Master of Orion is a visually appealing game, but for a strategy title that tries to impress, it's not enough to sport a pretty face. The wonder of a space exploration strategy is severely lacking, partly due to the arcade-like game design, and partly due to the lack of any real depth.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided builds and improves on its predecessor in every way. More freedom of choice, better versatility in the environments and a more balanced experience. And breach adds a fun, arcade-like and action-packed experience to the game.

The sequel to one of 2015s most charming games is just as much fun to explore, with a much bigger area at your feet. In spite of some hard-to-control movements – which are fixed with new abilities early on – this is just as much of a fun experiment as Grow Home, and one I recommend just as heartily.

There can be no doubt that Hello Games set out on a journey of extreme ambition with No Man's Sky. Unfortunately, too much of a good thing can turn into something bad, which sadly reflects the reality of this never-ending game. While it is a beautiful, inspiring and gigantic title, No Man's Sky lacks the depth, the polish and the substance of a truly great adventure.

While the Beastmen faction itself is a great one, offering new horde mechanics and fast gameplay, the campaign is lackluster and does nothing previous expansions have not already explored - and done much better.

Abzû wears its inspirations like a badge of honor, but there's so much more to this than just "underwater Journey". There's emotional weight behind every single aspect of the game, from the incredible music and visuals, to the ever-changing feel of its surprisingly meaty story and life under the sea. As a result, Abzû is simply an amazing game, one that you need to experience for yourself.

I am Setsuna is a charming and fun adventure that brings you back to the good old days of the JRPG.

The latest Star Ocean shines in its combat, but the small world filled with padding ensures repetition sets in quickly. With a bigger budget this could have been something special.

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens delivers mostly the same fun experience as before, but when only the fundamentals are the things that impress 10 whole years after the series' first release, the right kind of innovation is severely lacking with this one.

You have to run a lot in Dreamfall Chapters, but it is still an enjoyable story and an ending to a long journey. The story elements are in focus as the puzzles are usually rather simple and straightforward.

Considering its parentage, it was hard to imagine Trials of the Blood Dragon being anything but great. And sometimes it is just that, with stellar level design, good vehicular control and a real sense of style. Other times its far from great, with clunky walking and shooting, abysmal voice acting, and a ton of frustration throughout.

Mirror's Edge: Catalyst is a step above its predecessor in almost every way. No, it's not perfect, but when everything seamlessly blends together – the parkour, the speed, the city, the gameplay and the graphics – this is an experience like no other.

Another charming and well-crafted Kirby platformer that successfully introduces playable robot mechs, a few new ideas in its level design, and a slightly edgier presentation.

This highly anticipated platformer falls flat on its back, having inferior controls, level design and overall presentation compared to the game series it attempts to recreate.

Hearts of Iron IV delivers everything grand strategy is about, and balances armies, navies and air forces with the need for resources and industry. It is a true strategy game that can be played in countless ways, and offers potentially hundreds and thousands of hours of pure enjoyment.

The almost overabundance of content, interesting characters and clever, addictive combat make this threefold saga the very best that the Fire Emblem series has to offer.

The Witcher 3 was already an incredible title to begin with, and with Blood and Wine it becomes even better. The new region of Toussaint does not simply bring us more of what made the original game so great, it expands on it and offers an environment and a plot line that - in some areas - exceeds that of the main entry.

Quotation forthcoming.

Homefront: The Revolution is not a very good game. It could have been an okay game if it weren't for the atrocious technical performance on consoles and the forgettable plot, which is filled to the brim with unironic and extremely patriotic nonsense from beginning to end. It's almost a parody of itself.

Total War: Warhammer redefines the series with this great fantasy entry, but not without caveats. While the battles are arguably more spectacular than earlier and the campaign is based on the traditional Total War formula, it does take some time getting into. The game focuses on few factions and more linear campaigns than ever before, but what is present is undeniably exciting, and bodes well for the future of the series.

Shadow of the Beast's best moments are to be found in its introduction, which says something about a game that is only a few hours long. The combat system, which starts out strong, turns into a button mashing nightmare, while a confusing story and weirdly designed boss battles cements its standing as a mediocre experience.

It's very hard not to like the new Doom. The game's approach to shooting is fast, frantic and incredibly well-made, with a feeling of both old and new all at once. The story is relatively long, growing steadily more repetitive the more you play, but multiplayer and SnapMap work nicely as diversions, making the overall package very likeable.

Chaotic, frenetic and often clumsy, Battleborn is a game that has a lot of flaws in its core design. Still, we can't quite stop playing, mostly thanks to the great cast of playable characters, as well as the game's addicitve progression system.

Whether you're a Paradox pro or newcomer, Stellaris invites you to a grand strategy experience like no other. With its beautiful visuals, deep exploration mechanics, inspiring soundtrack and intriguing mysteries, Stellaris is bound to make you boldly go where no man - or woman - has gone before.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a fantastic game. Almost everything is a bit more polished than the earlier games, with better gameplay flow and with more possibilities for approaching situations your own way.

There's not really anything complex about Alienation, but Finnish developer Housemarque still manages to create a compelling and fun twin-stick shooter. The lack of local co-op does the game a huge disservice, but nevertheless doesn't ruin the experience completely.

The simple, enjoyable rail shooting of Star Fox 64 has in Star Fox Zero been replaced by contrived and obscure hardware gimmicks. A few decent levels salvage the overall experience to a small degree.

Battleship Gothic: Armada delivers a beautiful depiction of space warfare in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, but a lackluster campaign, a weird AI, and too much focus on micromanagement in an already chaotic environment ruins this potentially exciting title.