Dirt Rally is a true return to form for Codemasters' Dirt franchise and may be the company's best title to date.
Inevitably, comparisons will be drawn with Dirt Rally, which is something I've deliberately avoided to this point. When stacking one against the other, it feels like Dirt Rally is the elder, more scholastic, and slightly serious sibling. Dirt 4 on the other hand, is the younger, outgoing sibling who, whilst not exactly bouncing off the walls, still knows how to have a little fun.
The Sexy Brutale is a truly memorable title.
Forza Motorsport 7 remains the benchmark for console racing and it will be seventh heaven for all Forza fans everywhere.
In short, this is possibly the most complete F1 title for a long time, and arguably the best in the franchise.
This year's entry may not have quite the same wow factor as 2017's game, but it doesn't need to. It quietly and in an understated way surpasses its predecessor quite brilliantly.
Whilst World of Tanks might not be everyone, the title is flawless in its execution.
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.
Fully patched with a fuller catalog of cars and even more circuits, there is little left to complain about. The racing is as good, as real and as uncompromising as it gets on the console and it is a truly exhilarating experience.
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.
Axiom Verge is a brilliant homage to the 'metroidvania' origins back in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras. Whilst the choice to be so uncompromising in its retro style might not suit everyone, the gameplay in the title remains compelling and manages to maintain that fine balance in the level of difficulty for being challenging for all players without becoming frustrating.
Dying Light is Techland's best and most ambitious title to date.
The game is an exhilarating driving experience both online and offline, with great physics, nice visuals, and some nice little additions to deepen the immersion and the feeling of involvement that captures the pageantry and showmanship of the sport.
Whilst Dirt Rally is aimed at the drivers, WRC 6 is definitely for the fans. The game wants to bring the thrill, the sensation and the enjoyment of rallying to all of the fans of the sport regardless of their driving ability.
World To The West is a 'Sunday stroll' type of game. It's pleasant and enjoyable without being too taxing or stressful for the player.
MXGP3 is another step forward for the franchise and Milestone is to be commended in how well they have managed to capture the essence of the sport. The title looks better than ever and plays better than ever, a few niggles aside.
Project CARS 2 really does feel like Project CARS version 2.0 with virtually all aspects of the title having been polished and improved.
With the combat essentially untouched, it remains as engaging as ever, not forgetting that this is a free update for a free-to-play title without paywalls or loot-crates, so it's a good time to jump in if you already haven't started.
If you're into resource gathering, crafting and exploring, then Subnautica is simply a title that you have to play.
Despite showing its age in occasional places, the purity and simplicity of Burnout's arcade racing is as refreshing now as it was when the title was first released.