Steven John Dawson
Great 2.5D take on the world of Teslagrad, with a fun puzzle dynamic and plenty of head-scratchers within. Well worth a look in if you're after a modern take on the early Zelda games.
This is the DLC for Mantis Burn that's nobody knew they needed. Now it's a staple mainstay for the game and shouldn't be played without.
A proficient sim-racer that brings a lot to the table - both in content and playability. Would have been great to see the base Xbox One version maybe lose a bit of the graphical sparkle in exchange for a 60 FPS lock, but that's more commentary of the power of the Xbox, rather than the game.
Good fun crashing simulator that will keep you coming back to improve your score, but not because of the depth of what's available. Here's hoping this is a prerequisite to a fully fledged game from the Three Fields team.
Delivers what a sequel should be, with more of... everything... on top of the solid foundations they had with the predecessor. Fans of shoot-em-ups that aren't straight up bullet hell titles should be looking into the Sky Force franchise.
A fun game to play in your odd downtime moments when you haven't got the opening to sink into a much larger game. Comes with plenty of challenge in the main game, but also has a more relaxing version when you're just wanting to chill.
Great part two in The Fall series, and leaves the door open just enough ready for part three. If Over the Moon continue with the improvements they've made to the next installment, then the trilogy should go down as a true classic of its time.
Categorically the best “spiritual successor” to anything I've seen in quite a while. Takes a beloved franchise and brings it smack up to date with features and gameplay elements that fit in the modern landscape of gaming. It isn't diagnosed with a case of microtransaction-itis either. Just clean, sterilised fun.
Awesome little puzzler that'll do well to keep you busy when you want it to, challenging enough that it will give even the most die-hard puzzler's brains a workout, but clever enough to not have you needing to complete the level at a time, so you can put it down and come back to it when the thermal throttling on your brain has returned to normal.
The latest and greatest F1 game for Codemasters roster, with just enough new about it to make it an update from last years. It'll be a hard push to see what they do for 2019, that's for sure, but Codemasters have had a long run with the F1 license, and it doesn't look like they're keen to stop anytime soon.
A worthy sequel to the DiRT Rally franchise, that updates, upgrades and uplifts most aspects of the original. Still a few little niggles that could be better, but hopefully the paid content strategy can be converted into ongoing support and updates for the title.
Another solid entry into the F1 franchise for Codemasters. It's nice to see them expanding the game to represent how drivers work their way up into the F1 roster from the F2 feeder series. Being able to build your driver up from (an albeit short) F2 career really lends credence to the story of your driver making their way up through the ranks.
A fun VR title, only really marred by the relative niche status of virtual reality at present meaning player counts are low. A renewed single-player aspect of the game and the continued updates could mean this becomes one of VR's sleeper hits.
A competent entry to the WRC series by Kylotonn Games, and the handling model has improved a lot since their previous outing, however, the title is let down by some oddities and bugs that can sometimes make gameplay more effort than it needs be. Choose this if you want a decent rally experience, without the harrowing difficulty that DiRT Rally will put your way.
A fitting return to form for the GRiD franchise, especially given the five year gap since Autosport. Doesn't take itself too seriously, so it's a title anyone can pick up and play. Would be just as at home in an arcade cabinet as it is in the console under your TV or on your PC.
A neat automation game that's well built with plenty of depth to keep you going for quite some time, and this is only "Phase 1". The programming aspect is similar to that of the Scratch programming language, and can teach basic programming principles with its visual code builder and "follow me" initial recording of the robots.
The characters and the overall art style are cutesy, sure. But that shouldn't deter you from the solid build-em-up that's underneath it all. A great game to get into the resource strategy genre with, and just as good for those that are au fait with the genre already.
It's easy to see why Phantom: Covert Ops received the commendations it did at E3 2019, and it's now taken the second spot on my personal recommendation list of must-have VR titles. Here's hoping this isn't the last we've seen in the Phantom line.
This is the pinnacle of Formula 1 in videogame form. In a year fraught with difficulties for real world motorsport, Codemasters have delivered a solid experience that should keep you in the hot seat, especially with the immersion factor of the new My Team mode.
A fun, casual arcade racer that has a decent chunk of a career mode to keep you busy with some fun aspects, let down by wonky AI and being placed into the wrong series of games making it really hard to recommend to either demographic of casual race fans or sim racers.