Thea does almost everything decently, but its flaws hold each of its parts back from being great. The one undeniable success in the game is the top tier story and worldbuilding that makes the game worth your time if you can get past the flaws.

Ghost Blade HD is exactly what it appears to be: a bullet hell shmup emulating the pinnacle of the genre in the mid-nineties. It's visually chaotic and over before you know it, but this is to be expected from an homage to a much loved niche. Some display customisation options, 2-player local co-op and a slightly easier Easy mode give the more casual gamer a chance to at least see out the game's short campaign, but ultimately Ghost Blade knows and delivers to its core audience: arcade addicts looking for a hit of nostalgia.

One Piece: Burning Blood is enjoyable even for those unfamiliar with the anime, but the game is at its best for those who already have some knowledge of the story's events.

Hard Reset Redux is a fairly competent FPS that channels the pace and tenacity of the old school shooters that inspired it. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough meat on the bone for it to be great.

LEGO Worlds can be a bit hit-or-miss. The game has switched up the series' formula and it is refreshing to be let loose and explore the vast amount of worlds on offer. The freedom that comes with all of the creative tools makes for an enjoyable experience as you explore and the addition of dungeons adds a new layer of challenge that LEGO games have never seen before. With all of this exploration, though, comes regular lag and slow texture pop-in. This causes the long hunt for gold bricks to be an even longer one but it's nothing exceedingly drastic. It's a disappointment that to create your own world you need to first amass a great number of these bricks, meaning that a feeling of repetition will creep in eventually. Despite these issues, hopping into your rocket and soaring through the galaxy for more discoveries can still be a worthwhile adventure.

The story is unique but it can be difficult to follow at first as you will become confused by the unusual cutscenes that play at the end of each level. If you persevere with the game, though, it is a rewarding experience that will offer you plenty of content.

While it lasts, Kitty Powers' Matchmaker is a great time killer that is oddly addicting.

Those who have played previous Artifex Mundi titles will know if they want this or not depending on their feelings with previous titles, and for those that haven't we recommend picking this one up, especially if or when it goes on sale.

Despite it all, I'd still say Final Fantasy XII is a good game. Its combat is almost entirely automated, but it's designed by you thanks to the programmable Gambit system, while character progression through the job system is deep and open to creativity. Running up to enemies and having the AI fight your battles for you may not sound great, but it is absolutely is. I'd be happy to play another forty hours, but preferably without any more story.

Crawl is a fun co-op dungeon crawler that sets the hero against his ghostly former friends as they race to make it out of the dungeon alive. Its innovative game mechanic keeps heroes and monsters at much the same level throughout, so the hero has to stay on his toes as he and the ghosts fight it out for control of the one remaining body in the dungeon. With the procedurally-generated nature of the title, players needn't fear getting bored with the same old dungeons and enemies each time, and fighting one's way through epic co-op battles will be a good time with friends. The game suffers in single-player, however, by giving an obvious edge to the AI and being overwhelming for those just starting the game. The achievements will offer a challenge to even hardcore gamers in both the range of different types of achievements as well as the difficulty of several of them. Fans will find plenty to keep them busy.

While the story doesn’t quite hook you as much as that from the main game, and the lack of a new challenge tomb was disappointing, you'll still be glad that you had the chance to return to the Siberian wilderness. Once again you'll find yourself wanting the next piece of Lara's story.

A romp through Owlboy's beautiful zones brings back wonderful memories of platformers of the past; however, make no mistake, the game is modern-day. But without its incredible presentation, stunning visuals and charming music, Owlboy would be devoid of anything special. When it comes down to the gameplay, Owlboy 's companion-heavy experience isn't horrible, but it's not groundbreaking either, and the sections that control badly are more memorable than those that don't

A solid racing game that offers more content than any of the previous releases in the series. The single-player offering is vastly improved thanks to a much deeper, personal and varied career mode, and the introduction of the Valentino Rossi experience which gives players a genuine insight into one of the sport’s most iconic riders. It’s just a shame that the game’s engine can’t quite can’t quite keep up the pace with all of Milestone’s other improvements.

Yonder is the type of game I wish we had a lot more of on Xbox. Its quaint and relaxed nature is a breath of fresh air and an easy recommendation for families playing together. While its more structured story leaves less post-game life to live compared to its genre counterparts, it also manages to find a comfy middle ground between simplicity and depth. It's approachable, adorable, and sows the seeds of happiness in its characters and players alike.

MotoGP 18 is a clear step forward from its predecessor with the previously used proprietary engine already looking dated. However, it still feels like a transitional title as Milestone brings the UE4 engine to the franchise for the first time. The latest installment reinforces the studio's strengths with the physics, handling, and racing remaining top notch but it also highlights Milestones continuing struggles with the visual presentation.

A fun stroll through a computer that can be quite challenging at times. The story is engaging and the different characters that you meet along the way are both interesting and original (even if they were inspired by past games). There's a good mix of platforming and questing aspects here, with collectibles and challenge rooms to keep you playing long after the story has finished.

Armored Warfare is a welcome addition to the tank battle genre. It brings the familiar elements from World of Tanks but adds its own subtle changes to both the gameplay and the freemium model, along with modern tanks and weaponry. As with other similar titles, it may not be for everyone, especially those looking for fast twitch-based games, as the gameplay can be a little ponderous until battles begin. However, once the first shots are exchanged, the battles can be as intense as any other. It is a solid title and will easily let you while away many hours, but therein also lies the biggest drawback, it will cost time to reach those higher level tanks, and for achievement hunters, it will have to be a labour of love to unlock all of the gamer score.

Persian Nights: Sands of Wonders may well tell a storyline independent of the publisher's other titles, but the game mechanics will be more than familiar to those keeping up with them. The mini-games, puzzles, and hidden object scenes all perform as they should, and the rune battle encounters have been switched up a little to try to keep them fresh in one of few changes to the game format. The protagonist's companion can make conversation painful at times, which is a shame as the developer chose to try something new here too. Regardless, the title will still sate fans of the publisher, and those looking for a quick GamerScore fix, as well as providing a great entry point for those new to the genre.

Unit 4 is a fun old-school style platformer that requires various skills accessed by scrolling through four different characters. Its infectious humor and varied platforming challenges makes for a good time, but the fun is tempered by the challenge of making it through areas of increasing difficulty with only one life available; some sections will require numerous repeats from checkpoints. The game's difficulty level also ramps up early on, guaranteeing some trying gameplay for much of the game. The game's achievements are nice mix of easy and difficult, providing a nice selection of challenges, but with the 100% and no-dying-allowed boss fight requirements, it will not be a fast or easy completion except for those with amazing platforming instincts. For those who enjoy a good old-fashioned platformer, Unit 4 is one to keep in mind next time you're looking to buy.

Echo Generation is a gorgeous turn-based adventure game with an awesome retro vibe. It doesn’t always live up to the adventure it promises, with combat sometimes feeling too lengthy or repetitive, and it’s not always clear what you should be doing, but if you’re browsing that Xbox Game Pass library and wondering what to try next, or if you’re looking for something that captures that sense of childhood adventure, you should give Echo Generation a try.

The new setting and cast feel unique and exciting for longtime fans, but those same fans may find the story retreading old plot points too often. More involved gameplay moments and some presentation changes make this Telltale game feel different than the rest as well, like a really cool effect that makes backgrounds seem like they're pulled right out of Kirkman's comics. One particular character arc pushes the limits of believability, which somewhat hurts an otherwise riveting final scene, but overall the premiere is worth jumping into for fans looking to finish what they started over a half-decade ago.

While the game sorely lacks a decent story to match its competitors, METRICO+ is still a decent puzzle platformer at its core. Fans of Braid will feel at home with its complexity and innovation, often requiring a similar level of spatial awareness and movement conservation to get through a stage. It manages to balance on the fine line between being too simple and too difficult, only occasionally driving players to frustration due to a lack of contextual instructions.

Bright Memory: Infinite is a promising new entry from a small studio, with visuals and a gameplay loop that give it the opportunity to sit alongside some of the heavy hitters in the genre. While it's lacking in a few elements that could carry it through to greatness, it's also dripping with potential and could be the start of a successful franchise if FYQD-Studio polishes some of the game's foibles. All-in-all, it's a short romp through action-focused levels that's sure to offer any FPS fan a burst of fun and have them feeling like a killing machine in the process.

As a shooter, it succeeds greatly. As an RPG it suffers several missteps that are salvaged by what can at least be called inconsistency, meaning for all the bad it does, Andromeda does equal parts good. It feels like Andromeda is worth exploring just once. In many important ways it's a small step for BioWare, but with regard to characters especially, it's hard to ignore the giant leap backwards.

Gone are the moral choices, instead replaced with Battle Runes and Portal Travel to mix things up a bit, something this would have achieved had they not been relegated to the final part of the game. Despite this, the game's familiar basic hidden object and puzzle solving gameplay will still appeal to the casual crowd and will provide a pleasant 3-4 hour jaunt through a magical fantasy world in a bid to prevent another catastrophe.

InnerSpace takes place in a strange world, but it is also beautiful. The bright colours make the world seem friendly and welcoming, and the accompanying music provides a relaxing atmosphere. Players are free to explore the world at their own leisure, meaning that the gameplay should be relaxing too, but there are a couple of gameplay problems that sometimes get in the way.

A satisfactory launchpad for the rest of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series. So far the game has a distinct identity chock-full of cheesy dialogue, catchy tunes and badass superheroes, although moments of seriousness and sadness that seem to come out of nowhere don't fit in. There is no prerequisite that you have prior knowledge of the franchise, so feel free to just dive right in regardless of whether you're a newcomer or a die-hard fan. However, it's a Telltale game so be ready for all of the usual culprits of their aging engine, like awkward walking animations and some hiccuping and freezing.

Ninja Theory's first multiplayer outing could be something special, but it's a lack of game modes and a dedicated ranked mode stops Bleeding Edge from taking on the other big team-based multiplayer games. However, the game does feature some superb third-person combat and team play. Working together with a group of friends or dedicated players has never felt so satisfying. The varied cast of characters is exciting and fun to play with, while the Mods system adds a layer of customisation to the game. Bleeding Edge is definitely worthy of your time.