I had a great time with Milestone’s take on the Monster Jam world. The gameplay is tight and surprisingly accessible, with these behemoth vehicles bouncing and flipping left and right in such fun and satisfying ways in both racing and stunt modes. With a great technical background, too, what’s a bit lacking is the inventive in the single player campaign, with merely a largely repetitive sequence of events to beat with little reason or rhyme – one that even shows how little variety the game itself has, as of now, before all DLC or eventual sequels arrive. Personally, that’s a prospect I really look forward to, because Monster Jam Showdown’s base gameplay is really good, so I’d really love to see the format get expanded upon from here on.

All in all, Headbangers: Rhythm Royale feels like the perfect online game for Game Pass, with hopefully a healthy population guaranteed by the many subscribers on the service, the presence of crossplay and even AI players to fill the gaps. The simple yet addictive gameplay loops feel like something worth revisiting from time to time, as hopefully the game’s so far limited variety will improve. Its got funny characters and hilarious competitive party game shenanigans, but it’s also a tad limited currently in terms of variety and depth for its asking price if bought separately.

Gunvolt Records Cychronicle works great for what it is: a spin-off game with fanservice to Gunvolt fans, the game including CD versions of the series’ songs and all. But it’s also a fun rhythm game for anyone to pick up and play—it might even be convincing enough for new players to check out INTI’s catalogue of fun action platformers like the Gunvolt series.

Path of Fury: Episode I – Tetsuo’s Tower is a tonne of fun and makes me a believer in fitness through virtual reality. Strong visuals are backed by a fast-paced rhythm-and-arcade style of gameplay, not to mention a story that’ll peruse you through thugs and police alike. This is easily one of my favourite VR games, even with its rocky caveat.

This trilogy of somewhat forgotten 90’s platformers are certainly a bit hit and miss – outdated but still often effective humor, a unique but often somewhat clunky gameplay, with even some unexpected narratives and lots of voiceovers and cameos to boot. Given that these games haven’t been properly ported to new systems before, it’s brilliant to see them live once again, but this remaster doesn’t really fix or improve much, with the value added being mainly the impressive depth of original artworks, ad materials, interviews and more. The Gex platformers may have never been timeless masterpieces, but they’re a cool piece of gaming history from a now long gone era of raunchy mascots. A cool time capsule, for sure.

I think Disney Illusion Island is built on a solid foundation, but sadly everything around it (be it level design, art, and objectives) are underwhelming. This is a game for the Disney faithful at best, because even for young children, there are an overwhelming amount of fantastic 2D Metroidvania titles to choose from. Unless you really like Donald Duck (and I solemnly raise my hand for the walking TNT box!), Illusion Island likely isn’t going to be worth your time.

Atomic Heart is an excellent game, and it’s an incredible debut title from Mundfish. Clever storytelling, massive set pieces, fun combat, and more make this one easy to recommend.

Don’t get me wrong – Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is… fine, for the most part. If you’re not a purist, and can accept a few occasional glitches, it’s a decent way to experience a classic. But the very few improvements don’t quite offset the game’s increased price, nor its technical and design woes. I can’t say with certainty if art was enhanced via AI, as some seem to claim. Regardless, it is a bit of a moot remaster; unless you’re on a platform, such as Nintendo Switch, without access to prior versions of this fantastic game. If you’re on Xbox, like us, you’re better off with the excellent Xbox 360 version – which is still backwards compatible to this day.

Blades of Fire is not going to be a game for everyone. It’s beautiful, runs great, and has some design decisions that made me pull my hair out. It’s incredibly long, and I do not think that it benefits the game in any meaningful way.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened does what a good remake should, and remakes the entire game. New graphics, gameplay, story elements, dialogue, and more all work to bring together an experience any fan of detective-focused gameplay will love. It has some issues with signposting and movement bugs, but if you love Sherlock Holmes then this is a trip worth taking.

Poor writing and some technical issues are not enough to hold back what is otherwise a blast to play. Solo or co-op if a turn-your-brain-off type of kill-a-thon sounds appealing I think this one is worth it.

If you are curious about this game, I think you should just jump in and experience it. If for nothing else besides going through this surreal and bizarre story.

Unfortunately, for the good that Infinity Strash does for the serialised manga, it shorts itself through poor retellings of the anime episodes, simple but ultimately boring combat, and a Temple system that really doesn’t mesh well with the main campaign. But if you’re a shounen or Dragon Quest diehard, Dai’s adventures are a fun spectacle—but I think I’d rather watch the anime.

Soulstice came out of nowhere for me and it is fantastic. Its mix of brilliant combat, an intriguing plot, great music, and occasionally gorgeous graphics had me hooked instantly. This could be the beginning of a great series and one excellent title you do not want to miss.

The game is impressive and an apt tribute to its cinematic roots. Blood spurts satisfyingly as you strike enemies down, burning arrows soar overhead ominously and supernatural sections are sufficiently eerie yet intriguing.

Unfortunately The game's terrible parry system, lack of variety in its weapons, and incredibly frustrating feather stun move compound into a game that I struggled to enjoy, despite my best efforts.

SAND LAND offers a big beautiful dust bowl for players to explore to their hearts’ content. I found its story and its characters to be the main driver for my playthrough, but the fun vehicle combat went hand-in-hand in my enjoyment of the game. A great adaptation of a legend’s work.

Atomfall is best when it’s difficult. While I had a few issues with the story, my main concern is the crashing I experienced on Xbox. If that is smoothed out this one is an easy recommendation for those with patience. It can be brutal, but it’s oddly endearing and full of intrigue that’s well worth checking out.

Does it make for a compelling videogame? Despite a few shortcomings, I feel that it does, as the game’s excellent graphics and tense atmosphere put a nice little ribbon on the package. But this isn’t a game for everyone, and not just because of the (optional) microphone gimmick, so beware what you get yourself into. I still think it’s one of the most unique and memorable horror games in recent times, which is something that mostly makes up for the other flaws found.

The Invincible is a great game, full of wonderful storytelling and choices that feel impactful. The narrative suffers a bit near the end, but it’s an easy game to recommend to any genre fan. The gameplay is enjoyable, Regis III and everything on it is gorgeously realized, and it is a dream prequel to an excellent book.

Road 96: Mile 0 may be an interesting experience to anyone new to the universe but can hardly be classed as an essential play. Mixing rhythm gaming sections into the standard walking simulator gameplay is somewhat jarring and frankly unnecessary. It may have been a better idea to release a standalone title for rhythm fans than taint the gameplay style that had worked so well previously. This game can easily be avoided without really missing out on anything, especially for fans of the original game for whom the narrative is already flawed.

Solo or with friends it is a hell of a lot of fun, and an easy recommendation to at least give it a try.

Sniper Elite: Resistance is available on Day One on Game Pass, and that’s how I’d recommend anyone but the most ardent fan of the series plays it. At $60 MSRP it’s a big ask for something that can be completed in a night or two. While there is some replay value on offer there isn’t enough new here for those familiar with the series to warrant a full purchase. If you love Sniper Elite and want more though, then you’ll find nothing here to displease you.

A delight for fans of Avatar, this game is so damned good that even one apathetic to the IP like myself couldn’t help but fall in love with it.

NHL 24 is a solid improvement on-ice over last year’s title, with the exhaustion engine adding technical depth that the series has lacked. Outside of that, some minor presentation and control improvements are countered by mostly the same overall package of modes. If you love the NHL then this is the best playing game in the series, but if it’s $70 worth or better over last year’s is tough to say.

This is a well-written and visually impressive game that conveys the developer’s clear love of its cinematic serial-based inspirations. It is a chilled experience and a fairly pleasant way to spend five hours. Unfortunately, the simple control scheme proves to be not up to the standard required for a game in this genre, and after a rather weak ending there is very little replayability for all but the most hardcore achievement hunters.

Alan Wake: The Lake House is a disappointing finale to the game’s content. It was released alongside a solid quality-of-life update, and if you have already spent the extra money on the Deluxe Edition/Upgrade then you might as well check this one out. Just use a guide to keep frustration down.

Formula Legends is a wasted opportunity. A lovely artstyle, an interesting driving model, a lot of love for the history of Formula 1 are felt through and through, but the inconsistent physics, poorly balanced AI, various glitches and a complete lack of multiplayer end up severely hampering the experience. I feel like it’s only a handful of updates away from becoming a truly enjoyable arcade romp, but as of today, I only feel like recommending it to hardcore fans of the genre who can probably close an eye on a lot of issues.