Backbone is a fine debut from Egg Nut but hamstrung by a high price and a story that outright gallops to a conclusion, overwhelming any feeling of player agency you've built up by the third act of five. The price makes it difficult to outright recommend, but very much a firm foundation for Egg Nut to build on.

As with most reboots, there's a sense of compromise running throughout GRID. The fundamentals are there. Racing feels fantastic and action-packed with a great emphasis on presenting the races as genuine occasions. Unfortunately, you see where the icing has been spread thin. The career mode can feel repetitive and lacking in variety. As a racer, it's sound but it feels like an appetiser.

Aero The Acro-Bat 2 is a good port of a classic ‘90s platformer with faithful emulation and plenty of extras for fans of the game. It’s very much of its time, but can still be appreciated, with the challenge adapted via save states and any number of cheats to act as training wheels. Despite this reviewer not having played it back when, we still enjoyed ourselves for the most part.

Fans of off-road and muddy racing, and gamers who just like arcade-style motorbike action, are well catered for with this very competent motorsports title. A year's worth of patches have answered many of the issues from the 2018 release and we like seeing all of the DLC included on the disc too.

Murderous Muses is a video based whodunnit based in an art gallery. It’s generally well done but can feel a little unfair and luck based if you don’t manage to successfully piece together a suspect’s case. A wealth of video interviews and collectibles make for plenty of replay value too.

The Sinking City is a good Lovecraftian detective game with uprated PS5 visuals and massively reduced loading times from the PS4 version. Well worth picking up if you fancy something a bit different. Just a shame that haptics are underutilised outside the usual rumble.

Watcher Chronicles is a fairly solid souls clone with a deceptively large world to battle. Story is thin and presentation can be ordinary but the reactive combat is enjoyable to engage with. Some encounters can be busy and not all the bosses are winners but there's a decent core that kept me entertained. As punishing as it can be, the reward and constant challenge kept me focused and the exploration is aided by reliable platforming. Whilst it doesn't do a lot to separate itself from its contemporaries, the execution is sound.

Welcome to Basingstoke is a daft post apocalyptic rogue-like that’s ostensibly set in the north Hampshire town, though it’s just so dark. As in difficult to see. The only time you can play reliably is at night. Never mind that Basingstoke is fifty miles from London, it has tube stations. Given the devs are from London, you’d assume a little familiarity with that. In-game tracking for class unlocks is a bit inconsistent too, as well as the stealth melee kills trophy being broken at the time of writing.

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.

With a name like eFootball PES 2021 Season Update, I was expecting last season's game with updated leagues and kits. Cosmetically, it's exactly that but the action on the pitch has seen some interesting changes. The matches are a touch more physical and new animations show that some work has gone into the engine. It plays differently from last year and is compelling to learn. Away from the pitch, things feel largely stationary and it's clear that's where the compromises lie. I enjoy it but it's clear this falls short of feeling like a fully-fledged sequel.

Blasters of the Universe asks you to weave your head through a barrage of bullets. It works great on a technical level and the gun customisation is a strong point, but at only four levels it's over too quickly and despite being 'bullet hell' it doesn't feel too different to what you've probably played already.

Eventide: Slavic Fable is another solid entry into the light adventuring genre which Artifex Mundi have made their own.The puzzles veer more towards logic puzzles rather than hidden object ones which should be borne in mind. Although there may be nothing too challenging here this is a game which is as much about the story being told as it is the limited gameplay.

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.

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.

NBA Playgrounds is fun, frantic and friendly. The scoring system can seem a little unbalanced and there are some curious omissions that stick out in an otherwise well-realised product. It’s thin on modes and online multiplayer seems somewhat half-baked but it feels fundamentally enjoyable. There’s a nice sense of progression as you acquire new cards and improve existing ones. If you fancy a new jam, this will provide.

If you want to get your supercross/motocross hit, then this game is the way to do it with its officially-licensed riders and tracks but it barely improves on last year's effort which itself was more of an evolution than a revolution.

Despite the occasional clashes in tone, Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers does a good job of showing how to manage a group of strong personalities. The humour's not my cup of tea with a heavy reliance on references but there's enough minutia from the dating to keep someone interested. The presentation is colourful and, whilst some characters can be somewhat cartoonish, the voice acting gives them plenty of life.

A Little Lily Princess takes an old children's novel and breathes some new life into it. With a colourful and polished aesthetic, the cast of characters are interesting and diverse. It does take opportunities to sidestep from the source material but the main narrative rigidly stays the course. Whilst I'm not entirely won over by the stat-building nature, the events and paths this can lead to do give the story some new ground to cover.

Remote Life is an admirable release from a solo developer but has some issues around visual clarity and level design that hold it back a little. However, if you can treat it more as a survival horror game than a pure shoot 'em up, the game's creepy atmosphere and memorable enemies make it well worth checking out.

Big Ant Studios have continued to make a comprehensive cricket sim without especially making great strides over previous efforts. The customisation is extensive and the content on offer covers almost everywhere in the cricketing universe. The sport itself plays well but the presentation lacks a little, especially when it comes to atmosphere. Load times seem to suffer but, for fans, Cricket 19 offers more than enough to keep them happy for a while.

Battlezone is one of those refreshingly old school titles. One that takes you back to the glory days of simplistic game design with a satisfying pay off. This may not have been enough for some on its own but VR makes the whole game that little bit sweeter. If you can bring a friend and conquer the steep learning curve then there is a good time to be had.

Mining Mechs is a simple digging/exploration game where you dig to earn money so that you can dig some more. Beyond that, there's not much else to the game but if you're looking for a relaxing time, this game should fit the bill.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is a nice reminder of what this series can do well. Movement through the densely populated cities can feel kinetic and slick whilst stealth is straight-forward and easy to plan. Combat is serviceable, if a little clumsy when multiple enemies arrive. There's a sense of nostalgia I get from what is ostensibly a more complete and considered take on the series' first steps. I wish the story had more weight to it but the actors do a good job of delivering what they're given. It's not a stellar example of the genre but a rather solid one.

Sword and Soldiers 2: Shawarmageddon is an enjoyable, strategic effort. The campaign can provide the occasional spike in difficulty but the array of options at your disposal give players plenty to consider. Presentation is simple, if a little forgettable. The campaign offers a handful of hours but the multiplayer might provide some longevity for what is a decent effort.

The story of Tetris might actually be more engaging than the game itself but this interactive documentary gives you plenty of both.

Technical problems aside, Absolver is a great fighting game. If that's enough for you then although the campaign is over relatively quickly the multiplayer and customisation could keep you going for a long time.

Strainium Immortaly is a well-crafted crawl through some truly grimy sludge. The aesthetic and writing is laid on thick and might be off-putting, but the game itself holds up. There's a compulsion to this with the challenge inviting further runs. I don't agree with the restrictive nature of your shots but it does force you to consider positioning in an interesting way. It's tough with some runs feeling done before they start but there's plenty of options to tweak your dungeon.

Othercide brings some great ideas to the table to differentiate it from similar titles. Unfortunately what content is here gets repetetive quite quickly. It does have its moments, such as the boss battles, so fans of the genre should give it a try.