Xenoblades Chronicles X: Definitive Edition lands on the Nintendo Switch 2 promising to deliver what its title says, and it does a very good job at upgrading the game's features when it comes to fluidity, responsiveness and resolution, while keeping all that made it an amazing game with its exploration experience and dynamic combat system. It could have delivered in all its promises if it was more consistent with regards to its graphical performance, namely on some of its textures and aliasing effects which could use some improvement, but this edition is nonetheless a better way to experience this adventure.

This his City Hunter remaster brings the 1990 classic to the world. If only more region-exclusive games could follow suit. Fans of the manga and anime series will find a simple but fitting 2D side-scrolling action game, with little more than moving around, shooting and jumping, very good soundtrack and some welcome - if short - bonus content. New quality of life options also make it feel more at home, but the gameplay could use more tweaks when it comes to level navigation. The retail price, however, is too high for what this City Hunter brings, and it would be more suitable to a full remake and/or a lot more bonus content.

Street Racer Collection does a jood job when it comes to emulating four kart racing games with combat elements, and the amount of customization options and cheats included help make the experience smoother. On the other hand, it is clear that some of the games here have aged considerably and are way past their prime, making them appealing only to the most nostalgic gamers who wish to relieve their experiences. The races are indeed fun, as long as they don't last too long, and there's no reason why the Game Boy version of Street Racer is included but the PlayStation/Sega Saturn version is not.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined gives the game a whole new modern look while keeping faithful to the Dragon Quest spirit and identity. Thanks to its absolutely charming looks, outstanding quirkiness, and better pacing than previous versions, this remake strikes a good balance between nostalgic appeal and giving new fans a big welcome, which would work even better if its difficulty level was more demanding and its mechanics more complex.

Thanks to a smart use of the colours' mechanics and to a well implemented difficulty curve, the game delivers a good puzzle experience that fits nicely within the genre, and behaves very well on the Nintendo Switch 2. It does tend to get repetitive on a long term basis and feels like it does not leave its comfort zone, but it is another welcome addition to the puzzle games' catalogue.

Fighting Force Collection has the merit of bringing two games of the late 1990s in a way that’s as close to the original experience as possible. Unfortunately, there is little else going for it. If the first game can still provide some shallow but fun beat’em up action, the second game falls flat due to terrible camera and controls, featureless characters, and a failure at attempting to deliver a stealth action experience. Nostalgia has its value, but the Fighting Force games should rather have been remade instead of ported to this generation.

Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition shows that the slick gameplay and exquisite art style of Rayman are still as fun and enjoyable today as they were three decades ago. Nevertheless, this edition acts more as a modern port than as a definitive anniversary collection at some points, namely due to the lack of accessibility options for new players, and features an arranged version of the game's soundtrack with no option to listen to the original. All that aside, the bonus content is very welcome, and this game shows the original Rayman remains strong and one of the platforming classics of its time.

REANIMAL is a puzzle-platformer that does a very solid job at creating a horror themed experience with strong emphasis on subtle psychological fears. Its simple but very efficient story-telling, the somber art style and soundscape, as well as slick cooperation mechcanics between the two protagonists bring shape to a memorable introspective game, which could stand out more if its lifespan was longer and it had taken more risks with the challenges posed by its puzzles.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade brings one of the most influential RPGs of all time to the Nintendo Switch 2 under a modern, ambitious and competent work that delivers the game's most versatile and accessible version ever made. While there is a choice between graphics and performance in some instances, this remake brings forth an enveloping plot, a dynamic hybrid combat system, a good adaptation work to the Switch 2 and on top of that, there's the Intermission episode.

The Perfect Pencil is a metroidvania wrapped in a rather unusual outfit. If the game's mechanics are fairly standard insofar as we will do what most games of the kind expect from us, the plot and theme set it apart. By integrating the experience within a world that deals with issues of mental and emotional health and where every interaction and development derives from that theme, The Perfect Pencil manages to create a captivating space of its own, even if at some moments the game has a tendency to become rather repetitive.

GRID Legends: Deluxe Edition shows that it's possible to do an intense and fun racing game that joins an arcade experience with precise driving. The game comes with a healthy variety of choices and game modes and enough flexibility for players who want to create their own experiences, though the lack of competitive multiplayer of any kind is difficult to understand. Fans of racing games will be very satisfied nonetheless, as GRID Legends on the Switch 2 is a sharp and solid experience, with plenty to look forward to and a very competent technical performance.

The game allows for the players' gradual immersion into its mechanics and fundamentals, in a way that even those of little experience with such games will feel welcome, and the use of the Nintendo Switch 2 mouse control does wonders for the interactivity. Citadelum would have benefited from a greater development of its diplomatic and military components, and in the medium term it can feel somewhat repetitive due to the lack of a strong plot, but the game does a very good job with its core mechanics and fits neatly in the Switch 2 catalogue.

Inazuma Eleven - Victory Road marks a welcome return of the popular but long absent sports RPG series, and it's a new take that brings Inazuma Eleven to our day without compromising on what made it fun in the first place. The plot is more ambitious and interesting, the team management is more in depth and complex, and there's plenty of content to explore. Not only that, but its DLC is free, and very engaging as well. Fans of the previous games and newcomers alike will find plenty to wrap themselves with in this new step for the Inazuma Eleven series.

Mega Dimension is a DLC that brings some welcome new features to the game, such as a more demanding difficulty and new Mega Evolutions, as well as a plot that directly follows that of Pokémon Legends Z-A. Mega Dimension does not do so well on other fields, however, and very often the game feels repetitive when it comes to its overdone actions and settings, especially when it comes to the small dimension of its map. Mega Dimension is competent, but it adds more in quantity than in quality, and the price is too high for what it delivers.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment builds on what its two predecessors did and does it better, more ambitiously, and with a much more prominent plot, delivering the best "musou" experience on the Nintendo Switch 2 and a major addition to the Zelda universe. Thanks to the variety of quests, a more in depth combat that requires greater strategic thought, and the updates that render the experience more demanding and enveloping, Age of Imprisonment proves to be the best of its series, topped off by a near perfect performance on the Switch 2.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is an exquisite looking Metroidvania that plunges the player in a sci-fi adventure where the plot is drip-fed and the typical mechanics of the genre work exactly as they should. The start feels rather slow and underwhelming but as the game progresses, we find ourselves thinking the opposite, which makes MIO more suited to experienced players. Thanks to a flawless technical performance on the Nintendo Switch 2 and fine-tuned controls, MIO always feels right to play, and some of its difficulty barriers are addressed by the game's options.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition does not do a complete reworking or revolutionise the original classic, but it delivers an amount of improvements and new content that make this new edition a joy to play. The visual upgrade makes everything more pleasant to look, despite the framerate remaining the same, and the quicker loading times help making the experience swifter. The new areas and increased storage capacity, as well as the ability to invite more neighbours and improved control system further contribute to make this the ultimate way to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins performs remarkably well on the Nintendo Switch 2, and brings its healthy mix of massive scale battles and straight-forward action in a sharp and competent way, with no let downs and hiccups. Fans of the Dynasty Warriors series have plenty to look forward here and can expect its hallmark features along with a very captivating plot. Other players might start feeling that the action turns repetitive after a few hours, and the lack of a multiplayer mode is hard to justify for fans and newcomers alike.

Rogue Prince of Persia does a marvellous job at presenting a 2D action platformer roguelike that fits nicely with the Prince of Persia series. Quick paced, dynamic, intense action, topped by a gorgeous visual environment and a near flawless performance on the Nintendo Switch 2 make this an addictive and engaging experience that will quickly capture many players’ attention and dedication.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is very ambitious and delivers an enormous amount of content, a long gameplay campaign, engaging turn-based combat, and an atmosphere that fits perfectly with the Warhammer series. It's less successful, however, at welcoming new players who are not familiar with the Warhammer lore. The experience can get cumbersome, with its heavy menus, long loading times and framerate drops, and despite recent updates, some flaws remain unadressed. Rogue Trader is a strategy RPG that does several things right, but execution problems make the Nintendo Switch 2 version fall below its potential.

Each chapter is dealt with through different gameplay mechanics, where players will find elements of puzzle games, stealth action, or criminal investigation along with the usual dialogues and plot choices. It's Shuten Order's biggest and most creative asset, but it also falls short of expectations as these gameplay mechanics are not explored as extensively as they could, and the game's somewhat fragment structure can lead to finding out what's going to happen too soon. Nonetheless, its solid plot, full of unexpected twists, and intriguing characters are well worth a good look.

Viewfinder is a puzzle game that treats us to an original gameplay mechanic based on altering reality with pictures so we can advance to the next chapter and to the next level. Captivating and with a fair difficulty curve, it does not try to overwhelm us with punitive difficulty or over the top antics, but it does a very good job at keeping us interested in what we’ll have to do next. Viewfinder is a very welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch catalogue, despite its late arrival compared to the original release date.

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key DX brings the Atelier Ryza trilogy to a close, and joins the previous two games on the Nintendo Switch 2 as the best way to experience this trio of alchemy crafting RPGs. Thanks to the extra content and its many quality of life improvements, any player who wishes to experience the epilogue of the trilogy in the most rewarding way should look no further than this Switch 2 release. While some of its original flaws, such as a certain lack of novelty, remain present, the exploration feels more immersive, and both the combat and crafting system remain fun and engaging.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a sidescrolling beat'em up that does a very good job at being fun, looking sharp, and at providing a very solid cooperative experience, local and online. While it can get a bit repetitive, the game fits nicely with the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, and its cast of characters, pixel art visual style, and dynamic combat are certain to find their place with Marvel and beat'em up fans alike.

Red Dead Redemption: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition does a marvelous job at updating the original game to a modern-day experience, repurposed for the Nintendo Switch 2 with improved visual quality, a more fluid experience, and all extra content and DLCs in one package which help make this the ultimate Red Dead experience on a Nintendo console. As for everything else, its plot and characters remain outstanding, the game's open world is one of the very best, and there's so much to do that the experience never grows stale, whether on long sessions or on quick and simple takes.

Absolum takes elements from beat'em ups, brawlers, and roguelites, and presents some of the best elements of those genres in an action-packed experience with a fantasy theme. The dynamic and varied combat gives the players all possible incentives to try different combinations and styles, and the game's exploration and progress are structured in a way that becomes very addictive, very quickly, with that classic 'just one more go' feeling that takes us back the arcades.

Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is an exquisite remake that fits like a charm on the Nintendo Switch 2. Thanks to its many costumization options, it's possible to play either like in the original game or in a much more up to date manner. The plot remains juicy and captivating, even if it takes a bit of time until the real implications are laid bare in front of us. The puzzles are fun to tackle, and the dialogues are always able to get a smile out of the player, even if now and then we come across some outdated clichés. The best treatment that the original Broken Sword could get, now improved on the Nintendo Switch 2.

This fourth chapter features an exquisite art style which benefits greatly from a fantastic performance on the Nintendo Switch 2, that omnipresent atmosphere of solitude that goes with every Metroid game, and a jaw-dropping soundtrack. The attempts at an open world are not as fulfilling, however, and the backtracking can feel like a chore, while its plot sometimes breaks the game's momentum, but the core of the Metroid Prime series is all here, and the action and exploration still hit all the right spots.