Overall, Katana Zero is an inspired effort.
The Walking Dead: The Final Season is a testament to what great writing talent can accomplish. Even with the game's increasingly archaic engine and an art style that isn't quite as unique as it used to be, The Final Season offers a story that ranks up there with the original first season. It is a marvelous piece of work and acts as a bookend to one of the best gaming sagas of the decade.
Unfortunately, those looking for a deeper, more immersive baseball experience can do so much better than R.B.I. Baseball 19.
Right now, Anthem is not good. And given what's come out of BioWare in the past and the kinds of lasting, impactful experiences that the gaming world knows BioWare is capable of delivering, that's truly sad.
Kingdom Hearts III is an absolute triumph, conquering the darkness that plagued the series' past and standing firmly in the light. It's not just a great Kingdom Hearts game, it may very well be a game that gets revisited in December.
Smash packages don't come any better than this. It may not be perfect, but it sure feels Ultimate.
Dota 2 fans will find a lot to love about Artifact if it stays on this trajectory. Those who don't have any particular attachment to the Dota franchise and want something simpler might want to focus their attention elsewhere.
Floor Kids isn't a game that's going to eat up a lot of time. The novelty can wear out quickly, even with the game's dozens of fresh tracks. But the multiplayer is enough of a fun diversion that it's worth trotting out on occasion with your significant other, roommate, or close acquaintance. It's a solid effort, one bolstered by its unique art style and its desire to dare to be a little different.
It's a wildly entertaining package, with clever premises that can consume entire parties for hours at a time. And even if there isn't much for a solo partier to do here, it's easier than ever to fire up a Twitch stream and engage through the audience feature. There's something for every type of partygoer and there's enough to keep the party going all through the night.
This is on top of a one of the most robust single-player offerings I can think of in a fighting game, as well as more behind-the-scenes Museum content than one can shake a snake sword at. SoulCalibur VI is an incredible package, only bogged down by a few minor issues, and one that should be near the top of any fighting game fan's library.
Black Ops 4 feels like one of the strongest Call of Duty entries to come along in years. Despite not having a solo campaign or some of the past games' more bombastic mechanics, Treyarch has proved the adage that "less is more." And this game's "less" is good enough to keep me waiting around for "more."
With numerous maps, characters, and an engaging single-player mode, TowerFall is a deep experience and one that's worth having in the Switch library when company comes over. TowerFall started off its life as one of the sole shining stars of a doomed Ouya platform, but now it ends its life in front of a massive Nintendo Switch install base. And this star shines as brightly as ever.
But story aside, Old School Musical as a full package is an unexpected treat. The post-story challenges, along with the replayable Arcade Mode puts together the best of what this game can offer. It's a solid foundation to hopefully build something more solid in the future.
As a final blowoff to the Trinity saga, I couldn't help but walk away feeling that the resolution to the story and to Lara Croft's character could have been so much better. But in terms of a pure "Tomb Raider" game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is everything a bold explorer could ask for, giving players a vast jungle to explore and daring them to master it.
Look at Guacamelee 2 as gaming's equivalent of NXT Takeovers or New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual G1 Climax tournaments. They may not feel overly different from each another, but there's no questioning their high quality and they'll leave you anxiously awaiting the next main event.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is every bit as charming on Switch as it was on Wii U.
Those looking for the basic Runbow experience can find everything they're looking for on the Nintendo Switch. Is it a full upgrade from the Wii U version? Not exactly. The Wii U version had a clever game mode called Color Master, in which one person on the Wii U GamePad could select the color patterns and try to troll their friends into dying. Losing that mode is sad, but fortunately, Runbow has plenty else to hang its hat on.
Captain Spirit does well balancing itself as a clear setup for Life is Strange 2, while also functioning well as a standalone tale. Fans of the series will love how the storytelling mechanics have evolved from the first game, while general adventure game fans should enjoy the multiple dialogue choices, the greater emphasis on inventory, and the numerous puzzles scattered throughout the house.
As a collection of Street Fighter games, it's hard to say anything bad about the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. It's a full-blown compilation of the very best fighting games in the world. (Also, it includes the original Street Fighter.) For anyone looking to play these classics with friends, it's hard to go wrong here and the robust Museum is the icing on this multi-layered cake.
Laser League is delightfully chaotic. It's easy to grasp just by looking at it, but for those who need a few pointers, there's a robust tutorial system, as well as a Playbook mode that helpfully explains the game's more nuanced elements, like the individual classes and power-ups. It's a game that gets more intense with more players, which is why 3v3 online speaks particularly well to me. But it's just as easy to set up local multiplayer, along with bots of varying skill levels.