The asking price isn’t too overwhelming for what’s there, and the game is definitely a lot of fun when you cast aside the few issues it does have. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is an overall experience in itself, and a great game to hold you over until the release of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night at a later date.

Sure, it’s a simple physics game that doesn’t have much to offer, but it delivers entertainment and the fact that you’re delivering equipment to help save the world is a great addition. It plays out just like an old school Nintendo game, allowing you to choose what level you want to play. Except you never face the boss, but defeat them by completing the course. I know this won’t be for everyone, in fact, it’s going to be quite annoying to some. It’s short but priced extremely fairly for what it offers. I enjoyed it and if you like achievements, the good news is that they’re very easy and straight forward. It’s great to just throw it on or to complete it one sitting. It’s a great little game with limited content and I’m okay with that.

Armello is an excellent digital board game for anyone who struggles to get friends around the table for paper board games. It's a real shame that there is no local multiplayer mode included, but the single player is very satisfactory, and the online multiplayer excellent, assuming the standard of players remains as high as it was at the time of writing this review.

Like usual, there is a mix of good and bad elements. I would say Lake Ridden has an equal amount of each that balance each other out. The quality of visuals and sound are high and the puzzles can prove difficult to most people. However, the backtracking and lack of a believable story set the game at just being pretty decent, but nothing you would rave about to all your peers. A map would have been a great addition to exploring, allowing you to mark areas of interest or just simply help you find your way if lost. If you have a craving for a supernatural puzzler, you’ll be content. If the story is what you’re after, you’ll likely be disappointed.

Had it included multiplayer modes, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to award Gas Guzzlers Extreme our Highly Recommended award, but without it, prospective players should think long and hard about what they expect to get out of the game.

I really enjoyed Wick for the short period of time in which it remained fresh, new and interesting to me. The forest is creepy and the enemies are terrifying the first few times you encounter them, but the fear is short-lived once rationality begins to take over. Playing Wick in a pitch black room, or passing the pad with friends can extend the experience. If you're a fan of horror games, or you just love a spooky story, then Wick is well worth a second look.

This game has hundreds of levels that you cannot manually choose, cool looking characters that all function the same, easy to use controls and a point system that favors number of kills over survivability. If you're looking for a simple and easy game to play with a few friends, this game is for you. If you're looking for a new and exciting multiplayer experience to really dive into, this one is not there yet.

With a unique backdrop and clever use of shadows, Projection: First Light delivers what it intended. A calm and casual puzzle platformer that is a pleasure to play through. The story is delivered in a nice shadow puppetry fashion, though some may find it hard to follow because there is no talking or narration. The biggest downside is getting glitched into walls or stuck. If save points could have been the actual checkpoints, then maybe it wouldn’t have been as much of a problem. The design and music are great, as well as how the puzzles are tackled. But because you or items can be glitched in areas they shouldn’t be, it becomes a persistent hope that it doesn’t happen (again), requiring you to restart the level. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it’ll take some reworking of the game mechanics to really shine.

Necropolis is an alternative to the average roguelike, with excellent multiplayer features, lots and lots of depth and a ton of content to wade through for those with the right skills. Unfortunately, it's likely to be too hard for many folks to see through to the end, and as a result, I think it will remain a much-loved niche title rather than a mainstream powerhouse.

Instead of a game that grows on you, it starts becoming chore the more you play. If you die, you’re starting all the way back at the beginning. Just because you have more tools at your disposal doesn’t make it any more entertaining. There are great concepts here, which stem from Bioshock which was quoted as a main influence. From great to mediocre, Void Bastards is playable but becomes its own nuisance. There are both good ideas and bad ones that mix into an average shooter with a few annoying traits.

I loved my first few hours with Toy Odyssey: The Lost and Found, however the grind was too steep and it wasn't long before the lack of real progress dragged the experience down, ultimately becoming boring by the end.

While Kill the Bad Guy has more than its fair share of frustrations, they're never so bad that they overshadow the game's strengths. It's a simple puzzle game that handles variety and difficulty well, containing a decent amount of content. It's dark themes and constant justification of bloody murder may be rather blunt and uninspired but may appeal to those who want their brainteasers to be a bit more brutal.

The aim to make the story sad was completely pushed onto the player without choice. The writing went a bit overboard with it, trying to make the player feel sad, at the cost of being over-dramatic. Too many characters were absolutely too cruel to be believable. I went from feeling sorry for Olive to absolutely hating her. Decisions just didn’t make sense when put into the real world, which is what this game was trying to demonstrate. As far as the actual gameplay goes, it had a few good moments. Some were entertaining, while other times it felt a little bit underwhelming. Running around in the house, in particular, was poorly designed, having a lot of breaks in the walls as you turned the camera. It was an okay experience with some enjoyment to be had, but with a story that had some potential but ended up being off-putting.

For what it’s worth, the extremely small amount of time you’ll play this game will be entertaining. You can do everything within a couple of hours but you’ll likely enjoy your time. I liked it a lot but I also played it on Game Pass. I would regret buying it for the asking price, so if you don’t have a Game Pass subscription or it’s no longer available in the library, maybe wait for a good sale. I don’t normally like to talk about pricing, but I think it’s pretty important that you know ahead of time what you’ll be enjoying won’t be for very long.

This is a short, easy, almost mindless game. If you’re an achievement hunter, you will enjoy it more than the average player. The graphics aren’t bad, and neither are the sound effects. But without being able to run, backtracking or looking for notes with codes can be a little tedious. The puzzles are incredibly easy, using a trial-and-error method to figure them out. This is your average game, not attempting to pull out any surprises. It has a decent story premise, but doesn’t force you to live in it. You’re just visiting briefly. Some people will enjoy searching around the prison, while others will feel the game is missing more than just other people.

I enjoyed playing through the game and figuring everything out. There is some room for error, but it’s great that you can replay the day and get faster each time. The controls were all fine except when you had to input numbers. It was likely made more for a mouse and keyboard, and it was specifically more difficult to open the safe. You would click the wrong buttons often because of the movement of the cursor. I didn’t encounter any bad bugs, besides one that kept the hunger icon zoomed in once, even when I ate. It’s nice to experience it, but you may not be playing it long or ever again. But I don’t regret getting a chance to escape a kidnapping while needing to pay attention to details so that I could put everything back the way it was before I touched it. It might not be for everyone, but those who love attention to detail will find this game appealing.

Spheroids can be addicting, but that means your time spent with it won't last long. This type of game doesn't rely on a well-written story; it relies on functionality and an enjoyable endeavor. It has met the basic requirements for success but is not going to appeal to everyone. Like the bouncing spheroids, this game has its ups and downs. If you are looking for a quick game with a simple charm and a clear objective, this is it. If you're looking for hidden secrets and a challenge, you should probably pass.

It is still a very enjoyable game that, with any other name, would standalone as a fun, feature rich and exciting title. Unfortunately, what I wanted was something that resembled the first Pac-Man Championship Edition (and the Pac-Man games I love) a lot more closely. Newcomers and speed runners will probably love this version, but those looking for nostalgia will find the game sadly lacking.

Game nights are a remarkably popular way to engage with friends, which has led to the resurgence of tabletop board and card games of late. Pandemic has had quite a following, and this digital version does have its plus points – easier logistics, lower cost – and it will be familiar to those who already play the board game. For those who haven’t played before, the lack of a meaningful tutorial will be an obstacle to getting into it. However, its inclusion in Xbox Game Pass will greatly lower the risk of trying out the game. Now if you’ll excuse me, I don’t feel so good… hope it’s nothing serious.

It’s a different concept to have a mini-game that sets up your playthrough. You try your best to get what you need and can alter your experience with specific items. There’s a lot of decisions that impact your survival and it’s always a hit or miss. Such is life. While you’re in control of the decision making process you’re not always in control of the outcome. All in all, it’s a pretty well-made story with great dark humor. The biggest issue is longevity. There is a lot of replay value but it gets a bit tedious because you can survive and win, but the motivation to keep playing is only to see different endings and outcomes. It’s relatively short and you’re making quick decisions, usually just one per day followed by reading. It has some great ideas but it might not be something you play for more than a few hours.

There’s nothing really to dislike about Aftercharge. There just isn’t much Aftercharge to like. Without a campaign and lack of in-game story, you won’t find yourself intrigued nor have the ambition to continue on. There’s supposed to be a competitive mode, which wasn’t active during the time I played. It may entice people to continue on, especially if they have friends on mics. In its current state, there just isn’t enough content to warrant return after a few hours. While I enjoyed the aesthetics and original idea of the multiplayer mode, I got bored.

The lack of online will clearly put off a few people; however, some odd design choices in scoring and the lack of any true single-player gameplay really stops Overcooked from being the game it could be.

I had a great time playing through Rise & Shine, but sadly, I know I'll never go back to it. I wanted to complete it; I very much so enjoyed the final twist of the story and the end "solution" even more. Enjoying the end, however, doesn't change the fact that the glitches, bad button layout and overly annoying self-awareness, really make it hard to enjoy at times.

The game does a wonderful job of capturing the past. From the visuals to the music and dialogue, it’s all very well done. The story is okay, but the ending seems a bit far-fetched. The pacing wasn’t bad, but I do think this game could have had a few more puzzles. I do wish there were some more areas to explore, instead of being in the same places for so long. The running button and lack of checkpoints were annoying, but the game is fairly short, and you likely won’t be playing a second time. The gaming world is full of fantastic games and amazing stories. While this might not make any of those lists, if you’re looking for a decent detective game with a very twisted ending, you may want to give this a few hours of your time.

It isn't a bad game at all, but it does so many things to such an average degree that it is hard to get excited about. There is also the lingering feeling that with just a little more effort and some focus, it could have been so much better. A missed opportunity, and a game for diehard fans of the genre only.

Without a doubt, I would not be missing anything if I skipped this collection. I didn’t miss out when they were originally released either. However, there is a strong contingent of shmup fans that will love it. The asking price is very fair, and if anyone enjoyed the originals they will appreciate the chance at not only playing the classics but the enhanced version as well. The Vasara Collection is a bit on the harder side, so anyone new to the genre will best spend their time elsewhere.

With no proper explanation of how things work, you find yourself fighting the game’s menu system more than actual opponents. Matches can take a long time to find, especially if it involves more than a 1v1. I believe if the experience was gained at double or even triple the rate, Absolver would be able to maintain interest from players. Having the same gear for hours and being done with the main playthrough becomes so repetitive that you lose enjoyment. While the combat is superb and the foundation of gear is quite strong, it is not at all implemented correctly. I did very much enjoy my time with Absolver, however, I quickly reached the ceiling on the time I wanted to spend with it.

I wanted to like Seasons After Fall more than I did. I've gushed about it's breathtaking beauty and the relaxed pace was a welcome change from the fast shooters we're used to seeing. However the mysterious puzzles soon started to grate and the amount of backtracking was insane. The developers certainly show great potential, but unfortunately Seasons After Fall isn't quite the sleeper hit I was hoping for.