WiZmans World Re;Try is a really good remaster of the 2010 Jaleco-developed RPG with quality of life changes and features for modern consoles and PC. The game's turn-based combat system and intriguing story are clear highlights, but the lack of voice acting and auto saves make the remaster feel just a cut below being great. Despite that, RPG fans will have a really fun time, thanks to the balance between fun turn-based gameplay and tough challenges with its daunting boss fights.
Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is a great racing game that takes advantage of the Switch 2 hardware to deliver a compelling, immersive, and satisfying experience with smooth gameplay. With a roster of more than 40 car models with 50 tracks across France and Japan, Gear.Club Unlimited 3 gives racing game fans a lot to play with in its content-rich story mode. Although there are a few graphical issues and some missing fan-favorite cars, the game is a great foundation for developer Eden Games to build off of.
Ys X: Proud Nordics is the definitive version of the 2024 action RPG with new story and side content, improved gameplay and features, and amazing performance on Nintendo Switch 2. The lack of an upgrade path from Ys X: Nordics and the need to replay story content limits some of the game's potential, but Ys and action RPG fans are in for a treat nonetheless.
BlazBlue Entropy Effect X is a great roguelite action game that pays homage to the BlazBlue series while delivering an intriguing storyline, engaging mechanics, and a fair level of challenge. The updated release builds on the foundation of BlazBlue Entropy Effect and brings new features that will keep players playing after the original storyline. Although cross-play and an English dub are missing, BlazBlue Entropy Effect X is an experience that BlazBlue fans won't want to miss.
4PGP is an excellent racing game inspired by classic arcade racers of the 1990s. With a seasoned team of racing game developers, including Ridge Racer developer Kenji Sasaki and Sega Rally composer Tomoyuki Kawamura, 4PGP manages to impress with its blistering sense of speed, precise gameplay mechanics, and arcade-style sound design. Although it is limited when it comes to online multiplayer, there are more than enough tracks and F1-inspired machines to keep players engaged in a party of friends.
The Rumble Fish 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a great and affordable port of a stylish and fun fighting game that's easy to learn but hard to master. The quality of life features make this one of the most definitive versions of The Rumble Fish 2, and the crisp visuals and performance ensure no frame is dropped online or offline. The inclusion of rollback netcode, match and control scheme options, and Assist Mode make The Rumble Fish 2 a fun fighting game to jump right into and play on Switch 2.
Dark Auction is a great mystery adventure game just short of being amazing. The story is captivating and explores trauma with a compelling cast of characters and a story full of intrigue and deception. The soundtrack by composers Yuko Komiyama and Tsukasa Masuko is ear-pleasing, and the illustrations by Kohske are expressive and beautiful. The game's inexpressive character models and uncanny images clash with the overall presentation, but there's still a lot of good going for this game.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition comes to Nintendo Switch 2 with better performance and visuals befitting of an upgrade, but the performance isn't exactly up to par in all scenarios. There's a lack of 60 FPS support outside dungeons, and the upgrade path for physical owners of Skyrim can be cumbersome. Despite these setbacks, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is still fun and feels really good to play.
Trails beyond the Horizon is a modern-day masterpiece of an RPG that elevates the Trails franchise thematically with its story and structurally with its superb gameplay. The time investment pays off with many big reveals and lore drops that fans have been waiting for, along with unexpected ones. With a slew of quality-of-life improvements, meaningful new gameplay features, and a memorable and emotional story, Trails beyond the Horizon is a cut above many RPGs in the industry.
Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons carries the tried-and-true Bubble Bobble gameplay that fans are familiar with, but the lackluster dungeons and repetitive nature of the game will certainly turn players off. The game lacks a compelling hook with its progression system, and by the time you get to the post-game, you'll likely be exhausted. At the very least, the pack-in Bubble Symphony game is nostalgic and offers a fun arcade experience that lessens the blow of the brutally repetitive main game.
Old School Rally is a great arcade-style racing game that has a pleasing PlayStation 1-era aesthetic and fun, addicting gameplay that's easy to pick up and play. The game pays homage to the sport of rally with several unlicensed cars that closely resemble their real-life counterparts, ensuring players aren't missing out on car variety. Although it's not innovative, Old School Rally is a joy to play for racing game fans.
The Nintendo Switch 2 port of Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a great first showing for the Dragon Engine on Nintendo's hybrid system. Despite the game's frame rate being locked to 30 FPS, Yakuza Kiwami 2 looks impressive in both handheld and docked modes with very little signs of compromise. Yakuza Kiwami 2's Switch 2 port isn't perfect, but it's fully playable and enjoyable from start to finish, and it shows that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has room to make more optimizations.
Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE is an action-packed, character-driven RPG that tells the story of Sung Jinwoo as he evolves into a legendary hunter. There are many improvements across the board, including major gameplay tweaks and additions, a more immersive story mode structure, and the removal of gacha mechanics. Fans who have been waiting for a single-player Solo Leveling game finally got it with Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE, despite some of the quality-related flaws that came with the original ARISE.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO comes to Nintendo Switch 2 with a roster of over 180 characters, an in-depth Episode Battle mode covering the beloved story arcs of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, optional motion controls, and much more. Although there's more to be desired from the overall performance at 1080p at 30 FPS in docked and 810p in portable mode, the Switch 2 version is a very solid addition to the growing library. Bandai Namco will need to play catch-up with the other versions to ensure parity with updates, however.
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O World Stage upgrades Virtua Fighter 5's single-player offers with the fun and rewarding World Stage mode and implements cross-play to keep players engaged in one large player pool. Despite some matchmaking issues, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O World Stage brings a compelling suite of online features, including Ranked matches, to keep players engaged with another avenue of fighting game content.
From the team behind Earth Defense Force comes Full Metal Schoolgirl, which combines third-person shooter and character-driven action game elements for an incredibly fun roguelike hybrid. Players can choose a Japanese machine girl and ascend a 100-floor building to take out frustrations on a fully mechanized corporation. The structure of the game can be tedious due to lengthy runs up the skyscraper, and there's a lack of overall content, but the gunplay makes this game too fun and addicting to put down at times.
Battlefield 6 is a return to form for the series with refined first-person shooter gunplay, fan-favorite multiplayer modes and weapons, tried-and-true progression systems, and a single-player campaign that reminds players what Battlefield is all about. Although visibility for closed weapon modes is less than desirable at launch, Battlefield 6 gives players many options for the game modes they want to play.
Disgaea 7 Complete is a jam-packed version of Disgaea 7 with all previously released DLC, new story content, new features, and gameplay tweaks that make it the definitive edition of the strategy RPG. Although Disgaea 7 Complete doesn't revamp the game in a major way, it offers a lot of fun and engaging content with a easy pick-up-and-play combat system that will make the hours fly by before you know it. There are dozens of hours to be spent in Disgaea 7 Complete, all of which look crisp and optimized for Nintendo Switch 2.
PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC is a solid 3D action adventure platformer that stays true to the original game while introducing a slew of new features and upgrades, including revamped visuals, Quality and Performance modes, voice-acting, and brand-new levels and rewards. However, PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC can fall flat at times due to some lackluster level design that limits PAC-MAN's potential in the genre. Despite what the game lacks, it's still a fun game for players of all ages.
DRAGON BALL GEKISHIN SQUADRA is a fun and addictive free-to-play 4v4 team battle game that combines the rich history of Dragon Ball with MOBA elements. Players can take advantage of a respectable roster of characters from across the Dragon Ball universe to battle it out online, and there are also plenty of features that let friends play each other with a variety of options and features at their disposal. Despite some of the roster omissions at launch, there's a solid foundation for a game that could keep Dragon Ball fans entertained for years to come.