We’re always fans of seeing lesser-known games in any genre get a bit of love and exposure to new players, and the two games in the NIS Classics Volume 1 collection both have a lot to offer tactics fans. Phantom Brave’s combat system is unique among tactical RPGs and Soul Nomad’s take on the hero’s journey is still interesting 15 years after its PS2 release. However, both games feel even older than they are; the unattractive visuals and uneven voice acting of this compilation re-release aren’t going to change anyone’s mind who wasn’t a fan before, nor prove attractive for a new audience.

Cozy Grove measures out its game sessions in snack-size portions, and its gorgeous artwork and genuinely laugh-worthy dialogue almost make up for its metered-out gameplay. Sadly, with a few technical issues on Switch, and the game's refusal to let players set the pace, it's one best played on a mobile device for now.

What felt fresh and enjoyable four years ago doesn't cut the mustard in 2011, particularly when some elements have been stripped out or reworked to poor effect. London Party mode is a poor alternative to the dozens of superior Wii party games, and while its cast of gaming greats is enough to forgive some of its mistakes it's still pretty far off the mark.

Even on this second go-around, Battle Princess Madelyn Royal Edition is not up to scratch. It's almost maddening because the stuff that works is very enjoyable. The core game is fun, with a pleasing set of influences coming together to make for a knockabout, challenging time. A host of major and minor flaws – and the notable removal of the non-linear Story mode from the original release, which could have offered more enjoyment if its issues had been fixed – make this a nostalgia trip we can't recommend. It's a genuinely disappointing example of a game that's so close to being a good time, but its problems completely spoil the fun. A little more tightening up and Battle Princess Madelyn would be a bit of a cracker, but we sadly suspect that after this Royal Edition there isn't going to be a third time around the block.

While the central conceit sounds promising as an FMV experience, The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker fails to find a consistent tone or fully engage the player in its story. It offers a couple of nice ideas and the odd smile, but if you don’t care about the central mystery, you’re left with madness, and the disparate threads never weave together in a satisfying way. The two ominous notes of the soundtrack (only a mild exaggeration) are left to supply tension, and with The Bunker and Late Shift showing how the genre can be relevant and entertaining in 2018, it’s hard to recommend this over the alternatives.

There is no shortage of quality games to play - covering a wide range of genres, styles and just about any other criteria you could ask for - in the Switch eShop library. Red Game Without a Great Name ends up being disappointing, then, as you'll likely become frustrated with its occasionally inconsistent touch-based controls, along with its initially cool but repetitive mechanic and devilish level design. It attempts to hide its flaws behind some stylish yet derivative silhouette designs and some pretty cool jazz tunes. In the end, though, we have an average game with a bad name.

The concept of B3: Game Expo for Bees is imaginative, but it leaves a sting of disappointment. What's there can be amusing while it lasts, but the sum total doesn't really feel like a full game.

If we've made this game sound thoroughly generic, that's because it is. But it's not a disaster — Operation Blackout has plenty to do, with unlockable skins and modifiers to mess around with if you get into it, and there's love for the G.I Joe property here, so fans of the toys may get a kick out of it. For everyone else, though, it's a very difficult game to recommend. If you want a third-person shooter on Switch, Rebellion's Rogue Trooper or Zombie Army Trilogy are both better buys. And now you know. And knowing is half the- actually, no, forget it. We're not even going to finish the thought. We're better than that.

Despite deriving a lot of its influences from games like Animal Crossing, especially with its island life and anthropomorphic animal inhabitants, Hokko Life severely lacks in personality and unique identity. For a game that promises a relaxing experience, you spend more time walking around trying to find something to do rather than sitting back and enjoying the game's gentle progression. There are a few redeemable factors through customisation and its sound design, but outside of that, Hokko Life doesn't offer anything we haven't seen before.

At the rate DSiWare has been going, you should have another, hopefully better, option coming in down the line to put your chips on.

Monster Combine TD is an interesting take on the tower defence genre, building off of the gameplay of Plants vs. Zombies, but the inherent flaws in some of its gameplay aspects will quickly come to light and put a damper on the experience.

If you're looking for a single player game, you will come away severely disappointed. It's just not long enough to warrant the high price tag of 1000 Wii Points, it’s too repetitive, short lived and there is no reason to go back to it. If you're looking for a multiplayer game, then the battle mode is actually relatively decent.

Despite having some fun wrinkles on the tactical RPG formula, Redemption Reapers is too frustrating in its early levels to justify the thin plot and undeveloped characters. The music is the only consistently stellar part of the game, which is let down by uneven visuals and poor gameplay balance. You’re better off looking elsewhere for your tactical RPG fix on Switch.

Speedway Racing is a mostly competent but ultimately unexceptional attempt to emulate the thrills and spills of Daytona USA – a courageous endeavour indeed. But like the many faux sponsorship advertisements dotted around this game’s speedways, closer inspection drops the curtain to reveal some hard-to-ignore shortcomings. The fun we got out of it clearly demonstrates potential, but a severe lack of customisation options, absence of smooth 60FPS performance and the availability of better racing games on the Switch all conspire to put an unavoidable dent into the bodywork. This is still fun for a few days without ruining your bank account, but it is forever left-turning near the back of the pack.

If you enjoy complex brainteasers with simple rules, then, this will be a fun but limited way to while away some time. The Wii U's GamePad is far more expensive if you break it out of frustration than a little wooden toy is, though.

Away: Journey to the Unexpected is the sort of game that’s disappointing because of how good it could have been if more thought had been invested into certain systems. There’s a good game buried in here somewhere, but it’s so mired in confusing or irritating game design elements that it becomes incredibly difficult to recommend. If you’re really into roguelikes and want to try out an okay one in first-person, Away: Journey to the Unexpected is perhaps worth a punt, but even then, we’d highly suggest that you take a pass. There are far better roguelikes available on the eShop for a comparable price; you’re sure to get much more out of those.

While the basic concept and gameplay may be enticing for many players, the fact is that BUGS vs. TANKS! is a repetitive and overly simplistic experience. The campaign is short and involves a plot that delves much deeper than simple survival, but the gameplay quickly becomes boring and loses its charm. That's not to say that this is a bad or broken game, but it falls flat in its attempts to create an experience that is both engaging and fun.

Cumbersome controls, poor AI and a few other clunky features get in the way, though some selections can still provide some uncomplicated on-the-go fun.

Ping 1.5+ is a very hit and miss experience, but at least it's a noble one.

Packet Queen # features a new, enjoyable type of puzzle gameplay that has you making fast decisions on the fly, and can start to feel pleasingly addictive, but a lack of content and a completely unnecessary story mode that ends in disappointment make the title fall short of greatness. For its relatively low price the game isn’t a bad option for passing the time, but the puzzle gameplay itself needs to be placed within a much better overall package than it is currently to truly impress.

SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is a very average arcade fighter, a game that wasn't great over 20 years ago, and still isn't now. For retro-fighter enthusiasts, there's some interesting aspects to this port in the form of an online mode and the fact the whole thing looks and sounds so great. However, with a very low player count in its lobbies, and nothing more besides a gallery and practice mode by way of extras, this is a very hard experience to recommend to anyone outside of history buffs.

Corpse Party: Blood Drive is the very definition of a mixed bag. Its 3D exploration aspects never quite work and just when you’re finally able to settle into playing the game, it suddenly switches back over to another visual novel stretch. Combined with poor pacing in the game’s early hours and a lack of any options to help explain the events of the prior games to new players, it feels like Corpse Party: Blood Drive struggles to decide what it wants to be, and despite the occasional show of strength in its writing and characterisation, it ultimately results in a frustrating, inconsistent experience.

The bottom line is what is on offer here doesn’t represent good value for 800 Nintendo Points.

In short bursts it's fine, and even enjoyable for a spot of casual gameplay, but if Cake Ninja wishes to truly impress there are some vital creative ingredients still missing from the recipe.

Overall, Gemology is a mental exercise that's challenging without razzle dazzling the other senses, making it a semi-precious, average gem of a game.

Overall it feels a little like death by a thousand cuts with American Fugitive, with one too many niggling little problems letting the whole thing down. There is still some fun to be had here, we can’t emphasise enough how impressive Red Rock County itself looks and feels to knock about in, stealing clothes off washing lines and running around doing murder in a pink dress never gets old, the story has a handful of reasonable missions around its middle section, including a standout, multi-part bank heist and the music and ambient effects are perfect. It’s just a shame then that those gameplay mechanics didn’t have a little bit more time in the oven because there’s only so many times your best laid plans can fall apart due to things beyond your control before you lose patience with the whole thing and jack it in for some GTA 2.

The difficulty, in most cases, leans towards the easy side in order to keep things accessible for younger players. If you fall into one of the audience categories mentioned then this may be worth consideration. If you don't, the low difficulty, awful music and premium price tag are all factors to bear in mind.

Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter is a game with potential; a lot of potential. Unfortunately in many respects the designers seem to have been sorely lacking in the strength of their own convictions.