An ambitious attempt to take the series in a new direction crippled by the fact that the direction in question turns out to be 'down the drain'. Shoddy design and construction across the board leave this one without a leg to stand on.
One of the better games currently inhabiting the discarded skin of the roguelike. Doesn't do anything particularly mind-blowing, but it's definitely fun while it lasts.
Strangely compelling though it is, Consortium is a roughly-cut venture that doesn't really make use of its ideas. Not recommended unless you're really, really, creepily into dialogue trees.
Good for a quick laugh, but not much more than that. If you value an evening's entertainment over having a significant chunk of your spare time eaten up, Jazzpunk is for you.
A poorly-designed outing that might, in another continuity where the previous Thief games never existed, have earned itself the heady accolade of 'barely average'. Unfortunately, we all know that it could be - and has been done - so much better.
The inevitable result of a collision between ambition and inexperience. Not recommended unless you feel that Terraria would have been improved by the addition of a cling-film-thick story, airship combat, and a heavy sprinkling of bugs.
A thick, slightly-lumpy slurry of action funnelled directly into your mouth. It's a bit rough around the edges, but ultimately succeeds at what it sets out to do.
If the existence of a mobile Deus Ex game was not already enough of an insult to you, then this port is on hand to ensure a nice handful of salt is rubbed into the wounds.
Leaves a lot to be desired, particularly in the gameplay department, but offers plenty of richly-detailed exploration and story for those prepared to do some serious digging.
Barely notable enough to be worth mentioning, but a fun little outing nonetheless. I'd call it 'cheap and cheerful', but there's plenty more 'cheerful' out there for equivalent levels of 'cheap'.
Doesn't set its sights much higher than just bringing Tex Murphy back for one last nostalgia trip, but remarkably successful at achieving that goal.
For all its insights and challenging moral dilemmas, Always Sometimes Monsters is a frustrating, confusing, sometimes agonizingly tedious jumble that's just a little bit too pleased with itself. It's a fascinating game to observe, but enjoyable? No, I think not.
Starts off at a fundamental disadvantage merely because of its formula, but could still have maybe succeeded at being a fun little arcade title were it not for the shabby presentation, laughable storytelling and numerous poor design decisions.
Hatoful Boyfriend is exactly what it professes to be, and little more than that. The reality of a pigeon dating sim is infinitely less entertaining than the idea, but it nevertheless has its moments.
Creative and charming, McDROID is an endearing little adventure with some hefty core gameplay chops that very nearly carry the game all on their own. Sadly, it nevertheless gets dragged down by an over-aggressive difficulty curve, a heavy reliance on repeating content, and some major lapses in polish.
A somewhat anaemic dungeon-crawling first-person shooter with intense core combat that never evolves (and little else worth praising).
It might not be the most original game to grace the world, but by taking a familiar concept, putting a different spin on it and polishing it 'til it gleams, Fenix Rage makes platforming fun again. Good stuff.
At its best, Styx: Master of Shadows is a half-decent stealth game with barely a fresh idea in its head. At its worst, it's a soggy pile of frustration, clumsiness, and save-scumming. Guess which end of the spectrum it tends towards.
Legend of Grimrock 2 is a victim of its format, often made needlessly clunky and restrictive in the fruitless pursuit of nostalgia, but when it comes to pure, fascinating, exploratory dungeon-crawling, few can hope to top it. A worthy purchase for those patient enough to dismantle it.
Not content with merely being a fairly impressive piece of writing and first-person puzzle design, The Talos Principle sets out to expand your horizons, and will most likely succeed. Croteam's foray into territory beyond absurd, large-scale first-person shooters is not without faults, but it proves without a doubt that they aren't the one-trick pony you thought they were.