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Mortal Shell 2 is a vision of what every developer hopes for in their second game: A more well-rounded experience without reinventing the wheel. And that's exactly what's on offer here. This is still a shell of the first game, but it's filled with so much more, making for a worthy second go at it.
The Sinking City 2 takes another successful dive into the survival horror genre, with challenging puzzles, an engaging and heartbreaking story, and wildly fun gunplay. I just wish it were longer and a bit more replayable.
Wild Blue Skies does a great job of recreating and innovating on classic 90's on-rail space shooters. The design throughout is excellent and the gameplay is tight and engaging.
Duskfade starts off on the wrong foot but picks up steam quickly enough to recover and stick the landing.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is one of Arc System Works' best games to date, delivering a coherent, friendly, and fun fighting game for everyone.
Agent 64: Spies Never Die is an impressive retro shooter with plenty of modern touches across the visuals, music, level design, and gameplay. It'll be a great time for anyone who grew up playing late 90's shooters.
Overall, I'm happy with the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 upgrade on the Switch 2. It's got the technical updates that were sorely needed, it has some new content, and the added Merc Assault mode lets you use your Blades directly. It still has some features that are at times grating, and the anime tropes are cringe-inducing, but the gameplay is solid.
Lies of P: Complete Edition brings the best Soulslike to the Switch 2. While it's a mostly coherent port, there are technical snags that drag the experience down. A possible day-one patch could iron out these issues, but if you're curious about Round8's debut title, the port is enjoyable as long as you stick to performance mode in the interim.
Beast of Reincarnation shows Game Freak’s potential at being something other than the people behind Pokémon. However, some bad habits it’s carried over are on display here, with uneven storytelling and nonsensical character arcs. However, combat and the bond between Emma and Koo help this game mostly realize its potential.
The Mermaid Mask is a smart and thoughtful game where you’ll use your deduction skills to uncover the mystery behind the death of Captain Mortuga. In that journey, you’ll experience various twists and hard truths that come together to tell a smart story well worth the price of admission, and it’s bolstered by a wonderful cast that is having a blast playing these characters.
Midnight Moments may have won me over in a genre I normally don’t gravitate towards. I say may because I’m still playing it and working on more scenes filled with glowing streetlights, citizens chattering, and buildings where I can imagine almost anything happening inside.
Truck-kun Is Supporting Me From Another World?! is a fun, ridiculous subversion of the classic isekai trope that doesn't slow down.
As far as multiplayer party games go, Heave Ho 2 is one of the most engaging due to how simple it is. Anyone can play alongside you, and it's easy to pick up and play on a whim. The developers have a winning idea that really only needed bigger levels and more variety, and they've delivered just that, with a lot more insanity to match their ambition.
It’s tricky to enjoy the main gameplay loop of a game like Hyperwired, but I struggled to find it consistently. There is a lot to dig into here, and I enjoyed quite a bit; it was just bogged down by a few too many systems. The game looks cool, sounds great, and has some fun ideas. I only wish they all came together in a stronger package overall.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game includes all the elements for a standout experience within the Avatar universe — excellent mechanics, a good roster, a solid roster, and attention to detail.
Most of what Halo: Campaign Evolved does on a technical level is refine, not replace. And while the core gameplay is great, most of that already existed back in 2001.
K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut is a disjointed and buggy experience that doesn't reward you for your choices, instead grounding everything in RNG.
Splatoon Raiders is a genuinely great twist on the Splatoon formula. Going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but as I left the tutorial, I knew this was a game that I find far and above more my preference than the mainline games. It might not have the deepest story, but what Splatoon Raiders does have is a sense of adventure, and the island hopping in search of treasure does just enough with its story and characters to keep you entertained through to the credits.
Denshattack! simply rules, with imaginative and creative levels and bombastic bosses. It looks and sounds fantastic, plays great on Deck, and is something entirely new.
Moss: The Forgotten Relic does a great job bringing two wonderful adventures to more players. It has a beautiful world and story with puzzles and action that are always rewarding.