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if you are a fan of Inugami Korone, this game is for you. If you are unfamiliar with Korone and / or hololive, you will probably be confused and bored. Evil God Korone is not so much a game as an interactive animated storybook with lore-building around our favorite doggo Vtuber. While it is technically a horror game, it's not at all scary, and indeed I was generally smiling and laughing throughout my two playthroughs. (You must play twice to see both endings.) No skill is required; simply walk forward with the left arrow key, and advance dialogue with the left mouse button. That's it. For Korone fans, there are plenty of Easter eggs, in-jokes, and other delights. You can see the entire game's content in the many YouTube videos of hololive talents playing it, so why buy Evil God Korone? In spite of having already watched several playthrough streams, I wanted to experience it for myself, and I did enjoy it. More importantly, I wanted to support ImCyan for this fantastic piece of officially-sanctioned fan-art, and I hope to show Cover Corp. that there is fan demand for hololive video games. HoloEarth is at least a year away; but I think I speak for many fans when I say we *REALLY* want an ArcSys-style fighting game featuring the entire holo lineup!

Bayonetta 2 is an absolute blast from start to finish. It's stylish, fast-paced, and loaded with variety. The music is great; the visual elements are sharp; and the performance is consistently strong. Easy to recommend for all Nintendo Switch owners.

Vertical Strike is a surprisingly fun and replayable air combat sim, and a solid fit in any Nintendo Switch library. This ain't Ace Combat, but it is a nice little time-killer at a good price. There are just two aircraft and a handful of missiles from which you can choose, and only two modes -- dogfight and anti-ship -- but it's all done very well and makes for a few hours of entertainment.

(Full disclosure: I backed this game on Kickstarter.) Nefarious is a fairly competent decent little platformer in the vein of Mega Man, and it has some interesting ideas. The soundtrack is pretty solid, and the character art is good enough. The "reverse boss fights" are generally good, and it's a concept I'd like to see explored further. Level design is what gets Nefarious in trouble. The first two-thirds of the game are pretty straightforward, with basic and uninspired stages. Toward the endgame, I encountered a sudden and steep difficulty spike, accentuated by some very poor platforming areas, enemy placement, and slippery controls. It's hard to recommend Nefarious when there are so many superior games out there in the same genre.

One of the best-looking games on the platform, and among the best in the long-running Mario Kart series. The only major drawback is the relatively small roster of racers.

A solid entry in the esteemed kart racing series, with lots of variety and some great new tracks.

Booting up Mario Kart: Double Dash!! today, I'm immediately struck by how good it still looks, especially in progressive scan mode via component cables on an HDTV. Everything is clear and colorful, and the action is fast and frantic. It feels a lot like an arcade game -- and this is by design. MKDD is best enjoyed as an arcade-inspired spin-off to the Mario Kart series; it is fast, frantic, and fun for multi-player, but it is not really a traditional Mario Kart game. My low score is related to my preferred way to play -- solo / campaign -- which is far too random and out-of-control for my liking. The fact I needed to consult the instruction manual when playing for the first time -- after a quarter-century of enjoying other Mario Kart games -- points to a needlessly complicated system and a frustrating amount of content locked behind a "play-wall".

Mario Kart: Super Circuit is better than it has any right to be. While it can't produce the 3-D course geometry of its predecessor, it stands as a far stronger vision of 2-D, flat-plane kart racing than the first game in the series. There's a good variety of tracks, including some unlockable courses, and a good soundtrack. The visuals don't hold up so well, especially when played on a large screen via Wii U or emulation, but this is still a solid first handheld outing for Mario and friends.

Another solid Mega Man anthology from Capcom, with lots of extra content to supplement the flawless presentation of the X sub-series. There's plenty of challenge for those who want it, as well as a few options to make things easier for newcomers. The first four games (Collection 1) are far superior to the last four (Collection 2), but it's worth having both volumes so you can judge for yourself.

I really wanted to like Mulaka. It has an appealing aesthetic, a unique setting, good music, interesting characters, and a very Zelda-like design. Unfortunately, it fails when it comes to combat. There is no “Z-targeting” system or anything similar, so landing hits on enemies is sometimes a crapshoot. There is a distinctive “three souls” health system, but in order to refill any of your life bar, Mulaka (the player character) must stop in his tracks and perform a five-second dance, wherein he is totally vulnerable to attack. I finally gave up after repeated attempts at a particularly challenging boss fight, wherein I was stun-locked after multiple enemies ganged up on me and pounded the life out of me, and every attempt I made to use my life-refill potions was interrupted by another blindside attack. Then, the giant boss itself stomped on me and literally clipped me out of the map, costing me another “soul”. I applaud the developers at Lienzo for what they’ve attempted here, especially because it introduced me to a real-world culture that I previously knew nothing about. I just can’t recommend the game to everyone, because it lacks polish and smart design in the most essential gameplay mechanics.

When I was a young child, my grandmother gave me a number of beautifully-illustrated picture puzzle books. Gorogoa reminds me a great deal of those gifts, and is very much a spiritual successor to them. Challenging but not frustrating, this unique game tells an enigmatic story through gorgeous hand-drawn animations, with subtle hints peppered here and there to point you in the right direction. For the best experience, set aside a couple of hours and plan to play through the entire game in one setting. While completing the game does unlock a prototype demo, there's little reason to return or replay after you're done -- just like those puzzle mystery books from my childhood.

MLB Advanced Media definitely put in some extra effort this time around, with regular roster updates, slightly better player models, and modest improvements to the overall look of R.B.I. Baseball. It's definitely a bit better than RBI '18, which was a bit better than RBI '17, which was not great to begin with. At least it's a perfectly cromulent MLB game on NIntendo Switch, which is more than we can say for NFL and NHL fans.

Super Vehicle-001: Metal Slug is among the all-time greatest arcade run-and-gun titles. While this classic does include all of the original version's occasional slowdown when there's a lot happening on-screen, it's easily overlooked amid the pure joy of blasting your way through this short but tough game's myriad war zones.

Neo Turf Masters is the quintessential arcade golf game, for whatever that's worth. The visuals hold up remarkably well, as does the fast-paced action -- all of which must have been remarkable to Neo Geo fans in the 1990s. Until Nintendo decides to bring a Mario Golf game to the platform, this is (as of this writing) the best golf option on the Nintendo Switch. (I don't count the excellent Golf Story as a golf game per se, as it's really more of a fantasy golf RPG.)

Waku Waku 7 owes a lot to Dragon Ball -- in fact, it could easily be a decent Dragon Ball arcade fighter with a roster and stage makeover. But it's a lot of fun just the way it is, with a zany roster and some genuinely funny dialogue that accentuates the charm and personality of every fighter. It's a pity Sunsoft never saw fit to create any sequels, as there's a lot of untapped potential here. Check it out!

It's more of the same. Double Dragon II: The Revenge is as straightforward as possible a sequel, mimicking its predecessor to the point that it's almost a reimagined remake or reboot of the original. The graphics are virtually identical, and the gameplay has few differences or improvements. It's still a perfectly decent beat-'em-up, but best enjoyed by retro game enthusiasts. DDII is really showing its age.

Like so many fighting game series, Fatal Fury starts off on a bit of a rough note. Fatal Fury: King of Fighters at the very least establishes the principal characters and themes of the FF and later KOF franchises, but otherwise this is a fairly dull Street Fighter II clone.

Another great entry in the KOF series, The King of Fighters '99 delivers everything great the series has to offer. Highly recommended for fighting game fans.

Nostalgia is a funny thing. I seem to remember loving the Nintendo Entertainment System port of Double Dragon when I was a kid; playing it today, I recognize its deep flaws (though I still love the music). I now find the original Double Dragon doesn't hold up too well, either; aside from its very good soundtrack, this is a clunky, slow-paced beat-'em-up with some weird design choices. I literally laughed out loud every time protagonist Billy Lee was defeated, as he lets out a pathetic, muffled groan that is so absurd and out of place I can't imagine what the original developers were thinking. Anyway, Double Dragon on Nintendo Switch is alright if you have any memories of it, but if you're just a curious newcomer you can probably skip it.

As it did with Donkey Kong, Nintendo waited almost four decades before it finally released an authorized, direct port of its seminal arcade game Mario Bros. It looks and plays better than the Nintendo Entertainment System version, to be sure, but may feel a bit clumsy to players whose primary exposure comes from the Super Mario Advance versions. Mr. Miyamoto's team had not quite figured out running and jumping physics yet, so everything feels slippery and awkward -- a lot like its Famicom and later NES contemporary, Ice Climber. Mario Bros. is a difficult game, but a rewarding one for those with the patience to adapt to its unusual gameplay.

Incredibly, it took almost 40 years for a legal, authorized port of one of the most important arcade games ever produced to finally come to a home console. Now that the decades-old legal battle between Nintendo and a contractor is finally settled, we can enjoy this exceptional piece of gaming history. Once you finally play the Arcade Archives version of Donkey Kong, you will realize what you were missing with the Nintendo Entertainment System port that was effectively the only legal way to pay outside of a real arcade since 1981. Not only are all the stages here, Hamster has included the Japanese version of the game, along with a second international version alongside the North American ROM that most of us are familiar with. $8 might seem steep for a nearly-40-year-old game with only four stages, but when it's as historically significant and fun as Donkey Kong, it's worth every penny.

The most important thing you should know about Metal Slug 2 is that it is virtually identical to Metal Slug X, except Metal Slug X is much better. That's because Metal Slug X is a contemporary remake of MS2, owing to the horrible slowdown that plagues this game. It becomes nearly unplayable at times because of apparent issues with the way it was programmed, and this Nintendo Switch port is truly arcade-perfect -- even the modern hardware, hundreds of times more powerful than the Neo Geo, doesn't make a difference. The game is a chunky, choppy mess and should be skipped. Play Metal Slug X instead -- you won't miss a thing.

Fatal Fury 2 had a lot going for it when it arrived on the scene. SNK was just starting to get its footing in the fighting game genre, and visually FF2 was a bit more striking in attract mode when compared to its chief rival and inspiration, Street Fighter II. Once you inserted a coin (or in this case, push the "add credit" button), though, the differences become clear. Aside from the distinction of being able to fight in the foreground and background, FF2 is not all that different from SFII and in some ways inferior. I find the characters are a bit tougher to get a grip on and master, and the gameplay is a bit slower and more rigid compared to Capcom's classic.

Once again, we have a decent if not particularly memorable Street Fighter II clone among the dozens that crowded the Neo Geo platforms in the 1990s. World Heroes Perfect is marginally better than its predecessor, but it's still just another standard entry in a B-tier fighting game franchise.

In a way, it's unfortunate Metal Slug X needs to exist at all. Unfortunately, it was created to remedy the many problems with Metal Slug 2 in an age before online patches were even an idea; it is a remake out of necessity. There is still some of the slowdown that plagued its precursor, but overall it's a much better run-and-gun experience than the second game in the fabled series. Don't even bother buying Metal Slug 2; this is the only sequel you need.

SNK had apparently not quite figured out what they wanted to do with this seminal series when its first entry arrived in arcades and on the Neo Geo AES. Easily the worst game in the KOF lineup, The King of Fighters '94 is almost a prototype for what was to come. It feels stiff and clunky at times, and the inability to create custom teams provides for some frustration when running into unstoppable opponents. (On that note, the Team China grouping of Athena, Kensou, and Chin is OP.)

Arguably the best entry in the KOF series, The King of Fighters '98 is a ton of fun for classic 2D fighting game fans. Movement is smooth and fluid; special moves are easy to pull off; and the signature three-member tag teams can easily be mixed and matched for a ton of variety and replayability.

Shock Troopers is a top-down run-and-gun action game, though I like to think of it as a "twin stick shooter with only one stick." Once you adjust to the limitations of the control scheme, there's a lot of fun to be had. I'm especially fond of the vividly animated characters and enemies, with lots of expression and humor -- but the real winner is the excellent soundtrack. Be warned: if you like this game, don't bother with its lousy sequel.

There haven't been many video games with the Vietnam War as a backdrop. This isn't really one of them, to be fair, since the bonkers story has no basis at all in historical fact, and the only link to the real-world Vietnam is the map shown between stages. Still, NAM-1975 is a somewhat significant game in the history of SNK, as it marked the Japanese developer and publisher's transition to the Neo Geo hardware and its superb library to come. As an arcade game, NAM-1975 is fine; not great, but not terrible. It would be much more playable and enjoyable as a twin-stick shooter, but as the Neo Geo MVS cabinets did not have such capability, you're stuck moving and aiming with the same control stick. Don't miss the screen shots brazenly lifted from Full Metal Jacket -- seen in a few of the cut-scenes and at the end.

I found a lot enjoyment with Bomb Jack, though I must admit much of it comes from nostalgia. Bomb Jack was a game I played regularly when I was a kid, on an Atari ST at a friend's house. I never encountered it in arcades, but this arcade-perfect port is a great way to experience a classic from the Golden Age of gaming for the first time. Like most games of this vintage, Bomb Jack does get repetitive fairly quickly, so the $8 asking price may be a bit high if you're not an old-timey gamer like me.

When I first encountered Vs. Super Mario Bros. in an arcade as a kid, I was baffled by its surprising difficulty and "wrong" courses. More than 30 years later, of course, we now know this was a remix of sorts, featuring a few stages from the original SMB combined with Japan's Super Mario Bros. 2, a.k.a. The Lost Levels. For hardcore Mario maniacs only, Vs. SMB is challenging and unforgiving -- you can't brute force your way through it with unlimited arcade credits, as Nintendo and Hamster have chosen to restrict the use of continues. Only truly super players will be able to finish the one and only arcade game in the Super Mario series -- one that was never before available on any home console (at least not in a legal, authorized manner).

Americans may know this game better by its localized name, Bust-a-Move. Puzzle Bobble is probably a better title, as it features the same characters and baddies from the beloved classic Bubble Bobble. At any rate, this is a delightful puzzle-action game with a competitive element in the form of local two-player head-to-head. Be warned: in the later stages, the game switches to a rapidly-moving background element that I found dizzying and discomforting to the point that I couldn't continue. Oh well!

An improvement on almost all levels over the first KOF game, The King of Fighters '95 is a great entry point to the series for fans of fighting games. Its biggest distinction from other fighting game series is the three-member tag team-style format of matches, and KOF '95 introduces a bit of customization to the mix. Later KOF games are better, particularly KOF '98, but there's some enjoyment to be found here, for sure.

If you like Metal Slug, it's more of the same -- and that's not a bad thing. Metal Slug 3 does bring some new enemies and environments to the series, but it it still very much the classic run-and-gun action platformer we know and love.

Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad is a huge disappointment when compared to its excellent predecessor. On its own, it is a decent but forgettable top-down run-and-gun action game, overloaded with pre-rendered 3-D style sprites and backgrounds, a la Donkey Kong Country or Killer Instinct. The look is very dated and has not aged well, along with the straightforward soundtrack. Play the superior first game in the series instead.

I really wanted to like Morphite, as the Nintendo Switch is in dire need of more games like it as we await the long-delayed (as of this writing) Metroid Prime 4. I like the distinct low-poly visual style and the interesting color palettes, and there are a few good ideas at work here. The Metroid Prime-inspired scanning mechanic needs a lot of work, as scanning moving creatures proves to be an exercise in futility. Combat is also limited and a bit frustrating. Ultimately, I found Morphite to be aimless and boring, and I gave up after a couple of hours.

Knight Terrors is a great example of a hidden gem -- a simple, fun, addictive game at a great price. It takes the endless runner genre from mobile platforms and throws in a dash of Flappy Bird with a strong dose of Ghosts'n Goblins and a distinct visual style that could be described as "Neo ZX Spectrum". Oh, and the soundtrack is FANASTIC. Don't miss this one!

World Heroes is a competent but unremarkable Street Fighter II clone, one of many that emerged from the fighting game craze of the early 1990s. It has some decent music and interesting stages, and the small roster has a few memorable characters. Gameplay is a bit stiff and sluggish, especially compared to the better Street Fighter and King of Fighters games of the era.

By far the best title in SNK's Fatal Fury series, Garou: Mark of the Wolves boasts fluid, stylish animation and movement to accompany its varied cast. There's nothing particularly new here, but fans of the arcade fighter genre will get plenty of enjoyment out of this late Neo Geo title.

Hectic, fast-paced, challenging, demanding, and a whole lot of fun -- Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2+ keeps the spirit of the series alive. It can be stressful at times, but hardly frustrating -- there's plenty of incentive to keep trying until you solve each of its myriad stages. It's a great fit for the Nintendo Switch, as the gameplay strongly lends itself to short, quick sessions -- ideal for playing on the go. The music and sound design are top-notch, too!

Pocket Rumble looks great and really does emulate the style and substance of fighting games from the Neo Geo Pocket. Where it fails is an absolutely unforgiving difficulty and lack of approachability. There is a training / tutorial mode, but it is poorly implemented and offers stunted, obtuse instruction in even basic techniques. Opponents in Arcade Mode are so ruthless, novices will likely fail to get past even the first opponent. PR is aimed exclusively at top-tier fighting game fans, which is a shame, because with some adjustments to the AI and at least one or two variable difficulty levels, it could be a fighting game for everyone.

An absolute delight, and one of the best Kirby games in years. Kirby: Triple Deluxe plays great, looks great, and sounds great. Like all Kirby titles, it is very approachable and easy enough for beginners to play through most of the campaign; the real challenge is reserved for completionists. Visually, KTD is among the best-looking games on 3DS and makes excellent use of its stereoscopic 3-D. The soundtrack is a real winner, too. Poyo!

One of the very best games for Wii U, and the best in its series at the time of release. Mario Kart 8 is held back only by its seemingly unfinished battle mode, which is best ignored. It's worth owning for collectors, but the Nintendo Switch port is so superior as to make the original obsolete.

Tomodachi Life starts off with an addictive gameplay loop, but it gradually becomes repetitive and annoying to the point of frustration. I grew to hate my little village of Mii islanders, and I quit the game for good once I realized there was no way to make them leave or otherwise punish them for their clingy behavior.

This is the definitive edition of one of the all-time greats in its genre. The HD visuals and sound are a treat, as is the ability to switch back-and-forth to the classic graphics and music at any time, on the fly. The biggest downside to Another World is its lack of replayability - unless you're a speedrunner, there's little reason to play through Another World again after you've finished the campaign.

It does exactly what it says in the title, and that's a good thing. This is ordinary, basic video poker, without the risk of losing real money, of course. It's a decent little time-killer, or perhaps a way to practice before wagering actual cash in a casino or a Nevada convenience bar / convenience store.

Wulverblade is a fun, gory romp through semi-historical Roman Britain that's sure to please most beat-'em-up fans. Its distinctive art style and soundtrack, combined with a solid challenge, makes for a good time with solid replay value. I especially enjoyed the occasional history notes, photos, and videos peppered throughout the game's map and stages. The endgame features a bit of a twist that caught me by surprise. Bring a friend or two for the best possible experience.

Golf Story is an absolute delight, and it had me smiling from beginning to end. The writing is easily the funniest I've ever encountered in a game, with several genuine laugh-out-loud scenes. The soundtrack is superb and the visuals are loaded with charm. It's also easy to pick up and play, with lots to do and a few tricky puzzles. Just don't expect a steep challenge -- this ain't Sekiro -- but it's a relaxing little romp that's sure to please fans of classic Nintendo RPGs like its chief inspirations, Mario Golf and EarthBound.

Shovel Knight belongs in the lofty tier of independently-produced games like Braid, Cave Story, and Super Meat Boy, which redefined what indie games can be and proved small studios can produce truly amazing experiences. It is my favorite indie game, and holds a permanent place in my Wii U all-time top five. Fortunately, you no longer need a Wii U to enjoy the pure action-platforming bliss offered by Shovel Knight, but in 2014 it was one of the few truly bright spots in an otherwise forgettable lineup for that console.

First and foremost: you should play Shovel Knight. If the Nintendo 3DS is your console of choice, you'll enjoy platform-exclusive stereoscopic 3D -- which looks REALLY good here -- and a sort of time-shifted one-on-one battle mode that takes advantage of StreetPass. Everything else you've read and heard about Shovel Knight is true -- it's not simply one of the best indie games of the last decade, it's among the best games of this generation in any genre.