Chris McMullen
Portal Knights deserves credit for attempting to blend two distinct genres… it just does so little to distinguish itself, resulting in an unrewarding title that doesn't draw you in.
Starpoint Gemini Warlords is a solid space strategy game; an eye-pleasing time-eater which will more than sate your desire for galactic conquest.
If complex, entertaining battles float your boat,and you can tolerate the lack of diversions or deviations, then you'll be in your nostalgic element with God Wars: Future Past.
Nongünz is really something special; a shooter with brains that's not only haunting, challenging and utterly compelling but, thanks to its procedural nature, is hugely replayable.
Hero in Residence is a sterling start to Minecraft Story Mode Season 2, an entertaining, engaging outing which shows that that the series is capable of doing more than retreading old ground.
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker is a fantastically compelling, suspenseful slow burn that shows just what can be done with a medium that, for years, has been misused and misunderstood. Look past its clunky parser and you'll be in for one hell of a head trip.
DeadCore doesn't quite knock Portal off its podium but it offers a wild, well-paced, otherworldly ride that is well worth taking.
Stripped of the need to generate moolah, or injected with a heavier dose of strategy, Vostok Inc could be a stellar venture. But the bottom line is that this game's pockets of excellence are stifled by an awkward mechanic that turns your interstellar journey into an unappealing, pan-galactic grind.
Ultimately, ICY: Frostbite Edition could have been so much more, but as it is, it's a distinctly lukewarm experience.
Whether you're a Minecraft fan or not, this well-woven tale of dilemmas and derring-do will have you on the edge of your oddly blocky seat.
Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition has more value as a curio, as a piece of gaming history than it is as an actual game. It's worth playing to gain an understanding of what all the fuss was about and to appreciate how important and revolutionary it was. And it will make you laugh; you could even get a few friends round to share the experience. Just don't expect it to live up to the hype.
The Escapists 2's blend of excitement and tension will keep you hooked. Lock yourself away with The Escapists 2 and you won't regret it.
Every setback and every unexpected revelation will draw you further into Zero Time Dilemma's joyously convoluted world and make you all the more doggedly determined to uncover the truth.
An engrossing, well-paced send-off for a series that already tops the stealth genre, Dishonored doesn't get any better than Death of the Outsider.
Despite its garish, over-the-top veneer, Danganropa V3: Killing Harmony is an emotional, involving, brilliant game that will yank out your heart and run it over with its brightly coloured tricycle.
Minecraft Story Mode Season 2, Episode 3: Jailhouse Block isn't awful, it's just so disappointingly middling.
If you wouldn't normally touch a hunting game, I'd urge you to view theHunter: Call of the Wild as the ultimate "walking simulator" and give it a fair shake of the shotgun. I don't regret the many rewarding hours I ploughed into this engaging, immersive safari and can see myself returning to theHunter: Call of the Wild's wonderful wilderness again and again.
Ultimately, if you're already a fan of lengthy visual novels then Chaos;Child is worth investigating but if not, this isn't the game to introduce you to the genre.
It would be easy to dismiss Spintires: MudRunner as a niche title but in truth it's surprisingly accessible. It can drag sometimes and if you think patience is a dirty word, steer clear. But for the most part it's an engaging, messy time sink that's well worth getting stuck into.
This penultimate episode doesn't reach the dizzying heights of the season's opening salvo, but it's a solid, satisfying outing.