As it is, there's more than enough of the sniping action to see the game over the line, but at times the successes of Contracts do feel like they come despite the development team's best efforts.
There's nothing wrong with how Black Future '88 plays. It's actually quite exceptional. But there are a lot of exceptional roguelikes and hardcore 2D platformers, and Black Future '88 lacks the narrative or context that it really needed to stand out against its many competitors.
There's nothing offensively wrong with Labyrinth of the Witch. It's a cutsey Mystery Dungeon-like roguelike. There are already so many examples of that genre, though, and the Nintendo Switch didn't need another one whose only innovation was to bring a mobile gaming grind to proceedings.
There's simply no reason to play something so utterly bereft of thought as Narcos.
Shenmue 3's real strength is in the way that it suggests a different way of looking at the very storytelling of videogames.
Civilization VI is essential. Not only is it a game that's educational, informative, and inspirational (see my video above for more thoughts around that), but it's also deeply pertinent to today's world and gives players a way of seeing - and grappling - with the topic on their own terms.
There aren't enough rhythm games that make the piano the central instrument, and Deemo is an elegant example of how to take an elegant, classical instrument and spin it into an interesting rhythm game.
There's a lot to like about Fishing Star World Tour. It's a lightweight, highly accessible, and charming little arcade-like take on fishing, and while it's never going to top anyone's list of favourite games, it's the kind of mindlessly relaxing thing that's useful to have on the console for those times where you really do just want to chill.
I didn’t think that there would be a Tactical Mind 2. I’m glad there is, because the fundamentals are there that it deserves to be played. On the other hand, there is so much unrealised potential in Tactical Mind.
The series needed that soft reset, and now Game Freak has the same outstanding basis and core to build on anew. Just as it did back when Pokemon Blue & Red so effectively captured my imagination 21 years ago.
Mad Games Tycoon is a noble attempt to do something really cool. As someone who loves tycoon simulators, and loves video games, the dream is very much there to have something more serious and deep to replace Game Dev Tycoon. Unfortunately Mad Games Tycoon also struggles to give you a genuine sense of ownership over what you're doing. A very pedestrian presentation, and a sense that you're being pushed to play in a specific way is very antithetical to how the overwhelming bulk of the real world games industry works.
There wasn't a moment of Romancing SaGa 3 that I did not love.
It’s easy to dismiss Tsum Tsum Festival as being “just” a minigame collection, but there’s value in those – especially on the Nintendo Switch, which is built around the easy sharing of experiences but has, to date, had a relatively minimal application of that potential outside of Nintendo itself.
Initially I was worried that Layton sans the titular professor would be a problem. In the end that wasn't where the issues lay with Layton's Mystery Journey. I'm certainly on board with Katrielle taking over and having the kind of long career that her father did, but Level-5 does need to get some fresh new puzzle-designers in, because with this game they dropped the ball too frequently for a series of this calibre.
Groove Coaster: Wai Wai Party! wasn't quite the celebration of digital celebrities that I had hoped it would be going in. What it is is an excellent rendition of one of the better rhythm games out there, and while it might be more straight-faced and less "party" than the title implies, it's still hard to go wrong with this one.
Like the very best horror, Tokyo Dark takes a look at real-world issues and tensions in a way that's memorably shocking. There's a strong subtext to Tokyo Dark's story, and its told in a nuanced way, with memorable characters and intense imagery. Cherrymochi is a unique developer that has created a unique thing here, and for that the team has certainly earned my attention for whatever it has coming next.
For the first ten hours or so I thought that The Outer Worlds would become a game of the year contender. Unfortunately it ultimately proves itself to be a little too shallow for that, but the combination of stunning vistas, excellent party members, and entertaining gunplay make it much like the 70's and 80's science fiction that it's clearly inspired by: A lot of fun when you're looking to switch the brain off and just unwind.
I walked into The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game fully expecting yet another attempt to "do Hearthstone" on the Nintendo Switch. I walked away thoroughly impressed with how completely the game surprised me.
There's nothing wrong with Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games 2020. It's presented with verve and for such a large range of mini-games, the fact that there's no true dud in there is impressive in its own right. At the same time, it lacks the competitive edge of the "proper" Olympics title this year, and is a little too feature light for its own good as either a single player or local multiplayer experience.
If there was forward momentum on the subsequent chapters, or some kind of guarantee that the story will actually be completed, then Corpse Party 2 would be essential. I love this series for its sublime use of horror language and the pictures it paints with words rather than relying on (just) the visual grotesque. But this "latest" entry into the franchise only gets to be great if it's actually finished.