Divinity: Original Sin II is the best game I have played this millennium.

Project Cars 2 makes a passionate play for the enthusiast end of the racing sim market. A wheel is damn near mandatory, but the gameplay rewards are huge – when spotty AI and bugs aren't confounding things, that is.

Death of the Outsider is a fitting conclusion to the Dishonored franchise. It embraces everything the series is known for, while offering up smart refinements and more immediate player agency. If not for some pacing issues and narrative missteps in the final act, it could have been the best entry yet. Instead, it must settle for being merely being great.

That a crossover as bonkers as Mario plus Rabbids by way of XCOM even exists is to be celebrated, and fortunately it's an absorbing title that's only slightly diminished by some simplistic cover mechanics.

Knack 2 makes better use of its protagonist's abilities – and like any good sequel, throws a few more into the mix – but there isn't much story to support the revamped gameplay. Even so, excellent sound and level design get Knack over the line.

Life Is Strange: Before The Storm gets off to a moderately good start. Its characters are interesting, but the plot is entirely unclear right now, and is moving in a direction I'm not all that invested in.

F1 2017 is without a doubt the finest F1 game ever made, and a superb motorsport game as a whole. The cumulative lessons that Codies has learned over the years are really paying off, as it continues to push ever forward in both realism and accessibility. How it’ll manage to surpass this come next year has me scratching my head, but its recent track record instils hope it can pull another rabbit out of the hat yet.

War for the Chosen adds a huge amount of content and a number of new mechanics to an already brimming game. It's a generous package that ought to please and frustrate (in a good way!) XCOM devotees.

The Lost Legacy eases off the set-pieces and globe-trotting, to its detriment. However, the heartiest of Uncharted's staples – its characters, camaraderie, and cutscenes – are here in abundance, and overall it's an extremely capable action title.

Agents of Mayhem fails as caretaker of the Saints Row dildo-torch, with passable gameplay and characters the only vague upsides in its a repetitive, bug-ridden sandbox.

Matterfall contains some welcome formula tweaks and the usual level of Housemarque polish, but it's much less inspired than the Finnish studio's better shooters.

Tacoma's augmented reality cast allow it to tell its engaging story in a unique way. It's a slow burn of a game that deftly interrogates interpersonal relationships in an engaging sci-fi setting.

Final Fantasy XII – The Zodiac Age is far from the perfect game, but it is one of the few in the series I bothered to complete. From its lofty melodrama and rewarding combat and character systems to its missed story beats and sloggy late-game, it's an adventure I will not soon forget. More importantly, it’s one I do not want to forget, which is more than I can say for almost every entry in the series released since this game first saw light 11 years ago.

Strafe isn't bad, but there are many better ways to satiate your nostalgia for '90s FPS titles.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles offers an amazing world to play in, but an underdeveloped story and menial side-quests offer little to keep players interested.

Splatoon 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but its refinements and tweaks are all for the better. Besides some niggling – though hopefully fixable – issues, this sequel is something Switch owners should well and truly check out. It's a blast, no matter which mode you choose to play.

Morrowind is a capable add-on to an MMO that's a leader in story and questing, and is only improving with age.

Naughty Dog has been done proud. These games demonstrate how innovative the developer was even decades ago with its unique approach to camera-work, level design and overall tone. It is Vicarious Visions that's at fault for this collection's pitfall. Its decision to leave gameplay largely untouched is questionable, but the overall lack of polish on the package itself is inexcusable.

Wipeout Omega Collection is the triumphant return of an icon. Its blistering speed, slick visuals, and thumping soundtrack are everything you’d ever want from a Wipeout game, even if – upgrades aside – it is everything you’ve already had in a Wipeout game.

Get Even is a strange game. It's almost schizophrenic in its execution, but The Farm 51 should be applauded for trying something different. It represents what I love about independent game development: it maybe a little rough around the edges, but it takes risks and provides a truly unique experience. For that I applaud it, even if I cannot unreservedly recommend it.

Arms is a zany, promising new IP from Nintendo that exudes confidence in almost everything it offers. The fun garnered from its gameplay mechanics and enjoyable multiplayer modes is enough to make it feel like a worthwhile package, even though it’s currently a bit light on content.

With so much content from the rest of the series present here, Tekken 7 is a celebration of the franchise up to this point. The amped-up combat mechanics and the poignant conclusion to the Mishima story are all steps forward, but they are countered by a number of steps back. The lack of a tutorial, forgettable soundtrack, and absence of some staple gameplay modes may alienate newcomers and leave veteran players wanting.

Dirt 4's casual-friendly additions subdue its handling model, but it's a great racer regardless – especially for those that struggle to stay on the track in Dirt Rally.

Injustice 2 is the goods: a great fighting game with an absorbing narrative, plenty of content, and a legendary cast.

Rime is a pleasant title that's extremely easy on the eyes, and perhaps a little too easy on the brain.

Farpoint is the best realised and executed VR experience I have played – one that gives me hope that we have just begun to scratch the surface of what can be achieved in the medium. It’s unfortunate that the ending of the game and the resolution of the PSVR hold it back, but regardless, it's an enjoyable shooter with a great story.

Prey's systems collide delightfully as the player moves through its magnificently designed interiors, and the stories within are also something extraordinary. Hunt it down with haste.

The Surge is occasionally electrifying, but combat issues and cheap enemies dampen enjoyment levels.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is everything you could want from a port. It features a wealth of content, and feels like a response (and then some) to fan criticisms of prior games. But for me, the real triumph of this game is the symbiotic relationship between the game and the new system that it inhabits: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is proof that Nintendo wasn't just blowing smoke when it proposed the Switch as a portable console experience. I got a profound sense of satisfaction and enjoyment by having this game with me on the go and getting to play it whenever the opportunity arose. It is, in many ways, a dream come true.

Outlast 2 is more of an ordeal than the first, in terms of content but also gameplay. The story provides some momentum, but trial and error sequences will see many succumb to frustration (and many large pick axes).

Poignant and powerful, What Remains of Edith Finch has set a new standard in storytelling. Don’t be put off by its brevity – these are two of the most enjoyable hours I have ever spent in front of my PC monitor.

Full Throttle Remastered is as good now as Full Throttle was back in 1995, and that’s about as glowing a recommendation as I could possibly give. It may not provide the longest ride ever produced, but with a new coat of paint, a refurbished engine, and some sexy after-market exhausts, this is one retuned and restored beast I unreservedly endorse for one and all.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is everything a remake should be: a thoroughly modern yet completely reverent update that preserves the soul of its inspiration for a new generation of gamers to enjoy.

Syberia 3 is an utter failure. It is the only game I have played in the past few years that I found no joy in at all, and the few things it gets right are almost instantly overshadowed by a mountain of irritation and frustration. To have this game wear the title of Syberia feels like a cruel joke, or a case of mistaken identity. Avoid.

The first multiplatform release from Tarsier is a taut grim fairytale of a puzzle-platformer that's perfect to explore on a rainy afternoon.

Yooka-Laylee is an unabashedly old-school platformer with modern presentation. It is challenging and occasionally infuriating, but it’s also extremely rewarding. Playtonic have proven that just because something is old, that doesn’t mean it should die.

Dawn of War III is a Storm Shield-solid title carrying a few minor irritations. It can't possibly leave the blast crater its predecessors did, but it's still an absorbing, invigorating, chaotic RTS with the firepower to impress.

Beamdog has enhanced the core game with no affectations or game changing alterations, allowing Torment to speak for itself without being muffled by the clanking and crashing of technical clunk. The result is a spectacular adventure for those willing to accept its various eccentricities and advancing years.

Judged purely on its own merits, Mass Effect: Andromeda is a good game. But this is BioWare, and Mass Effect being merely good feels like a failure. It's a little clumsy in places, and daft in others, but I found it mostly endearing despite these quirks.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is a paradox: it's both disappointing and excellent. A mammoth title, it delivers tons of great content, but hamstrings itself with a poor first few hours, a few horrible systems, and some uninspired scenarios. Even so, it's pretty great.

Ghost Recon Wildlands is a fun romp in a huge world that allows you tackle each encounter in as tactical or non-tactical manner as you please. Your fellow players are what bring this game to life, so best not look at this as a single-player experience.

A mechanically strong stealth title with some of the most eye-rollingly awful dialogue I have ever been subjected to. Styx as a character is obnoxious, unlikable, and immersion breaking, but he does wield some of the most impressive and well-designed infiltration abilities in the genre. I just wish he would shut the hell up.

Loot Rascals is a unique roguelike whose bright and breezy presentation contrasts nicely with its intricate systems and ferocious difficulty.

Berserk has its moments – the Berserker Armor is absolutely hilarious, and getting to play as Zodd is awesome – but a few glimmers of amusement aren't enough to save it. The game doesn't have a lot to offer anybody – newcomers to the series will be left in the dust, long-time fans will be turned off by the clumsy adaptation, and anyone looking for a decent action game should grab a copy of Nioh instead. It's likely this will end up as just another forgotten footnote in the series' troubled history of adaptations.

While Malicious Fallen has the potential to be a fun hack-and-slasher, it is diminished by slippery movement controls, enemy AI that can overwhelm you and break the flow of the game, and an underwhelming soundtrack.

Halo Wars 2 both illustrates the problems traditional RTS titles have on console, and demonstrates how to overcome them with its excellent Blitz mode.

Guerrilla Games' punt on a new IP has paid off handsomely, as despite its silly title, Horizon Zero Dawn is a magnificent open world action-adventure that lives up to its hype.

The campaign's story falls to earth with a thud, and technical problems are currently marring its online component, but For Honor's masterful presentation and combat rescue it from mediocrity. Given a few patches, it'll be a force to be reckoned with.

Sniper Elite 4 improves all areas of the franchise to a greater or lesser extent, and its protagonist remains the only real weak spot.

Nioh is a triumph. It stands head and shoulders above every other title in the genre, even eclipsing its obvious inspiration. Team Ninja is not only back, but it has thrown down the gauntlet, and only time will tell who's up for the challenge.

Don Bradman Cricket 17 builds on a strong foundation to provide video gaming's best crack at emulating a complex and (for the gaming mainstream) niche sport. While we give it an 8/10, in cricketing terms, it's a well-played four.

Space Hulk: Deathwing is a below par title with some excellent art design and satisfying enough combat. Enemy variety is higher than expected, and the unlockable weapons all feel appropriate, but overall it can only really be recommended to 40K diehards.

FFXV's ambition is laudable, but it's flaws are too big to fully cast aside. The result is an interesting and spectacular-looking title likely hampered by a protracted and unfocussed development.

Steep crams the Alps full of activities, but its systems are either poorly explained or poorly implemented, or both.

The Last Guardian can be frustrating gameplay-wise, but the connection you'll feel to its beautifully-realised yet intractable companion creature leaves no room in your heart for such concerns. Somehow, this game was worth the wait.

Watch Dogs 2 is an excellent sequel that ditches the earnestness of its predecessor, pumps up the power fantasy, and turns players loose in a vibrant and engaging city. It's one of the best open world games to come around in a while.

Tyranny comes to a screeching, premature halt, but prior to that it spins an absorbing tale with which player actions have long-reaching consequences.

Titanfall 2 is a gigantic stompy robot that for whatever reason is slipping by gamers unnoticed. This is a travesty, as it's an incredible title – easily one of the best of the year.

World of Final Fantasy could be an ongoing offshoot of the FF franchise, and has all the baggage to prove it.

While The Ezio Collection shows its age in some areas, the trilogy allows a welcome return to one of the franchise's best characters and storylines.

Planet Coaster is a celebration of everything Frontier Developments did well back in the Rollercoaster Tycoon days, with new mechanics and systems piled on top. Its variety of customisable buildings, scenery, objects, coasters, and rides make for an incredibly special game.

You can't accuse Infinite Warfare of being light on content, but most of what's here has been seen many times before, and none of the modes represent franchise high points. Also, the multiplayer microtransactions are off-putting.

Gears of War 4 is a confident offering across campaign and multiplayer from The Coalition. There's hours of fun to be had here, especially in the updated Horde mode.

Battlefield 1's campaign is thin as ever, but most will be on board for the multiplayer, which – while simplified compared with recent entries – remains practically peerless when it comes to delivering intense, large-scale battles.

Mafia 3 is a great step forward for storytelling in games that is dragged down by its consistently unpolished and poorly executed mechanics.

Dragon Quest Builders is an entertaining RPG, a marvellous builder, and simply a tremendous game all-round.

Shadow Warrior 2 is much like its predecessor: a gore-spattered first person kill-fest interspersed with lowest-rung lowest brow humour. Both of these elements are executed to excess, giving us a game that is equal parts head and eye-rolling. Still, it never stops entertaining if you have a taste for it.

Here's hoping the better two games get standalone releases for cheap, because they're good (but not NZ$69.99 good).

The head aiming system works well at least, but overall it's the definition of unnecessary.

This version is an mildly enjoyable if sanitised cue ball sim that lets you get close to the action and pull off some pretty fancy shots – perhaps a little too easily at times.

Like most other VR games, Rush of Blood is let down by the somewhat flaky tracking of your choice of controller, but it's still a gem (and another great one to inflict on others while you kick back and laugh).

Tumble VR is let down by the frankly piss-poor tracking of both the DualShock 4 and the Move controllers, making the precise block placements the game sometimes demands tricky.

Headmaster also gets bonus points for being hilarious to watch someone play. This might be my favourite PS VR game so far.

Bound's metaphorical story isn't subtle, but playing it is a meditative – if shallow – experience. [Tested with PSVR]

The story is satisfying, too. My only criticisms are that clocking in at under 80 minutes, Arkham VR is short and pretty simple. However, for a shade over 30 bucks, it's probably still worth it, particularly if you need an impressive looking and accessible title with which to impress your friends.

Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is a decent example of game from a niche genre. Just don't expect to be doing much more than advancing through dialogue screens and you'll enjoy yourself.

Rise of Iron does a brilliant job in building up the legend of your Guardian, but offers very little innovation or advancement of the game's core features. Despite this, it stays true to what makes Destiny great – offering truly satisfying shooter encounters as a backdrop to a fantastic social experience.

This year's FIFA represents a big change for the long-running series. The core gameplay is fun, The Journey is great, and the improvements across the board all shine to showcase a football game that is absolutely worth playing, whether you're a diehard fan or not.

Telltale’s Batman is off to a great start, but only time will tell as to if the developers can weave a Bats story that ranks among the upper echelon of The Dark Knight’s adventures.

A beautifully crafted Australian locale combined with an amazing car collection take this entry to the next level. Forza Horizon 3 builds on the driving prowess and open world diversity of its predecessors, taking it to the top of the podium.

Legion is excellent, a thoroughly enjoyable expansion made all the more impressive by the base game's age. It might have taken a demon invasion, but WoW's players are back together at last.

ReCore is an interesting robotic Frankenstein of various game parts. They don’t always work well together, but when they do the collective whole is a rather wonderful creation. However as not all parts were created equal expect some frustration and the occasional fumble.

What few good points Dungeon Punks has are ultimately overshadowed by some atrocious design choices. Golden Axe was a bit before my time, but if this is what that game was like, then it does not seem like something we need to resurrect.

While not a triumph, Mankind Divided is an extremely enjoyable cyberpunk adventure with enough content and gameplay options to keep fans of the franchise happy. The main story lacks impact and drops off completely at the end, but the missions are almost universally fantastic, allowing you to flex your cybernetically-enhanced muscles in a multitude of ways.

This is almost certainly the best F1 game from the development team thus far, and a real step up from last year. Codemasters has finally hit its stride in the racing genre, with some quality racing sim titles such as this and Dirt Rally.

No Man's Sky was never going to live up to the hype, but sadly even those with tempered expectations are likely to be somewhat disappointed. It is by no means a terrible game, it just feels unfinished and empty.

W.M.D does more than enough to justify its existence. In fact, it gets the series back on track after several recent-ish disappointments. Now 25 titles deep, Worms is truly the cockroach of the gaming world.

It might be a little overwhelming for series newcomers, but to these people I say: have patience, from what I've seen so far, it'll more than likely be worth it.

If you aren't entranced by mechanically shallow games like Journey, don't bother. But if you find exploration titles even marginally interesting, Abzu is an absolute must-play – it's the most majestic one yet.

Defect is an appealing and well-designed build 'n' destroy space shooter that lets you get creative, then challenges you to one-up yourself via a unique mutiny mechanic.

Many elements of MilitAnt's core design are flawed, so it's no surprise that the game as a whole is pretty dire.

Old school JRPG throwback I Am Setsuna tells an interesting story with a fittingly sombre tone, but features none of the combat oomph of its predecessors.

Take one part Lemmings, combine with liberal but equal amounts of undead flesh and 8-bit pixel art. Heat vigorously. The resulting decoction is something more potent than its constituent parts that delivers a wholly unique and heady rush. This action puzzler will have you quickly hooked. Side effects may include compulsive level replaying, RSI of your click finger, and loss of sleep.

Carmageddon: Max Damage ain't no Cadillac, but it's no jalopy either. Rather, it's just alright: fleetingly frustrating, often enjoyable, but never transcendent the way killing pedestrians should be.

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens dutifully follows the pattern set by prior Lego tie-ins to a fault, but it's nonetheless a sound title your kids will love.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a cult classic for good reason. It's a strange title, but an engrossing one that's only let down by some one-note characters.

I honestly believe that the team at Spiders wanted to deliver the very best game that they are capable of producing, and sadly I think that is exactly what they have done. The Technomancer is not a bad game, but it is devastatingly mediocre.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a cult classic for good reason. It's a strange title, but an engrossing one that's only let down by some one-note characters.