One of the very best looking and playing sports games on the market today, NBA 2K17 continues to take from the "Free to Play" handbook in some of its best modes. Funnelling players towards microtransactions at every opportunity take away some of the fun, but not all.
While there's not much in terms of new content here, Bioshock: The Collection is a must-own for fans of the series, and a must-play for those that have yet to do so.
This Xbox One version of the Witness stands shoulder to should with its PC and PlayStation 4 counterparts, delivering the same content we saw in those releases with a comparable visual fidelity.
Madden NFL 17 certainly isn't a release for the series that introduces sweeping changes for the annual franchise. Smart tweaks to familiar modes, a slew of accesibility features, and a presentation that continues to impress, it's hard to knock this year's package for what it contains. NFL 17 builds off of the base that we've seen established over the last couple of years, for better or worse.
One of the most anticipated games of the year, No Man's Sky is somewhat of a letdown. While it certainly puts its best foot forward with a beautiful audio and visual presentation, to put it bluntly, it's boring. Ambitious as the universe that's been created by Hello Games is, what lies within is a middling survival/crafting game.
Firaxis has saved the best for last with the Shen's Last Gift DLC. A narrative-driven mission that culminates with adding a brand new mechanized squad member to your XCOM team is far more than anything we've seen from previous DLC releases.
Mirror's Edge: Catalyst rarely, if ever, makes as memorable an impression as its predecessor did. While it tries incredibly hard to do so, and succeeds in terms of world building and story development, it's all at the sake of nearly every other facet that players of the original may have held near and dear.
Total War: Warhammer is the most interesting, most polished, and most enjoyable Total War game to date. Depending on which camp you come from you may have a slight learning curve, but its definitely worth it as this game has plenty to sink your teeth into if you're a fan of strategy, high-fantasy, or both.
DOOM is 2/3 really good and 1/3 really mediocre. The single player campaign is an absolute blast and if you like the shooting action from that you can get all you can eat via Snap Map. DOOM competitive multiplayer is really unfortunate, however.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is one of the few PS4 exclusives that lives up to the "Greatness Awaits" slogan. There's a special element to games from Naughty Dog that deliver the type of single player experiences that can stand on their own, offering the perfect blend of story telling, visuals, and gameplay -- everything else I just consider a bonus.
Perhaps the true definitive version of Ori and the Blind Forest assuming you can get it running at 4K. Even if you can't and you haven't played it yet, it's still one of the very best platformers of the last few years with a stunning art style, incredible score, and emotional storyline.
While the Rogue like genre may be getting a little crowded, there's certainly room for the likes of Enter the Gungeon. It ticks all the boxes, with gameplay that beckons you to come back for one more run, a great art style and presentation, and seemingly something new discover or unlock on every playthrough.
Quantum Break has all the things we ask for from a video game and some things that we don't. Great gameplay, impressive graphics and presentation, and an amazing story are all state of the industry from Remedy. I just wonder what this game might have been if the game aspect of it had been fleshed out just a little bit more.
The Ultimate Ninja Storm series goes out on top with the fourth and final game from CyberConnect 2. Taking what they've learned in the past from previous releases and expanded on it, gameplay has been fine tuned with some new features that fans will surely appreciate. It all compliments a presentation package that's never looked better. Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 rounds out the story for fans in one of the best looking and best playing entries in the series.
There's nothing quite like Rainbow Six Siege competitive multiplayer for shooter fans. It can be incredibly fun despite some its shortcomings, but those shortcomings are visible in a number of important areas that keep this good revival of the popular Rainbow Six franchise from being great.
Just Cause 3 is one of the best open world games of 2015. Avalanche Studios gives players endless possibilities in this sequel that one-ups its predecessor in nearly every way.
The Old Hunters is for better or worse, more Bloodborne. If you're looking for a reason to return to Yharnam, this is a worthy expansion for the game. It'll give you just about everything you've come to expect from From Software RPGs — new enemies to fight, new weapons and items to uncover, a big new map to explore, and of course, the soul crushing defeats.
Beautiful but lacking in content, Star Wars: Battlefront has the potential to please Star Wars fans, it's just a matter of for how long.
Legacy of the Void has something for everyone with changes to multiplayer that shake up the formula, cooperative play, and a satisfying conclusion on the story front.
If you're willing to put up with some technical issues, Fallout 4 is Bethesda's most ambitious RPG to date.