I’m sure Space Crew will be enjoyable for plenty of people out there, but I spent too much of my time either frustrated with complicated controls or bored by monotonous missions.

Overall, there’s a lot to recommend in Neoverse Trinity Edition. It’s addicting, it’s great in short bursts and long runs, and it’s got characters and decks that are excellently balanced. Really, the only downsides are the lack of tutorial, the small text (it’s very hard to play in handheld mode until you know what the tiny text says), and the slightly wonky controls (it’s very easy to accidentally select the wrong item or card and then use it without realizing it, though you learn to be more careful eventually). There’s plenty of replay value, too, with each character having multiple unlocks for new cards, costumes, skills, and more. There’s also additional modes if you’re looking for a greater challenge.

Given how ambitious and unique the premise of Inifite Guitars is, it pains me to say that what should be a refreshing marriage of RPG and rhythm-based gameplay has turned out to be a bit of an exercise in tedium that is held back massively by issues with input recognition and repetition. It looks beautiful, and, with a few patches aimed at tightening up the gameplay, this may turn into something that is worth experiencing for that fantastic soundtrack alone, but, as it stands today, Infinite Guitars doesn’t feel like it was quite ready to take to the stage.

World’s End Club feels a lot like the child of extremely talented parents. Where the Zero Escape and Danganronpa series aggressively delivered their respective themes and elements that hooked players, World’s End Club inherited their genes but not their experience. The framework is there and shines as strongly as ever, but if you’ve already played its predecessors, it feels less like an equal and more like both franchises dialed down in volume. There’s an exact audience for World’s End Club: teenagers who want to experience what Zero Escape and Danganronpa have to offer but aren’t ready for heavy technical reading or the mental anguish of executing classmates. It’s good, it’s sweet, but it’s immature. And honestly? That’s just fine.

Whether the combat is a deal breaker for the average player is going to depend on how much they value everything that Toyama and his team at Bokeh Studios have got right. For this writer, the answer to that conundrum is that, on the whole, Slitterhead’s positives do outweigh its negatives. It feels like Toyama is untethered again, and while not every design choice has worked out for the best, the fact that we have the horror legend operating independently and willing to create something unlike anything else is something to be celebrated.

Fatal Fury: First Contact isn’t a bad game by any stretch. However, when you compare it to SNK’s more recent NGPC ports to the Switch, its lack of content is hard to ignore. It really shows its age with its slower pace (and frequent slowdown). And with only one single-player mode to experience and a pair of characters to unlock, you’ll likely find yourself burning through everything it has to offer in a single afternoon. Of course, the ability to play against a friend adds a bit of replay value to the package. But given that you can buy the superior Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 for the same price on the eShop, it makes this entry a little tough to recommend to all but the most ardent SNK fans. At the end of the day, Fatal Fury: First Contact isn’t wildly ambitious. But if you’re looking for a quick and dirty 8-bit fighter to add to your Switch library, it gets the job done.

Monster Menu: The Scavenger’s Cookbook feels more like a first try on NIS’ part than anything else—a fun first try, but a first try nonetheless. I legitimately enjoyed my time learning the ins and outs of the game and, as a fan of roguelikes and RPGs alike, didn’t mind having the game repeatedly stomp me into the ground. With that being said, however, I’d definitely call this one niche, and I’m not sure that everyone will find its flavor quite as appealing as I did.

Nothing comes easy in Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX. These are fairly poor ports of two pretty good games, with the best part of them stripped out. I still had fun revisiting these games after so many years, and players able to overlook the poor interface and lack of guidance can still definitely find a good time here, but you’ll need to work for it.

What the Saints Row reboot truly reminds us is that -- whatever situation they may find themselves in -- the Saints do it for each other. 2022's Saints Row is less about reeling it in and more about coming home. And in the house that Santo Ileso's Saints built, "damn, it feels good to be a gangster.

I spent a lot of my time with Sonic Frontiers having a ton of fun, even if there were just as many moments where I was frustrated and ready to be done with it. This isn’t a great game, but it’s one that should satisfy Sonic fans desperate for an interesting game starring their favorite blue blur, and for the first time in a long time, it feels like the series may have a sense of direction. There’s still work to be done to make it more than that, but this is a big step in the right direction.

Nitro Kid offers that slice of synthwave cyberpunk heaven in the form of a turn-based deckbuilding roguelike. It has a solid mechanic and balanced gameplay that proves addicting when you throw the amazing soundtrack into the fray. Although I wish there had been a little more in terms of a storyline — or even just backstory — that’s not a dealbreaker for an otherwise great game. If you’re looking for a fight with plenty of synthwave flair, Nitro Kid is ready to deal you in.

Honestly though, when you take everything into consideration, Seven Knights -Time Wanderer- totally blew me away. I never thought I’d have this much fun with a game inspired by mobile, but here we are. Not only is the game visually luscious, but it plays like a fast-paced dungeon crawler. Sure, it’s a bit repetitive and the plot could be better, but few games are perfect. What’s here is still incredibly solid and fun, and I’d recommend it to any old school RPG fanatic. And when you consider how inexpensive the game is, I can’t recommend it heartily enough.

Poison Control could have been better. The controls weren’t polished enough, and the levels—despite boasting some amazing aesthetics—were fairly same-y. But that doesn’t mean that Poison Control is a bad game. In fact, I really liked it—and I think that a lot of pre-existing NIS fans will, too. If you’re looking for games based on mechanical execution alone, Poison Control might not be your thing. If you want something with a lot of heart, however, and don’t mind the imperfections, then I would absolutely suggest diving headfirst into this little slice of Hell.

White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies is far from being the worst horror game I’ve played. But it’s nowhere near the best. Offering little more than truncated stories within self-contained chapters and gameplay mechanics that feel inferior to those within its predecessor, White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies – Complete Edition is a disappointing sequel for those of us who have spent years waiting for a White Day sequel.

Ashwalkers toes a fine line between survival and story and does a great job of it. The storytelling is just enough to tease out a unique ashy apocalypse without getting burdened by too many specifics, while the survival aspect is stressful but not impossible to overcome. While playing, I found myself invested in not only the Squad’s survival but the fate of those 250,000 souls back in the Citadel, only satisfied once I got an ending with a hopeful note. If you enjoyed the scouting section of Frostpunk and wanted to see that mechanic expanded upon, look no further than Ashwalkers.

Staxel exemplifies the old saying, “jack of all trades, master of none.” With the stellar competition on offer, a game really needs to excel these days to make an impact in what is becoming a very crowded genre. Unfortunately, Staxel, with its frustrating systems and the uninteresting cast, makes it hard to want to stick around and enjoy the variety of gameplay loops on offer here, and it’s difficult to see anybody but the most dedicated fans of the genre feeling any different.

Panorama Cotton was an incredibly impressive title in 1994, and nobody can take that away from it. Judged in 2021, though, there’s little reason for anyone to play it. It simply doesn’t hold up against similar titles. Clear and colorful visuals and competent shooting mean it isn’t exactly a chore, but nothing about it stands out today. This is a prime example of how some games are best left in the past.

For better or worse, Digimon World: Next Order has all of Bandai’s best ideas mixed together in one complex title. As a game, this can be huge and intimidating, but it can also be someone’s comfort game to melt into at the end of a long day. As a port, Digimon World: Next Order should be praised for its continuous improvement as it jumps from one platform to the next, but its pricetag hasn’t improved in its 7 year run, which can put off some players who have become accustomed to purchasing ports at a lower pricepoint. Digimon World: Next Order was an overwhelming first foray into Digimon, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was blown away by the complexity, nuance, and depth the series has to offer. Perhaps Digimon truly are the champions after all!

While not all of the features Battlefield 2042 introduces are a hit, and the lack of a single-player component is a little disappointing, the game still manages to deliver the same spectacular skirmishes fans of the series crave with its explosive 128-player conflicts and satisfying selection of near-future weaponry and gadgets. Add to that the impressive Portal Mode, which has the potential to keep a steady stream of community-created content flowing, and Battlefield 2042 could very well keep your itchy trigger finger soothed for the foreseeable future. Whether you’re a longtime fan of the franchise looking to dominate the leaderboards or a greenhorn ready for your first tour of duty, Battlefield 2042 delivers something worth fighting for.

By focusing on providing a familiar blend of strategy and impeccable combat, Omega Force has delivered an experience that feels like it has the interests of the fans at its core. Where Omega Force goes from here with both the mainline entries and subsequent Empires games remains to be seen, but for now, fans can at least enjoy this return to form.

Despite this, I still recommend The Ramp to almost any player who has interest in it. Its Zen-like simplicity is addicting, and a low price means there’s little room for regret. While you can draw minor comparisons to a wide variety of titles, there’s nothing quite like The Ramp on the market.

Despite my many gripes, I think there is still an audience out there for Curse of the Sea Rats. Sure, it’s packed to the rafters with frustrating design choices that should have been made to walk the plank, but it’s also a title that has clearly had a ton of love and passion poured into its development. That I felt compelled to stick with Curse of the Sea Rats despite the uneven gameplay is a testament to the art direction and light-hearted narrative, both of which instantly brought me back to a happy place; sitting in front of the TV on a Saturday morning, feasting on whatever sugar-laced cereal was trendy at the time, all while enjoying my favorite cartoons. While it’s not an easy sell due to its gameplay fumbles, I do still think Curse of the Sea Rats is worth a playthrough for anyone who can look past its flaws and focus on the product as a whole, which ends up being a serviceable videogame, elevated greatly by a wonderful sense of style and charm.

Mia And The Dragon Princess is another title that can be gorged through like a starving child when he glimpses a box of Celebrations. But unlike Celebrations, it doesn’t have the quantity nor the quality to entice you to keep on feasting, it’ll instead make you feel full all too quickly.

I wish I could say I had fun with Deiland Pocket Planet or found some sort of redeeming quality outside of the aesthetics, but the truth is, I spent too much time tripping over rocks and breaking them out of frustration afterwards to really remember much else about it. I kept missing visitors, I fumbled with farming, and unlocking the fishing rod was an exercise in odd patience. There was a lot of weird friction in the UI and nothing was truly intuitive. I am still wild about the concept and found the chill vibe inviting, but diving back into the game just for a supposedly relaxing mood never had the outcome I was hoping for.

Dai’s video game debut may not feature the same level of robustness as its core series counterparts, but, as an action-based anime spin-off, it’s an absolute delight. Whether you’ve been following the anime or manga, or just consider yourself to be a Dragon Quest fan, Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure offers an all-around good time.

Modern Warfare 3 should not exist in its current form. This world, these characters, and modes such as zombies deserved better, especially after Modern Warfare 1 and 2 laid the groundwork for a spectacular third entry with two carefully crafted reboots. If you’re purely in it for the multiplayer, then there may just be enough here in the nostalgia of revisiting old maps to warrant a purchase, but that is the only grounds on which Modern Warfare 3 might prove an acceptable product. For anyone looking for their next action-packed campaign fix or hoping to see the zombies mode return to its former glories, you should absolutely avoid this year’s entry.

Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a title brimming with promise and love for its source material, reflected in its atmospheric visuals and intriguing narrative elements. It effectively encapsulates the grim allure of the Hellboy universe, offering a visually enthralling journey through its stylized, comic-esque realms. Yet, the game decides to tread the roguelike path that ultimately casts a shadow on its narrative strengths, often turning what could have been an engrossing narrative-driven experience into a slog through repetitively structured levels.

Legends of Ethernal is a starting point for an even grander game. All the pieces are in place. The compelling narrative, captivating visuals, and engaging soundtrack all help to create a vivid and living world that’s enjoyable to experience. While the gameplay can lag at times, the aforementioned elements admirably make up for these small deficits.