The trimmed-down-for-PSP presentation of Persona 3 Portable was an overall detriment to the game in 2009/2010, and it hurts it even more in 2023. Some nasty upscaling works against the stylish UI and excellent character art, and I do at least wish the removed animated cut-scenes had been reinstated for this version. Even with all of that in mind, this is still a great JRPG. Challenging, compelling gameplay mechanics combined with a strong story and a fantastic soundtrack make this an easy pick-up for fans of the genre and series alike, even if one can’t help but wish for a less compromised version.

While some of the technical issues are disappointing, Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! is an easy recommendation if you have an Apple Arcade subscription. The structure of the game perfectly suits the service, and I hope it gets updated over time to bring in new content and fix some of the issues. If you don’t have an Apple Arcade subscription yet but enjoyed Pocket Card Jockey on 3DS, this is the best reason to check the service out.

Moonrider has an excellent presentation, and the controls are just as responsive as you would hope. The game throws out a lot of fun little twists as you make your way through its stages that ensure things always stay fresh. While it falls a bit short of the fantastic Blazing Chrome and ends a little earlier than I’d prefer, this is still a fine classic-style romp that fans of 2D action games will have no trouble getting into.

If you enjoy arcade-style score attack action games, Galacticon is a must-have. While it isn’t hard to identify where it draws inspiration from, the overall experience threads the needle of being fresh and vaguely nostalgic all at once. It’s a bit no-nonsense, with only a single mode and a small set of options, but the QR code-based high score chart ensures you’ve always got a reason to come back. Great fun.

Breakers Collection feels like it’s one for the fans, and in that capacity it is excellent. It’s just about everything you could ask for from a Breakers re-release, with great emulation quality, lots of modes and extras, and an overall level of polish we haven’t seen in QUByte’s other retro collections up until now. Others will likely want to proceed a bit more cautiously, but it’s good to see a niche, beloved slice of the NEOGEO library get its chance to shine again.

Just like the game it homages, Terror of Hemasaurus is loads of fun that only gets better the more players you add. Unfortunately, it can also be just as repetitive over longer sessions. It’s a great bit of stress relief, and the story is interesting enough to be worth paying attention to. The sheer level of chaos when you really start going to town is certainly something to behold, and there are some aspects that make me giggle no matter how many times I see them. It’s a worthy successor that all fans of Rampage should check out.

Despite being one update behind the PC and console versions right now, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is absolutely essential. Playdigious did a fantastic job with this outstanding beat ’em up, and you owe it to yourself to play it if you have a Netflix subscription.

Melatonin from Half Asleep was only released a few weeks ago, and it is already one of my favorite rhythm games on Nintendo Switch. Just like Gal Metal a few years ago, Melatonin excels in its simplicity while being quite challenging. This coupled with the gorgeous visuals and excellent music makes Melatonin an easy recommendation for fans of Rhythm Heaven and those looking for a challenging new music-focused game.

Maximus 2 isn’t going to threaten the kings of the beat-em-up genre or anything, but if you enjoyed playing games like Castle Crashers, you’ll likely have a good time here. Leveling up all of the characters and unlocking their extra skins will take quite some time, so even if you’re playing solo there’s a lot to do here. Despite a few rough edges, it’s an excellent value for brawler fans on a budget.

If you dislike crate-pushing puzzlers, Pixel Boy isn’t going to change your mind. But if you enjoy that particular brand of brain teaser, Pixel Boy will give you what you crave. Sokoban clones are a dime a dozen on the Switch, but ones that add in extra elements in a manner similar to Chip’s Challenge are a rarer beast. Pixel Boy doesn’t have very appealing graphics. The UI feels cheap. Its soundscape is fairly barren. But it has a bunch of devilishly-designed mental knots to untangle, and that’s enough for me to recommend it.

I’d imagine Guntech 2 comes off a little better on other platforms where performance and visibility issues would be less of a problem, but even on Switch this is still a pretty good time. You’ve got a lot of elements to play around with, and the basic gameplay mechanics are snappy and enjoyable. It calls back to a particular time and place in gaming history in a very comfortable way, and those who enjoy more deliberately paced action games will get their fill here.

Chained Echoes really surprised me with its quality. I feel like I have a good sense of what to expect from these indie JRPG-style games that throw back to the 1990s, both their lows and highs. Chained Echoes blew past the upper end of those expectations, and is among the very best RPGs I played in 2022. If you like the genre at all, give it a shot. Between its fascinating world, enjoyable characters, unique and entertaining mechanics, and excellent presentation, this one is a winner from top to bottom.

Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a spiffy remake of a game that is very evocative of its time and place. As long as you keep that context in mind, you’ll likely have a really good time with it. The story has its ups and downs but the likeable protagonist and fantastic ending make it worth the weaker bits. This Switch port is quite good, and that makes it easier to enjoy the game portably, as was originally intended. A knock-down-the-door must-have this is not, but those who want to dig deeper into the world of Final Fantasy VII will find no better alternative.

The Tale of Clouds and Wind is a serviceable 16-bit beat-em-up, but not much more than that. Add in some emulation issues that result in control lag, and you’ve got something that can get the job done if needed but probably shouldn’t be relied on for such a task. Given the assortment of Capcom beat-em-ups available at a cheaper price on Switch, it’s hard to recommend this to any but those on the hunt for something less common to play from this era.

Mortal Shell makes a decent transition to the Switch, and if there are Dark Souls fans out there who only own a Switch, need something else in the same vein, and don’t mind dropping a decent chunk of change, this might scratch the itch. Outside of that particular scenario, things get shakier. It doesn’t drop the ball in any serious ways, but there are lots of little things that add up to a game that just doesn’t feel as good to play as the game it wants to evoke. Worth a shot for the Souls faithful, but others should probably stick to the real thing.

Panda Punch is one of those games where you can spend an evening picking your way through it and have a fun enough time doing so, only to find your brain has almost entirely deleted the experience from your memories by the next morning. For the meager price it’s asking, I suppose that’s acceptable. Nothing I’d recommend rushing out and buying, but you could do a lot worse with your time and money than picking this up and bashing around some crates.

River City Girls 2 is more River City Girls, with all the good and bad that implies. The expanded playable roster and some minor gameplay tweaks are appreciated, along with the ability to play with others online, but so much here is the same that you probably don’t even need to read a review to know if you’ll like it or not. Want another reason to stomp around River City with Misako and Kyoko? Here it is. Looking for the next great brawler after Shredder’s Revenge? You’ll have to keep waiting.

While I hope Inscryption gets touchscreen support in a future update, it has arrived as an excellent conversion on Nintendo’s hybrid system. If you skipped prior releases with the hope of enjoying Inscryption on the go, your wait has been worth it. I’m looking forward to grabbing the eventual physical release. If you enjoy unique takes on narratives, Inscryption is a game you do not want to miss. It also shines on the OLED display on Switch.

Paradigm Paradox is a shorter than expected visual novel given Otomate’s usual fare, but I enjoyed many aspects of the experience. Going against the norm is risky, and I applaud the developers for trying that here, but the pacing issues hold Paradigm Paradox back from being an easier recommendation. It isn’t the best otome visual novel I’ve read recently, but is worth checking out if the premise interests you. Just don’t expect the quality of Piofiore or Cafe Enchante here.

Two Point Campus: Space Academy is the best kind of DLC. It feels like a perfect extension of the base game, and delivers a lot of content for its asking price. It might be a bit challenging compared to the base game for some, but this is exactly what I wanted from the DLC for the game. If you enjoyed Two Point Campus, the Space Academy DLC is an essential. I just hope the stability of the Switch version can be improved in future updates.

As someone who played a ton of Need for Speed II SE back in the day and loved Need for Speed Underground, I’m glad to finally have experienced a modern game in the series that has been a joy to play. Even as the first current-generation only entry in the series, Need for Speed Unbound is a joy to play on Steam Deck. It might’ve released too close to the holidays for most, but if you enjoyed older Need for Speed games, you need to grab this one.

Can you have some fun with Adventure Academia? Sure. It’s not that there isn’t anything here to like. But it gels together so badly and is such a troublesome game to play that I really can’t recommend it. I’m happy to see Class of Heroes is still alive in some form, but I hope the next time it pops its head up we get something better than this.

Dragon Quest Treasures is an enjoyable action-RPG with an interesting treasure-hunting gimmick that is boosted by how it uses elements of the series. It’s perhaps a little on the easy side, and there are aspects of the game that feel thinner than I would prefer. Still, I think it’s a solid choice for fans of Dragon Quest or younger players who are dipping their toes into the action-RPG genre. It’s a bit of a trifle, but it’s a well-made one that sits well in the proverbial stomach.

In a lot of ways, Vampire Survivors: Legacy of the Moonspell reminds me of the Dead Cells paid DLC where each pack offers a ton of value, but a lot of the players are just happy to throw more support to the developers for more free and paid content. If you enjoyed Vampire Survivors, the Legacy of the Moonspell DLC is an essential. The new map is massively awesome, and I can’t wait for the superb new songs to be added to the soundtrack. If this is the direction poncle takes with future paid content, I’m ready to keep gifting friends the game and its DLC across platforms.

When you’re out zipping around on the water and flinging yourself about like an ocean-bound Spider-Man, the sheer glee is palpable. Indeed, the game could have been twice as long and I doubt I would have tired of that core gameplay. Alas, it finishes up fairly quickly. A grand time while it lasts, though.

If you enjoy beat-em-ups, particularly the ones from the late 00s/early 10s era like Scott Pilgrim or Castle Crashers, you’ll probably enjoy what Jitsu Squad has to offer. It’s a bit short on technique and I do wish the unlockable tag team mode was simply there from the start. Four players to go with the four characters would have been nice as well. But it gets a lot more right than it gets wrong, and its big, silly energy is hard to deny.

You can see the games that influenced Togges in its design in a lot of places, but as a whole work it is certainly its own thing. It has a lot of interesting ideas, and it gives the player a lot of agency in how they want to achieve their goals. It’s also very cute. That said, its hefty levels are probably too big for their own good, making for a very overwhelming experience that is probably going to turn some players off. You probably know yourself how you would feel about that kind of set-up, so if you think you’re fine with it, you’ll probably be won over by Togges‘ charms.

I can’t say that Samurai Maiden doesn’t do what it seems to have set out to do: have a cute schoolgirl and her cute ninja friends slice and dice weird creatures to save the world while also sharing smooches. It doesn’t drop the ball on its gameplay elements, but all of that is clearly in service to the cheeky premise. If you like the basic idea of the game, I think you’ll find it does what it needs to in order to avoid disappointing you. If the concept doesn’t grab you, there is nothing here that will change your mind.

Paper Cut Mansion has a good sense of style and I love the premise, but it just doesn’t work well as a roguelite-style game. It’s too obvious when the puzzles start repeating, and they quickly do, and the whole thing gets a little too rote before long. At the same time, the procedural generation keeps the design from being as tight as it could have been if it were hand-made. It’s a game that is very much at odds with itself, and that comes through clearly in the gameplay.

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.

Overall, Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song is a fantastic re-do of a game that had lots of room for improvement, and this mobile port is top-shelf. 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. There are certainly some awkward carry-overs from its PlayStation 2 origins, like the lack of a player-controlled camera, and that may chafe some. 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. I leave it up to you to make that final decision, but I know which side of the line I’m standing on. [Provisional Score = 80]

It feels surreal to see Vampire Survivors have such a great version on iOS and Android already. I kept thinking it might release on Nintendo Switch and eventually PlayStation following the Xbox and PC versions before coming to mobile. Not only is it worth downloading, but it is completely free. Hopefully the mobile version eventually catches up with the PC and Xbox versions so we get DLC and updates at the same time. Until then, I’m getting back to trying to reach where I am on Steam Deck on my iPhone from the start, and having an absolute blast with Vampire Survivors again.

If you’re after a more-relaxed and romantic slice-of-life story with some comedy sprinkled in, Lover Pretend is an otome game for you. This is definitely one of Aksys Games’ more interesting otome releases, and I hope there’s more to come from the cast and story in a potential fandisc or sequel. We need more slice-of-life and comedy in otome games.

Once the performance issues are addressed and some tweaks are made to the actual soccer during matches, Soccer Story will be an easy recommendation on Nintendo Switch. If you’d rather not wait, you are better off playing it on Steam Deck right now. Having tested it on Switch, Steam Deck, and Xbox Series X over the last few weeks, the Switch version definitely needs more optimization. Right now, I enjoy the open world and exploration aspects of the game a lot more than the actual soccer. There is a lot of potential here, but Soccer Story is a few updates away from being a great experience.

Once the camera and movement controls are improved, Wobbledogs Console Edition will be an easier recommendation. Right now, it does a lot right, but falters in some key areas. I’ve enjoyed booting it up as a break from other story-driven games, and hope to see it supported for the near future. Animal Uprising and Auroch Digital have done a good job with this conversion, but some touchscreen support would alleviate a lot of my issues with the camera and controls.

If you have access to an iPad, I’d definitely recommend subscribing to Apple Arcade for Football Manager 2023 Touch. It is excellent there and one of the best recent releases on the service. Having now tested Football Manager 2023 Touch across all available platforms, the Switch version is one I’d recommend if you want to play it on the go, but don’t have an iPad. I’m not a fan of the controls on the iPhone despite being glad that SEGA brought over this version to the smaller screen for the first time here.

While Swordship has a good premise and an attractive presentation, it’s ultimately a little too thin for the asking price. I think there’s something to the dodge, dip, dive, and dodge gameplay that is at the core of the experience, you’ll likely get your fill of it within an evening or two. Games of this sort really rely on variety to keep creating fun situations run after run, and Swordship falls a bit short in that regard. Cool only carries you so far in the end.

If you’re a hardcore Metroidvania fan who is hungry for something new and don’t mind a challenge, you’ll get what you need from Astronite. If you think it looks charming or something about its premise hits you right, you probably won’t regret the purchase. But I can’t really recommend Astronite with much vigor to the general player who is getting a little weary of this sort of affair.

If you enjoy monster catching or even just mechanically rich RPGs, it’s hard to find a game that delivers as much content at such a scale of quality as Siralim Ultimate. It’s a testament to this series that every time a new installment comes out, I end up sinking at least a couple hundred hours into it despite having done that with every previous one. Those looking for snappy dialogue or a novel story probably won’t get what they are after with Siralim Ultimate, but otherwise this is a must-have for RPG lovers.

You get about five or six hours of fun here, and while Intrepid Izzy may not keep pace visually I think it hangs well mechanically with similar games in the genre. It controls well, the suits add some fun gimmicks to play with, and the level designs are generally enjoyable to make your way through. The boss battles can be a little annoying, dragging on a little longer than needed, but combat is rather good overall. If you enjoy the Monster World or Shantae games, you might want to give this one a spin.

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.

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?

Like a donut, Donut Dodo is a small, sweet confection that you’ll likely chew through in a few bites. But the delicious taste will having you reaching back into the box for another, and you’ll likely come back for more here and there as you go about your other business. Given the highly reasonable price point, this arcade game-that-wasn’t is a more than fair pick-up for those pining for the quarter-munching days of the 80s.

If you like logic puzzles, you’ll probably have a good time with Railbound. It’s a very focused game, but it has enough twists to keep things fresh through its rather generous amount of stages. The striking comic-style art and the little sounds of everything clacking together when you get it right only add to the game’s considerable amount of personality. All in all, a rather lovely little game that is nice to sit down with and puzzle out when you’ve got a spare hour or two.

The Knight Witch is a very well-made game that takes two very different genres and binds them together with a fair bit of success. You really have to be into both Metroidvania-style games and bullet-hell shooters to get into this one, but if you can check off both of those boxes without much thought, then this is a slam-dunk pick-up. It’s not the lengthiest of games, but it’s certainly quite satisfying thanks to its solid gameplay and charming presentation.

Rogue Legacy 2 sometimes feels a bit too familiar, but it’s a better, more well-rounded game than its predecessor in a wide variety of ways. There are so many top-notch games of this sort on the Nintendo Switch already that you may not immediately be drawn to this game due to it lacking any flashy new feature, but those who give it a chance will find a degree of substance that even the first game was lacking.

Sid Meier once famously said that games are a series of interesting decisions. I think it’s that inherent push-and-pull that made The Oregon Trail a fascinating game then, and it continues to make it one here in its latest form. The game can certainly wear thin if you play too much of it, and the framework of its design sometimes betrays its fifty-year-old origins. But in the end this is a game about making hard choices without clearly correct answers. It’s as compelling as it ever was, and Gameloft has done a good job of updating the right parts of it to make it more palatable to modern tastes.

I really wish this game didn’t come in as hot as it did. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet represent an excellent new vision of what a Pokemon adventure can be, and it says a lot for how many good new ideas are in here that I still found the game incredibly enjoyable despite the severe technical problems. I understand schedules must be kept. Well, the schedule was kept. It’s too bad what it ended up costing, because something this absorbing shouldn’t come with so many provisos.

I really wish this game didn’t come in as hot as it did. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet represent an excellent new vision of what a Pokemon adventure can be, and it says a lot for how many good new ideas are in here that I still found the game incredibly enjoyable despite the severe technical problems. I understand schedules must be kept. Well, the schedule was kept. It’s too bad what it ended up costing, because something this absorbing shouldn’t come with so many provisos.

Right now, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator is a game I’d recommend on PC over Switch if you have that option. In its current state, it is a bit lacking on Switch. I’ve had fun with it over the last two weeks, but it does feel like this is more akin to an early access launch compared to the PC version. I’m surprised at how well it runs in some cases on Switch with good visuals, but it still needs some more work to be an easy recommendation.

RWBY: Arrowfell reminds me of a lot of WayForward’s other licensed games in that it’s amusing enough to play but not much more than that. It has a few interesting elements but nothing big enough to help the game stand out. It’s certainly better than the average licensed game, but it’s not up to the level of the developer’s best fare in this genre. RWBY fans should have a nice time, at least.

There are just over twenty levels, but you’ll fight tooth and nail to get through them. Boss battles are particularly punishing and memorable. Ultimately, this is a game I liked well enough but also find hard to recommend.

OlliOlli World remains one of my favorite games of 2022, and the OlliOlli World: Finding the Flowzone DLC is the perfect finale to it. I still remember being skeptical of OlliOlli World when it was originally announced, and I’m glad to have eaten crow multiple times on this release. OlliOlli World is superb, and while the first DLC isn’t as good, the team knocked it out of the park for OlliOlli World: Finding the Flowzone. Now we need to get a complete physical release with everything on cartridge.

If you enjoy relaxing puzzle games, A Little to the Left is definitely worth checking out. I hope some of the control issues can be addressed in future updates.

If you’re new to the world of Amnesia and just bought Amnesia: Memories on Switch or played it across its many ports and re-releases, this is an easy recommendation. It is more than worth the asking price and is one of the better otome releases from Idea Factory International. As far as fandiscs go, this took a while to release in the West, but the wait has been worth it.

If you already played Amnesia: Memories before, you can safely skip this release. The Switch version is worth grabbing on sale if you’re new to this world, and I know I will be getting it eventually to go alongside my physical edition of Amnesia: Later x Crowd to complete the set, but I wish this was priced appropriately given its age and price on other platforms. Newcomers to the series will find a lot to like here, but it is definitely overpriced right now.

I applaud the creative spirit behind Once Upon a Jester, and I had a decent time playing through it. I’d love to see these characters again, and I hope to see more from this developer in the future. The game thankfully reaches its conclusion before the novelty wears out completely, but some parts of it get a little repetitive even within that span of time. It’s an affable affair, and its quirky charms are worth experiencing even with a few shortcomings in tow.

I’ll be frank: if you don’t vibe with McPixel 3‘s extremely quirky sense of humor, you’ll have a miserable time with it. If you do? You’ll have a great time chasing down every last gag, good or bad. There were a couple of bits that didn’t work with me (one sequence was way too self-indulgent for my liking), but overall I found the game hard to put down until I had seen every last stupid thing it had to offer.

OPUS: Echo of Starsong is an essential for iOS owners. I already thought it was underpriced on consoles and PC given the quality of the game, but the iOS version is an even better deal with it costing less than half. This is Sigono’s best work and I can’t wait to see what the studio releases next. I just hope iOS and Switch owners will not be waiting too long for Sigono’s next game. OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a game you need to experience if you enjoy memorable stories, well written characters, and excellent music. Having done nearly three full playthroughs across platforms, I still can’t get over how good OPUS: Echo of Starsong is.

If you’ve not played Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales before, the PC version is an easy recommendation on Steam Deck. Miles Morales is a tighter and more focused take on the formula than the original game with better combat and a brilliant use of licensed music. The story is perfect to experience during the holiday season as well. It has been about two years since its PlayStation debut, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales has aged brilliantly. It is yet another ‘perfect on Steam Deck’ experience from Sony. 

Its stylish comic book-style visuals look great, the voice acting is top-notch, and you definitely get the feeling of being on a Jurassic Park adventure. What hurts the game is the overall lack of variety in the gameplay and how far it tries to spread what is here. The gameplay is just too simple. The cheap scares get a little old, and the cheap deaths get very old. Not a complete disaster, but ultimately only of interest to fans.

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.

I have my share of issues with NEOGEO Pocket Color Selection Vol.2. The untranslated games are a bummer. It’s extremely likely that if you’re interested in this, you’ve already bought some of the separately-released games. But as a whole, even counting out a few games for lack of translation or double-dipping, this is still a really strong set of games that show what the road less-traveled looked like on the handheld. The oddball nature of the line-up gives it a strong appeal for those looking for something a little different, warts and all.

What makes Lunistice work is just how spot on the controls are. The gameplay here is very tight, which makes the platforming fun no matter how tough it gets. The stages can get a little long for my liking, but I appreciate how thoughtfully they are designed. You can find some very clever shortcuts if you keep your eyes open and have the guts to try. It’s not the lengthiest of games, but it’s a lot more substantial than most lower-cost 3D platformers on the Switch. If you like the genre, pick it up.

With a running time of about fifteen to twenty minutes, Windosill is a bit of a tough sell despite how high-quality everything here is. It ends too abruptly, and my immediate reaction at finishing it was to wonder if that was really all there was to it? Unfortunately, it is. I don’t want to be too harsh on the game for that, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re considering 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.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a excellent refresh of one of the all-time classics of the genre. Those who have any love at all for the genre owe it to themselves to play it if they haven’t before, and even those who have tried another version in the past will find enough improvements and differences to make it worth wading in again. A fine treatment of a game that only seems to get better with age.

Total War: MEDIEVAL II was more than worth the asking price, but the value offered in Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms is amazing. Together, Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms and the base game are absolutely essential if you have any interest in the genre and have a recent iOS or iPadOS device. It is hard to imagine any newer Total War game DLC offering this much quality and value in DLC. With the Kingdoms expansion and the updates to the base game over the months, Total War: MEDIEVAL II with Kingdoms is absolutely essential.

Can a retro game compilation get by solely as an educational look into gaming history? Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration offers the most compelling evidence yet that yes, they can. The nice thing about this set is that it doesn’t have to get by on that alone. There is a nice mix of games here that is worth diving into. That being said, the outstanding walk through history is the most impressive and fascinating part of this endeavor, bringing new life into the games it talks about. An essential work for all fans of gaming history.

With so many great JRPGs on the Switch, it’s hard to recommend middling fare like this. I could understand if the price was more competitive, but as is I feel like you wouldn’t have to look too far or spend much more to find something more interesting on the eShop. That said, if you’re looking to try a KEMCO game or just want an RPG that isn’t going to make you think too much, there are worse things to buy.

Space Tail tells an emotional story, offers up some fairly enjoyable puzzles to solve, and makes good use of its unusual canine protagonist. The occasional frustrating puzzle or out-of-nowhere death hampers things a little, and the interesting communication mechanics unfortunately tend to come down to simple trial and error. There’s certainly something a person could really connect with here, but you’re going to have to put up with some irritations along the way.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is verified on Steam Deck by Valve, and it is absolutely worth your time if you’ve never played it before. If you have, I wouldn’t recommend it at full price. You’re better off waiting for a sale and a few patches (if you play on Windows).

If you’ve never played an Uncharted game before, both of these are excellent action adventure games with superlative set pieces. It is unfortunate that Sony didn’t release the first three games before this though, but you can play these directly. If you already played them on PS4 or PS5 and are wondering how they are on Steam Deck, I’d wait for a discount before buying them to play on the go. While they hold up well, there are too many caveats to this recommendation at full price if you already played these games before. If you haven’t the price is worth it assuming you’re ok with the storage requirements.

Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom makes some improvements on the first game and tells a reasonably engaging story involving everyone’s favorite robot cat from the future. It does what you would expect a Story of Seasons game to do, but it doesn’t do a whole lot more than that. We’ve already seen the trick of adding Doraemon and his wacky inventions to this kind of game, so it feels less fresh this time around. At the same time, it doesn’t significantly mess anything up either. While it’s lacking somewhat in inspiration, farming fans who need a reliable fix will find enough to enjoy here.

First Samurai and Second Samurai aren’t exactly the best games in the world, but they’re reasonably fun once you get the hang of how they work. QUByte’s package also isn’t exactly the best in the world, but it serves well enough here if you just want to play the games. I do like playing classic games I’ve never tried before, and more’s the better if they don’t suck. The Samurai Collection doesn’t suck.

If you’re looking for a cool action game and have both sharp reflexes and considerable patient, you’ll want to consider Sifu. It’s a lot of fun to learn, and while you will probably take your fair share of lumps, it’s all in service to getting your skills to the level they need to be to take you through the game. Once you’ve got everything down, it makes you feel like you’re Neo at the end of the good Matrix movie. Dodging and weaving around attacks that used to knock you out, and landing that vital counter-attack that sends your former tormentor flying, is the kind of feeling that hard games aim to deliver. And Sifu does indeed deliver.

If a lack of online leaderboards is a deal-breaker for you, Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo won’t be to your liking. Despite the high value I place on that feature, I found the game was able to present enough to dig into that I still got my kicks anyway. With so many unique mechas to play as, stages to challenge, mini-bosses and bosses to battle, and a bevy of unlockables, this is one shoot-em-up that just keeps on giving. If you don’t care about online score attacking, you’ll likely have an even better time with it than I did.

Shatter Remastered Deluxe is the brick-breaker to own. Like, if you’re only getting one, this is it. There’s nothing else out there in the genre that plays as well as this, and it keeps pace with the best of its peers in terms of presentation and sheer content. There are a few light technical issues here that I hope will be addressed in the future, but even if it stays as-is, it’s more than worth the reasonable asking price.

Ultimately, I’m left with mixed feelings about Bayonetta 3. Not seriously mixed. It’s still a great game, among the best in its category, and I’ve rated it accordingly. But there are choices made here, both in terms of the narrative and the overall design, that I think could have gone another way and made for an even better game. There’s also no question that the performance issues are disappointing in a genre where split-second timing is so crucial. Bayonetta 3 carries the ball for the series well enough, even if it ends up being the weakest of the trilogy.

The only thing holding me back from wholeheartedly recommending Ghost Song to everyone is the performance on Nintendo Switch. I had already finished Ghost Song on PC before I played it on Switch for this review, and it was a better experience there. I hope these performance issues can be addressed because Ghost Song definitely feels perfect for Nintendo Switch. Right now, the game itself is an easy recommendation, but the Nintendo Switch version needs a bit of work.

While the Switch performance isn’t perfect, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a ton of fun throughout my time with Prodeus on Nintendo Switch. I love being able to sync across Steam Deck, my laptop, and Nintendo Switch thanks to the in-game account, and having access to the complete experience with no compromises on the content side on Nintendo Switch makes this an essential for first-person shooter fans. Games like Prodeus and DUSK are absolutely gems that you owe it to yourself to play if you, like me, enjoyed Doom back in the day. Now I just need a vinyl soundtrack announced to go alongside the physical release coming.

If you haven’t gotten Vampire Survivors yet, it is easily one of the best PC-only games you can buy in 2022. Having played more than 50 hours of it over the last few months, it really feels like a steal at even its newly increased price point of $4.99. It has remained in the most-played games on Steam Deck for months now, and Valve should just pay to have it pre-installed on every Steam Deck at this point. It is that good. If you do end up getting it, don’t blame me if you spend hours on it daily like I did when I got addicted to it. The soundtrack is absolutely worth grabbing as well. I’ve not grown remotely tired of it after all these dozens of hours with the game.

Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the Garbage Pail Kids and never really got into gross-out humor in general. That means this game is really not aimed at me, and I fully recognize that. I think people who enjoy side-scrollers and the Garbage Pail Kids (or similar gross-out comedy) will have a decent time with this. Others will likely find this game to be rather mediocre, particularly with how abruptly it ends. It’s certainly worthy of the Garbage Pail, and assuredly doesn’t belong in a garbage pail, but I think it’s mainly one for the fans.

The biggest problem with Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits is that it all feels too thin. For all the different modes, it all mostly comes down to luck. You can tell this was derived from a game that is only one step removed from gambling. It puts on a decent performance of making you think you have a say in the outcome, but you really don’t. Perhaps as a lower-priced affair I could see this working better, but at the price point it’s targeting there just isn’t enough meat on the bones here in any sense. If you’re a big fan of the arcade version, you’ll likely be happy to have the game at home with all kinds of extras. I can’t imagine many others finding a lot to love here, however.

As a fandisc, Piofiore: Episodio 1926 is superlative. It goes above that and is more like a full sequel to the original game. While I can’t recommend this if you haven’t played the original, it is an easy recommendation if you did enjoy your time with Piofiore. I hope the few text issues can be addressed in potential future updates though.

I was really surprised at how good Sophstar turned out to be, especially given the reasonable price. It’s a very fun shooter that is easy to learn but with enough depth to please veterans, and includes enough modes, options, and extras to keep you playing for a long time. I wish the soundtrack had a little more kick to it and I suppose it doesn’t really do anything dramatically novel, but otherwise I am hard-pressed to find much fault in this game. A virtual must-have for shoot-em-up fans.

Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher sticks very close to the original Monster Rancher concept, perhaps too close. Adding in giant monsters and Ultraman appearances provides a bit of spice, but it would have been nice if there were more of an effect on the gameplay just to liven things up a bit for veterans. As is, it’s another Monster Rancher, albeit one with a little more charm than usual for fans of large rubber-suit creatures.

While I did enjoy a lot of Moonscars in the time I’ve put into it on Switch as of version 1.3.003 and the current PC build, it feels like an early access release that is close to hitting the finish line. There are a few things that need work like enemy HP, some areas looking too similar, and the unforgiving nature not pushing me to learn, but frustrating me in parts. In its current state, I’d recommend it assuming you’re ok with all of that and some performance issues on Nintendo Switch.

If you had told me that an indie horror game would be on my top 10 games of the year a few months ago, I’d have laughed because of how good 2022 has been for JRPGs but here we are. Signalis is a shockingly good horror game that I recommend to any fan of the genre. It has a superlative atmosphere, stunning art, and an excellent soundtrack.

Marvel Snap is an incredibly well-designed game. It’s perfectly suited to mobile thanks to how quickly the matches resolve, but the level of strategy is satisfyingly deep. The missions incentivize you to mix things up, and the steady stream of new cards ensures you’ll have plenty of options to choose from for such endeavors. The monetization is relatively low-pressure and the plateau point for free players is far enough down the road that it’s hard to call it unfair. I also love how well the cards represent the various heroes and villains in such simple terms, with the locations doing the same. The Snap mechanic is the brilliant cherry on top. A fantastic title, and one I can’t seem to leave alone.

Just like how things went with the arcade original, Gravitar: Recharged sometimes feels at odds with some of the baggage it has to carry. In this case, it’s the baggage of being part of the Recharged line, where players will probably be trained to expect quick, arcade-style action with a focus on beating mini-challenges and racking up high scores. Gravitar: Recharged isn’t really that kind of game, though it incorporates many of those elements. Instead this is something you hunker down with and try to pick your way through, one aggravating death after another. Not for everyone, but if you’re looking for something with arcade roots but home game teeth, it might be up your alley.

I think Switch owners have gotten used to dealing with performance issues. It regrettably comes with the territory, even when it doesn’t seem like it should be a problem. If you think you can push past some “worse than Metal Slug 2" slowdown, random bits of stuttering action, audio issues, and lengthy load times, Shootas, Blood & Teef is fun. You have a nice variety of weapons, the levels are fun to navigate, and the shooting is tense and satisfying. But if you have access to another platform, you may want to pursue it there instead. This Switch version just isn’t up to snuff.

Now that it has launched on all consoles with online crossplay support, there has never been a better time to check it out, and I’m shocked at how good it feels to play online on Nintendo Switch. With most fighters, you usually have great experiences on PlayStation and Xbox systems with Switch being a subpar experience. With Them’s Fightin’ Herds, the Switch version is a fantastic port of an excellent fighting game.

If you’re looking for a polished and good introduction to 4X games, The Battle of Polytopia is more than worth it. If you, like me, weren’t sure how The Battle of Polytopia would play with a controller, download the free demo to see how you find the UI. The developers have done a good job with the scaling across docked and handheld, and having full touchscreen support for handheld meant I had a much easier time moving to Switch.

While God Damn the Garden is affordable and isn’t completely without merit, I didn’t find it enjoyable at all to play. Irritating, perhaps. Frustrating, definitely. I know it has its fans, but I just can’t see any reality or circumstances where I would recommend buying or playing this over similarly affordable games on the eShop like DOOM or QUAKE. Yes, even if you’ve played those a million times before.

Should you play Persona 5 Royal? Yes, of course you should. Should you play it on Switch? If you’re looking for the handheld experience or only have a Switch, absolutely. It’s a stellar port. If you’re playing on your TV there are probably better options in terms of visual fidelity, but this is a great way to enjoy one of the shining stars of the JRPG genre regardless of how you go about it.

Aquarist is probably a really enjoyable game on PC. On Switch, its severe interface problems combined with a few technical issues makes it really difficult to just chill out and enjoy the simple pleasures of building the aquariums of your dreams and taking care of your fish. Nearly unreadable text, especially in handheld mode, combines with clumsy controls that were obviously designed for a mouse, and the result is very hard to recommend.

As a WarioWare-inspired affair, Atari Mania falls a little short of that series while still being good enough to be of interest to those enjoy quick-fire gaming. If we look at it as a celebration of Atari, it’s very well done. There are lots of little details in here for the true-blue fans, and the sense of humor hits the right spot as far as I’m concerned. The Switch version has some technical issues that mean you’re probably better off playing it elsewhere unless portable play is critical for you, but if the Switch is your only (or preferred) option, it’s playable enough to get into.