Paradox Soul is a fine experience that retells a typical story centered around an empty facility, with dead scientists and killer robots. There's nothing original here, however the controls are tight and Dr. Rose plays well. For those looking to kill a few hours on a short metroidvania title, then Paradox Soul is one title worth checking out. While it's not as engaging as others in the genre, nor does it offer any new interesting innovations, it's still one worth adding to the list for short-lived titles to smash out over a weekend, or to knock out another easy platinum to add to the digital trophy cabinet.

There is little to recommend about this game. The gameplay is not engaging, with mindless clicking in boring gameplay loops, and the story feels like an endless scolding for something no one alive today even did, accompanied by an undercurrent of shame for supposed parallels to modern politics. Some interesting art is overshadowed by how outright simple and stupid most of the characters look. The not-so-hidden political agenda and modern criticisms to the game are so ham-fisted, it is very tough to recommend this unless one is in the mood for a moralizing diatribe.

Stellaris is going in a dangerous direction, even though this DLC adds some pretty cool things to its current state. The Origins are a fun addition, and federations are cool with their bonuses. The problem is the game is very quickly starting to become bloated, and with various changes, patches and more DLC, the "core"' of it all is rapidly being lost. It is losing its 4x status and slowly morphing into a type of MMO/RPR-type game that many of its original fans will likely not be a fan of.

For a RTS where you do not attack the other player with units, there is a lot going on here. The raw amount of things to keep track of and options available, are in some ways overwhelming. The core of it all is great fun, and it is completely novel for a RTS to avoid just massing units and rolling out. The amount of stuff happening takes away some of the enjoyment, as playthroughs quickly get away from players if they are not using every option available to them. Finally, the pace is so fast that there is no enjoyment about surviving on these hostile planets.

There is nothing surprising here about MouseCraft. What you see is what you get, and unless the simplistic gameplay appeals to you, it is unlikely that there will be much here that the average gamer is interested in. Some of the puzzles are nice and all for a while, but ultimately, there are no true clever ideas or anything beyond just dropping varied blocks into holes and waiting for the mice to hopefully make it.

Jackbox Party 6 has some great mini-games, and some decent ones. Far more adult oriented, its major downside is the higher degree of involvement and lesser payoff for some of the games. That being said, every single one in here is good, and some of them get some serious group laughs. Not as beginner friendly as some others, even a moderately committed group of people will find great fun somewhere in the five different games here.

Invisigun succeeds in providing a good party, as well as single player experience. The gimmick of being invisible is not as important or prevalent as it might seem and given the nature of this, leads to a potential huge skill difference that takes away from a casual game it might otherwise provide. Graphically a little weak, it also does not have the same simple magic a game like Mario Party or Bomberman would have in drawing in casual players. With a group dedicated to learning its intricacies, it could be great fun, but it's a little too... out there for some plain fun.

Hardcore Mecha is completely surprising, coming from someone not a fan of mech stuff in general. The graphics are good throughout, with the portraits being very well done. The action is largely serviceable minus some feeling of stiffness. The ability to upgrade and modify various playstyles will go a long way for RPG type players. Overall though, the thing that really just sticks out is a feeling of 'coolness.' From the cool enemies and the hot girls on your team, to the epic boss encounters, there were plenty of times playing this game that this reviewer caught himself thinking: "ok this is actually pretty cool."

The veteran series has sadly been outgunned by newer rivals such as Total War, which breathes greater personality and more engaging gameplay into this time period. This one suffers badly from poor game design choices, and a visually dull style, which will put many potential buyers off. While the scenarios are detailed and historically accurate, sadly there is little in the way of control in the overall gameplay loop. Battles are disappointing and confusing affairs, while the turn-based chore of filling up hexes to conquer areas gets old very quickly. With a raft of DLC already available, when there are some basic features missing on release, it is a hard title to recommend to fans of the genre or time period. The best word to describe this? Lacking.

Football Manager is still the ultimate football simulation series, and this latest addition makes enough positive changes to keep the gameplay fresh, and improve on some of the minor frustrations of previous entries. With a better UI, enhanced match engine, and some high-quality decisions around player motivations, it is easier than ever to get sucked into hundreds of hours of addictive gameplay. Football Manager 2020 is the perfect game for spending long days in quarantine, as the time will fly by.

The Complex is a decent story that feels bigger than it could be. While some choices feel very weighty, they are few and far between, leaving a lot of inconsequential decisions in between. Honestly, it may have worked if the experience was a bit shorter - sure, a common complaint has been it is too short, but maybe it would actually benefit from being trimmed a bit. As it stands, it feels like whatever ending you got the first time through, everything else is just "what if" scenarios that don't really matter.

It's pretty obvious that this wasn't created by the confident, and steady hand that designed Resident Evil 2. Nevertheless, while nowhere near the quality of its predecessor, it remains a great survival horror game, worthy of the franchise it belongs to, with the only two flaws that are hard to stomach being how, the undisputed heart of the original, the pursuer known as Nemesis, is a bit of a major disappointment, and how you have to pay full price for something that feels more like an expansion.

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a welcome addition to the Switch's ever-expanding repertoire, and a great adventure set in the Star Wars universe. Its seldom dull thanks to its enjoyable lightsaber combat, even if it's not terrific by modern standards. Fans of Star Wars and those looking for an action game with good variety will enjoy this. Aspyr has done a great job with the port, further cementing their reputation as one of the best developers for bringing fan favourite titles to Nintendo's flagship system.

Looks can be deceiving, and while In Other Waters does look too simple for its own good, it's a title overflowing with depth. Between a well written script, intensely atmospheric sound design that begs for headphone use, and methodically slow pacing, it's hard not to think of Ellery Vas' expedition through the depths of Gliese 677Cc long after all is said and done. Moody and sombre, In Other Waters is a must read… and must play.

It's unlikely that Bouncy Bullets was designed to be a time sink, and rather it merely exists to provide a few hours of fun for a low price. It features simple stages that requires fast reflexes to navigate through a series of platforms, while gunning down any enemies or obstacles, with the sole aim to score the fastest completion times for the maximum three-star accomplishment. Bouncy Bullets is fun in short-bursts but it won't last any longer than a couple of hours and it probably won't be an experience worth going back to after the initial run, due to its lack of depth. If anything, the easy-to-get platinum trophy may be the only redeeming factor to make this experience one worth thrashing out for a couple of hours.

It's understandable that Totally Reliable Delivery Service doesn't aim to be a typical video game, where your purpose is just to deliver goods. The island the tipsy protagonist will explore is a gargantuan playground, where players are supposed to have fun with the over-amplified physics and cumbersome way it all controls. They are supposed to. They won't.

Two decades after the release of the original trip into the biohazardous universe of Resident Evil, Capcom delivers the best instalment yet. The world you'll be thrown in is a dangerous one, and it doesn't just look the part, but also makes you feel the thrill of being a survivor like never before, as each bullet shot, each item found, and each decision taken, can make the difference between life and death. Simply put, remake or not, this is survival horror at its best.

The series on the whole is a great throwback to the older Mana Khemia series. Ayesha is the weakest entry, graphically, story and gameplay wise, but things improve drastically with Escha and Logy, with a serious, "cool" factor to Logy, with the series coming to a very refined closure with Shallie. For JRPG fans that have any interest in those, they are a great pickup together. While not quite "traditional" RPG quests, they are very similar to the JRPGs that really first started getting popular in the West many years ago.

Zombie Army Trilogy on the Nintendo Switch is a good fit ultimately. No, this is not the most complex or revolutionary one on the market. At its core, in fact, it is very much a linear action title that wears its heart on its sleeve. There is plenty of bombastic action and very little substance. That is not a criticism, however. This is a game that knows what it is, and does it well. It is definitely a downgrade graphically, and it takes until the third chapter to really hit its stride in terms of complexity. However, the experience comes into its own as a co-op adventure with friends, and there is certainly an awfully lot of fun to be had here.

Great ideas and some outright fun is far too often marred by technical glitches, a maddening GUI, and simply overwhelming amounts of numbers and terms with very little information as to what any of it does. The originality of the game is cool but there are too many ideas were packed in without actually making sure they all work together coherently.

Total War: Three Kingdoms - A World Betrayed is another fascinating addition to the main campaign for those who are still obsessed with this wonderful strategy title. Adding an important part of the story, and introducing some fan-favourite characters and scenarios, The Creative Assembly has once again vindicated this DLC approach. The new faction mechanics for Lu Bu and Sun Ce give an additional strategic dimension, and as with the previous DLC, the existing characters have new situations in this warring China, meaning there is an added incentive to replay the campaign with them numerous times over. This is a no brainer for owners of the game to buy this addition.

Wanking Simulator is just another bottom-of-the-barrel Steam game, and one that isn't as silly as its name suggests. Not a speck of humour can be found within, and the gameplay is unbelievably boring, as the sandbox world is almost devoid of things to do. You are better off doing the real thing. The best things in life don't cost £9.99, after all.

While the idea of Big Pharma is interesting, and could have the potential to engage some players in many hours of gameplay, the implementation causes this to be not enjoyable. Text that is so small that it is hard to read, alongside with information disappearing and reappearing, are somewhat annoying, so much so that some may decide to give up before even exploring the title's full potential. That along with confusing tutorial instructions, make for a disappointing gameplay overall.

Arc of Alchemist feels so very dated, it could easily be confused for an early Idea Factory title getting its remaster on Switch… without anything actually remastered. Unremarkable and uninspired, it's a quintessential mindless dungeon-crawling RPG, with no real hook to set it apart. There are a million games out there that do exactly what Arc of Alchemist does, but better in every way.

A true spiritual successor and sequel in one. Every little element is instilled with the same wit and comedy as the original, and the mechanics are polished to perfection. The constantly evolving needs of each stage, and the regular requests that pop up as little memos mean this never gets dull, and continually keeps players on their toes. There's easily 20 hours here, and plenty more on replays Anyone who loved Theme Hospital will find their new obsession here.

The Yakuza series has finally started to receive some of the acclaim and audience it has long been due. It deserves even more, however. These are some of the finest video games ever made, with no hyperbole. The storytelling is absolutely masterful, gripping and enthralling, filled with characters that the audience will fall in love with.

Despite its age, obvious budget limitations, and, yeah, lack of popularity, CHAOS CODE -NEW SIGN OF CATASTROPHE- is a surprisingly fun fighter, with a pretty varied (albeit typical) roster of characters that will to everyone needs. Content, as well as mechanics-wise, it's nothing special… but that's not the issue here. The biggest flaw of this port is, without any doubt, the lack of an online mode. Hard to understand why this wasn't included, as it's the one thing that the vast majority of genre aficionados can't live without…

DISTRAINT certainly seems to understand that the things that go bump in the night are less scary than the deep-rooted horrors that you can inflict on yourselves. This surreal-meets-the-mundane short story about a man's descent to metaphorical - and maybe literal - hell will keep you invested in the two and a half hours that the journey will last. Just don't expect any decent gameplay.