It's neither revolutionary, nor a next-gen leap, but Powerstar Golf is a cheery, entertaining experience regardless. We'll be coming back to this for weeks.
Limited core gameplay, broken systems, poor controls, a terribly told story and underwhelming visuals make Crimson Dragon Xbox One's worst launch game by far.
Brilliant combat, a sumptuously produced story and some of the best visuals we've ever seen make up for the limitations of the gameplay. Ryse: Son of Rome is bloody good fun.
A fun, engaging arcade racer with thrills, spills, explosions and crashes aplenty, Need for Speed: Rivals is let down by the largely pointless AllDrive and a lack of race types. A mixed bag.
A gorgeous, joy-filled, characterful platformer. Aside from a few minor niggles, Rayman Legends deserves a place alongside the very best examples of the genre. It looks ever-so slightly prettier on Xbox One, but that's about it. Nonetheless, Rayman Legends is still highly recommended.
A decent revisit of a fondly remembered classic, Strider gives its ageing source material a modern twist to solid effect. Beware though; if you've no patience for tough, pattern-filled, old-school boss fights, you may want to look elsewhere.
It should go without saying that sports compilation games of this type are lightweight and disposable. But within that context, Kinect Sports Rivals does its job well. The motion sensing works, with a few exceptions, and the events are wrapped up in some beautiful presentation. Microsoft finally has a decent excuse for Xbox One's all-seeing eye.
Brilliant. Ubisoft Montpellier has created one of this year's most memorable games. A story of adventure and tragedy played out against the backdrop of World War I, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a game everyone should play.
Sniper Elite III answers the perennial question of 'are video games art?' by saying, "Dude, who gives a crap? I just shot a freaking Nazi in the testicles!" It's an occasionally annoying but often enjoyable game.
Metro Redux offers two flawed but enjoyable games with a substantial visual upgrade and a number of thoughtful additions.
Alien: Isolation is a tough, terrifying and ultimate thrilling game that's defiantly old-school in its approach. The result is one of the best survival horror games in recent memory.
Far Cry 4 is Far Cry 3 dialled up to eleven, with more animals, activities, missions and abilities. And while throwing more stuff at the player isn't the perfect recipe for success, I was happy to play a richer, larger version of one of my favourite games in recent years.
Never Alone isn't without its merits. Telling an interesting story of a dying culture, it's a hugely flawed game that manages to conjure warmth in the icy cold.
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell is the Big Mac of games. You know what you're getting, it's a bit cheap, you enjoy eating it, you don't have to chew and an hour later you've forgotten all about it. Utterly unchallenging and lacking in fresh ideas, Gat Out of Hell is still capable of making you smile.
Saints Row IV: Re-elected may score low in terms of its visual overhaul, but the game's ability to amuse and thrill is undiminished. This is a riotous experience that prioritises fun over everything else and thanks to the generosity of Volition it's bigger than ever, with five extra hours of gameplay in the form of previously-released DLC and the brand new Gat Out of Hell expansion. Not played Saints Row in a while? Give this one a bash.
Fast, silly, disposable fun that excels at couch competition but falls short of our expectations for online play, #IDARB is nevertheless a brilliant laugh. Get a few mates 'round and fire it up for guaranteed giggles.
Evolve is brilliant in the right circumstances and with the right people, but it's hard to unreservedly recommend to everyone. Those with dedicated teams will get the most out of the game while those in matchmaking will find mixed results. Still, Turtle Rock deserves recognition for attempting - and almost nailing - such an ambitious project.
Free from Kinect, Frontier has been able to deliver a game that revels in split-second timing and precise controls. The result is the studio's best Xbox game in years that's a brilliantly fun coaster-racing, track-building, building destroying experience in its own right. ScreamRide feels like a reaction to the studio's Kinect work. Where Microsoft's motion-detecting device demanded games without precise input, ScreamRide revels in it. The result is a joy.
Zombie Army Trilogy isn't an especially well made game. It's a bit buggy and cheap and it's decidedly dumb. But it's also capable of being really fun. Get online with a few friends, get the beers in, and laugh together as you massacre Hitler's undead army, one squishy head at a time.
Ori and the Blind Forest excels in so many areas. The fantastic level design, the inventive abilities, the touching story, the wonderful score and of course those scintillating visuals all stack up for one hell of an experience. Demanding a place in your collection, Ori and the Blind Forest is the best game I've played this year.