Deep Space Rush is a short game with some enjoyable, if not deep gameplay and is fine for its budget title release. The developers didn’t attempt to make a masterpiece and so they don’t ask for a lot of your money. Also, the publishers have a reputation for easy gamerscore and completions, and if that’s a motivator then the game doesn’t disappoint. Expect to enjoy the game for an hour or so before the lack of progression stifles the desire to keep playing.

There’s clearly a lot of time and effort that has been put in to Citadel: Forged with Fire. An impressive amount of detail has gone into the systems and world and for those who get into the swing of things, this will likely hold their attention for quite some time. Unfortunately, the gathering and combat is tedious, the UI and control scheme is maddeningly unhelpful and to achieve anything noteworthy takes far, far too long.

Just Ignore Them is a fun 8-bit adventure and a great addition to the retro point-and-click genre. Albeit a short campaign, the game shows use of a retro style mixed with a scripted horror experience can work well for the crew at Stranga Games.

Addictive and well made, Lornsword Winter Chronicle is a must for strategy lovers. Handles well, looks great and offers a real challenge, so if you’re a fan of he genre I’d highly recommend this title. The 2 player aspect is amazing and a highlight of the game.

While I was disappointed by the horror aspects in Close to the Sun, overall I found my time with it to be quite engaging. The story and characters get their hooks in just enough to keep you playing, and the world building – from the gorgeous visuals to the incidental details and notes left behind – is brilliant. That it keeps its run time brief is to the games credit too, as yet more chase sequences would definitely have harmed the experience.

Children of Morta has a very compelling story and the way they use death in the game to help progress the story is refreshing. However, there is so much that you need to unlock in the game to try and balance the difficulty in your favour to even complete the first dungeon. This, in turn, ruins the experience by having to play the same dungeon over and over. It is a shame that the same level of effort that was put into the story line was not put into the gameplay, things becomes repetitive quite quickly.

Compared to similar games within this genre, Kine has far more levels and side quests to play so it is not really a disadvantage that it somewhat lacks the incentive to replay. For a puzzle game it is excellent but the music unfortunately detracts from the theme rather than enhancing it. It isn’t too challenging and the characters and story line are carefully integrated into each level which motivates the player to continue through to the end and makes it more enjoyable to play.

Sea Salt is refreshing in its gaming style. Combining action and strategy in a simple based setup works great here. The dark artistic style and music serve the evil cult theme well. It has enough difficulty to make the game a challenge and enough variation to make you consider different tactics and replay the game in a different way. Although the graphics are in an 16-bit style, there is something charming about the sprites making the game an interesting play through.

There’s no doubt that Visual Concepts have an affinity for the world of sports entertainment. The huge roster, plethora of modes and atmosphere they’ve created here is admirable. Unfortunately, the technical side brings the whole thing crashing down, with glitchy, broken mechanics and some bizarrely woeful representations of the stars that are an obvious step down from previous entries. Even die hard WWE fans (such as myself) will struggle to maintain much interest here, which is a huge shame.

You’re a pig, and you must eat tennis balls. It’s like Pac-Man on drugs. It very random and super fun! Well worth checking out if you fancy something a little… different.

Doorkickers: Action Squad is a great little action title that has fun with a concept that is often the remit of more serious shooters. The fast paced, fluid controls allow for complete control of the action, the challenge is just right and there’s a serious ‘one more go’ feel to the whole affair. Some may be put off by the lack of evolution to the mechanics, but when you’re having this much fun to begin with, I don’t see that being a problem for many.

This may seem like an easy cash grab scheme to re-release the same game and play on the nostalgia people have for the Ghostbusters. But they have done a lot of work to upscale the graphics to make it feel like the game belongs on the Xbox One. It is still a good fun game and it does feel like a continuation from the movies and great that you feel involved in the story. If you can ignore the few minor annoyances, then this game still holds up as a decent game for anyone and not just long-time fans.

Stela is a fun experience, if short, and deserves a place up there with such titles as Limbo and Inside. Offering a large amount of depth and atmosphere is a plus and most people would likely find enjoyment from this title.

Lonely Mountains Downhill is a fun, arcade style challenge that will test even the most hardened of gamer’s nerve. Some bizarre technical issues and dodgy physics let the side down a tad, but it’s far from unplayable. In fact, there’s something rather calming to the whole affair in between the rage that makes playing the game worthwhile – especially as it launches into Gamepass.

As with all Jackbox games, Party Pack 6 is a great game to play with a bunch of mates. I have loved playing these games in the past, so naturally had high hopes for this pack. But I’m afraid it fell a little bit short. The games weren’t bad bad and I had great fun playing the 5 games on offer, but I just found this pack a little lacking. It feels as though the ideas may be running thin. Audio is always amazing and if you’re a Jackbox fan then add this to your collection. Push a Button is a must play, but lets face it, Fibbage is king and you always will go back to that.

While I may not be fit to rule the new world, I sure had a depressingly great time with Frostpunk. The difficulty will no doubt put people off – especially those going in blind – but persevere and there’s a deep, rewarding strategy title here that will get it’s hooks in, and drag you down with it.

Just like all these Ratalaika games, they are simple, repetitive and not very taxing. Playing with a friend can make this title less tedious but ultimately you know what you’re going to get – an easy ride to 1000g with little excitement.

Twincop is a co-op game in the most literal sense of the term. The funky 80’s style, over the top mechanics and fast paced action are well executed and entertaining. Things can get frustrating when repeatedly dying – it’s always the other persons fault – but if you’re after a fun twin stick shooter with a twist, this’ll fit the bill nicely.

Driven Out is a very challenging game and offers good enemy variety and will test your reflexes. But with no backstory or any kind of storyline, it is hard to bond with your protagonist. There is some fun to be had in the sense of achievement by progressing in such a tough game, where it can take you an hour or more to progress past the same 3 or 4 enemies. But constantly dying against the same foe grows old very fast.

These D&D classic games rely so heavily on their storytelling and combat styles and they have aged very well. Both stories are deep and gripping and the combat is just the right level of complex to keep it interesting. The graphics and cutscenes do show their age but for near 20-year-old games, they can still hold their own as must-haves for RPG fans.

Although somewhat unusual in its theming, the level of detail and extensive research that has gone into the making of Felix the Reaper is vast and perhaps this is why it stands out so significantly. If anyone was wondering how to incorporate the artistic portrayal of Death in a mentally stimulating puzzle game with humorous and light hearted theming, they certainly need look no further than Felix the Reaper.

Those with the patience of a Norse war chief will no doubt feel right at home in Northgard. There’s an impressive amount of granular detail to get lost in, allowing you play to your strengths. The visuals are nice and colourful, and if it gets its hooks in, you’ll have a title to play for a long time yet. But fiddly UI, unclear systems and a slow pace will likely put off as many as it attracts.

I loved the nostaglic feel to the 3D platforming action, though some of the puzzles had me reaching for the off button. Battling through them was ultimately rewarding though, and kept me cracking on through the adventure. While it’s unlikely Xbox exclusive players will get to tackle the brilliant Breath of the Wild anytime soon, A Knight’s Quest is about as solid an attempt as we’ll see on our console for now.

Whilst this game has interesting gameplay and the ship upgrade system can be fun, it will take a while for someone to get into it. Yes the game is long, but long doesn’t always mean good. Some missions can be tough, seemingly at random, and you will need to find the right upgrade to proceed easily. It is repetitive by design and unfortunately, because there are so many missions, I found myself bored very quickly.

I am glad these games are back, as there is a lot of joy to be had in these D&D based RPG’s which both newer and old RPG fans can enjoy. The controls designed for the Xbox controller make the game much quicker to steer and feel more fluid. The game flows a lot quicker than it did in the past too, without all the restrictive loading times associated with CD’s. If you are a big fan of in-depth story lines and interesting plot twists in your RPG’s, then this collection will be something you’ll love.

Debris Infinity wears its inspiration on its sleeve, but manages to pull off such a good cover that it gets a pass. If chasing high scores isn’t your thing then you’ll find little here to keep you going. But if you just fancy something quick and easy to pick up when coming home from the pub then this will likely do the job. If nothing else, your intoxicated brain will be mesmerised the sheer spectacle of it all.

One Night Stand is a quiet game hidden amongst the large onslaught of the action genre, but those looking for this type of gameplay and story will find it a treat and something a little different.

Is GRID the perfect racer? I have to say it comes close. It definitely checks off a lot of the boxes that I look for in a game. There may be a few features from other titles that I would have loved for Codemasters to have borrowed from but that’s a moot point. The car count is decent, the locales are gorgeously rendered, the audio is spot on, track layouts are interesting, and the racing at higher difficulty levels is incredibly intense. I would have liked to be able to set the length of the race in Career mode as I feel the races are a bit short but that’s probably the only gripe I have with this game. If video racing is your thing do yourself a favor and pick this up. Right now.