Unfortunately, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre loses its appeal gradually when you find yourself performing the same actions over and over again, where every match plays out in the same way, refusing to change things up to keep the drama ticking along. The lack of time limits can make matches drag on laboriously too, so it’s easy for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to wear out its welcome. Ultimately it’s a cool PVP game, but it doesn’t have the fresh ideas to contend with its contemporaries.

In what feels like a love letter to JRPG’s and professional wrestling, WrestleQuest hits all of the right notes. My qualms with it are small but it definitely met my expectations. The wrestling tones are laid on thick but in no way do I think it will be a hinderance to RPG fans. If you can stomach lots of talking and a variety of moves via turn based combat, well you can do much worse than WrestleQuest. OH YEAH!!!

The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation isn’t without some charm though, the retelling of this story goes some dark and strange places, and the acting is enjoyably cheesy for the most part. There are moments where it threatens to ramp things up in the gameplay department, but it’s not long before we’re into another boring chase sequence to slowly try and figure out. It’s short enough to power through if you really want to experience the story, but there are far better titles in the genre out there to play.

Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is an incredible amalgamation of everything the series has done so far, and produces not only the best Trine game yet, but also one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year. The freedom we’re granted with the tools on offer is excellent, and combined with stunning presentation, this make Trine 5 utterly essential playing in my eyes.

When all is said and done I believe Blasphemous 2 will sit high atop the Metroidvania Pantheon. However, throughout almost my entire time with the game, I couldn’t get the first game out of my mind – thinking how I should go back and play it again or finish off all of the free bonus DLC. The new weapon system with its three separate weapons gives this a good amount of replayability and allows for many different playstyles which is great. As a whole, the sequel is much more approachable for new players to the genre, and while there are plenty of improvements and quality-of-life additions, I can’t help but feel that Blasphemous 2 is the inferior product. Hopefully, the Game Kitchen plans on adding additional content here as they did with the original. I enjoyed my time with the game, but it needs something more to really draw me back in.

It has been a while since I have had the need/want to replay a game over and over because of the carrot and stick. Astro Flame Starfighter gives a good balance of making you want to play more because of the enjoyment factor and the need to upgrade your ship to finish off the level/mission or get the 3 stars you wanted for completing said mission. Graphics are good when playing and handling of your ship is good too. Each boss has its own unique look and attack which was a good surprise.

Overall, Mirrored Souls is an enjoyable, surprisingly tough puzzle title with a well-implemented dual-control mechanic. The Bricks Studio make sure to make good use of the various mechanics they introduce, and for those looking for a new puzzler to see them through a few evenings this will do nicely.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 2: Hunting Grounds throws you straight into the action, continuing from the cliff-hanger of Episode 1. You and your crew are running low on resources and have to escape from the space pirates. You have more exploring to do, relationships to build and more resources to gather. It’s more of the same gameplay for the most part, with the inclusion of a new evade mechanic from drones and some light gun fights. The story has enough depth to keep us wanting to come back as soon as Episode 3 is ready.

Zombie Derby does nothing groundbreaking but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t scratch a certain itch. It reminds me of simpler times and perhaps the type of game I used to play in my internet browser as a kid. Good for short bursts in my opinion and easy to pick up from anybody. The real get here would be the gamerscore as the full completion with all achievments can be had in less than half an hour and the game won’t cost you that much.

Without being so finicky though, RIDE 5 is a superb bike racer. It balances fantastic visuals and incredible bike detail with plenty of breakneck speeds and thrill-inducing racing moments and whilst it doesn’t change too much from the already successful formula that the series has become renowned for, this is certainly an enjoyable adventure for bike aficionados.

Overall, Madden NFL 24 is a solid game that delivers a realistic and immersive football experience on the Xbox Series X. The game has amazing graphics, improved gameplay mechanics, new features and modes, and a smart artificial intelligence system that makes it challenging and fun. If you are a fan of American football or looking to jump in for the first time, you should definitely check out Madden NFL 24 on Xbox Series X.

LISA: The Joyful is not a game I would recommend just jumping into without either playing the previous game in the series or at least reading up on as it is disturbing enough, without being confusing too. I find it lacks a lot of structure as I understand some of the character development and the struggles of Buddy’s situation but without any backstory or assisting narrative, it’s not easy to connect with what is happening. The battle system in the game is quite fun and I enjoy the different moves you can use and some of the animations of the enemies are delightfully kooky.

Remnant II improves on its predecessors in every way, adding depth and variety in all the places it needed to. Whether played solo or with friends it is a polished and accomplished sequel that Gunfire Games should be proud of.

Simply said fans of Moving Out should love Moving Out 2. This is everything a sequel should be. Doesn’t over complicate the formula that worked so well in the first game and in a sense is just more of it which is what I personally want most of the time. With its wealth of accessibility options, it’s a great game for newer gamers and veterans alike. I can’t wait to play more of this game co-op via online play with friends.

For cat-lovers and Xbox lovers, Stray is a pleasant and uncanny feline-centred adventure game that’ll be purr-cisely what many will be looking for. The various cat behaviours are cool, the dark alleyways and neon evoke a particular kind of foreboding atmosphere, and there simply isn’t another game out there quite like Stray. However, Stray’s presentation is a mask for routine gameplay dynamics, and the overarching dreariness of the dystopia setting doesn’t mesh convincingly with the playful moments found dotted throughout. There’s a sense BlueTwelve Studio wanted a big-time mainstream experience condensed down to the length an indie title, and they’re successful in achieving that, it’s just the world they created could’ve been cheerier and less predictable. Thankfully though, this cat game never outStrays its welcome.

All in all, I’ve had a..blast… playing Marble it Up! Ultra this past week. There are a lot of levels to work through, the times are truly a challenge, and some of the designs are masterfully done. Add in the weekly challenges and multiplayer and we’ve got an easily recommended arcade title that should provide entertainment for some time to come.

Insomnis is a short lived affair, preferring to stake it’s thrills on tense atmosphere building and jump scares than combat or hide and seek scenarios. The tale it tells is entertainingly sad enough to pull us through the 2 hour runtime, and for the most part the puzzles are just on the right side of not quite too easy to make them enjoyable to complete. Some control issues and a mumbling protagonist sour things slightly, but on the whole we enjoyed our time with the game.

I had a good time with Mr. Run and Jump, with the feel of the movement and inputs coming across really well. It’s challenging, but rarely unfair. The retro neon visuals also really drew me in. The levels can feel a bit overlong, though thankfully when you die you don’t get set too far back. One for those looking for something to dip in and out of.

Frontier have worked their magic to ensure it’s the best F1 Manager game out there and have another smash hit on their hands. With the Race Replay feature and the ability to change teams coming down the road, F1 Manager will keep fans pinned to their team principle chairs.

Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is a nice time killer if you want to play something to take the edge off. The replayability is insane as you can up the difficulty in the dungeons if you want more of a challenge. Sure the zombie slaughter may not be something to scream to the hills about, but it is definitely worth mentioning to a friend or two that love the hack n slash genre.

Overall, this is a good first outing for The Expanse: A Telltale Series. The et up for the season has me intrigued, and the gameplay improvements are most welcome indeed. I eagerly await the rest of the season.

Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is a very cutesy platforming game that does it’s job surprisingly well. The “speed tech” taught is simple but effective and the variety of level types was a pleasant surprise. The art style and the story are nothing to write home about and certainly won’t appeal to all but platforming fans who admire gameplay are encouraged to give the pirates a run for their money. It doesn’t really overstay it’s welcome (underwater levels aside) and the levels feel bite-sized which was nice. A fun game to just pick up and play for bits at a time.

Inner Ashes is a game that tries very hard to deliver facts about a terrible real world disease mixed with an emotional story in a videogame and it misses the mark for me. As a walking simulator at it’s core the gameplay is expected to be a little slow, however they can hold their own ground when they come with great stories. Unfortunately Inner Ashes is mediocre for me. I appreciate all of the interesting facts I learned about Alzheimer’s Disease because of this game but the mechanism they used, a videogame, doesn’t quite align with this presentation as something interesting enough to hold my attention.

Double Dragon Gaiden: ROTD is a perfect addition to the series keeping what made the originals memorable and enhancing the experience without going fully 3D. The fast-paced action and different play move sets keeps things fresh as well as playing the stages in a different order to enjoy new challenges. I appreciate the effort that has gone into keeping the game fresh with the rogue-lite elements, the unlockables in the shop and the variety of characters you can play as I think this is well worth picking up.

For less than a fiver on the Xbox store, there’s not much to lose if you’re even remotely keen on a fun but challenging indie puzzler. There’s not much in the way of extra flash or pizzaz, but what’s here is solid puzzle gaming through and through.

While the live service nature might not inspire much excitement, as a game to play with friends Exoprimal is a worthwhile pickup. The action is immediate and hectic, but never overwhelming, and the rounds are generally well paced and fair to enable some exhilarating final moment reversals of fortune. It might not have to flash of some of the bigger multiplayer titles out there, but it has more than enough to come recommended, especially if you’ve got a Game Pass subscription.

With a fresh take on the Aliens game franchise and a deep understanding of what made that movie tick, Aliens: Dark Descent is a great Real Time Strategy.

Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories is a brilliant, cute title that was built off their original RPG so many years ago. This feels like a step up for those who played the original story. The main takeaways will be the art and music for most players. You do have the freedom to explore, but the story only moves forward when finishing tasks assigned to you opening new sections. The game was updated back in May which added a quick save feature and fixed minor bugs. This title is very polished unlike many of the games flooding the Xbox marketplace currently. Melon Journey is not a shovel ware title and does have substance for those looking for a more relaxed game to pick up and enjoy. If you’re looking for heavy action, that will not be this title. It is low skill based and requires paying attention to text prompts to know where to go. This is a slower paced game, however, it is incredibly cute from the music production to character designs.