Arms

There's a lot of potential in this fighter, but players will need to rely on Nintendo to roll out plenty of free post-launch content to make it worthwhile. Arms' combat mechanics are solid. It doesn't take long to learn how to punch enemies, throw them, or take advantage of unique elements within each arena, such as parked cars or glass containers. But there's also a good deal of strategy and skill involved when selecting the sorts of arms you might want to use against specific opponents and working out when to dash, block, and attack. A skilled player will always have an advantage over someone relying on mindless aggression, which ought to help the game appeal to seasoned fighter fans.

That said, some players may not take to the motion controls, which can be finicky if your movements aren't precise and measured. Using standard gamepad controls (by sliding the Joy-Cons into the Switch's charging grip) is a good alternative, but in doing so players eliminate some of the charm of the experience, which is founded on players physically throwing punches in the real world. What's more, the content available at launch seems paltry compared to other modern fighting games. Just ten characters, a handful of arenas, a single-player mode that most players will finish in under an hour, and a system for unlocking new arms that dishes out rewards too slowly. Free DLC -- including new characters -- promises to expand the game in a manner similar to how Nintendo's Splatoon grew during the year after it launched, but at the moment Arms is a fun game that seems a little light around the midsection.