Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening on PS5 looks and runs great and even plays very well, but it could've used a better tutorial for newcomers to the genre on console. In its current state, it was a good decision from Koei Tecmo to bring this game to the West with all updates and the expansion included from the start because we finally have a Nobunaga's Ambition game that is worth playing day one for the first time in many years.

Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening is a great release in Koei Tecmo's long-running series, and one that feels right at home on both Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch thanks to smart controller support and touch controls on Switch. While the game needed a bit more work on both systems, I've enjoyed playing through various scenarios in handheld mode on Switch and also on Steam Deck.

Space Invaders Forever is an excellent collection for fans of Space Invaders and one that will be a great introduction for newcomers to the various newer takes on the classic Space Invaders gameplay.

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition on PC feels more like an enhanced port offering both Chrono Cross and Radical Dreamers with some quality of life improvements on Steam. The classic graphical style is how I enjoyed Chrono Cross, and it has been a joy to finally experience this game after all these years. The new graphical style sadly has too many issues to bother with right now on any platform sadly. I've also enjoyed checking out Chrono Cross on Steam Deck over the last week or so where it runs quite well after some tweaking, and it's a great way to play it if you have the option.

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition is worth getting if you want to play this PS1 classic on Switch and are willing to play it with the classic graphical style. The soundtrack is legendary, and the new battle enhancement features make for a much nicer experience. The new graphical style is sadly a mixed bag with some nice model and font upgrades, but awful performance and ugly backgrounds.

Despite its flaws, The DioField Chronicle is one of Square Enix's best and most interesting games of the year. It runs and looks great on PC, and even seamlessly syncs your progress to Steam Deck thanks to the recent addition of Steam Cloud support. The demo was promising, and I'm glad that The DioField Chronicle has delivered in almost every way on PC and Steam Deck.

I'm glad M2 was the one handling Assault Suits Valken Declassified, but it feels a bit lacking compared to the developer's other re-issues on modern platforms. I still enjoyed my time with it as someone who never played it, and retro mecha action game fans will find a lot to like here.

Rune Factory 5 wasn't the best experience on Switch thanks to its technical and structural issues. On Steam Deck, the former has been addressed, but it still isn't as good as Rune Factory 4 Special. If you skipped the Switch version thanks to the performance issues, it plays much better and loads drastically faster on Steam Deck. Hopefully the next entry in the series can build on the base from Rune Factory 5 to try and reach the highs of 4.

Valkyrie Elysium has excellent combat and music, but is let down by its story. The PC version is good and it runs well on Steam Deck barring one issue which I hope will be addressed soon. Hopefully Square Enix continues to support this release and doesn't give up on the Valkyrie series going forward because there is a lot of potential here for future DLC or sequels.

Gimmick Special Edition feels great to play, and makes a Sunsoft classic more accessible than ever before, but this release should've had better extras. For its asking price, this is an easy recommendation as long as you're ok with the challenge.

In its current state, Akai Katana Shin is excellent with its superlative gameplay mechanics, but the lack of a tutorial and translation for the game selection hold it back. Hopefully these can be added in by the time it releases for consoles internationally. Right now, it is a joy to play on PC and Steam Deck. 

If you've never played them before, the Deathsmiles I & II collection offers fantastic value for shoot 'em up fans. If you're new to the genre, the original Deathsmiles is a classic, and an essential. Replaying Deathsmiles on Steam Deck has been awesome, and hopefully City Connection brings more games like this to PC in the future.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion feels like a blend of a remaster and a remake given how much it has improved, and it perfectly suits portable play. It is a surprisingly great experience on Nintendo Switch in handheld, and is a joy to play even on Steam Deck out of the box. We need more remasters like this from Square Enix in the future.

As a huge fan of the Utawarerumono series, Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten should've been a slam dunk, but it is lacking in some key ways right now on PS5. The story, characters, and music make it worth your time, but the lack of polish in visuals and gameplay hold it back.

Sonic Frontiers on Switch is visually downgraded compared to other platforms, but I can still recommend it to anyone looking to experience Sonic's newest outing on the go. Having now played through it on PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Steam Deck, Sonic Frontiers remains one of the most fun games of the year with a superlative soundtrack. 

While the option to buy them both separately like on PC would've been good, Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3: La Pucelle: Ragnarok / Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is a very good package, after the most recent Switch patch, offering the best way to experience games I never played before. Quality of life features and bonus content would've definitely made it a better collection though.

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3 on PC brings two more of the developer's older games to modern platforms with some visual improvements. La Pucelle: Ragnarok here includes a slew of improvements and new content never released in the West while Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is well worth checking out for its soundtrack. Both games even run great on Steam Deck after a recent update fixed La Pucelle's issues.

River City Girls Zero is an interesting look back at the origins of the characters newcomers have grown to love in River City Girls, but one with a few annoyances. The new music and art sprinkled into this release definitely help make it worth experiencing for fans.

Andro Dunos 2 has a lovely aesthetic and great core gameplay, but it is held back by the lack of display options and online leaderboards. Hopefully these can be addressed in potential updates.

Rune Factory 5 is an ambitious entry in the series that does many things well, but one that suffers thanks to a plethora of technical and structural issues. Despite it building on Rune Factory 4 in some nice ways, Rune Factory 4 Special remains one of the best games in a very long time while Rune Factory 5 feels like it needed more time to reach its full potential.

Silent Hope from Marvelous feels like a long-lost 3DS game resurrected for modern platforms in the best way possible. The aesthetic, music, charm, and core gameplay loop come together nicely, but it will not be for everyone. I've enjoyed my time with it despite the few flaws on Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch.

Biomotor Unitron is one of the best releases in Code Mystics and SNK's Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection lineup because it introduced me to a fun RPG that I hadn't even heard of before. The game itself has a few issues holding it back, but Code Mystics has done a fantastic job as usual, and can't wait to see what game arrives next following Biomotor Unitron and Big Bang Pro Wrestling.

Pac-Man World Re-Pac on PC is a great way to experience this classic whether you played it back in the day, or are completely new to the world of Pac-Man. It is on the shorter side though with a few annoying sections of levels that might put some off. If you have a Steam Deck, Pac-Man World Re-Pac runs without any issues offering great visuals and smooth performance throughout.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R on Nintendo Switch is a mostly great port, but one that is lacking when it comes to online stability compared to other platforms. With smart changes to the environments, the developers have done a fine job with making it look good on Nintendo's hybrid system. If you're after a content-packed anime fighter, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R is well worth your time.

Dariusburst: Another Chronicle EX+ is a great release for Darius fans with its varied modes and stages, but a hard sell for newcomers who should get the Darius Cozmic Arcade and Console Collections instead as more accessible introductions to the series.

Sol Cresta has excellent core gameplay with a lot of depth, but it is held back by technical issues in its current state on Nintendo Switch. If PlatinumGames can improve on this base release through updates, Sol Cresta has the potential to be something special.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox on Nintendo Switch has noticeable performance and visual issues in some key areas, but is still worth your time and a fantastic action RPG if you only play on the go and enjoyed Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana on the system.

In its current state, Sonic Origins Plus feels like a missed opportunity. I still recommend it to own these classic Sonic games on console or PC, but I'm hoping Sega fixes the scaling at least in the future.