Whilst many of the components of Like a Dragon: Ishin! will immediately feel familiar, that is no bad thing. An adage that franchise fans will repeat is that there is no bad Like a Dragon game, and Ishin continues that trend.

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters will keep you interested. The story arc is very enjoyable and keeps you pressing forward to see what is going to happen, whilst the managing of your ship is a lot like trying to keep a load of plates spinning. It’s all helped by the fact that the combat is suitably brutal and visceral.

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.

The decision to provide a two-part ‘Ties That Bind’ premiere for A New Frontier allows time for the characters to settle in, to initiate the connections and reintroduce players to the deadly world they now live in.

REPLACED is an ambitious action adventure platformer which opts for hand-crafted pixel art, but that takes nothing away from how utterly absorbing it is. However, I can’t let that blind me from its shortcomings that, whilst far from being serious, do limit the potential of an otherwise impressive game, one that can sometimes be accused of style over substance.

With all aspects weighed up, including the reasonable price point, you should certainly give Torchlight II a go and let it light up your life with what is an addictive dungeon crawling experience.

The price is perfect - in fact, perhaps it is a little cheap for the number of hours you will put into it - and in terms of the story Relicta on Xbox One is all very intriguing; the ideas behind it are fantastic. The script doesn't quite work all the time and the physics might annoy some, but if you’re looking for a test of the mind, this is certainly worth looking at.

Lemnis Gate is a very pleasant surprise. A unique, strategic mind-bending FPS, it is mechanically strong and content-rich. There are still some technical issues that need to be resolved and the progression system is very stingy, but what is here is a hidden gem.

If your love for all things Marvel or Capcom is strong, then Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is no doubt worth a look, but for everyone else it depends how much of a hardcore fighter you are and whether A.I. is enough of an opposition to keep you entertained.

If you’re a fan of RPGs then grab some coffee, be ready to lose a lot of man-hours, and ring in sick to work, for Greedfall is going to take up a lot of your time.

Aside from the manic nature - and the rubbish music - the rest of Raiden IV x MIKADO remix is a joy to play. If you like old school shoot ‘em ups, then give Raiden IV x MIKADO a try, and be prepared to recalibrate what you think is a hard game.

The key takeaway with F1 Manager 2023 is that your enjoyment of the game will differ immensely depending on your knowledge of F1. What is here, as long as you are a real F1 nerd, is capable of captivating for hours on end. However, with niggling issues within Race Moments, a lack of sense of progression, and the engineering side difficult to get to grips with, F1 Manager 2023 is the nichest of niche titles.

Crimson Desert will require a massive time investment - we are talking hundreds of hours. Even now, many hours in, I am still discovering new things, and new ways to play keep being introduced. And be in no doubt that this is a mad old game, and yes, there are plenty of things wrong with it. Thankfully, the good absolutely outweighs the bad in Crimson Desert.

Fear the Spotlight is relatively short to play through, taking around 3 to 4 hours to complete, but it makes the most of that time.

You’ll want to arrive in Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter knowing that the game is absolutely brutal, and so that means you’ll need to absolutely dedicate yourself to learning the game's systems, closing your eyes and going for it. For many though, that bar of entry may feel a little too high.

Tell Me Why on Xbox One is DONTNOD's strongest game to date. It is quiet, introspect, mature and superbly written and performed, with visuals that are easy on the eyes - the novel release approach also helps things. There are still some factors holding it back from perfection, but I sincerely hope this is the start of a great partnership between Xbox and DONTNOD, as I feel this game is a perfect example of the type of content Game Pass is perfect for delivering.

There are no two ways about it – allowing for personal tastes – SUPERBEAT: XONiC is either going to be a huge hit or a massive miss.

When all is said and done though, if the base game of Control didn’t strike your fancy then The Foundation DLC on Xbox One isn’t going to add much else that you’d be interested in. But if you enjoyed Control, I definitely recommend picking up The Foundation. And for those who can’t get enough of the plot, it might be worth just going straight for the Season Pass.

Iron Harvest is an absolute delight to play. If you’re a bit of an RTS noob you’ll never feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount to do or how to control your diverse army. The story will help keep you engrossed over the lengthy play time, as Iron Harvest Complete Edition provides access to characters you’ll actually care about, all as you hope to lead them to triumph.

At the end of the day, if you liked Overwatch, you’ll like Overwatch 2, or Overwatch 1.5 as it should probably be. If you didn’t, you won’t, and with the game playing community seemingly more toxic than ever

In spite of that, though, the foundations of Hell is Us are rock solid. A follow-up game would allow for the combat systems to be refined, and for the story and world to be built out more. And whilst it’s not a perfect first game, many series really hit their stride in a sequel and I would love to see what developer Rogue Factor could do with this world further down the line.

This is without doubt the best retro ‘90s style racing game available on the Xbox One right now, and it is highly recommended… no matter whether you are old enough to remember the glory days or not.

It is very clear from the outset that Freedom Finger on Xbox One is a niche game. It being a space shoot ‘em up is enough to put people off from the start. But if you also have an aversion to satirical, on the knuckle toilet humour, or more experimental music, then steer clear. If this does sound like something for you though, then Freedom Finger will offer a few hours of a lot of fun.

There’s a fairly big chunk of gameplay on offer in The Quarry and it totally deserves a replay in order for you to witness different endings and try to see if you can keep everyone alive - or kill them all.

The introduction of Create A Team makes F1 Manager 2024 the most rich iteration of the F1 management sim series to date.

R-Type Final 2 is a very good shooting game in its own right, and having the history and background of the R-Type legacy makes it even better. There’s a lot to get involved in besides just shooting stuff, and the ability to unlock new ships that may suit your playstyle better is a big draw.

We didn’t realise how much we’d missed the episodic story framework of a Telltale game, and Road 96 – while not being from Telltale – is a long-lost cousin to it.

If you should be in the market for a stylish platformer, you’ve found it in the shape of Cookie Cutter. It’s one of the best indie games of recent times.