Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon could easily have ended up as a promotional novelty to tide players over until the release of Ritual of the Night, but thankfully this is not the case. Instead, Inti Creates has crafted a compelling and enjoyable title featuring everything that made the 8-bit Castlevania titles so great. It does veer dangerously close to the Castlevania license at times, but considering how Konami is doing nothing with the series, fans certainly won’t mind.

Gameplay: As close as you can get to the 8-bit Castlevania titles.

Graphics: Captures the 8-bit style perfectly.

Sound: Great, but not quite as memorable as the classic Castlevania tunes

My Friend Pedro

My Friend Pedro

My Friend Pedro is a violent platform shooter with an emphasis on stylish action. Taking down enemies in slow motion is a lot of fun and the game has no shortage of props like frying pans, skateboards, glass panes, zip-lines and more to make it look even more impressive. The last half of the game skews perhaps a bit too much towards puzzles and platforming instead of stylish mayhem, but apart from this the game is a blast to play.

Gameplay: Violent, over the top and lots of fun.

Graphics: A few wonky animations and generic backgrounds, but overall good.

Sound: Decent sound effects and a great soundtrack

Muse Dash

Muse Dash

Muse Dash might be a mobile port, but it is also one of the most adorable looking and addictive rhythm action games on PC. The art style is extremely polished and it also features an incredible soundtrack. The controls are basic enough to draw in newcomers to the genre, but playing some of the faster songs on higher difficulty settings can also provide veterans with a challenge. You also get an incredible amount of content for a very reasonable price, so don’t miss out on this game.

Gameplay: Simple to play, but incredibly addictive once you become hooked.

Graphics: The art style is colorful and adorable.

Sound: The soundtrack is catchy and features a diverse range of great tracks

Gatling Gears

Gatling Gears

Play as Max Brawley and take on the evil Empire from the cockpit of your Gatling Gear in this top down shooter by Vanguard Games. It features vibrant visuals, tons of explosions and plenty of action. Since the game pretty much only consists of shooting everything in sight, it can become a little repetitive, but blowing things up remains satisfying and with three difficulty levels, you can challenge yourself no matter what your skill level is. It’s not the most memorable or impressive title in the genre, but it is very solid and very enjoyable.

Gameplay: Blowing up everything in sight stays a blast right throughout.

Graphics: The levels are varied and packed with detail.

Sound: So-so music, but the sound effects are really good

Heroine of the Sniper

Heroine of the Sniper

Heroine of the Sniper is a very simple sniper game where you have to guide your little animated heroine through fifteen challenges. Most of these involve shooting at targets from a long range, although there are also a few levels where you get to move around a bit or where you man a machine gun while inside a vehicle. It’s not the most polished game on Steam and ends all too soon, but still manages to be quite entertaining while it lasts.

Gameplay: The challenges are fun and varied, but the game definitely needed a few more.

Graphics: The 2D animated heroine looks nice, but the 3D visuals are fairly simple and levels look very bare.

Sound: Unobtrusive music, but the sound effects are pretty good

Warhammer: Chaosbane

Warhammer: Chaosbane

Warhammer: Chaosbane is an isometric action role playing game that is set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battles Universe. It offers four diverse characters to play with and also allows players to join up three other friends either locally or online. The game is really enjoyable, but a bit rough in places, especially in terms of variety and loot. It is fun while it lasts, but currently the amount of end-game content that is available is not as good as it could have been. Hopefully future updates to the game will continue to build on its solid base, but until then it is bound to disappoint some players who expected more depth as well as variety.

Gameplay: Great selection of characters and plenty of skills to use on hordes of enemies.

Graphics: Very detailed, but it doesn’t take long to see everything the game has to offer.

Sound: Decent music, but some of the voices could have been much better

Baseball Riot

Baseball Riot

Baseball Riot is the sequel to Tennis in the Face and features the exact same gameplay, except this time you will be using a baseball bat and ball instead of a tennis racquet. The game does feel slightly more challenging, especially now that stars have to be collected from the levels themselves while taking down enemies, but overall the game does feel slightly more lackluster. A lot of the visuals feel identical to the first game and the gameplay is the same only slightly more frustrating. If you are a fan of the original and want more of the same, but with an added challenge, then Baseball Riot is worth it, but everyone else is better off with Tennis In The Face.

Graphics: Backgrounds are still bland and the characters are all reskinned from the original game.

Sound: Decent, but unremarkable.

Gameplay: Still fun in short bursts, but more frustrating than Tennis in the Face

Close to the Sun

Close to the Sun

Close to the Sun puts you in the boots of Rose Archer, a reporter exploring the quarantined depths of the Helios research ship to find her sister. The Helios is the creation of Tesla as a haven for the greatest scientific minds, but right from the start it is clear that something went terribly wrong. Close to the Sun is inevitably going to draw some comparisons to the Bioshock titles, but it is more of a walking simulator that has a few puzzles and chase sequences sprinkled in for good measure. It’s not a bad game, but does feature a few annoying bits and never reaches the heights it could have.

Gameplay: Slowly walk through beautiful surroundings while solving puzzles and running away from the occasional foe.

Graphics: The levels look great, but the character models and animations let things down slightly.

Sound: Decent music and the voice acting isn’t too bad either

Mortal Kombat X

Mortal Kombat X

As long as you get your hands on the XL version of Mortal Kombat X you are in for a great time. The game features plenty of characters and enough content to keep solo players or online multi-player fans busy for a long time. The story mode was not quite as compelling this time round and the roster lacked a couple of fan favorites, but the visuals look great and the fighting is as brutal as ever. The gore is also a bit more realistic now compared to the previous game, especially in regards to character injuries during fights, although the occasional goofy fatalities still crop up. All in all, this is a great game for fans of the series and a solid title for all fans of the genre.

Gameplay: Fast, bloody and filled with plenty of challenges.

Graphics: Plenty of character as well as background detail.

Sound: Decent voice acting and some nice tunes

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

While the game can be quite frustrating at times and there is still an over-abundance of cut-scenes, it also packs a great story and some gripping gameplay. It can also be very cheesy but that is to be expected for a Metal Gear Solid game. It requires patience but it is definitely worth it.

Gameplay: It takes a while to get used to all the changes but it is worth it.

Graphics: Very impressive.

Sound: Quality voice acting and fitting music