Even with its technical drawbacks and its disgraceful design choices to the side, Party Arcade just isn’t fun. Most of the party games included are either too tedious, too repetitive, or too frustrating. Furthermore, the game demands far too much of a grind from its players in order to access more content, likely put in place to encourage the purchase of its needless microtransactions. This is little more than a greedy and desperate cash-grab.

Sometimes, things are better left in the past, and Dragon’s Lair Trilogy is a prime example of that. The whole ordeal is far too dated, and comes with frustrations that are born through a few poor design choices and shoddy transitions. Whilst the animation on show is commendable even today, there’s no shaking the fact that this compilation comes across as totally unnecessary and utterly boring.

Overlooking the occasional technical fault, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is well worth your time and attention, especially if you’re a fan of the series. The game bundles together the core experience and all its pre-existing DLC, complete with additional extras and wonderfully remastered visuals. Comparing it to its original version is truly night and day, and it remains every bit as deep, as action-packed, and as brutally delicious as it ever was.

Ascendance’s short and seemingly peaceful journey is often hamstrung by its poor handling, and for a game that focuses its play on platforming alone, this doesn’t at all fare well. Furthermore, there’s a lot of framerate fluctuation to contend with alongside bad lighting, making it very difficult to appreciate the splendor that each world desperately attempts to relay. The whole affair just comes across like a cheap, shallow imitation of Refunct.

When it comes to episodic games, first impressions are everything. Sadly, The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle’s opening episode is a mixed bag of pros and cons. Whilst the art direction is outstanding and the story remains humorously dark, there’s very little complexity on show as far as the game’s puzzles are concerned. Further to that, it’s a relatively short experience that lasts little over an hour. Subsequent episodes certainly need to pick up the slack.

This, at very best, is a decent take on the arcade days of old. It’s a game in which you’re merely dropped into progressively difficult bouts of twin-stick shooting mayhem. Nothing more, and nothing less. Whilst appealing more to the hardcore player than the casual player, and despite a very straightforward structure, some poor design choices, and a few localisation issues, Super Space Serpent SE really isn’t half bad.

Wacky, accessible, and for the most part, innovative, Brief Battles succeeds in bringing fun that’s appropriate for the entire family. The only real drawback is that it all runs dry a lot sooner than it should, but even then, you’ll be hard-pressed finding a brand new party game that’s as likable, as outlandish, and as distinct as this.

Woodle Tree Adventures draws inspiration from the likes of Banjo Kazooie and Mario 64, but well and truly fails at meeting the same level of quality on even a surface level. The game’s utter lack of refinement sees issues such as poor camera behavior and inconsistent handling continuously hindering play. Though, even if you’ve the patience to overlook such blatant faults, you’re left with a dull platformer that’s far more frustrating than it’s worth.

The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, despite a few stinkers, offers a solid blend of classics that will undoubtedly please those looking for a true old-school hit. There’s an experience for just about everyone here, and much more besides in the form of its vast history-rich museum, and its many added extras. The only real issue is that of its steep cost, which may be set a bit too high for even the most dedicated of retro fans.

Whilst it does manage to offer up a more relaxed take on the likes of Race the Sun, the game’s singular novelty, despite its short length, wears off a lot sooner than it should. Indeed, there’s enough content present to justify its very generous cost, but even so, it’s content that lacks variety, and as such, ultimately fails to remain interesting throughout. Those looking for silly, short bursts of fun, will get the most out of Bird Game +.

Rogue-lites are hardly a rare sight these days, but rarely does one catch the eye like this. With its grindy upgrade system and a few minor issues aside, the game consistently bombards its players with fast and frantic play that’s utterly engaging and constantly rewarding. It helps that the whole ordeal not only looks stunning, but sounds magnificent. Black Paradox, moment to moment, is an absolute blast that should not be overlooked.

Despite some slow combat and a few confusing plot points, Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark offers a wonderful, intriguing, and wholly immersive turn-based RPG. The game’s depth in regards to its class management and its party building is second to none, but its ability to remain almost grind-free in the face of this vastness is what truly shines through. Here, it’s all about choice and strategy, qualities that many of its peers seem painfully unfamiliar with.

Fade to Silence offers quite an accessible survival adventure that knows exactly when to push your buttons. The game’s seemingly interesting world is full of possibilities and dangers of equal measure, ensuring that there’s always some event to take on throughout. The drawback, however, is that of its lack of polish and mechanical depth, together with its awkward combat. Shame really, with more time in the oven, this could have been a big hit.

Mortal Kombat 11 delivers on what you would expect from the acclaimed long running series of iconic blood-soaked fisticuffs. The end result, despite a painful grind, offers a solid experience that looks great, feels amazing, and succeeds in keeping the franchise alive and revitalized, yet again. If you’re looking for one of the gen’s next best fighters, get over here!

Giga Wrecker Alt. has all the markings of a stellar platform puzzler, but sadly doesn’t quite manage to achieve greatness due to its lackluster boss encounters, its at times frustrating design choices, and its somewhat floaty handling. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a hell of a lot to like about the journey at hand, from its intriguing story through to its several interesting mechanics, but the fun is religiously interrupted by the game’s aforementioned drawbacks.

Unknown Fate could have been the next Q.U.B.E. had the developer spent less time focusing on mysterious set pieces, and spent more time focusing on refining the game’s functionality and its mechanics. The end result makes for a puzzle adventure that tends to be more convoluted than it needs to be, and far less engaging than it should be. There’s certainly fun to be had, but it’s oftentimes chased away by the game’s lack of care.

Zeroptian Invasion wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but never really attempts to stand out as anything other than a clone. Still, for those of you specifically looking for a Space Invaders-like affair, you cant at all go wrong here, just don’t expect much originality.

Purple Chicken Spaceman is a very hit and miss affair. Whilst it’s quite fun, easy to pick up and understand, and sports a vibrant presentation, it’s far too tempting to throw the controller down in the face of its overbearing difficulty and one horrendously annoying track. Bear with it though, because there’s much satisfaction to pull from success here, it’s just a shame that it takes a great deal of perseverance to get there.

Of all the legacy Final Fantasy games that have come to Xbox One, the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is the most comprehensive of the lot. The spiritually deep story is every bit as moving today as it was nearly twenty years ago, and surprisingly, each title here has aged remarkably well, both visually and mechanically. Sporting over 200 hours worth of gameplay, complete with refinements and added extras, returning to Spira should be a no-brainer.

Hardcore highscore enthusiasts will possibly enjoy the multiple challenges on offer for each stage, and if you’ve a very strong capacity for patience and forgiveness, there’s enough content included to keep you going for a while. That said, there’s just far too much frustration involved here for it to be considered fun on a casual level, and a vast amount of irritating issues, both technical and by design, further holding the whole thing back.

World War Z offers a fun experience that, despite a few technical issues and some visual blemishes, utilizes its source material rather well. Whilst it would have been nice to see more focus on its story elements, its tense gameplay, its mechanical depth, and its decent variation across the board, largely offset its blatant downsides. Indeed, it barely holds a candle to Left 4 Dead, but, it certainly achieves much of what it set out to accomplish.

Despite that some aspects of the game are either overwhelming, or, not wholly refined, My Time at Portia is a solid addition to the life simulation genre. There’s heaps of gameplay depth to soak up and enjoy, with no shortage of variation present to keep things fresh and entertaining. Whilst it pales in comparison to the likes of Animal Crossing, it certainly offers plenty of distinction and gets enough right to stand in a spotlight entirely of its own.

The generously priced Iron Snout offers a silly endless high-score fighting experience that, despite its varied modes, is only fun for as long as you can stomach its repetitive loop. Whilst there’s some excitement to be found during the initial stages of play through the introduction of new enemies, new maps, and new cosmetics, you’ll have seen everything the game has to offer after just fifteen minutes. Past that, there’s little else to enjoy.

Brutal, deep, and stylish, God’s Trigger is without a doubt one of the most compelling top-down shooters of the gen. The game’s depth and variation, together with its one-hit-death mechanic, collectively ensure that the experience remains constantly fresh and engaging throughout. The only drawback is that it’s too easy to circumvent much of the difficulty, but even then, the fun rarely gives up. If you enjoy the likes of Hotline Miami, you’re going to love this.

The developer should be absolutely ashamed for releasing the game in this state. There’s several faults in Eternity: The Last Unicorn that couldn’t possibly have gone unnoticed during QA. It’s buggy, it’s ugly, it’s boring, and even with its countless issues to the side, it’s got almost no likability. If you’re an absolute sucker for nostalgic RPGs, pick up any recent legacy Final Fantasy title. They’re decades old, and a hell of a lot better than this waste.

Truberbrook effortlessly stands out on the merits of its uniquely gorgeous presentation, its stellar voice work, and its overall decent writing. Unfortunately, the whole ordeal religiously falters as far as its core functionality and its puzzle design is concerned. The end result makes for an adventure that seemingly looks like nothing else, but largely plays like a poor imitation of any given point-and-click game worth its salt.

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.

Velocity G is a mixed bag of pros and cons. On the one hand, it’s accessible, it handles pretty well, and it’s got a shed-load of races to take to. On the other hand, it’s got little mechanical depth, its track design is overly repetitive, and its visual and audio presentation is substandard at best. Overall, it’s a valiant effort on the developer’s part, but at a time in which futuristic racers are on the rise, despite its cheap cost, it’s wide of the mark.

Hot on the heels of Operencia: The Stolen Sun, Vaporum feels quite out of place, and frankly, behind the times. Whilst the game sports an intriguing framework and houses some commendable RPG elements, the whole ordeal is greatly let down by its poor handling, its ridiculous difficulty curve, and its weakly paced story. It’s not a terrible game by any means, but alongside its vastly superior contemporaries, it’s a hard one to comfortably recommend.

The game’s enhancements and quality of life improvements are wonderful, not only making it look much better and more refined, but giving it a management fluidity that the original version lacked. You’ll need to forgive some delayed rendering and the odd drop in framerate, but for the most part, the entire package holds up remarkably. Putting it simply, Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition is the best way to play Borderlands on console.

Three Fields are doing the gaming community a service by keeping the arcade racing genre alive when the big boys seem to have lost interest. Much like their previous entries, there’s a lot to like here – from the fast, responsive action to the sheer thrill of smashing rivals and reveling in that takedown camera. Sadly, its bare-bones approach to modes, its erratic physics, and its barely improved technical aspects, keep it from reaching the heights of its inspiration.

If you’ve never tried your hand at Phoenix Wright, the Ace Attorney trilogy is an absolute must. Everything from its memorable cast of characters and its wonderfully charismatic dialogue, right the way through to its vibrant presentation and its utterly stylish gameplay, is quite simply outstanding. Despite some moments within that are fairly linear by design alone, overlooking this compilation would be a sheer injustice.

Despite a few issues with its long loading times and its poor voice work, Operencia offers a robust and diverse dungeon crawler that should not be overlooked. The game makes great use of its intelligently mashed-up framework, with a fine balance in place to ensure that the gameplay remains constantly fresh and rewarding throughout. Whether you seek engaging combat, deep progression, or, thrilling puzzles, Operencia has it all, and much more besides.

Bow to Blood certainly offers a unique experience, but its transfer from VR to traditional console hasn’t transitioned well enough at all. The game is sluggish across most aspects of play; from its basic movement and maneuverability, right the way up to its combat functionality. Furthermore, and despite some commendable features, there isn’t much depth present, ultimately making for a fairly repetitive journey that fails to maintain its allure.

Outward’s harsh difficulty, its hands off structure, and its constant stat management wont be for everyone. This is one hell of a demanding RPG, and as such, it can feel less like an adventure and more like a full-time job. Still, the game deserves a lot of praise for its ambition, its depth, and for its choice-driven structure, but in the face of its poor design choices, its awkward combat, and its lack of visual polish, it’s hard to wholly recommend.

Smoots World Cup Tennis is a horrendously developed game that will only serve disappointment. The entire experience is full of poor design choices and technical issues. Furthermore, there’s no shot variety present, nor is there any consistency as far as ball movement is concerned. It may look colorful and sport lots of customization options, but in the face of its sheer lack of mechanical depth and overall polish, that’s hardly a saving grace.

If you’ve played any title from Artifex before, you’ll know exactly what to expect here, warts and all. Due to its poor voice work, its shoddy writing, and its laughable animation, it can be hard to get truly invested in the story that Modern Tales: Age of Invention offers. It’s a shame, because underneath these rather frustrating drawbacks sits an interesting setting that’s really only upheld by the game’s intelligent puzzle design and its gorgeous artwork.

Royal Roads is a Gnomes Garden game in a different skin, and as such, the same issues found in those titles are present here. I’ll credit the game for its improved handling, for being visually superior in comparison to its related peers, and for its depth of content, but it still falls rather flat overall. If you’re in the market for a deep resource management game, look elsewhere. If you’re just here for more of the same, Royal Roads will serve you well.

Generation Zero sports many of the components that you would expect to see in an open world shooter with online play. Whilst entertaining in short doses, and fairly interesting when it wants to be, the whole ordeal has a tendency of being massively undermined by its poor design choices and its several technical issues. Indeed, it’s a serviceable loot shooter at its core, but the developer really should have held the game to a much higher standard.

Where the Bees Make Honey deserves some praise for its fantastical theme and its variation in play, that much has to be said. However, the whole ordeal is massively held back due to its sheer lack of difficulty and fluidity, together with its constantly persistent technical issues. There’s clearly some smart ideas running through the experience, but the complete absence of structural refinement makes it far too hard to bear, let alone enjoy.

Make no mistake about it, Battle for the Grid is a cheaply developed cash grab that will sorely disappoint those fooled by its admittedly exciting promotional run. The game’s dull campaign takes little more than twenty minutes to complete, and once you’re done there, you’ll be waiting equally as long to find an online match. Whilst local play is indeed an option, I cant at all recommend it due to its shamefully weak, boring, and unbalanced gameplay.

Gang Beasts is a competitive brawler in a Human: Fall Flat skin. Nothing more, nothing less. The physics-based play doesn’t always suit the multiplayer concept, and as such, the whole ordeal comes across quite tedious and frustrating. Whilst I’ve no doubt that it will find an initial following, I do doubt its ability to maintain a fan base due to its lack of variation. You’ll certainly have some laughs here, but you’ll mostly be laughing at it, not with it.

Even as a big fan of open world adventures, I simply could not find any real enjoyment to be had here. There’s nothing particularly wrong with a simpler approach to this style of game, but due to the sheer lack of active engagement with its world and its systems, I daresay that even dedicated players will grow tired of Windscape long before the quest is over.

Whilst Metagal doesn’t stand nearly as tall as the likes of Mega Man, there’s still quite a bit of fun to be found here. The gameplay is fluid and responsive, with just the right level of challenge in place to keep you on your toes throughout. That being said, the game’s short length and its habit of frequently handing out cheap deaths are its greatest drawbacks, which is a shame, because Metagal’s otherwise sturdy framework clearly deserved better.

Sekiro is quite simply outstanding. It’s stunning, it’s deep, it’s diverse, and it’s wholly engaging across all aspects of play. However, what truly speaks volumes is the developer’s ability to constantly encourage its players’ capacity for improvement. Here, in Shadows Die Twice, due to its punishing difficulty alone, you’re either all in or you’re all out. If you’re of the latter, you’re missing out on what may well be one of the best games of 2019.

Far: Lone Sails is a game that says a great deal without ever uttering a single word. Much like Dear Esther, it’s a journey that can be interpreted in many ways, and as such, your view of its gorgeously desperate world will constantly vary throughout. It’s a shame, however, that such a compelling canvas is slightly held back by its simplicity and its short length. Still, it’s a fascinating tale that deserves attention, just don’t expect too much from its gameplay.

AngerForce is an accessible yet challenging shmup that frequently rewards its players whether they win or lose. Its gameplay is tight, responsive, constantly packed with action, and comes complete with diverse environments, heaps of enemy variations, and a shed-load of upgrades. Not only is it one of the best looking shmups in recent memory, it’s easily one of the most entertaining. Genre fans would do well to have this on their radar.

Despite its varied modes, the bulk of your time spent playing Phar Lap will consist of little more than participating in dull repetitive races, whilst tending to a shed-load of overly linear upgrade paths. The game’s depth is puddle deep, and remains as about as exciting as watching paint dry. Moreover, it relies far too heavily on cheap tactics to needlessly stretch out its longevity, only further emphasizing how quickly it outstays its welcome.

The game’s greatest drawback is that of its structural imbalance. Whilst its Groundhog Day-esque choice-driven narrative remains deep and engaging, its lack of content variety and depth ultimately paves the way for repetition. The combat, on the other hand, remains satisfying throughout, which is further upheld by the game’s entertaining RPG elements. Overall, it’s a fairly decent adventure that’s only fun until the novelty wears off.

Miles & Kilo offers a colorful and, at times, exciting adventure. Its steep difficulty curve and the simplicity found in its handling sits well with its short-burst level design. However, its reliance on using irritatingly cheap tactics is bound to frustrate even the most forgiving of players. That said, Miles & Kilo does enough right to justify a recommendation, but it’s a recommendation that I can only extend to the patient fans of hardcore platformers.

Smoking is bad for you. The game clearly relays that message to its players at each and every turn. Whilst its intentions are good and it is indeed free to play, the whole experience is an ugly mess. One Leaves lacks originality, consists of little more than lazy ideas and poor execution, and is chock-full of irritating performance issues. Sadly, because of this, the majority of its narrative gets lost in the midst of its frustrating methodology.

The entire journey is based on process and reflection, and speaking of its ambiguity, the game achieves greatness through bonding that with its intelligent level design and its ability to tease perception. It’s a shame then, that the whole experience is massively let down by its clumsy handling, its lack of technical refinement, and its tedious rinse and repeat gameplay structure. This, if anything, is the definition of squandered potential.

The Division 2 feels like a watershed moment for the loot-shooter sub-genre. Its mechanics are solid, its performance is great (aside from some minor glitches and bugs), and its content is bountiful. These things make it a rarity in the genre, an outlier from games that launch half-finished and limping from patch to patch and DLC to DLC. The Division 2 is the new gold standard for games-as-a-service – D.C. really is lovely this time of year.

AlienCruise is a decent side-scrolling shooter that does well with the little content that it serves up. The game’s commendable variation of interesting enemies, together with its few colorful and distinct locations, collectively ensure that player interest is maintained whilst repetition is held at bay. Despite some cheap deaths and its generic audio presentation, fans of the concept are unlikely to be dissatisfied with what’s on offer.

One Piece: World Gofer would have been a much more befitting title to put to this dull adventure. I’ll credit the game for its gorgeously detailed world, but this splendor is merely superficial. Most of your time spent here will consist of taking on generic missions, picking up fetch quests, and constantly battling against the game’s few boring enemy variants. The end result makes for a repetitive slog that fails miserably to excite on almost all fronts.

Sephirothic Stories is an outdated RPG, and a poorly developed one at that. The gameplay itself is far too basic, with very little innovation in place to give it any distinction or character throughout. I can say the same about its low-quality visual and audio design, which is further hindered by its constant asset recycling. Overall, and at best, this is nothing more than a substandard adventure that’s crammed with needless microtransactions.

RICO’s a very hit and miss affair overall. There’s no denying that it wears its procedurally-generated content quite well, offering some exciting and constantly unpredictable gunplay as a result. Unfortunately, it’s hard to overlook its gameplay repetition, and there’s some irritating design choices and a bunch of technical issues to contend with throughout. I’ve no doubt that it will find its following, but I cant wholly recommend it as it is.

The Occupation’s compelling story sits rather well with its intelligent framework. This is, for the most part, an intriguing real-time detective game that sports some solid features and robust mechanics, collectively putting forward a tense and constantly exciting affair. Indeed, there’s a few persistent technical flaws present that tend to interfere with the game’s flow, but in the face of everything that The Occupation gets right, they’re easy to overlook.

Whilst its story is both welcoming and gripping, and its dialogue remains on point, Beat Cop fails to build where it truly matters. The core loop, although very serviceable, becomes tedious and repetitive before long, with little mechanical depth in place to keep things fresh. There’s certainly some fun to be had here, but it tends to be quite fleeting. In essence, it’s a generic management sim that, to its detriment, rarely ever attempts to innovate.

I and Me goes a long way with the few mechanics that it encompasses, putting forward a solid puzzle game that boasts both quality and distinction. The game’s accessible functionality and its charming design makes it an appropriate choice for players of all ages, but its questionable difficulty curve is bound to frustrate the younger audience. Still, when all is said and done, there’s an endearing journey to be found here, if indeed short lived.

Crimson Keep is a disgusting mess. It’s a game in which progress is measured by luck and chance rather than skill and strategy, simply due to its horrendously developed framework. The combat is all over the place, the looting is almost completely unnecessary, and the level-up system is practically useless. It doesn’t help that the game is chock-full of cheap deaths, most of which are born through lazy ideas, technical flaws, and poor execution.

The game blends its few mechanics together well enough to maintain traction, and includes support for co-op play to bolster its worth. The problem, however, is that it lacks the depth found in many of its contemporaries. Furthermore, its visuals are fairly poor and its handling can be sloppy. If you’re in the market for a run-of-the-mill tower defense game, Hell Warders isn’t a bad choice, but you can get much better elsewhere at around the same cost.

Overload is a wonderful throwback that feels more like a true sequel to Descent than that of a spiritual successor. The content-rich gameplay is as constantly hectic as its inspiration’s gameplay, complete with tight and responsive feedback, and a host of varied upgrades and unique weaponry to utilize. That being said, the developer would do well to swiftly address the game’s rather distracting performance issues.

The devil you know is back, and it’s more diverse, more energetic, and more stylish than ever before. Devil May Cry 5 is quite simply enthralling across all aspects of its fast-paced and varied gameplay, and comes with a story that’s not only interesting, but well written and superbly voiced. Despite some minor issues with delayed rendering, the Sons of Sparda saga couldn’t have concluded in a better way.

Whilst it’s slightly let down by its stodgy controls and its dull boss battles, Fimbul has enough going for it to make it a worthwhile investment. The story is simple, but told well enough to keep you in place throughout its short run. Combat, though hectic at points, is satisfying enough to see you through most encounters. It would have been nice to see more from its interesting choice system, but overall, the game gets more right than it gets wrong.

Blood Waves is bloody awful. The entire game confines its players to a single room, and then expects them to be content with killing the same bland enemies, over and over again. There’s some variation to be found in the game’s pool of weapons, traps, and upgrades, but these generic additions lack depth and excitement. It doesn’t help that the game handles very poorly and very awkwardly throughout. It’s a cheap, repetitive, frustrating cash grab.

Black Desert won’t be to everybody’s tastes, and does little to push the MMO genre forward. With that said, it does streamline the experience into a more familiar shell, its real-time combat and impeccable UI tweaks helping it fit onto a console with the minimal of fuss. Its quest structure is lacking in variation, and it doesn’t have the complex characters of The Witcher 3, but it’s a world that is great to explore with friends, with the promise of more to come.

Old Man’s Journey is a decent brain teaser that manages to relay such a beautiful and meaningful story without ever uttering a single word. The game intertwines its gorgeous landscapes with its intelligent puzzle framework to great effect, ultimately pushing forward an experience like no other. That said, the game’s lack of basic guidance and its short running time is bound to disappoint those that seek something more grounded and lengthy.

Dead or Alive, for better and for worse, attempts to do things a bit differently with its sixth mainline entry. The game’s fluid and weighty combat is its high point, together with its depth of content and its diverse selection of modes and unlocks. Unfortunately, the game is held back quite a bit by its convoluted campaign, its unnecessary costume grind, and its lack of stage refinement. Bottom line? DOA6 is a competent fighter, nothing more, nothing less.

Treasure Stack attempts to stand out on the basis of its concept mashup, but fails miserably to do so. The game’s difficulty curve is far too steep after even just a few minutes, with the overall product further hindered by its tedious structure and its lack of depth and refinement. Fans of block droppers that want a competitive online experience will no doubt find some value here, but I would caution against getting your hopes up.

RemiLore clearly has some heart. The problem, unfortunately, is that its execution seems to be all over the place. I found myself almost constantly questioning the game’s many systems rather than enjoying them, simply due the fact that they don’t feel very unified overall. Still, I’ll credit the game for its tight combat, its accessibility, its healthy serving of modes, and its lush visuals, but even so, it’s not worth its rather steep and greedy asking price.

ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove is a very faithful comeback. However, outside of some lovely looking visuals, things haven’t really kept up with the times. It’s fun in short bursts, but be prepared for things to get a bit too repetitive, a bit too quickly, especially in solo play. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is as brilliant and as funky as it ever was. When all is said and done, die-hard fans of the originals will find the most value here.

Mars Chaos Menace is too hard to recommend due to being chock-full of cheap deaths, awkward level presentation, and poor design choices. To the game’s credit, and a forefront necessity for any shmup, its handling remains fluid and responsive throughout. That, however, means next to nothing when much of the difficulty within is relayed through little more than its incompetent development. Simply put, it’s a waste of digital space.

Anthem is one hell of a decent loot-shooter that boasts some ambitious mechanics. Its massively engaging combat and its flow of movement takes center stage, with its several activities, its deep lore, and its diverse and interesting world following closely behind. That said, Anthem isn’t without fault, and BioWare will need to carefully address the game’s issues alongside its community feedback to ensure they maintain player interest.

The “one more go” Trials formula that we all know and love is back, and it’s back at its absolute finest. Rising is the deepest, lengthiest, and most enthralling entry in the series to date. Everything from its refined trademark difficulty and its addictive physics-based play, right up to its epic track design and its truly sensational camerawork, is nothing short of outstanding. That being said, RedLynx really needs to address its screen tearing, and fast.

A gorgeous and immersive first-person survival game that takes all the best the series has had to offer, and runs with it. The slow pace can take a little getting used to, but that visceral heft to the game really helps to place you in its world. The open world is a nice addition, but the game still plays at its best in its claustrophobic smaller areas. If you’re seeking a palette cleanser after years of breakneck shooters, Metro Exodus is a great choice.

Yonder’s world is as endearing as it is captivating, but the Animal Crossing/Harvest Moon-esque content that fills it, although accessible and plentiful, isn’t quite as robust as it appears to be. Whilst most of the game’s fun quests and opportunities have meaning and depth, a large portion of them feel needless and tacked on, merely to bolster longevity. Still, overall, it’s hard not to be allured by the game’s diverse and truly relaxing foundation.

Daggerhood is a safe choice if you’re a fan of punishing platformers. It does a fine job of keeping its gameplay varied and challenging via continuously introducing new and interesting mechanics. It’s a shame then, that it’s held back quite a bit by its poor boss encounters and its tendency of taking cheap-shots. Overall, I wont go so far as to say that it’s a good game, but it does just about manage to get more right than it gets wrong.

If you follow Artifex, Queen’s Quest 2 will feel painfully familiar due to its lack of formulaic deviation. Unsurprisingly, the story is its weakest element, with its unenthusiastic voice work trailing closely behind. That said, it’s still a fairly robust and very challenging puzzler nonetheless. One that certainly knows how to motivate your senses through its intelligent design, its commendable diversity, and its expertly detailed locations.

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.

Creepy Road is a mixed bag of pros and cons. Whilst it looks and sounds the part, handles quite fluidly, and comes with a diverse variation of enemies and weaponry, there’s just too many glaring issues holding it back. Chief among them being lazily designed boss battles, poor hit detection, and several environmental bugs. It’s a shame really, because had the developer held the game’s quality to a higher standard, this could have been a hit.

DiRT Rally 2.0’s relentless difficulty truly knows no bounds, making it an experience that’s clearly been designed exclusively for rally sim enthusiasts. The game packs a respectable variation of tracks, vehicles, and modes, with a plethora of customization options present to aid you in finding comfortable handling. Despite its few technical issues, it doesn’t get much better than this. It’s tense, it’s engaging, and it’s constantly exciting.

Taken as a finished product, Apex Legends feels like the Battle Royale craze growing up. The possibility of new modes and options to be added is an enticing prospect, but what is here is well worth the asking price. That asking price, of course, is free – and Respawn should be commended for its risky approach to a rapidly oversaturated market. Apex Legends is an excellent shooter, and an excellent Battle Royale title.

The biggest challenge you’ll face here is trying to overcome its horrendous presentation. There’s a complete lack of distinction between the game’s foreground and its background, leading to heaps of cheap deaths as a result. What’s worse, there’s almost no depth and variation within. Instead, the game makes a nasty habit of constantly recycling its few dull ideas, over and over, throughout the entirety of play. Heed my advice, avoid.

Considering that it’s a sequel, and despite its efforts, Monster Energy Supercross 2 doesn’t feel wholly refined overall. The game suffers considerably due to its loose handling, its steep difficulty curve, and its excessive loading times. That said, there’s enough diverse content on offer to keep die-hard fans entertained until next time. Just don’t expect the quality to have come on in leaps and bounds in comparison to its predecessor.

Crackdown 3’s campaign is shockingly under-baked, consisting of little more than overly repetitive mission structure, hit and miss functionality, and several technical issues. Things don’t fare any better in its Wrecking Zone. Whilst its multiplayer component does indeed house some potential that may be realized through post-launch support, as it stands in its current form, it’s a shameful representation of Microsoft’s lofty promises.

With such a vast amount of iconic material on show here, it’s disappointing to see the sheer lack of effort put forward in regards to its overall execution. The game’s combat is indeed reliably fun, but this means very little in the face of its several shoddy design choices, its horrendously lengthy loading times, and its cast of characters that are painfully devoid of characterization. Fans of the IPs would do well to temper their expectations.

Whilst it would have benefited from some variation as far as its visual design is concerned, it’s easy to like Minesweeper Genius for its relatively straightforward and challenging structure. The game takes the classic Minesweeper formula and introduces some simple yet effective mechanics, which goes hand in glove with its randomly generated content. The end result makes for an experience that’s both fun and gratifying throughout.

The King’s Bird is an utterly challenging platformer that’s perhaps, oftentimes, more frustrating than it needs to be. Further hindrance is found in its slightly unresponsive handling, together with its wildly fluctuating difficulty curve. That being said, if you can muster the perseverance and precision to see it through, you’ll find a pleasant, warm, and somewhat endearing adventure buried underneath its convolution.

Conarium is certainly one for the fans of H.P. Lovecraft, despite the fact that it’s less of a traditional horror, and more of a puzzler with elements of suspense present. That said, the game does a wonderful job at presenting a dark and eerie story that follows in the footsteps of its source material, complete with a great setting and several nods to its inspirations. Unfortunately, however, its slow pace and its short length holds it back quite a bit.

Despite some occasionally poor bot behavior, there’s a lot to like about Hyper Jam. This is every bit as addictive as it is exciting, with accessibility and short-burst functionality serving as forefront aspects. The game’s fluid and fast-paced action sits well alongside the game’s unique perk stacking system, with each and every passing round becoming more tense and frenetic as a result. If you’re looking for a new arena brawler, this is one to consider.

It would be all too easy to compare this to the Souls series, but in truth, Salt and Sanctuary deserves a spotlight entirely of its own. It’s a dark and twisted journey that constantly relays a remarkable amount of depth, variety, innovation, and detail. Its greatest achievement, however, is not that of its outstanding structure, but its ability to frequently entice its players, despite how often it screws them over. This, is a punishing must have.

Glass Masquerade’s jigsaw-like functionality may indeed look simple at first glance, but in practice, it’s anything but. The game’s clever use of its singular artistic mechanic makes for a challenging, yet strangely therapeutic puzzler. The only drawback is that it’s quite short in length and doesn’t provide much replay value. That said, for a genre that’s rapidly gaining weight, Glass Masquerade effortlessly showcases that less is more.

Access Denied’s varied and intelligently designed puzzles are bound to excite fans of the genre, and although it’s a very short game, it does well with the few tools that it encompasses. It’s a shame then, that its handling can be all over the place, which simply isn’t forgivable for a game that strongly encourages perseverance and precision. That being said, and for its fairly generous price, you could do worse.

Wargroove certainly packs an impressive portion of diverse content, but its harsh difficulty, together with its complexity, has a tendency of muddying the water. Nevertheless, if you can overlook Wargroove’s taxing challenge and bear with it long enough to understand its varied functionality, there’s a lot to like about it, especially if you’re a fan of strategy games.

Ages of Mages is a mixed bag of pros and cons. Though to the game’s credit, it does indeed manage to get more right than it gets wrong. The gameplay remains fun, fluid, and responsive, with just enough depth present across its enemy variation and its skill tree systems to keep it from repetition. The drawback, however, is that it’s bogged down by poor presentation, minor framerate issues, and unbalanced difficulty.

The game is described as a feel good RPG, but in truth, and due to the sheer number of poorly implemented mechanics, it’s more like an RPG that looks good, but feels terrible. The combat is all over the place, the pacing is questionable at best, and the core ‘buddy-up’ system just fails to excite. It doesn’t help matters that its random generation is puddle deep, making it overly repetitive as a result. Pass this by.

Episode two is of a much slower pace in comparison to its predecessor, and comes with less emphasis on heavy choices, as well as some minor bugs. The end result makes for a segment that doesn’t quite meet the quality that was paved by what came before it, but surprisingly manages to hold its own nonetheless. Rules is a solid addition to the Life is Strange world, and a great lead in to the challenging choices, inevitably still to come.