Train Valley 2: Community Edition is a superb railway management puzzler. Initially complex, it all begins to come together in the most delightful of ways. When you consider the sheer number of levels, variety in objectives and strength of missions, we’re not sure there’s much that can beat it - especially not at the price.

Shalnor Legends 2: Trials of Thunder is a testament to the hard work of the dev, coming together as a pretty great game with a few minor niggles.

A combination of a great price, some brilliantly challenging mechanics, a rather unique premise, a quality visual look and that banging soundtrack pumping away, ensures that Octahedron should be right up there near the top of your wanted list.

Hivebusters is a great addition to the story content of Gears 5 on Xbox. The same production values, the same great acting, and (whisper it) a better set of protagonists than Kait and J.D., all add up to make this a must play expansion.

From the very first moments the sense of importance of the whole adventure is made clear and whilst it may not be the biggest indie release of the year, I’m willing to bet it’ll be one of the best. This is a definite must-buy.

Maybe the roguelike elements will annoy, and sometimes luck plays a bigger part than any thoughtful decision making, but even if you do reach the end, Blue Prince will continue to reveal a host more secrets.

Wingspan is an elegant, exceptional board game and it’s been delivered with real care to the Xbox. Console is a good look for it, as it automates things that are more unwieldy on a table-top, making it - dare we say it - the superior way to play. When Wingpsan was so rewarding to play in the first place, that’s an extraordinary achievement.

If you love taking charge, want to manage worlds, balance budgets and take on a heavy load in your quest to become god, then this is the game for you.

With everything on offer here Steam Tactics is a good package at its asking price, and in return players are treated to a gaming experience that is easy to get into and tough to master.

If you have a like-minded friend to hand, Operation Tango is brilliant. The pacing is just right, the missions aren’t too long, and there is replayability built in, with plenty of achievements popping for each level depending on who you complete it as.

The story is really good, the whole atmosphere of the game is beautiful, and fluid traversal is a joy to use. South of Midnight is a game you need to play - if only so you can experience the rollercoaster it is.

The games are perfect conversions, the museum function is brilliantly designed, and the whole SNK 40th Anniversary Collection oozes quality. In a way I think it’s a shame that a lot of gamers will look at the primitive graphics and bleepy bloopy sound to dismiss this as another retro collection that can safely be ignored while waiting for the next Call of Duty or FIFA to rock up.

Just Dance 2023 is another colourful slice of dance wrapped up in stunning visuals and catchy tunes - perfect for warming yourself up on a cold night, chilling out with friends or heating up the party. For us, it’s got the best playlist for a good few years too.

There isn’t a lot to complain about with The Last Faith. I would have liked a little bit of signposting as it is very easy to get lost, but the style and the crunching combat more than make up for this. With a bit of a better map and a couple more clues, The Last Faith would have been very close to a perfect score.

It's fast, the controls are up to snuff, and the bullets have patterns to them, so there is usually a way to survive, albeit by the skin of your teeth. If you are looking for a real challenge, you could do a lot worse than try Star Hunter DX out.

We’d use one word to sum up TUNIC: delightful. Few games will make you feel so skillful and clever, and fewer still will have the ability to slap a grin on your face.

The Pinball FX – Honor and Legacy Pack showcases Zen Studios’ innovative ideas with two instant hits that you absolutely must buy.

Back to the Dawn shows just how much indie games can shine. In a day when so many large games nickel and dime consumers for every scrap of content, one that is built out with so much content - and even more planned for free - is a huge breath of fresh air.

Despite a few minor setbacks, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is Sonic Team’s valiant effort to compete in the arcade racer market; when your game contains an abundance of characters, maps, game-modes and mechanics all of the same calibre, it can easily go toe-to-toe with even the Mario Karts of the genre.

Tales of Arise is great at almost everything it attempts, but it does just falls short of having the wow factor and possesses a couple of niggling factors to boot. Nevertheless it’s absolutely worth picking up if you’re after an action-RPG to sink a load of hours into.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is so different, so compelling, that it is a joy to play.

Shalnor Legends: Sacred Lands is no more and no less than a Zelda game for the Xbox. If you have any interest in RPGs, retro or not, then you need to play this game.

The New Neighbears DLC for Cozy Grove underlines just why this superb sibling to Animal Crossing is such a 4.5 out 5 game. Grab the Spirit Scout uniform, and start collecting some new badges.

WWE 2K24 delivers a huge wrestling playground for you to not only finish the story, but create your own stories too. The vast amount of game modes in place and the massive roster of Superstars helps forge a ton of possibilities. The improvements are clear to see, but there are areas that need a little bit of attention, with the online side especially lacking.

If it wasn’t for a few little niggles in regards the need to reload and work through jump mechanics, Bramble: The Mountain King could well have been verging on top marks. Even then, this is a game that is hugely enjoyable, and the Nordic world feels like a great place to spend some solid hours. Just be aware, this can be a scary place and at times a bit gruesome, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The problem found in a vast amount of point and click games is the slow-paced storytelling, with puzzles taking forever and a silly amount of back-tracking, but in Irony Curtain on Xbox One the pacing is spot on and everything is more condensed for the better. In fact almost everything meets a high standard as far as the writing is concerned, the character design, the problems to overcome and the voiceovers.

Final Fantasy VII is regularly seen as the greatest game in the fabled JRPG franchise, yet it is hard to argue against CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- REUNION being the best spinoff. The improvements to the graphics and combat elevate this remaster above, whilst retaining the best features of, the original.

Lil’ Guardsman surpassed our expectations - it exists in a beautiful and engaging world and is a rare game that manages to be just challenging enough to keep you interested. We’ve even come away with better deduction skills