A vibrant, fast paced FPS that riffs on Doom and Quake in humorous ways, Fashion Police Squad blends its retro inspirations with more modern day sensibilities for a fun if brief game. The Switch version of the game is an excellent port of the PC original, now including gyro controls and taking full benefit of the updates that have been released since launch.

Staxel provides a fun, zen farming and life simulator that replicates the visuals of Minecraft, and the premise of Stardew Valley. There is much to uncover and it could be everyone’s new favourite farm to milk cows, grow crops and build abodes, whilst making friends along the way.

A fun premise, solid mechanics and excellent presentation mean that Bartlow’s Dread Machine might be my favourite twin-stick shooter since Geometry Wars. Hopefully, it doesn’t get lost in the madness that is the end-year shuffle, as it more than holds its own and deserves an audience.

Lords of the Fallen could have been another accessible cookie-cutter souls-like. But with the addition of Umbral, the world of the dead layered upon the living, it breathes new invention into exploration, increasing tension, and unique combat, managing to cement itself as essential in an increasingly crowded and quality genre.

Despite being made by only a single developer, Hexguardian proves to be a tower defence title worth its weight in gold. Depth of challenge and excellent randomiser mechanics make this a sturdy, yet deceptively engaging tower to bask in. There’s a slight touch of repetition and the odd interface or visual issue that sight some structural weakpoints, but Hexguardian’s tower is a booming beacon of wanton destruction.

Whilst occassionally suffering from the “being unfair doesn’t make it a challenge” issue, Gripper is nonetheless a fun ride. A gripping take on the boss rush style of game, pair this with a controller and headphones for a throttlin’ good time.

HORSES isn't a game for the faint of heart, nor those who struggle to be confronted with intensive imagery. It's a rudimentary video game that uses the medium as a vehicle for exploration of intensive themes, which creates an incredibly unsettling and disturbing atmosphere. There may be other horror games that you'd prefer to play, but very few will evoke the kind of disgust and repulsion that HORSES achieves, and evoking emotion is what art is all about.

Monster Jam Showdown brings the chaos of their live shows to your gaming systems in fine style. A huge celebration of the Monster Jam universe, Showdown absolutely nails the aesthetic and is crammed full of replayability. If you’re one of the many fans around the world, you’re going to flip for this.

A blistering challenge and a steep learning curve await but if you persevere through the difficulties there is a great feeling VR game and an impressive skating game too. Deficit Games have done an exceptional job to feel authentic whilst remaining arcadey and fun. Outside of the great gameplay and entertaining levels is a flawed sense of progression but it’s a great first attempt.

If it’s not the brilliant pixel art style or the paranoid protagonist that goes through one hell of a night, it’s the well-executed amalgamation of mechanics that feeds into a horror puzzler that’ll keep you enthralled for a night. Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness is a modest title that I just wish I had more of, as the qualities of a great game are all there but the brisk trip to insanity holds itself back.

The Colonists might not be the deepest of settlement games but it’s an engrossing one with a focus on productivity. It’s simplistic enough to act as an excellent introduction to the genre while having enough depth to please veterans looking for a challenge. What’s more, it hasn’t lost anything in the jump from PC to PS4.

Despite this version of Game Dev Story taking some time to get used too, the addictive “just one more game” loop remains unchanged. The hook of this game is as compelling as it was when the game first released. If you’re after a passive yet engaging game to play on your PS4, this game is certainly worth your time.

Little Kitty, Big City delivers on putting you in the paws of what it's like to be a cat. Full of mischievous activity, good cat-like physics and an undeniable cattitude, it's hard not to recommend this to not only cat lovers, but adventure game enthusiasts too.

Sorry We're Closed presents an unequal challenge in its gameplay as it flourishes in exploration and combat but slightly let down by its simplistic puzzle design. With that said, the game's story, themes, world building and style makes it one of the great nostalgic survival horrors of recent years.

Standing on the shoulders of the PowerWash giant, Spray Paint SImulator does just enough differently to elevate the experience of a spray simulator. There’s plenty to do and the additional mechanics certainly add to the immersion and offers a fun level of creativity that will appeal to all ages.

Despite not having the production values of some of its contemporaries, Robobeat would have Basshunter himself chasing this drop. Weighty, satisfying combat mix into a hyper-charged melody of excitement, head bops and intense rogue-like runs. A lack of real story and limited variety mean the mixtape slightly tails off, but the core of this setlist can keep you raving long into the night.

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.

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.

Looks like Warcraft, plays like Fable, Amalur brings nothing new to the table. An RPG-lite, if you will, there’s enough for casual players to have fun with, as well as hardcore players to sink time into.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is bigger in every facet with more locations to explore, more characters to meet, more story to read and more systems to manage. But with an increase in sheer scale, my journey has felt less significant as a result. I'm a mouth piece of a story being told rather than a Sleeper choosing my path. Whilst that leads to something more definitive, it loses the feeling of being mine. Citizen Sleeper 2 is a sci-fi world that's hard to compare and powerful in its writing, audio/visuals and gameplay making it a must-play dice driven RPG overall.

Old World: The Sacred & The Profane is an excellent addition to the base game, and I recommend it heartily. It won’t transform your games and it isn’t the biggest DLC out there, but it will improve them and make them more immersive and unique. It adds some extra variety to your run-throughs, and makes an already great game better. At the price point it is sold at, it’s a no brainer to pick up if you’re a fan of Old World.

A magical and charming adventure into a Moominvalley transformed by the elements, Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth puts Moomin at the fore in a whimsical story that always respects its source material. Subtle realignment of gameplay to suit Moomin and a continuation of every good aspect of its predecessor makes this wholesome treat of a game a wonderful cure for winter melancholy.

Star Hunter DX won’t win any awards for originality, Shoot ‘em ups are one of the oldest genres known to man. But where it might win some awards is in the strategy department, with lots of options to tailor the experience to your own personal style.

A must for any Doctor Who fan, The Lonely Assassins is a captivating and exciting found phone adventure that will delight the hardcore. Far and away the best Doctor Who game ever made.

Offering a trilogy of solid content offerings with campaign, multiplayer and zombies, Call of Duty: Vanguard is a valiant attempt from Sledgehammer which maybe plays it a little too safe in the end. Despite the messy, disjointed design choices for online, Vanguard still proves to be a satisfying experience. It may not lead the line of CoD entries as its name suggests, but it nestles nicely in the middle of the pack.

Plants Vs Zombies: Replanted is a remastered return to the garden, sharpening up the visuals and adding co-op and bonus modes, without losing any of the original charm. It’s faithful, nostalgic revival that balances fresh additions and original roots for the game that started it all.

Super Perils of Baking is a 16 bit, 2D side scrolling platformer and an ode to the retro game genre in terms of variety, difficulty and platformer peril. It’s jam packed with things to do and collect but you’ll need a sprinkling of rage induced dopamine to get you through the enemies, highs and lows. There’s hours of fun that’s certainly worth your time, especially for the price point.

To summarize, Let’s Build A Zoo is a very satisfying, darkly funny and moreish tycoon game. A few tiny glitches are the only issues with a game I imagine I’ll be revisiting many, many times over the next few months. There’s just so much to do and it does it all with a unique, macabre charm. It’s unlikely I’ll ever see all 300,000 animal hybrids you can Cronenberg together but I’ll sure have a good time making my (bacon factory) zoo along the way.