Game8's Reviews
Beneath the outdated visuals, busted audio, and mechanics that seem hellbent on ruining your day, there’s still a goofy, lovable game that shines when shared with friends. It’s messy, it’s flawed, but it’s also oddly charming, as long as you snag it on sale.
Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 offers the full scoundrel package but it’s undeniably a step down from other platforms. Visuals take a hit, performance is capped, and smaller frustrations like restrictive saves feel more pronounced here. Still, the heart of the game remains intact: tense stealth, shootouts, dogfights, and the bond between Kay and Nix. If you have access to PC, PlayStation, or Xbox, those versions deliver a sharper and smoother experience. But for players limited to the Switch 2, this port is a serviceable—if not definitive—way to live out your outlaw dreams.
Silksong took everything that made Hollow Knight memorable and made it even better. It’s a faster and more demanding experience that somehow feels natural for Hornet’s journey. Pharloom is a labyrinth of beauty and menace, each corner stuffed with secrets that make getting lost feel like part of the design. Bosses will break you, platforming will bruise you, but the thrill of overcoming both is what makes it unforgettable. It’s everything you’d expect after six years of waiting—and then some.
The Order of Giants expands Indy’s world in The Great Circle with care, offering strong storytelling, atmospheric design, and a polished gameplay loop. Yet uneven combat balance, weaker puzzles, and a slightly constrained setting keep it from perfection. What it does well, it does with confidence, and it makes this DLC a worthy addition that proves great expansions don’t need to reinvent the wheel to succeed.
NBA 2K26 is a direct improvement compared to its previous release, with its better shooting mechanics, handling, and other quality of life improvements. However, its monetization practices still make it hard to compete.
Cronos: The New Dawn is a striking survival horror experience that excels in atmosphere, storytelling, and exploration, immersing players in a bleak yet captivating world. While combat pacing and resource frustration prevent it from reaching absolute greatness, its strengths far outweigh its flaws.
Metal Eden just needs a little more to truly stand out. Its intriguing story could use tighter pacing and sharper dialogue, its refreshing gunplay could use more variety, and its strong audio could benefit from a bit more polish. It falls just shy in most areas, though its visuals shine as brightly as its setting, but it’s far from awful, just not quite the best.
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion doubles down on everything that made the first game a cult favorite. It has better mech designs, larger environments, and customization so deep it can blow the brains of those with obsessions on min-maxing their builds. The Switch 2 version struggles to keep up during larger battles, but the spectacle of giant boss fights and the thrill of fine-tuning your Arsenal usually outweigh the technical hiccups. Flawed as it is, it’s still one of the most exciting mech playgrounds you can strap into.
Hirogami is a 3D platformer that unfolds with the elegance of origami, layering its world with creativity, charm, and striking paper-crafted visuals. It may not be the most challenging game out there, but its inventive puzzles, playful mechanics, and imaginative design make for an adventure that feels fresh, memorable, and consistently delightful.
Lost Soul Aside isn’t soulless, but it truly is the definition of a mixed bag. Meant to be seen as the “Final Fantasy of China” and a potential new PlayStation flagship alongside games like Astro Bot and Stellar Blade, it ultimately falls short of those lofty ambitions, leaving behind a lingering sense of wasted potential.
Hell is Us is a unique take on bringing back classic RPG mechanics in a modern fashion. While it has clear flaws in its narrative and gameplay aspects, it’s a new experience with an inspired setting and a heavy atmosphere to boot.
Shuten Order is messy in places and far more linear than it wants you to believe, but it still finds ways for you to engage with its mix of genres and sharp storytelling. The constant illusion of choice can be frustrating, and the padding doesn’t always feel earned, but the variety across its five routes, unfleshed though they may be, keeps things from ever getting dull. It’s wordy, yes, sometimes to a fault, but even with all its rough edges, it makes you want to keep pushing through its murder mystery anyway.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World is familiar, cozy, and just a little shinier than before. The upgrade smooths out performance, makes those transformations pop, and wraps everything in an extra layer of polish with a bonus adventure that’s light but worth a spin. It’s not rewriting the Kirby playbook or flexing the Switch 2’s muscles in a big way, but honestly? It doesn’t need to. For anyone chasing colorful worlds, hidden goodies, and that classic Kirby charm, this is still one of the pink puffball’s best adventures.
On the surface, VARLET seems like it could be one of FURYU’s stronger titles, with striking visuals and solid audio design. Unfortunately, its weak story and steep price drag down what might have otherwise been a decent game, leaving it as another disappointment in the company’s mixed lineup.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is a wonderful revival to the Shinobi series, welcoming both fans and newbies alike with its stunning visuals complemented by adrenaline-pumping and engaging action-platforming gameplay. It does have its slight weaknesses, such as its servicable narrative and finicky hitboxes, yet it doesn't entirely derail the experience from being enjoyable and immersive.
Super Robot Wars Y is a crossover that works more often than it doesn’t. It thrives less on its tactical RPG mechanics and more on the joy of watching decades of mecha anime crash together in one giant spectacle. The story is good if a little dry in its delivery, but the crossover event and battle animations more than make up for it. For every stretch of jargon-filled dialogue I zoned out to, there was an explosive robot finisher waiting to pull me right back in. It’s a little uneven, but it never stopped being fun.
Finally coming out of early access after a year, The Rogue Prince of Persia arrives just in time to show off its vastly improved visuals, catchy music, and fluid gameplay. Oozing with style, this is a roguelite that has improved in almost all of its aspects.
Gears of War: Reloaded is the best way to return to where it all began. It goes beyond the Ultimate Edition, updating the classic without losing the raw grit that defined it back in 2006, and reminds us why Gears of War grew into one of gaming’s most iconic series.
Clunky though its controls and feel may be, Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution is a strong entry in a series famous for never taking itself—or anything, really—too seriously. It’s packed with tasteful fanservice, overblown hijinks, the occasional cringe, plenty of funny punchlines, and, of course, the gorgeous character designs the series is known for. Unfortunately, its mechanical shortcomings keep it from being a good starting point for newcomers to the franchise.
Turning Zephyr Town’s market from a ghost of its former self into the liveliest bazaar on the continent is as rewarding as it is repetitive in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. The weekly loop can drag in places, especially early on when inventory limits and the backtracking make the grind feel heavier than it should. Yet, this is a game that's easy to fall for. Between the quirky cast, the calming routine of tending to your farm, and the joy of seeing your hard work pay off in the town's revival, it's a cozy and occasionally frustrating game that's hard not to enjoy once the market starts bustling.