Super Bomberman R2 Is exactly what you want from a sequel. It kept everything that made the original game fun and added new ideas to try and build on what works. I may not be a big fan of some of the newer battle modes but I am very glad to see the Grand Prix 64 Bomberman battle return. The controls are simple for anyone to pick up and play and I am very happy this gaming series is still going strong.

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.

Cocoon is a well-crafted puzzle box with some of the best thought out puzzles I’ve seen in years.

Bang-On Balls: Chronicles is a fun, hectic, and chaotic action title that is fun enough solo, but far more so when paired up in co-op. A few technical issues aside, this would be an easy recommend as something for a couple of nights of fun.

Overall, if you enjoyed previous Forza Motorsport titles then you’re again going to enjoy this one too. It has plenty of racing, lots of tracks, and even more cars to be getting involved in. Forza Motorsport is slowly pushing more and more towards that sim racer but there is still plenty of the arcade feel to keep things accessible to newcomers and being an Xbox Studios title you can guarantee long after you’ve finished up the single-player content, there will be countless weekly additions of multiplayer events to keep you coming back for more should you wish to make this your number one go to racer. For me though, it’s simply just more Forza.

Heavy Duty Challenge is at best just fine, and at worst actively off-putting to play. A dreadful opening might put players off, but the course on the other side of it can be somewhat fine, if not all that taxing. There are better physics-based vehicular games out there to play, though if you’ve had your fill of them, this may fill the gap for a night or two.

When Trepang2 is at its most gory it is a claret-drenched delight. Its attempts to delve into horror are less good.

The Crackpet Show: Happy Tree Friends Edition is a title that I wouldn’t mind grinding for a couple an hours or two. It’s challenging to the point where it makes me want to take a break and come back to a boss later. It does the Happy Tree Friends series justice and makes me reminisce on my childhood days watching the show. Just a jolly good bloody mess all around.

It is hard to find negative things to say about Pizza Possum. It’s length I suppose as I wish it was longer or had more levels. There’s hope for a sequel at least. That said, Pizza Possum delivers a fun and accessible game. No run ever feels like a waste of time with its item progression and the more you play the easier those items make the game. If you are in need of what I like to call a “palate-cleansing” game, I hope you give Pizza Possum a thought!

Overall, I’ve had a great time with Forgive Me Father. It takes what is great about the older generation of shooters in the speed and simplicity of its action, adds a small amount of modern concessions, and packages it up in a really rather good looking game. Shooter fans should definitely be asking for forgiveness if they pass this one up.

All in all, Party Animals is a fun, hectic online wobbly brawler. The levels are varied and have some clever ideas and set-ups, while the physics-based nature of the combat provides hilarity whether we’re on the good or bad end of the randomness. Matches can feel a little overly long, but as something to pick up for an hour or so with friends regularly, this fits the bill nicely.

An excellent update to a relatively unknown arcade game. Quantum: Recharged is small in size and scope but the price is right for a cracking good time.

MythForce pulls HARD at the nostalgic strings of those that long for Saturday morning cartoons. The looks are unfortunately far above the gameplay however with the slow progression and broken combat. It’s not so much that it’s near unplayable, just noticeable. I look forward and hope we see more MythForce in the future whether that’s a straight sequel or another genre as long as it uses this amazing look.

A solid beginner entry into Turn Based and Roguelike genres. Days of Doom doesn’t have enough for veterans but will certainly entertain while it lasts.

The Crew Motorsport separates itself from Forza Horizon. While Its simple nature may be a turn-off for some others may see it as a nice change of pace from the realism of racing. The open world of Hawaii does have a rather small map but with new content being added seasonally, The Crew Motorsport can keep gamers coming back for more.

Mortal Kombat 1 meets its lofty expectations and continues to set the standard for fighting games. The invasion mode didn’t blow me away, but with seasonal updates it has the potential to become great.

Immortals of Aveum is impressive and feels unique enough to stand out on its own in the FPS genre. The fact that it dabbles in the RPG and Puzzle areas makes the adventure a more fun and interesting experience. Every area is a delight on the eye and the voice acting and acting in general keeps you gripped like you are playing a part in a movie. With lots of various magic tricks to learn there is plenty to enjoy here. It’s just unfortunate that its release was so close to Starfield, as otherwise this could have received much more deserved attention.

The ever so popular board game, Gloomhaven has finally made it’s way onto Xbox in a glorious digital format. Despite enjoying board games however this adaptation did not do much for me personally. The system is complex and something I could not grasp super well. The tutorial does a fine job at holding your hand though and seemingly goes over every detail that makes Gloomhaven popular amongst its original fans, it was just too slow for me. That said I think fans of the actual board game would enjoy the thoroughness this version has in it as well as the new content that does not exist in the physical format.

Starfield for me is very easily the game of the year, it would take something phenomenal to knock it off the top. Is it perfect? Not by any means, there are bugs and exploits to see but you have to go out of your way to do so, albeit to the detriment of your own experience. I think calling it Fallout in Space with Mass Effect tones and elements of No Man’s Sky is a cheap description. I think this is the massive space adventure we have needed and I am addicted to it and with so much content I feel very spoilt. It is so much fun and an RPG lovers fantasy to explore and I cannot recommend it enough.

After laying dormant for a while, Armored Core has returned to light up the stage on hardware that makes the most of its grandeur. Fires of Rubicon feels exciting to play, it looks superb, it’s fast and furious, it’s devastating and badass, it’s all you could imagine a modern Armored Core game to be. Sure, humans are absent and all the codenames and straightforward characters make it rather unrelatable, but when you’re caught up in thrilling tussles with all manner of mechanised robots, nothing else will matter. If Fires of Rubicon is a glimpse at what the future holds for Armored Core, it’s a very exciting one indeed.

Episode 4 did start off very, very slow, but definitely heated up near the end. This episode has created a great set-up for the final episode and I have enjoyed what the team have done with the story throughout so far.

Overall, Daymare 1994: Sandcastle is in a unique position in that it isn’t a game I would recommend to people over the likes of the aforementioned Resident Evil games, as it doesn’t do enough to feel unique in its own way, but instead I would recommend it to someone who wants more of those same experiences. Maybe in the future, we can see something to make the series become more of its own but for now, Daymare is a great option to delve into if you want more Resident Evil whilst you wait for more Resident Evil.

NBA 2K24 is an overall disappointment compared to not only NBA 2K23 but past NBA titles too. To see how far it’s fallen, all the past great features no longer included, it hurts to see that the only thing that matters is how much VC someone spends on a game. This is the first year that we’ve seen 2K blatantly be VC-heavy and it won’t be the last. Nobody should have to purchase a game that expects you to pay more on top of that. NBA 2K24 is the perfect example for game developers everywhere of what not to do in the gaming industry unless you’re greedy and don’t care about fans.

We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip is an excellent entry point into the We Were Here series, offering up something a little different for returning players and a great taste for those looking to try it out for the first time. The puzzles are – as ever – brilliantly crafted, and require good team work to get the best results, but it’s also just as funny when things go wrong too.

Overall, there is plenty to explore within the confines of its vast yet linear areas and it rarely has a dull moment with plenty of enemy variety, incredible boss fights, and some truly spectacular visuals. If you’re a fan of From Software, then I expect you to now be a fan of Lies of P as it has all the right notes and feels like From Software themselves have been in the backend having a tinker on a fresh I.P and for that, we can only praise the solid work put in from Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio.

Aesthetically a wonderful little title that has lots of features in there that I wanted to play of. Sadly, As Far As The Eye is hindered by a counter-intuitive controller scheme.

I have just finished Episode 3 of The Expanse and am unsure how I feel. In this episode, we have just landed at the mining station and you are with Maya throughout – however, at just 50 minutes long, I felt a bit short-changed that it was all over so soon. To be fair, there is a good amount of drama and a big set-piece to cap it off, but at the same time a newly introduced puzzle mechanic is pretty naff and only seems to pad out the already short runtime.

One of the best thought out FMV games by Wales Interactive, a must play for fans of the genre and good entry point for newcomers.