Sean Anthony
Snipperclips offers hours of head-scratching puzzle fun with you and a friend. The price point is fair for the number of levels and modes it offers to encourage you to come back to work with your friends in party mode or take them on in Blitz mode. The difficulty curve is steep and some of the puzzles are too cryptic, but with determination and proper communication, you can tackle any problem. Make sure you bring a friend!
Night in the Woods is a fantastic narrative with a beautiful artstyle, theme and plenty of small touches occupying a wonderful world full of loving characters covering a sinister story underneath.
Puyo Puyo Tetris is a perfect blend of both Puyo Puyo and Tetris and gives us our first Puyo Puyo game in over ten years and while some of its modes aren't as thrilling, the new modes offer an exciting new take on the competitive puzzle genre.
Scanner Sombre is a quick, beautiful and melancholic distraction with an interesting twist, but its main puzzle is navigating the caves, which can become confusing and frustrating due to everything being made of the same beams of light.
Super Rude Bear Resurrection is a tough platformer with the interesting twist of using your previous failures towards your successful run, but sometimes too slippery platforming, mediocre design and distracting companion take away from what could be a fun romp through a terrible time.
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is a fun fighting game with interesting new mechanics and touted as the definitive version of Street Fighter II, but it comes off as lazy and overpriced, padded with a lackluster buddy mode and an unnecessary and almost broken "Way of the Hado" mode reminiscent of the worst of the Wii era.
Vanquish gets another shot at the limelight fixing its presentation flaws from the first time it was released. With possible 4K resolution and an unlocked, constant frame rate during its high paced action sequences, the PC version of Vanquish is the definitive version.
Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy is an incredibly well done remaster from the ground up and shows that while the first Crash Bandicoot may have aged poorly, Cortex Strikes Back and Warped are incredibly fun games, and being able to play them all with stunning new visuals and as Coco is the cherry on top to a fantastic collection.
Kirby's Blowout Blast is a fun, short distraction that acts as a pseudo-retelling of Kirby's Dreamland. The levels are short, there aren't a large variety of bosses, and there is a notable lack of surprises, but replaying levels to earn a platinum level, or even just ace your score, is what makes this game almost worth the $6.99 purchase.
Hey! Pikmin is a quirky attempt at a beloved franchise with many minor annoyances. Throwing your Pikmin is fast and fun, but the different types are hardly used to their advantages and there isn't a good incentive to collect every treasure.
Namco Museum for the Switch is a great attempt at a collection of classic arcade games. Fighting to become the top score on the leaderboard is fun, even if the other challenges often come off as shallow. With the detailed manuals and the great display options, adding a few more games, or even more challenges could have made this the definitive Namco Museum.
If you have friends, Ark: Survival Evolved is a fun survival game, with options such as PvP or PvE servers to make every player happy. If you primarily play alone, however, this game will require a heavy set of grinding and repetition, turning off any players hoping to just get a taste of some dinosaur action.
Minecraft: New 3DS Edition is a surprisingly competent version of the game despite its obvious limitations. However, the draw distances are terrible, multiplayer isn't available at the beginning, and it won't stack up to the console versions. If you truly want Minecraft on the go and own a Nintendo Switch, I suggest buying that version instead as it is the same price and, unlike the New Nintendo 3DS Edition, it will be receiving the Better Together Update this Winter.
Butcher is a grotesque love-letter to older shooters with addictive gameplay, plenty of different difficulty settings and disturbing imagery. However, it doesn't have enough to offer as the content falls short leading to an incredibly unsatisfying conclusion.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is a competent port on the Nintendo Switch. While it has obvious stutter in the online lobby and the framerate doesn't match that of its rivaling consoles, being able to play in handheld mode with little difference in quality is a plus and will help you tackle the game's expansive list of content from anywhere.
Snipperclips Plus completes a fantastic cooperative puzzle game. The additional games are a blast, stamp mode is a fun distraction, the new levels are fun with creative ideas, and the ability to play as random shapes breathes more life into an already lively batch of brainteasers.
Monopoly for Nintendo Switch works for being a Monopoly game, but is ultimately a gimped port of a several year old game with features such as My Monopoly missing and questionable design choices such as not being able to mix and match house rules. If you're looking for Monopoly on the go, it may be better to wait for a price drop.
Kirby Battle Royale has a great premise, but squanders almost all of its potential. There is simply too little content to justify its price point and everything can be completed in just a few hours. Online is lacking, as players are limited to only playing with strangers in ranked and can only play with friends if they do so locally. Despite being one of the only Kirby games without his famous inhale ability, Kirby Battle Royale kind of sucks.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is a near-perfect fighting game that appeals to casual players without alienating veteran fighters. The dramatic finishes are a nice touch, the story is amusing and lengthy, if not repetitive at times, the visuals are beautiful, and there is enough content to satisfy any Dragon Ball fan itching for a good fight.
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus performs well on Switch, with only a few fits of noticeable slowdown while in handheld mode. The Plus 2P mode is a nice addition, but sadly lacks the content available in the main game. If you're looking for a fun and quick distraction for a few minutes every once in a while, this game may be right up your alley.