I’ve long since come around on the idea that the games in a collection must be great for it to be worthwhile, but in situations like Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection there just isn’t enough here to explain to players why these games are worth having out there again. I mean, yes. There is value in simply getting old licensed games out again in any form. But if you go to all the trouble of doing that, I’d love to see the extra mile gone to explain the context and history of these games. The changes and minor emulation hiccups are understandable and easily forgiven, but these games would benefit greatly from something better than the no-frills, brown paper bag approach we’ve got here.

If you own a Switch or Steam Deck and never played Salt and Sacrifice before, your wait has been worth it. If you enjoy Metroidvanias, Soulslikes, and have wanted a blend of Monster Hunter in games like that, this is an easy recommendation. While I think Inti Creates’ Dragon Marked for Death is better in its current state, I welcome more games trying to blend in Monster Hunter with their own flavor. After a few updates, Salt and Sacrifice will be essential. Now it is excellent with some caveats.

Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is the perfect game to unwind with thanks to its amazing writing, charm, and great soundtrack. It isn’t too long though so keep that in mind. It absolutely is worth the asking price on Switch, and I hope it does eventually either get touch support or an iPad version. It was released in a very busy period, but I feel like Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is exactly what I needed with so many long games taking up my time.

Spirittea is a great game with the potential to be one of my favorites in the genre, but it needs some updates and fixes on Switch. I still recommend it, and enjoyed the mini-games, characters, and gameplay loop a lot. The aesthetic might not work for some, but I like it a lot and recommend trying the demo if you are interested. I’ll be grabbing the physical copy for this for sure whenever it gets announced.

It’s hard to find much to object to in Gubbins, really. It doesn’t do anything dramatically different from other word games on a fundamental level, so if you don’t like that kind of thing I guess you won’t enjoy this? Otherwise, this is smooth sailing all the way. It has tons of charm thanks to its lively presentation, the extra twists give the gameplay a flavor of its own, and you can try it out for free, buy extra bits like more Gubbins a la carte, or pay one reasonable fee to get everything. I’ll happily take this game and all the gubbins and Gubbins that come with it.

I’m glad SNK finally brought The King of Fighters XIII to modern platforms with netcode that makes it worth playing online. Despite the few UI issues, The King of Fighters XIII Global Match is an easy recommendation on Switch as long as you don’t try playing it with the pitiful d-pad on the Joy-Cons. Hopefully this is the start of the modern SNK re-releases finally hitting Switch as well.

PowerWash Simulator’s Back to the Future Special Pack feels like a missed opportunity. It isn’t bad by any means, but just should’ve done more with the Back to the Future property. While the SpongeBob DLC felt a bit overpriced, it did enough to justify a full price purchase. The PowerWash Simulator Back to the Future Special Pack feels less worth the asking price comparatively even as a huge fan of both PowerWash Simulator and Back to the Future. If you, like me, love the game, paying $8 for more levels isn’t hard to justify, but this is definitely the weakest DLC pack overall for the game.

Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue is a great introduction to the Metroidvania genre for newcomers, but I was hoping for more given the developers’ pedigree. It is possible we see tweaks and updates bring more to the table, but right now Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue is a mechanically solid good Metroidvania, but not a great one as I had hoped for. If you are a Love Live fan, you likely will have an even better time with it. If you aren’t, this is a great and accessible game that might make you a Love Live fan. I just hope Inti Creates does more for this game in updates.

9 Years of Shadows is a well-made Metroidvania that gets most things right. The presentation is excellent, the map design is solid, the boss battles are exciting, and the setting and story are intriguing. It doesn’t have any particularly new ideas, but it executes on the familiar ones well. It’s just unfortunate that technical issues and bugs drag down the overall experience on Switch. Make sure to check this game out somewhere, but this Switch version should probably be your last choice for doing so.

KarmaZoo is an odd platformer that isn’t going to work for everyone, but I think those who both have the right context and are less concerned about the goal and more with the journey will find a lot to like here.

I think Super Mario RPG is a really good remake of a classic game. It makes a lot of improvements while staying true to the core of the original, and that’s all you can really hope for from something like this. Just keep in mind that its faithfulness extends to the game’s length, with the whole thing taking around fifteen to twenty hours to bring to a close. For some that will be a negative, and others a positive. At least for my part, I really appreciate a quick-paced RPG that feels like all killer and no filler. Something I can actually replay without setting aside a ton of time. If that sounds appealing to you too, then you’ll want to add this to your library.

If you like strategic puzzle games that require tight planning and careful use of a limited set of options, you’ll get a lot of out of Howl. It squanders its decent story set-up, but if you come for the gameplay you won’t likely be disappointed. The intriguing presentation pulls you in, tickling your imagination while you learn the ropes and get to the real meat of the game.

I think if you’re planning on playing locally with friends, you’re better off buying the real thing. There’s just enough friction here that it’s not as good of an experience. If you think you’ll want to play alone or online a lot, then this is obviously the better choice. I can see a lot of room for improvement here in terms of options and making everything more approachable (why no touch controls?), but all in all this is a fair bit better than the option we had before on Switch.

Bem Feito is certainly interesting, and trying to puzzle out what to do next can be satisfying outside of a couple of annoying bits. I’m not sure how vigorously I would recommend it, though. Its best tricks are ones we’ve seen enough in other games to curb the novelty. I think it’s worth playing once, but only if you’re in the mood for something quirky that isn’t as surprising as it seems to want to be.

Roller Coaster Tycoon Adventures is a game I want to enjoy, and I felt like this Deluxe release had the opportunity to iron out the issues of the original release and deliver on that potential. Sadly, the problems that were present in the 2018 release of Roller Coaster Tycoon Adventures persist in Roller Coaster Tycoon Adventures Deluxe. It’s plagued with bugs, technical issues, and some plain odd UI decisions. You get more of almost everything, but what the game really needed is nowhere to be found. There’s little reason to bother with this broken-down attraction when much better rides can be found a short walk away.

In its current state, Railgrade is an easy recommendation if you enjoy trains and logistical puzzles. Just don’t come into this expecting a simulation-focused experience. I never played Railgrade before the Steam version so can’t comment on what changed or improved, but I see myself dipping into the game regularly over the coming months as a nice relaxing experience. The shorter mission structure also perfectly suits the pick up and play nature of the Steam Deck.

Forgive Me Father 2 even in its early access state right now, is gorgeous and fun to play. Just keep in mind that this is still early access and there isn’t a full game here. If that’s ok with you, jump in. Forgive Me Father 2 looks gorgeous, sounds amazing, and feels brilliant to play. It also fixed whatever I disliked in the first game. This is definitely shaping up to be special, but needs more time. I’ll be covering it more as it gets closer to its full release.

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.

Persona 5 Tactica ended up surprising me in a good way. I initially thought it would be a throwaway story like Persona Dancing or Arena games, but it is so much more. While it doesn’t reach the highs of Persona 5 Strikers even for music, Persona 5 Tactica is an excellent addition to any Persona 5 fan’s library. Just don’t bother getting it if you haven’t played that yet. I can’t wait to check out the DLC in the near future.

Berzerk: Recharged is an interesting twin-stick shooter that might not feel much like the Stern classic, but has a lot of appeal of its own. Unfortunately, given the bizarre lengthy lock-ups that happen randomly during gameplay, I can’t really give it a very strong recommendation. I also think it missed a trick by not trying to be more faithful to the source material, but it’s the buggy nature of the game that really drags it down.

If your love for NEC and Hudson’s plucky platform burns equally bright, you’ll probably get a kick out of FX Unit Yuki. Sure, the dialogue is terrible, the level layouts are bland, the controls are often awkward, and the shooting levels are genuinely bad, but it’s still kind of worth the trip to see all the parodies and homages. On the other hand, if you don’t have any warm fuzzies for that system and its library, I’m not sure it’s worth putting up with FX Unit Yuki‘s more annoying aspects. The presentation is nice, but everything else falls just short of the bar.

World of Horror would’ve been an easy 5/5 if it had touchscreen support on Switch or had better controller support on the platform. Barring that, I have no hesitation in calling this a must-play horror game if you enjoy the genre and are up to try something interesting. Right now, World of Horror is amazing, but I really wish it controlled better.

If you own an iOS or iPadOS device, I’d only recommend Football Manager 2024 Mobile if you do not have or will not subscribe to Apple Arcade. It is more streamlined and a great intro to Football Manager 2024, but isn’t representative of the full game like the other versions are. I hope Football Manager Mobile gets closer to Touch next year, or that we eventually get to a point where the same game is scaled differently across platforms. Football Manager 2024 Mobile is only worth your time if you already have a Netflix subscription. If you don’t, focus on playing the other versions of the game.

Risk of Rain Returns does enough to feel fresh, but manages to nail what I loved about the original with my rose tinted memories of it from back in the day. On Switch, performance isn’t perfect during the late-game, but everything else is perfect, and I’ve had a ton of fun playing it online and offline on both Switch and Steam Deck. This is how a classic indie game should be revived for modern platforms.

Star Ocean The Second Story R is incredible. As someone new to this specific game in the series, it is equal parts stunning and mechanically stimulating with a superb soundtrack. I hope Square Enix gives more classics this treatment, because Star Ocean The Second Story R ended up delivering in every aspect. I have no qualms recommending this to any fan of RPGs, and you absolutely should play the demo.

In the end, WarioWare: Move It! is a decent follow-up to Smooth Moves on the Wii, but it really doesn’t add up to much more than that. A little too complicated for casual play with those who don’t have a lot of familiarity with games, and a little too inaccurate and light on things to do for more experienced players. With the right mix of players you can have a lot of fun here for a few hours, but I find myself unable to recommend it with much vigor.

I think Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 could have been better than it is, particularly with regards to performance and game options. Still, when I take what is in front of me for what it is, it’s an easy title to recommend. You get a bunch of absolutely top-tier games to play and some really cool extra materials to dig through. Sure, there isn’t much new here for people who have played these games before. But for those craving Metal Gear on the go, or those who somehow haven’t dug into these titles in the past, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a fantastic value.

In its current state, I absolutely recommend getting Resident Evil Village on iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max if you have a controller like the Backbone One USB-C edition or use an external bluetooth controller. The touchscreen interface even with its customization options is not good. Capcom has done a fantastic job so far in bringing this AAA survival horror experience to Apple platforms, and I hope we see more RE Engine games make their way in the future after Resident Evil 4 Remake releases. Resident Evil Village is a free download with an in app purchase to unlock the full game, so I definitely recommend downloading it if you have a supported device to see how good the conversion is.