Dark Atlas: Infernum has a lot of promise in terms of its story and creative atmosphere. I liked what the game attempts to achieve, and in some parts, it does that very well. However, the lack of a map, the constant darkness and issues with overall focus don't help matters.

I have enjoyed spending time with Truck Driver: The Dutch Connection, getting immersed into the narrative as I went. But, at times, driving for long distances, working from A to B and then back to A again, becomes extremely tedious.

Kiosk is okay, at least for the couple of hours it’ll take you to get through the story.

This is one of the more accessible sim city games out there and so if you have never played one before and fancy seeing what all the fuss is about, then maybe make Anno 117: Pax Romana your first port of call.

Dollmare has enough about it to entertain over a period of a few hours. Yet if I had one criticism, the in-game money that is handed out fast becomes a bit redundant.

Dora: Rainforest Rescue achieves its goal. It is perfectly weighted for a young player to play, yet it’s far from simplistic. There’s hidden stuff, replay opportunities and minigames. Throw in co-op, so an adult can act as a safety net if the kid gets stuck, and you have an admirable My First 3D Adventure. ¡Muy bien!

With a good number of dungeons to explore, and multiple quests for each one, there is a lot of content in Dragon Ruins II, and I found myself being sucked into the world of dungeon crawling rather easily.

If you are invested into Virtua Fighter, you’ll find lots to love about Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage. And even if you’re not, this is easily good enough to drag you in. The action on display is smooth, the gameplay is fast, and as long as you avoid the sharks online, you’ll have an enjoyable time with this one.

I could have done without some of the stealth mechanics in Sleep Awake, but I absolutely loved the other parts of the journey. The visuals and sound design are easily some of the best you might find on this current generation of Xbox.

If I had to play a racing game that wasn’t Forza, it would be RENNSPORT. That’s about all the praise you need to hear.

Kotenok is a basic platformer game that can be beaten in under an hour, rarely trying to be anything special.

Bomb Kitten is more like a stress toy or fidget cube than a competitor to Bomberman.

For about the length of the Lost Boys (and the price of renting it) I had a jolly old time with Halloween 1985. Sure, it’s not hugely deep or overflowing with levels. But setting traps for Witches and Mummies was at least initially fun, and the desire to unlock everything kept me going beyond that.

StarLightRiders: HyperJump does what it sets out to do – it is a fast paced arcade shooter, and while it is very much a case of “it does what it says on the tin”, there isn’t too much drive to keep plugging away. If you want a rock hard shooter, then have at it, but there are better entries in this genre to choose from.

Monster Hunter Stories doesn’t really excel at anything, but it doesn’t do anything particularly poorly either. What it does though is lay foundations for better games to come.

As a side-scrolling beat ‘em up, Terrifier: The ARTcade Game is very generic, with nothing to really shout about. And as a Terrifier tie-in, it feels like the license hasn’t been utilised well at all. It is a game with little substance, and a missed opportunity.

Aery - Winter Wonderland is horribly jarring. ‘Wonderland’ is not the term we would use.

PAW Patrol Rescue Wheels: Championship is thinner and more charmless than PAW Patrol: Grand Prix but - hey! - it’s got Rescue Wheels in it. It just about, by the skin of its teeth, retains its role as a gateway game for prospective racers.

Combat is not a focus in SILENT HILL 2... but that’s okay. For each beat of action, or flying zombie head lacking, there lies purposeful level design, an array of chilling foes to scream your lungs at, and an atmosphere so truly terrifying, you might just have to sleep with lights on and eyes open.

THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2: Remake is more brains than pains, through the thrilling on-rail action maintained from the original, and stellar boss fights with behemoths.

Morsels is a fun game with a unique atmosphere and a lot of heart; more than other games in the genre.

It feels like there is so much more potential that Rue Valley never capitalises on. The world is a good size and the characters are interesting, but the game gets tunnel vision on specific plot points and they resolve too quickly to tie-in to the conclusion

Ah, Love! combines puzzles and brainpower to achieve its narrative. But despite the singular positive of introducing various mechanics, issues such as not using mechanics past their introduction, mediocre level design, and abysmal presentation, all result in a game slightly above the worst of the genre.

Demonschool is a bit swings and roundabouts, but the good points just outweigh the not-so-good.

Adrenaline Rampage fails to provide any appreciable adrenaline hit. It isn’t particularly rampage-y either. Unfortunately, Adrenaline Jump-and-shoot-a-bit doesn’t have the same ring.

Project Motor Racing is a game of two, uneven halves. The actual driving is properly challenging, as you want a sim racer to be, but the rest of the experience is ruined by some over zealous AI, bad controls and ridiculous track limit rules.

Dungeon Minesweeper is a fun update on a classic game. It adds layers upon a simple concept and does a good job of explaining the entire process.

Detective Dotson is ripe with so much charm that the stuttering detective-work and controls end up getting pushed to the side.

While it’s short-lived, Sacrifice for Sale fills its brief time with cheeky writing and a fun game of chase-the-ending.

It’s worth waiting for a sale before buying Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny. It has a lustre that will only last for a few days, even in co-op. For a full-price game, that’s a lot to ask of a Nicktoons fan, but for a few (sponge)bob less? Yeah, we can see that happening.

It’s been an absolute blast going back to Red Dead Redemption. It might not be the all-encompassing big remake from the ground up that some wanted. But why do you really need to do that when the foundation is this strong?

The beautiful graphics, chill soundtrack, and enjoyable gameplay loop more than make up for any criticisms I could throw at DAVE THE DIVER.

Card Storm Idle is incredibly unlikely to convert anyone to idle games. But for those number-crunching, button-tapping weirdos who like the genre, well, this will be a week’s worth of clicking. It’s not pretty, it’s anything but ambitious, and - whoop whoop - it’s free.

Sometimes you can know too much about a game, and that is absolutely the case with Thank Goodness You’re Here. It’s best to offer up your hand and trust it. Sure, it might slap that hand, but the pain will be worth it.

If you’re fine with threadbare rewards from your Survivors-a-like or dungeon crawler, then Halls of Torment isn’t much of a risk; a compact little battler that, at the very least, gets the blood pumping for its first few hours, and offers a multitude of ways to personalise after that.

PowerWash Simulator 2 is a paradox. It looks like work and should feel like it too, but it somehow ends up being a relaxation.

Deathless. The Hero Quest is certainly a memorable title. Like it or not, there is an engaging core, which successfully merges with over the top set pieces, culminating in a fantasy-deck building-RPG epic bound to grip you. And that is despite its flaws.

Winter Burrow is a curious game; it was designed to be an easy-going entry into the usually challenging survival genre. Winter Burrow is about the journey, it is meant to be a cozy experience, one which demands little of the player. In that regard Pine Creek Games is entirely successful

How 2 Escape: Lost Submarine is a supremely well-designed escape room for two players, but it’s got a weakness in its companion app, and the game has a tendency to spring a buggy leak.

With gorgeous sprite-based visuals, modernised 90s based mechanics, and a foundation of combat able to provide hours of entertainment, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion more than earns itself a place in the fighting genre.

While Achilles: Survivor has weak points (it’s that ankle again), namely in enemy and level variety, it’s also a survivor-clone with a single, glorious idea at its centre: what if you could build towers to help you out as you gallivant about? That idea alone makes Achilles: Survivor worth a stab.

I’ve struggled with Cards We’re Dealt. Yes, it all runs fine, and the multiplayer works okay, but I’ve been left disappointed by pretty much everything else – the visuals, the sound, the gameplay and the controls. If ever a game has failed to click, this is it.

Murder Inc is a bit of a mixed bag. The story and atmosphere created are both decent enough, and I appreciated the opportunity to take in gameplay that isn’t just focused on going in, all guns blazing. But the controls hold Murder Inc back; they just don’t feel right and the loose crosshair annoys.

If you’re curious about retro-inspired horror and don’t mind rough edges, Acre Crisis might scratch a weird itch. But if you value polish, consistent mechanics, and coherent design then you’ll likely find more frustration than fright.

The Berlin Apartment accomplishes a lot within its five-hour running time. It successfully takes you across four different decades, centred around an apartment that has stood at the cornerstone of German history. Berlin is undoubtedly the star of the show, and through the window frames, you realise just how much change and horror the city has gone through.

Cat God Ranch is a weird concept, but it works thanks to the roguelite elements conjuring up a ton of variety. The vast amount of variables keeps everything fresh for hours and the strategic approaches you can adopt are quite fascinating.

The Jackbox Party Pack 11 is a great collection of games which boasts the series staples, but features no standout stars to add to the all-timers list.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor might be a curious choice – a single-player cousin to a game that’s the epitome of co-op play. But it’s no cash-grab, and everyone from DRG fans to Survivor stalwarts should give it a chance.

By the end of Care Bears: To The Rescue, we’d drawn a smiley face on our belly. This could have been a quick cash-in, an off-brand Care Bear from down the market. But this is the real deal: it’s got a sizable number of levels, and enough room for four-players to play together.

Unlike real-life gambling, CloverPit is a habit that is a little too easy to break.

If you’re like us and you have a hunger for something Blue Prince-shaped, then Secrets of Blackrock Manor - Escape Room fits the bill. Escape room fans can be reassured too: this is eight rooms teeming with puzzles

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles is a remaster that has been well worth the wait. Tactics remains the daddy of them all, and this remaster improves upon the original with plenty of modern additions.

Young players who are resistant to a bit of repetition, who thrive on simple platformers with forgiving mechanics AND carry a love for creepy shelf-goblins will find a welcoming game that is perfectly suited to a level a day over advent. For everyone else, we can sneer at The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes and mutter into our eggnog.

Gnomdom is a gnomic snack, a wee confection that will pass a couple of hours for a puzzle player.

75 years is a hell of an achievement, but Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club is not the way to celebrate it. It may claim to be a detective game (and the prospect of playing one excited us), but it’s more like an Errand Simulator.

If there were games that needed sticker warnings on the packaging, this is it. Chicken Run: Eggstraction may say that it’s family-friendly and co-op, but we’d argue that those are precisely the worst ways to play. If you want a modicum of fun, you need to treat it as a demanding and resolutely single-player stealth game.

Dark Deity 2 is an accomplished SRPG with a nice retro vibe to it. The story keeps you plugging away, the variety of the characters and upgrades you can choose helps with longevity, and to get all the achievements you are going to have to play it multiple times.

There’s a whole demographic of gamers out there who absolutely love the old-school gameplay loops, retro visual style, and, of course... tank controls. The developer delivers all of this with confidence in Greek Tragedy; it knows its audience, and they will probably love it. For me, it frustrates more than it impresses.

Does Little Nightmares III push the series onto another level? Well, in terms of the addition of co-op play and the ability to use combat, it certainly does. However, the journey through these new worlds, while visually distinct, does cover some similar thematic beats, and at times, it can feel like a well-trodden path.

It’s wonderful to play through Little Nightmares again, this time in Enhanced Edition form. The graphical updates are the biggest thing to mention and you can really see them working on screen. It’s a shame the DLC isn’t included in the base package, but for newcomers, Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition is an absolute indie masterpiece.

It feels like being lost is part of the intended journey and so if you are a fan of the original game, then you will have a good, hellish time with Rain World: The Watcher.

Axis Football 2026 allows you to customise a team and playbooks and comes with a good-looking Franchise mode, at least on the surface. But it seems to forget the proof is in the pudding and it will be judged by some really bad gameplay on the gridiron itself. If American Football had a treacle mode, then Axis Football would have its gameplay speed nailed

1000xRESIST will be hard sell for some, a narrative driven adventure game will not appeal to the masses. Truthfully, had it not appeared on Game Pass, I would likely never have played it. But now that I have, I know I will never forget it.

Loop-based anomaly games have become all the rage lately, and there is a very real danger that this type of game will overstay its welcome. But in the case of CAPTURED, it does a great job of keeping you interested with its effective scares and the unsettling environment that you are forced to meticulously examine.

Supermarket Simulator is incredibly addictive, which is the hallmark of any good simulation game. It has that powerful “let me do just one more shopping day” appeal to it that could, and probably will, consume a hell of a lot of your time. Yes, it is a bit rough around the edges, but the core playability and the undeniable drive to make your supermarket the best in the neighbourhood are something that will keep you going.

If you like your spot-the-difference games to be weird, and have a peculiar love for creepy cabins, then you should try a shift at The Cabin Factory.

Bye Sweet Carole will transport you to a different time and place, one that is like sinking into a warm bath; familiar yet new, with its solid storytelling and beautiful, nostalgic animation.

Yes, playing NBA Bounce alone does get a bit boring after a while, as the game becomes a tad samey. But it’s in playing with others on the same couch where this can properly shine, and, of course, in its wonderfully wacky Party mode.

If you are a dedicated fan of old-school survival horror and genuinely don’t mind the punishing nature of limited save points and the deliberate awkwardness of fixed cameras, then Tormented Souls 2 could be for you.

Goat Out of Hell might work better had it been titled Game Out of Hell, as that is how it feels. A lack of innovation or introduction regarding stage design and mechanics, leaves the couple that are present to burn out and fade away about ten minutes in.

Going for a slide in the mountains is a whole lot of fun, whether that be for a mission or just to pass the time. The scenery looks amazing, and drifting feels so right that I can forgive a lot of the bad points found in JDM: Japanese Drift Master. It isn’t the most polished game ever, and does come with its quirks, but as a drifting game, it is currently right up at the top of the tree.

The big takeaway for Reus 2 is this: don’t give up on it in the beginning. It might feel overwhelming at first, what with the sheer number of options and the short, hands-off tutorial. But it is so worth carrying on, because this is a gentle and amazing god sim game.

Windborn - Echoes of the Night has none of that trademark Aery calmness. Its entire focus is on relentlessly hitting checkpoints against a strict time limit. To be honest, the whole package feels a bit half-baked. It's a real shame.

You’ll have fun with Lumo 2, even if the isometric visuals do prove to be a persistent nightmare during the more demanding platforming sections. See through that and this is a well-crafted, retro-themed surprise.

There’s no doubt that Trivia: Knowledge Trainer - the Quiz Game is good for a bit of fun for an hour or so, and the knowledge-building part of the game is genuinely great. But the extremely basic layout and its complete lack of thrills do lose it points in terms of long-term appeal or longevity.

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch does quite a lot of things different to the norm, but it all comes together in a delightful way. The roguelite elements add a note of jeopardy to every fight, and the sheer variety of gameplay makes it almost endlessly fascinating. With a difficulty level just short of brutal, this is one that will keep challenging you for a good long time.

You should well enjoy your time with Rise Eterna 2, largely because it reminds of games from the past, and the swell of nostalgia hits hard. As a game, it is short, but with multiple difficulty levels to try out, and the chance to play around with the loadouts of the team, there is a decent bit of replayability built in.

Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is an absolutely spot-on remake of an old, fairly simple game. The new things that are added in make a big difference, and the inclusion of multiplayer modes are a lot of fun.

SWORN is just co-op Hades, but who doesn’t want co-op Hades?

Go Fight Fantastic! should really be called Go Fight Not Bad!, as while there are issues, especially in the online world, there is a solid game here.

There’s no doubt - Painkiller is a shot in the arm for the FPS genre, with DOOM rivalling speed and masses of enemies to shoot. Chuck in multiple characters to master, each of which plays differently, and a wide selection of weapons to get used to, there is a lot of content here. The online world is well populated too, with no difficulty finding others to play with. And it is here in which Painkiller really shines.

KAKU - Ancient Seal comes with some big ARPG ambitions. Yes, there are times in which rough moments pop up, and for me, the platforming elements are too floaty. But nevertheless, this is a great game with a wonderful world to explore, pulled along by some decent combat and Zelda-like puzzles.

Before Exit: Gas Station cleverly lures you into many false senses of security.

If you’re a fan of horror, Creepy Shift: Roadside Diner does a good job of mixing scares with sim work. But just remember, don’t let that jukebox play…

ARC Raiders does a great job delivering on a satisfying and fun extraction shooter. Encounters with other players will range from exciting to frustrating, and ARC enemies often have their own set of challenges to overcome, but these things are what make the experience unique and rewarding.

Mel The Cat won’t hurt anyone. It’s an inoffensive title designed for about half an hour of fun, yet sadly it can’t even achieve that, with no second of your half an hour playthrough introducing any resemblance of enjoyment.

Football Manager 26 Console is incredibly disappointing right now. I have a strong feeling that in six months’ time, after a load of patches and optimisation updates, this might be a different beast altogether, as framerate issues and bugs are pushed to one side. But we can only review what is in front of us, and the sad reality is that Football Manager 26 Console, at times, borders on the unplayable.

Syberia - Remastered is not a perfect game, and there are many moments when it really does feel like it’s 2002 again, but you’ll mostly be glad to experience this iconic story from the very beginning.

There is a vogue for this genre of game, where you are tasked with spotting anomalies in a short, repeating loop. Some are very scary, but P1: Anchor Light feels quite unique with its strange set-up, the terrifying hand from the sky, and the fragmented narrative that needs to be unlocked piece by piece.

If you have kids, or are a fan of the series, then there is enough here in Hot Wheels Let’s Race: Ultimate Speed to get you behind the wheel, in turn delivering some fun racing.

Let Them Come: Onslaught doesn’t quite hit the heights of its source material and inspiration, but it is a good, challenging blast nonetheless.

While there are issues, the pace and exuberance of the action on display is very appealing, and so if you are looking for the next level of Survivor style game, you might well have just found it in Bloodshed.

Hidden Cats in Rio de Janeiro is a welcome return to what makes the Hidden Cats franchise so appealing. It rediscovers the simple, zen-like joy that made us fall in love with the series in the first place.

Satisfactory knows what it wants to be and it executes that near flawlessly. It’s a game that players will easily sink dozens, if not hundreds, of hours into, especially if it gets its hooks into them. Time flies when you’re having fun, after all, and who knew being a foreman of a factory on an alien planet could be this much fun?

I am a fan of games that take risks with their gameplay content. A Pizza Delivery does this with an offbeat narrative and visual storytelling. What doesn’t work so well are the actual gameplay mechanics - jarring at times, far from fluid, and a bit basic.

The components of a really fun game are present, the world is well-designed and aesthetically it is beautifully done. But many of the roadblocks in Nice Day for Fishing feel like a way to pad out the time.

Wreckreation feels a bit like a budget Burnout. There are interesting ideas with the Live Mix stuff to completely make your world feel unique, but when an open-world racer feels this empty, should it really fall on us to populate it?

I don’t care about the lack of fancy camera tracking on my Xbox. What I do care about is having an uplifting and emotionally twisted story that makes me consider the lives of all those found in-game. I also care about game mechanics that surprise, allowing the player to do things they may not have necessarily done before in their gaming sessions...Goodnight Universe does all of this and much more.