The overall technical execution leaves a lot to be desired. This is an indie title, so certain dispensations can be made. However, a wildly inconsistent frame rate, constant texture pop-in, and a truly bizarre facial animation system test the patience more than most low budget releases.

Code Violet is a mess. Crummy combat, tedious exploration, technical problems. The sexy costumes and horny camerawork seem at odds with both Violet as a character and the tone of the writing. Even at six hours long it's tough to recommend, because in six hours you could just watch Jurassic Park three times. And if you did that, you’d never once feel the need to justify what’s currently on your screen.

We think we could forgive its simplicity if the handling was better and the price was lower, because there is fun in the outrageous nature of some of the tracks.

Dispatch could be something quite special, but it all depends on how much your choices actually matter in the long run. These first two episodes are packed with personality, wit, and flair. The script can be a bit too cute, and the style of comedy won't appeal to everyone — but we find ourselves eagerly awaiting what's to come. [Review in Progress]

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is a shambles. Its best qualities are always short-lived, buried deep beneath the frustrations of non-existent RPG elements, extreme padding, and diabolical technical issues. Beyond the promise of its opening hours, this is a tragic misfire of a game.

Dreams of Another is quite dream-like in some ways; the way scenes intersperse and the surreal sights and sounds put us in that headspace. However, also like dreams, the game probably does have some sort of meaning at its core, but you're likely to forget it before long.

Ultimately, we’ve enjoyed what we’ve played of Dying Light: The Beast so far. To a lot of people it’ll come across as more of the same — which it almost certainly is, to some degree. However, we think Techland has been smart to improve or alter small things to make it a better overall experience. It’s not as expansive as the second game, nor as original as the first game, but if you like cleaving zombies and jumping around rooftops, then this may just be the most refined Dying Light yet. [Review in Progress]

There are the bones of a decent game in here, but its issues prevent it from being the compulsive factory puzzler we were hoping for.

Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection is Atari and Limited Run bringing back some pretty bad games and bundling them together with features that make them minimally better, but not good. If you are a Bubsy mega fan who has played any of these games since the '90s, you will likely enjoy this collection. For anyone else, the only real reason you’ll want to buy this collection is curiosity about how bad this series has been.

We're torn on Lost Soul Aside. On one hand, it's a very intricately made action game, full of interesting combat dynamics backed by an impressive degree of player expression. But on the other, it's a pseudo RPG with a really poor story, crappy characters, and a forgettable world. Right now, it's looking like a cautious recommendation for action afficionados, but we'll have to see how the rest of the package shakes out. [Review in Progress]

Tales of the Shire has a great premise, but will unfortunately leave most players wanting more. Its charms will potentially appeal to Hobbit fanatics, but with there being much better cosy games on the market, it's relying heavily on its Tolkienian license to distinguish itself.

MindsEye is a broken, boring mess of a game that has somehow been allowed out in the world. It has little glimmers of something semi-entertaining in there with its cutscenes and story, but it’s bogged down by a vapid large scale map that is at odds with its aggressively linear campaign, and padded out with a dull repetitive gameplay loop that is nothing short of archaic.

If you have a burning nostalgia for early 2000s action titles, you might be able to squeeze some semblance of enjoyment from Captain Blood, but even then, you've got to wade through tedious, weightless combat and bafflingly overlooked audio issues.

Ultimately, Skydance’s Behemoth feels like it’s still in its beta phase. The enormity of its Behemoths works excellently in VR, but at almost every turn, the game bogs you down with bugs, repetitive gameplay loops, and underdeveloped level design. Sadly, it also lacks the same sense of place that the developer's previous work has, with its Forsaken Lands feeling painfully dull for the most part. There are moments when the magic shines through, but Behemoth is a massive missed opportunity overall.

It’s a shame it doesn’t really come together because, as we noted at the start of the review, there’s actually the glimmer of a good idea here. If the shooting sequences were better executed and the car handling better honed, you could end up with an interesting alternative take on the arcade racer that serves its license well. But while there’s some reasonable presentation on display, the package doesn’t deliver on its ambition at all.

Unfortunately, the slow, cumbersome movement undoes the otherwise likeable presentation. We’re glad this era of licensed games is slowly making a comeback, we just wished this was a little bit more fun to play.

The combat feels awkward; the game is buggy, and filled with abrupt cutscene transitions. At the end of the day, we’re left asking, ‘Who is this for?’ Children don’t care about Battlestar Galactica and The Thing, and adults won’t love the boring, simplistic gameplay loop.

Destiny is grindy, but it has an immensely satisfying gameplay loop and a rich story. Outriders doesn’t have the best plot or visuals, but each class has a wide variety of powers that synergise brilliantly, meaning each build is unique to how you want to play and combat is worthwhile for its own sake. The First Descendant has the stand-out Colossi battles, but everything leading up to them is so mind-numbingly tedious that they don’t justify the time or monetary investment you’d need to spend to enjoy them. It’s the gaming equivalent of playing with a fidget spinner while on a Discord call — something to keep your hands occupied while you catch up. It’s a game designed to get you to pay to skip it, not play it, so what’s the point of it?

Moonglow Bay has a lot of promise; it’s easy to spend hours with it when it’s working properly. But when it’s not, it turns into a nightmare you don’t want to revisit. The cosy vibes of the gameplay, fun characters, and enjoyable fishing and cooking mechanics don’t make up for fundamental errors with the game that really mar the rest of the experience.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is an absolute masterpiece in terms of offering a true sense of adventure. Fans of the first game shouldn't even begin to hesitate; this is everything that Dragon's Dogma wanted to be back in 2012, and it's utterly glorious at its best. But even if you're newly Arisen, this sequel stands alongside some of the greatest open world journeys in gaming — an unruly frame rate its only disappointing blemish. [Review in Progress]

Aspyr has done a serviceable, even admirable job with its porting of Star Wars titles up to this point, but the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection represents a monumental misstep and a much-deserved blemish on its reputation. These are two beloved games representing some of the very best experiences the Star Wars IP has ever offered. To release these remasters in this state is deeply concerning. Our only solace is the fact that, eventually, most of the problems should be fixable.

Taxi Life has so much promise, but in its current state it’s extremely hard to enjoy. Some menu options still have Xbox buttons assigned to them – press A, we were told. One accident we were in saw our car flipped onto its back (maybe the road rage had gotten to us at that point), and we had to quit the game and reload just to be able to move the taxi again. The lack of polish feels evident throughout the game, and it’s a real shame, because the concept is a compelling one.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash is unfortunately cursed trash. Its shallow, unsatisfying combat system fails to capture the balletic brilliance of the anime and manga’s striking skirmishes, and its disjointed single player campaign is unlikely to be enjoyed by franchise faithfuls or prospective new fans. Given the enormous popularity of Gege Aktusami’s series, it’s frankly unfathomable how badly Bandai Namco has dropped the ball here.

Incredibly bland gameplay and some overly frustrating chase sequences make Silent Hill: The Short Message a chore to play much of the time. While there are some intriguing full-motion cutscenes and heavy story details, they're not worth pushing through the dull sequences in between to experience them. Silent Hill: The Short Message is completely free, though, so all it's asking for is 90 minutes of your time to see if you enjoy it more than us.

Another miss for the Rings franchise, then. There are bursts of quality here, and the potential for fun when playing with others. However, it ultimately fails as an adaptation and a survival game.

It's an abysmal end, resulting in a controversial sequel, leaving fans of 1992's rad Flashback most likely preferring to return to Conrad's previous amnesia in the original's plot to forget that Flashback 2 ever existed.

"We need a new Call of Duty game every single year," the Activision executives bellowed, and out popped Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 after the development times caught up with them. A truly anaemic release, there's never been a surer sign to press pause on the series. 14-year-old content is the best thing about this year's entry and if that's not enough of an indictment of where Call of Duty is at in 2023, we don't know what is. A franchise in serious need of a complete reboot, Modern Warfare 3 has to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Soft locks, crashes, and bugs burden this gorgeously presented Christmas story. Until this nightmare before Christmas is patched, we'd suggest finding something else to place under your Christmas tree.