While it lasts though Dead Dungeon is a fun, challenging platforming title that will have you pulling your hair out as you press the retry button for the hundredth time. It’s not up to Super Meat Boy’s superlative design, but it’s a decent alternative and well worth a look.

I had a blast playing Fuser and I can’t wait to keep playing it. The game does a good job at letting you feel like you’ve made some really good tunes, even for the rhythmically challenged like myself. I only wish there were more songs to pick from without resulting to DLC but the offering available is certainly solid. All in all I’m glad a rhythm game without peripherals is here and I’m excited to see where Fuser goes.

As someone wholly unfamiliar with Handball it’s perhaps expected that I might not quite get it, but despite a good few modes and teams to play with I can’t shake the feeling that even fans of the sport might come away underwhelmed with Handball 21 thanks to it’s stuttery, simplistic gameplay and lack of visual sheen.

As one of the few exclusively next-gen games for the Series consoles, Bright Memory is a bit of mixed bag. It runs excellently, with super smooth frame rates and crisp, 4K visuals and some lovely looking (if slightly over-done) effect’s work. The combat is fast and satisfying, and the extra powers can make the whole presentation look like Doom X Crysis on some kind of strong drugs. That it is so short, the character models look decidedly 00’s arcade era, and some bug and glitches rear their heads means it’s not the must play new title it could have been though. Here’s hoping the full fat Bright Memory: Infinite can use this test bed to launch a truly kick ass, next-gen shooter.

Chicken Police is a must pick up title if you are heavily invested into the crime/suspense genre as much as I am. Even though the game has a unique set of characters and settings doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give it a shot. Well worth it in my opinion.

All in all, Watch Dogs: Legion is a brilliant third instalment to the franchise. I am loving the fact you can play as pretty much anyone, but I have yet to find my favourite character that I 100% want to always play. But with so many to choose from I think I will be constantly changing. The story is interesting and the hacking is smooth and rewarding. For me, this is a must-play.

Ghostrunner is certainly worth a look and will definitely click with those endeared by its speed and momentum, but potentially alienates those who just want a kick-ass action game to delve into. In this sense, Ghostrunner is as much a success as it is a failure.

DIRT 5 is superb and will quench the thirst of anybody who believes racing games have become too sim-heavy and boring. Some will lament the lack of true rallying and the ostentatious Americanised presentation but why complain when you can fully embrace the arcade richness on display here. Simply put, DIRT 5 is excellent and will leave you craving for more – now go out and there and drink it up.

Area 86 has some neat ideas and puzzle layouts, and its escape room premise is a good one. The awkward camera placement and sometimes finicky nature of the physics though mean that what should be a simple solution can end up frustratingly failing through no fault of our own. It’s worth a look, but don’t expect it to last you more than an evening’s play.

Ord might not last you long, with each scenario ranging from a few minutes to a dozen or so to see most of, but while it lasts it’s a bizarrely enjoyable time, and proof that we don’t always need the best of the best in presentation to effectively convey an entertaining adventure.

All in all, YesterMorrow is a fine platformer with a decent story. The progression of the main character feels timely and challenges satisfying. Although the mapping system could use a redesign, I would recommend YesterMorrow to any 2D platforming fan.

I came in with high expectations for this second outing in The Dark Pictures series, but came away ever so slightly underwhelmed. It looks and sounds great, and the atmosphere and tension building is excellent. Sadly the all-important characters just didn’t quite resonate with me thanks to some sudden shifts in tone between sentences, and an overall feeling of disjointedness between scenes. Little Hope may not quite live up to Man of Medan then, but it’s still a passable bit of teen horror to fill up an evening or two.

HyperBrawl Tournament is a good little arcade game. It excels when playing with friends as solo it can get lonely, but you can still have some fun with it against the AI. The gameplay is refreshingly fast-paced, fun and enjoyable. It’s a shame then that it may fly under the radar of the crowd it needs to populate the online aspect.

Pangeon had some elements to reel in those that enjoyed retro-style dungeon crawlers. But one gentle tap on the outer coating reveals a very empty centre filled with a couple of bugs. I know bugs can be patched but the other 80% of the game’s content needs to be here as it feels like it got pushed out the doorway before it was ready. It’s a shame as the retro feel is achieved well but with such little content, it is just a shell of a game.

Stories Untold is an experience more so than a game, and one that should be experienced by many. Through simplistic mechanics a fantastic story is presented. Perfect for when you are in a spooky mood and still want to avoid things like jump scares. While a short experience that should be enjoyed in as few sittings as you can, it’s a wonderful one.

Raji: An Ancient Epic is a unique game that reminds me of the great Prince of Persia, her journey following a similar arc of learning God-given powers to help her people. Platforming can be a bit off a times, the forced perspective camera not helping here, though across the board Raji is more forgiving than most, letting us pick back up where we left off quickly. It’s a shame that we can’t level select to mop up collectibles/achievements as otherwise replaying can be a bit of a drag. Some great audio visual work eases this pain, but as it is I’d suggest that waiting for a sale down the line might make the journey feel more worth your while.

Galacide must be commended on its attempt to mix up the Shmup formula; by adding in the Match 4 elements it provides more challenge than simply (ha, simply) dodging bullets and shooting down ships. Unfortunately this innovation comes at the cost of being able to easily read the screen, and accurately utilise the mechanics to progress. A worthy curio then, but not one to rush out and play.

CrossKrush is a fun puzzle game which gets your brain working and is good to play for a couple of hours, with or without a friend. It has cute graphics and catchy music. With it being a quick completion I can imagine a lot of trophy/achievement hunters will love this game. Though, with no incentive for extensive play this game would benefit greatly with some much needed additions and online play. I had great fun with this game with a full completion and really hope you do too.

Little Big Workshop is a decent workshop simulation game and fans of this genre would enjoy it. However, I feel it could have done with a lot more hand-holding through the game for beginners. There are a lot of tools and tweaks that could be implemented to increase the efficiency of your workshop but with such a brief tutorial a lot of these will be missed and it will cause you to struggle.

I am going to flat out say this, this is the worst game I have ever played in my life. But then again, this isn’t even a game, it’s press one button and sit back to watch the text flash up on the screen. The worst thing is that it can be easily churned out and it will unfortunately make money as a lot of people out there love easy achievements.

Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues is a unique surreal arcade scrolling beat-em-up. For me, it has mixed success as it does have cool characters with unique skills and some cool ideas. But as the gameplay is not robust this game will struggle to pull players in outside of fans of the film and series. I fell that some some features, like powerups, could have been cut if it meant the combat ended up more refined. It is fun to play with a friend and I’m sure fans of the series will enjoy the tie in, but it just leaves me with the feeling that this was rushed out before it was done.

Supraland has come out of nowhere and absolutely blown me away. Taking inspiration from some of the best games ever, it manages to somehow blend them all together into a cohesive whole, constantly surprising and delighting us in equal measure. Combat is a bit weak, and the solutions can at time be a bit too obtuse, but these are small blemishes on what is otherwise an incredibly fun adventure that is funny, rewarding and something that’ll keep us coming back for sometime yet. That it also launched on Gamepass means that it’ll hopefully gain the love and success it clearly deserves.

Roguelite lovers will enjoy ScourgeBringer I feel. If you have played Dead Cells you can look forward to some similar action and beats, while also offering just as much of a challenge. It’s a good example of the genre and well worth a look, especially as it’s included in Gamepass!

For a title that has as interesting a premise as This is the Zodiac Speaking, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Tough to read stealth mechanics, a wooden cast delivering a bland story, dull visuals and audio, and some baffling UI and technical issues mean that I cannot recommend this to even the most ardent of thriller fans.

I am pleasantly surprised coming out of G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout after playing through the 17 story missions multiple times. Once you gather the controls it’s a simple game with decent visuals and audio that can entertain you for hours. I wish the game offered more than local co-op only but those with friends should be able to enjoy it together cooperatively and competitively.

Despite being a hell of a challenge, the speed of the action combined with some awesome heavy metal music made Grood a hard title to put down. I’ll likely never see the end of it, and yet I can see myself coming back for a quick session in between other titles simply due to how fun and frantic it is.

The Jackbox games have always been a great accompaniment to a party with friends. It is an icebreaker and way for all your friends to get involved and have a laugh. However, some of the games really do only work with people of a specific personality, and its rare everyone is that similar at the party. While I’m not overly keen on Talking Points and The Devils and The Details, I think Quiplash, Champ’d up and Blathers are going to be the main winners here to encourage fans to buy the new pack, making the price of entry worth it – especially if you’ve got a gathering (virtual or otherwise) coming up soon.

Writing off Cloudpunk as nothing but a visual attraction will be doing it a great disservice. Sure the splendour of the cyberpunk voxels and the glitz of all that billboard electricity is magnetic, but there’s also a great undercurrent of mystique that you will be spending time peeling away at that Cloudpunk becomes much more than eye candy. The unchallenging basicness may be off-putting, and coupled with stymieing technical issues Cloudpunk can be a bit of a mess that you may fail to forgive. Stick with it though and there is a tasty and indulgent piece of cyberpunk intrigue in here that will please those thirsty for something futuristic and adorned with lights in the night sky. Flawed but fascinating, Cloudpunk is short and straightforward but its elegance and its world should be enough to suck you in for as long as it lasts.