After playing the modern Star Wars Battlefront and its sequel I had some high hopes for Star Wars: Squadrons. I enjoyed the story, and playing both Empire and Rebel sides gave great additional context to proceedings. It’s also a stunning looking affair, the first person viewpoint showcasing lots of fine detail in the little switches and dials all immersing you in the experience. I’m not a big fan of first person aerial combat and would have liked a 3rd person option (especially as we don’t get a VR option on Xbox) though. Also managing some of the elements of the ship is tricky as I needed to constantly flick between the analogue stick and d-pad to adjust energy flow.

Remothered: Broken Porcelain might be the new horror story driven game this Halloween! With high end visuals and continual story to boot we can only hope new and greater things will come of the series. Remothered deserves to sit along some of the genres best, and Broken Porcelain makes for a fine sequel – here’s hoping the wait isn’t too long for the next entry!

I came away from Re:Turn – One Way Trip having had a great time. I really dug the 2D, 32-bit aesthetic that managed to get a good, creepy atmosphere across without relying on all the usual flash and pomp we’d expected of a horror title. The story is constantly engaging and well written, complimented by some great audio work. Some minor niggles in the constant back tracking and lack of helpful direction can lead to some frustration, especially if played across a few nights, but it doesn’t take too long to get back into the swing of things really. If you’re after a solid start to the Halloween season, this comes highly recommended.

Chances are that you’ll already know what you’re getting into with FIFA 21; while it may be broadly similar to last years effort in its game feel, with a few good tweaks and subtle changes, that’s kind of to be expected with an annualised sports franchise. The improvements that have been made across some of the modes are welcome, and offer up new ways to enjoy the series. It’s also rather lovely to look at, and should be a fine showcase for the upcoming Series X|S come launch day!

I really enjoyed playing through the challenging puzzles that continued to evolve with difficulty as I progressed through each area. If it weren’t for the hints however, I probably would have been discouraged to push through. Fortunately, Ratalaika has another easy game out there now for achievement and puzzle lovers. Reflection of Mine was quite average, but fun for being a puzzle game.

I came into The Survivalists with high hopes, being such a fan of The Escapists. Sadly I came away from my time with it underwhelmed. There’s certainly fun to be had, and the feel of Escapists is here is parts, but some of the elements, such as the lack of storage space when out exploring, kept bringing my experience further down the longer I played. Here’s hoping Team 17 can bring me back in with the eventual (please) Escapists 3.

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is obviously a game aimed directly at children. To be fair though that shouldn’t be taken into account when deciding my verdict on the title. At times the game can seem fairly simple, but at others be a frustrating mess considering all the items and abilities that can screw you over in a race. It just doesn’t have that racing vibe that I’m used to seeing in racing games. It feels more hectic and chaotic more than anything. Without a doubt in my mind, my younger self would probably love this game and everything it has to offer. Taking off my nostalgia goggles Kart Racers 2 just isn’t the game for me and that’s OK. I know that the target audience would get a kick out of it and play it for hours on end. I’ll stick to Mario Kart 8 for now.

All in all Forgone has been super fun for me. Sure, I could nit-pick at some very minor changes but what Big Blue Bubble has made is something awesome and that all platforming fans should give it a look. I think it provides the right amount of challenge for all gamers approaching it.

I can’t deny that the dev’s clearly wanted to put some heart into the game, but almost none of it pays off in any positive way. The character controls awfully, the powers are nonsensically strewn about, the Fourth wall-breaking jokes just highlight the poor game design instead of compliment it, and even those looking for an easy 1000g will likely be put off before they can reach it. While the aim may be to get to Earth, I’d suggest giving it a wide berth upon it landing.

Despite these niggles I had a lot of fun with Neighbours Back From Hell. It’s a simple premise, but one that is executed with a good sense of humour and nicely devised set ups. There are a ton of levels to work through and while the repetition across them can add up there’s enough charm to help us carry on making Mr. Rottweiler’s life a misery.

Torchlight III has come a long way from the original game. The graphics stay true to the series but look a lot more refined. The options for characters have been compacted, but the introduction of relics allows you to mix and match for variety without suffering from choice overload. It stands shoulder to shoulder with games like Diablo as a fair alternative, but I feel playing with friends is a must as you may lose interest just playing solo.

Space Crew is a challenging simulation game at first but with enough practice and time out into it can turn into an enjoyable experience. It’s an in-depth strategy concept will actually take some time to get use too. Dedicate enough time into it and it will pay off.

9 Monkeys of Shaolin is an enjoyable beat-em-up and it gets a lot of things right in this day and age. The shorter levels, variety of enemies and the variety of attacks make for a fun experience. It is better played with a friend and you can tweak the difficulty to increase the challenge. The game is quite short though however and may not be something you would come back to, but it is still a decent beat-em-up.

While it might not be quite the same as the real thing Monster Truck Championship does a pretty good job of replicating the fun. There’s plenty to keep players coming back in the career mode, with loads of challenges to try, and parts and upgrades to unlock. The stunt modes can feel a little too easy to cheese a way to victory but the standard and drag races more than make up for any disappointment here. And plus, who doesn’t love Monster Trucks?

Mafia: Definitive Edition is how a remake should be done. By taking and meticulously remoulding the original game, Mafia: Definitive Edition sings with a deliciously authentic 1930’s gangster shooter experience that’s enriched to no end by a chapter-based story that keeps the focus on the story and its characters. The aiming and target reticule aren’t ideal, and the Free Ride mode is a missed opportunity, but when the smoke clears and all you want is a classy hard-boiled gangster shooter there are few better options available.

Orangeblood certainly has the style to draw players in but it sadly lacks the engagement of gameplay to keep us there. Fans of JRPG’s might be more willing to put up with it’s nonsense, but even then I suspect many will expect better these days. Mid level saving would have gone a long way to improving the experience, but confusing menus, boring and random-luck based combat and a story that fell straight out of a teenagers sketchbook all add up to an underwhelming finished product.

With a great combination of retro graphics and sound Jet Set Knights makes for a fantastic reminder of the good old days. The gameplay is solid and very fun to play either solo or co-op. There are elements that could do with a little polish but that’s more of a nit pick than anything. I had tonnes of fun with Jet Set Knights and look forward to the developers next title!

All in all Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a stellar game and I have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy every minute of it. Despite being tough as nails at times, the brutal challenges are optional so newcomers or those with lesser skills can still enjoy the great storyline and main set of levels.

The combination of different ways to finish levels gives Birthday of Midnight a fair amount of replayability but I’m now starting to find this all little repetitive without a story to keep me immersed in the world. There are 70 plus levels to complete and this will definitely not hold my attention for that long. This is worth a play if you need a palette cleanser, however if you have GamePass you have many, more engaging choices.

Inertial Drift is a fun arcade racer that brings a unique mechanic to drifting that works very well. While the tracks can be a little hard to read at times, after a few plays this becomes much less of an issue. There are plenty of cars to unlock and try, twenty tracks to learn and a decent story mode to help with learning the intricacies of the controls and modes. There are better overall arcade racers out there, but Inertial Drift definitely deserves a look if you fancy something a little different.

Going Under: Internships Are Heck isn’t your standard roguelike, it carries more charisma and playfulness than you’ll find in many of examples of the genre. No Going Under doesn’t breathe new life into the roguelike nor does it give you anything outside of a rinse and repeat formula of clearing dungeons over and over, but the sense of humour and vibrancy on display makes up for its shortcomings and you will feel as though it’s a worthwhile internship while it lasts.

Nexomon: Extinction is amazing and I have been playing it non-stop. As a big Pokemon fan I was a bit sceptical about trying something different, but oh my God I am so glad I did. It was glorious, so much fun and I can’t wait to dive back into it. For anyone who has been recently let down by Pokemon Shield/Sword like I was, I can’t recommend this enough.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds is the WWE’s big release for the year, but it’s taken a new direction after last years effort and is a decent arcade alternative to the previous WWE games. The gameplay is fair and different, but you always expect a decent storyline to play through as well. The comic strip idea is OK but with no voice acting anywhere it just feels a bit weak.

Projection: First Light is a tough one to recommend then. On the one hand it has a lovely visual and audio style that draws us in, and the idea of the core mechanic is great. In practice though it’s too fiddly and unreliable to sustain a several hour+ title, and it likely won’t hold the attention though to its conclusion.

Bartlow’s Dread Machine is in all matters intriguing, from its old style mechanical arcade box feel, to its limited movement along rail shooter gameplay. There are a lot of positives to enjoy here, but I worry it may not last longer than a single play through. It is a good dual stick shooter to enjoy with a friend though, so should provide at least an evening or two of fun in that department.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is a game that knows it audience and caters to it. It stays true to the story and delivers an okay yet shorter experience that I’m sure kids and fans of the show will enjoy.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is the safe Fable and Oblivion fusion we remember from all those years ago, but it is a little too familiar, and inexplicably has numerous game-breaking bugs and technical hang-ups, despite the lack of truly awe-inspiring presentation or technical requirements. Nevertheless, it is a fun but safe RPG with wonderful combat, great crafting, and repetitive staple RPG quests and gameplay loops. But ultimately, if you still have the original and your Xbox 360, it is not worth it.

While the brick breaker genre is about as old as gaming itself, Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure still brings fresh ideas to the fold, making it an enjoyable, challenging time. That there is so much time and effort invested in the story in commendable, though I didn’t get as invested in that as it seems Colin would like players to be. There are plenty of levels to try and best, with high score challenges, a new game+ mode, and several alternate modes as well to supplement the 3 hour or so main game. Fans of Colin, and Sacred Symbols especially, will enjoy the various references dotted though out as well.

Aside from the lack of online co-op, Battletoads is put together beautifully, with tremendous hand animated graphics, well written and witty storyline, and tight controls which made me very happy as I was fighting my way through the enemies.

With all this negativity going on is there anything nice to say about Tennis World Tour 2? Yes of course, if you like Tennis and you want a challenging gameplay experience then this will be a fine game if you don’t stumble upon difficulty-based weirdness, but there is too much here that’s off-putting to anyone but the most ardent of tennis fans. Tennis World Tour 2 has a bland career mode, dull presentation aspects, unfair matches thanks to difficulty inconsistencies and it’s largely just a safe but lifeless experience. Big Ant Studios served up better aces with their A.O titles, go and play them and forget about this one.

Crysis Remastered is a strange one. It took me a while to actually start enjoying my journey but the further I got the more I wanted to find out where they were taking the story. They have done a good job on remastering and luckily, I didn’t come across any visual issues. But you can’t overlook that this is still a game from 2007 and the AI is handled poorly with so much randomness that occurs whilst playing.

Excellent atmosphere and horror tricks and an initially intriguing tale can’t make up for the lacklustre pay off and slow, tedious plodding back and forth around the hotel. Fans of titles such as Gone Home will likely get the most enjoyment out of it, but it also falls far short of that high bar unfortunately.

Exp Parasite lives up to part of its promise; it certainly is hardcore, if not wholly unique. Even though it’s tough, it’s fair at the same time, only punishing us for our own mistakes and even then there’s still far more leniency than other titles out there. Aside from some average presentation there’s a lot of fun to be had here, proving you’re up to the challenge.

NBA 2K21 is in the end another basketball simulation game. Nothing here will catch you by surprise and leave you in awe. The biggest thing this game suffers from is the painstaking grind for VC so you can be on par with everyone else, which is not very welcoming to newcomers. It’s an enjoyable game but without any new updates or features it will end up lost in your backlog.

Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Don’t Dry does nothing innovative with the genre or delivers any spectacular story but did we expect it to? Aside from the obvious keyboard and mouse roots and thus not as fun controls at times, the voice acting and art style make up for it. Fans of the franchise will enjoy this crazy trip back in the world with Larry.

All the creative elements of Active Neurons 2 seem to work together in harmony; the music, visuals and sound effects all blend together seamlessly making the puzzle solving a truly relaxing and enjoyable experience overall. Despite a couple of minor frustrations, overall the positive outweighs the negative, especially considering the number of puzzles for the low cost.

There’s a lot to love about GORSD. It’s ugly-beautiful, rewarding and doesn’t put up with any of your crap. But it’s also unintuitive, and pushes the skill ceiling way up as a result. Some might enter a state of zen and master it, making it an indie esporter of the future, but mostly you will be hoping for good results, and that stops it short of being truly joyful.

Marvel’s Avengers is a well accomplished game and a must have for Marvel fans. All the characters are fleshed out in their personality and fighting styles and the campaign is a ride any fans of comic book movies will enjoy. I didn’t fully enjoy the combat in this game but I can get past that in order to enjoy the rest of the experience. I am sure they have left plenty of room to expand the game further with extra characters and missions to extended the longevity of the game.

The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters is a great horror experience. With hand crafted visuals and a passion for the development this title should give the player a couple hours of gruesome entertainment filled with blood, sweat and tears. It’s great to see a 2D side scrolling title like this. It works well and I hope to see more.

There’s no extra modes, no MP, no leader boards. As a standalone arcade game it’s passable for quick bursts, but the appeal soon wore off and after just an hour or so I’d more than had my fill. As usual, there’s a fairly easy 1000g to find if you’ve the desire to grind the stages, but I can’t see this being a title that’ll stick in your playlist once that last achievement pops.

Publisher Nacon and developer KT Racing have built a very solid Rally title with WRC 9, even though there aren’t many improvements over the last edition. It’s definitely a worthy investment for Rally fans, especially if you skipped last year’s WRC 8, though I’m not sure it’s worth upgrading straight away if you’re still plugging away at that title. At least not until a good sale comes along. While it does have some multiplayer modes, at the time of this writing I was unable to find any open lobbies. But to be fair most people probably prefer the career mode, because you really aren’t racing head to head anyway.

Golf Zero manages to be an entertaining spin on golfing, adding in extra platforming elements while removing every other aspect if videogame golf to worry about. It offers a good little challenge, especially adding in the extra objectives, though they are only really there for completionists. Aside from the horrendous audio, I had some fun with Golf Zero, and – cheevo hunter or not – it’s worth a look in my book.

Bounty Battle appeals to the indie game lover with its expansive roster, but any half-interested fighting game player would tell you to stay away. A lack of modes and, more importantly, much fun in the gameplay department mean even the allure of the character list isn’t enough to save this title.

Johnny Rocket is a complete misfire, spiralling noisily around your screen for 45 minutes. It’s broken, rushed and mercifully short, when it could have been a contender.

Party Hard 2 is a brilliant sequel. Pinokl Games have improved things significantly, from the graphics and play style, to the objectives that can be completed as an alternative to killing everyone. The pace is much faster and offering multiple ways to finish a stage makes it far more enjoyable. But hey, you can still go crazy and kill everyone, just don’t forget to DANCE!

Necromunda: Underhive Wars needs a lot of work, and is littered with bugs, save issues, and an abundance of little annoyances that break immersion. But when you press past, you will find a competent game with some interesting mechanics, a rich progression and loot based endgame, hours and hours of potential tactical goodness, and a genuine effort to make a stand out, highly rewarding strategy game.

If you’ve ever thought that the door handle out of your room was a bit complicated and needed less gameplay, then A Hero and a Garden is £4.99 and might be your bag of seeds. For anyone else, this idle-clicker-meets-visual-novel is best buried in the garden and forgotten about.

I came into Spellbreak hesitant for yet another entry into the Battle Royale genre and yet I’m sitting here writing this a convert; it looks and sounds great, and the core gameplay is unique enough among its peers that it is easy to recommend if you fancy something that doesn’t rely on traditional gunplay. Of course, the usual FTP monetisation is present, but it’s a small (optional) price to play for what is an incredibly fun game.

OkunoKA Madness is not for the casual platforming gamer. A certain level of skill is needed to remotely get close to beating this game. Once through the levels, the game relies on ranks and time trials for replay-ability so I hope you enjoy what is given. OkunoKA Madness is guaranteed to drive you mad at least a few times as you will die a lot. Overall the game is a relatively short experience, skill depending, and could have tighter controls for the genre that it is.

All in then, Vicarious Visions and Beenox have absolutely knocked this remake out of the park. Not only is it a great source of nostalgia for older players who have fond memories of the originals, but the core gameplay is just as fun as ever and will no doubt find a new legion of fans today. The updated visuals are excellent, again playing homage to past titles while adding extra little touches and details. Online is fun, if a challenge, and the custom skater and park options are deep and full of potential, though it would have been nice to be able to set custom challenges too.

I’ve used the term fun a lot in this review, simply because that is the most accurate work for Hotshot Racing. I had an absolute blast playing it, and appreciated its retro arcade feel and looks. Those looking for more in depth racing might come away wanting, but then that is pretty much the opposite of what Hotshot Racing sets out to do – this is pure, simple, captivating gameplay, and a title you can’t miss out on, especially as it’s in GamePass!

Tin & Kuna may look adorable, but they’re stress balls, and not in the relaxing sense. A joy for the eyes and ears, then, but expect pain in every other part of your body, as you fall off the same platform over and over and over.

Ary And The Secret of Seasons makes for a tough recommendation. There’s a pleasant premise, a decent sense of adventure and a surprising sense of humour nestled underneath the exterior if you search for it. The bamboozling problem for Ary though is that searching for a good time is buried beneath a gloomy fog of presentational flaws that do a service of drawing you out of its pleasant and colourful world, that undercut all the lovely ideas Ary has going for it. There are just too many flaws here to heartily approve Ary to anybody but the most patient and dedicated of players.

Even The Ocean has some good ideas within, from the polarising energy mechanic to the OK platforming. But it all feels like it’s trying too hard to wrangle a heavy tale out and as such end up bogged down under characters that waffle on for too long, and boring interludes between levels that add very little to the experience.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a very detailed and immersive RPG and there is much to get involved within the game and enjoy. Fans of the old Baldurs Gate-style games will find a lot of comfort in this game as there is a lot of familiarities and it has been brought to a decent modern standard. Causal players might find the game like wading through treacle in its pacing, but with the great story line and bags of content, there is a lot of enjoyment to be had if you can commit the time to it.

Cooking Simulator has delivered on all ends. When I play a simulator game I look to see if the game lives up to its name and this one has exceeded my expectations. If this were an actual restaurant it gets five stars from me on its Yelp review. Now it’s time for me to put my virtual skills to the test and try them out in the real world. Totally won’t end badly, right?

Wasteland 3 is overall a great tactical game to play. Add some realism to the game and put yourself in the game, then go off and make your own decisions as you see fit. Aside from the loading times you’re sure to have a great time like I did.

No Strange Roads presents something of an oddity – like a contradictory A-side and B-side. On the A-side you have a superb visual feast to experience, characterised by superb characters and bosses, coupled together with a solid soundtrack and a compelling yet simple premise that makes you want to ascend to the top of the music mountain. Unfortunately NSR’s B-side aggravates with unfair check-pointing, a tepid tutorial, a harsh opening level and a half-baked gameplay experience. Whether you can resist the ailments of the B-side depends on your tolerance for its shortcomings, but No Straight Roads still delivers a satisfying stage rush if you can avoid its pitfalls.

A dirty-pint of stereotypes, awkward situations and leery dialogue, this is a visual novel that somehow manages to become likable over its runtime.

A joyful parody of platformers and graphic adventures that manages to keep hold of its love for them. It’s two games in one, and they’re both the funniest you’ll play this year.

Tell Me Why is a great adventure that, although could be considered almost as a playable movie, still offers a nice amount of interaction and story hooks to be a worthwhile experience. Fans of this narrative and thought-provoking genre are likely to have an enjoyable experience with Tell Me Why and its interesting and relatable characters.

As unlikely as it may appear, New Super Lucky Tale is a punchy and polished platformer that does a great job of thrusting you into its luscious worlds. While there’s nothing truly astonishing here, New Super Lucky’s Tale does a splendid job of giving its players a joyful and fun platforming adventure game with lots of puzzles and challenges to keep one busy for the duration of its six-seven hour runtime. Youngsters will certainly find a lot to love here and in this vein New Super Lucky’s Tale is a triumph. Everyone else will find a nice and pleasant platformer but might want more excitement and memorable moments that they probably won’t find here. Ultimately Lucky’s tale is one worth taking in no matter your age, just keep in mind that you may not find enough excitement or story for your liking.

Cinders is a stunning game with colorful characters and deep storyline to immerse yourself into a newly constructed version of a beloved fairy-tale. With many paths to take and choices to be made, will you wear the slipper, or throw it all away? The choice is yours.

Overall I think that even though the game isn’t very fun it is mildly therapeutic and even quite educational to an extent, making it a decent bargain at the cost of $16.99. I would love to see a multiplayer version where you and a friend could work on a car together.

Windbound is a tough and mean spirited survival adventure. The concept is clever in its simplicity and it makes the game more difficult in other ways from the normal methods. The game is quite basic in its design but makes up for it in its challenge. I would have enjoyed the challenge more if the combat was handled a little better, the camera angles weren’t such a nuisance and the sailing wasn’t so slow and awkward. The pace can feel very slow at first but if you commit enough time to it you can speed things up as you progress and learn to balance survival better.

Rogue Cube is a very tough but simple rogue shooter. It is aimed at those who want a quick and aggressive challenge. It encourages you to keep coming back to get further along in-game as you master the cautious approach. But for most, it will either be too difficult to be fun or once you have completed the game it is unlikely you will be back.

Even though I’d not seen an episode of the show before playing I was really rather taken with Samurai Jack: Battle Though Time. It looks great, the combat is fun and fluid, there’s lots to do with upgrading Jack’s abilities, and lots of replayability with the different difficulties and scores to beat. A great game all round and one worth checking out.

Even if you’re not a fan of the sport, PGA Tour 2K21 is still just a really fun video game. It’s easy enough to pick up and play, and yet there’s a lot to learn for those that want to take things more seriously. The online Societies mode could prove a great reason to keep coming back, and the custom editor is there for those that love to tinker and craft their own courses. The visual presentation is a bit of a letdown, but to be fair it’s also not a deal breaker by any means.

It might not live up to its inspiration, but Doublehit Games have gotten pretty damn close. Some slight stodginess on the controls can lead to unwarranted failure at times, but it’s a small slight on an other wise charming, dark, and enthralling puzzle adventure that gives those heart strings a good old tug.

Helheim Hassle is another solid entry in to the gaming world from Perfectly Paranormal. It’s funny, has clever puzzle mechanics and designs, and there’s much more to do here than initial impressions might appear. Switching between the body parts is too fiddly to do with speed, so some sections suffer as a result and can be mightily frustrating, but other than that there’s a lot of fun to be had here.

A cursory glance at Peaky Blinders: Mastermind might fool you into thinking that it’s a cheap, defective product that rides on the popularity and success of the TV show on which its based. The positive reality though is that once you get your head around its gameplay quirks, you will find a decent but brief foray into a post-World War I plunge into the sneaking thievery of the Peaky Blinders. Yes there are a lot of basic and unfulfilling design choices, and more could’ve been done to immerse you into the Peaky Blinders universe, but what’s here is executed sufficiently well enough to provide several hours of entertainment. You won’t be blown away and you would wish and crave for more substance and intrigue, but Mastermind – whilst not a master – is certainly a handy companion.

The Alto Collection is two games in one and is visually beautiful and simple. Yes, they’re old games that are pretty much built for phones and you only really need one button to play, but it was a joy to try and beat your high score. I played Adventure loads when it first came out on Windows and can’t wait to sink more hours trying to beat my score in Odyssey.

Metamorphosis is a fun, ambitious, twisted and somewhat peculiar title inspired by the works of Kafka and offers something most games don’t – weirdness. Albeit suffering from some optimization issues, once fixed it will offer players a great game with some unbelievable moments to remember.

Double Kick Heroes is a decent rhythm game with plenty of challenge and is considerably tricky to master. It has a fun zombie story line with a nod to Romero’s classics. The metal tracks are decent to listen to if you are a fan of the genre, and it is fun to play along to at the correct difficulty level. It probably would have been easier to play with a makeshift instrument device, but the experience isn’t lessened by playing with a controller.

Through the Darkest of Times attempts to bring life in the Third Reich into focus, and is absorbingly successful. It’s a shame that its limp presentation will put people off, as there’s a wonderful and strategic board game here, and an even better evocation of what it was to be a member of the resistance.

Unlike me, if you’re an achievement hunter then you’ll find yourself putting a couple of hours in Brunch Club trying to complete all the level difficulties and challenges while trying to get the best time on the time trials. It’s honestly kinda addictive. Brunch Club is a game I really can’t point out any visible flaws. The game itself is stuffed like a turkey in content and has the variety of a BLT sandwich – food puns intended. It’s bright and colorful and straight to the point, whether you’re with friends or running solo fun, and tasty times are ahead of you.

Too slight to be seriously considered a Ja-copy of Jalopy, Road to Guandong has some adorable visual-novel moments that focus on family. It’s just a shame, then, that the road trip sections to reach them are so lifeless.

Outside of these fixable issues Bite The Bullet is a fun action title that adds in a unique mechanic to proceedings, in eating foes to gain abilities. It’s challenging without being too punishing, has a pretty good sense of humour, and offers plenty to sink your teeth into in its upgrades, hidden areas, and side quests. Plus, that soundtrack is just awesome. Like, seriously excellent.

Darkestville Castle is everything you want from a point and click puzzler. A simple but interesting story line, decent voice acting, and tricky but fun puzzles. The game can be completed in under 10 hours give or take – about standard for a point and click adventure game as you only really play them once, so you don’t want them so long that you lose interest. For those who enjoy point and click adventures, this is definitely a fun one to pick up.

Jisei is a visual novel game with a rather unusual twist to it; a needless twist at that. Differing from the traditional visual novels, it’s much more interactive and less story based which might explain why there are plot holes and unanswered questions littered throughout it. Visually though it’s great, and fantastic from the voice acting to character design. It’s not a bad game and personally enjoyed myself playing it, it’s just confusing at points. For most I believe it’s going to be a hit or miss game.

The Touryst was a joy to play. It’s fun, calming, and simple. The puzzles can sometimes be tough to figure out, but it is satisfying when you solve it. It’s not long at about 5-7 hours to complete and it’s currently on Gamepass, so if you’re a subscriber give it a go!

I came away from Hardcube severely disappointed; there are far better examples of games (Marble Blast Ultra, Road to Ballhalla) that involve rolling a ball around a course, and outside of some easy G’s I’d struggle to recommend this to anyone.

Relicta offers up some clever, challenging puzzle scenarios that use physics in a way that feels natural while also embracing the sci-fi elements of its presentation. The difficulty can occasionally spike, and the story elements, while entertaining, definitely take a back seat to the actual puzzle solving gameplay. But when that gameplay is so good and rewarding, that’s no bad thing.

One Dog Story might not have the punch of a modern game but it’s style and arcade mannerisms make for a fun and entertaining experience. Literally, you can see the characters expressions and when it comes to pixels that can be a hard task indeed. Well done team.

Compared to Inside, Liquid Sunshine does suffer from a few issues; pushing platforms to cross gaps sometimes takes perfect timing, and climbing higher ledges needs to have the correct combination of characters which can be frustrating as their is cue from the game. Audio does get very repetitive as you progress through the game also. I also wanted to give a shout out to the cut scenes, which are presented in a beautiful comic book style that I really enjoyed, and compliment the great humour God As A Cucumber have written.

Skully is a pleasant platforming experience that gives players a delightful slice of platforming and light puzzle-solving that makes for a soothing and worthwhile time. Playing as the skull does tend to feel sloppy at times due to sensitivity of the stick-control and how prone the naked-noggin is to water, but when you’re introduced to Skully’s other forms the game opens up nicely and offers you a scenic tour around an ancient naturalistic landscape that’s hard to peel your eyes away from. Skully is not breaking any ground or pushing any envelopes, but it’s not stationary either. It’s just a pleasing and simple platformer to be enjoyed, and a modest worthwhile curio that certainly deserves a look.

Hellpoint is a challenging and interesting RPG in a similar vein to Dark Souls, but maybe not as difficult. It is still unforgiving though, and best played with others to stand a real chance of progressing. The online multiplayer needs some work to iron out some issues, but if you like games that pose a real challenge then this could be for you. The fact that I couldn’t find any real strategy to take down difficult enemies made this hard for me to play by myself.

I used to be a fan and casual player of Magic: The Gathering many years ago, and that experience was very valuable in playing Nowhere Prophet. For those who enjoy card-based battlers like Yu-Gi-Oh or Gwent then this is a decent game which incorporates an interesting storyline, a simple well-executed survival element, and a refreshing take on the card-battling genre. It stays in the sweet zone of complexity to not scare off newcomers and shouldn’t bore the hardcore card battlers. I thought this game was a bit too difficult when I first played but I managed to get to grips with the elements in short time, making the journey that bit easier.

Creaks is a bizarre, yet engaging, puzzle platformer that manages to play with its rule-set in clever – though also a little too repetitive – ways.

Rock of Ages 3: Make and Break manages to provide some good, old school style arcade fun with it’s core game mechanics. Rolling the balls down the nicely designed tracks, smashing buildings and people along the way is great fun. It’s let down by some fiddly, tedious tower defence-style missions, and a creative suite that, while deep in options, only seems to serve as a gateway to online play.

It’s hard to write about this game as it’s just not very much fun. It’s a cheap and average run-and-gun side scroller. The music has a nostalgic feel and the achievements are nice and simple. It’s a one hour run and you only need to beat the first 15 stages. It’s a shame the 3 characters don’t have unique abilities and that boss fights aren’t more challenging.

Maid of Sker is a compelling and visually stunning experience for any horror fan and brings true stealth horror with 3D sound against you at it’s core. This may not be the longest game ever, but if this is the future of horror gaming then I welcome it with open arms.

In my opinion, I feel that Destroy All Humans 2 should’ve been remastered instead since it was made and released at a later time period in gaming. While first time players might find it a little stale, bland, and repetitive, old players regardless will have fun with the game as it throws them back into a more simpler time period than the one we’re living in now.

I really quite like Tannenberg. It’s committed to presenting WW1 in a pretty chilling way, yet still manages to be a fun, challenging online multiplayer shooter. The levelling progression menus are a bit confusing, and there’s not all that many people playing it yet, but get a good squad to go into battle with and I think you’ll be won over.

Carrion is one of the best pixel made horrors I’ve ever seen and deserves praise from horror and gaming fans alike. With impressive controls and visuals for a game of this nature, this title is a must for any horror or gaming fan with a thirst for blood and anyone who loved the movie “The Thing”.

I was quite looking forward to a new local multiplayer party game to add to the rotation; sadly, Lunch A Palooza won’t be filling that void. There’s a neat idea here, but the hard to decipher combat, wonky physics and general lack of, well, fun mean that we’re best off warming up some of our leftovers for now.

Distraint might be too simple to a fault at times, but it’s clear that love and attention has been made to make an impactful game where players are positioned to think and relate to its characters rather than soullessly using them as mere portals for spooks and scares. The visuals and soundtrack do a magnificent job of evoking themes and the general ambience is dense and strange, which helps make Distraint 2 stand out from its contemporaries. An impressive effort and a wonderful little indie slice of psycho-horror.

Night Call for me is a really tough game to play through as I prefer more – or even some – action. It should appeal to those who like gritty novels and like to play as a detective. For those who can read between the lines and use clues to solve mysteries, it may be better suited. The game plays more as just reading the book with the occasional dash of strategy. But it does have some interesting stories and themes and should appeal to the right audience.