With a heap of stages, designed to let you play a little or play a lot, a decent difficulty level and pretty visuals to match, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Some more variety in sight and sound wouldn't have been so bad, but the gameplay and continuous introduction of new gameplay elements forgive this.

There’s no doubt that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the best in the series. The open world is fantastic, the story is incredible, and the game looks amazing, even if the performance is very rocky. There are problems, and quality of life issues, but for every negative there’s a dozen more positives that blew me away every step of the way. It will be divisive, but for me, it’s almost everything I want from a Pokémon game.

If you have the patience and desire to fail often and learn from your mistakes, Downwell is well worth falling into.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is a dark and depressing game. I don't know if I found it particularly distressing because Abe's childlike deamanour and big, sad, wet eyes, or his boatload of hardships, or because I killed too many Mudokons. Or maybe it's just 'cos it bummed me out as a kid. All I know is that despite everything I kept playing and it was still a heck of a lot of fun and that's a sign of a good game in my book.

Despite a few streaky edges through slips along the way, cricket fans will appreciate Cricket 19's dedication to the sport's idiosyncrasies without a trading card pack in sight - a rarity for sports games. With the World Cup on now, and the Ashes series coming soon, playing Cricket 19 in handheld with the real deal on the big screen is a tantalising prospect.

World of Goo is a game that has aged pretty well since it's original release and the HD graphics go a long way in making it stay a classic puzzle game. The progression is great, with some levels that will make you scream and shout whilst simultaneously pulling out your hair, has a great art style and some pretty funny remarks from The Unknown Sign Painter. It does face some control issues but nothing which is a deal breaker. If you haven't played World of Goo before, or even if it's been a few years or more since you last did, it's certainly worth your time on the Switch.

Squidgies Takeover is a delightful little puzzler with a too-cute presentation that hides some real brain-busting ideas behind it. Each of the game’s levels has an original idea and new way of playing, and there are multiple reasons to go back with leaderboards and further feats to complete to fully conquer the game. You’ll have to find the right way to play the game for yourself, but once you do, you’ll be sending all the Squidgies to their new home in no time.

Descenders is a top tier extreme sports game, translating the feeling of riding a bike down a hill with incredible precision. So many small design details pull the package together to provide a wonderfully kinetic experience.

If you’re looking for a new type of mayhem to unleash on your unsuspecting friends, Conduct Together is definitely for you. You could say I’m… all aboard.

Ultimately, Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise is not about what you can tolerate but what you can accept. If you think you can look past the broken in service of a great story, this might not be for you. If you can embrace and enjoy the tedium, the bugs, the weird tone, the absurdity - you may have a new favourite title. I’ll remember this one for a while.

Once the music dies down and your ears are still ringing after hours of the filthiest bass imaginable, Just Shapes & Beats is a great rhythm adventure on the Switch – especially for bullet-hell and electronic music aficionados.

Going Under has some great synergy, but don’t expect any sort of hostile takeover of your life. It lacks scope and variety compared to time-devouring classics like The Binding of Isaac and Enter the Gungeon, and certainly doesn’t come close to the challenge of either of those two games. As an accessible, friendly, funny take on the genre though, it scores some big points, and is generally a blast and a half. You should give this one a spin.

Okami still looks amazing after all these years, filled with personality and style. Not everything has aged as well and some parts can drag out, but outside of those moments, the game is a delight to play. If you haven’t had the chance to play Okami the best place to play it is on the Switch. If you have played it then what better way to relive your time in Nippon than being able to play it anywhere.

Bayonetta 3 brings plenty of the series charm and excitement back after all these years. It meanders a little more than the previous game but still keeps the pace with the wild bombastic (and silly) sequences to keep you on your toes. It may have been a long time between games, but there's enough to keep fans busy for some time.

Between Fast RMX and The Touryst, Shin’en has really gotten some great performances out of the Switch. I imagine there’s going to be a lot of people thinking about what a game like Link’s Awakening could’ve turned out like with this small team involved. If you want a nice relaxing puzzle game where you can just soak in the visuals The Touryst is a great game for it. Minor quibbles aside there is plenty to enjoy over the five-hour trip. Shin’en has made a game that looks amazing while always giving you something new to do. This is a vacation worth taking.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 on the Nintendo Switch is a game for people who grew up watching the series every morning on Cheez TV. If you know nothing about the series, it's still a decent starting point, but it leans heavily on nostalgia to make its story work. It's one of the best action-RPG games on the console right now, and doesn't suffer all that much from the Switch's mobile hardware. On the go or at home on the couch, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is the best way to relive the Dragon Ball series to date.

Just Dance 2025 might not surprise long term fans, but that could be due to Ubisoft having the formula finely honed over the years. For the newcomers (such as myself) there is a fun party game here, and it’s a pretty fun way to be active too.

I had my doubts about the whole museum thing, but the never-ending charm of the Two Point world carries you through it all. There are so many things to unlock, systems to manage, and options to tinker with — perfect for anyone thinking about getting into the genre. There are no mouse controls, which is a bummer because the UI can be a little clunky, but you’ll get used to it over the many hours you’ll spend with this game. It could even be 1 a.m., like it was for me.

Puyo Puyo Tetris feels like the definitive puzzler for the Nintendo Switch. Both Tetris and Puyo Puyo share similarities and feel right at home together here, but the overall package feels incredibly complete and comprehensive. There’s enough here to do no matter how you want to play and who you want to play with, online or off. The price is bound to be a talking point here, but given how solid and polished the Puyo Puyo Tetris experience is, it’s hard to fault it for much.

There’s no doubt that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the best in the series. The open world is fantastic, the story is incredible, and the game looks amazing, even if the performance is very rocky. There are problems, and quality of life issues, but for every negative there’s a dozen more positives that blew me away every step of the way. It will be divisive, but for me, it’s almost everything I want from a Pokémon game.

The game certainly won’t get the tick of approval from older kids, but for the really young audience, it’s a winner. The bright, colourful, and fun aesthetic of Gabby’s Dollhouse is captured perfectly. Overall, the game is quite short, taking only a few hours to finish, but kids will keep coming back to explore. Credit to the team for absolutely hitting the brief.

Narita Boy is a lovingly crafted action-adventure game that should appease anyone who’s into 2D pixel graphics. The game offers a relatively short but extremely memorable experience.

Given the current climate in the video game industry, it’s hard to know if we’ll ever see another Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater collection. THPS 3+4 was a miracle to get made at all. This reimagining of the classic Tony Hawk games is still a joy to play, even if there have been some compromises. Now, it’s time to live in (potentially foolish) hope for a remake or remaster of Tony Hawk’s Underground!

Hotshot Racing is a window back into the 1990s, not only in looks but how it plays with some old some fashioned rubber banding. The look and gameplay might not be for everyone, but it's authentic and it's a tonne of fun. I just wish there was more of it. You don't need to be an arcade fan of old to enjoy this, but you'll enjoy it even more if you are.

Aspyr has done an excellent job bringing Tomb Raider I-III up to modern standards without breaking what made these games unique and challenging at the time. That said, even with the modern controls and updated graphics, these are still tough and unforgiving games that won't suit everyone—an excellent relic of the past uncovered in the best way possible.

If this review has sounded a little contemplative, it’s a testament to some clever design that invites you into that headspace. Arranging the protagonist’s collection of belongings is a subtle but thoughtful way of telling a person’s life story without saying a word, and the act of doing so, as well as how you choose to do it, might just end up saying a bit about yourself. Unpacking is a calming, enjoyable journey through time that is as satisfying as it is self-reflective. Much like every object you unpack, this game itself is simple and unassuming at face value. The sentimentality you choose to attach to it, however, is up to you.

Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl - Gold is better than the sum of its parts. Some of those parts are frustrating, and some of them are a bit messy, but somehow, all of those parts come together to create a surprisingly pleasant and refreshing experience. Despite being laden with constant, unnecessary sexual innuendo, and despite being filled with systems upon systems of complicated menus and stats, Snack World manages to be fun above all else. And ultimately, that’s all you could really ask for.

Mario Strikers Battle League Football takes a bit from the first game, a little more from the second and polishes it out into its own fresh thing. We talk about content in games, and on paper, there are fewer characters and stadiums here in Battle League; but there's more to do over a period of time, especially with the Strikers Club which will build communities. Mario Strikers Battle League Football is the best in the series so far.