A good-looking, minimalist twin stick shooter that delivers intense, if somewhat repetitive action at a price that feels a little too steep.
Although the single-player side of the game is weak, Rainbow Six: Siege's multiplayer modes are a huge amount of fun. Tense, thoughtful, and tactical, they play very differently to most run-and-gun shooters. While the game's content does feel a little slim at launch, there's no denying it's highly enjoyable to play - especially when you have a team of players working together.
World of Tanks is an entertaining and enjoyable tactical shooter with a surprising amount of depth. If you're not prepared to pony up some cash, it does become a grind eventually – but if you reach that point and you still want to play, spending some money is very likely a worthwhile investment.
Stern Pinball Arcade is a great-looking, authentic-sounding, highly realistic simulation that features an impressive roster of ten fun-to-play tables. If you're a pinball fan, you should definitely download the free one-table demo to see just how great an experience it delivers.
Featuring an impressive roster of bikes and tracks, and a broad spectrum of events to participate in, Ride 2 starts out being a bit of a grind, but eventually becomes a very entertaining racing game. Its action might be a little too hardcore to appeal to anyone other than a real motorcycle fan, but if that's you, definitely check it out.
Overcooked nails local co-op multiplayer gaming perfectly. It's incredibly easy to pick up and play, yet coordinating its myriad of seemingly-mundane tasks requires its players to constantly communicate. What transpires is riotous and often hilarious gameplay that's simply great fun to play. Unfortunately, it's not quite as entertaining as a single-player experience, but if you have friends and family to play with, Overcooked is highly recommended.
Pac-Man 256 takes the original coin-op's gameplay and gives it a clever new twist to create an endless muncher that's hugely fun to play. On the surface it looks simple, but its gameplay has surprising depth that makes it fiendishly addictive - and highly challenging to master.
Ghost Recon Wildlands is all over the place in terms of its quality. Some missions are frustrating, the game is not without its technical and design flaws, and its sandbox action can sometimes be repetitive, ludicrous and over-the-top. On the positive side, the game's open world is magnificent to behold, packs a vast amount of missions to keep you busy, and is simply highly entertaining to play - especially cooperatively. Don't go in expecting perfection, but if you're into shooting, sneaking, and driving, Ghost Recon Wildlands is a lot of fun.
After feeling light on content last year, the official F1 game returns with a fully-comprehensive career mode that spans 10 seasons. It also features a broad array of racing options, rivals mode, multiplayer for up to 22 participants, safety car and formation laps and, most importantly of all, really close and exciting competition. It all adds up to a thoroughly entertaining racing game that should please F1 and driving enthusiasts alike.
Many aspects of this new-generation Gran Turismo are fantastic. It looks absolutely stunning, sounds great, drives superbly, and delivers an excellent online racing experience. However, GT Sport is a little lacking when it comes to its content. Its car roster packs some very desirable motors, but feels somewhat padded out with single-model variants, and the track selection is decent, but not outstanding. Most disappointing, though, is that this game has largely replaced the series' traditionally comprehensive PvE racing campaign with a set of tests and lessons designed to teach you how to race. It certainly does that effectively, but it does mean that those who've always enjoyed Gran Turismo's single-player component are left distinctly wanting. The game's always-online requirement may also be a problem for some. Ultimately, GT Sport is a truly brilliant driving game—it's just that it lacks the scope, scale, and depth of previous iterations of the series.
Mastering For Honor's complex, but brilliant Art of Battle control system takes time and effort, but doing so is very worthwhile. While its campaign is short and rather underwhelming, For Honor's multiplayer really delivers the goods, featuring strategic, involving, and brutal medieval combat that puts you front and center in some truly epic battles. Few games are as gritty and bone-crunching as this.
After the disappointing Warlords of Draenor, World of Warcraft is back to form with Legion. Featuring a dynamic, scalable questing system, redesigned classes, new artifact weapons, a strong, lore-heavy storyline that positions you as a bona fide champion, and a ton of endgame content at launch, Legion feels like the strongest WoW expansion since Wrath of the Lich King. Whether it can continue this momentum over the expansion's duration remains to be seen, but for now, Legion is the invigorating shot in the arm that the game sorely needed.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare comprises a trio of game modes that are all very well produced and enjoyable to play through – but largely tread familiar ground in terms of their design. The spectacular-looking, well-written campaign packs strong characters and plenty of over-the-top moments, while Zombies in Spaceland is an enjoyable shoot 'em up romp that's best played with a team. The multiplayer mode is perhaps the game's weakest element. It's slick and polished, but feels a little too much like a remix of Black Ops 3.
Packing a vibrant, immersive open world, likeable cast of characters, and an engaging plot, Watch Dogs 2 is a good-looking, entertaining hacking romp that's not afraid to make a statement on today's technology-obsessed society. Its missions can be tackled in a variety of ways: Combat is always an option, but the game really comes into its own when you're using your suite of technology-disrupting tools to creatively outwit the enemy. It's involving, rewarding, and a lot of fun.
Halo Wars 2 is a very accessible RTS that's easy to pick up and play, but becomes increasingly complex as you get to grips with its more advanced commands. Assuming you're willing to invest the time and effort to truly master its intricate controls, the game offers plenty to get your teeth into. The campaign is a little short, but the multiplayer components are varied and robust - even if the really entertaining Blitz mode is soured somewhat by its microtransactional focus.
Although it's a little on the short side, and its production values are a bit oldschool, Titanfall 2's single-player campaign is a really enjoyable experience while it lasts. It's very inventive and fun, and a great warm-up for the game's excellent multiplayer component, whose gunplay and controls are absolutely outstanding. All it needs is a few more maps and modes.
Score Rush Extended might look and sound a little generic, but it's a solid, back-to-basics shooter that truly tests your arcade skills. Its bullet hell gameplay is nicely tuned to be highly challenging and addictive, and it's just plain fun to play. If you're a fan of hardcore shooters, definitely check it out.
Top marks to Drinkbox for daring to be different, and using the PS Vita's touch screen to create a unique gestural combat system. The action can be somewhat repetitive at times, but Severed's story is compelling enough to keep driving you on. That, combined with the beautiful-looking graphics deliver a dungeon crawler that's well worth experiencing.
The Gears of War series returns in fine form. The well-scripted and fantastic-looking campaign ends rather abruptly, but while it lasts, it's an exciting thrill ride of intense firefights and over-the-top set pieces. It can feel a little repetitive and relentless at times, but overall it's a lot of fun. The game's six-mode multiplayer PvP feels refined and well designed, and offers plenty of long-term potential, while Horde 3.0 is ideal for those who want to join friends in a long, and very challenging firefight.
Dead Star is a dynamic and entertaining mash-up of top-down shooter and open MOBA variant. It initially seems simple and straightforward, but the more you play it, the more its tactical and strategic depths become apparent. Ultimately, it's a really enjoyable game that offers intense, competitive PvP action, from exciting one-on-one dogfights to pitched battles involving many players.