Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series brings remasters of the first two Klonoa games to Nintendo Switch with some quality of life improvements, but it is held back by some unfortunate performance issues both docked and handheld. This release should've also included the bonus artbook and soundtracks in the base release as a museum or gallery to be a true celebration of Klonoa instead of being expensive DLC.

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.

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.

The original Fire Emblem Warriors was my favorite musou game. I say was, because Three Hopes has finally dethroned it with its amazing blend of Three Houses characters and Omega Forces' tried and tested formula. This isn't just a great musou experience, but a great Fire Emblem game.

Despite the technical issues, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (with the base game) is one of the best Nintendo Switch games ever. The expansion enhances the base game to make it an easy recommendation for any newcomer to Monster Hunter, and an essential for every base game owner on Switch. Hopefully Capcom can improve the multiplayer performance in future updates.

DNF Duel on PS5 delivered in almost every way. I was hoping to have another fighting game that satiated my Granblue Fantasy Versus itch, and this is exactly that. The online has held up brilliantly over the last week on both PS5 and Steam Deck, and the game looks gorgeous. I hope the mobility can improve in a future update, but in its current state, I'm having a ton of fun playing DNF Duel both online and offline, and look forward to playing it regularly.

Sonic Origins offers the best way to experience these classics on PC through Retro Engine ports including a new one for Sonic 3 & Knuckles with bonus museum content and cut-scenes, but Sega needs to fix the filtering issue that makes this look blurry and also address some of the bugs that hold this back from being as good as it should be. Having recently been verified on Steam Deck by Valve, Sonic Origins is also excellent on Valve's new handheld system where I played it for review alongside the Switch version.

Sonic Origins on Nintendo Switch should've been an easy collection to recommend to anyone looking to play classic Sonic games in the best possible way, but it is held back by some optimization issues on Nintendo Switch and a lack of polish in some areas. It has a lot of care put into the overall package with some lovely extras, but it definitely needed a bit more time. Hopefully it gets a few patches to bring it to the state it deserves to be in for a potential physical release.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak enhances and improves Monster Hunter Rise in every way. The monsters are more challenging, the music is a lot better, and the postgame is actually good for more than a few hunts. The new mechanics add even more depth for those looking to dig deeper into each weapon. Even if Capcom didn't do a single title update, this would still be absolutely essential for every Monster Hunter Rise owner. It is that good, and I can't wait to put hundreds of hours into it over the next year.

AI: The Somnium Files nirvanA Initiative is a fantastic adventure game that builds on the original with improvements in just about every way. While it suffers from a few technical issues on Nintendo Switch even with the day one patch, it is an improved Switch conversion compared to the first game. AI: The Somnium Files nirvanA Initiative is easily one the best Switch games of 2022.

AI: The Somnium Files nirvanA Initiative gets almost everything right. It builds on the original in just about every way and remains a more accessible entry thanks to new quality of life features and difficulty options. The narrative is more over-the-top than the original with its humor turned up even more, and it excels with its excellent characters. If you enjoy mystery adventure games, you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't buy AI: The Somnium Files nirvanA Initiative. It is an easy game of the year contender.

While Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade itself is a bare-bones PC conversion, it is an absolute joy to play on Steam Deck. If you skipped the console version and own a Steam Deck, it is definitely worth grabbing. I just hope it gets patched to fix some issues that still linger from the original PC launch back in December last year.

Deadly Premonition 2 on PC is the most bare-bones port I've played so far, but it runs without any issues on Steam Deck while being massively improved over the Nintendo Switch version. If you have a Steam Deck and skipped the Switch release of this game, it is worth getting to play on Valve's handheld system.

Pocky and Rocky Reshrined for Nintendo Switch is an absolutely brilliant run and gun shooter that is one of the best Nintendo Switch releases of the year. It feels great to play and looks excellent on the Nintendo Switch OLED screen, but I am disappointed that co-op is not unlocked from the start.

Capcom Fighting Collection on Nintendo Switch includes some amazing games that I was introduced to through this release and a few essentials in the genre alongside a lovely museum mode. The training features are welcome, but the online play needs some work on Switch right now when it comes to both stability and features.

As someone who never played most of these games before, the Capcom Fighting Collection package has been excellent to experience over the last few weeks. The Museum and Fighter Awards are nice additions that complement the new features like training and more added to a lot of the titles in this package. Hopefully the online holds up well, because Capcom Fighting Collection has been a joy to play on Steam Deck so far.

While Disgaea 1,4, and 5 are excellent on Switch and my favorite versions of the games, Disgaea 6 has too many technical issues on Nintendo's hybrid system to be an easy recommendation. Disgaea 6 Complete for PS5 still carries over some of the core game issues from the base release on Switch last year, but it is a massively better experience thanks to huge improvements in resolution, frame rate, and overall performance. The addition of all DLC with some bonuses right from the start definitely helps make this the version of Disgaea 6 I recommend for newcomers.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles joins Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot as another fantastic anime game on Nintendo Switch when it comes to visuals and port quality. This new version arrives packed with all post-launch updates from existing versions right from the start, and it is an easy recommendation for fans of Demon Slayer and anyone who held off on the getting the game to play it on the go on 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.

Wonder Boy Collection is a good collection of four classics, but it lacks any meaningful extras and the many games included in the more expensive physical-only (as of now) Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection. The games included are well worth playing if you don't already own them in some form through other releases though.

Cotton Fantasy is packed with quality content, tons of replay value, and is a damn fine shoot 'em up. It joins Cotton Reboot as essentials for any fan in the genre, and I hope we see more of Cotton in the future, because this release is only held back by minor issues.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix+ on Steam Deck is the best portable Project Diva experience ever with its huge song list, gorgeous visuals, excellent performance, and features from both Nintendo Switch and PS4 games. If you've never played a Miku game yet, this is a fantastic entry point and an essential for rhythm game and Hatsune Miku fans.

Drainus from Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth developer Team Ladybug is an essential shoot 'em up with its superb gameplay, excellent visuals, and replay value. It is accessible to newcomers and truly shines on Steam Deck. Hopefully online leaderboards get added in a future update because this is one of the best games of the year so far.

Touken Ranbu Warriors is the most accessible musou on Nintendo Switch, and one with great visuals, solid performance, and a lot of content for fans of Touken Ranbu. It will not satiate those looking for a very deep Warriors game, but is a solid entry for newcomers and one of the better Warriors games on Switch.

The Legend of Runersia is a superb strategy game that scales well on PC. After its first patch, almost all my issues with the port were resolved, and it feels great to play even on Steam Deck. Having enjoyed it recently on Switch and previously on PS4, I'm glad to see Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia get even more features in its Steam release making it the best version of the game. Hopefully the few other PC-specific issues can be resolved in future updates.

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2 brings two games that haven't been ported to any system in years to both PC and Nintendo Switch. Makai Kingdom and ZHP are well worth checking out, but the real star of this collection is ZHP. They run fine on my laptop and Steam Deck, but I am disappointed in the lack of any quality of life improvements to make the games accessible to newcomers. As it stands, this collection is worth getting for fans of NIS games and those looking try out some of the developer's earlier gems.

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2: Makai Kingdom: Reclaimed and Rebound / ZHP: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman brings two of NIS' more unique experiences to Nintendo's hybrid console. While the first volume launched in a very rough state, both Makai Kingdom and ZHP have been mostly a joy to experience on Switch. It is disappointing that there are no quality of life features or boosts added to make this more accessible to newcomers though.

If you are a fan of both the Neptunia and Senran Kagura franchises, it is worth grabbing Neptunia X Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars on Steam. This isn't the best crossover game, and I was hoping for more from the Senran Kagura side, but the PC port is great. It runs brilliantly even on Steam Deck. If you already played it on PS4 though, the new difficulty options aren't enough to warrant a double dip. If you skipped the PS4 and recent Switch versions to play it at the best fidelity possible, the PC version will deliver.