Sort of like that dream you had once about being a bird, but with more feather collecting and fish.

Does what it sets out to - just don’t expect a revolution, Dance Dance or otherwise.

Xenoverse 2 is best for those who missed the first game, as they are far, far, far too similar. Many of the maps are recycled, and really so is the combat. But your abstinence as a Dragon Ball fan (and aren’t we all) will be dearly compensated with an expanded version. Neither its story nor treadmill-fighting are likely to get you zealing for a year’s training at 500-times Earth’s gravity, but you’ll be up to your Dragon Balls in creative things to do, with an excitable use of the lore. The Xenoverse series may only exist to piggyback the monetary success of western game design, though whether sincere or not, that’s actually the best part of this translation. Like all of these games with steep stories, the depth of your enjoyment will likely depend on the depth of your fandom.

Watch Dogs 2 has created an immersive world, disturbingly close to the real one. It’s still a fictitious San Francisco, but sometimes it’s difficult to tell which bits are made up. With rich, in depth missions, colourful characters, and fun open world gameplay, this might just be the best game I’ve played this year.

In the end, I love this game. While it’s a slow starter plotwise, Dishonored 2 builds up wonderfully to a satisfying conclusion, with plenty of memorable challenges along the way. But more than anything else, it’s fun. It’s a gorgeous, deep, enjoyable piece of work, and I highly recommend it if you like stealth, exploration, or cool steampunk Portugal. See you in the Void.

It might be asking for a lot of faith from gamers without a decent story tying it all together, but the good news is Season One adds up as one of the better Hitman titles in recent years. Episode two, set in Sapienza, was particularly enjoyable and there is a lot of replayable content as you try and unlock different assassination methods or uncover secret collectibles. However I wouldn’t be surprised that playing through all six chapters in one sitting loses it’s impact somewhat.

It’s not Tenchu, but it’s the next best thing.

A fun reason to jump back into Deus Ex, but not necessarily worth dropping coin for the Season Pass.

A fun game that is almost a step in the right direction for the series.

While I’ve been on the verge of giving the game the people’s elbow, especially sitting through the long load times and when I lost a match because I couldn’t tag back into a tag team match; it’s a ‘tag’ team match, and I couldn’t figure out how to ‘tag’. It’s in the bloody stupid title. But, I’m going to keep playing. I love all the bluster, all the blood, and I want to eventually get a win by submission.

A solid sequel with minor improvements to a successful formula.

Skyrim is still a great game that everyone should play, but it could’ve used more than a paint job.

Overly familiar multiplayer, but tells a compelling story.

A party game through and through, despite the lack of multiplayer.

Functionary and solid.

The first Batman relationship simulator.

I’ve had an absolute blast with Civilization VI. I found it easy to approach, and loved how deep I could choose to go with it. The number of options to completely customize my civilization, and how drastically different each play could be thanks to the randomly generated maps made each match a challenge.

Half Dragon Quest, half Minecraft, all delightful.

One of the best Skylanders games to date thanks to the deep character creation tool.

Ultimately Hustle Kings VR lacks a lot of polish. The fact that there’s a banner advert for LittleBigPlanet 3 in the background of one of the levels is a perfect example of how this title looks like a rushed effort to be in the VR line-up. Once the novelty of being able to look around wears off, you’re stuck with essentially the exact same experience that the franchise delivered back on the PS3.

Not for the weak stomached, but a well thought-out shooter for early adopters of Playstation VR.

Impossibly cool, but also impossible.

Titanfall 2 is designed just well enough, and with enough layers so to not be entirely derivative. Hero simulations are so vastly abundant in this industry - so if you’re going to play one, you might as well choose from those who do it the best.

It’s a diamond in the rough, though, and this jankiness is a mild distraction at worst. The appeal of Mafia III is the stories it tells – both the textual narrative, and the multitude of emergent ones that come from simply existing in a place as rich and complex as New Bordeaux. It certainly has its flaws, but in balancing the over-the-top action of a crime game with a pointed look at real-life racism, and in its fantastic re-creation of the ‘60s American South, Mafia III has achieved something special.

Worth the price, worth the time, and worth the last level.

Battlefield 1 is not the enlightened superior rescuing us from sci-fi boredom. Its refreshment is largely skin deep, and none of the new additions change that; not the horses, not the trains, not the blimps, not the bayonets. Change the guns and skins to a modern flavour and you’d never know the difference.

Boring at best, sickness-inducing at worst.

Arkham VR is an amazing, adrenaline filled first person experience for anyone who’s wanted to be the Caped Crusader. It would be a discredit to pass this off as a tech demo, but it’s not exactly a game as such either. It’s an experience. And despite it being a short-lived one, it’s certainly one you won’t forget in a hurry.