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I would have liked more context to the action, better realised characters, and more involved levels. And, of course, some kind of single player experience. But, for what it is, as a no-frills Overwatch clone, Paladins gets the job done. It's a game I'll likely be playing for quite some time to come, because it certainly scratches a very specific itch.
Lumines is at its best when it's pure immersion, no frills.
It's still delightful, but perhaps a game that would have been better off in the hands of developers with a greater capacity for music curation.
While the latest package of Ikaruga isn't quite the grand celebration it should be for a classic title, Treasure's shooter has aged fantastically well. The puzzle-like shooting is just as thrilling and demanding as it was back in 2002, and it's sure to challenge any fan of shooters. Ikaruga's themes of polarity help it stand out from the bullet hell crowd, and make it one of the finest shoot 'em ups that can be purchased on Switch.
Fans of the series will play this and find themselves completely relieved of any lingering concerns that they may have had that Max and Chloe are no longer the focus of the series, with Captain Spirit proving the Life is Strange universe - and Dontnod's on mastery over this kind of storytelling - is bigger then just the original protagonists.
I have never played any other game quite like this which uses all the trappings of religion in a way that subverts our everyday conceptions of it. What happens when you hold people to artificial standards of behaviour that turn everyday acts into punishable sins? This game peers at the line between portraying real life religion in a game and using it as artful commentary, and completely obliterates it.
As far as pure entertainment goes, it's hard to look past Sushi Striker.
Bloons TD 5 is representative of a once-great studio at rock bottom. Let's hope that the good folks at NinjaKiwi haven't completely forgotten how to make a game fun, and either find a way to revitalise Bloons, or find a new game entirely, if the plan is to ever release another Nintendo Switch game again.
It doesn't thrust anything new and shiny onto you, nor does it have to beat the same drum by picking from a pot of clichés. It's more of the same: more of doing what it takes to survive, more of learning to live with yourself when you can't save everyone, and more of making the most of a worsening situation.
Iro Hero ambitiously seeks to reinterpret polarity switching shooters. Baffling design choices render it alienating even to seasoned shoot 'em up fans, however. The blueprint for a clever shooter is here and it's possible the developers will rectify that base game with patches and updates, but the Iro Hero of today does not reflect that lofty potential.
I'm so delighted to say that Lust For Darkness is the real deal. The fact that I can compare it to one of the greatest erotic thrillers of all time in Eyes Wide Shut, and not break down laughing, is in itself is a great credit to the developers. The game lacks the sheer mastery and refinement that Stanley Kubrick had over his canvas, but this is still leagues ahead of the clumsy, overly-simple idea of "horror" that most game developers aspire to.
Vampyr is the vampire story that I've waited for many, many years for.
The Lost Child is also a game that so cleanly represents everything good about the dungeon crawler genre that I found it hard to put down. The fact that it's the perfect introduction to the dungeon crawler genre also makes it the perfect first example on the new hardware.
Even hardcore fans of the series will struggle with this, and it's a shame because it looks so bloody good.
Sorcery Saga is a solid roguelike with a big heart, lots of content and a hefty challenge, but its repetitive gameplay and occasionally hostile design choices makes it a niche pick.
Samurai Defender looks like it should be more than it is, but never gets there, and feels overwhelmingly shallow as a consequence.
This is 2018's most cuttingly unpleasant game to play. And I'm one of those that played Agony.
Musynx is as no-frills as rhythm games get. That's not necessarily a criticism, because the music - the most important feature of the genre - is a stand-out delight. I will play this one a lot more than I play DJ Max or Superbeat Xonic, for example. And yet, while the promise of plenty of DLC music to come is exciting, Musynx also lets itself down by being far too easy, and limited in features, to hit those high notes as one of the best examples of the genre.
A flash or two of brilliance, weighed down into the vast lake of mediocrity by a few boring decisions and one downright clunker.
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is far from Arc System Work's best fighter, but it remains a very fun diversion.