Shadow Man Remastered looks bad, plays poorly and all the rest, but it still has that much needed X factor; that hook that keeps you trying again and again.

Reverie Knights Tactics is a distillation - and slight simplification - of everything that makes turn-based strategy games great. It doesn’t push the boundaries of the genre like your average X-COM, but sometimes a comfy bit of armchair warfare is exactly the cup of tea you need. As a bonus, you get a likeable fantasy romp as a side-biscuit.

The Race Factory is fugly, there’s no doubting that. It doesn’t even try to make up for its bad looks by being friendly; the racing here is punishing and precise, with a single mistake costing you the race. But, behind the grumpy demeanor is a deep racing game with plenty of options, a track constructor, and some multiplayer thrills. For a lone developer, that’s an impressive achievement.

Despite borrowing heavily from Overcooked!, Cannibal Cuisine strikes more of a party game tone, with mixed results. The gameplay lacks finesse, and despite providing a few laughs with friends, you’ll find it difficult not to revert back to the inspirational rival.

If you're in the market for a consistently difficult Mega Man-esque game, you wouldn't be at much of a loss with Trophy. Despite some of the design choices being not so memorable, the soundtrack and satisfying NES style gameplay is sure to please any fan of the genre.

Spelunky 2 is not a game for everyone. If you don’t like precision platformers or incredibly challenging games, then this isn’t going to be for you. But if you enjoy roguelikes or are after a game that challenges you, feeling incredibly rewarding when you pull off some crazy maneuvers, then I can’t recommend Spelunky 2 enough.

Windjammers 2 is more proof that simple ideas can take off when done effectively. What is essentially Pong sprinkled with a bit of table hockey and a dash of Street Fighter works because it is so simple to play.

For a few hours, Lacuna - A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure let us walk in the shoes of a Deckard or Bogart, looking mournful as we smoked a cigarette in the rain, and we’d gladly take the opportunity again.

Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S is exactly the Picross game that Xbox needs. It’s straightforward but absolutely stacked with puzzles, and it brings the trademark jukebox of J-pop hits with it.

As a puzzle game, Danger!Energy lives up to the name but fails to leave a lasting impression. Then again if the lure of an easy 1000 GS is up your street, this may be the game for you.

If Pupperazzi was a dog, it would be a pug. It’s cute in theory, but it huffs, puffs and has trouble functioning, stumbling over itself when it tries to run. It’s tough to control, and so small that you wonder where the rest of it went. Pupperazzi, unfortunately, is more like the runt of the litter.

Play Pukan, Bye-Bye! on your own, and it loses its lustre. It’s a game that makes jokes at your expense, playing to the crowd, but only if there’s an audience to benefit. If you’re hankering for a game to do a ‘Let’s Play’ video of, then Pukan, Bye-Bye! is a surefire winner. For virtually anyone else, you’d be better off giving it a swift Bye-Bye.

Aery is a series that just keeps on coming. For fans, they will enjoy more of the same gameplay in Aery - Dreamscape, but in brand new environments and with some newly added features built-in. If you’ve struggled with these games before then there’s nothing extra here to drag you in, but on the flipside, fans will be in their element.

It’s a massive shame that Blackwind is let down by the systems which should let it flow. If this came to market as a top-down twin-sticker with a few platforming elements and some decent metroidvania-styled puzzling, it would work really, really well. But the decision to add in a confused viewpoint is a killer; one that will have you concerned every time you fire things up.

Games like Hades have made the dungeon crawler thrive by treating it like a high-end watch. The inner workings are intricate and polished, making it a joy to play over and over. But Nobody Saves the World takes the opposite approach: it doesn’t look inwardly, polishing something to the nth degree. It blows open the doors and makes exploration and progression the focus. It gives you the world.

Despite not being the most welcoming in terms of accessibility, Operation Zeta is an enjoyable roguelite which attempts to keep it fresh with mixed results.

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.

Forgotten Hill Disillusion might not get you searching out the other games in the series, but it will while away a dozen or so hours. Some of them might even be memorable.

Granted, the co-op mode offers a bit of fun, although the language in the game is somewhat fruity to say the least, so you’ll need to pick and choose who you run through this with. All in all though, Breakneck City is a poor game that, frankly, performs badly.

Gravity Chase falls short of being the anti-grav racer that you need in your life, but for some quick hits of adrenaline and speed, it just about does the business. Be understanding of a bit of grind and repetition, and you'll find the flow of Gravity Chase to excite.

If you’re a sucker for the many other ‘mechanic’ and ‘simulator’ games on the market, there’s a chance you’ll get along with Rover Mechanic Simulator. It's relaxing at times, but you’ll need to love taking things apart - and putting them back together again - in order to get the most from it.

For a good chunk of the time, Red Ronin is a fun game that provides a good challenge. I just wish that the mechanics introduced in the second half of the game could’ve either been implemented better, or left out altogether.

If you’re after a bit of arcade score chasing, Gunkid 99 may be right up your alley. Sadly, though, the more you play, the more you may well struggle to care about the fate of the Gunkid.

Battle Brothers is rewarding - at least if you stick at it. But making a save before every battle is very much the way to go. There’s no doubt that there’s a lot to get involved in and there’s a ton of content to enjoy, but the difficulty sits in the mix like a wasp nest at a picnic - sooner or later something is going to sting, and it won’t be pleasant when it does.

Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator is a tense and heart-racing experience that maximizes on its simple mechanics to great effect. While understanding what is required of you is not complicated, the focus and speed required to make the most cash comes in intense short bursts.

Summertime Madness is a beauty, there’s no doubting that. It bewitches you with sunkissed moments and some surrealist cutaway moments, like a whale that swims past you at the summit of a lighthouse. But these are garlands on a forgettable little game, one that gets lost in its own mazes and can’t find a way of generating feeling, fun or meaning. One for only the fiercest Myst fans.

Vaporum: Lockdown is a rock solid RPG that will be a delight to anyone interested in a more classic experience. Pretty much everything is done right here - the story clicks, the combat is great, the levelling is fun and the puzzles are layered. If you're looking for a good dungeon crawler on Xbox, start right here.

There are some interesting level designs here and enough variation even through its short runtime to give you an excuse to try Circus Pocus. It won't be winning any awards for innovation or execution, but it remains fun throughout and doesn’t last longer than is needed.