For those willing to invest in playing through or reading into the first two entries, Trails of Cold Steel 3 is an unmissable experience. RPG fans of all kinds are sure to fall for this love letter to the genre. Meaningful side-quests, an engaging combat system, and a story that makes something amazing out of what could easily be a simple routine: these elements represent only a fraction of Cold Steel 3's achievements. The performance isn't flawless, but portability and lengthy RPGs go hand-in-hand, making this a must-own title on Switch.

Ultimately, it’s a shame it took 18 years before Mr. Driller Drill Land made it to America. We’ve missed out on an absolute marvel of an arcade puzzle game that is jam-packed with personality and gameplay variety. I highly recommend you don’t let the opportunity to play this game pass you by. Who knows when the next time is we’ll see Mr. Driller and his friends come back.

One of the only issues with Infliction is that while a handful of very cool concepts are present in the latter half of the game, some of these feel like they come out of nowhere and may not entirely fit with the vibe of the first half. Nevertheless, Infliction is a glowing example of how good this genre can be when developers take the right lessons from those who came before. With an interesting setting, some genuinely great monster designs, and fantastic sound design, Infliction on Switch is a must-have for anybody looking to get spooked.

It’s surprisingly fun. Just don’t play it in Handheld mode, where you’ll be struggling to see things (the Joy-Con sticks aren’t necessarily up to the task, either). I will say there’s a plot twist that could not have been more telegraphed, which was a little disappointing, but this isn’t a game you’re playing for depth of story. Ruiner is a good time and is definitely worth trying.

The Almost Gone is a haunting experience that uses its gameplay and style to tell a strong tale about traumatic events. The game does have issues with regards to the balance of the puzzles and optimization for the Switch, but left me with a lot of complex feelings. If you are looking for a story driven puzzle game with a great story, you will not forget The Almost Gone anytime soon.

Despite a few frustrations, Behold the Kickmen is a hilarious and fun send-up of sports video games. If you’re looking for a straight and narrow soccer game, this ain’t for you. But if you want to just giggle at a demented slice of comedy, Behold the Kickmen is incredible. It gripped me to ride out the whole baffling thing to the end of the story, but even if you only play a half-dozen matches and burn out, the very reality of this video game is worth experiencing.

Eschewing direct combat for a nearly purely stealth focus helps simplify without dumbing down the essential structure of what makes this genre great, and the efficiency that it demands for success is challenging but rewarding in ways that make me want to replay it over and over until I’ve scraped all the meat off the bone. If you find the Xcom’s of the world alluring but lament the random percentage chances of success combat that comes along with it, this is the game you’ve been looking for.

Ancestors Legacy is a title I’d love to see a follow up of on Switch. It places the groundwork for a legitimately great RTS implementation on consoles while lacking in a few key areas. The removal of multiplayer certainly hurts it’s long term appeal but the variety of single player options help to make up for it. The controls are excellently adapted to a controller, and bring up relatively few issues in terms of unit control. I do wish the core design allowed for more diversity in terms of unit production and strategy, but that hasn’t kept me from having some great matches. While some of these issues are inherent to the game while others are exclusive to the Switch version, none of them kept me from enjoying my time with it. Ancestors Legacy isn’t perfect, but it just might be the best RTS experience on Switch.

It is overall hard to recommend Namco Museum Archives Volume 1 aside from checking out old Famicom and NES versions of games. The two major exceptions are Pac-Man Championship Edition and the previously Japan-only Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti. If you want to see a neat demake of a great Pac-Man game or a cool never-before-seen Namco platformer, by all means go dive into this collection. But aside from those two games, there isn't much here but NES and Famicom versions of arcade games.

I remember reading about Darius first in early 90s game magazines, and thought I’d have to make do with the console versions. Playing the arcade versions actually made me even more excited to try the console games in the other collection that came out. There’s some frustration to be found in this collection, but overall it’s another quality batch of shooters for Switch owners.

Working Zombies is to Diner Dash as Scribblenauts: Showdown is to Scribblenauts. A mini-game collection that feels like a shadow of the greater whole, where the enjoyable and addictive gameplay is outdone by a lack of content and variety. The multiplayer emphasis could be a good or bad thing depending on your household, but the fact that difficulty doesn’t change based on player count means you’ll either struggle alone or have an incredibly easy time with friends.

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.

Super Soccer Blast is a top-shelf multiplayer sports game on Switch thanks to the great controls, smart design, and ease of play. The single-player content might be a little lacking, but overall, this is a well-crafted sports game. Honestly, it’s not a surprise given Unfinished Pixel’s track record with the fundamentally sound Super Volley Blast and Super Tennis Blast. I look forward to their next entry in their Super Sports Blast series that hopefully tackles hockey or American football.

Overall, I very much enjoyed Railway Empire, as can be told by my shoulders being sore from being hunched over my Switch while my wife watched the 10th hour of Millionaire Matchmaker. This definitely scratched an itch for me and will be my go to Railroad Tycoon-ish game from now on. I love that it is now on the Switch since I can now bring it on long flights. I would 100% recommend this to all trains fans and anyone who likes this breed of intense economic sim. A few hiccups minorly hinder it at times, but once you learn your way around the tracks, Railway Empire is a very sound game.

Huntdown should be lauded for how a clear vision was deliberately and consistently executed on throughout. The gameplay alone is rewarding, but its marriage and devotion to the tone of a grungy, anarchic city and a vision of the future that feels ripped from the ‘80s both feels retro in its sensibilities and contemporary with the incoming swell of cyberpunk-inspired titles. Huntdown had the foresight to get-in on that trend early with the understanding of how to make a gratifying shooter, making it one of the more complete feeling indie titles to date on the Switch.

Summer in Mara has the workings of a breathtaking and chill farming adventure that feels like it should be perfect for the summer, especially now. Instead thanks to everything from fetch quest repetition to a muddled interface, it’s more of a wistful addition to the Switch library. The pleasant vibe of Koa’s undiscovered world can’t carry the whole game despite the best of intentions. If tweaks and improvements can clean up some of the menus, Summer in Mara could be better, but I worry even that won’t make the repetition more enjoyable.

Bioshock: The Collection is an excellent way to experience some of the finest first-person shooters of the last 15 years. Admittedly, it’s hard to ignore the fact that this compilation is regularly available at a deep discount on other platforms, but if the Switch is your only option, you really aren’t sacrificing much in the way of graphics and performance. For those who may have only experienced the initial release of these three titles, the added DLC and visual improvements make a return trip to Rapture and Columbia worth the price of admission.

Overall House Flipper is a great game to kill time with, and also the perfect game if you find that you need to be able to shut your brain off and just do something for a little while. It’s not perfect and it is definitely not for everybody, especially if you’re actually in the market for something more exciting, but those who enjoy sitting down to slam out a mundane task should strongly consider this game on Switch. While some of the decisions they made in terms of controls were a bit strange to me, I eventually got used to them and found myself enjoying the process just as much as I did on PC. So get in there and paint those rooms the ugliest colors you can find, and put down a chair for good measure, House Flipper is the place to be if you’re just looking to relax.

Compelling presentation and mission variety are vital for a winning turn-based strategy title, and Warborn struggles with these elements. While it manages to nail the basics of combat, movement, and deployment, it struggles to hold your attention over its 40 plus missions. Adding to the replay value are a map editor, an AI Skirmish mode, and even online multiplayer, so there is a sizeable amount of content on offer here. Ultimately, the experience feels rote and played out; even though there is some fun to be had, it doesn’t last long enough to make the whole campaign worth fighting through. Fans of the genre should consider picking this one up, but it’s true what they say: Warborn never changes.

Turmoil is a satisfying experience, much like getting your house cleaned up feels good at the end of the day. Being able to discover all of the oil, drill for it, and then sell it feels great, but unless you’re good with basically doing just that for a while, the tedious loop and lack of interesting upgrades will keep you from feeling like this was anything but an okay experience, even if you’re really into management sims.

Evan’s Remains tells a story about life and death that doesn’t quite hit the mark. The monolith puzzles are enjoyable, but the narrative surrounding them doesn’t serve as a worthwhile reward for their completion. If you’re looking for a light puzzle-platformer with mostly attractive pixel art, Evan’s Remains might be worth considering. If you want a more thrilling or satisfying narrative experience, keep searching.

There are better games out there, folks. I appreciate Liberated’s attempt to blend comic storytelling with action sequences, but hopefully somebody will take this baton and do it better.

51 Worldwide Games really came as a surprise. With 51 games to choose from, I wasn't lacking in choice. More than half of the games I kept playing almost every day, with others being picked up ever so often. Naturally, there could've been more 3- or 4-player offerings for you to play, but that doesn't diminish the fun we had. What helps is that the games are well represented, offer small tweaks and offer crucial information for newcomers. In a multiplayer setting, be it locally or far away, this game is one of the better offerings on Nintendo Switch to date. This is where many will get the most mileage out of this new Clubhouse entry.

If you’re gearing up for some hardcore precision platforming with a relentless streak, Skelattack is good for that, even more so thanks to its cute presentation and great soundtrack. It offers no quarter, however, and if you’re committed to anything less than a minimal death trip through this adventure, a bad time is likely on your horizon. For as good as the controls can feel, the only real lifeline is frequent checkpoints, but that doesn’t make the frustrating design and punishment much better. I wish Skelattack reminded me more of the great things of its Konami progenitors or its modern inspirations. Instead, this game just makes me want to go pick up a Castlevania or dig up Super Meat Boy again.

The question of whether I would recommend you getting the Borderlands: Legendary Collection is a simple one. If you haven’t played the Borderlands games before and don’t own another system that can play them, these ports are an amazing and great way to play the games. If you have played the Borderlands games before, this collection does a great job of presenting the games you’ve loved and adds the benefit of handheld play and all previously released DLC. But be aware that for the visual and performance aspects you will not get the same experience as on other consoles or PC. Still I commend 2K and Turn Me Up for giving the Borderlands series a great treatment on the Nintendo Switch.

XCOM 2 is a wonderful strategy game, but the Switch version makes it frustrating to play what can already be a pretty stressful campaign in the best of circumstances. It felt like I was spending more time waiting for the game to load or process than I was actually playing, and eventually I just ended up with a strong urge to redownload it on Steam and play it there instead. Since XCOM 2 is entirely turn-based, the poor performance doesn’t really have an effect on the gameplay, so if you can put up with it then the game is still just as good as it ever was. I couldn’t really put up with it, though, so sadly this is one Switch port that really drags down an otherwise excellent game.

There are a lot of good points about The Outer Worlds: it’s got a very interesting setting, and the characters and companions you can pick up along the way are fun and well written. If you liked Fallout, you would likely enjoy this game, but once again I don’t think this is the place to play it. Even if your biggest factor would be the idea of being able to play it portably, sadly nearly every technical problem listed above is exacerbated a great deal in handheld mode, with the added issue of the game becoming a blurry mess on top of all of it. For some, the world of Halcyon will be a welcome place to visit, but unless you are super attached to the idea of a portable Fallout game, it is likely better to look to one of the other platforms for which this game is available.

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.