As a full package, Beast of Reincarnation is…fine. It’s not a bad game, but it certainly won’t be up there for games I’ll remember as some big blowout hit.
Echoes of Aincrad is by no means a bad game, it’s just not enough “game” I think. Combat could’ve used more fleshing out, the environments needed more to actually care about, and the story is just the story of Sword Art Online. If you’re a more casual gamer and want to experience SAO without watching any anime, it’s probably pretty solid for you, but it’s just not enough.
Splatoon Raiders marks an excellent entry to the Splatoon franchise I’d wager, and anybody that enjoyed the previous games but might’ve wanted a more fleshed out solo experience is gonna have a blast here.
If Granblue Fantasy: Relink had your attention before but you never took the plunge, there legitimately isn’t a better version of the game to play than Endless Ragnarok.
As a complete package, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for Switch 2 excels where it needs to. It makes some necessary compromises with the visuals and general map object clutter, but it’s a small price to pay for being able to experience the second stage of Final Fantasy VII’s remake trilogy.
If you’re seeking some adrenaline pumping shooter gameplay with tight platforming and an engaging story, look no further.
Say what you want about Xbox and its library, they really came out swinging hard for the fences with Playground Games and Forza Horizon 6. It’s an extremely gorgeous title with tight racing, a soundtrack that’s sure to please anybody (and this is before any added stations from future updates like Epitaph in 5), and a fantastic set of roads to race on.
As a whole package, it’s still early on in its life, so while it may be currently barebones, I do think that Pokémon Champions has an excellent blueprint laid out for future updates. Looking at it for what it is, a way to get new players into the competitive scene and to practice for official events, Pokémon Champions nails exactly that.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a fun and simple package with an absolute boatload of charm for those interested in that style of gameplay.
There was a ton of hype around Pokopia’s release and I genuinely believe it has lived up to that excitement. It is by far and wide the most unique take on Pokémon that the franchise has ever seen and it’s got the quality behind it to further reinforce that creativity. Between a bunch of rewarding exploration, unique interactions with each Pokémon, and absolutely ludicrous freedom of creation, Pokopia brings Pokémon into the cozy builder style of game with extreme force.
While it is an older title, I’m still surprised at the quality and general smoothness of Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage on the Switch 2. It plays incredibly well, the online is generally smooth, and runs pretty great.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is everything I’d hoped for in a follow-up to the second game, so seeing it realized so well is nothing short of fantastic. With excellent characters, a decent story, an enjoyable gameplay loop with as much grinding as you want there to be, and a really gorgeous appearance and world, it’s a genuine must play for fans of turn-based RPGs.
Koei Tecmo has absolutely blown it out of the water with this release, so big props to the team behind it. When it comes to doing remakes well, I’d put this up on the pedestal alongside games like the Resident Evil remakes. It is an absolute must-play for survival horror fans, and if you’re curious on what survival horror looks like outside of your typical association, you’ll definitely want to check out Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake.
All-in-all, I don’t think Code Vein II is bad. It’s mostly an improvement over some of the stiffness and art direction of the first game, bringing new features, weapons, and jails for players to build their characters around. The music is still great, albeit more orchestral than the grunge of the first game’s collaboration with VAMPS. The biggest problem that this franchise (is it a franchise yet?) struggles with seems to be chasing the Souls-Ring feel but not nailing it as much as I’d have hoped for the second entry.
If you’re a fan of charming RPGs with unique systems, great music, and a fantastic use of pixel art, you really owe it to yourself to pick up Demonschool.
I think Age of Imprisonment is a genuinely fun game with a nice story expansion on something we already sorta understood from Tears of the Kingdom. The characters, while not really being mainstay Zelda characters, are fun, the music is incredible and harkens back to some familiar tracks from throughout Zelda history, and the areas all blend into their respective territories throughout Hyrule. It runs great, feels good to play, and having the GameShare feature is always a big plus.
Pokémon Legends Z-A marks an enjoyable breath of fresh air, but it could still do with some growth to catch up with the times.
Konami’s return to new titles is strong with Silent Hill f despite its shortcomings in the combat department. The setting is gorgeous and eerie with the music only adding to that, the voice acting is excellent (I played the Japanese dub of the game), and the story is downright gripping.
Ghost of Yōtei isn’t a full blown sequel, but I would consider it more of an “evolution” of Ghost of Tsushima’s foundation. It improves on a good bit of Tsushima’s framework to make it more engaging and even more fun, which is an impressive achievement. It’s not a huge improvement, because it’s hard to improve on something that was already so solid the first time, but it is exactly what you’d ask for as a successor.
Despite subpar performance, a strange lack of identity, and the PR disaster Borderlands 4 has been garnering online, it really is a fun game with an engaging story full of fun and interesting characters. The negatives around the game really do weigh on it, of course, but when you can really sink your teeth into the meat and potatoes, Borderlands 4 is genuinely one of the most fun, if not the most fun, entry in the series so far.