A stylish throwback to a couple of decades ago, this platformer will appeal mainly to those who still miss the Dreamcast. A few niggles with the camera, a couple of minor bugs and some rather harsh difficulty spikes stop it from being a world-beater, but it's a solid piece of fun despite these small issues.

Bonito Days is a super cute and simple game that is reminiscent of Super Monkey Ball, but with camera issues and short single-player game it’s hard to fully recommend.

Moonglow Bay is a fun and relaxing game that I found very rewarding to play, there’s a huge variety of things to do in this game so I never get tired of it. Every day I play I can’t wait to go back and see what monster-sized fish I manage to catch and see what kind of new dishes I get to create in the kitchen.

Corpse Party (2021) is a super creepy and disturbing game that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You will die a lot and get bad endings so you will have to go back and try to change your actions to change the outcome, but when you figure out what you need to do that just makes it more fulfilling.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl may be basic on the surface, but the exhilarating gameplay and edge of your seat action more than makes up for its lack of content by providing players with a fun platform fighter that rewards those who take the time to learn its surprisingly complex combat mechanics. I just wish online multiplayer was more active (come find me online and let’s fight! I main CatDog).

While not without its flaws, Industria offers a nice bite-sized experience with enough lore to keep you wanting to discover more.

Time Loader is a great game for just about anyone to play. As long as you're not expecting action-filled gameplay, but rather a relaxing journey, there is barely a reason not to give the game a shot.

Sunshine Manor is a fun and creepy 8-bit game that has you travel between the human and demon world, solving puzzles and testing your hand-eye coordination with platforming sections. Slightly buggy in one level, but if you persevere you can get past it and continue saving the poor ghosts and your friends from the demon.

A huge shot of nostalgia for those who grew up on classic FPS games, this 90s throwback is more than accessible for modern gamers, however the lack of any narrative to keep you engaged may be off-putting to some.

A fantastic game for any base-building fans, The Riftbreaker’s tight combination of action-RPG and tower-defense elements produce an addictively fun experience well worth the inevitable hours you’ll lose to it.

I initially booted up Guardians of the Galaxy with tempered expectations but was surprised with how much fun I ended up having. Despite having a few setbacks, Guardians of the Galaxy is easily one of the best games of the year thanks to its fantastic story.

Nira is only worth it for its low price - there are already games that do the same thing, but far better.

Collection of SaGa: The Final Fantasy Legend is the perfect collection of these classic Game Boy screens, looking and sounding even better than the originals. Just keep in mind that they are early style RPGs so they require a ton of grinding!

Nuclear Blaze is an absolute graphical feast, with beautiful colours that popped gorgeously, and a very nice pixelated graphic style. I only wish the game had been longer and more difficult, as the two hour campaign truly did come as a disappointment.

While Astria Ascending’s gorgeous world has a basic gameplay loop that can satisfy for a while, it lacks the knowledge to challenge minds or the spirit further. With no strategy in the later battles, a story moving too quickly to be poignant, and severely unlikeable stereotypes as characters, the lessons are forced and the result is grating.

Evertried is a 2D isometric roguelike strategy game that challenges your brain every step of the way. It can definitely get frustrating, but you get a great sense of accomplishment when you make progress and reach a new floor.

Cozy Grove's day-by-day mechanics can be frustrating to some, but is a definite welcome addition, allowing me to slowly unravel the story and giving me more playtime in the long run, completely enhancing my mornings.

eFootball 2022 isn’t just a bad football game, it’s a bad videogame. It took Konami most of the 2010s to take Pro Evolution Soccer from a mediocre football game to something respectable, and can’t be expected to turn eFootball 2022 around quickly. Playing it sucked all of the enjoyment out of football, and I can’t help but feel it would have been better served being released as a digital pachinko game.

Flynn: Son of Crimson is a beautiful looking and great sounding platformer game is a must-play title that gives you a powerful and cute wolf companion. This title does not have an auto-save feature so keep that in mind.

Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is full of fanservice and anime girls with big boobs, but not much more. Insanely long visual novel talk segments, and the story is so silly there’s not much motivation to keep playing.

A taxing puzzler that very much has its roots in electrical engineering logic. Sadly, the lacking audio and niche target audience bring down an otherwise decently solid game.

Reventure plays like a puzzle adventure game that excels at the puzzle aspect and providing a feeling of completion, with very fun gameplay having me doing the dumbest things trying to get an ending. However, it falls short on its story.

A great retro style shoot ‘em up with beautiful visuals and a large selection of weapons and a bunch of replayability. I just wish the game was longer as it felt like it was over in no time!

A Little Golf Journey is a treat from start to finish, and should be a wonderful addition to almost anyone’s library.

Hunter Girls has an unfortunately high number of flaws, but there are at least a couple of positive aspects to somewhat make up for the failings.

It’s decent exercise, and a great experience for those who can’t visit the mountain range for a climb. Cheaper than all of that mountaineering equipment, too.

Traversing the mind of your character is as much a plot as the case you’re trying to solve, and once you’re immersed into the world of Revachol, you’ll be struggling to leave.

The Caligula Effect 2 is a game that deserved a better budget than it got. It’s combat system is amazing and engaging, but everything else about it could be better.

One of the more distinctive horror games to be released in the past few years, Mundaun tells childhood stories with an adult filter, a foreign narrative in a universal core, and hosts gameplay that, while occasionally obtuse, is a hop, skip, and a jump away from other titles in the same vein.

Mayhem Brawler is a fun, energetic “beat-em-up” adventure. Its excellent art style, voice acting, and room for improvement excite me with what could be added through possible updates.

The Artful Escape is a great visual-novel and a rock and roll dream. It is one of the best looking games I’ve played with an equally interesting narrative. However, the severe lack of interactiveness really drags down the game.

Lost in Random performs expertly on its gameplay and graphics, but falls very short when it comes to its little effort in the dialogue aspect. It’s also a shame to see how little polish the ending received.

Fuga: Memories of Steel is a turn-based strategy game that is unlike any other one I have played. The story is incredibly deep and a lot more serious than you would expect a game with cats and dogs to be. Definitely worth checking out if you like RTS games mixed with RPG elements.

Back 4 Blood has built on the great foundations that Left 4 Dead laid over a decade ago. The gameplay is brilliant, there’s also that little bit more to keep the challenge fresh and to keep zombie killing fun.

OCO is a puzzler that will keep you coming back for more, with visuals and audio that make the jump well from mobile to PC.

Hot Wheels Unleashed is a surprisingly good racing game that brings your childhood imagination to life while offering you endless creative options for customising your toy racers and designing your own tracks. No matter your age there is tons to love here!

Severed Steel assaults many of your senses and rewards your bullet dodging, slow motion ballet dancing with satisfying kills while caressing your eyes and ears with the striking visuals and soundtrack it presents to you.

Far Cry 6 is two steps forward and a step back. The characters are brilliant, as is the work put into bringing them to life. Sadly, the game continues to be bogged down by more pointless content. The epitome of ‘less is more’.

Wavelengths manages to capture so many emotional moments and story beats, packaging them all up in a short-and-sweet experience that connects the world of Life is Strange together in a way unseen before. Wavelengths is everything and more we could have hoped for with a DLC.

Aluna: Sentinel of the Shards has the potential to be an excellent game with intriguing storytelling and unique characters but it gets dragged down by a tedious combat system and a world that offers little substance.

Claire de Lune is a great take on the genre, but sadly is somewhat marred by a couple of small but consistent flaws.

New World is a great title for new MMO fans to get themselves lost in, but it may be a struggle to entice older fans of the genre to leave the worlds they know.

Tsuki’s Odyssey is a very charming game, and one I absolutely adore playing whenever I have some free time to go and visit Tsuki and see just what he’s up to. One I would recommend everyone to try out.

Pumpkin Jack is overall an alright game. Every aspect added to it wasn’t deepening the depths of the ocean, but rather lengthening the size of the kiddie pool. Many things were added, but it felt like an attempt to hide its lack of depth because of the terrible implementation.

A good first attempt by a studio that has only worked on animation, but not enough substance in the gameplay to keep you hooked to the very end.

A game that will test your trigger finger as well as your strategic planning, Lemnis Gate is a refreshing entry into the competitive shooter market, forming a solid foundation full of promise and subtle charm.

Knockout Home Fitness is perhaps not the best fitness game on the market but makes for a decent starting point for those wanting a bite size workout at home.

Islanders is the perfect strategy game for people who love that genre or gamers who are just getting into it. It’s a simple game that is incredibly addictive and is very hard to master! I hope more industry and building packs become available as time goes on!

There’s a few hours to be whittled away in Drake Hollow. And can be a good blast with a friend or two, as it helps to mitigate the constant need to return to base, allowing for an explorer to do their thing, a builder to do theirs, and a battler their own. Unfortunately as a solo experience, it erred more toward frustration because of the timed mechanics.

If you like clean up games but don't like having your screen brightness up then I would recommend staying clear from this game.

World War Z Aftermath is a solid expansion to the game. While the new chapters felt disjointed between sections, the new chapter mechanics brought in a challenging element to our zombie slaying fun.

A fantastic looking game with a banging soundtrack, but not one that will keep you occupied for too long. Gameplay is far from bad, but it’s not up to the same standard as the graphics and audio sadly. Curved Space is a slickly presented but sadly average title.

A solid expansion that brings a lot of new toys to play with and mission variations to play in. The campaign is a fun exploration of a pivotal time in Mechwarrior lore. If you own Mechwarrior 5 you should own this.

If you’re after something action packed or something that will take your mind off the outside world then this isn’t it. But if you want to see what a theatre group can make when they cross political satire with a videogame then this is it.

Axiom Verge 2 is a 2D metroidvania game that focuses on exploration in its huge environment. If you played the first Axiom Verge game you may be disappointed in some of the changes like lack of weapons and less of a combat experience.

Amazing character relationships and a bombastic plot make this a must-play for fans of Robotics;Notes. However, it’s just not for those left uncomfortable by excessive perversion. Add in how often the game crashes and its awkward pacing and DaSH becomes very hard to get through.

Cruis’n Blast is an excellent return for the series and genre as a whole. The lack of online multiplayer hurts but there is a lot to enjoy for solo players and those who can play locally. Fantastic visuals and track set-pieces make this an engaging, fun time.

Tales of Arise is so well done with the story, graphics, battle system, music, characters and voice cast that it is a must-play for anyone. Even if you aren’t normally a big fan of role-playing games the story is so compelling there is a lot to love here.

A short but original puzzle game that comes as a low enough price that the lack of length is not an issue. A pleasant little experience that translates well from mobile to the Switch.

Overall, Aragami 2 is definitely my favourite multiplayer experience of the year. It’s a contender for my game of the year, too! It’s well designed, looks great, plays very well and is absolutely huge with tons of replay value! I highly recommend it.

Deathloop is a creative masterpiece. Refining everything that is excellent about Arkane Studios previous titles, it takes every single dial and cranks it up to 11.

This game has some enjoyable parts, like the art, story potential, and cyberpunk aesthetics, but it is ultimately underwhelming.

At times frustrating, Garden Story is a fantastic example of how charm can help push a game to the next level, despite some frustrating design choices.

A flawed return for a classic series that doesn’t quite nail the transition to an open-world third-person perspective. Interesting and fun combat balances out the bland exploration somewhat.

This is a game for those with the patience to fully invest in this seven-day experience. Depending on how you approach UnearthU: As a mindfulness app, it’s pretty useful although teetering on the edge of being problematic - as a unique ARG-like experience, it’s extremely innovative.

What True Colors lacks in the emotional gut-wrench that the previous games have, it makes it for with a refined format that presents a story that fits right into the series and tells it in the best way seen so far. You're very unlikely to be disappointed here.

A super fun 2D action-platformer with a unique twist on a classic story. Even for someone who plays a lot of games like this I was still challenged and really enjoyed the unique addition of being able to parry and disarm the enemies instead of just killing.

There are few seated VR games that I would recommend more than this, with great acting, a fun script and brain-teasing puzzles. Live the life of a super spy - who never moves from one spot - you’ll either have a blast, or get blasted.

Morteshka’s second outing was a home-run. Black Book is a superbly written title, lifting the lids of a host of Slavic myths that were likely unknown to many of us previously. Gameplay can be easy at times, but the rest will keep you locked in.

A great port of a great title that’s well worth the investment on Switch, on PS4 however unless you are a Darius superfan you’d be better served with a copy of Chronicle Saviours.

Exhausting unfortunately is the word I would use to define playing Just Die Already for more than an hour and that’s a bit of a shame. Its art direction and sound track are both solid and contribute greatly to making the game feel unique. The actual premise of the game is a great bit of dark comedy. But the game’s loose structure and lack of meaningful objectives makes it a chore to play. I’d certainly recommend playing the game for a short burst of time but anything beyond that is just a recipe for boredom and exhaustion.

A cute and colourful game that has unique creatures and flora for you to discover and take photos of. Perfect for a casual gamer who wants a laid-back experience where they can just snap pictures that they aren’t judged on to fill a few hours.

SOLASTA: Crown of the Magister has its faults, but still manages to be an enjoyable RPG experience. if you just want a D&D-eqsue dungeon crawler to play through, there are certainly worse options to choose from.

Despite the game sending a conflicting message about its main theme, it mostly handles a difficult topic well. The combat is fun, albeit limited, but you’re likely to enjoy your stay in the dunj.

Whilst not without its faults, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a satisfying co-op shooter that shows that there's still fun to be had with the Aliens franchise.

Psychonauts 2 is an absolutely fantastic game, and I can say that with certainty. Double Fine took an amazing concept that was ahead of its time and proved that they could do it again. The very few issues I had with the game were minor and had absolutely zero bearings on my overall enjoyment of the game.

Twelve Minutes is a videogame that is fantastic in every area, except being a videogame. There’s a lot to love, and I think people will overlook its faults. Sadly those faults are there, almost completely tanking an otherwise excellent piece of fiction.

Tribes of Midgard is a well-polished, accessible experience. Allowing up to 10 players to take part, the game runs well on most hardware and is easy to pick up and play. The biggest concern is how unenjoyable the game is alone.

A brilliant return to the old-age of PlayStation. Unapologetically fun, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, is relentless with the charm and the action. A must-play for anyone who’s managed to beat a scalper to get a PlayStation 5.

Chernobylite is a frustrating game. It’s far from unenjoyable, but there was so much potential here for something greater. At its core, it’s a fantastic recreation of Chernobyl that’s inundated with mechanics that aren’t required to enjoy this game. The Farm 51 nail atmosphere and the world, yet never seemed satisfied with what they actually wanted the game to be. It doesn’t ruin the overall experience for Chernobylite, which manages to hit the goalpost of greatness before rebounding into the net of mediocrity.

Another smashing entry in the F1 series, and has left me wondering what more they could add for 2022 when that inevitably rolls out of the pits next year.

I absolutely loved this game, it’s not just a great remake of a great shooter, but it’s genuinely one of the best shooters that I’ve played on a current-gen system. Beep has done a great job in making the series feel both fresh and nostalgic at the same time. It’s still a very short game, but if you like a good shooter and you’ll get replay value from chasing a high score then you absolutely must get this.

Overall I enjoyed my time with Rust, it may need a few updates and features to really stand out, but even at this level the game is a strong contender in the survival game genre.

Samurai Warriors 5 is a beautiful looking hack-and-slash game with a great story loosely based on historical events and characters. Add in a crazy amount of customisation and replayability this is a must-play title!

One Hand Clapping is an amazing looking 2D platformer and the concept is definitely unique and interesting. Unfortunately, it’s more interesting than the game itself.

Cottage Living has room to improve, but it delivers on the simple joy of taking care of cute animals in a farm-like setting and shows that The Sims 4 still has much to offer.

A fantastic game for both fans of Monster Hunter and newcomers alike, cleverly weaves aspects of the main games into a traditional RPG setting and can stand on its own.

Ender Lilies features some truly captivating pieces. With its excellent soundtrack and captivating art style. However, the game falls flat in its execution. Making it a game that at times feels excellent and at others feels mundane.

Astalon: Tears of the Earth is a great looking rogue-like Metroidvania game with a good story. It is incredibly challenging and can get very frustrating with the amount of backtracking, collision detection issues and lack of direction of what you need to do to progress.

In summary, Viscerafest is a carnage-fun experience and I enjoyed every second of it, though some of the in-game graphics could do with a polish, it can’t be overlooked for its gameplay mechanics and absolute blast of a journey. To my surprise, the main protagonist has become one of my favourites. Retro shooter fans should definitely pick this one up!

Blazing Beaks is a crazy adventure where you'll find yourself fighting monsters and searching for artifacts. There's an endless line-up of enemies for you to shoot and blast through. A cute and charming world that increases in difficulty, and as you progress through the levels you’ll be hallmarked with plenty of surprises.

NEO: The World Ends With You is an excellent RPG that satisfies fans wanting more, or newcomers who want a unique experience from their games. However, there are some annoying points where it could worsen your experience.

Within the Blade is full of action and stealth, just like what you would expect a ninja to be good at. Unfortunately some of the levels become quite repetitive, but the game offers a unique weapon crafting feature that you don’t usually see in games like this.

An absolutely amazing feat of crafted creativity, and accompanied by a stunning and complimentary score. For those looking for a quirky and methodical movie-length point & click adventure, Papetura is definitely one for the wishlist!

Final Fantasy Remake Intergrade is technically impressive. Fixing many of the original release’s technical issues while also improving the game for next-gen hardware. INTERmission offers an excellent character edition with that of Yuffie with some excellent gameplay to boot. Intergrade is simply more of the best parts of Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Final Fantasy Remake Intergrade is technically impressive. Fixing many of the original release’s technical issues while also improving the game for next-gen hardware. INTERmission offers an excellent character edition with that of Yuffie with some excellent gameplay to boot. Intergrade is simply more of the best parts of Final Fantasy VII Remake.

I found this to be too slow for my liking, but if you want a slow-paced game with lots of idle chit-chat and an occasional battle, then this might be right up your street. The sedate pace and minimalist mechanics will probably divide critics, but this one found it dull and unengaging.

Sunblaze is a deceivingly cute game that will definitely kick your butt. Luckily with great accessibility options this game is playable for a wider audience and not just a super frustrating experience. Unless you enjoy that.