Overall, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3 V Century is yet another Neptunia game, no more and no less.

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.

I would recommend Timelie to anyone who might find this type of experimental time-manipulation gameplay interesting but certainly not for its storytelling.

It’s not an awful game by any means, it’s just a fine JRPG, but with a predictable story and repeated backtracking, this is a game that is lacking any spark to be anything other than a local school orchestra rather than being the London symphony.

Platforming games were always my go-to genre as a kid and Unbox does take me back to that in some sense, but realistically it brings all the difficulty I would expect from a game on a tablet device and I kind of feel that’s where it belongs.

Jumping into a wingsuit in Skydive: Proximity Flight is fun and different at first, but after playing an hour or so, it becomes apparent that there isn’t much else going on with the game.

Burial at Sea – Episode One’s most welcoming addition is seeing Rapture in a state of normality. Given the circumstances we saw the underwater city in previous games; this is actually really exciting to see. But the problem is the game is far too short to make the player care enough.

Fox n Forests isn’t for everyone – it feels more like a game development experiment that resulted in a nice bite-size nostalgia trip and was released just for fun. Those without 16-bit nostalgia, or an aversion to super weird fox/bird relationships, bad English, or puns, may not really enjoy it at all. Personally, I found it both charming and entertaining, but lacking in key game design areas, which I still guess was the point all along, ironically.

An impressive game on the one hand, but lacklustre on the other, There are some things to like about Fort Solis, but the actual interaction element can become a test of patience when walking around such a visually impressive mining facility becomes a slog.

It’s a real shame that the best way to play (with someone else) seems to have been given the backseat to a more solo-focused experience, even though the games are far too shallow to hold any one person’s attention for long.

All of these details come together to form a fairly lifeless game – one with all the fixings and foundation of another epic showcase but without any of the polish or love that is so evident in the team’s previous undertaking. Now I know for a fact this game is going to be incredible. I have confidence in Fatshark; they’ve earned that by showing how much they care about their work and their player base. But, right now, in its current state, there’s simply no way I can call it a worthy successor. The gunplay is wonderful and I’ll no doubt continue to dip in here and there, but longer sessions quickly become dull and there’s no real hook, no grand finale, to motivate me to push on. I can’t wait to see what it’ll become but, in the meantime, I think I’ll take a look back and revel in the masterful predecessor, Vermintide 2, and all of the juicy extra content I never got to dive into. TL;DR Age of Sigmar > 40k.

There is certainly a place for more interactive titles such as Dear Esther when cleverly executed; one great example was the Super 8 interactive teaser included with Portal 2, offering a short but intriguing teaser that promoted the movie in a way that had previously never been attempted. As a standalone title that sells for the same price as other games that provide ambiance without skimping on gameplay, it's a much tougher sell. Still, it's a sell that anyone looking for a potentially soul-lifting experience should consider making.

F1 Race Stars had the potential to be a great kart racer; sadly, some of the gameplay tilts towards the real life sport and hinders the experience. Along with the AI, it becomes something that no kart racer should ever be – a chore to play.

As a standalone game for newcomers to the franchise, the story will leave you baffled compared to someone who would have experienced Corpse Party, and in that regard, looking at its way of storytelling comes off as a disjointed tale of horror that can give you a gloomy (in the right way) and uneasy time. However, I see it this way – go play the first Corpse Party and see how you feel about it. If you want more, then jump into Book of Shadows and enjoy it for what it is.

As a whole, Lollipop Chainsaw is worth a try, but don't expect anything less than a perverted take on zombie bashing with all the comedic qualities of a foul-mouthed school-kid.

Despite its glaring faults, Battle Princess of Arcadias still makes for a decent hybrid of RPG and Beat-’Em-Up, even if it lacks the visual and mechanical polish of Vanillaware’s titles.

Overall, Chariot is a game that is deliberately slow-paced and also demands patience.

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.

8-Bit Armies minimalistic approach to real-time strategy makes it a good gateway for people wanting to sample the genre, enabling those to get in and instantly pick up the game without worrying about complexity.

You can see glimpses of what could have been, but it is spoilt by some bad choices and a sloppy ending.

While I understand the irony in despising a game meant for a female audience, I really cannot love this game simply because of the female inclination. Had a little bit more love (or the promise of an expansion pack) been put into this game, I may not dislike it so much.

It's not a must-have title, but may provide a refreshing alternative to bald space marines and army recruitment programs.

Harking back to Elika for a second, I have to admit she is a fantastic addition to the series, and as gimmicks go she is significantly better than The Sands of Time.

The Last Tinker: City of Colors certainly has charm and a wonderful colour pallet that smothers the player in a warm and loving world. The issue is that many people won’t be engaged by the stripped down controls and limiting gameplay.

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.

It is hard to ignore Gun Jam’s lack of content in its current state, as it feels like the game should be in Early Access now rather than fully released. There are elements that clearly should be featured, tutorials, and ways to look at high scores, that are criminally missing that hurt the overall presentation, while the limited stages and song count hurt the general package. That said, what is here shows the foundations of the game’s mechanics and quality. Gun Jam feels like the game is a few updates away from being a good rhythm-based shooter hybrid because what is here is fun to play. The soundtrack is top-notch, an absolutely great set of head-banging tunes. Even despite that unfinished feeling, rhythm fans will most likely enjoy and appreciate what is available and what the developers are moulding. With the team at Jaw Drop Games having heard the feedback from players and promising to support the game with content in the future, which I hope they stick with in the long run, Gun Jam should be able to eventually join the list of good rhythm games that its promising beginnings seem to exhibit.

Torchlight III is not a bad game, it’s just a filler, a quick fast food lunch for action RPG fans, one to play once the better games in the genre have been beaten. I feel this game is not one for replayability – once the story is done and the end game content becomes monotonous it is time to move on to something else. This might suit people who do not want to be invested in grinding for hours upon end and simply want to slaughter plenty of familiar enemies for a few hours, but for the hardcore, this will be a disappointment.

The concept and the combat both give it a unique identity over Monster Hunter, and could lend itself to great things that help make it stand out. But the amateurish story direction and outdated control schemes hinder its chances to emerge from the shadow of Capcom’s multimillion dollar franchise.