If the idea of a steam-powered side-scrolling shoot-‘em-up gets your motor running, get ready to party like it’s 1992 — Steel Empire is a blast.

For the most part, Zombie Incident turns out to be an extremely enjoyable throwback platformer with highly addictive gameplay. What faults the gameplay does possess due to its antiquated design are eclipsed by its wonderful visuals, highly addictive gameplay and sublime chip tune soundtrack.

It's hugely clever, chaotic and funny, though there are downsides in the implementation of randomly generated stages and in some technical glitches and flaws. Despite some issues the premise, presentation, music and gameplay all work well together, making this a steal on the Wii U - just not the great heist it could have been.

A slice of Viking strategic combat right out of the heart of Scandinavia’s indie development scene, Bad North joins the likes of Element at the vanguard of a new wave of smart yet intrinsically accessible real-time strategy titles. With enough enemy variance to convince you you’re playing an interactive episode of the Vikings TV show, this endlessly entertaining sea of bite-size battles will teach you to fear - and love - the sound of the oncoming horde.

As surprise release games go, Swords & Soldiers’ age – and the sheer number of platforms it’s appeared on – might lead you to sleep on it. But despite having appeared on plenty of Nintendo consoles already, Two Tribes’ comical mix of resource management and real-time strategy is just as fun, silly and rewarding as it was back in 2009. Its looks are a little blurry in places, but the simplicity of its concept (and the short nature of its matches) make it a perfect fit for handheld play.

As long as you’re playing it docked and willing to put the time in to master its helium-light handling, Rise eventually reveals itself to be a rewarding and visually fantastic arcade style racer with an interesting Challenges mode. Its slightly blurry handheld visuals and the complete lack of multiplayer are disappointing, but persevere with its slippery steering and the payoff is a fun – if unforgiving – solo racing game.

Hurt only by the Switch's take on its visuals, Mundaun delivers above and beyond its appearances and offers a robust, constantly compelling adventure game. It isn't particularly scary, but it is rich in atmosphere and hosts plenty of gameplay variety and good ideas. We found that it never compromised its tone or fell foul of any gameplay glitches, although as mentioned the visuals aren't quite up to snuff. It's a minor thing, though, as Mundaun should keep your attention from beginning to, well, one or more of its multiple endings.

Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection gets off to a promising start on Switch with a decent port of Ninja Gaiden Sigma that performs well in both docked and handheld modes. However, as soon as you boot up parts two and three it's all downhill, with dynamic resolution resulting in a pixelated mess in places as the frame rate consistently struggles to keep up with the action. All we needed here was a solid, no-frills port and this collection would have been an instant recommendation. As things stand, it's a disappointing experience that needs patching ASAP and should be the last version you opt for if you've got the choice to play elsewhere.

Dr. Mario looks great, sounds great and plays great, just like the original did 18 years ago, and the inclusion of online multiplayer adds value.

Light Fall swiftly finds a spot among all the other Switch hardcore 2D platforming greats by offering not only a quality game wrapped in a beautifully unique atmosphere, but by successfully providing the player with a plot and characters that are worth investing, making the game very hard to set aside until you complete the tiny shadow-being quest.

Resident Evil 5 is a natural progression of the gameplay mechanics seen in its predecessor, with classic survival-horror tropes taking a backseat to more over-the-top action. That said, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it’s actually a really fun experience with a story that long-time fans of the franchise will absolutely adore. Performance takes a hit on the Switch, with noticeable frame rate drops and a decrease in texture quality, but it more than makes up for this with the introduction of gyro aiming, which works much better than we could have hoped for. One can only wonder that if Capcom had managed to keep the performance on par with other consoles, the Switch version could have been the definitive way to experience Resident Evil 5. As it is, it’s a perfectly serviceable port that serves as a nice reminder that Resident Evil’s so-called ‘action phase’ really isn’t as bad as some think.

Bear Box Media has been able to capture the unique controller's brilliance by adapting the classic word guessing game, Pictionary. Admittedly, Scribble is unlikely to win over anyone seeking a more traditional video game experience, while its appeal is perhaps a little limited by its genre. What is on offer, though, can be enjoyed by everyone.

Fire Emblem Heroes is a slick, well-presented and fun 'lite' take on the series. It's heavily stripped down from the core games, and is best enjoyed in short bursts, but serves that purpose well while wrapping the experience in a stylish UI with handsome graphics and a typically lustrous soundtrack. Nevertheless it's a limited game, and after a generous opening of playing for free the 'pay-to-win' element starts to take over. It's here that many will likely shrug and move on, having had a decent fill for no investment - for completionists, however, there's plenty of grinding (and likely some expenditure) awaiting them on the journey.

Construction Simulator 2 is a celebration of the mundane; a relaxing game that reassures you with every repeated action as you patiently build your construction empire. And it achieves that with brilliance. It would be harsh to say the unpredictable driving ruins the reassuring regularity, but when every other nail has been hammered with such precision, this slight misstep sticks out like the sore thumb that the hammer hit instead. Still, this is a highly recommended way to spend a few weeks, despite that rather odd issue.

There are still plenty more ways we’d like to see the Pokémon franchise evolve, but Pokémon Scarlet & Violet has us excited about the series' future. We really hope Game Freak can figure out how to smooth out the series’ ongoing performance issues on Switch because they'll certainly rub some players the wrong way — and they’re going to become a serious detriment over time. Scarlet & Violet is most fun and exciting when you're just exploring the world, and while there are many small new details and improvements to the Pokémon formula, it still plays it safe in a few areas. Regardless, things point toward a promising future for Gen 9 and beyond. It’s a smaller step than many may have hoped for, especially considering what Pokémon Legends: Arceus did, but it's definitely one in the right direction.

Forget the disappointing video game adaptations of the past, Dragon Ball has finally come of age on consoles. Dragon Ball Fusions fuses fan service with an enjoyable story and battle system to create a fresh Dragon Ball video game experience, with the only blot being the sometimes tedious energy aquisition process . If you are looking for a new and original Dragon Ball title to play on your 3DS, your wish has been granted.

Lots of care has gone into the creation of this game, and it shows with the gorgeous graphics and atmospheric soundtrack. It's a game that feels vast, and a slow burn experience for the patient gamer. It's possible that its difficulty will take some time to get used to, but it's worth persevering with this truly rewarding and excellent game. Phoenotopia: Awakening is a thoughtful, coherent game which, if you click with it, doesn't lose a step. A marvellous surprise.

Poignant and moving in both theme and execution, Fe is one of the most unique platformers on Nintendo Switch. Its platforming can be a little hit and miss, and its stealth feels a little too forgiving at times, but that doesn’t stop its world and the unique vocal premise from bewitching you with a dark and Gothic Nordic fairytale. While it’s not as groundbreaking as other dialogue-less games such as Journey, it’s still one of the most intriguing worlds to explore on Switch, and proof Zoink Games is more than just a one joke pony.

While Rock n' Roll Climber is an interesting and rather realistic take on the rock climbing sport, its meticulous control system and sluggish pacing might prove to be a bit of a stumbling block for gamers looking to dive right in head first.

DodoGo! Robo is a much simpler, easier game than its predecessors, which may be a good or a bad thing to you.

Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire's Conspiracy feels rather comforting, the video game equivalent of a warm blanket. For the most part it reverts to the core formula of the Professor Layton games, albeit with a new cast and by dividing the narrative into mostly lighthearted, charming 'cases'. All it lacks is the confidence to fully embrace its new setting, stopping short of expanding upon some of its ideas. That said, it still delivers the series' unique blend of storytelling and lots of puzzles with aplomb. It'll have fans and newcomers scratching their heads and smiling at the same time; here's hoping it's not Layton's final mystery.

It's not been the smoothest of journeys to release for Dimension Drive, and nor will yours be through its initial twelve stage campaign, but it is a polished and engaging shooter that asks more of each player. This is definitely not a 'turn your brain off at the door' kind of bullet hell experience, but it's worthy of the effort. Failure will be frequent, and frustratingly so in the early stages, but it's not cheap and beating a section or level never feels unattainable. There is a specific type of coordination required that will take time to perfect, and for some it might overwhelm, but Dimension Drive is a game that can be as rewarding as it is demanding.

It may well be almost ten years old, but de Blob is still a very welcome addition to the Switch’s library. It is by no means perfect, with several camera and control issues and a slight sense of repetition dragging the game down somewhat, but it makes up for these problems with colour, creativity, and fun. From the Minion-style cutscenes to the adorable, “yays,” from rescued residents, we can see kids and big kids having a great time here.

At its heart, Minecraft Dungeons is the sort of release that feels like it rides on the coattails of greater games a little too much. If this game did not have the Minecraft branding, it’s not much of a leap to assume that it would scarcely garner any attention based purely on its own merits. The gear system, combat, level design, and presentation is all fine and entertaining in its own right, but there’s little here that we could point to that elevates this game alongside or above peers such as Torchlight II, Diablo III or Path of Exile. Bearing this in mind, we’d give Minecraft Dungeons a very light recommendation to those of you looking for a surface-level introduction to the ARPG genre or for something to play in co-op with the kids. If that doesn’t describe you, then we’d suggest going with either Torchlight II or Diablo III, which both offer a more substantial and fulfilling experience of this genre.

Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition brings the classic theme park building sim and all of its DLC to Switch in a generously priced package that's hard to knock. A very well-implemented control scheme streamlines the potentially fussy business of managing menus and constructing great big behemoths and, besides a few judders here and there when your park gets crazy busy – a problem inherited from earlier versions of the game – the whole thing runs pretty smoothly in docked and handheld modes while still managing to look good (thanks in part to a HD lick of paint) some sixteen years after its original release. This is one ride Switch sim fans should absolutely consider jumping aboard.

Though it’s an improvement on its predecessor, Fairy Tail 2 is still the epitome of a middle-of-the-road licensed game. It doesn’t do anything exceptionally great or innovative, nor does it have any issues or shortcomings that significantly drag it down. Despite poor plot pacing, shallow mechanics, and some lacklustre performance, the lively combat system, rewarding exploration, and heartwarming character interactions ultimately make this one worthwhile. We’d recommend Fairy Tail 2 to franchise fans who played the previous RPG, though newcomers should be more wary of jumping straight in. It isn’t a ‘run out and buy it immediately’ release, but you likely won’t be disappointed if or when you do get around to it.

Nintendogs + Cats is most successful lovingly recreating the personalities of its animal stars, and even though isn't the quantum leap forward some will want, it'll likely be the pet simulator to beat over the 3DS's lifespan.

In a strange twist for a series that you would expect to be built around drawing in new consumers, Just Dance 2018 feels like a perfect match for those who already love the games and are really serious about their dancing, yet does nothing to draw in newcomers. In some ways, this year’s edition feels like it is almost a ‘greatest hits’ for its hardcore fans – the one entry that you’ll always fall back to just to play through the best stuff. Yet with such a hefty cost needed to access all of the game’s content, only the most serious will get true enjoyment here.