Considering their amazing catalog, I’m not sure why Atari keeps trying to make 1972’s Pong relevant for modern gamers. Pong Quest is a clever, valiant run at it, aided by solid controls and some decent multiplayer life. But it’s still just Pong, and the game is at its best when they help you forget that.

While there’s definitely room for improvement and expansion, I can see kids liking this game quite a bit. There’s plenty to unlock, and hearing that you did something better than Mama brings a smile. As someone new to the series, Cooking Mama: Cookstar felt reasonably fresh to me. But vets may find it more so resembles leftovers. Hopefully, the rights holder and publisher can work things out.

If Legend of the Skyfish drops to its app price of $3.99 I’d have an easier time recommending it for its good-looking presentation and fishing pole approach to combat. But even then, my recommendation would be limited to those looking for a straightforward game and willing to tolerate the muffled music and repetition.

Art Sqool fails as both an “art school simulator” and a video game. There’s nothing educational here, and its gameplay is the equivalent of scribbles I might’ve drawn as a toddler.

At its core, Ego Protocol: Remastered is a harmless puzzle affair, but quickly becomes a forgettable exercise in blandness.

Sadly lacking all the options seen in previous entries, Stay Cool Kobayashi-san! may entertain longtime Kunio-kun fans but others will find it bare bones and forgettable.

Overall, Make War is far from strategy and more simulation as you seemingly try to make the battle the best it can be.

While Warparty is a visually stunning attempt at bringing real-time strategy to the Nintendo Switch, it’s lacking in understandable controls and small maps that make the overall experience feel restrictive and monotonous.

Honestly, for as many good ported games there are, there’s just as many bad – and Where Angels Cry: Tears of the Fallen Collector’s Edition is a perfect example. With achievements/collectibles that can be earned through playing the game casually, eliminating any possible replay incentive, and the elements of an awful story, it is really difficult for me to justify anyone picking this game up. Unless you really like medieval Europe and poorly-made adventure games, there’s no real reason to pick up this game.

XEL has the potential to be a great game, but too many elements are left unpolished. Hopefully, a patch will be able to fix these issues, and then it may be a solid adventure game.

Let’s Go Nuts! is a platformer catering to children, but even for the younger gaming generation, this title may not offer enough for even its marked-down price.

The Elder Scrolls: Blades is a game with good ideas but bad implementation. While this story is scaled-down and has a unique twist to combat, this entry is riddled with bugs, monetization, and timers that can make this game a drag.

Gleamlight is a simple 2D platformer with a pretty premise but not a lot of substance to back it up.

Overall, Narcos: Rise of the Cartels offers some unique strategy mechanics to help distract you from the game’s slow nature.

Overall, Tokyo Scramble is a decent survival game. It’s a little rough around the edges, with a few graphical hiccups. The cute dialogue doesn’t always fit in, but then again, this is Tokyo! It’s the perfect setting for such a quirky game, and I enjoyed discovering what was hiding around each corner. I’d prefer a third, easier mode, or some way to mitigate the tricky sections with hints. But otherwise, this was a much better experience than I’ve read about online.

The truth is, I simply can’t recommend The Bradwell Conspiracy in its present state. It just misses the mark in too many areas. With some fine-tuning and polish, its technical shortcomings could eventually be overcome, in which case it’ll be ready for primetime. But playing it on the Nintendo Switch now has me reaching for a bottle of ibuprofen.

There isn’t too much to say about Robo Wars. I genuinely appreciate the desire to create a simplistic game that is easy to understand and control. The problem is that it gives the game very little depth and provides little replay value. Each of the 10 stages look identical and its simplicity in gameplay ultimately makes you feel bored after a short while. It’s not a bad game, but it’s one that I likely won’t remember anytime soon. It unfortunately falls in that unmemorable category, a game I’ll see in the eShop deals page and say “oh yeah I think I played that game.“ For now, It’s best that you steer clear of Robo Wars.

I find Gallic Wars: Battle Simulator more of a proof of concept than an actual game. There are so many far superior options in the tactics category that this game is even a waste of time for beginners.

Good backgrounds and a strong soundtrack aren’t enough to justify a game that feels like you’ve played it before. The combat offers little and feels lethargic so, unfortunately, there is very little reason to drop into Hell on this occasion.

Despite looking nice and offering plenty of unlockables, there’s no real reason to visit this entry into the tennis game genre. It’s by no means poorly made, running smoothly all the way through, it just simply lacks any sign of a satisfying game loop.

Mittelborg: City of Mages is a simplistic game with dull mechanics and no high stakes within the lackluster story.

The 32-bit generation is one that I feel more indies should look toward after a plethora of 8-bit and 16-bit inspired titles have already dominated the scene. But Back in 1995 is too visually distracting, too slow, and too short for its $9.99 price. Nonetheless, the idea here is sound. With a better camera, a bit more speed, some expanded gameplay, and less negligence towards full-on emulation, a future installment could provide a nice retro fix.

Maybe this game just isn’t for me, but Ultra Off-Road 2019: Alaska is not enjoyable and no matter how realistic it strives to be enjoyability is more important. There isn’t enough to do that’s fun or even looks good enough to be worth $18.99. Even if it goes on sale I’d say it still isn’t worth it.

Can I give Bounty Battle a slight recommendation for character diversity alone? No, I can’t. There are excessive issues through and through, including (but certainly not limited to) lack of fluency, gameplay variety, and depth.

In spite of its side-scrolling pixel-art facade, Rotating Brave adds a plane of intrigue to the mechanics of the game with a constantly shifting perspective.

Pirates Pinball is okay, but it only offers the rudiments of pinball. EnjoyUp Games would really be best served bundling these tables in a compilation.

A solid top-down shooter, Solstice Chronicles: MIA is very easy to pick up and has enough versatility to keep you coming back to explore its different options even after you’ve made it home to safety.

Daggerhood isn’t a platformer built with everyone in mind. In fact, even a few die-hards may find it to be a little too difficult. If you’re looking for a platformer that’s far-flung from the easier titles the genre is known for, it’s not a bad place to start. It may be the only Nintendo Switch eShop title under $5 that not only gives you more bang for your buck but has an incredible amount of polish.