Crash Team Rumble is a slick and addictive online arena battler that looks and sounds great and offers up some properly addictive team-based action that's easy to pick up but with plenty of depth to master. Focusing on collecting fruit rather than killing foes keeps things feeling fun and frustration-free, the various roles available to play as add a sense of skill and strategy, and there's a strong lineup of colourful characters and three decent maps to play on at launch. We're suitably impressed so far and with new seasons adding more maps and characters in the near future, things are looking bright for this one starting out.

By the time we rolled credits, that was the prevailing feeling we were left with. While we found more enjoyment in the latter two thirds of Flintlock than in the initial intro and opening area, we couldn't help but feel let down by Flintlock in almost every way. It's still a competent action-RPG that you can have fun with, and the pieces of the experience have been stitched together decently - Game Pass is a great way to check it out. However, so much here feels underdeveloped or half-finished that Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn was likely most damaged by its ambition when the project was in its early days. Now, in July 2024, upon the game's release, we get the sense that the ammo in the development chamber simply ran out.

ScreamRide is thrilling, addictive, fun, enjoyable, well-crafted, rewarding, challenging, and has the potential to go on to be a long and successful franchise.

An opportunity to use your creativity in dastardly ways; 101 Ways to Die's use of physics and Rube Goldberg-style chain reactions is an enjoyable entry into the puzzle genre.

There's also just not enough content to sink your teeth into. Outside of arcade, multiplayer and a sports mode, where players must score a goal in the opponent's goal, there's just not much to do. Unlocks aren't particularly exciting either, offering little more than concept art and other goodies. It's all a bit of a shame, as there's honestly some solid mechanics buried beneath the issues. If developers Ludosity and Fair Play Labs can stick with the game post-launch and build it up, it could end up being a completely different story in a year or so, but as it stands, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl feels like the shell of what it could be.

There certainly seems to be a lot of adventure games around these days, and we're happy to state that Blues and Bullets is yet another one you should keep your eyes on.

While it may not be that long of a game, high score addicts can sink a lot of time trying to be the best among their friends (or the world) via the leaderboards.

Harold Halibut is a heartfelt and handcrafted tale of human existence, delivering charming, profound, and deeply funny writing guaranteed to put a smile on your face. What Slow Bros has managed to achieve with its visual style is masterful and, for our money, it's now one of the best looking games on Xbox. The gameplay can feel repetitive at times, and the writing can drag in places, but ultimately we had a great experience seeing it through to the end. If you’ve got a Game Pass subscription, it’s worth checking the game out for its aesthetic alone. Harold Halibut won’t be for everybody, but for those that resonate with its story, it’s sure to stick with you for a long time.

After 14 extremely long years, we're so glad to finally be playing a major new boxing game on Xbox. Undisputed isn't necessarily the perfect follow-up to Fight Night Champion, but it's a more realistic take on the sport that delivers a good amount of entertainment inside the squared circle, and we're impressed by what the Steel City Interactive team have created with their first video game ever. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 14 years for a sequel! [Review in Progress]

Whilst Blood Bowl 2's strict adherence to the franchise's rules may dissuade some from even trying this out, those that do take the plunge and stick with it will find that despite its faults, it can be a deeply rewarding and enriching experience. The AI isn't really up to snuff though, so expect to ride a long learning curve to be able to become competitive online - if you can find a game.

Without a doubt, Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink is a good quality product overall, made by a developer that really seems to know what they're doing when it comes to point and click titles.

Scorn may make a few missteps here and there, with some short-lived but shoddy combat sequences and puzzles that grow a little repetitive as the game reaches its climax, but none of this really takes away from the artistic achievement at core of this adventure. Ebb Software's debut is one of the most gruesome, thought-provoking and completely alien experiences we've had in a very long time. It's a game that flings you headlong into a blood-soaked nightmare, leaves you to push and prod and make your own way forward, to draw your own conclusions, and it's one that's left a lasting impression on us as a result of some truly superb world-building and startling imagery. It's absolutely not for everyone, but if it sounds like your cup of tea, we urge you to give this one a whirl.

Stranger of Sword City is an extremely solid dungeon crawling RPG. Fans of the genre will likely lap this straight up due to a lack of options on Xbox One. However, whether it deserves a place up with the genre leaders such as Etrian Odyssey is open for debate.

Tembo has an arsenal of flashy and destructive moves at his disposal, but he's a bit too stubborn to be considered a badass of the absolute highest order.

The Callisto Protocol really is a game of two halves. Striking Distance Studios has served up a slice of sci-fi/horror that gets off to a reasonably strong start, introducing a jaw-dropping world and punchy new combat system that impresses until it becomes strained by busy enemy encounters, a handful of miserable boss confrontations and a narrative that goes absolutely nowhere. As much as this one dazzles from a graphical perspective, overall it's a shadow of the game that it most closely seeks to emulate. With little in the way of replayability and a final act we genuinely never want to sit through again, we'll be returning to the USG Ishimura for our action horror kicks long before we set down on Callisto again.

AIPD is a solidly-made twin-stick shooter with some nice ideas. The problem is that it just isn't fleshed out enough.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite mostly delivers the goods with a super solid squad-based shooter set in the Aliens universe. There's plenty to enjoy here, lots of fun nods to the movies, tons of lore, impressive attention to environmental detail and slick Xeno-slaying action that's enhanced immensely by taking the fight to the alien hordes with a couple of friends. It may be a little repetitive, there aren't nearly enough surprises and the campaign fizzles out towards its end but, grab some buddies, get your headsets on and crank up the difficulty and there's hours of properly intense, team-based action to get stuck into with this one.

What's here in Bright Memory Infinite is impressive, and the shooting feels super smooth throughout. However, even though the first Bright Memory was classed as a demo-of-sorts, Infinite still feels like an Xbox Series X|S tech demo, all things considered. It's still incredibly short at just two hours long, and the game's story, systems and world need more work for it to feel like a full game. We dig what's here, no doubt, but we were hoping Bright Memory Infinite would feel more like a full game than it ultimately does.

NHL 26 introduces some long-awaited improvements to Be A Pro mode, as well as some meaningful gameplay tweaks (particularly when it comes to goalies) that result in the best NHL game of this console generation. There's a lingering feeling that $69.99 is an expensive price tag for a series that's not changing that much from year-to-year anymore, but the development team have still done a commendable job with the seemingly limited resources at their disposal.

If you enjoy this genre, Fortified is worthy of your time and you should consider dropping it into your multiplayer gaming rotation.

Ultimately, it's a game full of great ideas and some addictive gameplay mechanics, but clashes with some poor pacing and a complete shift-up in the second half that loses all the charm. For an Xbox Game Pass title, there's undoubtedly some fun to be had in the survival space sim if you can look past its flaws. Just don't go in expecting the Lost in Space experience the game tries to sell.

There's plenty of customisation available to keep it fresh and the inclusion of AI opponents and a challenge mode will give this more longevity than other couch co-op titles released recently. However, some will find the controls frustrating and it is likely that the frantic madness of multiplayer will have a limited shelf life once the initial surprise of the silliness wears off.

The key thing to take away with Fruit Ninja Kinect 2 is that even though it has some issues and is essentially more of the same, there is still plenty of fun to be had here.

Guns, Gore & Cannoli isn't a game that you need to play, but if you're a fan of side-scrolling shooters and have a few friends and extra Xbox One controllers in your vicinity, it's worth considering.

What it comes down to is that, even though it's a redesigned version of its mobile counterpart, BADLAND: Game of the Year Edition is experimental and rich enough to justify its existence on a home console.

It'll definitely be one that you'll pick up every now and again for a quick hour of cathartic Survival mode gunplay though, that's for sure.

The mechanics are simple yet engaging, and the merging of tower defence, brawler and castle destruction is the ideal balance of easy-to-play yet difficult-to-master. Simply put, CastleStorm has a lot going for it.

Resident Evil 0 is a worthy entry in the Resident Evil franchise even though it lacks the scares and originality. It's often overshadowed by the first game, but not giving it a spin would be a grave mistake.

Kao The Kangaroo is a hard one to sum up, then, because while it definitely feels low-budget, clunky and frustrating at times, it's also a platformer packed with plenty of fun and memorable moments. It feels like the developer went the extra mile to inject some ambition into the series and craft something that deserves a place alongside the behemoths of the genre, even if it can't meet the lofty heights of a Crash Bandicoot or a Super Lucky's Tale. It's nice to see Kao punching above his weight in 2022, and not just being relegated to an easy cash grab.

There could be more to it, but Cubot is a relatively fun experience overall, with a nice mix of difficulty and frustration.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine Master Crafted Edition (that's a mouthful) is a proper 360 throwback, for better or for worse. The game's tight shooting mechanics make this one worth a play for anyone who's into the genre, but its 2011 foundations are still showing here in this modern remaster. If you're properly into your Warhammer lore I'd expect you to get a little more out of the experience than I have, but the game itself is still a fun time, and we recommend giving it a go on Xbox Game Pass. The short and snappy campaign will take you just a few nights to finish, and who knows, maybe the multiplayer will find a cult following here in 2025. I'll be hopping on in the coming days to find out.

Level 22: Gary's Misadventures is a fun puzzler that doesn't take itself too seriously. Even with that in mind, the developer has obviously lavished love and attention on the game and produced a product that, while not the longest or most challenging game in the world, is enjoyable enough.

In short, Pure Pool is an excellent simulation of the sport of pool, but everything outside of the cue-to-ball action itself is lazily done.

Atlas Fallen sees Deck13 make a mostly successful leap to a bright and bold semi-open world that's jam-packed full of excellent combat and some surprisingly slick platforming action. Yes the story is bland, the voice-acting is poor, there are some lock-on niggles and sand-surfing needs work, but ferocious battles, tons of swappable skills and well-designed Metroidvania and platforming elements more than make up for most of the failings here. This is the studio's best game to date for our money, and if you've played The Surge series you'll know that's saying something.

Double Fine has given us another charming Xbox first-party title in the form of Kiln, which might be light on content, but nevertheless is a fun time both on and off the battlefield. The pot-creation system is a genius take on a character creation suite, matches are frantic but offer plenty of room for strategy, and the overall presentation is really high quality. Moving forward though, it's going to need regular new content to remain fresh and give players a reason to keeping coming back, otherwise I fear this online-only game might get doused a little too prematurely.

Much like the character you create, Biomutant feels like a Frankenstein creation of various ideas. Some are good, some are bad, but the end result is a misshapen product which feels messy and buried in its own ideas. Areas of the game that should have received more attention feel relatively barebones, while others feel overly complex. The repetitive nature of looting, levelling up, and looting some more never truly evolve and make the beautiful world often feel lifeless. We really wish we loved Biomutant, but unfortunately, it's a game with many ambitious ideas, but lacks the conviction to fully utilise them.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a lazy, generic platformer. It's five hours of content that feels like it was made by people who watched some footage of a bad 90s platformer and decided that was how they wanted to proceed. This writer's kids love SpongeBob, they were done with this game in about ten minutes.

The Lamplighters League is a stylish and smart turn-based adventure from a team that absolutely knows its way around this sort of tactical action affair. There's plenty to like about this game's melding of XCOM-styled combat with a tarot card system that gives you lots of variables to play with as you build out your team of misfits and rogues. However, as things currently stand on Xbox, there are some fairly notable performance issues here that drag the experience down from one we'd love to recommend to something that's a harder proposition in its current form. With a few patches in place you're looking at another decent addition to Xbox Game Pass, but for now we recommend hanging back and waiting for these Lamplighters to receive a little more polish post-launch.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game feels like another excuse to cash in on the SpongeBob name. The game doesn't do anything offensive, but it's so barebones that it doesn't even really feel like a complete experience, particularly for seasoned gamers. If you absolutely have to try anything with the animated sponge's name on it, then frolicking around in Jellyfish Fields for a few hours or so could be fun - but otherwise, don't bother. It's probably worth just booting up Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated again if you're in the mood for some SpongeBob gaming in your life.

Somerville is a super-stylish slice of sci-fi that nails its aesthetic and provides a solid narrative that comes to a pleasingly surreal and fantastical end. However, all of this good stuff is bogged down by dull gameplay, performance issues and the addition of a third dimension that, while certainly very cool to look at, leads to awkwardness as you attempt to solve puzzles and interact with environments. If you can make peace with the gameplay, you'll still find a story worth experiencing here, it's just a shame there wasn't as much creativity in those puzzles as there is in every other aspect of what Jumpship has served up.

Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns is fun to play through but the quick runtime and light amount of gameplay on offer means you’re far better off waiting until it’s at least half-price or less. Part two only lasts for a handful of hours and Havik's timeline shenanigans never really feel like a high-stakes main mission. The new fighters are a redeeming aspect of this expansion, but the whole package seems overpriced at launch. For now, you might want to save your koins.

There are some truly fantastic ideas here, some super-smooth parkour, brain-tingling puzzle challenges and occasional flashes of brilliance when it's time to get down and dirty in combat. Some ideas haven't been explored as thoroughly as we'd have liked, and there are a few rough spots, though.

Luckily, the game is not overly pricey at $7.99 and the alternate modes help to keep the interest up, with score chasing on the leaderboard always available to be relied upon to add some interest. With that said, match-3 games are generally good for relaxation, but with the control gremlins to contend with, this isn't one that we found to be terribly restful.

Oozing charm and potential, this really is a great example of what a small development team can achieve and Brainy Studio's pride in their creation is alluded to throughout the game. It's undeniable that TurnOn does a lot of things right, which makes it sadly all the more noticeable when something doesn't quite hit the mark.

High On Life combines sloppy shooter action with Justin Roiland and all of his pals being incredibly annoying. You're either going to love it or hate it, really, so it's lucky this one's hitting Game Pass so you can check it out and decide for yourselves. Personally, this reviewer hated the humour, there's something very off and deeply troubling at the heart of where this game is coming from, it feels as though it's looking down, sneering and hateful. But that's the comedy style it's going for so we guess we need to relax, bro. Some people are going to eat this stuff up, regardless of what we think, so it's a shame that it ties this sneering attitude to bland gameplay, tired puzzles, dumb AI and a world that just isn't fun to explore or inhabit in any way. Dude. That is harsh.

Despite having quite a few moments of frustration, Schrödinger's Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark features enough high points to make it a very enjoyable experience.

Even at a budget price, players new to the franchise can safely avoid the set as there's much better gameplay to be found elsewhere, such as in the likes of the Metro: Last Light or even Techland's own Dying Light, both of which outshine Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide in almost every area.

A missed opportunity to exploit the exciting cyberpunk environment and story that was developed for it. The shooting is unsatisfactory, and the whole game has an old fashioned feel to it that doesn't sit well in comparison to other, more modern games.

This is a way off being number one with a bullet, but it will still provide a few hours of enjoyment if you decide to stick with it.

Hyper Void is a stellar shoot 'em up experience that passes the time in a fun and exciting way, with gorgeous high resolution graphics and an action-pumping soundtrack. All for a price tag that, in our opinion, is worth an adrenaline-fuelled romp, even if it the whole thing doesn't last as long as we may have liked.

Puzzle platformers are a dime a dozen in the modern era of gaming, but there's nothing that feels quite like A Boy and His Blob. Taking advantage of blob's shape-shifting abilities to solve environmental puzzles, while seeking hidden treasures that unlock challenge stages, is mentally stimulating and very rewarding. Even though a handful of issues do frequently nag at you throughout the course of the adventure, they don't weigh the game down enough to keep it from a recommendation.

The technical issues make group play a bit of a chore at times, but the quests are varied and interesting enough to keep you coming back for more.

Shredders is an ideal Xbox Game Pass game. It's a game most players will get a few hours of enjoyment from, complete the missions and grab some achievements, and then move on. The dedicated fans will keep coming back for the fluid and rewarding gameplay, and maybe to get perfect scores on all those missions. If you go into it expecting a big-budget rival to the likes of SSX and Amped, you might be disappointed with what you find, but taken at face value, Shredders is a fun time and a worthy addition to the sports library on Game Pass.

It respects both the genre and your time, and for that — along with plenty of other reasons — there's quite a satisfying experience to be had.

Alone in the Dark is back, and frankly, it may have been better left alone. THQ Nordic's revival isn't a bad game — we enjoyed chunks of it especially towards the beginning of the adventure — but it doesn't stand out in any meaningful way, and ultimately feels a little pointless in the end. We'd recommend keeping an eye on that launch patch to see how the game is shaping up on release, but it's best not to expect a Resident Evil-level reimagining from this Alone in the Dark reboot - even if it stands as a serviceable third-person adventure.

Marvel's Avengers is sprawling and spectacular, messy and bloated all at the same time. There's a surprisingly fun and lengthy campaign here, excellent writing and acting and some of the best superhero brawling in the business. It excels at allowing you to really feel like you're fighting alongside your favourite superheroes as you decimate enemies and destroy scenery, but it loses some of that swagger as it enters its online endgame. There's a half-baked gear system, convoluted menus and questlines and some technical issues that make fighting online feel a little rough around the edges at this point in time. However, with a couple of patches, with the right support down the line in terms of new heroes, costumes, bad guys and story beats, Crystal Dynamics could be on to a winner here. This is a properly solid start and a pleasant surprise.

It's easy to see how a fan of past Olympics games could be put off by Tokyo 2020, but if you're willing to lean into its arcade tendencies, you can have a lot of fun with it. The games are enjoyable for the most part, the presentation is great, and there's enough depth to keep you playing longer than just a few rounds of each sport. It certainly won't be for everyone, but SEGA's willingness to be bold and divert away from the simulation-heavy focus of previous Olympics games makes Tokyo 2020 a refreshingly memorable competitor that deserves some attention.

Some will be caught up in the emotion of it all and overvalue the game. Take that emotion out though, and you’re left with a product that is very much a point-to-point affair that doesn’t allow for any exploration, is short, has little replay value, and who's main mechanic - the interaction between the two characters - has a tendency to fail at inopportune moments.

With solid combat and some brilliant character designs, Bleeding Edge has all the potential to become a solid, compelling online action game. Sadly, though, that's all it is at the moment: potential. What's here is good, but there's just not enough content to keep players' interest for weeks or months to come.

Just Dance 2016 is a fun party game but its movement tracking does not offer enough precision to appeal to more competitive players. The track selection on the disk is a little lacking; with only a handful of big hitters available unless you are willing to pay for Just Dance Unlimited.

While there are more complex and intriguing crime games out there and it isn't the longest game, The ABC Murders still offers good entertainment for the interested and serves as a decent port into the murder mystery puzzle genre.

Treyarch and its development partners have done their best to cobble something together with Black Ops 7, but you just can't get around the rushed nature of this back-to-back Black Ops release. The game's campaign is almost an insult to Call of Duty single player offerings of the past, and while the core of multiplayer is solid, technical issues are dragging that experience down on Xbox at launch as well. Zombies is the highlight for me and I can see myself dipping back into this mode a fair bit - in fact, it's probably the only bit of Black Ops 7 that feels truly finished on day one. It's probably worth checking back on multiplayer down the line when the issues I've mentioned inevitably get ironed out, but campaign can't be saved - and overall, Black Ops 7 just feels undercooked after the care and attention that was put into last year's release.

While Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations doesn't commit any felonies, a series of misdemeanors suggest you should approach with some caution. Exploring the Land of Ooo, seeing familiar locations in three dimensions, and interacting with the whimsical cast of characters will delight the most-invested fans of the series.

AEW Fight Forever is an enjoyable and competent wrestling game that we've been having a good time with so far. The Road to Elite career mode is fun, and the wild match types with their huge varieties of weapons are a blast to play with friends. There are definitely some downsides such as the barebones creation suite along with a general lack of game modes, but if you're an AEW fan or you're simply looking for a decent alternative to WWE 2K23, Fight Forever is well worth adding to your wishlist this summer.

Saints Row is one of the worst urban open world games we've played in recent memory, a bland, janky, old-fashioned mess of a game that fails to deliver on the promise held by a reboot of this zany franchise. Whether it's the buggy combat, boring missions, cringe-inducing dialogue or cookie-cutter side activities, there's always something to feel let down by here. If you're a huge fan of the genre you may well still find something to pass the time in Santa Ileso, there's decent character customisation, a strong soundtrack and plenty of baddies to kill and cars to wreck, but for everyone else this is one game that's virtually impossible to recommend and one of the biggest let-downs of 2022 so far.

If you're into puzzle games though, or if you're missing the good ol' days of Lemmings, you might like it as a substitute as it does cater to fans of both.

Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is an embarrassing, broken release that should be avoided by consumers and is a black eye on the current state of video game publishing.

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell is a bargain for fans of Saints Row IV. There's less content included, but what is on offer here is good.

Beach Buggy Racing is a decent attempt at bringing a kart racer to the Xbox One.

It really wouldn't take a lot of work to turn this into a multi-title franchise that could become the Xbox platform's very own Wave Race. We would have been happy to pay twice as much for more depth, but as it stands, $4.99 isn't a terrible price for what you get here.

Don't get us wrong, if this was cheaper, we'd be recommending this in a heart beat, despite our reservations. It's a great trip down memory lane, with some addictive combat that still holds up today. But when you can pick up more modernised and arguably better games for the same price, it makes the trip to Baldur's Gate one that's not worth breaking the piggy bank until a sale.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a distinctly average prequel/spin-off that gets itself bogged down in busywork and repetitive running in circles, overshadowing its core dungeon-crawling and town-building action in the process. The combat here certainly has some reasonable ideas, the story is decent enough at providing a setup and it all looks very pretty, but there's just far too much in the way of unnecessary padding and jank to make it feel as though it's really worth your time and effort beyond gleaning a few insights into next year's full adventure, even at this budget price point. Fingers crossed 505's main course is much more satisfying.

Need for Speed isn't unplayable by any means, but there's a laundry list of things that can – and often do – stop that playing time from being very enjoyable.

Even if you can only beat the first set of twenty levels, Lovely Planet is a first-person shooter that is worth your time. It's beyond challenging, but when you finally put together the perfect run there isn't anything more satisfying. While it's too bad that the game hasn't seen an easy mode (or crosshair support) added in the console release, it's still a refreshing take on a genre that often feels way too stuck in its ways.

If you've played pretty much any Supermassive game in the past — from Until Dawn to The Quarry — you'll know what to expect from The Casting of Frank Stone. This Dead by Daylight tie-in doesn't quite match the lofty heights of those two games in particular, but it gets pretty close, delivering an engaging popcorn horror experience along the way. We'd have been well up for a few more hours in this universe, which certainly says something, but ultimately results in The Casting of Frank Stone sitting just below greatness.

A great introduction to either series and well worth the asking price.

Starship Troopers: Extermination is a pulpy, schlocky and suitably violent take on the Starship Troopers universe that gives you big beefy guns and a ton of exploding alien bugs to get busy decimating in online warfare. There are some big old hordes to take down, thanks to some impressive tech on display, and everything looks and feels properly great when you're in the thick of the acid-spewing action. However, there are way too many technical bugs just now, this doesn't feel like a game that just left a prolonged early access, and so for now it's a janky-but-fun experience that, with a couple of patches and content drops, could become a great one.

In conclusion, Sparkle 2 is a lot like Sparkle Unleashed, which in turn was a lot like PopCap's Zuma.

This is a tediously dull, monotonous, and derivative game that offers up absolutely nothing of any real worth in terms of story or mechanics.

It's a fun game, but with realistically only six hours of playing time on hand, it may leave you wanting.

We're not exactly seeing what the wait was for when it comes to F1 2015. The game is clearly rushed, riddled with bugs and lacking in some relatively basic features.

The retro-inspired pixel graphics and frenetic pace will ultimately not appeal to everybody but there's enjoyment to be found, even for even novice players.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions plays the best game of Quidditch we've ever seen in video game form. There's good fun to be had both solo and with other people online, and the customisation aspects are pretty cool too - especially considering there are no paid microtransactions to be found. We have concerns about longevity considering the limited campaign and singular 3v3 multiplayer mode, but the quality of the gameplay should be enough to keep our brooms from getting too dusty in the immediate future.

F1 2014 feels like a half-hearted attempt at providing an annual update.

The fact that we can say that true fans of golf who are looking for a new challenge might well have found their new home in spite of those technical issues, is a testament to how brave and revolutionary the game really is.

Though the legitimacy of the AI's intelligence is questionable, the level navigation and difficulty options make it as challenging as you want it to be.

An interesting diversion, but there are definitely ways in which it could have been better.

D/Generation HD is a game that is a product of the early 90s. Story? Not much. Scenario? Ridiculous. However, what it does bring from that era is character and gameplay that all too often today are replaced by graphical flashiness. This is an unashamedly retro experience and even with the (gamebreaking) bugs we found, the urge to finish the game remains strong.

Gotham Knights is a dark, dense and surprisingly gripping action adventure that almost manages to step up to the level of the very best of the Arkham series. There's a cracking story to dive into here, a huge and wonderfully detailed city, tons of lore for Bat fans, brutally crunchy combat, four cool superheroes to get a handle on and some of Gotham's most infamous villains to take down as you fight to prevent an all-out turf war. We were slightly concerned going into this one but, as it turns out, we needn't have been. If you can ignore some messy menus and a few too many upgradeable bits and bobs, you'll have a great time.

If you liked Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, then there's a decent chance that you'll have a good time in India, in spite of the problems outlined above.

Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is a reasonably decent time if you can come to terms with its plodding traversal, clunky gameplay mechanics and repetitive exploration. There's an enjoyable mystery to uncover at the heart of this one, it's got some genuine scares along the way, snapping ghouls is as fun as ever and the whole thing has a deeply unsettling vibe that still feels unique to the franchise. However, as far as remasters go, beyond a bit of a visual revamp, it feels like additional work could have been done to make this remastered version of the game feel like a more modern and polished survival horror experience.

It would be harsh to overly punish Kaiju Panic for the problems that it contains, simply because the mix of tower defence and RTS gameplay works so well. It surely won't be to everybody's tastes and some will get frustrated when a lack of knowledge or a varying enemy attack path causes them to fail a level, but those that like a challenge will enjoy what Mechabit have created here.

Your mileage may vary depending on how much the story grabs you, but most will find that the asking price here is too high for what you get.

The Crew is worth a go if you’re into racers. You might love it. But there's a better than good chance that the niggling issues will prevent that from happening.

Some will take solace in the somewhat simplistic gameplay and be hooked on its psychedelic charms as there is the occasional high point to be found, but repetition and poor choices in terms of the control scheme will undoubtedly get in the way of that for most.

Sniper Elite 3 is an average game. The sneaking around, hiding, scouting and tactical aspects are very enjoyable. But it gets repetitive pretty fast, especially when the actual gameplay and the enemies don't really change.

Skull & Bones isn't the disaster we feared, nor is it the definitive take on the genre we hoped it could be given all the money and time that's been pumped into it. Ubisoft has served up reliably decent naval combat, trading and exploration here, but it's marred by a lack of overall direction, by far too many bland early hours, and by endgame fun that requires a whole lot of plodding to reach. If you love the pirate life you will find enough here to keep you entertained, it all looks and feels suitably good, but it's gonna need more content and reasons to stick at it before it earns a more hearty recommendation from us.

It does manage to pack a lot of surprises into a short game with its interesting mix of powers but excellence is prevented as it gets bogged down in not allowing its own mechanics to properly flourish.