If like me you have nostalgia for these games, you’ll be quite happy with the Top Racer Collection. Fans of Horizon Chase who want to see where it draws much of its inspiration from might want to check this out, too. They’re very much of their era, but they were among the best of that era. It’s great to have them all in one place and in fine form.

While there are some small technical issues here that are atypical for a Nightdive release, it’s nothing that should keep you from digging into this excellent remaster of Star Wars: Dark Forces. The old-school charms of the game are given just enough of a boost to make it a blast to play even in the current year, even if some aspects like the save system are perhaps a bit too old-school. Overall, another fine effort from Nightdive and yet another solid Star Wars release on the Switch.

Tamarak Trail has a solid presentation, and the mechanics are sturdy enough to hold your interest for a few hours. The UI is a little fussy, but the bigger issue here is that the combat-heavy nature of the game and the way the battles play out mean you’ll probably fall back on a few reliable tactics. Some games in this genre can be replayed nearly endlessly, but Tamarak Trail petered out after a few runs for me. I think if you’re really fond of the deckbuilding roguelite genre, you’ll have enough fun with what this game offers despite there being many better choices for this sort of affair.

I certainly didn’t have a bad time going through A Void Hope. It has a lot of things going for it, from the slick presentation to the strong atmosphere to the decent puzzles. At the same time, the toothless challenge, sometimes-clumsy platforming set-ups, and less-than-satisfying story progression and resolution manage to hold back the game from being as great as it could be. I think it’s worth playing if you like the look of it, but I can’t see many people revisiting it after the initial four or five hour playthrough.

The game genuinely does a good job of following up on the original, and given the circumstances I think that’s actually quite amazing. If you have happy memories of Ufouria or are just looking to get into the series fresh, I think you’ll have a nice time with this one.

As I dug deeper into my Unicorn Overlord playthroughs across Switch and PS5, it hit me that Vanillaware is like the Australian band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard who keep exploring different genres with each new album and maintaining the quality. It might be too soon to say if Unicorn Overlord is my favorite strategy RPG, but I can confidently say that it and Balatro are the best Nintendo Switch games of 2024 so far.

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.

What surprised me the most about Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is how it managed to perfectly blend its varied cast, gorgeous visuals, amazing audio almost throughout its four hours or so runtime. Despite not having any prior attachment to these characters, parts of it made me feel nostalgic. Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley isn’t going to be for everyone, but I enjoyed the relaxed exploration and simple puzzles here. Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley has been a good relaxing experience to play as a break from the more-involved RPGs recently.

Aside from a few issues, I have no complaints with Penny’s Big Breakaway. It is a joy from start to finish with its sublime gameplay, superlative soundtrack, and gorgeous visuals. Playing it on Steam Deck OLED at 90fps made me not want to bother with the other versions at all. Not only is it a great fit for portable play, but having an uncompromised version with no technical issues elevated Penny’s Big Breakaway further. I can’t wait to replay it regularly throughout the year. This is my favorite 3D platformer since Super Mario Odyssey and I hope the soundtrack gets a vinyl release in the future.

In its current state, Warframe is an impressive port of an excellent game. While I was hoping it was better in some aspects, Warframe is worth trying out on iOS for sure. It remains one of the best examples of free to play done right, and the complete game with no major compromises is now playable on iOS with cross play and cross save support. I can’t wait to see how Digital Extremes enhances the mobile version through the year leading into the Android version.

So is Tenement decent? Yes, I think I can say that. There’s certainly a bit of fun to be had here, but battling bots gets tiresome after a while. The missions do their best to keep you engaged and I can enjoy a nice unlock-fest as much as the next person, but what the game is truly crying out for is online multiplayer. I think a lot of effort went into making what’s here as good as it can be, but it feels like it’s in service to a core experience that runs out of gas before it runs out of content.

The elevator pitch for Mediterranea Inferno would be an arthouse film told in the style of a Suda51 game. If that sounds appealing to you alongside the premise, you will not be disappointed. The way Mediterranea Inferno blends horror, humor, desire, and other topics in a way that engrosses you from start to finish is commendable. It also is a perfect fit for the Switch’s OLED screen. I just hope it gets touchscreen support in a future update.

Sympathy Kiss probably won’t knock anyone’s socks off, but sometimes it’s nice to get a game that colors inside the lines with a fair amount of skill. The office setting and highly grounded plotline work as a useful anchor for the often unusual characters you’ll be meeting, and with a total of eight routes to play through there is bound to be a favorite dude here for anyone’s tastes. Its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness; it’s a very ordinary visual novel in just about every regard. Come in with those expectations, and you’ll find this a decent enough treat.

Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story could’ve been a much better experience had it seen a bit more polish and tweaking in some of its mechanics and structure. There’s a lovely base here to build on, but there are a few too many things holding it back from being an easy recommendation, and the technical issues on Switch don’t help. It is however a good pick up and play experience and is approachable even by complete newcomers to the universe.

I always thought Cricket Through the Ages was a great short experience that was a lovely addition to Apple Arcade. As a standalone paid game though, it is a bit harder to recommend unless you’re buying it to play as a hilarious party game with friends. Thankfully the low asking price makes it an easier pill to swallow, and the Switch port is very good. I do hope the developers add more to it though in potential updates.

It turns out Pentiment, just like good cheese (ask Josh Sawyer about this) and wine, only gets better with age. Not only do I think it is a magnificent experience from start to finish like it was back on Steam Deck, but it has found a new home on Nintendo Switch delivering the full experience with gorgeous visuals on the OLED screen. If you skipped it before, now is the time to rectify your error and play one of the greats. Hopefully Obsidian can add touchscreen support in an update because that’s literally the only thing I’d like to see added in this port.

If you have access to a Steam Deck, especially an OLED model, Goat Simulator 3 is an easy recommendation. With how good it is here, I don’t need the Xbox or mobile versions anymore, and will be dipping into the game often to play on Steam Deck. Goat Simulator 3 on Steam Deck is not only my favorite portable version, but my favorite version of the game in general. It has a few issues like prior entries in the series, but is still worth your time regardless of if you are a fan of the series or a newcomer.

I ended up enjoying Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League a lot more than I expected, but it definitely has issues relating to variety and in some technical aspects. I also wish it ran better on Steam Deck. If you enjoyed the likes of Crackdown 3 and Sunset Overdrive, you will find things to like here, but it still is a hard sell at its current asking price. Hopefully the team continues to improve it through updates.

As someone whose only experience with Warhammer 40,000 is through games, I still adored the writing, combat, and music in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. It has also been a joy to play on Steam Deck especially with the newest major update. If you skipped out on it at launch to wait for a few updates, I can safely recommend Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader right now. I hope it does well enough to get a nice physical release in the future.

Barring the Midgar Pack, PowerWash Simulator – Warhammer 40,000 Special Pack is easily my favorite DLC for the game so far. Even as someone who has only experienced Warhammer 40,000 through games, this pack was more than worth it. In some ways, this pack felt like the opposite of painting a small Warhammer 40k model or miniature, and I find that very funny. I hope we see more DLC packs of this quality going forward from FuturLab because it is that good.

If you enjoy solving nonograms/Picross puzzles and you have any love for Story of Seasons, this is a no-brainer purchase. It perfectly incorporates the franchise whose name it bears into the very solid Piczle Cross framework. I think it also works as a nice gateway to those who haven’t gotten into nonograms before, and its theme isn’t so overbearing as to turn away those who have no strong feelings one way or the other for Story of Seasons. Probably my favorite game of this sort since Jupiter got SEGA’s chocolate in its Picross peanut butter.

It was always up in the air as to whether or not Spike Chunsoft could get back in the Shiren groove after so long without a new entry, but Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island shows that the developer still understands the beating heart of this long-running franchise. It’s a game that embraces where it comes from, and while that means it might still turn some players off, I think the best thing Shiren can be in this modern rogue-wild world is true to itself. A fantastic game, and I hope this is the start of a whole new chapter for Shiren.

If you want a good 2D action game in the vein of classic Castlevania, Lords of Exile will likely scratch that itch for you nicely. It plays well, offers a solid yet reasonable level of difficulty, and has some cool boss fights. The presentation is also pleasing, particularly the soundtrack. With all that said, this path is starting too feel a little too well-trodden, and Lords of Exile is in sore need of some kind of spice. A fully competent ode to the classics, but one that never quite escapes that definition.

While it isn’t without its faults, Promenade is a game that generally impressed me. As obvious as the idea of doing a 2D take on a 3D collectathon is, doing so successfully is another matter entirely. That this game has managed it without stumbling too much speaks to its quality. It’s one of those cases where if you think the idea sounds good to you, you’ll probably enjoy the results.

I had a real blast playing through qomp2. It puts a very clever spin on the usual precision platformer concept, and executes it almost flawlessly. It can be immensely frustrating, and there are a few gimmicks I didn’t enjoy that much, but overall I think this is an excellent game. I like how it makes use of a certain Atari-ness without fully leaning into it, allowing it to be its own thing while still feeling like an Atari game. This is a game I would highly recommend to those who enjoy a strong challenge, and it’s the kind of thing I’d like to see more of from Atari’s original titles.

My only complaint with Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass Wave 2 – Side Order is that it could’ve used a bit more variety for a mode that requires you to replay it so much to get the most out of it. While it may not hit the set-piece highs as past game expansions, this is exactly what I want to see from Splatoon as a series, and I hope it is included in the next game as an optional mode. The team nailed everything here, and if it ever does get more added through free updates, it will be perfect.

Ys is a great game, and this EGGCONSOLE release allows Western players their first chance to see just how much it immediately got right. The lack of in-game English dialogue means the fun will be limited to those who can read Japanese, know the game already like the back of their hand, or don’t mind using a guide to carry them through the game. If you’re okay with that, this is a rather enjoyable trip to the past. Otherwise, it might be best to get your Ys on via other means.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is as charming as it ever was, and the various additions and improvements to this remake certainly make it a definitive experience for those coming to the game for the first time. Those who got their fill of the original might find there isn’t enough new here to justify the purchase. For my part, I’m happy to see this game come back, but I can’t help but wonder if I wouldn’t have been just as satisfied with the oringal game being added to Nintendo Switch Online instead. Perhaps a new installment is in order?