Hellblade offers an engrossing single-player cinematic experience coupled with Ninja's Theory's tight melee combat systems and responsive controls. An enthralling sensory onslaught for the eyes and ears.
Monster Hunter: World is the best entry in the long-running action RPG series to-date, accessible for both new players and returning fans expecting the in-depth gameplay systems and rewarding hunt/craft/explore loop we all know and love.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions is a blissful trip down nostalgia lane thanks to its excellent graphical overhaul and engaging new side-content.
A compelling action-RPG adventure with a unique narrative, impressive artstyle and strong writing that shines brightest in its quests.
NetherRealm Studios continues to prove that high-quality, story-focused content in fighting games has an audience, and they deliver that in spades with Aftermath.
Watch Dogs 2 is a much stronger open-world hacking sandbox experience than the first. While not to the same level as Assassin’s Creed 2 which accomplished much for its similarly divisive first entry, this game’s more varied mission structure and lighter-hearted tone elevates it to a must play this holiday.
Shovel Knight perfectly encapsulates what is so great about playing modern-retro games inspired by the 8-bit era of the 1980s and early 90's without being derivative or trapped in the past.
Hitman: The Complete First Season is the perfect re-introduction to the third-person stealth franchise, bringing back sandbox game design and player choice to the forefront with six expertly hand-crafted missions with hundreds of opportunities and ways to approach killing targets, and a ton of side content in the form of Escalation contracts and the Sarajevo Six (effectively “What If?” scenarios and missions). Newcomers will also find the full package of Season One a lot more digestible than the episodic distribution model which may have put off naysayers. Give it a fair go if you can fit it in your holiday gaming schedule.
Days Gone offers fun open-world exploration and survival-horror gameplay elevated by a compelling post apocalypse narrative and top-notch presentation.
Must-play for fans and newcomers looking for an in-depth fighting game with shamelessly over-the-top violence, time-travelling shenanigans, and creative ways to beat foes to a bloody pulp.
World of Final Fantasy embraces weirdness and silliness to further itself from its more serious counterparts, while simultaneously revisiting the franchise’s classic roots to create something special. As a casual fan of the series who might not have recognised every single reference, it was still an extremely fun standalone entry. The addictive Pokémon-like monster capturing and training, combined with classic turn-based combat systems (which I love compared to real-time combat), was fun and in-depth, and complimented by a refreshingly upbeat and zany narrative which grew on me the more I played.
Absolver is an ambitious and unique indie fighting game/action-RPG with ample character customisation, compelling PvE and PvP content and an engaging martial-arts focused melee combat system that rewards practice.
An entertaining story, extensive character customisation and stylish anime presentation elevates Code Vein above just another Souls-like.
An immersive first-person shooter and RPG hybrid experience faithful to the original films while standing on its own two (robotic) feet.
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut is an old-school roleplaying game full of strategic combat, multiple quests, replayability and an intriguing post-apocalyptic world full of great writing and dark humour. While not for everyone, if you're craving a hardcore RPG, this is a definite recommendation.
Massive open-world JRPG with astounding exploration but some pacing and storyline issues.
The Surge is a whirlwind of action-RPG fun with a fast and frantic melee-focused combat system, addictive loot systems and an immersive sci-fi horror atmosphere.
While there's a few repetitive fetch quests, the crafting system and puzzle-solving make for some solid gameplay – if you have patience, love zombies and The Walking Dead and survival-crafting, check it out.
Addictive monster-raising mechanics, fun turn-based combat and an intriguing take on cybercrime and hacking makes Digimon: Cyber Sleuth a stellar JRPG.
Wildlands is a fun sandbox open-world shooter from Ubisoft Paris with a massive amount of content that is best experienced with other players in its seamless drop-in, drop-out four-player co-operative multiplayer mode.