Sean Smith
Star Overdrive has a cool hoverboard, but the enemies are annoying and not fun to take on, and the repetition levels high.
With great looks, an impressive and realistic feel, and just enough arcade race traits to grab you and not let go, Monster Energy Supercross 25 is a fun experience.
Shadow of the Orient is one that I would have happily paid for back in the day and would urge retro enthusiasts to pick up.
The combo scoring nature of gameplay and the way the pace ramps up to a frenetic level places Breakout Beyond alongside classic arcade and puzzle titles of its ilk from days gone by.
Fans of the original will love Head over Heels: Deluxe, as it is not only faithful to the source material and doesn’t seek to mess around with it too much, it has enough new content and tweaks to actually improve upon the original.
For all of its flaws, I have some love for My Night Job thanks to the "one more go" appeal, leaderboards, and overall humour and aesthetic.
PGA Tour 2K25 is a fine game of golf. It looks and sounds lovely, has an intuitive and fun control system, and can be tricky and nuanced or as hardcore as you want it to be.
As lovely a use of the undeniably cool source material as this is, MACROSS -Shooting Insight- is a commendable effort, but one that's destined to remain rather niche, it seems.
Virtua Fighter 5 REVO is technical, fat-free arcade combat at its best, and this polished PC port deserves to put a ton of new eyes on the product
Under Defeat is a superb game, which quite rightly earned plaudits upon release and still feels like an essential part of anyone’s shoot ‘em up library.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II has plenty for players to enjoy even if you decide to deviate from completing the main story. Everything looks and sounds incredible, and while the story is a bit meandering, the combat is sensational.
Sword of the Necromancer: Resurrection had much promise with its heartfelt story, but it just doesn't quite hit the mark across the board.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind is a warm dose of nostalgia, a highly amusing, varied and reverentially detailed step back in time.
Breath of Death VII The Beginning is a superb remaster of a well-regarded Xbox Live classic that harks back to a simpler time.
Tetris Forever is a superbly put together package, and an eye opening documentary with some genuinely footage on show.
Great God Grove had me hooked until the moment I had cracked the thing and brought peace and harmony to the Grove.
Rage of the Dragons Neo is not only a much better game overall, but there are a stack of extra bells and whistles that make it a no-brainer.
Void Sols kept my interest for far longer than any other game of its ilk, and is perfectly suited to the Steam Deck where I spent my time with it.
Hatch Tales: A Heroic Hookshot Adventure deserves its place in the pantheon of retro platformers on the Switch.
Rogue Flight is a good entry into the genre and one that is enjoyable but has a feeling something is slightly missing.