If you enjoy simple, calming platformers, Minute of Islands should be right up your street as Mario it is not. What it does, it does well, but in trying to be deep and meaningful it all feels a little bit short and shallow. Gorgeous to look at and quick to play, this is maybe one for the art critics and those who like their games with something to say – even if I missed what exactly that was.

Hood: Outlaws & Legends has moments of brilliance but they are few and far between, and totally dependant on who you’re playing with. The game also suffers in the content department. Unless unlocking digital trinkets and garments is your idea of a good time, there’s not much else aside from the one game mode and four playable characters, meaning you’ll have seen most of what Hood has within a few hours of play.

Skate City isn’t the next great skating game, unfortunately. It falls over itself far too often with its awkward controls. There’s also a serious lack of content with just three maps to play in. While the challenges are rewarding and feed into the progression, some are overly difficult to pull off or too vague to understand. There’s a good game within Skate City and I’m sure some will find it.

A running and gunning snail is an unusual premise for an action-puzzle game, but it’s not as silly as it sounds. There are some moments of brilliance that raise it above your standard indie twin-stick shooter and it’s easy to get lost in the miniature world. The difficulty can be punishing, though, and without much by way of guidance, frustration sets in as the adventure often crawls to… a snail’s pace.

King’s Bounty 2 is a challenging turn-based game with a fantasy world that aches to be explored. It has the potential to be an amazing game but the disjointed story, wasted RPG mechanics, and frustratingly difficult battles hold it back.

The biggest crime in Rustler is that the game is very funny but not very fun. The writing is a highlight but with tacked-on RPG elements, poor combat, and a world that’s just a little bit boring, Rustler is hard to recommend.

Alex Kidd is a tough platformer that lacks a lot of the user-friendly features we have all grown accustomed to. Back in my day, games used to be tough – or so Alex Kidd would have you believe anyway. For such a difficult game that is pretty linear, it is surprising that so many of us hold Alex in such high regard, and it is largely why I would only recommend this one to fans of the original.

King of Seas takes grinding too far in this simple but enjoyable sea-faring RPG. If you don’t mind spending hours chipping away at mundane tasks to make progress, more power to you. The naval gameplay is good but not enough to warrant the dozens of hours the game demands, and the story is, sadly, locked behind these painful barriers.

The game explores interesting concepts but never really felt like it achieved its true potential. Instead, you are left with awkward gameplay and an unsatisfying narrative.

Open Country does get a few things right with its hunting, exploration, and character growth. Where it falls down is that it tries to be a jack of all trades but ends up a master of none.

Windfolk has some nice ideas, and some of those ideas even play out quite nicely. Flying around the bright and blooming world is fun, but everything else is a bit of a bore. Combat is far too simple and the repetition kicks in early on. It’s a skinny offering, even with two different game modes. It all boils down to fly here and shoot your gun until everybody is dead. We’ve come further than that, I’m afraid, and players expect a little more.

It’s understandable that 34BigThings would want to trade on the name that made them, Redout, but I’m not sure this spin-off prequel is the right way about it. Fans of the original Redout game will no doubt be disappointed in the flip away from futuristic racer to mundane arcade shooter. There’s some simple fun to be had but don’t go jumping into this one expecting any depth unless you want broken ankles.

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt is an enjoyable hunting simulator that gives you the chance to hunt something different with its use of pre-historic beasts. However, with the limited number of dinosaurs and tedious, grinding progression, you might tire of this one before long you’ve filled the trophy cabinet.

Override 2: Super Mech League skirts the lines between good and bad without ever settling on either side. The online play is a nice touch to make the Leagues actually feel like there’s something at stake if you can actually find anybody to play with.

Rust: Console Edition will see its player base split into two. You’ll either spend your time dying repeatedly, or you’ll get good enough to become the villain of the server.

The fight between the forces of good and evil rages on in this twin-stick shooter, and this time around, evil wins. If you’re looking for the next platinum for your trophy case, then UltraGoodness 2 is a cheap and easy addition. But, with an underused time-motion mechanic and awkward environmental surroundings, it’s not one a trophy you’ll have much fun getting.

War Dogs Red’s Return is fun but woefully short and shallow. There are worse games in the genre, but sadly for War Dogs, there are plenty of others that do it better. The poor story and lack of any real challenge means that this is one game I am unlikely to play ever again.

Hellbreachers is overly simple and without any real challenge, even with its boss fights. This is not the adventure that you’re looking for.

Pocoyo Party is not the good time it should have been. The mini-games are too few and too shallow, and the motion controls are an absolute misfire, especially considering the target audience for the game – young kids who can’t be trusted to hold their heads up straight, never mind a controller.

Video games are the ultimate form of escapism, but in Postal there is something that just feels a little dirty. It further fuels the nonsensical view non-gamers have about violence in video games and how it creates violent perverted monsters. Of course, it doesn’t – but if more games released were like Postal, it would be easy to see where that stereotype comes from.

The Five Covens has got to be given marks for trying. Developed over five months as part of a University project, The Five Covens is an impressive achievement, but it’s just not up to standard against other games at a similar price point.

Destruction AllStars has the basics in place but nowhere near enough depth to sustain it long term. It’s good for an hour or two, but once the initial “wow, a free PS5 game!” wears off, you’re left with a shallow, tarted-up imitation of better games that came before.

On the Road – Truck Simulator is a poor, pale imitation of bigger and better games. It has the basics right and the systems do work, but everything else is shockingly poor.

Space Invaders Forever is a three-game deal that only really has one worthwhile entry, and that’s a port of a smartphone game. There are only so many ways you can rehash the ancient space shooter, and even pairing it up with another dead franchise hasn’t given the series any kind of rejuvenation.

Curved Space is a poor game that frustrates and confounds more than it entertains. The irony is that in a game about killing bugs, bugs kill much of the game’s appeal. Poor design choices and weak gameplay kill the rest.

Paint the Town Red has some interesting scenarios and a surprisingly decent roguelike mode, but it’s all let down by the shallow and unsatisfying combat which strips away any fun.

Gensou: Skydrift is an awful game. There are 101 far more capable kart racers out there offering better value for money and far more fun.

Jay and Silent Bob Mall Brawl is an awful game riding on the Jay and Silent Bob name. There are no redeeming qualities and it’s another dark mark on the otherwise fantastic View Askewniverse.

Outbreak Endless Nightmares is poor on every level with no redeeming features. The gameplay is dated, the systems are ridiculously convoluted, and the general presentation is poor to the point of insulting.