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.

Diluvion is at its best when allowing you to pilot your sub wherever you want at your leisure. It’s almost marred by the addition of any combat, as awkward and inaccurate controls often make it more frustrating than exciting.

It's quick, it plays smoothly enough, but it's as though watching the notes of a gamer's idea of neat ideas suddenly thrown together and asking "Is this what makes a game great?" It is not.

A frightening return to gameplay elements that made the series great, terrifying antagonists and monsters, perfect setting for a horror game.

It is not your run of the mill city builder and it is hard to market something so different from the norm. That difference is not just a weakness, though, it is also a strength. I can guarantee you that you’ve not played anything like this before and the community - is - figuring it out, slowly. Urban Empire is a breath of fresh air and for that reason alone it is worth checking out.

Pacing issues aside, Rocketbirds 2 provides a fun experience that I wish spent more of its time focusing on the action, instead of mundane and rudimentary puzzling elements. Fans of the original will love this, and those looking for a throw-away action fix could do a lot worse than give Rocketbirds 2: Evolution a shot.

As it stands, 99Vidas is an inspired tribute to beat-em-ups, with its solid aesthetic brought down by gameplay that lacks the diversity or complexity that would otherwise make this a more compelling game.

Siegecraft Commander is a fun game no matter how you play it, but it’s best in VR by virtue of the lack of anything similar for VR. I do wish that some of the issues, both in virtual reality and with a keyboard and mouse, will get ironed out. They’re relative minor and surface-level so hopefully we will get some post-launch updates. At the end of it all, fun, engaging gameplay elements overcome these annoyances to deliver a game that’s good, but held back from being truly great.

The simple graphics and animations leave something to be desired but the graphical style is spot on. Besides, shiny baubles don’t make a game - gameplay does and that is rock solid here.

In the end, no, this isn’t going to be a game that anyone is probably going to rip out 100 hours of, but it’s a lovely little game for killing a few evenings or a weekend.

Ultimately Redie provides a quality enough experience to warrant its own existence. It is an extremely challenging and fun experience. The lack of varying difficulty levels and overall level of challenge may put off some people, but if you have a masochistic streak or enjoy games that employ an almost old-school level of difficulty then Redie is sure to scratch that itch.

Sure, the animations and the scenery are well made, the game is technically solid, and the voice acting is … bearable, but everything that makes a good graphic adventure an adventure is missing here.

Beholder is a fairly unique game of spying, decision making, and disaster avoidance. The story of a secret rebellion uprising against an authoritarian government has been told many times before, but at least government controlled property landlord is a fresh perspective on things. It won’t take you that long to complete, but it doesn’t outstay its welcome, and you’ll have a good time balancing all the things that need doing for those few hours.

It’s a game devoid of all but the most basic gameplay mechanics, humour, and design, and it will most likely take me longer to write this review than it took for me to actually finish the seven levels on offer.

I’m curious to see if Epic Manager is able to find a niche in the market, as I can see more hardcore management enthusiasts being turned off by its cartoony (though charming) visual style and humor, while those more interested in the fantasy elements may be cautious of a game with an emphasis on management instead of exploration or combat. I hope it is able to find its footing though, as it’s great to see developers experimenting with new genres and ideas- especially when they turn out as fun as this one did.

Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised by Space Hulk: Deathwing. From a gameplay perspective, what it does it does in better form than Warhammer 40k: Fire Warrior by leaps and bounds. Space Hulk: Deathwing is another great step into bringing the entirety of the Warhammer franchise into a more mainstream popularity in videogames, and the game does it with a gory sense of style.

Stereo Aereo is rather a fun rose-tinted game that takes a simple, tried and true gameplay style and combines it with catchy tunes that will have you nodding your head as you play along. If you have a bit of spare change burning money in your wallet, you can't say no to a little 80's indulgence.

It’s a game which you’ll enjoy clicking around in for a few hours, although when it comes to the story, you might be left with more questions than answers. You won’t get much satisfaction from solving the puzzles, but the look and general feel of the game might be worth your attention, particularly if you’re a fan of surrealism. It’s certainly not for everyone, but there is certainly an audience out there for Small Radios Big Televisions.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 should be an instant buy for long time fans of the series, and warrants a deep look from everyone else. I’d love to see a bit longer of a gap between this and the (hopefully) inevitable Xenoverse 3 than the year between the first and second titles to really hammer out some of the game’s issues, but until then we’ve still been left with a fighting game that does enough well, and enough different from its competitors, to stand worthy as it is.

I can find myself warming up to Transport Fever. Still, I find it hard to recommend the game to anyone but hardcore transportation sim fans, and even then only if you are a bit of a glutton for punishment. If that description fits, you’ll find a fairly capable simulation that you’ll likely enjoy for a couple of weeks.