This is a game that tries a lot but can never commit. Still, it's a fun enough jaunt through a world otherwise lost to a mobile game, with some nostalgic call-backs to other games in the series

While there are missteps in the narrative, Miasma Chronicles is a solid enough game that can scratch both the RPG and tactical turn-based combat itch, with some solid ideas that aim to tweak the genre in ways that keep the combat fresh.

A great community-focused PvE shooter that is held back by aggressive and manipulative monetisation. If those dodgy tactics can be ignored, players will find a lot to like, but that is a big if.

A great core gameplay loop, great enemy design and art, and a more run-based approach sets this game apart as one of the greats in the roguelike genre. The Stress and relationship system might not be for everyone, but it reinforces the strong focus on the choices you make in a run.

Emio - The Smiling man is a dark and gruesomely gripping mystery that’s held back from reaching greatness by its lack of improvement on the series’ existing flaws.

Jackbox Party Pack 10 has its flaws, but the creative depravity it offers makes up for the weaker games in the pack. A solid entry in their 10 year catalogue.

NBA 2K24 is the definitive NBA 2K playing experience, crushed under the weight of excessive monetisation attempts.

It isn’t terrible but there is no denying that the NBA 2K franchise is on a downward trend. The focus on everything but the Basketball is this game’s biggest sin, one that almost ruins the entire experience.

Dead Take is an ambitious commentary on the state of a dark and often desperate industry. While its stellar performances are let down by some less imaginative horror troupes, it remains an intriguing take on the world of entertainment.

The outer layers of Gotham Knights present quite well and will keep you entertained for hours, but there’s something rotting at the core that holds the game back from ever being anything great.

Dead Season is a short zombie romp through a tactical lens. It walks the line between tactical and accessible and doesn’t feel like it nails either side of the coin, so in the end, it comes off feeling a bit toothless.

While there will be a core audience that enjoys mastering the footwork needed to pull off the different tricks, for most people that will not be enough to keep them playing for long.

Big Rumble Boxing is a love letter to Rocky and Creed that should make for great party gaming fodder. There isn’t much for solo boxers but for punching on with friends there is a lot of fun to be had.

Go in expecting the classic with a couple of added extras, and your time with Sonic will be action-packed and enjoyable.

There’s every chance more recent Sherlock converts might find themselves severely underwhelmed by The Awakened, which doesn’t really stand up against The Sinking City or Chapter One, but I nevertheless enjoyed traipsing around period locations for a few hours a night across the span of a week, the sort of popcorn gaming that isn’t appreciated enough in amongst larger, more bombastic titles that demand endless hours across their poorly paced open-worlds.

Crypto's return is a fun one, but hardly essential. Some dated humour and repetitive missions hold the game back from greatness but there is still certainly fun to be had in this B-grade Sci/Fi comedy adventure.

If you have an itch for a fixed-camera horror and the patience for punitive controls, this is your game. If not, the Tormented Souls experience will feel less like a nostalgic embrace and more like a frustrating relic.

A visually stunning but too faithful recreation of a cult classic held back by its dedication to the source material.

Drag X Drive delivers some engaging gameplay, and fun gameplay options, but technical concerns dampen the excitement.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road ultimately left me disappointed. It has certainly paved the way for more dynamic gameplay and interesting battle mechanics, but the shallow storyline and lamentable writing was hard for me to look past.

The Gex Trilogy bundles up a trio of middling to good platformers together and places them on modern platforms, with the perk of playing them with modern features like rewind, screen ratio adjustments and more. For fans of the games in their day, there’s some nostalgic fun to be found here, but if you’re new to the IP and are considering picking them up, well, in the immortal (and well-worn) words of Gex himself – Fuhgeddaboutit

If you’ve got a rainy afternoon and not much to do, Kill It With Fire will slot in nicely for a few hours of entertainment, although there may not be a high degree of replayability if the combat system doesn’t suit your tastes.

The controls irk, it is full of breadcrumb busywork and almost everything is done better in Breath of the Wild. But for all its faults, it still offers some satisfying environmental traversal, unique gadgets and complex puzzles.

While discussion is sure to be dominated by the sexualisation of lead character Eve, looking past that, Stellar Blade provides a solid action experience for fans of the Souls-like genre.

I just wished the package included some historical details if only to help bring some context for those who weren’t there for the original releases.

While it does have some stumbles it is an RPG that does away with the traditional good/bad decisions and has room for those moments where even the stalwart paragon of justice has to get down in the mud to get his way.

While not difficult, The survivalists hooked me in with its take on the survival genre and the creative use of the local monkey population to help me survive.

Blades of Fire should be applauded for the new and exciting systems it brings to the Soulslike genre but sadly, the rest of the game is a little below par. A noble attempt, but one that just misses the mark.

The story may be wafer thin, and the rubber banding still brutal at times, but there’s a lot of charm in Chocobo GP, and lots of fun to be had. Square-Enix intends to continue supporting the game into the future with the likes of Cloud and Squall all on track to become available to players post launch, so there’s hope that unlike its predecessor, Chocobo GP isn’t an easily forgotten flash in the pan. Despite plenty of rough edges, this is a race worth being a part of.

Hampered by a limited selection of wrestlers, customisation options and a career mode that falls on the short side, it is another one of those games that could be great if given more time and development.

Breakout Beyond updates the classic formula to make it interesting where Atari's prior attempts at modernisation stumbled. But it's let down by the lack of leaderboards in its main mode, and a potential slog to unlock the hidden modes which offer more challenge.

Horizon Chase 2 is blisteringly fast and honestly pretty fun. Its progression may feel borderline automated and its audio mixing lacks energy to an honestly bizarre level, but in a sea of very few fish it remains a solid and entertaining enough choice for what it is.

While Dex may have a few flaws overall, it is a solid game that is filled with freedom to play how you want as you uncover the secrets of Harbour Prime.

A little light on content and a touch on the pricey side, Samurai Showdown on the Series could have perhaps been packaged better. But there is no denying the joy offered by its blood soaked and engaging one on one battles.

Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy has so much personality, and if you’re familiar with the series or this style of game, I think you’ll have a lot of fun. The upbeat, quirky sense of humour is a real selling point for me, and though I found the gameplay loop a little repetitive, I was laughing and smiling all the way through it.

Skully is a throwback to the golden age of 3D platforming that has an interesting story, but an inconsistent difficulty level that is at times frustrating to play through. It might scratch that 3D puzzle platforming itch, but ultimately falls short of being a memorable experience.

A trip back in time in both good and bad ways, Wanted: Dead is bad, but intentionally so. There is sure to be a crowd that will enjoy this PS2 throwback, but it won't hold the attention of modern gamers for long.

I wish I could say it wasn’t a foregone conclusion, and I’m ready to be proven wrong, but the demise does feel inevitable. Assuming there aren’t any big changes, I don’t know that this is going to find a lasting audience.

Aggressively average and ultimately forgettable, Chains of Freedom is neither bad nor good, it just is.

With challenging controls and a confusing narrative, Little Nightmares III will be best enjoyed by those familiar with the previous entries over newer players to the franchise.

AquaNox: Deep Descent is by no means a bad game, nor is it a particularly good one. It is instead exceedingly average, something for people like myself who carry fond memories of vaporizing intergalactic cat people to while away an hour or so at a time over a few weeks. If you don’t happen to fit inside this very particular demographic, then I strongly doubt AquaNox: Deep Descent is the best place to start within the genre.

It might not be a game that lands for everyone, but if you’ve been emotionally stung by a painful relationship or are going through a breakup, Maquette might just be the salve to ease the pain.

Spitlings is a very cool concept, and the frenzy of each level makes it a fun experience for a group of people. However even though the levels present you with more complex puzzles as you go along, the mechanics of the game are so repetitive that it gets boring very quickly.

It is difficult to grade Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector. There are moments where you feel you have control of how you want to play the game and what you want to do, but so too are there moments where you feel you are just following along on a predetermined story, where the choices don’t matter, and the free agency you have as the Sleeper is just an illusion.

While it loses some of its sheen, this port of everyone’s favourite banana republic nation-building sim has everything you will find on the other platforms, giving you the ability to control everything in your island nation no matter where you are.

Pac-Man World 2: Re-Pac takes its original counterpart and brings it into the modern day, but platforming has evolved a lot since then, and its inconsistent difficulty, tedious boss-fights and lack of refinement mean this one is really for fans of the original.

Even though we were hoping for a little more in terms of modern features and sharp controls. Pac-man Museum + very much ticks the box for a nostalgic bundle of goodness, one that can be enjoyed for every age group.

I went into Death Strand Directors Cut, ready to embrace the weird and enjoy the experience. The story, visuals and world are all quite good and up to a great standard. But before too long the monotonous nature of its core gameplay had me feeling I was doing a job that I had little interest in.

Disintegration aims high, but it doesn’t quite hit the right points. There’s fun to be had in this shooter/strategy hybrid, but you’ll have to survive unbalanced combat, a poorly explained narrative and some occasionally unreliable AI teammates to get there.

Alone In The Dark is a survival horror reimagining that doesn’t quite live up to the legacy of its predecessors. Dans of the genre will find some fun here, but stars like Jodie Corner and David Harbour feel almost wasted on this mediocre offering.

While not necessarily blowing any expectations out of the water, Beasts of Maravilla Island sits steadily among its peers as a charming experience made by a small team.

Sakura Wars’ characters and delightfully camp stylings make for a mostly entertaining anime revue, but its dull mech sections and occasional forays into creepiness diminish an otherwise slick presentation.

Soundself is reminiscent of elevated psychedelic aspirations, cornered into the back of a hostel bar, turning itself up too loud. If that sounds enjoyable, than this is the experience for you.

Lawn Mowing Simulator does no more or less than its title. You will mow lawns on lawn mowers. Although there is a career mode, there’s little urging you to progress, making this a perfect mind-clearing title for those times when you just feel like cruising and bruising the buffalo.

Kao The Kangaroo’s imperfects are numerous, but while each in isolation isn’t destroying the experience, combined, it makes you appreciate the games shorter duration.

When thinking back on my experience as a whole with VED, I just feel hollow and confused.

As a Roguelike, Jupiter Hell stumbles with the randomness that shakes up each run instead, allowing the player a lot of control over how they want to build their character. Despite this, there is fun to be had with the tactical shooter.

Mario Golf: Super Rush offers enjoyable mechanics for multiplayer matches but does nothing but disappoint those who want to go it alone.

Funny only goes so far.

There is a solid game at its base, and players will find plenty of variety and visual punch to satisfy a fun, casual tryst. Ultimately, the game passes, but it does not excel in whatever it was setting out to achieve.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated seems directly targeted at those with a real nostalgia for the original game. Improved visuals and audio aside, it’s hard to recommend to a new audience when the platforming genre has had some truly outstanding remakes these past few years, let alone new entries.

Infliction is nightmarishly scary, but it lacks innovation and relies on some tired and problematic tropes in order to deliver. While it excels in its puzzle design and general atmospheric spookiness, an unsympathetic protagonist and audio problems lead to an overall lacklustre experience.

While Windbound failed to shake my sails, being too repetitive and pressured, it should appeal to survivalists. Respect must be afforded to the interesting sailing mechanics, which elevates the exploration.

If you don’t think the idea of becoming best friends with horses and just hanging out with them on an island sounds fun, you won’t enjoy this game. But if it’s going to tap into that same part of childlike wonder that I felt from the moment I loaded it up and chose my first horse, then it could be for you.

Haunted House takes a classic, and brings it into the modern age, by introducing stealthy elements to a Roguelite. It almost pulls it off too, if not for its repetitive room design and a few too many bugs which pull players out of the game a little too quickly.

The Ascent opens impressively and displays a solid core, which regrettably starts to sour early, especially if you play on your own. Load times, illegible text and repetitive structure mean that the console experience is lacking.

Ray’s The Dead has a tonne of potential, and I’m thrilled that Ragtag stuck with their work and didn’t allow this game that already centred on the dead to die in real-life too. There are rough edges, many of which can be easily rectified with some patching, but there’s something to Ray’s adventure that will constantly put a smile on your face.

Summerland is a fascinating little game from a budding young creator wanting to make games about something. Living ethically in a world where ethics can never be set in stone is something we have to do every day. Combine those two things into a short game with a thoughtful story, which you can play for free right now? Why not?

While My Hero: All’s Justice does a great job of putting the player in the climactic battle against Tomura Shigaraki, All for One and the remaining members of The League of Villains, having to trudge through the disappointing Team-Up Missions to access the Archive Battles and the one dimensional combat that reduces controls to spamming a single button makes this game hard to recommend to all but the most die hard MHA fans.

Empire of Sin successfully captures the atmosphere of the roaring 1920’s, but some solid narrative elements and an innovative character relationship system are tarred by slow game progression and an unbalanced tactical battle system. If you’re specifically craving some gangster goodness, give it a go, but be prepared for some hiccups and frustrations along the way.

The Switch version of Doom Eternal is ultimately a complex beast to recommend. If you’re someone wanting to take on some demons on the go? The lack of an adaptable UI makes it tough to recommend based on the amount of text which is unreadable when in handheld mode. For those players who primarily play Docked, especially if the Switch is one’s primary system? It makes for a far better prospect.

While I believe the story could have been delivered more smoothly, there is no faulting the effort gone into voicing all conversations and making sure that the simple gameplay loop remains engaging for many hours. There’s an amateurish, almost cobbled-together feel about Cloudpunk in general, which luckily connects with its aesthetic, coming together in a nice, shiny, pixelated indie pie.

I have no doubt that after another month or so, this game will be in a much better place but as it is, I cannot in good conscience recommend this to anyone who doesn’t have an absolute beast of a PC. The experience is just too compromised on anything less than the latest and greatest gear.

I really don’t know if the time Cris Tales has taken from my life was fully worth it. There were definite ups throughout my adventure, but the frustrations mitigated my excitement somewhat.

No Way Home takes the frenetic action of a twin-stick shooter and marries it to a space-faring adventure, but while these two concepts should make for a thrilling experience combined, the final result is sadly less than the sum of its parts.

Unfortunately, while there are moments when Party Animals shines and is a fun competitive mini-game experience, these moments were brought down by some confusing design choices that hampered my enjoyment while playing.

Am I happy I played Suicide Squad? Yes, I am. There was enough here for me to get enjoyment out of proceedings. Am I happy to keep playing Suicide Squad? As it is, no way.

It can oscillate a little wildly at times, almost leaving you in the dust as it rushes to its next beat. But it’s a story that wants to talk about something, with a neat mechanical twist on the old branching narrative game to boot. For a freshman effort by a budding French team, it’s a neat experience worth paying attention to.

Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires isn’t as good as the sum of its parts. Everything that’s here has been done better in the past, and I truly hope the next one is better. Still, it scratched the itch for a while.

Sadly, a series of missteps along the way means it never reaches its true potential and is left languishing behind other more accomplished titles in the genre.

It is a case of close, but no cigar for King’s Bounty II. It makes a valiant attempt at creating an grand RPG but constantly trips over frustrating design choices.

An adventure that doesn’t stand out in anyway. Embracelet isn’t buggy, broken or busted, but it is decidedly average.

I feel torn about House of Ashes. I’ve been overly negative here, but it isn’t by any means a bad game, it just didn’t gel with me in the way that Little Hope, for example, did.

Unlike its predecessors, WWE 2K Battlegrounds does what it claims, providing an arcade-style take on wrestling that can have anyone pulling off gravity-defying moves in minutes. Sadly it lacks the depth to be more than a fleeting piece of brawling fun.

Where it does succeed is in its original intention – to bring this story to a new, modern audience. I finally understand George Orwell’s Animal Farm a bit more, even having still not read it. Despite my frustrations, I still spent yet more hours outside the game thinking about the ramifications and meanings of this Orwellian tale. In that at least, Orwell’s Animal Farm realizes its potential.

If you’re after a game where the challenge is turned up to 11, then Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection is more than ready to take you on. For everyone else? Unless you’re ready for the frustration, then you might want to stay away.

The DioField Chronicle doesn’t nail the landing but I think that there is still some fun to be had here. I’m just not convinced it’s worth the full price of entry.

FixFox isn’t a game for teens or adults who act like teens (you know who you are). There isn’t enough challenge or engaging gameplay to be had. For the pre-teens out there though, FixFox is adorably cute, enjoyable and fun with a story that they can follow! The developers knew the audience that would enjoy this and delivered well.

While rough around the edges, the Roguelike core of Star Fire: Eternal Cycle provides the hit that keeps the player coming back for one more run.

The Falconeer: Warrior Edition, fails to inspire. It’s a game that says its piece in the first hour but then meanders on for another dozen hours without saying anything more.

Minecraft Legends has potential, I don’t know if it will have the same level of longevity as the original Minecraft has had, and while it is very simple to command your mobs to go to a certain place and have them attack whatever is in the area, kids may struggle to adapt to the controlling of the mobs in more nuanced ways that will help get the most out of combat.

Ale & Tale Tavern is a mess of mechanics and writing. There’s some fulfillment to be had if you can sift through the rough bits, but I was left with an empty stomach and maybe a bout of gastro.

Fans of the series will enjoy testing themselves against the orc hordes on the new maps, along with the added rogue-like elements, but between the lack of a real narrative to keep players engaged and difficulty increases that only equate to increased health for enemies, it is not likely to be as fondly remembered as some of its predecessors.

For every fun mechanic Return from Core has to offer, it comes with an equally frustrating or confusing system. The best parts of Return from Core could be found with more depth in other games, and the unique elements of this game are lacking polish.

Despite all the warts, the original STALKER trilogy is still incredible. By extension, these games are also incredible, but they’re held back by some weird choices, strict modding guidelines and some rough optimisations. Time will tell how they turn out.

Caverns Of Mars: Recharged is a solid enough throwback, but it lacks the spark of inspiration from its source material to truly push the experience forward.

While billed as a tribute to Grand Theft Auto, the implementation of one of the main mechanics is severely lacking. Despite this, if you go into Rustler as a game in its own right it can provide some entertainment if you can get past some of the over the top writing.

Exit the Gungeon is not so much a full sequel, but rather the port of a mobile/tablet arcade title. As such, it is a simpler and more direct spin-off that relies on randomised weaponry and character-specific elevator runs to provide both challenge and variety for players.