While it lacks the charm of Trials, Overpass mostly manages to get that one-more-go feeling of trial and error right. It can be quite frustrating at times, and a little more feedback for the player to use wouldn’t have gone amiss, but if you’re after a challenging racer there’s plenty to enjoy here.

I can see Hunting Simulator 2 working for some people, but it doesn’t work for me. It is clunky, slow and glitchy, and whilst there’s a base loop that could be intriguing, the lack of any real depth past the first few hours left me feeling disappointed.

Samsara is just another standard puzzle game that never really evolves throughout the entirety of play. Despite a few interesting mechanics, the lack of innovation is what lets this experience down in the long run. Fans of the genre will most certainly enjoy what’s on offer, and it truly is a visually pleasing journey, but that means very little when there’s just not much of a challenge within.

What’s most apparent about Woven is that it is clearly a labor of love and the game’s environment is very refined in its structure. It’s clear that the developers spent a lot of effort in play testing, in object placement, mood and setting. It’s a beautiful game with a difficulty that may be in the upper strata for some but an enjoyable challenge for others. If that sings to you then this is your game.

Wildcat Gun Machine delivers some great sound and art design but unfortunately that doesn’t make up for lack of explanations and repetitive gameplay loops. I do think isometric shooter fans may want to check it out but gamers wanting to try the genre have better choices out there.

A strong start to a potential franchise. Excellent environment art, compelling world and story, The Inquisitor just needs a little more polish in other areas.

Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion‘s remaster here is really only going to serve fans of the original release, being as it is a bare bones up-spuff of a game that isn’t all that memorable or worth rushing out to pick up. It’s not a bad shooter as such, just one that has since been outclassed at every turn in the years since.

Steels Rats is the definition of a ‘meh’ game. It has some nice ideas and elements, but nothing is really pulled off particularly well. Combat is fine, if repetitive, but the awkward camera view, the unreliable collision detection, and the general lack of any real character, collectively brings the whole thing down.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong feels like a bit of a flat, confused mess. The story has some intrigue about it and the characters are interesting but some of the conversations had in the game are so serious that it sometimes feels mundane. If you like detective games with a twist then there is some joy to be had here but I feel it is a bit of a disservice to vampires.

I loved the nostaglic feel to the 3D platforming action, though some of the puzzles had me reaching for the off button. Battling through them was ultimately rewarding though, and kept me cracking on through the adventure. While it’s unlikely Xbox exclusive players will get to tackle the brilliant Breath of the Wild anytime soon, A Knight’s Quest is about as solid an attempt as we’ll see on our console for now.

If you loved the remastered Tomb Raiders I-III released last year, then you’ll definitely want to grab IV-VI remastered as well. The nostalgia and the novelty of revisiting the old Tomb Raider games is certainly worthwhile, but with IV-VI you’re witnessing three Tomb Raiders that gradually lose track of what the series was all about. The Last Revelation and its new ideas are successful, and you’ll enjoy your explorations in Egypt, but Chronicles and Angel of Darkness reek of missed potential and both of them come off as rush jobs. The remaster efforts are good enough in terms of uplifting these relics visually, and the framerate is crisp as well, but you’ll still need to wrestle with terrible design choices inherent within these three games, and the pounding desire for these Tomb Raider games to be remade for a contemporary audience.

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

Overall, Madden NFL 24 is a solid game that delivers a realistic and immersive football experience on the Xbox Series X. The game has amazing graphics, improved gameplay mechanics, new features and modes, and a smart artificial intelligence system that makes it challenging and fun. If you are a fan of American football or looking to jump in for the first time, you should definitely check out Madden NFL 24 on Xbox Series X.

Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a great idea in desperate need of more revisions – it is stealth game in which devolving into frenzied fracas is too easy to slip into.

Romancing SaGa 2 is a solid JRPG that houses some good ideas and interesting mechanics. Sadly it just doesn’t quite suit the large screen due to over-sized text within screen hogging text boxes. The control system also has a slight delay when inputting commands, which can prove frustrating when it occurs during battle sequences or evasion.

Twin Mirror is unfortunately bit of a mixed bag. With some great ideas and potential for a captivating story it’s a shame that the adventure was cut so short. It feels like the game was intended to be longer and this is evident in the relative potential. Sam’s mind place is a highlight and does provide a lift to the game in areas that are at times lacking substance. The foundation was set but fell short of the great detective story that Sam’s return to Basswood could have been.

For the first time in years, I actually enjoyed and looked forward to going back to a Sonic game and will continue to hunt those red star rings for a while yet. But the main USP of the avatars let the side down. I really hope Sonic Team continue with the duel Sonic crossover games as they seem to be providing them with their best output in years.

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.

Little Big Workshop is a decent workshop simulation game and fans of this genre would enjoy it. However, I feel it could have done with a lot more hand-holding through the game for beginners. There are a lot of tools and tweaks that could be implemented to increase the efficiency of your workshop but with such a brief tutorial a lot of these will be missed and it will cause you to struggle.

Oh My Godheads is fun, bright, colourful and zany, but it’s somewhat let down by repetitive play, a lack of content, and no online support.

Some minor niggles in visuals and UI marr things slightly, but overall as live service titles go, Breakpoint is one of the better examples.

Technical issues aside, Absolver’s deep and innovative combat system, together with its seamlessly integrated social elements, easily stand as the game’s greatest achievements. Unfortunately, the game’s gorgeously ruined world is merely superficial beauty, being that outside of necessary acquisition, there’s little else to enjoy. This lack of overall depth is surely going to have a negative impact on its player count before too long.

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.

Hero Defense’s gameplay systems are serviceable, at best. Credit needs to be given to the game’s decent combat mechanics, which is arguably the game’s strongest aspect. It’s a shame, then, that much of everything else within is either half baked, too basic or fails to fluidly connect to the game’s core foundation. Hero Defense is definitely a lot of fun, but it’s hardly an ambitious, nor deep, adventure.

Tools Up! is off to a decent start here with simple, fun gameplay. Lack of online multiplayer really puts a limit on how much fun can be had however. But grab some mates and a you’re in for a fun – though rowdy – evening of construction together.

Overall, if you like creature catchers such as Pokémon, Nexomon, Temtem or any other inspired game of the same vein, then Monster Crown is another one that will join that list of options that can not only offer a significant number of monsters to get lost in but also provide a fair few hours of battling, levelling and breeding in a way we have become all too accustomed too over the years. It’s not original, it’s not unique, it’s not the best option out there, but it does offer more of what many players know and love on an Xbox console and for that reason, we’ll take it.

Brimming with ideas and invention Risen embarrasses most modern RPGs, although it shows its age in its infuriating combat. Nevertheless, it is worth playing for those that can look past that.

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.