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.
Tachyon Project is a twin-stick shooter with a few major differences that affect things in a positive way. Enjoyable and thrilling while it lasts but also all too short and a shade too easy for those with any sort of skill in the genre, it's one that will surely hit the spot to while away an afternoon. Just don't expect it to last all that much longer than that.
If you're interested in enlisting with a pachyderm that throws himself around like an acrobatic anvil, arm your trunk and charge full speed ahead – Tembo the Badass Elephant has brought the ruckus to Xbox One.
We're not exactly seeing what the wait was for when it comes to F1 2015. The game is clearly rushed, riddled with bugs and lacking in some relatively basic features. You might spend enough time on track to watch that achievement for spending 10 hours in your car just reset itself and never pop (again, due to a bug) and have a fair amount of fun while you do so, but there's a more likely chance that you'll run into so many issues that you just don't bother turning up for the next race.
The game suffers from a lack of truly unique and memorable characters in the source material, though and is one of the more repetitive LEGO titles as well, with limited mechanics popping up repeatedly and a noticeable lack of variety in the Jurassic Park side of the experience.
Sparkle Unleashed is tremendously addictive and gets the basics of the genre right whilst adding a few changes to the mix. If you liked Zuma – which unfortunately for Sparkle Unleashed now runs on Xbox One via backward compatibility – you'll probably enjoy the challenge this provides, even if there isn't anything majorly groundbreaking going on.
Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is an embarrassing, broken release that should be avoided by consumers and is a black eye on the current state of video game publishing.
If you've ever wanted to truly feel like the Batman, this is likely the closest you'll get. Enable your detective vision and seek out a copy of Arkham Knight right away.
Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition is the best way to experience an already great game. With new characters, additional difficulty options, and fan-service galore, there's no reason not to pick up this package if you're a fan of Devil May Cry. While the remaster may not fix all of the flaws of the original game, it does manage to breathe new life into one of Capcom's most beloved series.
What it comes down to is that, even though it's a redesigned version of its mobile counterpart, BADLAND: Game of the Year Edition is experimental and rich enough to justify its existence on a home console.
Hardcore fans of the Wolfenstein series can find a lot to enjoy with The Old Blood. It's practically much of the same when comparing it to The New Order, though it features none of those irritating 'errand boy' segments, and that's a very good thing! The Old Blood is nothing but action that can entertain for a few hours. Plus, completists will find that there are plenty of collectibles to discover.
Project CARS is not for the faint of heart. It undoubtedly has the ability to grab players and take them on an outstanding tour of Simply Mad's racing world, and does look absolutely stunning at times. However, the game is ultimately frustrating with a controller and features more than its fair share of bugs. With a wheel, it's a more rewarding proposition.
Even though Mortal Kombat X has a few surface wounds that could use patching up, it's a superb fighting game that lives up to its hype and meets the lofty expectations set by its predecessor. This is the swiftest and most aggressive Mortal Kombat yet, and it's rounded out with fresh modes, gruesome finishers, and enough ingenuity to keep the series moving forward. If you're even a little interested in fighting games, this is one tournament worth signing up for.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is a fun and enjoyable game that does the franchise justice while taking it into another genre. There are some truly fantastic ideas here, some super-smooth parkour, brain-tingling puzzle challenges and occasional flashes of brilliance when it's time to get down and dirty in combat. Some ideas haven't been explored as thoroughly as we'd have liked, and there are a few rough spots, though. We're looking forward to the next installment.
