Elden Ring is a crowning achievement for FromSoftware and undoubtedly the very best gameplay experience they've yet delivered - and that's really saying something given this developer's incredible back catalogue. The Lands Between deftly combine breathless open world exploration, stunning artistry, immaculate world-building and wondrous adventure with classic Dark Souls combat and dungeon-crawling, resulting in not just the best Souls game to date, but a candidate for one of the very best video games ever made.
Starfield is Bethesda's best RPG to date, an enormous space odyssey that serves up some incredibly evocative and engaging exploration, satisfying combat, and a narrative that had us hooked right to the end. Yes there are issues here with the usual jank, and some very messy and fiddly menus and interactions, but all of these problems feel minor when compared to everything this game gets right. In a year that's been packed full of absolutely essential games, Starfield manages to sit right up top with some of the best of them. After all the hype and bluster, this is just a very, very good RPG and a game we'll be playing and replaying for a long time to come.
The Escapists: The Walking Dead gives what was already a great game a culturally relative coat of paint and does so with an ease that should make other video game tie-ins sit up and take notice. Staying true to both franchises, this standalone game offers enough of a variety of options to cater to most players without becoming too frustrating, while posing puzzles that are in-depth and complex enough to appeal to more serious strategy fans. A great introduction to either series and well worth the asking price.
While Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations doesn't commit any felonies, a series of misdemeanors suggest you should approach with some caution. Exploring the Land of Ooo, seeing familiar locations in three dimensions, and interacting with the whimsical cast of characters will delight the most-invested fans of the series. Sadly, the effort that went into ensuring the license was handled with care wasn't applied to the entirety of the game, and the result is an experience that's often enjoyable but ultimately a bit flat.
Rock 'N Racing Off-Road DX is not a game that you'll be coming back to if you bother to put in the hour or so it'll take to complete it. There are very occasional second-long moments where the game is almost fun, but the shockingly bad AI, physics that seem to be both too floaty and too heavy at the same time somehow and an amateurish bare-bones feel mean that you should definitely be looking elsewhere for your arcade racing fix.
It would be harsh to overly punish Kaiju Panic for the problems that it contains, simply because the mix of tower defence and RTS gameplay works so well. It surely won't be to everybody's tastes and some will get frustrated when a lack of knowledge or a varying enemy attack path causes them to fail a level, but those that like a challenge will enjoy what Mechabit have created here.
Some will take solace in the somewhat simplistic gameplay and be hooked on its psychedelic charms as there is the occasional high point to be found, but repetition and poor choices in terms of the control scheme will undoubtedly get in the way of that for most.
The Jackbox Party Pack 2 is a compilation of four great games and one that misses the target. There's easily more than enough laughs to be had here for the asking price. Some may feel a little bit short-changed by the inclusion of Quiplash XL if they've already paid money for it as a stand-alone product, but even they should find that there's more than enough entertainment here for their money. This is a well-made and entertaining collection that's sure to put a smile on the face of the most curmudgeonly party guest and become a staple amongst regular gaming buddies.
Lego Dimensions is easily the best Lego game so far. The interaction between the physical Lego toy and the game beyond the portal really sets Dimensions apart from other toys-to-life games and each build, level and vehicle seems to have been carefully thought out.
Rugby League Live 3 contains a multitude of impressive features that you'd usually really only expect from the 2ks and EAs of this world and that's to the developer's credit. Extremely detailed off the pitch and generally fun on it, the game is it's only let down by a number of areas where the polish hasn't been applied as well as it could have been. Sadly, those issues do start to mount up with extended play but was it not for the player selection issue, it would have scored an extra point here for sure.
While the combat is undoubtedly satisfying and rewarding, the sense of repetition, the last-gen visuals, and the brevity of the adventure feel more matched for a budget price. We suggest waiting for a sale and a nostalgic craving for Saturday morning cartoons. That's when you have our full permission to transform and roll out!
The retro-inspired pixel graphics and frenetic pace will ultimately not appeal to everybody but there's enjoyment to be found, even for even novice players.
Ultimately, we feel the short length of the campaign and a few mechanical grievances are what keep it from higher praise. It's not a bad game whatsoever, but it's far from being remarkable.
It may be passé to say, but FIFA 16 is a game of two halves. Off the field, not much has changed that you could really write home about. The stalwarts of career mode and Ultimate Team feel much the same as they did before with very minor changes. With the ball at your feet though, the tooth-and-nail fights to hold on to a 1-0 lead against superior opposition or to take advantage of an entirely organic mistake to equalise in the final knockings of a lower league cup match, along with the general feeling that you're taking part in a decent tactical battle are stellar. The things EA hasn't shouted about are the things that they've clearly worked the hardest on and while there are still flaws, this is the best on-pitch representation of the beautiful game since Konami's PlayStation 2 efforts.
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is a sprawling adventure that does not take itself too seriously, yet offers up fantastic storytelling in an immersive and gorgeous-looking world. Its slow pace and lack of true action will not appeal to everybody but with popular culture references galore and a cast of heroes that you can't help but develop a fondness for, it's a title that can sit proudly with others in the genre...if it can get away with mocking them all mercilessly, of course.
It's as if the developers of Rugby World Cup 2015 hate you for daring to hope that they'd made up for the near-intolerable Rugby 15. If you've shelled out for this then it's fair to say that you'll hate them right back. This is easily the worst game available for Xbox One - sports or otherwise - and is without any shadow of a doubt one of the worst officially-licenced sports games of all time. Absolutely atrocious on every single level.
Penarium is one of the best arcade-style games we've played this console generation. The campaign doesn't last all that long, and more multiplayer options would've been appreciated, but all in all, there's a healthy amount of content for the price. If fast-paced gameplay and high-score chasing are your thing, we suggest planning a trip to this sadistic carnival. Just don't be surprised if you end up imprisoned, losing hours upon hours of your life to the addictive chaos.
