Pokemon Sun and Moon are solid entries into the Pokemon series. While there are a couple of things to nitpick here and there, as any Pokemon game will have, the difficulty is easy enough for new players to get into the series, while more experienced players might find things a bit too easy at times. The trials are also a nice change from the standard gyms and no longer needing specific Pokemon for HMs was a welcome addition. Pokemon fans should definitely enjoy the seventh generation.
Despite looking a bit dated and not quite as good as Xseed’s recent Ys games, Xanadu Next is still an enjoyable dungeon crawler. It’s not without its faults such as some known bugs and the constant increase in key prices, but once you get around those quirks you’ll find a fun game that’ll keep you coming back to the ruins to explore some more.
Pirate Pop Plus is a game where fans of the classics will likely enjoy it, especially fans of Pang and Buster Bros. If you’re not normally fan of arcade-style games, you might want to check out Pang first, then decide if five dollars is worth spending on a game that resembles Pang with a couple of other mechanics thrown in.
Boulder Dash 30th Anniversary is a great way to celebrate Rockford’s thirty year trek through the caves. While the game looks like it belongs on a mobile device (which makes sense given this was originally released on iOS and Android) and the controls could be a bit tighter, the game offers up plenty of challenge even within the early worlds. Fans of arcade-style puzzle games will definitely want to dig into this one.
Coming from a series newbie, Yo-kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls/Bony Spirits is an enjoyable game, but there were a couple of things that surprised me. The mostly-automated battles confused me at first as I wasn’t expecting it, but I did get the hang of it over time. I just wish the user had more input during them other than healing and Soultimate moves, but other than that and the tedium of befriending Yo-kai, fans of the original game should enjoy the second outing as well.
RIVE is a fun, albeit really challenging blend of space shooter and platformer. The intense challenge early on might turn off less experienced players, but those who want a great challenge should enjoy it. Just get used to having blue-colored drones explode in your face quite a bit.
Despite the Wii U or 3DS not getting the original game, Noitu Love: Devolution is a fun game, though the difficulty range can be pretty big between Normal and Hard. However, that adds to the replayability and once you get through Normal difficulty, you should be ready to tackle Hard. It took a while to grow on me but for five dollars it’s definitely worth it.
Axiom Verge is a great game with plenty of exploration, and the additions to the Wii U version were nicely handled. Fans of the Metroid series will likely want to check it out. Be cautious however, as there's a lot of back tracking to previous areas that felt like it could have been handled better. If you can get past that, you have a great Metroid-style game that feels like it belongs on an 8-bit or 16-bit system.
Metroid Prime: Federation Force is enjoyable once you learn the controls, but it feels like it was more geared towards multiplayer. The ammo capacity and mod restrictions force you to think strategically about what to take on each mission which can be both good and bad depending on how you look at it. As long as you don’t mind the exploration aspect of the series removed and replaced with linear missions, fans of the series should enjoy Federation Force.
BOXBOXBOY is a great follow-up to the original game, though some gamers might find the game a bit on the easy side as while a lot of the later puzzles will make you think deeply about how to solve them, none are downright impossible or insanely difficult. Even with that, the game is still a worthy follow-up to its predecessor.
Monster Hunter Generations is a great game, though newer players might get hung up early on once the training wheels come off and the bigger monsters come out to play. Veterans of the series should be able to dive right in after learning about the new mechanics and should find a rather enjoyable game that requires a lot of skill to master.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE exceeded my expectations from when I first saw the E3 trailer, and this is coming from someone who’s never played a Shin Megami Tensei game before. While the story is okay and the graphics are pretty nice, it’s the battle system that keeps me coming back. While the game is only six chapters, there is a lot of story and Idolosphere exploring to add a lot of hours to the game that make it feel worthwhile.
Rynn’s Adventure: Trouble in the Enchanted Forest can be fun if you can get past the game’s short comings. For a platformer with some Mega Man-esque elements, the controls can feel weird at first and the attacking takes some getting used to. If you can get past that, the game can be pretty fun as long as you’re not one to get frustrated too easily by precision platforming.
The Steam community greenlit Excubitor—and it's apparent why. It's a fun and challenging tower defense game with a twist, steeping you in the action instead of having you just sit back and watching everything unfold.
Pocket Card Jockey is somewhat addicting and is fun to play and can be done in short bursts. Even if you don’t know anything about horse racing, most people are likely familiar with Solitaire in some form and the game does a nice job of teaching you about the mechanics of both. As a low-cost title and with a demo on the eShop, Pocket Card Jockey is a fun way to pass the time.
Corpse Party is a pretty good mix of a visual novel and survival-horror games. While the gameplay itself can get a little dull at times as you wander the halls of the school and try to interact with just about everything, the story is rather enjoyable and unique. Wear some headphones and turn out the lights to complete the experience.
Out of the Park 17 continues to add improvements to each new version and while some of the changes this year may seem small, they’re still quite noticeable, especially the player markers showing the action during a game and the ability to have any two teams in history square off against one another. As it’s done in the past, Out of the Park 17 shows why it’s the go-to simulation series for someone wanting to manage a baseball team, historical or present day.
For trainers wanting a true one-on-one real time Pokemon experience, Pokken Tournament delivers rather well. There are a few things here and there that could use some improvement, most notably some online features and how ranking up works with the Ferrum League, but overall a rather enjoyable game for Pokemon and fighting game fans alike.
Mega Man Legacy Collection on the 3DS is a great collection of games and extras, but players who already have the Virtual Console games might be hard pressed to spend $30 on 54 challenges that have little replayability without any online functionality and leaderboards.
Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale is a nice blend of RPG and farming simulation. While it can be a bit on the easy side at times, it didn't get to the point where I was getting bored or felt it was too easy. The occasional difficulty spike with bosses can be frustrating, but nothing too bad.If you enjoyed previous games in the PopoloCrois series and don't mind a little Harvest Moon mixed in, this one's worth picking up.