I enjoyed the story of Down Among the Dead Men, and I think it totally captures the nature of those ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books of yesteryear. However, after a couple of playthroughs, it does start to become a bit stale, and the lack of energy in the voice-over doesn’t help matters.

Hunting Simulator 2 is a bare bones version of its predecessor, and not even man’s best friend can save this from being an inferior sequel.

We Are the Caretakers deserves heaps of praise. You can point to the world design, story, depth of gameplay and themes of conservation and find something to fall in love with. But it needed longer in Early Access. The bugs and crashes keep stampeding through the game, trampling on what was painstakingly constructed.

Doug’s Nightmare is almost perfectly middle of the road. It isn’t the worst twin-stick shooter in the world, but neither is it anywhere near the best.

Alphadia Genesis 2 is an improvement over the first game. It seems to run more smoothly, and the story is a good one. It is still riddled with RPG cliches and as such really can’t be classed as in any way, original. However, if you are looking for an inoffensive way to kill a few hours, you could do worse than to spend a little time with Dion and his squad in Alphadia Genesis 2.

The visuals don’t live up to the standards that one would normally expect at this price range. Bloodstained doesn’t offer much in terms of narrative either, and most of its characters – bar Zangetsu – are downright awful. If you really want to experience this latest project by Koji Igarashi, then consider waiting for it to land on sale, which I think will happen sooner rather than later.

Bloody Samurai is far from a spectacular action-platformer. It could do with some clarity, a better UI and a dollop of variety. But for the price, Bloody Samurai has style to spare, and there’s at least an afternoon’s worth of entertainment in there.

If you want a bit of wish fulfillment for your little Catboys and Owlettes, with a 2D platformer that knows the gaming limits of your tykes, then this is a wise parenting choice. PJ Masks all shout hooray, because in the night, this - just about - saves the day.

Fimbul is a tricky one to really sum up because on one hand we have a brilliant atmosphere, a strong narrative and some lovely visuals tones. But on the other, the biggest problem is that it doesn’t quite feel properly finished, with glitches and sections that don’t feel fully explored or developed.

Gaps by POWGI is one of the simplest word puzzlers from Lightwood Games in terms of concept, but this helps it by not overcomplicating things that could potentially draw away interested parties. The puns are back too which is only ever a good thing, as is the very easy Gamerscore.

Oxyjet does bring a new idea to the party table, and being a big fan of a co-op game experience it would be churlish of me to mark it down too much for being a fairly slight experience. But playing solo is very dull, and while knuckling down with a partner against the AI is better, it still misses the ultimate competition that comes from a real live adversary.

Wave Break unapologetically rips the core gameplay from Tony Hawk’s games, changes the skateboard to a speedboat, adds in some almost superficial gunplay and reckons that is enough. Multiplayer modes offer some fun, but Wave Break offers nothing new for existing fans of arcade skaters.

There’s a lot to love in Party Panic. It’s garish and hilarious, and there’s so much value in its many game modes and 33 minigames. But boil away the more ramshackle of them and you’re left with a solid dozen, all of which have been done - and better - in Mario Party. For the affordable price, and for the opportunity to have a mid-tier party game on the Xbox One, that might be enough. For others, it might be worth waiting at the window for Fall Guys to come to the party.

It’s an intriguing tale and the desire to unravel a potential conspiracy whilst escaping is certainly at the forefront of the experience. The problem is, the two core mechanics for solving puzzles are not fit for purpose because one is bereft of accuracy and often malfunctions during placement, and the photo sending aspect just randomly stops working.

If you miss the classic Doom style FPS experience or fancy the challenge of rogue-like every now and then, then One More Dungeon isn’t the worst game to play and will do a job of scratching that retro itch. But should you want something that can keep up with modern trends or even throw something a little fresh into the mix, then you’ll probably not find much in the way of excitement.

Consider the fact that there are many free-to-play alternatives out there, and LEGO Brawls is one for only the most ardent of LEGO fans.

If you fancy yourself as a tank commander, fill your boots with Chrome Wolf. But the controls are a big stumbling block. Finding yourself getting stuck on a corner, before being thrust into yet another fight, soon takes the shine off.

Train Station Renovation is a strange one, however if you fit into the niche market it is trying to appeal to, there’s a chance you will love the game. It's well-designed, works absolutely fine and the mixture of cleaning and subsequent designing of old abandoned train stations will satisfy many. It’s pretty unique though, and slightly weird, but there is plenty of potential for what it can provide in the right hands.

The lack of multiplayer is felt here even with an interesting eliminator mode, and so Formula Retro Racing is only one to check out if you aren’t able to play Virtua Racing and are starved of options.

It’s not overly original, and it’s not ground-breaking, but there is plenty of fun to be had and if you have capable players around you then you can be sure to knock out a good few hours with this one.

What we have in Aniquilation is almost a case of style over substance - a game that looks flashy and full of pizazz, but is a bit lacking where it counts.

In hindsight, creating a spin-off from, arguably, the least fun parts of the main This is the Police series was always going to be risky. It hasn’t really paid off and, at best, only the most hardcore strategists will be able to appreciate what Rebel Cops tries to do.

The variety of guns is great, but the visuals are not, and the actual gameplay becomes pretty repetitive, pretty fast. Ultimately that is what stops Time Carnage being more than it is.

Heavy Duty chose a different path. It’s a finicky, precise simulation game, and that wasn’t the path I would have chosen for it. There is a chance that it’s the right path for you. Just be prepared to drive down that path very… slowly… indeed.

The first 15 minutes of Onigiri does all it can do to put you off. Press on through this however, and there is a surprisingly deep game to be found, one with a very good story centered around good and evil.

It may not have a buttery biscuit base, but Super Bomb Rush! has just enough mix to create something that is well worth a little shot.

Herdling is not the game to convert those averse to walking simulators: It can drag, and has a confusing control setup. But it is also beautiful, heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures, and that’s all done without a single word spoken.

Rebel Transmute is a competent Metroidvania type game that is let down by some bad design decisions. The sheer amount of backtracking is really annoying, the death penalty sucks, and the map is largely useless - but apart from that, Rebel Transmute is okay.