Dead or Alive, for better and for worse, attempts to do things a bit differently with its sixth mainline entry. The game’s fluid and weighty combat is its high point, together with its depth of content and its diverse selection of modes and unlocks. Unfortunately, the game is held back quite a bit by its convoluted campaign, its unnecessary costume grind, and its lack of stage refinement. Bottom line? DOA6 is a competent fighter, nothing more, nothing less.

The mechanics of Berzerk: Recharged are excellent and I can’t fault it. Dowside comes when you’ve played a few levels, they are more or less the same. While playing I was reminded how this would be a wonderful 90’s arcade cabinet game and have everyone queueing up to play. But for a modern-day console game, it does hit all the right shots. Co-op was fun and made the game more palatable.

Double Pug Switch is a challenging side scrolling platformer that requires good hand eye coordination for some quick responses. Although, very similar to The Impossible Game, the game does have a unique twist of adding the dimensional switching power as well as power ups and timed distance jumping. It also added its very own unique story, however comical it may be. I believe this game is a fun side scroller and shouldn’t be missed if you’re a fan of the genre. The current control mapping does make it harder, but can be worked around using console Accessory settings to remap controls for Xbox to however you may prefer. This game is appropriately priced for what it is and the amount of time of enjoyment you will get out of the game. The design is meant to be a cute, yet challenging game, to pick up and put down as you please and I know I will make my way back to finish Otis’ adventure.

In conclusion, Lost at Sea is a wonderful indie title that has been ported to Xbox and is worthy of playing on sale for those interested in the easy gamerscore. If you’re a gamer that enjoys a serene and introspective journey then this might be a game for you, it definitely is a game for those who are mature enough to comprehend Anna’s message and walk away with more empathy. You will spend roughly an hour walking around and half an hour learning of Anna’s past and her family. The clunky lighting can ruin the immersive experience and the game may crash like it did with me a couple of times. But these small details are outshined by the audio, narration, and story. If you’re not a gamer that would enjoy walking through someone else’s life, then perhaps this is not for you.

This is one local multiplayer bomb-based game that anyone can pick up, play, and enjoy. There’s a nice, steady influx of unlocks to earn through little more than natural play, ensuring that even the youngest and lesser skilled of players will witness everything that the game has to offer. The drawback, however, is that outside of its technical issues, it all becomes fairly repetitive before too long, more so when playing solo.

Bucket Knight gives a unique glimpse into gaming of the past without any fancy modern upgrades like save points, perfect graphics and achievements that can only be completed by playing in sometimes seemingly senseless ways! Once again, it is not a game that will appeal to everyone and it’s definitely not for those who dislike this genre, but for anyone who appreciates a bit of nostalgic gaming it certainly seems worth giving it a shot.

Pilot Sports is a good bit of fun, but could have featured more. At $19.99, you’re still getting a decent deal here, but I’d happily pay that bit extra for more content (a larger world, online multiplayer and leader boards). Achievement hunters will likely lap up Pilot Sports, as just there are just 14 to round up for the full 1000G.

Overall, it’s been good to play these classic racers again. Nostalgia is doing some heavy lifting though, and if you’re not familiar with Street Racer then I would hazard a guess that you won’t quite see what the fuss is about. A lack of archival content, as well as some other versions of the game, is a shame but if you’re into retro gaming and fancy a fun – if challenging – racer, then this collection is worth a look.

The Church In The Darkness is a nice change to the contemporary games of today and strives to open the mind of religion and cultism in a top-view, open world environment with stealth mechanics and multi narrative story scripts. Looks great and plays great, albeit not being the longest game ever. It appeals to a different nature and pushes for originality.

Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Don’t Dry does nothing innovative with the genre or delivers any spectacular story but did we expect it to? Aside from the obvious keyboard and mouse roots and thus not as fun controls at times, the voice acting and art style make up for it. Fans of the franchise will enjoy this crazy trip back in the world with Larry.

La-Mulana 2 is just as fun, frustrating and tricky as its predecessor. It has improved on some of the aspects that let the first game down a little, although not completely such as the jumping aspect. However, the game relies on a Myst/Dark Souls philosophy; that those that are determined and persistent will persevere and feel rewarded upon completion. For those into retro platformers which a decent difficulty level then this could be up your street.

The King’s Bird is an utterly challenging platformer that’s perhaps, oftentimes, more frustrating than it needs to be. Further hindrance is found in its slightly unresponsive handling, together with its wildly fluctuating difficulty curve. That being said, if you can muster the perseverance and precision to see it through, you’ll find a pleasant, warm, and somewhat endearing adventure buried underneath its convolution.

Niffelheim is a good game for those that enjoy the foraging and building mechanics in games. With a superb art style and intriguing story, players will find they can put a lot of hours into this game and they’re going to need it. Being a little grindy the game will find homes with many players and received good reputation on PC builds.

Hellpoint is a challenging and interesting RPG in a similar vein to Dark Souls, but maybe not as difficult. It is still unforgiving though, and best played with others to stand a real chance of progressing. The online multiplayer needs some work to iron out some issues, but if you like games that pose a real challenge then this could be for you. The fact that I couldn’t find any real strategy to take down difficult enemies made this hard for me to play by myself.

The Invisible Hours undoubtedly offers up a good story, but the shallow portion of content and overly lax gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. It’s well worth a run through if you enjoy a good whodunnit, though with that being said, this is less of a game and more of a marginally interactive experience. Still, it’s well crafted and engaging nevertheless.

The Path of Motus is not going to blow you away, but if you’ve ever endured the matters of its sensitive subject material, I highly recommend that you consider diving in. The gameplay itself is nicely paced and presents a gradual challenge that will test your morality, as well as your platforming and puzzle solving skills. Unfortunately, however, its short length and its basic visuals hold it back to some degree.

Although I have listed a few negative points I did enjoy playing the game. If you can overlook the grey graphics, poor voice acting, bizarre storyline and awkward missions then there is still a game that I found fun to play. Learning different classes, skills and the alchemy system was fun for me and I sure fans of tactical strategy games can find joy here too. I just wish they put the same amount of effort they put into the combat system and functions as was put into the other parts of the game.

There’s no easy way to express it, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a big puddly mess of good and bad. The setting, the shorted Assassin’s Creed experience, the emphasis on stealth, and the heightened sense of danger gives Mirage worthy ingredients for a small and sumptuous Assassin’s Creed stew, but the seasoning has been left out this time, leaving the latest AC looking disjointed, feeling ineffectual and plagued with a handful of technical blemishes. This isn’t the kind of quality Assassin’s Creed Ubisoft are truly capable of, despite it being a rather welcome one thanks to its reduced length. All told this latest outing has its bright spots but could’ve done with some serious sprucing up.

Anyone out there looking for a precision platforming challenge should consider picking up Dojoran. Achievements hunters will have a slightly harder time than usual here. It’s a quick 1000G, but it will test your platformer reflexes. The 1-bit minimalist art style suits this game well; it doesn’t compare to the best of the bunch, but it’s a fun diversion and challenge.

Qubit’s Quest is a charming take on the light gun shooter that has some neat ideas to help it stand out. The simple platforming adds an extra dynamic that doesn’t overwhelm, whilst the more forgiving pace and difficulty makes it a great entry point for younger players. A lack of visual polish hinders things slightly, though the added in mini games make up for this.

A Little Lily Princess is a visual novel that at least attempts to buck expectations by offering some semblance of gameplay to give us agency through the story. It’s very stuck in the genres tropes, and the language might be a bit too over the top ol’ English, but the tale overall is entertainingly written, with the added bonus of featuring several endings to encourage repeat plays.

If you’re in the market for a first person horror game, you can go much worse than Call of Cthulhu, but be prepared for a lack of any real scares. The game leans heavily on the story and exploration of environments, so much so that when it does attempt the creepy stuff, it mostly comes off underdeveloped and a bit out of place. Go along with it though, and there’s something strangely compelling within.

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.

Noir Chronicles: City of Crime isn’t the best that we’ve seen from Artifex Mundi, but it will indeed scratch that puzzle-solving itch, if nothing else. I take issue with the game’s shoddy voice acting, its lackluster plot, and its poor animation, but with that to the side, there’s little more to scoff at. If you’re coming here purely for the puzzles, you’re likely to enjoy what’s on offer. If you’re seeking more than that, look elsewhere.

I wanted to like Sledders, I really did, and it was fun for a little while! However, not having objectives or goals made this sandbox feel so empty. Simulation being the focus or not, this game feels too bland to strongly recommend at least at launch. Keep an eye on updates if you are interested otherwise, I think we should keep on waiting for a new “snow” game.

Kingmaker: Rise to the Throne brings with it the usual drawbacks that we’ve come to expect from its developer and its publisher. The game’s poor writing and its shoddy voice work makes it hard to get truly invested in the story at hand, which at best, is only mildly entertaining throughout. That said, the game’s exceptional artwork, together with its fairly creative puzzles, collectively provide the journey with its much needed grip.

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.

Overall, if you’re looking for something that will keep you occupied for a few hours and doesn’t really require all that much concentration to see through to the end, then Timothy Vs the Aliens is likely to be able to tick that box, with a 3-4 hour run time enough to see it done and dusted. Should you want something that can bring engagement, excitement, and something to dig your teeth into, then unfortunately this isn’t going to be for you. Sure, with a little more development and a bigger budget we could have even seen something spectacular here, but as it stands currently, this is more of an empty shell and a load of fetch quests rather than a full-frontal defence against an alien invasion.