Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series presents a bit of a no-frills approach to a remaster. Both games are presented as they originally were and are still as good as ever. They are highly replayable to those that experienced them first time around, but there is a lack of anything else included, unless you are willing to pay for it.

With so much to do in the story, without trying to complete the Hunts and side missions, I can have no hesitation in recommending this game to RPG fans.

Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure is a lot of fun, but there are just minor annoyances that stop it being a stone cold classic. If you are still fully immersed in Forza Horizon 5 on a daily basis, this will be a hugely enjoyable accompaniment - a no-brainer. Just don’t expect perfection.

Though the multiplayer is still essentially stuck in its ways, it still retains a solid framework and enough new innovations to bring some life. The single player is a stand out however, with its exceptionally bleak but thought-provoking and resonating campaign, and it is this which means Modern Warfare proves the franchise still has life in its bones and is the best Call of Duty game of this generation.

Spirit Arena on Xbox will challenge you whilst providing plenty of unlockables to go after, if that’s your thing. This doesn’t stop it from being loads of fun, but it’s all over so quickly. I’m unashamedly asking for more, but right now, there's no reason not to check this one out.

Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! is an addictive culinary experience that puts budding chefs through their paces. It’s as much fun working in your own restaurant as it is lend your skills in various other establishments and the amount of different foods present is to be applauded. While you may find it difficult, the rewarding nature makes it all worthwhile in the end.

A few rough edges do not stop Sable from being a one-of-a-kind adventure about finding yourself while alone in the big wide world. I hope Sable can fix its technical issues soon, because what’s underneath is a game full of discovery, tiny nuggets of wisdom and a plethora of ways to customise your insanely cool hover bike.

If you didn’t get on with the first House Flipper, failing to understand the beauty of cleaning up a place, rebuilding it into a palace, then House Flipper 2 is not going to be for you. But if you did like things first time around, then this is an improvement, thanks to a fun campaign and various environments, areas and items.

Fae Tactics is worth playing. It looks great and plays well, but just seems to be too elongated in length. If you like Tactics type experiences, Fae Tactics is an easy sell. And if you don’t, with the way this is able to ease you into the required mechanics, it's a fairly decent place to start.

If you are in the market for more of The Surge, I can recommend The Good, the Bad and the Augmented to you, and it should help tide you over until The Surge 2 is released.

Floppy Knights has the same nagging demand to play that Advance Wars has: to satisfy a sub-objective, to progress the campaign, to unlock a particular unit. Even as we write now, we have the urge to get floppy with Floppy Knights. If you’ve got a turn-based bone in your body, we’d encourage you to do the same.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a very good game stuffed full to bursting with visceral melee combat and great gunplay. The enemies are evil, which always helps with motivation, and the co-op works very well. If you can avoid the costly suits, all will be golden.

Perhaps the opening moments of Airhead are a bit bewildering and the latter puzzles are rock hard, but as an overall experience, Airhead is a blast.

Dreamland Solitaire slightly overplays its hand in terms of number of levels, but generally it did everything we wanted from it and more. This fine-tuned, arcadey take on solitaire hit the spot.

Wander Stars does enough to earn a thumbs up. The combat system is great, easy to grasp, but with surprising depth. And the story bowls along at a good pace, keeping you playing.

With surprisingly new mechanics stemming from the weapon system, Journey of Johann: Grasslands ends up being a near-perfect experience wrapped up into one short hour.

We’d encourage you to get a ticket to Irem Collection Volume 1. It’s stupidly exhaustive, fully featured, and burns brightly with stellar ideas. You might not need to play every game in this collection, but it would feel far less complete without them.

Whipseey and the Lost Atlas on Xbox One is a game that I can recommend to any fan of the retro platforming scene. The challenge and charming graphics are the draw here, with a fun playing experience on offer.

Sinner draws inspiration from several existing titles, but stands apart with its unique approach to development by incentivizing the player to become better, instead of merely improving a character’s skill set.

HyperParasite is a twin-stick shooter that’s got the ability to draw you in for one more go, time and time again. The plethora of cool characters to unlock – 60 to be exact – and the unique abilities they possess ensure every playthrough is exciting. In terms of gameplay, it’s fast-paced enough to keep you on your toes without being hellish.

Speed Crew manages to feel different enough despite opting for a tried and tested format. Solo or with friends, everyone can have fun with this one.

Lynked: Banner of the Spark is not a perfect game by any means, but it is juggling a lot of systems that come together to make a unique experience.

You’ll probably be pleasantly surprised by the majority of Dustoff Heli Rescue 2. 35 missions may not seem like a lot, but should you wish to grab all the available stars and dog tags, then you’ll need to invest a good few hours of gametime into what it brings.

UNDYING has a lot of heart, and while it can be unwieldy and frustrating at times, there's much to admire in its gameplay mechanics and the poignant journey of a mother and her son. This is a game that will stay with you long after you finish playing.

All in all though and Anthem is a great deal of fun. The in-depth story, believable characters and masses of content promise to keep you busy for a good long time.

Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory has two strong stories and more levels than you can shake a stick at.

For fans of the Metro and Fallout series, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl is very much in the same vein. But it also isn’t for the faint of heart; a high difficulty and a sense of desolation throughout puts this into a much more military shooter vein than the Zone would initially suggest.

Sengoku Dynasty is a game for the long haul. You could spend many hours exploring and just surviving. But the opportunity to play Sengoku Dynasty how you so wish is the real draw, ensuring you can create your own narrative in the process.

Krimson is a punishingly hard, rhythm based platform game that is extremely interesting to play. Expect deaths, many of them, but somehow the wish to get better and keep going remains strong. It won’t be for everyone, and I don’t want to measure my blood pressure after playing it, but as a twist on the Super Meat Boy formula, Krimson works very well.

If you’re a fan of the original outing in The Surge universe and have been craving more of that futuristic Dark Souls feel, then The Surge 2 on Xbox One isn’t a bad way to get your fill.

There are a decent amount of gameplay hours in the Amnesia Collection as a whole and for the price, it’s a very good deal.

Red Solstice 2: Survivors Ultimate Edition comes with a steep difficulty; near vertical at times, even on easy. Ensure you know that the challenge is real, but that does mean that when you do complete a mission, you can feel pretty proud of yourself!

Mighty Goose is a fun little game that is great for passing the time. Each level can be completed in around ten minutes depending on your playstyle, but that makes it the perfect game if you don’t have a lot of spare time available.

Bug Fables is a wonderful, child-friendly RPG with a solid story, great music, and lovely visuals. If you’re looking for something to bring you back to your childhood, this is a must-play.

There’s no doubt about it - The Gallery is a great addition to the FMV family of games; a genre which continues to get bigger.

I am not a huge fan of battle royales, because I hate feeling like I have nothing to do but walk or run 80% of the time. Spellbreak on Xbox One has completely fixed this for me. The matches are pretty quick, but even on the occasion that I do not find other players right away, I still have fun playing. Moving around is unadulterated fun: I have not felt like I have had this much control over my character in a competitive game since Titanfall 2.

Battlefield 6 is an immensely enjoyable game, especially when playing with friends. Yes, the campaign feels a bit rushed, but the multiplayer more than makes up for it, with superb new mechanics, a good range of maps and modes, and the joy of destructible environments.

For platform fans, Unbound: Worlds Apart will be a delight. It's a challenging game, but completely fair and with some well-worked checkpointing that ensures that dying is not a pain. It's inventive as well, with the use of portals helping your puzzle-solving and way through the adventure

If you appreciate mature-themed shooters, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered might be right up your alley, but it's definitely not for younger gamers.

It may be a departure from the usual formula of the Warriors franchise, but it all works very well in WARRIORS: Abyss. The gameplay loop, unlocking of new heroes and weapons, and grind for resources is absorbing

So many puzzle games which use blocks and feature literal copies of the famous Tetrominoes often feel cheap or unoriginal. However, Trenga has plenty to offer. There are oodles of levels, a myriad of objectives for the truly hardcore to accomplish, and a nice, primary gameplay loop that makes the game hard to put down.

Freedom Planet 2 evokes so much of what makes a great platformer, but feels a little bloated in parts. Still, that doesn’t stop it being a thoroughly enjoyable thrill ride which is sure to delight fans of the genre.

If future Judgment games involve Kaito as the primary protagonist, he is off to an excellent start in Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files. His past is explored in customary fashion and he passes with flying colours.

If you enjoy solving puzzles and playing detective, Things Too Ugly is definitely worth checking out.

Unusual Findings is distilled ‘80s, served up as a point-and-click adventure, and it’s as rad as it sounds.

I was initially unsure of Cronos: The New Dawn, and after the first few enemy encounters, I had a feeling that we just weren’t going to get on. This is a hardcore game, and at times you’ll be left frustrated, annoyed, and want to cry. BUT when it clicks, when you beat an enemy or a boss, and when you make progress, Cronos delivers a brilliant feeling. And be sure, you will want to progress in order to find out what has happened in this world, who you are and why you are here...Cronos: The New Dawn is a cracking new IP from an excellent game developer.

You should certainly enjoy your time with Terra Memoria. The combat is satisfying, but if I did have a complaint, it is that it is a little bit easy.

Absolute Drift: Zen Edition is a game that I have had a lot of fun with. It’s like a love letter to the days of the Japanese drift scene, meeting at midnight to race sideways down the mountain passes.

Wailing Heights is without a doubt one of the better point and click adventures you’ll find on Xbox One.

It would have been appreciated if there were a couple more survey-based games included to build out that fun, but if you like what Jackbox have provided over the years, then The Jackbox Survey Scramble deserves some playtime.

The story, looks, and sound are great and for under a tenner it is well worth its value. The camera can get very annoying and certain levels are rock hard though, but if you like a good platformer and want something different then come and join Fumiko in her search for the online truth.

ROBOBEAT is certainly one of the better rhythm shooting games on the market, and the choice of cassette that you use helps pace the game to your own playstyle.

Episode two is a bloody good continuation of the Guardians of the Galaxy adventures, with genuine laughter, plenty of happiness and occasional sadness to be had.

Some game elements haven’t aged too well, but they are in the minority here, and there’s no finer way to experience how the historic franchise began than by spending time with the Castlevania Anniversary Collection.

Antiquia Lost on Xbox One is one of KEMCO’s more successful attempts at an RPG, with a good story and a more forgiving feel to the combat.

The Hidden Cats franchise will get its claws into you again with Hidden Cats in Spooky Town.

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is like a mix between a Telltale game and an old school point and clicker, taking the best from both of those genres. It’s something very different and worth trying.

Oceanhorn 2 - Knights of the Lost Realm might be the perfect choice for those looking to get their teeth into a family friendly adventure.

Whilst initial moments are slow to take hold – and your first few runs will end in confusion and disaster – should you be prepared to throw everything you have at it, and are ready to take a good few hits in the process, then you will easily be rewarded by a mammoth game that delivers ship building elements, gunplay options and exploration in spades.

Please Be Happy is the kind of visual novel that you’ll think about after finishing it, perhaps encouraging you to look introspectively at your own life.

Redeemer – Enhanced Edition is a game that is more than worthy of your time. If you enjoy Diablo 3, any game in a similar style is always welcome, and even if you don’t, this is still just an unfettered joy.

Even though the gameplay comes with its occasional glitches, has a bit too many things going on and is run by some strange mechanics, the story, characters, and overall tone are all brilliant and extremely well put together.

There are plenty of games out there that offer long, involving experiences; think of the likes of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Red Dead Redemption 2. Sigi – A Fart for Melusina gives you the opposite of that, and it’s the type of game that we could all do with a bit more of.

Despite a few flaws, it’s safe to say Boti: Byteland Overclocked will provide gamers young and old a chance to experience whimsical 3D platforming goodness so long unseen in the industry, even if it’s not the genre defining title that so scarcely appears.

If you’re a baseball fan and not insistent on having official Major League Baseball players, teams, and stadiums, you will have a lot of fun with Super Mega Baseball 2. Despite the lack of stadiums and somewhat clumsy baserunning mechanics, Metalhead is hitting for power with their latest release.

It’s easy to dismiss Kamikaze Vegetables, as it isn’t abundantly understandable what it’s trying to do, nor is it the prettiest peach. So lettuce be clear: this is Metal Gear Solid but with the ability to strap yourself to a firework and fire yourself at an enemy, exploding in a fountain of vegetable chunks. Which, we think you’ll agree, puts it in contention for game of the year already.

LEGO Voyagers sets many foundational bricks that could be used by LEGO titles for years to come, be it the refreshing take on gameplay, reflective show-not-tell narrative told in wonder filled environments, or simple co-op fun. Sadly, a lack of overall direction and goals leaves LEGO Voyagers feeling more like a tech demo that future titles will have to rebuild, rather than a complete gaming experience.

Planet Coaster: Console Edition is quietly one of the best launch titles for the Xbox Series X|S, and made all the better by being available through Game Pass. For a park sim, it is incredibly easy to pick up and play as everything is explained and designed as this version was built up for consoles, as opposed to a simple port. The effort gone into that is noticeable in every single menu and button press; nothing is restricted by the controller.

It’s good to be bad in LEGO DC Super-Villains and you should let out your inner Joker by getting involved… but there’s a bit of room for improvement in this one. Batman still reigns supreme in the LEGO DC realm.

Zen Studios have once again proven why they are the pinball wizards in recreating real world tables. They frequently go above and beyond just creating a digital version, putting their own stamp on the table without removing anything that has made them so classic in the first place. And Pinball FX3 – Williams Pinball: Volume 5 on the Xbox One is no exception.

All in all, the ‘A Walk in the Park’ expansion is a worthy addition to the base game. I enjoyed my time with The Surge when I reviewed it way back in the mists of time, and the expansion has the exact same feel as the main game, but has turned everything up to 11 with the addition of the new enemies and weapons.

Not for Broadcast: Bits of Your Life is a great piece of DLC for an already well-established universe. The narrative is strong and the writing is very clever. When you consider all the different playthroughs, there is a lot of content to discover and examine in Bits of Your Life.

If you’re itching for a new top-down shooter to test your dodging reflexes, Greedland is worth a shot. Just don’t expect it to redefine the genre or hold your attention for dozens of hours.

XDefiant is an accomplished entry in the multiplayer space. There are lots of weapons, lots of customisation opportunities and lots of different skill sets to choose from, and that means you will find a loadout that suits.

We didn’t realise how much we’d missed the episodic story framework of a Telltale game, and Road 96 – while not being from Telltale – is a long-lost cousin to it.

DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods - Part Two on Xbox has made tweaks in all the right places to improve things for the concluding part of the DOOM Slayer saga. It’s by no means perfect, but the gameplay and tactics required makes it worth sticking around to finish the fight against evil.

Dadish 3 is just a feel-good platform adventure, generous in its laughs and imagination, and you’d be hard-pressed to emerge without a smile on your face.

It might be easy to dismiss Sable’s Grimoire as a visual novel take on Harry Potter. It’s even easier to dismiss as a dating sim. But it’s laced with teenage anxiety and social commentary, which builds on the Hogwarts foundations and ends up as a dating sim, almost by accident. It’s not without its cliches and melodrama, but Sable’s Grimoire is a rich, effective visual novel that fans of the genre will fall in love with.

Like how the Saints Row franchise started off slowly – eventually turning into a juggernaut filled with fun – the Agents of Mayhem are starting their career off in the same manner. Slowly, solidly and repetitively.

If you like RPGs, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is an interesting glimpse into the past; an intriguing game in its own right.

Katana ZERO on Xbox One and through Xbox Game Pass offers another simplistically violent video game at first glance, but before long the game starts playing with your perceptions, and by that point you are invested until the conclusion. And with several different endings and speedrun abilities to unlock, you could find yourself coming back more than once.

I have really enjoyed my time in the world of Albert & Otto. It’s a hard but fair platform puzzler with some great level design, innovative sections, great visuals and a cracking soundtrack. It does feel a trifle short, but I hope it sells well and allows the development team to create further episodes in the future.

Without spoiling the story, if you liked the base game of The Outer Worlds, you will love Murder on Eridanos on Xbox. The narrative is tight and keeps you guessing, the new gear is fun to find and use, and the increase in the level cap has been reflected across the game.

The grind of Soul Stalker is part of the fun, and the more options you have in terms of characters, weapons and trinkets, the more you'll get to go delivering the pain.

The action is gripping, and even if the pirates are so stereotypical it sometimes makes you wince, the gameplay is what makes Rogue Waters a success.

It’s fun, it’s wild, it’s a classic returning with a fresh lease on life and it’s one that any true racing fan should be getting involved with at the earliest opportunity.

Punch Club may not be the fighting experience we were expecting, but what’s missed on the fighting side is more than made up for by the exceptionally well worked management aspects of the game. It can take a while to get to grips with just how everything works, and just how you’re going to find time to fit everything into the day, but those that spend enough time will quickly find themselves enjoying one of the best management sims currently available.

Thirsty Suitors may not boast the best mechanics or the flashiest gimmicks, but it more than makes up for that by telling a wonderfully evocative, charming and often funny story. In my mind, it achieves exactly what the developers set out to do. And that is something that should be celebrated.

What an embarrassment of riches Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway has turned out to be. Previously something of an also-ran in the race to be the best karting experience, it can proudly take its place at the top of the podium on the Xbox - second only to Mario Kart on all platforms.

Wargroove is a perfect homage to the Advance Wars and Fire Emblem games, and yet also manages to carve out its own identity. The characters are varied enough, and their special abilities also somehow manage to fit with their personalities. But don’t let the pixel art style lead you astray, this can still cause a headache in later missions.

There are classics, some not so classics, some old, some new, some borrowed and some blue, but you can be sure that Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is a fitting collection for a company with such a fabled history.

The Black Desert Xbox Series X|S upgrade is more than worthy of the price of admission.

There may not be many new locations to discover, but the expansion of the story and the writing is, once again, top notch. It makes it all the better that the development team have managed to drop plenty of hints and huge expectations for what will occur as the episodes begin to conclude.

Indika is a game I was so looking forward to playing and much of it delivers. The world-building and experimentation in terms of story and gameplay are to be applauded. The visuals are very good, as are the voice performances, but it all kind of runs out of steam by the end, feeling incomplete.

For those who have been curious about Dark Arisen and love old fashioned RPG’s, then this is a must buy. Yes, the quests can get boring and there is a big whiff of old generation about the experience, but there are tons of content for your money.

Tux and Fanny is an experience like no other; it’s utterly bizarre, completely bonkers, and genuinely funny. Best of all, behind the madness is a functional and well thought-out point and click adventure to hold things together for at least a few hours.

Reverie: Sweet As Edition is not going to set the world alight, but apart from Shalnor Legends: Sacred Lands this is the closest you’ll find to an old skool Zelda game on the Xbox. It deserves some recognition for that alone.

If you are in the market for a side scrolling slash-em-up/platform-survival game, you could do a lot worse than take in these Lost Ruins.