Insane Robots is an excellent card battler that doesn’t demand too much from the player. Perhaps its greatest achievement, however, is how it manages to blend together so many simple and fun ideas to produce a compelling and diverse experience. With its abundant loading screens to the side, Insane Robots provides a vibrant and energetic journey that never loses its focus or charm.

All-Star Fruit Racing is a decently structured kart racing game that offers up quite a chunk of content in return for its fairly generous asking price. The main issue here is that despite being fun, much of the content lacks originality, refinement and depth. All-Star Fruit Racing may stand out, but it doesn’t quite manage to stand tall. Those that seek simplicity may enjoy this, but for those seeking more, hold out for Team Sonic Racing.

Bomber Crew is tense, exhilarating and often purposely overwhelming. The main drawback here sits with the game’s mouse-suited UI and its, at times, frustrating moments of play. Persevere, however, and you’ll find a deep, complex and engaging experience that’s massively rewarding. Don’t be fooled by its cutesy and colorful design, because if anything, Bomber Crew means business.

Despite its difficulty fluctuations and some minor design issues with its procedurally generated content, 20XX offers a solid Mega Man-like action platformer that plays well and is distinct enough to stand out. There’s a lot of diverse content to work through, with heaps of upgrades to chase after and several enemy variations to keep you on your toes. It’s just a shame that its few issues hold it back slightly in the long run.

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.

Gnomes Garden 3’s asking price is a generous one, and I wont deny that there’s more than enough content to justify its cost several times over. However, that doesn’t cover up the fact that the game’s core loop just doesn’t maintain its initial excitement throughout. This is fun in short bursts, but everything you’ll see here has already been done a thousand times before, to a better degree, I might add. Pay a cheap price, get a cheap game.

Wheelspin Frenzy offers a passable racer that functions and performs quite well throughout the entirety of play. The biggest drawback here is that the game is just far too basic to stand anywhere near as tall as its peers. The lack of meaningful progression and the bog-standard visuals certainly doesn’t help in this regard. Though with that said, if you’re simply looking for a quick and simplistic arcade racer, Wheelspin Frenzy should do the trick.

It’s hard to truly overlook the game’s performance issues, or indeed, issues that arrive as a product of the original’s problems, however, it’s still a well rounded experience nevertheless. The story is decent, the pace is well struck and the environmental destruction remains second to none. Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered is a patch away from greatness, but in its current state, it fails to meet that end.

Between its fairly deep serving of content, its multi-tiered progression system and its innovative community death mechanic, Next Up Hero is certainly one of the better dungeon crawlers to release in recent memory. Its steep difficulty may not be for everyone, but if you relish a heavily challenging experience with heaps of replay value, this game should most certainly be on your radar.

What the Box? lacks originality and depth. The ability to utilize the game’s bot support is a necessary touch, because in honesty, I highly doubt that this game will maintain a strong enough online community to uphold it in the long run. For its price it’s an absolute steal. There’s some neat functions present and I did have fun during the initial stages of play, however, there’s no denying that it becomes repetitive before long.

Real-time strategy games have always struggled on console due to being restricted by the limited input method, such as the controller. Persevere here, however, and you’ll find a deep and engaging RTS with plenty of challenging content to keep you busy for hours on end. Sudden Strike 4 is far from perfect, but it is indeed competent enough to justify a recommendation.

The Crew 2 is much bigger and much better than its predecessor. It’s not perfect by any means, but it does tick many of the boxes that it desperately needed to, nevertheless. Issues with the lack of map engagement and the T-800 AI to the side, The Crew 2 offers a robust and gorgeously detailed racing experience. It’s accessible, fairly deep, well rounded and thoroughly entertaining, for the most part.

NieR: Automata is nothing short of outstanding. Its storytelling is deep and engaging, its gameplay is in-depth and remarkably fluid, its design remains innovative throughout and its pacing is second to none. Rarely do we see such a high level of attention to detail in games of this type. Simply put, this is a near masterpiece that more than deserves your time and attention. It’s a truly sensational experience.

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.

Lumines Remastered is an excellent puzzle game that offers hours and hours worth of content. The several varying modes ensures that there’s always something new to try out, and despite all of them leaning on the same concept, they’re equally as fun and addictive as one another. Issues with the difficulty’s fluctuation to the side, this is easily one of the best games of its kind in recent memory. Don’t pass this by.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy stays remarkably faithful to the originals in nearly every way, warts and all. Vicarious Visions has implemented a few subtle tweaks here and there, which ultimately goes on to bolster the overall experience. There’s a vast amount of stunning, vibrant, challenging and diverse content to work through, with heaps of replay value waiting beyond that. Simply put, this is classic platforming at its absolute finest.

With its bad voice acting and its poor writing to the side, Eventide 3: Legacy of Legends is another stunningly detailed and well rounded hidden-object puzzle game from Artifex Mundi. There’s a decent variation of puzzles within, which is further upheld by a difficulty curve that gradually climbs in complexity as you dive deeper into the plot. It may not be the best from Artifex’s catalog, but it’s certainly high up the list.

Captain Spirit may indeed be short, but it packs one hell of an emotional punch nevertheless. The relationship between Chris and his abrasive father plays a significant role, but it’s Chris’ use of his imagination to get through day to day life that truly steals the show here. This atmosphere, grouped with the writing and the acting, makes for a very captivating two hour journey. Bring on Life is Strange 2.

LEGO The Incredibles is very easy to recommend if, and only if, you’ve not grown tired of the tried and tested LEGO formula. The game doesn’t do much to evolve or build upon the foundation that we’ve endured time and time again. However, with that being said, there’s no denying that LEGO The Incredibles packs a great deal of action-packed content across its exciting story and its sprawling world hubs.

Yet Another Zombie Defense HD is a bog-standard game that doesn’t particularly do much to stand out. Sure, there’s support for both local and online play across three game modes in total, but its lack of innovation and depth does little to elevate the experience above its peers. In fairness, the game is fun in short bursts and comes with a decent gameplay foundation. Just don’t expect to be blown away.

Slime-san: Superslime Edition is packed full of exciting and diverse content. Not only does this game cater for those that relish a 2D platforming challenge, but it offers a decent learning curve that’s suitable for newcomers too. The controls are tight and responsive, the game’s mechanics are unique and function well, though above all else, it’s fun, thrilling and addictive. For its price, this game is an absolute steal.

Grab the Bottle takes a simple idea and fails miserably to build on it. I wont deny that the game is fun to begin with, but once you realize that you’re doing the exact same thing from start to end, it soon wears thin. The initial fun is swiftly chased away by the game’s reliance on its singular mechanic, ultimately making for an overall experience that consists of little more than frustration and perseverance.

Unravel Two does everything with such charm that it’s hard not to be completely enamored by its end. The stunning soundtrack compliments its brilliantly rendered levels, really giving off the vibe that you’re running through a big, scary world. A few more variations in its puzzle design would have elevated this higher, especially later in the game, but as it stands, any fan of puzzle-platformers should certainly experience this journey.

Anima: Gate of Memories – The Nameless Chronicles is a surprisingly deep RPG that offers a rich and interesting story, fast-paced combat and the freedom to explore its world however you see fit. Issues with its poor voice acting and somewhat dated visuals to the side, Anima is one hell of a fluid experience that seamlessly combines several well developed functionalities together to produce a memorable adventure.

Haimrik’s interesting concept is ultimately held back by its weak story and some poor gameplay elements. The game is certainly distinct, that much goes without saying, but its mechanics often fail to blend together particularly well. This isn’t a bad game by any means, on the contrary, it’s actually quite a competent puzzle-adventure game when it wants to be, but it’s hard to overlook these issues when they’re frequently in your face.

Super Bomberman R brings back the classic Bomberman formula and implements some interesting mechanics to shake up the fields of play. The game offers a decent campaign and supports both local and online play across a range of fun PvP game modes. With some poor voice acting and awkward camera issues to the side, this is one party-battle game that you should definitely have on your radar.

Jurassic World Evolution is an outstanding management sim. Frontier Developments’ carefully crafted and well balanced gameplay mechanics ensures that it’s accessible for genre veterans and newcomers alike. The game does an excellent job at keeping the player engaged through its diverse sites, which is bolstered further by its great pace, its decent progression system and its vast amount of options.

MotoGP 18 offers a refined and diverse motorcycle racing experience that comes with some solid physics and decent elements of play. There’s plenty of options to tune the gameplay however you see fit, which ultimately makes for a very deep and accessible racer. The visuals are hardly impressive and there’s certainly room for improvement, but on the whole, this is one of the better titles in the series so far.

Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn is a bland and repetitive brawler that tries too hard in the comedy department. Some good ideas are scattered throughout and the art is great, but it’s too little to really prop up the game. Short enough to get through in a couple of hours, however, the lack of co-op and the dull structure leaves a lot to be desired. Big Deez set out to rewrite history, but some things are best left alone.

Omega Strike is fun, thrilling and more importantly, rewarding. The game’s well designed interconnected map gradually opens up as progression is made, which further bolsters the game’s steady pace. More encouragement to swap between characters would have been welcoming, though overall, Omega Strike is a well rounded action-platformer that’s jam-packed with varying enemies and challenges throughout.

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.

Vampyr is an ambitious experience that’s packed with atmosphere and personality. The game’s greatest achievement, however, is how well all of its systems come together to produce constant catch-22 dilemmas. It’s a game that truly puts the narrative power into the hands of the player, which ultimately results in a deep and immersive journey through a dark and compelling plot.

hape of the World is a beautiful journey that offers a relaxing and well paced experience. Its core function consists of simply exploring its world and taking in its lush surroundings. There’s a few framerate issues to contend with and the lack of activity within certainly wont appeal to everyone. However, if you come into this without any expectations, you’re in for a stunning short journey that seamlessly captivates.

Riddled Corpses EX offers a well rounded twin-stick shooting experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s one hell of a grind involved but its fluid mechanics along with its simplistic progression system, helps to alleviate any frustration. Some odd design choices will infrequently annoy, however, with that being said, this is one experience that fans of the genre will more than appreciate.

Awkward is exactly that, awkward. This is a game that’s hellbent on testing your relationship with those playing by your side. On that front, it can be a blessing and curse depending on how well you can take a joke. Despite becoming repetitive before long, it’s very easy to play, which makes it quite an accessible experience. Though, by design, it’s likely only going to appeal to a specific crowd.

Aragami: Shadow Edition builds upon the initial release with its inclusion of the Nightfall expansion. There’s no shortage of content to enjoy, all of which is served up as a wonderful open-stealth adventure that supports online co-op play. The game’s visuals are gorgeous and well detailed and its mechanics remain fluid and well rounded throughout. Despite some minor issues, this is one hell of a good game.

ONRUSH is nothing short of remarkable. Its fast-paced and innovative functionality never buckles under the pressure of its constant action-packed personality. This is unlike any other racer available and manages to effortlessly stand out as a result. Its gameplay systems feed into one another exceptionally well, ultimately producing a robust and distinct experience that comes jam-packed with heaps of replay value.

Die for Valhalla!’s possession mechanic never tires and remains every bit as addictive as it is enticing. It’s a very accessible game that comes with some intriguing design choices and a great deal of variation across the board. I found issue with a few instances of unfair difficulty and it would have been nice to see support for online multiplayer, but when all is said and done, Die for Valhalla! is easily one to recommend.

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.

Earth Atlantis’ blend of exploration and side-scrolling shooting remains tense, invigorating and well paced throughout the entirety of play. Its unique old-sketch visuals provides a theme that widely sets itself apart from its peers, ultimately producing an adventure that’s as fascinating as it is enticing. There’s a few niggles here and there, but these are easy to forgive in the face of everything that this game gets right.

Moonlighter is easily one of the best action RPGs of the year so far. Its mashup of shop management and dungeon crawling results in an experience that has magnificent pacing, interesting mechanics and fluid gameplay. This may sound like a cliche, but Moonlighter is the definition of easy to pick up and hard to put down. It helps that it’s so accessible, making it suitable for both genre fans and newcomers alike.

Well worth its asking price for its content alone. The game’s meta theme doesn’t run dry throughout and is often used as a clever tool to hold up the overall experience. Minor annoyances with its dialogue and the general grind to the side, those that relish RPG games and enjoy some light humor, will more than appreciate what’s on offer.

While my rose tinted nostalgia glasses may be firmly pressed against my nose, FOX n FORESTS is a wonderfully accurate reminder of the good and bad times of the 16-bit era. Younger players may balk at its simplicity given that things certainly have come a long way since, but the game pulls off its aim so well that it’s hard not to be impressed.

Offers a wonderful compilation of classics. Each game performs as well as you would expect, upheld further by neat additions such as online play and a range of filters. That’s not to mention its interesting history-rich museum mode. Sadly, not all of the games within get to enjoy these modern features, though with that being said, there’s absolutely no denying its value for content.

Birdcakes is far too taxing for its own good, far too steep in its difficulty and far too lacking in its content. The requirement to constantly grind and persevere with its tedious singular mechanic just isn’t fun nor thrilling enough to justify a recommendation. Birdcakes’ distinctly designed stages and its tight controls are certainly commendable, but these few pros pale in comparison to its several cons.

Super Hyperactive Ninja may have been a decent game if its stodgy controls, poor collision detection and its shower of cheap deaths didn’t dramatically hold the game back. There’s nothing wrong with a game that wants to seriously challenge its players, but when that challenge comes solely from its poor development and baffling design choices, it’s far too hard to overlook, or more importantly, enjoy.

Mines are often deep, resourceful and interesting. Mining Rail, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of each. There’s very little that I can say in its defense other than that of its decent and precise control feedback. The presentation is poor, the UI is ugly, the selection of stages are bland if indeed diverse, and its currency and progression system remains far too confusing. Though above all else, it’s just not at all fun to play.

Stay isn’t going to be for everyone. This is less of a traditional game and more of an interactive dialogue-heavy experience with a theme that largely revolves around motivation, self-esteem, will-power and anxiety. Stay’s clever “the clock is always ticking” mechanic holds up really well, as does the main character’s mood system. Though, issues with delayed input and the, at times, irritating pace, holds it back slightly.

Yoku’s Island Express is an achievement in itself, effortlessly mashing up two polar-opposite genres that ultimately goes hand in glove to wonderful effect. This excellent foundation is upheld by its endearing, well developed and interwoven locations, bolstered further by a cast of lovable characters and a warming story. Minor frustrations regarding traversal to the side, this is a perfect example of meaningful innovation.

SEGA Mega Drive Classics’ most impressive achievement is its vast and carefully selected collection of titles. There are games in this bundle that will appeal to everyone and although there’s a few performance hiccups to contend with, this is, by and large, one of the best compilations available on Xbox One.

Although not quite as refined as one would have hoped, Dark Souls Remastered takes the critically acclaimed 2011 game and brings it back for a sharper, more fluid experience. Bugs and annoyances occur infrequently, but in the face of its stable framerate, its improved lighting and effects and its inclusion of Artorias of the Abyss, this is easy to overlook. Simply put, this is the best version of the game to date.

I Hate Running Backwards’ deep pool of characters, weaponry, power-ups and unlocks will no doubt capture the attention of fans of the genre. Its procedural generated content ensures that subsequent runs, for the most part, remain fresh and engaging. It’s a shame, however, that most of this is almost completely undermined by its repetitive foundation, steep difficulty curve and lack of evolving gameplay functionality.

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.

oOo: Ascension is a decent arcade experience that amply rewards the player’s perseverance and endurance. The ever evolving intricacy of each stage will constantly keep players on their toes, offering up new and interesting obstacles at each and every hurdle. Despite some frustrations with the, at times, imprecise controls, oOo: Ascension is definitely one for those that relish a challenge.

Dungeon Rushers doesn’t do much to break the mold, but it certainly does enough to justify its generous price tag and a recommendation. Though with that said, if it’s gameplay depth that you seek, look elsewhere. The game does indeed become repetitive before its conclusion and there’s a few technical issues within, however, if you can overlook that, there’s heaps of challenging and endearing content to get through.

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.

State of Decay 2 is a huge step up from its predecessor. There’s a large and diverse variety of content within, all of which is upheld by well developed systems, fluid gameplay and easy to understand functionality. This isn’t going to be for everyone, however, there’s no denying that despite its niggling issues and bugs, it’s easily one of the best Microsoft exclusives in recent memory. It’s tense, action-packed and thoroughly entertaining.

Forgotton Anne houses a gorgeously fitting art direction that’s not too dissimilar to Laputa: Castle in the Sky. This design sits extraordinarily well with its carefully crafted platforming and puzzle elements, collectively putting forward a wonderful adventure that never loses its grip. The dialogue may well be hit and miss at times, but the overarching plot is captivating, well paced and thoroughly entertaining.

Wizard of Legend is easily one of the best dungeon crawlers of this gen so far. There’s a plethora of challenging content to get through and no shortage of magical combinations to enjoy. The gameplay itself, despite the occasional minor drop in frame-rate, remains fluid and precise throughout. This is further upheld by its natural charm, its energy, its general depth and its vast replay value.

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.

Laser League has the potential to stand just as tall as other competitive multiplayer experiences, such as Rocket League. It’s fun, fast paced and constantly exciting throughout. The fact that it’s so easy to pick up and play makes it widely accessible, bolstered further by its unique and articulate foundation and design. This is a game of chaos, strategy and speed, unifying to produce a game that’s truly like no other.

Hyper Sentinel may well be overly chaotic at the best of times, but there’s no denying that it’s fun, well paced and full of action. There’s a lot of content to work through within and although it does become repetitive before long, it’s still worth its weight in gold. Those that enjoy the roots of this formula will thoroughly enjoy what’s on offer, despite its niggling issues.

The gameplay lacks finesse and refinement, serving up frustration in place of fluidity. Tennis is a game of endurance, precision and energy, three elements that AO International Tennis fails to deliver. With that in mind, its abundance of content means very little.

Grim Legends 3: The Dark City is a fitting end to the trilogy. The gorgeous artwork and varying puzzles remain engaging throughout, upheld by a decent story that helps to maintain player immersion. Sadly, issues with poor voice acting and its lack of a steady difficulty curve pulls this down from greatness. Though, even with that in mind, this adventure is well worth a visit.

Destiny 2: Warmind is better than Curse of Osiris, but only marginally better. We’re still fighting the same reskinned enemies within recycled locations, day in and day out. The same can be said about the design choices here, being that new activities are akin to the activities found in The Taken King and vanilla Destiny. Despite its interesting and compelling premise, Warmind is lazy, rushed and underwhelming.

Trailblazers is undeniably fun, well developed and unique. Its distinct design and innovative paint-to-boost gameplay mechanic proves that a simple idea can go a very long way. With some AI issues to the side, this is one cooperative-specific racing experience that shouldn’t be overlooked. Whether or not its online community will flourish remains to be seen, but given its alluring foundation alone, I hold hope that it will.

Raging Justice comes tethered to a particularly steep difficulty curve, yet ticks many of the boxes that it needed to to stand out as a solid beat ’em up experience. This may not be the next Streets of Rage II, but it’s certainly worth a visit if you’re on the market for a modern day version of that formula. It’s fun, brutal, often unfair, yet ultimately satisfying in the long run.

Death Road to Canada’s randomly generated content injects a great deal of replay value into the mix. This is further bolstered by its well developed functionality and charming allure. Unfortunately, tough difficulty spikes can often cheaply rob you of success, but even then, there’s no denying that this game remains fun, exciting and tense, throughout the entirety of play.

City of Brass remains visually pleasing throughout and houses some interesting ideas, such as the perk system and the shops. However, tools to make the experience even easier just showcases how fairly dull the actual gameplay is. The lack of a polished structure only leads to unnecessary cheap deaths, which when grouped with the enemy’s substandard AI, emphasizes how frustrating and boring this adventure can be.

Battlezone Gold Edition is fun, engaging and well developed. There’s plenty of content within, seemingly designed in such a way that it maintains a great level of replay value without running the risk of becoming stale and repetitive. It plays well, it looks great and above all else, it’s easy to gel with and understand. If you’re a fan of arcade tank warfare, Battlezone Gold Edition will be a great investment.

Aqua Moto Racing Utopia suffers from poor optimization, dated visuals, bland audio and a lack of decent stunts. Though, it has to be said that at its generous price, there’s a plethora of content to take to across several varying modes. It’s far from perfect, that much goes without saying, but if you’re looking for something akin to Wave Race 64, this will just about do the trick, warts and all.

Through the Woods isn’t nearly as scary as it is suggested to be, however, it does provide a tense and uneasy atmosphere nevertheless. This game serves a short story of recognition and understanding responsibility, though its simplified gameplay and lack of depth will certainly leave players wanting for more. That being said, it’s both interesting and detailed enough to warrant a recommendation.

Bounce Rescue! is yet another 2D platformer that fails miserably to relay a worthwhile adventure. The controls are far from precise, the enemy variation is poor and the world design is bland and repetitive. This all goes hand in hand to produce a frustrating experience that spends far too much time annoying the player. Despite the fun multiplayer modes, Bounce Rescue! isn’t worth your time and attention.

Super Mega Baseball 2 is a fun blend of arcade and simulation baseball. Its decent and believable physics, grouped with its unique design and alluringly fluid gameplay, gives it a definitive edge over the half-baked RBI Baseball 18. Despite the lack of diverse stadiums and licenses, this game achieves everything that it set out to accomplish, ultimately delivering a polished, wacky and robust experience.

Korgan has the look and feel of a mobile title, albeit with marginally better production value. However, the boring slow combat, poor controls, general lack of meaningful progression and terrible loot system, chases away the main joy that’s typically a standard for this genre. Indeed, the prologue is free to play and as such is open to all, but even that feels like too much to ask.

Agatha Knife is well written, funny and unique. The gameplay doesn’t take the genre to new heights, but it does tick all of the boxes that it needed to, to ensure that the adventure remains fresh and engaging throughout. Group this with the fitting soundtrack and the colorful hand-crafted visuals, and there’s little reason to dislike what’s on offer outside of its potentially touchy controversial subject material.

DragoDino is a cute and colorful collect-a-thon adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The price-tag is well set and there’s no denying that you’re getting your money’s worth. Though issues with its punishing death penalty, lengthy loading screens and somewhat repetitive gameplay, will inevitably test your patience in the long run.

The Invisible Hours undoubtedly offers up a good story, but the shallow portion of content and overly lax gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. It’s well worth a run through if you enjoy a good whodunnit, though with that being said, this is less of a game and more of a marginally interactive experience. Still, it’s well crafted and engaging nevertheless.

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.

On the basis that 100 percent of proceeds are being donated to charity to help sick and suffering children, I, Hope outshines any other game on the market. The same sadly cannot be said about the game in general. I, Hope is a shoddy platformer that’s bland, frustrating and utterly underdeveloped. If you’re looking for your next platforming fix, this two hour adventure will only serve to disappoint you.

Casey Powell Lacrosse 18 is a poorly designed sports title at best, despite showing initial promise. This game’s tough difficulty spike and lack of fluid functionality alienates series’ newcomers. Veteran fans will more than likely appreciate what’s on offer, but for those that enjoy quality and quantity, look elsewhere. Copy and paste characters, shoddy visuals, meaningless commentary and much more, awaits those that don’t heed this warning.

Atomic Heist is a good game, but it would have benefited from some extra care and attention to its design. The lack of interesting and detailed environments pulls this game shy of greatness, especially considering the implementation of random generation. Still, the game manages to hold its own ground through its tense gameplay, heavy replay value and diverse pool of pick-ups and power-ups.

Phantom Trigger looks great and plays well for the most part, that much goes without saying. However, the game is far too taxing and fails miserably to fill its interesting world with meaningful content and lacks exploratory structure. It doesn’t help matters that the core loop remains dull and repetitive from the get-go. In a nutshell, this game is sub-par at best.

Masters of Anima has a decent concept and a worthwhile story, but sadly falls short almost everywhere else. The combat is tedious, often unfair and utterly frustrating. Take into account that outside of light puzzle solving and exploration, this is pretty much all that you’ll be doing. It doesn’t help matters that Masters of Anima rarely evolves as you proceed, making for a game that’s not only annoying, but repetitive too.

Earthlock: Festival of Magic was a solid, colorful and well rounded RPG. Earthlock not only defines the adventure, but further emphasizes how wonderful and endearing its world is. Earthlock has all the markings of franchise potential; memorable characters, fluid combat, interesting mechanics and above all else, a story that’s alluring and thoroughly well written.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice’s most riveting achievement isn’t how well it functions, nor how well it’s written and voiced, nor how well it looks, but how well all of that unifies into such a dark and compelling experience. The constant tension throughout the entirety of this unique and engaging journey will disturb you, intrigue you and stay with you, long after the credits roll.

Despite its seemingly grim premise, Regalia goes on to produce a surprisingly witty, well structured and strategic RPG adventure. There’s no denying that this game is better suited on the keyboard and mouse, but if you can overlook these niggling controller issues, a wonderfully written and endearing journey awaits.

Bombslinger provides a challenging, detailed, diverse and well developed experience. There’s no denying that its unique spin on the formula provides it with a compelling edge, though with that being said, this game does become repetitive, tedious and frustrating before too long. Still, it’s well worth a visit if you’re looking for something to fill the void before Super Bomberman R arrives.

Ys Origin is a remarkable JRPG that offers up a plethora of content for its generous price tag. There’s a great deal of variation within, from well designed environments to the wide selection of diverse enemies and interesting boss encounters. It helps that the game remains fluid throughout the entirety of play, despite some framerate issues later in. Simply put, fans of the genre shouldn’t overlook this nostalgic gem.

Extinction lacks refinement and complexity, that much goes without saying. However, for those that seek a non-stop action-packed hack-and-slash adventure, there’s a lot to look forward to within. It may be repetitive in the long run, but there’s no denying that Extinction offers a decent story, empowering gameplay and enough content to merit a recommendation.

Owlboy sets a new standard. It’s a gorgeously crafted adventure that’s jam packed with detail, endearing characters and a memorable heart warming story. Rarely do we see platformers donning such care and attention to detail, further upheld by fluid well rounded gameplay that doesn’t let go once it captivates you. Owlboy is a must have.

Despite some of the glaring issues, MX vs ATV All Out houses a great deal of content. There’s no denying that it’s lacking in performance and optimization, but the weak execution is almost alleviated by its vast and various offerings. MX vs ATV All Out is one patch away from glory, but until that happens, it’s missing out on a lot of its potential.

The steep price tag and the inclusion of microtransactions will certainly raise eyebrows, especially for a game that’s as repetitive and as bland as this. There’s heaps of content to get through and no shortage of interesting characters and upgrades to unlock, but due to the lack of evolving functionality, the game fails to maintain its initial allure.

Between the art style, the core gameplay and the humor that lands, there’s a lot of fun to be had here. It’s a little too heavy handed on the in-jokes and references at times, undermining the successes elsewhere. The lack of enemy variety and the world level layouts hurt this the most, but overall, the game is well deserving of your time.

Enigmatis 3: The Shadow of Karkhala is a decent conclusion to the trilogy. It’s a casual puzzle game that doesn’t demand too much legwork, making it an ideal adventure for those that seek simplicity, accessibility and beautiful handcrafted visuals.

Metropolis Lux Obscura’s noir-esque story is passable and there’s no denying that its art design is decent. However, this is far from what one would describe as a compelling experience overall. It’s buggy and unrefined, ultimately dishing up a game that’s consumed by its poor development and lack of imagination.

Impact Winter, as far as survival games go, remains quite accessible throughout. The time management mechanic sits well with the item and character management systems, which further bolsters the genuinely tense gameplay. Sadly, however, technical issues such as framerate inconsistency and the occasional freeze, ironically, pulls this game just shy of greatness.

Minit goes to show what a capable developer can do with such a small canvas. This game isn’t going to be for everyone, but those that enjoy quirky adventures should certainly have this on their radar. The minute mechanic, grouped with the solid world design and interesting progression structure, collectively amounts to a worthwhile trek, if indeed a short one.