Dishonored 2 is a fabulously immersive role-playing game that rewards exploration, experimentation and repeat playthroughs. It’s a shade less well written than its forebear, but it’s far better designed. The Clockwork Mansion will likely go down as one of the all-time best missions in gaming, and Dishonored 2 may well be the game of 2016.
Infinite Warfare takes the series to its logical conclusion, delivering one of the best single-player campaigns in ages. But the trademark multiplayer modes need a serious overhaul.
Even after half a decade, Skyrim is an RPG with an unprecedented level of soul.
The first-person shooter returns with a bunch of new multiplayer modes and a lone campaign that seeks to add emotional weight to the thundering action
EA Dice’s decision to travel back in time has paid dividends with a thrilling and visually impressive military experience
A high point for the iconic strategy series
Strategy games live and die on the complexity and satisfaction of the countless decisions made within them, and it’s here that Civilization VI stands tall. Where its predecessors laid the foundations and systems of play, this is a game that refines and perfects them to a remarkable degree. It’s not without a couple of flaws – the odd diplomatic quirk and some religious spamming are its most notable – but Civilization VI gives the series’ 20-year Anniversary the hurrah it deserves.
Mafia 3 is a classic case of style over substance, where its slick setting and story can't make up for tired open-world gameplay. What a disappointment.
Excellent script, great voice acting and convincing animations bring the game to life – but they can't redeem the terminal repetitiveness of the gameplay
Latest expansion doesn't move the game on, but has lots to like for returning fans
Ten years later, replaying the original BioShock is a risky prospect.
Perfectly distilling the Horizon formula, Playground Games have produced a racer that's varied, exciting and gorgeous to look at - and arguably the best of the generation.
The Collection’s biggest missed opportunity is that it doesn’t do much to win over players who have poured dozens of hours into these three games.
AI wobbles remain, but this is an excellent racing game, and an authentic Formula One experience.
Eidos Montreal's near-future thriller presents a visually impressive dystopian playground, but a wonky narrative and some shoddy touches tarnish its potential
F1 2016 is the game Codemasters has almost been making for years; complex, feature-full and still packed with the adoration for the sport that the studio has demonstrated since it got its hands on the license back in 2010. For anyone that’s a fan of racing, this is without the doubt the most unmissable recreation of it you can buy. For anyone that likes going fast, this will probably convince you, too.
No Man’s Sky is a fundamentally simple game; one that’s flawed, slow, and where the moment-to-moment activities are sometimes even... boring. But its intoxicatingly rare attitude towards pure discovery create a game that’s captivating unlike any other.
In Blood and Wine, things are quite different. Rather than a war ravaged wasteland, or an archipelago on the brink of civil war, famed monster hunter Geralt of Rivia travels to the southern region of Toussaint - a gorgeous unspoilt stretch of countryside. It truly is a wonderful place to be, lush with colour and an ever present orange sun that bathes the landscape in a warm glow. Its vineyards - famed world-over for their iconic wines - dot the landscape, while its beautiful capital of Beauclair sits visible from almost every point in the land, perched atop an elven ruin on a huge hill. After visiting Toussaint, the rest of the Witcher’s world feels unnecessarily depressing - you won’t want to leave.
At its core, Catalyst's expansion to an open world is a misfire. While side objectives like time trials, dead drops and an entire asynchronous multiplayer functionality make for a longer playtime, it comes at the expense of refinement. Catalyst's direction feels like the opposite of what people have been quite explicitly asking for since the original game came out. As a result, while its breathtaking leaps and adrenaline filled ascents are great in their own rights, Mirror's Edge feels like it has spent the last eight years standing still rather than moving forward.
Blood & Wine is an experience that is truly bittersweet. This is the hallmark of a studio at its peak, wholly confident and with nothing left to prove, but also still committed to delivering an expansion that’s more generous with its content than some full games – and which is good enough to be a Game of the Year contender in its own right.