Dirt Rally is a true return to form for Codemasters' Dirt franchise and may be the company's best title to date.
Tiny Troopers Joint Ops is an easy to pick up, fun little twin stick shooter and it's hard to criticize the title or find any particular fault with the game. It's a faithful reproduction of the two mobile games and offers plenty of levels to play. In small doses, it is indeed very playable and, as a distraction and diversion, it's great fun and the closest that you'll get to the classic Cannon Fodder on any modern console. For that alone it has to be commended. However, there is a feeling that by sticking so closely to the mobile roots of the game, the developers have somewhat confined and restricted the title in some way. It's good to have the franchise finally on the Xbox One and I'm quietly hoping for more in the future.
Whilst World of Tanks might not be everyone, the title is flawless in its execution.
MotoGP 15 manages to delight and disappoint this year. The racing itself is better than ever due to the improvements in the physics and handling of the bikes. However, with the game making its first appearance on the Xbox One you feel that Milestone had the chance to impress and perhaps bring new fans into the fold, but with the lacklustre presentation and more severe bugs, it feels like a missed opportunity and that's a shame. To be fair, the title has always focussed on the racing - it just wants the player to race and race some more, and with this Milestone have continued to deliver an unrivalled two-wheel experience that is a thrilling and intense as the sport it represents. It is genuinely hard to find fault in the actual racing within the game.
Ziggurat, like some of the loot drops in the title itself, is a surprising little gem of a game, representing the best of what ID@Xbox titles can offer: simple, stylish, polished, and great fun, and never takes itself too seriously. Dungeons and enemies are, ironically, bright and colorfully brought to life. This is a game that focuses on replayability with unpredictability at every turn and challenges the player to make the most of the hand that they have been dealt. Admittedly, this is not a title that will appeal to everyone, but there is enough here for most to enjoy. The combination of FPS and dungeon looting is interesting, and the randomness makes it all the more intriguing. This is one of those titles that you could easily and quite happily continually dipping in and out of for quite a while to come.
LA Cops has the feel of a casual game that you can blast through quickly and give your achievement score a quick boost. In some ways, it is a little frustrating as you feel that with a little more fine tuning and the inclusion of multiplayer it could have been a great, fun, little game, but as it is, it falls a little short of that.
Dying Light is Techland's best and most ambitious title to date.
Forza Horizon 2 picks up where the first game finished, and improves on just about every area. The FM5 engine produces some absolutely stunning graphics, which is matched in equal parts by the audio and sounds of the cars. The world is as open as it can be and leaves the players to drive and race wherever they want. Add to this all of the single-player events, multiplayer races, co-op events, road trips, and car clubs, and this is a mammoth package of pure petrolhead pleasure. The festival atmosphere is felt throughout the game. It is fun from start to finish. Due to its diversity and replayability, it's hard to say what more you could want from such a title. In short, following in the tire treads of its predecessor, this could well be the racing game of 2014.