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.
Pokemon X and Y are definitely two of the best games in the series to date. The new features are fun to play with (especially the PSS), and the Mega Evolutions and new Fariy-type changes things up with the type-matchups. Whether you’re a veteran or just starting your very first journey, Pokemon X and Y are definitely worth picking up.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Slayers is a great blend of an RPG and a deck building game. While it's not as complicated as traditional deck building games, it works really well with the RPG elements of the game. If you're looking for something different than your traditional RPG…or deck building game for that matter…especially if you're a fan of Vertical Drop Heroes, you should really enjoy Monster Slayers.
Out of the Park 18 once again provides an excellent baseball management simulation experience. While it can be a bit overwhelming for those who don’t closely follow the sport, it’s still an excellent baseball management simulator for anyone wanting to manage their own team or even their own league.
The Lion's Song is a great point-and-click game that focuses mostly on the narrative. The choices you make in one chapter can not only impact the other chapters (both later and earlier chapters), but seeing all of these choices have connections to each other in the Gallery is a nice touch. With its unique art-style and use of music throughout the game, The Lion's Song was a great experience.
Windjammers was a lot of fun on Neo Geo and it's still fun now on the Nintendo Switch. While I had some minor problems at first using the Joy-cons to make precise curve shots, it's not to hard to adapt and soon you'll be throwing the disc every which way on demand. Once you've mastered the controls and have gone through Arcade Mode over and over again, grab some friends and have them join in on the fun.
Super One More Jump is a fun and addicting game that's simple to pick up and has a gradual difficulty curve. With over 100 levels to play and a few extra game modes to unlock, plus the two multiplayer options including two- to four-player co-op, Super One More Jump is definitely worth picking up.
I went into Tangledeep expecting to enjoy it and it didn't disappoint. The game looks and sounds great, the gameplay mechanics aren't too difficult to learn, you can hang out in lower levels to grind a bit if need be, and the myriad of optional modifiers means you can tailor the difficulty to your liking. If you're looking for a roguelike dungeon crawler to keep you entertained and possibly challenged depending on your settings, Tangledeep should have you covered.
Toki Tori on the Nintendo Switch is an excellent puzzle game. The difficult progresses naturally, the puzzles themselves will make you think about solutions other than what seem obvious, and the wild card and rewind functions are great for newcomers and veterans alike. If you have five dollars to spare, definitely give Toki Tori a shot.
Overall, Sonic Mania Plus is a great game. While the Plus part really only gives you two new characters and a harder version of the game, current Sonic Mania owners will only have to pay five dollars for the DLC which isn't too bad. Even 30 dollars for those wanting a physical version is still worth it for the main game alone if you don't already have it. Either way, fans of Sonic who haven't played this yet should definitely pick it up at some point.
Mega Man X Legacy Collections 1 and 2 are a great set of games featuring the history of X and Zero. While we don't have any stage challenges like the original Legacy Collections or the ability to rewind or use save states, the new X Challenge mode is definitely a challenge on normal difficulty and even on easy difficulty I enjoyed just whaling on Mavericks with just the X Buster. Overall, fans of the Mega Man X series should enjoy these collections, even more so on the go with the Nintendo Switch.
Katana ZERO is a game I've been interested in from the moment I saw the trailer for it and once again Devolver Digital and Askiisoft didn't disappoint. From the nice graphics and awesome music, to the fluid controls and the engaging story with different ways to respond to dialogue and take out enemies in each area, Katana ZERO was an enjoyable game from start to finish, even with the story getting a little bonkers after several stages. Then again, it's that bit of craziness that kept things interesting throughout the game and I'm perfectly okay with that.
I was hoping that Shards of Infinity would get a digital release and it didn't disappoint…mostly. Newer players to the game might find that even the easiest difficulty can still be quite challenging and that may prevent them from fully enjoying the game, at least against AI opponents. Once you've learned some basic strategies and have gotten used to how some of the cards work, you'll find a challenging deck building game that keeps you on your toes and is just as enjoyable as its physical counterpart.
Blazing Chrome is a great throwback to games such as Contra; simple run-and-guns with swarms of enemies, awesome boss fights, special weapons, and a great soundtrack to go with it. With fluid controls, multiple difficulties, and a stage select so you can pick which stage to tackle in any order, Blazing Chrome is definitely worth picking up if you’re into Contra-style games.
Million to One Hero is a well-polished game in the "custom level creation" genre (is that a genre…well it is now). The controls are fluid and you'll have to employ a lot of skill to finish some of the creations players can come up with. The level creation itself is pretty robust, though it would have been nice if some of the icons were a little bigger on the screen, and combining levels into a mini-adventure is a nice touch. If you're a fan of 2D platforming and level creation, you'll find a lot to do in Million to One Hero for a satisfying price.