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It might not have the arcade purity of Resogun, but Housemarque has crafted a genre mash-up smash. This is a smart, addictive twin-stick shooter with no shortage of adrenaline, yet it also works as a compelling action RPG with potential for a lot of co-op mileage. Alienation has short-term appeal and eye-candy spectacle, but also replay value and long-term depth. It's furiously entertaining AND has the legs to keep you coming back.
Star Fox Zero serves as a good way to please fans and get new players on board, but the occasional control issues can be slightly frustrating. Feel free to forget about Guard, though.
Forget any sneering Pokémon comparisons. Yo-Kai Watch looks sure to be a monster hit with the 3DS's school age audience, but it might also make a fair few friends among older gamers. It's not the deepest or richest game that Level 5 has ever come up with, with character development linear and limited, but it's smart, innovative and funny. You won't grow to love it any less.
More than just a remake, this feels like a lap of honour for Ratchet and Clank, with all the frantic action, bizarre weaponry and cheeky innuendo a fan could wish for. Being picky, you might say that it sticks a little close to the old templates, but at least it does so on a bigger stage with a spectacular sense of scale. Only time, sales and the movie's box office will tell if we'll see more of this dynamic duo, but I hope so. This is a pretty good way to make a new start.
Dark Souls is a series about pushing through the unknown, pressing forward with your shield raised, probing the darkness, and looking for the flicker of the next bonfire. When the fire is lit, the previous area loses its mystique. It is conquered. This same sense of familiarity permeates Dark Souls 3, and it only ever gets you out of your comfort zone by resorting to cheap tricks. Yet despite this, it's still a beautifully bleak adventure with one of the best combat systems in videogames - it just falls short of the magic of the original. Like the opening cutscene says: the fire fades.
Quantum Break's no travesty of Order: 1886 proportions, but its gameplay, while fun, can't reach the level of its stellar graphics. Enjoy it for its engaging time-control gunplay, its spectacular stutters and its sci-fi storyline, but this isn't the landmark entertainment experience that Microsoft once promised.
Battleborn has flaws but it also has potential. With time and the right attitude, it could be brilliant, but it's going to take a little work first.
This is a strong second episode with plenty to offer The Walking Dead fans, but it does nothing to battle any criticisms you might have of Telltale’s handling of interaction, nor any concerns you have about the length of each instalment. Play it for Michonne, the strong atmosphere and the drama, but don’t expect a game that challenges you on any other level.
A decent first DLC offering from Fallout 4 and one Bethesda will hopefully build on. Automatron isn’t the longest content you’ll ever play, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.
This isn’t a bad port of the Wii U original, and if you like Dynasty Warriors and love Zelda then the addition of new characters and content might be hard to resist. Yet Hyrule Warriors struggles to represent the best of Warriors or the best of Zelda, making for an awkward hybrid that’s not actually all that much fun.
Not content with putting Tekken in a Pokémon skin, Pokkén Tournament does its best to bridge the two worlds in one innovative fighter. In terms of the core combat it's succeeded, and Poké-enthusiasts will love to watch their favourites battle it out in a whole new way. However, Pokkén Tournament doesn't go quite far enough to capture the exploration, collection and training aspects of the classic series. It's going to please an awful lot of Poké-fans, but it's not quite gonna catch 'em all.
Like Destiny, The Division ruthlessly exploits the pleasures of the RPG, MMO and shooter to create one hideously addictive feedback loop. Combine that with the excitement of demanding co-op play and it can be an unstoppably thrilling game.
EA should be commended for taking two-years to provide a much-improved sequel. UFC 2 presents a huge step up over its predecessor, with more modes, more fighters, better in-cage action and incredible visuals. While I can’t speak for the online modes yet, as things stand, UFC 2 deserves a spot on every fight fan’s shelf.
Hitman manages to live up to its own reputation and may very well get even better as more content is rolled out. A fine stealth game.
Despite a few technical issues, this is the definitive version of Heavy Rain. The problem is that Heavy Rain now feels less like gaming's glorious, cinematic future, and more like a semi-interactive cul-de-sac; a string of scenes, some stronger than others, propelled along by quick time events. It's just about worth playing for its best bits, but other, less visually accomplished dramas do a better job of immersing you in their tale.
Twilight Princess HD is an impress remaster of one of the most divisive Zeldas. As with The Wind Waker HD, genuine new stuff is relatively minor, but Nintendo has been smart enough to fix some of the original's flaws. It's still an odd, slightly inconsistent Zelda where not everything works perfectly, but it's also huge, beautifully-designed, fascinating and immersive. By Zelda standards it falls short of being a masterpiece. By any other standards, it's still an amazing game.
Superhot could well turn out to be the year's most ingenious and influential shooter, transforming each taut action scene into both puzzle and wish-fulfilment spectacle. It's short and can feel proscriptive, with trial and error woven into its DNA, but it'll make your heart race, your adrenaline surge and your mind work a little harder. It's a bold, brief and brilliant blaster.
All the frenetic excitement of Garden Warfare, but with more characters, more maps, more modes and a ton more fun. Slow movement and some minor balance issues cramp the style, but if you're looking for an online shooter with more belly laughs than headshots give the zombie meatheads and violent veg a spin.
Far Cry: Primal could so easily have been a weak spin-off or a throwaway blast like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, and it owes too much to the Far Cry formula to be described as a true original. Yet it builds a spectacular world, fills it with dynamic characters and gives you a role that feels meaningful and potent.
A spellbinding, effortlessly charming JRPG that freaks with the formula while respecting what makes the genre great. While some might find Bravely Second two twee or jokey to be taken seriously, others will find a smart, witty and surprisingly rich adventure, mixing old-school style with brilliant 3D graphics and a knowing, humorous tone. We'd warmly recommend it.