Grip: Combat Racing offers an enormous amount of fun content for a reasonable price. Frankly, this game could go toe to toe with a lot of AAA racers and come out on top. Blistering speed, amazing track design, wild action; if you can get past some mild frustrations, Grip fully delivers and intense, jaw-clenching good time.
Fun Train has delivered a game that, for a franchise title, is surprising in its quality. Though there are some minor technical hiccups, content-wise, this game stands with the best offerings of its legendary franchise. It is often said that The Exorcist is the scariest film ever produced. The Exorcist: Legion VR is scarier.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a stellar achievement. Through its fun and accessible cast of characters, solidly made toys-to-life component, and beautiful graphics, Ubisoft has hit the ground running. With the addition of a healthy amount of Star Fox content, the Switch version is definitely the preferable way to go, but regardless of your system Starlink is a remarkably entertaining game, and an auspicious launch for a new gaming universe.
Joggernauts presents a smiling face to the world, bouncing happily in place and waiting for someone to love it. But before long, it rips its mask off and reveals that it is, in fact, a ludicrously difficult game.
The Council is a revelation. While the technical aspects of the game are somewhat questionable at times, the storytelling, world building, and RPG mechanics are simply stunning. I found myself propelled from episode to episode, salivating at the idea of advancing the story and outsmarting the game's lifelike characters. With twisty surprises, diabolical puzzles, and rich historical context, this is a game that makes the player feel intelligent for playing it. The fact that the story is deliciously twisted is just the icing on the cake.
Dark Eclipse is inarguably difficult to learn, but once you are over that hump the game is simply spectacular. Just because you don't understand everything right out of the gate doesn't mean that deep and thoughtful design isn't present. There is real depth of strategy here, and the fun visuals are just the icing on the cake. I'm hoping that the audience that has currently found Dark Eclipse sticks with it (and continues to grow), because this is a great game that deserves to thrive.
Film company SpectreVision dips their peanut butter into Ubisoft's videogame chocolate, and the two great tastes taste great together (in a horrible, family-murdering sort of way). While some might balk at the shorter length of Transference, I found the experience to be spot-on, particularly while played experienced in the very high-end VR. With a unique take on “walking simulator” mechanics and some fun (and not overly difficult) puzzles, Transference feels like an afternoon well-spent. Just be ready for some dark, adult themes. They don't call mad scientists ‘mad' for nothing, and Transference has one doozy of a mad scientist.
By taking a fun and exhilarating boxing framework and painting it with the glorious trappings of the Creed/Rocky franchise, Servios has delivered a game that is simply magical. Sure, the campaign is a little short and the hit detection might feel a bit wonky, but in the heat of the moment none of that matters. Whether fighting AI opponents or engaging in the more challenging fights against real-life players, you will find yourself bouncing in place, floating and stinging with the best of them. This is a game that will leave you sweaty and proud. How many other games can say that?
Firewall: Zero Hour is an incredibly immersive experience that will appeal to military shooter fans, as well as fans of very well-made VR experiences. It is hard to express how deep and involving this game can be, it simply has to be played to be believed. Though I have a few minor quibbles with the progression and the flow of matches, I still whole-heartedly recommend this amazing multiplayer experience. Firewall is a system seller, and playing it one realizes that yes, VR might just be here to stay.
Wasteland 2 is quickly becoming a modern classic – and deservedly so. If you have not played this game, you really owe it to yourself to give it a shot. But some usability issues on the Switch might not make it the best choice for newcomers to a game that some already find difficult to parse. This version of Wasteland 2 is serviceable, but not ideal.
Strange Brigade is a rollicking good time, allowing teams of four to take on armies of the undead in a solid approximation of a 1930's serial film. There are tons of mechanics to play with and puzzles to solve, but in the end, this is a fun, fast-paced shooter with awesome graphics and enjoyable multiplayer. There was no need for Strange Brigade to try to be anything more, it is plenty great as it is.
Earthworms is, mechanically, a standard point and click adventure game with decent controls and a quality UI. But it is the general vibe of the game that makes it stand out from the crowd of other adventure titles making their way to the Switch.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is a game that is sure to please hardcore Monster Hunter fans, and will likely bring many new fans into the hardcore fold now that they have gotten a taste via Monster Hunter: World. While the graphics are strictly handheld-level, in the heat of battle you simply will not care. Players should be ready to plumb the depths of much more complicated crafting and material gathering systems, but the combat is very recognizable to fans old and new. This is one of the biggest and best games on Switch, and regardless of how long it takes to ramp up and get going, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate should not be missed.
Detached is a great spacewalking simulator, with gameplay that has obviously been built up around that mechanic. While some of the more “gamey” elements might not be up to snuff, you can't argue with the feeling you get when you leave a ship and are floating freely in space. Expect to be mildly frustrated with the lack of direction and irritating checkpoints. But also expect to be awestruck by the superb visuals and setting. Detached is a mixed bag, but the spacewalks alone are worth the price of admission.
Playing Another World feels like more than a dusty visit to the video game museum. It is something more akin to an exciting examination of modern gaming's DNA under a powerful microscope. For those interested in the origins of Souls games, rogue-likes, and cinematic adventure games, this is the place to look. Be ready for some wonky old-school controls and bewildering level design, but know that working your way past those limitations is absolutely worth it.
Crush your Enemies! is a fun strategy title on Switch that fills a need that I didn't realize I had. By cutting out a lot of the hoops RTS players are accustomed to jumping through, the shiny core of the genre is revealed.
Smooth and beautiful to look at, VSR: Void Space Racing packs a difficulty curve the likes of which I have never experienced in a racing game. It is best to go into VSR with the mindset that you will not be playing a racer, but a whole new genre. Even with that in mind, I would expect a large percentage of players to bounce off of VSR the same way that my racing ship bounces off of space debris. This is a game for dedicated, patient players.
With a unique presentation unlike anything I've seen before in gaming, Salary Man Escape creates its own singular vision of workplace hell. But with frustrating controls and a bordering-on-broken physics model, the stellar puzzle design is lost in a mire of irritation and exasperation. If I wanted to feel stressed, I would just go to work.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus plays great on the Nintendo Switch, though if you have a chance to play the game docked, it is definitely the way to go. But either way, New Colossus is an amazing game, with a rich universe, gonzo cinematic storytelling, and great-feeling combat. Not having played the first title is no reason not to jump into Wolfenstein II, and the Switch is a completely viable way to experience the touching lunacy of this series. Highly recommended.
By alternating between quiet mood-building moments and "Did I just see that?" religious horrors, The Exorcist: Legion VR delivers chills that are every bit up to the standards of the franchise.