Frogger: Helmet Chaos is not a bad game by any stretch, nor is it particularly good. It seems like yet another licensed re-hash that attempts to re-imagine a gaming classic.

Alone in the Dark is a perfectly fun survival-horror game that doesn't manage to stick the landing. Fun puzzle-solving struggles with awkward combat, and a lack of tension keeps the horror feeling limited. It's an interesting reboot of the franchise, and I could easily see it becoming something better in sequels, but the first outing feels unexceptional.

There's no argument that the gameplay in Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is timeless. It strikes the right balance between technical flash and grounded mechanics to provide an experience that captivates all types of fans, whether they're jumping into fighting games for the first time, stopped playing from Street Fighter III onward, or never stopped playing fighting games. The various extras, however, feel half-heartedly done. From the Buddy Battle mode to the abysmal Way of the Hado, few things feel fully fleshed out, while parts of the presentation fare worse than the work Backbone Entertainment did almost 10 years ago. At least the online works fine this time around, which may be enough to entice some players. With a price tag of $40, the game represents a very steep cash grab, so unless you're adamant about getting Street Fighter II on the Switch, it's best to wait for a sale or a price drop.

It's nice to see that this level of complexity is seeping downward through the genres and markets because it only means that games will be that much deeper and complex as these savvy generations grow older and demand more from their games.

But Monsters vs. Aliens does fulfill its modest promise: provide enjoyable entertainment that's suitable for children and best played with friends or family.

All in all, as a single-player experience, Phantom War is short, fairly sweet, and utterly unremarkable. The saving grace and the final nail in its coffin come from a single point: the multiplayer mode.

The title remains mediocre in most categories, and there really isn't anything remarkable here.

A Sims title in name alone. Sure, you can decorate and dress up your character in various clothes and make some limited customization, but at its core, this is an adventure title.

Ultimately, Octomania comes off as a shining example of what a puzzle title can do despite being burdened with cultural barriers a mile wide and irritating characters.

Sure it costs a bit more than a deck of cards, but it also provides you with digital opponents, dealers and even a couple of games you cannot play solely with a deck of cards.

Somerville is a game where both the new and old ideas don't work in the game's favor. The platforming is nonexistent, while the puzzles are hampered by either a lack of creativity, an uncooperative physics system, or a combination of both. The use of 3D produces situations where your objectives can become obscured due to the camera angle and distance. The shock and awe one would expect from the game's pedigree is greatly dampened, and the wordless story doesn't do much to carry a narrative that seems pedestrian and doesn't care about its characters. Some will still find fun in the various situations, and the runtime is brisk enough if everything works in your favor. If you are still interested in Somerville, wait for a sale before checking it out.

The original game remains a fun beat-'em-up since it tries to do something different from its contemporaries. The additional characters make the game lean heavily toward being goofy, but few will complain when it also means expanded online play for all. For genre fans who want something breezy, this is well worth checking out.

Universe at War: Earth Assault is a fantastic game marred by technical issues aplenty.

In terms of gameplay, the new boss fights are a huge chunk of the challenging content, and they're a ton of fun to play. If you enjoyed Kingdom Hearts III's combat enough to want to see it at its best, then Re Mind is for you. The Organization XIII fights alone are worth the price of admission in this case. If not, then $30 is difficult to justify for what amounts to a couple of add-ons to cut scenes that you've seen before and boss fights that you might not be able to beat.

An enjoyable, if slightly simple, way to spend a few hours. It's as addictive as side-scrollers come but is overly reliant on its film inspiration to fill in the gaps of the story and create a pre-existing bond with characters.

In the end, your enjoyment of Close to the Sun will depend on whether you want to be surprised. If you've played some of the previously mentioned games, you know exactly what to expect in terms of pacing and story, even if the subject matter is different. The lack of combat is an interesting choice, but the simple puzzles and slightly frustrating chase sequences dull the experience, while the inability to view collectibles after you leave a level significantly diminishes their value.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is a strictly by-the-books Warriors-style game. There's enough value here for die-hard Berserk fans, if only for collecting Behelits, which unlock artwork and galleries, and they can enjoy the fun of mowing down tons of helpless foes. However, in comparison to most other recent Warriors titles, Berserk feels unambitious. As an anime adaptation, it's a darn sight better than something like Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, but it seems to coast on its popular license rather than trying to do something special.

Even if you only play Life Is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection in handheld mode and you've never played either game elsewhere, this offering isn't great. At $40 for a slightly worse version of two older titles, I can't recommend the Arcadia Bay Collection in its current state. It may be worth a pickup at a steep sale, but even then, if you can play it on another platform, do yourself a favor and do that. Both games are still enjoyable narrative adventures with some cool moments, but the Switch iteration simply doesn't do justice to the original releases.

Visually, Front Mission 3: Remake is a sideways upgrade. You have fully 3D maps and environments and higher-res models than the PS1 version, but the upgrade is rather lackluster. In some cases, I preferred the PS1 design for the Wanzers to the Remake's version. I also found the map a tad harder to read at times, since enemy mech designs would sometimes slightly blend into the background. It looks far better on high-resolution screens than the blurry and pixelated PS1 version, but I think the art design took a hit. The music is quite good, offering both the original soundtrack and a new remastered modern version that did a good job of remixing the music.

State of Decay 2 is imperfect, but it's still a very good time. The presentation may not be up to snuff and the AI can be a hindrance, but the overall experience is fulfilling enough that you'll overlook those shortcomings. There aren't many games that execute the community aspect so well or are as accessible to those who aren't deeply into survival titles.

Despite these problems, Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun is still a solid title that adventure fans will love.

It is actually above-average, and one of the better games out there in comparison to the majority of what has been released these past few years.

Battletoads isn't bad, but it is boring. It starts off relatively strong and quickly devolves into uninteresting minigames. When the title returns to beat-'em-up gameplay, it shows the potential to be something more, but then you're forced to play "rock paper scissors" or mash buttons for a few minutes, and it all fades away. The concept, characters and visuals are excellent updates of the original, so it's a shame that the gameplay isn't.

Some of the new items and treasures in Knothole are simply must-own material, and the resurrection shrine is truly a thing of beauty for those still anguishing over the loss of a certain loved one.

The ball-rolling stages alone are reason to knock down the score several points. However, for a family with kids around eight or nine years old, My Frogger Toy Trials is easily worth the $30 price tag more so than many of the licensed kids' cartoon games out there.

If you don't mind a drip feed of soul-crushing events, then This is the Police will work for you. The actual gameplay is littered with questionable content, but the core is engaging for both quick and marathon sessions. The story is what holds things together; the many twists are fascinating, and the presentation is charming due to its artistic simplicity. It may not be for everyone, but for those looking for something a little different, This is the Police is worth a shot.

Dark Sector isn't a terrible game. It's just a game that is built around one great idea and surrounded by mediocrity.

City of Brass brings some interesting features to the dungeon-crawling genre, but its overly generic style and atmosphere don't break any new ground. It's a game that can be picked up and put down easily, which would make it a good candidate for a Nintendo Switch port. City of Brass' qualities are unfortunately marred by its lack of personality and other technical blunders.