J-Dig

The overall feeling for Oddballers is disappointment. The rounds are entertaining, even if some are too similar. However, default controls are unweildly but the game forgets any custom controls with each launch. The menus also take too long so you spend too long not playing.

This is a wonderful buggy experience. Yes, there are times when you won't know how you died or you'll just drop through the level. BUT, it passes my test for a good game because it's still fun when you're losing; a lot of fun. Might have been nice to have bot support but I've always matched with randoms online very quickly so the experience matches the price, highly recommended.

Do not be pulled in by the Celeste-like graphics and cheap price. I gave it 1 star because the small part I played wasn't broken but it controlled poorly, had boring level design and bad minute to minute gameplay. Outside of the main character the graphics are also plain and ugly.

Unlike the aesthetically-similar Ultra Foodmess, Boomerang Fu offers compelling gameplay that will make you want to return for more. You can play locally with friends or up to 5 bots and rounds are frantically fun. More game modes would be welcome but the two that are currently there, Free for all deathmatch and Golden Boomerang, are well executed and it's a very fun package for the price.

As an arena fighting game, Brawlhalla draws constant comparisons with Smash on the Switch. Having just started playing both games I think this is like comparing chess to draughts with Brawlhalla representing the latter. The play-space for both games is pretty similar but the more intricate mechanics of Smash is likely to appeal to a different mood, if not different players entirely. For its part Brawlhalla is much more welcoming to new players with better skill-matching and, in my experience, a vastly superior online experience to Smash Ultimate's laggy gameplay. The "git gud" crowd may think this criticism is redundant but being matched with players who have much more experience is simply not fun and games are meant to be fun. Taken in isolation, Brawlhalla is a good time and great value if you choose to unlock all the characters for a bit of cash. Although many fighters have similar mechanics there has clearly been time spent to provide good looking characters and you'll even find some indy legends along with characters from screens big and small to throw around the arena.

This is my first Smash game so I have no nostalgia for the series and ooh boy! Nostalgia seems to be doing a lot of heavy lifting in the reviews. I had been enjoying a free game that's always being compared to Smash so thought I'd use Christmas cash to enjoy what all the reviews have been gushing over. I enjoyed unlocking all the characters, got bogged down in the RPG mode then headed online... It's a broken laggy mess with no regard for what mode you want to play or your skill level. Consistently losing to a mixture of input lag, far more experienced players or what seems like random chance is frustrating and not fun for me, even winning feels unrewarding for similar reasons. No other game I have is like this so it's kind of a relief to see others experiencing similar because most reviews had me feeling like I was going mad. I don't imagine I can influence seasoned Smash players but novices should be aware that talk of Ultimate being casual friendly does not fit my experience at all. It's back to Brawlhalla for me where even the matches you lose feel fair and fun.

Tight controls, a variety of cool looking bots and a diverse selection of game modes make for an instant classic. Add to that a good drop rate for new bots, maps, skins and mods and this becomes a must-buy title. Incoming online play should make this perfect but the adjustable AI is a great substitution for now when local players aren't available.

Like tennis and tandems Towerfall Ascension isn't made to be enjoyed alone. There are single player modes that are distracting enough but these are little more than a ball launcher with which to practise your technique when friends are unavailable. Multiplayer itself is local-only and is great with two players, fantastic with four. It's sociable, the simple controls are inclusive and, for a relatively small outlay, it provides balance to the online-only component offered by most modern multiplayers. Having said that, though not native to the game, the PS4's share play feature now allows you to take on psn friends at a distance. I got the game free with PS Plus and have since bought it on PC to support the developer, Matt Makes Games, in return for hours of enjoyment.