Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition is an overall landmark effort in the realm of video games. It explores various facets of the medium’s abilities with storytelling and evocatively shifts its gameplay and gorgeous visuals to keep things interesting. Paying dividends if you decide to input your own personality, it’s a work of art that I can’t recommend enough.

The Messenger surpassed my expectations in its first two hours. Then it went on to become one of the most joyful, rewarding, and memorable gaming experiences I’ve ever had. To say developer Sabotage succeeded at making a great platformer is a huge understatement. The Messenger transcends the platformer genre and should be played by everyone, regardless if it’s their style of game.

I can’t recommend What Remains of Edith Finch enough if anyone has yet to play it. With so many incredible games that are currently coming to Switch, it’s important to support the special titles coming from publisher Annapurna Interactive. Its explorations of loss and tragedy left me emotional on numerous occasions, yet it also holds an uplifting and edifying emotional core. This experience remains undiminished thanks to a comprehensive port that doesn’t make any drastic sacrifices to the performance and visuals. As far as I’m concerned, it’s required reading for those passionate about storytelling in video games.

It’s by no means a perfect game, as no game can be. But its faults are simply overwhelmed by its positives, and they never detracted from the joy I felt with each passing hour. Indeed, it’s the best Zelda game the company has ever made, and certainly one of its best games of all time. In this, it’s more than just a game for the storied company: it’s a statement that Nintendo continues to have some of the best game developers in the world, and its understanding of joy is second to none.

At the end of the day, we give Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate our highest recommendations based on our experience with it, which has been thoroughly outstanding already in the short time we’ve played it.

Tetris Effect: Connected is an outstanding iteration of the beloved puzzler, featuring unique levels with mind-boggling visuals. Playing docked doesn't look as great as in handheld mode (particularly on Switch OLED) due to Switch resolution differences, but that doesn't detract from the overall experience. If you're after a fantastic puzzle game on Nintendo Switch, then Tetris Effect: Connected is an easy recommendation.

There is a lot of challenge that lies ahead in X-Morph: Defense. Levels range in difficulty from easy to downright frustrating. But making tweaks to your game plan and coming back with a stubborn attitude will most times leave you triumphant in your battle. If you love shmups and tower defense games and are looking for a game to keep returning to, there’s a globe filled with humans that needs conquering. Be ready, though — world domination won’t just be handed to you.

That is because ultimately, in what the game tries to do, it succeeds completely: it creates an incredible, breathtaking, awe-inspiring world that is an absolute joy to run around in, to fight in, to collect in, to look around in, to be in. It may not have done so flawlessly, but Xenoblade Chronicles X gave me one of the finest worlds gaming has to offer, and it populated that world with incredible things to do.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons ultimately helped me better appreciate the importance of being able to spend time with others. With or without a pandemic, this is one of the best games to have graced Nintendo Switch yet. It’s the purest and most engaging form of Eguchi’s vision, and there’s an unparalleled belonging and meaning that’ll draw me back in for a long time to come.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is nothing short of a masterpiece and highly recommended to anyone who can handle darker content. It navigates the jump from PC to console well overall, with new mechanics developed to handle gameplay situations that would normally be impossible outside of PC. The extra content, especially the Side Stories, is terrific as well, though it may not be enough to justify a $15 price tag given that the original game is still free on PC.

This is an incredible tool – it lets you create and test with exceptional ease, all without sacrificing the number of possibilities or sense of professionalism in the finished product. Super Mario Maker truly offers you more or less everything you need to create the level of your dreams.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps improves upon the already great foundation set out by Ori and the Blind Forest. Its map is brimming with details and secrets to discover while new weapons and movement abilities create real depth to both combat and platforming. Ori’s journey through Niwen is filled with emotional ups and downs that all feel earned and act as the perfect payoff for fans of the series. The injection of RPG elements like upgrades, side quests, and even a hub area to get attached to all anchor you to this gorgeously realized world, and the fantastic conversion to Switch means that you won’t be missing out on a thing. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one of the best 2D platformers on Switch and a game that shouldn’t be missed.

Cuphead feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch. The boss battles are challenging, breathtaking, and most importantly, fun. I’m excited to see what Studio MDHR is planning next. The developer absolutely knocked it out of the park with this port. If you skipped Cuphead for Xbox One and PC, don’t miss out on this definitive portable version.

Overall, Runbow is easily one of the best indie titles currently available on the Wii U, and the single best local multiplayer game I have played on the console. What really sets Runbow apart though isn’t just its multiplayer gameplay, but its plethora of modes, innovative level design, charm, and overall gaming excellence.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia really surprised me. What I thought would be a simple spin-off game ended up being arguably the best Fire Emblem game I’ve played. There’s more than enough new things to spice things up for series die-hards, and newcomers will enjoy things like being able to turn off “permadeath.” With some of the best presentation on the 3DS, Fire Emblem Echoes is a must own for RPG fans.

Aaero was my favorite game of last year, and with the move to Switch it’s now one of my favorite titles of 2018. It’s one of those games that will have a permanent spot on my console. The way that Mad Fellows has reinvigorated the rhythm action genre is nothing short of brilliant. If you have any interest in the genre, EDM, or just great games, then this is something that you really should add to your collection.

It’s impossible not to be impressed with the second round of DLC: in every way, it either lives up to or even surpasses even the original game, gives tons of content, and does so all while expanding the possibilities of Mario Kart for the future.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury offers two equally fantastic modes with different styles of gameplay. There is a ton of content spread out across both games, providing you with hours' worth of playtime for solo or co-op play.

Like its brethren before it, Shovel Knight: King of Cards features some of the best platforming game design ever seen in a video game.

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is an upcoming game about traveling, sharing stories, and surviving manifest destiny. Featuring gorgeous illustration by Kellan Jett, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine combines 2D visuals with a 3D overworld US map. Players wander through the United States - and through a century of history - to meet a variety of people, each with their own stories to tell.

Overall, Guacamelee! 2 feels like a beefed up version of the original game. And I don’t mean that in a derogatory sense, as the original Guacamelee! is a masterclass of game design. This sequel offers rock-solid platforming, funny dialogue, and addicting-as-ever Metroidvania mechanics. It’s challenging, rewarding and full of spunk. I recommend it as a must play for anyone who likes platformers, co-op titles, and of course, Metroidvania games.

At its core, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is just as good as the original release. Those that missed out on the chance to play through the Wii version will love the incredible world of Xenoblade, the masterfully told story, and the engaging combat system.

Tadpole Treble Encore is absolutely worth the pick-up, whether this is your first rodeo in Thunder Creek or you're deciding to visit the likes of the totally-not-Frank Sinatra male tadpole in Midnight Bayou for the 50th time (because that song is just awesome).

If you missed Resident Evil 4 over the last fifteen years, don’t wait any longer to play this gem. Even in 2019, I find myself engrossed by RE4’s dark, uneasy setting, its addicting gun progression, and incredible action-horror gameplay. It’s a game that changed the action-adventure genre forever, and for the most part, has stood the test of time.

Astral Chain packs the punch you would expect from Platinum Games while simultaneously going above and beyond in all other areas. It’s great to see Platinum stepping even further out of its shell with expertly crafted titles like NieR: Automata and now Astral Chain. This marks another game in the studio’s catalog that is nothing short of amazing.

Hades is a nearly perfect game that excels in every area, be it story, voice acting, music, game design, or dog petting. It's a roguelike action adventure game that values repetition and rewards the player for enjoying it more.

The Switch port of Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition is a wonderful upgrade to an excellent action-adventure video game. The Freestyle Mode gives players so many options to inflict pain on hellspawn, and co-op Bloody Palace is a fun diversion. If you’ve never played DMC3 before, or you did years ago, this version is the definitive way to play it. I can’t recommend it enough for series fans or outsiders alike.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is easily one of the greatest games on the Nintendo Switch. While it may not have the best graphics on the handheld, its mere breadth makes it one of the deepest experiences in the library. Like any great session of D&D or other tabletop role-playing games, it engrosses the player in its setting and characters to the point that you’re able to fully escape into its world. While it may be overwhelming at first, there are dividends to those that decide to make the commitment.