In summary, Can’t Drive This is a fresh take on an already saturated party game market that’s a ton of fun with friends and gets very addictive, but loses steam after 10 hours with the few game modes it offers. There just isn’t enough content to play this game solo and unlock the majority of the cosmetics. With that being said, I personally absolutely love this game and would love to see the idea further expanded.

Bladed Fury is what I would call a sleeper game. Its art style and fast paced 2D action is what help it stand out the most. Beneath that layer however is a game that is missing a more developed story and upgrading and fighting system to keep things fresh. For a game that can be finished in under 2 hours, if you're looking for something quick and easy to play then Bladed Fury is your game.

I Saw Black Clouds unfortunately misses the mark more often than not. While the general concept of the story is interesting, messy presentation and confusing, vague stats make it harder to enjoy than it should be. If you’re looking for an enjoyable live action adventure, I’d still recommend checking out The Complex before this.

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.

Killer Queen Black is pure, joyous fun. Get together with a group of friends and you’re guaranteed to have an absolute blast. There’s not too much to learn in terms of mechanics, but that doesn’t stop each game feeling fresh and different. It’s on Game Pass, and features cross play, so I’m hoping it can gather more of a community that it seems to have now. If it does, I can see KQB having a long life. Please, please check it out!

Tennis World Tour 2: Complete Edition is a great next gen version of the original with crisper visuals, vastly superior load times and more things for the player to do. The MOCAP work could be a little better and perhaps some work is needed on the card system (or just scrap it altogether). Tennis World Tour 2 is one of the better tennis games I have played in a while, but it still needs a little work to take Top Spin’s crown.

El Hijo: A Wild West Tale is a beautiful stealth game. I do love the fact it’s not all about killing but just getting to the next area. I had a great time playing the title and I love the art style too. Like most stealth titles, if you’re a fan of this genre and enjoy not going around killing everyone then this is a game for you to pick up.

Paradise Lost manages to keep the intrigue high with its alternate history tale and great environmental story-telling, but is let down by it glacier-esque pace. If you can push through that though, there is an entertaining time to be had here.

One of the best entry level fighting games, Samurai Shodown is an excellent return to form for the series. This Xbox series upgrade offers some small but much appreciated upgrades on the original title. Anyone looking to dip their toes into fighting games will do well to start here, that said, there is a lot to dig into after that.

Movers In Paradise is a fantastic DLC and playing it with my wife was great fun and laughs (and mini arguments) all round. With Moving Out still being on Game Pass you only need to pick up the DLC and you won’t be disappointed if you enjoyed the original. Even if you haven’t played the original I still recommend picking this up as I actually think I enjoyed it more than the original.

With the gameplay in its current state there isn’t much that would compel me to play this game for any length of time let alone keep coming back for more. I won’t say that a $17.99 price tag isn’t justifiable but if I paid cash for this game I’d have some serious buyers remorse. If you’re positive that Under the Jolly Roger floats your boat than by all means have at it, as this review is just one man’s opinion. But if you have doubts as to whether or not you want to set sail on this adventure I suggest waiting for a sale.

If you’re looking for something different and unique then Signs of the Sojourner deserves your attention. Its simple-to-learn card game mechanic does a fantastic job of symbolizing a lot of the core concepts of communication, and once you learn the best tactics to use you’ll want to experience everything the game has to offer. The game has a high replay value, each time you play you will find something new, meeting new characters, discovering a hidden city, or maybe learning about your character’s past. Or you can blaze your own trail and try to unlock one of the many alternate endings. Even if you don’t normally play story-focused games or card games, Signs of the Sojourner should have something for you and is definitely worth checking out.

In summary, Dreaming Sarah is an inside look at the subconscious told through platforming and light puzzling. its short runtime is perfect for a rainy afternoon in or something to play quickly as a pallet cleanser between larger games.

Explosionade DX is everything you would expect from a 2D platform shooter. The only thing stopping it from becoming too vanilla is the shield floating feature, though you can play most of the game without needing the shield outside of high jumps. Once the buttons were remapped the game was fun to play but the short levels made the game feel too stop-start for me. Fans of this genre and achievement hunters may still get some joy out of this.

Sanity of Morris is sadly just not very good. Outside of some decent initial horror aspects and a passable tale, the woeful stealth, boring exploration, and tedious puzzles make for a title that gets ever more maddening the further we play.

In conclusion Kaze and the Wild Masks was a game I was hyped for …. And it delivered. This can be compared to Donkey Kong Country 2 from back in the day. Platforming fans and gamers that take a shine to retro-styled games will like this. The easy mode makes it more accessible to those who might have more difficulty with platforming while not penalizing the player for choosing it. Kaze and the Wild Masks is quality 90’s gaming … today.

Pinkman+ is a fun puzzle platformer that has a nice retro style aesthetic. Much like obvious inspiration N+ the challenge is high, but also quite rewarding. That it is also optimised for the new console is a neat touch too.

Subtle but solidly produced, In Rays of the Light does a beautiful and eloquent job of drawing you into its story and environments. Much can be appreciated regarding the artistry on display here and while the gameplay doesn’t compare favourably to it, there’s plenty of potential in what the game offers stylistically and in regards to its presentation that it can stand tall and comes recommended for its attempts at drawing you in. There is a need to make the gameplay more riveting despite the lurking presence of shadows, as there’s a propensity for unexcitingly light puzzles and a frustrating segment amid darkness, but in all In Rays of the Light is worth a look if you want a short, flawed but compelling and well-made jaunt.

Curse of the Dead Gods isn’t for everyone but if you’re a fan of combat-focused rogue-lites then this should definitely be on your radar. It has the potential to be in the upper echelon of the genre; in order for it truly get there the developers will need to give the game regular content updates, which seems like the norm for the top games in the genre. Whether they do or not the game has a solid foundation built around a weighty combat system and a slick-looking art style. Even after playing the game almost exclusively over the past two weeks, I’m still staying up way too late saying “oh, just one more level”.

Journey of the Broken Circle is more than meets the eye. It’s an easy to pick up 2D platformer that delivers an excellent narrative about love, existentialism, and friendships. From the actual gameplay perspective, nothing is gated through difficulty and even younger gamers could play and enjoy. Throw in some collectibles and audio that pairs up well with the mood of the story and you’ve got yourself a game. Recommended to fans of story and casual platforming.

As a newcomer, I didn’t particularly enjoy my time in the realm of Monster Energy Supercross 4. However, this is the same way I felt about all racing games in general. In particular, I would’ve loved it if Supercross 4 held onto newcomers’ hands more throughout the racing process and terminologies instead of having us come in last place every time. Still, I find myself determined to learn how to play and plan to have myself invested in the compound mode in order to learn the right and proper way to race. For long-time players, you may find this to be an enjoyable experience overall as you hop back into a fresh and overall amazing-looking game, but for the newbies out there you’re gonna be in for a rough couple dozen races.

Sir Lovealot might seem like he’s always on the lookout for love but if you’re on the lookout for a solid, fast-paced, 2D action platformer, then you have found a match. Its fantastic pixel art and familiar gameplay that’s both challenging and forgiving make this title worth your time. It’s only a few hours in length but is filled with funny fantasy tropes and gameplay that is easy to pick up.

All in all, Pacer is about as close as we’re likely to get to a new Wipeout; that is to say, its fantastic sense of speed and style evoke the same feeling I got when playing the 1995 classic. Even on the slower speeds things move briskly, but up it to the Elite class and we’re in for a eye-wateringly fast racer that looks great and controls perfectly. A few confusing UI elements aside, this is well worth a look.

There are many trucks to level up and many customization skins to unlock by earning XP with each of the 8 groups of trucks and finding all the collectibles on top of secret vehicles. Overall, this is a fun arcade racer with some issues, but none that are game breaking.

Knight’s Retreat is great. If you enjoy chess and puzzle games it’s a no brainer, pick this title up. It’s challenging, and has some brilliant mechanics.

Perhaps the main flaw here is that it can get super tough very quickly. Even on the opening set of levels it was super hard to collect all ten flags, so when it came to later levels I struggled to unlock them due to a lack of flags. Overall though, I enjoyed my time with Spooky Chase quite a bit. I might have got so frustrated that I had to laugh at times, but it kept me coming back for one more go regardless.

Thunderflash is a good blast from the past and does make you feel like you are playing a game from that era. It is fun to play through in its randomness, but it is quite short and I’m sure once you complete the game and have got all of the achievements you are unlikely to revisit it. The extra modes do offer some replayability but challenging for the high score just doesn’t mean what it used to. It’s a fun, quickplay game for fans of the old-style games and achievement hunters.

My experience with The Wild Eight was hit and miss. The story had me gripped but not having a waypoint was something I struggled with. The fact you have 8 characters you can play as with different perks to help you survive is a nice touch and will add to replayability. If you love exploration games this is something you should grab, and at under £25 it’s a fair price.