Don’t get me wrong. When Mario Kart Tour flashes its moments of brilliance, you’ll have a bit of fun with it. As a free game, I think there’s little reason not to at least give it a shot. There’s always room for Nintendo to utilize steering assist and get this game back on track in future updates. But in its current state, it’d be difficult not to deem Mario Kart Tour the weakest of Nintendo’s current mobile offerings.

Jedi Outcast is a fun trip down memory lane. However, newcomers are likely to be too put off by the frustrations and poorly-aged game design of an ultimately incomplete port of a once-incredible title.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Headliner. There isn’t a lot in the way of gameplay, but with good reason. The gameplay here is just a tool to force focus onto the bigger picture. The fun doesn’t come from approving or rejecting stories, it comes from seeing the effects of your choices play out in the world around you. A short playtime and multiple endings encourage you to play a few times to see all the game has to offer. If you like story-based games, Headliner: NoviNews will make a great addition to your library.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for Switch completely faithfully updates the Game Boy classic for modern audiences, and Zelda fans would be out of their minds not to play it. It is a piece of art in the literal sense with its impeccable presentation. It just doesn’t last very long, Chamber Dungeon is tedious and illogical, and the game won’t surprise longtime players with anything especially big and new. I can’t imagine those factors will bother fans very much though.

The controls may be a little flawed due to the Switch hardware, but the game rises above this. The racing is of a high quality, and the difficulty is easily tailored to your preferences. There’s loads of content on offer to keep racing fans busy for weeks and months to come. And this is even before multiplayer is added to the game. If you are a Switch owner and have even a passing interest in racing games, then GRID Autosport is a title you must have in your game library.

At the end of the day, it was the story that got its hooks into me far more than the action. The adventure it takes you on paired with the atmosphere are what set this apart. Well, at least differentiates it from the rest of the BioShock wannabes.

If you’re a LEGO or Jurassic World fan, then it is easy to recommend LEGO Jurassic World. If you already own it on another system, then whether or not you want to double dip will come down to how much you like it. This is a pretty solid port and the best mobile version of the game. The price accurately reflects that this is not a new game and provides numerous hours of LEGO fun for your hard-earned dollars.

Final Fantasy VIII is a unique experience in the pantheon of Final Fantasy games. It manages to stand out among others in the series with its own voice and personality, in part, due to its strange narrative and specialized Junction system. It’s thrilling to see this game realized again with a quality remaster on the Nintendo Switch. Ultimately, the visual upgrades and additional options make this version the best way to play the game. FFVIII fans won’t be disappointed.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a wonderful bundle to own. It’s great for seasoned fans or those looking to check out the franchise for the first time. This bundle will get you three complete games for only $40. While I’m still hoping for a new installment in the franchise, you can’t beat a collection containing the three games that made this adorable purple dragon a household name.

Much as it pains me to say, Ni no Kuni — an otherwise masterpiece — is not worth your time on the Nintendo Switch. Its issues are simply too frustrating to work around or forgive. The game is in dire need of patches that overhaul how the game performs on the handheld. I was hoping with talk of a new game in the series and this Switch port that the future of the franchise would be positive. For right now, I’m just disappointed that Nintendo fans have gotten the short end of the stick.

When I finally wrapped up River City Girls, I thought I would have a feeling of completion. Although the game was filled with many quirky moments and dialogue to laugh along with, it never really became great. There is a ton of attention to detail, especially with smaller animations in the nooks and crannies of River City. Maybe I should have curbed my expectations? I’m not quite sure. When it was all said and done, the experience didn’t provide that end-to-end satisfaction I was searching for. Bugs aside, River City Girls has a lot going for it; however, it still has plenty of room to grow.

Daemon X Machina is a wonderful new IP and you wouldn’t go wrong picking it up, especially if you’re a fan of mech titles. Though it’s a little slow to start, and there are definitely things it could do better, once it picks up you’ll find high-octane action, a diverse cast of characters, and a story full of intrigue and depth. There’s nothing quite like it on the Switch that I’ve seen thus far, but I’m hoping Daemon X Machina will pave the way for more.

Overall, I had an amazing time with Creature in the Well. It’s one of the best dungeon crawlers on the Switch and most certainly deserves to be the pioneer in a new genre that Flight School is calling the “Pinbrawler.” It’s a game I can easily see myself coming back to multiple times.

Superhot is a wild ride. It’s exhilarating when, against all odds, you shatter every combatant into pieces and make it through a stage unscathed. While the game’s length is disappointing and its gyroscope controls are hard to perfect, it’s such a fresh idea that it’s hard not to recommend. Give it a download even if you’re not into the FPS genre. Above all, Superhot is a title that is about quick thinking and adapting to any situation, even when it goes south.

Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise is a fun little puzzler. It has fairly simple puzzles, but the real challenge is connecting the dots and figuring out what you need to use and where. I may be stuck in chapter 5, yet I can still happily recommend it. The visuals may be a little underwhelming, but it’s more than serviceable for the type of game this is. I would heavily recommend that you play it in handheld mode, too, though using a controller is not inhibiting. However you choose to play it, Agent A will take you on an adventure and make you use your brain along the way.

All in all, Never Give Up is a fun, unique take on the platformer genre. The game is challenging, but rarely overly so. Even so, you can mitigate or remove this challenge entirely by taking advantage of the ability to skip levels. There’s also some humor to be had, courtesy of Egoraptor’s dialogue, though chances are you’ll die enough to begin to grow tired of it. Nevertheless, if you fancy a challenge, Never Give Up will go a long way to sating your appetite.

Enter the Gungeon can be brutal. However, you’ll find yourself laughing at its quirky dialogue and obviously ridiculous weapons, and you’ll dust yourself off and jump back in. And each time, you get a little bit better, get a little bit farther, discover a secret area on the map, and prepare to die — just one more 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.

While Friday The 13th suffers from some overbearing technical issues, it’s simply a blast to play. Despite the graphical downgrade, you’re still going to have a blast with the Nintendo Switch version. Just prepare for a glitchy, thrilling, disaster of a good time.

Ultimately, Grandia HD Collection is two games that play very similarly but with opposite tones. Grandia is for bright-eyed young kids, and Grandia II is for their cynical older siblings. Yet they both have excellent dialogue, open dungeon design, and battle systems that invite customization. If people can forgive minor bugs and a lack of extra features, Grandia HD Collection is something all JRPG lovers should play if they haven’t already. And if you have already played these games, well, maybe wait for a discount.

On the surface, Oninaki might seem like a rough-around-the-edges action RPG lacking depth to its combat alongside an anime-inspired melodramatic story. However, for those who are patient enough to explore its world, characters, and ability-based battle system, there’s a lot to like an dive into after all. If you have even the slightest curiosity in this title, Oninaki‘s refreshing take on JRPGs is most definitely worth your time.

Astro Bears enjoys a new competitive mode, new bears, and better presentation than its predecessor. It is a very simple game, and always has been, but it is appropriately priced and a fantastic local multiplayer experience to boot. Astro Bears Party was one of the first Switch games I bought, and a couple of years down the road, it is still a favorite among my friends and family as an accessible but fun multiplayer game. Astro Bears could have done a little bit more to justify being a full rerelease, especially on the single-player end. But as an upgrade to an already-wonderful local multiplayer title, the game carries its predecessor’s torch just fine.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood offers exceptional gunplay the series is known for and brings a lot of interesting elements to the franchise for the first time. While the character-upgrades, sound design, and world are fantastic, the mission structure, lack of story, and awful checkpoint system bog down the experience.

The bright, simple level design and the soothing soundtrack were a joy to experience and stopped me from tearing my hair out over some of the harder segments. I enjoyed my time playing Etherborn, but I also didn’t feel anything special while doing so. If you’re really in the mood for a puzzle game, then Etherborn may be worth checking out, but outside of that, you won’t be worse off for skipping it.

I have never beaten a sixty-hour game and immediately wanted to jump back in for round two. Fire Emblem: Three Houses pulls you in with its rock-solid grid-based combat. But it keeps you invested by offering rich characters, deep squad customization, and an enthralling story that keeps you guessing. It’s is easily the best RPG of 2019—so far.

Zombie Driver: Immortal Edition is one of those games that’s terrific to have sitting on the SD card of your Switch. It’s a great little game to go in and play a level or two every now and then. This is not to say that you can’t spend hours playing it; you can. It just doesn’t get its hooks into you in the way I would like. A little more variation in mission type and more visually defined areas (e.g., snow or a skyscraper-filled business district) would have gone a long way.

Ultimately, if you’re in the market for a classic adventure platformer, you can certainly do worse than Bitlogic. Though I enjoyed my time with the game, I’m in no rush to dive back in any time soon, especially after playing through three times. There’s enough there that will keep you interested for a playthrough or two at the very most, especially since the game is rather short.

Ultimately, Hyperlight Ultimate is a solid entry in its genre. It is colorful, smooth, difficult, and comes packed with replay value. Unfortunately, it often does become repetitive. If you were not already a fan of the genre, this will not be the game that converts you. Should you be looking for a twin-stick shooter, though, Hyperlight Ultimate is an impressive and affordable title that is absolutely worth a look.