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.

EcoGnomix I thought looked like a novel tactical strategy game but it just reiterates the saying looks can be deceiving. It has a lot of charm about it and graphically looks interesting. But the deep difficulty curve will just turn people off.

The bottom line is you should wait whether you’re a new fan or an old fan returning. This Definitive Edition was a sad excuse for a re-release. Visual issues plagued the gameplay making it a frustrating experience with goofy looking models looking worse than the originals. The sounds still hold up and have aged well and there is longevity with these titles as they are brilliant when functioning. I have faith they will continue to update and fix issues, but game developers are getting away with dropping broken games and fixing it later. The delay for the physical releases being pushed back to the 17th shows that they want more time to fix them. The digital launch was a beta test at best and we were the guinea pigs to experiment with. Wait for the inevitable updates to slowly roll out before giving your money to a game company that wanted to swindle loving fans at launch. At least San Andreas is part of Game Pass if looking to test the waters before buying.

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.

Hide and Seek is a small step-up from The Mad Ones, though we do need to see more locations and opportunities to utilize its mechanics in subsequent episodes, in comparison to this. The minor issues with its frame-rate and character animations don’t persist as much as before, but they do hinder the experience to some degree. Regardless, The Council remains unique and interesting enough throughout.

MythForce pulls HARD at the nostalgic strings of those that long for Saturday morning cartoons. The looks are unfortunately far above the gameplay however with the slow progression and broken combat. It’s not so much that it’s near unplayable, just noticeable. I look forward and hope we see more MythForce in the future whether that’s a straight sequel or another genre as long as it uses this amazing look.

The casual baseball fan will assuredly have fun here, while those that are more passionate and hardcore, as many baseball fans are, will be left wanting. As far as baseball games on Xbox go, you can’t make a wrong choice. It’s really the only option you have. This is a laid-back game that offers a good time, but is hindered by poor audio and questionable presentation.

A slightly risque, 2D action RPG is how I would describe Lost Ruins. It has a unique combat system with a wide variety of weapons, spells, and items, giving you plenty of options to tackle your foes. Some might say it has too many options and the constant pausing to swap things around takes away from the gameplay, others will like this approach. Don’t be fooled by the game’s Metroidvania appearance, it lacks a few key components, and you won’t get lost working your way through this linear adventure, but I think it has just enough to keep fans interested.

I am the Hero takes elements from both the classic beat ’em up and the traditional 2D fighter. The end result makes for a slightly unusual brawler that seems especially out of place as far as its combo system is concerned. Bear with it though, because underneath its somewhat confusing design, rests an accessible, action-packed journey that’s as varied as it is stunningly detailed.

Aspire: Ina’s Tale doesn’t bring anything new to the table. The graphic design is superb, but I can’t recommend you play a game on graphics alone. I think fans of the genre could enjoy this, and for the amount of content I think it is fairly priced, but if you are interested I suggest you wait to pick it up in a sale.

Indigo 7: Quest For Love is quite a clever and refreshing strategy puzzler. It’s a new concept for me as I haven’t seen it done similarly and the Scott Pilgrim like graphics are always interesting and appealing. Although not many of the characters in the story are likeable or relatable, it is still fun to play through the story mode and watch how things unfold. I think they either needed to remove the character soundbites or add a lot more as they did get irritating after a while and I will be forever haunted by Guile saying ‘Magic fingers’.

Being an FMV means that much of the game’s weight is resting on both its writing and its acting. Unfortunately, the quality here tends to fluctuate. There’s also some odd design choices that hurt the game’s otherwise decent pacing and structure. That being said and overall, The Shapeshifting Detective is just about entertaining enough and interesting enough to recommend.

Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues is a unique surreal arcade scrolling beat-em-up. For me, it has mixed success as it does have cool characters with unique skills and some cool ideas. But as the gameplay is not robust this game will struggle to pull players in outside of fans of the film and series. I fell that some some features, like powerups, could have been cut if it meant the combat ended up more refined. It is fun to play with a friend and I’m sure fans of the series will enjoy the tie in, but it just leaves me with the feeling that this was rushed out before it was done.

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.

MXGP Pro may well be the best MXGP game to come from Milestone so far. It’s not perfect by any means, but it does provide a passable and realistic experience nevertheless. It’s a shame, then, that despite the gorgeous photo-realistic visuals and the diverse selection of tracks and riders, MXGP Pro falls somewhat flat on its play-it-safe content and its steep learning curve. This is a decent racer for sure, but it could have been much more.

Ben 10 is a good game, a lot better than expected but am still unsure if it is worth the price people will pay.

Bloody Rally Show is a fun, unique roguelite-style title. The nature of every race never being the same is a great feature to keep the game fresh. The top down elements brings back old school vibes, but while the game is fun in short bursts, I feel it’s a case of too little to really make it something that’ll keep players coming back.

Despite how overwhelming and confusing it can be, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries certainly has something to offer players who want to get stuck into the fine details of setting up their own interstellar mercenary outfit. The combat can be fun, if deliberately slow, and once set up right having a powerful mech wrecking shop is entertaining. It’s just the bits in between that can drag, with confusing menus and systems that aren’t fully explained.

Overall and whilst MX vs ATVs arrival on current-gen consoles was always one we were going to expect, it’s shocking to see it arrive in such a poor state. With glitches galore and a real lack of polish all around, what has long been an exciting series release has this time turned into something that feels like a rushed release that would have really benefitted from utilizing the extra power of current generation consoles to push out something spectacular rather than another general churned out release. Unfortunately, this isn’t one I want to recommend.

Rack N Ruin is a typical action-adventure game and hits all the right points required to make it a good game, but does suffer a few minor drawbacks. The zoomed in view, terrible map and confusing puzzles could put some off, but there is a lot of charm to the game. The fact you play as a cute but evil demon on a sinister mission which no one seems to take too seriously is a nice change of view and graphically it is enjoyable and quite easy to play. A nice pickup for those who fancy tackling a short but tricky action game.

Hellfront: Honeymoon trades depth for gameplay simplicity, and in doing so, will likely turn away those that prefer deeper action strategy games. If you can overlook that, there’s a lot to like about the experience at hand. The game’s constant action sits remarkably well with its quick-fire matches. Though, as with any game that’s relatively bare, repetition sinks in soon enough. Still, this is one PvPvPvP that’s fit for those party nights.

Dandara is an endearing adventure that offers up excellent level design and unique gameplay. It’s a shame, however, that the movement system within often hinders the overall experience due to clunky controls. Dandara certainly stands out on the merit of its concept, but the execution isn’t quite as commendable. Having said that, if you can overlook these flaws, it’s a journey worth taking.

I’d love to sit and tell you about a fantastic feature, or a must-play aspect to Skydrift Infinity that would make you want to rush and buy, and I’d love to be able to praise this game as the must-play underdog flight game of the month. Sadly there isn’t all that much to be excited about. Whilst the visuals are pleasing, even they can’t compare to the other option being presented this month, and that can only mean this one is likely to be forgotten quickly.

Overall happy to see TMNT cross yet another genre, but Tactical Takedown just barely makes a good grade. It’s not bad but it does nothing for the genre to make me want more of it. I can, for sure, recommend this for those wanting a more toned down turn-based strategy experience, especially if you love the Turtles, however. Veterans to these games will likely find Tactical Takedown a bit slow and too simple.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts has a few fresh ideas, but it takes several steps sideways steps as it looks to make a claim in the sniper game sub-genre. An experience that is often good, but never great.

All in all, Love Choice is a pleasant title to sit back and relax with for an hour or so of an evening. The stories are short and sweet and the interactivity is more than we’d expect from a visual novel.

I think that the active-reload healing mechanic in 9 Years of Shadows had potential to make them stand out in a crowd of other action platformers. Unfortunately, the difficulty spikes, lack of signposting, and frequent dropping of button presses wore me out and I would not recommend this game to anyone but the most hardcore fans that must absolutely play every game in this genre.

Within the Blade is a great proposition as a budget title. Tons of levels, and good variety throughout leads to a large amount of replayability. Some design decisions and nasty bugs mean that it is a close shave away from ‘excellent’, and instead just ‘good’.

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.

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.

Jet Kave Adventure is a neat platformer that should keep younger players especially entertained, though I also had a blast playing. It’s not overly complicated but still manages to squeeze in a few interesting mechanics to give us something to be mindful of.

Layers of Fear 2 is fairly hit and miss for a sequel. Whilst it manages to hold its own, it doesn’t quite meet the quality nor the ambition found in its predecessor. The gameplay may be considered to be too easy for its own good, and certain elements do feel somewhat rushed. Though, that being said, one has to commend its level of polish and its psychological approach, ultimately putting forward an experience that’s both unique, and provocative.

As much a victim of greater survival horror games as it is an oasis in a desert of unique survival horror experiences, Cronos: The New Dawn tries its best to evoke the atmosphere and dread that put the genre on the map. However, what lingers is the stench of a lack of effort, as there are various instances where you’ll be reminded of the greatness of the survival horror classics that came before, while you discover the myriad of ways Cronos falters in its attempts to shock and scare you. There are decent boss fights, excellent presentation, and decent weapons, but its workmanlike protagonist and weak conventional enemies keep this promising double A horror on a leash, when it really should’ve broken the chains and unleashed itself impressively upon every genre fan. Cronos is good enough, but it really should’ve been so much more.

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.

Reverie Knights Tactics is a decent attempt at a strategy RPG. I found the combat quite similar to the publishers other game Fell Seal but not as complex or interesting. The story had potential but it lacked too much content so you didn’t get the background of the setting or the characters. But for 10 hours it’s still a fun playthrough if you enjoy this style of game but those puzzles will frustrate you.

All in all Super Sports Blast is a good little sports game for all ages. The sheer simplicity of all the sports as well as a graphic style, that while not breath-taking is certainly not horrible, make this a perfect game for people to relax and play or even to introduce younger games to the sports genre.

If you’re after a blast of tough nostalgia, then Alex Kidd in Miracle World has got you covered. If anything, it’s a bit too faithful in terms of the mechanics despite offering up some modern concessions such as checkpoints and save states. But then that’s the point, isn’t it. Older players will still get some enjoyment out of revisiting this, while younger players can see what we used to deem cutting edge back in our day. It’s not going to challenge the best platformers out there, but it’s still decent enough – and really bloody hard.

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.

A trial by horror if there ever was one, The Outlast Trials does its best to flavour up the Outlast formula with its particular slant on co-operative gameplay. The results are decent alone or with friends, but too many times The Outlast Trials sacrifices its horror potential by implementing its newly-minted multiplayer features, consequently threatening to trip over and compromise the experience. Outlast‘s bespoke brand of horror manages to keep its head above the bloodbath thanks to brimming environments, meticulous presentational elements and its ability to unnerve, but trying to be bigger doesn’t payoff as better with The Outlast Trials, it’s merely good, but could’ve been great if it was smaller and more focused.

If you want a game you can play with a friend for a couple of hours, We Were Here really shines with is intricate puzzles. A few little hiccups here and there with not being able to hear each other aside, if you want a pick up and play co op game I would definitely recommend We Were Here. Doubly so, as it will be free on GwG by the time you read this.

If you are a fan of the One-Punch Man anime, it’s a no brainer and you should pick this game up! It’s enjoyable creating your own hero and rising up the hero ranks. However, in the end I did feel a little bit disappointed as it takes a lot of work to rise up the ranks, with way too many side quests needing completing.

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.

Raji: An Ancient Epic is a unique game that reminds me of the great Prince of Persia, her journey following a similar arc of learning God-given powers to help her people. Platforming can be a bit off a times, the forced perspective camera not helping here, though across the board Raji is more forgiving than most, letting us pick back up where we left off quickly. It’s a shame that we can’t level select to mop up collectibles/achievements as otherwise replaying can be a bit of a drag. Some great audio visual work eases this pain, but as it is I’d suggest that waiting for a sale down the line might make the journey feel more worth your while.

Exit The Gungeon is a a game that I can’t say would keep me coming back for more. I absolutely love how creative the guns and bosses in the game can be, but I can’t see myself coming back to play it over and over again. It’s not a dungeon crawler anymore, your just fighting enemies in an elevator shaft. While the fun is immediate in the beginning, after a couple of runs it is sure to die down.

Unfortunately, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre loses its appeal gradually when you find yourself performing the same actions over and over again, where every match plays out in the same way, refusing to change things up to keep the drama ticking along. The lack of time limits can make matches drag on laboriously too, so it’s easy for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to wear out its welcome. Ultimately it’s a cool PVP game, but it doesn’t have the fresh ideas to contend with its contemporaries.

Fall of Porcupine is a fantastic story with a real heart, which is in need of a little polish to make it perfect. For those willing to play through the bugs and the translation they will find a rough gem.

Despite the lack of evolving gameplay functions, Wenjia’s interesting use of its realm-swapping mechanic, grouped with its environmental puzzle design, is truly what keeps the adventure fresh throughout its short run. Wenjia is by no means a groundbreaking game, but its beautiful visuals, together with its simplified concept, makes for a decent adventure that’s soothing, charming and laid-back.

The visuals are bright and have a nice style to them, the gameplay loop is fun and when things are going your way, it can give you a real adrenaline boost. A slow basic firing rate and some cheap lost lives can lead to frustration, especially in the later levels, but overall Boiling Bolt is a fun throwback to simpler times that is equally as challenging as it is annoying.

Despite the game growing on me once I learned the ropes, I can’t recommend this game in its current state. There are too many bugs and a few achievement glitches. There is a good amount of variety in the performers but learning how everything works can take some time. The game also starts to feel very tedious in the last area when all the performances are three acts long. If this circus comes to town I’d give it a pass unless they upgraded it. Right now only a matinee show would be worth checking out (if there was a discount).

Fishing Sim World offers a soothing, robust and faithful representation of its real-world counterpart. I take issue with the game’s lack of atmosphere and its hands-off tutorial system, but outside of that, there’s little else to scoff at here. When all is said and done, Fishing Sim World manages to tick many of the boxes that it needed to, it’s deep, diverse and packed with choice.

The art style alone might be worth giving RPG Time: The Legend of Wright a look especially if you are a fan of adventure-style games. There were definitely some high points such as the mini-game where you catch fish using a musical piano bridge that plays the tune of London Bridge Is Falling Down as you catch the fish. Overall, however, the pace and the shallow gameplay made me wish there was a way to get some of my time back from RPG Time: The Legend of Wright.

Star Overdrive is a big open world, with big ambitions, but lacks a little bit of synergy in my opinion. I think comparisons to the giants of this type of game are fair and some of what Star Overdrive does different, like the hoverboard, are great, but I don’t think they mesh together in one package that presents a game that I want to spend a great amount of time with.

Clone Drone in the Danger Zone is simple in nature, offering up some slightly unwieldy physics based combat that is fun enough in short bursts. The story mode offers more than we expected going in and is worth a shot, and there are plenty of challenges for dedicated players to check out as well as online play, but the rinse and repeat nature of the combat means we’ve likely had our fill before the evenings up.

Despite the dated visuals and camera issues, the gameplay remains as fun, as fast paced, and as addictive as it was over a decade ago. However, the lack of anything new in this collection may leave many of you wanting for more. The content alone is worth the asking price, but time and minimal effort certainly hasn’t done Dante any favors.

Overall, if you’re an avid fishing enthusiast chances are you’ll have nowhere near as much fun with Fishing Adventure as you would out there in the real world with a rod in your hand. If like me you’ve yet to find the appeal of fishing, then Fishing Adventure is unlikely to spark any major interest. It’s grindy, it’s tedious and you’re better off leaving it to the professionals. Maybe it’s time for a different type of adventure from UltimateGames.

Octahedron isn’t your average platformer. The solid design, wonderful soundtrack, and clever functionalities, go hand in hand to produce something fun and exciting. Though, with that being said, the floaty controls and repetitive gameplay often hinder this otherwise decent loop. Different it may well be, but it’s hardly groundbreaking.

Itorah is a wonderful world, with great level design and characters, hindered by one small mechanic that blemishes what should be a great game. Instead, it is just a good one.

Hero Defense’s gameplay systems are serviceable, at best. Credit needs to be given to the game’s decent combat mechanics, which is arguably the game’s strongest aspect. It’s a shame, then, that much of everything else within is either half baked, too basic or fails to fluidly connect to the game’s core foundation. Hero Defense is definitely a lot of fun, but it’s hardly an ambitious, nor deep, adventure.

Whilst short and somewhat overly dramatic in regards to its writing, the game’s core loop is thoroughly well designed, putting forward engaging, clever mechanics that rarely grow tiresome. This is further upheld by solid visual and audio design, both of which collectively set the vibe of the game remarkably well. Puzzle fans looking to fill a quiet evening will no doubt enjoy what’s on offer, it’s just a shame it’s all over with far too soon.

Emily Wants to Play Too is bigger and better than its predecessor, but that’s not to say that it comes without issues. Problems with its performance tends to take the bulk of its downside, with the lack of a solid progressive structure and poor shadowing following closely behind. That said, this is still one hell of a scary experience that will certainly please horror fanatics and fans of the first game alike.

The crux of the matter is simple; Ball laB is a basic game with basic qualities. It has simplistic controls, a basic idea and some pretty common gameplay concepts that make up the entirety of the core experience, but all in all, Ball laB is a simple and effective game that comes bearing a wallet-friendly price, enjoyable and engaging gameplay and enough content to keep you interested just long enough to see the end. If you can handle basic pixel visuals, can bring a little patience and are happy to part with a little pocket change, you could find yourself enjoying a fairly decent platforming experience to see the year out. It’s not going to be one of the biggest games this year, it’s unlikely to even be remembered come the start of next year, but it’s not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

In their Kickstarter campaign, they stated that their goal was to “revitalize the genre with new gameplay elements”; unfortunately, it can’t really be called a successor to any of the games from which it took inspiration. It has decent gameplay at its core but is severely lacking in content for its current price of $30, and it tries to make up for that by cranking the difficulty way up. This is magnified by the designers’ decision to forego almost all of the modern conveniences players have grown accustomed to in the past twenty-plus years, which really makes you question what was going through their heads. If you love arcadey Hack and Slash games and/or enjoy challenging yourself with devilishly difficult games then this might be worth checking out once it’s on sale.

Combat is hard, often unfairly so, but get into the groove and it’s also very satisfying. Exploring the environments can yield extra challenges, with powerful rewards for success, but a few more tantalizing glimpses of areas beyond your abilities wouldn’t have gone amiss. If you enjoyed the previous entries and have been waiting to see what Fury can do, you’ll find the wait has mostly been worth it. Just be prepared for a challenge.

Those with the patience of a Norse war chief will no doubt feel right at home in Northgard. There’s an impressive amount of granular detail to get lost in, allowing you play to your strengths. The visuals are nice and colourful, and if it gets its hooks in, you’ll have a title to play for a long time yet. But fiddly UI, unclear systems and a slow pace will likely put off as many as it attracts.

Trigger Witch is a middle-of-the-road game. I had a decent time playing through it, but just like much of the land in which it takes place, Ozryn, the game lacks any real magic. The action is fun and chaotic at times, the story has some charm, and the world is colorful but the game lacks any real staying power. It’s somewhat unique to see a combination of Action-Adventure RPG with Twin-stick-shooter in a retro-styled setting and if that sounds interesting then it might be worth a look once it has its first sale.

Starship Troopers: Extermination is a game full of tremendous potential. Two years after early access that potential seems within reach with a bit more polish. The action can be a blast, but often the bugs, some design choices, and unstable servers act against its overall vision. Often it felt like I was fighting the game itself and not the bugs onscreen.

Blightbound is a couple of fixes away from being the new hardcore favourite – mechanically demanding, it plays more like a precise competitive multiplayer game than a dungeon-crawler. It is let down by copious crashing and poor pathing from the AI.

My Hero One’s Justice 2 is well put together and offers a variety of slick game modes. For a fan of the anime it’s sure to be a hit, but if you’re not you may not follow the story or find much to get excited about. The combat is fun, but the novelty wears off pretty quickly when you find yourself spamming the same moves.

Inops is a charming, yet dark, 2D platformer. It’s paced just right, a relaxingly chilled experience that offers up a spectacular visual journey.

Romancing SaGa 2 is a solid JRPG that houses some good ideas and interesting mechanics. Sadly it just doesn’t quite suit the large screen due to over-sized text within screen hogging text boxes. The control system also has a slight delay when inputting commands, which can prove frustrating when it occurs during battle sequences or evasion.

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.

Another detailed, super niche, hobby specific game that didn’t sit well with me, but this time it wasn’t because it was bad necessarily! Rooftops & Alleys was fine for what it was, but it wasn’t right for me despite being excited to play it. Mostly a mixture between the controls not aligning for me and not finding much to do (I am glad to see the time trials and trick battles exist, but other stuff being options comes to mind; think collecting letters ala the S-K-A-T-E challenges from THPS or finding lines and gaps) lead me to my final opinion. I would definitely need some multiplayer motivation for this to have any longevity as well which isn’t present for me. If you have those things and the will to “get good” at games, then this might be for you and your friends. Don’t let my bad gameplay sell the game short either!

Cardpocalypse is a nostalgic blast from the past. Players who enjoyed card games such as Yugioh! will get a kick from this along with a flood of warm memories of the 90’s. The turn based title may have trouble shining through among other titles in the genre, but I can’t knock Cardpocalypse for gameplay and story narrative.

Mile 0 is something of a pleasant surprise. The inclusion of Rides makes storytelling and decision-making riveting and fresh, underpinned by an insatiably likeable arcade hook. Mile 0 also boasts a greater focus on characters and relationships than the original, helped along by a pleasantly bite-sized price tag. The big dinger though, is that Rides can feel too on-rails for its own good despite its novel use in storytelling and decision-making. Mile 0 also fails to transmit the fervour of Rides to the rest of the experience-this despite some flashes of playful subversiveness and youthful hijinks present throughout. Ultimately Mile 0 can be softly recommended for what it does offer, but it is a lightweight entrée more than a transcendent main course-this one’s lacking the protein and bulk required to truly satisfy over the long haul.

LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 is a step back for the franchise, which is a shame given the excellent recent release of LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game. Sure, there’s plenty of content to dive into and a massively impressive roster of characters, as well as several diverse and well designed environments, but this means very little when the actual gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. AI companions are shocking and absolutely irritating to the point of forcing you to plug in a second pad to get the job they were tasked with, done. There’s also far too much going on to comfortably digest the plot in the sense of where you are going and what you’re doing.

Ghostrunner is certainly worth a look and will definitely click with those endeared by its speed and momentum, but potentially alienates those who just want a kick-ass action game to delve into. In this sense, Ghostrunner is as much a success as it is a failure.

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.

Overall, if you like creature catchers such as Pokémon, Nexomon, Temtem or any other inspired game of the same vein, then Monster Crown is another one that will join that list of options that can not only offer a significant number of monsters to get lost in but also provide a fair few hours of battling, levelling and breeding in a way we have become all too accustomed too over the years. It’s not original, it’s not unique, it’s not the best option out there, but it does offer more of what many players know and love on an Xbox console and for that reason, we’ll take it.

Arkanoid Eternal Battle is fun for a while but can get frustrating very quickly. With no option to save your progress, this hampers my score. I wish there was an option for an offline/easy mode, a bit like Tetris 99 has, but otherwise it’s a solid title if you loved the original. I would, however, recommend waiting for a sale.

As inspired as it is irredeemably middling, Empire of Sin has the style and the moxie to put on a gangster-like epic, but the overblown micromanagement aspects, repetitive and unrewarding strategy mechanics and its half-baked presentation do much to sully the game’s promise and dim the lights on its bright spots. You may summon some enjoyment from Empire of Sin if you fancy taking on the role of a gangster kingpin and managing all the busywork that comes with it – it’s just a shame that this mobster gets too bogged down with its own systems to truly make an impact.

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.

Tools Up! is off to a decent start here with simple, fun gameplay. Lack of online multiplayer really puts a limit on how much fun can be had however. But grab some mates and a you’re in for a fun – though rowdy – evening of construction together.

Basketball Classics is a solidly made blast of fun in short bursts, but is missing the depth I’d hoped for a modern re-imagining of retro sports game.

Tropico 6 is a fun sandbox strategy game, with some new additions that provide some reason to upgrade from the previous entry. I enjoyed my time with the campaign, even if some of the objectives and demands sometimes got a little too overwhelming. At least sandbox mode is there, allowing you to de-stress with no pressures and just enjoy the act of creating your own little empire.

The Videokid is a simple yet competent take on Paperboy’s core design, complete with shed loads of cameos and references from the 80s and early 90s. The gameplay loop can indeed become frustrating when errors occur outside of player control, grouped with its steep difficulty curve, but for the most part, this is a well developed experience that achieves much of what it sets out to accomplish.

If you’re into reading about a fun adventure in the wizarding world with colorful animated art, then this game might be for you. I personally didn’t like how abrupt the end of the story was and that also contributed to the rushed feeling I experienced while playing this game. I also feel like the text scenes were very long and the game didn’t provide enough choices and following consequences other than moments where Thomas can die like Alice’s past students. If you played the game once then you have experienced everything except for a couple Forest scenes late in the game that are optional. The further I played, the more I felt the game was coming to a conclusion faster and faster. The end game events really fly by quickly compared to the first half of the game exploring Alice’s home and making potions. However, I’m looking forward to the sequel if there is one in production by Graven Visual Novels as this was a fun story to read.

Police Stories is definitely worth a look if you like tactical shooter-like top-down games. It has a good, fun story and if you take your time with it you will enjoy yourself. Whilst you will find yourself sometimes playing the same level a couple of times, once you complete it you do feel a sense of satisfaction.

Even if you’re not an ardent follow of the sport, MXGP 2019 still provides a fun, though challenging, racing experience. Great visuals, some fun, responsive handling and great track design more than make up for the difficulty and constant droning of engines.

Worbital is a fun strategy title that utilises gravity, physics and over the top weaponry to great effect. While the battles can drag on a little too long at times, there’s something to the spectacle of the space battles. It’s a shame that the online side of things seems so barren as it would definitely make for a decent chill out title in between other games.

All in all Townsmen – A Kingdom Rebuilt is a solid playing and nice looking medieval building sim which is fun to play, without feeling too overburdened with menus and otherwise awkward setups. It can get a little taxing at points, but this little hiccups rarely put a downer on things for too long.

It is clear that an enormous amount of effort has gone into the creation of Whipseey and the Lost Atlas, but the very basic menu, absence of save points and lack of character development could be seen as a slight weakness compared to similar games within this genre. But for those who enjoy playing something that requires careful timing and accuracy to complete, I would almost certainly recommend giving this game a go, especially given the very reasonable price point, for an evening or two of light-hearted entertainment.

Exception doesn’t hold back when it comes to the core gameplay. The responsive, smooth controls allow you to really sail through stages at somewhat breathtaking speed. It can get a little much if played for too long (and that soundtrack is… a bit much) but in short bursts, there’s a fun arcade platformer here.

Part of the joy of these remakes is when an old game is taken and made to feel fresh again, keeping the essence of the old but making it more palatable for a new audience. While Panzer Dragoon gets some nice visual upgrades, I would have liked to see more put into updating the gameplay to suit. As it is, it strictly sticks to the formula laid out 25 years ago, even ignoring improvements made within its own sequels. It’s not exactly a bad game, but unless you have some serious nostalgia for the Saturn original then this might not stick around for more than a single run through.

All in all, Croc The Legend of the Gobbos Remastered does what it says on the tin – remaster a 1997 video game with an upspuff in visuals and improved controls. Keeping the rest of the game as was is great in theory, but too many 90’s sensibilities remain in terms of wonky level design and difficulty spikes. It’s certainly more enjoyable thanks to the improvements made, and I’m all for reviving old games for a new lease on life, but this game is far from the best of the era and it certainly can’t challenge the modern greats that have come since.

Bleach: Rebirth of Souls had the potential to be a great game for fans of the anime, but it falls short in several key areas. Way to many cutscenes disrupts the flow of gameplay, and the combat, while solid, lacks the depth and excitement needed to keep me wanting more. It’s a game that might appeal to die-hard Bleach fans just to try it out, but for others, it may not be worth the time. Watch the anime instead, it’s so much better!

Flutter Bombs is a decent top-down twin-stick shooter that manages to get more right than it gets wrong. Whilst the core loop can become repetitive and frustrating due to some fairly lazy ideas, the game succeeds at maintaining player engagement through its commendable overall variation and its rich and diverse environments. That said, its simplicity makes this more suitable for the casuals rather than the hardcore.

Whilst it’s lacking in story content and comes with a questionable mission structure, there’s much to like about New Dawn. The gameplay remains fluid and responsive throughout, with no shortage of memorable moments born through its nonstop action, as well as its broad variation of unique opportunities. That said, once the game’s grind-wall kicks in towards the end, you’ll start feeling less like a liberator, and more like a liberator’s butler.

Like a sweet dream A Memoir Blue is short but memorable. The lovely music, visuals and touching story are resonating to behold, but the game underpinning it is shallow. It’s ironic that despite the depths of water Miriam dives into, it isn’t matched by the gameplay and meagre length. The general impression you’re left with after completion is only that its head of hair is wet, yet the body is still bone dry. You will be satisfied there’s enough water here to fill a paddling pool but not the depth nor the engagement necessary to convince you it’s a swimming pool.