Microsoft Flight Simulator is a marvelous use of technology to create one of the most wonderful and spectacular looking games I've ever played. Never a proponent of realism, it simply works here thanks to thousands of handcrafted buildings, as well as certain exceptionally detailed cities, planes and airports, giving you something that is a sheer joy to explore. This attention to detail expands to the controls of the planes, though Asobo ensured it's accessible through easy to use Xbox controller functions. Once you're past the learning curve and the full functions of the planes are at your disposal, there's little that can be said other than this as close to perfect as could be hoped. There are some very slight issues, such as long loading times - expected due to what is being loaded - but every square inch of the Earth is accessible and it's always worth the wait, particularly thanks to the number of options at your disposal. There's no doubt in my mind that this will be a platform that will last long into the future.

More in line with From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice than a traditional Soulslike, Mortal Shell offers a short and sweet take on the hardcore action RPG formula by focusing the player to harden up and push the offensive in order to create the perfect defense.

Hyper Scape is a polished and pretty battle royale, but it is also bland and generic from start to finish. In a market already saturated by free to play shooters to try, Hyper Scape should be an afterthought. It doesn't have the confidence or the personality of its competitors, and it's come onto the scene far too late. There's a lot to like about Hyper Scape, but you probably won't find yourself playing it for long.

The sadistic events that surround the town of Le Choara are what makes Death end re;Quest 2 such a compelling read. While the combat is passable by IFI standards, it's the quality of writing that makes this such a memorable title on its own.

With a focused approach, looking at the Trojan War, Total War Saga: Troy offers you the choice between following the story of the war or forging your own path, each time feeling different. This is enhanced by unique game mechanics for each faction within the game, though there are sadly a limited number, as well as adding mechanics that all factions work with like the favour of gods. This is backed up by a brilliant resource and city-management system, making this one of the more strategic Total War titles out there. There are some flaws, such as agents mostly feeling useless and a few small niggles with diplomacy and allied AI, but these are outshone by the aforementioned positives and a fantastically tactical combat system due to enhanced units and new terrain, as well as mythical units. Put simply, Total War Saga: Troy is an outstanding first entry from Creative Assembly Sofia and a fantastic entry to the Total War franchise, highlighting what the Saga spin-offs can bring.

Skater XL is, simply put, an unfinished product. It's a Skateboarding Simulation Game without the game. A barebones five developer-created maps and three user-created maps have no path, purpose or direction with just a handful of 'challenges' that are identical to tutorials. The skateboarding itself is great, the tricks satisfying to perform and a joy to pull off, particularly due to the control scheme. Will you enjoy it? Possibly, if you're happy making your own fun and you like skateboarding. If you expect a video game, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

3 Out of 10 is an interesting mixture of a cartoon and a game as well as a show of what can be created using the Unreal Engine. It's a genuinely funny title that offers a great palate cleanser, the first episode only taking between thirty minutes to one hour to complete. While the format will prove different to what people expecting and the minigames and short sitcom-like story offers limited replay value (unless you enjoy the story) [Episide One review]

Skully is a masterclass in bad platformer design. Characters that are a chore to handle, sloppy level design, lousy camera controls, irritating puzzles, and a general lack of personality combine to create a profoundly tedious experience. If challenge is literally all you care about (even if it’s wildly unfair), Skully might be worth a shot at a steep discount. Everyone else should spare themselves the headache.

Fairy Tail is a very similar game to the Atelier series, only one borrowing characters and story direct from another source material. The story here, based on two separate narrative arcs, works well with how it's laid out and is laid out in a way that doesn't stop newcomers to the franchise. Other aspects, however, are mixed. The turn-based combat is far more tactical than the average JRPG, offering an interesting grid-based system that helps to keep it engaging. There's a decent amount of character interaction and humour to be found within but the massive, overhanging issue is that the quests and the game in general demand far too much busywork of you in terms of building your guild, character relations, character and guild ranks and more than I care to remember. Fairy Tail has somehow managed to keep my interest but I can't deny it has too much grinding that gets boring.

Hellpoint is certainly cut from the all-too-familiar Souls cloth when it comes to character progression and combat, but it's the sense of exploration that makes this one Soulslike that shouldn't be missed.

Maid of Sker comes with all the features of a good survival-horror game, such as a well-designed eerie location, a great atmosphere, an engaging story, fearsome enemies, well-implemented 3D audio and the right amount of scares, but it does not try to break from the mold of the Resident Evil formula in any significant way. The lack of any real innovation may put off some, but if expectations are kept in check, Maid of Sker can provide a few hours of enjoyable horror fun.

Rogue Company is a solid, if uninspired, competitive shooter. What Rogue Company lacks in originality, it makes up for with solid gameplay, cross-progression, and cross-play across all major consoles, including Nintendo Switch, on top of being free to play. That is an offer that is very hard to refuse. [Early Access score = 78]

Destroy All Humans! is a respectable clone of the 2005 original, featuring impressive visuals and moments of explosive fun, but painfully-dated writing and some frustrating missions bring the game back down to earth. Destroy All Humans! is like a pristine 4K Blu-ray re-release of a campy cult movie – a certain niche audience will appreciate the effort, but many may question the point.

Rocket Arena might have some explosive potential as a casual 3v3 competitive shooter but the bright and colorful aesthetics and gameplay where no one dies and everyone's a winner have a major clash with the game's reliance on both twitch and precision aiming.

Rock of Ages 3 could be incredibly popular with the right audience with its impressive inclusion of map-making on top of its wacky, over the top design. But there are so many caveats to what you need to enjoy the game, its hard to see it reaching widespread appeal.

Creaks renovates a well-worn genre, delivering one of the most satisfying indie puzzle-platformers in some time. Between its stunning visual and audio design, absorbing world, and perfectly-balanced puzzles, it’s hard to find serious fault with any part of this game’s construction. If you’re a fan of puzzles or Amanita Design’s past games, you need to grab a flashlight and delve in.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is the best Paper Mario game I've played in over a decade, and yet I'm still feeling let down. While it's incredibly endearing and genuinely funny, it's also painfully boring and the thought of playing it again puts me straight to sleep. There will undoubtedly be massive fans of Paper Mario: The Origami King, but I can't say I'm one of them. A lovely action adventure game, but essential for no one.

Orcs Must Die 3 is a captivating, funny, and varied tower defense/action game hybrid best suited to those that don't want to just be armchair generals. But with a massive difficulty spike halfway through the campaign, it doesn't quite find the perfect balance.

Ghost of Tsushima is Sucker Punch's best game yet and a great open world title capable of measuring to some of the biggest names in the genre. The excellent rendition of feudal Japan, along with its well-written characters and story, make Ghost of Tsushima stand out as the last must-have PlayStation 4 exclusive.

With production values that are through the roof and an extremely engaging story, Death Stranding is among Hideo Kojima's best games. The moment-to-moment gameplay, however, falls short due to its repetitiveness, and the long stretches without any real action make it difficult to recommend the game to all open-world fans. Death Stranding is something different, and only approaching it with an open mind will reveal the brilliance of its themes, its characters and its hauntingly beautiful dystopian world.

SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE is an engaging, albeit shallow experience. The combat is outstanding and still one of the best you can experience, only enhanced by the new abilities featured in this standalone. However, where the combat has improved, the taut and well-thought-out nature of the levels is lost due to the roguelike nature of the game, with the thought and surprise of the originals story lost in what is mostly meandering waffle here. Is it a good game? Yes, it's well worth playing if you just want the combat. If you want more, you'll likely be disappointed.

Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise is as bonkers as you’d expect and fans will no doubt enjoy catching up with Agent York, but a lack of atmosphere, dull action, serious technical issues, and the creeping sense that Swery is becoming a touch too self-aware conspire to kill the fun. Deadly Premonition 2 is for the hardcores – most other folks can safely close their investigation after finishing the first game.

Beyond a Steel Sky is a classic adventure game because it's obtuse, complex, frustrating, and once you've gotten past that difficult puzzle, endlessly satisfying. Whether or not this will satisfy fans of the 1994 original remains to be seen, but this is the best adventure on Apple Arcade, and has a lot to offers fans of Telltale Games and other adventure classics.

F1 2020 does as much as can be expected from Codemasters, offering an oustanding racing experience on the track. Where it goes further is off of the track, bringing in an incredibly extensive My Team mode, as well as fleshing out the career mode with a full Formula 2 season. With a massive amount of content, great racing and quality throughout, it's hard not to love the game. The only real issue I have is the inclusion of the new Podium Pass (battle pass) system, adding a microtransaction for cosmetics.

Trackmania is a nice addition to the series, one that looks and sounds great and, even when it's incredibly frustrating, it's fun. The downside is the new monetisation system, a subscription service that looks like it could segregate the community. The game is very extensive and if the audience picks it up, it could be great for the same reason the other Trackmania games were: user-created content using an outstanding track creator and editor.

Crayta is yet another game that serves as a platform for user-created content. Despite the competition, it still manages to stand out and not just because the game is on Google Stadia. With its focus on multiplayer experiences and experimental design, this could become a fantastic library of titles once the community starts generating its own products.

Ninjala's action doesn't always deliver and the combat can feel unresponsive or slow when you're on the receiving end of attacks, but despite that, Ninjala is an excellent free to play multiplayer title that every Switch player should try out. If you like Splatoon but want something a bit different, this is a great game to play. Just don't expect the story DLC to blow you away. At least it's cheap…

With its excellent world-building and intriguing story, P.A.M.E.L.A could have been a great survival game, but it sadly fails to reach the must-have status due to a variety of issues. The game can still be an enjoyable experience, but how much really depends on the player's tolerance for mediocre combat, bad enemy AI and the many technical issues.