That is nothing like any Sonic game I played as a kid. Those games were fast, colorful, simple, and fun - all things that Shadow the Hedgehog not only misses, but flat out ignores.

The excellent presentation and style is marred by the sixteen character password system and occasional level design flaws.

A repetitive, bland game that also happens to be the worst use of a license I've ever seen.

Quite likely the worst Spider-Man game Activision has published, falling short of even the lackluster Spider-Man 3 and Friend or Foe games. It's boring, repetitive, and indistinct.

Overall, Devil May Cry 2 is not a terrible game. Coming off the heels of the original and the Bayonetta games, however, there is virtually no reason to play this game unless you’re truly curious. I enjoyed the four-hour adventure as a good distraction, but the glaring problems, such as the camera and story, left a bad taste in my mouth. There are certainly worse games to play, but if you’re itching for a new game in the genre to play, you may want to look elsewhere.

A half-finished game designed so poorly that it probably shouldn't have been started in the first place. Only the most stubborn Spyro fan should even consider picking this up and even then, I implore you to wait until it's on clearance.

Indeed, the absence of physical dice rolling and being gathered around a game board with friends rather diminishes the fun to be had here.

If you want to "get funky" please select a different farm. Funky Barn starts off decent, but a little bit of playing will make you realize that it is a boring game that offers nothing of substance. Unless you are a fan of low quality farming games, I would have to say this is one Wii U title worth skipping

The flat multiplayer mode cements Pirates: Duels on the High Seas as a mostly respectable technical effort that simply lacks the requisite dynamism and ingenuity to satisfy as a game based entirely on action.

But as a Wii title in 2008, a few added control gimmicks can't save this from the bargain bin of the slowing trend PS2 and PC ports that just shouldn't be.

Were the controls, use of characters, and game variety given a boost in quality, Manic Monkey Mayhem could potentially warrant its 800 Wii Point ($8) price tag. With no such improvements in sight, Manic Monkey Mayhem is a WiiWare game to avoid.

The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft tries hard to recreate the golden days of point-and-click adventure gaming. While its intentions are good, the exploration and puzzle-solving suffer from poor planning and execution.

Hot Pursuit on Wii doesn't even pretend to try to live up to the standards set by its HD siblings. Avoid this one at all costs. Go play Mario Kart or Excitebots instead.

In the end, I wouldn't call Samurai Sword Destiny a disaster or even unplayable-it's just extremely repetitious in every aspect of its design and frustrating because of it. I certainly don't like it, but if you want to see what a roguelike brawler looks like, this is a good entry point. All others would do well to avoid this deeply flawed game.

Brave is an average movie tie-in game, and nothing more.

All-in-all Rock Zombie has many of the trappings of a great game. The core mechanics work, and all of Rock Zombie’s failings are the sort of things that could be fixed in future updates. For now this may not be the arcade experience you’re looking for but with a little work, it could be a welcome addition to anyone’s Wii U home screen.

Tiny Troopers Joint Ops XL’s console transformation fails to make the most of the Switch platform. As a premium-priced experience on console, it fails to offer the improvements that one would expect. The shadows of the game’s mobile roots as well as its rough transition to physical controls make the console version difficult to recommend.

Overall, the design of Super Hyperactive Ninja is fun and engaging, but I think that more could have been done with the caffeine theme to make it feel less generic. The music is good and though the gameplay can be frustrating, people who love a challenge with find Super Hyperactive Ninja to be worth their time.

The sound effects and music add little to the overall experience, and the customization aspects are only skin deep. Additional modes and options would go a long way to increasing its value, but as it is, Marooners is just okay. There are much more compelling multiplayer experiences on the crowded Switch island.

There are a lot of good things in Empire of Sin. The combat has a lot of room for variable play styles. The diplomacy systems make every play through unique. I love the neighborhoods they crafted. This is a game built around the idea that emergent gameplay is fun, and it is. That’s why the technical problems are such a bummer. Empire of Sin is a good game, but the Nintendo Switch is the worst place to play it.

The core gameplay is fertile ground for some great emergent moments in solo or multiplayer, and the game is chock full of content. Each mission has bonus challenges such as meal delivery or demolition, and there are escape missions, boss battles, difficulty options, loadouts, upgradable items, and cosmetics. Even if you only play strictly single-player, Embr has so much to offer were it not hampered by the visual noise, performance and control issues, and truly frustrating physics. In a lot of ways, playing Embr felt like playing a very promising early access game that would be worth waiting for the arrival of a polished 1.0 release. The devs even included an easy feedback system for bugs, framerate, controls, and gameplay issues in the main and pause menus. But I can only review the product in hand, which though built on solid foundation, quickly crumbles down.

Poor resolution and performance make moving through the world an annoyance. And unfortunately that’s the entire gameplay loop. Even just catching a glimpse of an enemy can be hard from far away given the resolution, and effectively navigating the halls of the shrine to escape is much more difficult at twenty frames per second. So while I could forgive some of the more repetitive encounters and lackluster voice acting, everything compounds into a very unimpressive showing. This isn’t necessarily a bad game, but I’d strongly suggest playing it elsewhere if possible.

Deca Sports offers an efficient interface and a couple of high points during gameplay… but only that.

Offering nothing for the fans while having gameplay that's fun to no one, Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth is impossible to recommend.

Overall, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory for Nintendo DS is just full of problem after problem, but even without the bugs and glitches, the game is simply dull compared to its console counterparts.

Even then you will still have to contend with the Switch version being an unbelievable graphical downgrade compared to the other versions of this game, and if handheld mode is really your argument for picking up the Switch version, I will be blunt and implore you: Don't. Jump Force: Ultimate Edition goes to show that maybe not every single game should be ported to Switch. While the core gameplay and ideas presented probably wouldn't feel at home regardless, the Switch version really shouldn't be the way to experience this game. If you are looking for a portable version of Jump Force I'd recommend putting some manga in your backpack. It will probably last you longer.

A complete waste of time and money. In the two or three hours it takes to beat the game, there isn’t a single moment of true entertainment or thrill.

Thankfully, most levels shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes to complete. Regardless, it’s still incredibly inconvenient and stupid to not let the player save whenever necessary.

Milanoir is a disappointment. It’s frustrating stage and boss design mar what was obviously a work of pride by people who care deeply for this period of Italian cinema. But, Piero’s misadventures simply aren’t fun to play. When things are working well the game is at best good, but it’s never an elevated experience. At its worst, Milanoir is a frustrating test of patience.

A frustrating game that I can't recommend. It's a shame, too, since I like the Gryptonite games and, based on Dark Void Zero, I had a lot of hope for Other Ocean's take on the formula. The game looks okay and there's voicework in the narration, but the game itself is pretty weak. There are good ideas here, but they're just not well implemented.

My Horse & Me is shovel-ware, pure and simple. It looks ugly, its gameplay is limited, and its primary features—show jumping and item-collecting—bear little resemblance to its target audience.

Without question, SuperMash is quirky and novel, but it’s much more interesting in theory than in practice. Although its eShop page indicates that new content will be coming in the future, I’m not sure that adding more genres or characters will solve its inherent problem: the Mashes don’t combine genres in a meaningful way.

If you want a good point‘n’click adventure, play Myst or Shivers.

In short, Ice Age Scrat’s Nutty Adventure takes basic ideas from other 3D platformers and tries to show how impressive they are, when in reality they are just things you’ve seen before. If you are a big Ice Age fan, then this is a harmless experience that doesn’t add to what the movies offer and rather imitates what came before it. For my money, I say let this one hibernate for the winter.

Spore Heroes Arena is a very uninspiring title that has a repetitive fighting engine and tedious exploration. It definitely does not live up to the Spore brand.

The Unexpected Quest is unexpectedly short with only eight chapters and no variance offered upon replay. It is a decent time-waster of an RTS, but it is far from deeply engaging or exciting. Limited controls, the inability to place buildings where you want and one-on-one unit battles put a damper on the experience. This is not the game that will take the place of Warcraft as it feels like it never quite takes the training wheels off and there are better RTS experiences to be had, making this really only good for newcomers to the genre who need a gentle, simple pace.

Midnight deserves praise for bringing innovative and challenging level design to the golf genre. Deluxe makes the package feel more complete, although I would like to see more than just new levels. Some additional polish in terms of the controls and the freezing would be something to be desired in an update. Nevertheless, Midnight Deluxe shouldn’t be ignored as a solid puzzler with levels that will stump you for quite a while.

Though it controls fine and seems to offer something substantial at first, I couldn't recommend it for adults or children.

A Legend Reborn is a fun, simple brawler but nothing more. I enjoyed the humor for what it was, and it doesn’t take an overly long amount to time to clear. It’s one of those games you can spend a day playing and not feel like you’re being cheated out of anything if you never play it again. Shaq Fu’s return won’t earn the horrible reputation of its predecessor, but will probably be easily forgotten before the year is over.

All in all, the only thing Animal Paradise has going for it is that it contains amusing animals and various cute Hanadeka photos. It misses the boat on potentially being a fun Pokemon Snap clone, and instead settles for being a vastly inferior Nintendogs clone.

I will say I’ve never played a game like Metropolis: Lux Obscura and I’m glad I did, but I think it has narrow appeal. If you like Sin City, it’s worth a look.

Course designs are limiting and don’t really take advantage of the "Nitro" in Nitrobike. But worst of all, the game’s generic characters and setting rob it of any personality. Nitrobike is not extreme - it’s just boring.

I’m aware that Carnival Games doesn’t need my approval, but even with an open mind, I came away disappointed. I will always think fondly of my time with Wii-era party games and mini-game collections, but the Carnival Games revival will not be my preferred method of reliving that charming and gimmicky time period. Maybe this was a series worth leaving buried.

It does look quite impressive and, at moments, some of the features are actually quite cool. Unfortunately, most of the game is underwhelming.

Gargoyles is a relic that should have remained set in 16-bit stone, sealed away never to return. I'm normally very supportive of the effort to bring back old and forgotten games, but even superfans of the TV series shouldn't be tortured by this unnecessary re-release.

In a way, Just Dance is just like an up- and-coming dancer. It's very rough but shows promise, especially when played with friends.

YesterMorrow could have been a real solid platformer, but it was released far too soon; more work is needed to bring it up to a point where it can be enjoyed. There are moments where YesterMorrow’s tight controls, level design, and artstyle all come together and shine. Unfortunately, the mountain of technical issues and the empty world eclipse any hints of excellence. At the end of the day, YesterMorrow is an incomplete, broken game, and broken games are neither for yesterday or tomorrow.

Feels like another "phone-it-in" anime game. The mini-games are boring, the Captain events feel tired and generic, and there's no replay value to be found.

Canvaleon is a disappointing game. While it gives you some sense of freedom and good controls, the title's unforgiving nature makes this journey a very bitter one.

Madden NFL Football isn't a bad game; it's just empty. The content that's there is polished, but there just isn't a lot of it.

If you work at learning the game, and view it as something that’s not necessary Castlevania proper, Judgment can provide a decent romp. If you're looking for a good lighthearted fighter, Judgement is outclassed by Brawl. However, if you like Soul Calibur but don’t own a PS3 or Xbox 360, Judgment is your only real alternative, and it’s not as terrible as people have been saying.

Ultimately, Calling falls flat. Its redeeming qualities, such as the interesting story and atmosphere, are neutered by its meandering gameplay.

Exactly like every other cookie-cutter movie/cartoon-licensed platformer.

Fans of the movies, Disney, and carnival-style games will find a lot to like about Toy Story Mania. Its loyalty to the franchise along with its accessible gameplay will make it an endearing addition to the Wii library. Everyone else, however, might feel disenchanted by its repetitive gameplay, problematic motion control, and overall brevity.

It’s a good game overall, especially for people who like strategy games but aren’t very fond of the frantic pace that something like Starcraft brings to the table. Conquest also lacks the complexity of a tabletop trading card game or series-based board game, which is fine by me.

Children might not mind the perplexing enemy design as long as the game is blindingly pastel enough, and they might have a higher tolerance for mindless gameplay, but I like my games to be more stimulating.

Spitfire Heroes’ gameplay can be confusing and annoying all at once.

Bust-A-Move Universe is a great puzzle game, but unless you're a big fan of the series or a die-hard puzzle fanatic, this is a senseless purchase. You can find similar games online for free or, inevitably, for much cheaper on the 3DS download platforms (when they launch).

As far as effectiveness in training goes ... I don't know. I wish it had a Brain Age kind of graph in order to see how far I've progressed. I hate to say it, but there is a strong possibility that I might be a little rustier after Mega Brain Boost than before.

Mighty No. 9 isn’t a bad game, but it’s generic in gameplay quality and suffers from technical issues that hamper the experience.

This is what happens when you get an old, dated license and have absolutely no idea what to do with it.

Still, Johnny Impossible is fun stealth game that is worth checking out if you're looking for a short side-scrolling experience on the eShop.

All in all, I just didn’t really have fun playing Morphie’s Law, which is a real shame. The great amount of detail that went into the design and aesthetic is phenomenal, with beautiful visuals and a killer soundtrack to boot. Unfortunately the gameplay just doesn’t live up to the rest, and even the premise doesn’t ever really feel more than a novelty. A future update could potentially fix a lot of these issues, but as it stands I have a hard time recommending Morphie’s Law.

Astro Boy is a movie-license miss with awful graphics, bad combat, and middling controls. Even if you loved the heralded Game Boy Advance Astro Boy game, this game still isn't worth your time because it takes those concepts and perverts them into something not fun at all.

FlingSmash is full of interesting gameplay ideas that would've been a lot more fun if the game controlled well, or at the very least, compensated for the poor controls by being a little more forgiving.

A thoroughly disappointing and discouraging game.

If you have Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, trade it in for a PS1 Spyro game and hope for the best. But please, do not play this game all the way through. Innocent minds will be lost.

Looking over the complete package there aren’t many notable features that make Boost Beast compelling, even for casual puzzle fans who are dying for a traditional match-3 to play on their Switch. The truth is, even if the game looks appealing to you in some form, if you have a smartphone of an average size you’re far better off getting the game in that space. It’s important for the Switch to have a diverse lineup that includes something for everyone. Unfortunately in the case of Boost Beast, even lacking an alternative for a simple and traditional match-3 experience, I have a hard time recommending it to anyone.

Alteric starts off basic and fun, but it is not for the faint of heart. The between light and dark and the colors of the two worlds do make the game visually appealing. Unfortunately, the lack of content and the game’s physics make this title a hard one to recommend. One particularly difficult stage took me over 200 tries, and almost had me break my Switch in two; maybe the Dark Souls comparison is apt after all.

Pine is a brilliant idea backed by some truly wonderful systems. Other elements of its gameplay fall short but would ultimately be forgivable if it would just run reliably. No matter how much I wanted to enjoy Pine, I always found myself ending my play session in frustration as a stared down another loading screen, found a key character glitched into an inactive state, or an entire village simply blipping out of existence. Pine feels like a very promising alpha, not a game that should be sold as finished. The presence of Pine on the eShop is baffling. While I earnestly hope it improves, I simply can’t recommend it in its current form.

Ultimately, Infinity Strash is a lifeless husk of a video game that can’t be redeemed by an added post-game difficulty or the dozens of simplified and random stages of the Temple of Recollections. Spend your time and money on anything else with the “Dragon Quest” name on it instead, and leave this one in the Strash bin.

Aside from a few references hidden here and there, Regular Show: Mordecai & Rigby in 8-Bit Land won’t really do much for you if you’re a fan of the show. The game itself can actually be a lot of fun despite all of its problems.

There are moments in Brave which impress, but these moments are invariably surrounded by frustration, boredom, and lots of head-scratching.

This is a beautiful game for the younger audiences. Not too much interactivity for anyone older than a third grader. If you love "Nintendogs," don't take the large step backwards to this game.

IronFall: Invasion is a solid game, but one with problems in its opening act. You will have to get used to the controls and toy around with the options to make it all work for you.

The story is disjointed, the dialog stilted, and the characters feel like cutouts. But all that could be forgiven if it were fun to play, but it isn’t. Bad puzzles, repetitive combat, and poorly designed encounters are constant companions. I respect the desire and the work that must have gone into making this revival a reality. I just wish the product would have been better for long-suffering fans.

Cubit The Hardcore Platformer Robot really tries, but it misses the mark in many regards.

The concept of badgers in space suits fighting evil seems promising, but Gravity Badgers ends up being little more than a poor Angry Birds clone. The gameplay is repetitive, without much of a challenge and the visuals feel barren and uninspired. I played my way through the levels without ever feeling good about it.

With its plodding gameplay and bizarre design flaws, Disney’s Hide & Sneak is more of a chore to play than an entertaining game. Kids are probably going to look at this game and ask the obvious: "Why doesn’t Mickey just jump over the enemies, or throw some stars or something?"

Only someone who hates comedy could dislike this game. Seriously. If you delight in the absurd and can take a good sassing from the sassiest game to ever sass a sassee, then buy it.

Miami Nights simply isn't fun. It's highly repetitive, as the entire game is "get money, spend money." Character interactions don't feel realistic in any regard.

The game may be more entertaining for the younger set, but you would never haul this game out at parties over, say, Nintendo Land or Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed. You'd bore your guests to tears. Avoid this one, guys, unless your kids are huge fans of the movie. Even then… maybe not.

Session: Skate Sim is an exciting premise on its face. The skate sim genre is up and coming, with new entries promised like Skate 4. The trouble comes when you think about how much is going on in the background. Physics adjustments on the fly, animation adjustments, and massive maps. In an attempt to include this fully featured PC game on the Switch there had to be concessions and we see that in both visuals and how it plays. It’s a miracle that the game runs at all, but just because you can port it, doesn’t mean you should.

It's got bad graphics, boring, repetitive missions, and not enough variety to justify toiling through race after race. The game is really nothing more than a photo and video collection of the race's history with some interactive parts to tie it together.

You'd be better off ignoring G.I. Joe on the DS entirely and just seeing the movie instead, which I understand is awesome. The game, obviously, does not follow suit.

Only fellow Pokémon fanatics will get a similar level of enjoyment.

Hobbled by poor design and beset with technical issues. The game's selling point is the chance to fly planes, and far too often you don't. Is it so much to ask that a flight game focus on giving you full control of an aircraft?

Slain: Back from Hell is not a game that everyone will enjoy. It’s difficult and requires a lot of patience to see it through to the end. It’s also not a very long game. My first playthrough clocked in at around seven hours, though better players could certainly finish it more quickly. There’s also nothing new to do once you’ve slain Vroll. But if you have a thing for the difficult platformers of yore, Slain: Back from Hell is a satisfying blend of what made those games great.

This is a poor return for the Tony Hawk franchise, and the only bright side to this game is that they might make a better version in the future.

A mediocre powerup-driven racing game that has one mode of play disguised as three. The "Story" Mode, probably the least painful of the three, can be finished in under an hour of solid play.

The game's lack of content is the big killer here, but it's still crazy fun to explore what's there.

The biggest problem with Monsters vs. Aliens is its unbelievably short length.

Hometown Story is a woeful game that promises much and delivers little.

Thief of Thieves would be a boring game in the best of conditions, but the Switch version only serves to make a bad game worse. It’s incredibly short, clocking in at less than five hours, but I still found myself struggling to care to keep going long before I reached the end. From the bland, underdeveloped gameplay to the buggy port, Thief of Thieves spent so much time focusing on the comic book’s style that it didn’t bother including any actual substance.

rhaps if the game's difficulty and level design were improved, it could have served as a nice diversion for fans of the TV series. But as it, it's just another lackluster licensed game to add to the list.

It's clear that Flip's Twisted World aims to not only evoke comparisons to high quality 3D platformers like Super Mario Galaxy, but also high-concept puzzle platformers such as Braid, And Yet It Moves, and A Boy and His Blob. However, the unimaginative level design, overall bugginess, and general lack of polish really stop it from achieving those goals.

Scribblenauts Showdown is a cookiecutter attempt at bringing back a lost franchise. While the party aspect isn't absolutely terrible, its bland nature made me shrug every time. And sure, the game tries to tie it in to the Scribblenauts franchise, but it misfires to an almost comical degree. This would be more funny if it didn't involve games I used to really love.