Stars in Shadow: Legacy isn’t a drastic shift in direction, but it is some pretty meaningful additional content at a small price tag. The Tinker race has a lot of distinct personality in their programming to make them stand out among the already varied factions of the core game. I wish the galaxy at large responded a bit more to their more extreme measures and made it a little more difficult to be an expanding robotic zealot race, but they still play differently enough to warrant several games worth of interaction with and as them. The other additions such as the Arda Seed aren’t enormous either, but they add important little strategic wrinkles to consider regardless of what faction you play. When it comes down to it, Legacies is a budget-friendly and meaningful return to the Stars in Shadow universe.

I’ll admit, it’s taken me this long to feel the need to expand Cities: Skylines above it base offerings. Now I understand why. Each expansion brings heaps of free content to owners of even just the base game, so you might only pick up the full bag if it focuses on what you need. For me, Mass Transit feels unnecessary; whereas for others that may have been all they ever wanted. Green Cities is like sugar in this case. I don’t need it, but I want it.

Field of Glory II is a testament to the sheer wealth of consideration and ingenuity that Slitherine and Byzantine games have put into hybridizing a tabletop and digital strategy experience. The game’s battles feature a depth that will invite new players to explore and learn while making veteran strategy gamers work overtime to wring success from its turn-based battlefields. Learning the rules can be overwhelming, but putting them successfully into action against an enemy force feels great. Some sound elements could be better and it’s a shame that the vast number of factions aren’t utilized a little further, but with creative modes like the map editor, we may very well see some fantastic user-generated campaigns down the line. All-in-all, Field of Glory II lives up to its legacy and delivers a sheer technical depth that will keep tactical minds engaged from start to finish.

Realmforge have finally got the formula right. Dungeons 3 is plain, straight, addictive fun from start to finish. Both Overworld and Dungeon sides are kept relatively simple so things never truly get frustrating, and every part of it remains satisfying, from smacking your minions to blasting dwarves in the face and watching their bodies fly across the floor. The developer have made sure both sides are supremely playable and compliment each other well, with loads of neat touches and details to make sure you always know what’s going on. That things can get a little repetitious is the only real downside, but with this formula I don’t think Realmforge can better it further. And Thalya’s great. Yes, fine, and the Narrator too. Don’t want him sulking on me.

Playing through A Hat in Time was an experience that made me question the idea of a specific term - Inspired. It’s clearly built as a homage to titles like Super Mario and Luigi’s Mansion yet struggles to stand out on its own because of it. It certainly made me smile from time to time, but most of that time was also spent thinking how a finer experience could be achieved by simply playing the games that inspired it. An issue presented by a certain other homage earlier this year.

Tree of Life has a lot of charm to it. The progression and leveling is simple and easy to get into and it won’t be incredibly long before you’re able to put a makeshift camp together with relative ease. Moreover, the world is brighter and more cheerful than a lot of MMO experiences we’ve seen and is genuinely enjoyable to explore as far as its diversity goes. Getting together with a community is where the game thrives most and Tree of Life gives you more than enough tools to be a part of building a settlement, defending it, and finding your own role within your little community. Unfortunately, things like building timers and purposeful or accidental sabotage by other players can make various aspects of Tree of Life’s early game a test of endurance and/or dedication, especially if you’re going it alone. That said, if you bring some friends or find a few, Tree of Life is a lush environment that will give back in kind.

Inmates had ambitious intentions and a few good ideas, but these were not executed well at all. Fear and thrills were extinguished by the questionable shaking head effect and the game’s puzzles remained overly simplistic and did not feel challenging or rewarding to complete. In addition, I encountered a number of bugs that stopped me from progressing, at points. While this game may be attractively short for some, I cannot recommend the experience.

In an age where punishing difficulty is finally yearned for again, Cuphead is a worthy title to the list of the best ways to test your gaming mettle.

From top to bottom, JYDGE is a heck of a run-and-gunner. It takes a minimalistic approach to story to give players the simple charm of the futuristic law enforcer that reminds of good ‘80s and ‘90s movies of the sort. Then it melds that environment with a slick combat system that keeps on giving and taking until your jydge is a cavalcade of murderous tools with which to deal out deadly justice, and for which every player will find their own preference. Moreover, levels are relatively bite sized experiences, so it’s an easy game to pick up, play for a bit, and then back out as you see fit. JYDGE is deceptively simple, but its brutal brand of law enforcement has a surprising amount of depth to offer.

It may be shorter, but The Pact is an exciting session almost entirely devoted to Bruce Wayne chatting with some of the best Batman villains around and trying to get on their good side. If this were a TV show I’d be in rapt attention.

Creative Assembly has been a busy studio in these last couple years between the releases of the first Total War: Warhammer and its downloadable content, but they did not rest on their laurels with the sequel. Total War: Warhammer 2 is one of the most engaging and awesome marriages of turn-based and real-time strategy out there. Whether you’re sitting on your high horse among the elven factions or unleashing primal fury as the bestial races, there’s a great deal of enjoyment to be had that will keep you busy hour upon hour through multiple campaigns, skirmishes, and battles. Total War: Warhammer 2 continues to hoist the bar even higher for both Total War and Warhammer.

Blue Reflection feels like a Gust game. That is, it looks and sounds beautiful at times, but ultimately falls flat elsewhere. While certainly easy on the eyes, it cuts every corner it can in what feels like a purposeful attempt to emit mediocrity. There’s some good in here, but the rest feels hastily put together.

In the end, Synthetic Dawn adds a good amount of content onto the core Stellaris game for a reasonably small investment. It doesn’t do everything perfectly and could use some mid-campaign meat, but the machine races certainly set themselves apart from their organic counterparts in a grand slew of ways that are fun to interact with and play. As usual in Stellaris, it’s even more fun to craft your custom robotic empire whether you’re looking to make a swarm of interstellar terminators or friendly galactic janitors, each with their own perks, weaknesses, and values. Synthetic Dawn is a beautiful fit to the already lush cosmos of Stellaris and its content will provide plenty of hours of content well worth exploring for the most part.

Sonic Mania boasts a level of polish, care, and attention to detail the franchise hasn’t seen since Sonic and Knuckles. The developers clearly love Sonic and Mania glows as a result. And while it still comes tethered to Denuvo DRM, the game at least is not affected by this.

Batman Season 2 is off to an excellent start. The Enigma is a decent size for a Telltale game, clocking in at around 2 hours 30 minutes, and it honestly feels like an epic Batman movie. And it’s only the first episode of a five-episode season. It has more gameplay than most Telltale episodes too, with something to do every few seconds, meaning it feels like you’re in the movie rather than just watching it and doing a QTE occasionally. It looks good too, with excellent voice acting and very good (and unpredictable) writing throughout. Honestly, I can’t think of anything too bad to say about it. It’s one of the best first episodes Telltale has ever done, and if The Enemy Within stays this good we could be looking at Telltale’s best game. Let’s hope the usual Episode 2 quality drop-off doesn’t happen…

The improved road and transport infrastructure the content allows for is pretty great but like the other DLC’s, the content seems lacking in quantity.

Rezrog is a give and take of fairly enjoyable character building and somewhat tedious and repetitive dungeon crawling.

The Long Journey Home had so much promise but Daedalic forgot to make it playable. They focused on the big picture, on the huge epic universe, without realizing that it’s the small stuff that’s important.

There are some pretty serious issues with Warlords that really cannot be overlooked. That is not to say there is not a wonderful experience to be had because there is, but it is a case of fully understanding what you are getting into. This will not be a walk in the park, it’s a serious time investment that will become frustrating at some point along the way. Once you get past the obvious issues, underneath the ugly cover is a game that gives you the freedom and space to do what you want. It’s a title that can be engrossing and fun that will literally eat hours of your life away instantly. Hopefully in time some of the smaller issues, like the bugs and UI issues can be patched but I would really like to see a rework of the controls.

A solidly enjoyable title that has balance issues that need patching but otherwise a good investment for fans of the genre.

While many of the main gameplay mechanics remain like the original, many smaller changes have been made to improve the overall gameplay experience. The UI is wonderful and the varied faction mechanics allow for a good amount of replay ability. There are plenty of joyous empire building moments to be had in Endless Space 2 and it also contains a good level of strategic depth especially in multiplayer.

Unfortunately while it gets the mechanics right the overall design is a far cry from Dark Souls. The world itself is plain, unimaginative and uninteresting. The level design is cramped and maze-like. The enemies are mostly stock sci-fi robots which aren’t that fun to defeat. If you’re desperate for a new Souls-style game and like the idea of the sci-fi setting, set your expectations low and you could totally enjoy The Surge. We on the other hand got bored of it very quickly, and we can imagine a lot of gamers feeling the same way. Shame.

Vikings: Wolves of Midgard just doesn’t do enough to stand out from games such as Diablo 3 or Path of Exile. While the core of the game is relatively solid and the amount of polish is nice. The game still falls into a classic trap of ARPG’s repetition. The core combat becomes boring very quickly and the level design, progression and enemy AI, flat out doesn’t do enough to keep the combat engaging. Narratively, Ragnarok should be a great story, full of action, drama and betrayal. In its implementation in Vikings however, the game somehow manages to take a story about Giants, mythical creatures, Gods and the world ending and makes the entire thing an apathetic experience. At the end of the day, Vikings is good, it’s just not that good.

A solid third entry for the franchise that executes its mechanics very well. Sadly the lack of multiplayer modes at launch is disappointing but a great game that should please many.

Mandate of heaven provides some great changes and updates but it has brought its own set of issues that need patching out. The diplomatic macro builder and the new historical ages system both are the standout changes by a large degree. The faction changes are a nice framework for future improvements but cannot be left as they currently are with the balance changes involved.

A much-needed expansion that sures up the shallowness of the empire building and management. Utopia adds great depth and new layers of progression that make building your interstellar empire a much more unique and enjoyable experience.

Thimbleweed Park has a few small flaws but nothing that stopped me immensely enjoying myself. This is very much a classic comedy adventure in the LucasArts style, and that’s exactly what I wanted.

There’s plenty to enjoy with Afghanistan ’11 but there are several issues with in the game itself including a lack of depth to some of the core features. While as a strategy title, it will hit the mark for most, things like political aspect of the game are shallow at best and often feel like an untapped gold mine of interesting gameplay. The game does create a solid difficulty and provides a challenging experience with AI that doesn’t cheat like in most other strategy titles. Enemy AI cannot see landmines. There have also been several improvements and changes to reflect the setting and type of warfare, so respect has to be given to the developers for not just creating a carbon copy of Vietnam ’65 and placing a desert skin over it.

Toukiden 2 ends up offering something that’s lacking in all departments.There’s too much fluff between the good stuff, but it still offers a somewhat exhilarating experience in short bursts. If you’re looking for a combat-heavy co-op experience on PC, it’s not a bad choice at all - but if you’re coming from similar games, you’ll likely be left feeling generally underwhelmed.

Styx: Shards of Darkness is an incredibly fun game - provided you are ok with slowing down the pace and willing to put up with uncompromising stealth. If you are looking for an action heavy stealth experience, this isn’t really your cup of tea. However, if you’re like me (though I’m terrible at stealth on the whole) and want a great, difficult challenge, Styx: Shards of Darkness might be right up your alley.

There has never been a fighting game like this one before, and judging by Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, there probably never will. This port of UMvC3 will not be remembered as simply the PC version of the game, it will go down as the definitive version. UMvC3 has stood the test of time and then some. Going back to the game after all this time makes me forget why I ever stopped playing it. Priced at £20/$25, it’s one of the best deals you can get for a fighting game of this calibre. With mods already appearing and the Marvel community appearing to be rejuvenated as a result of the re-release, there isn’t a better time to pick up this game.

Level design is cramped and unfair, the controls are imprecise, the interface is from a completely different genre of game and is extremely cluttered and unhelpful, and the whole thing is just painful. 2Dark is extremely frustrating, extremely badly designed, and extremely not fun. I’m glad it wiped my saves. Avoid.

Atelier Firis certainly lacks the depth that hardcore JRPG fans come to expect from the long-standing genre and hardly taxes the brain with morale decisions, but it gives a relatively safe environment in which to get to know some colourful characters and beat up monsters in some rather impressive ways. The soundtrack does little for the ears and the characters are likely to be relatively forgettable, but it’s a game full of charm and a good recommendation for those looking for something a little less broad in scale at a time full of AAA blockbusters like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Mass Effect: Andromeda.

30 hours of RPG gaming later and I don’t regret a moment of it, and I’m sure when I play it again I’ll create a totally different experience for myself. Torment has flaws but none that will stop me from considering it a great RPG.

Halo Wars 2 is a competent RTS game. It has its fair share of issues, and in some minds might be deemed simple. However, if you’re willing to look past the convoluted and frustrating UI, or maybe you want an RTS to get into, but are intimidated by the offerings on the market, Halo Wars 2 is a great place to start. Its story is good, delivering a true Halo narrative on the platform for the first time since Halo 2, and while the issues with the RTS elements might annoy some, it doesn’t meant the game isn’t fun to play. Additionally, the replay value is there thanks to the myriad of matches, the unlockable skills the game has for you, as well as multiplayer modes to take advantage of. And while Blitz mode does post a pay to win threat to the game itself, the mode on its own, taken at face value, is a frenetic blast to play.

Ubisoft have two game series that will always stick out to me for their debut games: Watch Dogs and Assassin’s Creed. The reason for this is simple: both games had interesting concepts but they weren’t fully realised until the sequel. For Honor is similar in this regard as there are clear things that can be improved with a sequel, however I still believe it is well worth playing. The combat in the game is fantastic, and though the learning curve may be steep, once you get the hang of it you’ll be playing for hours. The first entry in the For Honor series has started strong, I hope a sequel can fill in everything the game currently lacks.

Overall, Sniper Elite 4 has so much to offer its players and successfully caters to a wide variety of people. The fact that the Campaign can be played solo or entirely co-op is awesome, making it easy for players and their friends to jump in and out of the story as often as they please. Experiencing each mission for the first time is just the beginning of an on-going learning experience and the more familiar you become with the maps, the better sniper you’ll become.

Alone With You is overall a narrative driven game that is severely hampered by its shallow repetitive gameplay, and while the narrative has plenty of depth, the mind-numbing tasks in between story moments become tiresome quickly.

While the opening hours do nothing to rid your mouth of a slowly growing taste of disappointment, Nights of Azure eventually manages to claw you back once some of its more interesting combat mechanics begin to shine through. It’s relatively short length aids the process, but also comes under fire when you consider the bare-bones storytelling. It’s a difficult sell, but one I hope GUST can rehabilitate with the upcoming sequel.

Developers Arachnid games have created a world the is full of charm that is very vivid and fun, the game certainly has issues with its technical state and the horrendously frustrating camera but still provides an enjoyable experience.

Tales of Berseria is a strong return to form from Bandai Namco and this return to form has produced one of the best Tales games out there in terms of story and overall quality.

Capcom came amazingly close to upstaging Shinji Mikami’s original horror classic, but a few oversights keep this one from really standing out as the cream of the crop for the series. A marvel when it comes to its ability to shake you to your core, its clearly a love letter to both those who adored the claustrophobic nightmares of the original games and those introduced to horror with more recent Hollywood attempts like The Conjuring and Insidious. It’s hard to imagine the formula working in their favor in the long run, but if it’s a reason to trust that the series could still be in the right hands with Capcom after all, we’re interested to see how they’ll carry on torch into the future.

All together it is a gracious effort by The Dragonloft. You can see the inspiration as Final Fantasy Tactics shines through, along with the art direction mimicking Disgaea. The dialogue is cute and the battles are intense. I usually don’t go for games like this, but I was drawn in as I felt myself repeating “just one more try…”

Stars in Shadow has some limitations that are defined by its indie development, but exceeds preconceptions with the amount of content and its near flawless execution. It’s an indie game truly for the 4Xer to revel in.

Overall, Urban Empire is a solid outing for Kalypso and has a nice blend of city building and political management that players of the genre should find interesting. It has flaws but its new perspective on an old formula is something that can be explored further in the future.

Sanctus Reach is a well-executed Warhammer 40,000 game that should easily please turn based strategy fans and provides plenty of content for the price.

Regardless of its few flaws, Rise and Shine is a fun, vibrant arcade shooter that should please fans of the genre and remain accessible enough for newcomers. Its light-hearted approach, humour and gunplay make for a enjoyable fast paced experience that is filled with smirks.

A solid indie real time strategy that is held back by a few flaws but retains a sense of what it wanted to be. This indie command and conquer could be a strong starting place for Stormcube to expand into the genre in the future.

Hearts of Iron IV: Together for Victory does something that Paradox has been known for: adds compelling new content to an already brilliant title. The new Commonwealth mechanics give you a reason to explore this time period from a different lens, while the combat improvements make planning and executing battle plans easier than ever. However, the performance issues marring the experience, as well as frustrating AI, make Together for Victory one of the most poorly performing game in Paradox’s library.

New characters are introduced in a way that will make players struggle as they try to balance their allegiance to those with more familiar faces. Whereas, Clementine’s flashbacks will leave players hungry for more information about her movements between Season Two and Three. The Ties That Bind encapsulates everything that I could possibly ask for in The Walking Dead, improving on all the issues that I had with the previous season and adding things that I didn’t even know I wanted.

The best episodes in the series to date. Telltale have successfully created an intense atmosphere with a heavy sense of urgency that will keep players on edge throughout.

While it still could be saved the technical state of the game is so bad that it cannot be seen for what it does right. Even the good parts of the game are plagued by the negatives and the frequent FPS drops make gameplay vomit inducing.

Realm of the Wood Elves is a solid addition to Total War Warhammer and a much needed one. As the first introduction of the Elves, the DLC does a fantastic job of delivering a great roster of units with unique gameplay mechanics that allow the race to play very differently to that of any other faction.

We were looking forward to The Little Acre as soon as we saw the lovely art and Charles Cecil’s involvement, but sadly it’s pretty bad. I don’t mind short games but at two hours (including puzzle solving) the game doesn’t leave much room for storytelling, character and world building, compelling puzzles, or much of anything really.

Watch_Dogs 2 is definitely a good game, especially compared to the first one which was a dull game. It’s got a lot of personality, especially in terms of the cast of characters, and humour is always welcome in open world titles. The missions may generally boil down to “go somewhere, sneak past/shoot guards, hack something, get out” but they cover fun subjects and are never less than entertaining. Nevertheless the online side is aggravating as all hell, the controls aren’t quite receptive enough particularly when driving or shooting, and being able to kill loads of people doesn’t really jive with the DedSec ethos.

For $40, I feel like THQ Nordic might have an idea on their hands. If there was to be an integrated loot system, updates to the movement system, and general bug tweaks, I would be open to playing the game more. I love single player games and was really excited to try this out. However, I feel a little underwhelmed. It’s fun, and it has opportunity, but right now I feel like I was left with a half empty plate.

Without the Steam Workshop Natural Disasters is a nice little DLC that adds more depth to an already fun and interesting game. Giving long time players a little more spice. With the Steam Workshop and the scenario creator players will have an almost unlimited number of cities to play and scenarios to beat as players create new and interesting challenges for each other. It brings with it complexity and a difficulty level. The ability to fail at your job and the end of a game that has previously had no end. If at first you find that Natural Disasters isn’t for you, give it some time and try out the player made content. It’s the end of the world as we know it…and I feel fine.

There’s a lot to like about the game but there are problems in equal proportion that stem from the base game. The expansion doesn’t do anything to add to the game or resolve issues. It adds more content for those diehard fans of the game, but fails to do anything that would revitalize the system to attract new players.

This is one expansion that is a must for new and old. The improvements and additions made are useful to all players. The changes made to diplomacy and religions allow for a much more in depth experience, and traits add to that sense of character.

It may feel like just more Dishonored, but Arkane have improved everything they could’ve and made a truly satisfying sequel. We just hope it’s not the last.

Frontier have created one of the best games in the genre, and judging by their support of Elite Dangerous post-launch, it seems that there’s still more to come from the developers.

If you are in the mood for a political strategy game and you are willing to put the time in, Political Animals will reward you with an in-depth turn-based game filled with backstabbing and bribery. It is blindingly obvious Political Animals has a lot to offer, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to invest your time learning how to play it.

Silence is a beautiful game that combines emotional themes with breath-taking art and music. It works fantastically as a cinematic experience and takes its players on a concise yet fun adventure, integrating puzzles along the way. Daedelic have done an excellent job exploring the space between life and death, touching on dark and abstract feelings in a delicate and thoughtful way.

Between the new aircraft, cool new orbitals, and fantastic design of the Strategic Zoom function, there’s a lot here to love for any fan of the mass real-time strategy. It’s a shame that the story still can’t always keep up with the stellar additions to the gameplay and that some of the new ground units get swept up in the sheer way that the game is built, but Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation is still one of the coolest, most smooth, and vast real-time strategies out there.

Ascension is a fantastic stand-alone that is a superior game in every way to its predecessor. It’s perfect for both new players and veterans and both with have plenty of content to get their teeth into.

Another fantastic game from Obsidian, the formula they have created from Pillars has served up another brilliant RPG for people to sink their teeth into for hours of Tyrannical enjoyment.

The Leviathans DLC is in my opinion an absolute must for Stellaris players. The content offered is high quality and produces some great in game experiences. The additions add strategic depth to the overall game and frankly, I couldn’t see anyone going back after playing this.

While the game does a fairly good job of staying challenging, it can be repetitive in terms of the opposition. It’s simply an unfortunate circumstance of progression of the enemy threat doesn’t always keep up with the thrill of learning the weapons.

With the exception of ranked play, it has everything it needs for the early running. For what we played and how much fun we had, we hope it’s an experience that only continues to grow.

It says a lot when Shadow Warrior 2 is only the second best 3D Realms game out this week, and the other is yet another remaster of Duke Nukem 3D. Despite loving the first game I could not get along with this sequel, with both single-player and co-op feeling lacking in different ways.

In all Sorcerer Kings Rivals remains exactly what the original was, a decent game. It lacks the customization and in depth options of its competitors’ but it’s theme and unique qualities make it a fun experience, at least for a while.

The Metronomicon is a rhythm game like few others. Any good programmer can put together a soundtrack and slap arrows on the songs, but The Metronomicon sets itself apart by way of numerous RPG mechanics that actually make you strategize a bit while you’re trying to keep the rhythm of the song going. Building note sets, queuing up the attacks, switching party members, defeating enemies, and surviving battles put The Metronomicon quite a step above most other rhythm games we’ve played. Moreover, it has just enough context in its story to keep things amusing in between and the soundtrack is a pretty fantastic mix of contemporary styles across the music industry. We just wish we had a dance pad to go with it when our hands start cramping.

Cossacks 3 is extremely ambitious in its offerings and they mostly look good on paper, but when it comes time to deliver, it collapses under the weight of its own promises.

Dungeon Rushers may evoke fond memories of the Hero Quest board game but it doesn’t manage to be anywhere near as involving. Still when things are going right it’s a hugely addictive game, with simple gameplay based around risk and reward and some tremendously entertaining dialogue. Nevertheless the story is non-existent, the gameplay basic and repetitious, and nearly every stage you’ll be forced to replay old dungeons to grind your characters up a level. The level editor is the surprising highlight, and we actually found it more fun to make dungeons than play them.

Upgrading to the next tier of combat space ships was an easy highlight. It’s where you cross the boundary from struggling and nervous to overpowered and feeling like you can bring the entire galaxy down in blazing glory if you wanted to for a little while.

Seasons after Fall is beautiful game that exists to dazzle you with handcrafted imperfect art and animation. This is an experience that isn’t for everyone, as some gamers feel their time is better spent in a more perfect art like Child of Light or Abzû. However, for those that fall in love with imperfection, this game is the perfect addition to your library.

A tremendously well optimised PC port of one of the better Japanese action RPG franchises out there, God Eater 2 Rage Burst gives a great account of itself on PC to the point that you nearly forget that Monster Hunter even existed.

Project Highrise takes obvious inspiration from a cult classic, but struggles to build compelling mechanics around a proven concept. Constructing a tower still offers its own simple pleasure, but there’s not enough depth here to keep you building a skyline’s worth of high-rises.

Champions of Anteria can be a really addictive and occasionally fun game with nice ideas and a neat sense of humour, but as a Straction RPeGy it’s just got far too many flaws to recommend.

Hue is a great indie puzzle platformer with charm and character. It’s color themed mechanics work well and allow for some great puzzle platforming.

No Man’s Sky has very clear problems. Its mechanics are insubstantial, with the crafting and inventory management systems being a particular exercise in tedium. Yet its scale and beauty is unmatched by any other game I’ve ever seen. It does things no other game ever has. It’s tempting to call No Man’s Sky “decent, but not great,” but that undersells both the game’s successes and its failures. No Man’s Sky is incredible, awe-inspiring, and profoundly disappointing.

Attack on Titan is a good game, but not a great one. It does a tremendous job of adapting the anime’s excellent action scenes to an exciting set of game mechanics, but struggles to extend that fun core into full-length game. Any given fifteen seconds of Attack on Titan is excellent, but those fifteen seconds are repeated again and again until they’re no longer compelling.

The Turing Test offers some engaging puzzle gameplay that will keep you entertained for roughly 12 hours. It lacks polish in some areas but as a package is a solid addition to the library of those interested in first person puzzle games.

There’s no reason any new player to the Worms franchise wouldn’t get a quick kick out of this one, but it’s difficult to recommend the game to series veterans who can get a cleaner experience from the entries they currently own.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an amazing game and a worthy fourth entry in arguably the best videogame series of all time. It took me 30 hours to finish it and I loved all of it. While Deus Ex fans might be a little disappointed that there’s only one city hub, concentrating on Prague has allowed Eidos Montreal to create one of the most detailed, believable, and well designed locations in videogames, one that rewards exploration every time.

Episode 4 is another terrific addition to Agent 47’s latest. After a less spectacular stay in Marrakesh and a fairly limited detour in the Summer Bonus Episode, Bangkok provides another terrific level for further murderous possibilities, and one I can’t wait to revisit as more targets make their unfortunate lodgings at the resort.

Lethe’s story starts off as one thing and transitions into something different. It can be difficult to follow when you’re trying to figure out who’s voice you’re reading. But the atmosphere completely makes up for it in many ways, so if you choose to ignore the story, you might find the scary elements enjoyable. It’s not a revolutionary horror game and it might not scare diehard horror fans but there’s some fun to take away from this game.

Blade Ballet is something you don’t see every day on PC; a real, heartfelt attempt to replicate the compelling trappings of Capcom’s Power Stone, it succeeds as an accomplished go-to prospect for local and online multiplayer party shenanigans but the lack of a single-player mode and other content presently hamstring its ultimate potential.

The Girl and the Robot’s interesting take on conveying a fairy-tale narrative is unique and it sits neatly alongside the platform and puzzle-based conundrums that make up the game’s duration. That said, the poorly implemented combat system and a distinct lack of polish both drag The Girl and the Robot far beneath the lofty standard for which it aims.

Story can’t be the thing that carries a video game and story is all Eisenhorn: XENOS has. A character as powerful as Gregor Eisenhor, with a great voice actor in Mark Strong, and an epic story deserves more than a glorified version of a mobile game. But brainless combat and mechanics, crummy audio, and unacceptable bugs keep this game to no more than a book promotion.

Combine awful PC controls, unstable framerate, uninteresting fourth grade humor, and game-breaking bugs and it becomes another indie game that should’ve only been an internal experiment.

While not an out-and-out triumph as a huge Batman fan I was greatly satisfied by the events of Realm of Shadows and how Telltale have adapted the DC universe to their play style.

The “it’s not a game” crowd will invariably struggle to see the appeal with Abzû’s monumentally relaxed pacing, but they will arguably be the ones missing out here. An absolutely resplendent experience that is thoroughly and generously stuffed with memorable moments, Abzû’s beguiling audiovisual presentation lends it an atmosphere and sense of place that very few, if any, games can match. This is the very apex of videogame escapism.

Human: Fall Flat might concern the adventures of a floppy limbed chap who ambles about the place, solving puzzles and whatnot but the game itself does anything but, instead raising the bar for a genre that so desperately needed a game to champion its cause and not another half-baked experiment to invite further derision. How nice it is then, to have one of the former and not one more of the latter.

While lackluster combat and simplistic puzzles would prove a damning criticism for most games of this type, Headlander’s tone and aesthetic is so fully-realized that the whole package manages to be a groovy, retro delight.

Setsuna is a good game and that’s really the problem, it’s just good. The games intention of being a love letter the to JRPG’s of yesteryear have kept the game void of any originality and spark. The game is stuck in the shadow of those games, playing it far too safe to rear a head of its own.

Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma will not be to everyone’s tastes; that much is obvious. An eclectic mix of puzzle solving and non-linear visual novel narrative, Zero Time Dilemma’s inconsistent conundrum quality and distinctly no-frills presentation aren’t enough to seriously detract from the impressive calibre of its numerous idiosyncrasies.

In all the game works mechanically well but lacks innovation and plays it too safe. The oversimplified gameplay mixed with lacklustre combat make for a game that plays well but leaves you with the disappointing notion of what could have been.