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Divinity: Original Sin II is the best game I have played this millennium.
Project Cars 2 makes a passionate play for the enthusiast end of the racing sim market. A wheel is damn near mandatory, but the gameplay rewards are huge – when spotty AI and bugs aren't confounding things, that is.
Death of the Outsider is a fitting conclusion to the Dishonored franchise. It embraces everything the series is known for, while offering up smart refinements and more immediate player agency. If not for some pacing issues and narrative missteps in the final act, it could have been the best entry yet. Instead, it must settle for being merely being great.
That a crossover as bonkers as "Mario plus Rabbids by way of XCOM" even exists is to be celebrated, and fortunately it's an absorbing title that's only slightly diminished by some simplistic cover mechanics.
In a way, Absolver turns a truth about the genre into a kind of design aesthetic and philosophy; the ultimate raison d'etre of this fighting game is for you to get better at fighting. When you click to this, it becomes a Zen-epic sort of proposition, as you wander around the gorgeous and melancholy Adal getting into lonely contests under dappled greenery and atop perilous ledges, sloooooowly learning the skills you need to better defend yourself.
Knack 2 makes better use of its protagonist's abilities – and like any good sequel, throws a few more into the mix – but there isn't much story to support the revamped gameplay. Even so, excellent sound and level design get Knack over the line.
Life Is Strange: Before The Storm gets off to a moderately good start. Its characters are interesting, but the plot is entirely unclear right now, and is moving in a direction I'm not all that invested in.
F1 2017 is without a doubt the finest F1 game ever made, and a superb motorsport game as a whole.
The Lost Legacy eases off the set-pieces and globe-trotting, to its detriment. However, the heartiest of Uncharted's staples – its characters, camaraderie, and cutscenes – are here in abundance, and overall it's an extremely capable action title.
War for the Chosen adds a huge amount of content and a number of new mechanics to an already brimming game. It's a generous package that ought to please and frustrate (in a good way!) XCOM devotees.
Agents of Mayhem fails as caretaker of the Saints Row dildo-torch, with passable gameplay and characters the only vague upsides in its a repetitive, bug-ridden sandbox.
Matterfall contains some welcome formula tweaks and the usual level of Housemarque polish, but it's much less inspired than the Finnish studio's better shooters.
Tacoma's augmented reality cast allow it to tell its engaging story in a unique way. It's a slow burn of a game that deftly interrogates interpersonal relationships in an engaging sci-fi setting.
Final Fantasy XII – The Zodiac Age is far from the perfect game, but it is one of the few in the series I bothered to complete. From its lofty melodrama and rewarding combat and character systems to its missed story beats and sloggy late-game, it's an adventure I will not soon forget. More importantly, it's one I do not want to forget, which is more than I can say for almost every entry in the series released since this game first saw light 11 years ago.
Strafe isn't bad, but there are many better ways to satiate your nostalgia for '90s FPS titles.
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles offers an amazing world to play in, but an underdeveloped story and menial side-quests offer little to keep players interested.
Splatoon 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but its refinements and tweaks are all for the better. Besides some niggling – though hopefully fixable – issues, this sequel is something Switch owners should well and truly check out. It's a blast, no matter which mode you choose to play.
Morrowind is a capable add-on to an MMO that's a leader in story and questing, and is only improving with age.
Wipeout Omega Collection is the triumphant return of an icon. Its blistering speed, slick visuals, and thumping soundtrack are everything you'd ever want from a Wipeout game, even if – upgrades aside – it is everything you've already had in a Wipeout game.
Get Even is a strange game. It's almost schizophrenic in its execution, but The Farm 51 should be applauded for trying something different. It represents what I love about independent game development: it maybe a little rough around the edges, but it takes risks and provides a truly unique experience. For that I applaud it, even if I cannot unreservedly recommend it.