A missed opportunity to build and improve upon the legacy of Virtua Racing, Formula Retro Racing instead opts to replicate large portions of Sega’s 90’s racer. Sure, there’s more tracks and a larger number of cars to race against but a lack of modes and modern features means that this retro inspired title doesn’t do enough to take a victory lap. Fans of Virtua Racing without a Nintendo Switch will get a kick out of the nostalgia Formula Retro Racing induces. For everyone else, there are better examples of modern takes on retro inspired racers.

Delivering a delicious protein of a cooking game sandwiched between an engaging story and retro horror presentation, Happy’s Humble Burger Farm succeeds at points. The horror and wider gameplay sully the burger with spoilt toppings, but the core of this sandwich is still worth a try.

While it looks similar to many other 2D platformers, Feral Flowers leverages old school arcade mechanics to give its moment to moment game play a real thrill that’s quite rare for the genre. Its platforming is slickly designed, its roguelike elements aren’t overtly punishing and it’s constantly throwing something new at you so it stays fresh for 5 compacted hours of play.

Rubber Bandits has nearly all the components for a great party game, whether playing with friends in your house, or playing online with strangers. With multiple game modes, characters to choose from and tactics to employ, this game could be a lot of fun. The only thing holding it back currently is the input delay, reaction times, and the sheer frustration of playing online. There is a diamond in the rough somewhere here, it may just take some digging through the dirt.

Let’s Sing 2022 offers next to nothing new from last years iteration, save a pretty decent playlist of songs to sing. You have to wonder what’s next for the franchise, if they’re already bored of adding modes. Save your money, this song has already been sung.

Designed to be watched on YouTube and not played, DEEEER Simulator is a tragic attempt to recapture the bizarre ragdoll madness of Goat SImulator and others like it. With virtually nothing to recommend, avoid this disaster as far and wide as you possibly can. Even if it is on Game Pass.

A reasonably interesting narrative and some complex puzzles aren’t enough to raise Ever Forward out of mediocrity. The PS5 version comes with some new glitches which further spoil an experience that was already short and underwhelming when it originally released on PC. This one is for puzzle fans that have little else to play.

An innovative, inventive and unique experience in gaming, One Hand Clapping is impressive in almost every way. Whether you are a trained singer or have never sung a note in your life, this game accommodates you to translate your voice into a part of the game play. It’s only 5 hours long which includes some repetition, but this visually pleasing and enjoyable game is an experience that will be difficult to forget.

Ultra Mission might be remembered as the very last game for the PSVita, but it’s not a memorable game in and of itself. A budget top down shooter that’s clunky and shallow, it’s an hour of content that’s quirky but has a number of design issues that make it a forgettable farewell to Sony’s handheld.

While Battle Rockets is an inventive use of the PSVita to facilitate local multiplayer Shmup battles, it’s just not very fun. That’s especially true of the single player content. The offensive abilities, different for each character, will keep the multiplayer fresh for a little while. In the end though, this game is far too bare bones and lacks depth or longevity.

If you want to step in the world of fairy tale, gothic fable whilst throwing in crafting spells and a linear simplistic story set within an explorable world, Wytchwood is for you. Beautiful visuals and an alluring soundtrack. This game could be seen as mundane and repetitive, with little combat or puzzle, however Wytchwood casts a spell on the player that will have you immersed into the art of enchantment for hours.

Finally making its way onto PlayStation, Among Us is still the very best that the social deduction genre has to offer. Using some inventive workarounds to support controllers, this game loses little to nothing in the port away from its natural home on phones and tablets. With a group of strangers, it’s easy to have a great time with this game. With friends, Among Us comes alive in one of the best multiplayer experiences on the market today as you attempt to stab your pals in the back. Both figuratively and literally.

Santa’s Workshop is the video game equivalent of a lump of coal in your stocking. Lacking any of the features that make the idle clicker genre’s best so moreish, it’s a thoroughly hollow affair that’s trying to cash in on holiday spirit with an experience without artistic merit and entirely devoid of intelligent game design.

Sumptuously animated, Greak Memories of Azur draws you in with its high-end artwork. However, the game is an exercise in frustration and bad design choices. A central mechanic of three characters controlled by one player with no co-op option, hinders platforming and renders combat nigh on impossible. I’m out here trying to forget Azur.

A modern day twist on a neglected classic, Horatio Goes Snowboarding is a budget, simplistic but addictive arcade game. It’s not quite on the level of other Infinite State Games but it’ll still fill an evening or two with enjoyable twitchy action. Maybe longer if you take on the leaderboards.

Its issues mean that Rover Mechanic Simulator is a middling experience. There’s a solid core to this game surrounding some impressive 3D rover models. It offers that methodical game play that accommodates gratifying ‘flow state’ sessions to really get engrossed in. It gets repetitive quickly though because of clunky controls, limited depth and a lack of personality.

Even with its issues though, Gravity Chase has enough content and verve about it to keep fans of Ballistics, WipEout or Radial-G entertained for a few evenings. For a budget title, it’s an admirable attempt to capture the spirit of the zero-g racing greats that came before it. In the long run though, it just can’t keep pace with the luminaries of the genre.

Like a combination of South Park and Superstore, Negative Nancy is a smart but short visual novel that balances whacky buffoonery with cutting and deft real world observations. Centred around the power of the word “no”, it’s a unique hook that’s not just a pun for the title. There’s some repetition involved if you want to see everything that this game has to offer, which does take some of the sheen off of it, but Negative Nancy is still worth your time.

Despite a few positives, Phlegethon is a poor example of the retro inspired FPS genre and can’t hold a candle to the 90’s classics its attempting to emulate. This is a step in the right direction for Random-Spin Games as its certainly better than their previous titles but uninspired design, poor AI and half-baked mechanics mean this as an ‘also ran’ in a genre filling up with quality.

Unreal Life is a charming indie game filled with story, adventure, discovery and a talking traffic light. It’s unique as you’ll be comparing timelines to discover what happened to the protagonist Hal on one fateful night. It’s a game that invokes curiosity and keeps the player intrigued through storytelling and puzzle, presented in a gorgeous pixel art of blue hue. Although feeling like it ended abruptly, there is a lot within Unreal Life to invoke emotion.

A dire lack of features, peculiar physics, grating music and camera angles which make accurate play feel impossible, 8-Ball Pocket is amongst the worst pool games on PlayStation consoles. This might be the only native billiards game on PS5 right now but you would do well to swerve this for older, better games.

While it’s the best game yet from ‘The Voices Games’, Ayleouna is still a sub-par experience. During its surprisingly short 15 minute run time, there’s slim glimpses of potential that shine through. There’s just too many rough edges, poorly thought out design choices and unimpressive visuals for this gravity bending platformer to make anything other than a bad impression.

The Dead Tree of Ranchiuna is a short walking simulator that may take the words ‘Walking Simulator’ a bit too literally. With a hollow story that feels unfinished, long pauses between any narrative development and repetitive design, it’s difficult to recommend this game when there are many others in the genre that do much more with a similar runtime.

A painfully dull, short and unimaginative clicker game, The Ketchup Story is a cynical cash in on the PlayStation trophy hunting community. There’s no discernible artistic merit to be found in this title that is little more than a Platinum trophy with a impulse buy price tag.

While it certainly isn’t going to be for everyone, if you’re interested in unique gaming experiences there’s a lot to admire about The Longest Road On Earth. It feels more like an art house project than a traditional game at times, much to its benefit. The exquisite soundtrack alone would be enough for me to recommend this game. The meditative, leisurely paced narrative delivered alongside it are just a bonus.

While it might lose its lustre towards the end, Another Tomorrow is an otherwise well crafted and challenging first person point and click adventure that’ll appeal to long time fans of the genre. A great hint system helps avoid any frustrating hold ups while still allowing you to discover those important ‘eureka’ moments on your own.

A quirky, short but smart point and click adventure, Pants Quest is the mildly and intentionally abrasive journey through one man’s calamitous morning where nothing goes to plan. It might only last for an hour or two but in that time, it has the capability to make you feel a myriad of things. If you enjoy little, unique gaming curios then this is certainly worth a look.

Elex II is a prime example of great potential being suffocated by poor execution. A large world filled with quests, unique factions and interesting lore can only carry you so far when the combat is floaty, the progression is stifling, the graphics bland and its performance breaks so visibly, so often. Instead of slaying raptors with lasers, you’ll be waiting for the game to pop-in the fun while it chugs out another texture it missed.