There's a lot to like about Bananitro and it would be good to see more in the future. The components are all there, but the execution falters at times, resulting in an experience which regularly swings from being good fun, to feeling like a chore.
ZOE Begone! is a wonderfully created but brutally difficult SHMUP, that despite looking cute and cuddly, will challenge even the most adept players.
Inspector Waffles Early Days is a short, sweet love letter to a different era of gaming. Perhaps as a result of aiming to be wholly true to the time, it also comes with familiar limitations.
Metal Eden may have clear inspiration, but emerges as an enjoyable adventure in its own right which unfolds at a breakneck pace. The eerily beautiful, mechanical world riddled with danger and intrigue compliments the fluid gameplay, elevating it above a simple shooter.
Candylands Journey is a solid, plucky platformer which does enough to keep your interest, even if you’ve seen it all before.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants is bittersweet. Despite getting almost everything right, as did the base game, it’s hard not to feel short changed by the time the credits roll. Let’s pray Indy’s not about to hang his whip up anytime soon.
You may be tempted to look the other way but don’t, because underneath the somewhat cheesy exterior of Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids is a highly entertaining and accessible strategy action hybrid.
The team at Hazelight have done it again, creating an experience in Split Fiction that is relentlessly diverse, innovative and, above all, an absolute riot.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an utterly faithful, masterfully immersive adventure which impresses in so many ways. It captures everything special about the films but stands tall as an outstanding achievement in its own right.
Alan Wake 2 is the magnum opus of horror games, but not simply because it delivers some scares. Oozing with creative flair, it confidently flaunts unconventional and even experimental methods of storytelling, which makes it very special indeed.
Amnesia: The Bunker is ahead of the class, achieving what many of its peers aspire to but often fall short of. If you’re a horror fan, this is a must play.
Despite seeming similar to Two Point Hospital on the surface, Two Point Campus is stuffed with enough new ideas and irresistible charm to ensure it is a sequel well worth playing.
Super Perils of Baking nails its theme, but a few small nuggets aren’t enough to prevent it feeling like a run of the mill platformer. Achievement hunters and completionists will benefit the most from this one.
Psychonauts 2 is an absolute hoot from start to finish. It showcases a lot of what makes video games great, combining skillful and emotive storytelling with inventive gameplay that above all else, is loads of fun. Put simply, it’s the best game I have played this year.