Matt Whittaker
Despite a few noticeable warts, The Division's highs are high enough to warrant millions of players sticking around for a significant amount of time.
It wouldn't be surprising for Mafia III to emerge as the AAA game with the best story of 2016 as Lincoln Clay's revenge tale, and its wonderful documentary-style presentation, are engrossing from beginning to end, with a host of unique characters that make New Bordeaux feel unlike anywhere else in video games.
Asking The Witness to be a traditional video game is essentially asking the impossible.
Putting aside the technical complaints, Shadow Warrior 2 is legitimately one of the best shooters of 2016 thus far.
Both hardcore and novice gamers alike have likely found their match in Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. This is controlled chaos in a playable form, complete with all of the visual bliss that expected from a game with the silly title that it sports.
The beginning of this review stated that Tales from the Borderlands' fourth episode was its worst episode to date, and while that's technically true, we're basically talking about the difference between great and amazing. Tales from the Borderlands has firmly established itself as a bona fide game of the year contender, meaning that Telltale has earned the right to take an episode to set up what will inevitably be a grand and thrilling final episode.
Volume isn't without its flaws, but the highs that it's able to hit completely squash the minor gripes players might have. One of the best pure stealth titles in recent years, Mike Bithell and his team have not only captured some of the storytelling magic that made Thomas Was Alone so special, but they also managed to capture the best parts of a genre that sees a great deal of failures.
Rare Replay isn't without its minor hiccups, understandable in such a vast collection, but it's something that should be in every Xbox One owner's collection. Even though Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and Blast Corps have their share of technical issues and the ZX Spectrum titles included have aged roughly, it's going to be almost impossible not to enjoy yourself here.
Maybe the flurry of remastered games this generation has changed what we picture when a game has a subtitle like "Definitive Edition" attached to it. With Rare Replay, Grand Theft Auto V and Mega Man Legacy Collection feeling like works of love rather than profit, it can be disappointing to see such a straight port emerge on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Whereas NBA 2K16 found a way to take a step back last year with additions that didn't feel wholly meaningful, MLB The Show 16 is a shining example of exactly how to make a great game even better.
It would have been an absolute travesty to see one of the highest regarded mobile games in recent memory suffer on the big screen, but Hitman GO: Defintive Edition is a stellar way to play Square Enix Montreal's debut title.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire may not be perfect, but they're an exciting step forward for the long-running franchise.
While saying that Far Harbor is Fallout 4‘s best piece of add-on content to date isn’t the highest piece of praise in the world, it’s an absolute must-download for anyone who enjoyed the sprawling post-apocalyptic role-playing game.
Helldivers is at first a fresh, rewarding, challenging experience that stands up to any other game in terms of quality. The tangible skill increase that comes from consistent practice is as gratifying as it gets in modern gaming, but sadly that novelty wears off once other flaws start to emerge.
Much like Titanfall, Watch Dogs and Destiny, Evolve likely serves as a good proof of concept for what will probably be a superior sequel. Turtle Rock's unique title has enough novelty to capture player interest for the next few weeks, but it is not a Left 4 Dead level game that will keep everyone engaged for years on end.
Techland's latest title is by no means perfect, nor is it one of the best zombie games, but it's solid enough to warrant a playthrough. Even though its story will leave most players unsatisfied and its open-world design is questionable at best, its phenomenal side stories and often entertaining gameplay will prevent distaste.
Perhaps confusion is the ultimate goal of Hohokum, or maybe it's to simply see something unlike anything else in the gaming space. Is it supposed to elate us, or be the last thing we do before drifting off into slumber? It's unclear whether or not the developers accomplished their goals, but does it truly matter? Hohokum is a charming, unique experience that often feels as though it doesn't stick to its guns.
Those willing to give 1001 Spikes a fair try will find that its mind-numbing challenge can lead to some incredibly satisfying moments. Its brilliantly crafted mechanics give players every opportunity to best the treacherous traps of Ukampa. Unfortunately, it's easy to see countless players quitting after a couple of levels, as its difficulty severely limits is accessibility.
Though it's by no means the perfect tactics title, there's something strangely fresh about Klei's combination of turn-based gameplay and stealth. While its artstyle creates a fair amount of clutter and its constant story seems ill-conceived, there's no denying that this brutally challenging title will entertain hardcore fans for numerous hours.
[B]asketball fans will likely have a great time playing NBA 2K16 for hours on end, but there are too many small steps back here that can't be ignored. The good news for fans of sports games is that the first misstep in this great franchise is still a very good game, which speaks to how truly fun its gameplay is.