30 Days of Murder - Video Game Edition Day 6 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter on PS4 (2015) A more sedate and modern murder mystery as you play Paul Prospero, a paranormal investigator that can view past events to create a timeline of what happened to Ethan Carter and his family.

30 Days of Murder - Video Game Edition Day 5 Vera Cruz on the ZX Spectrum (1986) Vera Cruz (or to give it its more evocative French title L'affaire Vera Cruz) is a pure detective title where you have to examine and crime scene to prove an apparent suicide is, actually, a murder.

30 Days of Murder - Video Game Edition Day 4 Disco Elysium on PC (2019) A highly evocative and artistically impressive RPG, where you play an amnesiac detective tasked with finding out, not only the killer of a hanged man, but your identity and the events that led you into the state you are in.

30 Days of Murder - Video Game Edition Day 3 Murder! on the Amiga (1990) A very British murder mystery, where you have to question characters at a mansion where a murder has been committed to uncover the killer. Each game is randomised, and the game boast 3 million combinations of evidence.

30 Days of Murder - Video Game Edition Day 2 Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars on the PS1 (1996) A graphic adventure where a murder catapults you into a wider story involving assassinations and the Knights Templar. A point and click game that’s a little more sophisticated than most.

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, June is.. 30 Days of Murder - Video Game Edition Day 1 The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes on PC (1992) Taking the role of the famous detective, in this graphic adventure you need to solve the murder of a woman found in an alley.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 31 Super Space Invaders in the Arcade (1990) An updated version of the classic game, known by various titles in different parts of the world, that changes up the movement of the invaders and your firepower. Well done and still retains the gameplay.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 30 Prey on the PS4 (2017) A nice immersive first person shooter that sees you attempting to contain and alien break out on a research space station. The gameplay is nice and open ended, encouraging exploration, it’s just a shame the narrative is light.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 29 Sidewize on the ZX Spectrum (1987) A side scrolling shooter that sees you looking to free four planets from aliens. Problem is, each of the planets looks and plays exactly the same each each other. Looks good, but there’s not enough variety.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 28 Super Metroid on the SNES (1994) Arguably the best in the Metroid series, and still one of the greatest games of all time, Super Metroid codified the gameplay of the series and set the standard for the emerging Metrovania genre.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 27 Phoenix in the Arcade (1980) In my opinion, the best fixed screen shoot em up of its era, and one of the first games to introduce the concept of a boss battle, as you go through five levels of shooting alien birds. Tough, but hugely playable.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 26 Captain Fizz Meets the Blaster-Trons on the Atari ST (1988) I’m not sure about you, but dammit, if that ain’t one of the most fantastic names for a video game, I don’t know what is. Unfortunately, this Gauntlet clone needed better graphics and sound.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 25 Rescue on Fractalus! on the C64 (1985) For once, the goal here isn’t to kill a load of aliens. I mean, you still will be killing a load of aliens, but it’s not the main goal. Fly your ship over a hostile landscape to rescue downed pilots.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 24 Duke Nukem 3D on PC (1996) Taking its cue from Doom, the third in the Duke Nukem series is a first person shooter where you fight aliens in a futuristic LA. Gloriously outrageous gameplay and humour makes for a fun game, even today.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 23 R-Type Delta on PS1 (1998) The fourth entry in the R-Type series is the first to use 3D graphics, and it works well, but ultimately it’s a 2D shooter with 3D sprites. A good one, but innovation is sparse here.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 22 Space Gun in the Arcade (1990) An on rails light gun shooter, in which you need to blast hoards of aliens who have taken over a space station and taken the crew hostage. Fast, frantic and violent, Space Gun is fun, but not exactly innovative.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 21 The Simpson’s: Bart Versus the Space Mutants on the NES (1991) The first Simpson’s video game is a notoriously difficult side scrolling platform game where Bart needs to thwart an alien invasion by destroying parts of the aliens ultimate weapon.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 20 Aliens Neoplasma on the ZX Spectrum (2019) This newly released game for an old machine, is essentially a retread of the Aliens movie, and is a stunning achievement that would sent Speccy fans crazy back in the day.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 19 Phalanx on the SNES (1992) Phalanx is a fairly standard vertically scrolling shooter, notable for no other reason than some very odd cover art showing an old dude in overalls, playing a banjo. Odd choice that, but I suppose it stood out on the shelf.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 18 Alien Breed II: The Horror Continues on the Amiga (1993) Playing the same as the original game, but with a better, smoother game engine, increased numbers of enemies, and the ability to choose one of four characters to play.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 17 Slap Fight in the Arcade (1986) Despite its odd name (retitled Alcon in the US) Slap Fight is a decent vertically scrolling shooter that makes you balance weapon upgrades because they increase the size of your ship, making it a bigger target.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 16 Alien Hominid on the XBox (2005) A nice little run n gun game, in the style of Contra or Metal Slug, in which you play an alien looking to retrieve his flying saucer from the FBI who shot it down. Quirky graphics and humour suit the game perfectly.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 15 Sacred Armour of Antiriad (1986) An early Metroidvania game, that came out at the same time and played in a similar way, as you guide tribesman Tal on a quest to find the Sacred Armour and stop and alien invasion and subjugation of his people.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 14 Galaga ‘88 in the Arcade (1987) An update of the Arcade classic from 1981, with upgraded graphics, power ups and boss fights. Rather anachronistic for the time it was released, it’s still a good solid, if unremarkable, shooter today.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 13 Slime Rancher on the PS4 (2016) A colourful, charming and fun first person game in which you collect and breed slime on an alien planet. By feeding the slime the right food, you can use their produce for cash to upgrade your ranch.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 12 Image Fight on the NES (1990) A fairly standard vertically scrolling shoot em up that originated as an arcade game, but was only released in the west as a NES port. It was a decent game, and was the main inspiration for Radiant Silvergun.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 11 Space Ace in the Arcade (1983) Space Ace is Dragon’s Lair in space, with all the gorgeous Don Bluth animation and wafer thin gameplay of the original laser disc arcade game. There’s a a charm here, but it wears off pretty quickly.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 10 Deep Core on the Amiga (1993) Playing like the Amiga classic Gods, Deep Core sees you taking on an alien invasion of an underwater nuclear research base. It’s not bad, but the game doesnt do anything new, and feels the same through its nine levels.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 9 Micronaut One on the ZX Spectrum (1987) An odd game, but one of the Speccy’s hidden gems as you play a robot sent into the bowels of a biocomputer to rid the tunnels in of an alien infestation. Much fun can be had just speeding round at a great pace.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 8 Destroy All Humans 2 on the XBox (2006) A game very much like the original, but this time with a 60s aesthetic rather than the 50s one of the first game. It doesnt take itself seriously, and the plot and script is a riot. Good fun, like the first game

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 7 Battle Beyond the Stars on the Amstrad CPC (1985) Nothing to do with the 1980 Star Wars inspired version of The Magnificent Seven, mores the pity, because it’s just a poor Galaxian knock off. At least the film had a large breasted Space Valkyrie.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 6 Raiden in the Arcade (1990) One of the best vertically scrolling shoot em ups of all time, as you take on an alien invasion that look suprisingly like earth based tanks and planes. Playing a lot like Tiger Heli, Raiden is a great game.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 5 Project Firestart on the C64 (1989) An early survival horror game, that has all the conventions of the genre in place, as you explore a space ship overrun with large aliens. Limited ammo, puzzle solving and story progression are the key here.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 4 Contra: Hard Corps on the Megadrive (1994) Contra: Hard Corps(Probotector in Europe, which is a bloody stupid name) is a spin off title from the main series, but does follow on from Contra III, that was released a couple of years earlier.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 3 Trantor the Last Stormtrooper on the ZX Spectrum (1987) An impressive looking side scrolling platform shooter, that has well animated and large sprites, as well as an animated introduction, but that surrounds a game with little depth and playability.

31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 2 Resistance: Fall of Man on the PS3 (2006) A decent enough first person shooter set in an alternate history where an alien race has taken over Europe, and we need the USA to save us. Shame they waited 50 years to get round to it.

Staying with a kind of outer space theme, and marking the 40th anniversary of the Aliens movie, May is.. 31 Days of Aliens - Video Game Edition Day 1 Aliens in the Arcade (1990) A run ‘n’ gun shooter that’s loosely based on the film that is tricky, but is fun all the way to the conclusion.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 30 X-Wing Alliance on PC (1999) The best in the X-Wing series, and the best space combat game you can play in the Star Wars universe, with terrific graphics, and engaging storyline, and all your favourite ships to fly, including the Millennium Falcon.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 29 Mass Effect on the XBox 360 (2007) Whilst perhaps not the best in the Mass Effect series, this has to be your starting point for anyone wanting to immerse themselves in one of the best space opera stories in video games today.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 28 Buzz Aldrin’s Race Into Space (1993) Less of a simulation of the space program, this is more of a space race management game as you have to complete a manned moon mission before the USSR (or the USA if you’re the Soviets) do it. Difficult but rewarding

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 27 Starflight on the C64 (1986) An impressive open world game where you have to get a crew for your ship and explore the galaxy. As you do, a wider storyline emerges that a threat to the galaxy has emerged. Despite its age, it’s still very playable.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 26 Space Rogue on the PC (1989) Space Rogue is the game that bridges the gap between Elite and Wing Commander. Utilising 3D space combat and trading but also involving some role playing elements, it’s a decent game.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 25 Codename MAT on the ZX Spectrum (1984) A version of the Atari classic Star Raiders on the humble Speccy, but a good one that combines a decent space combat game with a few strategic touches. In the days before Elite, this was as good as it got.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 24 Kerbal Space Program on XBox One (2016) Kerbal Space Program is a very similar game to Spaceflight Simulator, but it is far more polished, far more accessible and has much, much more to do, with an 3D engine and very realistic physics.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 23 Spaceflight Simulator on PC (2017) A causal game that started out on mobiles that moved to PC, and one that’ll teach you orbital mechanics and how rockets and their weight are key in getting to space and other bodies. Fun, engaging and educational.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 22 Stellar Assault on the Sega 32X (1995) Hoping to emulate the likes of Wong Commander and X-Wing, Stellar Assault (also known as Shadow Squadron) looked nice, but its presentation was lacklustre and the sound minimal. Decent effort, but fell short.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 21 Rebel Planet on the C64 (1986) Based on the popular Fighting Fantasy game book, Rebel Planet follows the plot of the book, but it a standard text adventure. Fans of the book and Fighting Fantasy will love it, other might find it a little basic though.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 20 Wing Commander on the PC (1990) The first really detailed and involved space dogfighting game, with a campaign and storyline to play through. Flying against enemy targets, being able to command wingmen, was all new. Brilliant…until X-Wing came along.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 19 Space Shuttle on the Atari 5200 (1984) An early space shuttle simulator on a platform not usually associated with simulations, it is reasonably detailed, if limited with a single mission being able to be replayed on increasing difficulty settings.

30 Days of Space - Video Game Edition Day 18 Asteroids in the Arcade (1979) An Arcade classic, as you need to avoid the asteroids, whilst blasting them into smaller and smaller chunks. A truly landmark title and highly influential, there’s a reason it’s know worldwide.