Dead or Alive Dimensions is a great game. It's loads of fun, lots to do, and has plenty of longevity. It's pick-up-and-play nature makes it perfect for a handheld too, it's easy to have a quick blast through an arcade course during a short bus journey. With the current lack of quality titles for Nintendo's new handheld this shines out like a star.

What helps is that this is all wrapped up in some of the most seamless and enjoyable interactive music you’ll ever hear in a videogame.

And while there are plenty of popular titles that could have been added to the collection, including Earthworm Jim, Gunstar Heroes, Splatterhouse 2 and 3, and perhaps a few games from the SEGA CD and Saturn consoles, there is still more than enough bang for your buck here. It may not be the ultimate collection fans wanted, but it’s still a jam packed look into a time when the Genesis does what Nintendon’t.

These hiccups aside, Worms Reloaded is a welcome, engaging and worthwhile title, and a measured balance of old and new.

With great feeling melee combat, gruesome action, solid level design and brutal difficulty, this game is a hell of a lot of fun and is ideal for anyone looking for more first-person action to cure an itch for cooperative fun who doesn’t mind grinding on the side to impress the rats with their better gear.

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 game does not push the genre forward, but what is here is an exceptionally fun fighting game that is slightly cheaper than full price. Its visuals are great, the combat is ridiculous, exciting and entertaining, the characters all feel bespoke and broken, and the mechanics, while not the deepest, have layers to them. This helps DNF Duel hold the interest of serious fighting game players, while not making the casual player suffer. Amazing online netcode is just the icing on the cake for this eccentric fighting game, a title that will most likely be remembered for the insanity that is ensured to happen in every match.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a charming remaster for the Nintendo Switch that puts a happy smile on anyone with its colourful visuals and cutesy presentation. Fans who enjoy Kirby might want to experience all the new additions in this re-release, but with the game being charged at full price, you might want to ask if all the new stuff is worth the asking price. For new Kirby fans that found the pink blob through other games on their Nintendo Switch, then this will be an embodiment of pure fun for you, bringing all the good and enjoyment Kirby can offer for a group of friends sitting around the TV. Be warned, the game is still overly easy on its standard mode, which makes the Extra Mode unlock a huge shame that it was not available from the start, but at least the level design makes up some for the lack of challenge. For people who just want to sit down after a hard day of work and relax with some entertaining platforming, then Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is suited for such circumstances with its sweet, colourful adventure that is ideal for family fun or stress-free gaming.

All of this amusement with words is priced at a smashing 400 Microsoft Points, a bargain when there has been a noticeable increase of prices recently on XBLA. It's quite hard not to recommend the title, and I can only see people who really loathe games that require a good use of vocabulary hating it. For everyone else, this gaming dictionary is worth your time and you might even learn a few new words during your play – who says learning can't be fun?

The difficulty of the problem-solving you're tasked with is perfectly pitched, and if you do get stuck, the very subtle hint system may be all you need to help you along. You never feel overwhelmed and the gameplay doesn't become tedious or as frustrating as it can in other adventure games.

If you like Sanrio, or comfy life sims, can’t recommend this title enough. A calming vacation… presuming you, unlike poor, poor Retsuko, aren’t also getting daily messages from work on what’s meant to be a vacation, or whatever the gaming equivalent of that would be. The worst thing I can say about it is that it can feel a bit shallow and repetitive at times, but that’s a natural part of the genre… and life itself at times, let’s be real here. Fantastically sweet little title, if you need a game to relax with for a little bit after work, Hello Kitty Island Adventure will 100 percent help you actually do so.

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.

Wobbledogs hooks in the player with its bright, colourful visuals, and its cute critters that easily charm their new owners. Wobbledogs is not for everyone. It is a niche title that requires a specific type of player, a very casual and family-focused player, to enjoy its mostly passive gameplay. Apart from the minimal interactions and early game unlocks, there is little gaming to be done here and is more about watching from the outside to see how these dogs go about their life. This is a pet simulation, and an inexpensive one at that, with a price tag of £15.99. In that aspect, it delivers a solid experience. Its excitement comes from what mutations are going to happen next, it is how the game pulls at the hearts of its players to adore their freaky wobbledogs. The whole gut flora concept is quite a bespoke and detailed mechanic, and seeing that come to fruition through these digital animals, from their infant stage to death, makes it fun. Although, it is probably best to play while doing something else, as there can be a bit too much downtime to keep a player’s full attention.

Earth Defense Force 6 distinguishes itself as the most compelling entry in the series, successfully drawing me back into its captivating gameplay loop, a feat that previous titles had failed to achieve. Although this could easily be labelled EDF 5.5 due to asset re-usage and limited changes, the game ultimately delivers more of what fans cherish about the franchise, and new people coming in will find this all fresh and gain the best experience. If you never have been a fan, then this release will not alter your perception. Those in search of a radical change to the series may also be disappointed; however, there is hope that future instalments will introduce a fresh array of classes and features, as EDF 6 currently represents the apex of gameplay content available in the series.

Rotolla isn’t a game that you’ll play for hours on end, but it’s a game that you’ll come back to when you’re on the bus or waiting in a line. By definition of a ‘microgame,’ it succeeds entirely, being a small game that’s based on replayability and high-scores instead of a full world.

So, if you loved the first game and/or intend on buying the next then this is a must have really, and for the measly price of only 400 Microsoft points how can you say no?

Until Dawn is a fantastic blood scrawled love letter to all things horror – the slasher genre in particular. Even though all its ideas come from decades worth of scary movies, seeing these elements uniquely worked into a game is highly effective.

So it's not COD, but whether it carves out its own niche is another matter entirely. Future Soldier emanates the soul of a game that has been lovingly crafted by a team that are devoted to pleasing its long-running community, allaying fears over too much dumbing down of the series to please the COD crowd.

It is absolutely the best game for wasting away those hot summer days. If you’re a fan of superhero games or just love gratuitous violence, you can’t go wrong with Prototype.

I recommend this game to anyone who loves a good comedy and has a little patience.

Though initially it tends to be a bit on the easy side and learning when and where to use which power-plays is a case of trial and error, it’s not long before the game escalates into a nail-bitingly intense experienc

All in all Dead Rising 2 does everything a good sequel should, new story, slightly tweaked gameplay, additional game modes, all whilst retaining what made the original so good.

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.

PHOGS! is never dishonest about what it is. It wears its light-hearted silliness on its sleeve, with its winning aesthetics, childish aura, and bonny, bouncy soundtrack. However, what it is just wasn’t for us.

This sort of game could tick the right boxes if you’re looking for another strategy game to pass the time until Fire Emblem Fates comes out in Europe. Though if you’re rather picky about these sorts of games, then it’s probably best to wait for something better to come along.

Overall, Pinball FX2 VR does exactly what is advertised, and it does so adequately. It’s just unfortunate that there aren’t more viewing options, not to mention the costly requirement just to own a handful of tables that don’t even include the more popular licensed games beyond The Walking Dead. Only the most hardcore pinball players will truly appreciate the recreated table perspective with required standing, while more comfortable (and cheaper) alternatives are available with previous console iterations.

A great concept with rewarding moments of gameplay that is only slightly hampered by a handful of little things, as well as the omission of other things. A little more enemy variety, a little less level wandering and a tightening up of other aspects would have made this game a real rock concert for the ages. But it’s still an entertaining effort that was worth the trip to the back alley….or a friend’s garage, or wherever it is people go to listen to concerts these days.

I went into Ion Fury not expecting much from it, but after finishing the game, I can easily say I bloody loved my time spent with Shelly. Voidpoint has managed to bring to life a retro shooter that takes a beloved style and rigorously craft something so spot-on, so perfectly 90s, but doing so without hampering the experience. The superb and frantic action, well-thought level design and brutal weaponry all play a part in coming together to offer a joyous single player campaign.