Whilst Irony Curtain doesn’t stray too far from the expectations of its concept, it certainly excels as a fun, humorous, puzzle-filled adventure that balances its mechanics well. My only gripe with the game is that some solutions to the game’s many problems are perhaps a bit too outlandish for their own good, ultimately presenting moments of sporadic guesswork. Still, that one flaw does little to pull the game shy of well deserved greatness.

Through solid world design and intelligently structured detective mechanics, The Sinking City provides a commendable basis for its intriguing adventure. The game is every bit as seemingly interesting as it is unique, and makes for a strong story that knows how to toy with perception. It’s a damn shame that it sits in the midst of so many technical drawbacks, so many bugs, and so many poor design choices. This, is squandered potential at its finest.

Due to a range of technical issues and poor design choices, Monster Jam Steel Titans utterly fails to capture the excitement of its source material. Not only do the trucks handle like fat cars on an ice rink, but everything from the wonky physics, right through to the game’s numerous bugs, collectively pulls the entire experience short of even substandard quality. Furthermore, even if things worked well, the core content is too tedious and repetitive.

We. the Revolution is a well written, decent narrative puzzle game that doesn’t shy away from the brutality of 18th century France. The game makes an intriguing habit of forcing you to face your actions head-on, with far reaching consequences that can alter the plot in ways you rarely expect. The only drawback is that it’s very convoluted due to its many systems and its abundance of relationship balancing, ultimately making for a lot of guesswork.

Attack of the Toy Tanks would have been a great modern take on Atari’s Combat if it housed more depth, more variation, and a better core structure. Sadly, as it stands, and due to the somewhat lack of all three, it’s merely a serviceable action game that becomes far too repetitive, far too quickly. If you’ve a penchant for this sort of experience, I recommend giving it a go, but if you’re seeking something more weighted, look elsewhere.

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.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is one of the best metroidvania games of the gen, sitting in a league shared only by an elite few. Everything from its deep story and its diverse combat systems, right through to its remarkable gameplay variation and mechanical depth, is quite simply outstanding. Despite the occasional bug, this is as close to perfect as a game of this type can get, and one that’s certainly been worth the lengthy wait; this, is a must have.

Whilst the lengthy and somewhat persistent loading times can irritate, Shadow Fencer Theatre provides a lot of fun for both solo players and fans of local multiplayer alike. The game’s hilariously awkward physics fit well with its distinct presentation, and thanks to its varied content, if indeed lacking overall, repetition is kept firmly at bay. This isn’t going to blow your socks off, but it certainly offers a trip to the theatre you’re unlikely to forget.

Car Mechanic Simulator may be a little rough around the edges as far as its optimization goes, but speaking specifically of its functionalities and its mechanics, it’s easily one of the most well rounded sims in recent memory. Furthermore, it doesn’t alienate the inexperienced, and instead, does a wonderful job at keeping its in-depth gameplay and its deep systems both accessible and easy to digest. I wholly recommend giving it a chance.

Samurai Shodown marks the return of a beloved classic, and although not quite as refined nor as deep as its modern contemporaries, the game proves that there’s still plenty of life in the franchise yet. Through staying faithful to the series’ roots, Samurai Shodown offers up a different kind of fighter, one that retains the strategic action and high levels of tension that put this saga on the radar to begin with. Whilst not great, it’s certainly bold and unique.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is easily one of the best kart racers of the gen so far. It’s gorgeous, it’s deep, it’s sensationally remade, and it’s wholly entertaining across all aspects of play. The only real drawback sits with its constant loading screens. If, however, you’ve the patience to forgive such a niggling issue, the game sports plenty of exciting content, and heaps of multiplayer modes to keep you going for hours on end, and then some.

Double Cross is a great game that sports quite a lot of variation. Whilst the detective mechanics, although solid, are perhaps a bit too simple, everything that pertains to the platforming remains diverse and engaging throughout. The end result makes for an adventure that’s not only interesting, but thoroughly entertaining, and although the dialogue can be too invasive at times, the game goes on to get a lot more right than it gets wrong.

I’m a big fan of playing old games, remembering how things were, and appreciating where we’ve come from. Sometimes though, it’s best to leave things in the past, and Toki is a prime example of that. Whilst the updated visuals and audio work will please those that hold fond memories of this classic, everything else just fails to impress, and if anything, only demonstrates exactly why we’ve moved on from such tedious functionalities.

Doughlings: Invasion shows what a talented developer can achieve with the right mindset and tools. Not only does this game bring back a much loved classic, but like Doughlings: Arcade, it revitalizes the dated concept through the use of implementing fresh mechanics, heaps of variation, and a solid all-round pace. Sure, the audio is still very hit and miss, but in the midst of how fun the game is, this is easy to forgive.

Another Sight does a wonderful job at making you feel invested in not only its characters, but its world, its story, and its deeper meaning. Whilst fairly short, it makes great use of its time through a constant influx of diverse, intelligently developed puzzles. Overall, despite some minor issues with its platforming elements, the game offers an adventure that’s every bit as engaging as it is intriguing, and one that’s unlike anything else readily available.

I’ll commend the game for being faithful to the era that it attempts to adopt, but outside of a few decent boss encounters and some serviceable visual and audio design, Cybarian gets a lot more wrong than it gets right. The combat is far too bland, the game is littered with cheap deaths, and above all else, it’s chock-full of irritating design choices that make for an overly frustrating, somewhat boring trek. Less is not always more, as evident here.

Despite the absence of needed features, despite its lack of replay value, and despite the fact that it’s not all that difficult, there’s still quite a bit of fun to be had in Riverbond. Not only is the game accessible, charming, and unique, but it sports a fair bit of diversity as far as its gameplay is concerned, and manages to spread it well across its handful of varied, gorgeously designed worlds. It’s just a shame it falls short of the mark elsewhere.

Rarely do we see an episodic game getting better as new episodes are introduced, but that’s exactly the case with Bertram Fiddle’s second episode: A Bleaker Predicklement. Whilst short and somewhat buggy, the episode’s enhanced puzzle work and its interesting new mechanics not only make for a worthwhile return, but collectively shows a great deal of promise for the series’ future. Don’t pass this by, things are just getting warmed up.

Captain Cat is a passable game at best. Whilst it’s accessible and does a good job at introducing new level mechanics at a decent rate, the game somewhat neglects its puzzle framework and tends to recycle its ideas far too frequently. Still, for its cheap cost, you’re getting plenty of content in return, it’s just a shame said content isn’t quite as gripping as it could have been, ultimately paving the way for repetition.

Much like any other game from Artifex Mundi, Queen’s Quest III: The End of Dawn will serve you well if you’re seeking a decent point-and-click adventure that’s chock-full of interesting, diverse puzzles. The entire experience is predictably pulled shy of greatness due its hit and miss story, its poor animations, and its shoddy voice work, but, in grand scheme of things, the game does manage to maintain player engagement through variety and innovation.

Neither interesting, nor dull. Neither exciting, nor boring. 2URVIVE is simply mediocre. The game’s campaign is its weakest link, offering very little depth and play variety throughout. The mercenaries mode, on the other hand, is better structured, better refined, and a lot more engaging. Still, even when it’s playing at its best, the whole ordeal comes off as relatively average in regards to its overall quality and functionality.

Technically speaking, the game handles well and performs well, but due to some baffling design choices and an inconsistent difficulty curve, Verlet Swing is a lot more frustrating and a lot more restricting than it needed to be. That being said, if you’ve the patience and perseverance to overlook said drawbacks, you’ll find quite a bit of fun to be had here. Just, be sure to check the warranty on your controller first.

Supermarket Shriek has enough varied content to keep you entertained for a few hours at a time, and although its control scheme is fairly hit and miss and tends to annoy, this is one kart racer you shouldn’t pass by. It’s outlandish, it’s crazy, and it’s relatively daft, but then, that’s the whole point. This game doesn’t take itself seriously at all, it merely wants you to sit back and enjoy, and despite its faults, it achieves what it set out to accomplish.

I have fond memories of a few ice hockey games from the 16-bit era, and Super Blood Hockey certainly evokes that in its presentation and general gameplay. Despite some UI niggles in the franchise mode that can make managing your team a bit of a slog, there’s a lot of silly, violent fun here that had me laughing and coming back for more. Couch multiplayer will likely see the violence spilling off screen, but what’s a little slap between friends?

Whilst not quite as deep, varied, or refined as its widely acclaimed contemporaries, Warhammer: Chaosbane still manages to serve up a solid ARPG that packs quite a punch. The game plays well, looks good, and sports heaps of replay value across the board. Despite the odd issue with its combat diversity and its poor voice work, fans of both the genre and the source material will no doubt thoroughly enjoy what’s on offer.

Whilst not quite on the same level as top-tier metroidvanias, fans of the concept will love Timespinner for all that it gets right. The game’s story remains interesting throughout, with gameplay that’s well paced, exciting, and consistently engaging, not to mention fairly open and deep. It’s a shame that its time manipulating mechanic isn’t put to better use, but that gripe, alongside a few niggling issues, does little to pull this adventure shy of being worthwhile.

Deep, vast, and hilarious, Party Golf is one of the finest party games available on the Xbox One. The only real issue is that the game’s procedurally generated courses can prove to be a hindrance as far as spawning in concerned, but this only occurs infrequently. The bottom line is that if you’re looking for something that’s heavily customizable, constantly outlandish, and totally unique, Party Golf will serve you and all of your buddies well. Don’t miss out.

Neon Junctions is a bad game for a range of different reasons. Not only are the solutions to its puzzles insultingly straightforward throughout the entirety of play, but its sheer lack of depth, together with its habit of constantly recycling the same ideas, ultimately makes for a very boring, tedious affair. If you’re in the market for new puzzle platformer, look elsewhere, because Neon Junctions falls flat on both fronts, and more besides.