A breezy and relaxing puzzle game hidden within the veneer of a city builder which just happens to be highly addictive and rewarding despite the lack of visible Islanders. Easy to pick up and hard to put down, Islanders will appeal to anyone who enjoys meditative gaming.
Simple but satisfying platform puzzles combined with some stunning hand drawn artwork make for a brief but emotional and entertaining adventure which dares to try something new.
As whimsical and relaxing lo-res indie adventure games go, A Short Hike is up there with the best. It draws you in with its freewheeling 'go where you like' vibe, charms you with some beautiful artwork and music and offers up great pleasures in exploration as you stroll, climb and glide around the small mountainous island. You'll only be there for a few hours, but every moment is a chilled out pleasure.
A thoroughly absorbing and compelling sci-fi adventure story which perfectly balances dry humour and gripping narrative. It's worth overlooking the slightly dated cel shaded visuals and the linear structure in order to enjoy a refreshingly original game from the justly lauded developers.
A unique and finely crafted take on the musical rhythm genre, with lovely animated pixel-art stills and a truly excellent soundtrack telling the achingly heartfelt tale of a group of poor but talented musicians striving for success on their first tour. It's a brief experience and the lo-fi indie sensibilities may not be for everyone, but if you err towards left-field art and music, it's highly recommended.
Firefighting Simulator: The Squad has significant flaws with the single player AI who are practically useless at anything other than menial tasks, and there's a distinct lack of urgency involved in the missions once you realise the people inside can't die and the building never razes itself to the ground. Despite these glaring issues, it's actually a really enjoyable and rewarding experience with a zen-like quality akin to vacuuming a filthy carpet. There's a great deal of satisfaction to be had in extinguishing the wide variety of different fires across the city map, and completing the objectives with friends (or strangers) online only enhances the sense of achievement.
A deceptively difficult puzzle game hiding behind a chilled aesthetic which will be appreciated by those who are up for the challenge.
Fans of the sport will love the authenticity and vast tweaking options onboard, while the rest of us can enjoy a decent two wheeled off-road racer which looks the part. It's just a shame about the tedious loading times.
An old skool arcade racer wearing a brand new pair of breeches - get past the tough learning curve and get into the zone and you'll be a happy futuristic drifter.
Descenders offers up some excellent arcade biking thrills in short bursts, with the multiplayer prolonging the fun. The simplistic nature of the gameplay will grate eventually, but it's worth investigating for those who want a two-wheeled adrenaline rush without too many frills.
If you're looking for an arcade-sim with buckets of content which combines all the best bits from Gran Turismo, Forza and DriveClub, look no further. If you're a Project Cars 2 fan hoping for an update to their favourite sim, forget it. Key sim elements are now missing and although it's a fine arcade-sim racer, it should have been rebranded rather than gutted for a mainstream audience.
A surprisingly enjoyable off-road licence which never impresses visually, but manages to combine good handling and a wealth of tracks and arenas to create the right chemistry for a shallow but very playable dip into an ironically droll and niche motorsport.
A gentle and relaxing vet simulator for young kids, with a fair bit of content stretched out over quite a few hours wrapped up in a loveable and bright veneer. If it hooks them, they'll love the playhouse vibes and pet stroking and ignore the repetition and grinding to upgrade the clinic which would normally bother adults.
Magic mushroom design, endearingly wacky NPCs and visually plush environments are mixed with simple and fun gameplay countered with patience testing level repetition adding up to a fairly unique short and sweet FPS.
With absolutely nothing new to bring to the table except the pointless 'Nemesis' feature, GRID treads water in spectacular fashion. It looks and sounds amazing, and plays like an arcade game which has aspirations to be a simulator, but with no realistic car damage to penalise reckless driving, it becomes a long drawn out affair.
An inspired attempt at something new, like an Americana graphic novel read through at a snails pace. The lovely meditative quality to the gameplay eventually becomes somewhat frustrating because of repetition, the limitations of the concept and how much the player can interact with the characters and stories. Regardless of these shortcomings, anyone looking for some fresh ideas in their games should give it a try.
Headliner: NoviNews tries something new in gaming - managing a news desk and influencing the welfare of the citizens with each day of published and suppressed articles. With a good balance of moral decision making, 2D exploration and interaction with NPCs, the only thing really missing is any depth. After a few repeat plays, you'll have had enough which is a shame as the few hours when the material is fresh is both enjoyable and thought provoking.
Despite a hugely flawed single-player campaign and some control issues, Trailmakers succeeds commendably with the Lego-style vehicle building and online template sharing. Get stuck into the Rally mode and enjoy modding your vehicles to win races, then compete online in the sandbox modes and you'll have lots of fun.
A highly entertaining and accessible racing simulation which given additional content, better AI and improved framerate would have made an essential purchase for racing fans.
While CSD3 retains the frenetic pace of its predecessor, there aren't enough new additions to make this an essential update. The huge library of recipes is mightily impressive and the presentation is as good as ever, so if you can handle the crushing difficulty, give your flabby fingers a work out in the back of this mobile food van.