A shallow, poorly constructed and thoroughly unenjoyably third person shooter, Lizard Lady vs. The Cats is a cheap game. Costing less than a bag of Doritos, this game is proof that you get what you pay for.

Monster Prom XXL is not your average dating game. The diabolic datable cast is bursting with character, the set pieces are outlandish and the endings go from the sublime to the ridiculous. That said, without a guide, the structure of the game will become annoyingly repetitive before you unlock the secret endings which are, by far and away, the best aspect of this game.

It can be a bit fiddly to start with, what with the limited view and squint-inducing text. Yet persevere with Disjunction and there’s a great cyberpunk detective story to get your teeth into.

If you’re an old codger like me with fond memories of old 8-bit computer games, picking up a title that evokes those memories so well is a no-brainer. If, as is more likely, you’re a young whippersnapper (I hate you), I still thoroughly recommend Kinetic Edge. It’s a terrific mix of genres that’s great in single player and even better in multiplayer. Get on it.

A symbolic exploration of the afterlife steeped in Peruvian culture, Arrog doesn’t do enough to put its story in the context it needed. It’s certainly pretty at times and there’s an interesting message about life and death buried deep in the figurative imagery for those that go looking for it, but compared to its peers, it struggles to tell its tale effectively.

One of the best AA games to release in quite some time, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood combines brutal combat, smart stealth and a well-developed lore into a 20 hour long action adventure campaign. It can get a little repetitive before the midpoint but there’s some excellent moments waiting for those that can push through to the end.

Redout Space Assault feels like two games; an enjoyable arcade shooter on rails, and a free-movement space-sim with no exploration. Glitches, unbalanced difficulty, and a lack of any worthwhile story weigh down what could have been much better.

An accessible and innovative shoot-‘em-up, Habroxia 2 does more than enough to stand out in a crowded genre. While it hasn’t turned the genre on its head and lacks leader boards, the combination of auto scrolling shmup, twin-stick shooter controls and RPG-lite elements make for a refreshing and exciting game.

Ys IX Monstrum Nox may come from an established franchise, but it treads the line of least resistance, trying to be as safe as possible. While its painfully slow narrative ends strongly, combat remains its strongest asset. It takes no risks, ending up as an almost cookie-cutter version of the previous title in a different setting.

Gods Will Fall should have been so much more fun. An average action-adventure with a few roguelike elements, it’s combat is both fiddly and too simplistic to engage. Its Gods fail to inspire, and its world lacks tangible reward, while hurting the player with its high-stakes warrior loss mechanic.

It may not look like much to begin with, but when Olija gets going it’s a captivating experience. Pixelated violence paired with the minimalism of its peers, it’s as worthy as any other game with Devolver’s blessing behind it.

Turrican Flashback is a rose-tinted ride to the heady days of the Amiga. However you can’t help but think this is a wasted opportunity considering the lack of extra features.

Project Starship X is a well put together retro shmup with tons of style. It’s simple and hones its small selection of moves into well-handled and white knuckle sections of gameplay. However it’s also relatively short, and lacks any real depth unless you’re a score-chaser.

It’s absolutely nails to begin with, but stick with Cyber Shadow and it will be your new favourite platformer. There will be tantrums and swearwords, but when a game looks this cool you can’t stay mad at it.

A series of challenging, varied boss battles are the saving graces for Teratopia, an action adventure game that’s repetitive and uninspired far too often.

Bezier: Second Edition may hit or miss with its strange narrative, but push that aside and there’s a dazzling arcade shooter in there. Twitchy reflexes and a keen eye are needed if you’re to reach those high scores.

Override 2 is a different beast compared to the original. It’s easier to grasp, much faster paced and far more dynamic. Fans of the first game might not gel with these changes which make it more akin to a traditional fighting game. Despite the tweaks and a lack of game modes, this game manages to bombastically portray destructive kaiju battles in a very satisfying way.

It’s impossible to ignore the similarities to The Witness, and it’s disappointing that it’s so patchy from a technical standpoint, but The Pillar: Puzzle Escape was a short, pleasant and surprisingly enjoyable puzzle game that people should check out. It’s not overly taxing, so you might want to look elsewhere if you’re specifically looking for a challenge, but it’s a fine game for zoning out and killing a couple of hours.

In this critics opinion, Tiny Hands Adventure is poor. It’s a 3D platformer that takes inspiration from the classics in the genre but doesn’t demonstrate an understanding of what made them so fun. Littered with design issues, a few technical hiccups and a narrative which is laughable (even to my 7 year old), it’s hard to recommend this game when it’s a shade of the games it attempts to emulate.

As a beat ’em up, Fatal Fury First Contact is a cracking little game that shows off the power the Neo Geo Pocket could achieve. But as a port, it’s just too niche when there are far better alternatives from the same catalogue available.

A magical, meditative experience that blends a surrealist painterly art style with majestic choral music and an imaginative narrative delivery, Sunlight is quite a special game. It won’t be for everyone but if you’re looking for a 30 minute diversion from the trials and tribulations of modern day life, Sunlight is a fantastic diversion.

The only silver lining to this game is the sound track which is pretty funky. Everything else about Chickens On The Road – the game play, visuals and premise – are so paper thin and designed for a singular, distasteful purpose that despite this game costing less than a bag of Doritos, I’d find it hard to recommend to anyone other than die hard Trophy Hunters.

The sport of Darts deserved better than this. Better described as a virtually unplayable mess with a darts façade rather than a darts game, I wouldn’t even recommend this title to my worst enemy.

In Checkers, a Zugzwang is a situation in which the obligation to make a move in one’s turn is a serious, often decisive, disadvantage. I recommend against putting yourself in one by buying Sabec’s virtual version of Checkers. It’s functional, sure, but the AI opponents are atrocious, the game lacks any personality and it’d more fun to simply play a table top version.

For a game about spirits, Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story is pretty soulless. A by-the-numbers backtracking horror game in the vein of Clock Tower, it’s structure and content feel lacklustre and a little disappointing if you went in expecting cyberpunk themes.

Like trying to solve your way out of a puzzle box that’s persistently creepy and occasionally nightmarish, Darq is an artistic game that leverages perspective to have your cogs turning and your head spinning. There’s a number of puzzles that rely on trial and error and stand our as low points but the rest of the game, including the 2 additional chapters, make this an easy recommendation for puzzle game fans.

As it is, Drunken Fist is a nice proof of concept, but little more than that. If you can find it on sale (the game has been available on other platforms for over a year now, so that shouldn’t be difficult), you can probably glean a couple of hours of enjoyment from its shambling nonsense. Otherwise, it’s a shallow experience that doesn’t quite pull off its one trick well enough to recommend.

CRSED: FOAD probably won’t ever see major numbers like at the very height of PUBG and its revamp may have just come a little too late for the masses to really be all that bothered, but it’s a fun quirky indie distraction from the mainstream support acts that looks better than ever before.

Offering no degree of hand-holding or tutorial, MXGP 2020 isn’t an easy ride. If it does take your fancy, however, you’ll fine a well-polished and authentic look at the world of motocross.

Neoverse is a deck-building roguelite with some impressive systems and lots of room for intricate strategy, however its presentation, lack of modes, narrative or personality really make it feel a few cards short of a full deck.

The quality of the mechanics, a cool take on those of 1982’s Pengo, are the star of Crawlco Block Knockers, a cheap, erotic puzzle game that’s only a few hours long. It’ll titillate its target audience and there’s some replayability here for them. For everyone else, a genuinely enjoyable puzzle game is combined with anime cleavage that’s poor, even for budget eroge standards.

El Hijo: A Wild West Tale’s focus on a non-combat brand of stealth, as well as its forgiving mechanics, serves as a very pleasant change to most stealth games on the market, and its overall style is cute without being cloying. It’s not perfect, with some roughness round the edges mechanically, but there are much worse ways to spend a few hours.

Your mileage with NO THING will depend on how much patience and thought you’re willing to give it. There’s a story buried in a trippy, simplistic autorunner that actively works to frustrate the player at times. A cool vaporware aesthetic and a hand full of decent songs don’t make it any less aggravating to play or help the delivery of a tale that needed clarity.

A trio of twists on a classic, Space Invaders Forever brings together 3 inventive titles that can fill an evening with friends or a weekend score chasing alone. There’s caveats with all 3 games that long time fans will need to consider before purchasing but if you’re simply looking for a Space Invaders fix with a difference, this is the game for you.

A dream-like point-and-click story of love and grief told through memory vignettes, When The Past Was Around is memorable but when you can finish it in a few hours, it feels oh so fleeting.

Offering a modern roguelite spin on a retro-inspired concept, SYNTHETIK is a cracking title from a small team. A fiddly menu system can be a pain at times, but the core gameplay of this robot rampage is absolutely top notch. Either solo or with a friend, there’s hours of fun to be had in trying to overthrow the machine.

Look up the word “charming” in the dictionary, and you might very well find the cover for this game looking back at you. A bright and breezy game with an important message at its core, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is a terrific experience, imbued with personality at every turn, that can be polished off in a single session. Another winner in a rapidly burgeoning library from ustwo games.

The game adaptation of Orwell’s Animal Farm tells a disjointed story, without the kind of buildup and nuance that makes it a classic novel. As a game, it lacks the kind of options and menus necessary to make you feel like you’re ever in control of your farm.

As a cinematic platformer that borrows all the best bits from the Soulslike genre without being too punishing then adds its own unique elements, Unto The End is a triumph. The ‘bleeding out’ feels like it’s not utilised as well as it could have been and there are a few annoying glitches but the core game here is a stiff test and a very satisfying reward.

Free-to-play it may be, but Rogue Company is a high-quality title that’s among the best shooters I’ve played this year and a welcome alternative to the more standard shooters you find on console. I’d highly recommend it, even if it had cost me money. For the grand total of nothing, it’s almost essential.

After overcoming some issues in its launch week, Poker Club has stabilised as an ambitious, functional yet unremarkable poker simulator. The innovations that aim for increased immersion manage to slow down the action to the point they become almost tedious. There’s more than a few issues that still need to be remedied in Poker Club and Ripstone have promised fixes are on the way. The potential is not yet realised but there’s every chance this game might fluke a win at the river.

It may not be perfect, with a control scheme that’s functional but still a little too clunky, and it’s almost impossible to recommend to anyone who owns a capable PC. However, if you only own an Xbox, all of the main features are there, the match engine is better than ever and it’s a great title to dip in and out of for 30 minutes at a time.

A delightful central relationship gives this love story RPG wings, but generic survival beats and somewhat empty worlds leaves Haven not quite the essential indie experience we were hoping for.

A minimal-looking aesthetic that fits the Switch perfectly, Absolute Drift is a delight to get absorbed into. You won’t master it straight away, but when you get the hang of it you’ll be hooning about in no time.

Skunkape have done a fantastic job of refining everything that needed to be updated but have left the prevailing spirit of Sam & Max Save The World untouched. For fans of the genre or for anyone who enjoys absurd irreverent humour, this is a ‘must play’ title that has the capacity to have you in fits of laughter.

Ponpu is weird, wacky and regularly wonderful. It’s a slick take on Bomberman that understands what made the original games so great and evolves it for the modern day. It’s a shame that the multiplayer modes are undermined by ineffective identifying marks that make it difficult to see who’s who. Thankfully a decent sized and suitably challenging single player campaign makes up for that.

Mornia is a top-down 2D pixelart world that is a gruesome joy to explore and attempt to liberate. It’s difficulty will put some off, but Morbid: The Seven Acolytes is a competent and accessible souls-like experience, that gives everyone a level playing field with its minimalist systems and simple move sets.

It takes a bit of getting used to, as expected, and is a bit heavy-handed with its combat and vague on storytelling. But once you’re getting used to its nuances, Chronos: Before the Ashes opens up into a great little Soulsborne affair.

For new players, Concept Destruction on PS5 will provide 2 hours of no frills car smashing before it gets dry. The structure of the game, emphasising survival rather than the cathartic crashing, feels at odds with the fun the game can deliver elsewhere. For PS4 players, the upgrade here can barely be described as such and beyond an easy Platinum Trophy, is hardly worth a download.

Spirit of the North remains a beautiful but hollow experience on PS5. The 4K 60 frames upgrade is glorious to behold, but the lack of DualSense integration in a game that’s crying out for it and hangups from the last-gen version makes it difficult to recommend.

Controlling like a more leisurely-paced Geometry Wars, Sparkle 4 Tales is a languid affair which could have used a little more focus and drive to make it something you’ll want to stick with until the end. As it is, it’s an aesthetically pleasant experience that I struggled to care about after the first thirty minutes.

While it has lost some of its uniqueness in the 2 years since it launched on PC, BFF or Die still has the capability of lighting up an evening with friends on PS4. 1-4 player co-op puzzles that are more to do with your group dynamic than what’s happening on screen deliver equal doses of hilarity and chaos despite a few frustrating levels. This one would be perfect for a gaming group or as part of a playlist of party games sandwiched between Gang Beasts and a Jackbox game.

Planet Coaster arrives on consoles in scintillating form, offering up near-unlimited options to create the theme park of your dreams with ease. If there’s a hidden gem in the PS5 launch line-up, this is it.

It will mentally tax you at times, but Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead is a treat to play. A couple of technical issues here and there don’t ruin the experience, and any faults usually fall on your shoddy workmanship.

Inexpensive and familiar physics puzzles with a quirky art style will grant any King Oddball player with a few short hours of mindless entertainment. The lack of any new content or utilisation of the DualSense controller means if you’ve already played this on the myriad platforms it’s already on, there’s no need to double dip. This one’s for those that have already completed all of the PS5 launch games and are scratching around for anything else to play.

Timeless and strange, Katamari Damacy is as original now as it was when first released. There’s nothing else like it. REROLL is a faithful remaster, but on PS4 that means retaining a very out-of-date control scheme, and no new features, but even that can’t hold back this big ball of fun.

Of all of the PS4 games that have had PS5 upgrades, WRC 9 shows the most improvement. Sharper visuals in 4K running at a consistent 60 FPS transform an average looking game into a gorgeous one. Combined with an unchanged driving system that needed no tweaking and excellent DualSense implementation that elevates it, this takes 1st place as the best racing game on PS5 so far.

On its own merits, Bright Memory is short, rough around the edges and has a somewhat forgettable storyline. But as proof of concept and a playable teaser for the forthcoming Bright Memory Infinite, it’s a tantalising look at what’s to come and I personally cannot wait. For the price of a large Big Mac meal, it’s a no-brainer.

A terrifying and unnerving experience to play, Visage pays tribute to those that came before it spectacularly. A few minor issues won’t spoil the fun, but you won’t help but notice them as you uncover the truth. You have been warned.

Fight is one of, if not the single worst fighting game on PlayStation 4. A few saving graces mean there’s maybe an hour of car crash entertainment here but beyond that, this game is a pale imitation of the classics in the genre. It either demonstrates a severe lack of understanding of the design tenets that make for a fun and competitive fighting game or that Sabec just didn’t care enough to implement them. I’d prefer to get punched in the face than play this game again.

A unique FMV game that’s both poignant and entertaining, Five Dates is essential for fans of this genre regardless of a few flaws. Excellent acting, a smart replayable structure and culturally important subject matter make this an easy recommendation, even for those that don’t traditionally like games.

Often as generic as its name, Battle Hunters needed a far more nuanced plot to really make use of its bloated 28 strong cast of heroes. That being said, the game world and it’s combat (despite not working as it should) are entertaining enough to fill it’s 15 hour length.

So Speed 3: Grand Prix could be a fun F1 arcade game if you take away the game’s main selling point. It would have been a nice spiritual successor to Virtua Racing, but only if you don’t play the game as intended. You can have some fun bashing up other cars but it’s all rather pointless so it kinda makes this nothing more than glorified dodgems.

Tetris, the granddaddy of all puzzlers, has hit the dance floor in his sequined disco outfit. It’s the best you’ve ever seen him, dazzling, blinding even. He’s dancing with your friend who’s half his age, but the moves he’s rocking are old-school dad-dancing and oh so dated.

In the absence of the real thing, Pure Pool is the closest you’ll get on your Switch. Career may be a bit lacking, and multiplayer a bit vacant, but when it looks this good you won’t care. There’s enough to keep you racking and chalking up to experience.

One moment it’s cute and funny and the next it’s dry and drawn out. A peculiar mix of engrossing visual novel and average dungeon crawler, Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ will please those who have the patience to push through its moments of drudgery. For everyone else, a purer form of each genre might be more entertaining.

The reason Let’s Sing 2021 works as well as it does is because it feels more like a game than many of the titles it shares DNA with. Whereas most previous karaoke games were of the common “sing a single song and we’ll give you a score” variety, this feels the template on which all future games should be based upon. A more extensive core tracklist would be nice, and I hope future iterations might do a bit more to cater for the quieter singer, but this feels like an excellent pushing-off point for the franchise and the genre as a whole. [Tested on XSX]

>Observer_: System Redux represents a solid improvement over the 2017 original and, therefore, a worthwhile upgrade. It’s a little too long for my liking, but it looks gorgeous at points and tells a terrific story that’s worth experiencing. With a reasonably friendly price, it’s also a relatively cheap way to show off your new toy. Absolutely worth a look.

LiftOff: Drone Racing is made for the fans and that’s a solid enough reason for me to recommend it. If you were waiting on this one, you won’t be disappointed.

There’s much to love in 9th Dawn III: Shadow of Erthil but it requires such an investment and patience from the player in order to pay off that many won’t push through to see the game’s best moments. The plot could have been tightened up, the presentation will be divisive and the combat lacks meaningful depth but the game world and activities it contains will have you busy for many, many hours if 9th Dawn III gets its hooks into you.

Some accomplished character work and a narrative full of heart, sits next to a deep and detailed rice-farming mechanic that will have you sinking hours in trying to get the perfect crop. However, fiddly combat and shallow platforming take their toll. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get lost in the farming, and let the other parts lie fallow.

A cracking example of nostalgia done right, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered is as worthy as any current-gen racer out there. It’s not easy to begin with, but once you’re practiced you’ll be flying across the finish line.

An interesting experiment that many players will find too taxing, Untold Stories shows what unique things can be done when telling stories through the medium of gaming, but ultimately fails to deliver on its own narrative.

The Falconeer lacks an actual Falconeer protagonist to hang its adventure from and ends up impersonal and fragmented. Odd dis-incentivizing design choices seek to undermine what is an otherwise wonderful lore-filled world and some of the most fun and frenetic aerial combat this generation.

Some minor flaws aside, Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues is one of the best beat-em-up out there, easily surpasses Raging Justice and I think can rightly be proud to call itself the second-best beat-em-up’s on the PS4. The Johnny Lawrence of the gaming world.

An absolutely barnstorming return to the main stage for Harmonix, who have seemingly taken everything they’ve learned from eighteen years in the genre to create a fantastically creative, inventive and hands-stuck-to-the-controller levels of addictive rhythm video game, the kind of which has been sorely missed.

It’s not a massively deep game, with a skills-and-stars upgrade system cribbed from many a game. That being said, Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is a fun little adventure in a First World War mold. Taking to the skies has never been so colourful.

Dirt 5 feels like a game designed for the new generation of consoles, but there’s still plenty here for those not upgrading in the short-term. Whilst it has some technical issues and frustrating AI, the driving is as solid as ever, Playgrounds is a great new addition and there are some genuinely stunning moments to be experienced. It’s one of the best rally games in recent memory and I can’t wait to try it on a new platform.

A charming bubble popping puzzle games that replicates most of what worked back in the 90’s, Rusty Spout Rescue Adventure is a fun if limited game. There’s nothing wrong with emulating the classics but when a game does this without bringing anything new to the table, it’s hard to see it as anything but inessential.

A very special point and click visual novel, Chicken Police is the perfect hard-boiled detective game you always wanted, just populated with animals. Atmospheric and funny, with some fantastic writing and voice work, Chicken Police is one of the best indie games of the year.

A few barely noteworthy technical hiccups and a multiplayer mode that could have been a little more than it is are the only marks on an otherwise absorbing and ingenious puzzle game. TENS! on Nintendo Switch is totally unlike the mobile version and it’s all the better for it.

A satisfying platformer aimed at a younger age group, Yestermorrow is memorable for its aesthetics and inspirations. However it’s gameplay doesn’t really do anything we haven’t seen before, and fumbles what could have been more interesting uses of its Everlight and time-based premise.

You’ll need dogged determination and the reflexes of a cat to get anything out of Double Pug Switch. It’s inventive dimension switching mechanic is lost in a sea of spikes and overtly difficult levels that are tough to fur-give.

Re:Turn – One Way Trip isn’t going to keep you up at night and the small game world undermines the game’s better ideas because of the amount of backtracking and filler. That being said, the story has an interesting arc (despite it being overtly foreshadowed) which will keep you entertained for an evening with creepy but not quite scary content.

Spellbreak does more than enough to allow it to stand out in a stuffed genre and offers a terrific variety in its weapon options. There’s absolutely something here if you’re looking for a Royale without shotguns. Don’t sleep on it.

For newcomers to the real-time tactics genre, it may represent a step too far as a first experience. However, for experienced players, Partisans 1941 is a solid and engaging title, with plenty of scope to try out a number of different approaches. Overall, it’s also a refreshing change to see the Second World War represented from a different perspective.

It’s not just the moths that bug Remothered Broken Porcelain. It’s the fundamentally broken narrative structure, nonsensical cut-scenes, unimaginative gameplay, and tired, badly implemented mechanics. Then there’s the masses of crippling bugs. There’s no amount of patching that will fix this game.

A few niggles aside, Jackbox Party Pack 7 is another cracker of a party game. It’s a great mix of word play and creative or collaborative challenges which anyone who’s familiar with a mobile phone can inuit quickly. From your nan to your little (teenage) brother, there’s giggles to be had here.

A dating sim that deserves to be talked about alongside the likes of Dream Daddy and Hatoful Boyfriend, Lovingly Evil is a funny, smart experience that doesn’t drown you in exposition and keeps it all charmingly light and breezy. Absolutely worth your time.

Röki blends the mythic with painfully real, the supernatural with the human to tell a story of reconciliation that’s spellbinding for its entire 12 hour length. A few foibles with its point and click roots are the only blemishes on an otherwise exemplary and accessible adventure that’s one of the best you’ll play this year.

Unless you’re a lifelong fan, Transformers: Battlegrounds will offer little in the way of depth to the “casuals”. As a game, it feels like a badly ported mobile game barely fleshed out for the console players.

With a muddled story that leaves much unanswered, and a series of half-baked mechanics that feel a decade out of date, it’s hard to recommend Amnesia Rebirth as a way to satisfy your scares this Halloween. You’ll more than likely want to forget all about it.

It’s hard not to admire what Nova-box attempt to accomplish with Seers Isle. There’s some narrative devices used in this game that most visual novel games would shy away from and there’s a cast of characters that beg to be explored further via player choice. It’s easy on the eye and tells some entrancing stories – but a few of these tales trip up over the complexity of essentially having 8 lead characters and being unable to give them all a satisfactory arc without repetition.

There’s so much work to be done to make FIFA a viable contender again as a genuinely great sports game. The sad part is, I don’t think EA Sports really care anymore.

The console versions of Cloudpunk then are, at the time of writing, buggy and a little broken in places they shouldn’t be, but if you’re lucky enough to power through without any major issues, you’ll lose hours to the fantastic narrative, terrific central character performances and gorgeous neon-soaked visuals.

It’s not perfect and there is not much variety but when you do play it, you can’t help but enjoy it for what it is. I guess it must say something if I enjoyed playing this more than I did the Avengers game.

Death Ray Manta SE is laser targeted to a very specific group of players. If you long for the heydays of the Llamasoft games, this game gives you the feeling you had playing these games back in the day but with spruced up visuals, a plethora of fish puns and a more accommodating nature. There’s some required repetition and the visual presentation might immediately repel some, but for those it’s aimed at, Death Ray Manta SE is an excellent “just one more go” game. Only now, it’s “just one more go, on the go” with the Switch version.

It won’t blow your mind with innovation or story, but 9 Monkeys of Shaolin isn’t trying to. It revisits the 70’s style of kung fu games, and has fun with the source material. Either solo or with a friend, there’s fun to be had here.