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You don’t really see games with the level of Polish that Nier: Automata has. The combat is smooth, the story is captivating, the world is alive and evolving, and it’s all backed up by an incredible soundtrack. The game does lack with its textures and can get repetitive at times, but even with those problems the game sets itself apart from most on the market today, and it’s one of the more original and enjoyable titles to play.
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a triumphant release, capturing all the nostalgic wonder of 8-bit platforming within a very unique shell. Gloomy, challenging, and only occasionally unfair, Momodora is a fantastic adventure with a fun story and lots of secrets to uncover.
Mass Effect Andromeda is a return to the original Mass Effect game in ways both good and bad. Interesting characters, solid gameplay and RPG mechanics, and the revival of the open-world elements of the series will immerse and delight longtime fans. However, wooden characters, a light story, and plenty of glitches hold this title back from fulfilling its full potential.
An immensely tough, but amazingly satisfying shooter experience for only $15 (USD). If you’re looking for a serious challenge, a brightly colored, uniquely appealing geometric aesthetic, or the best ‘80s soundtrack you never knew you needed in your life, then Desync is your jam.
A re-imagining of the 1988 NES title, Blaster Master Zero is a great game for anyone looking for classic 8-bit action. Its accessible difficulty and superb retro graphics make for a wonderful addition to the Switch’s library.
Snipperclips offers hours of head-scratching puzzle fun with you and a friend. The price point is fair for the number of levels and modes it offers to encourage you to come back to work with your friends in party mode or take them on in Blitz mode. The difficulty curve is steep and some of the puzzles are too cryptic, but with determination and proper communication, you can tackle any problem. Make sure you bring a friend!
A Criminal Past puts Adam in jail for a great self-contained storyline pushing a solid narrative and a far greater emphasis on stealth in the final DLC for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. While the voice acting can be a bit of a mixed bag, there’s no doubt that Eidos Montreal is ending this one on a high note.
Specter of Torment puts cool new twists on Shovel Knight's action platformer gameplay and has a fascinating story to boot. It's challenging but very fair, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire game. Those who already have Shovel Knight should look forward to this excellent free expansion, and those who don't have the base game needn't think twice about spending $9.99 for this masterfully crafted experience.
While Darknet does have a few problems, most of them tend to be more inconveniences rather than a detriment to the gameplay. The dual-layered approach to puzzles is unique and satisfying, while the games enjoyable viewpoint and challenging use of time limits come together to polish off a wonderful puzzle game.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands is equal parts new approach to a storied franchise and familiar and well-trod open world systems. While it doesn’t break a great deal of new ground for the genre, when played with friends this cooperative open-world game can be an amazing amount of fun. Those moments are tempered by technical mishaps and inconsistencies that can be patched, but as a result, this launch ride is going to have some technical potholes that put a damper on an otherwise excellent experience.
Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns brings all the charm of the Bokujō Monogatari games, along with a whole new cast of characters animals, and a number of improvements. With a more colorful and stylized look than the previous game, a new part-time job system, and a revised, more strategic approach to tool upgrades, Trio of Towns is a welcoming, forgiving, and addicting game. One of the biggest Boku games yet, Trio of Towns is loaded with characters, features, and objects to unlock, and is a must-have for fans of life down on the farm.
Atelier Firis: Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey is the first open-world Atelier game and it takes the fun battles and item creation modes from the previous titles and makes improvements and additions that make this the most impressive game in the series. Fans of the series will find this a triumph, and even those unacquainted will be impressed with this fun, strategic, and light-hearted adventure.
Homebound is a virtual reality experience best saved for the daredevils and veterans of VR. Its controls are clunky, it has a habit of leaving you spinning in the most gut-wrenching of ways with little to no warning, and its story mode instructions can be frustratingly obtuse. That said, it gives you the opportunity to experience life on a space station, and gazing out the viewport can be a shockingly powerful experience. It's difficult to resolve these dichotomies, but at the end of the day, I felt that the experience it offered was more than worth its $8.99 price tag.
It may need some more polish in its modes to race with the big leagues, but Fast RMX is a great title with challenging difficulty and beautiful locales that are matched with its nose-bleeding sense of speed and arcade-inspired mechanics.
Though it is a little light on content, Super Bomberman R scratches the retro itch for hectic action. Voice repetition is a bit of a turnoff, but the charm and multiplayer focus help to make up for it. If you and your friends like purely chaotic action with up to eight players, Super Bomberman R might be right up your alley. If you aren’t investing in extra controllers, you might want to nab this after a price adjustment.
While a step up from last year in terms of included tracks, Just Dance 2017 doesn’t bring a lot new to the table — the meat and potatoes lies in Just Dance Unlimited. The Switch version specifically functions as well as you might expect, offering up an easy second player controller courtesy of readily-available Joy-Cons, though the experience becomes difficult visually once undocked. At this point, it’s what you’d expect from Just Dance, but on a new platform. Consider this tiny cartridge your portal into Just Dance Unlimited as I imagine 2017 might be where physical entries to the series end.
A charming story within a world not too complex, but not too bland, Runt of the Litter takes very little time in getting one interested in the little runt that is your very own gryphon. In addition to a well written story, it is interesting enough to make me want to go back and try a different path to see all the outcomes. I would love to see a sequel of some sort out of this.
Dying: Reborn is the worst game I've played on the PSVR. It's a broken, glitchy mess that not even a few admittedly well designed puzzles can make up for, and while the PSVR version may cost less, the heavy amount of cut content means you aren't getting a deal, you're just paying for a demo.
I’ve mentioned Ocarina of Time a few times, and there’s a reason – it is the benchmark by which all other Zelda games are tested. Somehow, and beyond all of my expectations, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild exceeds that mark. I can confidently declare that Breath of the Wild is the best Zelda game ever made.
Torment: Tides of Numenera is a modern take on classic computer RPGs that tells an engrossing and original story, meditating on complex themes of identity in a strange world that just begs to be explored. While the combat seems a bit forced and uninspired, it doesn’t detract too much from the rest of the experience, and as a result I cannot recommend it highly enough.