Nintendo Enthusiast

Since it’s polished in almost every regard with its gameplay and presentation, it’s possible Children of Morta would’ve benefited from a more focused design direction rather than a rogue-lite dungeon-crawling experience. Nevertheless, in a sea of games for the rogue-lite genre, it’s refreshing to see developers do something unique and tell a meaningful story. The emotional heights that the game reaches goes farther than many narrative-focused games.

WRC 8 is very much in line with its sibling V-Rally 4 in terms of forcing players to adapt to a strict racing regimen in order to see any real progress. As a result, if you’re a sore loser, then WRC 8 has a pretty big chance of frustrating you. This game is muddy and maddening, but it’s rewarding when you have those moments where everything clicks and you zoom through a course and come out in first.

Headsnatchers is an energetic, crazy local or online multiplayer game. General wonkiness with the controls leaves it a bit rough around the edges at times, but with a whole bunch of different objectives, the heavily-varied head-snatching gameplay is quite fun. The game does nothing to revolutionize couch multiplayer, but it’s a fun, cheap little game that anybody can get the hang of right away. It’s a solid title for a few family gatherings or kickbacks with friends.

Alien: Isolation might be one of the best licensed games ever made, and Feral Interactive has succeeded in preserving its harrowing gameplay on Nintendo Switch. Rare bugs and frame rate drops aside, this is the same intensely atmospheric and frightful game it was in 2014. The difference is that now you can play it on the go — as long as you crank the screen brightness settings way up.

That being said, you shouldn’t go into this one looking to speedrun it. Like, well, a fine wine, this game is meant to be savored. Play half an hour a night, maybe an hour. The stories will still be there for you. Your friends might hop from town to town, but you’ll always be able to find them. And if you’re unlucky, or perhaps lucky, the Wolf will also find you.

Roof Rage is a lot of fun. It doesn’t reinvent its genre, but the speedy, acrobatic action and wide cast of characters make for a unique platform fighting experience that is always good for a few quick matches. With the lack of a fleshed-out single player and online that is nowhere to be found, the game is essentially limited to local multiplayer. That’s not such a bad thing, though, since that local multiplayer is just pure fun. If you’re looking for an enjoyable, fleshed out, competitive couch multiplayer game, Roof Rage is a great pick.

Overall, this game is on the stronger side when compared to most other machine simulator titles out there. While it isn’t the smoothest or prettiest experience, Construction Simulator 2 has a decent amount of content with a good variety of experiences. So, if you’re ready to live out those aforementioned childhood memories of driving a big construction vehicle, this is a pretty decent way to get into it. While a little rough around the edges in some areas, Construction Simulator 2 manages to provide a mostly solid sim experience where it counts.

I have always enjoyed the warm escapism that the Pokémon games have imparted with their simple pleasures, and Pokémon Sword and Shield continue to provide that. While I can admit that it still doesn’t do enough different, (The absence of voice acting is jarring.) the inclusions such as the Wild Area and streamlining of tired aspects are big steps in the right direction. Game Freak has succeeded in creating a new core entry worthy of being on home consoles, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are a couple of the best games on Nintendo Switch.

I have always enjoyed the warm escapism that the Pokémon games have imparted with their simple pleasures, and Pokémon Sword and Shield continue to provide that. While I can admit that it still doesn’t do enough different, (The absence of voice acting is jarring.) the inclusions such as the Wild Area and streamlining of tired aspects are big steps in the right direction. Game Freak has succeeded in creating a new core entry worthy of being on home consoles, and Pokémon Sword and Shield are a couple of the best games on Nintendo Switch.

I could only tolerate Ultra Off-Road Simulator 2019 – Alaska for so long before I decided to prematurely call it quits. I tried to give it a few more hours, but it really is just a mess. The only thing this managed to be was an ultra disappointment.