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Capcom Fighting Collection 2 brings an incredibly strong roster of classic arcade fighters to Nintendo Switch in one of the best compendiums of its work to date. This is top-notch fare, a slew of incredible games, some appearing for the first time since their original releases, replete with rollback netcode for online play, tons of unlockables, Japanese versions of all eight titles, and modern training modes to catch you up to speed. With both Power Stones, an unbeatable Capcom vs SNK double bill and Project Justice leading the charge, there's really very little to complain about here. Excellent stuff.
Still, residual goodwill from the original helped us overlook the mechanical simplicity this time. We're keen to see Waterzooi stretch himself on his next gallery jaunt, but we'd recommend getting your hands on this one regardless.
Dunk Dunk is a pretty affordable and fun twist on the rules of basketball, with enjoyable and snappy gameplay that you can hop right into. While a few of its ideas don't land, and the game's frustrating camera and UI clarity can cause problems, the barrier to entry is so low that it is a solid, snackable experience to jump into now and again. Just don't expect this to be the next party game you and your friends are hooked on.
1000xResist is developer Sunset Visitor wearing its experiences on its sleeve, debuting a beautiful, heartfelt game with one of the best-written stories we've ever experienced. Switch port and minor gameplay issues aside, this stands as one of the most memorable games we've ever played. Confident in its convictions and empathetic with its words, 1000xResist is an important piece of art and a testament to the creativity of indie developers.
Shotgun Cop Man can easily stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Super Meat Boy and Celeste in terms of raw, precise gameplay. Using your guns for both traversal and combat with a simple but effective twin-stick setup is a stroke of genius, and it makes for an effortlessly rewarding experience that you'll want to play again and again. While not overly difficult in itself, nailing the optional objectives is key to achieving 100% completion, and it's here that you'll find challenge and satisfaction in equal measure. It's funny, it's violent, and it's polished – and we suspect it will go down as a cult classic.
The Hundred Line – Last Defense Academy is an excellent tactical RPG that fully showcases the strengths of the creatives behind it. A well-written and compelling story, strong and strategic gameplay, attractive art style, and passionate VA work all come together to make for a comprehensive experience that you won't want to miss. It's an instant recommendation for fans of Uchikoshi and Kodaka's past work, but even if you're not so much into visual novels, consider adding this one to your library. The Switch has plenty of life in it yet, and Hundred Line stands as a strong reminder of why.
I, Robot is a weird game, but one that feels effortlessly engaging and rewarding once it gets its hooks into you. The psychedelic presentation can be a bit tough to parse at first, but you can remove a lot of it via the options, and once you get to grips with the gameplay and what each level is asking of you, I, Robot reveals an incredible amount of depth that you'll spend hours uncovering as you work to increase your score. This isn't a remake we were particularly begging to see, but it's one we're very thankful for.
Developer SoFun has crafted an endearing and occasionally hilarious world full of mystery, which even after credits roll feels poised for bigger things. However, at launch, the game feels noticeably slow and the visuals seem compromised on Switch, which brings borderline sluggishness occasionally into frustrating territory. By no means a dealbreaker, and not necessarily a barrier to the dozens of hours of fun gameplay you can find, but we hope to hear of some updates that make exploring Smokestack Mountain as enjoyable as it should be.
The Lunar Remastered Collection respects the enhanced PS1 versions while also making a few tweaks to modernise parts of each game. While not all changes are entirely successful, and there are other aspects that haven't aged particularly well, we can't deny that Silver Star Story and Eternal Blue are bursting with charm and wit that many RPGs today lack. They might not revolutionise the genre, but if you're looking for a good time and have a little patience, you can do far, far worse.
This will be a blast for Gal Gun fans and well worth a try for newcomers. There isn't much beyond the usual Metroidvania trappings, but the build-based combat leaves lots of room for experimentation. Lack of originality aside, a strong imitation can still be an enjoyable experience, and Gal Guardians is never less than a great time. The character-swapping and revive mechanics make solo mode just as engaging as co-op, while the weapon slot system encourages replayability with new builds for Masha and Kirika.
An uneven, but ambitious adventure. Caracal has taken ingredients from some key titles and genres, added a brilliant traversal mechanic and cooked up a chilled-out, sci-fi wasteland odyssey. The game's mysterious, drip-fed narrative will keep you intrigued, and every moment spent on the grav board is undeniably enjoyable. Although Cebete may feel overly familiar, its vibrant landscapes and hidden secrets still make it worth exploring.
SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is a solid port of a great JRPG from more than two decades ago. It keeps what was special about the original - the story and the characters - and adds to it with new plot elements. While we weren't in love with the combat mechanics or the exploration puzzles, they don't get in the way of a great story. Just like we don't love everything about our family, we could overlook the game's shortcomings to focus on what made it memorable.
With Rift of the Necrodancer, Brace Yourself Games has picked up the rhythm genre and, well, riffed on it. This is a smart, stylish remix of what rhythm games can be. By swapping prescriptive note charts for more involved pattern reading, it cracks open a whole new dimension of challenge – one where you will feel both cool and overwhelmed at the same time.
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos wasn't exactly a revolutionary entry in the 3D platforming genre even back when it released, and though it still doesn't necessarily 'wow' us today, it certainly is an entertaining and worthwhile adventure. Things like the new controls, enhanced presentation, and extensive museum content are satisfying additions, and the core adventure itself is still good retro 3D platforming fun, warts and all. We'd give this a strong recommendation to any fans who have fond memories of playing this on a CRT back in the day, and even if this would be your first time playing it, we'd still suggest you give it a shot if you've been through the best 3D platformers the Switch has to offer and still want more. Croc is a solid, if unspectacular retro adventure, and stands as a worthwhile addition to the Switch library.
The only gripe we have is that some of the smaller menu text can look a little blurry in handheld mode, but given the overall lack of text in the game, it’s not a dealbreaker. Whether you’re an old-school fan or a newcomer, Breakout Beyond may be the best way to experience Atari's stone-cold classic.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is an expertly crafted revamp that gives us all the bells and whistles we could wish for in terms of graphical upgrades. However, it's actually Monolith Soft's attention to clever gameplay revisions that impresses most here. This is X streamlined and modernised, carefully recast and reset in order to play better than ever. Additional characters, a new ending, and all that snazzy stuff is all well and good, and fans will be excited by the fresh revelations that occur, but it's in how everything flows so much better now that we reckon the hardcore will find themselves most impressed. And for newcomers a recommendation is even easier; this is up there with the all-time great sci-fi RPGs and an absolute must-play.
An engaging blend of life sim and detective mystery, On Your Tail has a wonderful setting and great characters. Unfortunately, the overall experience is bogged down by painful load times and debilitating technical issues. The game isn't a graphical powerhouse and the Switch is more than capable of maintaining a stable day in Borga Marina. Here's hoping Memorable can patch in some improvements post-launch so that Diana's search for inspiration feels less like a slog.
In most respects, Atelier Yumia is an impressively ambitious and strong new entry for the long-running series, blazing a trail to parts unknown much like its titular protagonist. Things like the darker story, action-heavy combat, and increased focus on exploration gameplay all work well in its favor. The only major complaint is that this was clearly designed with much stronger hardware than the Switch in mind, and while its performance here is just about acceptable, it's very far from ideal. At any rate, we'd give this one a recommendation not only to long-time Atelier veterans, but also to fans of other vast JRPG adventures such as the Xenoblade series. Atelier Yumia is a bold step forward for this franchise, and it stands as a strong indication that the Atelier series has a lot of life left in it yet.
All told, Mainframes is a solid recommendation if you’re after a new precision/puzzle platformer that tries something relatively fresh with its desktop-bending premise. We would have liked to have seen a few clever nods to real-world software brands to really take advantage of its setup, but with its pleasant pixel-art visuals and gorgeously laid-back soundtrack, it’s a good way to spend a handful of hours. Just watch out for those difficulty spikes; they can be a real downer.
Sorry We're Closed is one of the most unique and memorable survival horror games we've ever played. The juxtaposition of bright colours and quirky characters against moments of true terror is unlike anything we've ever seen before, and the first-person combat mechanics manage to feel immensely satisfying and empowering while still retaining a sense of creeping dread. This is a world we won't soon forget, and unlike the protagonist's desire to shy away from love, we suspect you'll immediately fall head over heels for this one.