Gareth Brierley

We all want to boldly go where no man or woman has ever gone before, and The Long Journey Home is no different, taking us on to an adventure into the unknown. But is it the new Star Trek or does it come across more like some Pigs in Space?

NeuroBloxs has taken two mammoths of the game industry - "Space Invaders" and "Tetris" - and tried to tame them both by blending them into the ultimate arcade game. But does it work? Or is it a mess like that baby creature at the end of Alien 4?

Loneliness, memory loss and an uncertainty over what is real and what is fantasy is something well trodden, whether that be by the film world, the artists out there, or our games - especially those that deal with horror. When you load up World of One you might think you're playing a Limbo inspired platformer, with the black and white world of horror and strangeness on offer. But scratch under the surface and you'll find that this game has a lot more to offer and in its own little World of One way, it’s very unique indeed.

I've always been wary of top-down shooters. They're like a double espresso, mixed with half a bottle of vodka - something that delivers an experience that is exhilarating for a moment, but then, when the comedown arrives, it hits you very hard indeed. Defenders of Ekron is just like that - the initial thrill of shooting, dodging and having a hundred enemies on screen at once can be thrilling when you’re winning, but when it gets harder and you've repeated the same level over a hundred times, it feels like the worse hangover in the world.

I wouldn't say I'm overly qualified to nail the utter specifics of any farming game, but I’ve played near on every single farm-based experience that has released over the last few years, and for that reason alone, feel I’m reasonably well placed to give some serious insight into Farming Simulator 19 - the latest in the long line of farming sims. So how does the newest instalment play out? Is it all about the golden fields of wheat, or should we be expecting a mud bath where nothing grows?

There's a political story here about North Korea, South Korea and America, all getting very upset with each other. But all you need to really know is that there is a war ongoing and you are defending the oncoming attack in a big turret. I’ll be honest and say that I was confused by the other bits of narrative, but I don't think much was missed - this is all about shooting anything that moves.

You might not know it, but there’s another cowboy game in town, albeit one that doesn’t quite have the same amount of kudos as Rockstar’s opus. That game is 8 to Glory - the Official Game of the PBR.  

Playing video games bring ‘moments’; passages of time that will stay forever locked in your mind. In playing Hitman 2 my finest memory will be of myself dressed in a stolen mascots outfit, armed with a didgeridoo, trying to hit a rich racing driver over the head in a crowded toilet that is overrunning madly with water. Suffice to say the mission didn’t go very well. But it doesn’t matter because I was having much fun in trying to attempt this madness.

It's nice to be able to play a game like Call of Cthulhu that tells a fairly linear journey, with just a few choices to the narrative, before seeing it all done and dusted in 10 hours or so. The question is though, is it any good?

I worked as a labourer for the summer when I was 18. The rest of my fellow builders affectionately called me "The Idiot", which might give you an insight into my digging, mixing cement and overall construction skills. So I was very pleased to get the chance to prove all the naysayers wrong and show how I'm actually a king of the building trade in Construction Simulator. But can I build a skyscraper in an afternoon without breaking a sweat or will I, like previously, just lay one wonky brick in 8 hours?

Neonwall, embraces all things neon and puts you into a weird 1980's world of colour and blocks that hope to test your motor skills and fry your brain into a visual overload. But does it remind of those city lights in a film noir, or is it like a cloudy winter’s day outside Blackpool’s finest amusement arcades?

I've only ever come across one person named Spencer. He was a guy I was aware of at college, but we never spoke too much. He always wore a hat, a blue suit and a pair of cheap plastic sunglasses. He liked jazz and rolled up cigarettes and talked very loudly about books. But now, thanks to the wonders of gaming, I've got to meet another Spencer - just this one is very different. He's a sort of colourful square thing with short legs, a pair of boots and big eyes. I haven't heard him say a word, but he can jump a bit. I can't be sure if he digs jazz or not though.

It’s always strange to go back to a city you’ve built and cared for after a sixth-month break, discovering the state that it's in. I expected it to carry on without my steady hand of guidance to develop into a striving world-class city, with statues of me in every town square. And when I appear again there would be celebrations in the streets and festivals dedicated to my good work and deeds. Alas, in Cities: Skylines none of this has come true; I've still got a problem with sewage pipes and people hated the new park I built because it’s next to a factory. Perhaps it's time to start all over again.

Does the Assassin’s Creed franchise keep going from strength to strength with Odyssey, or should Ubisoft have taken a year off from the jumping, the stabbing and the murdering?

The Amnesia games were always something that I've looked at from afar, never having the chance to experience. So with this delightful package of three games in one it could be said that I was excited to experience what this horror world had to offer. But did it make me hide behind the sofa, or roll my eyes in a weird mocking manner?