R.B.I. Baseball 2017 is the sacrifice bunt of the Switch. It has a purpose in theory and might have been acceptable in its current form several years ago, but more efficient ways are on the way to get a sports fix. And with Baseball Stars 2 hopefully coming from Hamster and the fingers-crossed dream of mine that Super Mega Baseball 2 will touch 'em all including the Switch, we won't be lacking for smart baseball options. In a simulation game, I'd at least like to bring Youppi back to a baseball stadium, but that'll have to wait 'til next year.

I enjoyed my time with Double Dragon 4, it looks, sounds and plays exactly how I remember it back when I was a kid. The addition of new modes, being able to customize the controls and fun local multiplayer will make this one I most certainly will break out when friends are over. I mean how often do you get the chance to show somebody a green version of Abobo getting tornado kicked.

Everything about NeuroVoider just feels good. As a fan of the RPG genre, I love how strategy based thinking has been perfectly mixed with heart pounding action. The biggest concern with Rougelike permadeath is avoiding the feeling of staleness and there is no concern of that here. For one of the best Indie experiences on the Switch so far, the small investment into learning the complexity of the inventory system is more than worth it.

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.

When I first started Lichtspeer I was worried the gameplay wouldn’t be varied enough to keep it from getting dull. The new elements provided a nice change, but by the conclusion I couldn’t help but trust my first instincts. It tries to spice it up with some abilities, but ultimately it’s about the core mechanic of throwing the spear. While fun and satisfying to nail an enemy from across the screen, the well runs dry towards the end of your journey, especially with the spike in difficulty when dealing with bosses.

Monster Hunter Stories was a very enjoyable adventure, but the battle system let it down. With all the improvements made to make the game pop, the battles feel shallow during the campaign. You are asked to make a boring leap of faith in the hopes of finding rewards. Everything else about the game works. Exploring the world hasn't been better than this and the style just pops on the Nintendo 3DS. Newcomers and veterans alike will find a lot to love, but also need to go in with lowered expectations about the combat.

If you’re looking for a thought provoking experience, whether it’s to enjoy the artistic level design or to deduce the lore that's presented in the story, then you will enjoy The Bridge. It will take a couple of hours to complete the initial 24 puzzles of the main story and, not surprisingly, the final 24 puzzles are a more challenging mirror copy with an alternate ending. My brain got a workout plotting courses on 2-dimensional paths that don’t exist in the 3-dimensional world but the reality warping experience was worth it.

Super Sidekicks takes simple mechanics to the extreme, but in doing so creates an experience that’s chaotic and often frustrating. Lovers of the beautiful game are going to need to wait a bit longer for a worthwhile representation of the sport on Switch.

As would be expected for a pair of 3DS games, the Gunvolt titles look sharp in handheld mode. There was a bit of an adjustment period when playing on TV, as I had mostly played Blaster Master Zero in handheld mode so I wasn’t used to the pixels being enlarged for TV visibility. It’s especially notable in the first game’s credits. The music is not really noticeable until the Japanese pop idol overrides kick in, but those songs are a nice reward for the first game and serve as the DLC for the second title. Inti Creates’s first six months on Switch have been quite strong, and this package is keeping the streak alive. Some of the additional content may water down the experience, but both games at their heart are worth a look.

All in all League of Evil is a very hard but ultimately just simply okay platformer. Even when its tendrils sunk into me, technical hiccups like unresponsive controls and shoddy level design, accompanied with a fairly obtuse level constructor, held this back from being a true gem on the eShop. As a fan of difficult platformers, I certainly enjoyed my time, but if that's not up your alley, you might want to steer clear of this flawed (but fun) title. 


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.

It’s one of those rare instances where the positive pre-release reception was totally justified and made the ultimate pay-off even better. The developers at Ubisoft Milan and Paris took their time to figure what works about strategy games and elevated it to a form that can be enjoyed by many. Add to that the pure cleverness of the adventure, and what results in an absolute must play for Nintendo Switch owners. This is the best game the Rabbids have starred in and they only needed Mario to achieve it.

All in all, forma.8 is a game that presents a lot of very fresh concepts that absolutely deserve to be explored further. My issues with its combat system didn’t become a real problem until late in the game, and even then it was generally relegated to short encounters that I’d have to retry a couple times. On the other hand exploration, while at times confusing, was never short on awe inspiring moments. Emerging from a challenging series of encounters in tight hallways and finding yourself in a huge room with five options of which door to go through next is what makes this type of game so fun, and forma.8 sure has a lot of those moments.

Besides Tetris, puzzle games have had a hard time keeping my attention. As we’re finding out with the Switch, games I wouldn't have previously enjoyed are finding new audiences with its ability to play quick snippets of games anywhere you go. Piczle Lines DX is a perfect example of a game that works great in any situation and provides so much content that only the most puzzle-obsessed fans will be able to get through them all, maybe.

Runners aren’t generally a genre I delve too deep into, but Kid Tripp has me rethinking why I don’t. Originally pulling me in with its art direction, the real beauty of this game is in the fun and addicting gameplay. They strike a great balance of accessibility and challenge, and even give the option for players who want more of a challenge to do so. The only glaring flaw is the limited content the package has to offer. While there are some incentives to revisit levels in the form of challenges, those dry up relatively fast which left me wanting more.

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.



To enjoy this game you’ll need to understand going in that the story is based on Minecraft, but you will not experience any of its free building or open sandbox trademarks. If we simply judge the game on its entertainment value then I can say I had a great time. The story is great, the acting is top notch and Telltale did a great job of capturing the spirit of Minecraft. If you're a fan of the Minecraft universe and enjoy kids movies with humour to satisfy adults then you will enjoy this—what I will continue to call an interactive movie.

Chicken Wiggle is an intuitively-designed, tightly-controlled 2D platformer that has the potential for an unlimited amount of content. 3DS owners that pick this game up are getting a great value, despite a few minor issues that I had with the game. Atooi has once again crafted a fine, challenging platformer that is easy to recommend to any fan of the genre.

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.

All in all, Use Your Words executes well on what it sets out to offer: An accessible party game. Your mileage will definitely vary with the amount of people you have to play with, and three people are needed at minimum to play. But if you have enough friends at your disposal there is definitely a lot of fun to be had in this game, and it will certainly create great memories with your friends and family.

Phantom Trigger is one of those games that you play through once. You won't play it for the story, but the rewarding combat and flashy environments are here to entertain. These will keep you glued to your screen until the credits roll. The enemies and objectives don't really change for the most part, but at least they give you a reasonable challenge. The game is perfectly fine with those looking for something quick and flashy, but don't expect something you will remember months from now. With 6 hours on the counter, it’s over before you know it.

While Retro City Rampage DX’s story was somewhat short, its time on my Switch will not be. I still have plenty of side missions and collectables to grab, or I might just run down some pedestrians while riding the train. I love this game. And I think it loves me, too.

Depending on your skill and luck, Ironcast can be a fun 10 hour or so romp, fraught with many failures but likely numerous last-second victories and absolute dominations. The mixture of turn-based strategy and match-three puzzling is novel and for the most part, works extremely well in the rogue-like permadeath structure. The tedious and humdrum story can be tiresome, but if you focus on honing tactics to take down your rivals while building up your gear and abilities, Ironcast is a fantastic and unique game.

While I still feel the late-game battles are drawn out with palette swaps and needless complexity, Severed is such a fantastic game otherwise that even with a few warts, Severed is absolutely worth checking out, especially if you missed any of its other releases on Wii U, 3DS, and more.

Ultimately, Rocket Fist is another example of a Nintendo game that does it right by focusing on the experience over content. By focusing on mechanics in the same vein as Wii Sports, a group of four friends can easily play for hours without it feeling stale. My suggestion to you: try not to gloat too much during the instant replay after a glorious victory and the Rocket Fist fun will keep flying in this strong local multiplayer experience.

While some of its design choices may be divisive, Puzzle Adventure Blockle is an attractive and well-executed single-player puzzle experience.



Overall, Cursed Castilla EX is a fantastic game that accurately recreates the brilliance of the 16 bit era. The whole time it felt like I was playing a classic SNES Virtual Console game, with a killer soundtrack and added 3D effects. If simple old-school gameplay, beautiful pixel art, and a hardcore difficulty is up your alley, then this game is a no-brainer. So take your sword and expel the curse of the land, not for the King, but for Castilla!


I tend to get frustrated with twitch-based platformers where you end up dying an unimaginable amount of times, but with Slime-san, it’s different. The controls feel so good that I know if I die, it’s on me and not a fault of the game. Couple that with fun and interesting level design to make a foundation for a great game. Pile on a massive amount of stages littered with extra content and it’s hard not to recommend this game to fans of the genre looking for a challenging but fair experience.