Infinite Minigolf is a complete game. Across 12 developer-created tournaments and local or online multiplayer for up to eight people, it would already run out of room on the back of its box (if it weren't a digital game). Combine that with the fun custom characters and even better course creator and the sum is an awesome game that is fun alone and even better with friends. Most aspects of the game come with caveats, but none of them go to lengths that unforgivably diminish its entertainment value. Fans of local or online multiplayer games, especially those that can be as casual or competitive as you want them to be, owe it to themselves to check out Infinite Minigolf.

Mr. Shifty is a comic book-style adventure that uses the simple mechanic of teleporting in short bursts to great effect. Fast-paced and fun, the game is amazingly easy to pick up and play but will require a lot of skill to complete. The game's core simplicity is its greatest strength but can also be a hindrance at times given the few number of ways to advance through the game. The one layer to the simple design, slo-mo, which should aid in those truly dangerous moments, doesn't work well enough to be much help. All in all, however, Mr. Shifty is a real blast to play, and anyone who enjoys arcade action should consider giving it a try.

L.A. Noire is a great game. The six years since its original launch haven't changed that. The imagining of 1940s Los Angeles is massive and detailed, and every aspect of the game feels meticulous and polished. The well-woven story edges out any gameplay complaints or issues that arose in the original game. All the DLC and additional challenges are here — albeit some of it has been inserted less than tactfully — making the Xbox One version a nice compilation for players who missed this gem from last gen, but the value drops significantly for returning players, partially due to L.A. Noire's engaging and memorable mystery. The appeal is snuffed out when you already know how every twist and turn in this detective tale goes, and Rockstar hasn't brought out enough meaningful changes to make L.A. Noire worth another visit from players who already donned their detective badges on the Xbox 360.

Ruiner is a whirlwind of shooting, dodging and dying that falls just shy of true greatness. The shaded cyberpunk environments are depressing but beautiful, inviting you into a seedy criminal world where challenging enemies and badass weapons abound. Death is always one misstep away; you'll come to embrace it and take it in stride as you figure out what makes every opponent tick. However, by halfway through Ruiner, you'll have seen all there is to see, as much of the late game encounters are lazy copy-pastes of enemies and bosses from earlier in the game. While it's cool there is a skill tree and perks to upgrade, some of them aren't worth investing into, and it feels like the developers try to push you down a specific leveling path with the way the encounters are set up. The frenetic, fast-paced combat is still a blast, especially if cyberpunk themes are your jam, and the opening levels of Ruiner are some of the best gaming experiences to be had in a while.

I don't know if perfection is a rational goal, but I can say that Unruly Heroes has come as close to platforming perfection as any game should be expected to and it'd be a mistake to miss it.

MechaNika is a weird and wonderful experience that won't be for everyone. The story is bizarre and worthwhile, touching on some pretty serious points. You meet fascinating characters and will spend an enjoyable hour or so finding everything you need to complete the game. The point and click mechanic definitely feels like it needs some work to make it behave optimally for consoles, and you might be disappointed how soon you get to the end of the story, but it is one well worth experiencing nonetheless.

It's hard to call this an absolutely definitive collection of these classic gaming curios when aspects aren't perhaps quite as authentic as they could be, but when there's so little in it for the most part (and when the aspects that have changed more notably are still great despite feeling different), Banana Mania stands as a feature-packed reminder that 'simple' and 'easy' are not nearly as interchangeable as a lot of people might think.

Despite its fantastic visuals, superb voice acting, and a gorgeous, intriguing world filled with character and charm, South of Midnight sadly falls flat. A lack of variety in enemy types and some dull combat make combat encounters tedious and frustrating towards the end, whereas the story, which starts off so promising, ultimately gets lost in the hollers along the way.

Overall, this remaster puts a nice coat of paint on a great experience and I'd recommend everyone, especially those who weren't so hot on it at release, give it a try to see how it's held up.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is an early narrative adventure game that outdoes some of its later counterparts in ambition. That ambition is sometimes misguided and ultimately problematic for the storytelling, but a moving final scene with a major reveal salvages the overall story. Mixing in lots of different game mechanics and puzzles is an interesting pre-Edith Finch look at the genre. It still looks gorgeous now four years on from its original release, and it delivers a strong sense of time and place, but above all else, Ethan Carter is trying to move you with its narrative. In that regard, it's a story worth telling, but not always a story well told.

Despite being the third part of a series, Dreamfall Chapters will draw in many new players with its striking environments and fleshed-out characters. The story is intricately woven and it's an intriguing one. Much of the game consists of cut scenes and dialogue, all of which are well-written and impressively delivered. In a rare delight, the player gets to make decisions that actually hold importance, forever changing the outcome of their story. Unfortunately, Chapters suffers during the moments it's required to be a video game as opposed to an interactive movie. Certain features aren't up to snuff, such as environment navigation, and the puzzle solutions are obscure instead of challenging. Fortunately, the story is engaging enough that Chapters is able to weather the storm brought on by the lackluster gameplay elements to become a title that both new and old fans of the series should enjoy.

All in all, WWE 2K19 feels like a game in which annual players will find enough to enjoy, but anyone looking to make their way back into the ring is best to wait it out in the locker room for another year.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is as gorgeous as it is brutal, terrifyingly unpredictable, and offers intense moments of dread as you attempt to escape the blood-stained clutches of the Slaughter Family. It's an exciting game to play on either side, and the love for the IP is apparent everywhere you look. While there are a few technical issues that can sully the experience, this is a game that any horror fan should play.

For the most part, As Dusk Falls excels as an 'interactive drama.' With wonderfully crafted and relatable characters, superb voice acting, and unique art direction and animation style that lends itself to the story. The first few chapters alone are excellent, and they’ll have you gripping onto your controller when things are tense and utterly deflated when you’re forced into making a tough decision. The game is only let down by a weaker second act and a rushed final chapter, but overall, it’s still a great narrative adventure filled with dramatic moments, tension, and tough choices.

The challenging gameplay is balanced out by the nice variety of puzzles to solve, none of which are very difficult. The graphics are beautifully done and the wordless story is intriguing. Add in the relative ease of the achievement list, and you have a game that many will enjoy despite the frustration levels for those of us less than adept with a dual-stick system. Some may find the $19.99 price tag a bit steep for a title that can be finished quickly, in which case waiting for a sale might be in order.

There are still a few minor issues with the hidden object games that need stamping out and stop the episode from being a must-play, but for fans of the publisher or the casual point and click genre, the episode is well worth spending an evening playing through it.

The Shapeshifting Detective truly does make the player feel as though they’re controlling the main character in a murder mystery TV show. Quality of life improvements such as skipping repeated scenes on later playthroughs and hiding useless menu options would be appreciated, but on the other hand, the game’s narrative is so engaging that I was tempted to take notes in order to keep all of the characters’ stories straight. Finding flaws in alibis, spotting discrepancies in statements, and slowly getting to learn about each character’s backstory were the main highlights of the game, and they manage to overshadow the less appealing aspects of this sleuthing experience.

Those with a penchant for a tightly woven narrative and tactical thinking will enjoy the deep layers that The Banner Saga provides.

Telltale's debut with the Dark Knight wraps up with an episode that leaves me with an odd mix of disappointment and hope.

By combining the reinvigorating RPG elements of the premiere with detail-oriented puzzles, and adding new layers to this political mystery, it's all shaping up to be one of the best new series of the year. It's a lot of fun whether you're in it for the chess match of every conversation, the puzzles that demand you pay close attention, or the mystery that continues to tease. If you were waiting for more than one episode before you committed to the series, worry no more. This is a mystery worth unraveling.

The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game introduces a decent number of new features to keep the tried and tested LEGO formula up to date. Combat has received another overhaul, adding in an extra layer of depth with upgrades and extravagant attack moves, so it looks much slicker than previous entries. These moves can be put to the test in the enjoyable distraction of the Battle Arenas, which are best experienced with friends. The change in level design may feel unusual at first, but it is refreshing nonetheless even if it does also mean that the game is a short one. Technical issues, most notably loading screens, do also hinder the experience somewhat, but it shouldn't put too much of a dampener on your playthrough as a whole. LEGO fans will no doubt find another fun adventure within, even if it may be over in a flash.

Candle: The Power of the Flame took a while to come to consoles but it was definitely worth the wait. The game's beautiful art style and storybook narration perfectly balance the calm gameplay offered by the puzzle platformer. The challenging puzzles offer a distinct sense of satisfaction when they're solved, even if some of the clues are a little too well hidden. On the downside, character movement is clunky and the platforming is the worst part of the game, but the puzzles are so plentiful that this doesn't feel like a major detraction. Those who thrive on brainteasers will love Candle.

It's a little late to the party, but Super Meat Boy 3D represents the most seamless jump from 2D to 3D ever achieved by a mascot platformer (even if Meat Boy himself is kind of an anti-mascot). Series fans will find adapting to the game's new axis effortless, while newcomers will find a brutal, yet rewarding 3D platformer ahead of them. I loved every moment of my time with Super Meat Boy 3D, and I can't recommend it enough.

de Blob 2 is absolutely worth playing if you have any fondness for 3D platformers. It's a simple yet creative concept and the sequel brings additional gameplay features that for the most part improve the overall variety of the experience. It gets a little tough and frustrating in the final third but the developers have deftly managed to avoid the majority of design obstacles for which the genre is notorious. It's an easy game to recommend in theory, but it's hard to justify the Xbox One version when the 360 version is backward compatible.

Was Dead Island 2 worth the wait? Hell yes! The sheer carnage you can cause on the streets of LA is marvellous to witness, and with Dambuster's attention to detail, uncovering hidden caches of weapons, meeting the colourful variety of survivors around the city, and hanging with friends is a ton of fun. My main concern is that there isn't quite enough endgame content to really appreciate the power you unlock with a fully-upgraded character, so my hope is that future DLC allows us to enjoy it more. While a few visual aspects could certainly do with being remedied, there is no doubt that Dambuster Studios was the right developer for the job, and I'll be looking forward to seeing where the team takes the franchise in the future.

While playing Trackmania Turbo, the same two words kept cropping up -- missed potential. The game does have some very creative tracks, and the trackcreator is a fun mode if you want to simply mess about and see what happens, but a lot of the game takes some unexciting turns.

Sublevel Zero Redux is one of the standout shooters in the indie scene. Fusing "six degrees of freedom" shooting with permadeath, procedural generation, and crafting makes for a tense and unpredictable adventure each time you play. The rogue-like elements are enhanced by the tension of a traditional corridor first-person shooter, though it might feel a little simplistic to genre veterans. Some odd design decisions are a little frustrating, especially when they conspire against you in the game's more intense moments. If you can see past the game's hiccups, you will find a compelling and unusual experience that teases you into one last try with every Game Over.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human is more than a sequel — it’s an evolution that keeps everything that is integral to the franchise intact, but builds on it with enough engaging content that it’s incredibly hard to stop playing. There have been bugs, there have been comical glitches, but my experience has generally been smooth throughout, exciting, and emotionally motivating. I’ve put in around 60 hours so far, and it’s not lost its appeal, even though I might have to play through it again. If you’re looking to explore Villedor later this week, then you’re in for a treat.