At the end of the day, Razed is one of the more superior games to come out of the ID@Xbox initiative; it gets a lot of things spot on, and it never feels unfair which – for a game of this type – is an achievement in itself.

If you appreciate multiplayer brawlers and are after something comical to enjoy with the family, Gang Beasts is without a doubt a game you need to play. If, however you rely on the presence of online players or solo adventures to get your thrills, then this is a game that won’t have much for you.

Some technical hiccups and out of place combat isn’t enough to stop this from being Bloober Team’s scariest game to date, and the best Blair Witch entry since 1999.

City of Brass is a game worthy of your time. It may be slightly overpriced for what it is, but it’s a good addition to the roguelite genre. If you are a fan of the genre that is.

For some, the grind, lack of continued narrative and difficulty curve will be a little off-putting to say the least, but at the end of the day, this is a rogue-like experience that brings an original adventure and a decent challenge that will keep you going for some time.

Astria Ascending is a worthy entry into the JRPG genre. It’s beautifully presented, has a cracking story, engaging combat and enough side quests to keep you busy for a good long time.

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.

There’s not enough here to keep the V-Rally mode from feeling like a chore rather than an enjoyable and fulfilling career mode, and unfortunately that feeling drips down to the overall V-Rally 4 experience. It’s an unfulfilling experience with no clear idea of what it’s trying to achieve.

The First Tree represents what storytelling can be in the industry today, provided that real care and thought has been put into it. This is an indie title that tells a beautiful, emotionally affecting story while painting a vivid, colourful world for you to explore, all in under two hours. It’s an impressive achievement.

There is a very interesting and intriguing premise to Headliner: NoviNews; one that is a comment of the power the media have over world events. It’s also well implemented in how the media make editorial decisions that can help or hinder governments in power.

Obey Me on Xbox One is a lot of fun to play. It’s challenging, fast and furious, and thankfully comes with an appealing story and graphical style. There are issues with the camera, but nothing game breaking, and with lots of fun to be had pushing back demons, what more recommendation do you need?

SWORD ART ONLINE Last Recollection fails to deliver a memorable climax to the series. Despite bringing in a raft of characters and throwing in a load of skills from the off, it just doesn’t do enough to keep you hooked. There’s too much blandness throughout, it doesn’t entice you with things to work towards, and the gameplay is incredibly monotonous.

The fast-paced combat is fluid and smooth, the visuals are a spectacle to behold and the sound effects can make you feel like someone just crashed a TIE-fighter into the side of your house. But with very little in the way of change when compared to the first Star Wars Battlefront and a story that falls flat once you look past the protagonist, Star Wars Battlefront II is a major disappointment, and a poor effort from a studio who have become renowned for making top quality shooters.

If you can stick around after being thrown in at the deep end with the ‘robust’ DLC releases and, quite frankly, awful controls then The Sims 4 is definitely worth it.

With a beautiful art style accompanying the game from the menus to the final boss, gameplay that’s smoother than dancing on ice and able to provide plenty of opportunity for replayability with its increasingly challenging difficulties and numerous game modes, this is a game that shouldn’t be missed if bullet-hell shooters are your type of thing.

Redeemer – Enhanced Edition is a game that is more than worthy of your time. If you enjoy Diablo 3, any game in a similar style is always welcome, and even if you don’t, this is still just an unfettered joy.

It feels like Loot River has difficulty in committing to the type of game it wants to be. For a roguelike, the runs feel too short, with too much blocked off. For a roguelite, the run-to-run progression is too lacking to be engaging.

A more linear, non-combat story-driven game would certainly have been preferred, but if you are curious and love a bit of Lovecraft then you should always consider a deep dive into The Sinking City.

At the end of the day, Jump Stars hits the party scene with great intentions. If you’re going to play it fleetingly, hitting it once a week or so, then you’ll find it will well suffice. But expect to play it and enjoy it on a more consistent basis and you’ll probably be left a little bored by the repeating aspects.

Eventide 2: Sorcerer’s Mirrors could quite possibly be one of the worst puzzling adventures from Artifex Mundi. It’s still not awful though, just nowhere near as good value for money or as stimulating as others.

There are plenty of games out there that offer long, involving experiences; think of the likes of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Red Dead Redemption 2. Sigi – A Fart for Melusina gives you the opposite of that, and it’s the type of game that we could all do with a bit more of.

The use of different flight options can almost act like a training simulator, but for those looking to invest in a drone without the hefty price tag, this would be a good place to start.

The next-gen release of Hunting Simulator 2 on Xbox brings with it some very notable graphical improvements to the environments, but that is the only real difference. A lack of a next-gen upgrade, save migration or new features in general – aside from having to pay even more money – prevent this from being a worthwhile investment for existing players.

There’s a killer idea at the core of Swordship, and so much presentational care has been put into supporting it. What would happen if you ‘pulled a Mirror’s Edge’ and made a shooter completely pacifist? The result would be Swordship, a dodge ’em up that’s overloaded with potential. In execution, though, it slowly capsizes.

There’s a red-pill, blue-pill choice with Jumanji: Wild Adventures. If you’re a solo, older player who loves the series and wants to immerse themselves in the world of Jumanji, you might find this to be too simplistic and ramshackle. Take that red pill and eject out. But if you’re a family **of Jumanji fans, and have two or more players to dance-fight with? Take the blue pill and have a cracking time.

Shredders does everything in its power to make you feel cool, it pays homage to the glorious sport of snowboarding and does wonders to try and welcome newcomers as well.

Aphelion may stumble in its mechanics, but when it places focus on the storytelling, atmosphere and spectacle, it’s exactly the kind of experience DON’T NOD excels at. It’s intriguing, mysterious and clever – we just wish it was tighter in terms of save points and how the gameplay is handled.

ELEX II might struggle to find a market when it is put alongside other open-world games, but ultimately there is a lot of good adventuring to be found in this neat RPG.