If you're hankering for a bit more Souls-shaped entertainment in your life, Lords of the Fallen can fill a gap. It can kill some time, provide some entertainment for a few hours. But its lack of subtlety in its mechanics, it's rather clunky nature and its somewhat dull, basic setting mean it will never be more than a decent distraction
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is as close to a masterclass in the field of remastered collections as we've seen to date. It's lacking in some areas - like those pesky (just about) untouched versions of Halo 3 and 4 - and there's the odd glitch here and there, but that's just nitpicking. The interface alone (kudos to co-developer United Front Games, there) blows away these concerns, and you don't even shoot anything with that.
It's £10/$15 too expensive, but Ardennes Assault is still a fine addition to any RTS fan's library.
You could do worse than LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. A lot worse. But if you've played a LEGO game in the last three years and are looking for a new, different experience, you'll be left wanting.
It's not just an exercise in fan service - it's an example of what happens when a company that really cares about putting out a truly great product does just that. Kudos, Nintendo.
WWE 2K15 is a kick in the teeth, then. Graphically assured as it is, almost every other element of the 15-year-old series has been cut back, tampered with pointlessly or outright ruined. The series hasn't been good for a long time now, but this year is the first it's been actively bad. The wait for a great new WWE game continues .
Difficulty spikes aside, this is a great PC edition of a fantastic arcade shooter.
A mite obtuse at first and sometimes unfair in its logic, sure, but a recommended game and one sure to have people poring over pulling off their perfect Shawshank Redemption-esque escape for years to come.
The Order: 1886 isn't easy to recommend, but it isn't impossible to endorse, and despite its familiarity, is a game we enjoyed our time with. Here's hoping The Order: 1887 pushes for greater.
There might have been some worries when the series ended up in the hands of new developer Gearbox, but they've proven to be unfounded; Homeworld Remastered Collection has been handled with the care and attention it deserves, and is worth a place in the library of any self-respecting fan of strategy games, spaceships or little things flying around going pew pew pew.
For those of us who sit our backsides firmly in that camp, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is bloody - very bloody - good fun.
It requires patience, a keen eye, reflexes and skill - and the ability to accept that you will die a lot. And sometimes it will seem unfair. And sometimes you will want to throw your controller at the nearest hard surface. But Titan Souls is a fantastic game; a fine example of what is possible with a simple idea, stripped-down controls and a dense atmosphere backing it all up.
It's an interesting and, importantly, fun game with enough going for it to keep you coming back, trying out new and different things and generally helping out in one of the most violently dodgy election campaigns ever seen.
Magicka 2 is fun in the right circumstances - i.e. when you've a friend or three in tow - but even then it's a case of an all-too-familiar experience to the first game. That's not in itself a bad thing, as the Magicka formula is a solid one, but it is disappointing - there's hardly any progress from the first game. For a sequel that took four years to hit, that's just not good enough.
The refreshed PS4 and Xbox One version of this anarchic co-op shooter is worth staking out for those who missed it first time around
Just like the game part, LEGO Jurassic World's entire presentation - its cinematics, its atmosphere - is predictable. Good enough, but incredibly safe, and definitely a factory line production that inspires little other than blandly trundling through the game, chuckling a bit at some jokes and ignoring most of them.
It's become a cliche to herald each edition of the Fifa rival as a return to form – but with added skill and aggression and a Euro 2016 tie-in, it's hard not to this time
Forza Motorsport 6 is a terrific game. It misses a few minor beats, with yet another career mode that throws you straight in there, and good god the serious attitude of the game is sickening at best. But this is one of the best driving simulations out there: it's the game launch title Forza 5 really should have been. We're a bit spoiled for choice in great driving games this console generation, and Forza 6 screeches in and finds itself a place at the head of the table with consummate ease.
Halo 5: Guardians features an underwhelming, confusing and surprisingly banal campaign that's not actively bad, but equally not quite good enough to warrant a purchase on its own. Fortunately, Master Chief's adventure doesn't end here, and whether you team with friends and ramp the difficulty up, or get stuck into some 12 on 12 Warzone action, the extensive multiplayer offerings ensure Halo 5: Guardians isn't a total washout.
Slow, boring, and rarely challenging, Need For Speed is a serious misstep.