Luigi's Mansion 3 is a fun time, but not without its fair share of faults. While the gameplay and presentation deserve my highest praises, there are elements I'm less high on. The good and underutilized floors keep going back and forth without there being a real consistent pattern. It doesn't exactly help that the game gives away its conclusion too soon, way before you even come close to it. The ScareScraper is a lovely time as well, though with content being strapped back for a singular, clean game mode. Players who want to continuously enjoy the game might be better off trying to 100% the Story Mode. The collectibles are nicer to deal with now, which makes exceeding those initial ten hours not even a problem. Oh, and that Slam attack is pretty incredible as well.

Dark Moon’s multiplayer is an incredible local experience that should have you shouting with your friends in no time. Online play, however, loses a bit of that experience’s immediacy. The only way to convey anything is to select one of four preset phrases from the D-pad, which hinders communication.

It's so good, you won't care that you don't have two-channel sound. I don't, which I think is a testament to how amazing the Guitar Hero experience is.

A lot of my interest in Ai was due to the writing talent: though he’s done things since, this is the first post-Zero Escape project from Uchikoshi that I’ve had the chance to play. I definitely want to see where Ai is going next, and just hope that the experience is a little smoother when it goes wide.

It might be tempting to skip Trails to Azure, but even set apart from the exceedingly large franchise it’s still another great RPG for the Switch. I’m looking forward to possibly replaying it with more knowledge of the events and try to take on more of the side content, since I had to take a hard critical path to get the review done. If I don’t decide to fill in some of those Trails story gaps this spring….

Challenging bosses, fun gameplay, and solid controls make this a tough one to pass up. The remixed Campaign+ might not be enough of a reason for previous owners of the game to jump back in, but the plethora of online leaderboards should entice the high-score chasers among us. The local multiplayer and ease of play are perfect reasons to bust this one out for group gaming sessions, too. Assault Android Cactus+ is an easy recommendation for Switch owners looking for an exciting arcade experience.

If you enjoy emotional stories with admittedly shallow gameplay, you absolutely should be giving Sumire a try.

I think this HD Collection is worth the double dip—if for nothing else, then for Chieftain Bob’s ending in the first game.

Movie buffs will adore its tongue-in-cheek style that lampoons a slew of classic films.

The small player base online may be a good reason to hesitate on buying Central Fiction on Switch, but it is nevertheless a stellar fighting game to have on the go. This remains one of Arc System Works’ best releases, and with flawless performance in handheld mode it’s never been easier to take the fight with you to a friend’s house. Though you may have already picked up Cross Tag Battle last year, you’d still do well by checking out this fully-featured mainline entry. Central Fiction is the best BlazBlue has ever been, and this may be the right time to join the battle if you haven’t already.

The mini-game drills are fun and a nice change of pace.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D might not be the best version of this modern-day classic, but it’s a satisfactory way to play one of the boldest, biggest games in recent memory.

Sonic Mania is a delightful return to the 2D platforming style that first made the hedgehog a star. The love from the development team for 16-bit Sonic is evident in every moment of the game. Fans of classic Sonic must buy this game, but the excellent level design, music, and graphics will please all people who enjoy a well-thought-out sidescroller.

This is a fantastic game, even with the lame side quests and overworld. If you missed out back in the day or only have fuzzy decade-old memories, this Wii U remake is, no doubt, the new and best way to experience Twilight Princess.

The Nintendo Switch plays perfectly fine either way, even though Handheld Mode is the way to go. Pointer controls are a fun inclusion though, even though they should've made it easier to find. It is neat that you can play up to four people on the television, but the Mini Metro I like is personal and with me anywhere I go. The developers have done a good job translating the magic to the Nintendo Switch, which was honestly my biggest worry going in.

Cadence of Hyrule successfully earns its place in the pantheon of Zelda adventures by carving a distinctive rhythmic path that brings new ideas to the series while also hitting the right nostalgic keys.

While not an enormous step forward nor the celebration of the past we were promised, Monster Hunter Generations pushes its franchise forward with a number of combat enhancements that change the way Monster Hunter is played.

Radiant Historia is a fantastic game. As an RPG it tells a distinct and occasionally stirring story, from a unique (and non-linear) perspective.

Shantae: Risky's Revenge has turned out to be one of the best games on DSiWare, and also one of the best reasons to own a DSi. The 1,200 Nintendo Point price might be hefty for some, but I can guarantee that this game is a bargain at twice the price.

If you’ve yet to play a Castlevania game, I’d recommend Dawn of Sorrow over Portrait of Ruin because it’s a more appropriate entry into the series as future games will likely not feature the portraits.

Despite minor faults, Four Swords Anniversary Collection is an amazing game. I'm shocked that Nintendo put any effort-much less this amount of effort-into a free downloadable title. But good for them.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope takes the fantastic canvas that was Kingdom Battle and paints a masterpiece on it. The combat is as fun as it is strategic, and each world is a delight to roam through. The added freedom in terms of movement during battles and the light RPG elements pair exquisitely with the slapstick Rabbid humor and the whimsical music composed by industry titans Kirkhope, Shimomura, and Coker. The story serves its purpose well enough, even if the ending is a bit lackluster, but the gameplay is unassailable. If you liked its predecessor, you'll love Sparks of Hope. It sets a new bar for Mario-themed spinoffs, and I'm full of hope that the series doesn't end here.

As has been the case with quite a number of games I’ve enjoyed on the Switch to date I would gladly recommend Thumper to anyone, but would throw out two caveats as well. First, while I don’t think being good at rhythm games is necessarily essential to you being successful in the game, there’s no getting around the fact that being able to feel and anticipate the beats will help you immensely. The second is that this game gets to be extremely challenging, playing it has maxed out my personal intensity to the point that my thumb hurts from me mashing down the A button with apparently all of the force my hand can exert. I would expect that it is a game many people who decide to buy it won’t ever finish just because at some point the bar feels just a bit too high. Regardless, if you like its aesthetics, its pounding beats, and a stiff challenge, there’s really nothing holding me back from recommending it whole-heartedly.

With their powers combined, Nintendo and MercurySteam basically struck gold with this game. Samus Returns is a dynamite entry in the fabled series and deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Metroid: Zero Mission and Super Metroid. If you’ve been waiting for a new 2D Metroid game from Nintendo for more than a decade, you owe it to yourself to play this game.

Dragon Quest VIII is a magnificent RPG that is an absolute highlight and showcase of the entire genre. It’s a long journey, but it’s one worth taking, especially if you’ve never played it before. I know that, after getting through this game, I need to reassess my personal favorite RPGs of all time. This game is that damn good.

Even though the experience is strictly two-dimensional, has no menus, and essentially no on-screen text, the deep level of strategy that cooks underneath is nothing short of mesmerizing. While at times the difficulty can seem very intense, and all seems lost, Kingdom Two Crowns is designed so you can rebuild your empire after the toughest of invasions or the coldest of winters - and all achieved by the simplest of decrees: to build, expand, and defend.

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is a great package. Collectively I still think last year's remake of Dragon Quest III is stronger, but this is a fantastic companion and well worth diving into whether you've played the games before or just want to know the history and legacy.

Despite its relative obscurity, this game feels almost tailor-made for anyone eager to reconnect with the kind of fighting experience that's been in short supply on Nintendo consoles since the end of the 16-bit era. The outrageously fun but equally well-conceived fighting won't disappoint, and if you have friends you've just been longing to beat up with a giant transforming golden cigarette lighter robot, then Tatsunoko vs. Capcom carries the highest of recommendations. [JPN Import]