Saints Row: The Third Remastered is one of the most impressive guilty pleasures - one that also manages to be much more clever than it presents itself. All DLC is included, and the overall experience is polished to a mirror-like sheen. Anyone who initially wrote off Saints Row: The Third as a insipid Grand Theft Auto knock-off, might want to give it another chance. There is more going on than just being a simple third-person sandbox action game.

There is as much substance to Skelattack as there is meat on Skully. This is the barest of effort to put into a platformer's design. The over reliance on frustrating-to-control wall-jumping, and terrible combat that takes forever is what kills the experience. What is tragic is that Skelattack runs very smoothly, and is devoid of bugs or glitches. The developer was clearly competent on the construction of its product, but the concept that holds everything together is such a weak foundation. Most of this can be cheesed thanks to the generous i-frames, and how every level's start has a checkpoint. This makes so much of Skelattack redundant and pointless.

The tactical spin to the CCG model in Faeria ends up working fairly well, if being somewhat simplistic. It achieves some degree of excitement in seeking new cards and new decks without ever fully hitting its complete stride, but the general premise is fun enough to try out even for hardcore fans of the genre. With a respectable single-player mode, and the entire ladder setup, players of both types will have a lot of content to play through. With a fun and a novel twist, this is a decent choice for those looking for something in this genre, but its appeal won't extend much past this.

Excitingly fresh, Captain Tsubasa: Rise of Champions captures a fun arcade and anime-style, and prioritises a zany, wacky experience. There are a couple of performance issues that could have been improved before release, but nonetheless, these can be overlooked since the core-gameplay mechanics are fun and rewarding to master. If there was ever a time to try out a new football game, then this is it.

The new cars feel individual and there's plenty of incentive to replay challenges to get the career level increased and the career achievements completed. It's just a shame then, that there's a key part that so negatively impacts the whole experience of Project CARS 3, and that is the grind. It regularly makes things so much worse and it seems like such a quick thing to fix - just increase the money paid out. Make it retrospective for those who have already invested so much time and this will instantly address the biggest issue.

As an expansion for Total War: Three Kingdoms, The Furious Wild is a no brainer to pick up. Adding a ton of content and tens of hours of new gameplay for a mere snip, this DLC is definitely worth the asking price. The Nanman campaign is one that has plenty of drama attached with a host of faction specific missions and events and then best of all, once it is completed it is just the prologue of the adventure to come, with the rest of China to capture and a whole host of 'outsiders' to convert or conquer in the name of the Nanman. Visually impressive and with a lot of creative ideas in the mechanics used to keep the factions interesting -The Furious Wild is an excellent addition to the game.

Early glimpses of the puzzles and dungeons showed just how great Ary and the Secret of Seasons could be, and while those are realised here, it's just not enough to make up for the numerous issues and missteps. Many players won't be able to even see those best moments unless they have the considerable patience needed to be able to get over halfway through. A true disappointment; there is an awful lot to like here, but ultimately it's hard to recommend this. Strangely, considering how many times it's been delayed, this just feels unfinished, like a preview build.

Torn between its two sides - the arcade-y, and the puzzle game one - Dodo Peak just doesn't manage to please. The level design is more annoying than challenging, with the gameplay leaning very heavily towards trial-and-error. This isn't badly made… just not as well thought-out, probably.

Inmost could be the very definition of a hidden gem. It is probably too niche and maudlin to connect with a wider audience, but one would suspect that those it does connect with will find it to be a unique and affecting experience. It's short and not a difficult undertaking to get through, but it does do just enough to get the grey matter moving, and rewards consistently with those congratulatory "aha!" moments or aforementioned set-pieces. This really defines itself with a dark atmosphere and filmic quality, even if that's hard to imagine a 2D aesthetic doing. It has an auteur's mark on it, which leaves an impression, and makes Hidden Layers Games, Alexey Testov and Andriy Vinchovskiy ones to watch out for in future.

Crusader Kings III is a massive step up in all regards featuring many QoL changes and improvements. While some features, such as the character designer, are sorely missed, the major improvements, refinements, and the like, ensure that fans of the series will almost certainly enjoy the new title. While it is more welcoming to newcomers than prior entries, it may still be too dense for those not interested in the heavy political focus of the franchise.

Feathery Ears is the less flawed, but also less attractive sister of Wings of Glass. Mechanically it's a better polished product, but it lacks that special... "something" of its spiritual predecessor, and the gameplay is a bit more straightforward, and, honestly, boring. Most importantly, like Sayuri Artsy's previous creation, this is more like a proof-of-concept, Early Access title, than a completed game that's worthy of a purchase.

More like a - fun and charming - alpha build, rather than a fully realised game, 3D platfomer/puzzler Wings of Glass isn't really a big recommendation. The controls need some work, there's not enough gameplay depth, and it all ends too soon. Its dark and dreamy atmosphere is its saving grace, and it's a shame the developer couldn't find a bigger budget (and more time) to work on the concept at hand, and provide something meatier.

With it's clever web-based hosting that allows anyone with a smart device to join in, as well as it's hugely entertaining selection of games, The Jackbox Party Pack 3 on Nintendo Switch makes for a splendid, instant-party game tool for family and friend gatherings. There's something in this pack for everyone to enjoy and enough content to encourage repeat play.

The start of Windbound feels very promising - the world looks beautiful, the sailing wonderful, and the development of the crafting system well done. However, after the first few hours, things start to fall apart. The repetitive nature and lack of growth of the core mechanics really hold it back from what it could have been. There's still an enjoyable experience here, but it is obvious it could be so much more, and ultimately feels a little unfinished. This is only the second game to come from indie developer 5 Lives Studios, and it's exciting to see what the team comes up with next.

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected might be the developer's attempt trying to do something new while doing it under the guise of a popular brand name. The emphasis on super-powers that renders the tacked-on driving and shooting redundant is likely an intentional message from the team, that this just is not Saints Row anymore. The result is a weird and confusing action title with tons of features, which has a huge well of jokes that fly by really fast. The only aspect that makes Saints Row IV truly worthwhile, is the comedic, over the top spectacle and characters. It's not the mind-numbing gameplay.

There is a solid game in WarriOrb, which has some well-designed elements and curious story moments. Unfortunately the experience is marred by flawed implementation or design in the core gameplay that makes this feel more frustrating than challenging. It is definitely something that will appeal to the few rather than the many, but that may mean that it's playing to strengths that this reviewer clashed with. It would certainly be very interesting to see Not Yet develop more titles in the future.

Those who love The Binding of Isaac and Enter the Gungeon will find an awful lot to like here. The gameplay is fast and fluid, the presentation striking, and there is a huge amount to keep coming back for. There are tons of things to unlock that change up subsequent runs, unique seeds to master the most enjoyable versions of levels, and even an insanely challenging difficulty mode to unlock. The biggest issue is the small amount of rooms to pull from when generating a stage. It's not too noticeable for a few play-throughs, but for the players who will run this over and over, it really detracts from the experience.

Perhaps Jupiter should have stuck with Picross and continued gathering partnerships with other franchises for Picross spin-offs like the recent Picross: Lord of Nazarick. Fans of Diner Dash will enjoy this blatant clone, but based on the asking price this just is not worth the investment. Check out the far superior Overcooked instead.

A wonderful puzzler with a marvellous aesthetic. Like a children's anime come to life, Mr. DRILLER DrillLand is utterly charming and delightful. Every attraction looks great, delivering sharp, vibrant, and colourful stages in every attraction. As good as it looks, it plays even better. A simple and addictive core basis that has the heart of a classic matching colour puzzler but adds an exhilarating twist to the proceedings with the drilling mechanics. This should be a no brainer purchase, but there's something that will put off many players. It's called the Atlantic Ocean. For some reason, the asking price is literally double in the US than it is in the EU. A baffling and disappointing decision that will sadly stop this reaching as many homes as it should.

It is exceedingly rare to have a video game bring up what essentially amounts to existentialism, and raise questions about a player's own life, all with very little dialogue. The emotional engagement for having the two primary characters not talk was stunning, and the inversion of real life pet toys was an interesting irony this played with very well. The setting, atmosphere, and story, were the high marks of the game, and while the actual dungeon crawling is purely average, having the girl back at home that constantly needed taking care of, added a needed sense of tension. Being able to raise deep concepts about duty, life and entertainment, makes this stand far above many other games.

It's quite telling that Ever Forward's demo (released independently with the subtitle Prologue) isn't that much shorter than an actual full play-through. Despite the title's tense stealth sections, and fairly involved puzzle-solving, the fact of the matter is that the final product plays out like the tutorial to a much longer adventure that never starts. By the time Maya's story starts to breathe, and the core gameplay begins introducing complex and layered puzzles, the journey is more or less over. The atmosphere is commendable, as are the puzzles actually present, but the is sure to leave genre veterans disappointed, and newcomers desperate for some meat to chew on.

EA Sports UFC 4 is a testament to the power an experience can have when it is wholly aware of its own identity. The gameplay is solid, online modes are good, and the career mode is more of the comfortable same that it was in UFC 3, albeit with a great tutorial mode to kick things off. UFC 4 is what a sport sim should be: simple enough on its surface to be fun right off the bat, but deep enough to reward those who practice long enough to become skilled. Oh, and it is very UFC, in case you were wondering. That's always fun.

The visuals and atmosphere at first seem standard as far as pixelated indie games go, but it does have more going on than it may initially suggest. Things start out very bright and colourful, like most Ghibli-inspired indie titles tend to be, but Phoenotopia: Awakening has a much darker side to it. There are some weirdly chilling moments and well directed sequences that build a profound sense of unease and alienation. There are some surprises within that may shock people who dismiss this as another generic Zelda II clone. The team behind this is not afraid to get dark and to show a little teeth.

This has a tremendous amount going for it, but ultimately, it is going to appeal to puzzle gamers far more than JRPG fans, as the puzzle sections are incredibly demanding. Having players do hours of complex and convoluted puzzles in a row, is something that is going to put off many gamers that otherwise would have loved this title. For a RPG romp it could have been outstanding if this was shortened, and the puzzles/trickery were reduced by at least half.

While an enjoyable, and visually pleasing experience, this just doesn't manage to be the great racing game that it could be. Thankfully, it's not a "fanservice above everything" kind of deal, but, truth be told, the main source of fun in Kandagawa Jet Girls does seem to be the girls, rather than the gameplay. Sure it's not bad, but it's also not as good as expected from something that had the potential to be a clone of Mario Kart, with sexy anime cuties rather than chubby plumbers, talking mushrooms, and wimpy dinosaurs.

This mobile-to-console port is a resounding success as Snowman has been able to ensure The Alto Collection is successful in capturing the player and transporting them to varying worlds of simplistic beauty, as well as consistently presenting challenges that will keep the player guessing what's coming next. Through several obstacles, perilous chasms, and cleverly designed maps, each experience that this has to offer is guaranteed to be unique, fun, and a welcome addition to anyone's library.

Battletoads is a retro comeback that not only revives the much-loved series for fans, but one that elevates it to new heights! Truly, the development team has worked some magic to make this the best it can be, truly knocking it out of the park. There is very little wrong here that can stop from this being a star recommendation. The small amounts of missteps it does have don't hurt the experience in a meaningful way, leaving this to be an absolutely fantastic retro revival. It's great to see Rare credited on a game that is genuinely great.

On the Edge, the final Frostpunk DLC, offers one more challenging, and gripping strategy title that genre fans will love. When compared to The Last Autumn, it feels a bit limited in the things one can do when giving it a second try, and it's also not as original as you might have hoped, but it's still a solid recommendation to anyone who found the base game to be one of the best in its field.