Whenever I stopped playing this game, all I could think about was how I was going to handle my next run. I’d think about the gods I should look for and the characters I wanted to learn about, I’d think about the next weapon I should try and how frustrating a certain boss was. Then, I’d sit down and play again, losing myself in a world that I could consistently feel myself getting better at. And once I still think about the first time I fully completed a run, beating the final boss. That feeling of accomplishment is something to be celebrated and appreciated.

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.

With the first week starting to wind down, overall I’m happy with World of Warcraft’s latest expansion. Shadowlands allowing players to dive into the realms beyond life is an incredible adventure, and one I’m eager to watch play out over time. That being said, I have to be incredibly cautious this time around. Warlords of Draenor and Legion felt like incredible rides the whole way through, but Battle for Azeroth hit some serious snags over the course of its lifespan that may have left a sour taste in the mouths of gamers. That being said, at the moment I think World of Warcraft: Shadowlands earns optimistic praise with plenty of room to grow going forward. I do think this will start a trend for me of posting my thoughts about the state of the game going forward as future major patches roll out to give the readers a more accurate representation through Shadowland’s lifespan.

Watch Dogs: Legion does most things right. The hacking component works amazingly well, letting players infiltrate locations with minimal attention from guards patrolling the areas when done correctly. Sneaking around and using the available cover works satisfactorily too, giving players the opportunity to take out guards one at a time. The AI does a decent job too, with guards and drones alerted by fallen comrades or the sound of alarms and gunshots. And if you do happen to get into a gunfight, the shooting mechanics do an admirable job.

Its simple controls, understated objectives and clear gameplay challenges combined with a lovingly crafted soundtrack make for an almost meditative experience. It’s been a good year for titles with this kind of nice, ambient experience and Disc Room fits neatly into that roster.

All in all PositronX is a delightful game about destroying killer robots as a killer robot in a constantly shifting labyrinth of high-tech labs, all while growing stronger and acquiring excessive weaponry. And really, what more could a gamer want?

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.

Strobophagia is a game that looks cool and has an interesting premise, but it fails in successfully building and delivering on its narrative of horror. While the use of a cellphone and proximity-based chatting made for some fun detective-like segments, the run-from-the-monster gameplay is much more of a bore. While the visuals are generally good, the music is disappointingly bad for a game focused on a music festival, and I was left feeling little more about my time spent playing than “meh.”

The only negative I could give is that the game often clips between sound files quite abruptly when you transition between rooms, opting to go without a cross-fade between tracks. This stands out in a game that is otherwise highly polished towards its very focused experience. Though it is brief, with my playthrough taking 3 hours, Manifold Garden has taken root as one of my favourite game experiences this year.

If the Season 2 Pass only brings us Arms Race, I would be disappointed. The additional skill trees in the Designer's Cut for the vault hunters are wonderful additions, but are somewhat obsolete for current players, particularly for those who have completed the bulk of the missions. Arms Race itself does provide a new perspective though, focusing purely on gunplay rather than combining it with Vault Hunter skills and although it took me a couple of turns to get used to, I found it a great way to collect some great weapons. It does however provide for a replayable experience, each time entering the zone and discovering new areas before taking on the Heavyweight Harker. I am certainly hoping that the next phase of the Season 2 Pass will add another playable mission though.

Marble Age: Remastered is a game that uses the same historical data model from the original Marble Age with the addition of new content and updated game play. The result is more of a casual experience for gamers who prefer a simpler and less complex strategy model. As a result, the game is easy to get in to and offers a gentle learning curve.

DIRT 5, sets out to offer an arcade style racing game with an in-depth narratively driven career mode, and an array of other exciting modes for all to enjoy. The graphics and environments on display are stunning, with an immersive sound design to tie it together. The Playgrounds mode offers an endless sea of creative possibilities for players to test their skills, while chasing the top spot on the global leaderboards. All of these features are a wonderfully wrapped gift, that comes together to create one of the most fun racing games to date.

With its beautiful visual design, quality voice acting, tight controls, interesting mechanics, and engaging world-building, I have absolutely no hesitation adding Ghostrunner to my exclusive club of top marks. It’s rare to find a game that succeeds so well in everything it does, and the result is a game that absolutely everyone should check out.

There’s a solid base at the core of Serious Sam 4, and it’s tough not to smile after navigating the puzzle of a 500-enemy encounter. Swapping between weapons and adapting to each type of enemy takes skill and understanding, it’s just a shame that the experience grows overly repetitive. As it exists, Serious Sam 4 is a mish-mash of the absurd and the overly banal, and I wish that it was more willing to commit in one direction or the other. That being said, sometimes the need just hits to go absolutely ham on some bad guys, and you’ll find few other games that let the player unleash with so little baggage of fluff.

Projection: First Light does a lot of things right. The visual style is pleasing and the story is quite charming. The puzzles have been well designed often allowing for more than one solution to moving Greta through the levels. The many levels slowly incorporate new challenges as the gamer progresses, and the collecting of butterflies allows for multiple playthroughs. If you’re a fan of puzzle platformers that you can speed through, Projection will cause some angst, due to the finnicky shadows - particularly in the timed puzzles. Despite that, Projection: First Light is a fun, relaxing puzzle platformer for all ages.

Games like Fall Guys and Among Us have proven the ability for smaller teams to take centre stage and captivate the throngs of players who crave these formats of competitive, highly replayable party games. In doing so, they have elevated the expectations for the genre and consequently, throw down the gauntlet for those that hope to follow. However small a percentage of the day, Cake Bash has been nothing but enjoyable to play and fits right in amongst the growing pantheon of small developer teams that produce such rich and fundamentally fun games. It almost seems unfair that I initially conferred so much of the world’s circumstances on the release of this game - because it rightfully stands on its own two feet regardless of any broader context.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse-Heart of the Forest is an easy choice for me as far as text based games go. It ticks the boxes of a setting that I love, a plot that I enjoy, and most importantly I felt like my choices mattered even if some of them seemed more subtle and took a while to pay off. Is it a game for casual World of Darkness fans? Probably not. It’s not difficult by any means, but without the action that draws a lot of gamers this may not be for casual players. You’re probably better off waiting for 2021’s Werewolf: The Apocalypse-Earthblood and Vampire: The Masquerade- Bloodlines 2. But for those who are really finding themselves pulled into this universe, you should definitely check out Heart of the Forest.

I could see someone who’s really into Little Witch Academia loving the chance to be in a VR world with their favorite characters. That being said, even if I were to put myself in the shoes of that fan, I can’t help but feel I would be disappointed in what this game has to offer. The characters didn’t have enough story to work with to flush out their emotions and quirks, the gameplay was uninteresting, and there were a few too many bugs. If you are a diehard Little Witch Academia fan that just needs to get a little more of it in your life, then this might be something you could pick up - but understand that it will be an underwhelming 2 hour experience. You’d be better off just rewatching the show.

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.

Despite some problems which are just part of the genre, Cave Digger is a very entertaining game that is very exploration focused.

Combining themes of horror and sexuality, Lust from Beyond: Scarlet starts off resembling a more grounded interpretation of the best moments of the Silent Hill series. Unfortunately, it quickly throws all subtlety out the window and turns into just another run-away-from-the-loud-monster indie horror game. The unapologetic depiction of sexual acts is commendably bold, though their execution leaves a lot to be desired. If you’re looking for a horror title that doesn’t shy away from topics few developers dare touch, you can definitely do a lot worse.

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 Dungeon of Naheulbeuk is a very enjoyable game, and one I recommend to anyone that has even a passing interest in the tropes and cliches of fantasy worlds and Dungeons and Dragons campaigns.

There are recent games that have better mechanics, visuals, and audio than Mafia: Definitive Edition. But the team at Hanger 13 have done an amazing job in bringing Mafia up to today’s standard. The dialogue and telling of the story are much improved from the original, and although I encountered the graphical glitches, the visuals feel as though they fit in the contemporary. Mafia II is still my favourite of the trilogy, but Mafia: Definitive Edition has been a fun ride with Tommy Angelo in his shiny new vehicle. If you didn't get the chance with the original, or want to relive Tommy's tale, you should hop in too.

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.

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.

Do I think Iron Harvest has the makings of legends? Not exactly. But I do think it offers a unique enough flavor for anyone looking to sate their RTS appetite will find a good offering here. You won’t see it headlining any major esports events, but not every game needs to be the next big thing to be worth it. Sometimes just being different and relatively well made makes it worth checking out.

In all, Going Under is the type of game to go above and beyond in its quirky mannerisms, being unafraid to poke fun at both the real world it parodies and even itself. This is a game I highly recommend if any gamer has an appreciation for dungeon crawling, bright colors, or humor in sheer parody fashion.