Visually astounding throughout. Graphics fans will adore every grimy nook and cranny of the Victorian London setting. Sadly though, the game around it is crushingly average. The shooting sections are fun enough but far too few and far between, and much of the game is spent watching cutscenes or being forced to walk through one, so much so that it rarely feels like you're 'playing' the game at all.

Thrilling mechanics, plentiful missions and robust unlocks make it the Top Gun for genre fans who own the system.

Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters tells a great story well and sets a new graphical standard for visual novels. Sadly its attempts to provide more player choice and agency fall flat, both in terms of vague (often creepy!) character interactions and tedious turn-based combat.

WRC 5 patronises gamers with hollow victories amidst a game full of painted-on features. It's a shame, as the track design is suitably stuffed with tight corners surrounded by car-shredding traps. Car handling is up to the task, if a little lacking in speed and excitement. You're better waiting for 2016's rally games.

J-Stars Victory VS+ is a crossover for the ages and a delightfully mad brawler in its own right. A few shortcomings are overshadowed by the attention to detail, great cast, riotous combat and the big silly grin it will leave on your face.

The lack of threat and its big yet pointless open world robs the game of challenge, likely leaving you broadly unsatisfied after just a handful of hours.

Omega Quintet boasts a unique idol premise, enjoyable exploration, quirky characters and a sensational combat system. Sadly the unlikeable protagonist, disappointing visuals and other issues make the PS4's first exclusive JRPG more difficult to recommend than it ought to be.

There's a great arcade flight sim in here somewhere. Vector Thrust offers a huge number of unlockable planes, thrilling dogfights and a bevy of modes, but its abysmal campaign and wildly inconsistent quality should have been caught in Early Access.

One of the most relaxing games I've played in ages. Submerged is a game happy to let the player explore, with minimal challenge making for an experience that focuses on player exploration and stopping to enjoy the view. The story of the children and the desolate world around them slowly becomes clearer, leaving just enough room for the player's personal interpretation.

Despite the desperate efforts of its kinky spanking, erotic imagery and unpredictable battle system, Criminal Girls: Invite Only is a crashing bore.

A great idea executed poorly. £15.99 on PS4 is a big ask for a shoestring budget shooter that handles far worse than the games of yesteryear it seeks to emulate. Nostalgic retro FPS fans would be better off spending the money on a copy of the book.

Project Root blithely assembles the worst parts of classic SHMUPs and exploration-driven shooters into a complete mess. Lacklustre presentation, an inappropriate progression system and clipping glitches on all formats round out a thoroughly disappointing package.

Hatred delivers some fleeting sadistic satisfaction and a gorgeous art style, but quickly becomes a tedious chore. After all the controversy, it's disappointing that the finished product is mechanically flawed and otherwise completely forgettable.

There is only so far you can take a game titled Godzilla. After the fun of smashing up buildings and flinging helicopters soon wears off, you begin to find yourself with a mediocre title that becomes repetitive at best.

Keebles is a deceptively difficult fusion of cutesy physics puzzling and vehicular engineering. Fun and wholesomely frustrating once you smash through the challenge curve, but plenty of potential goes untapped due to its roots as a Windows 8 app. Nevertheless, a robust and incredibly addictive first attempt, and a foundation that Burnt Fuse will hopefully build into a sensational franchise.

The Indie Mixtape is a success, giving five interesting yet overlooked games a new lease of life at a bargain price. Though the eclectic mix of genres may not be to your tastes, and you could cherry-pick the best games separately on itch.io, this brave compilation does a great job of showcasing hidden talent.

Horizon Shift is a seriously impressive bit of SHMUP. Fierce and fresh, it rejuvenates ideas from classic shooters with a sensational twist of its own.

Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser is a deliciously cheesy homage to mecha anime and an exhilarating bullet hell shooter with a fun transformation system. It's not ASTRO PORT's finest work by any means, but innovation plays second fiddle to pure satisfaction.