David Temple
Tennis World Tour 2 is a complex sports sim that features some real nuances of playing tennis. Unfortunately, that results in convoluted controls with little instruction on how to use them. It'll keep hard-core sports gamers busy for a while, but is not a very good option for casual tennis fans.
With over 100 levels to battle through, plenty of loot to collect, numerous bosses to take down and even some prisoners to rescue, Barbearian will keep even the most seasoned of adventurers very busy and highly entertained for quite some time. Besides, who doesn't like hacking at sword-wielding skeletons?
Foregone is a good 2D action platformer, and worth a play-through. I've played many games that are easy to put down when the review is done, but Foregone is staying in my rotation for a while.
Great Conquerer: Rome may not be the best tactical sim out there, but it's a solid game that's fun to play. It offers plenty of tasks to perform, places to see, enemies to kill, and territories to conquer, placing its strategy gaming value well above the asking price.
If you really want to try your hand at captaining a Ship of the Line, go ahead and give Her Majesty's Ship a try. But because of the game's focus on frustrating micromanagement, you may want to keep a weather-eye on the horizon for something better.
Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars will keep strategy gamers busy for a while, so you get decent value for money. I think the experience would be much more enjoyable with some well-aimed tutorial, movement, and UI refinements. Hopefully, we will get some improvements with the next installment, as I'm looking forward to seeing where this story can go.
Kwaidan: Azuma Manor Story may be okay for those who really like the historical Japanese theme, are eager to battle some old school monsters, and can tolerate dated and bizarre movement mechanics. Everyone else will be happier finding another title.
Metamorphosis is a good puzzle/adventure game with some platformer elements, but it fails to take the experience quite as far as it could. If you are into the surreal, consider it a solid option for a little creative time-wasting on your Nintendo Switch.
The theme, gameplay, and the excellent visuals in Raji: An Ancient Epic make for a fun session every time you fire it up. The limitations are minimal, and the very few critiques I might have are not major detractors. This is a good game and worth a playthrough.
Faeria is a thoroughly enjoyable strategic card battler that's consistently fun to play. This multifaceted game feels like one you can play for the next few years and not get weary of it.
When I started playing Demon's Rise – War for the Deep, I really wanted to like the game. Unfortunately, there are too many little bad things stacked up to really get into this one.
Tower of Time provides a detailed combat system that requires plenty of tactical thinking, so you get good value for money. There are points which could be refined, but as it stands, this is a good game for strategy/RPG fans.
Hill Climbing Mania feels like it was a rushed-to-market, "let's do one of those" copies of a game already out there. With some mid range revisions, this could be a fun game, especially for the 7 to 12 year old crowd. It would not need a complete overhaul, but it does need more than simple cosmetic touch ups.
While it may not be critically riveting, Potato: Fairy Flower is a game that is simply meant to be played and enjoyed. There is some storytelling, some sense of adventure, some pattern learning and an adversary to overcome. There are also some areas where it could use some polishing, but taken for what it is, this is a fun game.
Although Star Horizon could really use some more levels to stretch out its short story, if you are generally OK with on-rail space shooters, this game is generally OK. I can't say it is great, but it is a good game and should keep your trigger finger happy for a few hours.
There would be a good story to be had if Tharsis was developed to involve more than just trying to survive a few rounds. The theme of surviving on a spaceship and figuring out how to keep everything—and everyone—together should make for a good game. Unfortunately, Tharsis fails on too many points to be really worth playing.
Fans of turn-based combat games will enjoy aspects of Broken Lines, but not without a certain degree of aggravation. It has promise, but the story and gameplay could've used a little more refinement.
With scores of tracks, bikes, and modifications to be had—along with a multiplayer mode to share with your friends—Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 3 will keep a gamer happy for a good, long time.
Sisters Royale is a colorful, tongue-in-cheek take on the classic shmup format. On the upside, you get to play through the game as five different player characters. The down side is it doesn't take very long to play through, so the replay value is in trying to beat your last score and to run through the levels on harder settings.
If you can handle the level grind and upgrade treadmill, Event Horizon – Space Defense is a fun arcade action/adventure role-playing mash-up. If you need more player engagement, the level grinding can become a bit mundane.