Bullet Witch hasn’t aged particularly well in an era of excellent, smooth, quick third person shooters and brawlers, but I still found myself having fun buying all-in with the simple pleasures that the game does succeed with. Don’t buy this game if you’re looking for a tight, polished, nuanced experience, but consider giving it some of your time for a nostalgic trip through some light-hearted fun.

I think this expansion is for Rise of Industry’s current fanbase and those who are already committed to these patterns of gameplay and unfortunately not for those who enjoy the premises of futurism and dystopianism like myself. That’s why I find it hard to be too overly critical of this expansion and what it has brought to its existing community, as it will doubtless be pleasing to those who are far more invested in tycoon style simulators when it gives them the reason to play more of that which they already enjoy. After all, the DLC stands at a fairly inexpensive investment of £8 which for the soundtrack alone is already enough compensation! Play it again, Johnny.

Although Riptide features a New Game Plus mode, I find myself calling it a day. I enjoyed the game, just as I enjoyed the original, but that's the thing: I enjoyed it -just- as I enjoyed Dead Island. Riptide offers very little to keep the franchise fresh and instead focuses on giving us more of the same. For series newcomers, Riptide is undoubtedly the better game. As a fan, I was happy to receive it, but until a numbered sequel comes along, my time in the tropics is through.

Flockers is a great idea for a puzzle game, but it suffers from a lack of polish and some poor design choices.

Brigador does a lot of things right, but there are a handful of things which prevent it from being great.

Diluvion is at its best when allowing you to pilot your sub wherever you want at your leisure. It’s almost marred by the addition of any combat, as awkward and inaccurate controls often make it more frustrating than exciting.

Forts has been well designed and implemented. The controls and gameplay are simple and the levels are generally quite engaging. Having the three difficulty settings will no doubt allow gamers of all ages and skill levels to enjoy themselves as they watch the enemy fort explode into countless pieces. The Campaign mode can get a little familiar by the time you hit the middle levels, but the variation in visual settings and secondary goals does make it more interesting. And the developers have been patching and adding new features to the game, and it is great to see that they are quick to fix any issues that the community is having whilst adding their own improvements to the game. With the fun visuals and dialogue, Forts is a great game for everyone in the family.

The setting and tone of Phantom Breaker is quite forgettable, particularly for those un-initiated in the way of the Otaku. However, for the most part it’s still hectic and mindless fun.

As a puzzle game, it has a lot of potential, but the level of difficulty and lack of any sort of help means I can only recommend it to fans of truly devious spacial puzzling; anyone after a lighter brain-teaser should look elsewhere.

Sadly, more seasoned adventure fans looking for a new challenge will not find it here, and are instead likely to be frustrated by the patchy attempts at diversifying the gameplay.

I can find myself warming up to Transport Fever. Still, I find it hard to recommend the game to anyone but hardcore transportation sim fans, and even then only if you are a bit of a glutton for punishment. If that description fits, you’ll find a fairly capable simulation that you’ll likely enjoy for a couple of weeks.

Catherine Classic is a fun puzzler, with a great art-style and a fairly catchy narrative. But Vincent lacks appeal as a protagonist, he’s just so bumbling and incompetent and irritatingly unsure of himself. If nothing else hooks you, the puzzles will — but I’m questioning why this game is a classic, I just don’t think I got it.

There are definitely some areas that could use a little polish - inventory and shop system, the save/load points, but those things aside, the game is fun to play.

Lilly Looking Through is a charming little adventure with some unique and interesting mechanics that doesn’t quite do enough to become great. It’s short and sweet, but it’s hard to know who to market the game to.

Bedlam is enjoyable, but it needs a bit more tweaking to be worth recommending above other games of its type.

Playing through Liminal Exit was occasionally frustrating, often visually interesting, and sometimes inventive. It helps that it's a short experience, whether you're good at finding the usually obvious differences or listening to your television friend’s hints, otherwise it might overstay its welcome. The story was intriguing enough to push me through, and the repetition in anomalies did make finding a new one more exciting, just when I thought I'd seen them all. It's also effectively creepy enough of the time, with some of the visuals alone giving me some nice, unconscious chills, and avoids crossing the line into cheap horror at the same time. While most of the ways it changes the formula of its simple genre don't pan out, it does relatively well at sticking to what works, even if it did make me a borderline conspiracy theorist about its trustworthiness.

As it stands, the frantic racing, the quasi-randomly generated track, and the joy of bumping your friend off into the darkness of space in the middle of a turn are almost enough to make you forgive the game its bugs and lack of polish. Almost.

Megabyte Punch is a decent length for the price, especially if you factor in the tournament mode and custom fight modes outside of the main story.

The story in Yonder isn’t in the same category of RPG such as The Witcher or The Elder Scrolls - even the inhabitants of Gemea seem generally disinterested in the Murk that has covered much of their lands. However, the game mechanics are generally fun, and one could argue that Yonder would be the perfect introductory RPG, especially for younger gamers. The cute, colourful characters, animals and locations make peaceful exploring rather enjoyable, and the fact that there is no combat and your character cannot really die, makes Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles an easy proposition for those unfamiliar to the more serious role playing games.

If you like some good, challenging puzzles, Aethernaut definitely worth a try, but maybe wait till a few patches have come out and the game has stabilised somewhat.

As I said before, all games can be educational, but don’t all necessarily have to be educational games. For me Attentat 1942 feels like by trying so hard to be an educational game, it has missed an opportunity to be a better regular game. However, it is still filled with historical content, flashback sequences and a wonderful art style, even though a lack of a cohesive story and any real driving force to the narrative does make it feel meandering, like a conversation with an aging grandparent. But like a conversation with an aging grandparent, you might also learn some amazing things, or have your perspective broadened, if you’ll only take the time to listen. So if you feel like a meander through some thought-provoking history, Attentat 1942 is out on Steam now.

The team at Brawsome have definitely aimed for the retro feel especially with the top-down pseudo-isometric view, reminiscent of the middle-era Ultima titles. The simple gameplay and controls make this a game that anyone can play in short bursts or for extended periods, and with the addictive nature of the puzzles be prepared to look at the clock and wonder where the time has gone.

My heart is screaming to love Clockwork Empires. Its premise, its setting - it is so uniquely fresh and daring that it should have amounted to something extraordinary. I’m struggling to even like it, let alone love it. No, I do like it, but it is a crying shame that it lacks the polish it deserves. As it stands, the interface throws up too much of an obstacle for Clockwork Empires to shine as it might have.

The eccentric enemies match the exaggerated abilities of our heroes, and combined with the vibrant anime style visuals, make One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 a fun experience... even if there is distinct lack of talking parrots, plank walking and shivering of timbers.

I had a lot of fun scratching my brain over this game and will recommend it to anyone who enjoys relaxing in front of their screens with a mouse in one hand and a hot cup of coffee in the other. It does have some issues, but those are easily overlooked in the light of the game's variety of puzzles and brain teasers.

Despite the lack of a storyline (apart from the opening cinematic), Violett does reasonably well in keeping itself interesting.

Playing The Spatials, I found myself thinking that this game should've been a mobile game. The way the navigation is set up, the minimal depth in activities and even the enjoyable but simplistic art style all seem to lend itself more to a mobile platform.

While some of the quests do contain interesting stories, it’s not quite enough to make up for the weaknesses of the setting. I really wanted to like this game, and perhaps fans more interested in the source materials of Lovecraft or those interested in Frogwares’ evolving mechanics of detection will get a bigger kick out of it than I did.

It does lack that little bit of polish that would make it a great game, but Primal Carnage: Extinction is still worth your time, especially if you love dinosaurs.

Co-op games are generally fun to play with friends and family, and Fueled Up is no different. There is little in the way of a story, but that doesn’t matter so much as you and your friends try and complete their tasks on the spaceship before the evil space octopus catches you. The tasks aren’t overly varied, but the level design and the added mechanics give the game a challenging feel. The fun cartoon style visuals make the game suitable for all ages. Unlocking new characters as you progress through the levels adds a degree of replayability and the fact that you can play with friends online is a bonus. Fueled Up is a worthy addition to the co-op genre.

Shelter certainly doesn’t outstay its welcome, clocking in at just over an hour for an entire playthrough. It’s a short game with just a few levels, but given the lack of variety it is probably a good thing it’s not much longer.

Procedurally generated and varied maps do wonders in keeping what is, at its core, a simple and unchanging gameplay loop feeling fresh, albeit samey. Taking down bosses feels like an achievement, and the difficulty is well balanced. The few online contracts I took showed that the classes complement each other well.

There’s fun to be had here, but I’m still not entirely certain if enjoying it is worth suffering through the shortcomings that never should have been.

Zombi is a decent port, and although I had some struggles early on coming to terms with the keyboard and mouse controls (especially in the inventory and during combat), I did enjoy running through (and below) the streets of London.

I wanted to get behind Draugen so much, as someone who loves walking simulators, and loves Norway. But I just didn’t find it gripping — while the setting is unique and captures the beauty of Norway, what I experienced of the central mystery felt cliched, and the two central characters, especially Lissie, felt like 1920s caricatures. I think perhaps an opportunity was missed in giving the game Norwegian characters. If you like walking simulators, and mysteries, you may get a kick out of Draugen, worth a look-up in either case.

While Homefront: The Revolution is a good game when you finally get it to work, it is not a new experience.

It's not a bad game, but imagine the possibilities if we can play with the other races, if the AI would do more than standing around, and if ranged units were more than fluff. You'd have a game that can measure itself with the best 4X games on the market! Until it does, it's the little engine that could, but did not.

If you're looking for an action packed game, then this will not be your cup of tea. However, if you are after a game with a wonderfully emotional narrative that players can experience at a gentle pace, then Copycat is worth a look. As you explore your surroundings as Dawn, you will realise that the game has a truer and more meaningful purpose than it seems at first. With simple controls, it is easy to adjust to the flow of the game, roaming the house as a cat whilst listening to the heartwarming score. It is clear that the developers have poured their hearts into Copycat. I now wonder how my cat Sunshine would feel about another cat taking her place.

Shiness is an ambitious game with a whole lot of charm and character that’s held back by some design choices that just didn’t do it for me. I appreciate the effort put into building a colorful game world filled with characters that do seem straight out of a long-established anime or manga, and the simple puzzles make exploring and progression pleasantly relaxing. If I wasn’t fairly sour with the way combat has been implemented I’d find the experience to be an easy recommendation, but as it stands there’s a bit too much that needs to be polished before the game can really shine.

There’s a lack of variety in the way you play Serial Cleaner which makes things disappointing. You move around, hide in cupboards, clean up the blood, and carry the bodies back to your car. The only real option you have beyond that is setting up a noise distraction which will cause nearby guards to come running. Cleaning is a dangerous, yet apparently mundane job, but someone has to do it.

As it is, there are too many frustrations, and I didn’t feel compelled to keep playing on the merit of the puzzles alone. You will get a lot of hours out of it for your money though, along with an engaging storyline.

The Walking Dead Table reflects the physical evolution of Pinball. The game's journey from mechanical, to electric, and then digital form causes things to look cluttered and jumbled – but there's still a great mechanical predictability to the game.

It may be short-lived and a little rough around the edges here and there, but Planet of the Eyes is a game that balances just the right level of challenge with story to create a decent experience for players looking for a quick fix.

The game is undoubtedly not for everyone, but if you'd like a wholly different experience within a relaxing atmosphere spent bringing colour to a world in dire need of it, then I suggest you get Cube and Star: An Arbitrary Love.

Unfortunately at this stage, there are only two game modes - story and endless - and they pretty much play out the same. But Super Mutant Alien Assault has an addictive quality that has leaves you wanting to play just one more game in order to reach the next stage or gain the next upgrade.

Wreckreation wears its influence in its presentation, mechanics, and throughout many other aspects of the gameplay. It retains some of the bad aspects, sticks a bit too close to some of the good, and is missing maybe a little of both, all at the same time. Ultimately, the act of driving and crashing feels pretty good, but the awkward fast-travel and menus, which feel close to carbon copies, are in dire need of modernization. While the large map has enough variety for a bunch of open, mountainous spaces, the lack of a dense city feels like a step backwards in just about every way, and gives the entire world a more empty feeling. There are plenty of tools at each player's disposal to create tracks and events, but relying on a social experience focused directly on friends means that larger scale multiplayer is hamstrung before it has a chance. If Wreckreation has the opportunity to grow, the foundation is solid, but if it can't or won't, it risks feeling like a knock-off of its primary predecessor to some, and simply an awkward experience to others.

The Dragonborn add-on allows you to revisit Solstheim, the island from 2003's Bloodmoon expansion to Morrowind. While it's still a Skyrim location, It brings a little taste of Morrowind to the frozen North. Numerous Creation Club mods bring in quests, creatures, and items that link back to Morrowind and Oblivion, so there's a lot to explore here. Not to mention the seemingly endless number of mods available online that alter and enhance the game in many ways. From realistic AI conversations that make the townsfolk talk to one another instead of throwing lines of exposition at you as you pass to texture overhauls that dramatically improve the game's look (as long as you have the engine to run them). Which brings me to my biggest complaint about the Skyrim Anniversary Edition - tech.

The rub is that if the combat mechanics didn't quickly devolve into frustration, the extremely short campaign (that is probably best played on Easy: a sad realization) would be an additional negative. I believe strongly that there is still hope on the periphery of Space Marine 2. With proper dedication to the existing roadmap, and beyond, that outlines a focus on PvE content, including an upcoming, proper horde mode, its identity can shift from "gorgeous looking, short single-player experience" to "great game to play with friends," but we're not there yet. And in a gaming landscape that will probably see dozens of games launching to appeal to the latter feeling while Space Marine 2 works its way up to that, on top of the existing ones, it remains a tough game to recommend.

Jagged Alliance: Rage is a fun game when judged on its own merits. It’s certainly not a proper sequel, and perhaps that would be a bit too much to expect from a game that’s selling for a mere 20 bucks. It does have a few whiffs of what made Jagged Alliance great though, and if this would have been sold as a way to whet our appetites for a full sequel coming out next year, I think it would have landed much better with the fans than it did. As it stands, Jagged Alliance: Rage is a cute distraction, a fun-for-a-while-not-quite-Jagged-Alliance that will polarize fans more than it had intended, but should not be dismissed right out of hand.

I really enjoyed the character specialization and tactical gameplay, but during most of Deadline I couldn’t help but feel that it just didn’t make much sense as a zombie game, and would be better if I was fighting other soldiers (there are humans you fight, but not comparatively often).

While it does have some issues presenting the backstory itself; feeling a bit more like an experiment than a complete game, the moment-to-moment of exploration is unique and unforgettable. Hopefully this will soon get VR support considering it looks perfect for the platform.

Although I had some issues with the track laying nuances in Railroad Corporation, I was able to overlook them and enjoy the game for what it is – a relaxing train simulation in the mould of the classic Railroad Tycoon. Small map campaigns allow for reasonably short playthroughs, each with different goals that help gamers gradually familiarise themselves with its gameplay mechanics. The lack of proper instructions or guidance for anything outside the basic mechanics was disappointing but having said that, there is a sense of achievement when your little railroad empire is running like clockwork though, knowing that you’ve done so with minimal assistance.

If you’re looking for a fun co-op game for your kids or looking to get someone you know into gaming through a non-violent, cute, easy-to-learn spy game, Hacktag is definitely a good choice. Don’t expect it to hold the interest of experienced players looking for a challenge though. If you’re a grammarian who can’t overlook terrible typos and Google Translated text, and have a problem with the morality of corporate espionage however, you might cringe quite a lot when booting this game up. The aforementioned players who will like this game, though, surely won’t care about that sort of thing.

It's easy to pour countless hours into Deep Sixed, but it's just as easy to rage quit after a few minutes. There is a handy tutorial mission, but it in no way covers everything there is to do in the game. I'm sure this will scare many new players away, but if you take the time to learn the way your ship and manual work, it becomes quite rewarding to fix your ship like a pro and continue on with each new mission. And when things seem too dark, the ship's AI is usually pretty good at picking up the mood. She's silly and totally programmed with the good of co-operation in mind, so the player character becomes quite sassy with her. Indeed, I found that their relationship was always spot-on and made me laugh quite a bit.

It has a great, unique style, but overall it is let down by the often clumsy and convoluted game design.

Overall Armed Seven is a competent shooter and a good attempt at recapturing some of that old shoot-em-up magic.

Other than occasional bouts of frustration brought on by poor camera angles, there’s not much wrong with Legend of Kay Anniversary. That said, in 2015, we’ve seen it all before.

Overall, Vambrace: Cold Soul is a fun game that's brought down by little things that lead into bigger issues over time. I appreciate a good challenge, but there's often a fine line between a challenge which is fun to overcome and a challenge that feels unfair and unrewarding. Where Vambrace shines is in its world building and storytelling which I enjoyed the mystery of. The map, however, can freeze out in the icy ghost towns for all I care.

Although I appreciate the game for its many merits, I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending it until the price comes down a bit, but as it does, the likelihood of you regretting the purchase goes down with it.

Feather is definitely a relaxing experience, one that allows gamers to chill out and explore at their own leisure. There are no enemies, no combat, and no objectives. Some guidance or a location finding challenge similar to that in PilotWings Resort would definitely give Feather added replayability. Even a timed challenge as you fly through all the hoops or a challenge to collect each of the fruits would provide for an added incentive to jump (or should that be 'fly') into the game. As Feather is a cross-platform (PS4, XB1) online game, there is the chance that you will stumble upon other birds circling the island as well. In time this could result in some added collaborative exploration – particularly if the developers add more locations in which to survey from a bird’s eye view.

Ultimately, this ant colony simulator offers a unique and engaging experience, but it's one that could benefit from some streamlining and refinement. The core mechanics are solid, but the frustrating micro-management of the science system and the somewhat disjointed island exploration prevent it from truly shining. It's a game with a lot of potential, but it needs a bit more polish to truly capture the magic of a thriving, interconnected ant empire.

While the game is a pleasure to play, it pales in comparison to its predecessor in feel. For some reason, I’m not feeling the same emotional bond with Robert and the mystery of the world fails to tickle my fancy. The voice acting could have been better directed and it would have been nice to be able to interrupt actions after having clicked on something instead of having to watch the character walk all the way to the object just to click through the ensuing VO to get out of it faster. If you didn’t feel you got enough of Asposia from The Inner World or are just aching to reconnect with Robert and Laura, get The Last Wind Monk. If not, let the original stand on its own.

Reigns: The Witcher is a perfect marriage of IP and indie mechanics. By evolving the objective system into the deeper Inspirations mechanic, Nerial has ensured that every "Game Over" feels like a step forward rather than a step back.

Overall, I did have fun with The Shapeshifting Detective. It’s a very competently made FMV, and one with a unique enough twist to earn a spot among its peers. I do think that there was a lot more potential in the concept than what the final product ended up delivering, but such is the case with many first shots at a new idea. Here’s to hoping we’re in line for a sequel that gives the concept some more room to grow.

Ultros takes its shots, and many of them are genuinely pleasing. The audio and visual design is something to behold, and the unique gameplay hooks deserve iteration at the very least. At the same time it is a game at odds with itself. The things you're being asked to do don't quite mesh with the tools, the story being told feels incongruous with the actions of its characters, and its promise feels wasted. It's tempting to consider that in a different year, against a different crop of recent metroidvania standouts, its shortcomings might be easier to ignore, but even in a space-like vacuum, up against only itself, Ultros doesn't bear the fruit it has the potential to.

It’s clear the ‘Saga’ series of Total War has some issues to resolve before titles like Troy can be a success. Their budget and prioritisation in the series is without direction and with something of an identity crisis in a series that already releases annualised big-budget titles. To conclude, Creative Assembly has a lot of work to do in order to refine this class of smaller budget game before it’ll be a successful addition to their roster.

Ski Jumping Pro VR is a good first attempt at virtual reality from Yippee Entertainment overall. It’s an enjoyable, albeit flawed experience with motion controls difficulties and repetition issues, so long playthroughs aren’t advisable. However, anyone looking for a skiing experience on their VR headset will find a suitable candidate here, one that successfully recreates the sport and comes recommended.

2Dark is a game that clearly knows how to build an atmosphere, but seems a bit confused when it comes to using it to actually frame an engaging, compelling game. The whole experience seems to be caught in a sort of limbo between being a stealth, top-down action, or point-and-click experience, and fails to do be any of them exceedingly well. A bit of re-focus to clean up the gameplay and narrative a little would go a long way, though it will be perfect for that niche market looking for a Taken-inspired plot of cartoonish gory stealth adventure.

As there is no voice-over, all your interaction with the game’s story is text-based, and when the writing is as bad as it is in ATOM RPG, it becomes a chore and all enjoyment of the world is drained out of it. That’s not to say I’m going to stop playing it. As a system it is a genuinely good game, but as a world into which one sinks oneself, it’s viscous.

Overall, Wulverblade was a more enjoyable experience for me than beat 'em ups have been in the past. I enjoyed the visuals immensely, and they really helped to move the game along during parts that seemed to drag. But that's not to say that the actual gameplay is bad. If you enjoy the beat 'em genre, I'm certain that Wulverblade would appeal much more strongly to you than it did to me. Much like the bits of history scattered and hidden throughout, Wulverblade is a game that will appeal to those whom know what to expect out of this sort of game and like exactly that.

If you're a fan of Supercross, then you'll likely enjoy Monster Energy Supercross 25. However, for casual fans, or those looking at getting into the series, be wary that this is a tough game to master. Slowly improving and gaining followers in the Career Mode is definitely rewarding though. The visuals are great and the soundtrack provides for an atmospheric experience, but the difficulty, even at the lowest level can be tough. The opposition racers are aggressive and competent, even down to the last rider, ensuring that a single mistake can cost you a race. And when some of these errors are no fault of your own, it can be a frustrating experience.

Vandals is the type of game that offers an enjoyable challenge on mobile platforms, for which the game is also available. I could spend hours with it if I could pull it out of my pocket at the dentist office. With Vandals being on my PC, I still find it fun, but I feel I am required to sacrifice time for another game that I probably want to play more.

I find myself thinking that maybe I’ll play Lichtspeer again at some point in the future, but after the short time I’ve spent with it, I feel I’ve experienced all there is.

I'm thrilled that Kong: Survivor Instinct exists because the Monsterverse - and the Godzilla and Kong IPs overall, deserve more representation in the medium. This game isn't the slam dunk that I'm looking for, but it's a perfectly reasonable way for fans of the characters to spend some time in their world. While the puzzles and exploration gameplay aren't anything to write home about, they're perfectly serviceable, and a lackluster story and some flat voice acting only moderately detract from the beautiful art direction and overall environmental design. Potential players with no inherent interest in Kong or the Titans may not find that to be enough, but this is still a fun entry in what is hopefully a long line of more kaiju games to come.

After Deponia’s rather positive reception, however, I expected more from Daedalic. The dialogue being rather childish is to be expected from a 12 year old protagonist and I’d consider this game aimed at the younger generation. That being said, the difficulty of juggling multiple quest lines simultaneously is not for the easily distracted, or the easily frustrated.

Ionball 2: Ionstorm contains about 60 levels to bust your way through, with leaderboards for the more competitive minded folks.

Despite criticism, it’s well put together and it has nothing a couple of patches based on feedback can’t improve upon. As it stands now though, it’s just a bit too rough around the edges to really recommend. Especially since it can easily take you a dozen hours or more to finish. Games are often about the journey and not the destination. However, in this case the journey requires a lot of devotion and patience. Perhaps that was the goal all along?

A mobile-game-depth “me too” game that is beautiful and serviceable but ultimately uninteresting...There are games out there that are more Master of Orion than this Master of Orion.

The game itself is entirely functional, with all of its components working together to create a simple yet engaging multiplayer shooter. Yet those same components also create a game that lacks personality, resulting in a solidly crafted game that borrows well from others but fails to create a new and unique experience.

Infinium Strike doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s got solid enough gameplay to remain entertaining. It’s not going to keep you busy for weeks and it leaves a fair amount to be desired in the presentation department, but the short 10 mission campaign and a serviceable arcade mode make for a fun way to burn a few evenings or a long weekend.

Given the problems especially with flight physics modelling and the focus on shooting, I cannot say that I enjoyed my time with the game very much. There’s no joy in flying when the plane does not behave as it should behave and you don’t get to land and take off the pretty things. On the other hand, I can see this title having potential: a few fixes here and there and proper flight stick support for my Thrustmaster T.16000m (and other joysticks) and this could become a very nice game. Unfortunately, it is not there at the moment and I am reviewing the product as it is here and now - as it is, there are other flight combat games out there that are more enjoyable to play, even if they lack the kind of story Iron Wings offers.

It’s a fun, often heartwarming journey supported by likable characters and good acting, but the way that personality and choices are handled, along with the lack of a well-structured narrative climax, keeps Five Dates from being as good as it almost is. It doesn’t have enough “game” to sell itself on player challenge or interaction, and its lack of meaningful climaxes or endings means that it doesn’t quite work as a more traditional cinematic experience. Where it thrives are in its individual human moments, and, even with my complaints, those are the things I most remember looking back.

Measured against Jagged Alliance 2 – a game with a budget many times that of Flashback – Jagged Alliance: Flashback does a solid face plant. It lacks the depth and personality that made its older sibling the cult hit still played by thousands of gamers to this day.

While the gameplay brings nothing new to the RTS slate, and sometimes feels surpassed by games that came out a decade ago, it has just enough to propel you through its reasonably short experience. With any luck, you'll have your fill by then, because that's all there is. Replayability is virtually non-existent. There’s no multiplayer, no skirmish mode (yet), and no reasonable reason to revisit missions. It's a self-contained experience that ultimately accomplishes most of what it sets out to do: provide a fun human mulch simulator that will almost make fans forget about three substandard sequels to a fun film by capturing the old magic. Unfortunately the emphasis there is on "old."

Between the lack of balance and the lack of feedback, it feels like Dawn of Andromeda left Early Access too early. The game just doesn’t feel like it is done which is doubly disappointing because I can see its potential. There are some good ideas, like the reputation system that is tied - among other things - into mini quests that keep you entertained when things are peaceful. Still, there is little depth and there are definitely a few rough edges that need to be smoothed out before one could call this a ‘good’ game. If the above gives you the impression that it is a bad game, it is not. It’s playable and there is some fun to be had, but it’s just not where it should be as a full release.

This is a game for people who want to climb leaderboards, a game for hardcore gamers who relish a challenge and don't mind taking time to get skilled at a unique control scheme.

Moroi has some very rough edges, but despite that it has an extremely unique visual style and artistic design. If you have a dark sense of humour and enjoy the absurd and the macabre, I recommend it, just keep in mind that you may encounter several issues that may hinder your enjoyment of the game as they hindered mine

As it stands, 99Vidas is an inspired tribute to beat-em-ups, with its solid aesthetic brought down by gameplay that lacks the diversity or complexity that would otherwise make this a more compelling game.

Democracy 3 is a game for the politically-minded. It favors substance over flair.

If you have some time to kill and are lookigng for some good old fashioned hack & slash action, you could do worse than Kyn. Otherwise, your time might be better spent with a more fulfilling game.

At the end of the day, though, Agony exists with too much dissonance to be a completely enjoyable game. For as much as I liked the visual and audio designs, and they really are pretty great, the actual gameplay is just too frustrating and dull too much of the time. I think there’s a place for games that place style over substance, but Agony doesn’t quite stick the landing.

If you are willing to spend countless hours to get into this game, I truly think you will enjoy it. Partially because you are probably the type of person the game is aimed at, but also because Amazing Cultivation Simulator offers a unique perspective on simulators as a whole. But tread carefully. The leap of faith you have to take to get into Amazing Cultivation Simulator is a big one, and it was one I couldn’t muster.

Train Simulator 2015 was an interesting experience. It reignited a childhood spark for a brief amount of time, as well as brought into context that while the life on the rails is simple in movement it is not simply pushing the throttle forward and waiting.

Hyper Scape is an absolutely fine game that I think would have been huge if it would have come out earlier. It does a lot of things right and not much overly wrong. Instead, it suffers from an overwhelming sense of familiarity that doesn’t present much of a reason for people to play it over more established games in the genre. Even in the most crowded fields, there’s always room for another title to come and carve out a niche, but I don’t see many compelling arguments to jump ship for Hyper Scape.

Infinity Runner is a game that has a lot of really strong things going for it, while at the same time being held back by some pretty damaging issues.

Despite not particularly caring for Drowning as a complete package, I do want to stress that I think the writing paints an affecting picture of depression without slipping into cliched, manufactured drama. I did enjoy connecting with the protagonist as much as one can enjoy getting into a troubled mind, and I think it does a good job of using personification to make depression as relatable as I can imagine it is for someone like me who’s never experienced it first hand. I just don’t particularly love how it all came together as an interactive experience.

I Saw Black Clouds gets credit from me for attempting to tackle serious subject matter in an interesting way, but the execution just doesn’t rise to meet the ideas. I have some issues with the way the narrative plays out towards the end, but the more damning issues are technical ones. When the game does hit its stride, it’s still undermined by poor flow and scene stitching, which stayed as consistent issues from start to finish. There aren’t a ton of FMV games out there, so I still think you’ll enjoy your time here if you’ve already run through the other heavy hitters in the genre enough times, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that there’s a lot more potential here than actually comes to fruition.

I fully understand that games being sold at budget price need to be held to different standards than ones costing five or ten times more, but, at the same time, a game needs to be fun no matter what. Red Risk does have its moments.