The Outer Worlds is a hugely entertaining "Fallout-in-space"-style RPG adventure filled with wonderfully vibrant locations, excellent companions, zippy and hilariously brutal combat and a ton of well-written characters to meet as you attempt to save the colony of Halcyon. Virtuos has made the expected tweaks to graphics in order to keep things as smooth as possible with this Switch port and, although things can look and feel a little rough in docked mode, in handheld this is a supremely enjoyable experience that's entertained us just as much this time around as when we played it at launch, and comes highly recommended to fans of the genre.
The XCOM 2 Collection on Switch is the full-fat XCOM 2 and XCOM 2: War of the Chosen experience. Virtuous has had to knock the graphics right down to the lowest setting, there's plenty of framerate issues and bugs that we've already encountered on other platforms and the not-insignificant – but hopefully very shortly patched – problem with the game's character creation pool, but this is still a highly playable version of the game. If you can make peace with some stuttering and long loading times and aren't too offended by pretty ugly textures here and there, you'll be rewarded with one of the very best turn-based tactical titles currently available. XCOM 2 is nothing short of a masterpiece and now you can play it on the go, which we reckon is well worth any sacrifices made here.
Minecraft Dungeons does an excellent job of taking the blocky world and characters that we all know and love from Minecraft and transplanting them into a light and breezy, kid-friendly action-RPG. The streamlined systems of character building and upgrading here are delightfully easy to engage with, levels are beautifully realised, and randomly generated slices of the overworld and the various mobs and bosses you come up against provide a fun challenge for up to four players to get stuck into. It may not be the most dark or difficult action RPG out there, but for newcomers to the genre, young kids or massive Minecraft fans, this one is an easy recommendation.
Journey to the Savage Planet is a wonderfully unique mixture of No Man's Sky-style exploration and Metroidvania puzzling and platforming with a wonderfully dark sense of humour that arrives here on Switch in a slightly compromised but still eminently playable state.
Never Stop Sneakin' is a lovingly crafted parody of early Metal Gear Solid games that pairs some genuinely funny dialogue and ridiculous characters and cutscenes with its own brand of impressively slick stealth action. Its levels are pretty repetitive and there's quite a bit of unnecessary grinding and replaying of missions in an effort to artificially extend the running time but, overall, this is a fun little title that's perfect for dipping in and out of for a hit of light-hearted tactical espionage action.
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix is a strong portable version of a truly joyous rhythm game which loses out a little in terms of track numbers in comparison to the likes of series stablemate Future Tone, but makes up for this with a surprisingly solid Switch-exclusive motion control mode alongside touchscreen controls and a new art style that helps keep things running smoothly as you blast your way through its eclectic mix of excellent music.
The Persistence is a unique and unsettling sci-fi horror roguelite that does an excellent job of transferring its tense atmosphere and absorbing gameplay loops from its original VR form to the Nintendo Switch.
The Elder Scrolls: Blades is a bland and repetitive grind, a free-to-play mobile game all dressed up like a proper Elder Scrolls title but lacking in any of the adventure, exploration, wit or charm of a mainline entry in the franchise.
Void Bastards is a delightful roguelike romp through a wonderfully unique cel-shaded comic book world full of loud-mouthed enemies and smart-arsed robots.
Huntdown is a delightfully detailed and expertly crafted throwback to old-school run n' gun arcade shooters.
Fury Unleashed takes the central gameplay loops of the likes of Dead Cells and Enter the Gungeon and infuses them with pulpy '90s action platforming resulting in one of the best roguelites currently available on Nintendo Switch.
Streets of Rage 4 is the very best the series has ever been.
Anodyne mixes solid old-school dungeon crawling with a delightfully weird and warped narrative set in a fever dreamscape full of bizarre secrets and surprises.
Zombie Army Trilogy is a solid co-op shooter with a fantastically pulpy set-up that does exactly what it sets out to, pitting you and up to three other players against an almost endless army of gloriously gory undead Nazis and letting you snipe, shotgun and kick every last one of them to pieces. It may be of somewhat limited appeal when played solo, but gather together a crew or join forces with randoms online and this one springs to life, providing countless hours of admirably straightforward skull-smashing fun.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is another excellent entry in the series that manages to build successfully on everything that made the original such a standout experience.
Operencia: The Stolen Sun is a mostly excellent first person, grid-based dungeon crawler that's brought brilliantly to life via an engaging story, fun cast of characters and some well-designed and hugely atmospheric dungeons. Combat here is satisfying and puzzles, for the most part, land just on the right side of challenging. If you're looking for a meaty old-school dungeon-crawling adventure with a ton of secrets and treasures to find as you make your way across its world, this one comes as a nice surprise and is highly recommended.
Resident Evil 2 is a stellar remake of an all-time classic. It manages to perfectly combine old and new, taking the very best aspects of Hideki Kamiya's original vision and transplanting them into this comprehensive and thoroughly modern reworking. A staggeringly beautiful recreation of the RPD brings one of gaming's most iconic settings kicking and screaming into the 21st century, and a new control scheme and plethora of quality-of-life improvements combine to make this one of the most satisfying and hugely replayable Resi games in the entire franchise.
Sea of Thieves has managed to successfully steer a course through turbulent waters during its first two years. Its once somewhat sterile and empty world is now full to bursting point with activities and distractions and it's got a sense of direction and purpose which mean players don't need to work nearly as hard to find ways in which to indulge their inner Black Beard. Tall Tales provide a properly meaty, narrative-driven campaign that works equally as well for solo players as it does for eager crews of four and that once empty horizon is now full of things to see and do as you make your way from the lowliest bilge rat to a pirate of legend.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar's greatest achievement to date – an epic Western masterpiece set in a phenomenally-detailed recreation of 1890's America. Top-notch acting across the board brings its beautifully-written cast of characters to life and the riveting central story is surrounded on all sides by an almost endless array of deep and satisfying side activities that serve to further ground you in the life and times of Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang. A must-have title for your Xbox One.
Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] is a super slick, fast-paced fighter that manages to successfully straddle the line between being instantly accessible and welcoming for newcomers and in-depth enough to satisfy hardcore fight fans.