Forts has been well designed and implemented. The controls and gameplay are simple and the levels are generally quite engaging. Having the three difficulty settings will no doubt allow gamers of all ages and skill levels to enjoy themselves as they watch the enemy fort explode into countless pieces. The Campaign mode can get a little familiar by the time you hit the middle levels, but the variation in visual settings and secondary goals does make it more interesting. And the developers have been patching and adding new features to the game, and it is great to see that they are quick to fix any issues that the community is having whilst adding their own improvements to the game. With the fun visuals and dialogue, Forts is a great game for everyone in the family.

As charming as it looks, Bounty Train feels a bit empty and uncomplicated. It’s an arrangement of potentially fun mechanics that just fail to gel together into something that is entertaining for more than a few hours. If you don’t mind the idea of mindlessly going from town to town vending your wares, you may still want to pick this up. If you want more, I’d let this train leave the station without you.

Tekken 7 is almost perfect as a fighting game. The story is so-so, but let's be honest...it is a fighting game, does there really need to be a story? The game play and controls are practically flawless, and that is of utmost importance when you're attempting to knock out your opponent. The basic combos are simple to learn, whilst if you take the time to learn the more complex combos, they can pay off big time. The visuals are clear and crisp with some wonderful locales. Going through the images, there has been a marked improvement in visual quality since the last game in the series and the music sets the mood wonderfully. My excitement at being able to once again perform in the Iron Fist Tournament has definitely been fulfilled with Tekken 7.

Conarium is labour of love, for its inability to strike a similar sense of wonder the written work did, it makes up for in sheer presentation; like a wonderful catalogue for enthusiasts to drool over. Horror fans might find it somewhat lacking in the scares department where monster interaction is kept to a minimum, but fortunately it never presents itself as a horror game. Fundamentally it provides a wonderful introduction to the visual themes of H.P. Lovecraft, which hopefully, will encourage many players to pick up the books and delve deeper into this world.

Regalia is a game of surprises, giving me much more than I expected from a small, first time publisher. There’s certainly a bit of room for improvement, but most of that melts away to a game that’s funny, challenging, and full of backstory and lore. A very diverse cast of characters and dialogue that’s delivered with the timing and heart it deserves elevate this stereotypical-on-paper experience from another dime-a-dozen indie fantasy game to something well worth exploring.

Despite a promising aesthetic style, the game’s formulaic story, lacklustre gameplay, and buggy mechanics make for an experience that is difficult to recommend. Better, more interesting titles in the genre are a dime a dozen, but unfortunately, not many of them offer local co-op. I will therefore conclude by saying that you should pick this game up only if you’re specifically looking for a couch multiplayer game to play with your friends and family. If you’re looking for a single-player experience, you’ll be better off looking somewhere else.

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.

It's always ambitious to take this route, and for that much I have to at least congratulate the developer on daring to tread this difficult subgenre. I can see what was supposed to be, and how if it was able to be pulled off, could've become one of the greats of indie horror games. Luckily the memories themselves are interesting enough that I kept pushing forward, even if the 'here and now' aspect of the game left me feeling wanting. It's perhaps those alone that keep Inner Voices from falling out of my favor. Those moments are what save the day and bring the game out on the other side as a decent journey for a low price.

Overall the game is beyond simplistic, but perhaps that's for the best. Overcomplicating things might have made it less fun in the grand scheme of things, and while I can't say for certain if I'll be playing this game a year from now, I do know I can affectionately call it my frightening summer fling for multiplayer. Illfonics has set the stage, it's time for them to keep improving upon this great idea, and for other companies to take the hint and follow in their footsteps. This is asymmetric multiplayer at its most addicting, and horror in one of its purest forms.

The performance, happiness and stability issues drag down a game that could have received a perfect score. If I had a choice, I’d roll back to the previous patch to at least have a stable game again, but that’s not an option. Fortunately there are ways to win the game without having a large portion of the map in your back pocket. When the turns are processing, battles are resolved smoothly and revolts remain manageable, Endless Space 2 is an absolutely magnificent game. There is so much to discover, so much to do and so many different ways to do it, it’s dazzling when you get started. But once you have the basics under control and start noticing the many intricate ways in which the game allows you to manage and fine-tune your empire, it is hard not to be impressed.

Between the lack of balance and the lack of feedback, it feels like Dawn of Andromeda left Early Access too early. The game just doesn’t feel like it is done which is doubly disappointing because I can see its potential. There are some good ideas, like the reputation system that is tied - among other things - into mini quests that keep you entertained when things are peaceful. Still, there is little depth and there are definitely a few rough edges that need to be smoothed out before one could call this a ‘good’ game. If the above gives you the impression that it is a bad game, it is not. It’s playable and there is some fun to be had, but it’s just not where it should be as a full release.

Like far-East philosophical quotes spread around the environment promote, Boikido: Heartfelt Reunion is a game about relaxation and going with the flow. Anyone looking for a directed, structured experience isn’t going to find what they’re looking for here, but those with some time to unwind here are there will be pleasantly surprised with a well-designed game that runs well and sets out what it accomplishes to do.

Control and stability issues aside, Block’hood is quite a lovely game to play around in. The graphics are simple, yet charming, and the music does a great job of relaxing you as you puzzle through how best you’re going to keep the animals in your neighbourhood happy while also setting up multiple Internet cafes. The sense of progression isn’t as great as in other city building games, but putting together an efficient neighbourhood where everyone lives in harmony is definitely a rewarding experience.

The Surge is a surprise, utilizing its near future sci-fi setting to create a unique world that is a wonder to explore and uncover. Though its story fails to take off, the awesome combat and engaging crafting and upgrade system are more than enough to make the game stand out amidst the increasing gaming landscape.

Prey sure did change between its original inception and the new one, and honestly I'd say it's almost entirely for the better. The original Prey didn't stick with me, or much of the gaming community, and seemed to fade away quietly. While die hard fans of the original game may claim that this reboot is only Prey in name alone, I would argue that this is what Prey should've been in the first place. It's not perfect, but it is engrossing and stole quite a few hours of my life between start to finish. Here's hoping for a sequel that builds upon the solid ideas here, and improves them much in the same way Arkane did for their Dishonored series.

While it does have some issues presenting the backstory itself; feeling a bit more like an experiment than a complete game, the moment-to-moment of exploration is unique and unforgettable. Hopefully this will soon get VR support considering it looks perfect for the platform.

Crow’s Eye just doesn’t hold up to the greats. The juxtaposition of horror mystery against puzzle-platformer gameplay is jarring; as if gameplay and storyline were drawn up independently and then forced together during early design meeting. Perhaps the first-person puzzles were the intended focus of the title, but horror-genre theatrics proved more popular during limited focus testing, steering the development team’s world building and scripting down a weirdly counterintuitive path. I will admit that does seem like an oddly sceptical look at the game’s make-up, but it simply doesn’t feel organic. Serviceable gameplay mechanics are clouded by a confusing and unimpressive horror aesthetic that do little to elevate the proceedings above a quaint distraction.

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.

Arelite Core is obviously born out of a great love of 16bit JRPGs and a lot of heart has gone into its creation. The first thing budding game designers are taught, however, is to imagine a game they’d love to play but doesn’t exist and think about reasons why that game doesn’t exist. This sets them up to design games that no one has played and to attack as yet unsolved challenges. I feel like I’ve played Arelite Core before. I feel like I’ve played myriad versions of Arelite Core before. Therefore, although I can appreciate the love and effort that went into creating it, I cannot recommend that you pick it up over the fantastic classics of the 16bit era already available on various platforms.

I was certain I was in for another grueling and frustrating disappointment. I was wrong, incredibly so. Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 has clawed its way up from the grave of a series that shouldn't be, and has made itself a decent title. Maybe one that will finally turn things around in future installments.

Symphony of the Machine does what I'd like to see more VR games do. It doesn't try to shoot above its developers ability or resources and promise a life-changing experience. It doesn't rely on gimmicks that quickly lose their luster. It doesn't toss VR in for the heck of it just because it can. It's a title built from the ground up for room-scale that delivers a game not possible with a mouse and keyboard that accomplishes what it sets out to do efficiently. Symphony of the Machine is an easy recommendation for anyone with a VR device.

While playing Paradigm, I was having recollections of playing some of my favourite games of yesteryear. The surreal, yet hilarious characters could definitely become memorable pop-culture icons if this was made by a Triple-A development team with their huge marketing budgets. Paradigm does so many of the things that the golden era of point and click adventures did so well and makes it a worthwhile addition to the genre. The puzzles, the humorous storyline and characters, the fully voiced dialogue, the wonderful, somewhat retro visuals all combine to make Paradigm a modern day classic of its own. I sincerely hope that developer Jacob Janerka sees fit to produce a follow up title.

It feels good to be back in the base building, hard hitting, cool looking world of Warhammer 40,000. Winning early skirmishes before slowly building up your armies for a single massive engagement is still exciting, and very rewarding when you win. The single player campaign is good, if a little stale at times, and multiplayer has mostly gone back to what made it great in the first place. There are some issues to be found, but if you’re looking for a modern game akin to the popular origins of Dawn of War, this is certainly a good attempt.

Expeditions: Viking spins an absolutely wonderful tale of exploration and conquest. The setting, the story, the ambiance –my imagination ran wild in ways you’d expect to experience reading a good fantasy novel. Betrayal angered me, new friendships elated me, and changing the balance of power in Britain made me feel equal parts devious and mischievous. Reconstructing my home, making it safe, strong and prosperous made me feel proud of my achievements. Every battle, every camp site and map scrubbed clean of its hidden treasures felt like it played a part in the grand scheme of things. There aren’t a lot of games that can pull something like this off even adequately. Expeditions: Vikings does it masterfully.

Shiness is an ambitious game with a whole lot of charm and character that’s held back by some design choices that just didn’t do it for me. I appreciate the effort put into building a colorful game world filled with characters that do seem straight out of a long-established anime or manga, and the simple puzzles make exploring and progression pleasantly relaxing. If I wasn’t fairly sour with the way combat has been implemented I’d find the experience to be an easy recommendation, but as it stands there’s a bit too much that needs to be polished before the game can really shine.

A perfect storm of gore, atmosphere, tension, scripted and unscripted scares and a memorable plot that dares to explore darkness that can hide within the human psyche, what more can be said? Playing the game on even just normal mode for seven and a half hours was an inviting challenge of fear, misery, adrenaline, and despair which when combined together spells out fun in my book. The closest thing I can give to a negative is that the ending is a severe cliffhanger, and I hope to hear that Red Barrels will be tying up the story one way or another. I’m in love with a monster, and her name is Outlast 2.

Overall then, Manipulated is only worth the small amount of money it costs if you’re willing to play through a couple of hours of puzzles for a slight twist and the small amount of payoff which comes from it. The puzzles aren’t particularly tricky, and the platforming and combat is completely unnecessary.

Ultimately, Shock Tactics is a bland and forgettable game that did little to engender itself to me in any way, shape or form. While the AI is particularly bad, the rest of the game does not try and elevate its mechanics and presentation into something that is more than just a copy of XCOM.