July 23 is the kind of release day that makes a games list feel slightly untidy in the best way. One brand-new licensed fighter has landed better than a lot of people probably expected. One long-running strategy series has wandered into action RPG territory and found out how hard genre shifts can be. One beloved RPG collection has arrived on Switch 2 with the awkward question every port has to answer: is this the version to buy, or just another shelf copy?
That makes this a useful critic-score week, even if it is not a simple one. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is the obvious headline because the reviews are unusually warm for an Avatar game. Disgaea Mayhem is more interesting as a warning sign, since reviewers seem to like parts of the experiment while questioning whether it needed to leave tactics behind. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on Switch 2 is the comfort pick, but the praise comes with a catch: the games are still great, while the upgrade case depends on how much you value quality-of-life options.
For Perthro readers using the app as a 5-star journal rather than a scoreboard, this is one of those weeks where the numbers only get you halfway. The critic averages point you toward the big picture. The individual reviews tell you whether a game belongs in your backlog, your wishlist, or the quiet "maybe later" pile.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game review scores suggest the rare good Avatar game
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is developed by Gameplay Group International, with PM Studios listed around the console release and Paramount/Nickelodeon involved through the license. It launched on July 23 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, and PC according to current release listings. OpenCritic has it in the low 80s, with a Strong rating and 17 critic reviews visible at the time of writing. Metacritic is in the same neighborhood at 81.
That is a strong result for any fighting game, and a very strong result for an Avatar adaptation. Licensed games carry a strange burden. They have to satisfy people who mostly want to feel the source material, but if they are built inside a serious genre, they also have to work for players who do not care about the license at all. The reviews suggest Avatar Legends gets closer to that balance than expected.
IGN gave it 8/10 and opened with the most useful version of the good news, bad news split. Mitchell Saltzman called it "one of the most fun fighting games I've ever played," praising the movement, character variety, animation, flexible combat routes, and what he described as some of the sickest combos he has seen. The same review also spends real time on the rough edges: weak single-player options, missing training-mode features, limited lobbies, and a package that feels less polished than the combat system carrying it.
Polygon lands in almost the same place, calling it the first good Avatar video game and pointing to fast, fluid play with real room for expression. Its read is that the game understands the source material at a systems level, not just as fan service. Aang's movement feels slippery and mischievous. Korra is direct. Toph is grounded and heavy. GameSpot is a little more cautious, framing the game as a treat for fans if they can overlook rough edges, with strong animation and bending styles offset by a thin story and unfinished-feeling pieces.
What critics agree on is clear. The fighting itself is the reason to show up. The character kits are expressive, the animation sells the Avatar fantasy, and the game rewards players who want to learn. Where they diverge is on how much unfinished structure they are willing to forgive. If you primarily play fighting games online and enjoy labbing character routes, the reviews make this sound like one of July's safest recommendations. If you were hoping for a big, polished solo Avatar campaign, the critic consensus says to be careful.
Disgaea Mayhem review scores show a spin-off stuck between charm and repetition
Disgaea Mayhem is developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published by NIS America in the west. It released on July 23 for PS5, Switch, Switch 2, and PC. The score picture is much colder than Avatar's: OpenCritic lists it around 64 with a Weak rating after 15 critic reviews, while Metacritic shows a 62 based on 7 critic reviews.
The idea is easy to understand. Take Disgaea's absurd numbers, weapon systems, grinding, item obsession, and goofy Netherworld tone, then move the combat away from tactical maps and into real-time action. In theory, that makes sense. Disgaea has always loved excess. Turning a tactical RPG into something closer to a Musou-style brawler is not a ridiculous thought. The trouble, according to reviews, is that the new combat does not replace the old tactical depth with enough of its own.
Nintendo Life's review is probably the cleanest diagnosis. It says the genre shift is "surprisingly logical in practice" because wiping out enemy groups fits the series' love of huge damage numbers. But it also argues that the action system cannot match the mechanical depth and variety of the traditional tactical games. The review describes a spin-off that walks and talks like Disgaea, then reveals a thinner core once you are actually playing.
Hardcore Gamer is kinder to the foundation than the finished result. It calls Disgaea Mayhem an action RPG that adapts the power grind of the series into something closer to Dynasty Warriors, then describes it as a poster child for "First Game In a Series Syndrome." OpenCritic's collected blurbs get sharper from there: GamingBolt gave it 7/10 and called it light, breezy, and charming, while Rectify Gaming went down to 5/10, arguing that the Magichange mechanic rarely matters because most enemies do not demand much effort.
The consensus is not that Disgaea Mayhem is broken. That would be simpler. Reviewers mostly seem to think it is playable, occasionally charming, and mechanically interesting in flashes. The criticism is that it is shallow where Disgaea is usually obsessive, repetitive where a brawler needs texture, and thin enough that its full-price launch becomes part of the conversation. If you come to Disgaea for party building, grid tactics, and long-term strategic nonsense, critics are plainly saying this is not that game.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on Switch 2 reviews praise the games, question the upgrade
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on Switch 2 comes from Square Enix, with the HD Remaster historically credited to Square Enix and Virtuos, and is published by Square Enix. The Switch 2 release landed July 23. This is not a new game in the normal sense, so the review conversation is different. Critics are not really debating whether Final Fantasy X is good. They are debating what this particular release adds.
The score range is healthy. Nintendo World Report gave it 7.5/10. MonsterVine gave it 9/10. A review roundup spotted by search results lists several other 8.5 to 9 scores, including Hey Poor Player, Noisy Pixel, and Outerhaven. Taken together, this is the warmest set of reviews in the article, but also the one with the most asterisks.
Nintendo World Report's Jordan Rudek makes the practical case against blindly double-dipping. He writes that the Switch 2 version is almost indiscernible from the original Switch release at first glance, right down to the home-screen icon and title. The review still praises Final Fantasy X as a standout RPG with a memorable story, the sphere grid, and an alive, anxious world. It also gives Final Fantasy X-2 its due as a strange, more open, mission-based sequel with a fascinating job-like dressphere system. The issue is not the games. The issue is whether this port has enough visible difference to justify a new purchase.
MonsterVine is much more enthusiastic, calling the Switch 2 release a "peak port" and a no-brainer because of the sharp visuals and convenient features. Its review is especially warm on Final Fantasy X, praising the story, soundtrack, turn-based combat, and the emotional weight that still holds up after all these years. Nintendo Insider sits between those positions. It notes modest technical gains, a slightly crisper image, and PC-style convenience tools: faster speed, encounter-rate controls, auto-battle, boosted characters, unlocked skills, and maxed gil. The catch is that there is no upgrade path or discount for existing owners, no save transfer, and the PC version's autosave is apparently missing here.
So the critic agreement is fairly clean. Final Fantasy X remains one of Square's defining RPGs. X-2 remains stranger, lighter, and more divisive, but more interesting than its old reputation sometimes allows. The Switch 2 version is good if you want a convenient modern way to play both. It is harder to recommend if you already own the Switch version and mostly want a technical leap.
What to play first
If you want the new thing with the most current energy, start with Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game. The 81-ish critic average is backed by actual enthusiasm, not polite shrugging, and the review complaints are mostly about the package around the fights. That is fixable for some players and irrelevant for others.
If you are curious about a franchise experiment, Disgaea Mayhem is the messy one to watch. The reviews make it sound like a game that could matter more as a prototype than as a purchase. I would not rush it unless you are already comfortable forgiving spin-off weirdness.
If you want the safest comfort play, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is still hard to argue with. Just be honest about whether you are buying the games again because you need them on Switch 2, or because you want to go back to Spira and any excuse will do.
That is a very human release day, really. One surprise, one stumble, one old favorite asking for another chance.