Virginia is astounding in many ways. The way it conveys its meaning through visuals, character tics, a few hundred written words and one incredible score without uttering a single line of dialogue is remarkable. Confident and measured use of editing lends a sense of style, but Variable State's swagger turns to over-confidence in the final stretch and leaves Virginia on a befuddling rather than satisfying note.

The Journey is a great showcase for all the new Frostbite engine brings to Fifa, but the move hasn't exactly rocked the boat. Beyond the fancy, and compelling new career mode, Fifa appears to have maintained its form at a time its competitors are running away in terms of quality. What the game lacks in finesse and gameplay, it makes up for with deep game modes and a graphical update to rival competing engines. Fifa 17 is neither a departure, nor a revelation, but a safe entry in a transitional year.

If this review appears overly-critical, it's born out of frustration. Pro Evolution Soccer's base gameplay has basically been nailed down, but off the pitch it still struggles compared to EA's Fifa. It's been the same story for years. Konami should be capitalising on the quality of its core play by improving other elements of its beautiful game: chiefly its presentation, style, and game modes. Whatever shortcomings it has before and after the whistle blows however, the pure footballing experience of PES remains second-to-none.

Spirit of Justice is yet another enjoyable entry in a cherished franchise, which doubles-down on the delightfully zany aspects of the series to great effect. The back-and-forth courtroom disputes suffer from a weak presence on the opposing bench and several decade-old mechanical flaws, but none of its sins are egregious enough to quash the divine character work and enchanting anime style. An imperfect, but nonetheless victorious, return for Capcom's distinguished defence attorney.

Massive, full and with a list of things to do which borders upon incessant, Forza Horizon 3 is a driving game both without direction and made by a studio seemingly – understandably – bored with cars. It isn't wholly different or worse than its predecessors, but after four years of these games, and with titles like DiRT Rally rediscovering the fundamental, basic thrills of racing simulations, Horizon 3 feels tired.

Like so many indie platformers before it, Hue takes a great core concept and turns it into an admirably inventive game buoyed by some vivid design, a genteel story and a lovely score. That core concept doesn't stretch quite as far as the developers would like to think, but if you like puzzle platforming then Hue is a game that you should certainly pick up.

Reigns is a Python-esque text adventure rougelike played out with the swipe-mechanics of Tinder. If that sounds at all appealing, then Reigns is absolutely worth the small investment. Light and undemanding, it offers short, great bursts of play perfect for the mobile platform.

Technical niggles aside, Bangkok is a confident return to form for Hitman's first season – after the characterless trudge through Marrakesh and the fun, but throwaway mid-season summer special episode. While Sapienza is still the undisputed highlight, Club 27's tight, multi-tiered design and wonderfully vile pair of targets show that IO Interactive isn't ready to rest on its laurels.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided doesn't reinvent the wheel, nor does it need to. Compelling, tightly paced and most importantly, fun to play, Mankind Divided has created an exquisitely detailed world and now it wants to turn you loose in it. A stronger contender for Game of the Year in a year already filled with great games, what are you waiting for?

No Man's Sky is about cutting your own path through a galaxy teeming with possibilities. It is a playground in which to let loose the human urge to explore and discover, supported by a deep crafting system that keeps players engaged in their journey. Improvements could be made, new features could add greater depth, but Hello Games' achievement here is nothing short of incredible.

Matt Nava and Giant Squid Studios have played it safe. Too safe. If there were to be a Journey knock-off, this is among the best you could hope for, but who really wants an imitation at all? There is an obvious artistry to Abzu however, that we can only hope is put to better use in whatever comes next.

In spite of its myriad frustrations, I Am Setsuna is far from a characterless husk, but its mechanical regurgitation of shallow tropes and the over-complication of a ready-made battle system manages to cast a dim light on its reserved tone and glacial atmosphere. Designed to be a reverential ode to cherished RPG classics, I Am Setsuna is a functional footnote rather than a sweeping fresh stanza.

Accessible and routine, This Is The Police is simultaneously a rich video game and a poor depiction of its subject matter. Whether the game's creators welcome it or not, at times like these, when police officers in the US are under intense scrutiny, This Is the Police's representation of their work bears similarly close examination. By that measure it falls short of relevance and borders on removed.

It's not perfect, but it is special. Pokémon Go uses a set of simple but functional mechanics to encourage social play and actual exercise. You won't love it purely for the game (if battling with friends is introduced that may well change) but what the game inspires is absolutely part of its success. I've gone on walks with friends purely to catch Pokémon in the real world. My eight-year-old self would have exploded if you told him that would one day be a reality.

Battlefront's Bespin expansion is let down by some functional but uninspired map design, inhibited by the location of choice. New mode Sabotage also feels like a misstep. DICE's next expansion will finally take Battlefront to the Death Star – and the developers will absolutely need to up their game to match what will be very high expectations.

It's an astonishing conclusion as haunting and evocative as anything you'll see in a game this year.

If you loved the original Mirror's Edge, or enjoy the concept of free-running around a beautiful city without the fear of falling off a skyscraper or crotching yourself on a railing, Catalyst is most definitely right up your alley. As an open world adventure game however, it has some way to go. There are too many elements in the mix, and not all of them pan out.

A great package: fun, accessible and extremely well-made. It's a shooter as much for those pledge their lives to online play, as those chiefly interested in the occasional fun foray. It's an instant classic that, with the kind of good post-launch support Blizzard is known for, could prove the go-to shooter for an entire generation of gamers.

If this really is the last we see of the Uncharted series, A Thief's End will have been a remarkable and surprisingly inventive farewell. More so than either sequel before it, Uncharted 4 builds on the formula in unexpected but natural ways, while telling a story that is more mature and thoughtful than previous games, but which still retains the series' beloved blockbuster thrills. The best in the series, and another Naughty Dog classic.

Intelligent, fresh and endlessly enjoyable, Doom is more than a tribute to its beloved progenitor. Taken in its own right, this is the most finely crafted, technically impressive pure shooter in over a decade, proving that id Software, even after 26 years, is an adept, sophisticated game-maker. It may not create the same tectonic shift in video game culture as its ancestor, but personally, I prefer this Doom to the original. By refining, meticulously, several age-old and taken-for-granted game mechanics, Doom proves that excitement, spectacle and even narrative cohesion can exist in games seemingly composed of the basest elements.

IO's strong start is becoming a hot streak, and all eyes will be on the third episode, set to be released in May.

Once free of the arduous and obnoxious trappings of its main mode of play, Superhot is nothing short of a delight. At its core is a gameplay mechanic that deserves to be revisited, only next time we hope it's all held together significantly better.

Neither evolutionary nor revolutionary, Ratchet and Clank is gorgeous trip back down memory lane that reinvigorates a passion for a genre which never really should have gone away. Hopefully it paves the way for more adventurous sequels, even if the film proves unsuccessful.

While the game is an absolute masterclass in action RPG design, there is an inescapable sense that old ground is being re-tread. A reliance on geographical call-backs, stock-enemies and series in-jokes muddy the tone and mystique that made its direct predecessors such a joyfully bleak experience. While the superbly visceral gameplay, intense boss fights and improved online features mark FromSoftware's latest out as one of 2016's best, Dark Souls 3's flickering fire is ultimately engulfed by its own bright history.

When Star Wars Battlefront first launched it was criticised for lacking maps. DICE has done a great deal to address this in free updates (to date, three new large scale maps and one small), putting rest to any notion that these paid expansions are a cynical cash-in. It may not be exactly what people want – that's sure to come later – but the Outer Rim DLC offers a good package for fans of a game once criticised for not having longevity, but which on this evidence has a bright and long future.

What may seem like an ambitious project is in the fact the combination of a standard third-person shooter and the kind of cheap sci-fi drama you might find in the darkest corners of Sky TV. Visually tepid and filled with abortive gunfights and platforming, Quantum Break also struggles to contain its plot, while at the same time underselling its characters. Remedy's previous games have been characterised by a distinctive tone and knowing humour. By comparison Quantum Break is a glossy, charmless, wholly moderate outing.

A joyless game. Every section feels like a tedious lateral thinking puzzle – "the farmer has a fox, a chicken and some grain, but can only carry one at a time" – and the locations and creatures are half-heartedly designed. If you haven't played it, it provides valuable insight into where Resident Evil, and perhaps games at large, went wrong over the past decade or so. Other than that, it feels like work.

In Oxenfree, Night School Studios has used simple mechanics to great effect establishing and building on its small cast of characters, and keeping players engaged with its creepy tale of paranormal dread. It's a shame then that it doesn't quite stick the landing, seeming to rush to its conclusion without offering a sufficient pay-off. A small number of minor (dialogue for the wrong character playing) and major (two complete crashes) glitches also hold it back. It's undoubtedly a stylish and unique game however, that we hope does its part to usher in a wave of games that take a similar approach to storytelling.