It wants its audience to switch lenses, zoom in and accept that war involves relatable individuals on all sides. No matter the uniform they’re wearing, or where they’re from, they bear the burden of choice and consequences at a personal level, carried out in seconds and minutes, just like us.

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is a short and sweet expansion of new stories, characters and gruesome action that gives fans more of what they love.

Despite these drawbacks though, Battlefield V offers some of the most rewarding, visceral WWII action in any game out there thanks to genius little tweaks to gameplay and immersion, all produced with an audio-visual technical mastery that is second to none. With its free live-service component as well, the future for the franchise looks very good.

Picking up the ball that Fire Emblem: Awakening passed to it, Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright is a second chance at jumping into an iconic franchise for the first time and getting lost in the magic of love on the battlefield.

If you’ve become disillusioned with modern-day Pokemon, then Nexomon is super effective at appealing to your nostalgia. It looks great, the price is stupidly low and while it may feel derivative at times, the quality on display with this capture ‘em all experience is on par with Nintendo’s top-tier offerings.

Through Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Ubisoft has reminded us of what a force of nature, Sam Fisher truly is. The take-home message is that there's still life in the old dog. While, the game may be a compromise of sorts, with a merger of concepts and ideas, its true success lies in how flexible and rewarding the gameplay is.

Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions is a mouthful, but this remastered classic is a keen reminder as to why the series has maintained such a high bar of RPG quality over the years. Its established formula and rhythmic pace make it a hard adventure to put down, even if some of its parts are more superfluous than substantial.

Gears of War 4 is a satisfying, if not overly familiar, return to some of the series’ best beats. A distinctly dark campaign dishes out welcome surprises and disappointing repeats in equal measure, while its refined Horde mode and thoroughly engaging multiplayer round off a package that any franchise fan should be happy to rev through.

For better and worse, Nioh 2 feels like more of the same. Tired environmental design and rehashed gameplay elements sully what is otherwise an addictive and exhilarating loot-based hack and slash samurai adventure.

It was rather refreshing returning to Guild Wars 2 after an extended absence. With mountains of fresh and exiting content, Guild Wars 2 Heart of Thorns is most definitely worth it if you’re a fan of the franchise. The new map is beautiful to behold, and there is friendship around every corner.

It’s cheerful, colourful. charming and incredibly inventive, making the best use of the Vita’s unique features since the system’s release. It’s a showcase, not just for the Vita but for the creative minds at Media Molecule.

Dawn of War III is a solid entry into the series, the campaign is a refreshing and well-built return to form. I’ve had as much, if not more fun in multiplayer than I’ve had in the previous games. All that remains now is to wait for the inevitable expansions, desperately hoping they bring your favourite faction back (c’mon Tau and Necrons!)

Dragon Quest Builders 2 refines its formula and cuts out many of the frustrations from the first game, delivering a more structured story and rewarding pacing that lets you see your hard work gradually blossom rather than be swept away. It's an engrossing sequel that is difficult to pull away from, and now far more welcoming to start too.

Though not as brutally challenging as its forbears, the first chapter of The odd Gentleman’s King’s Quest is a delightfully charming, funny and beautiful game that any fan of old adventure games will love.

Company of Heroes 2’s weakness is its strength, as much as some aspects of the game disappoints, others make up for it tenfold. This masterpiece is an opiate of World War II themed strategy, it will have you coming back for more.

While still definitely a family-oriented franchise, Skylanders: Superchargers is also a whole of fun for adults. Vehicular gameplay adds a whole new aspect to the gameplay, although it also makes the pull to buy ever more toys feel even more necessary.

Rock-solid design with a somewhat annoying user interface that wobbles between novel and intrusive, 88 Heroes is a platformer with heart and personality that’ll have you wondering who you’re gonna call when Doctor H8 rocks up to threaten the world. Spoiler: Anyone another than this lovable collection of misfit vigilantes.

Death Stranding starts off at a poor pace but eventually blossoms into a captivating tale with intriguing themes, solidified by compelling performances and an eventually satisfying pace to its gameplay. Not all of its systems mesh comfortably, but there’s enough here to drive you towards the eventual poignant conclusion.

Kyloton’s approach to speed in TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2 is one that still carries with it absolute love and reverence for one of the greatest races on the planet, mixing a passion for performance and geography into a thrilling spectacle.

Airscape is the platformer of the 90s with a ton of 2015 thrown in to shake things up. It does a great job of adding enough that’s new (or downright weird) to interest platforming purists or those just looking to avoid red lasers of death a few levels at a time when they have an hour to spare here or there.

Little Nightmares is grotesque, creepy, and unnerving – but it’s also beautiful. It’s an odd juxtaposition, but one that carries on through the game. For every bit of ominous ambience, there’s something to marvel at. It succeeds in its goal of evoking child-like fears, with a lingering, pervasive sense of terror that wrenches your gut.

What it lacks in raw innovation it more than makes up for in pure joy. Mario Kart 8's bare-bones presentation is offset by its solid core racing, and is an essential purchase for every Wii U owner who appreciates fun.

Wild, adequately beautiful and a reminder of what a real need for speed truly feels like. Burnout Paradise Remastered may not be essential for anyone who has already spent many an afternoon committing its many and shortcuts streets to memory, but as an example of how racing games can fuse euphoria and momentum into one packed package of V8 action? It’s the original benchmark that hasn’t a single ounce of torque.

While it fails at being a game, Attentat 1942 succeeds at being an experience. It sacrifices all aspects of player choice and interactivity at the expense of delivering a compelling and interesting story. It can be praised for exploring an aspect and setting of a famous conflict that most games wouldn’t touch on.

Bloodroots is an aesthetically gorgeous, grindhouse inspired action game with a glorious combat system that’s unfortunately spoiled by some poorly designed platforming segments that just refuse to gel with the game’s core mechanics.

Ni No Kuni 2 manages to showcase that even without Studio Ghibli, Level-5 can still create a truly wondrous and magical JRPG. Even though the new features and strategic elements feel undercut by its easy difficulty, this is still a fine example of what the genre has to offer.

Yoku’s Island Express is whimsical, charming and a joy to play. It’s developed by people who have an obvious love and deep knowledge for both pinball and Metroidvania games, and frequently delights and surprises by taking established genre conventions and quite literally flipping them about.

Panic Studio's port of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus may be a game of compromises, but the amitious effort still manages to capture not only the complete content of the original game but also its very essence.