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.

Your time isn’t just respected in Lovish: it’s thoroughly rewarded. After a level, you’re just as likely to raise a chuckle or coo at a new upgrade. It meant that we ended up loving Lovish. No need for the -ish.

Hidden Cats in Christmas gets another two-paws-up from us. It’s comfortably the most polished, enjoyable and high-value cat-finding game on the Xbox, which sounds like a minor achievement but isn’t. There are oodles of these games out there, and the Hidden Cats series looms above them all.

In tycoon terms, Baking Time is a bit of a dud. By some margin it’s the worst of the genre that we’ve played; a monotonous trudge through bakery after bakery. It’s even got the temerity to make you do it for dozens of hours.

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass’ writing is its shining beacon, lighting up some dark moments and being the main reason I wanted to stumble through to the end. What held me back from truly loving Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass was grindy, repetitive combat and a lack of cohesion.

The action is so intense, there is barely a moment to rest, and so after about ten minutes with CLAWPUNK, I’m about exhausted. For the younger generation, those whose reflexes haven’t atrophied the way mine have, there is a lot to enjoy here, however, bear in mind that CLAWPUNK is full on, all the time.

There are clearly fans of path-making games on the Xbox, otherwise why would there be so many. But that creates a problem for Tiny Biomes: when there are so many competitors, many of which have more challenge, variety and breadth, then why pick this one up? For the annoying screenshake, clearly.

You’ll find it a pleasure to step into the world of The Talos Principle 2. If you love puzzle games, then this is near perfect; a game full of challenge but backed by a great story.

Like the first two games in the series, Fit and Fry: Mise en Place feels like a purchase for achievement hunters, more than anyone else.

If you haven’t played Lost Ember before, the Rekindled Edition is the best way to jump into the game. For those who have, it’s great to be reminded of the narrative journey once more, this time with improved visuals.

As enjoyable as it is, THE LAST TRAIN: Baquedano feels unique in the horror marketplace. There’s a severe lack of hand-holding, but the strange station that is ripe for exploration holds a host of brilliant secrets.

Nerds unite! This may well be the quiz for you. ‘General’ knowledge is a dirty term: Majotori is interested in anime primarily, with some film and video games to sweeten the deal. If those are your Mastermind subjects then buy Majotori.

Ultimately, it’s the controls that doomed Lara Returns to the Castle: when the basic hopping about turned out to be less than enjoyable, there was only one way that things were going to go.

As unwelcome as Drop Duchy can be in its mid-game, I have no hesitation in saying that it’s worth it. Tetris is a pretty awesome foundation to build on, and Drop Duchy - Complete Edition stacks resource gathering, roguelike runs and simple strategy on top.

Countless Army is the most fun I’ve had in a game this year. There will be games that usurp that title, and those games will be infinitely more lavish and better executed. But for now, this little strategy-game-that-could, this reversed Tower Defence, is attached to me like a limpet. Frankly, I’m fine with that relationship.

There is a lot to love about I Hate This Place, especially in terms of the story, visuals, and audio. However, I do think the gameplay loop, the combat and stealth, isn’t as fun as it should be.

Heroes Battle Awakening is undeniably Plants vs Zombies. It just is: it borrows all of the mechanics and many of the troops. Strategies that worked for Popcap’s game will work well here.

Fans of Running Fable will be let down, party-game players will find it too stripped back, and families will be embroiled in arguments. Genuinely, we haven’t a clue who Running Fable Petite Party is made for. It turns out that in a race between hare and tortoise, no-one wins.

What you won’t get from Ho Ho & Move is frustration. It goes down smooth, and for £2.49 that might be enough to make it one last Christmas present to yourself.

Little Helper Cafe is a short game that isn’t terrible, but it’s also not very memorable.

It can get a bit samey (the gameplay loop is basically the same, season to season), but Super Farming Boy has such charm that you won’t mind the grind too much.

Ultimately, the only real reason to buy Fit and Fry: Organized Chef is the same as the first game: a massive Gamerscore boost for very little effort; there is almost no discernible difference between the two games, just slightly tweaked and repackaged.

CASSETTE BOY has warts, but press LB and RB enough and they might just look like chiselled cheekbones. We forgave its issues because it’s just so gung-ho in its inventiveness.

There’s heart, there's humour, and the overall aesthetic and vibe bring back a sense of nostalgia that is impossible to beat. I just wish UNBEATABLE was smoother.

Legends BMX delivers exactly what it promises: fast, flowing BMX freestyle action in a compact, arcade-friendly package.

Dreamscapes - Nightmare’s Heir is not your average hidden object game. Some of its qualities are intended, like a joyful dreamworld, and some of them are unintended, like acting so corny that it gives off a pungent whiff. Sure, it could have done with some spit, polish and sophistication, but where’s the fun in that? Dreamscapes - Nightmare’s Heir is at its best when it’s ramshackle.

EBOLA VILLAGE is a good little homage to those 90s survival horrors of the past; intriguing and gory enough to fit right in.

We often say that games aren’t for everyone, but Egging On, most emphatically, is not for everyone. It demands that you enjoy wrestling a borderline-uncontrollable main character through simplistic hoops. It needs you to feel the glow of reaching heights you have never reached before, only to tumble to your doom afterwards.