It may sound like I’m dishing out a lot of praise but I think just ‘fun’ describes Aegis Defenders quite perfectly. It’s hardly the best game anyone has ever played but it is charming and great to pick up and play for a stage or two at a time – also making it another game suited incredibly well for the Switch, especially considering the multiplayer aspect. Whilst it’s a short experience story-wise, it’s certainly a pleasant one (providing the frenzied gameplay doesn’t drive anyone mad) and, as mentioned, there is replayability in the harder modes.

There may be much of Rumu’s narrative that is not wholly original, but the story excels as it engages modern human sensibilities. It sometimes falls into sci-fi genre tropes, but never wallows in them. It is futuristic at times, but never out of reach. Always careful to remain relatable, accessible, and grounded. The lovable vacuum cleaner that is Rumu never forgets how to love, but as a game Rumu always strives to highlight compassion – an element crucial to molding an engaging story.

I don’t often criticize a game for not living up to the standards of another but Tiny Metal tries so hard to mirror Nintendo’s approach I must speak up when I see failings. When you come at the king you better not miss, and Tiny Metal stumbles at every step on its way there. I wanted to love Tiny Metal, I really did, but in the end, as I chipped away at the game, it just made my longing to step back onto the Advance Wars battlefield even stronger. At best Tiny Metal is a rough draft of something that could be great further down the line.

With over 100 levels, cartoony graphics, a low price tag, simple controls and humour to boot this is worth a few hours of your time but don’t expect too much replayability above restarting the level over and over.

There’s a creative mind-bending aspect to some of the puzzles – at the right zoom level panels can be visually combined in clever ways. It really is a very carefully crafted game and I found the difficulty level just right – both pleasantly challenging and satisfying. While over quickly, I really enjoyed Gorogoa.

Son of Scoregasm has the mechanics in place for some addictive high score attack gameplay. It’s such a simple twist on the twin-stick shooter formula, but having multipliers tied to the pulse bomb gives itself some originality, but more so, an addictive and tense scoring mechanic that benefits risk/reward and skill for anyone good enough to make it through all the levels. Don’t let its visual simplicity mislead you, while this game is simple to pick up, it turns into a challenging game, fast, but also an entertaining one, which pretty much sums it up. Son of Scoregasm should supply a few days of fun for anyone looking for something to play on the Vita in quick bursts while on the go.

With its sandbox style approach to escaping, sometimes you might find yourself flapping in the wind and unsure what to do next. The pacing of the game has been improved since the first one, with less time spent waiting around. The 16-bit style visuals have also been given a nice step up, with the game overall looking and playing great.

I won’t pretend that Sonic Forces is a disappointment – it telegraphed its kitchen sink approach to content a long time ago. Desperately trying to please every kind of Sonic fan, it is every bit the mishmash of half realised ideas vying for your attention that it seemed like it would be. I guess I just never expected that their attempts to hold that attention would be so feeble.

I feel that Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku!’s repetitive issues will cause some people not to find any appeal in the game – you cannot get around the point that this game is driven by some grind and trial and error elements. If that gameplay loop doesn’t fit for certain people, then those will not have fun. For others, Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku! can offer a amusing challenge that scratches an addictive itch, but those will need to stomach some of its frustrations to find what makes it a good game and reap the rewarding gameplay after taking a few missteps inside its challenging dungeons.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is overall mostly a quality RPG that has charm and character, while making up for some of the lacking aspects of Xenoblade Chronicles X, but small issues stop it from hitting the heights of Xenoblade Chronicles, sitting in between the two games in this trio series. It retains all the great stuff about exploring beautiful and large unique areas, but forgot to take in the advancements made in map design from Xenoblade Chronicles X. It does take a while to find its feet, but once it starts going and you click with the combat, it’s an RPG that engulfs you in its long, amusing adventure for many hours, one that finished up Nintendo’s 2017 with another great Switch game.

Before the Storm redefines what a Life is Strange game can be. Going into this mini-story I believed the series needed the backing of supernatural mythology to carry the narrative, but Before The Storm proves that to be false. Life is Strange simply needs great well written characters, and when you place them in a compelling situation they will blossom. Where Life is Strange goes from here will be very interesting, but as long as the creators continue to treat the characters with the respect they have evolved to deserve I for sure will follow.

2017 may have been an exhausting year filled with quality videogame releases across different genres and multiple platforms, but Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is still worth setting aside some time for, especially for those starving for more Action RPG hybrids. The exp and loot grinding is still there for hardcore fans, but the smooth and solid action adds an extra layer of responsiveness and fun that can’t always be felt with turn-based battles, resulting in a winning combination that will eat up more of that free time no human could possibly have at this point.

Worms W.M.D‘s successful outing marks the series’ long overdue return to relevance. The detailed 2D graphics look great, run very smoothly and the new mechanics all slot in seamlessly alongside the 90s core of the game. This is now the definitive edition of Worms to buy – there is a lot to enjoy it’s one of the best in-person social multiplayer games available.

Cat Quest turned out to be a low impact game with a high emphasis on fun. It’s a great armchair zen experience that fits Switch to a tee. It’s easy to play for five minutes, an hour, or more, and always make worthwhile progress – even on busy days when time is not on your side. It’s a pun filled game that’s a purrfect fit for gaming on the move. Sure, not everyone will approve of it’s unapawlogetic feline-centric wordplay, and upbeat pawsitive nature, but others may just find the humour to be cat-hartic – especially whilst compared to the self serious attitude seen in other modern RPGs. If dog is your pet of choice there is however no hope for you. Sorry.

Personally I’m hoping this release was simply a way to hold the fanatics over until the Switch Pokémon title rears its head in a year or two. Until then, I’d recommend playing Ultra Sun/Moon in bitesize chunks because it can wear pretty thin and quickly become a grind when playing through it rapidly. It should be enjoyed a little at a time or saved exclusively to be played on the go as a fun little time killer. The challenge and fun are waiting right there at the end for those who want to power through for it. It’s just a shame there are so many little things that pile up against the experience, like the pokémon-infused pokédex that never stops asking the same questions over and over or the lack of Pokémon-worthy music.

What is here is essentially a mini-game collection coated in a Kirby presentation. It’s a fun game, especially when you get four players together and can experience the game at its full potential, but Nintendo has been delivering amazing quality this year, even on the 3DS, but this is a chip in their fantastic release schedule. Kirby Battle Royale is lacking any will to innovate. It’s happy to be playing it safe and be a standard multiplayer game that will loose its replay value fast, and with the weak single player challenge that becomes repetitive before it ends, the game does not offer much to the huge 3DS library available other than being a average bag of multiplayer mayhem.

Clearly with the focus on combat and challenging enemies, there are similarities with Nioh and From Software’s Souls games, but unlike other games that have built themselves to be copies of the successful formula, the team behind Nioh have added their style into the mix to make it more than another game trying to lure the fans of hardcore action RPGs to it. Those additional ideas build on an already solid foundation, but enable Nioh to standout above the rest of the inspired clones with its hectic, faster paced and varied combat and addictive loot mechanics, to go toe-to-toe with the company that initiated this new wave of challenging combat, going as far as to better them in some areas.

The Mummy Demastered is a retro inspired game good enough to both whet the nostalgic urges of people of a certain age whilst fulfilling the needs of newcomers alike. It’s a game I never knew I wanted but am very happy I’ve now played; as it turned out to be one of the best anachronistic video games money can buy. It may have been spawned solely as a means to promote a movie, but it overcomes those unassuming origins and rises to become a tremendous addition to the Metroidvania genre. Like many of the retro games it shares ideals with I firmly believe I’ll return and replay it years from now when the urge takes hold.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole successfully continues the quality in adapting South Park to a video game, capturing everything great about the series and once again translating it to an hilarious and enjoyable RPG. The comedy will not be for everyone, and so it makes it hard to recommend the game freely, but for fans of South Park, this game cannot be missed. It’s jammed full of jokes, insults, cameos and nods to the show that fans will get a kick out of it, more so if you are also a fan of the superhero genre. The fantastic bonus is that it also happens to be a great RPG, which has grown and improved with more mechanics and depth than The Stick of Truth to ultimately offer another prime piece of licensed entertainment.

The playful childishness of the experience is really what pulls it all together and even though it’s by no means a bad game – it was definitely the angle it needed to hold together all the loose parts. After all, nostalgia can only do so much before players realise that games have moved on and evolved for a reason, especially when an absolute titan like Super Mario Odyssey was released almost besides it and flawlessly shows how to truly mix the old and new into something else entirely. In all I’d recommend A Hat in Time as a quick pick up game when there’s a lull in the market (which 2017 definitely hasn’t had), but not at it’s current price of £22.99, especially with the amount of irritating bugs I encountered throughout.

AER is at its best whilst flying through the sky with little care in the world for the extra tasks the game demands. The flying is fun, strangely meditative, and feels freeing. Sadly, disappointment comes from AER’s choice to remain hands off in directing players towards its content. Instead of been filled with wonder as I explored, aimless wandering soon took over as I wished for a more authored experience. That feeling of been continually lost quickly began to erode the fledgling feelings of joy I had at the outset of my adventure.

The story is extremely well written and the cut scenes are presented in a manner that will will have you forgetting these are characters in a video game. All of the characters are memorable, and the emotions shown through the voice acting are great and convey the character well. The main villain in Wolfenstein II is General Engel, who revels in her sadistic nature and is incredible memorable – the gleeful way she stomps around performing some of the most heinous things just goes to show how well fleshed out the character is. With the totally unthinkable scenes in the first 10 minutes of the game, to the insanity show by General Engel, players do get a feeling of how atrocious a Nazi ruled world would be. A faced paced FPS that is unforgiving in nature and just down right fun to play. It’s a nice break from the norm of games being released at the moment, and the focus for single player in Wolfenstein II only paid off here. With more content to unlock and the initial choices affecting the story as a whole, the replay ability is definitely here, especially with that “Mein leben” difficulty.

The Evil Within 2 is a grand follow up from a studio who has set out to fix the pacing issues with the first game, while offering a bigger, more coherent title that looks better and plays better with the reworked stealth and upgrade mechanics, but without forgetting the parts that made most of the original a solid action horror title. The Evil Within 2 throws players into its disturbing, more personal world for Sebastian, offering some great horror scenarios and thrilling, tense action to back up its amazing monster and environment design. Even though this year has been amazing for games, it’s not been the most active for action horror fans, making The Evil Within 2 highly recommended for people who enjoy throwing themselves into disturbing adventures to get their thrills.

JYDGE isn’t a perfect game. The gameplay could be improved in some sections. Stealth is one example, where some missions require not being spotted, but I never felt that stealth fitted right with this game, what with all the shooting and movement. Little issues with the game can be ignored when all the action is happening and you are in the zone, the great soundtrack adds to the feeling that you are the perfect cyber cop and must accomplish cleaning the streets of Edenbyrg. I had a great experience with the game, and being a fan of such movies like Robocop and Judge Dredd certainly adds to my enjoyment I had with all the action going on in JYDGE.

Hidden Agenda is a game built to be played with friends, but ultimately I found the most fun in single player. It is also a game made to be finished in one sitting, but I grew to like it more after two playthroughs. Wrapping the adventure up in the guise of a party game does it no favours, but it proficiently overcomes these issues to be a worthwhile experience. I’d love to see this series have another outing, and hope for a more ambitious sequel if it were to continue.

Not only does Super Mario Odyssey celebrate the history of Mario over his 30 years with nostalgic treats, but it embodies the delight of discovery that comes with the openness of a sandbox Mario title, pushing it forward with Nintendo’s creativity to think up thrilling platforming scenarios. Nintendo has delivered a superb game that wants to take players on a trip through its bizarre and wonderful landscapes without restrictions, something that has been absent for too long in modern platform games.

Whilst the game is densely packed with a ton of stuff to do, I still believe most of it is much too easy or repetitive – resulting in it feeling mostly like constant fetch quests. The parts I did love came significantly late into the experience and left me wanting more due to their brevity. It’s fair to say there’s something for everyone but that also makes it feel uneven. Up until the late game all the player does is run back and forth, switching between different times, battling with no interaction, and riding those damn trains that actually make stops like a 10-minute loading screen. I wasn’t really hooked by the bad attempts at humour or the weird little jingles that yo-kai types have, either, but I would still play a future Yo-kai game in hopes that the combat gets the lime-light it deserves. Until then, though, I can only recommend the title to a much younger demographic who could get the full experience, but probably still need their older sibling to help with those tougher fights.

The game is visually stunning and sets a new bar for the genre of Cyberpunk games. The voice acting from Rutger Hauer is perfectly casted, and he delivers the role spectacularly. Observer is overall pretty short, but it will have you playing until you push on to uncover the truth – it truly is a captivating game. The sound design is fantastic, too, from the impressive soundtrack, written and composer by Arkadiusz Reikowski, to the noise of creaky doors, all lends itself to a truly great psychological horror game.

As a first timer to the Mario & Luigi RPGs, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions makes a great impression for the series. I couldn’t tell it was an old game, holding up well with today’s current handheld games, thanks to the enhancements stemming from its sequels. I found being constantly active in battles a change from a lot of mainstream RPGs I’ve played, and the ageless dialogue stands the test of time, due to how well written the adventure is – it truly delights with its humorous, friendly comedy that can generate some real laughter. Unlike Metroid: Samus Returns, I feel Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions is more for newcomers to the series rather than existing fans. I’m sure some fans will enjoy the new side content or replaying a better looking Superstar Saga that they haven’t touched for a few years, but for people who have never experienced Superstar Saga, then I whole heartily recommend grabbing your 3DS and picking up this delightfully charming, creative role-playing game.

Although many fans were initially worried about Deck Nine taking the helm for the prequel to Life is Strange that fear now seems totally unjustified. Their vision for the series, as showcased in the first episode, is proof positive that the much loved characters are in safe hands. Brave New World is yet another piece of lovingly crafted evidence that should banish any lingering doubt about the developer. They are a highly capable team and a near perfect fit for this series.

Project CARS 2 takes the foundations of its father and builds upon them, improving all aspects, but some areas have received more upgrades than others. This is no doubt a better racing game than its predecessor, with amazing visuals, fantastic sounds, more variety in cars, tracks and events, while featuring a dynamic weather system that stands above the rest of the pack, but the buggy AI sours the overall racing experience. Project CARS 2 also has that feeling that it is made for racing wheel accessories than a controller, and while the improved controller support is good, it’s still not the gold standard in the genre. It’s a rather hectic time for racing fans, with a few games coming or already out within such a small release window that there are many options to pick from for racing fans, and Project CARS 2 deserves attention for bringing great simulation racing, but stands out more for the unique driving-in-the-weather experience that cannot be found in any other racing game.

Like a top-notch episode of a great TV show Oxenfree presents a well told singular story in parallel with interesting mythology. Bar a few pacing issues I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game – and was enthralled with the narrative for huge swaths of the runtime. Oxenfree is a superb addition to Switch’s growing catalog of indie games. It may not be a title well suited to gaming on the move, but I found that playing curled up on a couch, in a dimly lit room, was an excellent setting to experience the story. Maybe you will too?

Overall, Road Redemption is a brilliantly fun spiritual successor to the Road Rash series, and absolutely exceeded my expectations. Its exhilarating, and surprisingly tactical gameplay compensate for lackluster visuals and a few environmental collision issues. Road Redemption is an absolute blast to play, and I thoroughly recommend it.

Just like Stardew Valley filled a void in the hearts of those missing Harvest Moon, Golf Story does what Nintendon’t by delivering a highly competent take on the Mario Golf RPG formula – an offshoot of a franchise that has gone missing for well over a decade. Golf Story likely wouldn’t have existed without looking to gaming’s past for inspiration but that hardly makes it a knockoff. It excels in every way you’d hope a game in this niche but fascinating genre would.

Blue Reflection seems to want to tell a story more than wanting to be an RPG. The focus on delivering a coming of age tale, seeing all the characters deal with their growing pains during a typical school life comes across as genuine. If you don’t mind slow paced stories that dig deep into emotional context, then Blue Reflection will be an attractive proposition, especially for less experienced RPG fans who aren’t good at handling complex battle systems. The issue with Blue Reflection is that the game parts, those battle aspects of an RPG, aren’t well developed and lead to repetitive gameplay that soils the game’s overall experience, which some people might find to be on the tedious side, particularly if you’re more into action than story.

Though Final Fantasy IX’s PS4 port lacks the same love and care that was given to the recently released Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, it is still a solid enough re-release, and more importantly another modern source for players to experience this wonderful RPG classic, whether for the first time or the hundredth time. The timeless charm, characterization and content guarantees that this game will be the place you’ll return to someday, now and forever.

Having to drone through shallow plots and mysteries that the player figures out ages before Katrielle does just left me wanting to skip directly to the next puzzle or go back and play a much better Layton game. As mentioned, the puzzles and world are as marvelous as ever but I just can’t see myself recommending it to anyone who hasn’t already exhausted every other Professor Layton game first, especially when the physical copy is releasing at twice the price of the mobile version. I hate that I didn’t properly enjoy this entry and will just continue to hope that more Layton games (and movies please!) will come in the future. After all – a true gentleman leaves no puzzle unsolved.

I don’t know what it is with Capcom recently, but they seem to be getting the most important parts of their fighting games – the fighting systems and mechanics – spot on, but dropping the ball in other departments. That said, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is too much fun to simply advise people to ignore, it’s a good fighting game surrounded by the unpolished presentation, but it does enough to be able to recommend it to fighting fans, but less so for the Marvel comic/film fanatics.

SteamWorld Dig 2 is one of the greatest endeavors in excavation gaming has ever seen. It takes the core gameplay loop seen in the original and adds layers of extra ideas atop that make it a joy to play. If you play for 10 minutes, or choose to settle in for a whole hour or more, there is always a feeling that progress is being made. That’s a great bullet point for any game to boast yet few actually possess.

Even though I had to eventually look up the other endings after playing the game 1.5 times, it’s fair to say that Tokyo Dark is not just a good game but one unlike you’ve ever played. Whilst the art may make it look like a flash game (besides the occasional anime-style cutscene), it does delve into some pretty testing and philosophical topics, merging them with the paranormal. The characters are interesting and deep; even those with little screen time seem to have complex personalities that can often inform the player of their reactions to certain decisions. The audio design is simply disturbing in the most perfect way – pulling off what I believed only Silent Hill could by actually getting to me through sound alone. And every time you do something the smart way, such as when I managed to get into the Police evidence locker without anyone in the building knowing, you’re rewarded with positive SPIN changes. All of these little pieces come together to form something completely new and intense; I hope to see a lot more like it in the future.

Arms has already hit Nintendo’s hybrid system, a title that offers a truly unique fighting game experience, but Pokkén Tournament DX manages to also standout for bringing its own incomparable type of fighting gameplay. Sure, it’s not a brand new title, and only the people that truly loved the original release will be wanting to part cash for the full price of this enhanced port, but just like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Pokkén Tournament DX gives chance for the many people who did not pick a Wii U to grab this refreshing fighting game for some hype Pokémon matches at home or on the go. Simply put, Pokkén Tournament DX is a bloody good fighting game that more people should try, no matter if you are a casual or hardcore fighting player or a Pokémon fan, the experience here allows for all types of players to enjoy Pokkén Tournament DX‘s distinct fighting while adding another great game to their Switch catalogue.

Being able to adapt the heart of Monster Hunter into a turn-based RPG is Monster Hunter Stories’ biggest success. It’s aesthetics are visually pleasing, some of the best on the 3DS, bringing a sweet, sugar-coated take on the world of Monster Hunter that is only spoiled by taking too long to get challenging. Despite that issue, the game is a pleasant experience which brings with it an enjoyable, lengthy adventure that gives people fascinated with the world of Monster Hunter, but maybe could not get into the main games, a chance to enjoy the spirit of those titles in a game that cries out to not only the Monster Hunter fans, but fans of Pokemon and light-hearted RPGs. This game could easily find a new audience to build itself up, lifting it up from simply being a spin-off game to becoming a fully fledged series to sit along side the main titles.

Due to the game’s short length and easier 2-player difficulty, especially considering the second player’s unique special ability is to wipe out everything on the screen with a giant laser beam, an endless mode would have gone a long way. Of course, there is both a higher difficulty and New Game+, as well as silver and gold challenges for each level, but I still hope to see some extra two-player focussed content in the future. Fortunately, I’m still a good while away from completing everything for now and I’ll be passing that second controller to anyone I can get. Wunderbar!

Honestly, I could rant on about how completely badass Samus comes off in some of the more action focussed cutscenes, or about the incredible soundtrack that brings back all the nostalgic classics (headphones on full volume recommended) but I think calling it an incredible Metroid game says all that and more.

In the end, Trails of Cold Steel is a game made for specific fans of the JRPG genre, but it also succeeds in nailing down all of its tropes and mechanics, rather than try to appeal to everyone with a bunch of pieces that don’t fit cohesively. Its emphasis on character development and skill trees prove that it has placed its priorities in the right areas, rather than blow its budget on visuals or other superfluous aspects. What it lacks in innovation, it more than makes up for in polish, and the result is bound to leave many fans hungry for the next two installments in the trilogy regardless of whether they play through the main story or follow every side character’s journey to completion.

Like Chrysalis, Awake once again feels like the beginning of something great. It is referential for sure, it has to be, but it’s never wholly reliant on what came before. This is a markedly assured debut for new developer Deck Nine, who have confidently executed the core elements that made the original so well liked, but also put their own spin on the world to weave a new tale. Before The Storm is set to be a nostalgic trip back to a home away from home that many thought they’d never get to visit again. I’m delighted to once again be part of this world – if only for a little while.

Overall, Agents of Mayhem is incredible fun, but having played Volition’s other games, this title seems to be lacking a certain panache that their others games had in spades. The potty humour is there, and is funny in places, but it’s far removed from the hilarious stuff seen in Saints Row. Even the weapons leave much to be desired after experiencing the insane arsenal seen in Saints Row. There are some unique play styles and weapons included, but these feel a little too PG13 for an 18-rated game.

In the end, White Day: A Labyrinth Named School does not quite live up to its legend as a hard to find, harder to run niche horror game, but there are a lot of nostalgic touches to appreciate for longtime fans of horror games. Consequently, those fans may be the ones who will be able to tolerate the game’s archaic shortcomings the most.

Immortal Planet is by no means a bad game but it’s certainly not for me. It just seemed to get in the way of itself a lot – holding itself back via some particularly odd design decisions, possibly made in an attempt to emulate that ‘Soulsian’ gameplay but without enough of a core to back it up.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a smashing port that brings all the revamps of Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System and adds more to it to improve the game for a better experience. If you had issues with the story or didn’t enjoy the battle system – if you were a young whipper snapper, I recommend trying it again, as you might come round to it this time around – then it won’t do anything to fix that for you. If you have never played Final Fantasy XII or are a fan of the game, then this is simply the best way to play Final Fantasy XII and experience its innovative and fun mechanics.

Archangel has a few rough dents in its mechanical chassis, but still performs a whole lot better than most of the VR dreck that has plagued Sony’s budding VR hardware. At this point, beggars can’t be choosers, and a decent experience is far more preferable than another stomach-turning train wreck. Though not every idea may be properly thought through, there is still a lot of love and care put into the game, which may not make it entirely deserving of a full-price purchase, but still worth a weekend with after a price drop or two.

The game is cell-shaded to the absolute maximum, allowing for a perfect touch of detail that never distracts but still remains visually interesting, whether boosting through the worlds at top speed or stopping to take a look around every once in awhile. Otherwise you could miss it. The music though – wow. I can’t even describe it and that’s not just because it’s jaw-dropping but mainly because it seems to defy all known genres and has a mish-mash of techno, chiptune, drum and bass, classical, and god knows what else. I could go on and on praising it but the final word is the game is great, with a lot of content for those that can’t get enough, and should be played by any platformer lover, whilst the soundtrack needs to be listened to by absolutely everybody with ears.

God Wars: Future Past offers a decent strategy RPG that keeps things straightforward by throwing away complex mechanics in favour of a well-built job system that calls back to the classic strategy RPGs, like Final Fantasy Tactics. If you enjoy the genre, I can see God Wars: Future Past being an entertaining title, but it’s harder to recommend for the casual fans, even with its less demanding strategy mechanics, because the story isn’t great, the battles can be similar due to some mundane and flat level design, and for people who adore great graphics, the dated visuals won’t do anything for them. Get past those problems and there is a solid strategy game at its heart.

Despite the good intentions of the developers, Arizona Sunshine is yet another PSVR game that is plagued by unoptimized controls, queasy camera movement and an overall brief and unremarkable experience that barely qualifies it as a rental, where such an option even possible. The standards have already been raised for virtual horror games thanks to Resident Evil 7, so it falls upon developers to catch up to the VR race and deliver the same kind of quality that Sony’s new hardware add-on desperately needs.

Nex Machina is an great twin-stick shooter that stays close to the roots it has inherited from designer Eugene Jarvis to bring a modernise, hyper speed take on this classic genre. It does not try to reinvent the wheel, and its lack of online cooperative action is a disappointment, but it offers simple, exceptional controls and has enough going on within its mechanics that it never feels shallow. With beautiful voxel visuals, challenging gameplay and piercing colours, Nex Machina is a combination of striking graphics and addictive gameplay that never stops for a break. While it might not be the best twin-stick shooter in the past few years, there is no doubt that this is still another great arcade shooter from Housemarque’s ever growing library of quality shooters.

Unless there’s a nausea-based update I’m not sure I’d ever go back to play Detached again and it’s definitely not making it into my impress first time VR-users catalogue. In fact, it has instead become my go-to example for how VR standards must be respected and how ignoring them can potentially ruin what might have been an otherwise fantastic experience. I’m not sure I can put it any better than that; great game but unplayable.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam manages to carve itself a place in an already flourishing genre, all thanks to the semi-simulation war combat. The Vietnam War makes for a distinct battleground that has been smartly incorporated into the game’s mechanics, which bring slower paced matches with more emphasis on team work and survival combat than rushing out to be a solo war hero. Rising Storm 2: Vietnam is aimed at a specific group of first-person shooter fans who are lured by the prospect of an experience more closer to the realism spectrum, and by looking at the server browser, there seems to be enough players to give this game legs. If that sounds like something enjoyable, then I can see Rising Storm 2: Vietnam becoming the multiplayer shooter of 2017 for those people.

Crackshell has managed to drip every ounce of Serious Sam and rework it into the twin-stick shooter formula with immaculate imitation of the first-person shooter its based upon. Serious Sam’s Bogus Detour looks great, plays fantastic and has enough challenge to offer something for even the serious fans of Serious Sam – it is literally those games portrayed into a different genre. Even if you have never touched a Serious Sam game before, this pixel 2D shoot-em-up is an amusing blast of arcade entertainment on your own, but an absolute bucket brimming with joyous madness when you bring friends along, making it an easy recommendation for people looking for their next 90s action fix.

After the brilliant Dirt Rally, I was a little wary with Dirt 4 and the return to the broader spectrum of off-road motorsports that I thought it might bring back the issues fans originally had with the series. Thankfully, the team hasn’t lost the focus on rally, keeping it the main attraction in this package. While I’m not happy with the limited locations available, I can’t deny that with the constant refreshment of new tracks on command, thanks to Your Stage, Dirt 4 offers many hours of surprises in a thrilling racing game packaged with features that allow the hardcore, intermediate and casual racing fans all able to play the game without feeling left out. The mainline Dirt series might no longer be as flamboyant as it once was, but its lack of flare has translated into a more meaningful rally experience that cannot be match this generation by anything other than its hardcore off-shoot, Dirt Rally.

Bulletstorm is a nice little 8-hour time-sink where the player has to never think and can just go about blowing people to bits. Sure, it hasn’t aged well but the combat side works fine and there’s a bit of replayability if one wants to attempt to get every Skillshot, or try to see how far you can get with a couple of friends in the wave-based multiplayer mode. However, it is certainly a shame to see such little effort put into this new release even though it is perfectly OK. I mean, as long as you can get past the cringe-worthy dialog of having the only female character telling you she will ‘kill your dick’ and the throwaway plot, you might just find a good chunk of fun in there. It’s right next to the drill launcher.

Disgaea 5 Complete certainly appeals more to people who have never played the game over the fans that jumped into it first on PS4. What is great is that nothing is sacrificed on it’s move to Nintendo’s new hybrid system, so those fans who like the idea of playing the game again with a portable aspect will be happy with the transition. For newcomers, what should be known is that Disgaea 5 Complete is a great strategy RPG with some unique features going for it that no other strategy RPG does (e.g. Item World). It also brings deep gameplay, fanatical characters and a silly story that makes Disgaea 5 Complete a fantastic additional to the Switch’s library, filling in a genre that the system doesn’t have at the moment, while being the best version of Disgaea 5.

All in all, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 is a welcome upgrade for fans that own the previous iteration (they even get a discount), and an especially meaty experience for newcomers, even if the story will be far ahead of their level of understanding. With Injustice 2 and Tekken 7 falling in the same month, it’s been a heck of a comeback for modern fighting games.

The Town of Light is a beautiful title, with great sound and reworked voice-overs that improve on the original release, but it needs harder puzzles, some work on the camera and maybe be a bit darker to give the flashlight some purpose. Besides that, The Town of Light accomplishes what it promises, and is a game people need to try, because it is something different to experience within the video game medium.

The episode, and the game in general, is not bad. In fact, it is good. There are moments of tension and a narrative that goes some way to engage the player. And since, I’ve been a bit of a downer about the whole thing, I would like to add, the voice acting is superb, as expected. Plus, Jesus turns up again in all his man-bun glory which made for a great ending to his character. But by the standards of Telltale, the episode is simply, and frustratingly, just ‘fine’ or ‘OK’. For any other franchise, this would be par for the course. But for The Walking Dead, a series revered and loved by many, it seems crushingly disappointing.

Injustice 2 is a bigger, better, more beautiful follow up to Gods Among Us that improves on the irks of the first game to make it a polished fighter. No matter if your enjoyment falls into single player or multiplayer, there is so much high quality content, from the big budget flair of the story mode, the impressive presentation, the Multiverse’s changing challenges, and the solid online code built in Injustice 2 that it can supply many hours, days and weeks of brutal entertainment, no matter the skill level of the player. I feel confident in saying that Injustice 2 is the best work NetherRealm Studios has ever done, and in that, making it an excellent fighting game for fans of the genre or lovers of superheroes.

Overall, Dragon Quest Heroes II is easily the most lovingly-recreated celebration of fanservice since Hyrule Warriors. There is an undeniable charm in its presentation, dialog and audio cues, and the shift towards more gameplay variety than the average Musou title is greatly appreciated, even if it isn’t the biggest step forward. There is also an RPG worth’s amount of extra content, including periodic updates featuring additional characters to fight alongside and powerful new foes to fight against. Musou titles may more commonplace than sports games these days, but this is definitely one of the few worth seeking out, and an absolute must-have purchase for longtime Dragon Quest fans.

Deck 13 took what they learnt from working on Lords of the Fallen and added their own ideas to allow The Surge to be more than a pure Dark Souls clone. The combat is fantastic, engaging, and features a neat limb target system, and the skill progression is refreshingly open to experimentation, but the overall experience is sadly hampered by the lack of enemy variety and a monotonous sci-fi location, which has so much potential wasted with the current industrial environment. Even with those faults, The Surge is a better game than Lords of the Fallen, and one that I can recommend to fans of the popularised action RPG subgenre, because there is a good, fun experience to be had with The Surge, and some of its unique ideas bring solid additions to From Software’s concrete formula.

Overall, “average” is the perfect descriptor for Akiba’s Beat. While there is nothing particularly bad about it, it does little to stand out among the most recent releases that truly revitalize the JRPG genre. It is both baffling and disheartening that the developers chose to rob the very things that made Akiba’s Trip stand out among the sea of Japanese games only to have it conform to a pale imitation of more polished JRPGs. If you haven’t done so already, consider passing over this game in favor of seeking out its more unique (and entertaining) predecessor for cheap.

Little Nightmares is a thrilling game of horror built around its twisted and fascinating location. It drops the conventional cheap scare tactics and shines with psychological fear when it is delivering its unnerving, sinister frights through the eerie atmosphere, creepy visuals and stellar sound. If it wasn’t for some of the minor control issues, Little Nightmares would be a near perfect package in what it is trying to deliver, but even with the slight tarnish on the overall experience, there’s no denying that Little Nightmares is one of the more imaginative horror titles currently available.

This series has been disappointing so far. This episode is probably the best yet but the glitches and just general lack of improvement in the writing mean that it is still substandard. The last episode would have to be incredible to draw everything together into a meaningful arc which lives up to its predecessors.

Dawn of War III brings with it a campaign that starts off on the slow end, but eventually warms up to be an enjoyable, if fairly standard, single player mode. It’s the inventive multiplayer that is the biggest change, and one that will upset traditionalists who wanted a return to the original game. The blend of both predecessors’ ideas to bring the mix of base building and hero powered Elite units goes well with the new focus on exhilarating, faster-paced multiplayer. But if you hate the idea of a game that promotes aggression, pushing hard and relying on having such powerful units that can turn the tide of battle, then your experience with the game is no doubt going to wane. While it won’t be a genre defining twist nor shape the future of RTS multiplayer, it’s still remains a unique take on the typical RTS conventions and one I’ve grown to relish more as I keep playing.

The Disney Afternoon Collection still represents some of the most treasured third party titles of yesteryear, and solid proof that not every licensed game should turn out to be disappointing garbage. That’s a lesson today’s developers should learn, just as this collection should be checked out by nostalgic adults and curious kids alike.

Nonograms are nice little time-killers, especially on the go, which is obviously lost on a PC. Secondly, a touch screen is easily the best way to play. It makes everything so much easier to control, being able to fill in complete lines at a time with a single stroke, which is much harder when using a mouse. In fact, I disliked using my mouse so much I grabbed my graphics tablet and used that instead – much better, but unfortunately a luxury not everybody has access to. Honestly it just feels wrong to play picross on a PC. Using such a large screen for small, simple puzzles and not being able to take them with you is really awful and I can’t say I’ll ever be playing a picross game on the platform again.

I went into Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom with a lot of hope that it could successfully achieve all it was set out to do with this unique blend of arena based fighter injected into an action-RPG. The indie studio had a lot of ambition and heart for the project, but it disappointingly doesn’t manage to pull off all these cool ideas together into a coherent package. Shiness has the visuals right, but there are too many minor faults throughout the game across its combat, platforming and performance that it is hard to truly recommend what is actually a refreshing RPG at heart, especially with so many great games releasing lately. That said, there is fun here in small doses, so if you are looking for something a bit different after exhausting all the big guns, then it might scratch a certain itch that people are looking for, and with it not being the longest of RPGs, you might get through it without as much irritation with its faults as I did.

The controls are intriguing enough to hook a player in and it’s quite fun to embrace the elementary mastery of them once they’ve become second nature and platforming through formidable-looking obstacle courses is a breeze. Plus, relaxedly exploring the 15 stages for collectibles (20 wisps and 5 coins per level) is made more enjoyable by the charming, bright design and chilled out tunes that accompany it, which is all it really aims to be – a laid back game that shows off a new angle for a bit of fun. No real replayability after the few collectibles or big skill wall to overcome, or even any kind of lesson to learn, but instead to almost act as a kind of sandbox for a new type of control system and whilst it could have been built on, it does do what is set out to do, just a bit lazily.

Without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts 1.5+2.5 Remix is the definitive collection of the landmark crossover series. While the PS4 re-release of these games don’t offer the most substantial upgrades from the PS3 editions (aside from slightly faster load times and 60 frames a second during gameplay…sadly, all cutscenes remain in their original 30 fps rendering), the sheer convenience of having all these games under one collection (not to mention one console) is as tremendous as the value. Old fans and newcomers alike owe themselves to step into this adventure spanning multiple worlds (and games).

Telltale have surprised me before, and for Clementine’s sake, I hope they manage it again by the end of this season. Otherwise, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier may join the series with a whimper, rather than a ferocious zombie bite.

I found it a ton of fun and terribly addicting to the point where I just consumed it in about 2 days.

Toukiden 2 is a packed title that sacrifices complex depth, but in exchange continues to offer people a faster, more easy to understand hunting game for anyone who does not gel with the methodical style of Monster Hunter, while also bringing a fun single player story. Omega Force switched up the formula with the inclusion of an open world, an idea that works well within its framework, but isn’t perfect – it could do to express the “open” aspect further, and also branch it out to the multiplayer component of the game. Fans should be happy to know that the sequel is a good follow up to the original, adding a little creative divergence, but upholding what was fun about the first title, while also allowing single or multiplayer gamers to jump in and enjoy without frustration.

For those who already owned both Danganronpa games in handheld or PC, this PS4 collection offers little-to-no additions, and becomes a case-by-case basis of whether it’s worth dipping in again. For newcomers, this is a bargain price for two of the most memorable adventure games in years, featuring all sorts of stylized artwork and utterly insane twists and turns. It may be more of an extracurricular than a mandatory course, but this collection tour of despair is still worth enrolling in.

Simply put, Dead Rising 4 is going to upset the serious hardcore fans of the series who have enjoyed its quirky mechanics over the years. Signs began with Dead Rising 3 that Capcom was moving in an direction to simplify the game to allow more accessibility to the mainstream. Dead Rising 4 will not do anything for those people, but for anyone who did enjoy the previous title or would like a game that’s about dressing up in dumb clothes and killing zombies in stupid ways with bizarre weapons, while celebrating the wonderful festivities of massacre over a Christmas theme, then this title is for you. It makes an improvement over the third entry, offering a few hours of silly fun for a series that still manages to bring a unique experience like no other when it comes to dishing out the zombie violence.

Nier: Automata is a brilliant, slick action RPG pumped with so many cool and distinct features, and a story that that I could keep talking about all day, but let’s not spoil what should be experienced, nor bore everyone with mechanics and finish up the review with a final statement. Nier: Automata is a thrilling piece of entertainment, one that sticks out for being unique, for being refreshing, and that little bit bonkers. With so many quality games released so far in 2017, Nier: Automata‘s brave approach to bring something outlandish makes it a worthwhile investment. By combining the madness of Yoko Taro’s stories with Platinum Games expertise in adrenaline action, it has enabled it to deliver an exceptional and solid paced video game, with both teams complimenting each other in this sequel that improves on everything wrong with Nier, while blowing your freaking mind after reaching its full conclusion.

In the end, Nights of Azure tries to prioritize style over substance, which should be enough to gain the attention of its target audience, but a bit more tightening up of the latter would have been preferable. Whether the grinding gameplay is enough to enjoy a saccharine sweet girl/girl romance plot will depend on the player’s tolerance, not to mention their own priorities for a game like this.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is cast away into the depths of the eclipse as a gory average Warriors game with a captivating mature theme, but lacking substance to keep people motivated to playing past a single completion of the story.

In the end, while there is a flat story with a protagonist that lacks any real personality, they aren’t big enough issues to spoil where it matters most. Sniper Elite 4 releases with such confidence in what it wants to be that it is easy to see why all the improvements make it the best entry in the series. The advancements are in places where it matters most, making use of the current generation to bring larger maps to make way for more gameplay options in its sandbox environment, an implementation that advances the franchise in a better direction, one that could lead way for an impressive sequel that truly knocks it out of the park with the great foundations set in stone with Sniper Elite 4‘s refreshing design for a series that could have remained stale.

Although the mechanics may get same-y in the long run, due to the lack of much variation, The Flame in the Flood is pure art. It’s full of emotion and is abundantly clear that it was made as a labour of love, making the lack of a true challenge or any real replayability an even bigger shame as it falls short of being great.

While I did often find myself frustrated by it, ultimately I enjoyed my time with Alone With You. But as to whether I see myself playing again, unearthing the secrets and getting to know its cast of characters from another angle – there, I’m not so sure. But for fans of the adventure genre – and particularly visual novels – it’s well worth at least one playthrough.

Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is overall a pleasurable tale, and even when the overarching story has a depressing theme and the graphical performance is a little lacking, nothing stops it from being just a bliss of fun, a warm bundle of charm in a climate where we kind of need something to give us a smile from time to time.

Infinity Wars – Animated Trading Card Game is a confidently made card game that comes with complexity and depth that tries to distinguish itself from the standard card gameplay that has become popular with Magic the Gathering and Hearthstone.

Yakuza 0 is a strong testament to the level of detail and the amount of content the series is known for. The writing is equal parts a compelling crime thriller and a hilarious spoof of Japanese culture, the combat is simplistic but unobtrusive with some satisfying hard hits, and the numerous amounts of side activities, unlockables, mini-games and extra modes will keep players satisfied and busy before the next game rolls around.

Overall, even though the controls sometimes made me swear in frustration and the hackneyed narration made me laugh out loud, I am still, on the whole, pleased to have played The Descendants. It is worth trying out in a sale, and if you can cope with the shortcomings in design, the story is an entertaining five-episode arc.

In the end, while we in the Western world have been blessed with a few Hatsune Miku games in the past, nothing comes close to what Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone offers. Its arcade roots might mean the highest difficulties are some of the hardest songs the series has introduced on console due to not having an identical controller to the arcade, but there is no denying that this is the Hatsune Miku game to own above all other titles available, while at the same time being an amazing value proposition.

These two short episodes (about three hours for both) did keep me invested and reminded me that Telltale can spin a good story. There were a few effective moments and a few tricky choices. However, the technical and narrative flaws are too glaring to ignore. And, perhaps saddest of all, I am just not as excited to play the next episode as I usually am with Telltale games.

These two short episodes (about three hours for both) did keep me invested and reminded me that Telltale can spin a good story. There were a few effective moments and a few tricky choices. However, the technical and narrative flaws are too glaring to ignore. And, perhaps saddest of all, I am just not as excited to play the next episode as I usually am with Telltale games.

The action is repetitive and dull, even with the extra visual trappings and character variety. The main hook is the lengthy story, but only a select group of hardcore fans who have been following the plot since the PSP days will be able to truly appreciate the metaphysical terminology and boisterous soliloquies from the various historical figures reincarnated as sword-swinging waifus and husbandos.

In short, Lethal VR is a basic game concept that does exactly as advertised. It’s a quick arcade-style target range game with a lot of neat objectives and weapons to play around with. It’s just a shame that more time could not be given to the controls in order to better accommodate the PSVR’s hardware, as precision and comfort are absolutely instrumental for games like this. We’ve come far in the last few years, yet it seems target-based gaming has not evolved much since the Nintendo Wii’s remote-waggling days.

The criticisms only come because Beholder sets its sights at such lofty heights and complex issues but fails to reach them. And of course, it suffers by association with the ethically sensitive and artistically cohesive Papers Please. What it achieves, however, is an entertaining and challenging strategy game. It is just good, which is a shame because it could have been brilliant.

The potential this title had is washed away by it being plagued with performance issues and a lack of variety in its level and mission design. When everything is working, I was having fun, even if it was a little shallow, but these issues cannot save the amusingly raw and brutal combat from being part of a game where the overall experience is repetitive and its cooperative play is cumbersome.