Gareth Chadwick

“Aces of Thunder feels like it's missing some basics, like tutorials, feedback on hits, and an informative HUD. I know it's a sim, but what's the point of simulating me being in a plane and not knowing where to go? What kind of commander says there's enemies incoming, but with no further details, like direction? That, along with some frustrating issues with the controls and fiddly use of a DualSense while in VR just leaves me coming away from the game more frustrated than elated. If you've got the patience to get through the trial and error, you might enjoy this very realistic flight combat sim, but the multiplayer still won't be well populated without crossplay.”

“Cairn is a unique, slow, and surprisingly relaxing game where you occasionally lose your grip and fall to your death. There's a heartfelt story running through the ascent to the top of the mountain, survival elements as you manage limited resources, and accurate feeling climbing, but soaking in the gorgeous environments, making discoveries and mastering the climbing are a joy. Cairn is a unique game that stands out from all the rest.”

“It's not often I see a game that has one interesting idea that it leans on it so heavily that it snaps. "No creation without destruction" or not, there isn't enough game here to wrap around the cool visuals and the issue is so egregious that you grow tired of those visuals very quickly. Boring and frustrating, the only dream you'll have here is of playing another game.”

“Getting through the world of Thief VR  is natural and intuitive, and there's times where it all comes together as you knock out guards and pilfer, but there's so many small details and poor AI that drag you back out of the moment. A decent thievery game, but not as good a Thief game.”

“Painkiller is a shame not because it's especially bad, but because some of the fun weapons and combat are buried beneath the dull, uninspired and repetitive mechanics, and a surprisingly short 6-hour runtime. It can be fun to shoot demons with cool weapons and a friend or two, but this just feels a bit too disposable, and ultimately uninspired.”

“Rise of Industry 2 isn't bad, really. It's actually rather good at what it does, it's just that what it does isn't that entertaining. The long periods of waiting for your businesses and decisions to bear fruit. If you're okay with waiting around for the money to come rolling in exchange for some really quite involved logistics and industry construction, then you'll likely enjoy this. If that doesn't sound too promising to you then you might want a broader city builder, where there's more stuff to focus on.”

“Whilst the eponymous Red Strain itself is predictable, the other stuff surrounding it is pretty interesting. The same could be said of Oberon and the main game, though, and the interesting stuff is enough to pull you through here just like it was there. This expansion feels about same quality as the main game did, whilst Wicked Isle felt lacking, so this is a return to form in a way. It might not be enough to trigger a new playthrough, but it's a good addition if you decide to do one anyway.”

“The Outer Worlds 2 is a thoroughly enjoyable game, but as sequels go, it's largely more of the same. While the overarching story isn't terribly interesting, the world building around it and the colony of Arcadia is great to explore. What's disappointing is a lack of improvement in too many areas. It looks better and gunplay is better, but old snags and weaknesses from the first game remain and, more importantly, it's not as exciting and new as it was the first time round.”

“Discounty just misses the mark for me as a cosy game. While actually running the supermarket can be pretty enjoyable, it's wrapped up with frustrating busy work, NPCs who are so routinely annoying and unpleasant. It's like moving into the town where Hot Fuzz is set: something is off; people are weird and standoffish; and I just want to go home.”

“I have a tonne of respect for Blippo+ and the work that was put into it. It's weird and creative, which all my favourite things are, but it's so niche that it's hard to think of someone I know that I could recommend it to. Then again, I expect the developers and actors don't really care too much about that.”

“The Beast is the Dying Light sequel I always wanted. It's dark, literally and tonally, focuses on zombies instead of warring human factions, and expands on some of the more outlandish and interesting ideas hinted at in the original. If this is indicative of what to expect in the franchise going forward, and it certainly looks that way, then I am excited.”

“With its gorgeous visual style and some fun origami transformations, Hirogami has some high points to enjoy, but it sadly does have a few too many paper cuts that become consistent frustrations. It's not overly challenging, but lowering the difficulty does lend itself to a kind of relaxing, almost meditative experience at times, at least when the camera and other quirks aren't getting in the way.”

“Peglin is a bit of a missed opportunity. It's fun at first, but once you realise that your success depends almost entirely on what the game randomly serves up to you it begins to lose its lustre. This also makes its difficulty very inconsistent, you can win your first ever run by accident and lose your best run because the randomisation screws you over. If you just want to do some pachinkoing - which is definitely a word - this will give you plenty of variety to keep you going for a while if you can put up with losing through no fault of your own sometimes.”

“Echoes of the End is annoying, because it just needs a bit more time to iron out the niggles and give it that extra layer of polish. As it is it's got a lot going for it but some will lose sight of it through some issues that get in the way.”

“Neverwinter Nights 2 Enhanced Edition does the bare minimum as it brings the game to consoles. It looks a bit better, but that's about it. It's still buggy and rough around the edges, but it is at least Neverwinter Nights 2. If you really want to sit back and play it with a controller, this will do it for you. If you want anything more, the original is more than playable on pretty much any PC, and has deep mod support.”

“Chains of Freedom probably isn't going to interest anybody other than big fans of the XCOM-like tactical genre. If you are that person, the combat here is good enough to keep you going until the end, but there's a fairly narrow window of appeal.”

“Maestro is an addictive and satisfying experience. You have a selection of legendarily good music to conduct, from Ride of the Valyries to Duel of the Fates, and there's plenty of challenge once you've grown familiar enough to move onto Hard difficulty, though you may need to pick up your actual controllers for that.”

“Wicked Isle feels like a band releasing greatest hits albums to meet a contractual obligation. It's a remix of what came before, so if you just want more Atomfall for a future playthrough or haven't played the main game yet, this slots right in. If you were hoping for a narrative hook that keeps you invested on its own merits, you'll be disappointed. This is just more of the same, but without a compelling mystery to pull you in.”

“There isn't much to say about Zombie Army VR. It's not bad, but it also doesn't stand out from the zombie shooter hordes, and it even fumbles the series' only truly distinctive feature, the X-ray killcams. It's a by the numbers zombie shooter in VR that might be enjoyable enough if zombie shooting if your gaming version of comfort food, but there are better options out there.”

“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a beautiful experience that excels in almost every area – the combat and character skill customisation is some of the most intricate I've seen, the storyline is routinely surprising and emotional, characterisation and performances are immaculate, and it both looks and sounds absolutely stunning all the time. It's a stunning accomplishment for Sandfall Interactive's first game, and with a core team of around 30 (with outsourced help). It's sure to be in contention for Game of the Year awards, and anyone not playing it is seriously missing out.”