Red's Kingdom strives to combine simple rolling puzzles with the exploration part of a Zelda game... and it just doesn't manage to make the mix actually any fun, mainly because players will have to go through the chore of solving the same puzzles all over again... and more than once.

What begins as an arduous system to control, in time becomes a pleasure upon first race win, and the hidden depth of VSR: Void Space Racing's frictionless competitive courses is fully revealed. Offering a unique take on the racing genre as a whole, the biggest stumbling block, aside from the steep learning curve, is how little of the game there actually is, track and vehicle-wise, even with the low price-tag in mind.

Imperfect controls and other minor annoyances aside, Vaporum is a very enjoyable dungeon-crawler. Its insistence on tile-based movement results in battles that are decided by a rather peculiar dance. Sometimes it takes quite a few steps just to create an opening in the enemy's defences. To add to this, every decision, no matter how slight, carries weight. An action as simple as turning around can leave the player in a difficult position. It's almost as if one has to adopt a sixth sense, just to keep track of where enemies are going. Provided you give your best effort, then you are sure to be rewarded. Altogether, this is a very impressive effort that's well worth anyone's time.

There are some really great ideas here, but weighed down by simple problems. As it is, it freezes, the menu hangs, and the absolute precision needed for nearly every move (and an oddly complex control scheme) makes the game get in the way of itself far more than it ever should. Far too often a string of precise moves is screwed up because of a wrong button or missing a ledge by minuscule amounts. There is clear heart and effort in here, and those with a high tolerance for difficulty will enjoy it immensely, but the average player will be put off by what is required of them. A revamp on the control system and some a bit more focus on the plot could easily launch OUTBUDDIES' points higher.

For cycling fans, this whole package is probably the ultimate dream of combining everything that is great about the sport into one extensive management sim. The level of detail in rider stats; the amount of control over races; the strategic plays during the heat of action. All of these things mean for fans it is absolutely a must own. That said, niche genres always have to be balanced to also allow for the introduction of complete outsiders to the field. For such people, the experience is still an overwhelming one, even with the addition of a rigorous tutorial. There is still a whole heap of gameplay mechanics that could do with just a bit more explanation. With all that said, the Pro Cyclist mode which streamlines many of the most complicated mechanics into a more traditional role-playing mode, helps in that regard significantly, and therefore pulls the overall experience for newbies up.

The price of Evoland Legendary Edition is worth it for the first game alone, which is legendary in its own right. Mileage on the second one may vary depending on a player's tolerance for frustration if they are not so good at platformers. With over eight hours spent completing the first game and six hours attempting the second there, is a lot of fun to be had in this special edition, which is the only way to get both titles on the Nintendo Switch.

Now that Marvel's Avengers is dirt cheap, it might be worth a play for the impressive action sequences and impressive visuals. Maybe with enough people picking it up at a much more agreeable price, it might inject the tedious co-op modes. It certainly did not deserve the utter disdain it received, and was at best just a corporate, tone-deaf project that nobody wanted. It is rotten with executive sleaze for sure, and the game can feel like work a lot of the time due to the grind, but there is an ok experience in this somewhere. It is buried beneath all the obnoxious writing, grinding, and generic design.

The original Front Mission games were hard to get into, and when the third game came around, it marked a shift to make them user friendly. Front Mission 3: Remake is very faithful to its source material and improves a few gameplay mechanics subtly, which makes it a smoother experience. It's not the best strategy RPG since the RNG and the small party size can seem restrictive, and it also isn't the best remake, but it is the best Front Mission game so far.

Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption is an experiment that was inevitable. Somebody was going to eventually make a boss-rush anti-soulslike, and Darkstar Games did a great job realising the potential by perverting traditional RPG character building and betraying achievement conventions. It may wear the skin of a "soulslike," but in actuality there really is nothing quite like it. With an unbelievably high difficulty, and with a small pool of unique bosses, Sinner has cult gem written all over it, and only those who desire something totally different should even dare take this challenge.

Detective Pikachu Returns is a fun little Nintendo Switch adventure that is ideal for younger players, offering a colourful, eclectic mix of characters, Pokémon and storytelling. It does veer to the simpler side in places in both game design and visual fidelity, but the appeal of the Pokémon universe is strong enough to draw players of all ages into the tale. Those who were fans of the Nintendo 3DS game or simply enjoy a classic point-and-click adventure would feel right at home with Detective Pikachu Returns.

Battletoads is a stunning return for both the toads and Rare, a team that hasn't had much output recently. While it can become a little tedious to play alone, this is an excellent game to try with a small group of friends on a Friday night. Humour, variety of gameplay, and local co-op make this a great addition to anyone's library.

It is nice being able run your own 2018 season in tandem with the real thing, but the Career Mode is nothing special. Even if the online mode and the eSport Championship function well enough, the lacklustre collision detection will hinder that side of the experience, too. This is flawed and rushed.

Even as a simple update with 150 brand new puzzles, Picross e3 is always going to be a guaranteed great purchase at under £5 for both those who are already addicted to this simple but testing series, and to people that have never tried a Picross game before.

Mario and Sonic's sporting antics make for an enjoyable 3DS debut that radiates character and graphical prowess, together with a wide array of varying competitive events and versatile methods of play, though a weaker multiplayer offering ensures a Silver Medal for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games' long-range appeal.

ABBA: You Can Dance is a thoroughly entertaining package for both long-term fans of the Swedish pop sensation and those who simply love jiving along to infectious tunes.

The problem is the precise touches combined with the time attack aspects that only make for an annoying experience.

For its price and the fun factor alone, this is thoroughly recommendable.

It's hard to believe that Aperion Cyberstorm has a story with characters and text to read. Most of the time players will likely be fighting the urge to skip every line of dialogue since the story is completely frivolous and separate to the gameplay. Why so many interruptions for dialogue in what is essentially a bullet-hell shoot 'em up? It is this kind of unintuitive and backwards decision-making that has led to Aperion Cyberstorm in the first place. This comes recommended to those with sleep disorders.

A fun but obviously niche title that throws players into a deeply ecchi experience that will satisfy fans of the genre, Gal*Gun: Double Peace is excellently made for what it is, and only really falls over when it comes to performance. A thoroughly weird, perverted, but ultimately hilarious game that is going to fit well into people's Switch libraries if they are a fan of this style of content.

Lack of online aside, the game is a worthy addition to the Wii U line-up and a game-night roster.

Playing against other players in Galactic Civilizations 3: Mercenaries offers far more bang for your buck as far as this DLC goes. The AI does not seem to utilise the expansion, whereas with humans it can indeed be a very intense rush for the good ships. It will feel slightly cheap to those just beating on computers, though.

The story in this sci-fi crime drama is nice and all, but a combination of below average voice-acting, awkward-looking characters, and bad pacing ruins it all. What makes the pacing so bad? Boring puzzle after boring puzzle, with very few of them having any connection to the plot, and even less being fun to solve.

The story is horrendous, hugely convoluted, lacking any sort of pivotal moments, or interesting characters. The combat system is too manic and messy to master, leaving it as a real disappointment, overall.

This is not an RPG, but it is a highly creative and imaginative adventure game that has some spotty controls and overly cryptic puzzles.

It comes highly recommended to fans of harem style shonen anime stories and JRPGs but, in the state that it is in at time of writing, with a reservation that if portability is not a huge factor, it is better experienced on PS4 or PC, if those are available options.

It's not clear why Code of Princess on 3DS was ever a cult hit; maybe because it was the only action RPG on the 3DS at the time? Organising a local multiplayer session ends up taking up more time than the time spent playing together since the core gameplay of Code of Princess EX is very shallow and very tedious. Battles just drag on for an eternity as heroes constantly wail on goons, making everyone who is playing feel only regret. What a waste of excellent character designs that they have to be used in such a milquetoast beat 'em up.

Runaway: A Twist of Fate is a solid port of the original point-and-click adventure game for the PC.

Old lady Talma's melancholic tale of utter loneliness and inevitable end does provide some tasty breadcrumbs every now and then, but as a whole, this farm sim/narrative-driven title overstays its welcome, doesn't manage to be enjoyable, and ends up being a chore that just happens to include some pretty, and mildly coloured vistas, as well as a nice calm-and-then-ominous aura.