Mini Motorways is a fun and oddly relaxing traffic management sim that’s ideally suited for short play sessions. What it lacks in options and modes, it makes up for with a gameplay hook that’s surprisingly easy to pick up and offers plenty of room for strategic thinking. Who knew traffic could be so calming?

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy has been charged on the counts of – highly entertaining and delivering players with a trio of excellent games. On these charges, the court finds the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy guilty. Capcom has also been found guilty on the lesser charge of providing players with three games for an affordable price and for offering gamers a great value. The judge has sentenced the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy to be classified as one of the Switch’s best early 2019 releases.

A highly recommended game if you grew up with point-and-click adventures of yesteryear and whilst it won’t be for everyone, even if you’ve never experienced one of those types of games before you can do a lot worse than choosing this one as your first.

SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech was a title that I was eagerly anticipating, given the developer’s track record with the SteamWorld series, and the result exceeded my expectations. It is incredibly clever and it is clear that plenty of thought has been put behind each aspect. Not only is this the best title in the SteamWorld series, but it is also one of the best RPGs of any kind currently on the Switch. I simply could not put it down.

BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! is yet another joyous outing for the series packed with content sure to please newcomers and returning fans alike. Its core gameplay may not have evolved much since the original 3DS trilogy but the addition of co-op takes things in an interesting direction that feels perfectly suited for the Switch and leaves me excited to see where HAL Laboratory take Qbby next.

Overly familiar in many ways but not without a splash or two of its own inventive ideas. Sure, some are more successful than others but in the end, you’re left with a challenging and reliably entertaining platformer and a great extension of the Yooka-Laylee brand.

Every once in a while, a game or system comes along that redefines gaming in some small way, and DKJB proudly stands in this category.

I really liked playing Catherine: Full Body. I got invested in the story, the music is great, I found the characters entertaining despite their flaws, and the puzzle gameplay was a lot of fun. It takes baby steps forward on tackling LGBT issues, and while ATLUS is far from perfect at this aspect I guess it’s a good thing that they’re trying to get better. The Switch is a perfect system for his game, and this port is the definitive version of a great re-release. I hope this troubled tale of love coming to Switch is a sign that ATLUS will be putting a greater focus on developing for the system, and this is a great first start.

As long as you are not in tournament mode, the game can be the most normal game of tennis you've ever played, or the most ridiculous one you've ever played.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes brazenly leaps headlong into battle, delivering tactical brilliance and heroic thrills in equal measure. This is an exceptional standout among the many Warriors games on Nintendo Switch, and perhaps the best to grace the portable home console up until this point – laden with armies to slaughter, heartfelt storytelling and more than enough content to keep you occupied for months on end whether at home or on the move.

The arrival of the Metro series to a Nintendo platform may have been delayed an entire console generation, but its arrival on the Nintendo Switch came at an opportune time. The conductor is ready to punch your ticket to ride, and it is a ride worth boarding. With interesting characters, a moody setting, and strong gameplay variety, Metro Redux can establish itself as one of the premier first-person shooter releases on the Nintendo Switch.

Despite faltering in its plot delivery and the absence of meaningful decision-making, Fire Emblem Engage once again allows Intelligent Systems to demonstrate its unparalleled strategic brilliance and unquestionable dominance in the genre. It isn’t a game that is lacking in heroic ambition, in many ways evolving its own formula triumphantly beyond what was achieved with Fire Emblem: Three Houses but otherwise disappointingly falling short in others.

While it can’t match the mechanical highs of Bayonetta’s fast action gameplay, that comparison is frankly unfair to make to begin with. It isn’t trying to reach those goals, it strives to reach different heights altogether. I didn’t think a Bayonetta story would ever get me emotional, and Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon managed to pull that off several times. The ways in which it shifts the focus away from Bayonetta proper have led to what I believe is a more consistent experience of the series yet, that never dips into the series’ most frustrating low points. While I don’t think this game will be for everyone, I think you’ll find it a hard game to hate. If you do fall for it, you’ll find it to be an incredibly easy game to fall in love with. I want more spin-off games to strive to do what Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon does, and if this team is involved in Bayonetta’s future I have to say I’m completely back in.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a fast, frantic and rewarding kart racer that’s generously packed with a wealth of content. Its long load times and difficulty spikes may prove frustrating but it’s never enough to detract from what is otherwise a brilliant remaster and another strong addition to the Switch’s slowly growing lineup of racers.

It’s one of the most captivating and moving experiences one can have with a video game.

Fantasian Neo Dimension won’t work for everyone, but for the handful it does click for they’re likely going to find a new all-time favorite. It mostly worked wonders for this reviewer, but the Nintendo Switch port’s issues detracted more from the experience than I had hoped. If you do love classic RPGs or specifically classic Final Fantasy, this modern evolution of those knocks it out of the park. In the last year, there have been a lot of throwbacks to the ’90s era of RPG to bank on nostalgia, but Fantasian has a lasting and timeless appeal most of them lack. It knows who it looks to appeal to and makes a game just for them.

The game is definitely just a bit too long and gets close to buckling under its own weight. And yet, it works, and I can’t help but be excited at what’s to come. Maybe the next game won’t be the perfect pay-off Horizon promises, but at the moment, I think they’ve earned my faith. The worst part of this game is the agonizing wait to play the sequel. This game feels like the reward for investing so many years of my life into these games, and I’ve never been happier to be on the wild ride that is Trails.

The lack of Wii-like motion controls hurts this release, as it means this isn’t the best way to play the game. However, the fact you can play it on the go for the first time is probably the next best thing. If you have somehow managed to miss playing this title in the past 15 years, then go ahead and add another point to the score, as those that have played the many re-releases over the years won’t be quite as impressed as they once were. Having said that, Resident Evil 4 is and forever will be, one of the greatest video games ever made.

The Bethesda Pinball collection is a decent addition the Pinball FX3 library. Sure, the DOOM table trounces over the other two with a BFG 9000, but that doesn’t mean that they’re disappointing by any means. Each one really does emphasise the game that it is based on, while the sound and visuals to all three are top notch. It’s just that the DOOM one looks, sounds and plays so well, it’s easy to ignore the others as a result.

It is the companionship between the cat and B-12, as well as the revelatory discoveries that they find together, that make Stray such an endearing experience. Whether playfully leaping across rooftops or simply finding somewhere to curl up and take a well-deserved snooze, the originality that fuels the game’s creative concept rightly helps it to stand out from the crowd.

Despite my misgivings with this particular port, I adored my time revisiting Tales of Graces f. I’d need to see if a Tales of the Abyss port is in our cards to fully decide, but at the moment I think this is the Tales game for me. I’ve caught the bug again, and I really want to comb through this series’ back catalogue. This is probably the best Tales remaster we’ve gotten so far, even if there are parts I wish could have been improved further. As the first title in this Remaster project, however, this is a promising start. If you’re interested in playing this and really want to dive into the battle system, you should probably play it on any other platform. If you’re here for fun vibes, the Nintendo Switch version will do you fine enough.

You can’t really go wrong with N++. The floaty controls will put some off to start with, but given time, you get used to them and they don’t really become much of a problem. From a game that I played during classes at school thirteen years ago, to now appearing on all of the major consoles. One thing hasn’t changed in all of those years, and that is its ability to make me want to play just one more level. Once it has its claws in you, it won’t let go and considering the community levels mean you potentially have thousands of levels to play, the fun doesn’t need to stop.

Disgaea 7 Complete is a terrific version of a strong installment in the series. With a fun story, memorable characters, chunky mechanics, and tons of things to do, this is a tactical turn-based RPG that will keep you busy for dozens upon dozens of hours. That depth can work against it for those jumping into the series for the first time, but stick with it and you’ll find this well-worth the effort. It’s unfortunate that there’s no upgrade path for those who own the original Switch version of the game, though. For all its improvements, it’s hard to justify dropping the cash to buy the whole game all over again. If you don’t own it yet? Dive in, dood!

Both original Lunar games are undeniable classics of retro linear RPG storytelling. The Lunar Remastered Collection is a solid way to play these games, especially in the case of Eternal Blue, which has been stuck on the original PlayStation since launch. I’m slightly disappointed in the lack of options on offer, and a retranslation would have been appreciated, but this is a good way to play two fantastic RPGs. Gung Ho has clearly come a long way since Grandia’s controversial remaster, and I can only hope this signals a return for Game Arts. Their games have always had a pull on me, sparking my imagination and offering up fantasy adventures that set the standard for ideal comfort RPGs.

The tale that this first chapter in The Banner Saga weaves will have you gripped from start to finish. The player is left to exist in a world that has been meticulously crafted, whether that be the breathtaking art direction, the riveting efforts at world-building or the gameplay mechanics that underpin the experience. It is the difficult decisions that you must make that let it become more meaningful, even if some of your actions will ultimately lead to heartbreaking consequences.

Pokémon Shield is a warm and familiar experience with some interesting twists and ideas thrown into the mix. The presentation left me disappointed – the game still showing its handheld roots – but, the hook of capturing and training Pokémon is as addictive as it has ever been, while the Wild Area teases an exciting new direction for the series.

If you missed out on the duo of New Super Mario Bros. U or it’s Luigi-focused expansion then this Switch package is a great way to catch up on the plumbers’ 2D exploits. Much like the Switch versions of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker before it though, its lack of exciting fresh content is disappointing.

With plenty of hours worth of content, tons of dialogue, heaps of crude humour, and a progressively solid battle system, South Park: The Fractured But Whole is certainly a must for fans of the series, both old and new.