Back 4 Blood is brilliant, co-op fun, with an interesting card system, but it's marred by terrible bots, awkward solo campaign choices, and a lackluster PvP mode.
The quirks of what seem to be a last-minute rush out the door development strategy don't detract from the fact that each Hitman 2 level is wonderfully crafted and full of potential for inventiveness… and silliness.
Sea of Thieves is bursting with potential for storytelling in a watery paradise, but doesn't have enough to keep players coming back.
All Fe's colour, charm and cute make it utterly recommendable despite its flaws.
Need for Speed Payback successfully returns to its Fast and Furious roots with aplomb, but a focus on the grind and a beautiful but empty world means it ultimately falls short of greatness.
Steep looks stunning and offers plenty to do and see, but unfortunately gets repetitive too quickly.
Unravel is a welcome change to the EA rosta and a lovely tale that will have you feeling all warm inside – like sinking into a warm bath that eventually gets a little cold with time. Yarny is an adorable and utterly believable lead who tells the aging woman's story well, allowing you to embellish it with your own experiences.
But ultimately I've invested so much time in this game that my few niggles are also rendered mute. 11-bit Studios has created an exploration of the desperateness of wartime human experience and made it into something you can't help but find compelling. The addition of children into the original mix is a way of enhancing that, making the reality all the more visceral.
Telltale Games has done it again with Minecraft: Story Mode. I'm still not entirely sure how the developer managed to make an open world building game into such a fun and compelling story-based adventure but it certainly has.
You'll struggle to find a game available now that looks or feels as immersive or as beautiful as Far Cry 4. And it's only games like Assassin's Creed Unity or Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that can match it in terms of breadth of gameplay. It just feels like the story lets it down in places. Make choices count and give the player real power. Don't just dangle the carrot.
Lego Dimensions' Ghostbusters Story Pack is just a little bit AWESOME
Simply because it builds on an already fantastic game, Football Manager 2017 is in itself a winner. But a lot of the new features feel a little rough around the edges. The social aspects are repetitive, the improved graphical engine disappointing and there isn't much to tempt those who don't want to sign the next 12-months away to a simulation game.
If Supermassive could have laid off the stupid boss mechanics, this would have been a perfect VR horror game. It skilfully walks the line of tense, psychological horror and creepy, boo-scares for an experience that you won't forget for a while - in fact, we've dreamt about it. Damn those spiders.
Just when you might have expected the original Toys-to-Life franchise to be running out of steam, Activision has brought it back, revitalised and exciting. Imaginators might just be the best Skylanders yet.
The multiplayer does enough to round-out a good Gears of War package. The single-player campaign isn't the strongest in Gears' five-game history. Much as we respect the change of style and like the interplay, the characters are dull and the set-pieces not as compelling as those in the original Gears and its two sequels – or even Gears of War: Judgement for that matter.
Yo-Kai Watch is an RPG that continued to surprise us. What we thought was going to be a Pokemon rip-off is much, much more than that.
It's a game that challenges your way of thinking, forcing you to live by each moment and ditch that hoarding habit you've been harbouring. So grab your raft, enjoy the views and just try to survive. It's harder than you think.
The unique colour wheel gameplay mechanic makes for an interesting twist on the classic 2D platformer too, while Hue's clever level design constantly keeps you on your toes.
SteamWorld Build is proof that the SteamWorld formula can be applied to almost any genre with its mix of city building and dungeon mining combining for quite the treat.
Ubisoft Bordeaux has delivered exactly what it promised. Assassin's Creed Mirage is a compact, stealth-focused adventure that punishes anyone trying to go in loud, and it does so in a world that's always a delight to explore (and be chased through).