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Defender of the Crown: The Legend Return will likely appeal differently depending on your familiarity with the original. Retro is best for longtime fans seeking an authentic experience, while Classic provides some welcome improvements without fully addressing the original's obtuse mechanics. Both modes can therefore be difficult for newcomers to appreciate. Kingdom is the game's saving grace, streamlining the experience into an addictive strategy loop where even defeat contributes to future runs. That mode alone makes the game worth recommending to anyone looking for light strategy, although the overall package should still be approached with some caution. What appears to be a simple strategy game can be surprisingly, and sometimes unintentionally, brutal.
Duskfade is a charming, enjoyable, and well-made little platformer that falls just short of being a true classic. The platforming and combat are fun, the story is well told, and the game's overall presentation is delightful. It's held back by stiff combat and tedious backtracking, but neither problem is enough to completely undermine the experience. If you're looking for a PS2-style platformer with a Kingdom Hearts flavor, Duskfade hits most of the marks and is absolutely worth checking out. It might not be the most original game on the market, but it is a darn fun one.
Wild Blue Skies works extremely well as a homage to Star Fox 64. Its old-school approach is refreshing at a time when so many other games are trying to put their own spin on the formula. The mechanics are excellent, the handling is responsive, and the level pacing works well with the game's replayability. For those looking for a nostalgic experience that gets the important things right, Wild Blue Skies is well worth checking out.
Dinoblade is a good example of an absurd concept being done right. Once you get past the gimmick of dinosaurs wielding blades, you'll find a Souls-like that sticks closely to the genre's core principles while introducing enough quality-of-life changes to make the experience more approachable for newcomers. The mechanics are solid, the campaign lasts just long enough, and the presentation is good enough considering the game's very small development team. Unless you absolutely hate the genre, Dinoblade is well worth picking up if you want a Souls-like that doesn't require a high double-digit investment of hours.
Beast of Reincarnation is an ambitious game, and that's ultimately both its greatest strength and its biggest weakness. It's refreshing to see Game Freak step so far outside Pokémon's shadow, and the result is packed with inventive ideas and genuinely excellent combat. Unfortunately, uneven level design, rough presentation, and a general lack of polish keep those ideas from reaching their full potential. Even so, I had a good time with the game. If you're willing to overlook the title's rough edges and meet it on its own terms, there's a lot to enjoy. More than anything, Beast of Reincarnation feels like the foundation for something truly special, and I hope Game Freak gets the chance to build on it with a sequel.
The Relic: First Guardian is ultimately a game full of promising ideas that rarely reaches its potential. Its departures from the traditional Souls-like formula initially make it stand out, even if its relentlessly bleak atmosphere won't appeal to everyone. Unfortunately, those innovations are undermined by frustrating boss encounters that highlight weaknesses in the core combat. Throw in inconsistent presentation, sparse PC options, and missing quality-of-life features like key rebinding, and the result is a game that's difficult to recommend in its current state. With enough patches and thoughtful refinements, it could eventually carve out its own place alongside the genre's best, but for now, it remains an ambitious experiment that falls short of its goals.
Directive 8020 ends up being a solid adventure game overall. While the story is enjoyable, it is also heavily reliant on familiar ideas due to the popularity of the films that inspired it. The characters fit well within the narrative, and the series' foundation of exploration and difficult decision-making remains as strong as ever. The ability to alter your choices at any point can be a positive or a negative, depending on how strictly you want to follow the genre's traditional rules. The addition of stealth ranges from a welcome change to an unnecessary mechanic due to its limited execution and frequent use. Directive 8020 may not be the best entry in the Dark Pictures series, but it is encouraging to see Supermassive experiment with ideas that don't completely undermine the experience. Adventure game fans and those curious about the series' direction will still find enough to make it worth checking out.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is a very solid fighting game wrapped in a somewhat underwhelming package. For players looking for a fighter with distinct characters, creative mechanics, and plenty of depth to explore, there's a lot to enjoy. However, for more casual fans of the franchise or anyone looking for substantial content outside of competitive play, the experience can feel bare-bones, and the included story mode often feels half-baked. This is ultimately a game made for fighting game fans who also love Avatar, and those who fall into that category should find plenty to appreciate.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is largely the same collection it has been for the past decade. The included games are still excellent, offering two excellent RPG experiences, and the newly added speed-up and cheat features are welcome additions for players who have already revisited them multiple times. However, at its core, this is still a fairly straightforward native Switch 2 release, and there's little reason to rush out and buy it if you already own a previous version of the collection.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R on Switch 2 is about as straightforward an upgraded port as you can get. It's the same excellent game, now running better than the Switch 1 version, but without any major additions that would make it an essential upgrade for existing owners. Regardless, it's an RPG absolutely worth playing if you're a fan of JRPGs and haven't experienced it yet, and it remains a gold standard example of how to remake a classic: preserving everything that made the original great while smoothing out its rough edges.
Denshattack! is a throwback to a time when games were allowed to be weird. A train pulling off skateboard tricks at high speeds while fending off a Voltron-style mech sounds strange even during the heights of the PSone/Dreamcast/early PS2 eras. The execution is excellent all around, and Denshattack! nails all of the familiar elements of other games while still feeling very original instead of being a homage to a particular cult title. This is a fantastic game, and the only reason to pass is if you tend to shy away from the extreme sports genre.
D-topia's narrative is intriguing. It's uncommon to see a futuristic story with an optimistic outlook, and while the plot is relatively short, its memorable cast of varied characters leaves a lasting impression. The puzzles add welcome variety, even if only a small handful provide a meaningful challenge for casual puzzle fans. Combined with a polished presentation, D-topia is a strong experience that will especially resonate with players who value storytelling above all else.
EA Sports UFC 6 is perfect for hardcore fans of MMA who just want to get in a cage and fight, assemble their own events, and feel all the things that made them get into the sport in the first place. There's plenty in UFC 6 for you, and the cumbersome menus and lack of real improvement in the career mode(s) probably won't bother you that much. If you were hoping for a complete package where every facet of the series has been upgraded … well, there's always the next one, right?
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced is a good but very safe remake. I still had a shocking amount of fun just sailing around and doing pirate things on the wide ocean, but the game lacks a certain confidence, and that keeps it from being a truly exceptional remake. It's a great way to revisit Edward's adventures with fewer rough patches, better graphics, and some extra content. Fans of the original will have a grand old time.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a solid experience on the Switch 2. The story is captivating, especially the tales of the people who are on the verge of passing on. The gameplay mechanics are well worn but still feel good, while the presentation remains strong even though the game looks better on other platforms. This is a game well worth checking out, even if the sequel might not hit the Switch 2 for quite some time.
Cronos: The New Dawn is a strong choice if you're looking for a bleak survival-horror experience where scarcity is the norm and careful conservation is essential. The game works because it feels like you're pushing back against its intended difficulty rather than systems that are working against you. Every encounter demands effort, so even simple victories feel genuinely earned. At times it can be unforgiving, but it never feels unfair. If you've been looking for a survival-horror experience that (imperfectly) hearkens back to the classics, Cronos is likely to be on your radar.
Taken on its own, Dead or Alive 6: Last Round is still a solid fighting game. The adjustments to the core combat system improve accessibility without sacrificing depth for more advanced players. The roster is strong, especially now that previous DLC characters are included, but customization feels noticeably thin once DLC costumes are set aside. However, the requirement to repurchase characters like Kula and Mai, combined with the lack of meaningful presentation upgrades beyond a single reworked stage, makes this feel like a minor and somewhat underwhelming revision, especially given how long players have waited. If you're new to the series and enjoy fighting games, DoA6 is still worth a look. For anyone who has already invested significant time in the original release, there's little incentive to return unless future updates expand the lighting improvements across more stages or introduce a substantial wave of new characters.
Devil May Cry 5: Devil Hunter Edition may not be a definitive port of the game, but few players would bother complaining about what's missing. This is still a fast and fluid action title with plenty of content and a campaign that never feels like it's dragging along. Most importantly, this is a port that looks just as good as its more powerful console brethren without any performance drops. Capcom has already proven in the Switch 2's first year that it can be trusted to bring out solid ports of its games with minimal compromise, and DMC5 keeps that streak going.
Overall, assuming you don't mind the relatively low production values, R-Type Tactics I & II Cosmos is an excellent strategy RPG experience. The core gameplay is fun, the story is atmospheric and interesting, and the sheer amount of content means you're hard-pressed to find a better value for your dollar. You don't even need to be familiar with R-Type to enjoy the experience, but obviously, a familiarity with the franchise adds that little extra zing.
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales feels like it gets about three-quarters of the way toward being a fantastic game, but its final stretch drags it down. When it's firing on all cylinders, it's a great deal of fun and comes very close to capturing the energy and spirit of a classic Zelda title. When it isn't, it feels slow, meandering, and unfocused. A strong soundtrack and beautiful visuals help elevate the experience, but ultimately, Adventures of Elliot lands as a good game that could have been great with a bit more polish and focus.