Full of trademark style and promising concepts, it doesn’t manage to live up to its own potential, let alone expectations, due to repetitive gameplay and gimmicks that don’t pan out.
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition stands as a fitting celebration of this ten year-old gem of a game, bringing a fan favorite back with more content than ever. Thanks to the game’s stellar cast of playable characters and addicting, thoroughly enjoyable battle system, it stands as not just a fantastic example of its series, but of its genre.
It’s easy to consider a game an essential pickup for a system, but if there was ever a game I would call a must-have for those who love video games, it is unquestionably Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee! represent both the series’ oldest and newest generations of titles. For everything the game takes away from the equation, it tries something new — and it’s these additions and improvements that make the game addicting and enjoyable.
Your enjoyment with Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! is going to come down to two main factors: how well you can adhere to its motion controls and how much you enjoy its soundtrack.
The World Ends With You: Final Remix makes for one of the most unique Switch experiences by its very nature. Best played in handheld with touch inputs, it shows the versatility of the system and brings back a fan favorite franchise with a fresh layer of HD paint.
Dark Souls: Remastered on Nintendo Switch might not be the prettiest or best-performing version, but that doesn’t hold back what it manages to achieve. Bringing handheld portability to the series, this is the version of Dark Souls: Remastered most worth considering for those wishing to return to its untold stories and unforgiving fights.
Super Mario Party marks the beginning of a revival to the series that was long overdue. Unquestionably charming and consisting of a fresh selection of minigames made with the Joy-Con in mind, it breathes some fresh air into what was a deflated affair. The boards are smaller and the thrills are gone, but what’s new here is a promising look at what could be a new chapter of multiplayer fun from Nintendo.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 draws you into its world and characters, keeping you firmly on the front lines of its all-encompassing war while never losing sight of its more grounded ideals and humanity. Fully equipped to be a unique, involved, and visually exquisite strategy game, there’s hardly anything holding it back from victory.
This is still one of the finest games of the last decade.
Into the Breach has become a new Switch go-to game for me, with addicting play and a high degree of tactical depth intermingling with its cataclysmic atmosphere.
In a year full of fantastic indie titles, it manages to live up to their precedent while arguably surpassing them. You can compare it to what’s come before, and you can look forward to what might come next from Sabotage Studio, but more than anything you should take some time to play The Messenger as soon as possible, here and now.
Full of personality and using the features of the system to the fullest, it’s a shining example of pure and simple fun. Just like Wario, the game’s a little strange and it has some flaws, but these all end up coming together to make it stand out as a gorgeous addition to your 3DS.
There may be some faults with its modes and options, but that doesn’t make the meter-based tennis any less fun for local and online matches. It’s the perfect step forward for the series, even if it doesn’t manage to overtake all of its predecessors.
Most of all though, if you want to experience a game that can capture your senses and stir your brain all while being one of the most entertaining modern puzzle experiences available, you have to give Lumines a try.
It’s been a while since a fighting game has managed to strike a balance between accessibility, style, and pacing, but BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle brings these parts together with no trouble. Add on well animated sprite work and a full, fantastic English dub, and it all crosses over into a game I can’t seem to put down.
There’s so much quality inside of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection that it’s easy to call it a must-have for fighting game fans. From the iconic to the obscure, every corner of these 12 releases is represented and reveled in to deliver a Shoryuken straight to your nostalgia centers and get you working on those combos all over again. There may be a few blemishes in the overall delivery, but this is still a handsome fighter — and they never lose battles.
It’s hard not to see Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze as a barrel of gaming perfection. When you peel back everything this top banana brings, you’ll find a Kong carried good time through well crafted and secret-packed stages.
It might not end up as fondly remembered as what it’s reminding you of, but Star Allies is worth your time. As a breezy platformer full of delight, it’s a stress-free reminder of why games don’t need to be overly complicated. This is classic Kirby as you’ve known him for 25 years — with all the ups and downs that it brings, you can count on this newest adventure when it comes to charm and fun.
The feeling of becoming more adept at all of its moving parts is both powerful and joyful, encouraging me to try new things and have fun.