That idea of never being comfortable with how the game is unravelling is something that feels quite unique and it's extremely well imagined here. Plenty of survival horror games have you feeling vulnerable as you essentially fulfil the role of a hero but things are different here. In Alien: Isolation you're not the hero, you're the prey.
FIFA 15 is not quite the great leap forward that many would have hoped for but it's a bigger jump than it initially appears to be. The changes, although infuriating to begin with as they make you re-learn elements of your game, ultimately make for a more realistic game of football. There's more nuance, more fidelity in the tactical systems and there's greater movements from the players on the pitch. In a series that is synonymous with incremental improvements, FIFA 15 manages to feel like more of an evolutionary leap.
The New Order is unlikely to feature in many Game of the Year lists and it does have a few areas where perhaps it could have benefitted from a little more polish. Shooter fans, and especially those who remember the halcyon days of id's seminal shotgun-and-chainsaw, blood-soaked titans, shouldn't let that put them off. It's clearly not perfect but it is a very enjoyable and respectably lengthy shooter that embraces its heritage while successfully striving to evolve its core gameplay in a new and interesting direction.
Trials Fusion continues the tradition of finely balanced frustration and joy that always made previous games in the series so compelling. The online multiplayer situation is a little unclear at launch but this series has always been mostly about the leaderboard struggles and Fusion delivers that in spades. The user-generated content adds plenty of longevity, even beyond the promise of those six DLC packs over the next year and the new trick system – frustrating and difficult to master as it is – is a perfect fit for the game.
Strider is an enjoyable game but it's not one that particularly stands out against others of its type. It is cleverly designed, as this style of game must be, but not so much that it earns the right to sit alongside the genre's ageing greats like Symphony of the Night and it's not quite up to the complex replayability of modern classics like Shadow Complex. It's a decent game that generally looks very nice and will while away a few hours, but you won't be rushing to tell your friends about it and you might not want to return after completing it.
While the power of the 3DS can occasionally be seen working to bring about the delightful art styles and adding some lovely depth to the animations, this is essentially the same substance as every Layton game so far. That is by no means a bad thing. The puzzles offer plenty of variety and there is a lot of content to get you started, even without venturing into the mini-games and the daily puzzle downloads.
Borderlands 2 is one of the unmissable videogame experiences of the year.