Halo 5: Guardians is an exciting Halo package, marred only by some questionable design decisions, like microtransactions and some shoddy friendly-AI in the campaign. It's not a classic Halo, but 343 is moving in a good direction with the franchise.
Fallout 4 might not be as technically advanced as, say The Witcher 3, but it's a game full of charm and substance, which makes up for an ageing Creation Engine. Fallout 4 boasts an incredible world full of intrigue, mystery and suspense, backed by a whole host of weird and wonderful characters. It's a world you're going to want to go back to, time and time again.
Star Wars Battlefront is undoubtedly the Star Wars experience that we all wanted, it's just a shame that there's a distinct lack of content. That said, playing Battlefront is as close to being in a Star Wars movie as you're ever likely to get.
Oxenfree just goes to show that you don't need vast wads of cash to make great games. You can make one with a strong enough idea and a solid and unwavering vision. With its engaging story, its excellent voice-acting and enthralling dialogue, Oxenfree is a game to remember, marred only by its constant crashes, which is less than ideal.
Why Trials of the Blood Dragon exists, we have no idea… it’s quite clearly one of the worst games I have played, ever, and is a game with no redeeming qualities. Save your money, folks, this one is a stinker. A proper stinker!
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an impressive sequel to the brilliant Human Revolution. In the grand scheme of things, there are very few monumental changes, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? And everything that was broken in Human Revolution? It's all fixed. Held back from true greatness by the odd grumble here and there, Mankind Divided is worthy of anyone's time and money.
XCOM 2 is a great strategy game for the same reasons that Enemy Unknown/Enemy Within were, for the unique minute-to-minute gameplay, but as a sequel, this needed more innovation and less iteration.
DICE should be praised for taking the risky move and turning back the clock with Battlefield 1, both in terms of the era and the direction for the franchise. Very often these moves can cripple a series, but thankfully for us – and DICE – it’s a move that has revitalised the franchise.
Steep is an admirable effort from Ubisoft Annecy, one that is chock full of decent ideas, but held back by others. This simulation extreme sports title lays down the foundations for what could turn out to be another staple in Ubisoft’s ever growing catalogue.
Dead Rising 4 is undoubtedly a great zombie game, with Capcom Vancouver nailing the open-world and tone once more, but the lack of true psychos in the world does detract from the overall experience. It’s no Dead Rising 3, but it’s still a bloody good game.
The Sexy Brutale is the perfect example of an interesting concept and excellent execution. Sure, it might have its issues, but underneath the unique puzzle mechanics is one hell of an enthralling story. Worthy of your time, indeed!
Cities: Skylines is a pretty damn good city building sim game for consoles. It's got its problems and it's incredibly limited in its scope, but if you're looking to kill more than a few hours with one of the most therapeutic game in some time, this is it.
An old skool RPG if ever there was one, Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition should be on your shopping list if you're a strategy and RPG junkie. It's as close as we're going to get to a new Baldur's Gate, and while it has its quirks and suffers from agonising load times on consoles, it's still a joy to play.
Cuphead will go down as a classic, that's for sure, and it's quite possibly the hardest game I've ever played, but you just have to try it. If only for a short-while. Just get out before that blood pressure rises!
South Park: The Fractured But Whole is a case of one step forward, two steps back. From a gameplay perspective, it's infinitely better than it was in the previous outing, but as a piece of entertainment, The Fractured But Whole simply doesn't measure up to The Stick of Truth. There's no censorship this time, which is good, but it almost feels like the whole thing got self-censored somewhere along the way.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is a stellar follow-up to MachineGames' 2014 reboot of the franchise, one with super-satisfying combat and a wacky, engaging story. Sure, it might go a little too far at times, but you'll have a blast with The New Colossus from start to finish, that's a promise.
If you can get past all the issues that The Sims 4 has on consoles, it's a ton of fun. That's a pretty big 'if' though!
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is not completely awful. It's just not very good. Sure, it does have some good ideas and some interesting mechanics, but for every good idea, there are ten that are just bloody bewildering. Warhorse seems to have valued realism over fun and enjoyment with Deliverance, but to be honest, it's not even that realistic. It's just a bloody boring buggy mess of a game, but one that isn't completely terrible. Every cloud and all that.
Sea of Thieves has the potential for some great tales, cruising the high seas, following the wind with them sails. Its lack of content and things to do hold it back, but at no point is the game totally whack. Arrr!
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a harrowing journey into the fragility of the mind. It's a masterpiece in storytelling, and while the game mechanics itself might not complement that throughout, they do a decent job of allowing Ninja Theory to deliver a mature story revolving around a sensitive subject matter. We hope that this opens up the door for more budget priced triple-A experiences, because this one was one hell of a ride!