If you’re into reading about a fun adventure in the wizarding world with colorful animated art, then this game might be for you. I personally didn’t like how abrupt the end of the story was and that also contributed to the rushed feeling I experienced while playing this game. I also feel like the text scenes were very long and the game didn’t provide enough choices and following consequences other than moments where Thomas can die like Alice’s past students. If you played the game once then you have experienced everything except for a couple Forest scenes late in the game that are optional. The further I played, the more I felt the game was coming to a conclusion faster and faster. The end game events really fly by quickly compared to the first half of the game exploring Alice’s home and making potions. However, I’m looking forward to the sequel if there is one in production by Graven Visual Novels as this was a fun story to read.

The experience of playing Football Manager on my living room TV really makes a difference – the whole thing feels more premium. I will always be a full-fat version of the game kinda guy, but that doesn’t take away from the fact the Sports Interactive have done a great job at making a Football Manager sim accessible to people who don’t want to search the Ecuadorean 3rd division to find the next wonder kid. One of the features that has really impressed me with the Xbox version is the quick resume feature, no waiting on loading screens just to grab a couple of games before dinner or heading off to work means that it really can be a pick up and play experience.

Part of the joy of these remakes is when an old game is taken and made to feel fresh again, keeping the essence of the old but making it more palatable for a new audience. While Panzer Dragoon gets some nice visual upgrades, I would have liked to see more put into updating the gameplay to suit. As it is, it strictly sticks to the formula laid out 25 years ago, even ignoring improvements made within its own sequels. It’s not exactly a bad game, but unless you have some serious nostalgia for the Saturn original then this might not stick around for more than a single run through.

Landflix Odyssey holds its own in a sea of competitors by combining many ideas, yet never overwhelms the player. If you’ve ever been watching your favorite TV shows and wished you could play a video game version, Landflix Odyssey has granted your wish – in a comedic pixel platformer that will challenge your platforming skills one minute and have you smiling at its parodies the next.

I could not put Chronos: Before the Ashes down and fully enjoyed every minute of it. I could only wish it was longer with me clocking in 20 hours on Heroic difficulty. All in all a phenomenal experience, albeit shorter than I would like, though due to its VR roots I expect this had some factor in that. The story of a valiant hero slaying the dragon isn’t ground breaking but sets the tone perfectly for what is a very fun experience. The audio and visuals are both fantastic complimenting each other perfectly. I cannot wait to see what Gunfire Games have in store for the future of the Ashes franchise.

PHOGS! was a unique experience that I recommend to any gamer. From its one-of-kind control scheme to the brightly colored and whimsical world that is the phoggyverse, the puzzles will challenge you just enough to feel satisfying but not elementary. Single player and co-op modes are a plus as well, I challenge any duo to step up to the task of playing with one controller!

Despite deciding not to review anymore visual novels after the poor Strawberry Vinegar, I’m glad I changed my mind for Vera Blanc: Full Moon. It has a great comicbook visual style (even for a decade old mobile phone port) and the extra interaction from the mini-games helps stave off the feeling of just reading a book, letting us actually play something here and there.

Guntastic is a fun battle game with an affinity with speed so things don’t get old too quickly. The rounds are fast, the action is faster and if you find friends to play with I am sure it will be highly competitive. Some may not enjoy the fact it largely favours luck over skill but I think that brings a little bit of balance to the non-hardcore gamers to give them a fighting chance. But battle games do usually suffer from a short lifespan, so unless it can keep its online play thriving, which may prove difficult, it may not last long in gamers minds.

Exit The Gungeon is a a game that I can’t say would keep me coming back for more. I absolutely love how creative the guns and bosses in the game can be, but I can’t see myself coming back to play it over and over again. It’s not a dungeon crawler anymore, your just fighting enemies in an elevator shaft. While the fun is immediate in the beginning, after a couple of runs it is sure to die down.

With Katamari Damacy getting a remake we can only hope other titles such as We Love Katamari also get a chance at being revived as well. For now, it’s nice to see that the series hasn’t been forgotten and for those who haven’t been able to try this gem finally get a chance to.

For such an unlikely pairing, Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead manages to combine the zombie apocalypse and structural engineering well. An in-game hint system wouldn’t have gone amiss, and it can be a bit fiddly to place things at times, but overall if you’re after a challenging puzzle game – and enjoy the TV show – then this is a great pick up.

Shoot 1UP DX is a short and sweet game that is good for a quick pick up and play session. I did enjoy trying to max out getting 30 ships at once but I actually found the mode where you only control one ship more fun.

Overall I enjoyed Micetopia more than most pixel platformers published by Rataliaka. Personally I like feeling like I got something of value for my money and don’t like spending $5 on a game that takes less than an hour to complete. If you don’t follow a guide Micetopia will take roughly 2-3 hours as long as you have some platforming experience – there’s not really any replay value but one playthrough leaves you fairly satisfied. A somewhat decent game and a quick completion aren’t bad for a fiver. I look forward to seeing what the developers do for their next project.

Although quirky, Visage is a thrill to play as the random events can change your experience with the game each playthrough, but playing it more than once will remove most of the thrill by knowing the jump scares and harder puzzles. I hope SadSquare studio continues to add to this title, as it can benefit from it, and it deserves to be played by the horror genre fans. I managed to solve all puzzles and earn all 27 achievements for 1,000 gamerscore in Visage in roughly 12-15 hours.

Wunderling is a charming, funny, and fun auto-running platformer that makes up for it’s simpler interactions with smartly designed levels, loads of hidden bits to find and gaming references around every corner. A few more checkpoints wouldn’t have gone amiss, but overall Wunderling manages to find that sweet spot between challenge and reward.

As far as the racing game genre goes Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered is one of the coolest and freshest around. Of course, the brilliance of Hot Pursuit stems from its original release in 2010 and the remaster doesn’t bestow a bountiful bouquet of bonuses, but replaying it ten years down the line hasn’t changed the recipe one iota – and that can only be a great thing, although the changes are minimal beyond aesthetics. If you haven’t played Hot Pursuit and want an exhilarating racer this is a must own and while you’re at it bump up the score below by 1.0, but as a remaster it only does enough to make it competent and does little to stand out from the litany of remasters out there.

This next gen, upgraded version of Warhammer: Chaosbane Slayer brings the fun of a Diablo-like experience to our shiny new machines. There’s a lot to play and experiment with, with a good range of characters and abilities. Fighting mechanics feel good, though easily switching weapons with the right stick in combat can feel a little too tricky at times. After a fairly standard feeling initial load, the Series’ SSD really shines in game, letting us move about in game super fast!

I am more than a little surprised at just how much I enjoyed Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Having skipped the series for a few years due to being a bit burnt out on it all, Cold War manages to feel fresh and exciting while familiar at the same time. The solo campaign is over too soon, but what’s there is excellent and offers more than a simple rollercoaster of action. Multiplayer is as solid as ever, with a great variety of modes to dip in to. The combat feel is still among the best out there, making even the worst defeats still enjoyable. Zombies has great potential if you’ve a crew to play with, and brings some welcome levity to proceedings. An excellent all round package then, and well worth a look.

There’s hours upon hours of entertainment here bolstered by satisfying combat and a story that will engage throughout, although the addictive nature of playing Valhalla often overwhelms the enjoyability – there are so many distractions and enhancements that make it a fully bolstered adventure that you’ll find yourself lost and entrenched in time and again. Valhalla swings for the fences and lands a satisfying and devastating blow that will certainly be felt by most players who experience it, just don’t go looking for a game-changer.

Those of you who already have an interest in Space faring expeditions will likely get the most out of Mars Horizon, as otherwise the fairly bland gameplay and presentation may well put you off digging into the experience. There’s a good amount of educational merit to it though, so hopefully it’ll inspire more people to learn! But if I’m completely honest, the most fun I had from Mars Horizon came from the controller vibrating in my lap during rocket launches. And yes, Bigger is Better. Lol.

Newcomers and vets of the series will probably find the Serious Sam Collection to be of good value and a reasonable HD port. The added frame rate and graphic options are a nice touch for this classic series.

It’ll be over in an evening, but despite a poor first impression I enjoyed the challenge Kid Tripp brings to the table. The responsive controls, smooth gameplay and muscle memory flow meant it was easy to get hooked; even after my hundredth death the one-more-go feeling was still there. Well worth a look if you’re after something short and snappy to get in to.

Out of Space is a fun game to play and on your own, it’s about careful planning and high pressure. Playing with others it is about great communication and cooperation whilst still maintaining that high focus. I worry that the singular objective will harm the replay value of the game. As a party game once you have conquered the biggest ship I am not sure it would be something to play repeatedly. But then that is easier said than done I’m sure.

Beat Me! is a cheap, indie version of a Smash Bros-style game. Some other titles have tried to provide a decent alternative but I haven’t really come across a successful one yet. This is no exception to that rule unfortunately, as although the puppet characters are quite interestingly designed the game just isn’t that fun. The combat is too melee strong and with no attack variants, it gets old very quickly. Online play is a nice touch but I don’t know how often you will find opponents.

Depsite these niggles I enjoyed my time with The Observer; it looks great, has atmosphere for days and if you cankeep track of what is going on then there is a lot of additional lore to find and piece together. The mind hack sections were the most engaging parts, with some genuinely clever presentation and execution among some truly bizarre imagery and themes. It might not be Bloobers best work, but it’s worth a look if you’re a fan of the team’s games.

A game that was completely developed during the lockdown – and is about it – is worth the current price it is currently listed at. With a total of 762 scenes and several hours of FMV footage to be seen in the game, there are many hours here for the player to experience with various dialogue options leading to different responses and outcomes. I wouldn’t pass this game up if you’re a fan of the Visual Novel genre, as this game is not complicated and provides many laughs in a romantic comedy fashion while raising the bar for expectations for this genre.

Liftoff: Drone Racing is bringing simulation drone racing to consoles without missing a beat. While Liftoff: Drone Racing has been tough for me to wrap my head around control-wise I still had fun. With more time I know the first place finishes would start rolling in but even as noob to both virtual and real life drone flying, I had a good time and I’d imagine enthusiasts and general sim racing fans would as well.

Just Dance 2021 is, as ever, a great party game experience that is simple to get into and encourages people of all skill levels to join in. Being able to use the Sweat mode to aid in your fitness journey is a great touch, while when using Kinect the video clips that are recorded never fail to get a laugh out of the room. Played without a camera it loses a little of its accuracy and charm, but it still manages to be a fun experience –provided you trust the players not to launch your phone across the room!