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.

A Memoir Blue isn’t prime Annapurna Interactive: we liked, but didn’t fall in love. But a mixed-media take on the love between a mother and daughter is wholly endearing, and there isn’t a barb or rough edge in its simplistic gameplay.

It gets a solid B for being charming, quirky and a fine way to wile away six hours or so. We never regretted enrolling into the Kraken Academy!!, we just felt that it had the potential to be an A+ student.

All in all, TwinCop on Xbox One does live up to the billing as the most cooperative game ever, as it really does need you and your partner to work in concert. As a co-op game it’s a riot, but although there is a single player mode the game only really comes alive with a buddy.

You should play Hundred Bullets, but beware of the difficulty spike, it’ll sneak up on you.

Shred! 2 - ft Sam Pilgrim on Xbox One isn’t a game that should worry about visuals or audio - it’s a game that absolutely thrives on momentum and insane combos, seeing the player pull off tricks without a care in the world. And in that respect, it utterly nails things, delivering a playthrough that is engaging, free-flowing, and precise.

Restrictive nuances in both single player and multiplayer prevent players from having as much fun as they could – and at points even make Disintegration feel shallow – but the FPS/RTS fusion on genres works to a point; neither feels more predominant than the other, but then neither feel fully formed either.

A true boss-hell experience.

sCapes is a pretty accomplished tactics game, and while the story keeps you playing, all as you look to see what is going to happen, the hook to drag you back afterwards is a bit weaker.

If you are a horror fan, Ellen is definitely worth checking out. It’s a genuinely unsettling and atmospheric title that does the best with the tools available to it. Yes, the lack of variety is definitely an issue, but that shouldn’t hold you back if you crave a few scares.

For a good chunk of the time, Red Ronin is a fun game that provides a good challenge. I just wish that the mechanics introduced in the second half of the game could’ve either been implemented better, or left out altogether.

Despite a short running time, Under the Warehouse is one that can be enjoyed. It delivers a strange surreal world and story, along with an ending that some might hate. But this is cheap in price, and so worth taking a punt on.

Metal: Hellsinger on Xbox Series X|S isn’t quite the Symphony of Destruction we were hoping for. It feels more akin to a band’s debut EP; a noteworthy introduction but one that is just a snapshot into the potential.

Outbuddies DX draws from some very special places in its design. From its Metroid style to its Lovecraftian world, there is a lot it compares to. And while not perfect in its execution, it does a solid job at grabbing these ideas and adapting them in new ways.

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.

We can’t recall a game that would anger us as much as it addicted us, so congratulations Dark Quest 3. It’s a questionable award, but it’s yours.

It has a completely original concept, delivers a great bit of sim-based fun and comes with some wonderful ideas. But the controls can be tricky, and there are glitches that are occasionally annoying; it is these which are key to how much time you'll invest in this game.

Essentially, Arcade Spirits on Xbox One feels like an entry point to the visual novel genre. It lacks the depth, complexity and hook of games such as Phoenix Wright, but instead relies on its relationships to suck players in. With a slow build, it’s hard to recommend to anyone but veterans of the genre, especially with a script that never evolves beyond its basic humour. But its charm is hard to deny and, infused with the nostalgic factor, it can be downright difficult to resist at times.

Endless Dungeon might not be a game for everyone, and it may not convert you to become a roguelike faithful, but it is a fun experience - especially when enjoyed with friends.

Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio on Xbox One is unapologetically a retro, 2D platformer that looks and plays as if it’s been plucked straight out of yesteryear. Not only should it be commended for this, but also for the addition of a mode that caters better for the modern gamers.

Gravity Chase falls short of being the anti-grav racer that you need in your life, but for some quick hits of adrenaline and speed, it just about does the business. Be understanding of a bit of grind and repetition, and you'll find the flow of Gravity Chase to excite.

Park Beyond oozes character and is dripping with imagination, but the execution is sadly lacking in parts. That said, this fantastical world gives the creative types the tools to run wild.

For short term hits, and for those with a desire to show their skating skills on a new forum, Skate City flicks and tricks its way to glory. It’s just that the greater grind and increase in trick difficulty may eventually become too much to bear.

Curious Expedition on Xbox One is a unique, interesting and solid game. The ideas that mix choosing your own adventure with rogue-like gameplay are more intriguing than I thought they would be, and the survival hardships and elements when combined with a fantasy world that harks back to 1950's adventure movies is a great tone to pick.

Put it next to EA’s Rory McIlroy title, and it looks dated and sad. But give the game a chance and the polished gameplay from all those years ago starts to shine through, and fun can be had in spades.

Toki on Xbox One is a welcome remake of a relatively lesser-known arcade classic. Whether it was worth bringing back at all depends on how rose-tinted your lenses are, but it’s certainly interesting to see a modest hit from 30 years ago find its way again on modern gaming platforms.

The World According to Girl has an interesting premise, but rather fittingly fails to execute the grand plan and falls short of being the great game it could be.

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.