Hidden Cats in London is a must-purchase for cat fans and anyone who has enjoyed the previous games in the series. Others should perk their ears up too. It’s a highly recommended game for anyone who likes hidden object games or laid back experiences

As long as you’re willing to put up with samey battles, Taurian Defense is an ambitious compendium of dogfighting games, and we’re all in for celebrating that ambition.

We suspect that there will be an audience for Seduce Me - The Complete Story. This is a generous visual novel package with some racy scenes, and the incubus/succubus angle is a fresh one. Someone is going to love this. But it rubbed us up the wrong way.

The Jackbox Party Pack 10 keeps the hot streak going, whilst celebrating a milestone birthday in style. I tend to say this every year, but this one might just be the best collection yet.

Aquarium Land is a management sim where the management is done with a single button, which should be overly simplistic but turns out to be endlessly addictive. But the bugs are a bad aftertaste to a fantastic seafood platter.

A game like this is only as good as its questions, and it’s here where Bright Side: Riddles and Puzzles stumbles.

The real test in Ball laB II is not in how many levels you will actually manage to complete. It's more to do with how many deaths you'll be able to take before you switch off and uninstall.

Project Blue is a perfect fit for those after a retro inspired platforming challenge. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to find much here to win you over.

As a throwaway, hour-long distraction for a pre-school player, Cry Babies Magic Tears: The Big Game is surprisingly accessible and true to the TV show. But we’re not so loaded that we’d consider 30-quid particularly ‘throwaway’.

Harmony’s Odyssey is a delightfully whimsical adventure full of puzzling and charming dioramas. It’ll keep you busy for a good few hours with 3D jigsaws, hidden object style mini-games, and more. Even though the story often appears nonsensical, the silliness of the goings on is still fun to watch and the different biomes to traverse are beaming with vibrancy.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Quest for Balance tries to do way too much. The gameplay is unfocused, inconsistent, and unpolished. And the refined storytelling that made the original show so beloved is completely absent.

Trepang2 may well surprise. Brilliant gameplay mechanics come to the fore, allowing the overall experience to be a lot of fun. The B-movie storyline is generic but it is still done with plenty of commitment and pace that you can forgive its melodrama. Away from that and the action is relentless, whilst slo-mo has never felt so good.

Disney Speedstorm is a masterful technical achievement and absolutely in the upper echelons of karting games. It just oozes class. But it’s dripfed through a live service that couldn’t possibly let you have everything at once, and a series of currencies and unlocks that seem designed to bemuse.

Knight vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur will almost single-handedly cure you of any aversion to roguelites. The fighting is a lot of fun, as is seeing Camelot come back to life. Getting just that little bit further every time you go on a run makes the desire to play the game stronger all the time.

There is so much to love about Forza Motorsport, that it is an easy sell. The game looks, races and - most importantly - feels absolutely bang on, and while I don’t love the new upgrade system, it’s something to get used to.

Whilst Anthology of Fear sticks its head above other horror games for a moment, it doesn’t do enough to stay there. Strange combat sections, control issues, and game crashes don't help its cause. But if you can get through those moments, fans of horror experiences will find a lot to like with Anthology of Fear.

Consider the low asking price but high level count and Zumania pretty much sells itself. Anyone who found themselves addicted to the Xbox 360 classic years back will lap this one up. And even if you haven't previously experienced the Zuma magic, Zumania is still well worth lining up for a shot.

High On Life: High On Knife is not as funny as the base game, but it is just about as good in every other way.

There’s no doubt that Train Sim World 4 is yet another strong entry in the Train Sim World series. A game that is capable of offering up hundreds of hours of gameplay, the only real question is whether or not we really need a new iteration already. But for fans of the railways, the lure of new tracks and trains will always be a draw, as will some visual improvements.

Solar Ash looks and feels like a surrealist dream. Even after a half dozen hours, I still found gliding across desolate yet beautiful backdrops to be an absolute blast. Still, a repetitive combat system stands out as a notable blemish on an otherwise stellar adventure.

Dynablaster is fine - a perfectly perfunctory, vanilla version of the party classic. But we couldn’t help thinking about other Bombermen while we were playing it.

MY HERO ULTRA RUMBLE exceeds expectations as an extraordinary take on the battle royale genre. It’s packed with many of the best heroes, and a few villains, showcasing their amazing Quirks for great, action-packed matches.

Rainbow High: Runway Rush is a series of fetch quests in a joyless maze. We found ourselves lost in identical crossroads, searching for Studio 2 (it was in class #93, obvs). Our mascara was running and our brain frazzling. We’ve talked to our kids, and apparently that is not what the show is about.

Somehow, Paleo Pines has managed to make dinosaurs dull. They’ve achieved it through a cozy sim that makes every one of its many systems as inconvenient to use as possible. We just wanted to catch ’em all, but Paleo Pines hands you too many chores and makework before you can even get close.

Chipmonk! is an incredibly basic beat ‘em up which fails to innovate or excite in almost every way. What results is a mediocre callback which does nothing to stand out from the crowd. It would be nuts to recommend it.

Williams Pinball: Star Trek: The Next Generation for Pinball FX is pretty darn enjoyable and provides fun even for those unfamiliar with the source material.

Ugly may well take you by surprise. It is clever, exciting to play and full of unique gameplay mechanics, brilliant boss battles, and adventure. Taking you on a journey through a narrative of highs and lows, sadness and remorse, this is a visually-told affair that is pretty amazing. Some puzzles might frustrate, but ultimately the challenge is part of the experience.

Forgive Me Father is one of those games that fans of retro first person shooters will adore. It has everything, from fast action to brilliantly hand-drawn graphics to a superb soundtrack.

Everhood Eternity Edition is so kaleidoscopic, a macabre Fantasia that massages the eyes, ears and nerves. Nobody is talking about it but everybody should: it’s a cult hit in the making, and now’s your chance to be the one who says ‘I played it before it was cool’.

If you want to play a tower defence style game, Mechs V Kaijus is one of the best for a while. It is hard - there are no two ways about it - but upgrading things and continuing the fight works extremely well.

If you want something to scratch the retro platformer itch, Bat Boy could well fit the bill. Just don’t go into it expecting it to be a pushover!

If you fancy a challenge, like shooters and axolotls, there is no other game that will scratch the itches than AK-xolotl.

SHARK! SHARK! is a tough one to rate. There is fun to be had, right up to the point where the shark appears on the screen and ruins your whole run. However, not being able to dash or dodge feels like a missed opportunity, and this one little change would transform the game. There doesn’t seem to be much of an online player base either, and seeing as the single player game is pretty short, in all, it is a tough sell.

If you’re a fan of old-school Assassin’s Creed, you’ll love what has come about in Mirage, what with the more compact story that is told. Others may still long for those previous hundred-hour adventures though…

Is a fairly by-the-numbers twin-stick roguelike enough to get you parting with your cash? If the familiarity sounds like it might be comforting rather than galling, then there’s every chance that you will find a rewarding and deep dungeon-crawler in Mystic Gate.

How it manages it, we don’t know, but Royal Roads 2 emerges - comfortably - as the worst of the ‘Gnomes Garden’ city builders. It looks at its companion games and their lazy storytelling, buggy progression, unremarkable worlds and formulaic gameplay and says ‘hold my drink’.

There are still moments when the action is so ludicrous, so expansive, that accuracy and speed doesn’t matter. That’s when Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission is at its best. But in all other instances, it feels like it’s been Macguyvered into a structurally unsound Xbox game from VR parts.

Gord’s slow pace and pretty punishing difficulty (even on normal) coupled with problematic controls prevent you from being able to get fully absorbed in a world which really intrigues.

Enjoyable with a good sense of story, characters, and some sharp writing, Afterdream keeps its suspense tight amid horror elements that are more fun than horrific.

It’s hard to make a case for Rayland 2 being your first choice when it comes to buying a new puzzle game. However, if you want to kill an hour or two, and you need an extra 2000 Gamerscore in the bank, then it’s certainly an option.

Demolish & Build Classic is absolutely rubbish. It is annoying, frustrating from beginning to end, looks like a game from the very early days of consoles, and is unable to provide any form of fun in exchange for your hard earned money. When you include the glitches, this is one to avoid at all costs.

While the fighting section of Shuyan Saga is without doubt the weaker of the two halves, it still does enough to keep you coming back for short bursts every now and then.

The Crackpet Show: Happy Tree Friends Edition is a little bit of a mixed bag, but one that skews much further towards the positive side. It is padded, repetitive and overly randomized, but the strong core mechanics, charming aesthetics and smooth-as-butter gameplay loop make up for these shortfalls.

We have no illusions about which of the two Teslagrads we prefer. The first game, recently remastered, is just that little bit more considered, clever and rewarding. Teslagrad 2 ups the cool factor by handing you a breakneck slide, letting you glide about like Sonic, but the result lacks the first game’s finesse.

Stick with it and Gloomhaven is a very rewarding experience. If you’ve ever had a passing interest in the board game, or indeed are a Gloomhaven expert, there is something here for you. With two full length campaigns spanning over a hundred hours, there is no shortage of things on offer. A bit of polish on character models and movements would have been welcome, but hey, at least these ones move, right?

There is something about the story and tone of The Lamplighters League that has pulled me in - and it will do you too. Get used to the gameplay, the possibilities and the strategies at play and this is a game that becomes highly addictive.

Lacking the novel concepts of the first game, Cyber Citizen Shockman 2: A New Menace feels very run-of-the-mill as a result. And only by utilising the cheats on offer will you be able to drag yourself through this relatively short game.

There’s a long list of things that Days of Doom needed to be a successful roguelite tactics game. It needed to be quicker, more varied, less grindy and give you more options in a given battle.

Wild Dogs may not look like much, and the screenshots make it look like a generic shooter with nostalgia goggles on, but it’s ace. In the bosses and the freewheeling levels, it finds a way to elevate the competent shooting into full-on recommendation. Every Mega Man (and their dog) should give it a whirl.

PAW Patrol World isn’t made for us adults. It’s Adventure Bay and surrounding areas, with all of the barriers removed. It’s a glorious playset, the entire TV series ready for kids to reach in and enjoy. That’s something that none of the previous games have managed.

EA Sports FC 24 has really stepped up for the rebrand and the gameplay is the most interesting it has been in years. The majority of game modes are improved, with changes across the board and Ultimate Team finally incorporating the women’s teams. It’s authentic, professional looking and exciting to play time and time again.

Wildmender is a delightful, intuitive survival action-adventure. It may drop into a busy market and genre, but it offers something different, what with a beautiful and interesting story and world to explore.

Dolphin Spirit: Ocean Mission achieves the basics of any Cozycore game: it gives you a space to explore and removes anything that might look remotely like friction or pressure. Too often, though, we felt like we were going through the motions, following a process that didn’t leave any room for things like creativity in the photos, surprise in the animal-spotting, or unexpected moments in the story.

NASCAR fans may continue to look for the chance to breakaway from the pack, but they won’t be doing it with NASCAR Arcade Rush.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 5 doesn't change the fact that, as a whole, it’s a mediocre episodic adventure. If you’re massively into The Expanse universe, then maybe consider it in the sale at push. But otherwise I wouldn’t bother.

Whilst Isekai Rondo is very much a KEMCO JRPG, there are enough little additions to keep you engaged; like Passives and a likeable cast of characters. It isn’t too hard (in fact it is a bit easy) but this allows the story to move along at a good pace, ensuring that you get to appreciate the time spent.

Whilst definitely touted as a reboot in pre-release info, Mortal Kombat 1 has taken a few too many steps back. The fighting feels stripped back from previous editions, reverting to a technique that fighting games were using years ago, rather than evolving.

If you've any interest in running bullet hell experiences, or working with a whole variety of weapons and abilities, then NeverAwake allows for it. Chuck in a nifty little narrative to tie it all together and speedrunning opportunities for those looking for them, and there’s no debate this is one you should be playing right away.

Resident Evil 4 - Separate Ways is the perfect example of how to deliver DLC. It’s familiar but new, expands on both the gameplay and story of the base game and at a low price, is an absolute steal.

You should enjoy Fresh Start for what it is - a simple game that numbs the mind for an hour or two. But the fundamental lack of excitement means it doesn’t entice enough to warrant much of a return. The potential is there, but there’s nothing under the surface.

After a brilliantly exciting and nostalgic start, MythForce can never quite live up to that opening. However, it's a good fun roguelike experience that works well in short bursts, even better when playing through with a bunch of mates.

There’s much to love about Thunder Ray. With multiple difficulties and many different foes to learn attack patterns for, you’ll find Thunder Ray lasting as long as you want it to.

Heavy Duty challenge is an odd duck. It looks rough but the actual driving experience is engrossing, even if it is not exactly a laugh a minute. But then, this is meant to be a simulator, not a fun game! The lack of guidance in stages may put you off, but if driving a truck aimlessly at a heady 13mph for hours on end is your idea of fun, then Heavy Duty Challenge will feel like a dream.

The final stages of The Expanse: A Telltale Series episode four create a real buzz for the finale, but the rest of it kills all enthusiasm.

Party Animals is, in a word, promising. Whilst the launch version of this incredibly cute and colourful physics-based brawler is missing some key features that will boost replayability, the foundations are there for an excellent foray into the genre.

What starts off as a seemingly impossible challenge quickly becomes one of the best POWGI games for logical thinking. Word Web by POWGI not only ramps the difficulty up, but also the satisfaction of completing a puzzle.

Ad Infinitum is disturbing, confusing and horrific, much like the WWI setting. It tackles some interesting themes and tells a story that is hard to get a handle on. But the gameplay is solid, as are the visuals and brilliant soundtrack.

Overall I enjoyed my time playing HUMANKIND and would recommend it to both strategy game veterans and beginners. It can be extremely enjoyable however it is held back by some bugs and half-baked gameplay mechanics.

The controls are awkward and the random deaths for falling down a pit you can’t see are bad enough, but the shots through scenery when you are on your last sliver of health are the final straw. If you are a masochist, you may get some enjoyment out of Escape From Terror City, but for the rest of us, this is one to avoid.

There’s no doubt eFootball 2024 is a flawed game and, if a measly update is all that’s coming each year, it’s hard to see it ever being worthy of your time.

Some legacy issues remain in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Update 2.0, and I have had to load a previous save up on a couple of occasions due to various bugs. And the pacing for Phantom Liberty can be a bit questionable as you sit and twiddle your thumbs for the next story mission. But that’s primarily due to the writing and plot being of such a high standard. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty grabs your attention instantly, and refuses to let go until the conclusion.

After years of having the open world racing scene dominated by Forza Horizon, Ubisoft have certainly found the right gear with The Crew Motorfest. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, this is one not to miss.

Understand what Death and Taxes is trying to do, and it’s a magnitude more fun. This is a toy where you can save or kill whomever you choose, and the mischievous glee comes from what happens next. Ignore all the chatter about rules: they’re there to be ignored, and abiding by them leads down unsatisfying paths. But once you’ve got all that, fun is as inevitable as, well, Death and Taxes.

Revhead is both good and bad, with the scales coming down on the bad side rather firmly. As a mechanic simulator, it works and is fun. But the rest of the game is shockingly bad. I can’t recommend Revhead to anyone who doesn't have actual grease under their fingernails.

Retro in design and gameplay, don’t let that put you off Full Void. This is a game that is supremely addictive, as a brilliantly told tale of machines versus humans plays out. Complete with exciting gameplay that is simple but challenging at the same time, this is one of those that will stay with you long after it finishes.

An investment is needed if you’re going to enjoy Black Skylands. You will need to push past some unorthodox controls not once but twice, as both the on-foot sections and the airship piloting are knotty and need unravelling. But if you persist, and push through the many attached systems, then you will uncover a treasure trove. From the world to the upgrades and story, Black Skylands is a never-ending source of things to do, see and blow up.

If the idea of a no-frills Metroidvania, done well, gets you reaching for a gamepad then Kalinur delivers. But its vanilla-ness doesn’t half become a pain when you’re traipsing through the same parts of the castle, over and over again.

A wonderful new mode that extends the fun beyond the main stories makes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge – Dimension Shellshock a must buy for those who enjoyed the 2022 turtle based delight. While a couple more characters on the roster and a handful of new story stages wouldn’t have hurt, this is definitely one to pick up if you’re a fan of the heroes in a half shell.

Missing legend aside, NBA2K24 is a worthwhile upgrade for fans of 2K23. 2K’s yearly package is full to the brim with options and modes.

Gastro Force is quite obviously a DOOM clone, but after playing it, you will probably find yourself better off with the originals if you want that retro hit. If the addition of a Y-axis is the best it can do, then that is a clear sign of how poor the rest of the game is.

Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The London Case could possibly be recommended at a discounted price, but even then the technical issues may well put a stop to that.

DREAMERS is a good family-friendly open-world adventure that will - mostly - soar the spirit and put a smile on the face.

I didn't have very high expectations for the experience found in Daymare 1994: Sandcastle. But the game is more than capable of pleasantly surprising, especially with its more linear, tight exploration and improved visuals. There are problems with the dialogue, which feels a bit dated, and the combat system gets a bit bland after the umpteenth fight. But you’ll mostly have a good time with Daymare 1994: Sandcastle

For all its initial promise, Foxes Need to Eat exits out of the mind as quickly as it arrived. Unfortunately, it doesn’t screen-wrap back into the mind afterwards.

We’re in a second golden age of FMV adventures, with studios like Wales Interactive and Flavourworks making some absolute crackers. One of the joys of being in a golden age is that you don’t have to put up with substandard alternatives. Truth is most definitely that.

If you’ve ever wondered what early game builds might be like, play Sapu. It’s the building blocks of a game, but not a game yet. It hasn’t yet coalesced. If you can muddle through the self-sabotaging then you’re better people than us, but we found Sapu to be borderline unplayable.

Our one lingering concern, though, is that it’s on the difficult side for the target demographic. If your Baby Shark fan is less than six-years old, we worry that they might come unstuck, particularly with the ‘sing’ sections of the game. Ours certainly did. Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party is one for a willing parent to stick a tentative toe in and test, then.

Creepy Tale 3: Ingrid Penance is a very bewitching, rather fascinating adventure. It comes with a unique story and a neat way of using good/evil choice dynamics.

APICO is an eye-opening sim that’s enlightening in regards to beekeeping and the important role bees have in our ecosystem.

Immortals of Aveum should be praised for its original concept, writing, and new world-building. It's a new franchise that is brave; a very different type of FPS. Playing through feels like watching a good Marvel movie - you'll have a good time but will rarely care for it after.

Other than these small issues, Lies of P is an extremely enjoyable game to play through. The feel of the world, the setting, and the combat all seem to have real impact; frankly, these elements are great. The camera and jumping are not quite so good, but in all, Lies of P is an absolute pleasure to take in...If you like a Soulslike, you will like Lies of P. And that pretty much sells it.

For the good - the visuals, audio, navigation of paths and occasional combat moments - there are tens of things in XEL that will hold you back. Bugs and glitches are absolutely rife in this world, and there’s seemingly nothing to stop them popping up on an extremely frequent basis; mostly out of nowhere, springing a surprise just as you think XEL is going to give you a pass.

If you're an FMV fan then you're going to enjoy a lot of what The Isle Tide Hotel has to offer. But just remember - don’t ever leave your room at night.

If you’re a fan of a puzzler, Mirrored Souls will well suit. Should you then also be down for a challenge, this is more than capable of delivering on the promise.

In a genre that is dominated by Cities: Skylines, it’s good to see something new pop up. Especially when it is perhaps a more friendly, simple sim experience like that found here in Urbek City Builder. The systems work perfectly and the control system is great. It’s only the lack of direction and objectives that let this one down.

Mondealy comes in at a perfect price point, especially when you consider the six hour or so adventure you’ll have. And it tells a wonderful story; one that is full of life and great characters.

The setup and strange magical story are to be loved in Tenebris Pictura. The characters are intriguing and the gameplay is good, mixing the travel between planes well. Visually it's all very stunning. But personally, the combat has been hard to get on with.

As a shoot 'em up, Astro Flame Starfighter does what it says on the tin. It is interesting enough, especially in regards the upgrade mechanic, whilst seeing your ship evolve in ways to suit your playstyle is pretty good fun.