It’s hard to recommend Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure on Switch. It’s a good game don’t get me wrong, but with the Switch Tax in full effect from the Steam/PS4 versions, and with Mario Odyssey just around the corner, it's best to either grab this on another platform, or wait for a heavy discount if portability is a must for you.

Overall, Stardew Valley is a must-own indie title for the Switch. The game has such a wide variety of activities to take part in, so you’re never left wondering what to do next. Beyond a few minor, easily fixable gripes, I found myself losing hours of the day each time I picked the game up. The Switch is an indie machine right now, and this is the current, shining example.

FIFA 18 is a brilliant game for the Switch, it's custom built for the system, it plays to the strength of the console's local multiplayer and it's, for the most part, fully featured. It doesn't matter that the visuals don't look as good because it runs great, feels great, and is fun to play. However this isn't the perfect FIFA 18 experience overall; the online mode is bare-bones and is missing features even Nintendo wouldn't even leave out and for a lot of people, that's going to be a deal breaker. If you can live with what's missing in FIFA 18, you shouldn't look past this terrific first effort by EA. Hopefully next year they can bring the Switch version up to complete feature parity because we can look past how it looks considering it is a good soccer title underneath.

Butcher commits to it's ultraviolent nihilistic aesthetic completely and if you’ve the stomach for it, it’s a hell of a ride. Every piece from the fast-paced movement and gunplay to the thick atmosphere of the levels and music combines to form an immensely challenging action game where every death just begs you to take another stab. If you have a nihilistic bone in your body and an appetite for fast-paced challenging action - Butcher will satisfy.

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.

Binaries tries to be two things, and misses the mark on both. As a puzzle game, it lacks any actual puzzle solving. As a platformer, it fails in its horribly floaty and imprecise controls, while asking for pixel perfect precision in two vastly different scenarios. In a binary world of 0’s and 1’s, good or bad, Binaries breaks its own boundaries by being incredibly middle of the road.

While Switch already has a lot of games available to suck up your time, Tumblestone should be on your radar if you’re a fan of tile matching games. It’s a unique enough take on the genre, and while Puyo Puyo Tetris will fight for your attention, coming in at $20 makes it’s great value for money.

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.

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.

On its own, Astro Bears Party doesn’t have a huge amount to offer, but everything above is still extremely solid. Ideally, I’d see this game being pulled out alongside a bunch of other smaller multiplayer games, like Astro Duel Deluxe, or the bigger hits like Mario Kart. For the price, it does the job, but I honestly just wish there was more on offer.

While Mario Bros. is one of the less exciting classic games out there, everything else in this release set a new standard for retro re-releases.

All up, Namco Museum on the Switch is a solid bunch of games – 11 really fun titles that will have something for everyone. A lot of care has gone into presenting the titles and giving you extra ways to play them. If you are chasing the high score or looking for something fun to play with friends you cannot go wrong with Namco Museum.

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

One Piece: Unlimited World Red was built purely for fans. If you were hoping it would be a good entryway into the series, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. The gameplay it offers is far from mind blowing, but overall, the game has a certain charm to it that kept me playing for hours and hours. For all the Straw Hat diehards out there, there’s a pretty good chance you won’t regret giving this game a go.

SteamWorld Dig 2 is what I want out of more games. A game that wants to be played, that doesn’t punish you for enjoying it your own way. You can tell that everything about this game is so deliberate and thought out, so much care went into this world, and you’re invited to be a part of it. So don’t wait, dig in!

Younger players will get the most out of what Chicken Wiggle offers; a cute, colourful and vibrant platformer to run amok in, with the added bonus of being able to create their own levels. Had the game been brave enough to innovate beyond well-known staples of the genre, it may well have been great for adults too.

NeuroVoider is the best roguelike game on the Switch right now. It's excellently made, looks beautiful, and offers some of the best multiplayer experiences available on the system. To say I loved the game is an understatement; Flying Oak have made a game that anyone can fall in love with in just a few minutes.

The Bridge is a solid puzzle game that encourages you to look at the world from a new perspective. Though the game was easily completed in a couple of sittings, the difficulty increase and length felt right. A sequel would be welcome.

Pokken Tournament DX is really good. It was good on the Wii U, and it’s still good on the Switch. While I would’ve appreciated if the developers put more effort into giving DX a little more meat on its bones, there’s no denying that what’s already here is great fun. If you’ve never given this game a go, now’s the perfect time to check it out.

The looming question over Samus Returns is whether it will join the ranks of esteemed titles such as the approachable Zero Mission, or the seemingly untouchable Super Metroid. I was in no rush to play it again after finishing it just once, but what MercurySteam have provided here is a solid game – one that easily surpasses the original it’s based on, yet still respects the vision of the creators who built it. It’s so exciting to say this, but Metroid is well and truly back and hopefully here to stay.

If you haven’t played Rayman Legends at all, or even a Rayman game at all, this is a fantastic jumping on point. It’s gorgeous, the gameplay is fluid, and the progression is so satisfying. This is definitely the best way to play the game, and I can’t recommend it enough!

Monster Hunter Stories is a great new addition to the monster-collection genre, boasting unique mechanics and a beautiful world filled with all sorts of weird and wonderful monsters. In spite of the shifts in genre and art style Stories manages to feel and play like a Monster Hunter game, allowing it to serve as a breath of fresh air for series veterans and a nice transition into the main games for those new to the series.

Sonic Mania is the culmination of a huge amount of work, from people peerlessly passionate about Sonic’s 2D games. Sega took a risk allowing outsiders to take the reins of their defining characteristics and it’s resulted in the best Sonic game in decades. It’s not perfect – there are occasional glitches, some people might find the crushing deaths and general difficulty of later levels a little off-putting – but as after being disappointed with many of Sega’s past attempts at following up Sonic’s early success, Mania did what I had almost given up hope on being possible. Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, and PagodaWest Games have proven they absolutely understand what made Sonic great in the Mega Drive days and have modernised this essence for a modern audience with a follow-up worthy of standing with the best in the series.

Despite a few minor issues, Piczle Lines DX is an excellent puzzle game with a tonne of content and more free content on the way. It will keep you entertained for days, if not weeks. It might be playable on mobile, but the Switch version is cheaper overall, and the option of traditional controls makes the Switch version the definitive Piczle experience.

This game isn’t bad, this game isn’t great. It’s just there, I played it, and I won’t be going back to it. I find it hard to recommend to anyone with a smartphone since there are similar if not better experiences out there already. If you like puzzle games and want a few hours to kill between shooting squids and Rabbids, pick it up, just set expectations accordingly.

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

Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training does everything it sets out to do, but it doesn't try to be particularly ambitious. If you've played previous Brain Training games before, you know exactly what you're getting into, but it's not an experience for everybody.

I really, *really* enjoyed Miitopia, when I fully expected not to. It’s so self-aware, leading to some fantastic moments in the game. But most of all, it’s an RPG adventure that’s basically tailor made for you. I had a blast exploring Miitopia with my friends, seeing interactions that would never happen in real life, and saving the world from the evil Vook. Even if you think you might not like it, I highly encourage playing the demo. If you enjoyed that, the full game is so much better.