Shadwen makes no bones about copying from other games. However, with the lack of compelling story-telling and gameplay, it fails to even accommodate interesting mechanics that other games handle better.
Total War: Warhammer provides a fresh take on two of the most compelling strategy and tactical franchises in history, creating an excellent mash-up that's well worth your time.
Faith has finally returned with Mirror's Edge Catalyst. Is it a return to form, especially when her "form" was never all that fleshed out to begin with? It's certainly a decent waste of time, worth visiting on and off through the months, but nothing spectacular.
This is far from Frogwares' worst effort till date but Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is far from the detective's greatest adventure yet.
The Technomancer has some interesting hooks but falls by the wayside. With more time, polish and a lot more heart, it could have been something more but this vacation to Mars is imminently uneventful and forgettable.
The Division's Underground is the polar opposite of Diablo 3's Reaper of Souls. It exposes the game's snail-slow progression and endless grind while still presenting the Dark Zone as having the best rewards. New players will probably enjoy the new content with the base game but it's a toss-up for the hardcore.
As the first episode in the series, Realm of Shadows offers a compelling start to what could be an enjoyable Batman adventure. Performance could be better - notwithstanding other issues plaguing PC gamers - and Telltale's gameplay is getting pretty old but Batman: The Telltale Series more than holds up with its story-telling, art and mechanics.
Hearts of Iron 4 is incredibly daunting for your average strategy player but for those who want war on its grandest scale yet - from the preliminary stages to the finale - it's worth playing.
An acceptably quirky adventure, Grow Up is an enjoyable experience that could have used a lot more polish, especially with regards to its movement, camera system and overall performance.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided isn't going to reinvent the wheel but it does present some truly great mission design, writing and gameplay with a plethora of options for any kind of experience. The story could have been improved but Adam Jensen's world is still worth extremely compelling for RPG/shooter fans and stealth enthusiasts.
Fallout 4 offers a pretty good, if not spectacular, DLC send-off with Nuka World. The new zones and quests, along with the twist on raiders, offer a unique new way to play. It may not change hardcore skeptics' minds about the franchise but it's fun all the same for fans.
Forza Horizon 3 is a compelling, all-round excellent racer that should appeal to both hardcore fans and first time players.
After significant in-roads over the past year, Destiny feels like its regressed with Rise of Iron. This would have been a great time for exceptional story missions and replayable content that wasn't completely frustrating. For its price, Rise of Iron should have offered a lot more and taken more risks.
Gears of War 4 is more of the same but that's not a bad thing. The campaign is fun to get through with a decent story and characters while Horde 3.0 offers some excellent action with friends. However, it's all a bit too familiar at this point and we expect a bit more.
A MOBA with an identity crisis or an RTS with too little to offer? Champions of Anteria strikes an odd balance that doesn't quite gel and isn't helped by its numerous problems.
An explosively amazing campaign, the same solid multiplayer with new modes and mechanics, lots of customization and excellent performance - Titanfall 2 is a keeper.
Dark Souls 3's Ashes of Ariandel DLC is an odd little piece of content...and little is the operative word. It's fun while it lasts, PvP receives some pretty cool new additions and the environments are gorgeous. Nonetheless, From Software is capable of so much more. This ranks slightly above acceptable.
Dead Rising 4 is the best at what it does and what it does is zombie killing. The presentation is strong and there are plenty of ways to kill zombies. Unfortunately, the game as a whole feels as worn-down and routine as West himself, from its side-quests to its way-point hunting and overall combat. Worth a look only if you're not fussy about exploring this mostly typical sandbox.
Like Left 4 Dead without the undead heart or Vermintide without the variety and hooks, Space Hulk Deathwing will satisfy only the most die-hard of Warhammer 40K fans. And even then they shouldn't expect much.
Rise and Shine's awesome 2D art-style and references can't help the uneven shooting that pervades its shoddy gameplay.