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.

Indigo 7: Quest For Love is quite a clever and refreshing strategy puzzler. It’s a new concept for me as I haven’t seen it done similarly and the Scott Pilgrim like graphics are always interesting and appealing. Although not many of the characters in the story are likeable or relatable, it is still fun to play through the story mode and watch how things unfold. I think they either needed to remove the character soundbites or add a lot more as they did get irritating after a while and I will be forever haunted by Guile saying ‘Magic fingers’.

Being an FMV means that much of the game’s weight is resting on both its writing and its acting. Unfortunately, the quality here tends to fluctuate. There’s also some odd design choices that hurt the game’s otherwise decent pacing and structure. That being said and overall, The Shapeshifting Detective is just about entertaining enough and interesting enough to recommend.

Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues is a unique surreal arcade scrolling beat-em-up. For me, it has mixed success as it does have cool characters with unique skills and some cool ideas. But as the gameplay is not robust this game will struggle to pull players in outside of fans of the film and series. I fell that some some features, like powerups, could have been cut if it meant the combat ended up more refined. It is fun to play with a friend and I’m sure fans of the series will enjoy the tie in, but it just leaves me with the feeling that this was rushed out before it was done.

Going Under: Internships Are Heck isn’t your standard roguelike, it carries more charisma and playfulness than you’ll find in many of examples of the genre. No Going Under doesn’t breathe new life into the roguelike nor does it give you anything outside of a rinse and repeat formula of clearing dungeons over and over, but the sense of humour and vibrancy on display makes up for its shortcomings and you will feel as though it’s a worthwhile internship while it lasts.

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.

Ben 10 is a good game, a lot better than expected but am still unsure if it is worth the price people will pay.

Bloody Rally Show is a fun, unique roguelite-style title. The nature of every race never being the same is a great feature to keep the game fresh. The top down elements brings back old school vibes, but while the game is fun in short bursts, I feel it’s a case of too little to really make it something that’ll keep players coming back.

Despite how overwhelming and confusing it can be, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries certainly has something to offer players who want to get stuck into the fine details of setting up their own interstellar mercenary outfit. The combat can be fun, if deliberately slow, and once set up right having a powerful mech wrecking shop is entertaining. It’s just the bits in between that can drag, with confusing menus and systems that aren’t fully explained.

Overall and whilst MX vs ATVs arrival on current-gen consoles was always one we were going to expect, it’s shocking to see it arrive in such a poor state. With glitches galore and a real lack of polish all around, what has long been an exciting series release has this time turned into something that feels like a rushed release that would have really benefitted from utilizing the extra power of current generation consoles to push out something spectacular rather than another general churned out release. Unfortunately, this isn’t one I want to recommend.

Rack N Ruin is a typical action-adventure game and hits all the right points required to make it a good game, but does suffer a few minor drawbacks. The zoomed in view, terrible map and confusing puzzles could put some off, but there is a lot of charm to the game. The fact you play as a cute but evil demon on a sinister mission which no one seems to take too seriously is a nice change of view and graphically it is enjoyable and quite easy to play. A nice pickup for those who fancy tackling a short but tricky action game.

Hellfront: Honeymoon trades depth for gameplay simplicity, and in doing so, will likely turn away those that prefer deeper action strategy games. If you can overlook that, there’s a lot to like about the experience at hand. The game’s constant action sits remarkably well with its quick-fire matches. Though, as with any game that’s relatively bare, repetition sinks in soon enough. Still, this is one PvPvPvP that’s fit for those party nights.

Dandara is an endearing adventure that offers up excellent level design and unique gameplay. It’s a shame, however, that the movement system within often hinders the overall experience due to clunky controls. Dandara certainly stands out on the merit of its concept, but the execution isn’t quite as commendable. Having said that, if you can overlook these flaws, it’s a journey worth taking.

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.

Overall happy to see TMNT cross yet another genre, but Tactical Takedown just barely makes a good grade. It’s not bad but it does nothing for the genre to make me want more of it. I can, for sure, recommend this for those wanting a more toned down turn-based strategy experience, especially if you love the Turtles, however. Veterans to these games will likely find Tactical Takedown a bit slow and too simple.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts has a few fresh ideas, but it takes several steps sideways steps as it looks to make a claim in the sniper game sub-genre. An experience that is often good, but never great.

All in all, Love Choice is a pleasant title to sit back and relax with for an hour or so of an evening. The stories are short and sweet and the interactivity is more than we’d expect from a visual novel.

I think that the active-reload healing mechanic in 9 Years of Shadows had potential to make them stand out in a crowd of other action platformers. Unfortunately, the difficulty spikes, lack of signposting, and frequent dropping of button presses wore me out and I would not recommend this game to anyone but the most hardcore fans that must absolutely play every game in this genre.

Within the Blade is a great proposition as a budget title. Tons of levels, and good variety throughout leads to a large amount of replayability. Some design decisions and nasty bugs mean that it is a close shave away from ‘excellent’, and instead just ‘good’.

The combination of different ways to finish levels gives Birthday of Midnight a fair amount of replayability but I’m now starting to find this all little repetitive without a story to keep me immersed in the world. There are 70 plus levels to complete and this will definitely not hold my attention for that long. This is worth a play if you need a palette cleanser, however if you have GamePass you have many, more engaging choices.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds is the WWE’s big release for the year, but it’s taken a new direction after last years effort and is a decent arcade alternative to the previous WWE games. The gameplay is fair and different, but you always expect a decent storyline to play through as well. The comic strip idea is OK but with no voice acting anywhere it just feels a bit weak.

Jet Kave Adventure is a neat platformer that should keep younger players especially entertained, though I also had a blast playing. It’s not overly complicated but still manages to squeeze in a few interesting mechanics to give us something to be mindful of.

Layers of Fear 2 is fairly hit and miss for a sequel. Whilst it manages to hold its own, it doesn’t quite meet the quality nor the ambition found in its predecessor. The gameplay may be considered to be too easy for its own good, and certain elements do feel somewhat rushed. Though, that being said, one has to commend its level of polish and its psychological approach, ultimately putting forward an experience that’s both unique, and provocative.

As much a victim of greater survival horror games as it is an oasis in a desert of unique survival horror experiences, Cronos: The New Dawn tries its best to evoke the atmosphere and dread that put the genre on the map. However, what lingers is the stench of a lack of effort, as there are various instances where you’ll be reminded of the greatness of the survival horror classics that came before, while you discover the myriad of ways Cronos falters in its attempts to shock and scare you. There are decent boss fights, excellent presentation, and decent weapons, but its workmanlike protagonist and weak conventional enemies keep this promising double A horror on a leash, when it really should’ve broken the chains and unleashed itself impressively upon every genre fan. Cronos is good enough, but it really should’ve been so much more.

Castle Pals is a great platformer, with all the nostalgia of old school Super Mario World VODs levels. I enjoyed the fact you swapped between both characters in every level, it gave you a fresh problem to solve each level.

Reverie Knights Tactics is a decent attempt at a strategy RPG. I found the combat quite similar to the publishers other game Fell Seal but not as complex or interesting. The story had potential but it lacked too much content so you didn’t get the background of the setting or the characters. But for 10 hours it’s still a fun playthrough if you enjoy this style of game but those puzzles will frustrate you.

All in all Super Sports Blast is a good little sports game for all ages. The sheer simplicity of all the sports as well as a graphic style, that while not breath-taking is certainly not horrible, make this a perfect game for people to relax and play or even to introduce younger games to the sports genre.

If you’re after a blast of tough nostalgia, then Alex Kidd in Miracle World has got you covered. If anything, it’s a bit too faithful in terms of the mechanics despite offering up some modern concessions such as checkpoints and save states. But then that’s the point, isn’t it. Older players will still get some enjoyment out of revisiting this, while younger players can see what we used to deem cutting edge back in our day. It’s not going to challenge the best platformers out there, but it’s still decent enough – and really bloody hard.