This is a game that is crying out for either a more sparsely populated map with more deliberate encounters al la Breath of the Wild, or a more fast-paced hack-and-slash combat system.

With over twenty hours of content and a paltry $8 price tag, Unepic is worth experiencing, even if to re-explore a childhood fantasy.

So AR-K: The Great Escape is an interesting one. Despite its lackluster opening and questionable delivery, it manages to grow on you.

I’ll keep playing because the story is engaging and I want to see what happens to Class VII, but the battles and exploration don’t hold the same spark that they did in the first. So if you are considering playing this, without having played the first, don’t. The first is a far better game and includes very similar content. If you play that and find that you are sufficiently interested in the story, then I’d recommend getting this game as well. But this is a game I would only recommend to JRPG fans or to players engaged with the ongoing exploits of Class VII.

Overall, it's a decent co-op experience - I just wish it was harder.

I suppose that a very small child might be scared while playing The Haunting of Jodi Evers, but small children are the least likely to appreciate the game's unusually mature story. The result is a game that seems at odds with itself.

Strange Brigade is a sound party shooter, stylish and good to play with friends. It’s a nice romp, but the actual content feels very facile to me, lacking in terms of any meaningful engagement with the player.

Death is forgiving in Hob in that progress isn’t lost in the way of items collected or enemies defeated. However, respawning in Hob takes a long time and the checkpoints can sometimes be inconveniently far away from where you died. Backtracking is usually easy enough since most enemies don’t respawn and sometimes there are shortcuts that can be opened to quickly reach where you had been before. But running through the parts I had already done felt like a chore, especially if my death was less my fault and more to do with Hob’s wonky platforming mechanics.

Splatter lets you blow up pretty much anything you see. A big part of the fun is that you can just walk into a room and lay waste to everything. It's like Michael Bay: The Game: windows will explode, beds will explode, tables will explode, toilets will explode, cars will explode.

Retrovirus is a functional shooter that suffers from difficulty spikes and a too-small online community. It’s like Tron with its wild conception of what the inside of a computer could be and breathes life into the lifeless. For a setting so well realized, and so much fun to explore, it is worth the cost of admission.

There's a lot of pleasure to be found here, if you can forgive the glowing neon warts.

Just go play this game, because it deserves a look, and it will be interesting to see what Jon Oldblood’s mind gives us in the future.

NBA 2K25 loves the history, and game, of basketball almost as much as it loves money. That much is clear. Just about every mode is dripping in reverence for one or the other, and it serves to enhance the experience. Despite its flaws, the gameplay is the best it has ever been, and the somewhat basic RPG additions to several modes make them feel more alive, even if they're still set in mostly barren buildings and cities. It also looks the part. The players look like themselves, in stills and in motion, and simply watching the game breaks the realism barrier at times. It's a looker, even on a modest PC, and I appreciated the inclusion of a dedicated Steam Deck graphics present too, which would make the grind a little more manageable, I guess. The day NBA 2K loses its microtransactions is the day it loses its identity, but it's also the day we have a chance at a near-perfect basketball sim. Until then, we're stuck with a game filled with increasingly promising modes bogged down by an insistence that you pay or treat it like another job. Depending on your desired way to play, that can break the deal.

Four Last Things is a short, silly, entertaining point-and-click adventure game that pays homage to the genre’s late 80’s roots with a sprinkle of that decade’s funnybone-dust, all wrapped up in a renaissance aesthetic style that makes the experience unique. If you can look past the miniscule production values, and if you’re a big enough Pythonian a heart, you’ll sink right into Four Last Things.

Tron: Catalyst does plenty right. The story of the glitch in the system works well within the Tron environment, and the combat is quite fluid, requiring players to make use of all of Exo’s abilities. However, some of the enjoyable mechanics are underutilised. I only ever used the Glitch loop mechanic when I was specifically asked to do so, and it would have been nice to have donned the Core uniform disguise in more locations to allow a more stealthy game if you wanted. But the game's signature Tron visual styling is breathtaking, making every moment spent in the Arq Grid a feast for the eyes. Fans of the futuristic Disney films will find much to love here, especially if they can overlook some of its missed opportunities..

Overall, I'm impressed with Uurnog Uurnlimited's open approach to puzzle solving and its simple yet effective graphics. Each puzzle's solution is as unique as the player can make it, allowing for some silly and rewarding puzzle solving. I appreciate that the game takes a hard penalty on death, but resetting puzzles has the same penalties as a death, which feels excessive and otherwise limiting on a puzzle game that relies on and is made stronger by its multiplicity of solutions.

Sheltered is a good little game that just becomes bogged down with all the little details.

Although Dusty Revenge is a fun game to play, it is rather short, has an uncompelling storyline and lacks that touch of polish that would make it more memorable.

For the short few hours Talent Not Included lasts, I was entertained. You can easily finish it in an evening and the price tag might be a little steep for its length, but perhaps if you share it with a friend it will become worth it.

The game suffers from some pacing issues, both with a mostly unexciting and forgettable campaign tale and some very high XP requirements for unit progression, but it’s also got redeeming qualities in a great visual style, distinct faction playstyles, and a plethora of strategic unit options.

Plenty of references for Star Wars fanatics. A decent amount of in-game table alterations.

TransOcean 2: Rivals is a decent game that is having some trouble leaving the starting blocks.

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a game that is difficult to recommend for those who prefer their games to unfold at a pace faster than plodding. While much of the game excels in drawing you in, the deliberately slow pace works against it more often than not. But for those who are looking for a truly interesting adventure game that, for better or worse, takes its time to share its stories, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine makes for a captivating experience.

There is a good measure of fun to be had with Offworld Trading Company, but it’s a bit like ordering a vanilla ice cream dessert and being served pistachio instead – it will be enjoyable but it’s not quite what you wanted.

If you do have the patience to spend five minutes setting up your turns, and dig the idea of taking a team of mercenaries into battle, then the game’s concept, aesthetics and complexity will give you a challenge that you have a right to brag about for years to come.

I was also impressed to see a game made on RPG Maker VX Ace that was so enjoyable - often the products of the RPG Maker series serve as a way for a creative mind to explore ideas, rather than making it to a level where it can actually capture an audience.

There’s no story, and no other modes to speak of. Thankfully, the action makes up for it in most places.

Combat difficulty feels ever evolving due to the blighted trait systems, the environment is an interesting one to traverse, and even though I didn't care about the plot, the fact they actually tried to put some narrative into a roguelike is refreshing compared to the ones of a few years ago I got absorbed into playing. Soulblight, like the flu, may burn your time for a week or so. Unlike the flu, you'll actually likely enjoy your time spent with it.

I’m happy to say that despite my initial worries about their pay model, Nightbanes is a fun, casual card game for people that don’t want to invest a ton of money on physical sets or spend days just trying to learn a complicated system.

Overall, Schrodinger’s Cat is a cute game with some unique and interesting mechanics. Not everyone will understand the humour, but you don’t have to in order to enjoy playing. There are frustrations and annoyances here and there, but the good outweighs the bad for the most part.

Overall, Road Not Taken is a good little title.

420BLAZEIT 2 offers a fun, nostalgic experience but is only for some. If you are into calm and storytelling games, this may not for you, but if you have an open mind and quite a few brain cells you are willing to lose, there is heaps of fun to be had here. When I first saw the game I thought it was going to be one of those low-effort money grabs, but there was genuine effort that was put into making this game polished and exciting for the player. 420BLAZEIT 2 can be replayed, but for the majority of players once will be enough, but that single experience is well worth the smaller price tag.

The survival aspect of the game saved my opinion on it. It was a very bitter beginning and I had to get passed a bit of frustration with the comparison to The Thing despite being nothing remotely inspired by it other than the location. As a survival game, Distrust is enjoyable and challenging even when I feel the enemies aren't all that exciting.

Don’t Knock Twice is hurt in part by the degree to which it walks familiar horror genre ground, but by playing it safe it also comfortable. It delivers a well put together game with enough scares and narrative intrigue to justify its own existence. It’s not a replacement for Resident Evil 7 or Outlast 2, but its short runtime makes it a great game to run through on a dark evening as the Halloween season slowly lurches closer.

The Director's Cut of Conscript is more than just a historical curiosity; it is a mechanical triumph. By stripping away the supernatural and focusing on the very real horrors of 1916, Jordan Mochi has created a survival horror game that feels more grounded and terrifying than many of its peers. With its focus on inventory management, tactical combat, and a hauntingly beautiful presentation, it is a game that respects the player's intelligence and rewards their grit. If you missed it the first time around, there is no longer any excuse to stay out of the trenches. This is a definitive survival horror experience.

Leaving the controversy at the door, Hatred is a solid 90's isometric action game, with 80's horror cheese, and cringe inducing parodying of what is considered edgy.

Forgive Me Father is a perfectly competent first-person shooter that successfully manages to integrate a lot of elaborate elements, such as a fairly unique art style, as well as creating an engaging progression system, and has more than enough content to keep even a speedy player engaged for a decent length of time. However, where it falls short is in its implementation of the most basic details, such as sound design, hit registration, and level design. For someone who’s not looking for anything exceptional, but just a solid, relatively fast-paced shooter to pass a couple of hours playing, Forgive Me Father will be right up your alley. But if you’re aiming your sights higher, then maybe you’re better off letting this particular title sink back to the crushing depths of your nearest ocean.

There’s a solid base at the core of Serious Sam 4, and it’s tough not to smile after navigating the puzzle of a 500-enemy encounter. Swapping between weapons and adapting to each type of enemy takes skill and understanding, it’s just a shame that the experience grows overly repetitive. As it exists, Serious Sam 4 is a mish-mash of the absurd and the overly banal, and I wish that it was more willing to commit in one direction or the other. That being said, sometimes the need just hits to go absolutely ham on some bad guys, and you’ll find few other games that let the player unleash with so little baggage of fluff.

When all is said and done I found that I wanted to like The Inquisitor more than I actually did. There is potential here for a brilliant game, but unfortunately, it just has not been realized here.

Between the unlocked artwork, dev notes, and over 300 original bangers in the music player, this is a celebration of retro fighting games. A celebration that proves these games will never not be legendary.

Lifeless Planet is a really fun experience, but not a very good game. I’d still recommend it based on the entertainment I got from exploring the mysteries of the game’s world, but I wish I didn’t have to deal with questionable puzzles and mechanics to do so.

To the game's credit, there is a fair bit of replay value here. The combat itself is complex enough to support multiple playthroughs based on nothing more than the satisfaction of mastering it. There's also a New Game Plus mode to add additional challenges as well as a whole slew of options to tweak the gameplay that would be good for, at the very least, a momentary diversion. However, if the combat doesn't grab you there's not much that additional playthroughs and game modes won't do much to draw you in. So if you're thinking of picking up Boomerang X but are unsure if it's worth the money, do yourself a favor and grab the free demo first. That should be more than enough to decide if the game is for you.

The narrative is over the top in its environmentalist messages that are laid out in text form and hit you over the head like a frying pan. The soundtrack doesn't quite know its place, and the art is passing, but fails when there's nothing to look at but the backgrounds. These sorts of things interrupt the tone, but in situations where the game's parts all work together - which is most of the time - The Aquatic Adventures of the Last Human is a subtle and solemn exploration of a new, but old world.

Dead Island 2 is a remarkably solid game, one that doesn't make any attempt to reinvent the wheel, but nevertheless is a more than satisfying mindless casual zombie-killing gorefest. It won't be a game held up in years to come as the go-to model for open-world zombie games but given its decade-long tenure in development hell, it's nothing short of a miracle it ever managed to crawl across the finish line as anything less than a complete mess.

Tower 57 feels refreshing from the usual band of retro-inspired games right from the get-go, but it’s pacing issues and poor use of checkpoints often make the game a struggle to progress through. Yet despite it all, there remains a competent gameplay loop that is fun to play, alongside a world that is a delight to explore. Like the developers say, this may be a game that is better played with friends, but even a solo player who is looking for a new top down shooter inspired by games from the SNES era should be able to find some enjoyment out of Tower 57.

As you get richer and more powerful, your options open up, but until then, the game is quite a grind. You’ll spend a long time mining, a long time building and re-building your ship, a long time getting killed in your first encounter with pirates and redesign your ship all over again. But that’s most of Avorion’s charm. The building part. The designing part. And the figuring-out-just-how-terrible-a-designer-you-are part. Despite all of its jagged edges and sharp corners, I will definitely be playing more Avorion for the time being. Its therapeutic music and meditative grind make it perfect for passing the time as we all band together and stay inside for the safety of our elders and others at risk.

When all is said and done, Starward Rogue is a solid title and may be worth roguelike fans’ attention if they stumble upon it.

If you want an anime souls-like, I think you would be far better served by checking on AI Limit. If you want an open-world souls-like, Elden Ring is far stronger than what's on offer here. I can only recommend Code Vein 2 if you are looking specifically for an open world anime souls-like. Even then, I'd suggest you wait for a sale because $70 is way too much for such an unremarkable game.

I think a few more weapon and ability options would have gone a long way towards giving Riverbond a bit more longevity and wide appeal, but what’s there is still a beautiful little nugget of joy that does what it attempts well.

Although Kukoos: Lost Pets does have some frustrations, namely the camera angles and the irregular checkpoints, is it a fun game to play, especially with friends or family. It has a familiar feel for gamers who grew up with 3D platformers such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon or Super Mario Galaxy, with bright fun colours (for the most part) and cute characters. That nostalgia goes a long way to making Kukoos fun, but the platforming and level design nail it. Each world is distinct from the last and with new pet abilities to play with in each, Kukoos: Lost Pets never becomes stale.

Most of the options available to you in Starpoint Gemini 2 will relate back in some way to the market and the economy. If there is an escape from its all-encompassing dullness, it can be found in restlessly wandering.

Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is the direct product of an excessively-rushed development cycle. It suffers from questionable narrative direction, poor visual fidelity, and generic puzzles that will entertain the player at first, but quickly become tedious over time. While this is by no means a Sherlock Holmes game at its worst, it certainly falls short of the gold standard set by Frogwares themselves with their past entries. If you're an absolute Holmes diehard, The Awakened might scratch your itch, but if you're not already hooked by the Sherlock Holmes IP, then The Awakened probably won't do anything to pique your interest.

Hyakki Castle isn’t for everyone, that much is apparent. I’m not even sure if I’d necessarily say it’s a game I’ll get the urge to play often in the ever growing landscape of various dungeon crawlers. But, its setting and its approach to the party system were intriguing enough to keep me hooked for the time being. For Asakusa Studio’s first outing into the gaming world, I think they have a solid product on hand even if it’s a bit flawed in the aspect of keeping players in-the-know. If you’re a fan of The Legend of Grimrock, or Eye of the Beholder, then Hyakki Castle may be worth your time.

If you are looking for a 2D side-scroller then there are better ones out there. But few manage to do it with quite as much nostalgic charm as this.

A gore-laden feast for the most barbaric among us, Blasphemous truly is a punishing game in the best possible way. I just wish it had a more gripping story to go with it.

Contagion is a game that with continued patch support and new maps, has a true potential to be a contender against more popular zombie games out there. However, with the current state of the game I would have to tell the curious buyer to enter into it at their own risk.

This replayability, along with the fact that most of the characters are genuinely likeable, allows Ten Dates to be a fun dating simulator. The actors do a wonderful job of conveying their feelings towards your responses and questions and although there is the relationship breakdown feature, you can often tell purely from the actor's expressions what they think of you. The choices you make certainly matter, and if it all starts to go south with the potential love of your life, you can always start fresh and attempt to woo them again. I would even argue that playing through Ten Dates could give players some potential pointers for real life dating – especially if, like me, you've been out of practice for some time.

In Too Deep does well at introducing Michonne as a mentally unstable, seemingly cold-hearted character, but fails to deliver a wholly compelling opening episode.

I may be disappointed with how the larger-scale fights and voice acting turned out in Fear Effect Sedna, but it’s pros- namely it’s stealth gameplay, puzzles, and visual design- were strong enough that I still ended my time with the game having enjoyed myself. It’s a game that thrives in it’s smaller moments, which remain memorable through the bigger ones. The Fear Effect setting is one I found engaging, and I hope we're able to see more of it in the future.

For veterans of the franchise, I imagine that Assault Squad 2 is another trip down into the deep, engaging pit that is the Men of War franchise. For everyone else, prepare to suffer a good, long time before you begin to master this complex game.

Deadpool is a game that suffers in ways that should probably bother me a lot more than they do, but there’s no doubting that I had a good time while playing it. I was entertained. I laughed out loud on more than a few occasions.

I give Train Station Renovation credit for being the straightforward, generally pleasant game that scratches a gaming itch that I didn’t know I had. While I may have been disappointed with the “rebuilding” half of the renovation process, there was methodical contentment in the cleaning of these abandoned train stations that I quite enjoyed. This is absolutely not a game I’d recommend to all, or even most people, but, if you know what you’re getting into, it’s a solid enough entry in a niche market to be worth some of your time.

This game, despite being suitable for all ages, will not be for everyone. If you enjoy seated VR gameplay I think this is a must to add to your library. But if you are into FPS VR games or play in an area with minimal space, this is a hit or miss. I enjoyed the experience it offered as it was a nice change from my regular sweaty gaming sessions. The game takes around 7 hours to complete giving you a few good sessions, however, the replayability of some levels and attempting to hit high scores add to its value.

If it has been a while since you have visited Tamriel, then Blackwood is definitely a great place to jump back into The Elder Scrolls Online. There will be a familiarity to the game, as the new features of Companions and Oblivion Portal do not add too much to the game. Whereby the Greymoor expansion added Antiquities, Blackwood simply offers a friend to journey by your side. But in saying that, these companions are a welcome addition to the online RPG – allowing those singleplayer types to enjoy a pseudo multiplayer experience.

It’s a game for the patient, as you’ll be spending a lot of time paused and micromanaging.

Max isn't a bad game. It has some fun puzzles, pretty graphics, and in general things work as they should. Almost everything about it is perfectly decent.

Looking beyond the aesthetics, fans of the genre will find a pretty deep business simulation that is worth exploring. The challenge increases along with the height of your tower and stays challenging right until the very end, though there will be some quiet, less exciting times somewhere along the way.

This is a game to play when you are waiting around for something, need to quickly blow off some steam, or if you’re a maniacal completionist. The depth behind the simplistic control scheme is impressive up to a point, until it all starts to get a bit samey.

Defiance lacks the humor of Borderlands but retains all of the gun-hunting and combat that made that game great but the bugs and interface issues are a problem. Patches will surely address these but that does not take away from the fact that the game suffers for its week-one presentation. Even with the solid core to pick it back up, it may be difficult to convince people to come back. If you can get through its shortcomings, Defiance is well worth a look.

As someone who enjoys the high level of frantic chaos that Suicide Squad specializes in, and the ways it encourages you to try different characters and builds, it’s easy for me to look forward to additional content, but for the average player to be able to overcome the same repetitive structure featured in every other game of this ilk, the developers will have to unleash the same creativity they mustered for the movement on the mission design moving forward.

In closure, Daylight as a whole does not reach the pinnacle of fear factors it strives for.

The setting is lovely, with nature taking hold of the waterlogged city. The day night cycles add a living atmosphere to the setting, and the appearance of the sea monsters add some further drama to the story. And although I loved the telling of the stories and the landscape in which Miku finds herself, there isn't quite enough variation in gameplay to keep players interested for longer than necessary.

Lucius II: The Prophecy is a much more fun experience than the original, but its flaws are pretty obvious.

Radical Relocation does have several enjoyable features. The mixture of Tetris-style puzzle game and driving simulator works well. The mechanics are simple, the controls are satisfactory and there is quite a wide array of scenarios. Unfortunately, it can become a little frustrating when you cannot quite place an object where you want it, and as a result it falls off during your journey. And although there are a wide range of scenarios, they do start to become a tad monotonous after a couple of hours – particularly when you’re spending so much time trying to get things to fit. But once you’re all set, the driving is a heap of fun which makes you want to move onto the next location.

In the case of Aggelos, the most memorable thing about it for me will be the music I heard along the way. To me, that makes it a standout and one that I'm going to remember. But for those who aren't as taken in by classic game audio, this game may go by the wayside.

Overall Deadfall Adventures is a mixed bag that does some things really well, some things so well, and a lot of things pretty average.

Showgunners has its fair share of new ideas, and it's best when it uses them. Moving around the world to find useful rewards adds an additional, relatively low stress, layer to a solid tactics experience. Meeting new contestants and fans, who are varied, expands the world and those that live in it. Inside combat, a lot will feel familiar to tactics veterans, but fresh elements are at least complex enough to sustain a playthrough. Forgoing procedural generation in contestants, defenders, and levels limits replayability, but it also eliminates pressure. You will never lose your favorite playable contestant for good because of a miscalculation. Their worst fate is a battle restart. Once the season is over, it's hard not to imagine the next as one with a plethora of characters who could be knocked out of competition for good, but the first season is at least good enough to leave you wanting a second.

In this day and age, it's not very memorable. Years ago, it might have been able to stand up against the JRPGs of the 1990's. But we have had a lot of them since then, bridging a wide spectrum between pure gold and pure wastes.

The DLC’s best effect, however, may be that it could bring back players who gave up on the game before all the above-mentioned updates and let them see how much the general gameplay has improved. This is, indeed, a pirate title that you should try out.

Did I enjoy The Church in the Darkness? I did the first couple playthroughs. By the third, I was starting to feel like I was just going through the motions. I think it's one of those games where if you do a playthrough once every now and then, it can definitely be worth the time. It has a visually appealing art-style that reminds me of a stylistic early 2000's game, and the audio, though it does eventually become repetitive, really does sell the Walkers as convincing cult leaders. It's a fun game, but it's a short ride for individual playthroughs and if you're farming for multiple endings, it's going to show its imperfections really fast.

I’ve certainly had my share of fun and amazement soaking up what bits of Night City’s world that I could in my 80 hour playthrough, but nevertheless with a bad taste in the mouth when so many glitches and inconsistencies pulled me out of its overall experience.

Aside from a few instances where your landings become hard to calculate, this platformer that relies on jumping and movement puzzles largely comes together. I almost expected a game steeped in the depths of hell to be a bit more devilish to its players, but the parts of the game that work as intended are minimally challenging. That’s probably Hell Pie's biggest fault: it doesn't do enough to stand out. This genre of game is having quite the resurgence, and I'm afraid it won't stand the test of time. At the end of my experience, I enjoyed the game as a whole, but a large part of that depended on my need to finish it for review. I doubt it ends up on many game of the year lists come December, but Hell Pie puts forth a solid effort to rekindle the golden age of platformers.

Little Racers: Street is a game I could see myself coming back to. I have taken issue with a lot of its quibbles but here is the fact of it: Little Racers: Street is a faithful recreation of the classic top-down racer with a lot of modern twists.

In short, Ready or Not: Dark Waters has one great level, one bad level, and one entirely-boring level; a wide degree of variety that may or may not be entirely what you signed up for. At only $9.99 or your regional equivalent, three total levels is not a bad value proposition. One just wishes there was more consistency in the quality department.

Which Way Up: Galaxy Games offers a delightful and accessible party game experience that is perfect for families looking for indoor fun, especially when the weather outside is less than inviting. With its simple controls, vibrant visuals, and varied collection of mini-games provide hours of entertainment. While the two-player experience may lack some of the chaotic charm of larger groups, the game truly comes alive with three or more players, making it a stellar addition to any family's game night rotation. So, gather your crew, prepare for launch, and get ready for some gravity-defying fun in the whimsical world of Which Way Up: Galaxy Games.

Blood Bowl 2 may not quite be the long drive into the end zone, but it’s at least good for a few first downs.

While it may not entirely hit as a whole, Amnesia: The Bunker marks a high point for the series in many ways. It continues to feature impressive graphics and sound design, and a few of the mechanics here should join other constants. It falters a bit in its story, which is suitably mysterious and mystical, but at least partially predictable from a very early stage. It doesn't drag the experience down too much, but just enough. Still, it feels like a best-in-class dread simulator that doesn't overload you with a series of ever changing objectives, keeping your mission tight and focused throughout, allowing that sense of dread to be its main propellant.

You could say that Heave Ho is somewhat visually unappealing, as the scenery and characters have a grainy 1920’s style cinematic look to them (albeit in colour). But this is clearly as intended and works well within the humorous nature of the game. There are birds that fly past and cover you in poop if you’re taking too long, and a llama that walks past and farts, filling the area with a dark fog. Even when players fall to their deaths, an explosion of paint covers their comrades. Heave Ho is a game that doesn’t take itself seriously, and should be played as such, particularly with a group of friends.

I don’t think that Unexplored is ever going to knock anyone’s socks off, but it is a fun little game that I think is worth it’s low asking price. It probably isn’t one that I’ll be coming back to much after my time spent with it for this review, but, then again, not everything has to be. It’s dungeons do feel pleasantly organic, but outside of that it just doesn’t really do anything outstandingly better or differently than others in it’s genre. For some this sense of “been here done that” may be too much, and I think that’s reasonable. For others, solid is more than enough to warrant a purchase, and I think that’s just fine too.

A lot of what happened was very predictable; it felt like the game was tricking you into thinking your choices meant something, when really, you weren’t doing anything at all.

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is a masterful visual representation of Mike Mignola's body of work, clearly created out of passion from the development team. However, the widespread consistent issues with the core game design make it difficult to unreservedly recommend it as a must-buy for either diehard Hellboy fans or for newcomers to the franchise.

The poor puzzles don't detract from the core stealth action, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for the unfathomably idiotic enemy AI.

With a little less linearity, some easing of the hand-holding, and more focus to what works in the story, a follow-up could be fantastic. For now, Remember Me is simply a 'Good' way to spend ten hours.

There’s a lot to love here, and if you’re a fan of the farm-sim RPG you’ll feel right at home in Portia. Sadly, the overall presentation leaves a little to be desired - by easing back on scope and placing a greater focus on polishing what has already been achieved, there could be something great here, but as it stands, it’s a very solid concept built on unsteady ground.

Age of Steel: Recharge isn’t a game that you’re going to keep coming back to for months, but it’s one you’ll enjoy a couple of hours with. While I wouldn’t have minded a bit more depth, it’s functional, polished (aside from a few grammar issues) and fun.

Megacorp is a refreshing expansion, mainly because it shows that economy can be fun and interesting when it is represented by interesting features and not just by numbers and a same-old 4x market and trade system. But much of that seamless simplicity is lost in the convoluted additions of the 2.2 update. Stellaris is still a great game and this is a good expansion, but it unfortunately lands in what seems to have been received as a negative update.

There is a slight underlying frustration in Tech Support — an inability to articulate exactly what you want to say. But a part of me feels like it perhaps adds to the experience. There is an overall feeling of being trapped, whether that’s in the endless cycle of query and response, or in the narrative. It plays on the fact that Tech Support is both a permadeath game and one that relies heavily on decision-making and branching narrative paths. On the whole I’m impressed by how much the game accomplishes using comparatively little, building what amounts to, a fairly full-on gaming experience. In many ways, Tech Support could be a hell metaphor for troubleshooters.

Shadow Blade: Reload is a straightforward and satisfying platformer. It doesn't live up to its lofty stealth claims and the clichéd story doesn't do much beyond add some context for the action. But once you get a feel for how it plays and settle into the solid platforming mechanics, there’s a lot of fun to be had here.