There are issues, such as the terrible dungeon-crawling, but the solid puzzling and rewarding base-building elements more than make up for it. Tackling three genres is no easy feat, but Caves and Castles: Underworld proves that it can be done.

Balancelot on Xbox has over 50 levels to play through, but there isn’t anywhere near enough differentiation between them to keep players entertained. The tapestry style and Monty Python cues can only carry Balancelot so far, especially when things such as the cutscenes and water effects are so badly ported over, which has to be said is unusual for a Ratalaika game.

Vera Blanc: Ghost In The Castle on Xbox is a spectral shadow of Vera Blanc: Full Moon. It feels similar, but the story is thinner, less threatening, it doesn’t last as long, and the kitschiness is replaced with misogyny.

As a gateway to the wider Dark Eye universe, Chains of Satinav does a bang-up job, and leaves you eager to hop onto the store and buy its follow-up, Memoria. Logic and control issues aside, it’s a higher-tier point and click, and it tells a story that’ll have you cosying up with a blanket and Andergastian tea.

When a title like Shing! on Xbox comes along, I can’t help but feel annoyed. Its uninspired combat system, lack of narrative cohesion, and insultingly crass writing makes the game one that doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near the enormous collection of well-made titles the industry has to offer. If you give Shing! a try, I promise that you’ll be wi-shing! you hadn’t.

SYNTHETIK: Ultimate on Xbox is a great rogue-lite for gamers looking for a solo challenge. There are plenty of quirks to overcome and if you’re not a fan, or are new to the genre, SYNTHETIK: Ultimate probably won’t be the right fit for you. But if you’re patient, enjoy unforgiving gameplay, and love having tons of weapon and ability variety, then this is the game for you.

Nubarron: The adventure of an unlucky gnome on Xbox is a great little indie platformer; one that is perfect for lockdown life. It will transport you to a magical, whimsical world full of colour, delight, and strange angry clouds. Even though it's a short experience, that is truly reflected in the price tag; it will easily provide some entertainment for those long winter days.

Crashlands by Butterscotch Shenanigans is one of those rare games where a whole stack of ideas has been thrown into the mix, yet the result is a beautiful blend rather than a stodgy mess. The story isn't the strongest, but the wish to see what Flux can build next, the need to gear up to beat a boss, the exploring, and the taming of creatures all just works.

I could spend a few hours telling you about the heroic conquests and heartbreaking losses of my merry band of soldiers. Instead, I’ll tell you that if you’re a fan of roguelikes, satisfying combat, and unique game design, then Gods Will Fall on Xbox is one of the best games that you can play. With its beautiful combination of random generation and concrete level design, it sets the bar high for any roguelikes that come after.

Bonkies on Xbox is a charming puzzle game at heart, which is best enjoyed with friends. It’s not without its niggles, however there’s a genuinely enjoyable experience on offer here which will appeal to gamers of all ages.

Project Starship X on Xbox is a surprisingly inventive entry in what is normally a tried and tested genre. Although stirring the pot when it comes to sound shmup design is usually a bad idea, here all of the zany and crazy ideas are fun and entertaining thanks to the sound fundamentals of the core shooting mechanics.

Olija on Xbox is a game to be savoured. Everything about it is rich and expertly crafted, from the slick combat to the world of Terraphage, scattered with secrets. It’s over far too soon, so relish the experience while it’s there, as Olija is an astonishing adventure game that you can lose yourself in utterly.

Disjunction on Xbox is a game that I hadn't heard anything of prior to playing it, and I've been pleasantly surprised by how polished and assured it is. The story is a cracker, getting to know the three main characters and their abilities has been interesting, and all in all it’s provided an extremely enjoyable time. This is helped by an appealing hook and gameplay elements that are strong enough to ensure you keep on playing.

The Medium on Xbox is the game fans have been waiting for. A dark, mature, scary, visually appetizing next-gen delight with a gripping story, it is one to not miss if you are a fan of psychological horror. Above all, this feels like an experience that really shows the chops of the Series X, and will likely serve as a benchmark title going forward, especially if the few remaining technical issues are patched.

Air Bounce – The Jump ‘n’ Run Challenge on Xbox should be avoided at all costs. An already challenging platformer is made unnecessarily difficult with the X and Y axis being far too sensitive, and then made a complete joke with inconsistencies in almost every department.

Perhaps that reliance on simplicity is a bit too much with Loot Hero DX on Xbox. With more to offer or a few more stages, perhaps those shortcomings wouldn’t be too much of an issue. Sadly, the excellent presentation and well-balanced difficulty scaling can’t overcome a fundamental issue of repetitiveness that hurts further playthroughs.

It’s safe to say Oneiros is an interesting first-person puzzler that creates a world you want to explore and discover every little detail about. The majority of solvable problems are cleverly thought up and the inclusion of a bit of platforming breaks up the constant searching for clues. There are moments where things are a little unclear though, and I don’t just mean the narrative.

You end up wondering who Solitaire 3D on the Xbox is made for. If there’s such a thing, there’s a ‘game archivist’ in a university or museum who’s rubbing their hands at the prospect of preserving 100 different Solitaire variants. For the rest of us, you have a monumentally over-priced compendium of games you won’t play, with controls that aren’t optimised, and with features that often don’t work.

If you are after a night of horror and are looking to play something a bit different with unusual gameplay techniques, The Childs Sight might be worth a punt, mainly as it's very cheap to pick up. The sound design is excellent and the concept is unique, but for me the gameplay wanes quite quickly and eventually you’ll become more frustrated than scared.

Charm is perhaps the biggest thing Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game - Complete Edition on Xbox has going for it. Unfortunately, the fighting isn’t quite as tight as it could be and occasionally lets down the wonderful music and great visuals.

If you've played the other two games in the World of Assassination trilogy then you owe it to yourself to finish the narrative in Hitman 3. If not, well, the ability to play all the games in one location makes this an almost essential purchase. If you like sneaking around and playing dress up with guns, Hitman 3 is for you.

It is tough to recommend Hyposphere: Rebirth on Xbox to anyone other than achievement hunters, and even then it is probably best to still avoid it.

Spirit Arena on Xbox will challenge you whilst providing plenty of unlockables to go after, if that’s your thing. This doesn’t stop it from being loads of fun, but it’s all over so quickly. I’m unashamedly asking for more, but right now, there's no reason not to check this one out.

I love quirky games that try something different, especially when they bring storytelling into the gaming arena, and that is the case with Life of Fly on Xbox. It's short, but I don’t have an issue with that as it’s just long enough to not outstay its welcome.

When all is said and done, Iris.Fall on Xbox is over in a flash and doesn’t linger in the memory despite some strong ideas. The monochrome graphical presentation alone will turn some heads, and some of the puzzles can be quite interesting. But once you make your way through the adventure and piece together the mystery, then there really isn’t much to come back for.

Marble Duel on Xbox possesses a clever idea by merging the thrill of matching marbles with the tactical elements brought about by turn-based conflicts. With a huge amount of levels to venture through and a variety of colourful spheres providing different benefits, it should be match-3 heaven. Unfortunately, the nature of proceedings means the further you advance, the more everything seems stacked against you.

Teratopia on Xbox is a gross, poorly optimized, poorly designed, and disastrous product. I regularly have more fun with the mazes on the back of cereal boxes. Maybe if there were some kind of actual direction, it could have been a fun little 3D something. Instead, Teratopia is yet another example of a weird name being tied to a horrendous game.

Unspottable on Xbox does bring some new ideas to the table which work in short blasts, or in longer blasts that are fuelled by social lubricant. But it does get quite old, quite fast. It's not that it is a bad game; it's just that the secondary objectives tend to go out of the window once the sleeves are rolled up, and every match fast turns into a slug-fest.