Like diving into a pile of leaves from the top of Big Ben, the first time is a thrill, the fifth is a yawn. Assassin's Creed: Syndicate's new toys entertain for a while but the novelty ends hours before the game does.

Sloppy controls make for an infuriating platformer. If you want a modern Sonic game, get Generations instead.

Still untouchable on the footy front—but shelf life and that inconsistent 3D engine chip away at its tender Achilles.

Brilliantly captures the look and feel of classic Star Wars, but beneath its cinematic flair lies a pretty generic multiplayer shooter.

​Game of Thrones gets the feel of Martin's universe right, but it relies too heavily on familiar themes to form a memorable identity of its own.

A brilliant strategy game that manages to be both broad and deep, challenging and accessible.

A true wizard’s wheeze, and a fine return for one of gaming’s oldest tactical classics.

The graphics get a little prettier, the story gets a little darker, and another Call of Duty counts time as we march together toward death.

An ideal gateway into the city management sim, but with too little room for forward-planning.

A brilliant, massive sandbox of systems, albeit largely the same one Bethesda has been making for years.

Challenging but immaculately calibrated controls power an exciting and enormously rewarding sci-fi roguelike.

It’s got nothing on Final Fantasy at its best, but it’s still an excellent example of the genre with some fun twists on RPG traditions.

A great expansion, and a promising sign of things to come. Some minor issues aside, Heart of Thorns is a clever addition to one of the best MMOs around.

Kingdom is a fun, gorgeous management game, but trying to learn its mysteries eventually becomes a slog.

An entertaining superhero power fantasy, let down by awful Batmobile combat, a laughable villain, and serious performance issues.

Vermintide is a brilliant twist on the Left 4 Dead formula, and deserves much of the same praise heaped on Valve.

Rebel Galaxy’s combat can be a lot of fun, but there's little depth and a lot of repetition.

A straightforward cliché that feels out of place in the new wave of cRPGs.

Tales from the Borderlands is a big, funny adventure with great characters—worth playing even if you don't like Borderlands.

Beautiful, touching and messy. Life Is Strange is good—not great—but I'd recommend it to anyone.

A technically excellent educational game, but dry for all but maths enthusiasts.

Both genuinely original and a smart physics puzzler, but aggravating in places, Mushroom 11 falls a few inches short of a classic.

Brash, solid, run ‘n’ gun goofiness that’s a tad too underwrought to be truly brilliant.

A complex, challenging, and grimly satisfying simulator.

A satisfying, self-contained adventure that plays to the series' strengths, but doesn't add anything novel outside of its storytelling.

One of the best story-driven games on PC, 80 Days is beautifully written, effortlessly charming, and thrillingly unpredictable.

PES finally finds the balance between stout sim and accessible arcade, but a poor port cast shadow on an otherwise great game.

Armikrog’s memory puzzles and tenuous humour are a low point in the adventure game renaissance.