BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites is a game that is a lot of fun to play; it’s fast, bloody and violent, and in terms of combat at least is right up there. The platforming is where things take a turn for the worse though, and the sections where you are trying to keep her alive via pixel perfect jumps are extremely frustrating.

I’m going to have to use the most damning word I know in the context of a review: I have been left disappointed by Animus: Revenant. The promise of what Animus - Last Stand first delivered has been let down by a lack of polish and a new game style that just doesn’t work. The fixed camera is the biggest issue, but control problems and a dodge that moves you six inches are the final nail in the coffin.

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.

When we came to Blind Postman, we winced at the prospect of an ice-slider. We’ve rarely had a good experience with them. But our minds are changed: this is a little gift in the post that we absolutely didn’t expect. We’d suggest that you send a stamp-addressed envelope to get your own.

The best of the supernatural survival games introduce new mechanics and enemies throughout the play time, yet Yuoni doesn’t, and it suffers for it. If you fancy a bit of a scare, you could do worse than play Yuoni, but there are better games out there as well.

The world has enough zombie shooters, and - like the zombies themselves - there’s probably nothing we can do to stop the swarm. But we can attempt to ignore them, and that’s exactly what you should do with Earth Marines.

The Amazing American Circus is a recommendation with enormous caveats. We loved it to the point that we can, without cynicism, say that it has peaks that few games will better this year. But it’s so unfriendly, gatekeeping the fun behind ineffective tutorials, keywords and initially complex systems.

Flaskoman is a middle-of-the-road puzzle-platformer. There’s a curious charm to the little buckethead, and its liquid-carrying gimmick lends itself to some good moments, but those are often upended by some languid jumping latency.

What a hollow carcass of a game MiniGolf Tour is. Fourteen holes. No ability to play multiplayer, local or online. Nothing to do but hit the ball hard down grassy corridors, and the grotesque remains of a monetisation store still just-about breathing, offering you cosmetics that you can’t show to anyone. ‘Mini’ golf is correct, but it’s giving it too much credit. ‘Mangled Golf’ better covers it.

Evil Inside feels less like the P.T. that it was trying to emulate, and more like a creaky ghost train. It moves ever-so-slowly through a series of jump scares, and those jump scares are showing their age. The paint is peeling, the wood is showing. It’s cheap and over quickly, but that’s far from enough to justify a ticket.

Aragami 2 is a great game, with issues. The gameplay is immense fun, takes on a whole other level with friends and there is something extremely satisfying about being able to do what you want, when you want it, in order to achieve the mission objective at hand. It isn’t perfect though, and seems to be missing that little bit of polish required to lift it to the top tier of gaming.

If you’re playing Super Hiking League DX as a solo platformer, then you shouldn’t bother. But if you’re in the market for a late-night multiplayer game, and you have a friend who won’t punch you in the face for stealing a win from under their nose, then Super Hiking League DX is worth adding to your couch multiplayer rotation. We dream of a version with online play and leaderboards but, for now, this is about as far from ‘hiking’ as you can get: it’s fun, quick and may lead to fights.

Super Animal Royale is a great free-to-play title. If you’re familiar with battle royales to any degree, everything here will feel simultaneously familiar and new. Wacky characters with loads of customization, fun weapons, and unique ideas will hold your attention, but the frustrating lack of accessibility options, fairly repetitive combat, and oodles of in-game currencies could be a deal breaker for some.

There just isn’t that much to Mad Streets. You’ve seen everything it has to offer within the space of an hour. Playing with friends and laughing for a bit at the idea of “haha! That character fell down funny!” gets old insanely fast, and it does so even quicker when playing alone. Not to mention that even when you manage to make a hit connect in a way that you actually wanted it to, it’s as satisfying as wiping someone’s face with a rubber chicken.

The Magister may not be as simple and focused as a game of Cluedo, but it still shares a lot of its joys. If you love the feeling of narrowing in on a suspect, or pulling back a mask in a Scooby Doo fashion, then The Magister might work for you. Just be prepared for a long, sometimes repetitive and always clumsy journey to get there.

A remaster of any already existing game may not have been the first choice, but Sonic Colors: Ultimate on Xbox is still a solid entry. Fans that played the original on the Nintendo Wii may not find anything to warrant another purchase here, as the work gone into the remaster comes across as a little rushed in places. Gameplay wise however, Sonic Colors: Ultimate is up there with the best 3D Sonic entries.

Murder Mystery Machine will make you feel like a real-world detective trying to solve the trickiest of crimes, all whilst delivering intriguing and suspenseful cases. The evidence board will become your main focus, and whilst this part of the game works extremely well and makes you feel at one with the investigation, the controls are fiddly and awkward to use; you’ll be left holding out for the precision of a mouse.

It may lack originality, but Lamentum is a great example of a retro survival horror game. Those who are fans of the genre will almost certainly enjoy what’s on offer here. It may just win over a few newcomers too.

It’s rough around the edges for sure, and it’s not going to be for everyone, but if you’re willing to suspend yourself into its limitations and challenges then you might discover something rewarding with Bus Simulator 2.

Dodgy menu system and an online community which is lacking numbers aside, should you be after a deep, highly detailed rally racer, WRC 10 is going to cover everything you want and need… and then some.

Surgeon Simulator 2 on Xbox has a few things going against it which will unfortunately put a lot of people off. Things such as a buggy launch and a high degree of difficulty for a starting point hinder it somewhat. If you can get over these stumbling blocks, there is a fair amount of variation in here.

Library of Ruina has an audience but I’m sure much of that audience would have already played it on PC. Deck-building games are insanely fun and addicting, doubly so for one with a great narrative as well, so if you’re a fan of the genre it’s a no-brainer to get involved.

Quake is a certifiable classic that hasn't aged a day and this remastering of all its original content is masterfully done. The console may not be the preferred place to play it, but it’s well done nonetheless and is still an incredibly worthwhile experience.

Rustler is a lot of fun, but the big decision you need to consider is whether or not that fun is for you and whether or not you can buy into the comedy references and mature humour offered. But away from that, Rustler makes a great attempt at taking influence from older games and using that to create something original.

Mickey Storm and the Cursed Mask is a game that offers a simple but enjoyable few hours of entertainment for all ages.

We’re not going to be running around screaming about Ravva and the Cyclops Curse. It’s distinguishing feature, a series of beasts you can summon, are nothing more than four different attacks, and you’ll only use a couple of them. But what’s left is sturdy enough, somewhere between Mario and Megaman. This owl-based platformer won’t turn any heads, but it’s a minor hoot while it lasts.

Kitaria Fables is certainly not for everyone, but neither are donuts. Its visuals are mostly great, the music is a delight, and the story is charming. Sure the combat and quests are a grind, but if you enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes from completing lengthy tasks and you don’t have a gluten allergy, grab yourself a donut and give Kitaria Fables a try.

I mostly give Catlateral Damage: Remeowstered a hall pass. What Manekoware have coughed up here is so simple and immediately joyful. The moment you clamber onto a shelf with a row of vases in front of you, you feel that pang, that urge to rush at them, jamming RT to knock them down with your paws. And as they do synchronised dives to the ground, you feel a surge of happiness and want to do it all over again.