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The cutesy presentation and pick-up-and-play feel of The Swords of Ditto belie its true nature: a fierce, fiendish, oft-frustrating roguelite adventure. You may not want to keep going around that loop forever, but luckily there's enough enjoyment to be found in the (minimum) half a dozen or more runs it will take you to beat the game for the first time that – if you do choose to stop there – you'll still feel rewarded by the experience.
With an interesting idea at its heart, Minit becomes a tiring process of incremental steps. There are moments where its looping play does shine, but they are rare, and, like its fleeting premise, it wont stay in the mind long.
Poignant, sometimes sad, but also joyous and gut-wrenchingly funny, Night in the Woods is a bold, brave game that will be be recognised as an all time great.
A perfectly serviceable JRPG, with an addictive Kingdom-building component, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is a charming game that falls short for its syrupy writing and the lack of a truly magic touch.
If, like me, you like this sort of thing, you’ll sort of like ChromaGun. The game’s inspirations are obvious, and although its puzzle credentials are well earned, it ultimately feels inconsequential. ChromaGun has just received a free demo on Switch, which is handy, as it’s the perfect example of something to try before you buy.
A shaky conclusion to a fantastic season, the finale episode is still a solid entry but it doesn't reach the dizzying heights of the first two entries.
If you own a PC, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4 there are plenty of other racing games worth your attention. However, if you are Switch owner looking for a more grounded racing experience Gear.Club Unlimited is up to the task. It’s a middle of the road racer, but as with so many Switch games, Gear.Club Unlimited is elevated by your ability to take it on the road with you in handheld mode and definitely suits the smaller-screen experience.
With Assassin's Creed: Origins, Ubisoft has found an oasis in the desert. It's refreshing, blending sensible new mechanics with an established formula; moreover, it feels as though it was designed by a team with their eyes and ears open. The rulebook was far from thrown out, but it's been burnished to an impressive sheen, and this is the best the series has been since Ezio's heyday.
A powerful central relationship, an enigmatic plot, and terrific writing all elevate Before the Storm above the original series. This is fantastic adventure gaming, and some of the best writing in games at the moment, held back only by slightly shallow mechanics.
Rugby 18 is a solid, workmanlike first effort at what is probably the most difficult sport to translate into a playable video game. It's not as easy to pick up or as slick as FIFA, but it puts in the hard yards and, for the most part, gets the job done. As a result, Rugby 18 is probably the best rugby game in 20 years.
If you remain a committed 3DS gamer – and there's every reason to be – I would suggest looking at some of Jupiter's cheaper Picross titles available via the Nintendo eShop. If not, Picross S continues the studio's good run of engaging puzzlers with a wealth of content and visual finesse that is underpinned by timeless gameplay. Keep 'em coming.
Pillars of Eternity is an elegant, beautiful, well-written piece of craftsmanship; it's proof that if we really want to, we can go back, but what we see there can't deliver on our fantasy.
Cities: Skylines takes a classic game design template and updates it with minimum fuss and considerable style. It might not be the type of game you'd normally want to take over the family TV, but it's hard to imagine a better console execution.
The core racing model is a fluid rush, and a thrill to control through an intriguing, if undercooked world. It’s to 34BigThings’ credit that they make known where their crosshairs are trained, but the bite is that much harsher when they miss their mark.
The Switch eShop is attracting a fair few match up puzzlers of late, but Ironcast should be the first one to be considered. It might be a port, but you would be forgiven for thinking this was designed from the ground up for the Switch.
Deck Nine has shown an extraordinary understanding of a delicate formula. For fans, it's a return journey to one of the most vivid, joyous settings in gaming. For them, and for everyone else, it's a brave effort which, at times, surpasses the original.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is the real deal, folks. It separates the wheat from the chaff, takes everything that's great about Uncharted 4 and distils it down to its purest, most brilliant form. Nathan who?
Fate/Extella The Umbral Star is a great addition to the Switch, but not a great addition to either genre it tries to emulate.
Codemasters has tweaked and refined a Formula one driving experience that is, as of writing, unrivalled. Project Cars 2 lurks just round the corner, but it would require an awful lot to overtake this.
Sega reminds us that, with Yakuza Kiwami, not only is its heart in the right place, but it hasn’t missed a beat.