Ultimately your enjoyment of the Switch port comes down to whether you value accessibility over performance. XCOM 2 is a fantastic game and is a great title to play on the go If you are looking for the definitive XCOM experience it may be best to stick to the PC version. If you can handle the performance issues and you’ve already burned through the Switches excellent library of similar titles then this game is absolutely worth recommending.

One Piece: Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition is a decent addition to the stable of Nintendo Switch games and of course from a Once Piece perspective. It’s a fun experience on the Nintendo Switch with lots of quests to embark on and is a relatively sturdy gaming system. The multiplayer component of the game could have been fleshed out more but nonetheless, it creates a fun game for fans of the One Piece series.

The Phoenix Gene is a bold and stylish VR rail shooter that blends fast-paced gameplay, multidimensional mechanics, and an ambitious sci-fi narrative. It’s an ambitious VR experiment full of potential, hampered by occasional design friction but buoyed by rich ideas and immersive storytelling. While its execution can feel a bit uneven, the game's creativity, replayability, and visual flair make it a compelling experience for fans of action-heavy VR titles.

Ultimately this is a collection for those who enjoy a bit of retro gaming. If you are looking for deep strategy and high fidelity graphics and sound… well any disappointment is on you for looking at a collection of classic arcade games to find that. But for those of us who grew up with arcades as a large part of our world of entertainment… this might just cause the odd pang of sentimentality. How many of the games you like will likely determine how good the value is… as I said, I’m a big fan of The New Zealand Story so it’s a pretty good collection just for that one (though liking a few more of the games does help to justify the pricetag).

The controls are fairly simple, and the experience is a good challenge, which will require you to engage. You never lose your progress (as there is no absolute death), and when you lose (or flee) combat, you can return to your latest home point. It is challenging but not punishing, which provides a balance which suits the overall style of mystery. I like the unique experience that Tenderfoot Tactics offers the player. The dreamy, eerie, and etheric world is well formed and encourages a dream like meander through the space. The enchanting visuals are the hero of the game which makes the world well worth the exploration.

So the big question… is it a good game? Well it depends on what you want. If you enjoy extreme micromanagement and like the idea of persistent troops then you might love this game. If you come from the early days of RTS, from games like Dune 2 and Command and Conquer then this might be too much fiddling about. Consider your playing preferences before buying and if this is likely to be for you (and maybe wait for a sale).

A thoughtful Indie puzzler that's worth lurking in the shadows for.

While it has a few gameplay issues and isn't too long to beat at about 8 hours, the game still provides a great experience beat 'em up fans will especially enjoy.

Trials of Mana is a visually impressive game with fun combat and engaging characters. It’s a game I would definitely recommend to fans of the series or any JRPG fans out there as it’s a solid remake that offers players a better way to play the original game.

Overall Hitman Absolution is a solid addition to the Nintendo Switch library and whilst it may not be for all the die hard Hitman fans there is enough there for portable fans to enjoy. With the announcement as said above Switch 2 owners may want to holdout on purchasing until the free update comes out next year.

With big improvements, yet still some solid flaws, F1 2023 comes up pretty strong but still with a lot of room to grow.

Worms 4 is a competent entry that makes for an enjoyable handheld experience and one that fans both old and new will find more than enough to hold their interest.

The story is less important than stomping around in a giant ‘mech and that’s okay. It’s fun and engaging, though after awhile can get repetitive.

I Am Setsuna is a little too shallow at times to truly stand out as a worthy successor to its precursors but, if you have a hankering for a throwback to Square’s golden age of RPGs but with a current generation sheen applied, it’s worth giving the game a look even if it doesn’t quite manage to reinvent the wheel.

A fun and lighthearted couch co-op multiplayer game with a simple, but appealing home renovation gameplay formula fine-tuned for party chaos!

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is the third iteration of the 2D platformer and the game continues to be another brilliant Kong quest. A ton of diverse levels, an ample amount of replayability, exceptional controls, noteworthy audio design, and rambunctious gameplay effortlessly fills your heart up with joy. The difficulty may still be a bit harsh for some and lack of updates is extremely underwhelming, but Donkey Kong Country Returns HD proves that Donkey Kong is still going strong! Okay!

At the end of the day, The Game of Life from EA Games makes the transition from the physical to the virtual perfectly and this is one title that should be taken away with the whole family during vacations.

Go Mecha Ball’s splash of creativity, colorful world, and addicting gameplay will make you pull the plunger over and over to obtain that perfect run. Help Cat Rascal and her crew escape by flipping triggers, bouncing off of enemies, and boosting to victory.

Samurai Showdown for the Switch is a brilliant reboot of a terrific classic fighter. Its unique fighting mechanics persist, backed by a beautiful presentation upgrade. Still, its online community is lacking, and its uniqueness may be off-putting to many.

Restaurats takes the cooking game formula and injects it with disorder and chaos. While its mechanics could be deeper, and systems could use more fine-tuning, its spirit is unmistakable. For what it is, a fun indie title with imaginative design and co-op friendly mechanics, it succeeds. It may offer less in the long haul for solo players, but if you’re looking for a quirky, cooperative management game to play with friends, Restaurats is definitely worth a seat at the table.

One of the more middling entries in a franchise that is feeling more than its fair share of fatigue, and although it offers up a solid enough and serviceable experience for players, it unfortunately falls short of the lofty standards established by Modern Warfare.

In conclusion, Spectrobes: Origins is a good attempt at moving the franchise to the console world and works on most levels. The unfortunate aspect of the game is that the RPG aspect seems too contrived and does not add to the genre anything new.

While the psychological and supernatural horror elements aren’t as well conveyed in the writing or voice-acting as bigger budget games, the effort and detail put into the shifting setting, sound design and visual presentation offer up an enjoyable and immersive horror game experience.

Despite the kinks and knitpicks, Legend of the Gobbos will endear players with its accommodating easiness, making it a lovely, gentle and ideal welcoming to retro gaming for children, while giving adult retro lovers a pleasing blast from the past to indulge in. It's not perfect obviously and it lacks the inspiration and magic of its contemporaries, but all the same it was a good game for its time that deserves to be experienced. The remastering effort on display here is lovely and should certainly entertain and please gamers young and old. A legendary platformer it may not be, but Legend of the Gobbos is certainly a worthwhile adventure that's returned with a solid remastering effort.

What The Pillar: Puzzle Escape lacks in length, it makes up for in creativity and easily a fun experience for younger gamers. Players will get to explore a unique open world map as they search for clues and complete simple puzzles to progress to the next level. Older players won’t find any real value in this game and are better off investing their time in something a bit more challenging. However, parents who want to help their children’s creative problem solving and memory skills should look into this game as an educational and development tool to stimulate young minds.

Rogue Continuum on PC serves as a nice distraction for gamers that harkens back to those classic shooters of the 80's with a modern twist thrown in for fun.

Lovely combination of base builder and tactics, have fun getting lost in a corrupted national park as you scavenge and rebuild.

Grounded is a fantastic survival game with a compelling core gameplay loop and a marvelous retro aesthetic that is bound to scratch the nostalgic itch of gamers of a certain vintage. On Switch, it’s another one of those seemingly impossible ports that feel magical just by its very existence. However, thanks to its technical issues and stripped-back presentation and performance, it’s hard to recommend to anyone with another system they could play it on.