If you’re really desperate for historical Total War content, then Empire Divided is fairly typical, but it’s certainly nothing new. And if you want a Total War game that better reflects crisis in terms of game design and narrative, then I’d say, just buy Total War: Attila.

Tartarus is a short ride: my first run-through lasted just over four hours, and I didn't really feel the urge to go back through it again. But my time within, really had me thinking. There is an untapped market in games like this, one that Tartarus may have very well spearheaded here in 2017. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years we see narrative, atmospheric, logic-puzzle games with a sci-fi flavor making a resurgence. Tartarus is a ride worth taking, at least once.

Hand of Fate 2 retains the same basic gameplay of the original, but the new additions to the game make it a vastly improved product. Yes, I still have an issue with luck determining the outcome of much of the game, but this falls both ways - good and bad. It's just that the bad rolls are much more frustrating. But this is the only real issue I have with Hand of Fate 2. The visuals set a wonderful tone, as do the music and dialogue, but the smooth combat and the addition of the companions make battles feel fairer and more complete, whilst also providing support to the enjoyable storylines.

Overall, I'm impressed with Uurnog Uurnlimited's open approach to puzzle solving and its simple yet effective graphics. Each puzzle's solution is as unique as the player can make it, allowing for some silly and rewarding puzzle solving. I appreciate that the game takes a hard penalty on death, but resetting puzzles has the same penalties as a death, which feels excessive and otherwise limiting on a puzzle game that relies on and is made stronger by its multiplicity of solutions.

Hyakki Castle isn’t for everyone, that much is apparent. I’m not even sure if I’d necessarily say it’s a game I’ll get the urge to play often in the ever growing landscape of various dungeon crawlers. But, its setting and its approach to the party system were intriguing enough to keep me hooked for the time being. For Asakusa Studio’s first outing into the gaming world, I think they have a solid product on hand even if it’s a bit flawed in the aspect of keeping players in-the-know. If you’re a fan of The Legend of Grimrock, or Eye of the Beholder, then Hyakki Castle may be worth your time.

So the sport hasn’t changed apart from an increased roster, but if you have a previous installment of the series, you may as well stick to it, unless having the latest crop of pro wrestling stars is of utmost importance to you. But, if you’re looking to get into some wrestling for the PC, then the monopoly 2K Sports holds on licensed wrestling games means that even though WWE 2K18 has a heap of issues, it is unfortunately still the best available.

Injustice 2 is a big, bold, expansive love letter to fans of DC comics and fighting games in general, and its sequel improves on the original in most every way. A deep roster ripe for customization and enough quality game modes worth spending time with will ensure you’ve got enough to keep you busy for quite some time. Though a few issues hold NetherRealms’ latest back from being truly exemplary, there are enough positives here to keep the whole experience feeling pretty super.

So Boss 101 is a strange beast, at the same time jam-packed with guns, costumes, and perks, while also and deeply lacking any features that make time investment seem worthwhile. There’s an argument to be made that this makes it the perfect game to pick up and play in short bursts, but there are better options out there, so I can’t really recommend it for that either.

Despite a lack of depth, the game has a frantic quality to it that has the potential to be entertaining in that tablet-game sort of way. But it’s not enough, unfortunately. I can’t shake the feeling that two intoxicated game designers worked out TransRoad: USA on a beermat during a drinking binge in their local pub. The concept lends itself well for a management sim but it hasn't been developed into something that actually works well enough to be enjoyed beyond a few days. As it stands, TransRoad: USA is more of a proof of concept than an actual game.

Tower 57 feels refreshing from the usual band of retro-inspired games right from the get-go, but it’s pacing issues and poor use of checkpoints often make the game a struggle to progress through. Yet despite it all, there remains a competent gameplay loop that is fun to play, alongside a world that is a delight to explore. Like the developers say, this may be a game that is better played with friends, but even a solo player who is looking for a new top down shooter inspired by games from the SNES era should be able to find some enjoyment out of Tower 57.

As I said before, all games can be educational, but don’t all necessarily have to be educational games. For me Attentat 1942 feels like by trying so hard to be an educational game, it has missed an opportunity to be a better regular game. However, it is still filled with historical content, flashback sequences and a wonderful art style, even though a lack of a cohesive story and any real driving force to the narrative does make it feel meandering, like a conversation with an aging grandparent. But like a conversation with an aging grandparent, you might also learn some amazing things, or have your perspective broadened, if you’ll only take the time to listen. So if you feel like a meander through some thought-provoking history, Attentat 1942 is out on Steam now.

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.