Freaky Awesome gets updated regularly, and so I’m hopeful that the developers will take feedback into consideration. That being said, my suggestion for a better player experience would be to keep the mutation system but balance them so that there are equal advantages and disadvantages in them all. This could be done to great effect when dealing with a set of enemies that complement each mutation’s abilities in different ways. My second recommendation is to guarantee more item drops, perhaps one chest item per floor. This would encourage exploration while giving you a fighting chance against some of the really difficult bosses. I think Freaky Awesome has potential to be a fun and unique dungeon crawling rogue-lite experience, but as of now, it doesn’t quite hit the mark.

When I heard that the Assassin’s Creed series was heading to Egypt, I was cautious. My love for the subject matter meant that I would probably scrutinize the game more than if another location in time and space was selected. But the two year wait between games has meant that a well-researched product with smooth controls, interesting quests and a gorgeous visual experience has been delivered. Assassin’s Creed Origins is clearly my new favourite in the series. And, I still have Egypt on my bucket list, but Assassin’s Creed Origins has satisfied my appetite in the meantime.

Overall, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is exactly what a sequel should be. It doesn't try to make drastic changes, it tries to improve upon what made the first game so enticing and such a stand out in 2015. The end result comes out as something that accomplishes that end, and yet more. By changing things just enough from a gameplay perspective, changing the locales and daring to take the story down an even darker path, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus has kept the fun while also making the player feel the emotion of BJ's battles, his pain and rage, even his heartbreak. Unless you have an unwavering core, this game will take you on one hell of a rollercoaster ride of emotions, guns blazing all the way.

Death is forgiving in Hob in that progress isn’t lost in the way of items collected or enemies defeated. However, respawning in Hob takes a long time and the checkpoints can sometimes be inconveniently far away from where you died. Backtracking is usually easy enough since most enemies don’t respawn and sometimes there are shortcuts that can be opened to quickly reach where you had been before. But running through the parts I had already done felt like a chore, especially if my death was less my fault and more to do with Hob’s wonky platforming mechanics.

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.

While the game is a pleasure to play, it pales in comparison to its predecessor in feel. For some reason, I’m not feeling the same emotional bond with Robert and the mystery of the world fails to tickle my fancy. The voice acting could have been better directed and it would have been nice to be able to interrupt actions after having clicked on something instead of having to watch the character walk all the way to the object just to click through the ensuing VO to get out of it faster. If you didn’t feel you got enough of Asposia from The Inner World or are just aching to reconnect with Robert and Laura, get The Last Wind Monk. If not, let the original stand on its own.

While it may be more simplistic now than when I was a kid, there's always something special about planning the perfect ambush with a combination of your GUNNAR sentry, mines and sneaking behind distracted enemies and going for the one-hit kill. Okay, so this is one of those times that nostalgia didn't quite bring me back the game I remembered, BUT if you're a fan of memorable combat set pieces, I can definitely say that is one thing from my memory of the game that definitely held up. It's easily the most important thing.

EMPYRE: Lords of the Sea Gate is a game that I really, truly wanted to love, but ultimately let me down in more ways that not. Glitches aside, it doesn’t do anything offensively bad, it just doesn’t really do anything all that cool either. I love the idea of a pseudo-steampunk turn-of-the-century waterworld, but the game fails to use that creative setting to tell a meaningful story or explore much of the world’s possibilities. With a serviceable but unremarkable story, basic writing, and combat that doesn’t often outreach “fine,” this is a title that's destined to slip silently down into the murky waters of time.

They saying is that the third time is the charm, but for Tango Gameworks they seemed to have gotten it right on round 2. The Evil Within 2 rises far above its predecessor, drenched in blood and laughing in a twisted madness. It’s still far from the perfect horror game, but for those looking for a blend of stealth, action, and scares this is probably the best option with Halloween just around the corner.

Dungeons 3 proves that you do not need earth shattering changes to make a great sequel. The game very much feels like a loving update to its predecessor and the small splashes do more than enough to freshen things up. Easily the most polished and refined Dungeons game to date and Evily as good as the game that started the genre 20 years ago.

Back in its Early Access state I recommended picking up Warhammer 40k: Space Wolf for the large amount of content available at such a low price, and there’s been more than enough added to warrant its current asking price of $18 USD. Though it is sometimes frustrating, it’s a good bit of fun that takes an interesting approach to the genre that you won’t find done any better elsewhere.

On the whole, it’s a fantastic game. Each and every boss fight is an experience that keeps you on your toes, never knowing what craziness to expect next. Cuphead’s use of style also feels far from novelty: the light, cartoon exterior conceals a dark subtext which fits perfectly with the grim realities that 1930s cartoons would often parody. Cuphead is a truly unique platformer, well worth a buy (and did I mention the bosses?)

Total War: Warhammer 2 is a promising sequel: it shows those lore based mechanics that differentiate factions taking centre-stage. We also see issues from the first game being streamlined and resolved. This makes me incredibly hopeful for The Mortal Empires campaign, combining both the first and second game maps (which is being released in a month or so). It also makes me hopeful for future DLC and the third game in the series, because if the gameplay is this good right now… how good will it be then?

Is Inmates one of the better horror games I've played? No. Is it one of the worst I've played? Far from it. Inmates has two things going for it, absolutely nailing it on the aesthetic of the setting and pulling me in with a desire to know the outcome of the story. It's a short chore to work through, but one that I can say that I'm glad I did.

This is what it was supposed to be from the start. A year and a half worth of improvements later, little bites and pieces of new DLC content, finally layered underneath a fun and expansive experience in War of the Chosen, this feels like the XCOM 2 I wanted to have. And, having finally made peace with mission timers has forced me to play a bit more recklessly, which seems like a necessity when everything is on the line. Turn off the mods and experience XCOM 2 in the way that it should've been from the start. Firaxis has made XCOM 2 as fun as XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within, while still bringing a different flair to the series.

As pretty as Nightwar is, the need to continually grind within the game creates an experience that is difficult to force yourself through. This is in spite of the truly engaging battle system, which offers layers of strategic combat that make it stand out from similar turn-based RPG’s. There’s a great world to explore in this game; if only it didn’t take so much grinding to properly enjoy it.

In short, Project CARS 2 is the ultimate hardcore racing experience. Be warned though, this game is hard, and to get the most out of it you will probably need to be a racing fan, or at least be knowledgeable about how motorsport works. This is not an arcade game where you will be powersliding around corners. In fact if you’re sliding at all, you will probably be at the back of the pack in no time. If you can stick with it and get really good at it though, you will be rewarded with a very high quality experience.

Baja: Edge of Control HD is great fun as a casual split-screen racing title and will certainly give you hours of entertainment if you have friends or family to enjoy it with. For a more serious racer, there are other games out there, but even to them this should be a great casual title to try out.

Oriental Empires is a confusing game. There’s a lot to enjoy about it: the interface, the campaign map and the general style of the game are very appealing and perfectly on point with its theme. As a historical game, it’s great, but as a strategy game, it’s not sure entirely what it is. To put it plainly, the battle system isn’t good, and that would be fine if it felt like it wasn’t a necessary component of the game. There isn’t enough settlement management to cut battles out completely and go for victory via an alternate route. Without the Civilisation-esque buildable tile improvements and without the trade, there isn’t actually much to do other than to settle, accrue income, queue buildings and diplomatize. I’m sure like most 4Xes, time and technology bring greater depth, but I can’t see them improving the battle system. So if you’re a Civilization player and combat feels secondary to you, then I would recommend maybe looking this up, as it is a beautiful game and feels historically accurate. If you’re a Total War player, however, and battles are a must to you (like me) I would say stay away, or at least wait for a rainy day and a Steam sale.

BrambleLash is a fun game, especially when playing with a friend (or a couple of friends). The Adventure mode is rather short though, offering just the three seasons with five or six stages per season. I certainly would have liked to see what Summer would have entailed. Each of the locations has a varied design though, requiring different strategies despite the lack of variation in enemy types. The boss battles are rewarding, and combined with the Battle mode, increase the replay aspect of the game. Controls are simple, with just a couple of buttons that activate power-ups and switching positions with the drone, allowing anyone to pick up and play without an issue. BrambleLash won’t create any real lasting memories, but is certainly fun to play with a group of friends.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 takes what the last game did, and juices it up to levels beyond what the doctor recommends. By maximizing its strengths, and finding new ways to improve on weaknesses, it knocks down barriers and locked doors alike in a power move to rush towards one of my favorite games of the year. Though it does have its flaws in the form of small technical glitches, and one really annoying one where sometimes my characters would stop moving as a party unless I manually did it myself, this is an imperfect gem that manages even in imperfection to put some of my favorite RPGs to shame. Well done Larian Studios, well done!

Morphite is an interesting experience. Though it borrows heavily from some of the biggest and most ambitious sci-fi games of the last few years, it presents its package in an undeniably indie wrapping and scale. This isn’t a game you’ll dump hundreds of hours into, but it’s one that you’ll enjoy for the time it does run. It’s not a game with flashy graphics or pages of codex entries, but it’s one that uses it’s unique visual style to build an interesting world that’s still worth exploring.

Although a single playthrough is rather short, the fact that the range of choices and their consequences will result in different endings, means that multiple playthroughs are a legitimate option. And with some wonderful storytelling and voice acting, Before the Storm will give players an emotional ride, one that I look forward to continuing with Episode 2: Brave New World.

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.

Don’t Knock Twice is hurt in part by the degree to which it walks familiar horror genre ground, but by playing it safe it also comfortable. It delivers a well put together game with enough scares and narrative intrigue to justify its own existence. It’s not a replacement for Resident Evil 7 or Outlast 2, but its short runtime makes it a great game to run through on a dark evening as the Halloween season slowly lurches closer.

LawBreakers is a fun game, lacking in content certainly and no way near worth a full price tag, but good and even innovative in its own minor way. Hopefully with time players and content will come, because otherwise like Brink, it will just become another failed shooter you half remember.

It’s hard to level any complaints at F1 2017. It’s one of the best simulation racing games around, with the one caveat being that you probably have to be a fan of F1 to enjoy it. Open wheel racing isn’t for everyone, but if you do enjoy the fastest form of racing around, F1 2017 is hard to pass up.

If you’re a fan of AFL, then AFL Evolution will certainly be on your radar. And there is no reason that it shouldn’t be. There are certainly a number of things that could be improved, but most do not alter the fun that can be had in the game. The jump between the difficulty levels is probably the main issue I have with the game, although, with practice, winning does happen. Visually, the game doesn’t look overly spectacular, but for me, gameplay has always trumped looks. And the control scheme implemented by the developers, is clearly an improvement on past AFL games, allowing the game to flow smoother and more intuitively. With AFL Evolution, the complexities of the game are evident, but - like the real spectacle - is still heaps of fun to play.