Shroomtopia could have been an amazing puzzle experience. However, the lack of guidance or hints holds it back. This was a shame as the core concept is fantastic.

It’s hard to like something that combined many elements of things you don’t like, but when that happens and you fail those multiple elements, it just makes the experience so much worse. I give the game a 4.5/10. It’s got some greatness in atmosphere and its performance is rock solid. This seems like a game that would be nice, but there is tons of ironing out to do before moving on to the next project.

Monster Crown is an old-school RPG that demands you tame an array of beasts. Can you pick your team, win every fight, and fulfil your potential? Talking of potential, sadly this never gets off the ground.

Panda Punch is a retro platformer that is sadly lacking. Its action is repetitive and its plot is unfortunately dull. On top of this, it isn't challenging and it quickly becomes tedious and mundane. Thankfully, its visuals and simple controls prevent it from being a total flop!

In summary, “Neptunia Game Maker” is a game that had a lot of potential but fails to deliver on almost every front. The story is disjointed and quite difficult to follow with how many characters get introduced every second. The design is uninspired which doesn’t utilise the art style and the combat is lacklustre. Features like the bike and game development mechanics feel half-baked and add little to the overall experience. I cannot recommend this game to anyone as even to experience the story the player would be forced to drag themselves through the combat encounters. In my opinion “Neptunia Game Maker” should have taken some tips form its own game making mechanics.

Gameplay is mostly a walking simulator, with only a few segments that take the player slightly out of this. A feeling of dread helps build the tension throughout, leading to the eventual scare. However, the formula gets monotonous as it repeats constantly. A lack of elements outside of horror bogs down my enjoyment of the game, thus leading to a negative review. This game might be enjoyable for those who want a one-time scare for a Saturday night, or those who do indie horror gameplay videos/streams. For anyone outside of that though, perhaps this one is best viewed rather than played.

It’s hard to truly judge a title that won’t let you progress a little more than halfway, but what I know of the remainder of the experience, this a knight to forget; an average and repetitive title that is about as rewarding as the princesses’ throwaway comments as you adventure with them – by the 4th time, you’ve seen and heard enough.

Make no mistake, the core game here is a good one, it is a clearly well-refined game that delivers on hours of content. In theory, this is an enjoyable game but this PS5 version falls at the first hurdle, which hundreds of games over the past year haven’t, it just isn’t forgivable.

Motocross has a solid history within video games, but MXGP 24: The Official Game falls short of the greats. Building up speed can never match the adrenaline expected when the player is, more often than not, interrupted in immersion-breaking ways. The competition can’t carry the same sort of rivalry found in sports when multiplayer options are scant and AI behaves a world away from holding a sense of realism. After a three-year absence, MXGP 24: The Official Game’s functions fine enough to let players cross the finish line, but no first-place victory validates what is flawed about this package.

Overall, Goosebumps Terror in Little Creek was pretty lackluster. Looking at the devs and publishers of the game, it kind of checks out that this game turned out this way. The developers PHL Collective and the publisher GameMill Entertainment are known for putting out low quality licensed kids games. Not to mention the pricing for Goosebumps, in my opinion, is not worth $40 USD for how short and barebones the experience was. On top of that, the game also has a $15 USD DLC pack that seems to only provide cosmetics, a 3D model viewer, and a concept art viewer. I can only recommend getting this game on a heavily discounted sale if you’re interested. Otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend this game, even if you wanted to buy it for your kids.

Praising the game’s competency is difficult under the weight of its indifference towards anything but mimicry. It’s a title that more immediately identifies as a dime a dozen, uninspired app store experience more than anything else, one amongst many that are starting to populate platforms such as the Playstation Store, Steam, and the eShop. The dusty corners of these catalogs once fostered games capable of delivering on players’ faith that they might discover an overlooked gem. An overpopulation of undercooked experiences and titles drained of spirit has made a history of such hope, an especially harsh realization given how the niche audience for a series like Pilotwings genuinely yearns for a modern counterpart crafted with care. Pilot Sports is, unfortunately, not that game.

Things move extremely slow and while we have the ability to bump things up to three times the normal speed, there was nothing that really encouraged me to take those next steps. Homeseek is fun when you are locked into the gameplay loops but the moment you hit that first bump in the road in regards to waiting on something, the flaws start to come out. This is a major make or break moment for those who are on the fence here and nothing is really done to persuade you into continuing the game.

Not only is MalnaZidos an awful and poorly performing title, but it’s also incomplete and should never have been released in its current state.

Overall, I would say my time spent with Colossal Cave was well spent. It was a fun way to experience an older title brought up to modern times. Unfortunately, the charm is lost on those who don’t have any experience with this style of game and may be extremely off putting for those who like a little more guidance without having to be penalized for using the hint system. This is a wonderful nostalgia trip for many but unfortunately, Nostalgia isn’t enough for everyone.

Ario is a colourful 2.5D adventure title. However, much of its gameplay is lacklustre and the story is just as bland. Disappointingly, I was expecting much more, but it didn't deliver. As such, there are better alternatives available.

Ayasa: Shadows of Silence has some potential in its world and atmosphere but is so broken and awkwardly designed that it becomes a miserable experience.

Folly Of The Wizards is just a boring, repetitive game. Mechanics, relics and weapons are never fully explained. The affinity system is interesting but never becomes something good. Another confusing addition that is just confusing. All this makes the game frustrating. Graphics and the level design is good and some of the boss fights are cool and challenging. Unfortunately, this is one roguelike where you do not want to try again after dying. There are better options out there in this genre. Folly Of The Wizards isn’t one of them.

Thief Simulator: Mastermind edition has a nice enough premise, but it's dragged down by poor AI, ugly graphics and a loop that descends into tedious grind. Feels very much like quantity over quality.

A Dream about Parking Lots is a pretty drab affair. It is slow, repetitive, and a little tedious. Furthermore, the gameplay doesn't evolve and it is over in less than 2 hours. Though I like the dream-like design, it becomes stale very quickly!

Playing through this game, I am reminded of a similar game that came out last year. That being TCG Card Shop Simulator. The concept of a store management game isn’t new, but both games share that similarity and that you sell items of a specific hobby. While the gameplay loop was enjoyable, it sort of wears at a certain point. Sure, I’m making a lot of progress in improving my store, but it feels like a lot of the same for each in-game day. There doesn’t seem to be any unique events or changes throughout the days. Because of this, the game loses steam and ends up being very repetitive. As of writing this, the game is still receiving updates, so there may end up being improvements to the game.

My conclusion for Sherwood Extreme is that it is a grand concept but much less a game. The combat is fluid, the enemies, albeit easy, are very fun to fight and the map design for the very little there was, was very fun to navigate. In Short, this labour of love is in need of more time in the oven of Love!

The story is very simple and without twist, it does not make you curious about it and it is short. The gameplay is very repetitive and you only solve repetitive puzzles and sometimes you encounter sister Madeline. The map design is great and its shortcuts will surprise you. Visually, it is good and has stable resolution and performance. The sound design is not good and you can’t tell where Sister Madeline is walking by the sound of her footsteps.

Nitro kid does a wonderful job of standing out from other rouge-likes but some of the glaring issues prevent it from being a strong contender against other titles such as The darkest Dungeon and one of the more recent popular titles, Hades. It was a fun little adventure and could definitely hit the spot if players are looking for another game to add to their backlog but will certainly leave players looking for more after their initial run is finished.

In short, its attempt to be a party game is poorly executed as it sneers at the things that make party games fun: quick games, easy to understand, no cumbersome mechanics, a well-known cast, and creative worlds. Instead, Dokapon Kingdom Connect misses the mark in my opinion on pretty much all of these, too caught up in its attempt to be an RPG.

I really wanted to like The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. I genuinely wanted to enjoy a unique take on a game set in the Lord of the Rings universe. Sadly, Gollum misses the mark. While the story is actually interesting, the gameplay, bugs and mechanics make it a painful slog.

A nice landscape can't hide unsatisfying combat, weak survival mechanics and an odd, unfinished feel. Kingdom of Fallen is definitely not ready for prime time.

Moto Roader MC is an old-school racing game that hasn't aged well. With limited game modes and repetitive action, this shouldn't have been remade.

Offroad Truck Simulator: Heavy Duty Challenge should have been a great racing experience. It has so much potential that it left me annoyed. The hulking machines and high-energy racing should have been thrilling. Unfortunately issues and bugs hold it back!