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If you like mecha anime or even mecha-themed SRPGs, Super Robot Wars 30 provides a strong introduction to one of the longest-running SRPG franchises. It's a great encapsulation of what makes the franchise shine, and it's filled to the brim with fanservice in a way that will warm even the coldest mecha fan's heart. On its own merits, it is a lengthy and enjoyable (if easy) SRPG, but it really shines if you know the source material. It's not for everyone, but if SRW30 is for you, it'll give you everything you could possibly want.
Smelter is an average title. The side-scrolling action is rather well done and, taken on its own, makes for a strong platformer. The strategy portions lack depth, and when combined with your overall weak state, it makes the experience a bit of a slog. The title is ambitious, and those willing to forgive the strategy portion should check it out.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is fine. The core game mechanics may feel outdated for new players, but those who have played the original entry on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive will appreciate how the game hasn't deviated from that blueprint. The presentation is fine in parts, but the game offers no incentives to keep playing once you finish it. Those with a fondness for the original will love this, but those with no memories of the game will find this to be lacking compared to the remake of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap and the last sequel, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom.
Taken on its own, Golden Force is decent. It looks wonderful, with some solid combat mechanics and very engaging boss fights. Start to compare it to other pixel platformers on the system, and you'll come to lament the forced trial-and-error gameplay, tedious combat, and unnecessarily broken upgrade economy. Patient players may stick it out, but for everyone else, the Switch has plenty of other well-crafted platformers.
It's difficult to recommend Gundam Battle Operation: Code Fairy - Vol. 1 on its own merits. It's effectively one-third of a storyline that is a tutorial and stand-alone story for GBO2's gameplay without its "gotcha" elements, but at this moment, the game is effectively incomplete. Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 will be released within the next month. When it has the full storyline and set of units, it'll be a lot easier to make a determination about the entire package, but until that happens, you're better off waiting unless you're a huge Gundam fan who has to play this right away.
Call of Duty: Vanguard drops the ball on two fronts. The campaign is a short, disjointed, and shallow affair, and its Zombies mode is solid but too bare-bones and devoid of content to recommend at the moment. Regular multiplayer matches are where Vanguard shines the brightest, but a lot of that is due to leaning heavily into familiar territory. Vanguard struggles to make meaningful additions to the formula, and apart from new battle pacing options and a generous selection of maps, Vanguard sits comfortably on the achievements of its predecessors. That's not a bad thing, and I enjoyed the online components throughout this review, but it's also not a great look for a yearly release. If you haven't played a Call of Duty title in a few years and don't care for its single-player campaign, Vanguard is a fun and solid entry in the series.
Overall, Gamedec delivers on its premise. It's a fun and intriguing story with plenty of choices to make and cases to solve. It never gets remarkably deep in lore, world-building, or character development, but it pulls off the decision-driven storytelling quite well. The limited scope hurts the experience, though. Environment maps can be small and feel on rails even when they're not, and some cut corners distract from what is a thoroughly entertaining narrative experience.
Diablo II: Resurrected is a great port plagued by the usual server issues. When those stop - or if you can work around them - D2:R is a great port that polishes up a cult classic without losing its original charm and gameplay loop. The improved visuals run well on the Switch, and the quality-of-life improvements and good controller implementation ensure that D2 is a joy to experience on the handheld. Of course, there are some noticeable downgrades, but none of them impede the experience, and they're necessary to ensure the game runs smoothly and without hitches. If you favor portability over quality, the Switch version of D2:R is worth picking up.
Bright Memory: Infinite looks incredible for a game from a small development team, and the core sword-and-gun gameplay is fun enough. However, everything surrounding those two elements feel unpolished and poorly thought-out. The incoherent story, the non-combat gameplay mechanics, and general lack of quality control drag down the entire thing. If you're looking for a quick and breezy shooter to tide you over for an afternoon, Infinite might be fun for you. Otherwise, there's nothing here that you can't see in videos that show off its rain-soaked beauty.
If you can get past the initial hour, Riders Republic becomes a very strong title. The world is a joy to explore thanks to the many biomes and landscape types you see. Compared to the rest of Ubisoft's open-world games, each pip on the map serves a much higher purpose than providing something to keep you busy. The instantaneous fast-travel, and the races pull off many adrenaline-pumping moments that you'll want to revisit. The title still has some issues, like some odd collision during the exploration and the unnecessary presence of microtransactions. Fans of racing will love what the various Ubisoft studios have pulled off with Riders Republic.
A lot of the enjoyment of Unplugged comes down to the hand-tracking technology that isn't fully there yet, and I'm doubtful that the current Quest hardware will ever fully get there. Better cameras on the headset are a minimum requirement for that to happen. In the meantime, if you can put up with its inevitable frustrations as you air-jam a hallucinated guitar to the tune of rock classics in your living room, Unplugged is one of the best and only games to use hand tracking. You will certainly get rewarded if you stick with it, but it likely won't completely overshadow its downsides.
Beast Breaker is the kind of game that flies under the radar but rewards those willing to give it a shot. The battle system for the genre is distinct but easy to understand, and even if you're fighting a small roster of creatures in each land, the fights are never dull. The variety in the attacks gives min/max players some room to play with their builds, while the story and characters provide enough motivation to see it through to the end. For those looking for a different kind of RPG, Beast Breaker is worth checking out.
Circuit Superstars has a few things that won't sit well with players. The inability to come back after making one mistake can be deflating, especially when it is a result of online play not reacting well to the physics system. Unlockables are limited to cosmetics, so that may dampen the desire for progression, while the inability to save midway through longer circuits discourages those who are short on time. The game remains fun enough that you'll want to master the sensitive handling of each vehicle, and the number of tracks and cars is pretty good for the price. If you're the patient type who has a bunch of likeminded friends who want a challenging racing title, this is worth a shot.
Shin Megami Tensei V is pretty much the sequel that fans have been waiting for. There are a few potentially controversial decisions, such as the emphasis on an open-world area instead of the franchise classic dungeons, but they ended up working out in the end. The gameplay was fun from start to finish, and the 40-hour runtime seemed to fly by thanks to excellent pacing. If you liked Nocturne but wished it were more modern, SMT5 is the game you've been waiting for.
As much of an odyssey as it was, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Deathloop. It's one of the more thoughtful and well-crafted games out there and one of the best things you can play on the PS5. In addition to everything else, I liked the game's sexy, graphic-novelish cartoon vibe in its visuals that made every area burst to life and fun to explore. It's a true piece of art and is definitely worth your time … over and over.
Overall, Stride feels more like a concept title than a real one, given its very limited available content that centers around its core mechanic. That doesn't matter too much because the controls and gameplay are superb, except for a few minor inconsistencies. It's not a must-have title yet, but since a story and multiplayer update are still to come, Stride may have what it takes to become a highly addictive and fun parkour simulator in VR. If you have a Quest at your disposal, Stride is certainly worth a look.
Cosmic Top Secret is a conflicting experience. On the one hand, the story is excellent. Even with the meandering parts, the narrative is fun, and you uncover endearing characters that are a joy to watch. On the other hand, while the unique presentation pulls you in, the clunky controls and inconsistent platforming bring you back out. It's still worth checking, provided you aren't easily flustered by the gameplay mechanics.
Neptunia Virtual Stars is a tough game to recommend even for the fans. The regular cast of characters remains as engaging as ever, while the newcomers fit in quite nicely. The story is a nice take on parodying the current state of the internet using the unique viewpoint that the series has carved for itself. Beyond the overly long cut scenes, the gameplay is dull despite the variety that the title and minigames try to provide. While this game won't attract any newcomers, hardcore fans might want to dabble with this after a very deep discount.
While consoles made a generational leap, NHL 22 is still very much stuck in the past. Some of the gameplay tweaks improve the experience, but the game has largely remained the same. The graphical improvements are minor, and the overhyped X Factor abilities are underwhelming. Aside from minor changes, everything else is pretty much in the same state that it was last year, except you can now pay the next-gen premium price for it. NHL 22 is still the best hockey game you can buy (mostly due to the lack of other options), but I'd strongly advise against it if you have played any other NHL title in the past few years. The series has been stagnating, and NHL 22 doesn't indicate any will to make meaningful changes, which is a shame because this would've been the perfect cut-off point to do something new and interesting.
At the end of the day, Monster Crown has very little going for it aside from that brief rush of nostalgia. The interesting mechanics are buried behind a poorly balanced combat system, a ridiculous story, and a mountain of glitches. There are some interesting ideas, but it's difficult to recommend the title based solely on that potential. It's a game that feels like knockoff Pokémon that you can play on the same system as the real Pokémon offerings, not to mention all of the other competitors. There are patches coming that will hopefully alleviate some of these issues, but until they do, there are much better monster trainer games out there.