After spending more than a few hours getting my arse kicked all over the S.S. Montana, I can safely say that Rex Rocket on Xbox One is three things: it’s brilliant, it’s beautiful and it’s brutal.

Morbid: The Seven Acolytes on Xbox is an excellent Souls-like experience and one that any fan of the genre should play. It’s constantly rewarding and delivers a frantic challenge on the whole. There are some hiccups along the way but it’s not enough to bring down this trip into steampunk nightmares.

Grandia HD Collection may not appeal to everyone, but those drawn to it will find this to be a great package.

Beamdog has taken what seems like an impossible task and actually managed to do it with Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale: Enhanced Editions on Xbox One. It’s no small feat to get two gaming classics and be able to translate them to the home console, but they have done so with very little sacrifice.

In their attempt to create a game that evokes the spirit of the classic originals, Dlala Studios has made a stupendous hit for the Xbox One library. Not only does Battletoads pay homage to the series entries that came before, it surpasses them.

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch does quite a lot of things different to the norm, but it all comes together in a delightful way. The roguelite elements add a note of jeopardy to every fight, and the sheer variety of gameplay makes it almost endlessly fascinating. With a difficulty level just short of brutal, this is one that will keep challenging you for a good long time.

DiRT Rally 2.0 is a game you’ll love. It has everything we adored in the original and only expands on that further with incredibly enjoyable racing, a steep learning curve and plenty of great sounding rally machines to take to the track in.

This is one of the more accessible sim city games out there and so if you have never played one before and fancy seeing what all the fuss is about, then maybe make Anno 117: Pax Romana your first port of call.

Promenade is a lovingly crafted platformer that may catch you off guard. I went in with no real expectations, and as a result ended up being pleasantly surprised every step of the way.

Xuan Yuan Sword 7 on Xbox is a uniquely special action role playing game which sweeps players into a fascinating setting; one that fuses ancient Chinese history with folklore. The game world is presented in stunning detail, and the world building feels organic and captivating. It also helps that this is an entertaining game to pick up and play, with rich environments to explore and a great deal of enjoyable variety in the gameplay.

We felt a film of grime developing on us as we played. NORCO’s world is decaying and warping, but we couldn’t help but sift through it, looking for the next hideous artefact in the sludge. This is a hypnotising point-and-click adventure, full of unforgettable characters, moments and puzzles

While Schildmaid MX has no valkyries, hydras or griffins, it gets a pass for being awesome. The shield-tech that underpins everything is sublime, and the more traditional SHMUP stuff is very good too. So good, in fact, that the lack of enemy variety doesn’t hurt as much as it really should.

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.

Flynn: Son of Crimson is a deluxe hot chocolate. I just want to snuggle into an armchair and reward myself with a solid, unbroken couple of hours with my hands wrapped around it. It feels like a video game in the purest terms, a frothy adventure with little in the way of friction or annoyances. And it rewards your attention by being deep and rich.

Rogue Legacy 2 is a fun game that incentivises variety. The different character traits can come together and make truly unique runs that don’t feel repetitive.

Planet Zoo: Console Edition is Frontier Developments at their finest, creating the best zoo simulation game of all-time, and one of the best simulation games in general.

We want to play a double-bill of DREDGE and Moonglow Bay. Because while Moonglow Bay is the positive, life-affirming and wistful side of fishing, DREDGE is the opposite. It is monstrously gorgeous, hideously compelling, and has our fingernails down to bloody ends. We’re going to need to update that best fishing games list.

All in all, the story and the characters are what will keep dragging you back to Shadowrun: Hong Kong - Extended Edition; you’ll want to see what happens to the team. Thankfully the gameplay is as solid as ever, but improved traversal makes things easier, and that makes this the best of those available in the Shadowrun Trilogy.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a worthy successor to the previous game, especially if you have a buddy to take along for the ride.

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered on Xbox One does a fantastic job of reiterating what has made the series so popular. It’s one we should be applauding once more.

From the get-go, Neon Abyss might not wow you with its uniqueness but it does do some nice things to change up the usual formula. Grab a little Binding of Isaac, a little Rogue Legacy, and a pinch of Cyberpunk and you have Neon Abyss. If this sounds up your alley, you're in for a nice treat.

If you are looking for a JRPG with a twist, with a brilliant story mixed in, then Meg’s Monster is the one for you.

A fine balance between fisticuffs, chit chat and intense situations.

We worried that we’d never get to play another Actraiser: a game that was foolish enough to twist platforming around RTS bits. But what we have is so much more. Smelter is leagues ahead of its ageing relative and deserves all the success that it (hopefully) gets. Smelter is a belter.

The Inner World deserves your time, and for the price, it really shouldn’t be missed. Take yourself to this world of zany characters and have a chuckle for a good while, all whilst testing your problem solving skills.

SOMA is a great game that brings a perfect blend of survival horror, an intriguing story, believable characters, and the constant dread of failure – things that are all too rare these days.

Get over the tricky first few hours of Graveyard Keeper: Last Journey Edition and it becomes something special. The base game is a few years old now and lacking an Xbox Series X|S update, but that really shouldn’t matter. The gameplay is addictive and you will quickly find yourself getting further and further away from what you initially set out to do, never worried, knowing it will all be worthwhile

Whilst you may well be drawn in to MOUSE: P.I. For Hire by the visuals and soundtrack, once in, you’ll discover a game that is so much more than just that - an investigative, story-focused, secret-hunting, first person shooting platformer that is an absolute joy to play.