Neil Watton

The great thing about the Xbox Game Preview and Steam Early Access schemes are that not only can gamers get hands on with games ahead of full launch, but the development teams behind the experience can tweak things to their heart's desire, amending features and working with the community in order to ensure that come full release, the game is the very best it can be. The latest to make the most of this route is the team at Xaviant, as they release Don't Die, Minerva! on to Xbox One and PC.

Since 2016, Kerbal Space Program has been giving us gamers the chance to take charge of a space program for the alien race known as the Kerbals, yet even though the sequel has recently been announced, it doesn't mean that Private Division have given up with the original, and today we see the Breaking Ground expansion arrive on Xbox One and PS4.

Song of Horror has been found wowing the PC crowd since launch back over the Halloween period, and the acclaim has been so great that the teams at Raiser Games and Protocol Games can hold it back from the console scene no longer, today announcing the release window for the survival horror experience on Xbox One and PS4.

Anyone found embracing the Dead or Alive franchise will know that multiple costume drops are a thing you'll have to enjoy - no matter what the price and no matter how often they come. And hot on the heels of seeing Dead or Alive 6 players get the opportunity to enjoy a summer swimsuit revival, and spend some time at the gym, we now see a multitude of Santa's Helper costumes arrive.

With the reveal of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics back in June 2019, fans of the Netflix show have had much to look forward to. And now, as we start looking ahead to games releasing in 2020, En Masse Entertainment have announced the full release date - and this one will be with us before we know it.

It has to be said that the release of Verdun on Xbox One back in early 2017 didn't go down too well. With graphical oddities, a lack of players, and numerous glitches and bugs, it was something we could never recommend you play. But give credit to the development team behind it, as soon after first launch they pushed out a massive fix list which solved some issues. But it still wasn't a good game. Here and now though, sitting as 2019 reaches its conclusion, Verdun on Xbox One (and soon on PS4), is being remastered, with a fresh new look and feel, an overhauled audio system, extra content, new AI soldiers and more.

There are a good many fishing games already available on Xbox One, but one of the very best is that of Fishing Sim World, particularly as it has taken on the Pro Tour moniker. And with multiple DLC packs already in place and offering numerous casting opportunities to gamers, you may think that the addition of two more wouldn't be appreciated. But you'd be wrong, and the arrival of lakes at Lough Kerr and Talon Fishery ensure that once more Fishing Sim World starts flexing the muscles.

The launch of eFootball PES 2020 a few months back ushered in a new way of thinking for Konami, all in their battle to take on EA and provide the ultimate footballing experience to gamers. And whilst the name change may have hit the headlines, it's the finer details that ensure this is a football title worthy of being crowned champion. And that entire experience has just got even better with the introduction of the Data Pack 3.0, alongside the arrival of numerous Partner Club Squads.

There are all manner of offroad racing experiences available on Xbox One, but from today yet another option opens up, as Offroad Racing - Buggy X ATV X Moto goes full speed ahead.

You may have stumbled upon My Friend Pedro previously, either on PC (Steam) or Nintendo Switch where the game launched earlier in the year. But from today you can stop casting that jealous eye the way of other formats and begin to embrace the banana-fuelled violent gun ballet that it brings to Xbox One.

If you've been holding out for the launch of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire on Xbox One and PS4 then THQ Nordic have got your back, delivering the full release date alongside confirmation details of a rather stunning Ultimate Collector's Edition - and it looks utterly sweet.

It is quite possibly the best monthly subscription in gaming, but still the Xbox Game Pass continues to deliver the goods and today we get confirmation that 8 more games will be arriving into the scheme throughout December 2019 - and some of them are very tasty additions indeed.

If there was one series of games we could have put our mortgage on continuing into 2020 and beyond it would be that of RIDE, Milestone's premier motorcycle racer. And our house would have been utterly safe too, with the Italian developers today teasing RIDE 4 with a new trailer - alongside announcing a rather tasty collaboration with Yamaha.

It's taken more than a year to get to this point, but finally we reach the end of the road for the Diaz brothers, as Life is Strange 2 comes crashing to a halt with the launch of Episode 5.

Always fancied running your own Pharmaceutical Conglomerate? Well, now that Big Pharma has launched on Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch, those dreams may well come true.