At 20 dollars, it is a tough ask as a purchase since this developer with no discernible track record in the west. Those who take the leap will find a rather solid title with high replayability and a visual style seldom seen on our shores. One can only hope that the publisher can put some more marketing dollars towards this title so that it can find some sort of audience.

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed Forza 7 so far, and look forward to playing more of it. The game isn’t without faults, but I’ve managed to progress at a steady pace despite the mod system and collection tiers put in place. There’s a whole host of optional events in addition to the standard races, and a nice variety of vehicle types that in turn help make most of the race experiences feel fresh and unique. If you’ve ever enjoyed the Forza series in the past, I’m sure you’ll find something to love here, regardless of what brings you to the game.

Overall, for $19.99, it’s a bargain to play a solid entry in the Resident Evil series in HD with a solid framerate. As of this release, we now have most of the major Resident Evil titles to be released on one platform. At this point, I would even take a Remastered or Remade Re: Outbreak, which was a game well ahead of its time.

Raw Data is hands down the best shooting experience to come to VR in its life so far. I loved the gameplay in the single player element and can’t get enough of the multiplayer. The inclusion of classes brings a new aspect to the genre and adds replayability, and as long as the developers keep up with new content for the multiplayer and the communities sticks with it this will be the VR game that everyone talks about when bringing up the pros of the technology.

The new and improved Pinball FX app delivers a great pinball experience without costing you an arm and a leg. Not all of your old tables will work with the new app, but the ones that do offer an almost brand new feel with the graphic overhaul and fine tuning to the physics. Combine that with the new challenge modes and great multiplayer options and you have yourself a great package for pinball fans and casual players alike. As a huge pinball fan, you owe it to yourself to give Pinball FX3 a try, you won’t be disappointed!

A shorter experience keeps Death of the Outsider from reaching the same level of success that Dishonored 2 had, but the experience here is one definitely worth it. This is far more than simple DLC, it is a self contained albeit short game. My experience on PC was fantastic, running on max settings with no issue at all. Death of the Outsider feels like the first thing that Arkane made with the PC in mind, not an afterthought.

Axiom Verge feels even more like a definitive version being on the Switch. I’m seeing a trend of games finding a solid home on the platform and they just feel right at home here. If you haven’t checked it out, then this is a great opportunity to do so. Tom Happ brings a unique twist from a developer’s perspective and brings it all together in a classic genre that’s worth taking a look at when done well.

If you are not a fan of the racing simulation genre, sadly Project Cars 2 will probably not convert you. It’s a very robust and packed game with thousands of options that will intimidate if you aren’t into this type of experience. Couple that with the slight difficulty using the standard game pad, and you’ve got a game that may not appeal to many gamers. If you are a fan of sims though, than you can probably do no better than Project Cars 2. Even though I am not a fan, I did have fun playing and am looking forward to dive deeper into the title. It’s definitely not for everyone, but I still recommend at least checking it out.

I ended up finding Battle Chasers: Nightwar to be a bit of a mixed bag. I love seeing the concept of Battle Chasers come back, and I think Nightwar does a pretty good job of continuing the Battle Chasers story. I absolutely love getting more of Joe Madureira’s character designs and artwork on display here, and I think the classic turn-based RPG approach makes a lot of sense. But there is definitely room for improvement here, and unless you’re petty enamoured with the classic style of RPG mechanics, you might burn out a little too soon with Battle Chasers: Nightwar. Ideally some things will be fixable by patches, but this wasn’t quite the home run I was hoping for.

Metroid: Samus Returns is an easy recommendation and you can’t go wrong with this in your 3DS library. The team put a lot of work into polishing this remake and it shows. I can’t even tell who gets the better deal here between fans of the original or newcomers like me. All I can say is that this game makes me realize how much I miss a true Metroidvania game made by masters of the craft. If this is how Nintendo wants to pay homage to classic games, I say let’s go for more!

What’s especially annoying about that is that I know for a fact that these games can be better, since the first two SAO games on Vita were decent. You wouldn’t think that such rapid regression would be possible, but Accel World VS Sword Art Online is proof that it absolutely is.

My opinion on sports games comes down entirely to two factors: how good is the career mode, and how well does it represent the sport. And on both those counts, FIFA 18 delivers in spades.

It will probably come as no surprise, but Pokkén Tournament DX on the Switch is the way to go. It offers everything from the original, but with added content and a much better platform to play it on. Yeah they probably could have spent more time with technical improvements like a higher resolution, but we also didn’t get a disaster on our hands as some ports can tend to turn out.

Where other sports games have stepped up their games to provide a comprehensive experience, NBA 2K18 has taken a huge step back, and seems more focused on getting more money out of players than doing anything else. If you just want a game where you can play as Lebron James or Kevin Durant in exhibition games, it’s fine for that, but if you want to do anything else, stay far, far away.

For that matter, I don’t know that I’d quibble too hard with anyone who looked at the damsel-in-distress and the obnoxious characters, shrugged, and wanted to play anyway. The game practically asks the question, What if Danganronpa were a romance novel? — and if you’ve ever wanted to see how that plays out, Collar x Malice offers an intriguing answer.

Obviously, there are some people that probably won’t enjoy Yonder too much. If you want action and adventure, of course, it’ll probably bore you, and if you want a fast-paced story, you’re not going to find that here. But if you’re just looking for a delightful game that allows you to explore to your heart’s contest, Yonder is exactly what you’re looking for.

At its core, Destiny 2 takes everything you loved about the original and cranked it up to 11. The graphics are flashier, the sound effects are louder, the content is meatier, and the overall experience is better. Plus, there is a ton of stuff to do after you see the game’s ending credits.

Environments are beautiful, fights are intense and my frames were smooth. All in all, my personal opinion would be if they have fixed the crashing issue, this is a definite must play for any fighting fans on PC.

As it stands, I’m not sure it’s worth playing for most people. Quibbles about terminology notwithstanding, Polara is, at its core, an endless runner; whether you’ll want to play it depends entirely on whether you need another one of those in your life. It’s a pleasant enough diversion to have on your Vita or your 3DS, but it’s certainly not something you absolutely have to play.

It feels like deja vu when you’re playing an exhibition game in NHL 18 because it’s very very similar to NHL 17, but that’s not a bad thing. If you’re a fan of the NHL and you buy this release annually, this review isn’t going to tell you anything to prevent you from your purchase. If you listened to my review last year and picked up NHL 17, as a casual fan who doesn’t pick up every release, this year is probably going to be a skip. There’s just not enough of a change year over year. Threes is a fantastic new mode and a way to enjoy some arcade style hockey (and would be perfect on the Switch wink wink), but it’s just not worth a $60 investment for a casual fan. Die hards will have a blast with NHL 18 and Threes is just an added bonus to what is already a tight, feature packed hockey power play.

Active Soccer 2 DX obviously has its share of flaws, but it has plenty of good points, too. Even though it’s lacking in bells and whistles, it’s still a solid game — which, when you think about it, is more than can be said for any other soccer game on the Vita.

It shouldn’t be too surprising, I suppose, that Fairune got its start as a mobile title — with its basic mechanics and relative lack of plot, it feels like the sort of game you can hop into and out of with minimal difficulty. And, let’s be honest, there’s certainly a place for pick-up-and-play games on the Vita and the 3DS. But there’s a difference between being able to pick up a game and immediately start playing it, and a game being so undemanding it barely feels worth it. Fairune falls into the latter category.

Now, I admit that I’m clearly not the target audience here. The tender story of a young woman coming to terms with her sexuality while also figuring out her career path isn’t the kind of thing I’d normally read, and Asuka’s not compelling enough a character to win me over. All that said, I’m glad it exists for people who do like those stories, and if you want a slow-moving visual novel that’s more character-driven than many of its contemporaries, you could do a lot worse than to pick up Nurse Love Addiction.

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is a must own for veterans and new players alike. It doesn’t matter how many hours players have put into the original XCOM 2 campaign, starting over with War of the Chosen is completely worth the time.

I think Rock of Ages 2: Bigger and Boulder is pretty fantastic, and well-worth playing. I was genuinely surprised that a sequel was even made, but I’m happy to see that ACE Team managed to recapture all of the magic from the first, and expand on it even more.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a good addition to the current Switch lineup. I’m not sure if I would say that in a year from now once more exclusives are available, but for anyone starving to play a new game with Mario, Ubisoft has you covered! You could also play it if you miss the Rabbids, if you wanted. I did enjoy my time with this, but found the pace of battles to be awkward without any way to customize the settings. I’m no developer, but if they could patch something in, this would be a lot more enjoyable and probably even fun! Don’t expect this to replace the games it rips off, but there is a good time to be had in this weird mashup.

Long story short, Knack II isn’t the greatest looking game out there, but it does what it needs to and holds its own. Considering the modest $39.99 price tag and the audience it is intended for, it’s difficult not to recommend picking up Knack II for those looking for a fun and family-friendly PS4 adventure. Knack is back!

As frustrating as Ninja Usagimaru: Two Tails of Adventure can be, I don’t detest this game anywhere near as much as The Witness, for the simple reason that there’s not nearly as much here to detest. It never aspires to be anything more than a simple puzzle game that you can play on the go, albeit one that will make you want to throw your handheld of choice out a bus window. I can’t say it appeals to me, but if you’re after a brain-twister that’s easy to pick up and put down, then I could see it kind of doing the trick.