I can't think of the last time I've had this much fun playing a game I've never heard of.

As remakes go, Front Mission 1st: Remake gets the job done and not much more. Its cleaner visuals oddly make the thing look cheaper than the original at times, but the fundamental gameplay mechanics and story are both as sound as they ever were and generally carry the whole affair. This is a game that probably could have benefited from some bigger changes, but if all you’re looking for is a straight remake and don’t mind the new look, here you go.

The steep IAP costs will probably act as a barrier to everyone interested in owning the whole extensive library of songs this title. Still, I'd recommend everyone at least check out the included free songs, as you might like what you play.

In summary, Colin McRae Rally is a good game but with the series' heritage, it should have been a fantastic game. Perhaps the reason there wasn't a major fanfare about the iOS release was it was just cash-cow milking experiment.

If you're a fan of this genre, you could certainly do worse on the App Store, but you could do quite a lot better, too, so I'd really only recommend checking Space Qube out if you want to play around with the excellent ship editor.

Teslagrad 2 does justice to the well-liked original with a sharp presentation, some new mechanics to master, and more magnetic physics-based riddles to solve. It suffers somewhat from feeling a little too familiar at times, and it can’t quite escape the long shadow of the first game. The game also suffers from some technical drawbacks in this Switch version, and although none of it is really enough to spoil the game, I would still recommend playing it on a different platform if you can. Overall, an okay port of a pretty good game, but not one I’d recommend with the same vigor I would have for the first.

Irem Collection Volume 1 has a couple of excellent games and one rarity on offer, and the quality of those games is its biggest strength. Slight emulation issues, a wide array of bugs, and a bare-bones approach to presenting the games all work against the high-quality feel that ININ seems to want this series to have. Unless you’re very interested in the home ports of Image Fight and its highly lackluster sequel, you’re far better off buying the Arcade Archives releases of Image Fight and X Multiply, a choice that will save you some money to boot.

Sonic Dash is free right now, so give it a try. Whether or not you'll want to pay more into the game for a coin doubler or currency packs requires almost as little consideration: if you like endless runners, you'll like this one, too.

I’ve been playing the game quite a bit, exploring all of the various options and features, and I get the impression I’m not anywhere near finding everything the game has to offer. Shoot-em-up fans without other platform options may still find the tech problems worth dealing with, but it’s too bad Switch owners are left with this kind of decision yet again.

Deo is a game of skillful jumping, timing, and sometimes, patience. If you enjoy creative, artistic games which evoke a real atmosphere and mood, then check this out. There's no scores, timers, leaderboards or achievements, there's just a gloomy decaying universe, which might stick in your mind as a memorable iOS experience, and I'll happily pay a dollar for that.

An incredibly frustrating game to play. I still enjoy the core gameplay, and I absolutely love the custom characters and huge variety of things to buy for my character. However, the freemium mechanics and poor framerate just keep interrupting the experience that I know it can provide.

Kingdom Come Deliverance: Royal Edition brings the game to the Nintendo Switch in about as good a form as the hardware is capable of, thanks to the talented and experienced folks at Saber Interactive. While there is no mistaking this for the versions on more powerful hardware, this isn’t a bad way to play the game at all. It’s another “impossible port" to enjoy on the go for Switch owners.

Lamplight City is a compelling, challenging adventure game that has made the transition to the Switch quite nicely. The game is obviously designed around a mouse interface, but I never found it hassle to control and the text is actually readable in handheld mode. The story was interesting enough that I wanted to see how each case would end and where the overarching plot would go. The gameplay required some proper thought, and that was welcome as well. While the possibility of failure may turn off some players, I appreciate that the developers weren’t afraid to wander off the well-trodden adventure game trail for the sake of their vision.

As someone who still enjoys firing up Space Harrier now and then for some kicks, I had a fantastic time playing Air Twister. Don’t come into it expecting it to push the rail shooter genre to new levels. It’s very similar to the original in terms of pure mechanics and overall length. The presentation is wild, and you sure can’t say the game goes halfway on throwing imaginative stage designs at you. The average player might find this a bit too slight an experience, and I’m not sure the extras add much in that regard, but if you love rail shooters I think you’ll find Air Twister to be an audiovisual trip worth taking.

If you’re a huge fan of the old Sprint games or their many clones, I think you’ll probably enjoy NeoSprint. It does what it needs to, and it’s rather faithful to the core principles of the games that came before it. It’s also filled to the brim with things to do, and if you love to play “Spot the Atari References" then you can look forward to finding a lot to point at. For those without any real attachment to the series or publisher, this is an approachable casual racing game that could probably use a touch more complexity in its mechanics.

Even with all of its problems, there’s a certain pure affection and charm to how it’s put together. Similar its doughy protagonist, this game has a good heart that makes you want to like it. As long as you don’t mind dealing with some rough edges, you might find yourself really liking this game. That goes particularly so if you’re a big fan of the first two Paper Mario games. I think this developer has a good future ahead of it in this genre, even if this particular game has a few lumps in it.

By casually lampooning itself, He-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe is entirely accessible to both the young and old alike. It's a celebration not only of He-Man and Eternia, but a respectful bow to the type of gaming that became so popular when Price Adam was still a boyish whelp, and you'd be mad to miss it.

This game has a lot of rough edges and things that on paper shouldn’t work, but it completely sucked me in anyway. Its flaws mean I could understand anyone who bounces off of it, but I think even for those who don’t get into it the way I did, you have to at least respect the effort here. It tries something very new for the series, and if this is how good the first attempt at this style went, I can’t wait to see what comes next. What a weird thing to feel about 3D Sonic.

Personally, having had a historical fondness to this sort of formula from early Playstation games, I actually enjoyed the gameplay setting and found the adventure sequences to be well done. That said, I can see how it would seem dated, and tap to shoot mechanic is almost never a positive.

But for all the flaws and inconsistencies with this game that I can point out, I struggle to put this one down. The concept is a ton of fun, and there's definitely some elements of a great game here.

Perhaps it could have explored those ideas more deeply or in a more satisfying manner, but even if doesn’t quite reach greatness, Gamedec is an adventure game worth checking out.

In the end, the biggest problem with this game is that it's charmingly vapid: the exact opposite of Lauren Faust's reboot of the franchise.

’Gods Among Us’ comes off as more of a companion app for the console version than a stand alone title, and as it hints so tantalizingly at what could’ve been, that’s the real injustice.

Slave Zero X is not for everyone, but it ended up impressing me more often than it disappointed me. The few annoyances aren’t enough to hold this back from getting a recommendation from me, especially on Steam Deck, but I do hope the developers can tweak things so it reaches its full potential. If the sound of having fighting game mechanics and inputs in a character action game and beat ’em up hybrid sounds good to you, Slave Zero X will be perfect for you. It is a challenging game that isn’t ashamed of itself, and I love most things about it.

One word game that has captured my attention, and is worth checking out.

If you have a strong distaste for free-to-play, stay far away from King of Thieves. If not, then I really like the concept enough to check it out, even if it's nowhere near perfect yet.

Those looking for a decent challenge will find it in simply trying to solve the puzzles that open the doors that allow you to progress, but those looking for some extra spice will find it in trying to track down all of the collectibles in each area. There is also a hard mode that is less kind with where it respawns you if you should perish. But generally, I think most people will have the best time by simply enjoying the ride through this rather gorgeous game. Go for those collectibles if you’re feeling it, but otherwise, just enjoy that nice chew of observing your surroundings and solving some puzzles. Youropa has a real vibe, and if you’re into what it’s laying down you’ll have a great time with it.

Overall, the game plays great and is a good improvement over EA's first FIFA game, they have learned from their mistakes to provide a better soccer game for the iPhone. With the top-notch graphics, a well-balanced AI, and an enjoyable soccer experience, it's hard to pass this game up if you are a soccer fan waiting for the World Cup to start.

There's just no reason to go back to something that might have been an okay (if slightly familiar) title two years ago when there are so many fantastic games coming out right now.

Ultimately Scotland Yard is not a success, but something to be shelved in the hope that Ravensburger soon revisits it.

You’ll have a particularly good time if you can get some friends to play through it with you, though it never quite takes wing the way you might hope. It’s no Left 4 Dead, but as that series has yet to make its way to the Switch, I suppose it doesn’t have to be. It just needs to offer some enjoyable multiplayer undead carnage, and I suppose it handles that well enough.

Spoing gave me hours of fun that always stayed challenging, and that's the core of a great gaming experience. Hopefully games2be will have the chance to improve the game around that core in future updates.

Star Warfare: Alien Invasion is a pretty good first-person shooter for a dollar, despite the expensive weapons, emphasis on IAP and need to buy bullets with in-game money.

A well-crafted – though hardly groundbreaking – puzzle game. It's fun and extremely well-executed, with enough challenging puzzles to keep you occupied.

Punch Hero's invisible paywall feels terribly mean-spirited.

Stickman Tennis has a cute, amateur look, but with a pretty deep game underneath that you wouldn't expect based on the name, look or price. It’s priced accordingly for what it is, and you’ll definitely get your buck's worth out of it.

Those with no special affection for the company can probably find better choices on the App Store in terms of music games, however.

Assuming you're in the mood for some grinding and you're willing to accept the fact that a lot of content is effectively locked behind freemium elements, I'd say Gun Bros 2 is worth checking out.

Sky Tourist boasts clever controls and a beautiful world. Travelling through that world means dealing with occasional frustrations, but they're small bumps in an expansive road. Every good journey has its problems, after all—without them, how would we grow?

The Sundew has an incredible world and a rather complicated story, but it feels like it’s rushing the entire time. When the end of the game comes, it feels too sudden and lacking in satisfaction. It holds its end on the gameplay front, but it’s quite ordinary in that regard. But the story and setting are the brightest lights in this game, and the brevity simply doesn’t allow either of them to shine.

It's a winning formula that is as simple as it is effective.

If you're not particularly tied to the Waldo series, there are better hidden object games with more variety on the App Store, although few posses as much charm as Where's Waldo?.

If you're a fan of '90s RPGs and have been craving something that doesn't hold your hand or guide you along on the iPad, this is the perfect game for you.

Where Cards Fall is a relaxing, beautiful game meant for you to relax and enjoy while thinking about your own life and gaming as a whole in a new perspective. Not everything has to be explosions and cliffhangers. Sometimes you could use a little time to relax. If you don’t care about the story, it’s still a fun and challenging puzzle game with over 50 levels for you to solve. But if you’re looking for a story-driven game, filled with fiction and mystery, you’ll have to keep looking.

I can safely say that if you enjoy roguelite action games such as Dead Cells or more intense examples like Spelunky, you’ll find a lot to like in Vagante. There’s a lot to discover in this game, and it never stops feeling dangerous enough to produce the tension that makes this genre work so well. It also has some great multiplayer options for those who want to tackle a game like this with that advantage and/or disadvantage. A well-rounded experience where you get all of the fun of building up a character and all of the thrills of narrowly evading instant-death traps. Give it a chance, and you’ll reap the rewards.

The premise of Crime O’Clock is a solid one, and the art is really fun to look at. On top of that, each scene has ten slightly different variants. It’s neat to see things play out, even the bits that aren’t relevant to the case. Still, I can’t help but feel that the game held my hand too much most of the time. I never felt like I was actually solving any of these cases but rather just watching my AI do it while I fetch it a cup of water now and then. If you like games built around hunting objects in busy scenes, you’ll probably enjoy this game. Those who are simply intrigued by the set-up should be aware that it doesn’t deliver on it the way you might hope.

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is a strong example of a flavor that most players have already made up their minds on. It’s frankly too complex to teach in tutorials without tossing the player into the mix, so you have to be ready to take your lumps and learn if you’re planning to get the most out of it. If you think you can do that and want to get in on a series so good that it’s been around about as long as Nintendo has been making consoles, feel free to lose yourself in this great strategy game.

Assuming you aren’t too obsessed with the end-game or social aspects (and you don’t have an irrational hatred for freemium games) Boom Beach continues the showing seen in Clash of Clans. Whether it has enough staying power as its spiritual predecessor will depend greatly on the inevitable tweaks to the core gameplay. Meanwhile, it’s worth a shot.

I enjoyed Oddworld: Soulstorm more often than I didn’t. The moments of frustration were intense, but most of the time I was just having a good time rolling through this adventure. The performance issues are both expected and unfortunate, but I suppose it could have been a whole lot worse. This is still just about as playable as the other versions of the game. That said, if you have the option of a more powerful platform, I would take it. A decent enough game to not let down the series, but not one I would recommend to anyone but those who are all-in on the Odd.

Doctor Who: Legacy might not be a love letter to the series, but it's clearly in love with it. If you share that loyalty, there's plenty of fun to be had with the game.

You should download this if you have a 3D Touch device, just to see what's possible in games with that functionality. And if you love the Warhammer universe, giant robots, or just want an action game you can play for quick bursts, you will enjoy some time with this game. But the constant monetization attempts, while fair, do wear down your nerves. And that energy system is a killer that keeps this from being a good game and a solid recommendation.

I am immensely enjoying Dragalia Lost. Just like Super Mario Run did for the time honored runner genre, so does Dragalia Lost do for social RPGs. It follows the formula and makes key improvements along the way. After hours of playinng I have yet to come close to running out of energy yet. The gameplaay, graphics and story all shine out above competition within the social RPG genre. If you can wrap your head around the departure from usual Nintendo fare, you’ll be rewarded with a gem of a game.

With entertaining gameplay, a multi-season franchise mode, an excellent homerun derby mode, and endless possibilities for card collection and customization, 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2011 is the strongest entry in the baseball game genre to date.

Unfortunately, the lack of anything to differentiate itself from the rest of the dual-stick shooters means that there's a good chance that you won't bother with unlocking all the content.

Thoroughly impressive. The art is cute and welcoming and the games are fun, with quite a range of difficulty levels. The music that is included is, of course, great.

This is such a weird game to even review, as I can fully admit its flaws are numerous, and it's definitely not for everyone... But, any game that has us yelling at our phones definitely deserves some attention.

While the prospect of rolling around an insane pack of bears in a magical wonderland may not seem enticing, some things are more than they seem.

Play it on your TV and you’ll enjoy this fish fry well enough, but those who primarily play in handheld will want to proceed with caution.

In most respects, Gynoug is a rather plain horizontal shoot-em-up. The art design and music elevate it somewhat, but it’s hard to imagine a more meat-and-potatoes mechanical experience. For its part, Ratalaika Games has done a nice job of presenting the game with this offering. You’ve got all of the expected options, and a few more besides that. If you’re looking for a good way to play Gynoug/Wings of Wor, this will assuredly satisfy your needs. For those completely unfamiliar with the game, it’s a decent enough shooter, though I can’t say that it’s much more than that.

Dedicated wrestling game fans will find enough in Big Bang Pro Wrestling to get their kicks, and Code Mystics has done its usual fine work in bringing this NEOGEO Pocket Color game to the Switch. We even get an English version of the manual. It’s quite a bit of fun for a game of its time and place, but it certainly feels of its era in many ways. It’s that side of it that keeps it from being a must-play, as the wrestling game genre has seen a lot of strides since the year 2000. Nevertheless, this is a rather neat curio and one I’m happy to see get its shot in the West after so long.

If you haven’t played any Rune Factory games before and are thinking about dipping your toe in, I’d probably recommend Rune Factory 4 Special ahead of this game. It’s more polished, has more content, and is a bit easier to play. But if you’re a Rune Factory fan and have already plowed those fields, you’ll find enough to like in Rune Factory 5 to make it worth your attention. It feels like the seed of a new era for the series, but it’s going to take a bit more nurturing before the harvest is truly ready.

My initial impressions of the game are positive so far, but like most games designed for physical controls then ported to the iPhone, I have found myself fat fingering some jumps and generally just making play mistakes because of the inherent inaccuracies of virtual controls.

Seabeard isn’t the magically universal game that I wish it could be, but for those that can work within its system, the rewards have the potential to be truly great.

The lack of multiplayer might be berated by some, but since only one character can attack at once as according to the intentional design of the game, I don't think of it as a missing feature.

Aside from the lack of multiplayer or A.I., this game has room for improvement. I ran into severe performance issues on a couple tracks, seriously limiting my ability to race on them. I also ran out of new parts much too quickly. The customization is the coolest part of this game, so Fabrication Games should have gone nuts with it.

The touch control options presented here are some of the best I've seen for an iOS arcade conversion, and Galaga 30th Collection really is worth a spot on any arcade shooter fan's iOS device.

When it comes down to it, Quiz Climber is an extremely straightforward game. If it weren't so totally addictive, I'd have a hard time recommending it.

The best way to enjoy Synesthetic is to think of it as less of a game and more of a really cool way to enjoy your music.

What's baffling is that this game is so tilted against being fun and accessible, and that's the polar opposite of what Radiangames' games do.

If you mean to seriously get into JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R, you’re probably better off heading over to one of the other platforms where it runs at 60 fps. This Switch port is solid enough to play, however, and JoJo fans will likely have a good time with it. Discriminating fighting game aficionados will probably want to look elsewhere for their Switch satisfaction, though.

Melon Journey has charm to burn, with interesting, odd characters to interact with and a well-realized setting to explore. The writing is sharp and the soundtrack is great, both of which help draw you into the story. The actual plot leaves a bit to be desired, and it really doesn’t do enough to bring players new to the world up to speed. Normally I would find myself recommending it anyway, but at the time of this review the game is incredibly crash-happy. There’s something worth experiencing here, but you’ll want to wait for a few updates before diving in because at the moment it’s really hard to deal with.

All of this builds up into a feeling of sincerity rarely encountered in games. There is no hint of irony in Lume's message, and that makes it hard to disagree: self-sufficiency is admirable, and why shouldn't it be?

It's a lot of fun, just without purpose or longevity, but watching goats flying through the air was worth the 5 bucks.

I think Kukoos: Lost Pets gets enough right that if you enjoyed games like Super Mario 3D World and are looking for another multiplayer platformer, you should give it a look. As a solo affair, it’s a bit of a harder sell. It’s certainly on the good side of the line, but with all of its technical problems and the heavy competition in this space it’s hard to be too enthusiastic about it. Probably best enjoyed on another platform, but it’s enjoyable enough on Switch.

Touken Ranbu Warriors looks good, runs well, and its core gameplay offers the solid action the Warriors franchise is well-known for. Care has been taken to ensure the game can by enjoyed by as many fans of the Touken Ranbu franchise as possible, and that makes it a great fit for anyone with an interest in the IP. It’s also not a bad choice for those who want to get into a Warriors game but have found previous releases to be a little too complicated. Aiming for that target may cost the interest of more experienced fans of this style of game, but it’s not like there aren’t plenty of options for them already.

Make no mistake, Dungeon Hunter 5 is knee-deep in its freemium systems and it’s not going to make any converts of those that are staunchly against such elements. However, for those others willing to engage with what it offers in the environment that it offers it in, I believe you’ll have a good time.

It's fun, fast, and easy to run just "one more round" on, especially with the exciting power-ups that pop up that grant extra firepower, as fleeting as they may be. Note that there isn't a whole lot in terms of strategic depth though, even in the form of getting deliberately captured by the enemy and escaping to grant yourself an edge -- something the original had going for it.

Cyber Citizen Shockman 3 closes out this quirky trilogy on as high of a note as it can muster, and one that I suppose is appropriate given what came before. I think it’s the smoothest game of the three to play, but it’s a bit irritating that it more or less pushes out the interesting elements of the first two games in favor of a very plain design. Still, there’s just enough of that early 90s CD vibe here to carry what is otherwise a rather bland side-scrolling action game. If you’ve played the first two, you might as well see it through with this one.

If you have access to a Switch and Steam Deck, I would get Let’s School on Steam Deck for better performance and faster load times. Performance isn’t perfect on Deck either, but it is better than Switch. Despite the cutbacks, the Switch port felt a lot better than I expected all things considered.

Bioshock for iOS isn’t perfect, and I can understand the hesitance from those that may have already played it before. But for newcomers, it’s still an experience that needs to be taken.

While the content is a bit light, I still whole-heartedly recommend Greedy Dwarf for any fans of fast-paced, reflex-oriented platformers.

If you like bridge construction games or are a big fan of LEGO bricks, you’ll likely find enough to love in LEGO Bricktales to overcome its performance and gameplay issues. I would gladly trade some of the beautiful visual flair for a smoother framerate, so I hope the improvements the developers are working on bear fruit. I’m not sure what can be done about the controls, so you may just have to put up with them if you’re dedicated to playing the game on a console. A great idea, a passable execution, and overall an okay game that at least has something different to say about the venerated toy brand.

Barring an incredible odd decision to force players to stay online to play it, Rhythm Thief & The Paris Caper is one of the best rhythm games on the mobile market right now.

It’s always nice to see a game that never made it out of Japan back in the day get a wider release, and even nicer when it’s handled well. The actual links with River City Girls, both in terms of story and gameplay, are tenuous but River City Girls Zero makes the most of them. The mechanics do the job decently, and the story side of it certainly distinguishes the experience from most other brawlers of its era. It’s no Streets of Rage or even Final Fight, but those who are invested in the characters will likely have a good time.

Overall, Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered is a fantastic re-do of a game that had lots of room for improvement. SaGa fans will eat it up, and even if you’ve played the original you may want to check this out for its new content and additions. The look of the game may turn some off, and there are certainly some awkward carry-overs from its PlayStation 2 origins. It’s also a SaGa game through and through, and that’s either going to have you jumping with joy or running for the hills. Only two left now before they have to make a new one, right?

It’s crazy to think that a mobile game in 2019 would live up to a PC/Console game’s legacy, but I really believe that Alien: Blackout does. It may not have been the sequel I wanted, but that didn’t stop me from it being a sequel I enjoyed.

If you've played through Cooking Mama and are looking for more to cook, Pocket Chef seems to be a competent cooking simulator that I'm sure some will enjoy.

A great endless runner. I'd argue that it warrants consideration simply from its visuals.

While the game's content doesn't yet measure up to other more padded entries in the App Store, what it does offer will keep you entertained, and for a fair asking price.

As it is, it's a game that's definitely a solid way to spend some time, if not a bit disappointing because it could be so much more.

It remains a highly entertaining multiplayer action game with plenty to offer even players who don’t pay a cent. The Switch port is solid, and looks and plays as good as you would hope. There are bits of the UI that betray its roots as a touch-screen game, but it works well enough. A bit of an old dog, but one that still has many good days ahead of it.

In its current state, it feels a bit lacking for its asking price on Nintendo Switch considering you don’t really get more than what the Apple Arcade version offers. If you don’t have Apple Arcade and want a puzzler you can keep coming back to (with hopefully future content updates), Doomsday Vault will serve you well.

Fort Triumph is enjoyable, especially early on. The rules of the battle system are well-designed, the visuals are colorful and attractive, and the difficulty curve is pleasing. You’re better off enjoying it in its Skirmish mode than its Campaign Mode, because while it’s all well-made enough I feel it gets rather repetitive over the course of the story. I don’t think I would recommend it to a fan of Heroes of Might & Magic in spite of its leanings, but those who enjoy turn-based tactics games will find plenty here to fill their bellies.

In its current state, Super Meat Boy Forever is best on mobile, but the iOS version at least needs a bit more work. Despite the issues, I’ve loved most of what Super Meat Boy Forever has to offer, and it is hard to argue against it being worth the very low asking price right now. It took nearly a decade to hit the platform following its original announcement, but Super Meat Boy Forever for mobile is here, and the wait has been worth it.

Night Dive has done its usual great work bringing this classic forward with a wide array of settings and options so that you can tailor it to your preferences. and the game itself for all of its flaws is a genuinely good time to play through. If you’ve played DOOM and Duke3D and are looking for something from the same neighborhood, consider picking up Rise of the Triad to see another angle on the earlier years of the genre.

If you’re interested in the idea of fighting fires and are open to playing with others online, I think you’ll have a good time with Firefighting Simulator – The Squad. It plays well and figuring out how to work together to put out a fire is a change of pace from the usual multiplayer fare. If you’re planning to go it alone, it’s a slightly tougher call. With the AI squad not being very helpful, things take a lot longer and the missions can start to feel just a little tedious as a result. Still, that core idea and its implementation has a fair bit of water in the hose.

There is a lot of potential in the idea alone, so if GameLab can deliver the second episode and the arena mode before upping the price, they might have something truly interesting on their hands as long as they're not scared to make the puzzles a bit more challenging and the shooting parts a bit more sparse.

Its combination of play mechanics from various genres is beautifully executed, its challenge is immense, and it's got just a whole lot of personality.