Funny, entertaining and charming, Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a delightful little package. Could it do with some more content? Sure. Is it odd you can’t play four-player split-screen? Definitely. But like the many delicious-looking treats it features, Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a short but ever so sweet time and something you’ll find yourself coming back to for one more bite.

Many of the games across the two-volume library have the potential of chewing away dozens of hours obsessively besting that last high score, or reaching that little bit further – especially under the default and recommended conditions of three lives and two continues. Furthermore, to be able to legally own forgotten treasures such as these so easily from a studio that no longer exists is always both an honour and a privilege.

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: The Official Video Game falls short of SEGA’s plumber and hedgehog-starring effort, but still houses a decent number of surprisingly meaty and fun arcade-y events. With both a meaningful single-player option and four-player local missing in action though, your interest in the game may be over before the global event has even reached its end.

For anyone that owned a Game Boy back in the day, Christophe Galati’s Save Me Mr Tako will very likely tug at the old nostalgia stings with its visual sincerity towards the long-reigning handheld console. While the gameplay itself can come across as a little humdrum at times, there’s no denying that there’s still a fun puzzle-platformer to be found here with plenty to see and do. If you’re looking for a simulated trip down memory lane, then Save Me Mr Tako happens to be one of the better replications of a new Game Boy game released for a modern day console.

If you are a fighting game fan you probably won’t be able to look past the floaty controls, loose game flow, and flimsy mechanics. It’s lacking basic quality of life, and all this stuff adds up. If you’re looking for a solid introduction to fighting games and enjoy anime, you’ll probably at least find some value here. I think there are much better introductory fighting games that offer smoother game flow and better spectacle to the players, and probably for cheaper. Simplified mechanics aren’t inherently a flaw, but I think Phantom Breaker: Omnia makes the fatal mistake of over-simplification. Maybe the Nintendo Switch port is just of subpar quality and the other consoles would have provided a better experience, but that just goes to show that if you do want to play this game you should do so elsewhere.

NORTH carries an important message that it wants to impart, but whether it manages to successfully convey it to the player is debatable. The cyberpunk atmosphere helps it to stand apart from other games on the Nintendo eShop. But, with the developer having exerted more effort to create unpredictable and trippy scenes, you soon come to the realization that it is reading the letters sent from brother to sister that beat at the heart of the experience. In comparison, everything else feels meaningless.

It’s completely for the fans. Speaking as one of those fans, I think that’s really admirable and despite some late-game annoyances and sound design flaws, I found Battle For Bikini Bottom absolutely worth going back for. Nostalgia may be a powerful tool, but this game is still worthy of your time regardless.

I think Pokémon Champions has some potential, despite its many shortcomings at the moment. It’s carried by the excellent Pokémon battle system, to be sure. As the number of Pokémon available to use increases and the game gets more filled out, this could eventually grow into the true competitive scene that Pokémon could use. I at least appreciate that the current monetization method limits what you can spend and largely avoids potential pay-to-win problems. Still, there’s no denying that this feels somewhat undercooked, both technically and in terms of what’s actually included here. Hopefully Pokemon Champions can, over time, grind its way to living up to its name.

Still, even though I arguably enjoyed my time with this version a little less, it’s still a great port of a great game that more people need to play. If you can play it in a slightly more stable format then I’d still recommend that, but if you can’t or fancy pretending to be an alien wherever you are, then this is a great way to play.

On the whole, I found Toki to be much more playable and enjoyable than I had initially expected. The gorgeous new art direction and classic level design suits its resurgent makeover to stay fun even after nearly 30 years. However, pushing this remaster out the door with no original arcade addition as well as reflect on its steep price point does make a purchase harder to recommend. With that said, if Toki does find its way into a Nintendo eShop sale it’s definitely worth diving into. There’s a reason why it has a cult following and after playing through it twice it’s easy to see why.

Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots is a light-hearted and content-rich package that’s a great way to unwind with on your own or have a good laugh with friends. While the unlock process can feel like a bit of a slog at times, the golfing itself is strong enough to keep you coming back for one more round.

If you’re after a true sequel to the original Super Meat Boy, then Super Meat Boy Forever will leave you disappointed. While it generally delivers a good and challenging time, the fact its an auto-runner and the procedurally generated nature of the levels hold it back from getting anywhere close to the excellence of the original.

As a fan of all things Disney (except the modern-day remakes, those can burn) Disney Speedstorm is an exciting idea, a chance to reacquaint myself with the worlds and characters that defined by childhood in kart form. While the game certainly delivers on the nostalgia and its racing proves enjoyable, sadly the free-to-play wrapping (it’s worth noting this game isn’t free currently) lets the package down resulting in a grindy structure that irks more than engages the player.

The new intro really does say everything you’d need to know about the artistic merits of this remake. The humanity is gone, the literal art replaced to remove all sense of life. The Front Mission 3 Remake will be a fine product for anyone without a critical eye and the context to expect better. There is no artistic merit to a product that dumps the hard work of people 26 years ago into a plagiarism machine to make up things that were never there. Past the hand-wringing over artistic merit, it just looks straight up ugly. I’m sure both the publisher and the developer will repeat what they’ve done with all their remakes, patching it bit-by-bit into a more acceptable state over the years. Maybe it’s true that mankind will never learn.

For fans of the series, BIT.TRIP FATE delivers the same awesome music and visuals with the most interesting theming whilst having just okay shooting gameplay. It’s still good in some regards, but if there’s one to miss it’s this one.

If you’re an avid anime fan that likes a bit of kooky comedy-drama with your spammy beatdowns then Code of Princess EX isn’t too bad a game to carry around in your backpack. Some will undoubtedly find the story getting a bit too much in the way of the action, and the small moveset for each character really doesn’t help to hide its highly repetitive gameplay. It’s good to at least see some meat to its combat though, and the character designs are imaginative enough to land some flair to the story.

Digital Dreams Entertainment plays a dirty game of football with Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition for the Nintendo Switch; but the use of vulgarities, complete lack of concern for player safety, and hard-hitting defenses make it a blast to play. There is something strangely satisfying about mutilating an opposing QB and then murdering a referee. If Madden is the NFL, then one could say that Mutant Football League is arena football. It’s unconventional but it is entertaining and it’s the best football game for Switch.

If you’re a true platform nerd who likes collecting things, then Fox n Forests may be worth looking into. However, if you are seeking a brand new experience in the genre, then you may be left feeling that there’s a little more to be desired.

Beyond a new ability and some rogue-lite elements, Kirby Fighters 2 doesn’t do much to add or change the Kirby formula, and that’s not a bad thing. Kirby’s combat has proven it can sustain itself time and again, and not only is Kirby Fighters 2 no exception, it’s arguably the best out of the bunch.

Pac-Man World Re-Pac is a decent little platformer albeit a rather straightforward one. Its combination of old-school Pac-Man grid-based gameplay and linear but varied worlds are entertaining enough to get you through its 10 or so hour adventure, but the rather plain level design and occasionally clunky movement also reveal a game limited by its original PlayStation roots.

Gear.Club Unlimited 3 offers a solid core racing experience, but it suffers from poor visuals, performance issues, some visual glitches, and a scarcity of content to justify the asking price. It is even harder to recommend Gear.Club Unlimited 3 in a post-GRID Legends: Deluxe Edition world on Nintendo Switch 2. There is potential here, but too many caveats for it to be even close to an easy recommendation.

A fairly ordinary take on the genre and one that plays totally fine but lacks the ingenuity and satisfaction you want.

Those looking to delve back into their childhood memories may be left feeling a little empty with Wonder Boy Returns Remix. The facelift is practical enough to keep within the flavor of the classic Wonder Boy games, but not including the original game as an option makes this new style seem hollow by default. I was never expecting too much in regards to added features or gameplay improvements. Although, I was more hoping to see a package that would celebrate a piece of gaming history. Instead, what I have been left with is a distant memory masked by a cheap and inferior makeover. That’s not to say that the spirit of the gameplay isn’t present, it just fails to capture the fond timeframe that I remember.

Visually, the pixel art is wonderful and full of character and the music fits the downbeat tone at work, but the gameplay is too slow to be gripping while the story isn’t pacey or unique enough to inspire wonder at what’s to come, especially because the conceit of the game’s plot seems pretty obvious from the outset. We did hear a car crash before waking up outside reality, after all…

While My Hero One’s Justice 2 plateaus in many areas, it does often improve where it matters most. The original game was always fairly attractive and its sequel does look and feel better overall with tighter loading times and slightly less chugging than its predecessor. It may not be the EVO arena fighter that nobody was expecting it to be and the amateur cameraman from the first game seems to still have his job. However, it does maintain and build upon that decent romp of pick-up-and-play action that suits well for its cause, with a more than adequate amount depth for the part-time fighting game fan to play around with.

Samurai Shodown! 2 is yet another slice of gaming history that few will fondly remember, some may have completely forgotten, and others will have no clue about whatsoever. One thing for certain is that the Nintendo Switch now officially doubles up as a Neo Geo Pocket Color which is awesome. And for what it’s worth, so is Samurai Shodown! 2.

I really wanted to like Collar X Malice Unlimited. In many ways, I actually really do. Ignoring the technical issues, it’s a very adorable follow-up to my favorite Otome game. It’s hard not to become enamored all over again with this setting and characters, and I really enjoy the small epilogue stories. The CGs in general are great, and if you’re a Collar X Malice fan this game is made just for you. But I can’t ignore the technical issues, and it negatively impacts the experience more than I’d like. I hope a patch comes out to fix this all up, preferably soon.

Thankfully, as an old fan of the series I actually did get quite a kick out of Cyanide and Happiness: Freakpocalypse. Its short length is disappointing, but the fact that I found myself wanting more from the game is probably a good sign of things to come.