If you want to be the last man (or woman) standing and wish to play a game closely resembling Battle Royale and The Hunger Games, you'll be hard pressed to find a better game than PUBG, for now.

Though some of its gameplay can feel overly repetitive, Night in the Woods soundly delivers a relatable, impactful narrative that will keep players attached for the ride, from start to finish — all held together by beautiful stylized graphics.

SOMA is a great achievement in the survival horror genre due to its story.

Gorogoa is the perfect mix of story, gameplay, and aesthetic that all come together in order to form a truly beautiful experience. Between the simple but charming narrative, the creative and satisfying puzzle design, and the breathtaking hand-drawn artwork, Gorogoa is a wonderful puzzle game that will amaze all who choose to play it.

Ōkami HD is a great game which is let down but its difficult brush controls. Luckily, that doesn't take away too much from the experience, and anyone can enjoy the title's gorgeous visuals and powerful story.

Though it often showcases excellent characters that go through well-written development, The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series Collection is held back by some narrative flaws and dull quick-time events. The world is filled with secrets to find and places to explore, and the presentation of it through art, music and great cinematography is a positive. Despite this, the issues with the story and gameplay prevent it from truly achieving its maximum potential.

With its interesting plot, unconventional setting, and mixture of physical combat, stealthy assassination, magic, and ranged attack abilities, as well as satisfying interactivity with the open world, Seven: The Days Long Gone is an excellent and ambitious isometric role-playing game you definitely shouldn't miss.

Overall, A Walk in the Park is a good expansion which offers more gameplay hours but that's all it does. You'll gawk at the visuals but its existence doesn't add anything extraordinary to the game unless you care deeply about the character. The audiologs are the best part by far because they give Warren a layer of complexity which was lacking in the original.

Your Toy is a great indie horror experience that expertly fuses engaging, creative and tough puzzle design with a chilling, ambitious story and unnerving horror gameplay. Despite some sections where the game suffers from the obscurity and complexity of some of the puzzles, Your Toy overall is an excellent title that's definitely worth picking up if you're brave enough to go toe-to-toe with a homicidal teddy bear.

The real star of the show here is the stunning facial animation which captures every detail of an actor's face.

While Black Mirror manages to get some things right with horror atmosphere and great exploration of the setting, it fails to achieve success on almost every other front. Between the poor writing, average voice acting, the low-quality lighting and camera, and the god-awful performance, Black Mirror is a game that offers you little for what you pay.

While it's true that a LEGO game will never surprise anybody, the individual games can still be tons of fun – especially when you like the property involved. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a blast for Marvel fans, with hundreds of characters great and small, 20 huge levels with full co-op support, and a vast and beautiful open world to explore. True believers will get more than their money's worth from this one.

While Road Rage is too uneven to be a true Road Rash successor, it captures enough of the fun of motorcycle combat that made those games great. If you can ignore the dumb story, drab visuals, and lame soundtrack and just enjoy the smooth racing and brutal combat, you're bound to have a good time.

Given the impact that Outcast originally had on open-world PC games, it's wonderful that original developer Appeal and Big Ben have rescued this game from obscurity by bringing it to modern console and PC audiences. If they really wanted to win over new players, though, they really should have improved the controls and added the ability to skip past dialog during conversations. Outcast: Second Contact is still a great game, but you'll have to tolerate some dated elements to enjoy it fully.

If you buy this game, you'll have an insane amount of fun, whether you buy loot crates or not, but after spending dozens of hours playing my Heavy, it's apparent to me that EA has designed progression to become a struggle for those who don't want to buy crates. If there's a line to cross, EA didn't just step over it, they blew it up with the Death Star.

For the first time, EA has brought a full Sims experience to console, with all of its features intact – even cheats. The Sims 4 doesn't always feel at home on Xbox, though, with clunky menus, confusing controls, tiny text, and a mess of tutorials. But if you prefer to game on console rather than PC, The Sims 4 is still worth the time and effort. The character creation, building, and social interactions are engaging enough to keep simulation-minded players busy for years.

This version of Wheel of Fortune is surprisingly robust, with a great 3D recreation of the TV studio set, completely authentic gameplay that anyone should be able to play, and some fair customization options. The only drawback is the terrible online matchmaking setup. But Wheel of Fortune is plenty of fun to play solo or with local friends, so don't let the online woes keep you from spinning that wheel.

Jeopardy! is a decent adaptation of the popular game show. It doesn't have the production values and eye for detail to fully capture the TV experience, but it's still fun as a multiplayer trivia game. Other than online matchmaking issues, the only major problem is value. Jeopardy! sells for $20, but for $5 more you could get any of the Jackbox Party Pack games – and they're all miles better than this one in production value and volume of content.

And it really doesn't need microtransactions. No, it's not pay to win, you don't have to even think about touching them. But that EA even included them turns me off a little. There are very real things to fix with this franchise, and asking people for more money inside the game isn't how you do it.

You can't help but smile as you play. Its adorable nature, strange characters, and quirky dialogues make you fall in love with the game even though the camera controls are a bit off. If you're looking for a title which is guaranteed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, then be sure to give this one a go.

Sonic Mania is undoubtedly a tighter, more exceptional experience; Sega should really allow that team to design the levels for the next 3D release! But if you missed the 3D Sonic experience and can tolerate some bland level design and roughness, Forces is certainly a worthwhile follow-up to Generations – especially for the reduced asking price.

With a vast virtual park to explore, loads of beloved characters, and plenty of minigames, Disneyland Adventures is one of the best Disney games out there.

Awkward movement controls always held the original game back, but now Rush plays great with a controller – and you can still use the Kinect if that's your thing. The sheer variety of franchises and gameplay make this a game that parents and Disney-loving gamers won't want to miss.

The campaign production values are amazing as always, with excellent acting and motion capture, huge set pieces, and a fair bit of variety. And of course, WWII shows serious dedication to multiplayer with the new headquarters social hub, the excellent new war mode, and a gritty co-op Zombies mode. Whether you're interested in campaign or multiplayer, Call of Duty: WWII is the complete package and a must-play first-person shooter this holiday season.

Dying: Reborn isn't a particularly scary game, especially since you can't die. But it does possess a delightfully odd atmosphere and lots of fun puzzles to solve. This style of game, with all its indie seams and quirks, won't be for everybody. But if you can attune yourself to its quirky presentation (or just want those easy Achievements), Dying: Reborn won't kill your good time.

It's not the fanciest collection, but you'll get plenty of puzzles, intrigue, and nostalgia here for a very low price.

Wolfenstein II is a glorious single-player experience that stands proud in a AAA industry that seems increasingly obsessed with multiplayer and "Games as a Service" business models. Wolfenstein II is a pure experience that shooter fans cannot afford to miss.

It's the sort of loosely adapted licensed game that we don't see much anymore. With great looks, fun exploration-based gameplay, and challenging shooting-based combat, most Metroidvania fans will get their money's worth as they try to master The Mummy Demastered.

This year's WWE game has a lot to love, from the huge roster to the revamped MyCareer mode. But it also suffers from the same old issues, such as the lack of a proper comprehensive tutorial, stiff and unintuitive controls, rough character models, and a general lack of polish.

For more casual fans there's much more on offer there albeit without the real-life licensing. It's got more modes, more vehicle types and ultimately, more longevity before you have to think about the multiplayer option. It also doesn't implement any artificially bad handling.

The presentation is mostly excellent, with a good looking game powered by a solid engine underneath that results in exceptional realism. If you're expecting to pick it up and win right away, forget it, there's a real challenge involved. I'm also delighted that it's coming with Xbox One X enhancements.

Jackbox Party Pack 4 is a very solid collection of party games. In fact, it's probably the best entry in the series. Only one game is a real dud, with the other four games offering plenty of chances for hilarity. Fibbage About You is a clever spin on the already great game of Fibbage. It's also great to see the production values and moderation tools continue to improve with each installment. Break out Jackbox Party Pack 4 at your next social gathering (or livestream) and everybody's guaranteed to have a good time.

Shadow of War's combat is every bit as satisfying as the first, with tight, vicious swordplay, an extensive amount of moves to use and fun features, like beast riding and stealth. We've seen it all before in the first game, though. Despite having fun combat, some extra RPG mechanics, and an evolved Nemesis system which includes castle siege gameplay, Shadow of War gets repetitive fairly quickly.

A hilarious, entertaining role-playing game that is sure to entertain fans of the popular TV show for hours upon hours. Thanks to a strategic combat system, perfect presentation and excellent writing, The Fractured But Hole easily overcomes its shortcomings and stands as one of 2017's best RPGs so far.

Despite its colorful and interesting world, the game feels like a chore to get through because of these performance issues. While the frame rate isn't as bad as some other titles out there, in order to get engrossed in a title there can't be any technical distractions. Unfortunately, that isn't the case for Elex on Xbox One, and it doesn't matter how great the content is, the lack of polish is what will push consumers away.

Raid is terrific fun in co-op, with interesting objectives and fine leveling and upgrade systems. If you're looking for a cooperative multiplayer-focused alternative to this fall's other big World War II game, you can't go wrong with RAID.

The Evil Within 2 is a frightening game, though perhaps not as pants-wettingly scary as the early portions of Resident Evil 7. The game itself is improved nicely over the original, with a great open-world structure and lots of interesting missions to take on. The actual story is extremely compelling as we follow Sebastian's journey towards redemption amid a world filled with both human and inhuman monsters. If you're looking for a lengthy and frightening adventure this Halloween season, look no farther than The Evil Within 2.

Deadbeat Heroes is a good first effort from the small team at Deadbeat Productions. The combat is fast, fluid, and easy to learn – even if it lacks the depth of a good combo system. Enemies are well-varied, as are the environments. The game's aesthetic won't impress anybody, though, and the music is atrocious and repetitive.

Dragon's Dogma is a role-playing game that deserves to be appreciated. With so much content and depth, Dark Arisen is just as impressive as ever in the gameplay department. Few would've expected a Japanese developer like Capcom to release a "Western-style" action-RPG that could hold its own against the Elder Scrolls and Witcher series, but that's exactly what happened.

his is a tight platforming adventure that overflows with whimsy and charm, never overstaying its welcome. Fans of the genre (and Sega platformers of old) will find Belle and her world bewitching.

The Coma still manages a strong sense of dread thanks to its dark atmosphere and unstoppable killers. Throw in an intriguing story and sharp writing, and The Coma: Recut is an excellent remake of a horror title that console players never had a chance to play until now.

Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare is a superb expansion that closes out the game's DLC schedule with a bang. Between the creative levels, fun and simple story, useful and powerful multiplayer leaders, and challenging Terminus Firefight mode, Awakening the Nightmare is a quality experience you don't want to miss.

Cuphead is a tremendous achievement that will probably go down as one of this year's most beautiful and creative titles. Each level, each song, and each boss character is a meticulously crafted work of art in its own right, that you won't soon forget. The gunplay mechanics might feel a little dated, paying homage to 8-bit shooters of yesteryear, but they're well executed overall, and come with some modern flair in the form of super attacks and other powerups.

With so many twin-stick shooters on the market, they often tend to blend together. Ruiner stands at the top of the field, thanks in large part to its ultra-cool presentation. The visuals and sounds are amazingly slick for an indie game, the sci-fi story and setting evoke the best cyberpunk stories like Ghost in the Shell and Blade Runner, and the gameplay has more depth than your average shooter. If you can handle some serious challenge (and a whole lot of the color red), Ruiner certainly won't ruin your day.

This is still the most complete racing game on Xbox. It's got something for all abilities, enough content to keep you going for a long old time and it's so stunning to look at it massages your eyeballs every time you play.

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider builds on an already established foundation for both storytelling and gameplay mechanics after two main releases. This latest expansion leverages several of Dishonored 2's biggest strengths into a much more condensed form factor, without compromising on the core philosophies of its predecessors. Even after stripping out some of the complexities of full games, Death of the Outsider still has much of the substance of a full Dishonored experience.

Compared to its predecessor Neon Chrome, Time Recoil falls a bit short. The campaign structure is too linear and doesn't give you any larger goals to work towards other than advancing the story. The powers system is a bit unintuitive and would work better if it didn't require kill combos.

Overall, as DLC goes, Synthetic Dawn is a great value for the money. You get a whole new species to work with, which isn't too unfamiliar to others already available, but it takes advantage of hive mind-like mechanics. The new traits, technologies and minute gameplay alterations make playing as synthetics unique and interesting, even if you already have more than 1,000 hours clocked.

The amount of single-player content feels light too, compared against the robust packages offered by Injustice 2 and Mortal Kombat X. Perhaps we'll get a new mode as DLC eventually, as Marvel vs. Capcom 3 once did. Still, multiplayer is the final destination for most fighting games, and Infinite doesn't disappoint on that front. Good online options and genuinely fun gameplay mean that series fans will have plenty of incentive to keep fighting each other in the months to come.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a polished, well-designed RPG, and through its phenomenal mechanics, astounding art, sound design and fantastic writing, it is sure to revolutionize the modern RPG genre.

Although the first Project Cars didn't quite capture the hearts of mainstream gamers, the sequel has a much better shot thanks to its polished career mode, wealth of motorsport types, and unparalleled track selection. The difficulty is still on the unapproachable side, but racing sim fans will likely stick it out anyway. I'll be surprised if Forza 7 doesn't top this one overall, but it's still great to have options – especially one that appears on both Xbox and PlayStation.

This game looks excellent, conveys a fantastic sense of speed, and doesn't get too complicated to slow down the fun. With a good variety of races, great track design, and both local and online multiplayer, this is the start of a series that deserves to continue long into the future.

If anything, Bungie has clearly refined upon the first Destiny, building upon what made the game so good, while avoiding some of its weaknesses. For those who enjoyed Destiny the first time around, Destiny 2 has so much to offer – even for returning players. But at its core, those who weren't fans of the original won't find major revelations in this sequel.

If you like tough cooperative experiences, it really is a joy. The game naturally encourages everyone to stick together in large or small groups, watching each other's backs and using class abilities to help the team. The 15 levels are all excellent and memorable (despite the lack of environmental interactivity), providing the sense of variety that the bosses do not. With tons of classes to level and weapons to wield, Killing Floor 2 has some serious staying power. Tripwire has announced Xbox One X enhancements, too, which will keep the game going even longer.

This version received a bump up to 1080p resolution, just as you'd expect from a remastered classic. It also sports an improved frame rate, increased environmental detail, and refined creature movement. That's not to say it looks perfect; some of the textures are noticeably low resolution. But all told, this is the best that Revelations has ever looked, and series fans won't be disappointed.

Path of Exile isn't a mega-budget game like Diablo, but you'd hardly know it.

The Escapists 2 wraps superb gameplay up with a retro art style and energetic soundtrack to deliver an addicting, tense, and challenging prison escape simulator that unfortunately is marred by a lack of polish and some overwhelming tendencies in the latter stages of levels. Nevertheless, for $19.99, it's one of the best new indie games on the market.

Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor is a clever mixture of RPG and rhythm game mechanics. Seeing as how there's no real exploration and a fairly light story, it doesn't quite provide the full role-playing experience. But you do get multiple unique party members to recruit, equip, and level, and lots of monsters to fight on the dance floor.

The marriage of historical context, politics, intrigue, and tight adventure mechanics make The Pillars of the Earth an easy recommendation for fans of narrative-based games. It might even make you want to read the book.

It's a shame that it suffers from so much tearing. It's admirable that Codemasters wanted to keep a high frame rate going, and that much is fact. But it's hard to deny how horribly distracting they are when they come...Everywhere else, F1 2017 is a thoroughly enjoyable, deeply engrossing experience that both fans and newcomers will enjoy.

The more serious tone and occasional lack of polish might disappoint players hoping for a true successor to Saints Row. But considering this is essentially a different brand and hopefully the first game of many, it certainly stands on its own as a quality open-world game. Just don't be surprised if it gets a stronger sequel down the line.

Observer sets out with a unique premise, delivering a natural psychological horror experience on an unconventional cybernetic canvas. While the depth to its world is welcome, the game still thrives during its brief thrilling encounters, built on the recollections of the insane.

If not for the clumsiness of the new moves and the hair-pullingly hard bonus stages, it would be a perfect game. But Sonic Mania is still a long, wonderful return to form for the series that fans and newcomers alike should enjoy. Hopefully the upcoming Sonic Forces can maintain this level of quality, like Sonic deserves.

Pressure Overdrive is a fun arcade style game for anyone who likes racing games and shooting things. The short levels make it easy to jump into, and with plenty of ways to customize, there is an avenue for many different styles of gameplay.

Cyber Complex is a fun arcade strategy game that looks simple but is definitely far more challenging than it lets on. For folks who enjoy fast paced strategy games, this is an excellent game to spend an afternoon with. At only $9.99 it's worth the price, even if it doesn't hold your attention for long.

The Way is a great evolution of the gameplay introduced by Another World so long ago, adding welcome elements like improved gunplay, better platforming, and more abilities with which to navigate the alien world.

The level of choice is consistently interesting and rewarding. The artistry is commendable, too, with excellent character portraits and beautiful music that demands a soundtrack purchase. Some players might long for a longer, more detailed narrative in a single playthrough. But if you can adjust to the need to replay the game while making different choices, you'll find this to be a clever and rewarding action-RPG.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a masterfully crafted hardcore stealth title that offers a fun, challenging, and fair experience set in the thick of feudal Japan. Despite some issues, the game's excellent gameplay, superb art and music, and strong writing all help to make Shadow Tactics one of the leading stealth titles of this generation.

The Xbox One version suffers from lengthy loading times and occasional frame rate hitches, though the strength of the story and atmosphere mostly offset these issues. If you're intrigued by The Town of Light's exploration of mental health and abuse and can stand a slower-paced, less-than-challenging game, this one might just cure what ails you.

ACA NeoGeo World Heroes 2 is a solid home version of the classic arcade game. World Heroes 2 doesn't stand the test of time as well as the later revisions of Street Fighter 2, but it's still worth a quick look from fighting game fans. You get 14 characters, many of whom are unique or funny, lots of great backgrounds, and a cool deathmatch mode. Plus, the Achievements are easy and quick.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a real gem of a narrative game. It has a compelling story, beautiful graphics, and mechanics that are extremely easy to pick up, even for gamers new to console controllers.

The gameplay is so good, with intuitive controls that never get in the way. The fanciful courses are a joy to experience, and there's an endless supply of them to boot. Despite the room for improvement, the core game is good enough to make this an easy recommendation for fans of arcade-style golf.

This is a game of running at light speed, double-jumping like crazy, and perilously running across walls and over pits. The levels are just so vast and give you plenty to explore, and the collectables are fun to seek out as well. Throw in an intriguing story and you have one of the best indie 3D platformers in years. If you can withstand a true platforming challenge, don't let this one pass you by.

The final game turned out really well, with tight gameplay and a great selection of characters.

Antab's GRIDD: Retroenhanced is a solid rail shooter with slick retro-esque visuals and a catchy synthwave soundtrack from Dream Fiend. Rail shooters are slightly limited compared to traditional shmups and twin-stick shooters, but they certainly provide a feel all their own. GRIDD could benefit from a bit more content and polish. Still, it should easily appeal to fans of rail shooters like Starfox and Panzer Dragoon.

Aven Colony is a capable sci-fi city-builder with great visuals and satisfying gameplay systems. The different alien landscapes do provide some welcome variety, but you'll exhaust Aven Colony's gameplay mechanics fairly quickly, but considering the game costs only $30, I think it's a fair price for the overall package.

One thing is for certain, developer iFun4All's Serial Cleaner concept is on point, and it certainly seems like something that could spawn into a franchise in its own right. At $15, Serial Cleaner is a worthwhile purchase if you're looking for a light puzzle game to play in short bursts, because trust me, you will get mad at it here and there.

Black the Fall might not hit the same level as the games it tries to emulate, but it does a damn good job of trying. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and found the puzzles to be varied enough to hold my attention, and difficult enough to be persistently rewarding.

You can't just release a racing game at this price point with no campaign, no real incentive to keep playing, and so many unenjoyable game types. World Series feels like a free to play game that the developers decided to charge $30 for. From a developer like Codemasters that is renowned for its racing games, World Series is an obvious misfire and destined to be forgotten.

Marvel Heroes Omega is free to play. Want to grab a relatively affordable Founders Pack while they're still available? We recommend the Spider-Man Homecoming Founders Pack, which includes Spider-Man, two movie costumes, and other bonuses; or the Deadpool Founder's Pack with Deadpool, an extra costume, $5 of currency, and an XP boost. Both packs are $19.99 each.

Dead by Daylight is a lot of fun once you get into a match, especially with friends. The tension of struggling to complete objectives while avoiding an invincible killer can't be understated. But the downright unfair difficulty for survivors can be discouraging, especially since you have to play a very long time to unlock useful perks to make things easier.

Diablo III's Necromancer plugs a hole in the heart of long-time fans of the franchise, who wished for the return of the Diablo II staple. It brings a huge amount of versatility, allowing for solo play, ranged damage, support, and melee, with beautifully rendered armor sets to compensate. The voice acting is well realized, and the Necromancer is just so damn fun to play and learn.

If Golf Club 2 played like Mario Golf or other traditional golf games but had all the same features, I'd play it forever. But the golf mechanics here are an unforgiving and acquired taste, limiting the game's appeal. If you can handle the analog swinging and steep difficulty, this might be just the club for you.

Whether you're a novice or expert chess player, the sharp looks and wealth of features make it a great buy.

Embers of Mirrin delivers the best of platforming games and puzzle games in a single fun package. With brain teasing puzzles, platform jumping action, and gorgeous graphics, this game is great for anyone who wants a platformer built for current consoles.

Dirt 4 is a terrific game, and if you never played last year's release you'll likely be blown away. I just wish there was some kind of defining feature that made Dirt 4 leap ahead of last year's game.

Tekken is a long-running and proud series. As the first entry for the current console generation, Tekken 7 is also a great entry point (lack of tutorials aside). Loads of colorful characters, tight gameplay, and lots of fun customization and unlockables will keep fighting-game fans entertained for months.

The slightly uninspiring name belies a huge action-RPG with great combat, clever platforming, and a welcome sense of humor. These games are usually great for zoning out and relaxing while you play, but Victor Vran's depth and wealth of challenges provide a greater level of engagement if you want it.

With engaging combat and a story to accompany it, Tokyo 42 is a great addition to the ID@Xbox program.

Spellspire isn't quite as good as Letter Quest Remastered. The latter offers more variety, better art, and an easier, more entertaining battle system. Still, this one is a quality word game, with 100 floors of word battles on the way up and an extra challenging 100 subterranean floors to contend with after that. The upgrade system adds some depth and helps maintain interest along the way. While Letter Quest looks a little nicer, Spellspire's music is actually a lot better and more appropriate for this style of game. Given the scarcity of word games in general, players who enjoy spelling and finding words in general are bound to get their money's worth from Spellspire.

NetherRealm and Warner Bros Studios have delivered a fantastic sequel with Injustice 2. This is a fighting game overflowing with polish and charm. The particular fighting mechanics might not appeal to everybody, but adjust to them and it's almost impossible not to have a good time. If you love fighting games or DC characters, Injustice 2 is a must-buy.

Planetbase proved an addictive little time waster for around five to 10 hours before I realized that there wasn't really much more to it than what I'd experienced in the first few hours...The game could have done with more dynamism and perhaps more customization, there are only three vanity buildings available, and the "upgrades" you get amount to color swaps and larger models, which gives it an unfortunate sense of grind.

Despite the quality aesthetics and cool Zelda II-inspired game structure, Elliot Quest is a hard game to recommend. The stubborn refusal to explain anything is just one of many obnoxious design decisions that distance the player from the game. I normally love this style of game, but even I gave up in annoyance after a while. If you like old school games and can stomach deliberately obscure design, maybe you'll enjoy this one more than I did.

While Lords of the Fallen and The Surge may have Dark Souls roots, the more I progressed in The Surge, the more I started to see Deck 13 shining. The shadows are falling away, The Surge is miles better than Lords of the Fallen, and some trademark mechanics are starting to creep into the light. Deck 13 has polished and primed The Surge, and it now feels like it's time to stop comparing it to others and let it be noticed for what it is. Calling anything a Dark Souls clone at this point is purely lazy and an insult to the many smaller ways in which they're no way alike.

Saber Interactive has a decent framework here. With more polish (and perhaps a less hideous character art style), an NBA Playgrounds sequel could potentially live up to the NBA Jam legacy. But I can only recommend this particular game to basketball fans with local friends to play against and a tolerance for clunkiness.

Butcher's main selling point is its pixelated violence and gore. Blood from kills actually stays where it lands and will be visible on subsequent playthroughs, which is a cool touch. The premise is supposed to resemble classic shooters like Doom and Quake, but you play as a good guy in those games, not a bad one. Just being a remorseless killing machine (with no other explanation for your actions) might've appealed to my teenage self, but not so much nowadays.

A short experience of about three to four hours, I was surprised the game ended when it did, because I'd become gripped by the story and revelations throughout. The horror is mild, and the only resource to worry about is oxygen, so it makes Narcosis a relatively gentle entry into the psychological survival horror fray. It's a thought-provoking and story-driven experience that I wanted more of, and a gripping narrative and boisterous sea creatures make Narcosis definitely worth a play.

Prey might not be the prettiest game, but it's among the most atmospheric. Arkane Studios has proven itself time and time again to be comprised of world-class world builders. Prey is no different. If you're a fan of Dead Space, Deus Ex, or Bioshock, you simply have to buy this game.