The De Vespe Conspiracy is a great addon to the Greedfall base game. The unravelling of the tangle of lies and mayhem caused was fun to play through. The missions and side quests were interesting and varied enough and it played through like a fun episode. It’s unfortunately too short for my liking and is not likely to bring back old players, but those new to the game would do well to add this to their playthrough.

Daymare: 1998 will push your nostalgia button for horror shooters of days gone and is an enjoyable experience provided you keep your expectations in check. The developers almost certainly could have gone the easy route and built a by-the-books zombie FPS (it was built using Unreal 4) but decided instead to create something uniquely theirs. These choices come together well. I for one appreciated their vision.

Like a popcorn popping Hollywood blockbuster, My Friend Pedro offers a bullet-bonanza ballet that’s hard to ignore thanks to its slick moves, combining a great sense of fast food action gameplay that escalates in challenge as you grow accustomed to the many flourishes it adds throughout. Regrettably the characterisation and story falls short, but in all likelihood these fundamentals won’t matter if you’re looking for an action-packed thrill ride, and boy does My Friend Pedro offer that in spades. If you demand something more in-depth or intricate you won’t find it here, but everyone else will find that My Friend Pedro scratches an impulsive itch that’s able to impress with its penchant for grace and unabashed style.

The Last Door is, at least initially, far too easy for its own good. The solutions to many of the game’s puzzles tend to be borderline insulting for the first half, which doesn’t make for a great first impression. Bear with it though, because despite its simplicity and some issues with its pacing, the game certainly picks up traction later in. That, and its tense and atmospheric story alongside its superb visual and audio design, is truly unlike anything else.

The innovation of creating a world with anime girls who represent older videogame systems is what drew a newcomer like me to the world of Neptunia. Overall, the combat system allowed me to utilize characters who caught my interest and freely experiment with them. While at times I was lost in the story which I’m most likely sure is due to the fact I’m fresh, It didn’t deter me from enjoying Neptunia: Sisters Vs. Sisters like the JRPG it is. I can’t say it’s enough for me to engulf myself in the Nepunia lore, mech, or other past titles, but I do hope more games such as this one will continue to make their appearance on Xbox consoles.

Fans of Super Meat Boy would do well to check out Dungeon Escape. It’s not quite up there in terms of design or feel as that classic, but it’s still a solid title that offers up a good challenge to keep you coming back even after your hundredth death.

While Born of Bread was in my top videogames to look at this year with its great art style, the game overall didn’t match that hype. It was fine and I’d recommend it to those looking to get a younger player into games of this style but hardcore fans of turn based RPG’s could easily miss this one without feeling something was lost. It does nothing downright bad but nothing rememberable either.

This is by no means a revolutionary platformer. The ability to harness the power of day and night is an interesting concept, and it worked well in setting this game apart from others of the like. The beautifully crafted landscapes are an experience all in their own. If you appreciate games for their visual qualities and aren’t put off by the lack of story, it would be worth crash landing and venturing into this world.

A game that isn’t afraid to let players muddle through it on their own is an idea to be lauded, and here there is a core mystery that will provide a compelling enough reason to continue if you can get into the rhythm of the puzzling.

For those who like a bit of fast, hectic scrolling shooter action, Andro Dunos II II is worth a look. Some lovely, detailed visuals help sell the madness, while the abilities on offer to the player are good, if a bit cumbersome to get to grips with. It’s not my favourite example of the genre then, but still a fun evening or two to be had for those interested.

Overall, Kingdoms and Castles provides an engaging blend of city-building and strategic challenges, offering a rewarding experience for players willing to embark on the journey of building, defending, and expanding their realm.

Despite the UI downers, I still found myself rather charmed with Bus Simulator. It does exactly what it says on the tin, and for that I admire it. The act of driving about the city is relaxing, planning routes and getting to know them is oddly fun, and managing the back end of the business can get quite deep. Even if you may not think it’s up your street, hop aboard one day and you might just be surprised.

Pinkman+ is a fun puzzle platformer that has a nice retro style aesthetic. Much like obvious inspiration N+ the challenge is high, but also quite rewarding. That it is also optimised for the new console is a neat touch too.

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.

For those looking for a short and funny Point-and-click/visual novel One-Eyed Lee is a good way to go. Just remember to have multiple saves to avoid getting stuck.

Greedland has lofty goals, and it mostly succeeds. Unfortunately, some poor translation and some other bugs get in the way of this game being the best it can be.

Overall this game really does bring back very fond memories of old school platformers, but after completing episode one of the campaign I started episode two and – even though the comic book style story telling gets you into the mission – I found myself doing the same things over again. The daily Damsel Dash missions are where I found most of my fun, trying to score higher than the person above me on the leader board. The art style and audio in this game is what made it for me, and for their debut big screen game I think Screwtape have really done a good job.

Twincop is a co-op game in the most literal sense of the term. The funky 80’s style, over the top mechanics and fast paced action are well executed and entertaining. Things can get frustrating when repeatedly dying – it’s always the other persons fault – but if you’re after a fun twin stick shooter with a twist, this’ll fit the bill nicely.

Unto the End doesn’t mess about, and that will likely divide opinion on it. I don’t think I’ll eve see the end as it’s just too much of a challenge for me, but I absolutely can see the care and work that has gone into making it, and how well put together it is. If you’re into that other game then this 2D side scroller should be on your radar. Just be prepared to have a proper run of things.

The Wanderer is an interesting look at the Frankenstein story and the visuals are appealing. However, what is here is a little predictable and the binary choices don’t inspire the imagination.

Much like its predecessor, Devious Dungeon 2 provides a simple yet entertaining rogue-lite adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Sadly, a few poor design choices from the first game have carried over, but in the face of its improvements, these niggling flaws are fairly easy to overlook. In summary, if you enjoyed what came before, you’re bound to find some value here.

Rollercoaster management games are few and far between these days but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great games out there for the category. Luckily Park Beyond is coming out swinging as this is a really fun entry in the management genre. It offers some crazy impossibilities to the theme park rides that make the experience so much fun. Unfortunately the launch hasn’t been the best for me with crashes and technical issues with the AI, however I have the upmost confidence they will be fixed in the near future. You know if this type of game is for you and if it is, Park Beyond isn’t a bad one to take a try on.

Skate City takes game and chill to a new level. Using a left to right skating style, this game adds simplistic controls that anyone can pick up and play. They build upon the controls for the more hardcore when a challenge is wanted. The repetitiveness of the game can be seen as a negative and for that I encourage you to play in small chunks.

It’s always a good day when I get to play a game that was thought to be lost in a forgotten era of gaming. Nostalgia hits hard for me with Enclave HD and although very excited to give it another go, it’s just a port of an old game. Am I happy it is back and playable on current hardware? Absolutely! Do I wish a little more love was done to it? For sure. I’d probably have a hard time convincing someone to give Enclave HD a try if they didn’t play it on original Xbox but for those that did, I think it’s worth the admission price.

I tried out Cat God Ranch on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. It quickly became one of those games I just needed to get one more round in. There are a lot of different animals in the world and in Cat God Ranch which is where I ultimately fell off. Even when you don’t use most of them in a round, I felt the need to try and mix and match and I was doing more reading and thinking than just playing, which for me, took me out of it a bit. That said, in this newish genre of seeing crazy numbers appear through crazy combos, Cat God Ranch has earned a spot at that table.

Knight’s Retreat is great. If you enjoy chess and puzzle games it’s a no brainer, pick this title up. It’s challenging, and has some brilliant mechanics.

Backbeat is a Sokoban like puzzle game with a heavy focus on building a funky 90’s band. It looks and sounds great but it is not shy to lay on the mechanics in a hot and heavy manner. It definitely got the best of me but puzzle fans should give it a look.

This may indeed be somewhat of a cliché, but this game is the definition of easy to pick up, yet very hard to master. Despite its unforgiving steep difficulty curve, Razed is a fun, vibrant, and engaging speedrunner. The pace of the game is sensational, and its constant introduction of new and interesting mechanics ensures that repetition is kept at bay, throughout.