A stunningly presented psychological horror title with some excellent twists and turns that is only let down by a few obtuse puzzles, Luto is a strong debut title and easily makes its case as one of the better indie horrors in recent times.

Call of the Sea is a enjoyable first person puzzler that lays on said puzzles thick and fast. That it also looks stunning didn’t hurt my time with it. Having access to the journal is a great touch, and the story kept me hooked and keen to see what was next throughout.

Styx: Blades of Greed is unrepentantly a stealth game, and this instalment adds a lot of new features and mechanics but makes sure to never move to far away from what has made this series appealing – skulking in the shadows.

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

A tight, entertaining, and original co-op game. Operation: Tango is a perfect multiplayer game for two friends.

The pop culture references combined with the solid and unique gameplay are just the ticket for those looking for a fun first-person shooter experience. Some people might not like the pixelated art style, but it works extremely well here. All too often, the retro-inspired shooters that I play feel outdated, just like the games they are emulating, but Fashion Police Squad provides a fresh take on the genre by combining plenty of humor, fun mechanics, and level design variety.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster brings us more than just updated modern graphics, with auto saves, fully voiced cutscenes and some of quality life features. It also brings the nostalgia back for us older gamers who remember it back on the Xbox 360. But whether you’ve played this before or not, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster still proves to be a fun, wacky, and somewhat unique experience, and this is the best way to experience Frank’s story.

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.

Inspired by Perm culture, The Mooseman offers a stunning journey that’s well paced, gorgeously designed and thoroughly engaging. For its cheap cost, the game does a good job as far as its gameplay diversity is concerned. It would have been nice to see some more effort spared for its localisation, and although it’s short, it uses its runtime well to relay a decent blend of platforming and puzzle elements throughout.

The game remains compelling throughout the entirety of play by introducing new features at a decent pace across its broad content, ultimately ensuring that any sense of repetition is kept at bay.

The Walking Vegetables doesn’t quite manage to rub shoulders with the best of its kind, but, it certainly offers a fun and entertaining twin-stick shooting experience, nevertheless. Special mention goes to its tight handling and its responsive feedback, which merges remarkably well with its non-stop, fast-paced gameplay structure. The only problem here is, by design alone, there’s one hell of an initial grind to overcome.

Roguelite lovers will enjoy ScourgeBringer I feel. If you have played Dead Cells you can look forward to some similar action and beats, while also offering just as much of a challenge. It’s a good example of the genre and well worth a look, especially as it’s included in Gamepass!

Curved Space is hectic, visually busy and fun in short bursts, but for me it just got too disorientating too often despite the developers best efforts to limit this.

One of the greatest things I’ve enjoyed in my time with Vagante is slowly learning how the game works, such as discovering all the different systems within the game and familiarizing myself with all the characters and learning their strengths and weaknesses. When I first played the game, all those years ago, it was definitely a little rough around the edges. I’m happy to see it reach its final state, which is a compelling roguelike platformer RPG that should appeal to fans of any of those genres.

Fans of 90’s style platformers will want to check out Adventures of Chris. It can feel a bit unfair at times, especially in regards to the boss fights, but persevere and there’s a decent platform adventure to be found here.

A throwback to the early days of arcade gaming wrapped up in more modern presentation, Akka Arrh is a fun, albeit head-spinning, title.

Air Twister is a fun and interesting modernisation of Space Harrier. The music by Valensia although at first seemed out of place suits the 80’s vibe this game exudes with the bright colours and vibrancy. It maintains the tricky increasing gaming difficulty of the older games and throws in some rogue-lite elements to level the playing field and help add some replay value to the game.

Sometimes relics should be left in the past, and unfortunately the Tomb Raider Remastered Collection is one of those cases. There is some worth in preserving the base experience of these 32-bit classics for a modern generation of consoles, but calling this collection remastered is negligible, as it’s only claim to such namesakes comes from slight visual improvements and slightly modernised controls. This collection is best served as a history lesson and would do well in a videogame museum, but although it’s pleasantly priced, there are games that cost less that are longer and offer so much more substance than this. Feel free to take the history lesson, but whereas the original three games were celebrated and rightly so at the time, in 2024 it’s a case of history dooming itself in the present.

The Crew Motorsport separates itself from Forza Horizon. While Its simple nature may be a turn-off for some others may see it as a nice change of pace from the realism of racing. The open world of Hawaii does have a rather small map but with new content being added seasonally, The Crew Motorsport can keep gamers coming back for more.

As someone who plays horror titles as often as I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there have been few titles to truly give me a scare, but MADiSON is one that has delivered in every aspect. It’s not often you’ll find me raving about a near-perfect horror game but for me, this one may well be up there for me as one of the best horror titles available hands down, and without a doubt one of the best titles of 2022.

While it has a couple of minor issues found in the aiming and the physics platforming, these do not detract from an otherwise superbly paced game. Nearly every aspect within has clearly had a great deal of love and attention poured in, taking me back to the heyday of XBL Arcade, with the likes of Braid and Limbo. I feel this game deserves just as much praise as those classics, and hope it gains it.

Despite some audio sync issues, Full Metal Furies is every bit as satisfying as it is addictive. It’s a game that constantly rewards you for your effort, win or lose, and never quite manages to become stale or repetitive in the process. The characters, locations, and enemy variants remain diverse and interesting throughout. The same can indeed be said about the progression system, which only further promotes the already massively fun experience.

The Alto Collection is two games in one and is visually beautiful and simple. Yes, they’re old games that are pretty much built for phones and you only really need one button to play, but it was a joy to try and beat your high score. I played Adventure loads when it first came out on Windows and can’t wait to sink more hours trying to beat my score in Odyssey.

The joy of Wavetale comes from the exploration and free-flow traversal. The story and combat leave much to be desired and the openness of the water can really slow the flow of the game down. It was a short and slightly above average experience overall, shoutout to the visuals and sick traversal combinations you can sometimes pull off when the environment lets you.

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.

Mugsters offers up a great deal of variety across its sizable portion of well developed, colorful, physics-based levels. There’s a few issues present, such as the daft AI and the counter-intuitive camera, but even so, the game remains fun, engaging and wide open to choice. Whether you’re exploring, innovating or even just messing around, Mugsters’ puzzles will keep you entertained for hours on end.

Coffee Talk is far from a bad way to spend a few evenings, with some interesting characters and stories being told. For me though, the same sounding ‘voice’ to each character, lack of real weight behind the issues it tries to raise and the uninteresting coffee making aspects bring the whole package down. I applaud the Toge Productions for trying to create something different, and hope they can refine this into something a little more fleshed out down the line.

Overall and if you’ve played any previous game in the series, then you know what you’re getting into. Sadly Monster Energy Supercross 5 doesn’t offer enough that I’d recommend dropping launch price cash on, however it’s well worth checking out when a sale drops. For newcomers, it’s hard to recommend starting here when other titles are available cheaper frequently, however, if you want something that looks fantastic on your Series S or X, then this is definitely a beautiful way to enjoy Supercross.

The Precinct offers a look into the life on the other side of crime and violence, a side often portrayed in our beloved videogame hobby. It does it in a well-balanced way that has just enough simulator like details without being overwhelming which I can appreciate. I looked forward to logging in each day to knock out a few shifts. The monotony of resolving crimes did eventually wear on me so I wish the story progression were a bit faster other than seemingly RNG but even then, it’s a game that respects your time. If you think you’d enjoy it by the looks, then you have the same feeling as I did and you probably would!

Ubisoft know they can do much better, they’ve shown that various times in the past, but Frontiers of Pandora is helplessly mediocre, wallowing in better Ubisoft franchises in a vain attempt to conceal the disappointingly stale reality that it’s just not good enough to be anything more.

After 8 years the vanilla career mode got its big update, and the new features have the potential to bring lapsed players back. However, despite the positives, a poorly implemented new handling model means that at launch the game is held back from its full potential. We’ll be keeping an eye on it as Codemasters update things, but for now go in with some caution.

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.

Overall if you want a refreshing bike racer that elevates the usual tropes and exceeds in all the key areas, then RiMS Racing is the experience you need. Whilst it might falter slightly with some questionable A.I. aggression, and it may not have quite the number of iconic locations as some racers out there, there is more than enough to get lost in with this two-wheeled dream ride. The petition for RiMS 2 starts here!

Fans of the recently popular isometric roguelike genre will find familiarity in Dandy Ace. They will also find a sense of uniqueness. Though an interesting move-set building mechanic, you will find yourself battling the RNG at times, but at least you are always building towards progression no matter how far a run may take you.

Screamer is quite simply an incredible arcade racer, with stellar presentation and gameplay. It’s a rare racer that can hold my attention for more than a few hours, but I’ll be playing this for a long time to come.

If you’re a lover of story games this is one for you! Unlike many story games Afterparty has many twists – and just as many types of drinks to consume. The gameplay is simple but because the focus is on the story this actually is to the titles benefit. You can play it multiple times with a different experience every time! The characters are brilliant and it’s probably one of the best story driven games I’ve come across this year.

Car Mechanic Simulator may be a little rough around the edges as far as its optimization goes, but speaking specifically of its functionalities and its mechanics, it’s easily one of the most well rounded sims in recent memory. Furthermore, it doesn’t alienate the inexperienced, and instead, does a wonderful job at keeping its in-depth gameplay and its deep systems both accessible and easy to digest. I wholly recommend giving it a chance.

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

Jagged Alliance 3 has many ups and downs but I ultimately came away frustrated, especially with the combat and the over complicated controls. There is potential there but I’m not sure I can wait around another 24 years to see that potential flourish.

Rematch may not knock Rocket League off its perch for a competitive soccer game, but if you are not a fan of cars and prefer the instant arcade action then this is a game that can get you hooked. I am a massive football fan, and I also like Rocket League and Rush from EAFC, so I am impressed with this offering. I have played many times with friends, and it is so easy to lose hours of fun to this game as it’s a joy to win and not that painful to lose.

Echo Generation feels like one of those games that try to capture all the elements which made the older games interesting. No hand-holding, no easy setting, no guidance and very challenging. The art design is quite cool and it is what will lure to the game as it seems very chilled. But it’s a false sense of security the game is far from chilled and is decidedly tricky. Coupled with the creepy unnerving undertones of the story this game is not for the faint-hearted.

Even though I’d not seen an episode of the show before playing I was really rather taken with Samurai Jack: Battle Though Time. It looks great, the combat is fun and fluid, there’s lots to do with upgrading Jack’s abilities, and lots of replayability with the different difficulties and scores to beat. A great game all round and one worth checking out.

The gameplay and strategy behind it, the scenery and the music is everything I expected from Neon City Riders when I first saw the trailer. Even though it’s not a 2-D side scroller I picked up major Scott Pilgrim VS The World and River City Girls vibes, which are my two favorite games. When any game reaches that level it’s without a doubt considered a masterpiece in my book. Please, suit up, indulge yourself in the 90’s vibe, and clean up the streets and take back Neon City.

All in all, I came away from Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? cooler than I had hoped. The campy story is fun at first, but the amount of repetition and the calculating nature of trying to gather a new bit of evidence rather than just following a well written and performed story began to grate on me after a while. Fans of the Wales Interactive’s other work should still check it out, and there’s fun to be had trying to gather new evidence, but I’d still point to something like The Complex as a prime example of how great this genre can be.

Evil West was recommended to me months back as a potential blockbuster. A game set in the Wild West where you are a monster hunter that you can play with a friend sounds pretty awesome. It delivers all of that with an interesting storyline that feels quite Van Helsing at times and stunning graphics. The linear layout coincidental traversal of maps is a very retro way of playing a game now but I quite enjoy it as that simplicity is quite refreshing at times but could be repetitive for others.

There’s something satisfying about playing a modern game but pulls on those nostalgic strings and #BLUD does that with its stylistic choice. Harkening back to the late 90’s I was instantly pulled into the game by its looks. Once I was there the story, combat and characters kept me involved to see it through the end and it ended up being an enjoyable time. I wish I could figure out some of the side quests, whether that’s how to do them later in the game or find ones I missed but doesn’t take away from a good time. If you dig action adventure, dungeon “crawlery” type games, check out #BLUD.

It pains me to write such negative things about this game because now I am even more interested in the Legacy of Kain series after all the research that was required for this review. It’s not that this is a bad game, it’s just that this is a 2003 game in a 2026 wrapper and my score is intended for those who are new to the series. While I think that I’ll complete this game (with the help of a walkthrough), I’m afraid that today’s gamers won’t have the patience or nostalgic memories to allow them to power through the early levels and experience the story. I hope that this and the Soul Reaver remasters did well enough with purchases from super-fans to warrant a full remake of one or more of these games for newer players to enjoy.

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.

Rock of Ages 3: Make and Break manages to provide some good, old school style arcade fun with it’s core game mechanics. Rolling the balls down the nicely designed tracks, smashing buildings and people along the way is great fun. It’s let down by some fiddly, tedious tower defence-style missions, and a creative suite that, while deep in options, only seems to serve as a gateway to online play.

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

Despite some spawning issues and the occasional technical hiccup, Hellmut: The Badass from Hell is a damn fine bullet-storm dungeon crawler. The game’s consistently fast pace, together with its non-stop action and its diverse content variety, collectively ensure that adrenaline is kept high, whilst repetition is kept at bay. Granted, this may not be the deepest game of its kind, functionally speaking, but it’s certainly one of the funnest.

TopSpin is challenging in many intentional and unintentional ways – the control system is tough to master but there is a great sense of reward to even getting the ball to land where you want it. The online requirements, and some of the more befuddling systems make it much harder to get to the core of the experience.

Old school FPS fans will be right at home here, brought in by the fast movement, impactful weaponry and the constant back-peddling and side-strafing attack methods emblematic of classic shooters. Even though I’m not generally a fan of Roguelikes by the very nature of the repetitive loop, I found myself getting very caught up in the grind here. Each run felt new and exciting, and when I was dropped a power or weapon that I liked it really got me hyped to get into the next room to use it. I think I finally get why the genre has been so popular, and I can see myself playing this for quite some time yet.

All in all, I enjoyed my time with You Suck at Parking. Its clever mechanics and designs outweigh my niggles with the physics and overworld map, though they aren’t to be discounted entirely. As a game to unwind with after a long day, this is a great pick up, and a good example of the kind of game Game Pass suits to a tee.

Pinball FX brings virtual pinball action back to our consoles with this brand new iteration of the game. While it doesn’t feel great that previously bought tables don’t transfer to this game, it’s a great starting point for new players and there are options for returning. The premium pass is a good idea as a way to experience most of the tables that Pinball FX has to offer if you are okay not owning the tables once the subscription is up. Otherwise I’m happy with what I’ve played. It’s been fun to get a few rounds in each day and tackle the events to experience tables I otherwise might skip over. Worth the price of entry at free, but the microtransactions are a deterrent for some.

Knock on the Coffin Lid is a solid entry in the roguelite deckbuilder category. Anyone sick of the other big contenders will have plenty of things to do. Those looking for a bit more story than usually found will get the most out of it.

Onimusha: Warlords still holds up exceptionally well nearly twenty years since its original release. Capcom’s ability to merge historical events with such a fantastical and engaging plot, together with a gameplay foundation that’s well paced, deep, and constantly exciting, is precisely why this classic is so highly regarded. Whilst Warlords is indeed unforgivably short, this is one Capcom comeback that you simply must have.

If you’ve never played a Monster Energy Supercross title, go ahead and get this. It’s every bit as good as previous versions. But if you’ve played either of the previous entries in the Monster Energy Supercross series, you’re probably best off waiting for a sale or skip this as there just isn’t enough to warrant a full price purchase.

Need For Speed Heat has done a fantastic job going back to its routes... with loads of cars, tons of customisation and the feel of two games in one with the day and night cycle. It has a couple of flaws with the police chases but you still find yourself having a fun, intense experience.

A Hat in Time is a sensational platformer that boasts hours upon hours of inventive and diverse fun.

I came away from Re:Turn – One Way Trip having had a great time. I really dug the 2D, 32-bit aesthetic that managed to get a good, creepy atmosphere across without relying on all the usual flash and pomp we’d expected of a horror title. The story is constantly engaging and well written, complimented by some great audio work. Some minor niggles in the constant back tracking and lack of helpful direction can lead to some frustration, especially if played across a few nights, but it doesn’t take too long to get back into the swing of things really. If you’re after a solid start to the Halloween season, this comes highly recommended.

Whilst not quite on the same level as top-tier metroidvanias, fans of the concept will love Timespinner for all that it gets right. The game’s story remains interesting throughout, with gameplay that’s well paced, exciting, and consistently engaging, not to mention fairly open and deep. It’s a shame that its time manipulating mechanic isn’t put to better use, but that gripe, alongside a few niggling issues, does little to pull this adventure shy of being worthwhile.

The game can feel like a chore if tackling the beginning alone, but it does become more bearable with new abilities. The visuals are lacking in general detail, but were updated and are noticeably different. Ignoring minor bugs with visuals, lag, no singleplayer choice, there is a quality game here that adds to the ever-changing library of Game Pass. Give it a go!

A too short affair with a real threat at the conclusion of Siren’s Rest means a lot of the game is spent swimming and gathering narrative exposition rather than fighting for survival as in Still Wakes the Deep. Luckily, the story told is engaging enough to pull us through the few hours it takes, and the sense of being at the bottom of the North Sea is convincing enough to be its own threat for those of us who aren’t super keen on the water as it is. I’m not sure if it helped or hindered my preparation for real life though…

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.

Isonzo commits to the WW1-era faithfully, with the pro’s and con’s that come with dealing with that time periods battles. I enjoyed the slower pace and more methodical approach to combat and objective capturing, and hope to see it continue to build a community of players willing to invest the time into the long battles.

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.

The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters is a great horror experience. With hand crafted visuals and a passion for the development this title should give the player a couple hours of gruesome entertainment filled with blood, sweat and tears. It’s great to see a 2D side scrolling title like this. It works well and I hope to see more.

Steelrising is a Souls-like game based on automatons which tries its best not to be a clone drone. The historical setting, outfits and graphics are very immersive and interesting. The combat is challenging and given enough time quite easy to master. The bosses could have done with being a bit harder and the platforming elements need more work. But it’s still a very sizeable game with plenty to enjoy. I do wish they had some stronger background music to help with the historical immersion.

Turok boasts an impressive variety of enemies, weaponry, and puzzles. This version of Turok doesn’t come without its problems, but many of these issues are merely a product of its age. The price-tag is set too high in my opinion, but if you enjoy chaotic old-school FPS gameplay, it’s easy to overlook. Night Dive’s remastered work is remarkable, the game looks much better and performs much better throughout.

Steamroll manages to get a lot right with the few systems that it consists of. The game’s well structured puzzles are relayed through its clever level design, together with its interesting steam-based concept and its balanced micromanagement. The big drawback is that it’s all tethered to a story that’s about as interesting as watching paint dry, with visual and audio design that’s equal to that.

Metamorphosis is a fun, ambitious, twisted and somewhat peculiar title inspired by the works of Kafka and offers something most games don’t – weirdness. Albeit suffering from some optimization issues, once fixed it will offer players a great game with some unbelievable moments to remember.

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

As someone who grew up in the 90’s and watched countless hours of Nickelodeon, the art style alone is an instant sell, but The Big Con is more than that. The game has a great sense of humor and the story stays entertaining throughout. It might not be Da Bomb, but it would definitely be worth a rental.

Overall, if you like horror but are fed up with the same overused tropes and want something a little re-energizing then this survival horror/escape room thrill is certainly one to add to your collection. With impressive gameplay ideas, a creepy setting, and some horrific enemies, this is a game that stands out amongst the countless horror titles available on Xbox and it’s one that is well worth a playthrough.

GRAVEN is a lovely little taste of retro shooters that fall outside what we considered to be the standard of the time. An excellent fusion of melee, magic and puzzle solving.

Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts 2 is a very attractive game with exciting gameplay and a lot of interesting mechanisms. Each area is large and fun to explore, and if you enjoy stealthy commando action combined with realistic sniping then this game is a must. Even for FPS fans, there is a lot to enjoy here with plenty of gadgets and challenges to add some replay value.

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

Overall, if you like dark, dystopian and gritty gameplay experiences, platforming that comes with a difficulty curve that takes some learning, and controls that are simple enough for even gaming casuals to pick up and want something short enough that you can sit through in an evening or two, then White Shadows may be the next game to add to your list. It’s not revolutionary, and there may be better out there, but it’s a good first effort from Monkel.

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

Overall, I had a great time with Submerged Hidden Depths. It’s an easy to play title that is just happy to have us along for the ride, not concerned with giving a challenge or putting too many obstacles in our way to succeed.

Unbound is bigger than the first game, but not necessarily better. I thoroughly enjoyed the thought provoking story, as well as the intriguing individual character stories. However, the dated visuals and the filler combat mechanics pull this otherwise well rounded experience just short of greatness. That said, the plot is worth the price of admission alone.

The Dark Pictures games so far have set high bars in terms of story and production quality, and House of Ashes easily hits and even occasionally surpasses them. While I wasn’t so keen initially on one aspect of the tale, it turned around completely on a second play, but even to begin with it was nowhere near enough to ruin what is a fantastically acted and put together story, wrapped up in some of the most stunning audio visual work to date. Horror games are hardly in short supply, but very few reach this level of brilliance.

Open Roads is another excellently crafted experience from Fullbright and Annapurna. With a strong, emotional, and well-performed story, as well as plenty of room for fleshing out the tale via the exploration sections, it’s something that had us compelled to play from start to finish in a single sitting – and will live on in our thoughts for quite some time.

Shining Resonance Refrain is most certainly overshadowed by the more intriguing, deeper and better developed JRPGs of this gen. However, that’s not to say that it isn’t worthy of your time and attention. Despite its unoriginal characters, its poor soundtrack and its slightly repetitive gameplay loop, the game has a strong and interesting enough backbone to make for an enjoyable and diverse adventure.

Overall, The Jackbox Party Pack 5 is a great addition to any future party plans, especially for the upcoming festive season. Like all party games, you really need to have a group of people that are up for almost anything, but it does do a wonderful job of encouraging even the shyest of participants to come up with laugh out loud moments. Just be sure to steer clear of Zeeple Dome.

Song of Iron is possibly one of my favourite games of 2021. It has a perfect playtime with just the right amount of difficulty to leave you at times pulling your hair out and feeling a brilliant sense of accomplishment when you have killed an enemy or a boss. Song of Iron‘s music is a great accompaniment, the Nordic feel pulls you in and immerses you completely. As you’re going through the game you pick up powers which include faster running helps you jump over those big gaps, fire and electricity for your sword and arrows as well as my personal favourite: calling back your sword after you’ve thrown it into an enemies head. At just a couple of hours long, this comes highly recommended.

A strong opening set of chapters set up an intriguing mystery with the return of Max Caulfield, new powers and friends, and a fantastic setting with some excellent audio/visual work. Unfortunately, it all falls apart by the end, with a confusing mess of threads that sweep the interesting stuff aside in favour of a side story that feels rushed, and a final choice that is set up poorly, leaving us underwhelmed and not entirely sure what fate we assigned ourselves too.

Attack on Titan 2 greatly improves upon its predecessor in nearly every way, but still comes with a few issues such as periodical freezing, and at times, poor control feedback. With these small problems to the side, this game undoubtedly does justice to its source material. Attack on Titan 2 is fast-paced energetic fun at its finest.

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.

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

As a brief but well-crafted Netflix indie title, Highwater hits the mark with its sense of worldbuilding, the interesting flourishes of its combat, and the underlying themes that give it a richness that’s worth exploring. Highwater is held back by stodgy writing, character interaction and a frustrating menu system, but for a few hours of apocalyptic storytelling amidst a flooded world, where you can discover new islands and yank cigar-chomping big men to their doom, Highwater is worth a shot and is buoyant enough to stay afloat despite the threat of capsizing.

There’s a lot to get your teeth sunk into in Tiebreak, but with matches on medium difficulty lasting over an hour, this certainly won’t be a pickup and play game, and with the mentioned issues with gameplay, Tiebreak won’t be something I return to on a regular basis.

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

God of Weapons may not be as refined as Vampire Survivors to knock them off their perch as the best rogue-like survival game. But I think it does plenty to provide a fun alternative. I like the variety of characters, unlockables and objectives as it keeps the game fresh and interesting. It’s very easy to pick and play, and not difficult to master.

A strong setting and atmosphere provide genuine creeps and a tale that is engaging, though for me the combat is a weak spot in an otherwise enjoyable experience.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a very detailed and immersive RPG and there is much to get involved within the game and enjoy. Fans of the old Baldurs Gate-style games will find a lot of comfort in this game as there is a lot of familiarities and it has been brought to a decent modern standard. Causal players might find the game like wading through treacle in its pacing, but with the great story line and bags of content, there is a lot of enjoyment to be had if you can commit the time to it.

Mythic Ocean surprised me as I enjoy a good dose of philosophy if done the right way. The game is very relaxing and not overly challenging when it comes to helping the gods or searching for the lost pages. The real challenge comes when you have to make a decision on which god should create the new world. It really does make you think, and that choice is not simple to make. I believe it was designed that way to show the power of influence you have in both this fictional world and the real world.