Another impressive open world environment is wasted on dull, joyless gameplay and repetitive missions, making Syndicate as banal and artless as Assassin's Creed has ever been.
A heartbreaking ending to a fascinatingly ambitious interactive story, that handles the build-up to its final dilemma with impressive confidence and heart.
The Tales franchise still feels like a great combat system in need of a much better game, especially given the banal script and dungeon design that mars this latest entry.
Some of the best storytelling so far in the series, and some inspired set pieces, but the chance to refine the gameplay has been sadly missed.
Dragon Quest is arguably the most successful partner so for Dynasty Warriors, but the potential of the franchise, and this particular crossover, is still only barely hinted at.
The best Transformers game so far but, more importantly, a hugely entertaining and original action game that is one of the most uniquely entertaining releases of the year.
An ode to pop culture, the joy of toys, and the love of a good mash-up. It's expensive, and a lot of the gameplay is familiar, but the mix of elements is almost impossible to resist.
An excellent remaster of three of the PlayStation 3's best looking games, but none of them have aged quite as gracefully as you might expect.
A stripped down Animal Crossing with a premise so lightweight it can barely be said to exist at all, and yet there's still an undemanding charm to its no-octane thrills.
It won't convert many new fans to either series but this is a successful mix of the best of both (minus the map-making) and whose new ideas deserve a future of their own.
Easily the best toys-to-life game so far, with a great new gimmick that makes for one of the best family friendly titles this year.
All the changes and additions are for the best, and a great step forward for Destiny in general, but they come at a price – both literally and figuratively.
A surprisingly strong effort at turning around the disappointment of last year's game, with the best Star Wars action this side of Battlefront.
Some of the best car chases in recent gaming memory and a stunning post-apocalyptic world, although when Max gets out of his car he becomes more mediocre than mad.
If you accept its purposeful limitations this is one of the few successful attempts to ensure creating your own games is as much fun as playing them.
The best Metal Gear Solid game ever made, as it bravely reinvents both its gameplay and its storytelling to far greater effect than ever before.
The most original and enjoyable online shooter of the generation, and now with enough content to make the most of its superlative action.
Staggeringly inept on almost every level, with crimes against game design, and good taste, that cannot be forgiven solely by the low budget.
One of the more successful interactive movies of recent years, but that's really not saying much given the lack of gameplay and horror thrills.
One of the best survival horrors of recent years, that functions almost as well as the Wii U version and offers a mature-rated adventure that is as ruthlessly difficult as it is engrossing.