If you can get past that and seek a new type of challenge, then you can’t go far wrong with Shred! 2. It has indie title written all over it, so if you can appreciate it at that arcade level and price point, it’s definitely worth a look for those that want to push themselves. It’ll push you and you’ll get mad at times (please, do. I can’t be the only one that gets annoyed), but if you can persevere until you unlock new rides to help, it opens up the challenge with progression and practice.

Dread Nautical is a solid and intriguing turned based, tactical roguelike RPG, just don’t expect your tense horror itch to be scratched, because you’ll be very much looking in the wrong place. The gameplay isn’t too overbearing for newcomers and the games primary characters certainly are fun to explore this doomed ship with, the story is twisty and keeps you engaged, and the hard mode will test your metal beyond much else around at the moment, but there’s very little here you haven’t seen before elsewhere and executed with more panache.

Whilst it’s not unplayable, it’s not far off. It’s trying too hard with its story scenario hopping all over the shop, coupled with an inventory management system that just doesn’t work in this kind of game.

Visually appealing with sound effects and music to match, Deliver Us The Moon is a cosmic trip worth your consideration.

If you’re a veteran of Solomon’s Key and are desperate for more, Ghost Sweeper will provide you with what feels like the levels from the 1980’s classic that didn’t make the cut. The mechanics and enemy types have been recreated with a spit shine for modern TV’s and having a second playable character is a nice touch. Compared to modern day puzzle platformers though, Ghost Sweeper feels like a relic from the past that needed more of a refresh that simply updated visuals.

Streets of Rage 4 is not here to redefine the genre. It’s here to give fans something they have waited over 2 decades for and it doesn’t disappoint.

Come for the delightful artwork, stay for the level editor. You’ve seen everything else before.

Wavey was so unique and so interesting to watch that my wife, who rarely if ever plays videogames, was tempted into having a go just for the sheer novelty of it. It was a new thing, never encountered before. It took a few levels for her to get the hang of it, just as it will for anyone, but on level five she suddenly got it. She understood the waveform, she could shrink and grow it exactly as she needed to catch the wave.

John Wick Hex isn’t your traditional movie tie-in game. Whereas so many others take a franchise and shoe horn it into a genre, Bithell Games have taken John Wick under a microscope, examined its DNA and gamified the essence of it. It’s an ingenious take on what it means to be the Baba Yaga, an efficient killing machine that’s as human as the next guy but fights like an assassin savant.

To some, a short relaxing spiritual adventure through some lush environments will really appeal. For me, I wanted more than what was delivered. I wanted to be a fox, I wanted that feeling like when I was a wolf in Okami, but clearly there was a lot more to that game than I appreciated. Sadly the lonely experience of Spirit of the North is only a transparent, albeit beautiful, imitation.

It’s a cyberpunk dystopia, filled with every kind of throwback to what the 80’s thought the future would be, and it’s fantastic. You won’t need to Voight-Kampff me on this one, the sheer grin on my face will prove I’m human when I play this.

The small hitches and spotty audio don’t spoil what is an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable narrative. The diverse cast of characters, showing more inclusivity than any other romance visual novel on the PS4, is certainly welcome. Arcade Spirit is tightly written, with only a hand full of lulls, but plenty of heart and a tonne of quirk. While it’s not going to be challenging the greats in the visual novel genre, It’ll surely raise a smile or 10 on your face.

You’re going to want a pen and a pad nearby to keep track of your characters, the threads and the keywords you’ll want to search for, and some questionable design decisions hold the game back from being an all-out classic of the genre – with the shocks and twists of Her Story towering over Telling Lies’ endgame – but it’s still well worth exploring if you’re looking for an interactive mystery to untangle.

I’m sure those who loved The Wonderful 101 the first time around will get a kick out of playing this game again on modern day consoles with nicer visuals. For those that hadn’t experienced it before though, this remaster feels like an artifact from a bygone age that couldn’t adapt to a new set of input’s without the Wii U controller. The combat and concept are still sound 7 years on. Everything else needed to be reworked or tweaked further.

It’s difficult to see how younger players will react to its visuals and punishing difficulty, but it serves as stark reminder that we’ve come a long way, baby.

There’s a glorious amount of fun to be had with What The Golf? and I’m delighted it’s finally on Switch, in particular. It’s a perfect blend of game and console, something I’ve said in various Switch reviews beforehand. When a game lands on Switch and feels completely at home, it’s well worth investing in.

Fury Unleashed is also exceptionally hard.

Ion Fury isn’t a bad game. In the conventional sense, it’s a very functional shooter reminiscent of the heady days of all the aforementioned titles, with that modern (albeit minimal) sprucing. But it’s so laden down with questionable and somewhat controversy-baiting humour that lets it down a tad.

Troubleshooter is ugly, mechanically shallow, stylistically mundane and lacks any kind of innovation. Without a framing or story to give it meaning, it looks like a hodgepodge of assets thrown together with some barely working systems and mechanics built around them. The design flaws are numerous, the soundtrack irritating and it is quite frankly the worst game I’ve played in 2020.

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro is more of what D’Avekki does well – weird, cheeky, eldritch FMV games that have snappy dialogue and a penchant for the lovecraftian darker side of entertainment. If you enjoyed Shapeshifting Detective or The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker, you’ll enjoy what this game does too – more so than those who haven’t.

It’s a cracking good time with friends but on your own, it’s a meanderingly frustrating tiresome glitch-filled experience.

There’s no debating it though – this remaster is the best way to play Saints Row 3. Those who haven’t experienced the insanity of beating a pedestrian up with a 3 foot dildo can do so on an Xbox One or PS4 for the first time. Whether a visual upgrade will be enough to warrant a double dip for returning players however will be up to your individual taste.

It may only be single player, but treat it more like the Witcher than a party game: you are the shark, this is your time to rise as queen of the ocean. It may have a slightly bumpy start, as most games of this style do, but once it opens up the world is your… well, ocean. That sounds less dramatic when it’s literal.

Concept Destruction is instantly accessible a neat take on the Destruction Derby set on table tops with cardboard cars. There’s some odd rules that can cause a headache and there’s not a lot of content here. After a few hours, you’ll have seen everything the game has under the hood.

If you enjoyed Hyper Light Drifter and like me, you’re a sucker for good pixelart, there are things to like in Resolutiion. It’s got plenty of HLD’s beauty, just little of its charm. Basic combat, an empty world devoid of reasons to return, and some odd design choices, mar its otherwise great potentia.

Fly Punch Boom is a refined, fun multiplayer experience with a simply competent single player mode as a sweetener.

Clocking in at just under 3 hours for a single play through, Gunman Clive HD Collection is a short yet charming experience on PS4. For the first game, the length isn’t so much a detriment because the game flows very quickly and is constantly fresh and fun. The remastered sequel is a far less enjoyable experience, doubling its length but containing some truly irritating or confusing sections. The unique art style is as much an annoyance as it is pleasing on the eye when used incorrectly but at least the soundtrack remains consistently pleasant.

There’s plenty to like about Minecraft Dungeons, and at £15.99 on PSN it’s terrific value for a game that you and your kids could beat in a weekend. It’s not especially difficult with four players and the light-hearted nature of it all ensures Minecraft fans will find plenty to love. It’s just a shame there’s no sign of the Minecraft’s primary mechanic, which would have been a great addition to the overall experience. It’s a good laugh and as is so often with co-op games, you’ll get the most out of it with your pals/family.

The story A Fold Apart tells is a powerful one, unfortunately undercut by the way it is delivered at times but a beautiful piano soundtrack and art style that’s deeper than it first appears helps it stick the landing.

If you’re desperate to play a Match-3 game and the only system you could possibly play it on is a PS4 then Rune Lord will give you what you want. There’s some easy trophies to earn here too. Unfortunately, if you’ve got a mobile phone or PC with an internet connection at hand then you already have access to a plethora of more innovative, more original and simply better Match-3 games that are free to play and will only cost you the amount of time to dismiss an occasional advert. When there are better alternatives with no monetary price, Rune Lord becomes a very hard game to sell or recommend.

When Potata: Fairy Flower is doing what it does best – tense platforming among open, branching levels loaded with danger – it’s excellent. Sure, it can be punishing at times but it has been quite some time since a game made my palms as sweaty as this game did at times. For that, it has to be commended. It’s a shame these moments are offset by meandering, sometimes nonsensical quests coupled with reams of text to read, some of which are confusing, and puzzles which grind the game to a halt.

If you’re hankering for a game that looks like it comes from the late 80’s/early 90’s and can keep you busy for an hour for a few pounds Sterling, that’s what you’ll get here. It is sorely missing multiplayer, leader boards and game modes that could really elevate it to bigger and better things. Maybe in a sequel…

It may not look next-gen on your 4K TV running through your PS4 Pro, but it doesn’t need to. Conversely, I thought it was well suited to something like the Switch: much like a comic, you hold it in your hands and flick through at your own pace. In that regard, Atomic Wolf have nailed it.

Too much is left to chance and not enough to player skill. I guess you could call it the pure definition of insanity. But those gamers who like a cruel, twisted challenge to keep them awake at night whispering just one more jump over and over again will find a decent game and one almighty almost insurmountable challenge here.

Memories of Celceta is like a bite-size RPG for kids or for the millennial with time constraints who still wants to play RPGs, but can’t commit to 100-hour behemoths like Persona 5. It’s fun and doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Warborn is a stylish, smartly designed and content packed sci-fi strategy game. The 30~ hour campaign tells a fun narrative, despite a rocky start, that tests the player to overcome a decent variety of foes and puzzle like missions. With a tactical depth that’s immediately clear but surprisingly deep, it’s a joy to play both on and offline. A few niggles aside that could be fixed post release, Warborn is one of the better strategy games you’ll play this year.

With better, more functional games already in existence and more exciting ones on the horizon (hello Dungeon Chess and Auto-Chess), it’s incredibly difficult to recommend Sabec’s version of Chess to anyone. Checkmate? There’s no way out for this one.

I certainly felt that once I got my head fully and completely bamboozled by the intricacies of Do Not Feed The Monkeys, it was over. Fortunately the game is replayable to the nth degree due to its central mechanic of playing the game particularly how you want to, no matter how stressful each playthrough was always going to be.

Like a great piece of music, I’m excited to revisit Across The Grooves over and over again.

There are a myriad crafting and survival games that are better designed and more refined than this and most of them cost less. It’s simply far too many GAME OVER‘s for my tastes.

So this review is going to be a glowing recommendation, based on two factors: I have no real wealth of RTS history to throw it against, and I’m having an absolute blast with what I’m playing already. Much like any game, I’m trying to find my feet with its extensive tactics and takedowns approach, but I’m fully invested in the ride.

So it’s kind of a shame that once I finally taught myself how to play the game and I knocked down that particular wall, what was on the other side wasn’t particularly special or unique. The ‘retro side scrolling shooter’ is a crowded market even in 2020, and especially on Switch and as such, I’m not sure it offers quite enough value for a full RRP purchase. It’s certainly pretty and I had about as much as you can have with a videogame you begin not very good at and when you get good it’s over half an hour later.

With a vast interconnected cave system to explore, and all the genre trappings and pitfalls, Outbuddies has the elements most will be looking for in a new digital spelunking fix, just without the flair to find its way back to the surface.

So I’m a little disappointed, but there’s definitely something that perhaps could evolve into an adventure that’s tighter and faster. Summer in Mara feels loose and slow. There’s rightly no urgency in the world of Mara nor they should be, the zen of it all is what appeals but, could there have been just a little more tempo? Koa and the charming world of Mara is enough to keep an eye on this one, but it’s too big with not enough depth and that makes Summer in Mara far from essential.

The Anniversary Edition is a much better looking version of the original Edna and Harvey – The Breakout. Despite updated visuals though, there’s still some wrinkles that haven’t been ironed out, notably with sound effects and animations. The move to controller support on consoles has been a little rough on the playability too. The core concept, narrative and personality of the game is quite ingenious but the backtracking, inconsistent lunacy and uniquity of some of the puzzles mean it’s sometimes tough to get through. You don’t have to be mad to play The Breakout, but it’d help.

If you need a Metroidvania in your life, it’s a good one. It’s simple to grasp and is very appropriate and playable for kids. It’s got a lot of charm. It’s just not very memorable for those of us who have played the greats of the genre.

Rough visuals, clunky and repetitive combat and a narrative that spectacularly misses the emotional connections it attempts to evoke, Waking makes you want to do anything but.

What stands out to me the most though? The considered thought of the level design.

Beyond Blue isn’t groundbreaking in terms of structure or mechanics and for a lot of the game, it feels like you’re simply following waypoints. Thankfully the environments you explore, the deep sea life you encounter and the trials you see them go through make for an engrossing mix. Beyond Blue is a beautiful game that educates as much as it entertains and carries an important message that, in 2020, couldn’t come at a better time.

Darius Games are regarded by some as the best shooters ever made, but do you really want to pay nearly £50 to play the same game nine times? That’s a lot to ask even the most avid fan.

Whilst not the deepest or most realistic of Trials-like games, it makes up for it with silliness and charm.

A featureless, shallow, bland and thoroughly turgid experience, Sabec’s “Bowling” is poor even compared to the bowling mini-games you find inside other games, like GTA IV. It doesn’t follow the rules of bowling, isn’t fun to play and lacks even a hint of personality. The search for a decent bowling game continues. At least things can’t get any worse.

The novelty of the absurdness wears off pretty quickly. But it makes up for it by being a fun little football game.

I am reminded as I try, often unsuccessfully, to manage my family and my subjects and stave off invasion, of Yes, Your Grace’s first message. Don’t try to satisfy everyone. This applies to your petitioners and family, but I think it also applies to the developers and their uncompromising creation. This game will not satisfy everyone, but so what? Instead of doing that, they have catered to a core audience, and to the already diehard fans, who will find within Yes, Your Grace something unique, narratively complex and unwavering in its vision.

Golf on Mars is a natural evolution of the Desert Golfing formula introducing new mechanics and a more interesting landscape. There’s no adverts, no microtransactions and no distractions – just you, the never ending landscape of Mars, a simple but engrossing concept and a game play loop that won’t get boring for many, many hours. For some, the reduced challenge in this game will take a little away from the experience and some old frustrations have been replaced by new one’s but if you’re looking for something to kill time, there’s only a few games that can do it as expertly as Golf on Mars. Only 25,769,997,800‬ holes left to go…

For those who enjoy the FMV genre, Death Come True is an interesting example of the genre done through the lens of Japanese influences rather than the Western one’s we see so often. The narrative is unique, turning branching narrative’s on their heads and while it leads to a decision that ultimately feels empty, the repeated 4 hour murderous journeys through Death Come True is one worth taking. The cinematography and acting skills on show sell a plot which often borders on the absurd and would be right at home in a visual novel game. If this is what we can expect moving forward from Too Kyo Games, I’m excited to see what they do next.

A colourful third person party shooter with adorable aquatic characters, Otterman Empire is rough around the edges with a tutorial that does more harm than good. The single player and co-op game play flits between fun and pedestrian while the Versus mode might as well be the games saving grace. A decent multiplayer mode that’ll have you laughing at a party or with family, it’s the best part of Otterman Empire by a long way. It’s just a shame that a lot of small issues sour the rest of the experience.

Whilst a bit janky on the Switch, Blair Witch offers a decent first-person horror title based on an established mythos. And a dog!

This game pretty much falls slap bang in the middle of two genres, the simulator, and the shooter. Hunting Simulator 2, doesn’t quite match up to the needs of what hardcore hunters would be after, yet it’s way too boring for those who prefer a casual shooter experience. So I’m not really sure who this game is targeted at.

There is a lot to love in this indie RPG, with a wonderful level of detail. It’s just a shame that it has only the bare bones of a plot, and some MMO tropes that should have been cut.

If you liked the Baldur’s Gate or Neverwinter Nights games from the 90’s and have been hankering for something similar and traditional yet modernised, Tower of Time delivers just that. You will need to have some patience with its slower segments to see it through to the top/bottom.

Snakes and Ladders on PS4 is a functional, child friendly recreation of the timeless board game. It has a few convenient features which make it easy to play and the board you play on has some 3D snakes which give the game personality. For the asking price though, the real world alternative is much cheaper and just as enjoyable.

Whilst it may seem daunting, there’s a wealth of things to do in F1 2020 for newcomers and hardcore devotees alike.

It can be fun getting so good at a twin-stick that you can stay static in the middle of the screen. This just isn’t the game where you are going to want to invest the time to hone your skills to the point you can do it.

Post Void will assault your retina’s with flashing lights and colour clashes that’re both hypnotic and headache-inducing. The old school, fast paced shooter action tied to a system which demands you kill, kill, kill are almost impossible not to enjoy but this is a punishing game that’ll need the player to have a lot of patience with the repetition it’ll put them through.

A breath of fresh, bright and breezy air after a summer of hard-hitting AAA’s, Fall Guys cements itself as an essential addition to your party library. Believe the hype.

It’s not easy, but then, nothing fun usually is right off the bat. Give it time, get used to the mechanics, and Neon Abyss will take place as that frustratingly fun game in your library.

SUPERHOT: Mind Control Delete is an exquisite game, that ticks all the boxes of what a sequel should be. I loved my time with this game with some playthroughs taking me into the wee small hours of the morning. (If you know me and how much I need sleep, this is quite the accomplishment) What this game does beautifully is condense all the flare and pageantry of a full-on FPS into a few minutes of intense bullet-time action which will leave you smiling from ear to ear.

Because everything is pretty much the same, unless you really get involved in it, Radical Rabbit Stew does start to get a bit dull pretty fast. It seems there really is a limit to how long you can play a game where you fling rabbits around (who knew?) and it seems to be about two hours, when that trophy pops.

I’m sure it will please its target audience but for me, Waifu Uncovered is a simple, functional yet characterless shoot ‘em up that rewards the player with lewd images that are far too stereotypical. There’s less than 3 hours of content in the game across all 3 game play modes and you’ll have to work to get to play on the game’s best mode, “One Finger Mode”.

Ghost of Tsushima is Sucker Punch’s masterpiece. With the depth of its combat, its incredible open-world design and its rich historical authenticity and cultural legacy, it’s a heady contender for the most incredible release of this console generation. It’s definitely the best samurai game ever made.

Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break is more of what worked in the previous games with a handful of new modes and a creation suite. A tactical tower defence game that’ll have you scratching your head combined with an arcade physics derby that’ll have you grinning over the destruction left in your wake, it’s a lot of fun to play. It’s still not perfect but for those who’ve had fun with the previous 2 games, this instalment builds on that formula in the right places.

It doesn’t offer anything new in “old school” regards, but the solid run-and-gun gameplay paired with two cracking soundtrack options should appeal to the curious.

It’s hard not to admire the goal of Clash Force. Releasing a Mega Man inspired shooter in 2020, even sticking to the 4:3 aspect ratio and adorning the wide screen sides with images of the main characters, is bold. This game is obviously a labour of love for Spicy Gyro Games. That said, compared to it’s peers in an era when we have retro inspired titles that are actually pushing the genre forward, it doesn’t do enough to look anything other than a pale imitation of the original’s its trying to emulate.

If you like those slide puzzle mini-games you find in many other games, Cubicity is a cutesy, leisurely game built around that core concept. There’s 6 to 8 hours of content in this original package with the hint of more to come later but in less than half of that time, you’ll have seen everything this game has to offer. It’s easy – far too easy for my taste as it becomes boring quickly – but this is a comfortable way to kill an hour or 2 before the monotony sets in.

A truly one-of-a-kind take on first person puzzle games, Superliminal may not be the longest game on the market. But what it lacks in length it makes up for in ingenuity.

It’s fine, it’s just not all that special.

This remake of Destroy All Humans! is really quite incredible.

Othercide does not skimp on the hours it will take to complete, and the interruption mechanics are rewarding, but without any characters, hook or impetus to work through the difficulty, it became little more than a sequence of creepy battles, that are going to be far too hard for most people to progress through.

Ageless is a passable but uninspired platformer, that copies aspects from the best, only forgetting to copy the polished and fun gameplay. That is a tale as old as time.

A beautiful looking experience, hampered only by some bizarre footwear volume issues, Maid of Sker is as every part a horror experience as its established contemporaries.

One thing I do know is it is far more fun to watch than it is to play. Find a streamer gung-ho enough to punish themselves, and watch them for a bit. I had more fun writing the review than I did playing the game.

An interesting concept, potentially exciting systems and some appealing visuals are utterly squandered in Alpha Invasion. With a profound number of technical issues, mechanical inconsistencies and level design that portray a slapdash feeling, you’ll need an immense amount of patience to overcome this games annoyances. After having to quit out of the game 6 times on the same chapter because of 6 different glitches, I think this is one E.T. that should have simply stayed home.

Played almost entirely on one screen with clunky controls and game play which has you at the mercy of a random number generator, Mittleborg: City of Mages is quite a tedious game to play.

On the surface, Hellpoint should have been a worthy contender. But too many technical issues suck any real enjoyment out of it.

Spitlings is a satisfying and solid puzzler, and provides plenty of challenge for those who enjoy a fun mechanic with plenty of wacky design. There are so many Spitlings to unlock, that anyone will find the game lasting them a fair amount of time. It encourages completion, through the same “gotta catch ’em all” ethos as Pokemon. If honking up flem and spitting it at others is your idea of a fun evening, maybe do it with this game, rather than off a bridge.

With puzzles that will have you scratching your head for hours and a narrative that encourages you to do so, it’s a smart game that has just a few niggles that do very little to sour the experience.

A beautiful, hilarious and all-around cute platformer/roller, Skully is deserving of the praise. The difficulty can ebb and flow at times, but don’t let that put you off.