So far, ELEX is an extremely mixed bag, both in the sense of its content and its quality.

Some monstrously lovely set pieces are let down by a bit too much padding, some broken mechanics, and an overwrought story.

The longer South Park: The Fractured But Whole went on, the less I laughed. Exploring the mountain town, however, is a delight, and the battles are a marked improvement on the original's combat.

It's a shame the story is so strangely paced, but you hardly need it. Fortress Assaults are great set pieces, and there's a lot of fun to be had with the upgraded Nemesis System alone.

A well put together action puzzler, Figment has truly outstanding musical work. It'd be a great game to discover with children, but you'd probably need one to get the most out of it.

There's definitely a point where it all becomes a bit too much, but Cuphead will best most games in how it looks and sounds, and defeating that boss that you once deemed unbeatable is glorious.

A lot has gone into changing how the game is played in PES 2018. The more measured approach is wonderful, as is Real Touch+. That's why the parts that need an upgrade stick out more than they have in years.

FIFA 18 is the best FIFA game in years. There are some obvious flaws — some of which are more frustrating than others — but as a complete package, the series is making progress, once again.

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is, like football, a game of two halves. The actual fighting half, which is arguably the more critical 50% anyway, is fun and exciting. The other half is a bit confusing.

I might not have enjoyed it quite as perfectly as Dishonored 2, but Death of the Outsider is a fittingly melancholy way to wrap up a story arc I've loved. The Empire of the Isles is a strange and exquisitely horrible world, and this entry is no different.

Marked improvements in style and story, coupled with Bungie's always excellent shooting, make this continued space epic a winner. But that never ending grind, though.

Tokyo Dark is an enjoyable supernatural mystery that holds your attention up until the end, which makes the disappointing execution of the SPIN system a real shame.

Knack 2 doesn't have exactly the same problems as Knack, it's just moved things into different places and ended up mostly the same. Which is at least emblematic of Knack himself, I suppose.

The Last Day of June is an emotional, gentle puzzle, where you must live one sunny afternoon over and over again to try and avert tragedy. It doesn't feel especially new, but it'll still probably make you a bit teary.

A smart series of puzzling occult cases, The Darkside Detective has a very distinct sense of humour that you'll either love or hate.

While Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle may have been the crossover that no one wanted, it's materialised as a really good one with some interesting systems, despite its smattering of shortcomings. It shouldn't work, but it does.

With a cast of well-realised characters, and a story that captivates from start-to-finish, Subsurface Circular's robot mystery will have your attention from the moment the train leaves the station.

The Lost Legacy is proof that there's still life in Uncharted, though it'll need to break out of it's own formula a bit in the future. Chloe and Nadine could do that for the series. You just have to let them.

Despite fun combat and characters, Agents of Mayhem becomes repetitive and grinding. In trying to chase the popularity of Saints Row, it misses having an identity of its own.

It took two decades and change, but a team of developers has shown they understand what made the old Sonic games great with Sonic Mania, even if nostalgia is sometimes too much of a driving force.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is beautiful, discomforting, and compelling. It might challenge what you like about games, but challenge is good. You're doing yourself a disservice if you don't try it.

Tacoma is a quiet, lovely, yet slightly melancholy exploration of humanity struggling in a corporate vacuum, and one that proves Fullbright still has an eye for detail.

A tabletop-esque strategy game with surprisingly variable routes to success, Antihero is stylish, fresh, and beautifully designed.

Despite these niggles, Yonder is obviously a fantastic game for adults to play with their children, and for slightly older children to be allowed to play unsupervised. Even for adults it's surprisingly beautiful, and a soothing breath of anxiety-calming non-violence. But the older you get, the less mileage you might receive from Gemea.

Despite imperfections, Splatoon 2 improves on the original, and is a colourful, joyous addition to the Switch.

A fun take on both stealth games and genre films, Serial Cleaner will be way more enjoyable if it can fix a bad lighting bug that made it almost unplayable.

Listen, as dystopian and mostly monochrome platform puzzlers go, Black the Fall isn't bad. But I can't tell you it's great either.

An imaginative horror game, Perception is coming at a well trodden genre from a new angle, but despite its good ideas, it doesn't quite live up to its own potential.

Get Even's use of layered sound and even more layered story is unsettling and great, but other awkward mechanics make this psychological thriller a bit less than the sum of some very fine parts.

The Town of Light has an interesting premise, but, however worthy an enterprise it is, the story is just too confused a journey to leave a real impact.

The frenetic fighting and over-the-top fun of Tekken 7 is great, but it's let down by light offline modes and online matchmaking that, right now, simply isn't working well enough.

Stretching your limbs across the battlefield to stop an impending throw is good fun, but there's absolute anarchy when you throw in an extra body. The mediocre mini-games, and antiquated single-player further block the punch of Arms.

The high-energy fun of Victor Vran means it really is a romp, if one that occasionally stutters. While the slightly repetitive nature grates, you can easily see a few hours dissolving into Victor Vran before your very eyes. Like a vampire in sunlight.

After a lacklustre start, things began to pick up as focus was put on the Garcia love triangle. But redundant flashbacks and an annoying child make A New Frontier the most topsy-turvy season of The Walking Dead, yet.

Other games of its ilk may punch harder on their message, and the challenge here is all but non-existent. But RiME is a beautiful painting come to life, backed by an exceptional score that will make your journey across this island a joy.

Fast, satisfying combat and the most ambitious single player for a fighting game yet, Injustice 2 is a great game elevated further by its attention to detail and Cavill-esque good looks.

Prey gives you all the tools you need, but allows you to decide how to get to your goal. The fear is constant, as is the joy from getting to safety. Despite a largely forgettable main story, I'll remember my own experience in Talos-1 for some time.

First-person, narrative-driven games generally follow a pattern. What Remains of Edith Finch plays with those established conventions to create a beautiful story that breaks your heart, while making you smile just as much. A triumph in the genre.

Outlast 2 has some great design elements, and the night-vision handy-cam mechanic is still scary. But the jump scares and gore don't mix right with the elements of psychological horror, and the story retreads horror tropes that didn't need retreading.

Little Nightmares is frightening, in a way that gets under your skin. A way that whispers in your ear that you won't sleep well tonight. Little Nightmares takes things you were afraid of when you were a kid, and reminds you you're still afraid now.

A nice, weird walk and a philosophical lecture, both unfortunately ruined by how hard the game drives its point home. Everything would be cleverer if it wasn't seemingly trying to be so clever.

The secret stories Father Lafcadio uncovers are lovely, but you won't always enjoy the process of uncovering them. Still, a series of elegant murders, with elegant stories, in an elegant mansion is enough to show anyone a good time.

ooka-Laylee would fit right into the late 90s with its vague puzzles, wakka-wakka voices, and confusing levels. Time has moved on since the N64, and while there are a handful of bright spots, this sadly isn't the catalyst for a 3D platformer revival.

A point and click adventure for the now, Thimbleweed Park takes everything great about classic Lucasfilm games and leaves out the flaws. You might not love all the central characters, but this is as weird and compelling a town as Twin Peaks.

Performance issues are a huge let down, and it feels more Dragon Age than Mass Effect. But if you like open world exploration with fast paced gun fighting, and a hero story like an OTT Hollywood action movie, you'll probably like Andromeda.

This massive open-world is unfortunately full of dull objectives to complete that rarely vary from one to the next. There are some pretty sights in here, and it's more fun in co-op than solo, but that doesn't make Wildlands anymore than serviceable.

NieR: Automata has more creativity and self-awareness in its little finger than most games have for their entire run time. Don’t miss this because it’s sandwiched between other, bigger games.

You know when you were a kid, in the summer, you used to have huge pretend adventures in the back garden with all your mates? Where the shed was a castle and the hedge was a jungle? And it was like really having an adventure? This is sort of like that.

Great writing and environment design, combined with an epic story and wide range of player choice, make Tides of Numenera a wonderful RPG. The reliance on text won't be for everyone, but fans of the genre are going to love it.

While the main narrative drags a little, wonderfully crafted characters that deal with real-life issues, fill this beautiful Saturday morning cartoon show where the mundanity of life is the backdrop for some wonderful exchanges between Mae and her friends.

For Honor's multiplayer is special, but as a whole it's let down by the less good single player, sometimes dodgy matchmaking, and a surfeit of microtransactions. The combat, though, is fantastic — it's gutsy and weighty, and you feel like a badass.

Destroying large robot beasts while frantically switching between weapons is intoxicating, but the strength of Horizon Zero Dawn is in Aloy's engaging quest to find out who she really is.

Looking down the scope and holding your breath to line up that perfect shot in Sniper Elite 4 is exhilarating, as are the subsequent Kill Cams. It’s just a shame that the poorly delivered story and wooden characters get in the way.

Finding matches and dating is complicated enough to need effort and finesse on your part. While the look and UI weren't designed for console, this campy dating sim will leave you both satisfied and wanting more. That's what she said.

A short, calm exploration of a beautiful island, where the conversations are like talking to real people. As an introduction to the larger world of Eastshade it's great, but Leaving Lyndow doesn't quite manage to stand on its own feet as a separate game.

While not offering anything groundbreaking as such, this tranquil, simplistic puzzler is a joyous distraction in a medium that can sometimes pride itself on pomp and circumstance.

A platformer that makes great use of shadows and light. You'll get emotionally attached to the candle as he burns through some lovely environments and tough platforming, but the ending is a bit of a damp squib.

Knee Deep's swampy noir mystery play is one of the most interesting and entertaining ways to frame a game you'll ever see. Just a shame the final act doesn't rise to the humid, neo-gothic heights of the rest.

Despite a disappointing final act, this chilling horror story set in 1960s Taiwan burrows its way into your skull and, brilliantly, makes you anticipate the worst around every corner.

A short but sweet point and click puzzle adventure that takes you from dairy farming in Norway out to the stars and beyond. Godspeed, Ruth, you were a joy.

Beautiful, unsettling, challenging. The fungal growths in it are cute little creatures rather than mushrooms (which are horrible). What's not to like?

The shock value of Ladykiller in a Bind's sex scenes wear off the more they occur, but that doesn't take away from the interesting manipulation game that sees you trying to gain votes from your classmates.

There are some fantastic environments and old school style puzzles in Resi 7. The final section stops being survival horror and becomes a bit of a clunky linear shooter, but the first few hours are scary enough to put you off Louisiana for life.

The visual overhaul makes this the best looking Pokémon yet. Naturally, the amount of Pokémon on offer is almost insurmountable and will have you catching them all for quite a while, but be aware, they are a needy lot.

The visual overhaul makes this the best looking Pokémon yet. Naturally, the amount of Pokémon on offer is almost insurmountable and will have you catching them all for quite a while, but be aware, they are a needy lot.

For some The Last Guardian's iffy controls, awkward camera, and glitches might be hard to overcome. Others won't care as they experience one of the most incredible relationships in video game history.

Super Mario Maker for 3DS is a perfect fit for the handheld, with loads of content and excellent creation tools, but why can't you share levels online? That decision is baffling.

Final Fantasy XV is about adventure and excitement. There are oddities, and it's not the FF you're used to, but it's a good time with some good boys, and has an unexpected emotional resonance to it. Sometimes it seems like it shouldn't work, but it does.

Watch Dogs 2 is missing a bit of refinement, and has had issues with multiplayer, but joining DedSec is still a riot and a half. It's high energy fun with engaging characters, and you can make an entire city your playground.

Strange refereeing aside, none of those issues are more than oddities and PES 2017 is a wonderful football game that just begs to be played. Give me another 200 hours and I'll tell you definitively how PES 2017 ranks against the series' best, but right now I'm enjoying it an awful lot. Fun yet unfair, thrilling yet at times borderline broken, but it just wouldn't be PES if it was perfect.

Dishonored 2 takes everything you loved about Dishonored and improves upon it without becoming bloated. It's a beautifully designed, layered game, stuffed with hidden gems and secret stories. Also you can stab people in mid air.

It's great - I can see myself playing it for months to come - but it is just Call of Duty with a fresh lick of paint, and with competition as stiff as it is, no one could blame you for sitting this year's game out. But to do so would be to miss out on one of the finest Call of Duty campaigns yet, and an online multiplayer that stands up with the best of them.

With its thrilling multiplayer now backed up by a surprisingly excellent single-player campaign, Titanfall 2 is every bit the sequel I'd been hoping for.

Skyrim Special Edition on console looks lovely and runs well, and with all the DLC included it's a great option if you aren't fussed about mods. If you are fussed about mods you might be disappointed. Or already have a PC.

Although it is never great to aim low, I can't help but think the reaction to Return to Arkham would have been better had both games simply been 1080p, locked frame rate versions of the originals, running on Unreal Engine 3.

Minor music service quibble aside, Forza Horizon 3 is a beautiful, immensely entertaining, joyous arcade racer that successfully builds on Playground Games' already tremendous formula. As an open world racer Forza Horizon 3 is epic and diverse, as a racer it's satisfying yet deep, and as a place to hang out it's a whole heap of fun.

And any game that features characters who perform one-arm pullups to go up ladders is automatically in my good books. Gears of War 4 features such characters. There's no doubt that the long-term appeal of Gears 4 lies in its suite of multiplayer modes, but I would 100 per cent recommend playing through the campaign. It's some of the best fun I've had in a shooter for quite some time.

DriveClub VR is a brilliant racing experience, but be warned that you might think you're going on a beautiful holiday to the south of France yet end up touring the sites of Hull. That's a metaphor, by the way, you don't get to drive in either location. I'm saying Hull isn't very nice to look at. Like DriveClub VR.

An awesome adventure that delivers an epic sense of discovery. On PS4 Rise of the Tomb Raider is just as gorgeous as ever and packed full with some excellent bonus content.

Thumper is a great rhythm action game, with strong visuals, fantastic design, and more speed than Keanu Reeves on a bus rigged to explode.

XCOM 2 is more tense and thrilling than a turn-based strategy has any right to be. There are some great additions to the original gameplay, but the port to console is an imperfect one.

PlayStation VR Worlds impresses with its cinematic experiences and arcade thrills, but its lack of replayability means it should have been included free with the PS VR headset.

Batman Arkham VR is an essential, unforgettable VR experience, and a compelling argument that VR really can make a difference to the gaming landscape. But it ends just as it starts to get going and, depending on where you stand on value for money, that £16 entry fee may Harley seem worth it.

EA introduces FIFA's best new mode in years and delivers an excellent game on the pitch. The Journey may well bring back lapsed fans.

As a whole, and occasional framerate drops aside, Virginia is wonderfully cinematic, and a fantastic story to inhabit as it unfolds. It's just not for everyone. Which is true of everything that's ever been made, I suppose, and in this case at least what has been made is new and different, and incredibly stylish.

It's the sort of thing where I can't decided whether I think it's stupid or I think it's stupid but I love it.

A wonderfully tense and oppressive atmosphere let down by the restrictions of live action interactivity.

What really endures about BioShock is the beauty of the design. Rapture and Columbia are fantastic and very cohesively thought out, so they both feel like distinct but fully realised worlds.

The Turing Test can be quite accurately described as Portal meets Soma, exploring similar ideas of AI and selfhood. The trouble is, I suppose, that both those games did each aspect better.

In going for detail and variety it often overshoots into complexity; where it wants to be insightful it's not as clever as it thinks it is. Mankind Divided isn't bad, but it already feels a few years old.

Bangkok feels naturally more immediate, more knowable, than Italian coastal towns or Swedish consulates, and it's dense and devious even if it doesn't quite hit the heights of Sapienza: that familiarity moves against it eventually, and for all its good work there's not quite the feeling of discovery as found before. But it is a delightful mission, in the way that smothering people in birthday cakes or hitting them, Torrance-style, in the chest with an axe ever can be.

If you fancy a game that is a unique experience, Bound is certainly one that will get people talking even though it doesn't entirely meet all its goals.

So while it’s difficult to give it a glowing recommendation, it’s impossible to hate. On balance, it succeeds – for just long enough to be worth going in.

This is a Batman game where it's kind of more fun when you're not Batman.

Abzu is a testament to where we are with video game development and shows how diverse the medium can and should be, even if it's not quite as emotionally resonant as it perhaps could have been.

With simple controls and an easy to understand premise, anyone can turn their hand to it with ease, then partake in some truly stressful yet fun multiplayer cooking action.

Smart, engaging, and memorable.

Headlander is entertaining, looks and sounds excellent, and gives off a cool vibe, but this isn't quite a classic.