It pains to criticise this remaster so harshly, because there was a great fondness for the original title that sprang to life if local multiplayer with friends was taken advantage of. Square Enix has shown little desire to give Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles the makeover it deserved, however, and its many dated issues only become more apparent next to the removal of local multiplayer and region-locked online play. There is still a case for chancing it for friends that enjoy dungeon crawlers and can deal with the limitations, but beware of the strange control schemes and tedious gameplay.
Tennis fans are so limited these days, and Tennis World Tour 2 does not deliver enough to consider it a great game. Too many graphical glitches, inconsistencies across the board in terms of gameplay and the wider matchday details, copy-pasted player physiques and complete lack of personalised shots, a shoehorned mid-match card feature that only distracts - oh, and locking major tournaments and courts behind day one DLC are just some of the reasons Big Ant Studios double faults with this one. With more time, care, and no doubt a bigger budget, something decent could arise, because the makings are there, but patches might not be enough, and focus now might be better spent on a hopeful third game.
Smoots World Cup Tennis tries to be this whacky and hilarious arcade sports game, plastered with all manner of customisation options and silly characters that parody real life people, but the bugs, the constant replays after every point, the awful visuals and voice clips, the boring gameplay, and just the obvious lack of care to optimise for Switch make this an easy pass.
A commendable attempt to bring Samurai Shodown to an old portable format, even though the limited nature of the Neo Geo Pocket Color at the time does hinder Samurai Shodown! 2's chances of being able to hold much attention today. One for the diehard fans that will appreciate the effort of what was achieved with the hardware.
None of this is to say Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a bad game. In fact, it's a decent game for the younger audience, newcomers, and anyone that isn't expecting Shantae to evolve. Strictly from the perspective of someone that has played many games in the series and is eager for something different, though, this disappoints on many fronts. Uninspiring and rarely ever surprising, with little to make the player feel like they've earned anything, what is left is a generic Shantae game that is like any other before it, crying out for change and originality.
Future Tone players can pass on this, but this still comes highly recommended to Switch owners and anyone desperate for portable Miku. Just be sure to wait and buy at a discount.
Few retro handheld fighting games hold up today, but SNK had already done a good job getting the gameplay of The King of Fighters functioning well on the Neo Geo Pocket Color, and SNK Gals' Fighters still proves fun for some casual bouts in this Nintendo Switch port. A lack of gameplay depth, and inability to convert some moves to unused buttons, and confusion in how to unlock characters is a shame, but the additional options introduced, including the excellent multiplayer setup to allow for instant local fights on the go, really make this more enticing, and much more tempting given the price.
The Fighters Pass not only brings five fantastic characters into the Smash universe, including some excellent surprises, but adds five stages with mostly unique features, as well as a shedload of music tracks.
If you have managed to hold out on getting into Street Fighter V and were waiting for the best time to dive in, well done! Champion Edition is the version to pick up.
Despite the DLC gripes and the heavy downgrade in visuals for this Switch port, Samurai Shodown really stands out from the crowd, and it's great to see the revival of a popular series return in such a good way on the gameplay front. It takes weapons-based combat and creates a smart system out of it, putting players on edge, and provides moments of pure bliss when bare knuckle comebacks are made. The strong Japanese style only adds to the appeal. It really could have done with a more fleshed out story mode, though.