It is easy to fall in love at first glance with Lego Party. It is a game that many have unknowingly been waiting for, and its presentation and first impression are on a whole different level. It feels like a perfect match for anyone seeking an exceptional digital party game. However, once the honeymoon phase is over, all the flaws start to appear, and they become too much. Poor controls, extremely small boards, and a mix of mini-games that feel disjointed make this a challenging title to recommend. It has some wonderful ideas and a solid foundation to build upon, but it falls short in executing the details.

Stylish presentation and quirky fun are Ninjin: Clash of Carrots's standout selling points. Retro graphics and an eccentric storyline are the heart and soul of the experience, even if the script is at times frustratingly over-the-top. Ultimately, Ninjin holds up as a mostly fun experience, but its co-op modes, amusing story, and enemy variety fail to overpower an over-simplicity that lets it down.

Jewel Time Deluxe has made a successful transition from PC to Nintendo DS, yet its general lack of extra polish it fades in comparison to other releases in the genre. With six modes to play through, Gusto Games' Match-3 puzzle effort is definitely one that will give fans of this style enough to sink their teeth into.

The nicest thing that can be said about Steel Worker is that it is, in fact, a video game. Not a bad game by any means, but one that meets the broadest definition of a video game and delivers exactly what it promises. In a way, it brought some innovation to Lemmings-style gameplay, but could generously be described as a proof of concept.

Despite being functionally solid and enjoyable, Rigid Force Alpha's lack of identity is very apparent.

"A very decent clone of Fallout." That's at the same time the biggest compliment, as well as the strongest criticism for Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG. It is a labour of love that is almost as fun as the one it passionately pays homage to, and is thus easy to forgive its lack of fine-tuning. Unfortunately, it also lacks what made Interplay's gem the legend it is, which is, of course, the writing. You see, the key word in the phrase "a very decent clone of Fallout," is the word 'decent.' This otherwise entertaining piece of software is definitely that, but decent just won't do for most people.

Although a somewhat generic survival sandbox, Planet Explorers certainly had the potential to be a fun game... if only it was a complete one. Those who were here since the days of Early Access will definitely see the improvements, but this still has a long way to go.

Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch is a missed opportunity to throw together a comprehensive package of mini-games from past entries on a hugely successful console. There are appealing factors such as the fact that sudoku and a number of puzzles can now be done on the Nintendo Switch, along with its budget price point. However, with the janky accessibility issues for Switch Lite users, and clumsy handwriting recognition skills for the maths calculations, it is hard to say it improves upon its predecessors.

Clan O'Conall and the Crown of the Stag is a very solid, Celtic-flavoured, action-plaform/puzzler that could be so much more with a little more effort. Everything, from the platforming, puzzle-solving, and fighting, to the three unique heroes that players will have to constantly swap between are very good, but the experience leans a bit too much towards casual-friendly territory. Not a piece of cake, but solutions to each and every problem are way too obvious, and as a result the whole adventure soon loses its immersion factor. A good game, sure, just not a strong recommendation.

Fun is there to be found, in small pockets of good mini-games (although not consistent or regular), but - as a big fan of Mario Party in general - this isn't the greatest of games.

The atmosphere, characters and general style are all high points, but Ravenswatch's major issue comes from how repetitious the gameplay loop is and that rarely anything new or cool pops up. The base structure is there to have been a really cool roguelite, but as it's far more strict in its roguelike nature, it's tough to recommend in any large capacity, lacking in too many things to encourage frequent plays.

Wakedas is another alternative to the numerous puzzle games out there on the Nintendo 3DS today, offering a decent option for those that like Rubik's Cube-type games or grid-based puzzle solving.

Haunted House's task-based exploration and emphasis on stealth offer promising foundations for a compelling gameplay loop. However, challenges with enemy interactions, inconsistent stealth cues, and the occasional lack of reliable hiding options detracts from the overall experience. Refining these aspects could elevate gameplay to its full potential. Its premise may not faithfully represent the Atari 2600 Haunted House apart from the scenes of eyes in the darkness, but overall Haunted House does manage to be a compelling experience on its own.

Zombie Driver: Immortal Edition is an amusing distraction that is elevated thanks to the generous amounts of unlockable content. The main campaign will never get anyone emotionally invested, but then why would anyone hope to care about characters in something titled Zombie Driver? The developers knew exactly who their audience is. This is pure zombie schlock for people who are fans of the Splatterhouse games. An unapologetically gory, arcade-like experience.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 aims to please Call of Duty fans of every kind, with three stacked modes — campaign, multiplayer and Zombies — that all have enough going for them to satisfy all Call of Duty fans. Omni-movement is a fantastic addition to the routine gameplay that feels like a natural evolution not just for CoD titles but FPS games in general. However, each mode isn't without its frustrations: the campaign stalls the action a little too often, the Zombies mode can get a tad repetitive and the multiplayer maps vary a little too drastically in quality. Still, this is Call of Duty as it's known and loved. Franchise enthusiasts will likely be satisfied.

Not only will Episode 2: Hide and Seek not turn the heads of those who didn't like the first part of The Council, but it will probably disappoint the ones that did, as it takes a couple of steps backward. The journey through the realm of mystery thrillers it offers remains a somewhat engrossing one, but it surely needs to think a lot about its next step if it is to succeed.

Tangram Style does what it sets out to do quite well and offers a lot of content, but the lack of variety makes it hard to recommend over other puzzle offerings on the 3DS eShop, even at the now lowered price of £2.69. Dedicated fans of tangram should find plenty to dig into, however.

Instead of the traditional crossroads of visual novels, WILL: A Wonderful World lets you play with a bunch of separate stories by altering specific parts within them... and then doing so again to follow an alternative path. This intriguing mechanic isn't as good as it sounds, though, and the game is in some dire need for some additional artwork. At least the various plot threads are good enough to make this a pleasant recommendation for genre fans.

Heroes of Ruin is an average game, with much better alternatives out there. The daily challenges are nothing compared to the daily and weekly puzzles found in the Professor Layton games and they do not work as planned. For 3DS owners looking for a game with a lengthy campaign with some form of online play included, there are games that are worthier of the money.

Drug Dealer Simulator successfully simulates the dealing of drugs and taps into some of the excitement and fun that particular criminal activity can provide, but its flaws dampen the experience considerably enough to hurt it overall. It’s not a bad first shot at making drug dealing compelling and fun, but it feels like a sequel could potentially fix all the issues and make the experience something great… In fact, there is a sequel that's been out a year already on PC. With that in mind, it’s even harder to wholly recommend Drug Dealer Simulator. It doesn’t lose points for already having a better-looking sequel, but it does mean waiting for a console port of the sequel or playing it now on PC might be a better bet.

There is actually a lot of hope for this. At this stage it feels like it still should be in a final beta stage as there are things that still lack polish, such as text spill-overs and unclear mechanics. While it is clearly a Master of Orion 2 clone, it has some ideas that actually are pretty cool and can really be expanded on. Notably the exploration system does a good job of keeping it relevant, unlike many games in the genre. Between the industry system, the terraforming, and the exploration, there are some neat ideas here - this just lacks some of that magic, and desperately cries out for a more coherent experience.

The industry owes a lot to Space Invaders, and it may not be any small stretch to say it could be a very different place if it wasn't for its existence. For that reason alone it is worth investing in this huge piece of video game history, where an appreciation can be developed for what Tomohiro Nishikado's shoot 'em up has achieved. There is no avoiding the simplicity and likelihood that it won't hold the attention for too long given the choice on offer nowadays, but the brief time spent with it delivers tension and reward in equal measure, especially when factoring in online leaderboard competition.

Adding a magical twist to agriculture certainly helps Fae Farm stand out from competitors, but unfortunately so does the myriad of glitches. These may yet be fixed in future updates, just like the latest one mended some bugs. For some, the cute vibe makes up for the aforementioned issues. It is still essentially an extremely fun life-sim, with a considerable number of quests to fulfil while sporting wings (after a set story point) and quirky characters to befriend, providing dozens of hours of gameplay for those with the patience to forgive the sometimes poorly executed parts that sorely need polishing.

The Batman: Arkham series has been of a consistent quality since it began with Asylum, but with not too many changes to the formula, it has started to become a tad too stale.

Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary Edition is not everything that fans could have hoped for. What should have been a wonderful celebration of a classic series turns out to be a middling package marred by a lack of control options and default controls that don’t offer the best experience. Getting rid of the classic game progression system and failing to include a proper leaderboard system really limit the potential of what could be otherwise one of the most comprehensive collection of caves for a decent introduction to the franchise for newcomers. Thankfully, the classic Boulder Dash formula remains as addictive as ever and is executed competently here.

Tears Revolude is a frustrating title to play through. It has a lot of potential, but it is wasted due to a lack of polish. The combat system is solid, and there are some nice options to optimise characters; however, there are never any challenges that make good use of them. The skeletons of the characters’ personalities are neat with a lot of sweet backstory, but they are never fleshed out, and the laughable expressions further add to the feeling of soullessness. This is what happens when great people are given too little time to deliver a title on schedule, no matter the end result. For the first few hours, Tears Revolude promises a great JRPG experience, but it never delivers.

Odd design choices lead to a not so stellar action game with an unfortunately generic, asset-y world design. Valkyrie Elysium has great moments but is stuck in a mediocre shell that is missing the unique draws of the previous entries in the series. Once the story gets moving it's a good Valkyrie story, but a lack of polish leaves this game floundering instead of standing tall.

Dark Auction falls into a rare spot that the plot and writing is actually pretty interesting but the story is still tough to recommend. The characters feel real, and the tension and mystery is very good, but it goes nowhere fast. There are certainly some other problems such as the auction puzzle parts being a big letdown, and the main mystery not being as big as it first seems, but mostly it is just that more needs to happen. The overall plot meanders, and it really grinds down what should have been a brisk and interesting story that could have been told in half the time or less.