With its pleasant visuals and nice soundtrack to back it up, Nostatic Software has cooked up a nice little retro adventure that’s definitely worth the more than generous $1.99 price-tag.

Corpse Party: Blood Drive feels imbalanced between its exploration and visual novel aspects. Luckily, what I did enjoy, I got engrossed in, and there are moments of genius in both segments. But ultimately, the exploration feels like an afterthought compared to the visual novel component. It’s definitely hard to recommend unless you’re already a Corpse Party fan.

There is a lot to like about Overpass. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of issues. The overall idea is great and offers something that a lot of gamers won’t have experienced. There are some moments of visual beauty as well, but the frame rate really struggles to keep up. This is also a seriously challenging game with the difficulty level only changing the time that the other drivers take to complete the course. It would have been helpful for an easier difficulty to provide you with more grip and less chance of flipping your vehicle over. If you want to try a different driving experience, Overpass may be the game for you. Just be prepared for a challenge.

For now, it is what it is, and I would only recommend it to bored Wii U owners with spare money to burn.

Despite being largely well-made, Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia gets stale and repetitive after the first few hours. Everything outside of the main story is incredibly tedious and feels like it was added solely to pad the game's length. Younger Bakugan fans will likely enjoy the game, but for older fans or those not already interested in Bakugan, it's a much tougher sell.

Alphadia is a game that is faithful in its homage to JRPGs of yore, yet cannot quite match them in its execution.

Depending on how quickly the player moves, this game can be completed in 4 or 5 hours. It is a title that might speak to fans of narrative-driven experiences. That’s not to say there is an entirely rich narrative here, but the mysteries surrounding the astronaut’s circumstances could drive one’s desire to progress. And the imaginative wonder that this journey’s final note ends with is poetic to a degree. The question is whether that is enough for you to invest here. Otherwise, platformer fans should look elsewhere to satiate their genre needs.

Little Friends: Dogs & Cats tries its best to be the Nintendogs sequel that Nintendo is too scared to give us. It gets a few things right, like the variety of activities and the huge amount of customization available. Unfortunately, the lack of detail when it comes to control options and taking care of your pet makes this an experience with very little staying power.

Although I hoped Flip Wars would turn out to be a fun online and party game when I first saw its footage, the title turned out to be a disappointment void of any real merit. The gameplay is clunky, content is slim, and power-ups do little to remedy the experience. The lack of a single-player mode and virtually nonexistent online make recommending this title even more. Ultimately, Flip Wars’ release made my disappointed Nintendo published an unfinished game like it in the first place.

In the end I became dangerously addicted to Has-Been Heroes. I couldn’t put the game down because of how much depth there is to the gameplay. Chaining melee and spell attacks across the 3 heroes and landing a ton of damage on an enemy is incredibly satisfying. Or that rewarding feeling you get when finally figuring out a strategy to defeat the boss and progressing further into the game. Make no mistake, Has-Been Heroes is a hard game and not for the faint of heart but if you enjoy a fun, rewarding challenge, at $20 it’s a must have for your Switch collection.

There is not much to say on Guilt Battle Arena because there is almost nothing to it. You cannot avoid stagnation when playing this game. It is inevitable. In my opinion, Guilt Battle Arena is not worth your time or money. Brawling against your friends with only one in the chamber is interesting and even fairly entertaining at first. Once that short initial novelty wears off, the game becomes a poorly executed slog through a few highly repetitive and wholly mediocre gameplay variants. It is generous to say that this game is fun for longer than an hour, which compels me once more to mention that Guilt Battle Arena somehow costs a completely unjustified $15. There are restaurant meals out there that cost less, are more satisfying, and somehow last longer than Guilt Battle Arena. Stay far away.

Pilot Sports just comes off as a poor man’s attempt at trying to recreate Pilotwings. It simply does not have the same level of polish. Thus, the old saying, “An original is better than a copy,” definitely applies here. If anything, playing this made me want Nintendo to release a new authentic Pilotwings even more than before. But in the meantime, you’re much better off looking at past entries in that franchise rather than playing this.

Kung Fu FIGHT! may be simple, but it is fun. It offers a solid gameplay, some humorous lines and replay value, including a couple of custom achievements.

Utterly dreary, glacially paced, constantly fumbling over its own scene transitions, and rife with frivolous and inconsequential decisions, I Saw Black Clouds is everything you shouldn’t do with an FMV game.

Ultimately, like Aqua Moto Racing Utopia, Snow Moto Racing Freedom just feels very unrefined. Even if the framerate was actually tolerable, the core game is pretty basic and gets boring rather quickly. The one thing going for this game is that there’s currently a lack of racing titles on the Switch and so far this is the only one dedicated to winter sports. Even so, despite there not being much else to choose from, I wouldn’t bother with this in its current state. If the framerate issues are ever addressed, then perhaps it might be fun for younger gamers, but even then it just doesn’t have much lasting appeal.

Rise and Shine is undoubtedly one of the best-looking games on the Switch. The animations, level design, and characters are nothing short of a feast for the eyes. While this is all well and good, the rest of the game never really finds its footing because of its brevity and lack of focus. If you’re planning on jumping into this adventure, be prepared for a game with elements of an action platformer, with bullet hell moments, that is constantly stifled by the need to be everything all at once.

Despite the sacrifices, V-Rally 4 is still the most detailed racing game on Switch for the time being. It’s difficult but remains a lot of fun. With GRID also on the way, perhaps the racing sim genre is making a real return to Nintendo platforms.

Devil May Cry 2 is a strange side note in the franchise that comes off as a failed experiment more than anything else. Aside from the Bloody Palace mode, most of the changes introduced were rolled back in the next game, and the series is better for it. While I didn’t hate my time with Devil May Cry 2, it pales in comparison to the rest of the franchise. If you’re looking to get into Devil May Cry, no one will stop you from skipping right over this one.

With a $19.99 price tag, there is some leeway to be given for what is obviously a mobile port cash grab on the Switch market. However, there are better FPS titles that you can sink your time into than Modern Combat Blackout. This just has the distinction of being the only military shooter on the platform. If that’s what you’re looking for, this will keep you entertained in short bursts before you peter out. Otherwise, spend time on something like Doom or Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus instead.

Jump Force Deluxe Edition has great ideas and intentions but fails to execute them in a meaningful way. Its story woefully underutilizes the incredible roster of characters at its disposal, and some technical and design problems keep it from being the smooth experience a modern fighter on Switch needs to be. The simple but flashy combat can be fun while you try out some signature moves from your favorite anime characters, but the lack of depth means that this novelty will eventually fade away. How far your mileage goes before that happens will just depend on how much you enjoy these properties.

With no Ice Age movie releasing in tandem with Scrat’s Nutty Adventure, the choice to not give Just Add Water a few extra months to add polish is disappointing. At best, Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventure is a decent distraction for kids.

3Souls is a short but solid game. The puzzle setup has potential, but was lacking in execution and accessibility options. Even though it took three hours to complete, I would still recommend it for those who want to give this game a try.

Ultimately, Mighty No. 9 is just not worth the price. It has a satisfying set of mechanics, but that is all it has going for it.

If not for light content and clunky online, Morphies Law would stand out on the Switch indie scene. Offline, the unique size-changing gameplay works very well and the available maps and modes are encouraging. The game will be much easier to recommend if online stability and more content are ever added via DLC in the future. In the meantime, though, if you have several Switch-owning friends who can get together for some download play, or if you just really want to run around with misshapen offline bots, then Morphies Law may be a worthy addition to your library.

Keep your expectations in line, realize this is a handheld game, and you will probably have a fun time with IronFall Invasion, much like I did.

Star Sky is a brief experience that will be enjoyed by some and hated by others.

Those looking for challenge or an arcade-like experience will find Shapes of Grey a good time killer, but casual or inexperienced gamers will find themselves stuck forever.

Paranautical Activity isn’t a bad game, it is just is very flawed. Sadists and FPS fans looking for something quirky and somewhat enjoyable might get a little amusement out of the game, but it’s hard to recommend it with these glaring issues for most gamers.

Desert Child is that kid you knew who watched a whole lot of Cowboy Bebop thinking it’d be cool to dress like Spike Spiegel in school. We appreciate the effort, but looking cool is different from actually being cool. This isn’t the poser of video games, but it gets close to it.

Overall, Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival is an embarrassment of a game. I was already disappointed with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, the other AC spin-off title that released this fall, but Amiibo Festival far overshoots its predecessor in terrible design and gameplay.

Soul Axiom for Wii U is a rough port of an interesting first-person puzzler that just doesn’t quite live up to its potential. The combination of frustrating controls, poor graphics that don’t live up to the PC version, and intentionally slow storytelling may be too much for anyone that is not a huge fan of the first person puzzle genre.

If you are a huge fan of NiGHTS, it’s worth picking up at a discounted price because there is some fun to be had here: just the fun moments are few and far between.

While the cinematics and storyline are fairly eyebrow raising and interesting, the rest of the game is a broken platter of inedible stale pastries.

Even so, it’s a beautiful game that offers some legitimately satisfying fun. Just don’t expect that to last too long.

I don’t know what it is about Vaccine that makes me such a fan of it. It’s not a good looking game, the controls are stiff and dated, and the game takes so much from Resident Evil that it at times can feel like plagiarism more-so than honoring the source material. Still though, I had a blast playing the game and got a very nostalgic feeling while playing Vaccine. It retails in the US eShop now for $9.99, and I’d say I got more than enough bang for my buck with this title. If you have no appreciation of classic survival-horror, you will hate this game. Me however? I loved it when I was a kid, so I ended up enjoying myself way more than probably anyone else will with Vaccine.

If you have any other console or PC for gaming, you have so many better options in the online shooter genre to choose from that there is no good reason to give this one any of your time. If you only own a Wii U, you should be playing Splatoon, and if you only own a Wii U and absolutely must play a more “realistic” style of online shooter, then you still have the two Call Of Duty games.

While the premise is good, some the visuals are acceptable, and the story and music don’t actively harm the experience, the gameplay is utterly poor to begin with and makes bad choice after bad choice, marring the experience beyond repair.

I don’t know why the developers thought this was a good idea, but all I can think is that this was just a really sad attempt at making a quick buck off of unsuspecting buyers. So, allow this review to be a warning: Avoid Car Mechanic Simulator on Switch. Just download it for free on your phone if you want it that badly. But trust me, even then, your time can be spent on much better things.

If you happen to want to try a picture/word video game with friends, pick it up for just two bucks as it might work in that setting, but for the most part, I must unfortunately suggest that most players pass on the title – even keeping in mind the low price point.

You would need to be a really hardcore SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan to prefer this. I don’t doubt that there is a really good game that could be made with the Nickelodeon license, but it needs to have much better core mechanics. And with such a great library of Nickelodeon properties available, you can’t help but feel it should be using more of them.

I can recommend My Style Studio: Notebook as a nice drawing tool for younger audiences or just for those looking for something easy to use, but those who are drawing enthusiasts or artists may prefer something else. Using it to create notes can be effective for kids, but an average mobile phone may be a better option for adults. And if you seek to create flipbook animations, this is most certainly not your game.

The game isn’t terrible. It isn’t good. It’s just there. Fans of Ivan Stewart’s Super Off Road may like this little trip down memory lane for $5.99. but be warned: it will be a short one, and you will find yourself going back to the NES classic.

If the frame-rate was smooth and the game was more technically sound, I could see potential for a fun horror game. The atmosphere is nice, the audio is extremely well done, and the story seems pretty interesting as well. It’s just a shame that the frame-rate is so bad that you probably won’t make it til the end to see the conclusion.

psyscrolr is a game that I feel has potential, but it’s not quite ready for the big time yet.

I don’t know why you would want to play Flappy Bird on a console, but if you do, there are other knock-offs on the eShop that at least understand the appeal of what they’re copying. Two dollars is far too much for a game like this.

Despite being an interesting idea, Maze falls really hard on its poor execution: a boring experience during the first half of the game, the good ideas are hardly used in comparison with the bad ones and there are many flaws in the package as well.

If you’re itching for a true off-roading simulator, then have a look at Spintires: MudRunner. It launched last year on Switch and still manages to provide a very high-quality experience with both gameplay and visuals. Ultra Off-Road Simulator basically looks and feels like someone saw MudRunner and wanted to copy it in the cheapest way possible. Thus, you’re better off just going straight to the source.

Chasing Dead had promise, but fails on every single basic level of game design and playability. I honestly do hope the team is able to salvage this game in the future with updates, because I think if the performance of the game was at a decent level it could be a fun game. As it stands, this is the worst title I’ve played in 2016, and should be avoided at all costs.

These “joyful” feelings will disappear after 10 or 15 minutes because of problematic controls. They are stiff, not easy to master and the camera movement tends to make things even worse.

Steel Rivals was a game that could have been a decent little fighter similar to Soul Calibur, but it is an obviously very rushed and incomplete fighting game that should be avoided by even the most hardcore fighting fans.

As far as one dollar board game-esque eShop titles go, it has one of the more enjoyable concepts, but the extensive amount of boredom one has to endure while an opponent takes a turn brings down the experience considerably, and ultimately makes it not worth the purchase.

It only lasts around two hours, and it’s nothing mindblowing in gameplay, visuals, or sound. In fact, it can be rather dull in some ways. But for just two dollars, it’s most certainly a fun little distraction, and while it won’t be totally enthralling throughout, it will offer some fun levels and exciting moments.

The game has excellent music, fun and addictive game modes, and tight controls. The game however does suffer from some lag issues but there is a patch coming.

My problem with the game was the controls, or specifically how the jump isn’t responsive enough.

Color Zen does so little wrong that, unless you have something against colors, abstract art, or artistic music composition, it’s hard not to recommend this game.

With great art, strategy and music Lucadian Chronicles will likely be a card fan-favorite. Though at times loading was a bit slow, music was repetitive, and during dialogue interactions, music or sound was absent, this game made me want more.

While Shiny the Firefly does recover after its agonizingly slow start, it never becomes great.

If you want a different kind of puzzle game, Breezeblox is a solid, though certainly not perfect, option that is at least worth looking into.

Considering that it is an enhanced-port of a mobile game, one shouldn’t expect too much, but when there’s something like EDGE out there, then the lack of overall quality cannot be excused.

The game can be a bit frustrating at times due to some cheaply placed obstacles, and the graphics leave a bit to be desired, but as a whole, the game is a solid purchase for 3DS owners.

Again, I firmly believe that those who like clever, challenging puzzle games will eat this up – this type of game has even been proven to help make people smarter – and if you’re one of those who really wants the game on their Wii U, go for it.

Don’t Touch Anything Red presents a nice idea but it has a terrible execution, and despite of the cheap price, the game is not worth it.

Super Destronaut is a good addition to the Wii U eShop. This retro shooter is fun for a couple of hours and the cost is cheap. But if your intention is to beat other players worldwide, this may not be your game.

It’s not a bad game, but the overall package could be a lot better.

For two dollars, those who want a couple hours of competent platforming should definitely consider picking up Runny Egg.

It’s not for the hardcore gamer, but Word Search by POWGI does what it sets out to do and does it mostly well, albeit at a bit of a high price.

Tilelicious: Delicious Tiles has solid gameplay and a simple presentation, but some design flaws like the luck factor and the lack of replay value breaks the appealing aspect of the game.

I have to say Bubble Gum Popper offers a good idea in an overused genre, is cheap, and technically works but the execution make the game hard to recommend.

I cannot definitively say whether it is average or not, but Journey of a Special Average Balloon is most certainly not special.

It is nothing memorable for certain, but it is a nice way to waste time since the mechanics are easy to learn and it is at least a little entertaining – while it lasts.

Maybe Don’t Crash should have taken its own advice and not turned into the absolute wreck that it is.

Land it Rocket could be a lot better, and should be a lot longer for three dollars – but what it is may be worth a look for those searching for a quick, fun distraction.

If you’re looking for budget titles on the Wii U eShop, Neon Battle is one you may want to take another look at.

Whether or not you will enjoy Dare Up: Adrenaline will come down to whether or not you enjoy the core gameplay.

Tiny Galaxy had a chance to be an interesting addition to the eShop, but unfortunately, it just falls flat.

It’s too short and too lacking in boss variety to be an everlasting indie classic, but while playing, it really is stellar.

Epic Word Search Collection tries to make something often considered mundane more exciting and, obviously, epic. Unfortunately, the signature feature of the game does nothing but harm the gameplay.

At the end, Endless Golf is easy for everyone to play, but the game presentation and execution makes a mediocre experience from a great idea. It is fun at first, but the casual difficulty and lack of variation makes it boring and repetitive after a long session. In my opinion, this type of game should be on mobile devices or handhelds, not on home consoles.

Wind-Up Knight 2 is no indie title that will go down the history books of the eShop, but neither is it one that should be looked down on for its simplicity.

I won’t lie, it can be fun for a few minutes but this is the type of game you will play one or two times and then never pick it up again.

It’s like a fruit salad with dry, discolored fruits in a pretty bowl — unappetizing.

All-in-all, Factotum is an appealing, generally well designed game that simply fails to excite once you get used to how the game works.

In conclusion, Crab Cakes Rescue is a terrible port of a mediocre game flooded with flaws that doesn’t even feel like a finished product, and at $7.99 this title is also overpriced.

All in all, I had a decent time with Slender: The Arrival. It won’t go down as one of my favorite horror games, but the experience was a fun one while it lasted.

Truly. It’s an incredibly basic game with little to any of it.

The Barbie on her bike segments are a big chunk of the game, and they are very clunky and at times confusing, which could be very off-putting to younger gamers.

I don’t have any real complaints to make towards Word Party. It’s not trying to be as complex as titles like Nintendo Land or Wii Party U — this is a mini-game collection that’s centered around word puzzles. Added to that, it’s a simple indie game. Therefore, for what it’s trying to be, it succeeds.

While Snoopy’s Grand Adventure welcomed me to a promising experience, the overall package did not deliver due to offering little sense of challenge or purpose.

The level design is totally unremarkable, the length is short, and the visuals and music, while mostly not unpleasant, are just unimpressive. Even so, those that like rolling a ball through an obstacle course will find something to enjoy here.

In the end, Lionel was an overall disappointment. There are much older games with a lot more features than this, and a much higher level of fun.

All in all, Outside the Realm is not great. At just fifty cents at launch, it may be worth a playthrough if you want something mindless to play for thirty minutes.

It’s short, the game doesn’t give you feedback, and is incredibly basic, but the gameplay was fun—even if I had no idea what I was doing half the time.

All in all, A Beggar’s Ride is a short, simple, and ultimately quite enjoyable puzzle platformer. If you’ve got six bucks to spare, then the charming visuals, impressively developed mixture of atmosphere and story, and solid puzzles will make the game worth a purchase.

The budget retail release of $39.99 will probably tempt some parents, but you can find better kid friendly games for the system for that price or cheaper.

At the end of day, Kick & Fennick was a truly surprising experience.

At the end of the day, with a price-tag of only $2, you really won’t be losing much if you decide to try the game out of pure curiosity.

If you happen to be a fan of word games, though, then this should be right up your alley.

As a Star Wars and LEGO fan, I found it extremely hard to dislike LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But, after playing through it in its entirety, I can’t help but feel robbed of my money.