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.