I’ve dragged myself through Pokémon games in recent years, but not with this one. Pokémon Arceus Legends is the future of Pokémon games. It’s the game we’ve all been waiting for for years, with a new and fun way to catch Pokemon, a story that adds to and pulls from Pokemon lore and a region you can genuinely get lost in. Pokemon Legend Arceus is Pokémon, evolved.

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.

If you couldn’t tell by this point, I love Killer Queen. I had no trouble getting into it and I know there’s so much to learn in terms of strategies and gameplay styles that I could never be done with it. Everything plays super tight and nearly every match I played gave me those Good Sports Endorphins that come with a down-to-the-wire struggle. Play this one. You’ll have a good time.

Everything about the game is a bright shining star. The story and character design, the voice talent, music and art design. If I was going to compare it to something, which I'm going to, I'd say it's on par with that of a Tim Schaffer game. This is only a good thing. Flipping Death is a fun tale with a mostly laid-back gameplay style, possibly just a tiny bit too short. Another chapter or two certainly wouldn't be a hindrance, but still, the replayability is there with the challenges in each.

Worms W.M.D feels like a celebration of over two decades of Worms, if you’ve been a fan of the series at any point it’s worth checking back in. If you’re new to Worms and after a good multiplayer game, there’s a lot to like in this game. Turn based worm warfare finds the perfect home on the Switch.

No Man’s Sky Switch may stumble occasionally, and the price point carries a sting, but portable feels like the perfect fit for this procedural universe of wonder.

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.

Yoku’s Island Express is a delightful adventure filled with charming characters, an innovative blend of platforming and pinballing action, and a wonderful treat for the eyes and ears. It’s the sort of wholesome game that makes me feel like a proud parent of all of the people who worked so hard on this beautiful piece of escapism.

Pinball machines will always have a place in my heart, and until I can afford one for real, this is the next best thing. That being said, because it's digital Pinball FX 3 does some things that no real pinball machine could ever do. It can pit you against your friends, have multiple game modes on one table, and let you see where you stack up against others all over of the world — not just on that one machine.

Codemasters made a cracking game, and Feral Interactive has once again done what it does best with its porting efforts — taking the source material and tuning it to near perfection for Nintendo hardware. The only real negatives are the lack of proper analogue triggers (which isn’t the game’s fault) and the absence of multiplayer. But if you’re happy racing solo and soaking up the drama at team Seneca, it’s time to zip up the racing suit.

Horizon Chase Turbo’s modern take on the arcade Outrun racer is a fast and fun colour-drenched experience barely diminished by a few crashes along the way.

Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2 are an exercise in desensitised violence to the point where playing them feels good. And the choice of weapons and strategy offer enough to vary up the gameplay – and that’s before playing with different masks, which further change up the mechanics (eg. one mask gives the ability to dodge-roll, while another disables weapons but increases melee strength). The over-the-top violence and twitch-gameplay may not gel with everyone, but this Collection is a strong example of modern, fast-paced beat ‘em ups.

A DK-lover’s delight, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: Donkey Kong Adventure condenses the best parts of the base game into a single, self-contained experience. A narrower focus on three characters enhances the strong tactical experience while keeping the goofy Mario & Rabbids charm. Musically, Kirkhope’s best-of compilation elevates DK Adventure to a must-play for Donkey Kong enthusiasts.

Whether you’ve been waiting for a great follow up to the original for a decade like me, totally new to the tactical RPG genre or looking for something new after whetting your appetite with Mario + Rabbids, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is totally worth a look.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the biggest shake-up of the Lego game formula while also cramming nine movies into one game, like stuffing Luke into a Tauntaun. It won't be the way you remember the old levels for long-term fans, but they give you the universe to traverse in between adventures to keep you busy for hours.

Nintendo seems intent on showing Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy as they were, warts and all – just in HD and playable on the Switch. Does the camera in Mario 64 kind of suck? Yes, it does. How has Sunshine come out best in this? I’m not sure. Are the controls for Galaxy here a bit of a problem? Maybe. But despite all this, you’ve got three tremendous games which are all still a ton of fun.

If you like music games and want a good challenge, I highly recommend Vectronom. A snappy soundtrack that bleeds into the gameplay incredibly well, simple controls and aesthetic, and plenty of goals to chase, it's an interesting and unique snapshot of a modern rhythm game.

Consistently surprising, challenging and delightful, Slime-san is totally worth a look.

Little Nightmares 2 is a horror game that stays with you sometime after the credits roll. If you want a game to keep you feeling tense and uncomfortable for a few hours, Mono and Six will be able to help. Tarsier Studios doesn't throw buckets of gore at you or go for cheap scares; they know how to creep. The sequences requiring precision platforming and combat let the game down in some areas. If you're looking for a tense roller-coaster ride of dread and the grotesque, this is the nightmare for you.

The Borderlands Collection finally brings the series to the Switch without compromise. It plays well and looks even better than I expected, even in handheld. The humour definitely isn’t for everyone, but it’s hard to not be sucked into the world of Pandora. While I won’t hold my breath for a Borderlands 3 port, the rest of the series on the go is a more than reasonable trade. The collection provides great value, while the price is a little high, there is easily over 100+ hours of content. If you’ve sunk many hours into the series in the past now there is a way to play it anywhere. If you’re a newcomer it’s about time you made the trip to Pandora.

This is easily the best Mario Party game on the Switch, and while some might argue otherwise, it's likely the best Mario Party in recent memory, all without using the series' past as a crutch. It’ll be hard to top this one.

Crawl adds yet another brilliant Aussie-made title to the Switch. Wildly different to other dungeon crawlers out there, Crawl is among the upper echelon of multiplayer games on the Nintendo juggernaut that just keeps on rolling, let alone crawling. There's plenty of multiplayer mayhem to be had with friends, and a more than engaging variety of single-player options.

I had high expectations for NEO: The World Ends With You, after its predecessor left such a big impact on me when it first released. Fourteen years later, TWEWY's still got it, defying all expectations as an exciting, enthralling, and genuinely enjoyable follow-up worthy of the title it holds. It's hard to imagine another game that would tick as many boxes as this one did for me, and much like the original, I'll be playing, rewinding, and replaying some more for years to come.

It’s an RPG that asks a hefty time commitment and doesn’t offer particularly deep character storylines – but the combat, overall story, and character progression make Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA a journey well worth taking.

Thimbleweed Park just might be too 1980s for a lot of people, but for anyone else who is willing to play through this tale, you’re in for a hell of a good time. While some of the puzzles will be painful and you’ll slap yourself for not getting them right away, that’s half the fun. A humorous story, great characters and just that good old feel make Thimbleweed Park a treasure worth checking out

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D is one of the most faithful remakes I’ve ever played, for better and for worse. If, like me, you’ve played a version of this wonderful game recently, it might not be worth spending the cash on a new version that is functionally almost identical and left me wanting more. If you’ve never played DQ3 before, though, there’s no doubt that Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D is the best way to play one of the most iconic games in the series’ history.

Despite some frustrations, it’s hard to deny that Octopath Traveler 0 is yet another successful and enjoyable entry in the series. It’s fantastic that the excellent story content previously locked behind a mobile game is more available and even improved, and new additions to an already wonderful combat system make it a joy to play.

51 Worldwide Games does no more or no less than you would expect from it. It's a tidy little package with a lot of value but doesn't go out of its way to wow you, aside from its grandiose presentation. The annoying and weird restrictions on three and four-player games are silly but won't take away from the fun you can have. These games have stood the test of time, and they're even more fun all together in this package.