I do hope that Paradox create more of these DLCs with the focus on minor nations, with interesting new National Focus trees. I like the addition of the autonomy mechanic and the new sprites and leaders. But that's only part of what HOI4 needs. If the next DLC brings more resilient AI, better balanced anti-air and a focus on fixing a few of my peeves with the warscore system, I'll be getting it for that rather than for any deep dives into the soul of a minor nation. Unless it's Finland. Those guys were the rock stars of WW2.

Ultimately, Dead Rising 4 is the epitome of big, dumb fun. It's as wide as ocean yet as deep as a puddle, yet curiously it's self-deprecatory tone and over-the-top violence means it's a game that rarely gets boring. It's less fine wine, more Bacardi Breezer, and you know exactly whether that makes it the game for you this holiday.

Driving around cities that I've already driven through in real life and with such detail put a huge smile on my face.

The Little Acre has a pretty solid backbone. The setting, storyline and portrayal of events using the hand-drawn graphics and dialogues pretty quickly captures the gamer's attention. However the only thing that keeps this game from stardom is the lack of depth in most aspects.

The biggest down side - if you can call it that - to Natural Disasters is just how obvious it all is. Helicopters and shelters, weather stations for early warning, loss of life, rebuilding efforts, and so on. The whole idea of demolishing huge areas of your city with various crises. It's all been done before, and while it most certainly belongs in a game like Cities Skylines, I wasn't really surprised with the novelty of any of it. Does that mean it isn't fun? Heck no!

Nothing in Steep is ever quite perfect, but what’s here can potentially be a real joy and the potential for a sequel, with these issues ironed out, is absolutely mouthwatering.

Tyranny weighs in at significantly fewer hours than Pillars. But a lot of this is replayable in ways that are interesting and thought-provoking.

It delivers tonnes of fun, a brilliant environment with many hours of gamepla, multiple run throughs due to the two different characters choices. If the story delivered the same impact as the rest of the game then this title would no doubt become a timeless classic.

Silence is a breathtakingly beautiful game. There are so many moments where I just stopped and stared at what was going on around me.

Titanfall 2 is the complete shooter package in a way that Titanfall wasn’t back in 2014. The fantastic campaign now complements the comprehensive multiplayer package. Factor in the free post launch support and it’s difficult to argue that Titanfall 2 is the unsung hero of the holiday rush.

Every moment I was chained to this game was misery, and I wouldn't play it again if they paid me the money instead of the other way around.

Mantis Burn Racing isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. It’s just that with the dozens of others games vying for my attention, I really never felt like I wanted to boot it up. There isn’t that pull to keep you coming back for more.

Civ is a game that almost defies a straightforward 1-10 scoring system. It's a way of life. A serious undertaking which can't be quantified with a simple number. Suffice to say, this is a feature-rich and immersive iteration where attention to detail in design is apparent from the first turn and systems you didn't even realise could be significantly improved have been infused with a spark of genius. True, the AI is a woeful mess and it's lacking a few tooltips but there is none of the hollowness that Civ V had on release.

The infinite replayability of procedurally-generated maps and adventures is limited by the encounters available, and you'll have seen them all in a couple of playthroughs. Still, in that time it's a pretty good laugh, and The Curious Expedition bestows a real sense of adventure and exploration.

Battlefield 1 is a fantastic game, but not necessarily a fantastic Battlefield game. The boots on the ground multiplayer is second to none, but the vehicular action which was always the focus of Battlefield has moved to the wayside, replaced by run and gun action and a surplus of snipers picking people off.

Ultimately, there's nothing in Jotun that would have even been hailed as original if you'd seen it in Mickey Mouse: Castle of Illusion, but fun is timeless.

For the masochists in our midst there are time attack runs if you want to perfect your time in each of game’s eight or so chapters, but I do genuinely believe that’s a big ask of anyone. Manual Samuel is perfect Twitch streaming fodder then, but there isn’t enough quality or variation there to make me want to see it through to the end, despite developer Perfectly Paranormal’s best efforts to mix things up. Sadly, the execution isn’t as strong as the idea is on paper. It’s sad to see because there’s a lot of potentially good ideas tucked away here and some fantastic artwork, so I’m keen to see what the devs can crack out next.

If you haven’t picked up Rise of the Tomb Raider yet then is without doubt the package to go for, but if you do already own it on a different platform then I’d recommend waiting for a sale to pick up the extras.

Trying to conjure up faults with FIFA 17 is a remarkably hard task.

From an outsider looking in this is a heck of a good sports game. Full featured with heaps to do and gorgeous to look at. I can only imagine how fantastic NBA 2K17 is for true fans of the sport, but even for a newbie like me it's an entertaining and comprehensive package that contains heaps to do.

For me, it was the prod I needed to get back into the world of Fallout 4, and wonder why I'd ever really left.

Virginia is a sharp thinking, plot driven single-player adventure like few out there. It borrows heavily from other games of its ilk, yet twists it into its own strange beast. Unlike plenty of others, such as Firewatch, Virginia also manages to actually live up to its premise and deliver a satisfying, thought provoking conclusion. I'd love to go deeper on this because Virginia is a game all about its story and it's delivered, but a mystery such as this best served piping hot with a cup of joe on the side.

Redout is an impressive, gorgeous throwback to futuristic racing games of yesterday that comes so, so close to nailing it. Some bizarre decisions relating to vehicle upgrades and difficulty make you question whether 34BigThings understood what made those classics tick in the first place, but it’s just about salvaged by some great track design and slick performance.

With tougher, longer puzzles and a proper storyline (or no story at all, for that matter), Hue could perhaps have clawed itself a couple more marks. As it is, it’s a passable puzzler that is priced according to its length and may serve as a light snack for puzzle and platform fans, but nothing more.

I know we’re only eight months in but Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is certainly a strong contender for game of the year. For those who enjoyed Deus Ex: Human Revolution this is the same but sharper, more focused, and gorgeous to look at. Surprises may be few and far between, but few can craft a world as comprehensively believable as this one.

This Beastmen faction DLC is a top quality product that can revitalise your TW Warhammer game. The question is, does this deep title need revitalising now or does it need it when there is a winter sale on? Completionists and fans of Warhammer will pay top dollar for this DLC, everyone else will shrug and wait until a bunch of Total Warhammer DLC comes together in a cheaper bundle.

I guess the strongest thing I can say is: I’m struggling to want to play No Man’s Sky again, let alone contemplating getting to the centre of its universe.

It’s playing as Bruce where this game really shines.