Overall, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is a complicated kart racing game that might please experienced kart racing fans but isn’t approachable for casual players who could pick it up to play as Squidward in a Mario Kart clone. The visuals aren’t too interesting and neither are the tracks themselves, but there is a true depth to kart selection and customization that makes the game more challenging than many other simple kart racers. It’s a worthy game for racing fans, but if you’re planning on a fun casual party game with friends, this might not be what you’re looking.
Overall, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is a great game, but not on Nintendo Switch. The controls are too difficult and not well optimized for a console experience. The menus are hard to navigate and park customization is difficult to do using only buttons when it is so clearly meant for the finesse of a mouse and keyboard.
AVICII Invector is not only a rhythm game that nails the genre almost flawlessly, but also pays tribute to an incredibly talented musician that we lost much too soon.
Adventures of Pip is a joyful experience that translated well to the Nintendo Switch. Everything runs smoothly and the game itself is an absolute blast to play. The level design was clever, as well as the general premise and game mechanics.
Metamorphosis is a creative, albeit short, video game interpretation of Franz Kafka’s novella. The game absolutely nails the creepy, absurd vibe of the story all about turning into a cockroach and trying to work as a bug. Metamorphosis is a fun, narrative experience, especially for those who are fans of classic literature.
Overall, Destroy All Humans! is a fantastic remake that I’m sure will please returning fans of the series but might frustrate new audiences. Everything about the game looks great and runs well but since nothing about the core gameplay has changed, it feels stuck in the early 2000s.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is an absolutely phenomenal game. It simultaneously makes a return to what made the original games so great, namely the exploration and humor, while still progressing forward with new, creative battle systems and ideas. I had a blast playing through the game, finding collectibles, rescuing Toads, and saving the Mushroom Kingdom in a beautiful, paper world that always kept me laughing.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a fun blast to the past if you’re full of nostalgia for the original game like I am. Unfortunately, if you’re lacking that nostalgia, it may be a little underwhelming, especially if you’re comparing it to more modern farming simulators and the repetition of farming on such a small map can get monotonous after a while. However, if you’re willing to look past that, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a fun, cute, and charming experience that will take you straight back to 2003 in the best possible way.
The music is reminiscent of all the 1990s SNES games I loved as a kid, the pixelated art style is well-done and great to look at, and the game feels exactly how I want a 2D top-down RPG to feel in 2020. It takes cues from games like A Link to the Past while updating the gameplay for modern audiences and controllers, all without losing its artistic charm and still paying tribute to beloved retro titles.
Maneater is a pretty fun experience, especially if you’re a fan of shark movies like I am, even though it does have its problems. It felt like being placed in Jaws and being told to just go at it and I loved that. I even ended up getting the platinum trophy since I spent so much time exploring the ocean and digging into the collectibles I could find. However, it has its downsides, too.
Overall, Persona 5 Royal is an incredible deluxe version of what was, in my mind, already one of the greatest JRPGs of all time. The new characters, gameplay features, and more efficient mechanics make Persona 5 Royal worth the time sink for returning fans who have already plugged 100+ hours into the original while making the adventure more accessible and fun for new players.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an incredible experience and is, without a doubt, my favorite in the whole series. The formula is familiar for returning fans, yet still manages to feel like an enormous breath of fresh air. It truly is a distinctive, positive, and rewarding simulation that lets you become fully immersed in a fun, colorful, stress-free environment. While it still has its confusing moments, especially for new players, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was definitely worth the seven-year wait and is better than I could have ever hoped for.
Tempest’s aggravating sailing mechanics in a game dedicated to sea travel are too hard to ignore, bogging down the entire experience and making progression feel like an unmanageable chore. Though the world is beautiful and includes an endless amount of quests, the good is, unfortunately, not enough to outweigh the bad for this pirate adventure.
Overall, I had a great time playing through Scarlet Grace, though it does have its flaws. The worldbuilding was some of the best I’ve ever seen in a video game, but the story suffered as a result.
Overall, I loved Slay the Spire and it definitely deserves the nomination for Fresh Indie Game at the Game Awards, which airs on December 12th. Historically, I’m not a fan of roguelike games, but Slay the Spire made me reconsider my position
I won’t pretend that Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Mario and Sonic is anywhere near as polished as other popular party games on Switch, but it is still fun to play.
If you’re looking for some tough fights and cute gameplay, then Little Town Hero is definitely what you’re looking for and I highly recommend it, especially if you need a shorter and more relaxing game this fall.
Milkmaid of the Milky Way was an interesting experience, but not one that I would necessarily recommend.
The World Ends With You: Final Remix offers some fun story beats, unique gameplay mechanics, and a brilliant aesthetic that never quite live up to their potential.