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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hitman 2 is a solid follow-up to our 2016 Game of Year, delivering five huge killer sandboxes to explore to your heart's content. Yes, the maps might not be as unique as iterations gone-by and there is seemingly fewer than normal, but boy, are they great maps. Factor in Contracts mode and the excellent Ghost Mode, and Hitman 2 is very much worth your time. Where else can you dress up as a mascot or get involved in a poisonous drinking game to take down a target? Answer: no-bloody-where!
Divinity Original Sin 2: Definitive Edition is a fine installment in the Divinity series and despite a few odd design decisions and the balance being completely out of whack, it's still a truly memorable and enjoyable experience.
The Division 2 is almost certainly a step up from its predecessor, offering more content than you can shake a stick at and enough tweaks to make it feel somewhat fresh. While Massive has attempted to rectify the issues of the original, it hasn't quite managed that yet: yes, enemies are still kind of bullet-spongey and the missions can get quite repetitive after a while, but aside from that, The Division 2 is an impressive follow-up, building upon what was already a solid foundation.
My Time At Portia is one of the most wholesome, relaxing and chilled experiences of this generation. It's the perfect post-Sekiro experience, with a cast of wonderful characters, and a beautifully picturesque world with tons of activities to occupy your time. Sure, it's very much like Stardew Valley, but the emphasis on engineering over farming makes it its own beast. The loops might not be as alluring as Stardew's, but it's game that you won't regret playing, and will satisfy your inner soul.
Control is another absolute hit from Remedy, one that delivers from both a gameplay and narrative perspective. One of the generation's most intriguing game worlds and almost perfect pacing, the only thing that holds Control back from being an all-time classic is its unfortunate and frustrating technical issues.
Civilization is finally back on consoles and boy is it still bloody fun to play. With plenty of new systems to get your head around, some fairly intuitive controls and the ability to wage war on your neighbours because they look at you funny, who can possibly say no to that?
Cyberpunk 2077 is an incredible but hugely flawed video game. At its core lies a deceptively deep-RPG, set in one of the most wonderous cities ever created in video games and it’s genuinely an experience I’ll never forget. It’s just a shame it’s such a bloody bugfest, though.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.