A marked improvement over last year, but the absence of pace is sorely missed. FIFA 16 is not as good on the pitch as PES this year – again – but it's a great football game regardless, with unrivalled off the pitch options.
PES 2016 is undoubtedly a great football game, as good as it's been in years. Sure, it's better on the pitch than PES 2015, but it's let down somewhat by some cavalier keepers who couldn't catch a cold.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is a solid little point-and-click adventure that's let down by its clunky controls and its sometimes nonsensical puzzles.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is the Gears of War that fans didn't ask for, but it's the one they got, and it's actually pretty great, as it happens. The campaign seems to have taken a backseat to the multiplayer in terms of improvements, but it's worth buying for the multiplayer alone, so there's that. It'll tide you over till Gears of War 4 at least, but that's about it.
Rare Replay is undoubtedly an insane amount of value for money, shining a light on one of the world's most celebrated developers and 30 of their biggest titles. A great mix with some classics, not so classics and games that slipped under our radar, all brought together with slick presentation and an incredible amount of fan service. All hail Rare.
A mighty fine bite-size Battlefield experience that takes a franchise synonymous with being a military shooter and establishes it in new territory. Battlefield Hardline is not as grand or epic as you'd perhaps expect a core Battlefield title to be, but it's certainly a damn fine alternative.
If you'd have asked me after hour five what The Crew was, I would have said a solid 50% score. Hour ten? 60%. Thankfully though, the home straight is what saves The Crew from being just another average racer and with its incredibly game world, it's worth dipping your toe in. Just don't expect it to get decent for a long time, but when it does, it's almost worth the wait.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is the game that Dragon Age II should have been. Set in one of the most diverse and awe-inspiring game worlds in quite some time, Inquisition will have you searching every nook and cranny, spreading your influence as far as you can get it. Let down by a few bugs and some questionable design choices, it's still one of the year's best RPGs. Easily.
A triumphant return for PES this year, after spending many years rotting away in the lower leagues. While PES 2015 might not match EA and FIFA's spending power in terms of licenses and what not, where it matters, on the pitch, this ageing superstar is getting a recall to the first eleven.
Sunset Overdrive is one of this year's finest games, chock full with refreshing humour, a vibrant sandbox and some of the most fun gameplay mechanics we've experienced in some time. It's a hit, so do yourself a favour and go out and pick up this son of a bitch.
Forza Horizon 2 is another impressive racer from Playground Games. That said, while the original Horizon nailed the single-player and lacked on the multiplayer front, Horizon 2 is the polar opposite to that. If they can nail the two at once in the inevitable sequel, then Horizon will surely take the crown off Motorsport.
While not as an impressive leap forward as FIFA 14 on next-generation consoles, FIFA 15 is still a solid package. The gameplay might have taken a sideways or even slightly backwards step, but at the moment, this is the closest to the beautiful game we have in terms of presentation and delivery. For now.
Watch Dogs is an unmitigated triumph, that's for sure. Considering the game is a new IP, it does a lot of things incredibly well and lays the foundation for a franchise that has the makings of being a potential Assassin's Creed beater. Despite a few puzzling design decisions and an almost glacial start to the campaign, Watch Dogs is worthy of your time. There's no doubt about that.
Nobody can argue with Titanfall's minute-to-minute gameplay. It's a wonderful blend of verticality and brilliantly frenetic combat, and is sure to be the new standard of awesome when it comes to competitive multiplayer shooters. What you can argue with is the package as a whole, which could be described as a little light and lacking in some places. Still, there's a lot to be said for the inherently fun, shooty mech action that Titanfall has to offer.
Despite its slow and dreary start, Thief builds to deliver an experience that most stealth fans will lap up. However, most Thief fans will mourn the loss of the reboot's freedom and choice. That said, Thief is ultimately a game that delivers epic highs and mediocre lows, and for the highs alone, I have no issues recommending it to anyone.
For what it is, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a charming, yet rather restrictive 2D, puzzle-platformer. Despite its limited scope, lack of replayability and depth, there's some fun to be had here, if only for a while.
Better than Fighters Uncaged, but that wasn't too hard. Fighter Within works, and that's the only positive thing to say about it. For £50, you're best off paying for a session of S&M with your local masochist. It'd last longer.
Zoo Tycoon's biggest crime is its lack of ambition. With all the power behind it and a renowned sim-orientated brand, it's as if family specialists, Frontier, wasn't sure which crowd to cater too. Despite that, the pseudo-deep sim game is feature-heavy and an ultimately enjoyable ride.
It's a new day, a new dawn for the next-generation consoles and the Dead Rising franchise. Easily Microsoft's best launch title and the very definition of a killer-app, if Dead Rising 3's environmental depth and detail is a sign of things to come for the new generation of consoles, get ready to bask in the glory that is open-world games. Dead Rising 3 is an undead treat.