The House of the Dead: Remake is a faithful port of a classic light gun game. The graphics have been improved a lot and there is plenty of replay value for what is ultimately a short arcade experience. Unfortunately none of the controller options come close to how it was originally meant to be played.

Aside from the graphics, which are nice and cartoony, everything else about this roguelike auto-battler is a little off. The tweaks they've made to the usual formula just feel like a barrier to fun but when you get past all of that, there's some entertainment on offer here.

Football, Tactics and Glory is a genuinely interesting mix that takes the fundamentals of football and uses them to make a novel turn-based strategy game. It could be slicker, more rewarding and bit fairer at times and it can feel like a step down from the likes of FIFA but actually it's an interesting evolution for the football management genre and while we personally didn't love it, we do love what it is trying to do.

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.

The Medium is a linear experience with an interesting if underutilised split dimension mechanic. The story is complex but can also be predictable whilst not providing enough in the way of intrigue. Temper your expectations and you may just get something out of it.

Tamarin is a cute monkey with a gun. It's as jarring as it sounds. Not helped by a wayward camera and some awful checkpointing, this isn't quite the Jet Force Gemini spiritual successor it could be. More like Git Force Gemini.

Scars Above is a game that struggles to flesh out some of its ideas. Combat can become a fun tangle of status effects but it withholds the arsenal for so long. Environments and enemies can look generic but there are some moments of beauty as the game speeds along. The cast lacks a personality but rewarding scientists for discovery does twist progression in a neat way. It's a shame so much of this doesn't hit harder. Only the atmosphere is truly done well.

Titanium Hound has an interesting mechanical twist on a side-scrolling shooter but, in exchange, it loses out on so much momentum. The detailed visuals and excellent voice acting can only go so far as I stumbled towards any fleeting enjoyment. The shooting feels fine but aiming has a restrictive quality and the crafting elements can largely go unnoticed. Ultimately, this just didn't click for me.

Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love is a well produced point and click adventure that wears its influences in plain sight, but somehow comes up short of its lofty predecessors. Perhaps nostalgia simply ain't what it used to be.

Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break manages to add some creativity to the familiar framework. Unfortunately a frustrating, repetitive campaign stifles any real sense of progression. The level editor can feel cumbersome but persistence can lead to some interesting creations. Multiplayer and the community levels deliver the more intriguing content but that might not be enough to keep fans invested.

At its best, Riverbond is a simple, charming dungeon crawler with good pacing. Unfortunately, the experience is short-lived with the simplistic combat lacking any real depth or challenge. Whilst there's variety in the locales, it doesn't extend to mission structure or encounters. It can be fun to thrash through an area with friends but there's little reason to return to something that feels so disposable.

It's great to see Ever 17: The Out of Infinity released officially in English but, as a novel, it doesn't really hit its stride. There is a constant danger throughout the story but each day feels laboured. You spend most of the game away from the rest of the cast and that can make it hard to forge connections or a camaraderie. The new visuals are crisp and clear but the darker setting leads to a less colourful adventure. The story is still worth reading but it's not sticking with me after the credits roll.

How We Soar doesn't score highly for gameplay but as a PSVR experience, it is one that owners of the hardware shouldn't miss out on.

At times, Star Overdrive's hoverboarding exploration can be exhilarating. Unfortunately, it's hampered by on-foot traversal that simply doesn't hold up. Platforming can be clumsy and punishing for a game that really pushes for leniency in other tasks. Combat can be simple but also lacks a consequence for failure. Even the wistful soundtrack is undercut by the rock accompaniment of combat. It's a really frustrating mix that comes up short.

I'm conflicted about Quintus and the Absent Truth. I think the visuals are really worth seeing but the plot left me cold and there are some weak performances from the voice cast. In contrast, the musical composition works really well and the framing of the Quintus segments fits neatly with the rest of the package. The 'making of' features add a little something extra but the question of value will always hover around a game so short.

Probably the only sky pirate fishing twin stick shooter you'll ever play. Airheart offers an interesting scenario and a reasonably good, but not remarkable, game.

A Fisherman's Tale offers a story driven experience with some light, but original, puzzles. It's a short game which doesn't do quite enough with its core idea but is a worthwhile experience for the right price.

VR Invaders offers a fun, if short lived VR shooter experience. The shooting feels good and the enemy variety keeps things interesting, but the lack of online leaderboards combined with the limited content means it won’t keep you occupied for long.

World Championship Boxing Manager II offers up a reasonably fun slice of boxing management action but it's a little too casual in its approach to the business of boxing and the sweet science of the sport to really give you a detailed flavour of either.

Xenoraid hides some good gameplay deep in an initially weak-looking package and it hides it well but fans of the genre who want some cheap, but different, shoot ’em up action may well end up enjoying the game.

The Plane Effect is a stylish noir adventure about a salaryman's commute gone wrong. But it's let down by fussy puzzles and too much trial and error. You solve it the devs exact way or you're out of luck.

Dynasty Warriors 9 moves into an open world and suffers because of it. The world itself is lifeless, the hunting gimmicky and missions design repetitive. Wiping out armies single-handedly is still enjoyable however, with plenty of characters to unlock, it's just a shame the game doesn't do more with its obvious potential.

Eve: Gunjack is a pretty basic game but that doesn’t detract from its charm. Sure it may be over pretty quickly and the mobile trappings may be off putting to some but it stands as a cheap and fun distraction.

If this was the first EDF game, we'd likely be falling over ourselves to praise it but EDF5 exists and does everything this does but better. Yuke's have done a solid job with it but EDF is Sandlot's baby and they are who you should go to for your alien insect slaying fun.

VED is a surprising effort. I've not been hugely won over by it but there's ideas here that show a solid level of execution. I think the narrative tends to rush and the combat is kept on relatively simple terms. The hand-drawn visuals are incredibly polished, although I find Cyrus as a character to be a little one-dimensional. I do appreciate how the story can branch and diverge, although the pacing does impede some aspects from really building.

In trying to find things to like about this ball-based platformer, there isn't much to say and, yet, it still kept us compelled to keep playing it until it was beaten. It could be improved in many ways but ultimately The Perplexing Orb: Bounce N' Roll is more enjoyable than you'd think.

Darksiders III - Keepers of the Void is a puzzle-centric DLC with some unique rewards in the form of sub-weapons and armour. Unfortunately the puzzles and environments are very repetitive and so long after release it doesn't really do enough to warrant reinstalling the game.

BUTCHER pays a visceral tribute to DOOM on a 2D plane. The gameplay can be a bit shallow, the difficulty can result in repetition, but if you enjoy the speed run scene then this could have some legs.