Spiritfarer is an excellent game in its own right, yet its candid handling of death truly sets it apart from its peers. It's addicting gameplay loop is well complimented by its thoughtful story - anyone who likes their relaxation with a side of healthy contemplation will be hard pressed to find a more compelling game this year.
Mortal Shell isn't merely "like Dark Souls"; it's a love-letter to From Software's juggernaut series that successfully captures what makes those games special while carving out an identity all its own. It isn't without fault, yet as a freshman effort Mortal Shell is a worthy addition to the Soulslike pantheon.
Rocket Arena is a fine hero-shooter with a novel twist on the formula, and I absolutely dig its "World of Tomorrow" aethestic, but unless it drops the box price and goes free-to-play the competition will knock it out of the arena; that's just the nature of today's market.
If you wanted more of the same then Superhot: Mind Control Delete's idiosyncrasies will probably frustrate you more than entertain, but if you look beyond them you'll find a wickedly addicting game beneath. Mind Control Delete may rely too heavily on rolling the dice to extend its playtime, but fans willing to put their qualms aside will discover yet another fine entry in the series.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a must-play for both fans of the franchise, and gamers in love with farming oriented life-sims. It doesn't opt to break new ground, but instead play to its strengths, leaning on what made the experience great 17 years ago.
If you live for long-term loot grinds, visceral combat, and everything anime then Phantasy Star Online 2 will amuse you with hundreds of hours of entertainment.
Command & Conquer Remastered isn't just the best way to replay these classic RTS', it's one of the best and most consumer-friendly remasters ever made. Welcome back, Commander.
The Outer Worlds for the Nintendo Switch is an admirable, yet mediocre port of an otherwise great game - end of story. It runs well enough to justify its existence, but at the current asking price you're better off playing Obsidian's latest elsewhere.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor is a solid new Chapter in the Elder Scrolls saga, despite hewing too closely to tradition at times. The main story may be a bit of a bust, but the variety of excellent side-stories on offer proves The Elder Scrolls Online is one of the best story-oriented MMOs on the market.
The Switch port is as deserving of praise as the original release of BioShock: The Collection. You’ll have to put up with some of the remasters’ less desirable changes, and the audio could be better, but BioShock: The Collection for the Nintendo Switch remains a trio of fantastic ports. Would you kindly give them a gander?
I may have wanted more out of Saints Row: The Third Remastered, but it's still as much a blast to play today as it was in 2011, and now it's prettier to boot. Grumbles aside, what more could I ask for?
Deep Rock Galactic is proof enough that keeping focus and executing on a single idea can lead to excellence. Ghost Ship Games debut title is cooperative bliss, and a must-play for all fans of the genre. For Rock and Stone!
World War Z: GOTY Edition has everything it needs to be a compelling AA darling: multiple engaging game modes, a solid progression loop, a well polished core gimmick, and competent sound and weapon design. But, much like its standout zombie swarms, the myriad amount of bugs can prove too much to handle.
Meet Streets of Rage 4 on its own terms and you'll discover a sometimes cheap, yet often rewarding revival of a once dead franchise. The soundtrack is stellar, art design fantastic, animations superb, and controls precise. But, if you expected all the former sins of the genre to be absolved after 26 years you'll have to look elsewhere.
Swamps of Corsus is a must-buy for fans of Remnant, and a great excuse for curious outsiders to finally check the game out.
On it's own Fallout 76: Wastelanders is an excellent expansion, but it doesn't completely amend the problems that plague Fallout 76, or subvert the controversy that surrounds it. What it does do is provide a path forward that may eventually lead to Fallout 76 becoming a genuinely good game.
Fans of whimsical, artful indie titles will find much to love about Shinsekai Into the Depths, and ardent Metroidvania purists will get a kick out of its aquatic take on the genre. It's not going to be everyone's favorite game for the Nintendo Switch, but I'll be damned if it doesn't top at least one person's list.
The attention to detail, great soundtrack, and largely well-designed characters belie a game that is clearly loved by those that worked on it, but the crippling lack of depth in every area of Bleeding Edge has made what should have been an excellent game a mediocre one instead. I hope Ninja Theory is given the opportunity to expand on the game, but right now Bleeding Edge is fun but forgettable filler.
All future VR games will look to Half Life: Alyx as the gold standard hereon, and thanks to its absolute excellence in design and presentation we are all the better for it. Virtual reality will never be the same, nor will Half Life after Alyx's jaw-dropping conclusion.
Whether a Nintendo Switch purist or someone who uses it as their dedicated mobile device, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected for Nintendo Switch remains a stellar game worth playing if you can endure some minor performance quibbles.