The open-world mission system, the way you can buy ship schematics to try and change up your layouts and tactics, the way it lets you determine whether or not you want to split up mission-critical cargo into more manageable (and defensible) chunks, the seamless inclusion of multiplayer contracts and trading and the fact that it feels quite unlike anything else out there really pushes it into a whole other dimension. One with space pirates and awesome guns.

One of Lost Sea‘s strongest points, the soundtrack is thematic, and keeps you pushing forward through each island in the chain to reach the boss.

It may be lacking any real horror, but Resident Evil 5 boasts solid gameplay, a huge amount of quality content and commendable production values, making it one of the better releases in the long-running series. In a nutshell then, whether you’ve previously played the game or not, Resident Evil 5 on the Xbox One is a bargain that shouldn’t be ignored.

Aside from some glaring camera issues and the odd technical blemish, Heart&Slash presents exactly what the title suggests: a lot of slashing, and a lot of heart.

It’s hard to overlook the terribly outdated and buggy graphics, and the fact that the clunky presentation feels hardly optimised for consoles. Whilst gameplay can be enjoyable at times, it soon grows repetitive and tiresome, and the flawed day/night cycle means you’ll spend a great deal of time with nothing to do other than twiddle your thumbs.

Still, putting aside the few minor technical issues, the voodoo theme and the wealth of content on offer manages to be the game’s real strong suit. There is plenty of fun to be had with Full Mojo Rampage – even moreso with friends!

I absolutely recommend picking up K Station if you love a good mystery and you love solving puzzles.

Whilst it’s commendable that there are technomancy skills as well as three fighting styles at your disposal… the fact that the combat is so clunky and frequently unbalanced means that it’s best to just settle on one at the outset and stick with it.

You can see why this was voted the best mobile game of 2015; it really is that good, and on console it’s better than ever before!

As a piece of commerce, it is incredibly brief and depending on how you value one over the other, when you decide to experience this masterpiece is up to you. However, make no mistake, Inside is a game I recommend that everyone play.

Graphically, Digger Dan DX is nothing to write home about. It looks nice enough but was definitely designed with the 2DS in mind. The audio is pretty lacklustre too; there’s certainly nothing memorable, so headphones won’t really be required here. The important part as always though is the gameplay, and Digger Dan does mostly get this right.

There are elements of Bard’s Gold which are worth hanging on to for future projects – the interest in secrets (such an important aspect of gameplay, and in need of revival too), the willingness to challenge players. The rest can be put to one side in the “trial and error” pile.

On the whole, Umbrella Corps is very much a missed opportunity. Light on content, unbalanced, and rough around the edges, it has some good ideas but they are drowned by its issues, making for an experience that is rarely fulfilling.

It’s safe to say that Prison Architect isn’t a game for everyone; if you’re not a fan of building and management simulation games, then there’s little that will sway your opinion. For those that do enjoy them however, Prison Architect is one of the best.

At around three hours’ running time, there’s not a whole lot of game on offer, but if you enjoy a puzzle platformer and liked the style of Limbo, Monochroma is definitely worth a visit.

If you absolutely loved the original Drawful in the first Jackbox Party Pack, then Drawful 2 makes sense: more prompts for all-new gameplay and the option to create your own games is a worthy upgrade. However, if you’re new to Drawful and the world of Jackbox altogether, then I’d hasten you instead buy the Party Pack for more variety.

However, even with an ending that takes way too much to achieve with very little pay off, Asemblance still manages to be a very intriguing and atmospheric sci-fi story.

Approach it like a story-driven RPG, expecting to be absorbed by an epic tale and a cast of likeable characters, and you may be left underwhelmed by what’s on offer despite the solid gameplay. If you put in the time and effort however, creating a group of mercenaries that you strive to develop further by engaging in the well developed turn-based battle system both online and off, then Grand Kingdom will prove to be a graciously rewarding experience.

Planar Conquest… probably isn’t going to sit well with you unless you’ve already amassed a serious number of hours into these types of games before.

So, if you weren’t sure about the “musical adventure” genre, you should be now. There may not be too much competition, but Wailing Heights definitely belongs there as one of the genre’s greatest.

Pac-Man, Galaga and Dig Dug are classics for a reason and I can’t help but recommend this collection to everyone.

Kirby: Planet Robobot sets a new gold standard in a franchise already renowned for excellent platforming.

Mighty No. 9 had an incredible amount of potential. The pedigree of talent behind the project justifies fans’ expectations for a platformer that is full of personality and high-quality action. This game has neither of those things; sure, it works, but the game feels completely lifeless. Characters lack the charm and depth that they need to be memorable, and the story is underdeveloped and plain.

Zero Time Dilemma is a must-play for any fans of the franchise, or indeed for any puzzle game fan.

The palatable fantasy-based story, gorgeous hand-painted still locations and good balance of fun, albeit easy, puzzle types may not be everybody’s cup of tea but those willing to give it a taste may find themselves being pleasantly surprised.

This aside, the fun you can have means it’s worth investing a little time to save Neon Chrome, especially if you’re a Dead Nation fan and if you can see past the issues I’ve mentioned, though the current £11.99 price tag may be a little steep.

In the end, if you’ve got the patience to deal with Deadlight: Director’s Cut’s problems you’ll find a decent game, but you should certainly exercise caution before jumping in.

Testing a new ship and learning the best situations to use each weapon and ability feels thoroughly satisfying, especially when playing against human opponents. All the while, Dead Star still manages to feel tense and exciting, and the strong community suggests that it will continue to be a worthy addition to your gaming library.