Control and stability issues aside, Block’hood is quite a lovely game to play around in. The graphics are simple, yet charming, and the music does a great job of relaxing you as you puzzle through how best you’re going to keep the animals in your neighbourhood happy while also setting up multiple Internet cafes. The sense of progression isn’t as great as in other city building games, but putting together an efficient neighbourhood where everyone lives in harmony is definitely a rewarding experience.

For the most part, it was a compelling experience. What made it even more interesting, was knowing that the plot behind the Man of Medan is inspired by a real ship that went missing sometime in the 1940's although a specific date is hard to pin down. It may not be a game for everyone, but for fans of Supermassive's previous work it is definitely worth a look.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is a reasonably adequate racing game for beginners. Visually, it sets itself apart from many of its competitors. However, its floaty physics system, unappealing slow speeds, almost non-existent racetrack offerings, and awkward keyboard control scheme make it impossible to recommend in its current state.

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.

It all blends into a winning mix that sees Tropico going from strength to strength delivering a fresh take on a concept that has captivated city-builder fans since the turn of the century. More than a decade after its inception, Tropico is still getting better and has me hooked all over again.

Whether you are a fan of jazz or punk, Jazzpunk is certainly something you need in your life.

Exploration is its defining quality, even as the puzzle solving elevates above other exploratory games. For this reason, Mind: Path to Thalamus is an easy recommendation, even if its story falls a little short. This is a game that should be experienced.

The developers have done their due diligence when it comes to researching historical aspects of the D-Day invasion. Every detail was thought out and then presented in a realistic manner. The troops and their large inventory of equipment and weapons are realistic and true to form for a game based on history. The cut scenes and commentary serve to further the narrative about individual solders serving behind enemy lines with their quest to free the world from Nazi dominance. Developer Absolutely Games stated that their ambition concerning Classified: France '44 was to tell an authentic story about these soldiers and I think they did a fine job of it. Replayability is high with the inclusion of a mission creator and modding tools which will ensure a lot of available player-created content.

This reviewer can't go into too much detail about the story of Stan and Under the Waves - some things are best experienced by the player first hand after all, and the story that is spun along the seafloor is definitely one of those. Players will learn more about Stan through his isolation, all the while exploring the beautiful ocean. If you're a fan of oceanic visage, emotional stories, crafting mechanics, wide ranging exploration, or some combination of them all, Under the Waves might just be the game for you.

In all LEGO: Bricktales is a charming foray into a plastic moulded world. Creativity is encouraged, but players are more than free to blitz through with whatever roughshod constructions that they are able to make, allowing for some hilarity when people either question the quality of a painstakingly built bridge or compliment the artistry in a hastily constructed helicopter. For anyone that is a fan of LEGO, character creation, or questionable engineering, this isn’t a game to miss despite its few flaws.

It's a fun strategy game that can be played for a few hours at a time.

To a fan of platformers, I think you should give it a try. People who are looking for some casual, simple fun, however, probably aren't going to find it here.

The simple graphics and animations leave something to be desired but the graphical style is spot on. Besides, shiny baubles don’t make a game - gameplay does and that is rock solid here.

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.

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.

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.

Problems aside, Police Stories is fun. It’s not terribly long- the kind of game you could bust out in a weekend if you wanted to- but its bite-sized pieces and simple controls also make it a great game to digest at a more tempered pace.

The Persistence has turned out to be an excellent blend of genres that I haven't experienced before. There are some terrifying moments and the monsters themselves can be somewhat creepy, but you are given enough weapon choice to get the job done. With the map layout changing after every death, and the number of upgrades to chase after there is tons of replay value as well. While the game may be rough at the start, The Persistence is a terrifyingly fun time that's worth playing through at least once.

Aliens: Dark Descent is, without a doubt, one of the best games in the franchise's history. It's campy and ridiculous, intimidating and unsettling, tactical and yet still casual. It attempts to pull off a number of different (and often even opposing) themes and mechanics, and impressively rarely fails outright at any of them. The story, dialogue, and cutscene animation all work in tangent to produce a compelling narrative that stays true to the typical narrative conventions of the Alien franchise, taking what would normally be a forgettable cast and setting, and making them stand out through their reactions to situations and their contrasting personalities and approaches to dealing with the threats that face them.

Unyielder is an interesting and somewhat masochistic game. It has a lot of potential, and I experienced a lot of enjoyment and a lot of frustration playing it. I found the difficulty level to be very punishing, just from a reaction time point of view, and frequently got frustrated because the harder bosses seemed almost impossible to counter correctly. When I managed to get some powerful weapons or perks, I could do really well but often couldn't find myself getting through more than six or seven bosses in a row. It feels like with enough tuning and some more development, Unyielder could turn into a really polished gem. Despite that, I did have fun with it, particularly with the movement and feel of weaponry.

Sonic Frontiers is a game with a lot going for it, but is somewhat held back by the technical issues of a character as fast as Sonic. It does provide a path forward into a new era of Sonic games that could revive the series and unite the fans behind it. Exploring the Starfall Islands can be as relaxing or as hectic as the player desires, and there is plenty of room for more games like this in the future of the franchise. The added mechanics of an open world and a skill tree allow for players to really feel the growth in Sonic's speed and strength as the game progresses, and the customization in the options allow for a grasp on Sonic's speed and manoeuvrability that no other Sonic game has yet attempted. This reviewer feels optimistic about the Sonic franchise to come now that it has taken some steps into a new frontier.

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.

Anodyne is a game that, despite one very problematic gameplay element, manages to play with a tried and true genre and create something new and exciting.

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

A Little to the Left is a game that I ultimately ended up respecting more than I actually enjoyed it. I can absolutely see how this is going to be a slam dunk for many puzzle solvers out there, but the lack of clear solutions for some of the puzzles simply wasn't up my alley. Luckily I was able to skip or look up the answer for the content I didn't enjoy, and the less abstract and more organizational-styled puzzled did give me that endorphin hit when everything was finally neat and tidy.

I walked away from my time with Lords of the Fallen feeling defeated even in my victory. It was a tough road, the toughest of all the souls-and-likes in execution and also, at least partially, gameplay. I lost more levels worth of Vigor than maybe all the other games combined, but I didn't feel like I overcame some finely crafted challenge. Most damning of all, though, despite its attempts to differentiate itself with unique mechanics, I never forgot the games that inspired it through the entire runtime.

Sand Land makes up for its shortcomings with its characters, its sense of adventure, and its world. It is one of the best representations of Toriyama's work in game form in a long time. If you're like me and miss Toriyama's world building and design, but have exhausted the plethora of Dragon Ball titles, then give Sand Land a try. It's a worthy adaptation that deserves attention, and hey, it's way better than Final Bout.

That said, Victor Vran does use all of its parts very well. It has a strong atmosphere, familiar controls, and some interesting moments. It might not be a standout, but it's definitely a solid game.