The gameplay feels great, with tight controls and shooting mechanics. The game offers some interesting upgrades and abilities that can be used to go back and explore the game in more depth. The visual presentation is strong and uses a playful and vibrant style. I would highly recommend this title if you’re a fan of classic side scrollers like Mega Man or Castlevania or more recently games like Shovel Knight.

I hold Trillion in high regard. From the art to the music to the characters to gameplay, I enjoyed my time with it. While it’s certainly not high budget, offering some bland, yet fitting and serene songs, awkward character models and animations, it carries the spirit of oldschool JRPGs and their sense of growth.

The strategic card selection and management combined with satisfying action makes for an enjoyable and rewarding experience. I enjoyed seeing my character slowly become more powerful as you gain better cards that will help you progress further.

The Jetpack does add a boost to the gameplay, and you do feel badass swooping around as Rico, but the overall experience does feel a tad too short – as soon as you begin to get into the game it is over, and this does feel like a real shame.

Ultimately, Murasaki Mist: Akara’s Journey fails to do anything more than irritate, and it does so far too well.

Excellently executed fighting mechanics and smooth gameplay keep the hype alive, well-oiled if Stylish Type is enabled.

Depending on how good you are at puzzle solving, you might manage to complete all 80 levels in as little as two or three hours but even still for the cheap price, that’s a great amount of value for your play time.

To sum it up, Mr. Spook has all the fun in this game. It is so unbalanced, playing as Charla is a chore. Playing as Mr. Spook is great, but it is not scary. Playing as Charla is scary, but not great. There is not much replay value in the game, once you have played it about five times, it is enough. If they made a Sanatory Hallway 2, and tweaked these controls, making them game more fun for Charla, this game could be something great. But until then, do not bother.

It’s a fun alternative to the po-faced AAA football games, but never comes close to the quality and sometimes humorous approach of its inspiration, Sensible World of Soccer. However, until the Xbox 360 Arcade version of SWOS is available on Xbox One via backwards compatibility, Active Soccer 2 DX provides a surprisingly fun, if buggy, footballing distraction.

It’s simply impossible to recommend to anyone but the staunchest of shmup fans and even then I’d suggest that you dial back your expectations. Vita fans and shmup fans deserve better.

Overall Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 5: Order Up! has done a nice job of not only having a well thought out contained narrative, but also opens the doors for future installments.

For those aching for a true slice of traditional gaming from yesteryear, I suggest you at least try the demo available on Steam.

Samorost is quite simply one of the most beautiful games that I have played in recent times.

The real reason to play Sadame is for the combat. That juicy, explosive combat. Don’t bother picking up this game unless you just want to hit some folk for a few hours because long before the end of the game’s weak plot you will have grown bored of slogging through demons. And if you’re after other things, then there are certainly better games.

There’s a hell of a lot in this game that’s good, and in some cases is really good, and that’s the stuff that really stays with you after you shut the game down. This is a great example of genuinely good ideas being put into practice in a way that’s well done, if not perfect. A lot could have gone badly wrong with this game, and, for my money, it’s a damn impressive game and well worth a play.

As glitchy as the main menu is, Atari Vault is a must buy for any and all people with an interest in playing arcade era games. There’s literally no reason to buy it if you want something modern, but if you ever want a hit of the old school this is the only way to go. Now excuse me while I go try to beat my high score on Crystal Castles.

Coupled with the unique upgrade mechanics and the occasional chuckle you’ll get just from the sheer craziness on-screen, I can recommend Shutshimi to anyone looking for an easy game to waste time with.

If you’re fan of The Room or Myst, then Dr Watson and the Riddle of the Catacombs may look tempting. Sadly, the game just relies on the same series of tedious hidden object quests throughout. The overall cheap feel and repetitive nature of the gameplay make for an adventure that unfortunately don’t put the talents of the good doctor, nor the player, to much use.

Automatron will definitely make season pass owners feel pleased with their purchase, and while those considering buying it as a one-off may want to ponder the length before slapping down some cash, ultimately any Fallout fan is going to be entertained.

For a game with such immersive storytelling and decision-making, I thought it could perhaps have benefited from a little more background music to add to the sense of grand adventure. Maybe even a little bit of noise from the surrounding environment – such as the sounds of a busy market town or the chirping of crickets in the undergrowth at night. In fact I was quite surprised that this kind of embellishment was left out of the game, as it would have been a nice touch for a heightened sense of immersion.

An average game to play. It has its moments of brief fun, usually with friends but its repetitive nature means it does become boring a little too quickly. Not to mention the lack of online play which seriously limits the game potential. However, for the price that it is and the game time you’ll get out of it, it’s certainly not something that can simply be overlooked.

Super Flippin’ Phones is a decent game with a few interesting mechanics that differentiate it from multitude of similar looking games out there. Gameplay is addictively challenging and mechanically concise and there’s little if any pretension behind the game’s premise – honestly, knowing nothing about the title before playing, I went in expecting to be met with the same old endless runner experience. Although currently lacking in content and variety but considering its very reasonable launch price, Super Flippin’ Phones is well worth its value because it’s straight up fun.

Overall I have to say that I really enjoyed my time with Republique. At first glance it may look pretty straightforward but it really does offer something unique. It takes what makes stealth games so great and adds a new twist on perspective.

SMITE has excelled in terms of online gaming and has definitely encouraged me to explore this genre more. Very interactive, very entertaining and definitely a game I will come back to in the near future.

Trivial Pursuit would be a smarter investment.

A hidden gem in the genre, this game is one worth having if you are looking for a fun (sometimes frustrating) game, which you can share with others. A multiplayer where you have to see who can complete the puzzles faster would have been a welcome addition, in my opinion, just to make the game replayable, but I still think this is a game you should have in your library.

Whilst the game has its flaws, and you will find more of them as you go through, but it was a fun experience over all. It is more appropriate for children, and they will probably get bored of it after a while, as children are as indecisive as they come. But it is a good educational game, one that can engage people and bring them together, so I would say if you care looking for a game like this, it is a good one to have.

Overall, I found Stella Glow to be a true delight, and really did open my eyes to the SRPG genre. With its tight combat and fast mechanics, to its great character development and overall wonderfully engaging story, I really, really did enjoy my time with the game.