The Mad Ones’ episode lays the foundation of a potentially intriguing mystery narrative, part An Inspector Calls, part Murder on the Orient Express. The Social Influence system, if implemented well through the rest of the episodes, really could be a game changer for narrative adventures, evolving a genre that has needed fresh ideas for a while.

There’s a little bit of everything in Onrush, from racers to shooters, from destruction derbies to sports games. If you were expecting a sequel to MotorStorm, Onrush won’t be for you, but give it a chance and its clever blend of different genres can draw you into its unrelenting vehicular action.

Vacation Simulator goes well beyond what we originally expected from this sequel. It cleverly expands on just about everything from the original game while bursting with the same lighthearted humour and the kind of immersive interactivity other VR devs could only dream of achieving. It’s a lot cheaper than a real holiday too, and involves less time sharing sweaty metal tubes with other humans, which definitely helps.

Headliner: NoviNews is a fun game that really can emphasis just how powerful a headline and news story can be, not to mention the wider impact it can have on a society. This is an experience that pushes the adage that actions have consequences so well.

The Girl of Glass: A Summer Bird’s Tale is a difficult game to sum up. The setting, graphics, and fairy tale narrative all point to a great, family-friendly game that would make for a great introduction to the point and click genre, but the tonal inconsistencies and overly difficult battles seem to be aimed at an entirely different audience. I appreciate the narrative reasons for this disparity, but feel that many will be put off by the latter aspect. If you are willing to embrace the battle system then there is much to be enjoyed in this coming of age fairy tale.

Evil Genius 2 is a worthy return to the world stage for the classic lair builder formula. While there's certain areas that could be improved in the presentation or the game balance, building up your 60s spy villain lair and defeating the seemingly endless string of agents trying to foil your plans is immensely satisfying and engaging.

Overall I really like The Jackbox Party Pack 8. I've been enjoying messing around with it with my friends and will definitely keep delving into Job Job, Drawful Animate, and Weapons Drawn. On the other hand, I find the trivia games to be a bit dull, and I think The Poll Mine has a short shelf life, at least when it comes down to how I like to play games.

A brief fumble in the darkness of space, Heavenly Bodies is designed to beguile you with floaty, physics based puzzles. It will scramble your brains as you perform the most straightforward of tasks, at times testing your sanity and (if playing in co-op) the strength of any relationship.

A great update on the 90's beat 'em concept with bone-crunching, motion captured moves that feel weighty and solid. Midnight Fight Express makes you feel like a bad ass, something very few beat 'em ups manage.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fantastic Aliens game. It absolutely nails the feel of the films and brings exactly the kind of tense and thrilling strategy combat you would want. The iconic motion tracker and creature design fit perfectly with the genre and there is even an interesting narrative that introduces some new perspectives to the series. While game over can come far too swiftly at times, there is always something to draw you back in.

The Legend of Steel Empire is a fun side-scrolling shooter set in an interesting alternate history timeline. The gameplay is easy to get to grips with, allowing people of all skill levels to deal with enemies. However, the short length of the campaign is not truly worth the asking price, so I'd recommend waiting for a sale to pick it up.

Everything Is Crab is one of those games where you really get the whole game in the first run. If you like that first attempt, and the general vibe you're getting, then you're going to enjoy run after run. However, if you're hoping for more than what that first play session offers, you're going to find the game to be a little bit lacking. Still, it's a lot of fun if you're looking for a more pure arcade experience in your roguelike, and if you like seeing the horrifying monster your little blue blob can become once you've eaten half of a planet.

Despite being a barebones product with many flaws, the gameplay is top notch. With all the crazy over the top moves that defy the laws of logic, every match is a spectacle. This is easily the best WWE game THQ has produced in a very long time.

The true test for any game of this kind is whether it can keep player hungry enough to see it through to the end. Although I wasn’t completely enthralled (the repetitive puzzles and a couple of bugs broke my immersion) it still managed to lodge its hooks in me and I’d be lying if I said those final moments didn’t make me feel anything. Last Day of June is a emotive, sometimes enchanting story of love and loss that, while it doesn’t break new ground, will resonate with plenty of gamers out there.

Below is a unique experience that blends some of the most popular gameplay mechanics seen this generation into a hauntingly beautiful and ferocious journey of death, redemption and survival. Even with the new Explore Mode making the game more accessible, Below’s obtuse nature won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but the process of discovering and mastering the game’s numerous systems is a vastly enjoyable one.

Dragon Star Varnir's dark world of witches and warfare is unlike anything else Compile Heart and Idea Factory have put out. Unfortunately, the experience is brought down by less than stellar visuals and doesn't make the most of its main gameplay innovations.. There's an interesting story to unfold here, but actually playing the game to get to it might be a challenge best left unmet.

WarioWare: Move It! calls back to the early excitement of the Wii and motion controlled gaming. There's a ton of daft and inventive microgames here (with a slightly surprising amount of bum shaking), that's great for solo, co-op and multiplayer, but brace yourself for some wonky motion controls and fleetingly frustrating failures.

The Medium is a really good horror adventure with some stand out ideas and excellent presentation. It makes the most of its influences to create an atmospheric and involving narrative, but its wider context as a next-gen exclusive may lead many to expect it to be a grander step forward than it is. Taken on its own merits, and particularly for genre fans, this is a genuinely great game and I look forward to replaying it to take in all the amazing details and touches that I may have missed first time through. With some questions left unanswered, I hope it does well and develops into a franchise.

Blackwood is a brilliant throwback to Oblivion, but it feels like a starting point for a grander tale. Players going into Blackwood expecting a full-fat expansion experience will feel slightly letdown. Its dedication to 2006s Cyrodill shines through with the spaced out content making the overall zone feel a little empty. Still, the content itself is a job well done, ticking all the boxes to keep players entertained, but new features like Blackwood's companions work best when revisiting older zones.

Die hard fans of MK should definitely consider picking Aftermath up. The campaign is short but sweet and the new characters are fun to experiment with. It really just depends on your wallet.

A Little to the Left is a charming and refreshingly cosy puzzle game to sink into. From the tone of the puzzles to the mischievous intrusions of a fluffy white cat, it's a simple delight, only let down by a few more obscure puzzles and fussy controls for certain object interactions.

I desperately want to like Lords of the Fallen, but it's the first game all year that's actively annoyed me. I love the Soulslike genre more than any other, but this game took all of the lessons it could have learned since the original Lords of the Fallen and either forgot them entirely, or just misunderstood them so greviously that you'd assume it skipped a class.

Ghostwire: Tokyo was not the game I was expecting from Tango Gameworks, but I definitely enjoyed it. Blending magic-filled FPS action with Japanese mythology and an open world Tokyo that reminds me of the Yakuza series, it stands out from the crowd even if it’s not truly groundbreaking. Ghostwire has a lot of potential as a new franchise and I’m looking forward to seeing what Tango Gameworks does with it next.

Everything about Mafia II is average. From the tepid driving controls and the standard cover mechanism to the staid narrative which could still have been enjoyable, had they put a little more thought into it. This game is not terrible but it is some way from being good.

With more depth to the combat, Crossing Souls could be a great game. As it stands, though, the lack of difficulty means that the only reason to drive forward is the story, so a recommendation relies heavily on your view of the 80s and reference-heavy stories set during that decade.

Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition offers a huge wealth of content, and all of the dinosaur park building you could ever want, but the drop in visual quality to squeeze it onto the Switch will prove too much for some people.

A fun and funky sequel, Patapon 2’s bolstered roster of cheerful eyeball folk make for another welcome trip soundtracked to the beat of Pata Pata Pata Pon. It’s a shame then that the remaster feels incomplete, offering an experience that’s fundamentally less comprehensive than the PSP original.

Despite borrowing a lot of well-worn themes from other games and movies (Hello, creepy shop mannequins from Silent Hill), The Evil Within feels fresh and exciting. It’s easy to recommend to fans of the original Dead Space and the earlier Resident Evil games.