At the end of the day, I enjoyed my time with The Keep. I wouldn’t go as far to call it especially memorable, but the accessibility of its gameplay deserves recognition for anyone not-so familiar with dungeon crawlers. It’s the sort of game you can dip into, kill a few monsters and hop out again with a nice sense of achievement. Admittedly there is an elephant in the room, Legend of Grimrock from 2012 does almost everything The Keep does, except better. That isn’t to say The Keep doesn’t have a place, as if you aren’t familiar with RPGs and would prefer a much more casual experience, it’s still worth a look. The spellcasting has a surprising amount of depth too, so maybe if you’ve already tried Legend of Grimrock and want to play more, The Keep will keep you satisfied.

I never got the chance to play the original Planescape Torment, and so I wasn’t totally sure what to expect with Tides of Numenera. But the game brings with it a story that is wonderfully detailed. Each choice you make and each person you meet along your journey seems to alter the course of the game and those within Numenera. And this is to be commended. Unfortunately, though, many may feel that there is not enough action or combat, and I’d probably agree with them. The game did take me a long time to warm up to it and I’m still not totally sure if it was worth the time I’ve spent. But the story has drawn me in as I delve further into the story of the land and its characters. With some wonderful visuals and some beautiful locations, Torment: Tides of Numenera is well worth a look for RPG enthusiasts.

The writing is rarely funny, and the actual predicament Jack Kelly is in takes quite some time to get going. There are also some glaring spelling and translation errors to be found. The 1980s had a very distinct style, and it’s not captured very well here. As for the gameplay, the point is that you’re balancing a boring work life and a stressful private life, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring to play. There are some interesting choices to be made here, and some of them have real consequences, but actually getting to them feels too much like hard work.

Narcosis only runs a few hours in length, not short enough to be a waste of time but not long enough to wear out its welcome. Even still, it could’ve been another hour or so longer but perhaps that’s just because of how much enjoyment I was finding lumbering around the wreckages and sea caves. With a scenario rooted more closely to reality than other horror games, well executed voice acting on part of the player character’s VA and adequate performance from side characters in other instances, you really feel like part of a survival story. The replay value itself isn’t high, but for $19.99 it’s worth visiting it at least once if you’re a horror fan. Even more so if you can experience it in VR.

When it comes down to it, Yooka-Laylee just feels good to play. It’s great to control, it’s fun to explore, and it scratched the collectible itch in me in a way that few games have managed to properly accomplish nowadays. If you’re a fan of wide open 3D platformers, or are wanting to take a nostalgia laden trip through one, Yooka-Laylee is certainly the game for you.

I’m not the biggest fan of point-and-click games, but I really dug Bad Dream: Coma and its brand of tonal, moody horror not reliant on cheap scares and jumps. While it has some issue with some of its puzzles and doesn’t quite commit to some of its plot points as much as I’d like it to, its relatively short run-time makes it the perfect title to sit down with and run through on a dark, rainy weekend evening right before drifting off to sleep...

For many turn based strategy titles it is the combat that keeps you engaged. The Great Whale Road has some really great writing but ultimately that is not enough to carry the game. The combat is so intensely unrewarding that this is one story I’d rather have read in paperback format.

When it comes down to it, Rise & Shine is unable to create an engaging experience by itself, with mechanics that are not utilized to the best extent. Worse, the game feels like a chore to play, as I felt that I had to rely predominantly on luck in order to advance through much of the game. For all the strength of its graphics and introductory stages, Rise & Shine is unable to create a compelling experience worth playing.

As a single player game, Death Squared is a fairly run-of-the-mill puzzle game. But add a few friends and play as a pair or in a team, and Death Squared become a heap of fun. Sitting down on a couch with a group of friends to discuss (read: argue about) how to solve the next level is as enjoyable as it can be frustrating at times. But the game is wonderful as a party game, one that even a family could play without any worries. Although there isn't much of a story, the puzzles are well designed and will often take a few attempts before getting right. With the great voice acting giving the game a light-hearted nature to ease any frustration that may evolve from the puzzles, Death Squared is definitely one that will have your friends coming back to play some more.

I don’t think anyone will consider Viking: Wolves of Midgard’s hack & slash play as anything novel but some of its other innovations are very welcome. The environment forcing you to take some time to recover is a nice little feature but the town building aspect is what I enjoyed the most. It sounds like a simple enough addition but the impact on character progression and the relevance of loot and materials should not be overlooked. What you do during a mission, or rather bring from one, actually matters beyond a few gold coins in your inventory. Fun? Fun.

Andromeda’s plot is quite inconsistent, bouncing back and forth between some fantastically impactful moments and others that fall extremely flat. Like I said above, I do like the general set-up. Separating things into a new galaxy (and by virtue or travel time, about 600 years) from the events of the previous Mass Effect games is smart, and it works. Beyond that, I’m glad they didn’t just jump right into another galaxy-ending threat right away. This slower burn of trying to get Milky Way civilization started is different, and a welcomed change of pace. I will note that there is a bit of a beginning lull that may turn some players away during the first few hours of the game.

I did have some issues with the game servers early on, but they seem to have been ironed out. And as mentioned, the voice acting and the story mode could have fleshed out a little better. But if you look past those issues, For Honor is a wonderful title. The variation in game modes makes sure that there is something for everyone, and the maps are rotated enough to keep things fresh. The character classes allow you to choose a play style that suits you, whether it is the strength of the Heavy or the speed of the Assassin class. And with controls that are so smooth and optimised, it never seems as though any class or enemy is overpowered. So, if you excuse me, I’m going to don my armour, collect my shield and blade, and head back out to the battlefield... my team needs me.

If circle strafing, weapon switching, and sci-fi monster killing is right up your alley, then Desync is an easy recommendation if you’re willing to deal with some obscure menus and high difficulty. It’s got a lot of style, and the combo kills feel great when you’re in the zone, but resist the temptation to get pulled in if you’re looking for a game to blow off steam. Desync will have you on edge and frustrated for a lot of the time while playing it.

2Dark is a game that clearly knows how to build an atmosphere, but seems a bit confused when it comes to using it to actually frame an engaging, compelling game. The whole experience seems to be caught in a sort of limbo between being a stealth, top-down action, or point-and-click experience, and fails to do be any of them exceedingly well. A bit of re-focus to clean up the gameplay and narrative a little would go a long way, though it will be perfect for that niche market looking for a Taken-inspired plot of cartoonish gory stealth adventure.

The playing field is so dramatically stacked against you, and the rules of engagement so staggeringly poor and badly realised that the whole experience is incredibly frustrating rather than rewarding. The presentation is lacklustre to say the least, and the game struggles to bring anything worthwhile to the table. A one-man development project is admirable, and his continued support with the release of new maps is to be commended. Unfortunately, the title fails to fulfil its basic tag-line premise of being at all ‘tactical’, or offering any kind of ‘sandbox’.

The first game was an unsung hero of 2014 for me, but now with a little more kick behind its sequel Styx: Shards of Darkness has set itself up to be noticed by more eager gamers looking for a challenging stealth experience. With a more optimized experience, more freedom to the players and more of that sarcastic and vulgar goblin goodness, Styx has found his way once more back into the heart of this gamer - with a sharp dagger and sarcastic commentary.

I don’t think that Unexplored is ever going to knock anyone’s socks off, but it is a fun little game that I think is worth it’s low asking price. It probably isn’t one that I’ll be coming back to much after my time spent with it for this review, but, then again, not everything has to be. It’s dungeons do feel pleasantly organic, but outside of that it just doesn’t really do anything outstandingly better or differently than others in it’s genre. For some this sense of “been here done that” may be too much, and I think that’s reasonable. For others, solid is more than enough to warrant a purchase, and I think that’s just fine too.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands isn't perfect. For its strides forward, it takes some backwards in areas I feel should not be sacrificed. As a co-op title, it's awesome. As a single player experience, it's great. If you're looking for a narrative thriller, or even just a basic interesting story, you won't find it here. What you will find is plenty to see, and plenty to shoot along the way to take down the cartel plague of Bolivia.

A fun spin on a serious profession, ability to play in any city is a great touch, gradual challenge build is welcome.

theHunter: Call of the Wild looks amazing, it doesn't feel clunky in terms of its controls or movement, and it has some very appealing sound of high quality. But it's just not fun. The exploration is entertaining in short bursts, but players didn't buy theHiker; they bought a game about hunting. With the issues I encountered it just seems like it's not there yet. Maybe some patching can fix it, but in its current state I think I'd rather go play a hunting game where I can at least kill something and find it more than once in a blue moon.

I really want to love Homebound, and there are certainly elements of the game that I did enjoy quite a bit. I like that it’s designed to be a short, intense experience, and is priced to match. I appreciate the presentation, which is better than many of the bigger budget games available. I love how immersive the design of the HUD and details of the environment make the experience. Unfortunately the things that Homebound gets wrong are exactly the issues that undermine each of these positives, turning the experience into an overall negative one.

All the Delicate Duplicates shows remarkable integrity to its ambivalent tone and psychological themes, but it’s often the same integrity that renders its puzzle-solving mundane. Fans of resolution will likely find the ending underwhelming, but in terms of original world-building and character development, it’s an appreciable two-hour wander.

For JRPG fans, Shadows of Adam is comfort food. It’s simple, to the point, and does a great job of distilling what made many of us connect with the genre in the first place. The story is not particularly compelling and it may be a bit bland at times, but its firm roots in nostalgia create a pleasant experience that I do not regret playing.

Four Last Things is a short, silly, entertaining point-and-click adventure game that pays homage to the genre’s late 80’s roots with a sprinkle of that decade’s funnybone-dust, all wrapped up in a renaissance aesthetic style that makes the experience unique. If you can look past the miniscule production values, and if you’re a big enough Pythonian a heart, you’ll sink right into Four Last Things.

It’s a little unsettling to see just how unfinished and unbalanced the game really is after two years in Early Access. Sovereignty: Crown of Kings has all the markings of a grand strategy game, but they’re just that – markings. The developers set out to develop a deep game but someone must have fumbled the marching orders. The playable part, at least when the game is not crashing, boils down to a game of Risk with more different units and the occasional card to boost the units in the field and everything else is just fluff and distraction. Recruit, move, attack, defend – rinse and repeat. It’s serviceable but not a lot of fun.

I do think it’s worth commending We Are Chicago for its noble intent, even if that intent largely results in an endeavor that is unable to harness the enormity of its subject matter into something meaningful and digestible for its audience. I think there’s definitely room out there for games that explore real human issues, and We Are Chicago seems to have had the best intentions behind it. The story buried behind the bland presentation and emotionless dialogue is one worth telling, but it’s one worth telling in a way that can better represent the truth behind it.

Alone With You is a truly unique animal, the strength of its writing and characters is a testament to the artistic merit within the growing ‘interactive novel’ scene. Instead of simply using science fiction as a backdrop for laser guns, space battles and alien babes, Alone With You engages its audience as adults. It examines what it is to be human through the genres of science fiction and romance, genres often man-handled or abused by the medium. It kept me guessing, with it avoiding the clichéd plot twists and contrivances that I expected.

Ain't pretty but plays well.