Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms offers a very satisfying conclusion to the Hakuoki tale. Boasting a fascinating narrative filled with bloody battles and political intrigue that's topped off with plenty of alluring characters and romances that feel deep and meaningful, this is an easy game to recommend to those who love a good story.

With the online being a bit of a bust and the single player modes failing to really showcase the game's strengths, it's difficult to recommend Slice, Dice & Rice. Against a human opponent, the title's interesting and entertaining on a fundamental level, but as an overall fighting game package, it's found lacking.

This is a Farewell for Life Is Strange fans, but Deck Nine once again does an outstanding job of telling a heart-wrenching tale within what is, effectively, someone else’s story.

It might not be too innovative, but Frantics provides an enjoyable party experience that Sony's PlayLink service has been lacking. It certainly isn't a killer app, but the fun variety of minigames and its (mostly) responsive controls show how much of a good time PlayLink can provide when it's properly used.

Blasters of the Universe is an absolute blast to play with silky smooth motion control and headset tracking that allows for precise shots to be pulled off with ease. The 80s cartoon style visuals, combined with the trance music, create a charmingly frantic environment for a bullet hell shooter to be set. Although its runtime is short lived, the quality of its gameplay makes Blasters of the Universe a very worthwhile venture.

Fear Effect Sedna represented an opportunity to bring a well-remembered series – albeit not always for the right reasons – back to life. As is the case with many games arriving via Kickstarter, though, the ambition of the project fails to translate into the final product. While in theory it ticks all the boxes you’d expect for a story-driven real-time strategy game, the woeful voice acting, rubbish combat encounters, and a cavalcade of other frustrations make this more of a real-time tragedy.

Ultimately, Mulaka succeeds in the story it wishes to tell, but it falls short in two of its primary gameplay tenets: action and adventure. Controls are fiddly, environments a little sparse, and combat inadequate. It excels in using the video game format to widen knowledge of a culture that admittedly many around the world will know very little about, but as a game to interact with, its deficiencies outshine its ideas and make it somewhat forgettable.

Suicide Guy is not the disaster we feared it would be, and in places it’s actually rather funny. The title’s randomness stops its campaign from getting stale, and there are actually some cunning puzzles here that are fun to solve. Despite all of that, though, it’s quite a disposable game that’s fun while it lasts but will be quickly forgotten.

Jettomero looks and sounds great, and entertains for a few hours, but it's a little too shallow for us to wholeheartedly recommend. Stomping around as a big, clumsy robot is fun, however, and we enjoy the game's relaxed atmosphere. The lack of content, some control issues, and performance problems hold back Jettomero from meeting its potential, and the result is an experience that's quite throwaway, despite its charms.

If you’ve a hankering for a fun Japanese RPG, then The Longest Five Minutes is a decent option. Battles can be a little lopsided, but with an intriguing story and a unique structure, these are five minutes worth experiencing for fans of the genre.

Bridge Constructor Portal successfully combines Portal with a bridge building physics puzzler. There's a clear love for Valve's series on display, with great presentation that takes you back to Aperture Science from a different perspective. While not as funny as either of the main games, the levels themselves incorporate Portal's elements in clever ways. The controls can be fiddly, and the trial and error nature of the game isn't for everyone, but this remains an addictive, fun title that fans of both Portal and physics-based challenges will appreciate.

Milestone's latest is a fun romp through a variety of off-road locations, offering both quantity and variety in terms of tracks, cards, and modes. It's not the most ambitious racer ever, but the non-serious style of the flagship Off-Road Masters mode will be very appealing to those wanting an enjoyable arcade experience.

Rad Rodgers struggles to find its difficulty sweet spot. Spending far too much time being either too easy or frustratingly hard, the inconsistent pacing means that neither those looking for a fun romp nor a hard as nails platformer will leave satisfied. While the gameplay at its core is decent and the design of each stage provides an enjoyable variety of challenges, the crass outdated humour and the radically varying difficulty mean that Rad Rodgers falls way short of being an excellent adventure.

Moss is sublime throughout, but it’s so good that you’ll wish there was more of it. Much more of it. Clocking in at just a few hours, the game feels like the prologue for a much bigger adventure, and it’ll leave you yearning for more. As a virtual reality experience, only minor technological limitations detract from its lush fantasy world and cunning use of the medium. There's no doubt that Polyarc's built the foundations for something truly special here; it now needs to write a few more chapters in Quill’s tale.

Immortal Redneck is an exciting roguelike FPS with enjoyable procedurally generated dungeons that encourage fast-paced gunplay. Although it can be repetitive at points, it has a fair but challenging difficulty curve and a wide variety of enemies, weapons, and abilities that keep things interesting. If you’re looking for something to really get wrapped up in, then Immortal Redneck is well worth your time.

Past Cure is a bad game. It's bad bad. But it's also the best kind of bad game, in that it's not for a lack of effort or that the team were bereft of ideas that the finished product doesn't come together. If anything, the game is too ambitious, with too many ideas, and it inevitably crumbles under the weight of numerous poorly implemented gameplay styles and a total lack of a cohesive identity. It's a bit like when your mum tries making Baked Alaska for the first time – sure, the end result is a sloppy mess, but you've got to applaud the audacity to try it in the first place.

Metal Gear Survive is not what many envisioned the follow up to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to be, but that doesn’t inherently make it a bad game. This is definitely a different experience, thanks to the introduction of survival mechanics and the extensive base building, but these aspects actually benefit what the title is going for. With a punishing but fascinating open world to explore, a crafting system that allows for all manner of items to be fashioned, and a suitably bizarre story that is sure to surprise even series veterans, Metal Gear Survive is likely to please those that give it a solid chance.

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is easily the most polished Sword Art Online game to date, but it's also one of the least imaginative. A strange union of third-person shooting and role-playing action, it offers up quite a unique mix of gameplay and a progression loop that's really quite addictive, but the overall package rarely thrills. By stepping away from Kirito and the gang, the story definitely benefits, but it's not enough to inject life into a game that often feels bland and monotonous. Fatal Bullet's still a solid anime-based title, but unless you love to grind, you'll likely lose interest.

Fe is a decent puzzle platformer with some nice ideas, but it all rings a bit hollow in the end. The various songs are a fun way to interact with the world, but some are barely used at all, while you'll rely on others almost constantly. It can also be surprisingly difficult to control, with a camera that isn't always cooperative and platforming that isn't as tight as it needs to be, especially in an environment as vertical as this. The story, which strives to be poignant, fails to leave an impact, and while the world is a nice place to explore, there isn't a whole lot in it. Ultimately, it's a fine game, but it struggles to leave a lasting impression.

This Secret of Mana remake feels like a missed opportunity. It could have been a chance to tweak a few systems, strip away any outdated elements, and add in a few basic improvements. Overall the game is good but only because the original Secret of Mana was good; this remaster doesn’t add as much as it could and, if anything, removes some of the magic of the original.

So called “walking simulators” live or die on whether they deliver an engaging story, and while The Station appears – at least at first glance – to have this covered, it misses the mark in a number of important ways. It’s not bad by any means, but its characters and themes feel light and underdeveloped. While it stumbles narratively, it does at least successfully craft a tense atmosphere, but neither this nor its modest number of enjoyable – if somewhat easy – puzzles are enough to make this a prime candidate for first contact.

Marooners can be fun with the right people but ultimately it lacks a lot of polish. The AI is lacklustre, there’s not a huge amount of content, and the online community is practically non-existent.

Time Recoil is a solid twin-stick shooter and is definitely the best of 10tons' previous titles in the genre. Its simplicity in both gameplay and controls mean it’s easy to pick up and play at your own leisure, making it a perfect fit for the PS Vita. If you’re a fan of Hotline Miami, Neon Chrome, Jydge, or any other twin-stick shooter for that matter, then Time Recoil is well worth your time.

Knockout League’s colourful cast of characters look chunky in PlayStation VR, and stepping into the ring with them is an immersive treat. The puzzle-like gameplay sticks rigidly to the Punch-Out!! format and can feel like you’re memorising attack patterns rather than engaging in a real fight, which grates in the later bouts. That said, fun minigames and great attention to detail make this an unexpected treat – just be prepared to earn your victories physically because even the fittest specimens will feel this game in their legs.

If you absolutely love simulators and really appreciate realism and the little details in games, then this will really grip you. But at the same time, many will find the game far too frustrating and unforgiving, both because of the intense focus on realism that doesn't always result in fun gameplay experiences, and the number of bugs and severe loading times. There's a compelling game here, but it needs a polished edge only a series of patches or a sequel can deliver. We can't wait for either.

When two outrageously detailed character models are slugging it out, EA Sports UFC 3 feels sublime. Incredible animations paired with a weighty physics system mean that you feel the thrills and spills of every bout. Unfortunately, the clunky ground game combat fails to hit the same highs, and the campaign – which is a novelty to begin with – loses its lustre after a few rounds. There’s still a lot to like here and more than enough content to sink your fists into, but it still feels like there’s a bit more refinement required before this series achieves G.O.A.T. status.

Many of the problems – like load times – are more quality of life issues than game problems, so if Milestone could tidy this stuff up then it'd go a long distance. But it's the inconsistent physics that are the real kicker, and detract from the generally acceptable presentation and decent selection of modes. It's better than nothing, and North American supercross fans will surely appreciate the fact that the title exists at all, but it could be so much better.

Crossing Souls is an interesting title. Absolutely in love with the pop culture of the 1980s, the title wears this love on its sleeve, and the charm of that is undeniable. Unfortunately, while the writing, art, music, and references are great, the gameplay peters out rather quickly. After a strong first couple of hours, full of interesting and layered puzzles, the last half of the title quickly devolves into no more than a collection of platforming and melee combat scenarios with little else to keep you going. The end result is game that’s fun and entertaining despite its gameplay, not because of it.