Lost in Random wears its visual influences on its sleeve and is more than worth a look for those who are fans of that kind of aesthetic alone. The story grabs you immediately and maintains a steady drip-feeding of excitement throughout its playtime and the game is just overall a refined and lovingly crafted adventure that will appeal to even those who are generally turned off by "card battle" games, as the content and gameplay here goes much deeper than that.
If you're a fan of puzzle and adventure titles like the Broken Sword series, as well as more intimate character focused experiences that derive a lot of its influence from cultural folklore, such as the aforementioned Never Alone, then Röki is more than deserving of your time. It's not the longest experience but is engaging throughout and spins a yarn that is honestly one of the more emotionally affecting I've experienced this year.
If you missed out on the game the first time around then DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition should definitely be given your consideration, especially considering the low price point. A fine example of a remaster done right (Although one must ask: "Where the hell are all the true current gen titles?"), DmC is a fast paced action game that offers a wealth of customisation option to appease even the most ardent critic of the game.
Media Molecule created something magical with the original Little Big Planet games and, for the most part, Sumo Digital has managed to retain the essence of what makes this series such a joy to play. However, in some departments this doesn't feel quite like a fully fledged Little Big Planet entry, even with the jump to current gen consoles.
I used to hear that Treyarch's efforts with the Call of Duty series were inferior to that of Infinity Ward, and that may have been true in the past, but here Treyarch has really put their stamp on the game and created what is, in a nutshell, the game that made me come back to the series after such a lengthy time away.
The storyline can be a little underwhelming and some can argue that once you reach the end game there's not too much to do besides run the same few mission types over and over on higher difficulties. Whilst this is true to a degree, the sheer addictive thrill of increasing your weapon accuracy by two points well and truly sucked me in and I found myself finally understanding the draw of MMOs and games like Destiny.
With no visual upgrades, additional areas or missions, the main purpose behind this release seems to be keeping the franchise in the public eye until the announced sequel drops, but if you've never played Dishonored before then definitely try to pick this up.
If you’re a fan of 2D retro platformers that test both your mental acuity and your thumb dexterity, then Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse should be right up your alley.
Although not as impenetrable to newcomers as earlier entries, F1 2017 in some ways falls victim to the curse of annual releases; with such a rigid release schedule in place the opportunity to meaningfully expand upon last year's effort is reduced and often the best you get is possibly a new mechanic and a whole heap of fine-tuning of established mechanics.
Although not quite the return to greatness that many fans were hoping for, this reboot of the Modern Warfare series manages to hold its own against the glut of online shooters currently available and offers enough tweaks and revisions to the core gameplay to justify dipping into yet another annual instalment.
Despite definitely showing their age in some respects, both Vanquish and Bayonetta hold up extremely well against modern counterparts when it comes to the pitch perfect gameplay. If you missed either of these titles upon their initial release, there's really no excuse to not give them a look in if you're even slightly a fan of the third person action genre.
Although a bit light on main missions, the amount of new content on offer here makes The Tengu's Disciple a must for anyone who enjoyed the base game. The new weapon is a blast to use and the new difficulty ensures that those players who had capped out all of their gear and explored all regions fully will now have an incentive to play through not just the new content but also previous missions as well.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is fast, frenetic and frustrating and makes no pretences about the kind of game that it is.
It's too early to call at the moment, but Minecraft: Story Mode looks set to be shaping up to be another fine effort from the folks at Telltale Games. Combining their narrative excellence with the insanely popular Minecraft franchise has created a unique beast all of its own that takes the best elements from both parties in order to create an engaging and, above all, fun playing experience.
Trackmania Turbo combines the thrill of arcade racing with the addictive short-form challenges of games like Trials. The track design is exemplary, if seemingly intentionally designed to elicit the maximum possible amount of frustration from players, and the pick-up-and-play nature of the game makes the barrier for entry incredibly easy.
A more than viable alternative to Street Fighter V, King of Fighters XIV offers up a refined combat system, an incredibly deep and responsive mechanical experience and a huge roster of characters, each with their own subtle martial arts discipline and varied approaches to fighting.
I really, really enjoyed Prey. A pitch perfect marriage of Science-Fiction and Horror, Prey is close to what I imagine a modern, FPS Dead Space would be like, with a liberal helping of System Shock sauce sprinkled on top.
Little Nightmares is an effective little thriller that provides a breezy four or so hours of gameplay and some of the most intense scares of the year, high praise in a year where Resident Evil VII and Outlast II have also released. This short length might be a bone of contention for some but it ensures that the game is succinct and free from filler and doesn't run the risk of wearing out its welcome.
The black sheep of the PlayStation-era Final Fantasy behemoths certainly deserves attention from those who have somehow avoided playing it in some form or another over the last seventeen years and feels like slipping into a worn but comfortable pair of slippers for any returning players.
Once you master the fluid locomotion system and more advanced techniques, playing Sprint Vector is an exhilarating experience unlike anything else available on the VR format; indeed, a game like this could only truly work in virtual reality.