What RiME does so well is marry pleasing puzzle platforming to a tender, understated story, and then puts it in a beautifully bleak world filled with mystery. RiME takes the baton from the likes of Journey and Ico, and strides to victory with ease.Tequila Works takes aspects of those classics, and puts a personal touch on the results to create something special.

Injustice 2 goes to great lengths to be a fighting game with longevity in mind without ostracizing a more casual audience. A superb story, a great roster, and a smart, if overly complicated, Gear system all contribute to that, and the result is arguably the best overall fighter of modern times.

For the amount of staff that worked on this game, they do have a good base to work from, but unfortunately there are so many issues that it detracts from being an enjoyable affair. Its sub three-hour gameplay has no replayability at all, and the consistently harsh frame rate dips heavily impact the game.

Portal Knights just about pulls off being a crafting game and an RPG adventure in one by keeping the important things simple. A well-implemented 4 player co-op adds another layer of enjoyment to proceedings, but combat and controller mapping problems slightly spoil an otherwise pleasant game.

Flying Wild Hog has gone for ‘bigger is better’ on Shadow Warrior 2, and occasionally that works. Sadly, there’s too much open space and inconsistent combat to make it a memorable return for the puerile Lo Wang. These issues are patched over somewhat by the highly enjoyable co-op, where you get a fair share of chucks out of mowing down hordes of demons with pals.

Overall, Black and White Bushido is a lot of fun, with support of up to four players local or online, this is certainly a game to bring out at parties or when friends come over for some fun.

Seasons After Fall is a gorgeous year-round romp through the forest that will pull at the heartstrings on more than one occasion. Every season brings fun and different dynamics to the game, complemented superbly by the soundtrack. Some puzzles and load times may frustrate, but they’re not enough to detract from the overall charm and enjoyment of the game.

Akiba’s Beat is a step down from its predecessor on almost every level. A bland, soulless JRPG that yearns to emulate more successful titles without any of the style, grace, or nuance.

The Surge started off great. The combat was fun, the story seemed interesting, and the crafting was enjoyable that is until I got a dozen or so hours into it where everything went from being doable to insanely hard, grindy, and uninspiring.

Beyond its central conceit of virtual-reality shooting, Farpoint is the very definition of mediocre. But that shooting--especially in Cooperative Mode--is compelling, well-executed, and undeniably fun.

Other than the poor quality of the cutscenes, LocoRoco is filled with oodles of charm, a soundtrack that delights, and the most adorable characters in any game ever. There’s no escaping the happiness you feel when playing LocoRoco.

Dragon of the North could have been a great DLC, but at the end it fails to live up to the expectations. Dragon of the North is good, but it doesn’t add enough content to make it an absolute necessity and only the most hardcore players will find the difficulty spike to their liking, others will probably cry in a corner.

Prey gives you a luxurious sci-fi playground and a great set of tools to use within it. Combat may be underwhelming, and the main story equally so, but the level of immersion on display is still absolutely stellar.

Dreamfall Chapters is a hard sell for all but the most devoted fans of The Longest Journey. Story aside there’s little else that encourages investment of your time. Troublesome tech niggles alongside poor pacing and inconsistent puzzling sits some really intriguing characters and two worlds filled with narrative wonder. That you have to outpace your boredom to reach the juicy bit of Dreamfall Chapters’ rich story is perhaps the biggest obstacle of all.

Symphony of the Machine is a short puzzle game that really taps into the concepts of virtually reality. The game is kept simple, whilst the puzzles are tactical and challenging. If you are looking for a great VR puzzle game that should only take a few hours to complete, give this gem a spin.

Gnog is a unique puzzler that combines truly great puzzles with a fantastic visual experience. The game is short but sweet, and is perfect for kids due to the easy controls and vibrant colours.

The Walking Dead and Telltale are both suffering from increasing fatigue, but this season’s penultimate episode helps this particular story soldier on towards a potentially satisfying, if predictable, conclusion.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a journey to discover truth, even if that truth is debilitating. There is a charm and humanity here that’s hard to ignore and even harder to emulate. One in a million is too often used nowadays, but it holds true here.

Inventive and disturbing puzzler with beautiful environments, Little Nightmares is well worth a look for fans of the genre looking for something a little different.

Valhalla Hills tries to bring The Settlers II gameplay up to snuff but while it improves in some areas, it completely negates some aspects on what made The Settlers II so much fun in the first place. Building and autonomy is done decently well but with the lack of continuation and multiplayer makes it pale in comparison. Its price for entry is very worrying too and doesn’t help matters.

While it might be backhanded praise, Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 is undoubtedly the finest entry in the series to date and while that might not mean a whole lot to the unfamiliar, Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 shares enough commonality with key elements of both Sniper Elite IV and Ghost Recon Wildlands that it stands as an easy recommendation for fans of either.

Despite the lack of character development and the occasional forced grind for gear, Dragon Quest Heroes II is a monstrously fun and childish game that will appeal to both grown-ups and children alike. It’s witty script and adorable looking characters makes the game enjoyable to play throughout plus the sheer size of the customisable skill trees will keep Dynasty Warriors fans happy.

I’ve never played a game that made me cringe and squirm as much as Outlast 2. Outlast 2 builds the type of tension and fear that I haven’t experienced in a game for a very long time. If you enjoy horror, Outlast 2 will definitely leave an impression on you. Outlast 2 doesn’t necessarily change the formula established in the first game but improves on the formula as best it can.

The Deer God is a solid statement against animal cruelty and even sport hunting, exploring an empathetic view from the eyes of a deer. While it features solid, simplistic gameplay, frequent hiccups and balance issues keep this from being a game worthy of the title’s undertaking.

Any hesitancy about this mesh of two puzzling greats working as a whole can be put to rest, as Puyo Puyo Tetris is a superb puzzle title that works for players of all ability levels. Single Player is a touch hit and miss, and online against strangers lacks the exciting punch of local vs, but otherwise, this is an absolute cracker.

Full Throttle Remastered is a no-nonsense package that does exactly what it sets out to do by updating the audiovisual experience whilst retaining the original game. It has its faults, borne of its age and shift towards what would become the modern adventure game style, but it remains a fine game, and an important part of the history of point n’ click adventures.

While these aren't entirely among the finest of platformers from the 8-bit era, the Disney Afternoon Collection does make some enjoyable retro titles more accessible for newcomers, whilst offering old hands so e fresh challenges.

Guardians of the Galaxy: A Telltale Games Series kicks off with a mixed bag of feelings. The episode is funny but boring, touching, yet unrefined. The gameplay is slick, but the quick-time events are a chore. It flips and flops between ‘intriguing mystery’ and ‘mediocrity at its okayest,’ but there’s plenty of room to get better. Now that the stage has been set, I am ready for episode 2 to go the distance.