Deliver at All Costs stands out as a game that might hook you in the opening hour, but as the hours continue to roll on, you steadily lose your drive to continue as fewer and fewer fresh reasons to be excited are introduced.

I think the biggest sign of whether someone likes a Football Manager game is how addicted they are to that "just one more game" feeling. In previous years, I would get that at 9PM and suddenly it would be 4AM, but I haven't had that feeling with Football Manager 26. I now have no problem turning off the game when I think it's time, and that's very telling.

Ravenlok is a short, but highly enjoyable adventure to spend time with, and if you have children, this can be a great title to discover together. The challenge is minimal, but the atmosphere is great, and even if there are some flaws in the presentation, the short playing time ensures that the bad never overshadows the positive.

It's beautifully designed and takes you through some impressive and mind-boggling worlds, but I'd say you need to be a real fan of these detective games for Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss to be worth your while. As mentioned earlier, there are elements that make the whole thing a bit too convoluted and slow the game down even further than it already is. There are also a number of technical issues that are hard to overlook.

If you enjoy basic horror-styled shooters, I wouldn't say this is a bad purchase at all, even though in its current form it doesn't evoke the same positive impression as its predecessor. Personally, I'm enjoying my time with the game still, despite its flaws.

Dead Reset offers a fun journey. It's good - all the way through, but never more than that and never less. It's a solid 7/10 and definitely something I'd happily recommend - especially if, like me, you love old school slashers with lots of gore and guts that slap and behave like guts in general.

What could have been a perfect sports game instead becomes a begging little brother that always seems to need more money.

With a meticulous, intricate and yet stable management system, Citadelum promises city builders and management titles fans a handful of hours of fun. My biggest regret is that there is no multiplayer option to compete against my friends' empires, but the creations we can download from Steam Workshop make up for that. It's time to crown a new Caesar.

With the available deck-builder mechanics and campaign, Songs of Silence is an excellent starting point for the slightly inexperienced strategy player who wants to get to know the genre better.

I will absolutely keep playing this and hope that the extortionate bundle deals are slimmed down price-wise and that the upcoming maps reintroduce some verticality, again. Beyond that and a pointless battle royale mode, it's easy to see that Slipgate 2 has managed to find its own groove despite basically just ripping off well-chosen parts from its competitors.

It's simple, sweet, adorable, unique, and wholesome, and sometimes amid the chaos and noise of action games, RPGs, and first-person shooters we often see in the autumn, something delightful and easy is all you need.

It's a very original concept with a lovely visual style, so it doesn't feel like a complete waste of time. But in the end, unfortunately for me, there's a predominant feeling of boredom rather than quality entertainment.

The Casting of Frank Stone will go down as a final chapter in this era of Supermassive, a chapter of highs and lows, but even though it has its faults there's definitely a lot of potential between a Supermassive and Dead by Daylight collaboration and hopefully we'll see this explored once again in the future.

On one hand, I think WayForward has done a great job bringing this older title into the modern day with top visual and audio prowess. On the other hand, it lacks a lot of the class and refinement that makes modern games such a joy and thrill to play.

With an interesting story, well told and respectful of the original, albeit with a rushed final stretch and some loose ends that make us think of a possible expansion or sequel, Outcast: A New Beginning is a rara avis, a special game made with love by a small studio that reveres the original work and is a worthy successor that sometimes surprises by the scale of its aspirations.

The last few days I've spent with Just Dance 2024 are enough to realise that it's not a game for me. Not because I dislike dancing, but simply because of the way Ubisoft has set up the game.

At its best, The Lamplighters League is really charming with colourful characters and a somewhat clichéd but entertaining apocalyptic story. Unfortunately, it doesn't go all the way to the finish line and the repetitive structure is a bit of a let down.

In the end, I would describe Fairy Tail 2 as a game that does what it's supposed to do without showing off too much. Because all the systems fulfil their purpose. The characters feel elaborate without shining, the graphics are appealing without adding anything new, and the music and setting lull you into classic Japanese role-playing that sticks to the framework to the letter. However, there is nothing special that grabs your interest, but most of it feels well done without reaching further emotionally. If you're a fan of the series already, I can definitely see that you'll be more entertained than someone who's never met these characters before, but if, like me, you don't feel any connection to the world that makes up this colourful anime saga, you should probably wait for a greatly reduced price before you take on Fairy Tail 2.

If you like strong stories and games where your choices matter, Dustborn is for you. It's a game that's more about the journey and the people you meet along the way than action-packed battles or complex game mechanics. If you're looking for a game with deep and satisfying combat mechanics, there are better alternatives out there.

It's hard to knock this delightful, simple, easy to love adventure, one where the famed humour of SpongeBob never misses a beat, where Bikini Bottom feels more authentic than we have ever seen before in a video game, where technically-speaking it actually runs really well for a chaotic physics-based nightmare like this, and graphically and visually there's a lot to celebrate and be impressed by.

As far as a round-based tower-defence action game goes, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap nails the task at hand well. It's entertaining, highly replayable, fine as a solo experience and better as a cooperative one, and it has stunning visuals too. After a bunch of hours it can feel a bit one-dimensional and repetitive due to its lacking narrative and steady progression, but as far as an easy and intuitive game to pick up and enjoy with friends goes, there's a lot to love and appreciate about this latest chapter in the series.

The House of the Dead 2: Remake is a refreshing blast from the past. It proves that old-school game design still has bite and that rail shooters deserve a comeback. The remake could've used more polish, and there are definite issues, but especially in co-op, it's still a fun ride worth trying even for those who didn't experience it the first time around.

The development team shows signs of quality and development prowess in some of the title's features, but at the same time, Painkiller asks quite a lot from a consumer and doesn't give a whole lot back in return.

Exoprimal is by no means a terrible game, but it just doesn't reach the heights that you'd expect when you hear about its premise. It's a mixed bag, but if you are looking for a new multiplayer experience and can withstand the Dino Survival mode, perhaps it's the game for you.

Formula Legends is a charming little racing game, and we hope that 3D Clouds will balance the game a little after launch, because if those things fall into place, we have a quite competent and quite challenging little arcade racer on our hands here.

For a game that you can snag at a reasonable price tag of of £17, there's plenty that Quarantine Zone: The Last Check does right, so if you find yourself somewhat curious as to whether you have what it takes to man a screening checkpoint, then you won't go too wrong with this game.

Although the journey felt a little too tiring towards the end and the game does not really engage with new game elements and fairly simple game mechanics, I still have to conclude by saying that I had quite a lot of fun all the way throughout. It would have taken quite a bit of polish to make this a masterpiece, but I still have to say that despite the modest score, it's a bit of a surprise of the year for me. Sure, in retrospect, it's one of those gaming experiences that I will hardly think back on, but I still had a surprisingly fun time during this journey.

Apart from a few minor glitches, mostly concerning how Storage works, it's a well-functioning game in its genre. It may be too simple for some, but if you are looking for a cosy and relaxing game to sit and warm yourself with on dark evenings, perhaps together with your partner, then Winter Burrow is a pretty good bet.