The blend of all-out action, deep strategy, and Ancient's irreverent humour is as enjoyable as ever here, and smashing a huge castle-tank into evil things never stops being fun. Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness plays its story for laughs but the game itself is an expertly crafted challenge with lots to do and plenty more to keep coming back for.

Nobody Saves the World is a thrillingly well-paced and enjoyable action adventure that Switch owners won’t want to miss. An addictive quest system, surprisingly deep class system, attractive art style, and punchy combat all come together to make for a varied and engaging experience that oozes quality at every turn. If you’re a fan of RPGs with a lot of customization, old-school Zelda games, or classic arcade beat ‘em ups, Nobody Saves the World is absolutely a title you need to add to your library.

Red Dead Redemption on Switch is a straightforward port of 2010's masterpiece with no added bells or whistles for a rather high price tag. If you can get over that, this is a game we highly recommend digging into, especially if you've yet to experience it. Rockstar's Western epic holds up surprisingly well, its story is as powerful as ever, its knockabout action still feels great, and it looks and plays perfectly well on Nintendo's console. Multiplayer has been cut, which is a sore but understandable excision, and we'd really have liked to see effort put into adding gyro controls or touching up the graphics a little, but it is what it is. This is a proper all-timer ported successfully to Switch and, if you can stump up the cash, you'll have a great time here regardless of the lack of TLC.

Strive is a bold step in a new direction for the Guilty Gear series. Its visual creativity and attention to detail without fault, Arc System Works has again gone above and beyond in its graphical evolution. True, there are some background clashes, but when all is said and done, it’s dazzling. With all DLC characters unlocked, there’s a lifetime of learning here, as well as tons of modes and bonuses to pore through. While Strive is perhaps only the first step for Guilty Gear’s new evolutionary arc, and its sequels will no doubt improve certain aspects and find a way to better appease fans new and old, it remains undeniably solid. The most impressive aspect, though, is the strength of the port here, crafted with a kind of magic to perform near enough 1:1 with its multi-platform counterparts. And the soundtrack? Whether it's your heaven or hell, it most certainly rocks.

For people who grew up watching Gamemaster, early MTV, Hartbeat, ‘80s soaps, Bill Nye or Open University programming, and scanning the high channels past midnight for a glimpse of something softcore, Blippo+ is an absolute must-play must-watch. It really is a work of art, nailing the aesthetic of early-'90s TV and uncannily capturing a time and place in the way a song or a smell evokes a memory - in a way that feels almost personal. You need to treat it like old-school TV, though, surfing a little bit each day and soaking up the static; do not approach it as a game. And as fun as it is — as wonderfully assembled, expertly performed, and lovingly crafted — nostalgia for (or at least intellectual interest in) the era feels like a prerequisite. I’m an ‘80s kid, though, so I adored every second.

With Reanimal, Tarsier Studios delivers its darkest, boldest work yet. Expanding on the Little Nightmares formula with non-linear exploration, striking audiovisual design, and bombastic set pieces, this is an imaginative horror experience that confidently delivers its vision while offering accessible co-op play that fans of the developer have long clamoured for.

A visually intoxicating journey across an alien world, as full of cute critters as it is murderous robots. Planet of Lana 2 builds on the original game with a wider scope and worthwhile mechanical changes. The mix of stealth, platforming and Mui-based puzzles keeps Lana’s journey feeling fresh throughout.

Shin Megami Tensei IV has it all: an exciting story with multiple paths and memorable characters, the most captivating cast of monsters this side of Kanto, fun, engaging combat, and a whole heap of style. Any RPG fan up for a dark adventure will have a blast here; you don't need any background in the MegaTen series to enjoy it, and the well-balanced Easy mode means anyone can get in on the action. If you're looking for a 3DS game to sink your teeth, claws, and time into, this is as good as it gets.

With around fifteen hours of gameplay that keep you compelled to play until the end in combination with a storyline that continues to surprise, Ghost Trick may be crammed full of tricks but is most definitely an absolute treat.

Persona Q has something for everyone. If you’re a Persona fan, you’ll get a huge kick out of seeing your old Gekkoukan and Yasogami classmates in an all-new adventure, and Etrian Odyssey fans open to a change will love it — this is the story-driven experiment of Etrian Odyssey Untold taken to the next level, with a stylistic overhaul to match.

Loop Hero proves to be a fascinating and creative take on an RPG, distilling the genre down to its most important gameplay elements and throwing in some fresh ideas. Though some may be put off by the obviously repetitive nature of the core gameplay, Loop Hero is a consistently rewarding and engaging game that’ll easily get its hooks in you. The light deckbuilding elements, anti-tower defense gameplay, and solidly paced loot system make Loop Hero easy to love and we’d give this one a high recommendation to anyone interested in trying something a little different.

AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is one of the most interesting visual novels we’ve played through in a while. The murder mystery at its heart is brought to life by some great writing and quirky characters alongside the satisfyingly integrated, beautifully balanced Psync puzzle elements. Even with some minor control issues, there is a lot to love in this game even if you never picked up the original. Highly recommended if you're even a little bit curious.

Sure the game isn't much to look at and it's still odd to hear the NES-like music blaring through a Dolby Surround Sound system, but when you get right down to it, there's just something incredibly satisfying and unique about playing a completely original 8-bit Mega Man title almost 15 years since the last NES release.

Splatoon 3 is more of the same, but refined to borderline mechanical perfection. It's the most fun we’ve had with an online shooter in years, and for series veterans it makes Splatoon 2 feel entirely redundant for all but its unique single-player content. It feels like the development team has solved every problem the Splatoon community was bleating on about, and then fixed some more that we didn’t even realise were problems until they were fixed. There's nothing revolutionary about it compared to its predecessors, and it's perhaps missing a Big New Idea™ that you might expect after five years, but Splatoon 3 is the pinnacle of the series, and the pinnacle of shooters on Switch.

The notion of picking up a collection featuring three light gun shooters and a relatively obscure Super Scaler-style game might be a little too esoteric for some Switch owners, but hardcore Taito fans will have a blast (no pun intended) with Operation Night Strikers. The emulation is perfect, the control methods are decent, and there's plenty of customisation on offer, making this another highly recommended M2 offering. Longevity is going to be an issue for some — even with the online leaderboards in place — and some of the included home ports are a little rough around the edges, but players of a certain age will find a lot to like here, given the legendary status of Operation Wolf and the quality of the other titles included.

Taken on its own merits, though, free from comparison to the earlier versions, it's hard to see Retro City Rampage DX as anything less than a deranged masterpiece.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 brings an incredibly strong roster of classic arcade fighters to Nintendo Switch in one of the best compendiums of its work to date. This is top-notch fare, a slew of incredible games, some appearing for the first time since their original releases, replete with rollback netcode for online play, tons of unlockables, Japanese versions of all eight titles, and modern training modes to catch you up to speed. With both Power Stones, an unbeatable Capcom vs SNK double bill and Project Justice leading the charge, there's really very little to complain about here. Excellent stuff.

It's easy to recommend Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition as it's the only fighting game out right now on Nintendo's new system, but Tekken is also franchise that's cemented itself as a quality participant in the genre; this instalment is also bursting with content. There's so much to do and so many characters to try that boredom will never be an issue. Add in the Wii U exclusive modes that will entertain series fans and newcomers alike, and you've got a title that any fighting game fan will need in their library.

The wealth of powerful animation tools and functions make it even more potent than Flipnote Studio, but with that added functionality comes a slightly higher learning curve if you want to get the most out of the package.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is a wonderfully well-realised and stylish slice of space-sim action set in a satisfyingly seedy galaxy full of untrustworthy scum and illegal activity. The dogfighting action here is wonderfully tight and engaging thanks to the game's clever auto-pursuit mechanic, resulting in explosive ship-to-ship combat that allows you to get up close and personal, tracking your prey without much of the laborious fuss of other efforts in the genre. Juno Markev may not be the most exciting of protagonists and the story doesn't really come to much in the end, but there's a ton of side missions and a dynamic economy and morality system to keep you busy as you slowly unravel the mystery behind who killed her husband and left her for dead. Overall, this one's an easy recommendation for space-sim fans, dogfighting fiends and anyone else looking to indulge their inner space rebel.

If you're a gym addict you probably shouldn't throw out your membership card just yet, but for everyone else looking to get fitter, this is a fantastic way to do it that won't bore you senseless. Play it properly and you'll definitely feel it the next morning – a sure sign that it's at least doing you some good – while the compelling adventure mode with its RPG elements will ensure that you'll keep coming back for more.

Intersect is a masterpiece of addictive puzzling – a potent culmination of the series’ trademark soothing aesthetics and completely frantic and infuriating gameplay. Though not the simplest puzzle game around, once you’ve mastered some of its tricks Art Style Intersect will have you hooked.

For those who call themselves pinball fans, this new coat of paint is a shiny one; and if you’re just a Star Wars enthusiast wandering into uncharted territory, you’re taking your first step into a larger world.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass Wave 3 is the best update yet to the base game. The tracks on offer here are mostly stellar, and with the addition of customisable item loadouts in ‘VS Race’ modes both online and offline (which is available to all players, regardless of whether you have the Booster Course Pass), Wave 3 is a triumph and a great way to mark the halfway point of the Booster Course Pass.

M2, famous for its articulate, somewhat surgical approach to porting historical code just right, has done another fine job with Gradius Origins. There’s so much polish here it positively gleams, and the overall care, bonus gadgetry and quality of life extras are all impeccably set. Salamander III is the big one, and it delivers, even if it doesn’t really push the envelope in terms of originality or visual bombast. It’s a shame there are still Gradius absentees in the list, and one day perhaps a truly comprehensive compilation will rear its head. For now, though, it’s time to saddle up and destroy the core like never before.

Duck Game is a standout multiplayer title on Switch. While it isn’t going to be as extensive as its modifiable PC counterpart, it’s a solid port to a fantastic portable. With split Joy-Con support, Duck Game is a perfect game to chuck on with a friend for a short game of animal cruelty. So put on a silly hat, pick up a chainsaw and slide at Mach speed towards your opponent.

Danganronpa Decadence is a very fine package that delivers a trio of deliciously devious and salacious murder mysteries, plus a grindy side-game we can live without. The main games here are funny, dramatic and pretty problematic, so exercise some caution — this is resolutely not a game for kids, but even adults will struggle with some of its less savoury or more overtly brash, thoughtless content. If they sound at all appealing, though, we urge you to check the games out for yourself, as they're classics in the visual novel genre. Trigger Happy Havoc offers a memorable Killing Game with fantastic characters and a genuinely funny and smart script. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is even sicker and more delightfully disturbing than the marvellous original; it doesn't match its predecessor in some ways but makes up for its shortcomings in others. Our favourite is definitely the epic third game, though — go in blind and we promise you'll be in for the ride of your life.

Pocket Card Jockey is absolutely worth consideration and will hook many gamers with its irreverent and addictive gameplay, but beneath its charming veneer is a cruel world of lost bets and unfair odds.