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This is about as good as open-world driving gets.
Like chasing a bag of Haribo with a can of coke, playing Sunset Overdrive is like indulging in a sugar-binge high. If the brown muted tones of Gears of War came to define the Xbox 360, there's a good chance that the primary-coloured madness of Sunset Overdrive will become the poster child for the Xbox One.
Not since Valve’s The Orange Box collection has a game's singular price tag offered so much bang for your buck. Whether you're after a spruced-up trip down memory lane, or entering the series for the first time ahead of Halo 5's launch, the Master Chief Collection is a stunning, meticulously crafted deal.
But if for some reason you missed Dark Souls 2 first time around, or need a great reason to go back, this superlative edition is a nightmare worth having.
If you have a Minecraft fan in the house this could well be on their Christmas list.
It’s a vast game that, some backtracking aside, could engross you with fresh ideas for dozens upon dozens of hours.
But hiccups and glitches however, in a game so generous in size and adventurous in ambition, are forgivable – for every minute of raised eyebrows at floating dogs or the spasming corpses of the long-dead, there are tens upon tens of wonder and excitement as you trek from one unbelievable wasteland landmark to the next.
But where Stardew Valley comes into its own is the way these characters slowly reveal themselves – carry out a task or quest for them and they’ll tell you a little more about themselves, before the stereotypical town goth or jock eventually blows you away with their depth.
As a bloody swansong though, it’s the perfect send-off.
It’s a quality-over-quantity approach for Overwatch, and one that works superbly. Blizzard always has long-term plans for its properties, so it’ll be exciting to see how Overwatch eventually evolves, too.
Carefully crafted and tuned to perfection, Inside may not last long but will live in your memory for a lifetime. You’d be a fool to miss it.
A visually stunning title that looks and feels superb, FH3 blends the technical nuance of the main Forza series with the accessibility of Need for Speed and the unabashed joy of Burnout Paradise into a package that is a must-have for anyone with even a passing fondness for racing games.
With an attractive art style, generally fun gameplay, catchy music and some fantastic narration, Manual Samuel isn't just another clumsy physics-based simulation game - it stands alongside Octodad and Surgeon Simulator as the cream of the physics-based crop.
Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers is a repetitive, boring disaster of a game, and almost offensive in its disregard for the vibrant characters it's utilising. To suggest that kids would find any degree of enjoyment from this would be a disservice to their intelligence.
A perfect example of what can happen when world design, story and game mechanics click harmoniously into place, Dishonored 2 is just as good as we’d hoped it would be. Dust off that sword, pull on that mask and slink into the shadows for this year’s stand-out sandbox adventure.
Will there ever be a perfect Dead Rising game? Probably not, at this point. But to paraphrase Alan Partridge , zombies by their very nature are inconsistent. So be happy that this shambling series is still capable of raising a goofy smile.
With a playtime of around three to five hours (a chunk of it down to death-induced restarts), Rise and Shine mercifully doesn't outstay its welcome. Unless you're keen to replay the game on its unlockable permadeath Ironman mode - or hunt for a handful of useless collectibles - you'll have little reason to return to Gamearth. However, if you can tolerate/appreciate the hammy humour, there's a tight and often tricky adventure that delivers a decent, if fleeting experience.
It's a well-made machine, and the game remains a well-crafted journey throughout – one that makes great use of its first-person perspective and one that brings a renewed sense of urgency to gaming's most famous horror series.
Make no mistake, this is a harsh, unrelenting title that will test your skill, and the level of challenge makes it difficult to recommend to everyone. Nioh is never unfair though, with its well-designed systems giving you the tools to survive in its beautifully brutal world. Stick with it, plant your feet and you'll find your persistence rewarded with a thrilling and satisfying adventure.
This adorable atmospheric puzzle platformer is a gentle title that's full of charm