Pokemon Violet and Pokemon Scarlet certainly don’t put their best feet forward. They run rough. Visual downgrades are clear. But ultimately, once you settle in, they’re certainly full Pokemon games. We’re hoping some post-launch bug-squashing will help them run better, but in the long term, The Pokemon Company might need to implement a plan that offers Game Freak longer development windows for tentpole releases.

Pokemon Violet and Pokemon Scarlet certainly don’t put their best feet forward. They run rough. Visual downgrades are clear. But ultimately, once you settle in, they’re certainly full Pokemon games. We’re hoping some post-launch bug-squashing will help them run better, but in the long term, The Pokemon Company might need to implement a plan that offers Game Freak longer development windows for tentpole releases.

Polish issues aside, Gungrave G.O.R.E. is a nostalgic trip to a certain era of action game design, dressed up in improved visuals and performance. Its anachronistic take on shooting gameplay and late-90s anime aesthetic won’t be for everyone, but the separation of years makes it clear that there’s nothing quite like it on the market.

A Little to the Left is a good puzzle game to play when you need to take a moment to sort things out. It lets you take a moment to calmly organize things, perhaps tidying up your thoughts. I do wish its levels felt a bit more balanced. There are absolutely tasks that feel like rote behavior, as well as a few puzzles with solutions that might not seem to make sense. At least there’s always the option to “let it be” and move on.

Goat Simulator 3 is exactly what you expect from a game dedicated to celebrating parodies, exploring the weirdness of game physics, and running around the world as a “chaotic good” or “chaotic evil” goat. It can be a lot of fun! Sometimes, it can break! I still see pop-in issues after the day one patch and find myself getting stuck. Still, even when it isn’t perfect, it’s a good time. It manages to be irreverent, but simultaneously irrelevant and relevant.

What this This Way Madness Lies lacks in terms of narrative depth, it more than makes up for in refreshing combat and clever characterization. It’s a breath of fresh air that also serves as a heartfelt sendup to both classic JRPGs and classic literature.

Aside from these grievances, Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is an incredibly fun and relaxing game. If I had played it without a deadline, perhaps the interruptions for the cutscenes might not have been such a big deal. The storybook aesthetic is pleasing to the eye, and some of the locales — especially the Observatory — are breathtakingly beautiful. Leave the napping to Noby; this is a farming sim that enthusiasts of the genre absolutely cannot sleep on.

As an interactive museum exhibit, Atari 50 is quite successful, if with a clear point of view. As a labor of love, it’s filled to the brim with everything Digital Eclipse could fit. Whether it transcends “well-crafted curiosity” status, though? That’ll depend on your nostalgia for a library of games that has some trouble standing the test of time.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is everything that it should be. While its gameplay systems may feel archaic in this new age of tactical RPGs, it somehow enhances the harshness of its narrative. This will no doubt make it daunting for those unfamiliar with this style of tactics title. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but remains a tried and true classic. And those who haven’t yet had to experience the Ogre Battle series will be in for a treat. As its themes of self-sacrifice and perseverance against all odds stand the test of time, even if its gameplay may not.

You can’t go into Harvestella thinking, “So is Square Enix’s Rune Factory/Story of Seasons game?” It isn’t fair to the developers or the game itself. Yes, this is an action-RPG with farming and life-sim elements. But it’s also very much trying to be its own thing. It needs time to grow. A think a few patches would help to act as stakes to help bolster the game would do a world of good. If Square Enix tends to it well, I could see a successful successor spawn.

Lonesome Village is pleasant. The world is bright and colorful. Despite things being Very Wrong around town, there’s no sense of pressing danger. It encourages you to take in the scenery and solve puzzles at your leisure. While that means it can feel a little too rudimentary, it’s generally a good time. Especially as villagers start to return and you get a chance to interact with more (virtual) “people” again.

Yomawari: Lost in the Dark is the third entry in the deceptively cute Yomawari series of horror games and continues an effectively frightening tradition. Fans of J-Horror will likely appreciate the slow and atmospheric situations, but there are plenty of jump scares to keep you on your toes. The story is simple, but effective, and the unique way it goes about conveying the tale will keep you glued to the screen. Just make sure you don’t look away, though. There’s no telling what you’ll see in the dark.

By the end of it, everything swells together to create something that lingers in the back of the mind, gnawing away like a memory desperate to resurface. SIGNALIS is a game that I will never forget. And I will never forget the promise that was made between ELSTER and Ariane — of their love as selfish and cruel or beautiful and compassionate as it may be — that persisted through endless cycles of distortion and tragedy.

God of War Ragnarok is as slick and beautifully crafted a game as you will play this generation, and my experience with it has been delightfully bug-free.

Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher does a good job of infusing Ultraman essence into an established series, all without potentially putting people off of it. Things are handled well, and the kaiju are fun to collect and train even if you aren’t aware of their backstories.

Despite iffy monetization choices and the general feeling that the game might not last long enough to become a permanent part of your rotation, Dragon Ball: The Breakers is a frantic and fast-paced interpretation of a genre otherwise saturated in horror movie tropes. Steeped in fun Dragon Ball in-jokes and goofy humor, there’s there’s a lot of slapstick joy to be found in the game, so much so that it wouldn’t be out of place if the Benny Hill theme kicked in every so often.

It isn’t a stretch to say Star Ocean: The Divine Force is the best Star Ocean game in years. The atmosphere is great, even if it can feel a little unsteady sometimes or as though it is borrowing a bit too much from past entries. It’s enjoyable in the ways that matter. Combat is fun. Moving around with D.U.M.A is easy and efficient. Even the Es’owa minigame feels worth your time. It’s generally satisfying, not to mention an encouraging step forward for a series that was clearly in trouble.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a game with dating sim elements focusing on other elements and letting the lovey-dovey stuff gradually build in the background. The thing is that Paradigm Paradox can be an interesting visual novel, but isn’t the best if you’re looking for a really romantic Switch otome game. The majority of the routes feel clipped and rush, “telling” you there’s suddenly a meaningful relationship between the heroine and other characters without “showing” you how it happened. The game is stylish and the localization is fun, but it left me wanting more substance.

Bayonetta 3 is over-the-top in every possible way, and I get the feeling newcomers and long-time fans of the series will appreciate that.

Cats may enjoy leaping into boxes, but solving this game requires you to jump out. Flexible thinking and imaginative creativity are the keys to success in Nine Noir Lives.

Anno: Mutationem is a gorgeous-looking sendup of classic cyberpunk anime, with a narrative, characters, and combat that easily backs up its stunning aesthetic and visuals.

Whether or not it truly needs to exist, the fact remains: The Last of Us Part I does exist, and it happens to be the best version of an already pretty good game. The additional accessibility options alone justify it for that section of players. Meanwhile, those who are interested in experiencing its story when it looks its best, whether as a first-timer or a veteran revisiting an old favorite, should strongly consider playing it. For everyone else, the other versions are available for less.

RPG Time: The Legend of Wright is a solid and charming adventure game. It is sure to captivate point-and-click adventure game and JRPG fans alike. Its stress-free, easy-to-pick-up nature makes it the perfect game to play with kids or by yourself. Most of all, it reminds players of what it truly means to think outside of the box. If you’ve ever daydreamed about entire worlds, scenarios, and characters during class, why not help Kenta do the same?

Soul Hackers 2 succeeds at fusing appealing character elements and story into a more traditional dungeon-crawling mode. In a lot of ways it does manage to travel that middle path between the extremes of its sibling series. But its bright spots don’t quite mask the moments where the moments where both its halves can fall short.

While it’s unlikely to transcend genre preferences, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a gift for those who love JRPG trappings. There are lands to explore, combat systems to optimize, and lore implications for longtime franchise fans. And at the very least? You certainly get your money’s worth.

Live A Live is a success, both as a self-contained remake of a quirky cult classic and as a prototype for the future of JRPG remakes. Its weaknesses are those of the preserved original’s game design, but it makes these sacrifices intentionally and has a lot to offer those interested in its pace and structure.

Super UFO Fighter could have been a great, fun sandbox in the vein of Stick Fight, Duck Game, or BombSquad. Using a tractor beam and weird objects to accomplish varied tasks? Yeah, great! But as it is, the game lacks the creativity to try anything other than its one trophy grab idea. (Actually, there’s a hot potato mode too, but it’s very easy to break and not worth discussing.) Committing to one game type can work too, right? But that one mode has to be full of nuance and competitive depth. And this game simply doesn’t have that either.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak can really only get better from here. Like Rise, it provides a solid foundation for whatever direction future content updates or installments of the series go next.