If you wanted TESO to be a Skyrim sequel, you're going to be disappointed. If you wanted it to be another World of Warcraft clone, then stick to Lord of the Rings Online. If you are looking for something fresh in a familiar setting then you are in for a feast.

Kingdoms and Castles is a whimsical city builder and perhaps a bit of a lightweight. This is good news if you just like making artsy 8-bit medieval towns and don't want to get bogged down with heavy menus in order to build and maintain your empire. Seasoned players looking for a little more substance and complexity will probably bore fairly quickly. Yet if paying 10 bucks for perhaps short week's worth of distraction sounds acceptable, then by all means, give this one a go.

The Detail isn’t bad, it’s just not as good as the games it’s trying to emulate.

Point-and-click games may not be as high-profile as they once were, but games like Willy Morgan show that they can still be fun, rewarding escapes. While some innovation may have given people more reason to grab this over older classics, those looking for a classic adventure experience should look no further.

The whole thing is simply a meditative experience. The car ride is especially soothing as you just sit there and watch the scenery go by. It would probably be absolutely fantastic in VR.

If you want a rather great combat system with a gorgeous aesthetic then give Trek to Yomi a try, but don’t expect a game that’s going to last dozens of hours. It has a story to tell, and that story is not very long.

Despite some of the issues, The Cosmic Shake is a very fun game that satisfies both fans of SpongeBob and of platformers, and is another contender in the list of games that are licensed by other forms of media that are actually genuinely solid in their own right, rather than merely taking advantage of name recognition. For anyone that has previously played Battle for Bikini Bottom or is generally interested in a 3D platformer full of cartoon shenanigans, then SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake might just be worth losing a boating license for.

Fobia: St. Dinfna Hotel is a perfectly tolerable survival-horror game. You won't regret playing it. But likely because a month from now, you won't recall ever having played it.

Maybe I’m just a softy, but Pinstripe is a game that I can tell is going to echo in my head for awhile. There aren’t any giant plot twists that catch you off guard and blow you away. There aren’t any new incredibly game mechanics that add a twist to the genre. There’s just good old fashioned quality storytelling put together by a guy that’s clearly got a lot of talent, passion, and love for the project, and it shines through from start to end. In a time of buggy, rushed releases and half-baked indie cash-grabs, it’s nice to play something memorable, well-made, and complete, and, for those reasons and more, Pinstripe is an easy game to recommend.

Once you’re past the steep learning curve, Automachef has a lot to offer. As you’re solving problems, not puzzles, there’s different ways to approach a task, which gives a fair amount of replayability. The chance to share player-made content with a budding community and bolster your options with modding capabilities means that this game could have some staying power - assuming that the initial difficulty spikes don’t spoil any appetites.

Crazy Machines 3 is unapologetically a puzzle game about fixing, creating and customizing crazy machines. In that regard the game is solid. For puzzle aficionados maybe that’s all they need. However, in a year where we got The Witness and Steven’s Sausage Roll, Crazy Machines 3 does little to stand out from the competition and even its own series. Much like Peter Griffin and his failed breakfast contraption you might ask “What’s the point?”

Developer Walter Woods, in an almost entirely solo effort, has made a horror experience that easily comes more highly recommended than many of those from teams a hundred times larger or more. A lot of that has to do with the cohesion of the world, storytelling, and gameplay. As the story drew to a close, I felt disappointed that I wouldn't get to see the game continue its upward trajectory. But as credits rolled, I couldn't help but feel happy with the experience as a whole. The faults in Dark and Deep are inconsequential enough that mentioning them almost happens as an afterthought (not to mention that they're almost universally a potential patch away from not existing). The notable moments, though, are at the absolute minimum the bar that horror games should aim for.

Although the fishing mechanics don't change much over the course of the game, I didn't find it a grind. The challenge of catching each and every type of fish, as well as slowly building the town to its former glory kept the game as fresh as Baelin's catch. The comedic dialogue and the pop culture references just add the experience. Nice Day for Fishing is a simple game with a simple premise - one that will keep players entertained for many hours.

It was a well built, but rather boring, strategy experience. I can't stress enough that it's not a bad game, it's just not one to look at for the true thrills of battle other strategy titles can offer.

For now, Sublevel Zero is a game that has at once reminded me how much I love space combat, whilst at the same time introduced me to a whole new, old genre of game. Though story and presentation are a little rough, the gameplay and core mechanics are such that I’ll keep coming back over and over again.

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.

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.

The writing is rarely funny, and the actual predicament Jack Kelly is in takes quite some time to get going. There are also some glaring spelling and translation errors to be found. The 1980s had a very distinct style, and it’s not captured very well here. As for the gameplay, the point is that you’re balancing a boring work life and a stressful private life, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring to play. There are some interesting choices to be made here, and some of them have real consequences, but actually getting to them feels too much like hard work.

Tennis Manager 2022 is an interesting and very well-done sports management game. There's a lot of depth to it with the only drawback being that it might be put into the niche or fan-boy category of PC sports games. If you aren't into tennis, then Tennis Manager might not be for you. However, for pure sports manager game enthusiasts like myself that enjoy learning about unfamiliar and different sports this title is a worthwhile addition to any manager game collection. The game contains many of the sport’s major equipment producers along with some tennis specific jargon and references that identify tennis as a unique sport. The major stars in the sport are present but due to possible trademark infringements the names aren't spelled like they are in real life. That's okay because I still give Tennis Manager 2022 two thumbs up.

39 Days to Mars is fun, quirky and humorous, showing a surprising awareness of its source material for such a little game. If you can personally look past the price tag for an hour or so of local co-op fun and loveliness, or can see it as an investment in future content, then I would definitely recommend this game.

Atlas Fallen has much going for it, with satisfying combat, lovely visuals within the desolate environment, plenty of collectibles, and the fun sand-sliding mechanic to traverse between quest locales. But it also suffers from a several issues – not the least being the bland storyline and dialogue. Chatting to quest givers is somewhat tedious, but luckily once you head off into the dunes this is easily forgotten.

While it doesn't add too much to the genre, it is easy to get into and makes sure that players who might be new to survival games shouldn’t be too overwhelmed. This makes it a very good entry point into the genre, but it may not do enough to set itself apart for people who spend a lot of time playing survival games. [Easy Access Provisional Score = 78]

As with any good Roguelike, you're as likely to end up entertained as frustrated. Permadeath is, well, permanent, and if you've just invested an hour into a game when it kicks you out, it hurts. I hate losing progress like that, which is why I usually avoid playing Roguelikes.

Platforming fans will find this game difficult to resist, as Harold draws you in with gorgeous visuals and accessible gameplay. But be warned – once you're in, it turns up the heat.

Anyone who plays adventure games for deep stories and complex characters should definitely avoid this one, but players looking for a short, surreal point & click will undoubtedly enjoy their time in the Bunker if they can look past the flawed gameplay experience.

All in all, it’s a strong initial start. While a little disorientating and stumbling at points, it’s believable as this player experience mirrors the confusion of Sean and Daniel, trying to find their way. There are lots of decisions to make and the game doesn’t pull punches in terms of asking you to make uncomfortable choices. The narrative also does a very good job of introducing you to the brother based mechanics, showing you how those decisions impact both Sean and Daniel in the long run. I’m excited to see where the road will take them next.

Crossing Souls does so many things right. Sure, the story and the dialogue are a bit dull, but the game is fun to play, and had me wanting to move through to the completion of the tale. The mini-games are also fun and none of them feel as if they’ve been added as filler, but flow through nicely into the main game. The cartoon cut-scenes and the nods to 80’s pop-culture add further nostalgia to the pixelated visuals and digitised audio. For some nostalgic fun, don’t let Crossing Souls slip by.

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."