Project Warlock on Xbox One is a run of the mill clone of classic shooters, but it doesn’t incorporate the ingenious and thoughtful level design that made its forebearers such timeless classics.

There is a lot of content to go at in Fallen Knight and the platforming action, while not top drawer, isn’t bad. It's just the whole combat loop that doesn’t seem to work as well as the rest of the game, and when you come to market as a bit of a fighter, that's pretty much the kiss of death.

There’s not enough here to keep the V-Rally mode from feeling like a chore rather than an enjoyable and fulfilling career mode, and unfortunately that feeling drips down to the overall V-Rally 4 experience. It’s an unfulfilling experience with no clear idea of what it’s trying to achieve.

Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker takes a risk by venturing into the online battling arena genre and it doesn’t pay off. Putting aside the technical issues for a minute, and to be fair there could be a good experience here, but even then the combat and movement is difficult to master.

Demon Hunter: Ascendance isn’t bad, in hidden object terms. For its first hour, it even threatens to cover new territory, taking you into a knowingly tacky house of horrors. But it soon becomes generic, and the second half of the game is a perfect median of every Artifex Mundi that has come before. For a game named Ascendance, it doesn’t half go downhill.

Nostalgic Train paints a beautiful picture. It would just be nice to see it too.

KEMCO’s Asdivine Cross on Xbox is just some RPG. There’s nothing new or startling, there’s nothing that will amaze you, but equally there is nothing that is overly disappointing, apart from the slightly dodgy controls. If you have previously played, and liked, the rest of the Asdivine games, it’s good to have another bit of story from that universe.

Daggerhood has one terrific thing going for it (two if you count easy Gamerscore): the dagger teleportation mechanic is brilliant and does make for some interesting level designs. It is unfortunately then bogged down by everything else, feeling like every other 2D platformer on the market.

Arenas of Tanks is not a bad game. Arcade mode is slight and will be finished quickly, but Challenge mode comes with much more depth and does provide a modicum of replay value.

Lemon Cake hasn’t really risen in the oven: it’s surprisingly flat. For a £25.99 price tag, that’s a problem. It has undeniable charm and makes for a strong gateway to the cook-and-serve genre, but it will take an Xbox sale for us to truly recommend it for that purpose.

People who want to experience the nostalgia of games and cartoons from the ‘80s will most likely enjoy Clash Force on Xbox One, and for the price point, there isn’t much harm in trying it out yourself. It doesn’t really do anything wrong, it just doesn’t do much right either.

Swim Out on the Xbox One can offer a decent challenge and is fairly priced. Additional challenges can come inadvertently from the frustrating mobile device format and lack of differentiation between swimmers, and these stop it from being a great puzzle game. As it is though, it’s fine, and could be an easy 1000G for those able to think two or three moves ahead.

Murder Diaries 2 takes a tiny step up from the original game, moves the narrative on by splitting it between two protagonists and asks some good questions on morality. The more abstract-level designs are appreciated, but once again it’s frustrating that old assets push things along.

Tour de France 2023 is probably the best Tour de France game so far, but don't expect this one to go ripping up the race. It's still nothing more than a mid-peloton domestique.

Spacewing War is a fun trip down memory lane, especially for those of us old enough to remember these type of games from the first time around.

Bud Spencer & Terence Hill - Slaps and Beans 2 feels like there is an in-joke going on, and I have no idea what it is. The story is absolutely ridiculous, but it feels like this is a deliberate choice. From there, it’s a mixed bag - the action on offer in the main part of the game is dull and repetitive, the mini games are a lot better, and the rest is pretty forgettable, to be honest.

If you’re after a gripping tale then Swordbreaker The Game isn’t going to be for you, so just turn around and walk away. Should you have a penchant for fantasy art and achievement hunting however, then maybe the cheap price could sway you to consider it.

The gameplay is quite addictive and you’ll really want to check out the recipes on offer, cooking things up. The controls aren't the best though and you will find yourself lost with what to do multiple times, but if you fancy yourself as a feline chef then Chef’s Tail could be for you.

Moo Lander has a unique theme and a certain charm about it, but the thinly stretched ideas mean it doesn’t take too long for this one to turn a little sour.

The Raven is back, but their legacy neither enhances or tarnishes this return. Maybe check it out in the sale if you enjoy a good Poirot-esque story.

If you’ve exhausted all the other POWGI offerings - and we would still recommend the others over Alphaset - there are plenty of reasons to tuck a biro behind the ear and get puzzling.

Zombie Cure Lab is a refreshing antidote to the usual headshots-and-shotguns zombie formula, blending upbeat strategy and base building with a surprising dose of humour. Sadly, on Xbox Series X, it is also riddled with technical woes, awkward menus, and control hiccups that make curing the undead more frustrating than fun.

There are elements that are great, but there are also moments that massively overstay their welcome. However, if you want to take a chance and don those priestly robes, then you too can become The Padre.

If you enjoy a sudoku, here is another way to take on a puzzle or two. If you aren’t a fan though, there is nothing extra here to tempt you. There is a nice twist on it being based on the letter format rather than that of the number, but ultimately this is sudoku with an Xbox controller. Nothing more and nothing less.

For the hour it runs, Drizzlepath: Deja Vu is enjoyable. It does nothing to test you gameplay-wise, and fails to provoke any deep meaning in what is trying to be said. But I do believe these games are important to have - narrative adventures that blend exploration and artistic vision.

Castle of Heart: Retold rounds off a few rough edges from the original. However, it remains a run of the mill platformer which, despite the intriguing affliction Svaran carries, does little else to innovate or differentiate.

I love a lot of what it has to offer, and it certainly comes with a plentiful supply of achievements, but I feel totally let down with the problems found in the mechanics and framerates.

If you enjoy school management simulations, meticulously organising timetables, optimising teacher performance, and taking on the challenge of rescuing a failing institution, Let's School might be for you. But it’s hard to enjoy after the initial building phase, as Let’s School starts to feel more like work, than it does play.

Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China may have proven to be a bit of a let down with its campaign, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that the combat is rather enjoyable.

There’s a shelf-life on your enjoyment with Retro Highway. Your time with it will be measured in minutes rather than hours, as its lack of variety between tracks means that motivation isn’t going to stick around for the long haul. But while you’re in the driving seat, it’s a short, bite-sized version of the classics it emulates, and that might be enough for a test drive.

No matter whether you have played an Aery game before or not, you’ll find some enjoyment in Aery - Ancient Empires. Extremely similar to everything previous, you’ll still discover a very calming experience, and the chance to bag an easy 1000 Gamerscore.

Vasilis on Xbox One is a very interesting take on an intriguing and social-political premise that is steeped in recent Ukrainian history. The visuals are really exciting and as a game it manages to tell so many stories with its abstract hand-drawn style mixed with the terrifying reality of the situation. The gameplay itself is less satisfying though and you may well find yourself lost far too many times.

Treat it as a warning: if you’re looking for a deep simulation, or something that will keep budding vets glued to a pad then Animal Hospital won’t satisfy. But if you’re the kind of player who gets lost in easy routines, wiling away hours on simple processes, then there’s something inexplicably addictive to Animal Hospital.

With more to say and a grander vision, A Day Without Me could have risen above its more ramshackle elements. Instead, we emerged with some disconnected but memorable moments of horror, and little else.

The Rumble Fish 2 is a competent fighting game that is enjoyable in the single player or local Vs modes, yet crippled by a very poor netcode that makes online matches a bit of a lucky dip.

The art style and core gameplay loop of Becastled are great. The concept is a solid one, and the way the city comes together is satisfying. It’s a shame then that it just doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to.

Self-Delusion creates a compelling atmosphere and offers an intriguing gameplay loop. While the survival horror mechanics weren't to my taste, I can see its appeal for fans of the genre.

Shieldwall is an interesting game. While it functions well and offers an enjoyable campaign, the gameplay loop can become repetitive. The most significant drawback however is the lack of online multiplayer on Xbox.

The next-gen release of Hunting Simulator 2 on Xbox brings with it some very notable graphical improvements to the environments, but that is the only real difference. A lack of a next-gen upgrade, save migration or new features in general – aside from having to pay even more money – prevent this from being a worthwhile investment for existing players.

Mystic Pathways is a game I recommend to those who want to pick up a quick and easy game to enjoy - especially when wanting to relax to a new magical level.

Busway Islands - Puzzle is a minimalistic puzzler that delivers the minimum amount of enjoyment for its nominal price tag. The circuit style puzzles are fun for a little while as new mechanics are thrown your way, but you’ll have seen everything by the halfway point

Steep X Games feels like a real bare-bones DLC cash grab. The training missions feel deliberately lengthened to increase playtime, the three X Games events are good but nowhere near enough, and the freestyle events that follow are no different from what exists in the base game already.

Stick with SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS long enough, and you may find enjoyment there. Somewhere, deep, deep down.

For all the clear, Antarctica-sized holes in Super Sunny Island, we had a bit of fun with it. The levels are mindless but also frictionless, and the controls work well. After a hard day’s work, we found it positively relaxing, churning through minute-long levels without a quibble.

The use of different flight options can almost act like a training simulator, but for those looking to invest in a drone without the hefty price tag, this would be a good place to start.

It’s hard to determine who Queen’s Quest 4 is actually for. While it’s a relaxing way to spend a few hours, it’s an experience that will vanish from your memory the moment it’s done with. It’s easy to appreciate the wonderful visuals and casually fun puzzles to indulge in, however its story often clashes with the tone the rest of the game represents.

True Virus is most definitely a solid adventure with some hard puzzles and a lovely art style, but a clumsy UI and lacking story don't ever let it stand out.

Steel Rats is a game that should cater for the adrenaline junkies and action hero wannabes, but instead the convoluted controls and questionable handling slams the brakes on hard ensuring a much slower pace than expected if you wish to gain any fun from it.

Paper Cut Mansion is a game with two sides. On one half of the paper is a gorgeously wrought, intriguing and constantly surprising little dungeon crawler. We loved that half, and it was the game we wanted to play. On the other side of the paper is the roguelike, and it soaks through and ruins the other side. It’s too repetitive, too much of a slog to enjoy.

Mrs.Cat Between Worlds is a case of good cat, bad cat, and for a blizzard of Xbox achievements, that might well be enough to cough up £4.99 like a furball.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game isn’t the best Traveller’s Tales offering, but the great combat and the creative ideas to try something new are what prevents it from being a terrible game. Maybe buy it in the sale, but definitely don’t pay full price.

Dodgy mechanics, swift staleness, and a lack of identity all stop Bridge Constructor Studio from reaching its potential

In short then, the story of this Sniper Ghost Warrior – The Sabotage DLC is enough to make me recommend that you play it, at least if you enjoyed the main game.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint on Xbox One does have a lot of ambitions and ideas, but then drowns them in a tide of nonsense and poor design. I have enjoyed the game at least in the PvE environment, as the multiplayer PvP is not very good at all. Grinding for levels, exploring, and finding missions is a great deal of fun, but the problems are never far away.

Paper Plane Arena - The Haunted House is a relaxing, easy-to-play, and addictive game. If you have played any of the games from EpiXR Games previously, then you’ll know what to expect - a straightforward experience with an easy 1000 Gamerscore at the end.

Alveole is a short game, but it is also a worthwhile experiment in game development and abstract narratives.

Trucking fans will have a lot of love for Alaskan Road Truckers: Highway Edition. It's not as epic as others in the genre, but it does a good job with adding the RPG elements and management bits.

If you’ve got a handful of pals to entertain, Epic Loon fits the bill and the failure to succeed will only add to the occasion. It’s not a game to be played for long spells though and should you be riding solo, then, frankly, there’s not much point in buying it.

Both the combat and crafting are pretty good in Titanium Hound, but navigation through the levels is the opposite - and that means this is a pretty middle of the road game. It does have some good ideas, but it has some dodgy implementation, and so the advice is this - if you like a shooty platformer, try it by all means, but the platforming bits are very frustrating.

Predecessor is worth every penny of the free asking price, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get a bit samey and a bit familiar, all a bit too quickly.

While there are elements to like in Unknown 9: Awakening, it doesn't feel particularly innovative, except for the enemy possession mechanic.

Horror of the Deep on Xbox One provides a smattering of short gameplay that puts you in a strange dark world, refusing to hold your hand at any point. The sense of exploration, mystery and terror around every corner is served well here, and the game is good at taking you on a journey through an underground hell. It does unfortunately lack a solid story and any form of reason to why you are playing it.

While Gunman Tales is overflowing with ideas, there’s no denying that the central one is creaky. The lightgun stuff is neither fun nor particularly varied, and adding in some character movement isn’t enough. Once we’d found the Golden Canyon and claimed our treasure, we didn’t have the impulse to return. We just rode off into the sunset.

Tinkertown is a game with heart, and is a nice place to be. However, there are improvements that need to be made before it can reach its true potential and keep you coming back for more.

It’s a fun and cheap little distraction on Xbox One, a fun little experimental idea, but beyond a few sittings and some easy achievements there is not much else about 112th Seed that stays with you.

Remothered: Tormented Fathers is a game that is almost ready to fill the classic horror experience gap, but the issues present are certainly hard to ignore. Should you be able to look past the misguiding sounds and horrendous movement mechanics, then you’ll still be able to find the essence of a quality horror story nestled deep within.

Unholy is a mixed bag, but there’s certainly an interesting game in there, kicking around underneath the problems.

Remnant II: The Dark Horizon represents a somewhat disappointing end to the game’s post-release content. It feels substantially shorter than the others, and the new glider doesn’t really bring anything new to the table.

Overall and there most definitely are lots of problems with this little indie game. The story is hard to follow, there are no instructions, and at times, it’s stupidly buggy. But it is only £4 and after my initial 10 minutes, I enjoyed the journey it took me on. The art style is cool, the gameplay when you get used to it is solid and the characters are endearing. For the price, you may as well give it a whirl.

‘N Verlore Verstand is a mixed bag of blessings and curses. I’m a big fan of unusual games that think way outside the box. But I do like small threads of structure and narrative to hold on to. It’s interesting that the developers call their levels ‘scenes”, because they are just that; a collection of different scenes to experiment with. The exploration elements of the game are great, but the jumping mechanic is poor and leads to deep frustration in its latter parts.

Behind all of the technical trouble of Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Definitive Edition is a really great CRPG that honors its heritage and feels like a 90's CRPG release - the kind of thing that could stand right next to the classic greats. While it's certainly not as good as some of those seminal titles, it does come close and is a great time to anyone who wants to party up and venture into a wild and dynamic fantasy world. It’s just a shame that technical aspects stop that from happening.

Whether you are looking for easy Gamerscore or a colourful game to challenge the little ones, you could do a lot worse than TETRA’s Escape.

Tales of Symphonia Remastered is a brilliant JRPG. Some areas such as the battles and overall sound feels a little dated, but it is still very much a playable game. Where it is let down is in the remastering details, or rather lack of.

The best things about Inukari - Chase of Deception are the visuals and the music. Each world comes with audio tailored to the environment, catchy enough that it never gets redundant. If only the rest of the game would’ve seen the same care.

Tricks Magician is a frustration-free puzzle-platformer that will give you 1000 Gamerscore for very little challenge. But this magic show is full of tricks you’ve seen before, and it doesn't have enough pizazz to make the repetition worth it.

Given that Jump Force is supposed to be a celebration for Weekly Shonen Jump, I’d just cancel the party. The biggest names in manga have come together for a fast-paced, enjoyable fighting experience and instead it’s dragged down by a lacklustre narrative, repetitive missions and too many visual effects for its own good.

Given that the average playthrough is over in less than two hours, I’m hesitant to recommend a purchase of The Journey Down: Chapter One without a sale price. It’s fun, but it hasn’t aged well.

There are better KEMCO games out there – Asdivine Hearts and Revenant Saga for example – but there is fun to be had here, at least if you can look past the vaguely incestuous romantic angle.

She Wants me Dead is a hard platformer, but it's a very engaging and quite addictive one; something that is always a good hallmark for a side-scroller. The level design is decent, and the challenge builds well, so much so that as you complete a level, you'll feel extremely well rewarded. However, there isn't enough content for the asking price, even when you factor in the replay value; going back to perfect your time and score for achievements.

Dazzling visuals, multiple storylines and one pretty cool protagonist are sadly not enough to compensate for the entertaining, but ultimately underwhelming, gameplay in Aeon Must Die.

Although the story is fairly decent, the short length that it comes in at – about 3 hours – isn’t enough to tell a memorable tale and with combat proving a mind-numbing experience, this is one you’d probably be okay to leave on the shelf for a rainy day.

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.

Ballotron shows a bit of leg with 3000 Gamerscore for barely an hour’s effort. Dirty achievement hussies will already be getting out their wallet. But for anyone who’s looking for entertainment, Ballotron can feel, in two ways, hit-and-miss. When it’s good, it’s a trickshot simulator, a snooker-like puzzle to be solved. When it’s bad, it’s a meeting of slippery physics and complete chaos. Pick a level and flip the coin.

Wildshade: Unicorn Champions isn’t anywhere near the best karting games of the year. It’s too quirky to get close. But if you have younger unicorn fans in the house, then you can be reassured. There are some fantastic accessibility features, and - as long as you keep to Easy difficulty - Wildshade: Unicorn Champions will satisfy your little ones’ fantasies of being elite unicorn riders.

The visuals may be nice but with such little content to speak of, and such a repetitive nature to the gameplay, there isn’t enough to really warrant you drop everything to get hands on.

While this is a retread, it’s one that doesn’t stick around, understands the original’s faults, and bribes you with 2000 Gamerscore for your troubles. It’s not exactly a poster-quote, but Ballotron Oceans isn’t a complete waste of your time.

Narrative is always strong in KEMCO games, and this is no different, except it is unfortunately accompanied with more than the usual amount of control issues. And because of that, even though there is some worth here, Seek Hearts isn’t the strongest experience on offer.

There are glimpses of a great crime sim in Crime Boss: Rockay City, but to find them you'll need to be able to last long enough in the campaign. The roguelite elements at play do little to keep you plugging away for long though.

After spending years in Early Access on Steam, Space Engineers is loaded with ideas. The idea of a creative crafting game in space with a degree of complexity to it is instantly intriguing – a game you could get lost in as you figure out new ways to effectively build ideas. Space Engineers is a game I wanted to love. Unfortunately, when those who you love disappoint, it hurts even more.

The story is a gem, and it’s worth playing through just to see what happens to Rogue and co, but the desire to replay any levels on a harder setting is just not there. Quirky controls (at the risk of being kind) and guns which lack both a decent feel or noise rob the game of a lot of impact.

There is a lot to love about I Hate This Place, especially in terms of the story, visuals, and audio. However, I do think the gameplay loop, the combat and stealth, isn’t as fun as it should be.

Loop8: Summer of Gods is a delightful visual novel with decent RPG mechanics that’s let down greatly by repetition and below-par battling.

If you feel there is room in your life for just one more roguelike action-platformer, then Collapsed won’t let you down. It shines in the right places, tempting you into one more run with the promise of a host of unlocks. You just won’t encounter anything fresh or new on the way.

Aside from answering questions, the atmosphere and overall presentation of the game certainly makes a decent fist of engaging players, but that short play time hamstrings The Station before it can ever really get going.

In the swapping gun, there is a fantastic idea that begs for a game to be built around it. But Swapshot isn’t slick enough, nor clever enough, to truly get the most out of it.

You may well applaud the basic story setup and retro visuals in Diorama Dungeoncrawl - Master of the Living Castle. But the gameplay loop gets too frustrating at times, more annoying than anything as we are left to repeat levels.

If you want a good solid FMV that is clever, brilliantly filmed, and has enough twists and turns to keep you interested then you should definitely give She Sees Red on Xbox One a go. However, if you after gameplay, or anything more than some action-orientated choices every eight minutes or so, then this isn't the game for you.

If you want a mental or physical workout, Catana is more like a fidget spinner: it might keep you occupied, but you’re not going to feel any better, or more tested, for playing it.