Cosmic Top Secret is a unique and novel way to use video games to create an experience that no book or documentary format could even come close to achieve. There’s a great deal to learn and discover in this adventure, and above all it presents a very raw and honest look into the very human lives of those who worked tirelessly and confidentially during a very unique period in history.

Karma. Incarnation 1 is a point-and-click as a petri-dish: full of bizarre organisms interacting with each other, and wiggling away or bursting as you prod at them. It’s fascinating to watch, and even better to listen to. But it’s when you try to play with it that it falters.

The charm and originality means that Buildings Have Feelings Too! is infectious to begin with, however it doesn’t take long for things to go awry. The control system fast becomes clunky and it’s certainly not a game that is as intuitive as it should be.

Glitchangels might not dazzle with its looks or soundtrack. It might occasionally feel like you’re trying to navigate a fireworks display. But for a penny less than a tenner, you are getting an extremely effective twin-stick shooter and two thumbs up. It’s a joy to control, incredibly more-ish, and it keeps tempting you with more ways to progress. If you’re hungry to play a new Geometry Wars, but are willing to take a hit on the presentation, then Glitchangels is manna from heaven.

Retro Machina is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It’s hard not to get invested in the eerily beautiful but ultimately bleak world which has an engrossing story to tell.

If you hate multitasking, or get panicked when given a time limit, then Boris the Rocket on the Xbox isn’t for you. It’s a brutal test of time management and steady nerves, as you construct and configure missiles in a desperate bid to stay alive. For our tastes, the pressure was too unrelenting, and Boris the Rocket could have approached ‘enjoyable’ if it offered some calm moments to go with the not-so-calm.

Cymatically Muffed looks rubbish, there’s no two ways about it. But it plays so much better than it looks. It’s fast, smooth and interesting, and is like a twin-stick shooter for the modern age. I would even go so far as to mention it in the same breath as Smash TV from back in the day, it is that much fun to play.

All in all, Hood: Outlaws and Legends is a fun time. The PvPvE mode is refreshing, the presentation and performance rock solid and the price fair. However, in its current form, it does start to lose its lustre after a while. Its deeply flawed matchmaking system has a far way to go to ensure that the game is fun and balanced for everyone. Hood has a lot of promise, but like its titular hero, it's not quite out of the woods yet.

The new scenario and little extras that the Ghostbusters DLC brings to Planet Coaster: Console Edition on Xbox has had me smiling from ear to ear. There is so much to enjoy here for fans of the film, and the extra touches such as The Ghostbusters Experience ride and the ECTO-1 makes this DLC an absolute essential purchase.

For those wanting to flex their creative muscles once again in Planet Coaster, the Studios Pack is one of the biggest add-ons to be able to do just that. Across the board though, one or two more rides and facilities would have helped sweeten the deal.

NeiR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… is an improved remake of an okay game. The changes that have been actioned are impressive and they in turn make the experience all so much better. Just be aware that many of the basic elements that held back the original are still present.

Kursk could have been excellent, even though the premise itself is a little unsettling. The exploration and detail of the sub itself is great and feels very original, and there are some nice little gameplay elements found throughout. The movement between the different sub-compartments and the animation it brings does however become very annoying, very quickly, and it is this which destroys the impact of the game in regards to pacing.

Chroma Quaternion on the Xbox Series X is enjoyable. There’s something reassuring about playing a game that does exactly what you expect of it, right down to the achievements that are earned. The story is pretty much the same as the majority of KEMCO games, the graphics and action are very similar, and the overall vibe is pretty much what we expect; its like slipping under a nice warm duvet on a winter’s night.

It can’t be an easy gig changing things as fundamental as the type of game you develop without losing your identity, but Immortals Fenyx Rising: The Lost Gods on Xbox manages this so well. It feels like a piece of DLC that attempts a lot of ideas that didn’t quite make the cut in the main game, yet it is easily the best DLC of the three post-release offerings.

For short term hits, and for those with a desire to show their skating skills on a new forum, Skate City flicks and tricks its way to glory. It’s just that the greater grind and increase in trick difficulty may eventually become too much to bear.

Angels with Scaly Wings takes its dragon-dating very, very seriously, and doesn’t care much about whether you find it improbable or distasteful. When you add in a detective story and some science fiction, you’ve got the definition of ‘pulp’. But ignore it’s many weird and fabulous faults, including an insistence that dragons are sexy, and a world that has nothing to do with logic or believability, and you have a little charmer of a visual novel.

Trails and Traces: The Tomb of Thomas Tew is a solid retro point and click adventure. Yes, it looks basic and the voice work can be patchy, but the game works and the adventure narrative that is found within is ambitious, It's also very cheap, so it’s worth considering strapping yourself in for a very little, but enjoyable, adventure.

There is nothing inherently bad about making a game really difficult. In fact, some of the best games are defined by their difficulty. With Dead Dust, it doesn’t really work. This is a game that could have benefited from some balancing, allowing the players to work their way up with a few less punishing levels. Instead, you’re dropped straight into it, armed only with a gun and a moveset that is woefully inadequate for the kind of enemies you’ll be facing.

If you value your free time, or have a backlog of games to get through, then be warned: The Colonists can put you under the same magical spell as the original Settlers and ANNO. While its slowness can be occasionally irksome, particularly in the Campaign, it has a habit of dragging you back in. Book a week off, find a log cabin with wi-fi and no intrusions, and watch the time disappear.

There will be a couple of different reactions to The Skylia Prophecy on the Xbox. Anyone who expects decent action from their action platformers, with responsive controls and a powerful set of moves, is going to be disappointed and should probably back away. But those who persist past the flaws will find something well-paced, surprisingly non-linear and flecked with good ideas.

MLB The Show 21 has done a good job of making not just the game, but baseball as a whole, a bit more approachable, but there is still a punishingly high difficulty curve.

Resident Evil Village is worth every cent. If you loved Resident Evil 7: Biohazard then you’ll be ecstatic about being able to step back into the shoes of Ethan Winters in this new title. This is a game that is worth every penny, offering up a great blend of horror and action alongside some superb character development.

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro is a hugely enjoyable FMV and I would love to see more episodes follow this in the future. The writing, choice-making, and innovative ideas are all of a high standard and this means that it's another big tick for the fascinating and exciting D’Avekki Studios. Fans of the FMV scene should definitely give this a go.

Crime Opera: The Butterfly Effect fails to capitalise on its unique premise and setting by falling short where it matters. The writing is juvenile, cringe-inducing, and at times even offensively embarrassing. It takes some level of care and maturity to explore adult themes, and unfortunately the writing here just doesn’t feel appropriate.

Judgment on Xbox Series X|S is an incredible achievement. Whether this is your first foray into the wider Yakuza franchise, or you played it upon its original release, the graphical upgrades are very impressive. It is also helped by being a brilliant game, mixing more traditional Yakuza elements in with a detective film noir thriller.

Blazing Beaks on Xbox is definitely worth picking up. It’s challenging, well put together, and just a fun way to kill some time. It's helped by the fact that the risk and reward mechanics are extremely well-done, especially since the amount of risk is tailored to what the player decides.

Gravity Heroes on Xbox manages to bring a few good ideas to the table, and does just enough to allow it to be something to recommend - no matter whether you are alone or if you have a few friends around.

Battle Axe on the Xbox is fast-food in an action-brawler wrapper. It tastes and looks good in the short-term, full of E numbers and shots of adrenaline. But it leaves you unsatisfied in the long term, leaving you hungry for something more than thirty minutes of easy hacking and slashing. When you’re £25 lighter after the experience, you’d be forgiven for expecting a heartier meal with more courses.