Maid of Sker isn’t a terrible game, but it is a disappointing one. It has the groundwork of something that could be wonderfully scary: a foreboding environment and a chilling soundtrack make for a formidable atmosphere. There are also some freaky setpieces that further set the tone of this horrifying world. But that’s where it ends; the rest of the horror comes from the poor game design. Hiding from a blind enemy for the 50th time is nothing but frustrating, and the decision to rely on an archaic manual save system is one which only damages the game further. Maid of Sker’s premise had potential, but sadly it’s mostly lost amongst less than stellar mechanics.

We don’t dislike Dust & Neon: its gunplay is solid, and its more thoughtful approach to twin-stick shooting is refreshing. But its levels quickly get repetitive, with little variety in terms of design and enemies. It’s the sort of thing that’s fun to jump into for short bursts of play, but it’s not going to keep you hooked for hours at a time.

A brutal roguelike that sees you trying to escape a high-security prison, KIBORG keeps its players invested by providing numerous meaningful upgrades and some seriously cool augments. It's let down by mediocre visuals and voice acting, but if you're a fan of roguelikes, there's enough here to keep you invested.

Exile’s End is a good action-platformer that checks all the boxes of a good Metroidvania, but does so without much pizazz.

Alone in the Dark isn’t flawless, but it’s definitely one of the best entries in the series so far and an accomplished reimagining. Its story will keep you on your toes, even if sometimes you might feel like it could have a little more fleshed out. And while the game’s combat doesn’t impress, the oppressive atmosphere throughout is effective at keeping you on edge. Throw in a bucketload of enjoyable puzzles to overcome, and you have a survival horror that’s well worth spending some time with.

Arizona Sunshine is straight-up fun to play, and the game’s sound design is particularly noteworthy… Pop on a set of decent headphones and the 3D sound comes alive with braying zombies all around you, with things becoming nerve-wracking pretty quickly.

This video game adaptation of Edens Zero doesn't make the best first impression, but if you stick with it for a few hours, it gets a lot better. It's rough around the edges and has multiple issues that persist throughout, such as a certain clunkiness to its combat, but its entertaining story full of outrageous characters and ample number of unique playable characters will keep you coming back for more.

If you’re already previously invested in Operation Babel: New Tokyo Legacy‘s universe, characters and gameplay, then I’m sure there’s a lot to like here. However, for a newcomer to the series, the lack of tutorials is frustrating, the environments and world are visually bland, and the gameplay loop not engaging enough to make me want to come back for more.

If you’re a die-hard RTS fan, Seigecraft Commander and its brand of cheerful, bright and breezy gameplay is enjoyable enough. But without a significantly larger online community, Siegecraft Commander just doesn’t last long enough or offer enough of a challenge to say it stands out.

Its unique power up system isn’t enough to save All-Star Fruit Racing from being any more than mediocre, however.

With its impressive visuals and non-stop action, Bright Memory: Infinite is worth a look for those who value thrills over playing time. Beyond multiple difficulty levels there’s not much reason to spend more time it, and that’s a real shame as we’d love to get into more scrapes as the capable Shelia, despite her awful name.

This game makes me wish my friends lived more locally so I could have them round every week to play a few matches of Living Dungeon with beer or two.

Disappointing is the best way to describe Battlefield 2042. It can be fun at times, but also frustrating and downright dull. Its maps are impressive in scale, with weather effects that are a sight to behold. But they’re just too big, filled with vast open spaces that don’t do the game any favours. Mix in a variety of bugs and unfortunate design decisions, and you have the weakest Battlefield game in years. Can it be turned around? Possibly. But whether you’re a fan of the series or not, you’re definitely better off waiting for it to receive some more updates before you jump in.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has a wealth of issues, from an open world that feels wasted to combat that feels scrappy throughout. Thanks to a gripping narrative that you can shape with your actions, however, you'll likely still enjoy your time spent sucking blood across Seattle.

As it stands however, there’s still a genuinely high amount of enjoyment to be had, but frustration will likely soon mount for most players once they reach the hazard levels and putting challenges. If you miss Burnout‘s Crash Junction mode though, and are looking for something that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Three Fields’ debut into the independent game market is still an impressive attempt that warrants your attention.

Despite that bugbear, Maskmaker is a great game while it lasts. At around five hours play time (less if you mess with masks less than I did), it never outstays its welcome. It blends a compelling, emotional story with enjoyable puzzles and entertaining gameplay that makes it a standout VR experience.

We’ve still got some time to spend with Mato Anomalies, but we’ve enjoyed what we’ve played of it so far. It’s not the most polished RPG, which may disappoint some, but its streamlined nature is a breath of fresh air, and it has a neat premise and some cool ideas. Fans of the likes of Persona are most likely to resonate with it, but it’s perhaps worth a look for any RPG fan looking for something new to sink their teeth into. [Provisional Score = 70]

Curse of the Sea Rats is a perfectly playable metroidvania that feels rough around the edges. Mechanically it can feel a little unfair at times due to things like stiff animations and unfortunate enemy placements. And while its four protagonist set up is a neat touch, it can be a grind to upgrade skills if you do decide to change. Still, fans of the genre are likely to enjoy their time with it.

It’s a real shame that Assetto Corsa is stuck with uninspiring modes and presentation issues as the actual act of driving is engrossing and rewarding.

All told, Crush Your Enemies is a great combination of depth and simplicity. Varied levels with unique challenges provide several hours of entertainment with a consistent, witty tone. Whether you prefer your games creatively bite-sized or just want to take a break from a game that’s been sucking up all your time, Crush Your Enemies is definitely worth a look.

Call of Cthulhu weaves a supernatural detective tale that’s frequently unsettling, occasionally horrifying and always engaging.

Go into Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet – Complete Edition expecting solid third-person shooter mechanics and you’ll be disappointed. You’ll be disappointed if you go into it expecting excitement and fun from the outset, too. Initially it’s a hard game to like, let alone love, but those with patience and an interest in trawling dungeons for the best loot might just find themselves sticking with it until the end. Whether or not they’ll remember the experience they had with it in years to come is questionable, however.

If Overpass‘ events were a bit shorter, if you felt like you had more of a connection with your vehicle, if you didn’t get stuck so often, then it would actually be a decent game. As it stands, however, it’s rarely fun. Playing Overpass just made me angry, and I don’t like being angry. It’s like banging your head against a brick wall, repeatedly. It’s frustrating beyond belief. Why would you want to pay to introduce that feeling into your life?

It’s a niche product, Hunting Simulator 2 – it comes with the territory. It’s good at what it does, though; portraying a popular, albeit taboo, pastime. Hours can be spent tracking prey before taking decisive action, and even if you’re not successful in your hunt, the scenery is so picturesque that you don’t really care. Hunting Simulator 2 lets you enjoy the outdoors, indoors. It’s lets you enjoy dog ownership withing having to pick up its poop. Animal murder may be the aim of it, but it’s mostly beautiful otherwise.

A deceptively simple game, The Westport Independent is enjoyable, interesting, unique, and utterly immersive. I was thoroughly captivated playing it and I look forward to playing it again.

The game begins hard and ends even harder… To be rather blunt and self-deprecating, it made me feel like a moron.

It’s far from perfect, but if you’re willing to overlook its lack of polish and graphical fidelity, Sylvio has a decent experience to offer – especially if you’re a dab-hand at puzzle solving.

Battlewake can be a blast in small doses and is a good way show off the PSVR’s potential (unless the person you’re showing it is prone to seasickness). Waving your arms around like an idiot as you watch cannonballs soar past you is entertaining for a while and I can see myself returning if the multiplayer mode ever gains traction. But it’s a little anaemic for a mid-price release and feels like the foundation for a better, bigger game.