I think that the biggest thing that will hurt this game is the versions that came before it. I’m not sure people will spend the money on the latest edition if they’re still having fun on the last few entries. The career mode is worth the jump I think, and the more people that do will ultimately find themselves filling up multiplayer lobbies too. While the base price of the game is $49.99, ten dollars cheaper than most triple A titles, it should be an easy buy if you haven’t played a NASCAR Heat title before. But if you’re still having fun with any of the previous iterations you may choose to wait for a sale.

These minor niggles aside, Radical Rabbit Stew is a fun puzzle game. The central mechanic is easy to grasp, the puzzle design is mostly brilliant and the retro style visual and audio presentation is right up my street.

For the majority of Neversong I was constantly engaged, in awe of the weird and wonderful sights and tales being shown to me. Brush seems to be a master at crafting darkly engaging narratives that not only get you thinking, but leave an impression long after the credits roll. That warning at the start sets expectation perfectly, and while it may not be for everyone right now, you’d do yourself a disservice if this isn’t added to your library at some point down the line.

CrossCode is a fun medley of gaming styles which some can link to the older style Zelda games with its combat and puzzle elements. The RPG side of things does provide a lot of the content of the game, but it does sometimes seem the main focus is all the different puzzling elements, with the combat feeling a little filler to pad out the game until the next puzzling section. The variety of side quests will keep you busy, although some of the fetch quests can be a bit tedious. But the story is interesting, and it is very fun to play through, so I strongly recommend it.

REZ PLZ brings us a unique spin on the co-op puzzle platformer, and it’s one that mostly succeeds. The way it forces players to co-operate using each other – literally – is gruesome, yet hilarious. Graffiti Games managed to come up with some ingenious methods for killing our heroes in the name of progression and with a willing partner there’s a lot of fun to be had here. I’m grateful of the solo mode too, though there’s no denying it’s far from the best way to play. Grab a friend, a few drinks and you’ll no doubt have a blast here.

Aesthetically, Neon Abyss is beautiful – the neon 16-bit retro look takes me to the warm fuzzy feeling of playing SNES as a young boy. The controls very good, though I’m not a big fan of having jump on LT. I can see why this is the case, but it’s a shame that I couldn’t remap this as I could with most other buttons. I enjoyed some of the great features like passive abilities, different guns including a cat gun, unlockable characters and eggs, which follow you and have the chance to hatch into buddies that help you.

Demolish and Build may have its issues, but the game can be enjoyed on many different levels. Fun and creativity can be found in this title, and it’s good to see some more simulators of this calibre to come to Xbox.

Sisters Royale is a fun and amusing bullet hell title that offers up some solid arcade action, but little else. The specific anime styling will either draw you in or put you off (you know what I mean), but the light-hearted tale will likely win over even the most prudish players. Some online leader boards or alternate modes wouldn’t have gone amiss, but even so I still think Sisters Royale is worth a look if you’re into, or curious about, the bullet hell genre.

It’s fair to say this is true of the whole experience. Whilst MIND CONTROL DELETE is not quite as brilliantly unique as its predecessor due to the nature of sequels, it is a very thoughtful addition to the series. Its narrative is intriguing and its balancing systems work well. Whilst the repetition of levels can occasionally become grating, the end result is polished, interesting and a great value.

The Great Perhaps tries to marry some puzzle adventuring in with a weighty story, but in the end all this does is drag it down. The gameplay mechanics are interesting and provide a good time, but the stilted delivery and un-engaging tale are unlikely to drag you though.

I came away from my time with The Otterman Empire feeling very little at all. Despite some good looking character designs and multiplayer ideas, there’s a distinct lack of atmosphere or excitement to the whole affair. Vague, tricky to decipher mode mechanics lead to confusing opening rounds, the shooting feels inaccurate and unresponsive and despite the dev’s best intentions, I just don’t feel it’ll be sticking around many people’s gaming night playlists for very long.

All in all, 505 Games and KUNOS Simulazioni have a great simulator for wheel users. It provides excellent feedback and is the way the play, if you’ve the right set up. Controller users can still find enjoyment if they take the time to tweak settings, but they will definitely miss out to a degree. Those less experienced with racing games should probably be wary of jumping in here too, as the sim style of racing could be a turn off until they “git gud”, as they say.

Superliminal pulls us in with a fun looking gameplay hook, holds our attention while it twists our expectations, and brings us out the other end with something to truly reflect on. Easily one of the best puzzlers out there, and one that deserves all of the success in the world.

A Summer with the Shiba Inu is a lovely little game that offers real catharsis. It draws you in with cute characters and holds you with its rather fascinating story. Whilst it does drag occasionally, it is well worth making your way through. There’s a clear level of love and dedication felt throughout Shiba Inu, from the phone interface, to the backgrounds, to the 70000 words it advertises on its page. If you watch the trailer for this and it interests you, it’s hard to go wrong with a purchase.

F1 2020 is easily the best F1 game Codemasters has released. My Team is a great addition to the franchise and could quite have easily been released as a stand-alone title. The racing action is as solid – and good looking – as ever.

West of Dead is a beautiful looking cel-shaded game which made me feel like a bad ass cowboy, with a sprinkling of Ghost Rider. I felt some of the hit boxes were off slightly on occasion – I’m don’t think I’m that much of a bad shot… The clever mechanics of cover and using light and dark to “hide” your enemies is a good addition. Rogue-lites can be fun if balanced well and this is a wonderfully put together example.

I can see Hunting Simulator 2 working for some people, but it doesn’t work for me. It is clunky, slow and glitchy, and whilst there’s a base loop that could be intriguing, the lack of any real depth past the first few hours left me feeling disappointed.

Hard West is a tough one to recommend; the tactical battles are pretty decent, if perhaps a little lighter in options than some examples of the genre, but it’s also quite po-faced and sterile in its delivery. The in-between map sections are a nice idea though also suffer from the same flaws, as well as not feeling all that engaging or interesting. I liked the supernatural twists across the scenarios though, offering up a little something extra to just cowboys shooting at each other.

Super Soccer Blast is more of a bore than a blast. The first game is enjoyable, but then you notice the flaws very quickly. However, I do take pleasure in shooting from 50 yards out and scoring with ease. The create your own team and player is a nice addition, but it’s a shame there isn’t more content and teams to pick from from the off.

PONG Quest surprised me in a good way, as I didn’t believe a game based around PONG could hold my attention for this long. But once I started on the story mode, I felt compelled to play all the way through it. The different ball power-ups are so interesting and make the PONG experience much more fun. With the charming paddle identity’s, it makes for a fun experience. My only concern is that once the adventure is over, I am not sure whether I would revisit the game.

At first glance, Ultimate Fishing Simulator might not seem like it would appeal to everyone, but it is engaging enough to enjoy whether the player has any interest in fishing, or none at all. There are plenty of beautiful locations to choose from and with a vast array of equipment to experiment with, it is likely to be an interesting and enjoyable fishing experience for all.

Strawberry Vinegar has 6 possible endings, with 1 play through possibly taking you around 6 hours. If you’re keen to see them all, then you’ll get a lot of content for your money. I liked how characters moved within the scenes, rather than being just static images too. However, it’s likely you’ll know if this is for you from the visuals above, and sadly I do not fall into that camp.

As someone who is not blinded by nostalgia I personally loved this game. It reminded me of Super Mario 64 or, at the least. Banjo and Kazooie. It’s a fun and entertaining platformer, whether you believe it’s just a kids game or not. There’s a reason why this game was called a classic and I can see why now. With its new paint job it just renewed its title. You have a few problems with the load times and hit detection, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this game is amazing.

Waking has almost convinced me that I’m not very good at reviewing games, because it is so difficult to convey what it’s about and how it plays. I’ve taken more time than I normally would thinking about this game and how I was going to explain and grade it. It’s definitely an unenviable, uncomfortable position that I find myself in because indie developers live or die by reviews. In the end I had to ask myself if I enjoyed playing it and the answer is that it wasn’t exactly fun, but it wasn’t exactly bad either because I got what Jason Oda was trying to do. The reality is though, if a developer creates a game meant to be personable, that’s a hard thing to nail down. It will only impact head-on with a sliver of players, and those on either side will like or dislike to varying degrees.

This all being said, Tower of Time is dark, rewarding and interesting. It relies on some dark fantasy cliches but offers enough originality to stand out in an over-saturated market. If you like old school CRPGs, this is absolutely worth your time.

Warborn is a basic tactical-strategy game with an interesting story, but it doesn’t do enough to make it stand out from the others. The hexagonal battlefield could have been made more interesting, but it doesn’t do it for me. I think it’s the simple enemy AI and lack of variety in the missions that suck the life out of the experience. But it is a clean and functional tactics game, and it would benefit those new to the genre gain some experience.

I do like the Gameboy-style visuals, and the music is somewhat enjoyable to listen to, it’s just that it really isn’t fun or rewarding to play along to. Crowded rooms lead to death after death, and the lack of control over our own shooting only compounds the issue. Another easy 1000G is about the only redeeming feature here, if you care about that sort of thing.

With an old school arcade mentality Pity Pit manages to be good fun in short bursts, but those looking for a more substantial experience might be left wanting here. Achievement hunters will lap it up, but it’s probably not something they’ll come back too once that final one pops.

Once you get past the boredom and try to strategize your way through the race, Tour de France does have some depth to it. But because of the niche market for which it is made I don’t find it worth the price of admission. Even local co-op doesn’t save it. In my opinion, the developers could do well to package this with an exercise bike rather than a console release with gamepad controls.

Rigid Force Redux is a fun bullet hell shooter that offers up not only great gameplay, but some neat extra twists that mean the fairly lean level count stretches a lot further than expected. Co-op would have been nice, and it’s not the prettiest title in its genre, but those are minor niggles that won’t detract from the experience.

I’m a big fan of competitive shooters and this definitely scratches that itch. This is the first time I’ve played search and destroy only matches. I see a lot of potential in Warface: Breakout, but if My.Games want this title to do well they need to get the Season 1 out soon and fix some of the issues that are currently in the game – feeling like you’re walking in the mud while running, foot steps sounds being hit and miss and time to kill at times feeling unfair.

If you fancy torturing yourself or some friends (or are a wacky YouTuber!!11!LOL) with this hard as nails, repetitive jumping game then you may get something out of Jump King. But for those of us just looking for a fun platforming challenge, there are countless better games out there fit for the task.

Desperados III is a great prequel to the Desperado series. With great visuals, gameplay and a challenging story line you can be sure you will have a blast with this title. Gameplay is solid, and with memorable characters you can place your cards and know you have a winner.

Project Warlock is a fun and exciting shoot em up FPS with a variety of weapons and magic spells. Basically, if you enjoy games like DOOM as much as I do, you won’t be disappointed.

Really though, it’s all about the sea exploration, and even though the act of playing is repetitive and quite dull, there’s a good range of information in both scanning the various animals and the short documentary pieces that accompany the adventure. A little more interaction or life to sea creatures might have been nice, but if you fancy educating yourself and perhaps your kids on how important the oceans – and the life within them – are, this is a great resource.

Concept Destruction is a simple, well-executed idea and that is fun for all ages. It’s basically Destruction Derby but at a budget level. It’s easy to pick up and play, and even with the limited game modes you will still have a good time.

On first play though, Island of Spirits certainly is interesting and requires some thinking ahead to be able to complete. It ticks enough boxes for the making of a good game, but it could definitely benefit from some development if the creators wanted to appeal to a wider audience or to increase replayability.

Cyber Protocol is an alright puzzle game, but doesn’t really extend to be anything beyond that. It carries some levels that will keep you busy for a while, but the constant trial and error will soon wear you out and you’ll get bored of it easily. The retro graphics and 80’s synth music creates a great atmosphere, but content wise it’s empty.

Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio manages to faithfully capture the feel of the NES titles of old – both good and bad. It’s easy to pick up and play and can be rewarding at times, but the retro visuals and design mean it can be equally frustrating to play. Good for short bursts here and there, just be sure to bring all the patience you can muster with you.

Castle Pals is a great platformer, with all the nostalgia of old school Super Mario World VODs levels. I enjoyed the fact you swapped between both characters in every level, it gave you a fresh problem to solve each level.

We Were Here Together is a solid example of out of the box, co-op thinking. The puzzles can get a bit too clever for their own good at times, and if you’re not playing with a good friend I’d imagine the frustration will only amplify; but get a reliable buddy, grab you’re note book and there’s plenty of brain teasing fun to be had here.

Demon Tier+ is a fun dungeon crawler with some interesting ideas which worked well for me. This gaming style prevents over-grinding to allow you to breeze through, and the dual currency part of the game is interesting. It has a decent amount of challenge to it to keep it interesting too. I recommend this to dungeon crawler fans, as there is a lot to keep you coming back, aiming to get that much further each time.

The Last Scape feels more like a test piece or showcase of some technology that has a basic attempt at adding in some sort of gameplay via hoops thrown in to get you to explore the land. The graphics are OK, but nothing to brag about; the technology it is based on is more interesting than this game. If there is more to The Last Scape and I missed it, then it’s way too cryptic and far too uninteresting to bother trying to discover.

Those Who Remain puts on a passable front, but once we get past that there’s nothing here that’s worth getting worked up over. With a dull story, tedious searching of areas using unresponsive inputs, scares that never really come and some technical hiccups that make it feel like a last gen title, you’re best off looking elsewhere for your pulse racing thrills.

While it may seem like an odd pairing on the face of it, Atomicrops blend of farming, rogue-like elements and bullet hell shooter make for one incredibly fun game. Starting from scratch upon death still isn’t my favourite thing in the world, but Atomicrops is definitely one of the better examples of this system.

The Minecraft brand is massive, and to create a dungeon crawler with all the familiar characters and architecture makes absolute sense. It was always going to be tough to cater for all ages and abilities in this genre, but I feel they have handled it quite well. The lack of co-op and online play with players outside of your friends list is, for now at least, a massive shame as it’s clearly at its best when teaming up with a few players. Gamepass should make this a much smaller issue, but it’s still not ideal. However, this is still a fun dungeon crawler that will keep you entertained.

A Fold Apart was a game that hit close to home for me. Given the current circumstances in the world today I take it I won’t be alone. It is definitely a game that will tug at your heart strings. Besides a few glitches and repetitive puzzles at times, A Fold Apart has a meaningful story that many will enjoy.

Who doesn’t enjoy a bit of crazy golf in either a virtual or real sense? It’s definitely better played online in a simultaneous manner and preferably with friends though. The many different themes are interesting, and the variety of tweaks and modes do keep things fun for a while, but the pacing of the game or loading times may cause many to lose interest, unfortunately.

Outside of some cheap boss battle tactics that arbitrarily crank the difficulty up, Huntdown is an excellent retro styled action game. The combat is fun, brutal and often funny, the visuals and audio are top notch and each stage is just short enough to keep us feeling like we’re moving along nicely.

As I stated before Formula Retro Racing is a straightforward game. Coming into this game I twas expecting a better, newer version of Virtua Racing – and I was right. It doesn’t need to have a bunch of new features to top the older game. All it needed to do was visually enhance it and to keep the same charm that the game had in the ’90s. If you haven’t played Virtua Racing, or just want to play a fast-paced arcade racing game for a reasonable price, then Formula Retro Racing is the game for you.

Saints Row The Third Remastered has done a good job of touching up the original. All of the DLC content that has been added to the title should encourage those interested to pick this up. Fans of the series that missed this one would definitely enjoy this instalment. Those interested in GTA style games should give this game – or at least this series – a try as there is a lot of fun to be had here.

Maneater is another great title from Tripwire, plenty of blood and adventure packed into this single player shark fest. Full of fun and great gameplay I highly recommend to any Jaws fan or horror nut out there. The only thing I’d like to see next time… Online shark battles.

Overall I found the experience to be enjoyable but short. What good is multiplayer if nobody is playing the game? I literally sat in a multiplayer lobby for the entire time it took me to write this review waiting for somebody, anybody, to join. The controls are simple and it plays well but the developers seem to have chosen a sport that, on its own, just doesn’t garner interest.

To the common eye Super Mega Baseball 3 looks like Arcade version of baseball, in the vein of NBA Jam‘s take on an arcade version of basketball. Beneath the mask is a well polished baseball simulation that I believe baseball fans will enjoy. Even if you aren’t a hardcore baseball fan this game still is something to play if you’re just trying to past the time.

Fury Unleashed manages to bring some fun combat and exploration to the rogue like genre that, even when a run fails, feels rewarding. A well-executed upgrade system, as well as plentiful loot found along the way, means that it’s rare to not find something new to play with, or a new tactic to use on each go. The comic styling works well too, though the music could’ve been a bit more impactful; a small knock on an otherwise brilliant title.

Robot Squad Simulation X isn’t a great game but still playable to a degree. Unfortunately riddled with bad mechanics and average design, this title will see you getting more frustrated than having any real enjoyment. A great idea, just poorly executed.

EMMA: Lost in Memories simple premise means it is easy to get to grips with, but some vague collision detection and dull visuals/music lead to it all round feeling rather bland and frustrating to play.

Thy Sword is in every sense a simple a retro platformer. It has many nods to the past and has fine-tuned the experience to make the game fairly challenging. The controls are slick and pulling off a special move to finish an enemy is a joy. However, the game is fairly short and could be completed in 1 or 2 sittings. This is a fun game for those looking for a quick platformer to conquer.

Guard Duty feels like a blast from the past. The way it is set up and executed, it certainly feels like an old point and click adventure that has been ported. That is testament to the work and effort that has been put into the game to capture that experience. I’m sure this will be a pickup for fans of point and click games that like to adventure with a fair challenge.

Old gits like me will no doubt get a nostalgia rush out of Ion Fury, as for all intents and purposes it is a ‘90s game. It’s certainly a lot simpler and to the point than most modern shooters, and perhaps modern payers might not quite jive with it, but the core gameplay is fast, fun and easy to get into. Hard to beat, but easy to get into.

Whether Reed 2 will be your cup of tea ultimately rests on how you feel about near constant death and a high difficulty. Some less than precise controls don’t help matters, but even so I found myself still coming back to try, try, try again. Achievement hunters will no doubt persevere, though it’s probably one of the tougher Ratalaika titles to get that elusive 1000G.

SuperMash to me had a goal in mind, and that goal was to create a variety of games for the player to play out of different types of genres. It executed it’s goal perfectly but even so, I feel that a few more additions to the game itself would make it even better and more entertaining than it already is.

I am not a fan of serious racing sims, luckily this is far from that. But it’s not solely a Micro Machines/Mario Kart clone either. It’s found its niche somewhere in the middle and it’s quite enjoyable to play. With a variety of power-ups and cars, there is plenty of fun to be had. I feel this game would have benefited if it opened up online play other players other than just friends.

Infinite: Beyond the Mind brings back the simplicity of proper retro action platformers in a great way. There’s no fluff or unnecessary padding, just honest, simple action that keeps the pace flowing nicely. It’s definitely better as a co-op experience thanks to a slight leg up in tricky sections, though solo still manages to be damn good fun too.

The concept of the story had me excited to play, but gameplay wise it didn’t live up to its potential. I didn’t enjoy Blind Men, it’s an adventure novel that would have been better served as a book. A lack of voice acting took me out of the immersion, and the music was very off putting. Multiple endings are a little saving grace, but that’s even if you want to go through it more than once.

Whether you’re a fan of the originals or not, Streets of Rage 4 is a blast from start to finish. Satisfying combat, incredible music and visuals and tons to unlock mean this should be sticking around on your hard drive for some time yet. A lack of 4 player online is a disappointment, but otherwise what’s here more than makes up for the long wait.

Overall Antigraviator is a nice, smooth experience of high speed, futuristic racing. I wish it had a few more tracks as even with reverse and mirror modes it’s really only 18 courses, which would have been fine 20 years ago, but I believe players expect more in this day and age. Another thing on my wish list would have been some kind of combat element with limited ammo per lap. The random trap activation’s are fine but I want more control over my opponents demise. Plus it would give a greater sense of your own personal danger. Still the racing is intense and fun so I can’t really complain too much.

This is a simple fast past side-scrolling shooter that holds a fair amount of challenge. For those who need a no-nonsense shooter then this could be a quick pick me up. Really skilled players might breeze through it though and it may not hold enough replay value. If the annoying scream doesn’t bug you when you die, you might get some value out of this bright arcade retro shooter.

There’s a lot of potential with the groundwork Keen Software have set here in Space Engineers. However, it’s an incredibly obtuse game to get into, not helped by a lack of clear, legible information in game (relying on YouTube links instead). If you’ve the patience to get stuck in though, the scope of what can be done will likely surprise and amaze you.

Not only are there some well designed and challenging campaign levels on offer, but Levelhead dares you to come up with your own too. A powerful, intuitive editor makes it pretty effortless to get started, and really the sky is the limit for your imagination.

Dread Nautical is a rougelike I can see myself coming back to for some time yet. With a good range of classes to choose from, some helpfully accessible difficulty options and a fun gameplay loop it is well worth checking out.

Daymare: 1998 will push your nostalgia button for horror shooters of days gone and is an enjoyable experience provided you keep your expectations in check. The developers almost certainly could have gone the easy route and built a by-the-books zombie FPS (it was built using Unreal 4) but decided instead to create something uniquely theirs. These choices come together well. I for one appreciated their vision.

The simplicity and seamless movement between levels and menus, combined with the ambient soundtrack and gently glowing visuals will naturally draw anyone into the game. Considering that the player is essentially just moving a little white block in only 4 directions it is a surprisingly enjoyable experience overall. Active Neurons is simple, yet effective and certainly worth the low entry fee.

Sometimes it’s nice just to play something for the experience of it. Snowrunner doesn’t really offer up much beyond a good challenge, but then it really doesn’t need to. The pace and challenge won’t be for everyone, certainly, but if you’re willing to spend a good, long evening or two getting to grips with it then Snowrunner will reward your time.

Deliver Us The Moon nails the feeling of being in space, and the tale being told is interesting enough to keep up gong through to the end. It’s slow and repetitive at times, and the linear nature means we often pass by seemingly perfect opportunities to explore, but I still enjoyed my time with it.

Obey Me is a fun and fresh take on the Beat-Em-Up genre. It is quite easy for games in this genre to become repetitive and dull, but with the variety of weapons, moves, enemies and dodging of traps things are kept interesting. The story may seem vague at the start, but it builds things nicely and with some humorous dialogue it does keep you gripped. This is a fun game to pick up and play and is much better enjoyed with a friend.

There’s a fairly entertaining story here, of a man who hates his job so much, yet continues to do the outlandish things his boss sets out for him. It’s just a shame that the actual gameplay is, quite simply, not very fun. From sloppy, unfair 2D brawling to overly repetitive arena combat, it’s likely that most will be put off before the adventure even truly begins.

Moving Out is simple, light-hearted and fun – and a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you take it as face value, it’s well made and entertaining. Single player can get a bit boring, but this is clearly a multiplayer focused experience and it’s much more fun there. And yes, it may cause arguments, but isn’t that part of the fun?

The Inner Friend is creepy, abstract, touching, and something that will get under your skin. There’s a story here that is relatable, yet presented in a way that captures the exaggerated-ness of a child’s imagination. Movement is a little fiddly, and it’s all over quickly, but the experience is still one that will stick with us for some time yet.

Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition is a thinkers delight. Full of multiple paths and novel sized stories which will keep you playing for hours, along with a beautiful hand drawn backdrop to set the tone. Twisted communities and imaginative concepts, Sunless Sea is a great game for those with a hunger to explore.

All in all then, I had a really great time with Archaica: The Path of Light. The puzzle difficulty is pitched just right, it allows us to solve puzzles at our own pace and it has a brilliantly executed hint system that still encourages thinking about a solution rather than just giving us the answer. Some minor control issues aside, I’d highly recommend picking this up, especially if you’re after something to unwind with after a long day.

Brutal Rage does share some basic common themes with other games of this genre, but seems to lack the overall appeal and replay value due to its repetitiveness and absence of variety in gameplay and development. Perhaps, with some slight alterations, it could potentially transform into something rather enjoyable and entertaining, but in its current condition it just feels like a very dull and lengthy demo. It has promise, but is missing the unique qualities that would make it distinctive, such as an expansion of the above mentioned fight-talk-walk game mechanics or any development of the original concepts. Thank goodness for the local co-op option making it much more motivating and rewarding to play as a team and share the endurance of surviving the inescapably drawn-out captions!

If you’re into tough, obtuse adventures that may or may not reward you for exploring and soldering on through multiple deaths, then there’s a good chance you’ll jive with Cryogear. If it’s more of an action type platformer you’re after though, then absolutely steer clear. The lack of direction, the unclear inventory and crafting system and combat mechanics will likely have you reaching for the off switch soon after starting.

Woodle Tree 2: Deluxe+ for me is a sound 3D platformer and is not over-complex, though it does seem to have confused its target market somewhat. With its simple story and cute graphics, you would think the game is aimed at the younger generation. But with the tricky combat and awkward jumping at times, you would need to be a slightly more accomplished gamer to be able complete some areas, as it requires a level of nerve and patience the younger generation don’t usually have.

Beholder 2 is something unique and different. It’s an easy and simple game revolving around becoming the top dog. In the beginning it’s dark humor can be pretty entertaining, but when it’s constantly forced it becomes bland. Gameplay can be the same way at times. Until you get promoted you’re pretty much doing the same thing day in and day out unless somebody has a special task for you. Until that happens though the game is pretty slow. Regardless it’s still satisfying screwing over everybody and watching as Evan gets promotion after promotion – of course, that’s only if you don’t end up with a bullet in the back of your head.

It won’t keep us playing for too long, and it can be a bit hard to keep track of, but Save Your Nuts is a fun little arcade game that is good for keeping the kids (both big and little) entertained for an hour or so while we’re all stuck at home.

La-Mulana 2 is just as fun, frustrating and tricky as its predecessor. It has improved on some of the aspects that let the first game down a little, although not completely such as the jumping aspect. However, the game relies on a Myst/Dark Souls philosophy; that those that are determined and persistent will persevere and feel rewarded upon completion. For those into retro platformers which a decent difficulty level then this could be up your street.

Hovership Havoc is exactly what its title suggests; you steer your hovership around the enemies and navigate areas of complete havoc. The game starts very tough, though that is by design as you would get bored if it was too easy. It is a competent arcade twin-stick shooter for skilled gamers, stick at it and upgrade wisely, and you will start to get a knack for things.

Rush Rover manages to hit that sweet spot in roguelikes of being a good challenge, but also not feeling like it’s wasting the players time every time they have to restart. Some generic visuals and awful music aside, there’s a lot of fun to be had with it – and a few extra easy cheevos never goes amiss eh?

I still really enjoyed my time with Obduction, even despite getting severely stuck at points. It looks great, there’s a compelling tale being told and for the most part the puzzles are just the right balance of difficulty, rewarding our time spent invested in exploring the world. A little more guidance – even an optional hint system – could have kept me from visiting Google, but the fact I still wanted to continue means it must be doing something right.

There really isn’t much to Stab Stab Stab!. There visuals aren’t overly interesting, there aren’t many gameplay modes, there isn’t much fun to be had and there isn’t much chance this game will live long in anyone’s memory. If you enjoyed Gang Beasts or any quick local multiplayer games which don’t take much explaining, then you may get a couple of hours out of this, but even that may be a stretch.

Clearly the best multiplayer outing for the Resident Evil series yet, it is nonetheless held back by some long lobby wait times, lack of ability to non-verbally communicate with team mates and an overpowered Mastermind suite. When things come together the gameplay is fun, though nothing revolutionary, and it even manages to carry over some of the tension found in the main games, so I really hope a solid community builds up going forward.

Random Heroes: Gold Edition is a simple platform shooter with an easy to medium difficulty. It is very easy to pick up and play with simple controls and a basic storyline. There is a nice variety of characters to play as and guns to use, but this game can be completed quite quickly and some of the levels don’t differ too much from each other. The achievements, however, can be collected quite easy for any hunters out there.

HyperParasite has a really nice aesthetic style, with bright, chunky visuals complimented by a decent synth soundtrack. There are some nice ideas here too, being able to posses bodies to fight back offers up some fun gameplay and scenarios. But it takes for too long to unlock more bodies, and the combat and difficulty is too uneven to really get the desire to have ‘one more go’.

Convoy: A Tactical Roguelike, although simple in its graphics and audio, is very accomplished in its tactical gameplay. The story isn’t too thorough, but it’s enough so you know what to focus on. The random encounters make things fun and exciting, and the tactical combat has the right balance of difficulty. The game also seems to rely on the philosophy that if at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Duck Souls+ is an enjoyable game which tests your platforming skills. The difficulty is a bit all over the place – some levels had me stuck for ages, then the next set I breezed through – but I always kept coming back for one more go. Definitely a good choice if you’re a fan of platformers.

I am already a fan of the Koei Bandai Namco Warrior games and this style paired with the One Piece anime works great. The wildly random characters and story line are very interesting and gripping and if you enjoy smashing slews of enemies with quirky comedic moves then you will enjoy yourselves here. The format can become quite repetitive after a while, but I feel there is enough variety in characters, moves and enemies along with the fun story line to make this a good game.

To me, Totally Reliable Delivery Service is a cute rag doll game which in my opinion is meant to be played with friends. As I have stated before the single-player experience turns somewhat lacking and you’ll find yourself getting tired and bored easier after a couple of dozen deliveries. Playing online or with friends is what you need to do to gain the full experience and richness of the game. If you do that I promise you that you won’t be disappointed.