I found Nantucket to be high on style but thin on substance, but its modest price point saves it from my more barbed harpoons. It has some pleasantly nostalgic reminiscences of Sid Meier's Pirates and a management system that borrows some of the more surface-level mechanics of Paradox games - both of which are good things. Plus, it really is the only thing that does exactly what it does. The originality of the concept is worth something even when it's not necessarily backed up with mechanical innovation.

Overall Street Fighter V is extremely playable, responsive and looks great and is a really strong entry in the Street Fighter franchise. The game that has been released today is the one designed for people who want to play online, for those of us who enjoy the stories and challenge modes, there's still some time to wait.

Ceres has its flaws, but they do not make the game bad in any way. If you can look past the bugs and the confusing UI, and look at the potential the game has, you will thoroughly enjoy yourself.

Ultimately, Dead Rising 4 is the epitome of big, dumb fun. It's as wide as ocean yet as deep as a puddle, yet curiously it's self-deprecatory tone and over-the-top violence means it's a game that rarely gets boring. It's less fine wine, more Bacardi Breezer, and you know exactly whether that makes it the game for you this holiday.

DICE might have done its best to hide a quality game, but it’s still there beneath the piles of filler.

Virginia is a sharp thinking, plot driven single-player adventure like few out there. It borrows heavily from other games of its ilk, yet twists it into its own strange beast. Unlike plenty of others, such as Firewatch, Virginia also manages to actually live up to its premise and deliver a satisfying, thought provoking conclusion. I'd love to go deeper on this because Virginia is a game all about its story and it's delivered, but a mystery such as this best served piping hot with a cup of joe on the side.

The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon adds a nice chunk to the already delicious pie, It’s a satisfying extension of an already entertaining experience, so if you enjoyed the base game then you will definitely enjoy this new expansion. The writing is stellar as always, with the typical Obsidian charm that hooked us the first time round. And whilst it’s mostly just more of the same, I’m perfectly happy with that.

It’s playing as Bruce where this game really shines.

We've played games like this before, many of them really excellent and with depth and character. Oriental Empires certainly looks nice and has a classical Chinese feel that helps it along its way, but once you're through the surface, it's a lacklustre 4X without a great deal to set it apart from the pack. Much of the time, Oriental Empires feels like playing a game of Total War where you auto-conclude all of the battles, but with a penchant for very slightly unfair and unavoidable disasters.

Even though Farming Simulator 19 is much better then previous versions, I can't help but wonder how much better it could have been if they had taken a few additional steps. Perhaps Giants is waiting to use a new graphics engine to give it a complete overhaul? Who knows, I'm just glad the mods will flesh out the game as they have with Farming Simulator 2017.

In the end, Regalia is a massive game and even those who think that it isn't would agree that it can be expanded to a bigger premise. There is a lot to do and so many possibilities. It has a great narrative and its own way of telling a story of a hero who is unwillingly dragged into the mess his ancestors created.

I lapped up all the skulking, whispering skullduggery and a few of the plot twists caught me by surprise. I can't wait for more.

Props to the small team for really doing a whole lot with a little graphically. The rain never seems to let up, and the neon glow of the noodle stands shimmer on the trash-strewn alleys, and the smoky canyons between the seemingly-endless skyscrapers adds a feeling of vastness to the city. Really though, when you get down to it, Cloudpunk seems more like a straightforward interactive novel than it does a really fleshed-out game. It takes the first part of the 'go anywhere, do anything' sandbox model and does it very well. It just doesn't really deliver on the 'do anything' part all that well.

If you're willing to think of the prefab fantasy setting as comfortingly familiar, Spellforce 3 is a pretty fun. The voice acting is terrific, and the plot easy to understand without requiring weeks of learning why THESE giant wolves are different to other games' giant wolves. Whether this familiarity is a brave counterpoint to the endless setting creep of gaming is really a matter of personal taste. And if you're looking for a fantasy RPG/RTS hybrid, this is a promising contender. However, by trying to do two things at once, it fails to be really remarkable at either.

Pathfinder Kingmaker on PC is incredibly fun and rightfully nominated in our Global Game Awards 2018 for Best RPG. Today Owlcat have already made Pathfinder Kingmaker into a beautiful looking, rich CRPG, that delivers a great place to adventure, an interesting land to rule and the tools to carve out a realm that you can call home.

I think we’re at the stage now where ‘good enough’ just doesn’t cut it with Call of Duty. There are so many alternatives out there that an average COD isn’t just a waste of money, it’s a waste of time. If you want the full experience and continued support from the map packs, you’re looking at a $100 outlay. That’s on top of the insidious loot crate mechanics. While it’s purely cosmetic based, for now, data mining has hinted weapon drops will be coming in loot crates soon. Call of Duty: WWII really isn’t a good enough game to justify those costs. The three game modes mean there’s probably something in here for everyone, but it’s doubtful many will get their money’s worth when you take the short campaign and the obligatory map pack into account.

As a kind of Star Trek-esque adventure, Andromeda is fine. Combat feels better than it has in previous games in the series, with the transition between exploration and fighting being seamless and tight. There is a rudimentary stealth mechanic (isn't there always?) which once again resembles KOTOR as much as it does anything else, and bouncing around with the jump pack blasting aliens is a pretty good laugh. Levels are quite pretty, and somehow manage to be imaginative without being desperately original.

Nothing in Steep is ever quite perfect, but what’s here can potentially be a real joy and the potential for a sequel, with these issues ironed out, is absolutely mouthwatering.

Overall, MXGP 19 has ended up being a great game. I didn't think I was going to enjoy it as much as I did, to be honest. It still leaves some things to be desired, such as a ropey physics model and a lack of controller options, but there's some fantastic fun to be had here.. Some of the tracks are just incredibly tricky and technical, adding a layer of depth which just isn't found in more straightforward racers. The downside being, the same as any other racing game apart from the very few, replayability. Hopefully the multiplayer aspect does well and lots of people buy the game and should be quite fun.

Overall, Embr is a fantastic game that's a complete blast to play with friends. A few minor bugs that can be tweaked but nothing that breaks the game as it is in early access. There is so much more but the review would just drag on, some early gameplay can be seen online and the game is just ridiculously fun. Highly recommended if you just want to have some silly fun either on your own or with some friends. [Early Access Provisional Score = 80]

Overall, when the game runs it runs great, but you'll be let down more often than not. And it's a real shame because it is a very enjoyable game to play... again though, when it works. I'm sure the developers will patch it a few times before it gets fixed as the random freezing and crashes is what causes the most problems, especially when playing online. But I will be keeping up to date in the comments if it becomes more playable without a mass of bugs and glitches.

Watch Dogs Legion is a fun and satisfying open world sandbox, with lots of tools for destruction and various strategies to go about completing your objective. It’s great in short bursts, but rarely has you hooked on any one thing to keep you coming back.

If you loved Far Cry 5, you will absolutely fall in love with this DLC. It's just breathtakingly well done. I highly recommend if you're interested in this DLC or the two other upcoming DLCs - Lost on Mars and Dead Living Zombies - the season pass costs about the same as buying two of the DLCs individually and getting the third for free. Have fun, and don't forget to thank a veteran, no matter what country you're from.

There’s a lot more to love here in Snowfall than there was in the slightly meagre After Dark, and from a visual standpoint alone it’s almost worth the price of entry just to build a winter wonderland.

Wrapping up, Under Pressure continues the Guardians' adventure quite nicely. It lacks a little of the thrilling action that peppered the first episode but compensates with a tighter storyline and good narrative. In short, this episode fulfils all the check marks of Telltale and is a fairly good time for Marvel fans.

This Beastmen faction DLC is a top quality product that can revitalise your TW Warhammer game. The question is, does this deep title need revitalising now or does it need it when there is a winter sale on? Completionists and fans of Warhammer will pay top dollar for this DLC, everyone else will shrug and wait until a bunch of Total Warhammer DLC comes together in a cheaper bundle.

Mantis Burn Racing isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. It’s just that with the dozens of others games vying for my attention, I really never felt like I wanted to boot it up. There isn’t that pull to keep you coming back for more.

Your mileage, as always, may vary. But if you're looking for a rock-solid, incredibly challenging nuts-and-bolts RPG with all of the quirky flair of the original trilogy, this isn't quite it.