Deep Sky Derelicts makes me happy. I play through a lot of early access titles, and I’ve often had reasonable ideas on how games can improve- only to have them released with little to no changes. That isn’t the case here, with changes to balance and resource availability turning this into a game I don’t have a problem recommending.

Ultimately, The Siege and the Sandfox is a lovingly crafted 2D platformer that delivers on its promises of exploration and agile gameplay. While the backtracking can occasionally feel a little stretched and a few more fast travel points would be welcome, the intricate level design, satisfying progression through new abilities, and charming pixel art visuals make for a highly engaging and rewarding experience. If you're a fan of classic platforming with a strong emphasis on discovery and nimble traversal, then the The Siege and the Sandfox might just be your next favorite adventure.

StarDrive 2 does not dethrone Master of Orion 2 as the best 4X game in space ever made, but damn it gets close. It is almost as deep, it almost has the same rich atmosphere and almost that same inspired gameplay. That may not sound uplifting, but considering the bar we’re looking at, “almost” is a staggering achievement. No one has ever got - this - close.

Papo & Yo is a unique game. It handles its themes extremely well, and the world is simply amazing to behold. Though the game is not without its faults, chief among them a lack of difficulty and challenge, Papo & Yo should be played at least once. Trust me, the journey will be quite worth it.

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

The narrative attempts to hit all the emotional beats, but the execution is fumbled as a result of not being able to control for non-linearity. Series veterans may appreciate the added lore this game brings, but don’t expect much in the way of a satisfying resolution. It’s great to see Gunfire Games refreshing the Darksiders formula — they just haven’t quite nailed the dismount on this one.

Those good first impressions eventually fall to the wayside however, as the game abandons plot threads on a dime and fails to create any form of logical progression in its puzzles. Which is a shame, because Dead Synchronicity has good ideas; they just don’t sync today.

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.

Primarily marketed as a multiplayer game, I was a little disappointed to see that there are very few people playing online. Granted, I’m more of a single-player gamer and I enjoyed my time with the single-player missions but these are not fleshed out enough for me to want to play them over and over. The real Leviathan: Warships experience is meant to be consumed online where you compete against human players that employ ever changing tactics and unlimited surprises.

A competently silly, physics based puzzler. Its wonderfully simple dreamlike aesthetic and solid physics make it a joy to play for the majority of the time. The longevity of the experience is somewhat lacking and puts it at risk of becoming frustrating over longer play sessions. But taken in bitesize chunks with friends, it stands on it’s own two legs as a wonderfully stupid party game.

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.

Overall there isn’t much more to say about Saints Row: The Third Remastered because, all in all, it’s the same game I loved back in 2011. Underneath a fairly fresh coat of paint is the same adrenaline pumping, juvenile story of a gang-turned-media-sensation trying to rebuild itself. In that regard, assessed purely in a vacuum, this game is a smash hit. In context, though, I can’t help but feel this release is a bit premature. With the original Saints Row: The Third still being recent enough that it looks alright and plays well, I can’t shake the feeling that letting it nap for another few years may have resulted in a more impressive remaster.

All in all, World War Z is a pretty fun experience. It’s one that definitely surprised me, as the developers in my opinion didn’t put their best foot forward with the trailers. It still may not appeal to people who weren’t fans of the movie, but if you’re a fan of zombie games, especially co-op experiences like Left 4 Dead, it’s a solid experience at a relatively cheap price for the amount of gameplay and replay value you’re getting. Just make sure you’re playing with friends, as playing with randoms is often as bad as playing with the single player AI.

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.

Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars is a fun, atmospheric strategy game with enough depth and originality to satisfy most. While the lack of multiplayer options may turn some off, there’s enough content and enough replayability here to make the game well worth the purchase price.

The Golf Club has the potential to be so much more than it is. In my opinion it came out of early access too early, because the full game still feels very beta-y.

Ronin has quite a minimalist style, which is fine, but again, some variety between levels would have been nice.

Vertical Drop Heroes places a new spin on a tried and true genre that has spanned decades. The spin may be simplistic, but it is appreciated nonetheless. The repetitiveness may not be for everyone, but for those who don’t mind falling down again and again, you could do worse than this bright, slightly charming game.

Instead of being mysterious and enigmatic, it’s more of a Rubik’s cube: spatial, memory-based, and unfortunately something I didn’t have the patience for.

Looking at Dungeons, it’s clear as day that we don’t need EA for a true Dungeon Keeper experience. This is it, and then some.

Verdun is a game that should appeal to any FPS fans looking for something different.

Rezrog is a solid idea for a game, taking what would be generic characters and turning them into fun, customizable classes that pair well with the miniature visuals. Yet the repetitive nature of the game, coupled with the absence of a story and the slow introduction, make Rezrog a tedious experience that is difficult to enjoy.

Sword & Souls: Neverseen is a fun RPG-lite game that is simple to play, but the repetition in both the training and the combat makes the game become stale rather quickly. The added challenges to the training do help, but once you get to the highest training level, even that becomes monotonous. It is probably a game that is best played in short bursts, which lends itself to being more of a mobile game. Indeed, the simple nature of the controls, the turn-based combat mechanics, and the animated visuals all point to the same conclusion. But as a PC title, the game is fun but somewhat limited.

Obey Me is a solid debut from Error 404 Game Studios. It certainly has its flaws with its script and playthroughs can become repetitive, but there’s a lot to enjoy here. Combat is satisfying, its darker aesthetic works well and holds a lot of replay value, though it’s a game best experienced in smaller playthroughs. If you can get around its flaws, brawler fans will find a lot to like here and if you can play with a friend, it comes recommended.

The Executive: Movie Industry Tycoon is a game sure to put a smile on the faces of folks interested in the movie production industry. New developer Aniki Games in their first plunge into the world of computer game development picked an interesting topic that turned into a very well thought out and playable business simulation. There have been others in this genre in the past but The Executive overall is a solid game that will provide hours of fun for those of us that happen to be movie buffs interested in how films are made.

Overall, Thief is a quality game, particularly if you take the time to explore the side missions. If you go in expecting the game to be a solely stealth game or a remake of the original, you will probably be disappointed.

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.

All things considered, your enjoyment of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is going to depend wildly on what your experience is with the base game thus far. If you’ve already played the original Amalur, I don’t think any of the changes here are substantial enough to warrant your money. If you’re new, this is definitely the best way to jump into an experience that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Re-Reckoning is underwhelming as a second release, but, with the original game being as much fun as it is, it’s hard to hold much enmity. While I may yearn for a truly modern Amalur title to bring the franchise into more modern times, Re-Reckoning is a solid blast from the past that, if we’re lucky, might give the franchise the demand it needs to keep moving forward.