Hob is a serviceable and congenial game. I enjoyed my hours with the game, but a lot of it is more fleeting, especially whenever I played it with the muddy portable visuals. Exploration is fine here, but a minor lack of ingenuity in puzzles and combat all coalesce into making this a satisfactory but not very memorable adventure. If you can play on your TV the whole time, the visuals can overwrite those ills, but if you play mostly on the go, problems will abound.

Even before the free Restored Content DLC is released, Knights of the Old Republic 2 is still a great game, albeit one with some missing content and technical issues. I look forward to revisiting the game to see what was added, tweaked, and fixed when the DLC is added. If that add-on delivers, there’s a good chance the Switch version is the definitive version of this 2004 Xbox classic. Until then, this is a fine way to play a good game with some caveats. Hopefully those caveats become a thing of a past, but time will tell.

Nobunaga’s Ambition is the black diamond ski slope of strategy games which makes it a hard pass for those interested in the genre but still running the bunny slopes. Those who like the genre and are willing to invest the time will find a robust and fulfilling game, one that I’m eager to get back to even as I write this.

I really love these games, so much so that I’ve completely ignored the otherwise fatal latency issue by playing them exclusively in Handheld mode. After all, isn’t the Switch 2 just a very large PSP? I do wish they’d built in auto-saves, but…I guess I can live with it. Your own mileage may vary on that point. Go forth and get your pata pon.

Pokémon Art Academy takes both franchises in a weird direction, but the true miracle is that it makes a more entertaining experience.

There is a moderately fun, addictive quality to the single-player game as you churn through the objectives and gain familiarity with the expansive levels. The online features hold immense potential but so far seem crippled by sheer lack of participation.

Overall I was really impressed with the quality of games included in Jackbox Party Pack. All but one of them are very solid experiences that can always dish up a fun time. I was literally on the floor laughing during a game of Word Spud, and every other game brought out the best (and worst) of my friends and family. Of course your mileage will vary by how many people you can play with, so make sure to invite many friends to the party if you want to truly have an event to remember.



The game wears its Game Boy inspiration on its sleeve and has a flawless aesthetic. Everything about the production, from the pixel art and color selection to the catchy chiptunes, will make you think you’re playing a lost Game Boy game. Christophe Galati really knocked it out of the park. I just wish the gameplay was a little more interesting! Despite my misgivings, I really do enjoy Save Me Mr. Tako, and if you’re nostalgic for the golden age of handheld gaming, this game absolutely delivers in spades.

There are moments where it can feel more than a bit uninspired, and many times the tasks Red and company have to take on seem beyond trivial. The difficulty is sorely lacking. The gameplay needs more diversity. And while the story is enjoyable it's hardly award winning. Yet, at some point in the second half of the game I found myself having a pretty good time.

Atelier Marie isn’t the Atelier series at its peak, but I wouldn’t expect it to be: it is the first game in the series, after all. As such, I likely wouldn’t recommend this game to a newcomer to the series. Each subseries (i.e. Arland, Dusk, Mysterious, Ryza/Secret) is self-contained, so it’s not necessary to play Marie before those other games. However, for fans of the series it’s fun to see where it all started and how much Gust got right from the start, considering this is still a very fun, breezy JRPG to play. It makes me hope that other games in the series can be brought to modern platforms and that the Atelier series can continue to thrive.

The LEGO branding on LEGO Builder’s Journey is simultaneously its greatest asset, and highest hurdle. The LEGO bricks themselves are the perfect tool to tell this story, and factor in heavily to its themes of play versus work. However, the name LEGO also runs the risk of obscuring this quietly beautiful adventure, simply due to the type of game we’d generally associate with the brand. This is a wonderful game that is likely to hit a little deeper than you expect. If this represents a future direction for how LEGO treats their games, LEGO Builder’s Journey is a sign of very good things to come.

Demon Turf is at its best when it is providing complex platforming challenges. Its movement system is intuitive yet adaptive enough to provide plenty of options and satisfying shortcuts for adventurous players. It stumbles a bit through its combat but ultimately always comes back to platforming. Boss fights, while not incredible, are better than other combat encounters and showcase some incredible art. The performance on Switch is largely great, but when it hits a snag it tends to do so at the worst possible time. But for the rest of the time it’s a great looking, great sounding, and great-playing 3D platformer. This is one of those games where despite some flaws, you’ll find yourself returning to old worlds to clean up every last collectible as you work your way up the demon ladder.

Knights in the Nightmare, while complicated, is an excellent game worthy of players' time and effort.

Having the option to play on the big screen is always nice but it’s in handheld mode where titles like this truly shine, with the touchscreen in handheld mode always offering a quicker and easier way to play. If you love a good puzzle challenge Piczle Lines DX is neck and neck with the likes of Picross for quality and offers a unique style worthy of your time.

A solid RPG with the refreshing active battle system the series is famous for. If you are a fan of the genre, this one is tough to pass up.

Really the only issue I have with Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is that the game is pretty short, when I just wanted to play around in this world more. It’s about 2-3 hours of gameplay, and while I’m glad this particular case wasn’t dragged out longer, I got to the end and just wanted more. Another case, more time with these characters, anything. That said, while I wish we had more Duck Detective, I’m happy that I got to spend time Duck Detecting as it is, and really hope I can get more adventures of Eugene McQuacklin someday.

Overall, this is a fantastic game, especially if you like following the misadventures of Mystery, Inc.

Overall, LEGO Harry Potter is a cute and fun game, but the self-imposed limitations of the block-building franchise take away any sense of freedom or adventure. What's left is a very simple hack-and-smash puzzle-action game, perfect to play with younger family members, but not one for people looking for an epic, all-out Harry Potter experience. LEGO veterans may see past issues I have with those restrictions, but as a first-timer they definitely stood out to me.

If you’ve never experienced Toki Tori before, this 3DS remake is worth checking out.

For the asking price and the amount of developer-made levels available at purchase, Block Quest Maker is still perfectly enjoyable in short bursts, and better yet if you have a creative bone that you want to itch by making your own adventures. Just don’t expect a long tail of community driven content like some of its more well-known contemporaries.

While it might be unfair to compare Grimvalor to its obvious inspiration, the fast pace and satisfying combat make it truly stand out from the crowd. The style and setting might not be breaking any new ground, but the core of the gameplay is unique in its own right. It might even provide a good challenge for players looking for some brisk action that is great in short bursts.

Creature in the Well is an inventive experiment that executes a quirky concept very well. When you’re embroiled in the pinball dungeon crawling, it’s transcendent with only fleeting moments of repetition. The periphery is unfortunately a little maddening, with death gameplay loop and general lack of explanation topping the complaints. My advice would be to not go into it fully blind and don’t be afraid to ask for help at the outset. It’s well worth trotting through the rough opening to get to the gooey center of excellent genre blending.

Alas, I wanted to love Young Souls more than I did, but the barely serviceable port gets in the way of what should have been a great experience. While there are some odd design choices in terms of how equipment is acquired and the fact that there isn’t enough to spend your money on, the minute-to-minute gameplay is certainly better than your generic beat-’em-up. These foul-mouthed twins had me cracking up on multiple occasions, but the software closing unexpectedly had me cursing just as often. There’s definitely potential with this one, but it’s probably worth exploring other platform options if you have them. Even though you can see the heart and charm that goes along with these two souls, a bit more polish would have gone a long way.

Prism Peak is a game I liked being a part of, even when I was frustrated with its odd pacing and metaphors. It's pretty, thoughtful, and more emotionally honest than most games that wear their hearts this visibly. But it's also a game that crams too much into a single frame. Too many puzzles, too many metaphors, too many systems and ideas layered on top of a core loop that didn't need them. Trim some of the fat, and this is a standout. As it stands, though, it's a flawed gem.

It’s certainly a fun game, the period piece vibes are immaculate, and I hope it’s successful enough to lead to a remaster of the sequel that my sister tells me was even better (or maybe even a third entry in the series), but unfortunately I wasn’t quite as wowed by the remaster as I was hoping after twenty years of putting the game off.

Antipole is a very fun, imaginative platformer with lots of content and a great premise. DSi and 3DS owners would be silly to pass it up.

Even with its issues, Ketzal's Corridors is still a good eShop title. If you loved ThruSpace, this is more of that same gameplay. It's not quite on the same level as the top-tier eShop titles, but if you're looking for a good high-score game, Ketzal's Corridors is definitely worth your time and money.

Overall, Super Chariot has so much to do. Find all the treasures, unlock different routes on each level, and do some speed runs. Adding a second player only adds to the possibilities for return playability. And with its beautiful design and soundtrack, there isn’t much else to say about Super Chariot but that it is well worth it for the platformer enthusiast.