All in all though Battle Princess Madelyn has been a wonderful waltz down memory lane. I love the way the game plays, I can clearly see the affection that the inspiration is held in, and it is just the right side of too hard. The visuals are bang on, the music fits perfectly and the gameplay has been polished to within an inch of its life.

The Big Top Breakout is cheap, cheerful and worth trying your hand at escaping from at least once, but maybe even twice or more to see the other possible ways out. The whole setting is a lot of fun, the clown inspired customisation items are welcome and the jobs are well suited.

As long as you stick to the single player, Jagged Alliance 3 is very good indeed. The controls are nicely optimised for console, the story is interesting and forging a team out of a bunch of seemingly disparate personalities is a lot of fun. With a deep levelling and crafting system to get to grips with, this is one of the better strategy games of the year.

Madden NFL 19 isn’t exactly breaking new ground when it comes to EA’s football franchise, but it is a step in the right direction. The additions to Franchise and Ultimate Team modes provide a more complete experience that appeals to more players, and versus play is more seamless this year.

Loop-based anomaly games have become all the rage lately, and there is a very real danger that this type of game will overstay its welcome. But in the case of CAPTURED, it does a great job of keeping you interested with its effective scares and the unsettling environment that you are forced to meticulously examine.

Klang 2 is a very solid entry in what has become a niche genre in the past couple of console generations. Tinimations has done a wonderful job of building a more tightly tuned follow-up complete with a hard-hitting soundtrack.

Road to Boruto tells a great story, drawing in the player to becoming emotionally attached to the next generation of heroes. The battles are generally entertaining and using characters I’ve never used before certainly helps to keep things fresh. That being said, the best battle on paper is a real let-down and the side quests can drag on a little.

Trinity Fusion is a good game with a steep learning curve and instinctive combat that is enjoyable to get involved in. No two runs are the same, the difficulty is hard, yet if I had one complaint it would be that the damage you take feels wrong.

I didn’t know what to expect when starting Faye Falling, but I was pleasantly surprised, and it hooked me from beginning to end. It has a great tone and a story that is engaging, at times poetically mournful.

HELLDIVERS 2 on Xbox Series X is a triumph of co-op design featuring resourceful, percussive, and dangerously fun gameplay. The missions strike a sweet balance of duration and intensity, loadouts reward experimentation, and team synergy just works. But it’s not flawless.

With several modes to get lost in, addictive gameplay and incredible replayability, SEUM is one of the most promising platformers of the year so far and is well worth playing even by the most casual platforming fans.

It is great having Super Monkey Ball back on consoles, and like any good friendship you can jump straight back into it and feel like you’ve never been apart.

The Exit 8 on Xbox presents a chilling horror puzzle game. Part walking simulator, part puzzle game, and part psychological horror, it is more than worth the entrance fee.

Even though the slow-mo shots feel controlling, and the running feels entirely unnatural, The Diaries of Agent Silent Death is a vast improvement over the previous DLC entry.

I’ve really enjoyed my time with this very unique game. Yes there are pacing issues and it does outlive its welcome once we get about two thirds in, but for the price, there is a lot of game on display here.

The destruction technology is industry-leading, the gunplay is strong and the graphics are stunning. However, the gameplay loop, while quite fun, is a bit limited in its current state. With time, I suspect THE FINALS will blossom into an upper echelon first person shooter.

Déjà Vu on Xbox One offers a charming, if brief, experience that is fun and utterly relaxing to play. Anyone with some cash or credit going spare should give this a look, even if it may initially seem a little pricey.

Dustborn has a lot going for it. There’s a great story that goes down many different pathways, all while meeting a ton of interesting and diverse characters along the way.

Stay Out of the House may have the air of the familiar, but offers an unsettling struggle for survival with The Butcher in one of the most authentic stealth survival sims I’ve played in a long while.

Colour-matching aside, Overdriven Evolution is a beast. It’s one of the most over-the-top shooters we’ve played, lighting up like a pinball table as you play. But it’s also stacked, absolutely full to the brim with game modes and challenges

Pure Farming 2018 is the best farming sim title that I’ve played on this generation of console. If you’ve always been curious about trying one of these games then this will be a great place to start, and the seasoned professional will adore the content and challenges – with the added bonus of taking in farming ideas from other countries. It’s a bit of a shame about the lack of multiplayer though.

LEGO CITY Undercover manages to create a charming and humorous experience for all the family, with a definite old school cop show vibe in style, writing and soundtrack. It provides childish jokes and slapstick style to bring on the laughter, as well as cheeky parodies which are easily recognisable.

Multiplayer is a blast and single player won’t let you go, even though you might get tired of the grind about halfway through. There’s also a neat story to be found and the cast of characters that keep reanimating are delightful, with some very original game mechanics on show.

The Touryst is a great little vacation simulator with clean cube graphics, a fun little plotline, and plenty of minigames to check out. It’s a “byte” sized game that is good “bit” of fun.

The action in Space Mercenary Defence Force is pretty good and fairly addictive, although getting a good build going can be quite difficult, as the upgrades are all random. However, the urge is there to have just one more go, and with a very low asking price there is a certain amount of fun to be had.

Phantom Spark is most definitely a racing game, but it isn’t necessarily one for the purists out there. No speedometer, hardly any engine noises and no real opponents may put traditional petrolheads off. But for those looking for a chillout, zen-like racing game, look no further than Phantom Spark.

It looks great, it plays great and it comes with that one ingredient that always makes for a decent experience – an addictively teasing quality.

The Many Pieces of Mr. Coo is a free-wheeling, surrealist graphic adventure that’s so beautiful that sometimes we just want to sit back and admire.