An action role-playing game that does a lot of things well, such as the deep battle system, exploration, and setting. At the same time, none of these are truly original, preventing it from being truly great. Still, those who love action RPGs from the 90s will find plenty to like in the game since Shiness is quite fun for the whole duration of the adventure, despite its predictable story, lackluster writing and somewhat wonky battle controls.

Ultimately, this might just be the best version of the very best Kart racer there is. If you're a Mario Kart 8 veteran then I'm not sure how much here will draw you in, but new players and multiplayer fanatics will find dozens of hours of fun.

Episode One - Tangled Up in Blue is not perfect, much like the gang of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but with plenty of comedy, action and interesting stories, this might yet turn into one of Telltale's most beloved series.

Much more than a fresh coat of paint, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a new classic nearly thirty years in the making and truly a project of passion for Lizardcube.

Aaero seamlessly blends twin-stick shooting with trance music to create a sensory experience unlike any other.

A solid, yet not perfect, beginning of the new saga, sporting enjoyable characters, that sadly don't get the development they deserved, outside Sophie and Plachta, and interesting mechanics, such as the new alchemy system. Some of the new mechanics, such as the removal of the time limit, do create some pacing issues, but the development of the main characters' relationship is so good that it's easy to look past this issue. Just don't expect to play the best Atelier game ever released.

The Crow's Eye is a strange title. It's a horror game in some ways, with great atmosphere for the most part. However, it's also not scary. For the most part it's more of a puzzle game, than horror game and has side-stories far more compelling than the main plot. In all, it offers an interesting, if flawed experience.

While there are a few minor technical problems, I haven't played a puzzle adventure game that's absorbed me like The Sexy Brutale has in a long time. A great story well worth telling.

The Nonary Games contains two of the best-known escape room games (except for perhaps Crimson Room) together in a timeless package. The updates to 999 make it the most definitive version to date, although Virtue's Last Reward feels just the same as it did the first time around.

Surpassing its predecessors in every way, Persona 5 redefines the Japanese RPG with a stylish band of rogues that should please any fan of the genre.

Mass Effect Andromeda could have been one of the best RPGs ever, but sadly the game never realizes its full potential. While the gameplay experience and RPG mechanics are mostly well done, with the best combat system of the entire series, the predictable story, uninteresting characters, and generally mediocre writing make the Pathfinder's quest to find a new home for humanity not as memorable as it could have been.

It might not be as good as your vague memories of the hallowed games of Rare, but Yooka-Laylee has a little bit of that old lovable magic in it. It may be made for children, but there is a little something that can make the old and miserable smile again. That alone is worth it.

FlatOut 4 is a frequently irritating game that's held down by incredible amounts of grind, it has some saving graces with a variety of game modes and track types, but they don't do enough to balance out against the negatives like AI, physics and more.

Good tracks and great racing combine in this well-positioned futuristic racer. It’s nothing groundbreaking, and is very similar to its predecessor, but it has enough new content and multiplayer fun to keep me coming back for hours.

Blaster Master Zero tries to recapture the joy of the NES classic, but the out-of-vehicle segments are just as frustrating as they were nearly thirty years ago.

The Ringed City is possibly the best DLC of the series - Bloodborne's Old Hunters included. It's challenging, intriguing and mysterious, like a good entry in the Souls series should be, but takes all of those factors to the max. A wonderful conclusion to the series, but we can't help but want more.

Out of the Park Baseball 18 is one of the best sport-simulation games on the market. Lagging slightly behind its football rival primarily due to a terrible interface. Once you get sucked in, though, it's extremely compelling and a great learning aid if you know little about baseball.

WRC 6 has its positives. It's certainly more approachable than other rally games, but it's simply not improving enough. It's the best of the series but pales in comparison to its major competitor, Dirt Rally.

LEGO Worlds does an interesting job in standing out from the competition. It has had years to develop its own brand of digital block building, and for the most part it succeeds. Although its controls are a little fiddly, its freedom to build and explore are amazingly detailed.

What Yacht Club Games managed to achieve with Shovel Knight was extremely impressive, and they’ve continued their streak with Spectre of Torment. This latest expansion has overshadowed Shovel of Hope as being the best Shovel Knight game. Spectre of Torment demonstrations that with time, Yacht Club Games can create an expansion that outclasses Plague of Shadows with ease. Featuring a remixed soundtrack, a new look to each level and the coolest character in the Shovel Knight series, Spectre of Torment is better than I could’ve ever imagined. Considering what is available on the Switch right now, there is absolutely no reason for you not to own this game.

Toukiden 2 improves pretty much on every feature of its predecessors, with an interesting approach to open world gameplay, a good number of customization possibilities, an engaging story featuring a charming cast of characters, and plenty of intense action. Sadly, combat tends to become a bit stale after a while in single player, as good equipment and skills allow players to just mash their way through the hordes of Oni infesting the land. Toukiden 2 is, without a doubt, a quality title and the best entry in the series, but with other recent games delivering better open world design and combat it may be difficult for some to be enthralled by the Omega Force developed game.

From beginning to end, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight remained a masterful example of a small project with big inspiration. While it may pull from a number of other more famous titles, what it utilizes are the strengths it draws inspiration from to combine into a challenging adventure that still feels fresh. Momodora 4 is a great title for those that enjoy a hard-as-nails adventure, though those that might be new to the genre might find themselves without hope.

Ghost Recon Wildlands is just another in the long line of Ubisoft's vapid open world games packed full of content (collectibles and quests) with no real meaning. The setting is absolutely stunning and a joy to view, but there's nothing in the world to actually incentivise you to travel around. It's a sturdy, but average shooter with no variety. At the end of it all, it's mostly boring interspersed with moments of fun.

Touhou Genso Wanderer packages together one of the most approachable roguelikes and one of the more mediocre Castlevania type titles into one complete package for any tourist of Gensokyo.

By no means a perfect game, Styx: Shards of Darkness is still an improvement on the first. As the series continues to progress we can hope to see some better storytelling, world building and crisper graphics and sound, but for now at least we have an enjoyable experience with some interesting ideas to experiment with.

Husk is a psychological horror game with broken combat and stealth systems that consistently undoes any sense of tension it tries so hard to build.

Horizon Zero Dawn is a pure sign of what can be completed with an exceptionally designed open world. Not only that, it has exceptional characterisation and a sincere story that doesn't shoehorn elements, allowing for the organic growth of characters. This is a game that I can barely find any faults with, except borrowing some elements from other open world games. Even so, it made each and every element its own in one of the best games to date.

For Honor has big production values and great combat, but a myriad of issues - server stability being chief among them - prevent it from being a classic.

Dragon Ball Fusions isn't bad by any measure, but I'd struggle to call it exciting. The fact is, only big Dragon Ball fans are going to keep returning to Dragon Ball Fusions, casual fans need not apply.

Atelier Firis: Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey represents the biggest step forward for the series in quite a long time, striking a very good balance between the typical time management of the series and an open world experience. Some design choices may not be the best, but there's quite a lot to like in this mysterious journey.

Hitman - The Complete First Season revitalizes the franchise in new smart ways thanks to an impressive package with a ton of content.

Although it might not be a perfect game, the sum of NieR: Automata’s unique storytelling meshed with Platinum Games’ style of action, meld together into a title well deserving of being one of my personal Games of the Year.

The value proposition isn't amazing, and would be a tough pill to swallow even if it were £1 per game. Solo, this is absolutely one to be missed, while players with siblings, flatmates, partners or regular gatherings might actually find this to be essential.

Breaking all the conventions of the series, and even a few general gaming conventions, Breath of the Wild is essential for any self-respecting gamer. A new bar has been set in open world gaming.

Torment: Tides of Numenera is a role-playing game like very few others, giving players total freedom in how to approach any given situation, even allowing them to complete the game by avoiding most fights through this deep choices system. With excellent writing, lively and creative world, engaging story and characters, and solid mechanics, the role-playing game developed by inXile is a game that those who love immersing themselves completely in fictional worlds have to play at all costs.

Stars in Shadow, developed by a two man team, offers a compelling but simple approach to the 4X Strategy game genre. While lacking some depth in the grand scale, it more than makes up for it with compelling ship battles, using custom designed ships that offer a great amount of customization.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk doesn’t strive to expand upon Koei Tecmo’s signature style in any meaningful way, but for longtime fans of the genre, perhaps there isn’t much need to innovate. Being able to relive Guts' early adventures during the Golden Age and beyond is sure to excite fans of Kentaro Miura's epic.

While Ys Origin feels like a relic of the mid-2000's, its fast paced combat still stands the test of time and should satisfy fans waiting for Ys VIII's global release.

Halo Wars 2 is an ideal strategy game for beginners. There's little doubting that the action is solid and it looks fantastic, but other strange choices mar what would be a great title. From downright bad writing, to the inclusion of pay to win microtransactions in a premium game, there are some absolutely perplexing decisions.

Nioh is among the finest exclusives to grace the PS4, melding samurai action with the framework of the well-renowned Dark Souls series, although its devilish difficulty may send William to an early grave.

With gameplay that can shock, amuse and satisfy in the same slowed heartbeat, Sniper Elite 4 is the best game in the series. While it graphics, story and characters can feel a little flat, the gameplay has always been the focus, and is so perfectly tuned to make the rest seem inconsequential.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is an adequate collection of what's left over from the series, with what also acts as an exquisite demo for the upcoming Kindom Hearts 3. This isn't to say that hard work hasn't gone into the remaster, but for a premium price point the game just isn't worth what it's asking, and the core component shows its age and origins a little more than could be hoped for.

Nights of Azure is a game of wasted potential. The game's dark tone and setting is ultimately ruined by the excessive presence of comic relief, which takes a lot of the tension out of the terrible choice Arnice has to take to save the world. With an experience that gets stale way too quickly, Nights of Azure true saving grace are the game's two main characters and the development of their relationship, which takes some interesting turns. A shame, as the game could have been so much more.

Gravity Rush 2 is an excellent sequel to the first game. It's easier to control, has an incredible depth of quantity and while it doesn't all hit, the vast majority does. It has a few strange choices in story design, particularly a false ending in one of the worst places I've ever encountered. All things considered, it's an excellent game with some of the most entertaining gameplay around, set in a fantastically designed world with a great visual design.

Dynasty Warriors Godseekers manages to capture the spirit of the series with its tactical experience, but sadly fails to stand out from the competition and the classic games of the past due to the lack of any real innovation. Despite this, there's still plenty of fun to be had for fans of the Dynasty Warriors series and tactical RPG, as the experience is quite solid. Just don't expect to remember Zhao Yun's journey six months from now.

Even though this is a remake of a six-year-old game, it still holds up pretty well as far as gameplay is concerned. Darksiders: Warmastered Edition looks at its best at 4K resolution and as a game, it's better than its sequel.

Urban Empire aims to offer an interesting mix of political intrigue with city-building creativity and management. However, it doesn't give anywhere near enough information or allow enough freedom to make it as compelling as the idea could have been.

With a fantastic combat system and a good story, Tales of Berseria feels like a return to form in a lot of ways, despite being more adventurous with the combat than ever before. A great series making a triumphant return.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a true return to form, and one of the scariest games in years. It’s only let down by the fact it loses its fear factor by slightly outstaying its welcome.

Whether you’re visiting Kamurocho for business or pleasure, be prepared to sink another eighty hours into a crime epic that only Sega can deliver.

If you’re willing to forego the story and just enjoy the action, Fate Extella is undoubtedly one of the smoothest playing Warriors-style games to date with kill counts ranging in the thousands for each battle. Repetition may set in early on, but by then you should be all ready to unleash your Noble Phantasm.

Influenced by adventure-platform games of the past, Rise & Shine manages to enrich a classic gameplay formula with a tight mix of different genres, interesting combat depth, and varied puzzles. Shooting controls can be a bit uncomfortable on a gamepad, but this is the only gripe in a game that's objectively very well put together. Highly recommended to fans of Another World and Flashback as well as to those looking for a quirky and fun experience that doesn't overstay its welcome.

Dragon Quest VIII is hailed as a classic, and rightly so. Dragon Quest VIII on 3DS is a great place for new fans to jump on, as well as a perfect way for those who played it to relive a classic – and on the go, too. One of the PS2’s very best JRPGs is back, and it hasn’t aged a day.

Project DIVA Future Tone is a celebration of ten years with the Vocaloid crew, bringing nearly every song and outfit handcrafted for the digital singers into one complete collection on PlayStation 4.

Project DIVA Future Tone is a celebration of ten years with the Vocaloid crew, bringing nearly every song and outfit handcrafted for the digital singers into one complete collection on PlayStation 4.

A true blast to play, thanks to a beautiful presentation, great writing and an excellent, varied gameplay experience that never feels stale, with plenty of optional content that makes everything even better.

Xanadu Next is a literal blast from the past, a 2005 action role-playing that manages to be incredibly engaging still today thanks to several spot-on features, such as the excellent mix between RPG and puzzle games elements, action combat system and the evocative soundtrack.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a fantastic return to form for the real-time tactics genre, with a particular emphasis on stealth based gameplay. Reminiscent of Commandos, it offers a fantastic tactical approach in a brilliantly designed world that will do more than enough to grab anybody’s attention. Not without its difficulty, it's never too hard that it's unfair.

Dead Rising 4 completely streamlines a lot of core gameplay elements of the franchise while still remaining a sadistically fun game to play.

Space Hulk: Deathwing is a sadly boring and uninspiring shooter. A repetitive single player that could have been saved by a strong multiplayer is just lost due to technical issues and the sad fact is that the game simply isn't good enough.

The storytelling pacing in these premiere episodes has been perfect. If Telltale manage to maintain this level of quality, this could end up becoming the best season of The Walking Dead yet.

Unlike some of the episodes in previous seasons, there wasn’t a moment I found myself waiting for particular boring sections to end.

The Last Guardian takes you on an experience to see and feel things that no other game can. Essential for anyone who wants to see a game which pushes boundaries and genres.

WWE 2K17 is superior in a few ways to its predecessor, with a much improved wrestling system. At the same time, loading times are worse and there's a lack of Showcase leaves a gap the MyCareer and Universe modes simply can't fill. Aesthetically lacking and, frankly, boring too much of the time, it's hard to recommend this. Particularly when considering the prohibitive DLC practices that keep active members of the roster behind a pay wall.

Steep delivers great fun for winter sports game fans, although it can be a little difficult to find amongst a huge map and confusing tutorial/interface. What Ubisoft has tried to accomplish is mostly successful, and fans of winter sports games will find a lot that they recognize and a lot that improves on the genre in this mountain range.

With its humorous writing, nice level design, smooth gameplay and multiple references to classic games, Rad Rodgers: World One is a title that fans of the genre will surely enjoy, despite its lack of true innovation, short length and some performance issues on less powerful system configurations.

Most of all, this is the story of four friends. The story of a ten-year development cycle and the payoff from that, warts and all. Welcome to Eos and welcome to Final Fantasy XV, a great game and a return to form for the series.

Rock Band Rivals offers less than expected, considering the state in which Rock Band 4 was released back in October last year. The content provided is not quite sufficient when taking the length of the Rockudrama and the poorly executed Rivals mode into consideration.

Whether you're an old Pokémon fan or a brand new one, there's loads to love about Sun and Moon. These might just be the very best mainline Pokémon games ever.

Whether you're an old Pokémon fan or a brand new one, there's loads to love about Sun and Moon. These might just be the very best mainline Pokémon games ever.

Trying to cross the genre of Souls games together with the random nature of roguelike games is a task that’s difficult enough to make work, let alone infusing it with a free-to-play system that punishes the player for dying. Let It Die somehow manages to find a very thin line bridging the three together and makes it work with a quirky infusion that stands by Suda’s game development. While some mechanical aspects, and yes, the freemium components, prevent it from being a perfect experience, fans of Souls games owe it to themselves to download this free-to-play title and give it a shot. Win, and see yourself standing at the top of the Tower of Barbs; die, and become just another Hater filling its halls.

While Steins;Gate 0 doesn't quite have the same emotional impact as its predecessor, this full-fledged sequel stands out as one of the finest visual novels and an amazing chance to reunite with the members of the Future Gadget Laboratory.

Cities: Skylines - Natural Disasters is a good, albeit slightly expensive addition to the core game. One of the huge features being given free as part of a patch detracting from the DLC seems unfair to say, but it's true nonetheless. However, the disasters add a whole new element to the game and the addition of helicopters make for a very interesting and useful expansion to your emergency services.

Super Mario Maker is a great game, but this handheld version is missing a couple of features that made the Wii U version essential. Loads of fun to be had, just far too familiar.

The Dwarves is a role-playing game that fails to reach its full potential. Its interesting battle concepts are marred by a mediocre execution, very limited RPG mechanics, and just too many technical issues on PlayStation 4. Despite this, the game still managed to be somewhat enjoyable thanks to the gripping yet not too original story, and charming characters. Due to gameplay and technical shortcomings, however, only die hard high fantasy fans may find some enjoyment in The Dwarves. Everyone else would do better in looking elsewhere.

Football Manager 2017 isn't a revolutionary update to the series, but it's the best in a good number of years. The new match engine is such a huge improvement and the AI enhancements add to the overall feeling that this is the most realized football management game yet, feeling more realistic than ever before.

It’s an understatement to say that Frontier Developments have outdone themselves with Planet Coaster. With its beautiful cartoon-style, incredible levels of customization and a small selection of fun modes to choose from, Planet Coaster has set a new standard for the genre.

Watch_Dogs 2 is a textbook example of a great sequel. It takes what was so much fun from the first game, expands it and cuts away most of what the players didn't enjoy.

What turns out to be a fun JRPG with a big world to explore and good combat is marred by bad story, bad quests and some diabolical pacing. Only recommended for SAO fans.

It may not be one of the must-play titles on PlayStation VR, but if you’re looking for a challenging experience to share with friends, strapping yourself into Battlezone should serve as a good introduction into what virtual reality should feel like.

React Games may have had good intentions with Super Dungeon Bros, but it's miles off competing with the likes of Gauntlet or even older games like Castle Crashers. The game lacks originality, starving players of any truly enjoyable gameplay and its half-hearted attempt at embracing a rock theme doesn’t amount to anything particularly unique or cool.

Fans of horde modes in their shooters will find plenty of reasons to keep coming back to Killing Floor 2, although the experience is substantially better with a group of like-minded friends.

One of the best campaigns of the series, and one hell of a solid multiplayer. Call of Duty Infinite Warfare could be the boldest entry we’ve ever seen, though fans of Black Ops III might find Multiplayer and Zombies modes to be too familiar and frankly old-hat.

Ultimately, Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered might be the best remaster I’ve ever played. Everything is updated and beautiful, without losing a single thing long-time fans loved about the original. If you’ve ever wanted to see where the online multiplayer craze started, this is it – and it holds up amazingly well.

Although feeling hands off in the day to day running of the team as a company, the real joy of Motorsport Manager comes from your preparation for the races and the races themselves. Improving your cars but then watching them in the race, planning your pit stops and attempting to plan everything to the second makes for a tense and exciting, experience.

A disappointment, even when compared to mobile games. I’ve never been bored while playing a game involving high-speed motorcycles and bikers doing radical stunts, but I suppose there’s a first time for everything. Fans of the original games should steer clear of this game, as it will only disappoint you.

Dishonored 2 is the best stealth action/adventure game on the market. It's filled with memorable characters and locations, not to mention empowered by superb art style and gameplay. No gamer should miss it, though if you intend to play on PC you might do well to wait for the update that's scheduled to bring a slew of performance improvements.

Earth’s Dawn has the genuine feel of being developed by people that have played other similar games in the genre and have established the groundwork for a successful action RPG. Unfortunately, their execution fails to hit the mark in a number of instances that quickly add up to work against it. Perhaps by drawing too much inspiration from the likes of Odin Sphere, Earth’s Dawn ran the risk of riding the success of the recent Leifthrasir instead of being celebrated as a unique infusion of genres.

Civilization VI is the pinnacle of the series. It's featured huge, sweeping changes, and nothing was left out. Everything has found a purpose, they all work together in tandem but also have a reason to stand alone. Only slight AI issues can be found here, but nothing every other 4X or Grand Strategy game hasn't encountered on a worse level. Civilization VI is, frankly, the best 4X strategy game in the world.

If you've played a Just Dance game before, any Just Dance game, you'll know whether or not you like Just Dance 2017. It doesn't add much to the series but is another bombastic, deeply enjoyable game to play as you accidentally break your living room furniture.

I found myself wishing that something would appear to redeem Mordheim: City of the Damned, but as it began to feel like every action in the game was taking a few agonizing seconds too long, I realised that I’d lost hope in much the same way as the residents of the eponymous city. Mordheim isn’t a dangerous place, it’s just a bit dull.

Visually the game looks fantastic, with each ship showcasing a remarkable amount of detail as they majestically glide across attractive landscapes. Sadly, progression currently feels quite slow and this, combined with the lack of active players could deter those that have recently joined from sticking around. Although the game has the potential to be really fun for a group to play, I didn’t have as much fun as I had hoped and I have no inclination to continue playing on my own. Nonetheless, if you have some time, a lot of patience and a few friends, Fractured Space is well worth a try.

Tyranny perfectly encapsulates what makes a role-playing game great. With superb writing, an engaging story and setting, solid mechanics and huge replay value, the new game from Obsidian Entertainment is a must play for all true RPG lovers. Tyranny isn't just about the triumph of evil: it is the triumph of role-playing games.

With an engaging story mixing together thriller and comedy elements with occult themes and plenty of dark humor, as well as some interesting characters, Yesterday Origins is a point and click adventure game that fans of the genre will surely appreciate. With the gameplay formula not straying too far from familiar ground, however, the game developed by Pendulo Studios will hardly appeal to those who don't enjoy this classic genre.

Mark McMorris Infinite Air is a disappointing snowboarding game, despite great world editing tools. Its needlessly complex tricks system hinders most of the enjoyment you could potentially have on the slopes.

Crytek's expertise of crafting visually stunning experiences holds true in Robinson: The Journey. Robin’s tale of survival is the greatest yet on PlayStation VR, even if some control issues keep it from being a perfect experience.

Although the allure of returning to one of the most engaging Elder Scrolls titles might be overwhelming, Skyrim Special Edition itself feels dated, with little improvements made in terms of gameplay and graphics. You'll play it for hours, but you'll keep wondering why.

From a safe yet unwieldy control scheme to a lack of cohesive content, The Assembly has the edges of a complete adventure game with just a few too many pieces missing from being able to assemble the complete picture.