I’m a big fan of Yars: Recharged. The first time I fired it up, I ended up playing it for the rest of the evening. Admittedly, I love the original game too. But I think this game does a wonderful job of adapting the basic loop of that classic and bringing in enough modern elements and new ideas to justify itself as something of a sequel. I really like its unusual blend of frantic shooting and calculated puzzle-solving, and I would happily recommend it to Atari fans and newcomers alike.

All up, Kirby’s Dream Buffet feels more like an extra mode you would find in a mainline Kirby game than something that can stand on its own. It’s amusing enough in short bursts with other players, but you’ll likely have seen all that’s worth seeing in a single session. Even as a party game, the lack of support for more than two players on one system makes it a little tough to recommend. The core idea isn’t bad and it’s certainly a polished experience, but it ends up being just a light snack rather than a filling meal.

This may well be Digital Eclipse’s finest collection yet, and is a must-have for any fans of beat-em-ups, the Turtles, or general gaming history.

Dusk Diver 2 builds on the original in its scope, visuals, and music, but is held back by its dungeons, quests, and some aspects of the combat. The Nintendo Switch version especially feels far too sluggish compared to the original. If you enjoyed Dusk Diver and want more of the world, Dusk Diver 2 on Switch is something you can consider when it gets a price drop. I would really recommend checking it out elsewhere though in its current state.

The biggest strength of Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince is also its biggest failing, and it’s one that it fully shares with its predecessor. It is so busy being faithfully inspired by The Legend of Zelda that it can’t quite shake its shadow and become its own game. And the thing is, I’m not sure that it should. We don’t see many top-down Zelda games anymore, and most similar games either change too much or miss the mark in terms of quality. Maybe the best thing for Blossom Tales to be is that series that feeds an appetite that no one else is serving. If that is the case, then Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince is every bit the sequel it should have been.

The general course layouts may lose their shine after a while, but the core gameplay and fun tricks you can pull off with Ace Cards ensure that the moment-to-moment action rarely lets you down. As long as you’re fine with the heavy cost of failure, you’ll likely get hours upon hours of joy from this curse.

Were it not so buggy, I would be giving Cult of the Lamb some of my highest praise. It’s weird in a lot of interesting ways, fun to play, and has some sharp ideas. It can make you laugh, it can make you think, and it will sometimes force you to make tough choices. I’m not sure what the state of the game is on other platforms, but right here and right now this Switch version has everything from little problems to the biggest issue of them all, so despite the enjoyment I got from the game I can’t recommend it with much vigor until some serious patches have been delivered.

On the whole, Arcade Paradise is a fine game. If you like the premise, I suspect you will like the game a lot. It has a few flaws but nothing that really hurts the core appeal of the game, and I always find these sorts of “retro games that weren’t" affairs to be fascinating. It also does a great job of nailing its 1990s setting, with lots of little details that help pull you into its world. A unique, enjoyable sim that is very difficult to put down.

As an interactive series of episodes you can watch, I don’t regret the time I spent here, and will definitely grab the soundtrack when it releases, but We Are OFK could’ve been more. Hopefully the team does release something else based on these characters in the future.

If you enjoy unique adventure games and charming stories, RPG Time: The Legend of Wright is an easy recommendation on Switch. It feels great to play in handheld mode, and I can’t get over how good the animation work and aesthetic is throughout the adventure. It initially might seem confusing in the screenshots, but this is the real deal. The only downside for some will be the game length at under 10 hours long.

I had a pleasant enough time with Voyage in spite of a couple of issues popping up. It’s aiming more to be an experience than to test your skills with difficult puzzles, and as long as you are okay with that, I think you’ll enjoy the ride well enough. I’m not sure how long it will stick in my memory, but as ephemeral confections go this one is satisfying enough.

Fans of Shin-chan, Bokunatsu, Attack of the Friday Monsters, or those who just enjoy a bit of slow-life low-pressure adventure will likely appreciate Shin chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation. It could be a little fuller, and I don’t know how to feel about how it wraps up its story, but it’s unique, silly, and nostalgic in all the right ways.

Super Bullet Break has sound mechanics even if it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. As is usually the case with this kind of game, it all comes down to making the best combinations of moves from the bullets you draw. The presentation is certainly different from what we usually see in this type of game, and as long as you’re okay with a fair bit of fanservice, you’ll find the art and overall production values agreeable. The story is goofy but it’s mostly just filler between the battles, so its light approach is acceptable. Super Bullet Break is no Slay the Spire, but it’s fine.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the best game in the series yet, and despite a few issues like burying the player in tutorials and some story bits that could have been handled better, the game is a real treat for RPG fans. There’s more to do and more reasons to do it, and whether you’re coming off one or both of the previous games or jumping in fresh, you’ll find a suitably epic adventure waiting for you.

While the poor quality of the games was immediately evident when I started playing, it took even me a little bit of time to realize they were biting so hard off of pre-existing titles. But whoever you want to blame, at the end of it all this really isn’t a collection worth buying unless you have a bizarre fascination with the history of poorly-made copies.

Taking everything into account, I have a hard time recommending this over the mobile version. The online requirement is less of a bother there since you probably have some kind of internet connection available most of the time, the price is lower, and the game actually runs smoother. If a Switch is all you have and you don’t mind needing to be anchored to a wifi spot to play it, Hot Lap League has a lot of enjoyment to offer. But for this price, I feel like you can find other good racers on the eShop that will actually allow you to race on the go.

Bottom line, if you want the fullest possible package of Turrican games, pick up Turrican Anthology Vol. I and Vol. II. There are still a few games missing, but it’s as good as you can get right now. If you want to play the games with the most features and extras, the Anthology volumes are again your friend. But if you want the best bang for your buck, I think I’m still going to recommend Turrican Flashback. You get most of the games that matter and it costs less than a single Anthology volume. It’s also the only way to get all three of the main games in one set. I’m glad digital buyers have a chance to buy a more complete set by picking these two volumes up, but they’re a hard sell in terms of value when compared to Flashback.

Bottom line, if you want the fullest possible package of Turrican games, pick up Turrican Anthology Vol. I and Vol. II. There are still a few games missing, but it’s as good as you can get right now. If you want to play the games with the most features and extras, the Anthology volumes are again your friend. But if you want the best bang for your buck, I think I’m still going to recommend Turrican Flashback. You get most of the games that matter and it costs less than a single Anthology volume. It’s also the only way to get all three of the main games in one set. I’m glad digital buyers have a chance to buy a more complete set by picking these two volumes up, but they’re a hard sell in terms of value when compared to Flashback.

Despite the minor issues I have with the game’s iOS version, Hindsight is an essential if you enjoy emotional narratives. I love how it constantly has you interacting even with simple swipes as you experience great narration, music, and a memorable story. If you enjoy short stories, Hindsight is absolutely worth your time and one of my favorite stories in gaming this year. This is also my favorite game from Joel McDonald now, above Prune.

If you enjoy the time management/resource management of the aforementioned games, you’ll probably find a lot to like in Train Valley. The unavoidable control issues aren’t enough to bring down the experience too much, and once you get the hang of things you’ll be juggling trains like a professional. The charming presentation is distinctive and attractive, which certainly doesn’t hurt. Between the various maps and seasons of Classic Mode and the more relaxed (but still somewhat tense) nature of Sandbox Mode, there’s plenty to dig into here for puzzle fans. A solid port of a rather enjoyable game.

If you find yourself missing the good old days of action-based Castlevania games or are a big fan of Touhou Project, you’ll likely find some value in Koumajou Remilia. It’s not as exciting now as it was back in the day, and the novelty of paying homage to Symphony of the Night is a ship that has well and truly sailed in modern times. The fundamentals are sound enough, and the boss battles assuredly bring the heat that you may find lacking in the stages leading up to them. There are better 2D action games on the Switch at cheaper prices, but few will scratch the Castlevania itch in exactly the same way.

The scenarios vary in quality from one to the next, and your individual tastes are probably going to influence how well you like each one. But Live A Live as a whole really cannot be denied. It’s an amazing game that was clearly ahead of its time, because all it needed was a bit of a face lift to make it feel like something that came out in the present year. With how big Xenoblade Chronicles 3‘s shadow looms over us at this time, it might be easy to overlook Live A Live. That would be a mistake, friends. If you love RPGs, don’t miss this one.

On its best day, the arcade version of Avenging Spirit is a clever game that doesn’t quite click the pieces together to become a great one. No, it left that for its Game Boy port. Throw in some emulation errors and the lack of desirable features like online leaderboards, and this ends up being a very middle-of-the-road affair. I love the many options Ratalaika has given us access to here, but with the actual game itself running weirdly, there’s only so much praise I can give for getting some of the bells and whistles right. It’s okay enough for fans of the arcade game, but only just.

These no-frills rereleases of the games are highly enjoyable in a vacuum, but when measured up against similar games in the genre available on the Switch, they feel lacking. If you’ve checked off the big-pants games in the action-RPG looter genre on the system and you don’t mind the price, then and only then should you consider grabbing Dark Alliance II.

While Raging Blasters isn’t out there breaking any shoot-em-up molds, it pulls together a lot of much-loved ideas into a sensible, enjoyable whole. More casual players will appreciate the somewhat gentle nature of the default arcade mode, while those who enjoy a solid score attack game will certainly find plenty to keep them coming back. Another excellent piece of work from Terarin.

Ultimately, Redout 2 is a solid futuristic hovercraft racer. It’s fast, challenging, beautiful, and loaded with content. The Switch version dulls some of the visual shine and framerate issues can affect the gameplay, so you’re probably better off playing the game on other platforms unless the portability is a make-or-break feature for you. Given how infrequently we get games of this type that are even a little good, you may want to bite on it despite its technical issues.

Aside from the neo-retro presentation and moving some actions to separate buttons, River City Saga: Three Kingdoms delivers almost exactly what its concept suggests. It plays like one of the best beat-em-ups from thirty years ago, with all that implies. The farcical retelling of the Three Kingdoms provides a fun excuse for the action, and you’ll have a whole lot of goofy thrills if you opt to play it via the extensive co-op multiplayer options. I could do without the terrible platforming bits and I wish it had the courage to shake the formula up a little more, but those who love River City will find this scratches the itch well enough.

The Switch and PS5 versions of Bright Memory: Infinite ship with the cosmetic DLC included from the start, which definitely helps compared to the PC version that has them sold separately, but it is worth keeping in mind that you should expect about 2 hours for the campaign here and a story that isn’t really anything special. If that is ok with you, Bright Memory: Infinite is an impressive release for a one-man studio with its visuals and fun combat. It might be worth waiting on a discount, but if you’ve wanted something to satiate your desire for a new short FPS on Switch, Bright Memory: Infinite will give you that.