NieR: Automata is not for everybody. In fact, the game looks to be aimed at the most refined fans of the medium by not caring about the regular gaming conventions, in the same way the works of David Lynch are perfect for the hardcore moviegoers.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands excels in the sheer size of it and has a ton of content which offers you and your friends endless possibilities and lots of fun. The gameplay, on the other hand, is often repetitive, which causes the game to be just a little less than fantastic.

It might be the biggest, most complex and action packed game in the franchise, but Mass Effect: Andromeda is also the least convincing one. The dated facial animations, the inconsistent writing quality and the regularly occurring bugs take you out of the experience too often. On top of that, BioWare has not used the concept of a whole new universe to its full potential, which often makes it feel like Mass Effect: Andromeda has not left our Milky Way at all.

Persona 5 beats every other turn-based RPG in terms of production values, combat, story, symbolics, character design, music, pace and variety. 2017 is a great year for gaming and Persona 5 confirms this with a load of unmatched swagger.

Yooka-Laylee at times feels more like a remake of Banjo-Kazooie than a completely new game, that's how much they are alike. But in this case it is only meant in a positive way. The world needs more games likes this, you know.

You could see Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as an easy port, because it is to a certain extent. But it would be silly to disregard the ultimate fun this kart experience offers because of this. If you have a Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an essential purchase you will play for over three years and never regret buying.

Do you like Limbo and Inside? If so, Little Nightmares will be right up your alley. The game is less original and expressive as Playdead's titles though.

What a rush to be able to play a sequel that exceeds its predecessor in almost every way. Injustice 2 is in terms of looks, gameplay and the amount of (interesting) characters leaps ahead of the previous installment without losing its accessability. And then there's the loot... my god, THE LOOT. The current system might not (yet) be perfectly balanced, but it is definitely the ultimate addition to a fighter filled with super heroes. The loot fighter: finally it has returned.

Tekken 7 is very much Tekken, exactly like you've always known it. Luckily the game knows how to get maximum gain out of seemingly minimal additions, like the flashy Rage Arts, tactical Power Crushes and surprisingly spectacular presence of Street Fighter icon Akuma. But due to the pretentious and disappointing single-player content it will never be a classic.

If you haven't been interested in Diablo 3 for a while now, this expensive Rise of the Necromancer DLC is probably not for you. But if it is your go-to-game, then this addition will give you the best class thus far. Seeing as Diablo 3 offers endless content, buying Rise of the Necromancer will be a small, but very worthwhile investment.

Observer is filled with alarming images, sounds en conversations, elements that come together as a mystery which is bound to get under your skin. Let the raw voice of Rutger Hauer guide you through a nasty world, in which the game-within-a-game With Fire and Sword: Spiders forms a nice diversion of all the somber misery. But be forewarned that this is more of a walking simulator than a Outlast-like horror game.

The Lost Legacy is not as great as a real new part in the Uncharted series, but as an insanely expansive stand-alone DLC it's more than successful. We will always miss Nathan Drak, but hopefully Uncharted will continue in this form for a long, long time.

LawBreakers' most important element is the strong, tight gameplay that conveys the feeling of a classic shooter in a modern package. But the rest of the game disappoints with uninteresting characters and maps, not a lot of options and just a few modes.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle might be an unpleasant surprise for every (oblivious) Mario-fan whose hoping to go jump on platforms again, but for gamers who like to be strategically challenged, this is highly recommended. Mario + Rabbids might not be a perfectly polished product like some ' real' Mario games, but Ubisoft took a great risk, bringing us an ideal game for the Switch.

Before the Storm – Episode 1 doesn’t start of as great as Life is Strange but saves itself halfway through with the growing relationship between Chloe and Rachel. New (insights in) characters, mysteries and the Backtalk conversational options make Life is Strange: Before the Storm powerful enough to stand on its own legs. A fine reason to return to Arcadia Bay.

Knack 2 is enjoyable enough, but mostly because there aren't a whole lot of 3D platform games like this, especially not ones that are playable in co-op. Knack 2 is slightly better than its predecessor with okay gameplay, but the rest is barely interesting and and very much focused on children.

Destiny 2 is tough to compare to other shooters or games, but it is evidently a better title than part 1. The campaign is longer, the progression makes more sense, the structure is more satisfying and the sheen and splendor on the various planets entices even more. Destiny is comparable with its predecessor after the add-on The Taken King, and is therefore a more solid foundation for the coming months of content.

Yes, Pokkén Tournament DX is essentially exactly the same game as the one on the Wii U that came out one and a half years ago. But the five new characters, the new modes and the mobility of the Switch make this a worthy port, not in the least because the fighting system is simply very cool.

Looking at it negatively, you could say that PES 2018 is torn between two ideas, even seems to have some kind of identity crisis. Glass half full types will see it as a lovely soccer game, that can even be more fun than FIFA when played with friends. The added realism even gives it the credibility needed to give it an edge over FIFA.

Total War: Warhammer 2 is a couple of very large updates in a box, but anyone who loves the first game will have no regrets buying this. The new factions are great, the Campaign is more streamlined, interesting and clear, all the smaller adjustments increase the urge for yet another turn and the battles are incredibly spectacular. It would be an even greater accomplishment if more people could enjoy this, but for a game, this is very complex.

Attacking is more fun and spectacular in FIFA 18 and the game offers a huge package which will definitely water your mouth if you're a football fan. That's why it is such a pity defending is less fun and some new features are somewhat unpolished.

The playability of Mega Man X. The intensity of Contra. The challenge of Metal Slug. And the presentation of a whole generation of iconic animation films. Cuphead contains all these things and more, in a product that is not only an ode to a great but almost extinct subgenre, but which is also onto itself a unique work of art.

Monolith set itself a goal to make Middle-earth: Shadow of War a lot bigger and more expansive than its predecessor, Shadow of Mordor, in which they definitely succeeded. Too bad they didn't tweak or beautify the three years older forebear, and that they actually went a bit too far with the amount of content on offer.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is an easily accessible but moderately deep light RPG in which fun battles, nice collectables and a lot of crude humour will entertain you for almost 30 hours. But comparing it with its forebear, The Stick of Truth, is unavoidable, and in this it kind of disappoints, feeling a little too similar and not as funny or surprising.

Inside is an easy recommendation if you loved Limbo, but the abrupt ending is a bit of a bummer.

The most addictive and fascinating card game in recent history just got more addictive and fascinating with the Whispers expansion. [July 2016 / page 071]

Planet Robobot is decently made but leans way too much on it’s predecessor Triple Deluxe (and every other Kirby platformer) to keep us interested. Time for something new. [July 2016 / page 070]

We expected this one to be a shallow and extremely niche JRPG but it turned out to be an addicting and extremely deep variation on the Persona formula. Too bad the Fire Emblem side of things doesn’t really shine through. [July 2016 / page 069]