Mad Carnage has a few things going for it in the form of its movement mechanics and the comic strip-led story sections, but they're packaged together with an experience that doesn't do them justice. Everything else is far too basic, and thus it fails at building a cohesive experience that we could recommend.
If you think you'd get a lot out of the referential humour found in The Darkside Detective, you're in for a treat. Its simple gameplay will complement the jokes, the pixelated look continues to impress, and the auditory experience on offer is up there with the best. It's a shame then that if you're more of a millennial, then much of this will be lost on you. The puns and pranks will fly over your head, and in that situation, you're left with the basic gameplay loop that doesn't really do enough to satisfy on its own. In essence, it's only really a choice you alone can make. If you think you'll vibe with TDD is going for then you're in for a good time, but if not, you're almost certainly best left looking elsewhere.
Sprint Vector is a game that needs to be experienced by every PlayStation VR headset owner. The unparalleled sense of speed created by your Stride is one of the greatest feelings in virtual reality, and then combining it with the more advanced techniques on offer gives you a huge amount of depth to explore and master. Flying through the air is incredible, scaling a wall is thrilling, and using all of that momentum to launch yourself to the chequered flag is exhilarating. There's nothing else quite like Sprint Vector in virtual reality right now, and so this is one you absolutely need to experience for yourself.
Nintendo Switch finally has its first great horror game in Layers Of Fear: Legacy. The creativity in its scares helps to keep you guessing about what's around every corner, and even then, its unique set-pieces will most certainly surprise you anyway. Slightly lacklustre gameplay aside, the plot's descent into madness, the title's dedication to messing with your expectations to set up a scare, and the simple fact that this is a solid Switch port, means that this is horrific experience is one you won't want to miss out on.
If you're looking for something substantial in the gameplay department, Old Man's Journey probably isn't for you. Its main mechanic is neat, but it doesn't build upon it and due to the lack of any surrounding substance, you'll be left feeling short changed. But for those that connect with it, Old Man's Journey will offer up a memorable experience that comes equipped with a meaningful message and a stunning graphical palette.
Pool Billiard has to be one of the dullest experiences we've come across on Nintendo Switch so far. It functions in that it offers multiple games of pool to play, but it has nothing to serve up outside of that. This could have been somewhat alleviated by online functionality, but with no multiplayer in sight outside of a local match, you're going to very quickly tire of playing against the AI. We strongly recommend waiting for a better pool experience to take on the go.
Metal Gear Survive is not what many envisioned the follow up to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to be, but that doesn't inherently make it a bad game. This is definitely a different experience, thanks to the introduction of survival mechanics and the extensive base building, but these aspects actually benefit what the title is going for. With a punishing but fascinating open world to explore, a crafting system that allows for all manner of items to be fashioned, and a suitably bizarre story that is sure to surprise even series veterans, Metal Gear Survive is likely to please those that give it a solid chance.
Hot off the heels of Layers of Fear: Legacy, Detention is yet another horror classic that deserves a place on your Nintendo Switch. Its story has an important message behind it as it introduces themes that seem almost unfair when viewed through the eyes of a child, but that only helps to escalate the horror. Through a terrifying atmosphere, chilling ghouls, and a soundtrack that will sink its teeth into you, Detention is a suitably horrifying title that needs to be experienced first-hand.
Escape Trick: 35 Fateful Enigmas offers a decent puzzling experience, but its refusal to innovate or even introduce anything fresh into the game long past the halfway mark seriously dampens things. There is fun to be had here, but expect things to get repetitive and frustrating all too quickly.
Grid Mania doesn't attempt to revolutionise the puzzle genre in any shape of form, but the things that it does well help to create a solid brain teasing experience. The four game modes offer an excellent initial set of levels with escalating difficulty, and then three distinctive twists on that core mechanic that could all even warrant their own game. Presentational setbacks aside, Grid Mania is well worth your time if you want to feel like a genius.
Subsurface Circular is a landmark moment in interactive storytelling. The elegance of its escalation is simply unmatched, as it tells a story that makes you feel like you're in completely over your head, and yet still perfectly believable. The characters you meet along the way all feel unique with their own personality, which makes interacting with them a test of wit and cunning as you use the conversational mechanics to their full effect. There's nothing quite else quite like Subsurface Circular, and when that uniqueness is combined with the phenomenal narrative at hand, you have all the ingredients for a simply unforgettable and very special journey aboard the subway.
The Trail: Frontier Challenge is too much of a barebones experience for us to give it anywhere near a solid recommendation. The act of getting about is minimal when it comes to interaction, and the performance issues turn the game into far too much of a slog. The skill tree and the art style itself are two brief high points, but they're not enough to make us recall this trip through the countryside with any degree of fondness.
Beast Quest feels unfinished. Its graphical presentation is put to shame by many PS3 titles, and we're absolutely baffled how the experience doesn't even manage to run at a consistent framerate on the PS4 Pro. But even if these two aspects were up to snuff, the gameplay and plot are still below average. Beast Quest has very little to offer to even the most die-hard fans of the book series, and everyone else is advised to steer well clear.
Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered sits in a bit of an odd place. It's a good game on its own, but after the release of Assassin's Creed Origins and the major improvements it brought to the series, Shay Patrick Cormac's trek across the ocean feels outdated only four years after its original release. If you can stomach a return to the franchise's original formula, then the experience will be worth your while thanks to a compelling plot and excellent naval mechanics. But if you've grown tired of that recipe, Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered won't do anything to draw you back in.
Super Daryl Deluxe is one of the coolest games on Nintendo Switch right now. Its skill-based combat will have you coming back for more as you unlock numerous abilities that change the game, the story will have you laughing with its witty through line, and the visual presentation is a sight to behold thanks to a stylish art style that is sure to please. If you ever need a bit of a pick me up, there's not much better than playing Super Daryl Deluxe on the go.
Time Carnage fails to do anything interesting with its gimmick, and thus this is nothing but just another shooting gallery. There's a certain amount of fun to be found in the arcade and challenge modes, but slogging through the campaign to unlock the levels and perks contained within them is a complete borefest.
Bombslinger is a decent game, but its brutal and unforgiving difficulty is sure to turn many potential buyers off. Building up a character with abilities, items, and weapons is engaging as you find new ways to deal with what's put in front of you, but to have that all ripped away upon death is truly heart-breaking. If you can stomach the set-backs then Bombslinger is sure to please, but if you'd rather take your belongings to the grave, you'll be in for a tougher and more frustrating time.
Extinction had the potential to be something special, but a few too many flaws and frustrations hold it back from true greatness. Despite that, we still think this adventure of epic proportions is very much worth a purchase if the grand scale even slightly grabs your interest.
Gal*Gun 2 will once again grab the headlines for all the wrong reasons, but what those will fail to tell you is that the underlying experience isn't worth any sort of price to begin with. Once the perverse novelty wears off, you're left with a bare-bones shooter that sorely needs to come off the rails it is tied to if it wants to create any excitement.
To Leave is certainly a competent 2D platformer, but its brutal difficulty is sure to stop the majority of its players from even finishing the game. Fortunately, its story and visuals are keen to excite to the point where they may just about be worth your frustration.