The bottom line with Collection of SaGa is that RPG aficionados, with or without prior experience, should add these classic titles to their Switch library. It's great to see the saga of SaGa find a home on Switch, even if a little mental assembly is required to enjoy them.

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.

Once I got over the initial hump and learned its systems, Evolution genuinely surprised me with its depth of strategy and breadth of content. The Switch version leaves a lot to be desired in terms of performance, and for now, despite my usual misgivings of the platform, I’d honestly recommend the mobile version. But if Evolution wants to survive on Switch in the wilds of the eShop, it would be wise to take a queue from nature and find a way to adapt.

While it is impressive Taiko No Tatsujin Rhythmic Adventure Pack was made available to the Western market for the first time, it ultimately feels like a lackluster package that only a handful of people will get enjoyment out of. The story mode is too simple and repetitive to be worthwhile, while the Taiko mode’s minimal localization and lack of translations feel half baked, especially to those who don’t speak Japanese. While Rhythmic Adventure 2 is clearly the better game, neither one comes with a recommendation, especially on a system that is home to some fantastic RPGs and rhythm games.

Even though the game includes 20 tough-as-nails challenge stages, which all over the same objective of destroying all enemies and not getting hit once, the amount of value for Bit.Trip Fate as a standalone title isn’t high. The gameplay does have a few neat tricks in it and the simple twin-stick controls work well enough, but ultimately Fate fails as a decent shoot-’em-up, and it’s going to be fans of the Bit.Trip aesthetic that will get the most enjoyment out of this one. If you’ve never gone on a Bit.Trip, don’t start with this one. But if you’ve enjoyed some of the other entries in the series, maybe you’ll want to tempt Fate more than I did.

The BIT.TRIP series took off with Runner on WiiWare, so much so that the two successive Nintendo consoles have each had a Runner sequel. And honestly, what Runner has done now is made me look forward to the Switch port of Runner 2 coming next year, because I prefer its art style and it has checkpoints. Even if they are optional. Runner’s still my favorite of the original BIT.TRIP series but if you pick up Runner you get a big discount on the other ones so it may be better to explore those instead.

The Space Invaders Forever might keep me playing forever between grabbing everything in the Arkanoid game and trying to boost my scores in Extreme. But it’s impossible to ignore what’s been left out to try and get people to shell out for a physical game: you can’t really call it “Forever” when the oldest game of the bunch debuted after I graduated from university. Keep an eye out for updates, but as for what’s available in December 2020? Wait.

Vigil: The Longest Night absolutely holds its own, both in 2D adventure games, as well as in the glut of Souls-alikes that have emerged in recent years. It’s fast, fun and rewarding to players who manage to overcome the initial similarities to FROM Software’s series, and manages to carve its own unique take on the formula, with strong narrative and combat hooks to support it. If only those load times could let us get to the action sooner.

As a solo experience, Doom Eternal is simultaneously better and worse than its predecessor. It makes a lot of small changes that generally work, but also speak to a misunderstanding of the original. While changes to movement via the grapple system are largely excellent and improve the already fantastic combat system, changes to progression and story presentation just slow down what had previously been an incredibly fast-paced thrill ride. When Doom Eternal gets past its secondary elements and just allows itself to be Doom, it outdoes Doom 2016 without question. Multiplayer is, however, a significant disappointment for anyone like me who greatly enjoyed the original’s implementation. All that being said, from a port perspective, Doom Eternal is a downright miracle. It somehow presents a much more complex game even better than it presented the original.

Home has been an indie darling since it’s original release of 2012 but with the Post Mortem edition, you get bonus areas and clues that give new twists to the story plus director commentary throughout. The director's commentary really goes in depth on the design and intentions regarding how clues worked adding another layer to the already multilayered package presented. An indie darling indeed.

Even in spite of some bouts of repetition, PixelJunk Eden 2 is a wonderful experience. It’s serene just exploring and engaging with the visually intriguing gardens while backed by a killer soundtrack. The various gameplay mods that come out of the different Grimps and Spices are clever in how they usually alter the play style just enough to make you approach each level in a different way. This is one of the most mindfully aware games I’ve ever played. It’s well worth sitting down with if you just want to be in the moment and clear your mind.

"Press Jump to Die" perfectly describes the difficulty posed in Gonner2. It’s a brutal unapologetic platformer roguelike that shows its style at all angles. In the character design, unnerving minimalist soundtrack, and world building there’s something special here. The game does a lot with a little and in the end it’s tricky to decipher what. That’s just up to you to “press jump.”

While it may lack originality and fresh ideas, Swimsanity is still able to distinguish itself from other twin-stick shooters thanks to its unique underwater setting and multiplayer gameplay. With roughly eight modes to choose from, Swimsanity can be a blast to play with a group of friends. It’s just unfortunate that it never reaches its full potential due to bland visuals, unbalanced difficulty and lackluster single-player options. Nonetheless, it should still have some appeal to anyone who’s even remotely a fan of the genre.

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.

John Wick Hex is an example of what can be done when someone approaches a movie-based game from an outside-the-box perspective, taking an action movie more naturally at home in that type of game genre and molding it wonderfully to a more methodical, tactical experience. Small nicks like the imperfect replay system or underwhelming story are insignificant in the face of just how satisfying it feels to embody Baba Yaga, and it’s a laudable effort that I hope gets reiterated and refined in a potential sequel.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel - that was already done in the first game in this series. What this sequel does is keep what worked so well about the original while adding to or refining everything else. Clear, expansive tutorials make it more approachable, a variety of online Puzzle Leagues make the depth of online play stronger, and the new Skill Battle mode adds a smart twist to the gameplay. This is a vibrant and enjoyable puzzle game that is packed with content and variety.

PHOGS! is as delightful as it is unique and entrancing. While the controls are a little tough to get the feel of for solo-players, teaming “pup” with a friend allows for an experience that, though mostly on the easy side, guarantees the player a thoroughly good time—especially in the boss stages.

Picross S5 is another solid entry in Jupiter’s Picross series. With 485 puzzles across a few different styles, it’s filled with a lot of great, engaging content. It still has the same old issues, chiefly no touch screen controls, but the novelty of the co-op and the new tweaks like higher contrast colors are good accessibility inclusions. Whether you’re a first-time Picross player or a weary nonogram veteran, Picross S5 is great.

Absolute Drift: Zen Edition is a cozy, tranquil game with a single mission: to provide the perfect experience to facilitate the player’s growth in skill. It succeeds flawlessly in this mission but could still use a bit more content for those who don’t want to dedicate themselves to becoming drift masters on the same few tracks.

Jurassic World Evolution looks great on my TV, and while it’s perfectly serviceable in handheld mode, there’s definitely a graphical hit—everything looks much fuzzier. Depending on what scenario you’re playing in, you’ll hear some famous legacy voices, most notably Jeff Goldblum introducing the game and chiming in every now and then to give a warning about whatever the project division heads are suggesting. I really enjoy Jurassic World Evolution, despite my historical distaste for city/park sims. I’m sure this is mostly due to the dinosaurs themselves, but it’s also not overly complicated.

The only players who are likely to derive satisfaction from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light are those who have gone through every localized release so far and want to experience the very humble beginnings of Nintendo’s own tactical RPG series. As someone who has finished and loved the GBA, 3DS, and Switch iterations, I can’t wholeheartedly recommend the Famicom/NES version of the first Fire Emblem game. The DS remake, however different from the original, would be a much better way to slake your tactics thirst. Unless you're prepared for a slow and meandering, albeit decent for the time, 10-15 hours, get your Fire Emblem fix somewhere else.

While the gameplay of Sam & Max Save the World might not hold up incredibly well almost 15 years later, the cartoon visuals still do, especially in their remastered form. There’s also no denying that the humor is still incredibly effective. Still, playing the game on Switch is likely to leave you longing for a mouse as the experience just isn’t great on a controller. Anyone looking for a strong dose of comedy with their adventure is likely to find it here, but it would have been nice to see the remaster do a little more heavy lifting.

I know Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate is a good game because I’m devoting small amounts of time to it. When I have 20 minutes to spare I’m calculating whether or not loading it up would be worth it. Success in game gives me the feeling that I did something clever. The side stories are interesting and I want to know how they turn out, and it’s a beautiful world to spend time in. I have a real feeling of regret knowing there is a lot of content here that I will never see. There are numerous aspects of Shiren the Wanderer that I couldn’t find a way to jam into this review like how allies function, the over 100 optional sokoban puzzles, the Minesweeper-like dungeon, creating new items at the Tanuki lottery house, fusing items together for new effects, and much more. For anyone wanting to dive into a game with real depth, this is a great one.

If you’ve got any doubts about visual novels in general, Root Double isn’t the best starting point on Switch. The structure is going to be intimidating at first, and the environment is as oppressive as the design suggests. But if you’ve gone and turned a Switch Lite into a visual novel reader, Root Double will keep you up late at night trying to get to that next ending.

It’s hard to recommend Endurance, particularly at the price, given that so much of it feels unfinished, and cheap. It is very possible to brute force through the game, solely using credits to restore health, but there is little satisfaction here. Plaudits to the sole developer for creating the game, but this alone is not enough to warrant any type of recommendation.

Immortals: Fenyx Rising is overall a great game that I’m excited to keep coming back to, but the Switch version is such a disappointment that I’m strongly considering starting my entire playthrough over on another platform. I love the setting based in Greek mythology, and I’ve been enjoying the adventure almost non-stop, only ever getting bored during the icon hunt whenever I reach a new area once every couple of hours. It’s a shame that Switch players will be getting such a compromised version, since I really feel like the weak port does a huge disservice to everything the game succeeds at. I think you should play Immortals: Fenyx Rising, but you should not do so on Switch if you can help it.

The Serious Sam Collection undeniably has a lot of content, but the purchase decision will hinge on what fondness you have for it. This is likely an easy buy for the devotees or those who hold nostalgia for it, but as a first timer the flaws inherent in game design, technical performance, and audio design make the experience for me death by a thousand cuts. The Switch has better classic shooters and many well-made homages to them; seek out those before you settle for this.

Overall, Ghostrunner is one of the sleeper hits for this fairly empty winter season on the Switch. Where the foundation of titles like these was laid down by games such as Mirror’s Edge, Ghostrunner improves the combat systems and uses many tricks to keep you on your toes. Complemented by both the cyberpunk aesthetic and gameplay, this title will keep you coming back to perfect your ninja-skills.