Brett Phipps
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a good on-rails virtual reality shooter. At times the scares can feel cheap, and the fact that it uses the same scare over and over again means you’ll either get bored or annoyed by it.
It feels like PlayStation VR Worlds has two very good games buried within it that have been stripped back to demos. Rather than being amazing, indulgent main courses, they’re bite-sized chunks thrown into a pick-and-mix.
Arkham VR is simply a must-buy for any Batman fan picking up PSVR. Rocksteady has proven itself time and again as the perfect creator of Batman games, and extending its brilliance into VR with such aplomb should be applauded.
Gears Of War 4 does everything required to bring the franchise roadie-running into 2016 without losing what made it so good to begin with. One of the best games on the Xbox One.
Rez Infinite is the best game on PlayStation VR right now. It is simply the perfect example of what virtual reality can bring to traditional games that you know and love. To the VR naysayers, hold this game into their face and tell them to shut it. It looks and sounds gorgeous, plays brilliantly and for just £24.99 is an absolute must-buy.
DICE has put together a superlative campaign experience. The decision to create a mini-series following multiple soldiers is brilliant, and something that other games should follow in the future, as there wasn’t a single moment of filler.
I’m genuinely saddened that Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer doesn’t stack up to previous entries, as every year I look forward to jumping back into Call of Duty and spending a good few months shooting up stuff. The fact that another game comes in the box that is better than Infinite Warfare in almost every way is pretty damning. It's still one of the best shooters ever made, but a game that has come out a decade later should still be able to compete.
Pokémon Sun and Moon prove that with steady innovation an old dog can certainly learn new tricks. The developers should be applauded for being consistently brave in making changes to the series that appease both newcomers and series veterans alike.
Yes, The Last Guardian's controls are incredibly archaic and at times can be entirely broken, but two days after finishing it, the story has stuck with me. Studio Japan has continued to show how it can do so much while saying so little. The environment, characters and everything about the narrative captivated me. In spite of the controls I still thoroughly enjoyed the game overall. The story is a simple one, but powerful nonetheless.
The Walking Dead Season 3 makes two very strong starts. Splitting the first episode into a two-parter means fans are treated to a double-whammy of excellent storytelling and get to spend more time with these immediately engaging and relatable characters.
Sniper Elite 4 continues to hone and refine the series while also offering an experience more welcoming to newcomers. I'm pleasantly surprised by the campaign's ability to offer a strong balance between sneaky stealth and utter chaos, with both playing styles able to be experienced within the same mission.
After spending years yearning for Resident Evil to return to survival horror, Capcom has done so in absolute style. The switch to first person works wonders for the series and we have a game that feels completely fresh while at the same time has so many moments that will lead series fans to reminisce.
I didn’t expect Horizon: Zero Dawn to be this good. I doubt I’ll be the only one saying they were surprised that the Killzone developer has been able to deliver a game with such breadth, depth and consistently rewarding gameplay.
Yooka-Laylee is a nostalgic old-school adventure, but it’s too retro for its own good. Frustrating game mechanics, annoying boss fights and the complete lack of guidance become infuriating as the game progresses.
If there's a better game out there than Breath of the Wild, I haven't played it. Nintendo has created, for me, the greatest game of all time. It's everything I want from a game and one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had.
Playing They Shall Not Pass made me immediately want to get back into Battlefield 1. It's an excellent collection of maps that continues to show off DICE's incredible ability to finely craft well-thought-through maps that allow for amazing moments.
Andromeda is a good game and I've enjoyed my time with it. However, for those who've been waiting five years for another Mass Effect adventure, I don't think it will be good enough.
After Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the next Nintendo Switch must-buy. It's the best the series has ever been, offering one definitive package.
I thoroughly recommend Prey, particularly to those who even remotely enjoyed Dishonored or BioShock – there's plenty here that will attract attention. It's a great game.
I had fun with my first run through Farpoint's single player and the experience in co-op is just as great. Again the blurriness in VR when aiming isn't ideal, but the core gameplay is so satisfying when shooting stuff I tend to overlook it, plus the AIM controller needs to be the new standard controller for any VR FPS games.