There are very few games that live up to their name better than Defunct. The experience is short lived, marred by gameplay issues and is generally unworthy of note.

Xenon Valkyrie+ makes its way to PS4 with little in the way of changes. What you do get is an enjoyable 2D rogue-lite that's not overly reliant on luck which ensures that as long as you're paying attention you'll get used to the loose controls and make progress.

Schacht's cold presentation and inconsistent levels conspire to spoil what is an otherwise technically solid game but is sure to be a favourite for those players who master its mix of platform jumping and racing action.

If you can handle a challenge, Deadbolt's mix of stealth, shooting and strategy is well worth checking out.

There's a simplicity and rhythm to Tiles which makes it an enjoyable, cheap puzzle experience. The reliance on the player's dexterity can lead to some frustration but not at the game's expense. Whilst the challenge does ramp up, the swiftness that new mechanics are introduced leave the majority of the game's levels feeling increasingly stale. A lot of the early momentum starts to dissipate and, whilst the level creator helps foster a community and longevity, I'm feeling a little worn out.

Defenders of Ekron may not be the most exciting shoot 'em up on PSN but its thoughtful take on the genre definitely works. Unfortunately, technical issues with the game really spoil the party.

Symmetry is a challenging survival game. The gameplay is one-note and never changes or evolves but the struggle to finally escape can become addictive.

SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell is a well executed platformer with a heavy emphasis on speed and player skill. It has some devious moments but I can't deny the feeling of self-improvement is a gratifying one. Its simple and functional hellscape might bore with time but there is a tricky challenge within the many levels for players to endure and enjoy.

With two good tables and one that we really don't like, this collection of Jurassic Park themed tables represents fairly decent value for money for Pinball FX 3 fans.

Midnight Deluxe is a relaxed puzzle game that doesn't demand too much of the player but offers an enjoyable challenge.

Drunkn Bar Fight is a very silly game that barely holds together as you swing punches, stools and beer bottles at bar patrons. It's these unexpected moments that make the game fun however, especially if you have other people to play with locally. There's not a huge amount of content though and the joke struggles to hold your attention for too long.

Hex Tunnel is an unoriginal idea barely executed and then utterly ruined by some of the worst graphics we've seen in the last three generations of gaming.

The sad truth about Cruz Brothers is that we've played far superior games in this genre that were made over thirty years ago.

Enigmatis 3: The Shadow of Karkhala is another solid entry in the hidden object genre. Once again it offers enjoyable puzzling with an engaging story and gorgeous highly detailed 2D scenes. This wraps the Enigmatis series up in a satisfying conclusion and remains accessible to new players. Whilst not without some flaws, this is easy to recommend to anyone looking for a casual few hours of puzzling.

Sir Eatsalot has a lot of charm and some fantastic graphics but the level design makes it feel like a struggle to get through.

If Epic Dumpster Bear: Dumpster Fire Redux could match its humour with more competent presentation and gameplay then it would be fantastic. However, this is not the case and while the game is definitely played for laughs, these soon run out when mundanity sets in.

A contemporary port of an ancient iOS game that's aged pretty well. League of Evil is cracking value and addictive with it.

Unsurprisingly, a port of a 2014 iOS rogue-lite platformer isn't going to light up PSN in 2018 and while Devious Dungeon doesn't do anything particularly badly, a lack of ambition stops it from standing out in any way.

Floor Plan is a fun little experience which brings point-and-click gameplay to PSVR with a simple charm that doesn't push the technology too hard. Know what you're getting into and you'll have a fun, but brief, time.

InkSplosion's combination of very basic twin-stick shooting and distracting visuals is problematic but there's an hour or two's worth of fun to be had here if you're a fan of the genre.

Omega Strike is an enjoyable, if straightforward, Metroidvania. The character swapping mechanic is a good idea but is underutilised by the level design and it's a tad too easy. You'll enjoy the time you have with it but it won't leave a lasting impression.

A fair attempt at a twin stick shooter that could do with a few more flourishes. Less isn't always more.

Super Destronaut DX is a colourful take on the Space Invaders formula but is so devoid of challenge and fresh ideas that it becomes impossible to recommend, despite being reasonably well put together.

As an homage to Super Sprint, Race Arcade does everything it sets out to do but Super Sprint wasn't even that interesting thirty years ago. Putting out a game with such basic visuals and gameplay in 2018 feels like a tough sell for racing fans.

This sequel is a silly pastiche of Hollywood in which you insult stars of past and present but isn't quite good, or funny, as its predecessor.

Physics-based silliness aimed at streamers and people who are amused by dismembered limbs and random deaths. Avoid otherwise.

If you've got three mates who have an appreciation for this kind of arcade party game, and they don't mind coming over to yours, then this tank-based arena shooter might keep you all busy for an hour or so. But if they just want to play FIFA then you won't get a whole lot of single-player fun out of Treadnauts.

Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2 is a beautifully crafted run and gun shooter that combines great visuals, exciting gameplay and some dumb but fun humour to create one of the most enjoyable shooters on PSN.

Shikhondo works well as both an introduction and a tribute to the bullet hell genre but is just a tad too basic to stand out against the competition.

A chronic lack of difficulty turns this shoot 'em up into a well-made but ultimately meaningless platinum trophy factory.

Despite the shortcomings in Nefarious' platforming and combat, there's a great likeability to its tone and writing. The controls aren't particularly precise and you'll need some character upgrades just to tolerate some of the harder challenges. If you have the patience, there's an interesting experience with plenty of charm here.

There isn't much that sticks out about Neonwall apart from how tricky the game gets. Fans of difficult arcade puzzle games might enjoy it but the game's lack of variety, uncomfortable controls and lacklustre presentation is definitely a problem.

Super Mutant Alien Assault is a short-lived arcade shooter that offers up some interesting weaponry and a big challenge but not a whole lot else.

Stay takes an interesting idea and does some good things with it but there's not a lot of gameplay here and what's there can sometimes be awful which means that this game is a very mixed bag. Some of you will love it, some of you will hate it.

This Is the Police 2 takes the first game and develops certain aspects whilst adding tactical battles to break up the daily routine. The story and presentation are strong but it falls into a similar gameplay loop to the first game, for better or worse.

As someone coming back to the game eighteen months after release I have to say, if A Walk in the Park made me look back on The Surge fondly, then The Good, The Bad And The Augmented reminded me of the less appealing aspects of the base game.

The fact that you could probably port Jack N' Jill to an original GameBoy pretty easily is probably a cause for concern but it would be a very good game for that format. Whether or not that's what you want on a PS4 in 2018 is another matter though.

Splody wears its heart on its sleeve and it shows. It is by far the most derivative clone of Bomberman to exist since the 90’s and lacks any sense of uniqueness or personality of its own. It lives up to the pitch of being a cheaper alternative to a main Bomberman game, but sometimes being cheaper is simply not enough. This is one of those occasions.

Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story offers a shallow but addictive gameplay loop. Every element, from the RPG to the management to the action, is overly simple making it easy to play for short sessions but lacking much in the way of depth.

Zen's continued support for Pinball FX3 is admirable and this collection of four tables from yesteryear is a welcome addition to their already ridiculously large stable of tables and is definitely a release for the old-school pinball fans out there but while this is a fun collection, Williams' best is yet to come.

Happy Games' Aces of the Luftwaffe sequel massively improves on the original by improving every aspect of the game and while there are better vertically-scrolling shoot 'em ups out there, this is a good example of the genre.

A fantastic 16bit style rally game with deceptive depth. Brilliant fun.

Drone Striker is the kind of on-rails shooter that you can enjoy without having to use too much brain power but this is a title that you can happily buy or ignore and neither is the wrong decision.

A safe kids licence that will be sure to delight the younger members of your household. Platforming by numbers otherwise. Add a point to our score if they're already a fan.

Air Missions: HIND can be awkward to play and looks fairly basic but there's fun to be had here for patient gamers or fans of the genre.

8 to Glory is a unique bull riding title but one that offers little more than eight seconds of gameplay. Real life fans won't appreciate the basic rhythm action game mechanics and everyone else will be wondering where the rest of the game is.

theHunter: Call of the Wild 2019 Edition is an accomplished addition to the hunting genre, steeped in such realism that you'll have your work cut out for you if you want to find your quarry.

Shadow of Loot Box has some interesting ideas but the gameplay is unpolished and repetitive making it difficult for even the better jokes to land.

Wingdiver The Shooter offers some good EDF fan service and reasonably good shoot 'em up action but is a little too short and lacking in polish to truly recommend.

Timber Tennis Versus suffers greatly from a bare-bones approach to the sport. The ultra simplified controls and lack of content left me bored fairly quickly. There's a nice rhythm to the rallies but your lack of any real influence means you're hoping for a power-up to finish the job for you. Whilst there's balls and heroes to work towards, they offer only cosmetic changes to a game that badly needs some variety to its gameplay. It's a weak, short-lived experience.

Game Tengoku is a far cry from the sort of beautiful, complex and detailed shoot 'em ups that represent the best in the genre but it's a well-considered port of one of the funniest, and most original, '90s arcade shooters and should be enjoyed with a smile as was clearly intended by the developers.

Whilst GUNGRAVE VR U.N feels a little better to play then GUNGRAVE VR it is also half the length. The side scrolling gameplay allows for more hectic encounters and there is a fun arcade quality to it but it still feels outdated and isn't the best fit for VR.

Super Life of Pixel may be another retro indie platformer, but it does have heart. It presents a cool recreation of some classic graphical styles from yesteryear gaming platforms, with some slick chiptune audio to go with it. Sadly, the gameplay doesn't quite match up to the presentation. Despite this, there is still plenty to enjoy if you fancy a trip down memory lane, just expect a challenge if you do pick this one up.

Guns 'n' Stories: Bulletproof is an enjoyable PSVR wave shooter that offers humour and chaos in equal measure and that sets it apart from the dozens of slightly similar games that are out there on PSN. Superhot VR remains the best the genre has to offer but this is in a respectable second place position.

Razed's colourful block worlds might not turn many heads but the challenging, short levels are engrossing to try, try and try again. There's frustration along the way but the consistent controls mean failure is usually down to you. It's by no means masochistic and the time constraints do keep you under some pressure to succeed.

Pic-a-Pix Pieces is a well made Picross game that offers a large amount of solid gameplay at a very fair price and is well worth picking up if you're a fan of puzzle games.

Nubla 2 may have been the result of a collaboration between a game developer and modern art museum, but the gameplay is anything but artistic. Wonderful aesthetics and an engaging narrative aside, Nubla 2 is a short and frustrating adventure, thanks in no small part to poor platforming mechanics and snail-like pacing.

While we really appreciate the idea of taking an RPG and trimming off all the fat, in doing so Heroes Trials has also accidentally taken out all of the choice cuts too and has left you with the skeleton of a very generic game with nothing in there to make it worth your time or money. One for platinum hunters only.

A challenging slow burner of a puzzle game that you'll end up being hopelessly addicted to.

Ultimately, this is a game that leaves us feeling conflicted. The controls and, to some degree, the visuals are enjoyable but this gameplay and concept deserves a better, more substantial game. We like short games, especially on PSVR where it can be uncomfortable to stay in the headset for too long, but this is really a twenty minute game with a couple of minor hurdles that may extend your stay a little. Anyone’s Diary is impressive but it’s just not particularly good.

Mixups by POWGI combines basic anagram solving gameplay with some easy to obtain platinum trophies and will be remembered for the latter far longer than the former but if you really love anagrams then you'll get something out of this game.

Shanky is not just a nightmare for vegans, it’s a bad dream for anyone. The awful premise mixes with awful gameplay and even worse background music to create an experience with absolutely no meat to it.

Rym 9000 is a brief but exciting shoot 'em up that may struggle to find an audience because of its eye-melting visuals and high level of challenge but if you can make the adjustments, this is a fun game that is addictive and exciting.

Almost There: The Platformer's simplicity becomes one of its greatest strengths. The controls allow for precision and the level design keeps things easy to grasp but hard to master. The challenge manages to seem within reach whilst offering you dozens of levels to tackle. Unfortunately, the momentum of early progress is hampered by a steep challenge but there's an execution and focus here which leads to something enjoyable.

Access Denied is an unfussy puzzle game that offers some satisfying puzzles but may be too simplistic for many gamers.

Another polished Artifex Mundi hidden puzzle game with a fairytale twist and added alchemy. A worthwhile way to spend a few hours.

The second Williams collection adds more predictably solid tables to Pinball FX3's ever-growing stable and while these have a great heritage and proven quality, the might be a tad too taxing for beginners.

The Walking Vegetables is a fairly average twin-stick shooter that is elevated by a great selection of weapons and upgrades but is let down by tired visuals and samey gameplay.

A dreamlike puzzle platformer with cats, hedgehogs, sheep and bees. Definitely worth taking your time with rather than abusing the hint function. Cracking value with Vita cross-buy too.

Emerald Shores has the interesting idea of adding RPG style levelling to a platformer. Unfortunately in practice this is far less fun that it may sound and even the basic controls leave a lot to be desired.

Verti-Go Home is big, bold and brash and while the exciting presentation may be masking some serious issues around the lack of depth the gameplay has, this is fun, immediate VR title that burns brightly but probably a little briefly too.

Peasant Knight is a different take on challenging platformers with your character's constant locomotion acting as one of the obstacles to success. It's a super quick platinum and the overall game is short too but it's so cheap that you can't complain that it doesn't leave much of a lasting impression.

From Russia with bugs. A below average run & gun platformer you'll tire of quicker than a cold weather front.

Block-a-Pix offers some very pure puzzle gameplay but is let down because the game feels more like painting by numbers than anything that will really challenge your brain. Puzzle game fans might find it lacking but it does have a certain relaxing quality to it.

A pretty sloppy port of an unimaginative platform shooter. This game's mobile roots are pretty evident and while the game has a couple of decent ideas, it isn't executed at all well.

Daggerhood offers a solid, challenging platformer that is slightly undermined by an easy platinum. You'll have played around a tenth of the game by the time you've unlocked all the trophies which is a shame as although not up there with the greats of the genre it has some good ideas and provides interesting new obstacles to overcome as you progress.

Interesting gameplay mechanics and cute retro styled graphics belie a fierce challenge. Sadly Super Weekend Mode is another easy Ratalaika platinum that deserves better than its probable fate of a one and done. A good game with trophies that let the side down.

Iron Snout is an enjoyable one-screen beat 'em up that has slick controls that help you keep up with its frantic but fun action. Its mayfly like lifespan is an issue though.

Daydream Software have delivered a competent sports title in eCrossminton. Content is sparse with modes being basic but the core components do provide an enjoyable time. Applying direction takes effort but timing your shots feel rewarding. Presentation lacks some flamboyance and the ICO licensing adds very little. It's a shame what content is there needs to be unlocked in a relatively slow rate and the roster lacks some personality.

As the cheaper of the two recent snooker titles released on the PS4, Snooker Nation may lack all of the official licensing and real life venues and players of its main competitor but if you want a really playable snooker game with great controls and none of the fuss, this is the one to go for.

This third collection of Williams tables is the best yet, marrying the usual excellent FX3 visuals and physics to some interesting, and varied, real world tables.

War Theatre has a good amount of content and offers decent tactical gameplay but the lack of variety in units makes each mode and campaign feel largely the same.

While Tesla vs Lovecraft continues to be a truly excellent twin-stick shooter and we're loving having a reason to go back to it, this DLC doesn't add enough to be truly essential but as an addition to a great game, it is well worth the cheap asking price.

An accomplished shoot-em-up with rogue-lite elements and an addictive core gameplay loop.

Think 'Race the Sun' but more minimalist in terms of style and content. More meaningful than some of Ratalaika's more blatant platinum bait games but this into the screen endless runner variant is a little too limited to provide real value.

Taito have done great things with the Space Invaders series so copying the original and ignoring the brilliant sequels seems kind of lazy. If you want cheap platinums while looking at something that kind of looks like a MAME rom then this will serve that function but if you want anything approaching a good game then this isn't for you.

AngerForce: Reloaded is a very playable, and enjoyable, shoot 'em up with well-considered roguelite elements but is let down by a flawed difficulty curve and some rough loading times.

UglyDolls: An Imperfect Adventure is pretty inoffensive, just like the film it has the licence for. It's alright, but just like the film it's hard to garner much enthusiasm for it unless you're already a fan. A by-the-numbers movie tie-in with a straightforward platinum trophy.

A well done story-driven indie game in the classic JRPG style. Worth seeing out rather than skipping through.

A no-thrills hack and slash platforming rogue-lite effort that doesn't do much wrong, but never tries to do anything spectacular either.

Back in 1995 seems to offer a homage to survival horror titles of the 32 bit era but it's only surface deep. The gameplay and story were surpassed over twenty years ago which makes this tough to recommend unless you're simply looking for another platinum trophy.

A good retro-styled puzzle game across multiple themed levels. Great fun and better yet if you have a Vita too.

Super Tennis Blast is an old-school effort that nails that mid-'90s tennis game feel but we're not sure that's what we want in 2019.

Electric space bricklaying is fun. Who knew? Embrace the aesthetic.

A fantastic arcade hockey game for all the family. OK, maybe if you turn down the violence sliders. Great fun.

It might be hard to sell the idea of a two-way Space Invaders clone in 2019 but Horizon Shift '81 offers some great shoot 'em up action and is easy to recommend.

A fun if short platform brawler. Vita cross-buy makes this worth considering if you have one.

A fun action puzzler that you’ll feel compelled to keep playing long after the last trophy, moreso on Vita. Exactly what it says on the tin, Toy Tanks in abundance.