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

West of Dead is a beautiful looking cel-shaded game which made me feel like a bad ass cowboy, with a sprinkling of Ghost Rider. I felt some of the hit boxes were off slightly on occasion – I’m don’t think I’m that much of a bad shot… The clever mechanics of cover and using light and dark to “hide” your enemies is a good addition. Rogue-lites can be fun if balanced well and this is a wonderfully put together example.

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.

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

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.

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

Fun, diverse, and heavy on the replay value, Hero Express is a solid atypical driver that will keep fans of its Trials-like concept entertained for hours on end. Despite some issues with its upgrade system and the occasional flaw in its level design, this is the pinnacle of one-more-go gaming. When all is said and done, you’ll be hard-pressed finding anything quite as engaging as this, for the same massively generous price.

Dead End Job is fun fast-paced action top-down shooter which tests your reflexes and patience. The story is a bit vague, but the character styles are quite detailed and disgustingly fun to look at. It is quite easy to lose some time into playing through this even though the game doesn’t vary too much. But there are enough different enemy types, items and job perks which keep the game interesting.

Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 is a curious and fun insight into a franchise that hasn’t seen much air outside of China. Solid combat, with detailed upgrade systems, underpins a compelling story.

Visually compelling, and smartly written Mothmen deserves to be talked about in the same breath as the other great narrative games released in 2022.

Soulstice has great old school vibes but it may fall short of what it was trying to achieve. It can be frustrating at times and after a while I found it more frustrating than fun. For those who love DMC/Bayonetta, I’d definitely say give it a go, but beware that you will be sinking hours into the game.

9 Monkeys of Shaolin is an enjoyable beat-em-up and it gets a lot of things right in this day and age. The shorter levels, variety of enemies and the variety of attacks make for a fun experience. It is better played with a friend and you can tweak the difficulty to increase the challenge. The game is quite short though however and may not be something you would come back to, but it is still a decent beat-em-up.

Lawn Mowing Simulator did something to me that I didn’t think possible by grabbing my attention so well I didn’t want to play other games for awhile. While obviously a niche game Lawn Mowing Simulator does what it says it will do and does it well. If you have the slightest amount of curiosity about the game, I’d recommend it for sure.

Not too many games go above and beyond to pay homage to the past like Trek To Yomi does. From top to bottom it is drenched in a dedicated and unshakable inspiration of Japanese cinema, which does its absolute best to make players spellbound by its sheer level of deftly crafted artistic intent. Similarly, the combat is super slick, stylish and gratifyingly nuanced, that it will please many who beg for a finely-honed, lethal and precise katana-thrusting gameplay core. Unfortunately, the repetition of enemies and their compositions do get in the way as there isn’t enough diversity in the enemy variety nor the deviation to manipulate curiosity in interesting ways, but ultimately if you want a brief, beautiful and brutal action game, you should certainly take this trek.

Ancestors Legacy is a game of historical greatness, featuring real battles from times gone by, easy to grasp controls and some great stories. It has its bumps, but is a title that you will keep coming back to. Whether you’re a Viking lover or a Polish shield bearer, there is a faction for you. I’d liked to have seen some element of multiplayer through the campaign – as it is, though, there’s a pretty great RTS here for console players to get stuck in to.

Thymesia is a game that has a story as complex as the pronunciation of the title itself. If a brutally tough game that puts your reflexes, memory and patience to the test like many Dark Souls-type games then there is some joy for you here. The combat is tricky to master but fast and fluid. If you are willing to commit yourself to the game and repetition doesn’t phase you then I would recommend you try this out.

If you’re thirsty for a cool anime open-world adventure based on a new TV show, Sand Land is a really cool offering. Beelzebub and his crew are a diverse set of personalities, the tank battles are pleasing, and the plethora of upgrade abilities and accessibility features means Sand Land is worth digging into. These Sand Lands can be too empty, the sense of open-world repetition seeps in all too soon, and navigating that open-world can be troublesome, but Sand Land is otherwise an unexpected oasis in the desert that’s worth necking back and savouring while it lasts.

Rage 2’s main drawbacks sit with its uninteresting story and its awkward, convoluted structure of progression. If you’ve both the forgiveness and the patience to overlook all of that, a shooter that deals in explosive action and sheer depth awaits. Rage 2 is all about having a mindless blast, and between its vastly varied combat, its interesting world, and its diverse gameplay, it certainly delivers on that front, and then some.

LEGO DC Super-Villains has a lot of fun with its source material, and although it does indeed prove that it’s good to be bad, taking some steps away from its play-it-safe formula would have been much, much better. That said, there’s a plethora of exciting content, depth and replay value on offer here, making this a must have for fans of the series. Just don’t expect this to be LEGO’s defining moment.

The driving is smooth and fluid, the maps are vivid, and I love the characters and how they're made to perform. But let's be real here, gacha mechanics shouldn't even have been considered for a racing game.

Of course, Shenmue is showing its age, but both games are still more than capable of capturing attention in a way that many other games simply can’t. Everything from the characters, to the world, to the amazing score and story, is clearly a labor of love. Even if, like me, you still have the old DC copies kicking about, this collection is absolutely the best way to experience these games.

Nine months is a bit too long of a wait for this DLC to truly recommend returning to the game for, but newer players who will have it folded into their organic playthrough are in for a tough but enjoyable addition to an already excellent game.

The finale to Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two lacks the quality and care that Telltale have produced elsewhere. The conclusion to the plot is passable, but despite some solid voice acting and decent visuals, this episode hardly packs anything that breaks new ground. Perhaps the most irritating thing here is that this is merely an average serving from an otherwise very capable developer.

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.

Jump Gunners’ most alluring feature is that due to its healthy serving of weaponry and its deep pool of destructible maps, the game constantly feels fresh and engaging, despite leaning on the same concept from beginning to end. If you’re on the market for a couch-play game that’s as over-the-top as it is action-packed and diverse, Jump Gunners should most certainly be on your radar.

The Pillar: Puzzle Escape is a wonderful puzzle game that keeps things brief, yet always interesting. Aside from some iffy difficulty progression – and those controls – I had a fantastic time with this game. It’s just challenging enough for the most part while offering up an almost constant change in what it’s asking you to do next. It won’t last all that long, but what is here is well worth checking out.

Bad Dream: Coma is morbid, depressing, and more graphic than the simple art style lets on, but that’s not to say it isn’t worth playing. Those that like point and click gameplay will be right at home here, while the dour atmosphere offers up an intriguing tone to the experience. Navigating the puzzles with a pad can get tedious at times, but for the most part this is an engaging time, and worth a look.

Overall, I’ve had a blast playing A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead. It nails the sense of dread and atmosphere, and regularly did I find myself on the edge of my seat as I just evaded the creature again. The use of Alex’s asthma is handled well, albeit a bit over-done at times, but it adds to the fear and horror of the experience. The use of a mic in real life is a short-lived gimmick, but other than that this is a great survival horror stealth title that makes tremendous use of the Quiet Place setting.