Right now, Stellaris is a very good space-based strategy game, but a few months down the road, it could evolve into a fantastic one.

Shakes on a Plane is still enjoyable to play in single-player, but will be enjoyed more with a group of three or four. Working as a team and gaining the maximum three stars on each flight is highly rewarding. The simple controls, cute visuals, and upbeat music (that gets faster as the flight ends) make it a game that can be enjoyed by a family or with a group of friends together on the couch. The levels are varied enough – via the meals, seating arrangements and mission types – to keep the game fresh as gamers progress through the flights. And while we’re all in various forms of coronavirus lockdowns, this may be as close to air travel as we’ll get for the time being.

There is absolutely no risk at all after downloading the free-to-play demo with the 20 token per day regeneration rate. Doing that is a nice way to get introduced to Risk. A game of world domination can take hours to complete so only playing once a day isn't a problem. With that said, since I like to support game developers, I would encourage players to go for the premium upgrade. If you really want to get good at the game and advance up the rankings ladder, playing game after game is the only way to do it. I would highly recommend taking this Risk!

Weird West is a gem of a game with a dark, well-crafted world and an intriguing story featuring choices that carry actual weight. It's not perfect – no indie game is – and I've experienced my fair share of bugs while playing it (nothing game-breaking, though). I will definitely be revisiting it in the near future... right after I finish Planescape Torment again.

There is a lot to like about Anno 2205. I love the new global economy which, combined with the overall goal of colonizing the moon and achieving endless cheap energy to renew the planet, really drives things forward. The streamlining of the interface has paid off but the same cannot be said about the simplification of trade and the lack of competition on local maps.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a big, brash, bulky return to the spotlight for the mainline MechWarrior franchise that delivers on its promise of a more sim-like experience than many of its contemporaries. While it can be frustrating to get caught up in economic repair micromanagement, most of your enmity will be blown away when the robots start to rumble.

There are a number of missed opportunities here, notably the absence of Steamworks features like trading cards or achievements, which are difficult to justify, but overall this is a solid port of an excellently eccentric game.

In all, Neon Abyss is a beautifully made game that does their chosen genre justice, demonstrating a beautiful atmosphere and a challenging yet rewarding experience, when either the dice rolls in your favor or you manage to do well even despite a bad hand being given to you. If luck is on your side, Neon Abyss is chaotic fun as a run ‘n gun and bullet hell, and if luck took a sick day, well, you can still manage to accomplish a surprising amount. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna try another run...

In all Fairy Tail: Dungeons is an entertaining ride, particularly for fans of either the roguelite genre, the Fairy Tail series, or both. With an accessible price point and an enjoyable gameplay loop as well as art style, players can certainly enjoy diving into the labyrinth for quite some time- the repetitive music and limited progression forward aren’t enough to put a damper on the fun this game provides!

The co-op nature of Tools Up! and the cheery, colourful, cartoonish graphics give the game a fun atmosphere. The simple controls and gameplay add to this, allowing Tools Up! to be played by gamers of all ages and abilities. The game can be played with both a controller or a keyboard. Each works equally well, so it is simply a matter of choosing which suits the player more. The different levels – thirty in all – provide for enough variation to keep the game enjoyable throughout. And like games such as Overcooked, there will be plenty of screaming at each other to make sure tasks get completed in a timely manner…much like those home renovation shows on TV.

Indeed, if you are a gamer that doesn’t spend much time in a single sitting, then GRID 2 will suit because of the short, speedy events. I was personally disappointed by the short length of the Endurance races, but can overlook my disappointment somewhat. The rest of the game plays really well.

If you know what you’re signing up for - incredibly hard gameplay followed by a lot of repetition - then you will definitely enjoy it.

Isonzo may find itself somewhat hampered by its many technical shortcomings and modest amount of in-game content, such as the limited size of its current map pool, but with a bit of post-launch patching, and a commitment to continued content updates, Isonzo’s greatest days may hopefully lay ahead.

But the game’s strongest point is the writing. It is just superb and perfectly works with the other elements present in the game. It is so utterly unapologetic about what it’s doing that you can’t help but find it just a little bit enjoyable.

Kotama and Academy Citadel is a solid entry into a very crowded genre that struggles to distinguish itself from its numerous peers. It does have above-average combat and tons of sexy anime girls, but really if you have played a Metroidvania in the past few years, this will feel pretty familiar. It's an enjoyable enough way to pass 20 hours if you have an itch for the genre, but if you're expecting the next Hollow Knight or Super Metroid, you're going to come away disappointed.

If you’ve ever wanted to send a wide-eyed Disney princess and her siblings into battle against the forces of darkness, miles above the original home of man, you really should give it a spin.

Magalan, while not always the prettiest to look at (the game isn't much of a looker) is so large and varied that it pulls off the hard-sell on mixing so many different themes into one. Whether it’s the lush forests, the arid deserts, or even the frozen mountains peaks and old world ruins, Elex is a game that I play for the exploration. I kill, I loot, I explore and I'll pick up quests along the way that I pretend I care about. But mostly I'm just aiming for that next big reward until something in the story happens that interests me. If you're someone like me who loves exploring open worlds, you'd be hard pressed to pass Elex up. But if you're looking for the sharpest looking, smoothest playing, go-to because you're finally bored of The Witcher 3, this one may not be for you.

The performance, happiness and stability issues drag down a game that could have received a perfect score. If I had a choice, I’d roll back to the previous patch to at least have a stable game again, but that’s not an option. Fortunately there are ways to win the game without having a large portion of the map in your back pocket. When the turns are processing, battles are resolved smoothly and revolts remain manageable, Endless Space 2 is an absolutely magnificent game. There is so much to discover, so much to do and so many different ways to do it, it’s dazzling when you get started. But once you have the basics under control and start noticing the many intricate ways in which the game allows you to manage and fine-tune your empire, it is hard not to be impressed.

Destiny 2: Beyond Light is a new foundation for the game. Bungie is looking to build on that foundation in a way that is more future-proofed than Destiny 2 ever was. I think this was a great start. Not only does it allow for easier access to new players, but it provides for a cleaner experience for everybody. Sure, this is nowhere near the fantastic content brought to Destiny in the Forsaken expansion, but Beyond Light still has a lot to offer.

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew doesn't necessarily excel at either its narrative or character-related RPG beats, but it does enough to get by, while its gameplay carries it to safe harbour.

If you want a punishing but fun experience, you may yet consider booking your suite at Skyhill. If you can push on through all the frustrations, all the randomly generated 'F-You' moments you'll have to endure, and every inevitable death just to get a little further each time, then Skyhill is your game. If you can't, well, then you probably aren't a roguelike fan anyway.

It can be hard to recommend sidescrolling platform-puzzlers these days with the sheer number of fantastic ones hitting the market every single year for quite some time now, but My Memory of Us is worth your time. With a unique atmosphere, well-told story, quality visuals and voice acting, and a run time short enough to make it perfect for a weekend finish, I think just about everyone will find [their time] and money well spent.

Session: Skate is not a game I recommend anyone pick up that is looking for a casual experience to jump into once in a while. Instead, it's a project that needs (and rewards) a substantial investment of time to internalize and commit to muscle memory the unconventional controls and game "feel". While it has its flaws and frustrations, the simple fact is that there really isn't anything else filling this niche in the market right now, and, fortunately, fans of the genre will likely find a lot here to like.

Valiant Hearts isn't perfect...but it's still pretty great. It may not be completely tear-jerking, but it's still touching. The story may not be one I'll remember in detail decades from now, but it's still strong. The message may occasionally get lost in the gameplay, but it still rings true in the end.

Playing Shadow Warrior 2 was like hand-delivering a gift to 14-year-old self. Maybe I should think that’s a bad thing, but I don’t. Despite a few flaws with pacing and level design, there are few games that have made me feel as much of an unstoppable god of death as I did in my time here.

Folks, there is a lot to this game; it might not be a pure railroad / train management simulator, but it has a lot to offer, especially if you like puzzles. Everything runs very smoothly, and I didn't find any bugs. Some of the missions will require you to start from scratch where you need to locate resources, build or rather place the appropriate resource gathering buildings, assign the necessary workers and lay down rails, place stations, set the switches while adding the needed trains and its cars. Other missions might provide a jumbled-up mishmash collection of broken rails that need to be fixed and improved. Every mission will be different from the previous ones.

If you’re not afraid of a little experimentation, then it would be a crime to not check out The Escapists.

Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon is a bizarre and fascinating blend of classic high-fantasy trappings and Giger-inspired architecture that feels like a living death metal album. From presentation to mechanics, it wears its Elder Scrolls inspiration on its sleeve, but it does enough with its story and artistic direction to stand alone as a compelling package. Some of the glitches are frustrating given how long the game spent in Early Access, but they never elevated beyond annoyances and don't stop this from being an easy game to recommend for fans of the genre.