The Super Mario RPG remake is an impossible wish come true. The biggest complaints for this release pale in comparison to incredible visuals, new intense challenges, fantastic music, and well-retained charm. This release is sure to be worthwhile for both fans of the original and first-time Mario players.
Despite missed potential in terms of its main story, Like a Dragon Gaiden makes up for it with incredible combat and fantastic side content. Hopefully RGG Studio continues to expand on the beat-em-up style instead of going all-in on turn-based combat, because Gaiden offers one of the most fun gameplay experiences of the franchise.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder sets a new standard for the world of 2D Mario games. The new features provide more creativity than ever before, with the unique effects of Wonder Flowers introducing their own challenges while helping make up for the game's few shortcomings. If future titles continue to improve on the systems introduced in Wonder, the next 2D Mario game could fully surpass even the most beloved NES and SNES titles.
Party Animals is a simplistic, chaotic mess that can be fun for anyone. Its wide variety of maps and modes allows for each round to feel unique, and its list of options is quite vast despite the game itself being forced into online play. It's far from a defining title in the industry, but Party Animals is still one that few players will want to miss out on.
Sea of Stars manage to stand amongst its inspirations as a fantastic role-playing experience. Beautiful graphics and a fairly charming story are joined by creative turn-based combat and mind-bending dungeons, making for an incredibly fun adventure. With so much to love, one can only hope that Sea of Stars will go on to inspire other games as well.
Despite all of its flaws in story, visuals, and even design, Atlas Fallen excels simply as a video game.
Exoprimal has fantastic PvE content and an intriguing story, but its focus on competitive modes hurts its attractiveness to newcomers, and its lack of offline capabilities might eventually kill the game entirely. It has the potential to be so much more, but such a high-profile title shouldn't have to rely on potential alone. Capcom should take steps to ensure more players can enjoy Exoprimal to its fullest - and to ensure all players won't be left without a game to enjoy after its services end.
Even as it retains script errors and a lack of wider quality-of-life features, Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection provides fantastic quality where it truly matters. A faithful gameplay experience is joined by restored content and online play, making this collection the definitive way to revisit these classic GBA titles
Bleak Faith: Forsaken is a game with incredible potential. It makes up for technical issues with surreal environments and horrific enemy designs, but its core gameplay suffers from heavy focus on Souls-like mechanics and common deaths. It still needs time to resolve those problems, but if the devs make use of that time with continued updates and support, faith in this game's greatness might not be so bleak after all.
Grounded is a charming survival experience that mixes exploration, action, and crafting into one grand package. There are plenty of options for those wishing to get immersed in the world, and anyone willing to put up with the odd multiplayer requirements will surely get hours of enjoyment out of this game.
Splatoon 3 makes many fantastic improvements and changes to the games before it. These minor additions will surely go a long way in retaining a large number of players, even if most of the brand-new content feels somewhat lacking. Splatoon 3 is the best game to start with for newcomers to the franchise. It might be tougher to convince die-hard fans of its merit, but future updates and changes will likely sway their opinions as well.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is a fantastic expansion to the original Monster Hunter Rise. It lacks some of the robustness of previous franchise expansions on launch, and there can be some frustrating moments found within. However, this is more than made up for by new abilities, extra quality-of-life features, and increased challenge. Sunbreak is a fantastic choice for new players wanting more variety or veteran hunters seeking tougher battles.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is fun, relaxing, and challenging all at once. Kirby's first major leap into 3D is an incredible success, with new mechanics and altered gameplay providing a familiar-yet-unique experience for any fan of the series. Forgotten Land provides incredible foundations for the future of 3D Kirby games, and one can only hope that HAL will continue to build upon them.
While the port to Nintendo's console isn't perfect, Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection still features impressive performance without too much compromise. The Switch version is a must-have for fans without other consoles, but some technical issues might push some players to the collection's PlayStation or Xbox version instead.