Even with Zombies proving less of a draw than it has been in a couple of years, the well designed multiplayer maps ought to make Eclipse worth the download for franchise fans.

The main reason to consider grabbing Reckoning, of course, is to see the finale of the Exo Zombies story that began with the co-op mode’s introduction in the first DLC and which has seen new chapters in each succeeding content drop.

I doubt Continuum will go down as one of Call of Duty’s best DLC packs. But some of its settings might end up proving among the most memorable within Infinite Warfare‘s library of co-op levels and competitive multiplayer maps. And for a casual Call of Duty player like me, that’s enough to make it worthwhile.

Massive Chalice – with its dual-gendered cup, regents of all ages and both sexes, and heroes with a variety of skin tones – is perhaps the studio’s best example of diversity and representation yet. It’s welcomes all players.

This sense of freedom combined with the game’s unbridled love of destruction and mayhem is what will earn Just Cause 3 a spot on millions of gamers’ shelves. It’s not particularly polished, pretty, or innovative. And no one would make the mistake of calling it intelligent or vital. It’s just a bit of stupid fun. And sometimes stupid fun is all we really want.

Despite it’s narrative strength, Freedom Cry somehow lacks the polish and teleological glue of the game upon which it builds.

Doom in 2016 may not be quite what I had anticipated, but it has just enough old and new to make me a fan.

I don’t expect many people will organize online Peggle 2 parties, and playing a puzzle game against strangers isn’t as much fun. Pity there’s no local splitscreen play.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is an emotionally gruelling game, an unrelenting assault on the senses filled with brutal depictions of psychological and physical suffering. It makes for gripping storytelling, but it also left me drained.

A good game with good timing is hard to refuse. And X-Mercs is a fun bit of strategy that managed to come along when I wanted it most.

I came away wishing it had been something more. I was hoping for a racing simulation that didn’t just look next-generation, but also felt next-generation in the way it played. Which is to say I’d have preferred Turn 10 spent as much effort innovating the career mode as it did perfecting the way the game’s cars look and handle.

So Telltale’s game is one meant for existing Game of Thrones fans, which is fine and probably how it should be. And it’s clear that Telltale’s talented storytellers respect and understand the material from which they’re working.

There’s little question Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 is the deepest and most authentic golf simulation currently available...Just keep in mind that the scope of its alterations and enhancements is better analogized as a chip shot than a John Daly-sized drive.

As a spiritual successor to The Neverhood, the game succeeds on all levels, but somehow I don’t think it will gain the same kind of cult following this time.

Evolve remains an ambitious, daringly original, and largely successful undertaking in four-versus-one play. It’s certainly worth a look for fans of cooperative, class-based games. And if you don’t mind its limiting quirks it could well become your go-to team play.

The story is interesting enough to drag you through the game’s lengthily campaign and it has some funny moments too, but in between the cutscenes is a whole lot of button pressing.

It has an unrestrainedly upbeat vibe that just makes you feel happy all over, and it’s still bursting with imagination. There are few other games on PS4 – or, indeed, any console – to which it can properly be compared.

It’s hard to hate Need For Speed Rivals. But it’s also hard to love it. The game brings a solid, core competency in every aspect of its arcade racing base, while introducing interesting new online features. Unfortunately, these features never quite gel to their full potential.

As in past games within this series, I most often find myself competing not against AI or human opponents, but rather to improve upon my previous performance. Which is exactly why most people play golf in the real world. That Everybody’s Golf successfully simulates this experience in your living room is perhaps all that golf fans will need to know in order to decide whether to pick it up.

All of this is well and good. It’s what I’d expect of a Fire Emblem game on any platform, mobile or otherwise. And it’s plenty to keep me playing. For now. But my concern, as already mentioned, is what happens once I start to encounter anything that feels like a payment barrier. And I can see them coming.

I’m also a bit disappointed in how the open world elements in these games remain something less than fully formed.

I really want to play Knack 2...Not because Knack – a cartoonish and linear fantasy brawling adventure for kids – is an amazing game that left me dying for more of the same, but rather because it had the potential to be an amazing game.

There’s got to be a point at which Lego games finally outstay their welcome. But, against all odds, nine games in under two years is not it.

Fire Emblem Warriors is more than just a Warriors game with Fire Emblem personalities in place of classic Chinese historical figures. It manages to retain a distinct Fire Emblem flavour despite dishing out a style of action that is arguably the polar opposite of what Fire Emblem fans expect.

Some of the cameras appear to be operated by drunks. The replay footage usually consists of extreme close ups of some player’s jersey, and it never offers any explanation as to what just happened.

If you decide to pick up the latest artistic experiment from Tale of Tales keep in mind that the game’s subject matter with a little bit of background can start to make a lot of sense. It just requires you to think outside of the video game medium.

Headmaster is a fleeting but fun little virtual reality romp.

This is all fun enough stuff. There’s a nice mix of split-second tactical thinking and deep brutality – I could almost feel each blow through my controller.