Worth Playing

The Relic: First Guardian is ultimately a game full of promising ideas that rarely reaches its potential. Its departures from the traditional Souls-like formula initially make it stand out, even if its relentlessly bleak atmosphere won't appeal to everyone. Unfortunately, those innovations are undermined by frustrating boss encounters that highlight weaknesses in the core combat. Throw in inconsistent presentation, sparse PC options, and missing quality-of-life features like key rebinding, and the result is a game that's difficult to recommend in its current state. With enough patches and thoughtful refinements, it could eventually carve out its own place alongside the genre's best, but for now, it remains an ambitious experiment that falls short of its goals.

Directive 8020 ends up being a solid adventure game overall. While the story is enjoyable, it is also heavily reliant on familiar ideas due to the popularity of the films that inspired it. The characters fit well within the narrative, and the series' foundation of exploration and difficult decision-making remains as strong as ever. The ability to alter your choices at any point can be a positive or a negative, depending on how strictly you want to follow the genre's traditional rules. The addition of stealth ranges from a welcome change to an unnecessary mechanic due to its limited execution and frequent use. Directive 8020 may not be the best entry in the Dark Pictures series, but it is encouraging to see Supermassive experiment with ideas that don't completely undermine the experience. Adventure game fans and those curious about the series' direction will still find enough to make it worth checking out.

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is a very solid fighting game wrapped in a somewhat underwhelming package. For players looking for a fighter with distinct characters, creative mechanics, and plenty of depth to explore, there's a lot to enjoy. However, for more casual fans of the franchise or anyone looking for substantial content outside of competitive play, the experience can feel bare-bones, and the included story mode often feels half-baked. This is ultimately a game made for fighting game fans who also love Avatar, and those who fall into that category should find plenty to appreciate.

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is largely the same collection it has been for the past decade. The included games are still excellent, offering two excellent RPG experiences, and the newly added speed-up and cheat features are welcome additions for players who have already revisited them multiple times. However, at its core, this is still a fairly straightforward native Switch 2 release, and there's little reason to rush out and buy it if you already own a previous version of the collection.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R on Switch 2 is about as straightforward an upgraded port as you can get. It's the same excellent game, now running better than the Switch 1 version, but without any major additions that would make it an essential upgrade for existing owners. Regardless, it's an RPG absolutely worth playing if you're a fan of JRPGs and haven't experienced it yet, and it remains a gold standard example of how to remake a classic: preserving everything that made the original great while smoothing out its rough edges.

Denshattack! is a throwback to a time when games were allowed to be weird. A train pulling off skateboard tricks at high speeds while fending off a Voltron-style mech sounds strange even during the heights of the PSone/Dreamcast/early PS2 eras. The execution is excellent all around, and Denshattack! nails all of the familiar elements of other games while still feeling very original instead of being a homage to a particular cult title. This is a fantastic game, and the only reason to pass is if you tend to shy away from the extreme sports genre.

D-topia's narrative is intriguing. It's uncommon to see a futuristic story with an optimistic outlook, and while the plot is relatively short, its memorable cast of varied characters leaves a lasting impression. The puzzles add welcome variety, even if only a small handful provide a meaningful challenge for casual puzzle fans. Combined with a polished presentation, D-topia is a strong experience that will especially resonate with players who value storytelling above all else.

EA Sports UFC 6 is perfect for hardcore fans of MMA who just want to get in a cage and fight, assemble their own events, and feel all the things that made them get into the sport in the first place. There's plenty in UFC 6 for you, and the cumbersome menus and lack of real improvement in the career mode(s) probably won't bother you that much. If you were hoping for a complete package where every facet of the series has been upgraded … well, there's always the next one, right?

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced is a good but very safe remake. I still had a shocking amount of fun just sailing around and doing pirate things on the wide ocean, but the game lacks a certain confidence, and that keeps it from being a truly exceptional remake. It's a great way to revisit Edward's adventures with fewer rough patches, better graphics, and some extra content. Fans of the original will have a grand old time.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a solid experience on the Switch 2. The story is captivating, especially the tales of the people who are on the verge of passing on. The gameplay mechanics are well worn but still feel good, while the presentation remains strong even though the game looks better on other platforms. This is a game well worth checking out, even if the sequel might not hit the Switch 2 for quite some time.