Gemma Young

Eastshade is a first-person, open-world exploration game. It’s atmospheric, immersive, relaxing and just the right side of challenging.

With Episode 3 in the Life is Strange 2 saga ending on such an exciting cliffhanger it was always going to be interesting to see what happens to the Diaz brothers in this next, and penultimate episode; would the story continue on such an interesting trajectory or dip again into the lows of previous episodes?

Episode 3 of Life is Strange 2 brings us to over halfway through Sean and Daniel Diaz’s journey from Seattle to their new life in Mexico. We rejoin the brothers who are now camping in the Redwood Forests of California as part of a community of drifters and runaways.

Take a dash of Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon, a pinch of The Sims, a glug of Farm Together and a smidge of Zelda. Stir with an anime spoon. This is the recipe for My Time at Portia, a new life sim RPG from Pathea Games and Team17. But is the end-result more yummy or crummy?

We all love the satisfaction of finding where that last jigsaw puzzle piece goes, watching it slot neatly into place. But, did you know that this encourages the production of the chemical dopamine in the brain, which is a mood enhancer? This is one reason why completing a puzzle helps to release stress and tension. If you are feeling the pressure of modern life then you might like to try tuning out by playing Glass Masquerade on Xbox One.

Episode 2 of Dontnod Entertainment’s latest story-based game opens on a picturesque snowy scene in early December where the two protagonists, Sean and Daniel Diaz, are exploring Daniel’s new found power - telekinesis.

I’ve lost more hours than I care to think about playing simulation games. The Sims, Hay Day, Viva Pinata - I’ve played them all and tend to get a bit addicted. So, it was with some trepidation that I agreed to check out Farm Together on Xbox One, a new farming simulation. How many hours would I lose tied to the screen this time round?

Another year, another Just Dance game and 2019 offers up a very familiar formula. At first glance the only new features of this game compared to the 2018 version are new songs - but are things different once you dig down?

Life can be strange, and it’s made even stranger if you happen to have a supernatural power.

Believe it or not 2018 is nearly upon us (and some may say that 2017 can’t go quick enough), so an early Christmas present from the Ubisoft team in the form of Just Dance 2018 might be just the ticket to get us in party season mode and put a little more cheer into our lives. But, does it offer anything that previous Just Dance games haven’t?

I’m something of a connoisseur of singing and dancing games, having played and reviewed a fair few. The boys on the TXH team just don’t seem so keen on these types of games, or they just don’t want to admit it. I must confess to enjoying dancing more than singing games, for the simple fact that my singing is even worse than my dancing. But did playing Just Sing make me change my mind?

Just Dance 2016 is the latest offering from the famous franchise that has been churning out dance party games since 2009. But is Just Dance 2016 offering anything that is new, or could you quite happily get by with a previous version?

I’m pretty sure that many music fans in the UK will have owned at least one of the NOW That’s What I Call Music volumes over the last few decades. Singing into your hairbrush along to the latest pop hits was a teenage ritual for many. Now, this iconic brand has released its own version of a karaoke singing game. So put down the hairbrush, pick up a microphone and let’s get singing.

Back to the Future day has been and gone with little fuss. One new addition to my life however was that I got to play Back to the Future: The Game - 30th Anniversary Edition. Did this make up in the slightest of the lack of a food rehydrator in my life?

As a fan of point and click adventures, the Broken Sword franchise has provided me with many hours of puzzling entertainment over the years. So, it was with excitement that I anticipated the opportunity to play the fifth and latest installment from Revolution software: The Serpent’s Curse. The game has all the features you would expect from a Broken Sword title; mystery and intrigue with a spattering of religious subtext and a well-developed sense of humour. Plus, a bit of romance from the ‘will they, won’t they?’ storyline of the two main protagonists.