Kill the Brickman’s attempt to add a roguelike to a brick-breaker is an inventive idea, but not the best execution of it.

The Outer Worlds 2 is as good as the original game, and dare I say even a little bit better.

I didn't think I needed another Amanda the Adventurer game in my life, but I am so glad Amanda the Adventurer 2 came along, as it successfully takes the core experience from the first game and progresses it further in meaningful ways.

Originality is always present in Journey of Johann: Cave Explorer, whether it’s for good or bad, but that is where the issues arise; a distinct, speedrunning-based foundation of gameplay is often juxtaposed through poorly designed stages, feeling as though they were thrown together.

The Lonesome Guild has a few flaws, the most blatant being the underutilised combat system. However, this can’t detract from the passion, interweaving gameplay systems, and introspective story about friendship, that combines to perhaps take this to the top of many best indie games lists.

The big problem is that racing, while seemingly breathtaking and urgent, is actually a little dull in Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition.

If you have the slightest interest in Mortal Kombat, you need to get yourself involved with Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection.

Mind Over Magnet sure is an attractive game. On one hand you have some fantastic, innovative gameplay involving the laws of physics in the form of puzzles, yet this is repelled, rather than attracted, by the consistent complacency in not introducing new gripping mechanics, until a point where it’s too late.

NINJA GAIDEN 4 is an absolute no-brainer for any fan of a hack and slash game. It is fast, bloody and quite often breathtaking, and it looks brilliant to boot. If you can work around the camera issue then this will be very close to perfect.

Whilst it may be a little rough around the edges, those looking for a Warioware inspired game on Xbox have one here with DUCK: Dangerous Ultimate Cartridge Kidnapper.

Just Dance 2026 Edition offers more of the same party fun that we have come to expect of the franchise.

Rise of Industry 2 is a complex, ambitious, and occasionally frustrating industrial simulator. It captures the entrepreneurial spirit of the 1980s and gives players an impressive amount of freedom to craft their own success story. But that freedom comes at the cost of a steep learning curve, a cluttered interface and a handful of bugs that can derail your progress.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is an incredibly satisfying park builder. The overall challenge may be lacking but the environmental and park design mechanics more than make up for that slight disappointment.

Keeper is a short, but very sweet, exquisitely crafted experience which relaxes, intrigues, impresses and delights at every turn. This is about as relaxing as gaming gets, and I loved it.

Yooka-Replaylee is not a masterpiece of 3D platforming, far from it in fact, yet if you just lower your expectations for this to be the next Banjo-Kazooie, enjoyment will soon follow. A stunning soundtrack, world, and overall charm, harmonise with the troubled, yet enjoyable gameplay, and the accompanying arsenal of moves. Simply put, Yooka-Replaylee is fun, but not groundbreaking.

In Labyrinthine patience is largely rewarded with a gripping, bone chilling horror experience which can be “enjoyed” alone or with friends. Just remember to keep an ear to the ground.

Extremely Powerful Capybaras is not only a fun thing to say, but a fantastically fun thing to play too; a combat, and corresponding upgrade system, full to the brim with possibilities, merge with the sheer love poured into the title to create an experience, not without its flaws, yet so satisfyingly enjoyable.

BALL x PIT is a mash-up of Vampire Survivors and Breakout, and it is just as addictive. Runs are short and explosive, and you can feel the improvements in between them, all lending itself to giving it one last try, again and again.

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.

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.

Lorn’s Lure is an odd game. The graphics are rudimentary, and the gameplay is simple, yet it has some incredible difficulty spikes. It's not a game that will speak to everyone, and there are plenty it will actively push away. But for players that ‘get it’, it really connects.

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.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that if Wizordum halved its runtime, adding interactive environments that complemented the various weapons and spells, there could’ve been something special here. But as it stands Wizordum provides little more than what a 90’s shooter could, thirty odd years ago.

It’s just the lack of challenge or complexity to the gameplay loop that makes Super Mining Mechs start to feel redundant shortly into its runtime. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a game that doesn’t require much thought, allowing for you to zone out while playing, then Super Mining Mechs may be worth checking out.

Bee Flowers: Save the Garden is an amalgamation of letdowns, missed potential and repetitive gameplay and level design.

Mamorukun ReCurse! is a solid shooter with plenty of charm appeal thanks to its Japanese heritage. Although it’s not the best example of the genre, it is very appealing to have the opportunity to play this cult arcade hit.

King of Meat does a lot of things right, with its fun gameplay and co-op action that provides short, sharp hits of chaotic fun. It's a game that makes you want to keep coming back.

If you like puzzle games, Hanoi Puzzles: Flip Match does a great job of carrying on from the first game, albeit with an interesting new twist. And if you’re in it for the achievements and Gamerscore, it is quite easy to fill your boots within a few hours.

Slime Rancher 2, of course, takes many things from the pre-laid foundation of its predecessor, very rarely for worse. The majority of the time, each mechanic, minuscule or major, feels completely revamped for the better, with an abundance of thrilling, new content that ultimately leaves Slime Rancher 2 a more polished, enjoyable experience.

Buildest feels like a hard one to market because, on one hand, it has a family-friendly, co-op, party-game feel to it, but at the same time, you must keep to the strict rules of building without any opportunity to go outside the box.

Blood of Mehran has all the right bones for what a game of this type should be, and it plays fine, but it's one that unfortunately never truly impresses.

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 does enough to make it worth a punt. The story is silly and funny, and the action on display, the so called “matchroidvania”, does enough to make it addictive and playable.

Whilst Fling to the Finish works in single player mode, it really comes alive in multiplayer. If you have a regular pal to play with, either online or on the couch, then Fling to the Finish is an easy sell. But if you don’t have such a friend…

At the price point, XIII A Final Game of Tarot may be justifiable for players, especially achievement hunters who are looking to maximize their Gamerscore. But beyond that, it's hard to recommend, especially when all the content can be experienced in less than 30 minutes.

If you played the first Electronics Puzzle Lab, then there is absolutely nothing new here in Electronics Puzzle Lab 2. It feels like a majorly missed opportunity to add something, anything, new. Instead, there are fewer levels, fewer components, and the same frustrations. To many, this will exist purely for achievement fodder, which, if you can believe it, is exactly how the first game felt too.

For a relaxing, chilled out game you can probably stick a podcast on to play, Tiny Lands – Deluxe Edition is worth a look. And if you want a modern take on a spot the difference puzzle, this will just about sort you out. Just don’t expect too many frills or anything special.

On paper, this is a mash-up that shouldn’t work. But testament to Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition, and with this being the second remaster of the original game, it proves that it does indeed work. Be prepared to play an awful lot of tile matching gameplay with very little variation in between. But if you want a game to dip in and out of, a game that is deep enough to be called an RPG too, you could do a lot worse than Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition.

In Train Sim World 6 I liked the new random events, even though after a while I saw the same things appearing, and the new tracks and trains are always appreciated. But I am looking forward to seeing what the next entry will, hopefully truly pushing the franchise forward in a more significant way.

Silent Hill f is absolutely brilliant, 90% of the time. The tension, as well as the atmosphere that the graphics and sound create is amazing, really drawing you in; play this game in the dark with headphones on and you’ll understand what I mean.

Platypus Reclayed really is impressive on every front. Far from being style over substance, it’s an immensely satisfying, yet challenging, shoot 'em up experience.

Republic of Pirates just about provides an enjoyable time. The core gameplay loop of building and plundering is surprisingly relaxing, and the story is interesting enough to provide solid motivation.

Even taking the super low asking price into account, Cats and Seek: Osaka is a hidden cats game that is seriously low in content.

With the usual high standard of line drawings making up the two stages in Cats and Seek: Kyoto, if you’re at all familiar with the virtual cat hunting scene, and want to continue with what can easily become a bit of an addiction, then you should probably take a trip to Kyoto.

The new characters are fun, the gunplay is as cool as ever, and the additional mechanics add an extra layer. The only fly in the ointment is that the sheer amount of fights do start to get repetitive, but with a crew, Borderlands 4 is about as good as it gets.

There's a lot to like about Bananitro and it would be good to see more in the future. The components are all there, but the execution falters at times, resulting in an experience which regularly swings from being good fun, to feeling like a chore.

LEGO Party! is certainly enjoyable, there’s no denying that; the huge range of mini games and mini figures encourage customisation, contrasted by the larger than life personality the title oozes. Sadly, the clear derivative gameplay hardly creates anything original, and that means LEGO Party! is left to lean heavily on its predecessors.

MOUTHOLE is strange, different, utterly crazy, but highly memorable.

Dying Light: The Beast is an exhilarating, grotesque, and technically impressive game that proves Techland still understands what makes this series special. The parkour is smoother than ever, the melee is unmatched, and the attention to detail in the world is astonishing. It stumbles with stealth, the story remains functional rather than unforgettable, and some design choices feel limited, but these flaws don’t outweigh how consistently enjoyable it is to play.

The presentation is unique, and the zoned combat system does implement mechanics that aren’t seen in other games in the genre, but when playing alone it's hard for the pros of HELLCARD to compensate for the cons.

Deadzone: Rogue carefully combines FPS conventions with roguelite goodness through fleshed-out gunplay, hyper-focused builds from the plethora of perks, and a cozy overarching hub for upgrades. Even the few failures in level design and bit of boredom this title does face, can’t deny the sheer enjoyment it will bring you.

As a collection and a retrospective anthology of Bubsy games, Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection ticks all the boxes. The issue here though, and it is a fairly major one, is that the games weren’t ever very good in the first place. Even with the modern additions to make them palatable, these are bad platformers. And unfortunately, nice inclusions can only get you so far when the gameplay is sub-par.

Sky of Destruction is sufficiently different from a run of the mill shooter to make it interesting. The composition of your fleet, and the way that you can configure the aircraft you use, add a bit of spice to a stale genre. On the downside, the tutorial is extremely poor and doesn’t really give us much of a clue as to what to do.

ZOE Begone! is a wonderfully created but brutally difficult SHMUP, that despite looking cute and cuddly, will challenge even the most adept players.

EA FC 26 is frustrating at times, but there is nothing else that can beat it, and no competition that can deliver such a well crafted experience of football.

Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition is a worthy addition to the Alien canon of games. It isn’t all out action like Aliens: Fireteam Elite, but requires you to use your brain as well as your trigger finger. I just wish the save system was better.

HOTEL BARCELONA is enjoyable from start to finish, even if that finish comes about too swiftly. It's also definitely over the top and not something to take too seriously. HOTEL BARCELONA is really just a fun game, no matter how you look at it.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji has proven to be a very pleasant surprise. Even though it doesn't contain anything truly groundbreaking, it succeeds in what it sets out to do.

Hidden Cats in Tokyo is a hidden object joy, even if we don’t particularly need that story to keep dragging us along for the ride.

Makis Adventure is certainly that… an adventure. During its course you’ll encounter curious characters, formidable foes, precious puzzles and mellow moments all standing in the way of your goal. Sadly, a dull combat system and barren hub world, are a deadly duo leaving this title enjoyable, with potential greatness hiding inside.

Despite a few minor setbacks, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is Sonic Team’s valiant effort to compete in the arcade racer market; when your game contains an abundance of characters, maps, game-modes and mechanics all of the same calibre, it can easily go toe-to-toe with even the Mario Karts of the genre.

Forgive Me Father 2 is an old-school shooter, but it brings enough new ideas to the table in terms of its wildly imaginative weapons and intriguing story.

Is there such a thing as too much Gears? I don’t think so, and that is proven with the release of Gears of War: Reloaded; a game that is as good as ever, slightly better looking than before, and now absolutely chock full of content.

It's always tricky to write about a game like Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match because if you hate puzzles or brain-teasers, then there won’t be anything for you here. But if you like the little puzzle games that have been appearing on Xbox over the last couple of years - ones that are cheap and an enjoyable diversion - then this game could be for you.

To use an apt metaphor for Knight Quest: Goblins Raid’s quality, a doubled edged blade would be most fitting; it’s a polished, fun medieval platformer, however a combination of perplexing gameplay and level design decisions, result in a self inflicted wound that damages the very platforming foundations so strongly needed for a title such as this to work.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is ambitious, but a little flawed. The scope of the game is amazing, and the world is a pretty cool place to be, but technical issues drag the score back a bit, sadly.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is a beautiful, infuriating, visually stunning game with a lot to offer the dedicated player.

Even though I loved my time with Arctic Awakening, it did frustrate me in equal measure. The pacing is sometimes off, and there are moments when the story wanders off track. But the overall premise is great, and the visuals and soundtrack are lovely.

Axobubble is certainly no masterpiece, plagued with occasional bugs, a limited move-set, and narrow minded level design, yet its bubble gimmick can’t help but be viewed as a (much needed) stepping stone for Afil Games to learn from and expand upon in the future.

Minos Dungeon is unlikely to offend you, at times even able to provide some enjoyable gameplay, yet a few sokoban sins, paired with the knowledge that each ounce of fun is lifted from a predecessor, leaves this one bordering on just average.

It’s a good challenge, with a great story and lots of variety in its levels. Sometimes the presentation feels a bit flat, but it’s never anything that is able to take away from the enjoyment.

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is without doubt a superb attempt at merging genres; its take on the roguelite formula is particularly effective, on par with titles like Hades due to its gripping gameplay, diverse range of gods and abilities, and fun replay value. Despite this, a lack of intentional map design, leaves a barren feeling to stages, begging to be filled with more.

Above Snakes isn’t going to redefine survival games, but it doesn’t need to. It offers a charming, occasionally relaxing, sometimes frustrating journey into a frontier world that’s part history, part imagination. The Wild West setting is a breath of fresh air, even if the supernatural twist doesn’t quite land.

There are times when Deepest Trench succeeds at pulling players into its dark, watery world, especially when two divers are working together to survive impossible odds. Yet these successes are fleeting, and the game too often feels rough around the edges. What is an excellent concept is sunk by the game itself.

If you’re looking to kill an hour, get 2000 Gamerscore in your bag, and have five dollars burning a hole in your pocket, then Fit and Fry is an option.

For the right person I am sure Discounty would be a satisfying package as is, but it falls short in a lot of areas that otherwise have great potential.

Ratshaker is very brief. Now there is a slight comfort to this because it is one of the creepier games I’ve played in recent memory and the short run-time does ensure any elevated blood pressure doesn’t remain so for too long. But it's going to take less than an hour to beat regardless of who you are.

Hot Stakes Casino – American Roulette does absolutely nothing that other roulette games in bigger titles already do. The only additions are the minigames, that are very luck-based, and the character artwork, that just aren’t very good.

KARMA: The Dark World is the kind of game that will stick with you long after you complete it. Far from perfect, with a disappointing third act and some major performance issues, thankfully the pros outweigh the cons.

Grief like a stray dog is a visually amazing and unique creation, delivering a powerful and impactful story that resonates deeply with the tragic conflicts of our own time.

Candylands Journey is a solid, plucky platformer which does enough to keep your interest, even if you’ve seen it all before.

Collie Call has some good ideas for its Sokoban puzzling, but fails to do anything worthwhile with them. Sure, it’s cheap, however it’s also short, far too easy, and only really good for boosting your Gamerscore.

Metal Eden may have clear inspiration, but emerges as an enjoyable adventure in its own right which unfolds at a breakneck pace. The eerily beautiful, mechanical world riddled with danger and intrigue compliments the fluid gameplay, elevating it above a simple shooter.

Inspector Waffles Early Days is a short, sweet love letter to a different era of gaming. Perhaps as a result of aiming to be wholly true to the time, it also comes with familiar limitations.

NHL 26 is one of those games that will easily last you the year, working as a welcome return to the franchise. Whether you are a hockey fan or not, you’ll get thrills from the on-ice action, taking you back to the glory days of decades gone by.

The foundation of Frostpunk 2 is fun and challenging. Managing resources and relationships throughout the campaign is a satisfying process, and the story itself is engaging. But the performance issues on Xbox bring the experience down significantly.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants is bittersweet. Despite getting almost everything right, as did the base game, it’s hard not to feel short changed by the time the credits roll. Let’s pray Indy’s not about to hang his whip up anytime soon.

It’s always good to take to the court again, and that’s true once more with NBA 2K26. It is an excellent new addition to the franchise.

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.

Gloomy Eyes is one of those games that you really must play. Aside from a slight camera issue, it introduces the player to a wicked world, dark, foreboding, but full of charm. This is an adventure you’ll want to join, as you aid two distinct children on a journey into the unknown. If you’re looking for puzzles, it’s got it, and if you need brilliant visuals, it nails matters. But further to that comes a narrator that brings this world together in the very best possible way.

As an FMV game, Dead Reset comes complete with good production values, a great premise, and excellent performances. The gameplay mechanics, though, are quite basic, and sometimes you will be left watching along, without playing for too long.

What DETECTIVE – Scene Crime does is give you a solid detective experience, challenging your mind and leaving you to make notes as you try to work out everything from the scene.

You may be tempted to look the other way but don’t, because underneath the somewhat cheesy exterior of Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids is a highly entertaining and accessible strategy action hybrid.

Whilst Rogue Raccoon may not be breaking any boundaries, conventions or doing any other things some AAA counterparts are, it’s still fun. Your 90s nostalgia and need for a simple, short game, are all fulfilled during Rogue Raccoon’s troubled, yet memorable thirty minute playthrough.

TRIANGLE STRATEGY is a deep and rewarding tactical RPG that rewards patience and curiosity. To see everything will require at least three playthroughs, but there is a New Game Plus to assist with that. And on those repeat playthroughs, at least you can skip those cutscenes; they are plentiful, and perhaps too many.

Dragon Snack actually manages to deliver a good path-building puzzler that’s not going to break the bank. The challenge is decent enough to hold your interest for its fairly short completion time and there’s fun to be had by figuring out the solutions.

Vlad Circus: Curse of Asmodeus is a pretty good game. The graphics work nicely, the story is compelling and Josef, while a bit of a scumbag, is a likable enough protagonist. Unravelling his story is a worthwhile pursuit, and if you like a disturbing game, this might well be up your alley.

If you like the Baki Hanma series, or Punch Out, then you should come out fighting with Baki Hanma: Blood Arena.

When teams coordinate, objectives shift dynamically, and firefights erupt across carefully tuned arenas, Delta Force feels like something greater than the sum of its influences. The challenge for the future is to refine this identity, not just echo others.