Shin Megami Tensei V is more of what SMT fans would want, now with open-ish worlds and platforming. The Press Turn mechanic is still enjoyable and keeps the game interesting as you try to best or befriend every demon that comes your way. Newcomers might find the brutal difficulty off-putting, with too much grinding for too little story. I have no doubts it will be a beloved Shin Megami Tensei game for the already converted. I’ve always enjoyed the series but hope it can become even more accessible to a broader audience and still keep everything that makes it what it is. But we might be waiting for the next game for that to happen.

MushihimeSama might've been around for a while now, but it's still as enjoyable, providing a nice change of pace from flying all those old aeroplanes around. Despite looking like there's too much going on at once. Even an average shmup player like myself can feel like a master bullet dodger. If you're looking for a Cave shmup with all the modes included, then MushihimeSama is a worthwhile purchase.

Timespinner is an enjoyable game that stands alongside other good Metroidvanias, but not above them. It has an interesting story that somehow feels both epic and somewhat contained at the same time, but is full of background lore that is challenging to make sense of in its own right. Its visual style looks great, and in some moments really stands out, and features a wide cast of enemies to fight along the way, including some challenging boss battles. In the end, Lunar Ray Games delivers a solid experience - but not an exceptional one.

Alien: Isolation is a good Alien game. While it overstays its welcome, Creative Assembly really did their best to ground a tense survival game in the Alien universe. Honestly, for all the games flaws, it manages to capture the essence of the movies better than the sequels and prequels have managed past Aliens. Feral has done an outstanding job bringing Isolation onto the Switch and have it run without issues while still looking great. For fans of the Alien franchise, you’re not going to get any better than this It’s not perfect, but neither are the movies. If you want the crap scared out of you over an extended period of time, check out Alien: Isolation.

Reanimal allows Tarsier Studio to spread their wings from their previous titles, while still keeping a lot of their signature style. If you can’t get enough of kids surviving tense, atmospheric, and unsettling horrors, then Reanimal has you covered. It might not reinvent the genre, but it takes steps forward. The main thing is that Tarsier still knows how to make a creepy, dark, and gross, yet exciting game.

Limbo runs perfectly fine on the Switch and still looks great, even in handheld. It is even already very reasonably priced. If you’ve somehow missed this notable indie title now is a great time to see what you’ve been missing. At the very least it would hopefully encourage you to buy Inside afterward.

Despite its many issues, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 stands out with a deep combat system, compelling storyline, and an endearing cast of characters. Just try not to get overwhelmed and give up in those first hours.

There’s no better time to get back into Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It’s hot outside, everything is too expensive, and the real reason to return right now is the free 3.0.0 update, which adds genuinely excellent quality-of-life improvements and new content to the game (for free). If you’ve got a 4K TV, play with a lot of people, and care deeply about getting your home designs just right, then the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade will serve you well. But for most people, you might be able to just skip it.

Pine Hearts explores the concept of loss with respect, dignity and with a kind touch. I especially enjoyed talking to the people of Pine Hearts, as well as the colourful world to explore. The respect given to those with impairments is also to be commended. However, the lack of puzzles and the repetitive fetch quest nature of the game does pull back on its potential. I think the team at Hyper Luminal Games have a special talent for broaching difficult topics, and I look forward to what they will bring us in the future.

If you’re a sucker for side-scrolling shooters with a penchant for a difficulty level that fluctuates between clever and fun to sadistically relying on twitch control and memorisation, Rive: Ultimate Edition might be a game to keep you busy for the 6-8 hours it provides.

Please play Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions if you never had the chance to play the original. Despite some questionable adjustments, having the opportunity to re-experience this game was an absolute pleasure and has only reminded me of why I love it so much. The characters and writing are as charming as ever, and the memories I had exploring the quirky BeanBean Kingdom are ones I’ll never forget. I only wish I could say the same for the Bowser’s Minions side of the package.

It’s an intriguing story, and one I feel is worthwhile experiencing so long as you’re not put off by a lack of moment to moment game-like elements. It’s just a shame that Oxenfree’s design genius is at odds with its pacing.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore is a deeply fascinating game. On the one hand, it's mechanically one of the best RPGs I've ever played. On the other, its inability to appropriately handle serious issues, complete lack of character growth, and often downright creepy characterisation makes it a difficult game to recommend to anybody. It's a divisive game, but it's been given a second life on the Switch nonetheless. Whether or not that's a good thing is still up for debate.

It’s all a fascinating idea, with a rich world for you to explore. It’s the closest thing to a true hybrid of a book and a video game, with plenty of reliance on your own imagination mixed with excitement and control. I’d highly recommend it if you’re after a deep game to take your time with and soak in, and if you’re used to really bad dice rolls.

Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is about as definitive as you can get when it comes to arcade perfect ports of Street Fighter II, Alpha and III. Die-hard fans of the series will appreciate the dedication to a perfect emulation of the arcade experience, but this is ironically the package’s biggest downfall. Some glaring omissions aside, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection represents the best way to play the majority of the classic Street Fighter canon competitively and that’s got to be worth something.

It’s great to see developers like Image & Form Games doing different things with their always-interesting SteamWorld franchise. Both the Dig and Heist games worked very well for their genres, and SteamWorld Quest works for card games. There is a decent card game here and the fantasy setting is charming, but it is a shame when not all of the game is as fun to experience. At the end of the day it’s still a solidly-made game and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of their neat robot designs.

As a puzzle game, Catherine: Full Body is nothing short of excellent, providing a challenging, stimulating experience that is sure to get the synapses firing. As a story, it falls short, offering a dated, tired, and often gross outlook on the world, that fails to invest in the growth of its characters. For many, the former will easily outweigh the latter, but for some, its poor characterisation of women and minorities will be a step too far to really enjoy.

Bayonetta Origins initially feels like a twisted fairytale (faerie tale?) from Cerezas childhood. By the end, it also feels like a companion piece to Bayonetta 3. Origins changes up the familiar Bayonetta hack-and-slash with an action adventure in a similar vein to the Legend of Zelda series whilst still keeping the spirit of its predecessors. While I have my issues with the game, Cereza and Cheshire’s adventure is endearing and it is fun to see how they grow closer in a world where Witches don’t make friends with Demons.

While Torna’s story unfortunately turned out to be a huge let down, the gameplay does more than enough to pick up the pieces. Ultimately, exploring the world of Alrest is still a delight, and any excuse to re-enter this gorgeous universe is one worth taking.

While The Stick of Truth was an okay RPG with incredibly strong South Park glue to bind it together, this sequel is the opposite: a competent and at times engaging game with the left-over bits from the tube.

It's a tad dumb but it's old-school dumb fun. Jump in with a friend or three and relive the glory days of zombie shooters in a simpler time when battles weren't 'royale' and zombies were hotter than Jessica Alba.

It's impressive achievement to be playing this on the Switch, the cut downs to get it on there are visible, but the core gameplay loop remains fun even if you're looking through vaseline to get there.

It's missing some features that would make it a true compendium of Mega Man X, but it's still a great way to play the series today.

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is a hard game to recommend. Series veterans and anyone who skipped Generations on the 3DS will find a lot to enjoy, but newcomers to the series, especially those who played World, will struggle to get past the clunky controls and inaccessible design choices. There's a good game here, it's just obscured at times by its 3DS origins, and more often than not feels like a huge step backwards.

Although some of the action and interactive elements of The Walking Dead: The Final Season retain the clunkiness of prior games, the satisfying way in which Clementine’s story wraps up makes jumping into the Telltale-Skybound tandem effort worth it.

Persona 3 Reload is a visually impressive remake that honours the original in many ways and enhances it in presentation. The graphics and animation are among the best the series has delivered so far, giving new life to a classic. However, if you’re someone who values brisk pacing, rapid story progression, or immediate action, you may find yourself frustrated with how slowly things progress early on. The payoff was worth it for me as an enjoyer of the series and the genre, and I had a great time playing Persona 3 for the first time. I definitely recommend it to fans of Persona 5 who may not have played earlier entries in the series.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's about time is an excellent follow up for those who loved the first three games. A lot of time has passed since then, and Crash 4 feels like a strange relic from the past. It's as if Crash was found frozen, thawed out by Toys for Bob and taught how to be a modern game just like Encino Man. For nostalgic fans, this will be exactly what you were waiting for, potentially at the expense of newcomers.

Armello’s Switch port is a good game hiding behind some user interface and minor performance issues – all things that can be patched in the future. If you don’t mind a digital board game not made for local multiplayer, Armello’s beautiful tabletop experience is worth checking out.

Pac-Man CE2+ is Pac-Man high off his own fame - producing follow-up sequels that continually depart further from what made him popular in the first place. Flashy, but largely superfluous, Pac-Man CE2+ presents short bursts of bite-sized fun with its novel co-op Score Attack mode exclusive to Switch, but the Adventure Mode feels empty in its lack of spontaneity. High score-hunting fiends will be in their element here, but not necessarily those looking for enjoyment without external motivators.

It’s not going to be for everyone, but for people who hate the direction modern RPGs are going in will be able to get some old school RPGing.

At the end of the day, even with the lack of notable Sega classics, games removed from previous collections and the weaker titles chucked in there, there is still a lot of good Sega games and some oddities worth playing at least once. There are hours upon hours of gameplay here, all the RPGs could keep you going until the next time Sega re-releases them. For the price, you’re getting a lot of great Mega Drive games. Hopefully, any future collection will give us games from other points of Sega history (Jet Set Radio Future please).

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game holds up today really well in some aspects (visual design and music), but is still held back by its shortcomings over a decade ago (difficult in the beginning, even on the easiest mode; level up system is still too vague). But when you can look past the setbacks, it’s still a solid action game that’s made even more fun if you can get some friends on the couch to play with you. Let’s hope the game doesn’t get obliterated from every digital store in a few years like it did last time...

Runbow is an excellent local multiplayer experience, packed with plenty of game modes and content. Solo players will miss out on the best Runbow has to offer, and I encountered some crashes along the way, but definitely consider this for your upcoming games night with friends.

Ultimately, Sonic X Shadow Generations reflects my long-running relationship with Sonic games. Like having Sonic and Shadow on both my shoulders, I felt both frustration and delight during various aspects of the game. Minor control issues and level designs get in the way of pure enjoyment, though there is still a sense of fun and speed that shines through. Shadow’s campaign adds some welcome variety but left me wanting more from it. The 3D levels are pure 3D Sonic—for better or worse—and the 2D levels do not capture the magic of the Mega Drive classics. Sonic fans will rejoice in revisiting Sonic’s old worlds and reliving Shadow’s past.

Incredible art and animation lift Röki up even without any particularly exciting mechanical design present (though what is there is very good). If you don’t enjoy point and click adventures you might find Röki lacking, but otherwise, this is an enjoyable and touching tale.

Tomba is a product of a bygone era, resuscitated and presented as it was, with no nostalgic filters on top. The good here outweighs the bad, but there’s no denying that it looks, feels, and plays just like Tomba did on the PS1. It’s one of the more impressive sidescrollers of the era, with some bold ideas that were well ahead of its time, but the usual frustrations and limitations are present too, as they rightly should be.

Resident Evil Revelations will probably fool you into thinking that it’s a perfect bridge between the more action orientated modern titles and the earlier horror orientated ones with it’s creepy setting, but be warned, it’s not. As a Resident Evil game, Revelations is ultimately quite a forgettable experience. As an overall experience and package, it represents tremendous value at a great price with heaps of content, and easily the best way to experience Revelations on any of the home consoles.

There is a lot of love in this collection. It is great to see almost everything from the first twenty years of the franchise on display, from all the great stuff to all the really rubbish stuff. However, it still feels a bit like a work in progress. I have had this game for a few weeks, and the Switch versions only just got patched to match the other versions, and there are still things to tidy up. This is a fun collection, and the jank is part of the charm. It always has been with Mortal Kombat, but there shouldn't be new jank added to it, it's got enough.

Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy is an impressive remaster and a terrific way to re-play the trilogy that brought many of us fond memories and proved that Nintendo weren’t the only ones who could create an endearing and enduring mascot platformer.

This is a charming, clever puzzler that is a delightful cooperative experience that is perfect for an afternoon on the couch with a friend or loved one. The simple controls make it easy to pick up, and the witty uses of the core concept will make you smile as much as the brightly coloured scenery. It’s well worth a look if you’re after something a little bit different.

Moving Out 2 is a great sequel that nails what the original did well and expands on the concept with fresh ideas. When all the best bits of it coalesce it’s a frantically fun multiplayer experience. Sadly, occasional frustrations rear their head just frequently enough to tarnish the package just a little. Much in the way that the real-life process of moving house can be extremely rewarding in the end, you might have to deal with some aspects being a bit of a chore along the way.

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town faithfully revisits and modernises the Game Boy Advance Harvest Moon classic, which will delight nostalgia-seekers. However, there’s still plenty of room for the Story of Seasons series to grow in a post-Stardew Valley world.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble starts a bit slow, but the later worlds and levels offer new and unique features I’ve never seen in Monkey Ball before. The risk with the spin dash is fun, but I feel like it often won’t be used over the required precision. However, I’m sure people will find ways to hack this game. They still haven’t got the mini-games combinations just right. However, it’s the fresh ideas the series has needed for a while and the best Monkey Ball game in some time.

It's been a long while between Ufouria games. Even If you haven't played the original, The Saga 2 is a fun time. The cute art style combined with some old-fashioned platforming and charming and funny interactions between the cast of Mr Hebe and his friends makes for a good playthrough. While the pace can be off at times, and the last few areas of the game lead to a little too much backtracking, overall, it doesn't keep it from being an enjoyable platformer that will leave you with a smile.

The Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection was an interesting title to review. As a newcomer to the series, it was a daunting series to get into without having played this style of dungeon crawler in over a decade. The benefits of including easier modes for people who just want to explore what the dungeons have on offer should not be discounted, but with a notebook, some grid paper, plenty of patience, and a willingness to experiment and try different strategies in battle makes for a compelling trilogy. However, if you do not the patient type of player, or if excessive exploration and dungeon crawling for minimal plot do not sound all that appealing, it may not be the title for you.

In reality, it’s damn impressive that the XCOM 2 Collection runs on Switch at all. In spite of its visual and technical issues, there’s an incredible (and challenging) tactical experience to be had. Perhaps exercise some patience and invest in some glasses to get the best experience.

Darksiders 2 is a good game, and this is a decent port to try if you haven’t managed to try it yet. While it does have its hiccups, the game is ultimately the same game you’ve seen elsewhere for better or worse. Despite how slow the series can take to tell the overarching story, I still look forward to seeing what they do with these characters and with Darksiders Genesis. If you’re picking this game up for the second time let’s face it, you want to see what’s going to happen to.

Cavern of Dreams is a time capsule back to the 90s 3D platformer heyday, capturing the look and feel of the era. Fynn's adventure to rescue their siblings doesn't overstay its welcome and avoids falling in the same collectathon trap similar games can fall into. While Cavern of Dreams could do with a little more guidance, the world's aren't large enough that you'll get lost. It's a fun game for players looking to enjoy a new game with a classic feel.

Like Valiant Hearts, this game is tough to put a score to. Games like this tell important stories and attempt to use video games as a medium to help educate as well as share experiences from devastating wars. My Memory of Us does a good job of retelling and reimagining the Nazi occupation of Poland. It falters at points, especially the moments when the game around the story is frustrating. Yet it’s hard to ignore the visual style they’ve chosen, coupled with an affecting soundtrack.

Oddworld New ‘n’ Tasty is not only a solid remake, but it’s also a solid port. It’s strange that of the Oddworld games, the first game is also the last one to be re-released, but then by now, it’s been available everywhere else. If you’re new to the series and are looking for a challenging platformer with some puzzle solving then New ‘n’ Tasty could be the dish for you. If you’ve already got a copy of the game elsewhere, just be aware that the Switch version doesn’t add anything except another portable way to enjoy Abe’s Oddysee again.

I love the concepts and world of Heaven's Vault, but I know deep down I would have loved them more as something other than a game.

Diablo II Resurrected, for the most part, strikes a perfectly respectable balance between maintaining the look and feel of the original and updating it for a modern audience. It's unambitious, but it doesn't really need to be any more than that — Diablo II was a wonderful game, and all it really needed was a bit of sprucing up at the end of the day. That's been done here, and done mostly well, and the transition to a gamepad is probably is good as it could've been. Still, it feels dated in some ways, and its online/offline character split was a dreadful choice, given how bad the servers have been for it. Still, it is Diablo II, for better and for worse, and if you're like me and have a nostalgic attachment to it, it's probably worth a play.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a strangely dissonant game that feels torn between wanting to respect the series’ past and wanting to rewrite it. At its core, it’s a solid game that refreshes Yakuza 3 for modern audiences while keeping mostly true to its origins. It’s the rare instances in which it diverges that everything starts to go off the rails, making for an experience that just doesn’t stick the landing.

In short bursts, Reigns: Kings and Queens can be an entertaining way to fill those small gaps in your day if this blend of politics and relationship drama sounds up your alley, but over longer play sessions the repetitive gameplay and scenarios may struggle to continue to hold your attention.

Overcooked is a hectic party game that is great fun if you've got people to play with, but is enjoyable enough if you don't. It's a great addition to the Switch's library but it could have done with a bit more time in the kitchen to sort out its performance issues that keep me from rating this any higher. If those are fixed then its biggest issue is the painful gatekeeping of campaign levels that eventually just become padding rather than a learning aid.

The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is a great point and click adventure game. Over the course of the game you’ll be pulled out of the moment as they reintroduce characters with little context, or mention moments you never saw if you missed the original game. Despite this and some frustrating controls and movement, the game is worth checking out if you don’t already have it on another platform. Genuinely humorous and fun adventure games are far and few between, so if you’re willing to overlook some manageable issues it’s definitely worth a look.

Bravely Default II is a game laden with frustration, with unfairness, with a lack of respect for the player's time. It's a game that could be massively improved, but only ever in small ways. It's an active step backward in terms of quality of life and playability features for the series… But when it works, it works wonderfully, its combat systems soaring to satisfying heights, its storytelling exciting and chilling. It's a game forever at conflict with itself, offering freedom then punishing you for pursuing it. I hate myself for loving it, but I love myself too much to ever go back to it. To sum it up, it's an arduous, glorious, frustrating, beautiful mess. It's a bit of a love-hate relationship.

If you enjoy tactic RPGs it’s definitely worth a look in, and there is plenty to enjoy despite its roughness. If you like RPGs but aren’t sure about tactic based games I recommend playing the Disgaea 5 demo to get an idea if this is a game for you.

The Adventure mode in Mario Tennis Aces was a long-requested feature, and eight years later I was expecting something more evolved. Instead, I was left disappointed by an Adventure mode that acts as a painful tutorial for almost half of its runtime. That said, it is only one part of the game, and the rest of Mario Tennis Fever is very enjoyable. The Fever Rackets add a new dimension to the gameplay, and the expanded character roster makes finding the best combinations even more challenging. The side-show modes are the real stars here, and they make it clear where the game truly shines. More time spent on zany tennis ideas like these, and less on Adventure mode for the next one.

Inbento is at the end of the day a snack and not a meal - it looks great and tastes lovely, but the bite-size levels and sparse runtime will leave you feeling still hungry. I don’t doubt that you’ll probably enjoy it once you get through the overly simple opening, but it’s not a memorable or important experience. Just a tasty morsel in-between something more substantial.

Patapon 1 + 2 is a great overall collection. Bringing back a couple of unique titles from the PlayStation Portable provides a rhythm experience that is difficult to find anywhere else. There are some significant improvements to the visuals, however as a remastered collection, it lacks much else beyond that. The games are demanding, and there will be a lot of repetition and planning that may not be for everyone. However, there is not anything quite like the feel of successfully finishing a level and keeping the little Patapons happy.

Old School Musical is a great action rhythm game for fans of chiptunes. Some homages may be more obscure than others, but the music sounds good regardless if you like chiptunes. Notice a pattern? The music is something a niche audience would love, there are no songs with vocals or more modern sounds. But if you like appreciating the music of the 80s and 90s games OSM might just have a song for you.

It’s the game that tries too hard to please everyone, but at the end of the night, the party leaves things a bit flat.

While parts of Ever Oasis are fun to play and satisfying when you solve a challenging puzzle in a dungeon, as a whole the game feels like it doesn't quite do enough in either aspect in dungeon crawling or town management. I can see the appeal that this might have for fans of these types of games but personally, I think it would have benefited to be one or the other, fully fleshed out.

Far from being a bomb itself, Bombslinger features a challenging single-player experience and a competent multiplayer mode, but not enough overall compelling depth to keep you coming back for more once the end credits roll.

Like the oxygen line connected to your space explorer, you must remain close to Astroneer to gain anything from it. A directionless experience that rewards investment with growing base complexity, combined with the constant possibility of discovery, makes this a perfect game for the right type of player.

Overall the game runs great, looks and sounds good, and still plays great in handheld mode. It is a blast taking on large groups with over the top attacks. Hopefully Namco Bandai have more One Piece games in store for the Switch, but for now Pirate Warriors 3 is a seaworthy addition to the stash.

Planet Alpha is a beautiful and fun fast-paced puzzle platformer. It was fun working my way across the lush yet dangerous world. There’s a few annoying bits and pieces, but the good far outweighs those moments. If games of this genre usually feel a bit short, then the good news is that Planet Alpha lasts over 5 hours. If you’re into side-scrolling platformers with puzzles added in you should check it out.

I hope Nintendo handles future Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + New Content releases in a more organised and organic way. It’s overly complicated to play through the different modes, with caveats everywhere, which means some modes don’t get the proper Switch 2 Edition treatment. Mario Party superfans will enjoy the new modes for the main board games, but the Jamboree TV additions—aside from the mouse games—are a bit average. Jamboree was a solid and complete package, and this just splits it all up and breaks the flow.

Necrobarista: Final Pour is a compelling story of death, grief, and the inevitable passing of our time on this Earth. With an endearing cast, snappy writing, and a careful balancing of humour along with the grim nature of its world, it makes for an enjoyable tale. It may not be the most involved of visual novel games, and the story falls just shy of hitting an emotional home run, but this is still worth a look if you’re after something a little more contemplative.

Jackbox Party Pack 7 is another solid mix of games to through into rotation for your next social gathering. Quiplash 3 and Blather ‘Round are quick and simple options that anyone can pick up, and The Devil and the Details along with Talking Points are more complex games with plenty of replay value. Champ’d Up fails to live up to previous entertaining drawing games and has a pretty frustrating bug preventing full drawings from showing up properly. Overall, it’s a good collection of games that will please fans of the series, but I’m hoping that we soon get an option to export every pack into one collection for the ultimate party pack.

Sam and Max Save the World closes out this absurd year in a scarily appropriate way. It’s writing remains as whip-smart and irreverent as it always was, as do the bulk of its politics and tone. Skunkape Games has drawn on its personal legacy with the game to lovingly remaster its presentation and provided a Switch port that feels snappy and clean as well as stylish.

RAILGRADE is a wonderful mix of railway management and puzzle-solving, with genuinely satisfying railway gameplay, mind-scratching puzzles to solve, and a bangin’ soundtrack. It does get frustrating at times, and it’s near-unplayable on the Switch Lite, but there's still absolutely plenty to like.

If you love Lego games or have younger people around that do, then this game is one of the more fun ones in a while. The overall Lego formula stays the same, for better or worse. But if you’re a DC fan they’ve once again gone all out on their characters, references and voice actors. Lego DC Villains brings together some of the well-known characters and the lesser-known, and chucks them into a decent story to make for a fun time.

Don’t let the bright design fool you, Bomber Crew is a full-on challenge, with minutiae galore, from the types of guns and engines you equip to the very gloves and boots that your crew wear (gotta have thermal protection for high altitude bombing). If you enjoy this genre of inevitable-failure games, then, by all means, strap in but I found the whole thing incredibly stressful, fiddly and just not much fun.

Yooka-Laylee has a ton of heart put into it. The team at Playtonic know how to make 90’s platformers and they’ve done it here. The problem is that not everything in those games was great then and they’re not great now. The game’s world is filled with a wonderful and funny cast, it’s just spread a bit thin in huge but empty worlds. The nostalgic soundtrack luckily fills those vast spaces. Yooka-Laylee is a terrific throwback to an era long dead. Let’s just have more of the good parts and keep the bad parts in the past.

Expect nothing inventive or complex with its puzzle design, but if the idea of a cute family in a uniquely gross and dark world sounds appealing you might just enjoy your time with this brief little adventure.

For all the frustrating moments, there is still an alright stealth game underneath. if you found sneaking around in the Metal Gear Solid games enjoyable there is some fun to be had here. Serial Cleaner has style and it helps carry the first half of the game, but the only real reason to keep playing after this is to unlock the bonus contracts at the end.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged, like its predecessor is an enjoyable arcade-style racer. Developer Milestone continues to show they get how to incorporate Hot Wheels in new ways. If you spent a lot of time with the original Unleashed, then it hits hard to find the game takes some steps back, but if you want some new environments and tracks, then it might not matter.

WarioWare: Move It! brings another cavalcade of outlandish ideas to the table in a collection of mostly enjoyable microgames. The variety of poses and actions, the insanity of the visuals, the many ways to play, and the classic WarioWare charm make for another solid entry in the series. Some occasionally unresponsive motion controls and unclear directives, as well as the tedious Form Stone introductions, do bring some frustrations to the package, but there’s something about the ludicrousness of doing things like lassoing a wild animal while standing like a fashion model that just brings a smile to your face.

Islanders: Console Edition is not a game for those seeking an epic story, intense action, or even a puzzle game where a high score is all that matters. No, what it does is offer a nice and simple game, where if you only have a few minutes to play, or an hour, you can just enjoy the game for what it is. While the controls are not the most user friendly at times, they don’t stop you from enjoying the experience in the moment and given that there is no punishment for failing, there really isn’t any reason not to give it a go.

Despite some hefty potential, Shovel Knight: Showdown doesn’t quite make it. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, and there’s some great ideas, but anyone who hasn’t played a Shovel Knight game is going to find themselves quickly alienated in a party situation. So, if you and your friends are up to date with your royally appointed warriors, you… probably already own this game, since it’s free with Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. If you’re not, consider yourself warned, although to be honest this is good enough to likely still have some fun. Shame there’s no online, though.

I wish I could be a bigger fan of No More Heroes 3. There's a lot to like about it, from its enjoyable combat to its solid character design, and even the story setup is absolutely fascinating. Unfortunately for every given thing I liked, there was just as much that I disliked, and its visual fidelity holds it back for far too much of its runtime. If you’re like me, jumping into the third game in a series you’ve never touched before, there’s probably more than enough to turn you away. However, mega-fans of the series will likely find a lot to love.

Doraemon: Story of Seasons is a pleasant, relaxing little game. It’s got some flaws that stop it from reaching the state of farming zen it comes so close to, but with piles of charm and some cute storytelling, it’s easy to lose hours upon hours to this lovely slice of rural life.

Aladdin and The Lion King are amongst my favourite movies ever, like most kids who grew up in the 90s I’m sure. One thing I never did though was play through any of the games on this collection before, at least not for more than a handful of minutes. I’m not sure if that helps me here or not, but despite this being a great and well put together collection, there’s just not a lot here if you have no nostalgia for the games.

Tricky Towers is a refreshingly modern multiplayer variation to the globally-known puzzler Tetris. Although it may not keep the party going all night due to its light content offering, Tricky Towers’ block-stacking action provides great local multiplayer moments – especially when the whole room reacts raucously to someone’s last-second tower collapse.

Portal Knights on Nintendo Switch is a great little game — it offers a lot more to the experience than Minecraft does, but does not throw you in the deep end like Dragon Quest Builders does, which is coming to Switch in 2018 as well. Players will likely find more appeal when they play with friends, because on your own, the adventure does not seem so grand. That said, given the number of options that you can employ to customise your experience to your choosing, there is plenty to keep solo adventurers coming back.

Darksiders Genesis has its flaws for sure. It is still a lot of fun to play and it remains a solid entry in the Darksiders series. I would only recommend playing it in TV mode. With that being said, it might be hard to recommend the Switch version itself if other versions of the game are available, as I suspect the higher resolution may make certain objects easier to spot within the game. If you are a fan of Darksiders though, I can’t recommend this enough. There is a lot here that adds to the overall backstory of the Four Horsemen and the Charred Council.

Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles delivers satisfying fights wrapped in a stunning presentation that is sure to delight fans of the series. Whilst the story mode’s connective tissue tying the fights together can be a bit flimsy, it’s a serviceable way of retelling narrative. The arena-style fights will feel very familiar to those experienced in the genre and can be found wanting when it comes to the depth of its mechanics, but anyone with a passing interest in Demon Slayer is going to love every second of this and may even convert a few new fans along the way.

I hope that this remake/revamp is the precursor to a new follow-up sequel being announced. There is still a place for the Famicom Detective Club. The Missing Heir and The Girl Who Stands Behind look and sound great thanks to the remake, but unfortunately, the game portion is an unintuitive, obtuse slogfest. Both games work well as murder mysteries; the story and characters are a highlight. Players who want to play the games as close to the originals as possible will get a kick out of this piece of Nintendo history, while it might frustrate everyone else. Regardless, it is nice to see Nintendo give a classic game such a lavish update.

NBA 2K18 is a great basketball game trapped inside a hulking behemoth of aggressive microtransactions which threaten to derail the sporting spectacle. Call it Stockholm Syndrome, but the basketball is good enough to consider overlooking these serious flaws.

While it has shallow gameplay systems and minimal story, Yonder is a pleasant place to unwind and pass the time.

For me, it was definitely less enjoyable than regular Picross and its charm, polish and relaxing atmosphere. Having this many new puzzles is great though, and it’s not as if the actual concept has changed much. If you’re an Overlord fan, you’ll want to be a Picross fan too, as there doesn’t seem to be anything to experience here that’s not already a part of the show, but you’ll be rewarded with some fun themed puzzles. I don’t think I can speak too badly of anything here but if you’re new to both sides of the crossover, go play a different Picross - you’ll find a more pleasant experience there. If a more involved story mode was included, I could easily recommend this to everyone. Sadly, today it’s not the case.

If you really really loved the original, or feel you missed out on a bit of history not playing it at the time, then this game will have something for you. Ultimately this version of Luigi’s Mansion would be better off being left in the time capsule it was pulled out of.

If you've never played Turok: Dinosaur Hunter before and wondered what all the fuss is about then this is one of the best ways to enjoy it. The gyroscope controls make the frustrating parts of the games almost go away and you're left with an unapologetically 90s first-person shooter that's still a lot of fun, despite still being very awkward. Not just one for fans of the era.

2064: Read Only Memories Integral holds strong thanks to its diverse crew of interesting characters and socially relevant story, despite sometimes telling more than it shows.

While it sounds like I’m just tearing this game apart, it’s not out of spite, and nor do I think Paladins is a bad game. There’s some very solid mechanics and gameplay in here, it’s just wrapped in a lot of tedium and waiting that it makes it hard to justify opening for a few games. When it goes free to play, I’d definitely recommend checking it out, but I wouldn’t go buying the Founders Pack to play early just yet.

Stick it to the Man is an incredibly unique experience, that definitely fits a particular mood and desire out of gaming. The game part is sort of shallow, but the personality and world are worth experiencing. A good in-between giant games palate cleanser!