The gameplay is perfectly balanced, to the point where I couldn’t stop playing as I scrounged for one more wire to add that light bulb, and one more rope to build the snare trap. While I never became particularly attached to my family (as they are relatively bland and faceless), I certainly felt the drama and reality of the scarcity of food and water and the weight of my decisions. Sheltered is a fun and challenging game, especially if you’re willing to put a lot of time into the game crafting the best shelter possible. And because of its randomness world generation, there is plenty of replay-ability with a chance to do it always do it better next time.

Daydream: Forgotten Sorrow was one of the best experiences I had this year. The story and gameplay seem simple at first but leave you with some deep thoughts once you finish the game. Everything in the game is amazing, except for the fact that there are a few technical issues that might cause a disturbance to the immersive experience of the game.

A cozy gaming, niche snapshot into the life of a Hobbit, and done well. Presentation and execution can use a little work, but overall a solid encapsulation of a day in the Shire.

In conclusion, Dead to Rights: Retribution throws a few curve balls into the third person action franchise. It does take a little getting use to the controls but once you have mastered them, you’ll shooting and biting in no time and wanting to play more of Shadow.

The Crew on the PS4 is a highly ambitious game that succeeds on some levels and fails on others that results in a standard racer.

Battlefield 2042 is a huge disappointment for gamers and the Battlefield franchise. Had this been the product of an indie developer, then this might be a different story as it would be understandable how a game like this could be the product of an independent studio that doesn’t have enormous corporate backing. Instead, EA pumped more resources into creating a CGI film that acts as the only real source of storyline context than ensuring the game was going to live up to the enormous amount of hype they were trying to create. I hate saying such negative things in my reviews, but when a game developer can’t be bothered to even try and live up to it’s own legacy, then I have to call it as I see it and for that very reason, I don’t recommend this game. Not even the nostalgia or temptation of ‘Battlefield Portal’ is enough to save this game from itself.

8Days is a game inspired by better ones in the same genre, and fails to deliver on its promises. Poor aiming, cheat AI, and texture difficulties create a frustrating experience that is more hair pulling than deliberately challenging.

This title is a PS4 exclusive and meant to be a big deal, aka a AAA title for the team who made it. It is certainly not unfortunately and in my opinion cannot possibly command a full price point. Fans of the movie should be happy with some of the content but for the rest of us it is very much hit and miss. I do hope this does at least well enough that they can produce another, more well produced game as it did show promise but simply didn’t deliver.

Personally, as mentioned, my interest in this game came to a screeching halt but I still appreciate what it is and I have no doubt that those who don’t mind platform hopping will enjoy it. If that’s your thing then certainly consider giving it a go. If like me the term parkour causes an instant eye roll and sigh then I’d suggest giving this a miss.

Compared to animal crossing and other farming sims it is relatively basic. There isn’t that much to do and I found myself spending a lot of time waiting… I love the graphics and soundtrack and I really did enjoy playing Deiland. But felt it was more appropriate as a pick up and put down type of game rather than one that involves longer gaming sessions.

The control issues should be easily rectified by an update in the future and the slightly underwhelming story does little to distract from the gleeful destruction and chaos that forms the crux of the title.

For me, J-Stars Victory VS + started out strong but petered out in the end as its shallow fighting mechanics became apparent, but even with these limitations, the varied (At least visually) roster and breakneck online multiplayer makes the game worth a look for fighting fans in the market for something a little different.

Vertigo offers a thrilling and captivating playable story that touches on some very serious themes. Not for the feint hearted or weak in temperament.

Reynatis is made up of a lot of fun ideas that are unfortunately very hit and miss in execution, running questionably poorly on its hardware target. There's fun to be had with the game, but not for this price tag, nor on the Switch.

When you look at it as a whole, Need For Speed: Payback is a fairly decent package. The driving is fun and with over 15 hours of single-player racing plus a rather standard but competent multiplayer mode, there’s plenty of driving to do. The narrative itself is one of the most bizarre and uninteresting I’ve seen in recent memory, but tricking out your whip and boosting it around a track is fun enough to stand on it’s own – so don’t hesitate to skip through the cutscenes. If you’re looking for a simple racing game to turn on and tune out, Need For Speed: Payback isn’t a bad road to go down.

It does showcase the potential of this control system for the PlayStation Move and for those people who are too busy to get to the gym regularly, this might be the perfect addition to keep them active until the weekend.

Unless you are the hardest of hardcore Hellboy fan and just have to soak up any source of story from anywhere you can… I’d give this a big miss. I’m still hoping for the day that Hellboy is picked up as an episodic show (like The Witcher), I think that would be a fantastic format to see our favourite big red hero!

With plenty of characters to try out, this game packs plenty of punch.

Rising above many of the system's shortcomings, areas of the game may fall into some of the same traps many developers find themselves in due to the Kinect's limited capabilities, but when the game works it provides one of the most engaging and immersive titles available, inventively putting the technology to great use. It's just a damn shame about that irritatingly inaccurate precision tracking.

Big Helmet Heroes is an action adventure beat ‘em up that sees you taking on the role of a little cast with big problems. The loony ways you can go on the offensive easily piles up hours of entertainment. Gratifying sounds and visually pleasing graphics adds even more value to the adventure. Troubling bugs and design choices throws a kink in the system, but doesn’t decrease the charm these huge noggins bring to the table.

Give this quirky little gem a chance and Schrödinger’s plucky little feline will almost certainly find a place in your heart.

Kinect Sports Rivals is a good game on the Xbox One but it's not the game that successfully turns Kinect into a true gaming medium.

Easy on the eyes and ears and fun to play, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a simplified title that mainly works. Its horrific paywall system, however, immediately kills much of its good will.

Shadow of the Orient is a 2D action-platformer with tight gameplay, stunning visuals, and brutal yet rewarding combat. A solid adventure spread across 3 acts with plenty of secrets to find, gear to unlock, and abilities to use, makes Shadow of the Orient both a great quick "pick up and play" type of game as well as a game that's fun to master.

The games are still relatively competently made and the first and third entries stand out as pinnacles of the Hack-n-Slash genre, but the overt lack of care that has been afforded to this collection makes me reticent to recommend it to all except those who possibly haven’t experienced the series yet and are curious to see what all the fuss is about.

A lack of flair and features drag down this otherwise satisfying sports title.

Magic 2015 Duels of the Planeswalkers fails to reach the heights of previous games

While not a cursed bad game, Captain America: Super Soldier is super short… it's not a complete miss, nor is it a bull's eye.