobile. If you’re in the mood for a game where you almost literally do nothing other than spamming your attack button for a couple of hours and getting not much out of it, Trouserheart may be the right game for you, but it feels like there are much better ways to spend your time and money.

If it seems like I have more negative things to say about Phantom Doctrine, that’s mainly because it’s such an easy game to characterize. As I said, it’s basically Cold War X-COM, and it pulls that off relatively well. Not so well that it’ll make anyone forget X-COM, but if you need something similar, this game will do in a pinch.

OlliOlli: Switch Stance isn’t going to make you rethink anything you thought about them first time around — but if you thought they were great games back then, this package will serve as a nice reminder that they’re every bit as good as you may remember.

Madden NFL 20 takes a step in the right direction and I really enjoyed the X-Factor additions to the series. While I still think some form of competition would force EA to make more drastic changes, I’m not optimistic with any developers taking a spin with the football genre (maybe the XFL?). If you haven’t caught the pigskin for a few seasons, Madden NFL 20 is the right route to run for this year. With the new consoles coming (most likely) next holiday, I’m looking forward to seeing what EA builds upon from Madden NFL 20 and brings over to next gen. For now I’ll enjoy taking the Broncos to the Super Bowl, while beating up the cover pretty boy, Mahomes (not bitter at all).

To be sure, a story about sharks eating a bunch of people could absolutely be compelling. But it would require a lot more effort than what went into Submersed — which, as it stands, is too frustrating to be as creepy as it wants to be.

Rise: Race The Future could definitely be improved, but there’s a good enough base here that if you’re looking for a fun futuristic racing game, this one (mostly) delivers.

It has a distinctive, sepia-toned art style that really makes it stand out from most other adventure games I’ve played. The game is built around an office worker trying to grab a bright orange light flitting around the screen, and the contrast between the brown/white/black colour palette and the orange really pops off the screen. Even with less distinctive graphics, however, The Office Quest would still stand out, because, as I said, it’s loads of fun, and it does what it sets out to do with a minimum of fuss. It’s not going to convert people into adventure fans, but if you like a good point-and-click game, you should definitely give this one a shot.

It’s unfortunate that Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey actively sabotages itself, because otherwise it would have had the potential of being one of the better KEMCO games. The story is bonkers right from the get-go, with Zeus telling a couple of human-looking dragons to go rescue an angel, and from there it does a good job of being kind of interesting, even if not particularly coherent. But, ultimately, none of that matters when the game is such a dull slog to play. As much as I’ve complained before about how generic KEMCO RPGs can be, at least it could be said that they were competent. If the alternative is something as bad as Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey, then I’ll take the generic option every day of the week.

Mochi Mochi is an absolute delight, and whether you’re after an easy Platinum or not, it’ll be well worth your time.

It’s very easy to see that the team wanted to make a Fire Emblem game that would redefine what the series has been without changing the strategy parts and the result is something very special. If you ever had any interest in the series then Fire Emblem Three Houses is one you must play!

On some level, I guess, I could see Monster Jam Steel Titans being kind of fun. After all, who doesn’t love wonky physics? At the very least, it makes for the kind of game that’d probably be fun to watch on YouTube or Twitch. But if you’re the one paying out money and playing it yourself then don’t bother, because then all those monster trucks being flipped over a million times by stiff breezes and wayward pebbles suddenly become less silly and charming, and more frustratingly bad.

I’ve never been a racing fan, but I’ve always had the impression that it’s a couple of steps above the likes of NASCAR and Indy car racing. That’s an impression borne out by F1 2019, and it means that anyone who wants a real racing game challenge would be well-advised to check it out.

Taken altogether, it makes for an interesting — enjoyable even — take on Battleship. It won’t make you rethink everything you thought about the game, but it will give you all the fun of the original, and then some.

Hoggy 2 isn’t a sleeper GOTY candidate or anything. But if you go in looking for an enjoyable platformer that works well on the go, you should find plenty here with which you can be satisfied — with an easy Platinum or 2 to boot.

Bury Me, My Love is such a harrowing experience, it’d be understandable if one or two playthroughs was enough for you. Even with those flaws, this is an excellent game that doubles as a fascinating learning experience, and if you’ve ever wanted to see a genre venturing off into new, relatively unexplored directions, it’s well worth your investment — both financially and emotionally.

Regardless of the system on which you play it, it’s a bright, colourful game that pops off the screen, and with a few tweaks you could easily pretend you’re soaring through the levels. As it stands, however, there’s no soaring going on here — just lots of annoying floating off the edge of platforms, and into razors, and lasers, and enemy bullets. Consequently, Bouncy Bullets just ends up being more frustrating than anything else.

It’s far from perfect, and its flaws are reading apparent, but if you come away from this game feeling truly dissatisfied instead of deeply impressed by the work of SeithCG and eager to see what he does next, you’re kind of missing its point.

I wouldn’t describe The Sinking City as a bad game, by any means. Much like its Sherlockian predecessors it’s very much for a niche audience, but if you’re part of that niche — and I think I am — it’ll be a fun way to pass 15-20 hours.

If you haven’t checked the Mighty Switch Force games out yet then the Mighty Switch Force! Collection is a great way to do it. But if you already have access to them then it’s nothing to go out of your way for as it is just a collection. The fun factor is still here though so they’re still a good time even today.

Dreamwalker is pleasantly unobtrusive — it’s not going to wow you in any way, but it’ll pass in a way so forgettably that it’ll almost make you feel like you’re the one starring in the game. You could do worse than this, but you could also probably do much, much better.

So there is some casual fun to be had in the video pinball side of things but it would be much more fun if the game gave you better control over the ball. You can tilt the table to move the ball up or down but this is hit or miss and it seems like the game wants you to make use of this function more than you expect. But if you’re interested in a solid pinball game then you might want to look elsewhere and if you’re here for the Senran Kagura side of things then the overall game will have more on offer with cutscenes featuring interactions between the girls as they bring each other back to human form and other activities.

There’s no way anyone could ever have fun with Blood Waves. It’s an abysmal game, entirely lacking in creativity or inspiration, and beyond the fact it runs without crashing, it has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

It’d all be pretty boring if it weren’t for the fact that Grass Cutter has one heck of a soundtrack. Even if the game itself starts feeling repetitive early on, the thumping beat that accompanies the game — and that even plays through loading screens — will make you want to keep playing well after you’ve grown bored of the gameplay. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to make Grass Cutter – Mutated Lawns worth playing. Worth listening to, sure, but unless you don’t mind paying console prices for something that feels like it’d be a lot cheaper if it had come out on the App Store just for a great soundtrack, your money is probably better off spent elsewhere.

Obviously, the existence of games like Dark Souls proves that there’s a market for ultra-hard games that test your patience and your skill. And those people may be surprised to learn that this colourful game about toy tanks is secretly exactly what they may love. Everyone else, though, who just wants a twin-stick shooter that works, would be well-advised to avoid Attack of the Toy Tanks, since it doesn’t come close to delivering on that promise.

Perhaps, I guess, its creators were too enamored by their big picture ideas to notice that some of those smaller details weren’t quite up to par. Which is kind of a shame, since those big picture ideas would’ve made The Occupation pretty compelling if they’d managed to pull it off. Instead, we’re left with a game that all seems like a lot of unfulfilled promise.

Vandals isn’t without its flaws. In particular, the controls can be a little iffy, and you’ll occasionally find yourself forced to shove the right thumbstick a couple of times before your character finally moves where you want them to go. Also, with just five cities, none of which will take you too long to finish and, three stars notwithstanding, none of which have much in the way of replay value, you may find that the game is over far too soon. But better to leave you wanting more than to wear out its welcome, right? Besides, Vandals can be had for well under $5 — which, all things considered, put it squarely in “easy-to-recommend impulse buy” territory.

There are far worse ways to pass the time than by grinning at the sight of a mob of alligators and fish shoving over a building. But don’t go into Anarcute expecting something revolutionary on the gameplay side, because you’re not going to find that here.

The crazy thing about NightCry is that it’s not hard to imagine a world in which it actually turned out okay. It’s got an impressive pedigree, and manages to be a little spooky in spite of itself, so if it had been made a little more expertly, it could easily have lived up to its promise. It wasn’t made any better than this, though, and we’ve got to grade NightCry on what it is, not what it could have been in some fantastical alternate universe. And the sad truth is, in this world, NightCry is one of the worst games I’ve ever experienced.