MonsterVine
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Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a triumphant celebration of both Star Wars and Lego games up to this point. It has some bugs and wonky voice acting, but the incredibly expanded gameplay, ridiculous breadth of content, and clear love for Star Wars present in every facet of the game make this a must-play for fans of the franchise or just chill, fun games in general.
If you’re in the mood for a cyber noir soaked old-school point and click, then no further. Chinatown Detective Agency does justice to the old school vibes it aspires to while also setting itself apart by having a fun and unique way to solve puzzles. It can get a bit overwhelming at times, especially as the clock starts ticking down, but the satisfaction of cracking a case is worth the extra stress.
Big Bang Pro Wrestling is another neat little NEO GEO Pocket game on the Switch. It’s not as full of content as previous offerings, but what’s here is fun enough to keep wrestling fans or NEO GEO fans entertained for a little while. I’d maybe wait for the next NEO GEO Collection for this one.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an excellent first foray into the third dimension for Kirby and his Pop-Star pals. I wish there were fewer tutorials and a few more powers, but everything else about the game is fun, charming, and just generally great.
There’s a lot of fun to be had in the Weird West, but it sometimes feels more like a testing ground for a more fleshed-out sequel.
As the closing act meets its end, a litter of bodies left in your wake, Infernax achieves a rare thing. It becomes more than its influences, more than a simple genre piece, but a powerful entity in its own right. The only negatives that rise from the ground are a few boss battles being easy to defeat… and that’s it. Robust, neatly wove, disgusting and wholeheartedly engaging, Infernax is a fantastic example of influence creating new greatness.
GhostWire Tokyo is an exciting and just plain cool game. The combat, while a bit repetitive, is fun and flashy in the best way, and the world is a thrill to explore. I hope we get a sequel set in another part of Japan, as the Japanese folklore combined with everything else makes this a truly unique experience that I’d love to experience again.
I honestly don’t know whether you’ll dig Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. It can be weird, funny, and janky, but tremendously fun, exciting, and even moving all at the same time. Final Fantasy fans will get the most out of it, as they’re more likely to look past the dated presentation and seemingly nonsensical early plot, but if you stick through it, I think you’ll be surprised at how much goofy and honest fun Stranger of Paradise can be.
PomPom: The Great Space Rescue is a wonderful indie game that shakes up the platformer formula to excellent results. The gameplay is challenging, addictive, and varied, while the presentation is simply perfect. Just play PomPom if it looks neat to you, you won’t regret it.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a fantastic fighting game. It has lots of included content, great combat mechanics, and a fun little story for Persona fans. I wish it had rollback netcode now, or at all on the Switch version, but otherwise, you can’t go wrong with Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.
Triangle Strategy is a great SRPG that balances an enthralling story with overall fun gameplay. It could use a bit of balancing and the persuasion system doesn’t always work as you hope, but for the most part, this unique title stands out as a strong tactics game that makes your choices feel truly weighty.
Shadow Warrior 3 is a fun, hilarious nonstop adrenaline rush of a game and a fitting cap to the trilogy.
Elden Ring feels like the culmination of everything FromSoftware has been building upon with each of their games. Unfortunately, some severe performance issues hamper what’s easily one of their best games yet.
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires isn’t ground-breaking, but it is pretty dang fun. Obliterating hordes of foes is always a joy, and the strategic nation-building gameplay is a pleasant change of pace that gives you a bit of a power trip to boot. If you’re a fan of Musou games but want to mix it up a bit, Empires may be your game. Just know that it’s largely another Warriors game, and it may get old after a while.
The video game equivalent of being picked up in a 2000 F-250 by a guy blasting Skynyrd and yelling HELL YEAH BROTHER at everything you say.
Dusk ‘82 isn’t the most complex or longest game, but it’s a neat and fun bite-sized puzzle game that Dusk fans will get a kick out of. Even if you’re just nostalgic about old puzzle games, or want a snazzy new demade version of the Dusk soundtrack, this is a decent option.
The King of Fighters XV is, as the name implies, the King of Fighters. It looks good, plays incredibly, and has silky smooth online play. I wouldn’t be opposed to more single player content, but there’s so much to love about KOF XV that I don’t even mind. If you want a fighter to sink your teeth into, look no further.
Sifu puts you in control of your own kung-fu film, with an exhilarating combat system and style galore.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is best described as two steps forward, one step back. The new catching mechanics and open-world concept are perfect for the Pokémon franchise, and I never got tired of them. On the other hand, the game is pretty ugly, and has a few confusing issues when it comes to exploration and performance. If Game Freak can fix these issues while keeping the catching and open world ideas, we could get the best Pokémon game ever made. For now, though, it’s just a cool next step.
OlliOlli World is a phenomenal follow-up that takes everything Roll7 learned in the previous games, and perfects it.