In terms of narrative it’s as dizzying, exhilarating, and divisive as the series has always been, arguably providing some of its most memorable sequences yet, and for fans it’s something that not only has to be experienced, but savoured.

It’s a terrific little package brimming with options to replay, but it’s not a large play-space by any measure, and there’s not a huge amount of variation on scenery or tone. This one boils down to preference...Just hurry up with The Phantom Pain already, Hideo.

Despite the neat ending afforded by the epilogue, here’s to hoping Sucker Punch will give Delsin a sequel that addresses some of the detractors of Second Son and builds on the awesome foundation it’s laid down for the future of the series.

The best way to sum up Reaper of Souls is to unfortunately badmouth the original release, as this is the definitive version of Diablo III, which makes the version we all played two years ago seem like a work-in-progress. Everything has been changed for the better, and when you factor in all the new content and the fantastic new Crusader class, you have what is arguably the best entry in the series.

It’s this level of polish and accessibility that Blizzard have infused into Hearthstone that make it a great success, no matter how you feel about card games.

It’s a “sit forward” game that demands you be mentally present and adaptable. But for those who like to earn their victories -- really earn them -- this is a game in which winning means something more than “I went through the motions and witnessed the end”. If you do seek misery then on release, when the community is scrambling to uncover the mysteries of Drangleic lore, will be the most exciting time to play.

Titanfall is a very good shooter, and I'm always a fan of any game that lets players use movement to separate themselves from the herd. Nevertheless, I feel like Respawn is simply setting the foundation here -- what they really want is for us to prepare for Titanfall 2.

The game is full of laugh-out-loud moments, the same addictive gameplay and countless throwback jokes, in-jokes and meta jokes built from the series’ rich and successful history.

A House Divided is a weaker entry than we’re used to, but that maybe shouldn’t be cause for alarm. The table setting seems to be all in place now for the feast still to come, and even at its most meandering The Walking Dead is still capable of telling an intriguing, frightening story about humanity’s worst impulses.

Ultimately, it's the combination of accessible gameplay with riveting depth that makes World of Tanks so engrossing.

Garden Warfare may not be the most ambitious game ever made, but its one with a clear sense of personality and identity, which is more than you can say for a lot of other online shooters.

It’s a tragedy to see Lords of Shadows 2 arrive in this form. Rather than focus on what made the first game so much fun, the designers seem to have totally misunderstood what gamers wanted from the sequel, and delivered something that was utterly alien to the first game.

A sequel that plays things a bit safe when we really wanted it to dig deep and offer up something truly new. It’s still the old Donkey Kong Country that we’ve known and loved for so long though, and for many players that’s going to be enough. We just wish it felt more like a proper sequel and less like an expansion.

The problem with Thief is that the studio spent so much time trying to make a game for all kinds of people that it forgot to execute any single part of the experience perfectly.

Smoke and Mirrors establishes that The Wolf Among Us will likely be worth seeing through, although whether it’s worth doing so now or waiting for the season’s end is a more open question than one might have anticipated at the end of the first episode.

For the most part, Outlast lives up to its reputation. Although a little too quick to link gore with horror for my liking, it rests upon wide foundations of creepiness and builds on them with a good amount of tension and urgency.

Insurgency is a breath of fresh air that stands apart from the shooter duality of Battlefield and Call of Duty. It rewards patient play and encourages teamwork, with satisfying results for players who don’t give into the temptation of taking a run-and-gun approach.

The game on both PS4 and Xbox One is gorgeous, though it appears the PS4 comes out ahead in a few areas, such as all cut-scenes being rendered at 1080p, while some on Xbox One are capped at 900p.

As with any good tactical game, the system takes a few turns to get the hang of, with new strategic moves being learnt even after your umpteenth battle.

There may not be much actual “game” in Broken Age Act 1, but as a window into two interesting and charming adventures it easily fulfills the Kickstarter promise.

It’s not the kind of game that will be remembered down the track, but in the here and now it’s filling a certain gap in the One’s line-up more than adequately.

Don’t Starve’s singular focus, wrapped up in a deadly dance between threat and empowerment, is also its biggest flaw. There is no horizon to strive for. The attrition-based gameplay is initially interesting and temporarily engaging, but lacks any lasting impact on the world.

The game shows conceptual promise – you unlock some mild security manipulation powers that will hopefully be pushed further in future episodes – but conceptual promise isn’t worth much until it has been delivered upon.

We won’t know for sure just how effective the set-up here was until the full season is complete sometime next year, but as it stands right now, we’re totally on board.

Peggle 2 is an extremely safe sequel, and consequently a bit dull, most of the time.

From a technical standpoint, Dead Rising 3 is not the pinnacle of how a next-gen game should look (or perform), but from an expanded gameplay perspective, and one of pure fun, it’s my favourite launch title among the lot.

The game is at odds with itself for not being as inventive as it should be, but being so good because of all invention that's come before it. Mario, in this sense, is his own worst enemy.

It’s a shame there appears to be components of the Kinect-only version of Ryse in the final product, which would account for the design that bounces between overly easy and challenging.