Drunken Fist hides wonky physics, hard to use controls and a toilet humour behind the set-up of being drunk, and while it’s passably funny for a short while, it’s also not something that will be on the playlist for more than the hour or so it’ll take to beat the seven levels.

DYE may well offer up a great deal of content, but this means very little when the journey from start to finish is far more irritating than it is entertaining. This is a game that solely relies on accuracy, but when the protagonist offers very little precision to lean on, it inadvertently destroys the appeal that DYE tries to relay.

The basic function of the game works, but it’s all wrapped up in a package that is lacking in most areas. That said, grab some friends and beer and you’ve probably got a few hours of fun here.

Vasilis isn’t going to revolutionize gaming, but as an art form you can’t knock the creative style Marginal Act were aiming towards. Unfortunately slow and confusing, this is a title for the players that don’t mind a bit of experimentation in their play experiences.

Guts & Glory is a game that’s far too bare for its own good, consisting of little other than a range of challenges across a variety of uninspiring maps. The game’s most defining aspect is that it’s brutally gory, and although it is indeed fun to begin with, repetition swiftly rears its head soon after. Furthermore, performance issues, dated visuals and a lack of content diversity mars this already bland experience.

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.

Drift Zone offers up deep customization and a diverse selection of tracks and missions. It’s unfortunate, however, that this rests upon an experience that just isn’t as innovative and exciting as it should be. It doesn’t help matters that the game looks both dated and bland throughout the entirety of play. Drifting should be fun and rewarding, but Drift Zone fails to truly nail those targets.

Apparently, Josh Journey: Totems of Darkness started out as a short cartoon, and the creators were encouraged to turn it into a video game. Whoever handed out this advice did their friends a disservice; I think they should have focused on creating a full-scale movie or show because art is obviously their strong point. The gameplay in Josh Journey is severely lacking, and with no difficulty options, it will only appeal to more advanced players. Perhaps this game is a blast when playing with four players, but without any online options, most players won’t have enough people or controllers to try that out.

Despite having some neat ideas across the board, the final execution of Colossus Down just feels a little too awkward and uninspiring. Clunky, repetitive combat and a teenage angst-filled story do little to inspire continued play. There are far better examples of the genre out there, on which your time is better spent.

There is still a spark of what made Industria intriguing in some of the settings and lore we can find, but the package as a whole just misses the mark for me. It is technically average at best, with slow, plodding, and uninteresting gunplay and a story that feels like a step backwards from the original in almost every regard.

There’s no doubt that Visual Concepts have an affinity for the world of sports entertainment. The huge roster, plethora of modes and atmosphere they’ve created here is admirable. Unfortunately, the technical side brings the whole thing crashing down, with glitchy, broken mechanics and some bizarrely woeful representations of the stars that are an obvious step down from previous entries. Even die hard WWE fans (such as myself) will struggle to maintain much interest here, which is a huge shame.

Rift Keeper throws its hat in the Rogue-like genre but unfortunately comes up a little short. There are some solid ideas buried in there and it’s clear to see the team ambitions. but some technical hiccups held the experience back.

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.

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.

Western Press is far too repetitive and far too short for its own good. The game does indeed dish up some unique locations and interesting characters, but the gameplay loop remains the same throughout the entirety of play, rapidly becoming dull and boring as a result. Marginally fun in short bursts, but this has no hope whatsoever in the long run.

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.

Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier’s core functionality relays little more than a choice-driven interactive experience. We’ve seen this formula many times this gen, and although it can indeed work when effort has not been spared, here, it just doesn’t add up. Indeed, Last Frontier offers a decent multi-branching plot, but its hands-off approach and its poor production value holds it back, tremendously.

I’ll commend the game for being faithful to the era that it attempts to adopt, but outside of a few decent boss encounters and some serviceable visual and audio design, Cybarian gets a lot more wrong than it gets right. The combat is far too bland, the game is littered with cheap deaths, and above all else, it’s chock-full of irritating design choices that make for an overly frustrating, somewhat boring trek. Less is not always more, as evident here.

Switch: Or Die Trying is a game for those who relish a challenge, though oftentimes the challenge comes not through design, but lack of polish. If you are looking for something to scratch that Meat Boy itch, you’ll find some fun here, but be prepared for that to quickly give way to frustration.

The core loop that made Road Rash such a classic is just about present here. However, it doesn’t come without problems. Whilst it’s fun to have a vehicular duel as you tear along the road, such weightless impact, its floaty physics, and the heavy reliance on randomly generated tracks and objectives, massively pulls the game short in the long run. The foundation is on the right track, but it definitely needed more time in the oven.

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

Castaway Paradise has an obvious comparison to Animal Crossing, but in its current state, it’s a long way off before it’s anything truly alike. There’s an endearing quality to the game, but its repetitive gameplay loop, its bugs, and its basic visuals, ultimately holds it back. That said, this is indeed fun in short bursts and there’s no lack of quests to fulfill and things to collect. Just don’t expect it to meet its inspiration.

Beat Me! is a cheap, indie version of a Smash Bros-style game. Some other titles have tried to provide a decent alternative but I haven’t really come across a successful one yet. This is no exception to that rule unfortunately, as although the puppet characters are quite interestingly designed the game just isn’t that fun. The combat is too melee strong and with no attack variants, it gets old very quickly. Online play is a nice touch but I don’t know how often you will find opponents.

Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris is a waste of both money and time. It’s a shame that Bungie couldn’t use the Infinite Forest themselves to find a timeline in which they had actually crafted a content drop that was as interesting and innovative in practice as it was on paper. Curse of Osiris does house some solid elements, such as decent voice acting and gorgeous design, but that means absolutely nothing when the content itself is meagre and half-baked.

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.

Gem Smashers fails to build on its otherwise decent core mechanic, ultimately making for a game that feels well out of its depth alongside its more sophisticated and robust peers. It doesn’t help that it’s just far too easy for its own good, which isn’t an ideal characteristic for any puzzle game to bear. Fun at first, indeed, but its lack of both innovation and depth massively holds it back from its potential.

Overall, Train Station Renovation hits all the marks that it aims for, but sadly those marks weren’t set very high. It is a lonely, solitary experience that just isn’t very fun. As with all reviews this is just one man’s opinion. Personally it does nothing for me. I don’t dislike it but the whole premise of Train Station Renovation I find to be uninteresting. Achievement hunters can easily pad their Gamerscore. Other than that I just don’t see repeated playthroughs of this game.

Past Cure offers an interesting story, one that’s buried deep underneath a plethora of technical issues and poor execution. Despite a few intriguing moments within, this game is nowhere near as exciting as it makes out to be. It’s over-priced and over-hyped.

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.

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.

Marooners isn’t anywhere near as exciting as a party game should be. Despite some well detailed maps and a few innovative game types, the overall package just doesn’t cut it. I have no doubt that this will please the younger audience, but there are better party games available on Xbox One that offer much more fun and longevity.

Top Run has a lot of good things to offer arcade veterans, regardless of it being a mobile port. With a rock-solid aesthetic and soundtrack, you will like what you see, but the total package on offer is bare bones and basic. A lack of interesting mechanics, cosmetic-heavy motivation, and the ability to play through one, singular level to start hurts what could have otherwise been a pretty decent endless runner experience for the Xbox One.

There is some heart in this simple third-person RPG, but with terrible gameplay, infuriating controls, insane difficulty spikes, enemy spam, and repetitive mission design, only the most determined players will find it.

Poor combat and stealth only serve to highlight the rest of the issues with Blood of Mehran, and far too soon does it become a slog to play rather than the epic Arabian adventure it could have been.

Dynasty Warriors 9 is a platter full of mess. Take your pick; delayed rendering, lack of rendering, jittery camera, framerate drops, poor animation, dated visuals, bad voice acting, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The biggest shame is that this game reeks of potential, potential that’s never fully realized due to all of its faults and shoddy design choices.

The Child’s Sight tries to bring a more relatable horror – that of a young child in a dark room at night – to the table, but the brief glimpses we get of its creepy world are vastly outnumbered by staring at a black screen, occasionally interrupted by the exact same jump scare after thunder drowned out the cupboard door opening yet again. It’s only a few quid on the store, so you might find an hour or so of enjoyment to make it worth checking out, but I soon grew tired of it.

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.

Milo’s Quest was a very short journey. As always with Ratalaika games, if you want an easy 1000g then pick this up. It’s cute and simple and has a different gimmick. There’s nothing stressful or annoying. It was a game that just worked, with simple puzzles and fun gameplay.

If you fancy some childish ‘adult’ humour interspersed with a simple choice based dialogue system, Scheming will do you for an evening. Just don’t expect to get much more out of it than that.

The idea of this game is appealing, but the execution fell short and didn’t give enough to fall in love with. It feels like a game that you would play a couple of times before becoming bored and letting it gather digital dust at the bottom of the game pile. There’s no story, just basic single player and hectic multiplayer action, both of which become frustrating pretty quickly.

Tempest 4000’s price-tag is wildly unforgivable when you factor in the meager content that you’re getting in return. This is greed at its absolute finest and despite the series’ fame for being colorful and fast-paced, which indeed the game is, there’s just not enough content within to justify its cost. Easy to get into and nostalgic Tempest 4000 may be, but it ultimately becomes bland and uninteresting quite quickly.

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.

Megaton Rainfall is one of those games that clearly houses a great deal of potential, but sadly fails to meet it on almost all fronts. Credit needs to be given to the one-man developer for the sheer amount of ambition here, that much has to be said. However, the end result, despite its environmental diversity and its clever mechanics, makes for game that’s short, sloppy, visually bland and ultimately uninteresting.

A loving rendition of Mike Mignola’s world, with excellent voice work (RIP Lance Reddick), but sadly Web of Wyrd is still not the Hellboy game I was hoping for. The score I provided is due to some debilitating bugs and I’d be happy to revisit if this were ever to get a major overhaul.

There’s a lot that interested me with this one going in but in the end, the gameplay soured my experience and for a platformer, that has to be top-notch. While aimed for kids, I don’t even know if this one could hold their attention unless they were a die-hard fan of the franchise. Regardless, it’s an easy miss.

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.

With the gameplay in its current state there isn’t much that would compel me to play this game for any length of time let alone keep coming back for more. I won’t say that a $17.99 price tag isn’t justifiable but if I paid cash for this game I’d have some serious buyers remorse. If you’re positive that Under the Jolly Roger floats your boat than by all means have at it, as this review is just one man’s opinion. But if you have doubts as to whether or not you want to set sail on this adventure I suggest waiting for a sale.

What the Dub?! is a single focused party game trying to crack into a genre where titles like Jackbox have been dominating. What the Dub?! has real movie clips and the answer read out by automated voices though, which is more inclusive, but the thought of having to watch the same clip 12 times with different players scripts one after each other, with only a few seconds in between for chuckles, makes me cringe more than it excites me. It’s a shame as I am all for party games as they can be real ice breakers at times, but I can’t see this being fired up more than once or twice before it has outstayed its welcome.

While the Contra name is renowned, especially amongst older gamers, this modern take on the franchise is simply not fit for that legacy. With dull, repetitive combat, bland and uninspiring visuals and some out of touch design decisions, I’d recommend any one looking for some fun arcade action to look elsewhere.

Dead Age is intuitive and houses a good concept, but greatly lacks in the visual department. Fans of the likes of the original Final Fantasy games may pull more enjoyment from this title than I did, given its style and its turn-based functionalities, but outside of that, there’s really not a lot going on, and the slow gameplay really holds it back.

Alchemic Cutie is a relaxing RPG that relies too much on the patience of the player. I have reviewed similar games like Monster Harvest so I wasn’t expecting miracles. But demographically this is all over the place. The quests and simplicity seem to feel it was aimed at kids but the sheer tedious of waiting for something to happen will make many lose interest. There is only so much crap you can pick up before your soul starts slipping away.

I held hope that Tennis World Tour would at least be better than AO International Tennis, but in truth, this is equally as poorly developed, if not worse. The game houses more issues than content, hindered further by its bland visuals and shoddy audio. Tennis is a game of fluidity and precision, two things that Tennis World Tour, despite its decent career mode, fails miserably to realize.

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.

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.

If you can put up with the unresponsive controls for long enough, there’s a decent puzzle title in Tetragon. It’s just a shame that almost every turn of the world is met with frustrating UI and inputs.

Pangeon had some elements to reel in those that enjoyed retro-style dungeon crawlers. But one gentle tap on the outer coating reveals a very empty centre filled with a couple of bugs. I know bugs can be patched but the other 80% of the game’s content needs to be here as it feels like it got pushed out the doorway before it was ready. It’s a shame as the retro feel is achieved well but with such little content, it is just a shell of a game.

Guilt Battle Arena is a game that’s overpriced and under-delivers. Granted, there’s a good blend of different modes on offer and the visuals are fun and colorful, but that means very little when each mode becomes repetitive and boring before long. The fact of the matter is, is that you can get much better elsewhere for the same price or less.

Music Racer was at first fun to play but got boring very quickly. There’s really only 4 tracks I like and it’s a shame you can’t import your own music. It is visually a colourful light show, but that’s about it – it could have been so much more.

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt doesn’t have the budget to be a competitive sim hunting game and doesn’t have the humour to be a goofy game. The few moments of enjoyment in there require an archaeologist’s focus to unearth.

Heal is an experimental puzzle game, and despite some nice visuals the gameplay doesn’t quite hit home for me. I felt very little attachment to the story or events, and I ended up resorting to a guide for the most part just to get through it. If you’re keen for a new type of puzzle game then it might be more up your street, but there are better examples of the genre out there.

I tried so hard to enjoy I,AI. I don’t mind a good challenge, but the key to getting me into retrying over and over is to have that challenge be fun. Unfortunately I,AI’s slow pace, weak ship and drawn out upgrades mean that the fun ran out long before it should have.

I’m a big fan of playing old games, remembering how things were, and appreciating where we’ve come from. Sometimes though, it’s best to leave things in the past, and Toki is a prime example of that. Whilst the updated visuals and audio work will please those that hold fond memories of this classic, everything else just fails to impress, and if anything, only demonstrates exactly why we’ve moved on from such tedious functionalities.

Explosive Jake is a very short and simple Bomberman clone. It doesn’t really stand out in any way other than trying to claim a nostalgic feel of the elder console generation. It is quite fun to play through, but the challenge level isn’t too high and as the rooms are static the game can become repetitive. It could still be seen as a quick pick up and complete for the achievement hunters.

This addition to Beamdogs rejuvenated D&D games didn’t hit the mark for me as the others did. Its slow-paced combat really kills the momentum and is much tougher than its predecessors even on an easier setting. The story itself is still interesting and gripping, but it’s not enough to save the game from its flaws. With it being so slow, tough and not very pretty it will be hard to pick this over games in the same genre. D&D fans, or fans of the original game may still find some joy here, but newer players may not see what all the fuss was about.

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

Bones of Halloween is a game of timing from the Ratalaika factory to cash in on Halloween. It doesn’t look so terrible but it is overly simple with very little variation. The gun inventory layout is a little broken and the look sensitivity is overly slow. With a little more care and a little more variation, this game could have been a fun Halloween pick-me-up. But instead, it will grow old very quickly and just be a game for achievement hunters.

Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament is bait without a hook. Everything from the visuals to the several elements of play remains shoddy and poorly presented throughout. The story is interesting to begin with, but even this is let down in the long run by crappy localisation. It certainly doesn’t help that the game is riddled with bugs, wonky animation, and a general lack of polish.

Throughout its 5 hour run time, Aritana just throws hurdle after hurdle between you and any enjoyment you may get out of it. Somewhere in there is a fun, retro-style action platformer, and at points it comes through. But, the technical issues, and outdated controls and aesthetics are just too prevalent to look past.

Popular games get liberally borrowed from all the time, yet Smash Bros. seems to have avoided this somehow. Brawlout takes on this challenge, but its lack of modes, iffy character balance and poor online offerings, all fail to inspire that same spark that Mario and friends have mastered so well. The basic gameplay is OK, but without the same love, spectacle and reverence to lean on, it all falls flat.

Just like all these Ratalaika games, they are simple, repetitive and not very taxing. Playing with a friend can make this title less tedious but ultimately you know what you’re going to get – an easy ride to 1000g with little excitement.

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

It was a struggle to play this game for multiple reasons. It’s weird story and awkward gameplay just haven’t aged anywhere near well enough to hold up. If you’ve always been curious, and didn’t live in Japan in 2004, then you might find some worth here; but somehow I doubt the wait will have been worth it.

Magical Brickout takes that classic Super Breakout formula and attempts to reinvent it. Sadly, however, the end result is one that will frustrate and annoy you far more than it will entice and excite you. The game’s lack of refinement is its main issue, with several poor design choices following closely behind. Die-hard fans of the concept may find some enjoyment, but if you’re looking for quality, look elsewhere.

Disco Dodgeball Remix has a lot of potential, but is massively held back by its awkward sluggish controls, headache-inducing visuals, poor gameplay mechanics and puddle-deep functionality. There’s no denying that it has heaps of interesting and diverse modes on offer, though, this doesn’t really amount to anything when the core formula constantly fails on almost all fronts.

Subaeria could have been fun if it wasn’t for the atrocious loading times, the poor controls, the tedious hit detection and the awkward camera angle. The whole experience just screams of wasted potential, offering up a slapdash game in place of something more refined and better developed. Putting its decent art style to the side, Subaeria simply hasn’t been constructed well enough to merit a recommendation.

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.

To its credit, The One We Found offers a fairly interesting horror story to get to grips with. However, much like Outbreak: The New Nightmare, the game is massively held back by a wide range of design issues and incessant technical problems. The majority of its faults are too obvious to go unnoticed, so much so, there’s absolutely no justifying the game being released in the state that it’s in.

With the raft of great horror titles out there already, there’s very little to recommend checking out Yuoni over most of them. The slow paced hide and seek gameplay lacks tension, risk, or any real consequence, and while the visuals can prove quite creepy at times, for the most part this is all too forgettable.

The tech art and art direction deserve commendation as Echoes of the End is frequently breathtaking. The gameplay design is similarly breathtaking but in the way that it sucks all the oxygen out of the room.

Blood Bowl III has nothing here to recommend it for newcomers or veterans of the board game when there is a more complete package available in its predecessor.

Much like it’s predecessor, Drunken Fist 2: Zombie Hangover is capable of providing a few laughs at times, but it wears out its welcome very quickly and feels like it has taken a step or two backwards rather than forwards.

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.

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.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash lacks spirit and depth and is just Hollow overall. Just because the franchise is popular doesn’t mean fans will mindlessly love the game. Its combat and mechanics are interesting, almost touching the soul, but that flame is quickly snuffed out with poor graphics resembling a mobile game, and a lazy attempt as a arena fighter. Astonishingly, this game has a price tag of up to $100.

There’s not really much more to say about Horatio Goes Snowboarding. Visually it’s passable if hardly outstanding, while audibly I had to shut it off after just a few minutes thanks to some aggressively naff music and sound effects. The experience is slight and seems better suited to mobile or Switch gaming where you can pick it up for five minutes here and there rather than sitting in front of the big screen for any length of time. Fun enough in very short bursts but there are far better titles to stick the Xbox on for.

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.

Despite its interesting introduction, My Big Sister falls flat on all fronts. The game seems to be too confused with what it wants to be, and who it wants to appeal to. Whilst the game’s story is mature and tackles some very sensitive subjects, it gets too caught up in its own web of convoluted concepts. On top of that, the gameplay completely lacks mechanical depth, comes with no real difficulty, and is further hamstrung by several irritating bugs.

Agony does a good job at relaying such a disturbing world that’s grotesque, full of obscenity and unapologetically disgusting. It’s a game that’s been making headlines for a number of months due to its dark and somewhat sexual theme. The end result manages to meet those expectations despite its cut content, however, its unforgivable performance issues and its countless flaws almost completely holds it back.

Cilla gives all the right shoot em up vibes from the 90’s, but fails to deliver a promising concept. Enemies feel like they have just been copying and pasted from one level to another, with the same movement type. Power ups are welcomed however they seem to lack the punch the power up should have.

Emoji Kart Racer lacks in content that is offered for the pricing they have selected. The sounds are if not annoying, the best part of the game. The music isn’t too short or too loud, except for the emoji’s sound effects for winning. The visuals are clean, colorful, and work for most levels. There are tracks influenced heavily by bigger, more well known Arcade racers. There are typos in some signage which I don’t think is intentional. The length of the time played is less than four hours and could have been shorter if the karts went a little faster. The AIs and respawning functionality removes all challenges. This title is for beginners and those who are younger. Had there been a better user interface for using items and targeting others and the scaled difficulty wasn’t so low, this could have been a worthy recommendation. The drifting was the biggest let down, or lack thereof. I was simply left wanting more from the control and handling. The design of the game was well done, just not the feel of how the kart rides.

Project Starship was fun the first couple times but got boring very quickly. If you’re looking for a game that you can install quickly and 1000g then this is one for you, but I can’t imagine it’s going to capture the attention of anyone for long. Dodging bullets is fun, but you will just find yourself constantly shooting and hoping.

There’s nothing new, it bears all the visual marks of its dated version with no fresh lick of paint (pardon the pun), and it’s far too repetitive by standards today.

Squad Killer is a fun, if simple, retro platformer/shooter. The action is easy to pick up and play – and the achievements drop easily – but there are a few niggles that can frustrate a little too much. For the low price it might be worth a shot for some, but others will be best off looking elsewhere.

Maybe Akimbot will play as a loving exploration of an old favourite for some. For those without rose-tinted glasses, this is a deeply unrewarding experience with a sidekick that needs to be launched into the sun.

I had hoped to start the year of with a bit of a lighter game, and The Spy Who Shot Me looked to fit the bill. Sadly, while the jokes and presentation are fine enough, the terrible feeling aiming ruins what could have otherwise been a fun take on retro FPS action.

Alteric, despite its very generous price tag, fails to standout in an already overcrowded genre. The visuals are bland, the core gameplay loop becomes tedious, and the lack of evolving mechanics ultimately drags this experience down. Indeed, it may play well, but in the face of its competition, Alteric just doesn’t tick the boxes it needs to.

If you enjoy the very hard ‘old school’ style of platformer, you might find something to like with Trophy. For me though, it just went to show how far we’ve come in gaming, with too many quirks and annoyances we’ve long moved past rearing their unwelcome heads again. There are better ‘modern-retro’ games out there to play.

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.