Word Search by POWGI is a great choice for anyone looking for a laid back solo gameplay experience or a game that can be played multiplayer with anyone, regardless of their skill with gaming. Although, the majority of the fun to be had lies within multiplayer. If you are looking for a go to game for travel with family or friends, Word Search by POWGI is worth taking a look at.

While the road to the best challenges were a bit tedious, my brain found the rapid pattern recognition and rule application of Nuclien very satisfying over the course of the few hours it took to complete everything. This is in no way a high-concept game; it is simply the full exploration of a relatively simple idea. If you’re looking for something a bit different that will test your ability to quickly recognize numbers and patterns it can be quite an engrossing activity while it lasts.

If you have access to the Xbox or PC version of Star Renegades, it’s absolutely worth picking up. Switch players should avoid this version for now, however. Fortunately, the developers have indicated long-term support for the game, so keep an eye out for updates in the meantime. You’ll definitely want to live, die, repeat, but ideally in the game, rather than playing crash, reboot, reload with your Switch console.

EA Sports FC is a tremendous leap in the right direction for soccer games on Switch. It still isn’t on the same level as other versions, but this is the narrowest the gap has been in more than a decade. If you’re looking for a way to play a great soccer game on a portable system with a few compromises, this will get the job done. Hopefully this is the start of EA Sports putting out more of their library on Nintendo platforms, because I’m heartened by how EA Sports FC turned out.

Although it may strike a chord with those who really love its theme and aesthetic, People of Note plays it a bit more monotone than I had hoped. The few high notes aren't able to fully compensate for the safe storytelling and narrative design, and the combat waffles too much between tedious and novel. That said, I couldn't help but feel taken by the game's commitment to being a music-themed adventure; constant puns and shake-ups to the combat mechanics gave me a genuine sense of joy. There wasn't enough momentum, however, to sustain those positive vibes, and I was left wanting to just roll credits in double time rather than slowing down the beat and soaking it all in.

The level of production found in Masquerada is above and beyond what I would have expected from a small team of 15 artists, programmers, and designers. From the impeccable writing to the beautiful music, everything about this game feels polished. Each and every character you meet is interesting and well developed, and the adventure is perfectly paced. Anyone with a passing fancy for RPGs and who loves a well thought out and engaging story would do well to give this title a look.

Fans of the sport can't do wrong to pick this up, and if you think you're a gamer that can stomach a sports game, you might do well to take a look as well.

After throwing my share of punches and delivering a healthy dose of kicks, I can safely say that I did enjoy my time with Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons. This latest entry in the brawling brothers series employs some sound tactics to keep the gameplay feeling good across multiple playthroughs. Its lack of staying power holds me back from offering a full-throated recommendation, but beat-'em-up fans will definitely be able to squeeze some juice out of this muscle-bound orange. Even if I'll always prefer Bimmy to Billy, Double Dragon Gaiden has enough moves to make it worth a look.

The Switch has had a surprisingly large RPG library in its first year; already it feels like there’s more RPGs on Switch than were on its predecessor and they just keep coming. Where The Longest Five Minutes stands out is that despite the name, it is fast. I did a lot of exploring in the environments looking for treasure and still managed to roll credits in under 12 hours. Given the Switch’s propensity for roguelikes and exceedingly long, story-driven games, this is a minor miracle. Not every game has to be a seven-course meal; sometimes you just want a light snack. On that front, Longest Five Minutes delivers.

Fans of the original title should absolutely experience this version and as well as all fans of 3D platformers.

Urban Trial Playground does a few interesting things, but they’re overshadowed and ultimately held back by a number of factors. While I found the scored-based levels that relied on tricks to be more fun than the racing sections, gameplay is just not deep enough to be engaging for more than a short period of time. Couple that with the somewhat frequent software crashes and it’s easy to see how this ends up becoming a forgettable experience.

Unfortunately, it’s just less of what came before it. It shares so much with Sky Force Reloaded that I didn't mind going back into it. In some ways, it was fine to come back to and relive, albeit as a much shorter experience. But why pay the same price when there is a game identical to it in gameplay with more content?

Hive Jump is an okay-ish roguelike with interesting run 'n' gun segments to back it up. Where the game really falls short is in how it packages its content. The main campaign repeats environments and enemies way too much for its own good, leaving a sour taste. The levels are too alike and the strategy elements between the stages aren't all that great. The extra modes can be decently fun, though they won't last for nearly as long. Overall, I really wanted to like Hive Jump a lot more, but as things progressed I became less of a fan.

It has some gameplay issues, and while the luck element of the barebones combat does make the experience drag at points, the novelty of the idea in the combat, as well as the impressive visuals in the story components are appreciated.

While I wish the Switch version, particularly handheld mode, was more robust, I still greatly enjoyed my time with it. There is a very satisfying adventure here, but on Switch you may need to dig a little deeper to find it.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl almost feels as if it was sold on the sheer premise of reviving Melee with Nickelodeon characters. On the fighting end, it mostly succeeds, but due to a lack of polish, cut corners and just a cheap feel, I’m skeptical how long this game can keep your attention. Yes, the sheer hilarity of seeing Patrick Star beat up CatDog is still funny, but I don’t think the lifespan of this game will increase over time. Watching all these fighters silently duke it out makes it feel like we’re watching storyboards for a singular crossover episode. While that may entice you into watching the commercials, the final product just leaves all these popular properties feel compromised.

This game has so many features. It gives you over 30 vehicles to unlock, sub-missions, the Allspark Wars on Wi-Fi, and a solid multiplayer mode. However, the game is extremely short, seemingly rushed, not that nice to look at, and finding a glitch or five is not hard in the least.

It's disappointing that while Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?! does its license justice, the mechanical side of things doesn't translate as well. The game refuses to make a name for itself, instead relying on nostalgia to cover its mistakes.

Legacy of Ys: Books I & II is truly an old-style game with a modern coat of paint. Though some aspects of the gameplay are primitive, there is no denying how genuinely fun both games are.

As much comedic potential as Say No! More has, it feels like it only scratches the surface of what is possible within this specific setting and world. The levels are pretty repetitive and lack a lot of player agency. While the style, atmosphere, themes and story are very good I don’t think I will return to Say No! More in the future. Not because I think I shouldn’t say no more, if anything this game made me realize that I do say yes too many times in my life, but because like a good self-help book, the real change begins when you’re finished reading the story.

That's the huge problem with Nerf N-Strike Elite: the lack of content. All it has is a short story mode and the same shooting range for each gun. The co-op is fun, and the Nerf gun aesthetic is nifty, but there just isn't a lot to do.

MySims Sky Heroes proudly mantains the franchise's tradition of easy-to-learn, fun gameplay that takes place in a world brimming with personality. It's too bad that the mission structure in the story mode is annoying, but the rest of the modes make up for its faults.

The Wii Shop Channel has seen plenty of great puzzle titles, and while developer Virtual Toys certainly can brag about having one of the more creative titles, Spaceball Revolution grows old fast. It's nice to see some online leader boards thrown into the mix, but due to the game's repetitive nature, it provides little reason to return.

Atomicrops is more bullet hell than farming sim, but the unique creation is something that is extremely satisfying to look at and play through. Difficulty from a less than awesome health system mixed with the brutal roguelite mechanics makes for an experience that gets frustrating as it regularly takes you out of the fun and forces a restart. Even with that and the slight performance issues, Atomicrops is still a real good time.

A great game, and the best entry in the franchise. The storyline never fails to impress: it dives very deep into the darkest pits of the human mind while still having a sense of humor about it.

Instead of porting it over without much thought, they took the time to get something working that took advantage of the Wii's strengths.

Thankfully, even if it’s a little weird and limited in some respects, Travis Strikes Again is a fun game that makes me excited for the future of the series.

It's the same as the previous games, but battling bosses now requires that you slog through a turn-based map before you can reach them. If this sounds appealing to you, then enjoy!

Overall, the game is fantastic. It’s fun for solo play and is even better when working in co-op. I’ve poured hours into the game and have still not completed every possible task available. There’s so much replayability and it’ll have you craving for more Yo-kai madness… or maybe a Yo-kai is making you think that. Regardless, the game is definitely fantastic and I’d highly recommend adding it to your 3DS’s library.

Code of Princess is an exceptional game, and despite its repetitiousness.

Double Cross is almost great. With all the different ways to use the proton slinger in this game, I definitely had a blast progressing through the levels. Unfortunately, the investigation and combat sections make for such dull interruptions that at least a third of your time spent as an agent of R.I.F.T. will be a forgettable slog.

A quality title that doesn't gain much from being on the 3DS.

Only the most fanatical of the Blue Bomber's followers or younger players will be remotely interested in this game.

Miitopia is a mixed bag. Mii interactions off and on the battlefield are fun, but the pacing and linear scope of the game hampers an otherwise fun experience. The game doesn’t last too long for JRPG standards (around 30-35 hours) but this feels like a fun 15 hour game stretched out with long periods of boring grind. You eventually do get everyone back, making the last part of the game a better experience towards the end. But while Miitopia makes up for a lot of things with its charming appeal, its faults are still pretty evident.

The lack of identity and direction is unfulfilling, and while a select group of mini-games are entertaining and original, many of them feel generic and bland. But in the end, it's the lack of simultaneous multiplayer that makes the game nearly pointless.

My Sims Racing is a surprisingly tight game with great production values and a lot of heart, and it can’t be recommended highly enough for the younger gamers among us. There may not be enough content to fulfill older gamers, but it’s certainly a fun multiplayer game.

Superstars should’ve been the new standard to live up to Sonic’s Genesis run, which just makes it sad that the game fails to even match the standard that was set over twenty years ago.

As an experience, it did the trick somewhat convincingly, but don't expect anything majorly engaging during your playthrough.

Flawed on such a basic gameplay level that I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anybody. I plead with you not to play this game.

The word innovative is all-too-often just tossed about at any old game, but R has some genuinely clever new features.

Ultimately, the DK Island & Emerald Rush DLC is a ton of fun and took me a lot of time to fully complete. DK Island may be lacking in substance but is filled with nostalgic bliss. I also found myself quickly addicted to the Emerald Rush mode and had a blast learning and strategizing along the way. While there are a few minor issues I still think it’s a solid addition to the base Bananza game and I highly recommend it to people that are in love with the mechanics Bananza and are looking for a new way to enjoy them within the same world.

It's nothing more complicated than some good old-fashioned arcade-driven action, so if you're looking for a fun and challenging action game on your 3DS this summer, Strike Force Foxx is something to keep an eye on.

This is the kind of game services like the eShop are built for. It has a simple concept and equally simple gameplay, but to someone who enjoys old-school high score-based game design it could eat up a lot of time.

Proun+ is a smooth playing game with harsh challenges for whoever wants them!

But for a game that wishes to fill the need of those who want the Minecraft experience on the 3DS, this is probably one of the best to succeed in that regard.

Despite the game’s AI issues, Never Alone is definitely worth playing—maybe with another person. It’s a very short game and can be finished in two or three sessions. But it’s the educational aspect that I appreciated most, and I imagine you will, too.

Overall, this game left me in shambles as I would feel a sense of extreme dread as I made progress throughout each world as I never fully knew what reaction any of my decisions could cause. However, it gave me a sense of relief and wonder when I would solve the puzzle given to me and continue forward to see what challenges awaited me next.

If you really long for those days of playing Street Fighter II and Metal Slug while you wait for your Book It group’s pizza to come out, you might want to give Eternum EX a look. I feel like it needs a two-player mode to keep things fresh because otherwise it runs out of steam pretty quickly.

The playfulness of just rolling around in the free-roll mode is endearing, but the totality of the experience isn’t gripping for more than a few fleeting moments. Dream Buffet is evocative of a mediocre dessert at a diner. You knew what you signed up for and you hoped maybe you’ll land on the piece of pie that is out of this world, but at the end of the day it’s just midnight at a diner, and you’re wondering why you’re still eating this passable apple pie.

Xtreme Sports is an interesting curio, an artistic ancestor of WayForward’s heroic half-genie franchise, and a somewhat frustrating Game Boy Color game that may not be all that fun to play in the Year of our Arceus 2024. It also, and this may be a deep cut for many of you, reminds me of the Survivor parody Total Drama Island, which often involved some degree of extreme sports challenges.

What Zero Games Studios has created with Hot Lap Racing is the foundations of a solid simcade racing game. There seems to be a lot to be desired in terms of content, but the team has focused mostly on the joy of driving and accessibility. While it falls short of being the motorsport G.O.A.T on the Nintendo Switch, it represents a potential top tier contender in the genre, trailing behind GRID Autosport. The current pros outweigh the cons but as time goes on, it will be interesting to see what gets added. If all of the small gripes get cleaned up, Hot Lap Racing could just take the pole position.

While the switch version of EQQO is probably not the ideal way to experience this story, it is a cute and small game that is great for someone who is looking to play something in short bursts. Take your time getting adjusted to the controls. If you take on a chapter each night, you will more than get your money out of it. Just don’t go in and expect a full top-down Zelda dungeon experience.

In some ways, Psikyo Shooting Stars Bravo is as disappointing as Alpha: it doesn’t feature save states, online leaderboards, or any historical materials. Other than having them all in one place, you don’t really get anything extra when buying these shooters as a package, rather than individually. You might save a couple bucks purchasing all six games at once, but the better play might be to just pick and choose your favourite ones. Ultimately, Shooting Stars Bravo is a decent compilation that is disappointingly barebones, even if it can provide a pretty good time.

It delivers its story well, features great design and technical prowess, and fills a niche not currently met on Wii. However, the uninspired combat, control irritations, and vestiges of survival horror games of days past bring the experience down.

Those willing to put the time in to grasp the game’s frustrating controls (Monkey Ball maniacs perhaps) will most likely squeeze a lot of fun out of the game. The rest of us, however, are better off steering clear.

Cooking Mama was fun for a while, but after the novelty wore off, the repetition of the mini-games and the janky stylus controls just became a bigger and more noticeable defect, and while I’d love to praise the game for trying something different, I have to fault it for not having much depth. [JPN Import]

Overall, once you get past the issues, it can be an in-depth and fun game to play for a rail simulation enthusiast, but those issues can be tough to overcome and take a lot of trial and error if you want to build more complex routes. It has a tough learning curve even with the tutorials. Some of this may just be me coming from another style of play but I actually had to restart the tutorial a couple of times until I got the hang of how the routing and scheduling system worked so I could design my tracks properly, but now that I have the hang of it, I’ll probably continue playing it.

It's very fun thanks to its simplicity, it's graphically clean and simple, and there’s plenty of puzzles to keep you busy.

had a tough time getting into Shape of the World at first, in big part due to the sparse initial environments and the clipping problems. And I admit I rolled my eyes a bit as the creatures I met went from bug-like critters to sea creatures floating… in the air (a trend that culminated with glimpses of a whale floating in the sky). I found it a little cliché and New Age-y. The final moments were impressive and by the time I got to them, I had started enjoying myself, but it took a long time for the game to ramp up to that point.

A solid puzzler that might garner some fans thanks to its compelling gameplay concepts and interesting character designs. Unfortunately, its sometimes overcomplicated gameplay causes it to fall short of greatness.

GIGA WRECKER ALT. lacks the charm and fun of previous Game Freak titles. I found playing through it more of a slog than a fun way to spend a dozen hours.

Comparing Tokyo 2020 to Mario & Sonic is not only unavoidable, it’s also just weird. Mario & Sonic released in November 2019, and while Tokyo 2020 was always going to release a little later it was delayed a full year due to the real life Olympics being postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With more than a year and half gap between the two video games, it’s bizarre that the one that had so much longer to be worked on ends up feeling more rushed and lacking in comparison to its counterpart. Tokyo 2020 would be tough to recommend on its own merits, but placed next to Mario & Sonic there really doesn’t seem to be any reason to choose the “Official” Olympic Games.

While its flaws prevent it from being a serious contender, the game is a surprisingly fun and a solid effort that fans shouldn't miss. It may try a bit too hard to be like Super Smash Bros., but its modes and gameplay make it a title worth checking out if you want to take a break from Nintendo's fighting game.

Delivers nothing but tedious micromanagement.

Ultimately the experience feel flat for me as I tried to trudge through the non-stop references to the most obvious and overused aspects of the ‘80s. Yes, I enjoyed ET and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a kid, but I’ve become numb to the overuse of catchphrases and plots that are continuously rehashed over and over. I’m at the point now where you either need to use these references sparingly as a complement to an original idea, or really dive deep into ‘80s culture that many probably wish would be forgotten. Unfortunately for Crossing Souls, neither of these ring true.

On the whole, Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics is a game that seems to both progress the series while keeping it firmly in the roots established by its 2007 predecessor. The motion controls fail to give a groundbreaking presence amongst its many party game brethren on the Wii, and many of the events featured here already made appearances in the other games.

All three of these single-player games hold up well by modern standards and each will take at least a few hours to exhaust...if you're good enough, that is.

It’s a better Wii Fit, in the sense that Fitness Boxing 2 trims the fat (ha!) that were the slow exercises and loading times. But much like Wii Fit, I cannot guarantee that it will maintain your interest for long or present enough new features over time. At the very least, you won’t have to stow away a balance board in a closet somewhere after punching out.

Madden NFL 06 DS is not a better game than "Madden NFL 2005 DS." Madden should improve with every year, but for the reasons above, it didn't this time.

Sonic Generations on the Nintendo 3DS is certainly a well made game.

Don’t be fooled: seeing Tako’s quest through to the very end will test your platforming skills, patience, and perseverance to their absolute limits. I am thrilled to have completed what I can safely say is one of the most challenging video games I have ever played.

A game that has a great set of concepts, but inevitably falls short once you realize there's not much to it, and that you're essentially traveling along a linear path and repeating the same process over and over again until you reach the end, with your only occasional relief being the driving sessions.

Despite its innovative touch screen swing concept, True Swing Golf simply doesn’t deliver. There isn’t enough customization, gameplay variety, or fun to be found.

On its own, Spellspire is an enjoyable word RPG, somewhat in the same vein as a Puzzle Quest. The replayable nature makes it a nice game to have on hand as a complement to the Switch’s other games. It’s a focused and fun twist on a known formula, well worth checking out if you need a break from Mario.

For the budget price of admission, King Oddball actually provides quite a lot of content that would take you several hours to likely be able to work through. Once you add on the levels in the additional modes and the challenge of some of the more unusual achievements you could likely double that time. The question will be whether you’ll want to stick out the ride long enough to enjoy it all. That will ultimately come down to tastes, what you’re looking for, and how you’re planning to play the game. Using it to fill gaps in your day 15 minutes at a time would probably be great, playing for hours at a time probably not so much.

Yuso makes a good first impression, but it becomes stale fairly quickly. I can recommend it only to people who want an easy-to-play but shallow puzzler to while away a couple of hours.

Windscape is an incredibly ambitious game and developer Dennis Witte deserves a lot of praise for pulling it off as well as he has. While there are certainly areas, such as combat, where things have been kept simple, the vast majority of Windscape represents a thrilling adventure that is simply oozing with charm.

The combat is generally enjoyable, but the scoring system is never explained and appears to require superhuman skill (or far more practice than I’m willing to entertain) to get good grades in. The platforming is generally miserable. The bosses are a lot of fun, though. Betrayal looks and sounds great. More often than not, though, it feels like work. Tedious, exhausting work.

This game has so many features. It gives you over 30 vehicles to unlock, sub-missions, the Allspark Wars on Wi-Fi, and a solid multiplayer mode. However, the game is extremely short, seemingly rushed, not that nice to look at, and finding a glitch or five is not hard in the least.

Geist's pacing is far more deliberate that that of a first person shooter. It requires you to think, not just act. The compelling story and incredibly fun and unique possession mechanics allow Geist to rise above its competition.

ATV Wild Ride 3D is a nice change of pace from the other racers available on the 3DS. It places an emphasis on player skill and knowledge, and provides a playing field balanced to encourage learning. Its rough edges occasionally create a wilder experience than intended, but in the face of these blemishes, the game still stands as a worthwhile experience.

Nine Parchments has its problems, but for the most part, it is still an entertaining dungeon crawler. If you plan on playing solo, your playtime might be a little more frustrating, but if you have some local friends, a multiplayer romp through this game is sure to be a good time. Online, as of this writing, is a wild card. If it works well, Nine Parchments has the potential to be one of the better online experiences on the Switch. If it's rough? Well, a lot of the appeal for Nine Parchments will wash away. We will update with a final review after more playtime before we reach a verdict.

Kirby Fighters Deluxe is a nice standalone version of a fun bonus mode from Kirby: Triple Deluxe that I can only really recommend if you ever see yourself playing local multiplayer.

Even with those bouts of frustration, Stonefly is a thoroughly unique game that has novel gameplay ideas and a wonderful story. Dancing around the world while piloting your mech, trying to find emotional catharsis for your heroine while also beating up some bugs so you can get more resources to upgrade your current ride is a heck of a gameplay loop. It’s well worth experiencing if you want a chill adventure.

For long-time Tecmo Bowl fans looking for a new fix, Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff gets the job done as a solid, if unspectacular, entry in the storied franchise. However, neophytes are unlikely to appreciate its arcade spin on football and retro-gaming appeal.

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer has its moments, but overall it can’t escape the feeling of being a superficial game.

Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is solid, though, especially for anyone longing for a throwback 2D adventure game. The story isn’t terribly long, but there’s plenty to collect along the way, and the included DLC island adds just enough to push Oceanhorn to a very satisfying content level. Just remember that this is not Zelda and you’ll have a good time.

NORTH was a breath of fresh air for me. Too many games now require fast reflexes and have tons of gun play, but NORTH begs to be played slowly. Take your time, read the letters carefully, and follow the path that is outlined. Some actions can get trippy at times but it all concludes in an unexpected ending. I am happy that I took the journey to the NORTH, I just hope my character is, too.

Nostalgia is a powerful drug and can obscure some of the problems that remakes like Rehydrated have. But I feel confident in saying that Battle for Bikini Bottom still retains a fun core gameplay loop that has stood the test of time.

Unworthy of its namesake, and I really wish the developer had taken its time to study what was great about the original game before starting work on the sequel – the lack of finesse present in CTR really shows.

Fitness Boxing is a fine selection of exercises. With a ton of courses to get through, you will be hard pressed to not find a skill level that suits you. As you go along, it is easy to take the next numbered version in a series and deal with the increased difficulty. The controls aren't the most accurate, but easily a cut above Just Dance. That being said, the music is easily my least favorite part of the game. Considering you have to time the moves with the songs, I am very surprised by the music choices. It left me with only a handful of songs I really cared about using, which will be the thing that eventually gets me to move on. Until then though, Fitness Boxing serves its purpose very admirably.

In the end, We Ski & Snowboard reminds me how much more awesome real skiing is. It's fun at first, but with a lack of challenge, mediocre graphics, and no real sense of speed, it gets old quickly.

As an innovative first try, Duck Amuck is a success.

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms feels like an incredibly nostalgia-driven game, aimed specifically at those who hold classic beat-’em-ups, the River City games in particular, close to their hearts. And for that audience, I think they’ll be very satisfied with what River City Saga has to offer. For people like me, who have less nostalgia for the franchise, they may struggle to understand the repetitive nature and overall appeal of River City Saga: Three Kingdoms.

Crysis Remastered is an impressive showcase for the Nintendo Switch’s true capabilities when ports are given the love and attention they deserve. Graphical downgrade aside, this title plays, looks, and feels great. Besides some aging mechanics and a so-so story, the gameplay loop of fighting through strategic engagement to engagement is addictive and invigorating, even if that means you’ll have a better time ignoring the objectives to get to the next fight quicker.

Toki is fun and wacky, but a flawed game in many regards. While I enjoy the world and basic gameplay elements there are cheap deaths and the new graphics can make it hard to tell what’s on the same plane as the character at times. The different difficulty settings allow players to tailor the experience, which is good, but I don’t see myself often trying something other than Easy since this is an updated arcade title. Some of the general flaws can be attributed to the original game, so the developers actually did nail it when they made this updated version. That said, Toki fans will get a kick out of this remaster and if you like weird, old arcade games you probably will, too.

Atari Mania is endearing and enjoyable despite some stumbles, especially if you hold some form of nostalgia for the old Atari brand. I had a good time with this even if I felt like I was waiting too long between batches of mini-games. The overworld puzzles ended up being one of the cooler parts of this package. I just wish the mini-games erred more on the side of WarioWare excellence as opposed to the muddy middleground.

Unsolved Crimes is not a terrible title, but it always feels lacking in some way across each aspect of the game.