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.