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From its lush and detailed landscapes to its awesome level of control, Pilotwings 64 utilises virtually all of the N64's most prominent features to provide a wholesome and adventurous gameplay experience. Its perfect blend of tense, challenge-based gameplay and simple, yet relaxing exploration gives it an almost universal appeal, and it's a shame that more games don't aspire to offer this level of depth in a relaxing, well-rounded package that's also delightfully silly. On the surface, Pilotwings 64 may seem as shallow as a paddling pool, but those that delve deeper will discover a fun and rewarding game that draws them back in time and time again.
Chaos;Child is, by most metrics, a step up from its predecessor and has every right to stake a claim at being the best game in the Science Adventure series. There is a huge amount of content and it will take several dozen hours for players to get to the bottom of the return of the New Gen Madness case. Despite some small issues with the text's formatting, the story is compelling enough to keep most players invested through the long runtime. With solid characters and some genuinely surprising twists, fans of visual novels will want to get their hands on this one if they haven't played Chaos;Child before.
Lego Bricktales isn't perfect, but it offers up a refreshingly unique experience relative to the litany of action platformers based on licensed IP we've been getting for nearly two decades now. We sincerely appreciated the focus on low-stress building puzzles that encourage and reward creative solutions. It's the kind of game that you just take at your own pace and lose yourself for a bit to the relaxing tunes and simple act of building. It's a shame, then, that awkward controls hamper your creativity and hold it back from greatness. Couple that with performance issues on Switch, and we'd recommend playing on PC if you can. Still, Bricktales is the closest thing in years that a Lego video game has gotten to the actual feeling of playing with Lego, and those of you who appreciate the famous toy will find something to love here.
No Man's Sky on Switch is a fantastic port of a game we genuinely didn't really believe would make the transition to Nintendo's console without some serious technical issues. Hello Games has made the necessary cutbacks and downgrades to get this intergalactic survival sandbox playing at a super solid frame rate and the colourful, chunky graphical style here ensures that it all still looks pretty fantastic to boot. With all of the game's previous updates and content included - barring multiplayer at this point - and a plethora of customisation options courtesy of the massive Waypoint update, this is an easy recommendation for survival fans and one of the most impressive ports we've seen on Switch to date.
Moonscars is a dark and punchy 2D action adventure that tweaks the Soulslike formula just enough to make it worth jumping into yet another entry in this most overstuffed of genres. The combat here is super slick stuff that's meticulously animated through the game's exquisite pixel art style, there are a ton of cool skills and weapons to get your hands on, and the world and its enemies are thoroughly well-designed. It's a shame, then, that this Switch port currently suffers from fairly consistent frame rate issues, because beyond a few difficulty issues here and there, it's pretty hard to find fault with what Black Mermaid has served up. Let's hope this one gets a performance patch for those stutters.
Overwatch 2 is a lot of things, but a proper sequel to the original Overwatch is not one of them. Although a few new maps and heroes are welcome, and the gameplay itself remains just as enjoyably intense as it always was, there is nothing here that feels innovative or notable enough to justify that '2' in the title. At this stage, Overwatch 2 feels more like a few updates Blizzard could have pushed to the original release. Couple this with the heightened focus on monetization and the absence at launch of the promised co-op story content, and you're left with an experience that feels like it falls short of the potential it had. As a live service free-to-play game, perhaps time will eventually see this new release grow in fresh and unexpected ways to eventually prove itself a worthy sequel, but the game we have at launch feels just 'fine'. At any rate, it costs you nothing but time to try, and it is just about as fun in a match as it always has been. As long as you're not too bothered by what it could have been, we'd recommend giving Overwatch 2 a shot.
Chaos;Head Noah isn't the best game in the Science Adventure series, but it is a great point for players to jump in if they're new to the genre. Visual novel veterans will find plenty to enjoy here as well, with a story that goes to some dark and unsettling places. The plot makes no attempt at making sense and there are times when we wanted to strangle Takumi for being such a weirdo, but it remains engaging and fun throughout. This is an easy one to recommend, either on its own or as part of the bundle with its sequel.
Railgrade doesn't try to recreate the railway management sim game, but it polishes and bolsters what is there to become one of the better examples of this niche genre. The story, light as it tends to be, pokes fun at late-stage capitalism without it becoming the sole focus of the game. It falls short of greatness due to repetition and a lack of depth in its later hours, but there is still more than enough here for resource management sim fans to not feel like they've been taken for a ride.
Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection is an odd release in that it doesn't really feel like the games have been remastered at all. Certain aspects of the presentation have been improved, such as the lip-syncing and overall colour tone, but at the same time you've got some pretty unforgivable presentation drawbacks like texture and asset pop-in, muddy environmental visuals, and absurdly long load times. Considering how long it's taken for this collection to arrive on Switch, we honestly expected better. Nevertheless, these games are worth experiencing for the narrative alone, so if you've never played either and you have no other way to access them, this still comes with a light recommendation.
This is the fifth time Switch owners have been asked to pay at least $40 for little more than updated kits and rosters, and the fifth time we urge you not to reward such disrespect with your hard-earned money. FIFA 23 still plays a good game of football but so did all the other identical ones, so if you absolutely must have a football game on Switch, track down a cheap copy of FIFA 19-22.
NieR:Automata is a modern classic. Most importantly for Switch owners, this is a top-notch port that has clearly been produced with respect and focus, often surpassing our expectations in both visuals and performance. Finding a comfortable seat and a pair of headphones makes the Switch version a wonderful way to experience the game, and it is an unforgettable journey. Nothing is as it seems, either in the story or gameplay, and it's one of the finest gaming achievements of the last decade. If you haven't played NieR:Automata yet, now is a great time.
If you’re looking for a few hundred more puzzles to add to the collection of what must be over a thousand by now, then Picross S8 is the game for you. If a good entry point is what you're after, Picross S8 is a decent spot, but we’d recommend you at least watch the first two seasons of the anime to get a somewhat decent grasp of the premise. Anyway, this game radiates so much power that it made the preceding seven games (or ten, if you count the spin-offs) better through updates that added universal touch support and four-player multiplayer. So go buy it. Now.
Potion Permit makes an effort to implement engaging minigame mechanics through potion brewing and patient diagnosis, but outside of that, a lack of challenge and a feeling of repetition means it struggles to stand out in the vast field of life sims. Still, it presents a fun and enchanting experience which gets a massive shot in the arm from excellent presentation in both the audio and visual departments. Potion Permit fits the bill for something to pick up now and then and pass a few hours, and there are certainly enough quests for you to sink your teeth into and keep you entertained for a while, even if it's not as catching as the best in the genre.
Various Daylife is the epitome of an experimental RPG. This is the kind of game that you'll have a much better time with if you limit yourself to only fifteen minutes or maybe half an hour a day. Stay within that time frame, and the daily stat management, quick quest runs, and the simple class system will just about hit the spot. Play for much longer, and you'll soon realize how relatively shallow the gameplay loop really is. We'd give this one a very light recommendation for anyone who's obsessed with the work of Team Asano or for those who want a simple and light RPG for their Switch-if neither of those describes you, you're not missing much by choosing to pass.
Honestly, if you're a fan of Skyrim, we reckon this is an upgrade that's worth grabbing and it's also worth pointing out that, although the full version is expensive, you can frequently catch the standard version of Skyrim on a deep discount during eShop sales and then upgrade that way. If you've never played the game before — and we 100% refuse to believe there's anyone who hasn't — this really is the best, most feature-rich, content-packed version of an RPG that, no matter how much we make fun of it, always completely sucks us right back into its world every single time we boot it up.
As a group, Abba sits alongside only a handful of the world's biggest acts - The Beatles, Queen, and perhaps only a couple of others - with the cross-generational, mainstream appeal to support a multiplayer music game like this. We'd wager even non-aficionados will be drawn in by the sheer strength of this most familiar and indestructible of pop music songbooks, and the variety of modes here, machine-tooled over many years of iteration and repetition for the long-running Let's Sing series, offer enough variety to engage just about anyone who's ever tapped their foot to any of these tracks, Developer Voxler took absolutely no chances here; Let's Sing Abba is exactly what you think it is. And for that, we were thankful.
Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris takes forever to get moving. By the time the training wheels come off, players will likely have switched off in frustration. Pacing is a big issue for the first half of the game, with hours spent in unskippable cutscenes or repetitive tutorials before the best features become available. There is a decent game locked away behind the multiple missteps and technical issues, and if you've got the requisite patience and high regard for the source material, there are things to like - most notably the smooth, engaging combat. The problem is that getting to it feels like work rather than play.
There is a lot to love about Let's Build a Zoo. Players can get stuck into the minute details of managing their own zoo or they can take a more relaxed approach to building an animal empire, but the amount of freedom is really what makes this game stand out among other management sims on the market. The sheer variety of animals on offer and the charming visuals make up for the monotonous music and sparse tutorials. This is a solid choice for players who are looking for something fun to play at a bargain price.
Voodoo Detective is an attractive, old-school point-and-click adventure with a lighthearted, dime-store pulp story and a decent handful of laughs. Its vividly descriptive art style and writing are accessible and low-stress, if short on intrigue and surprise. Meanwhile, the music is fun and the voices are memorable. Although the puzzles can be ropey, the story moves along steadily enough, and at five hours or so, it doesn't ask too much. This is a steady debut from Short Sleeve Studio and, while it's not turning every head at the party, it's a good laugh if you try to get to know it.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival is another solid entry in the franchise, but it's also a very safe one. The core gameplay is still a lot of fun and that might well be enough for some players. For others, the distinct lack of modes on offer may result in a rather short-lived experience, particularly if you're not looking to dive into the Taiko Music Pass subscription service. Still, with a chunky amount of songs available from the start, Rhythm Festival is a no-brainer for fans of the series; you know what you're getting into, and we think you're going to like it.