The Metro games deserve a second shot at stardom, and with the sequel polished and the original considerably enhanced, they're primed to make the most of it. The first game can seem dated or awkward, but its mood, atmosphere and survival horror game mechanics make for a very distinctive FPS. The second loses some of the creeping tension, but makes up for it with exceptional stealth-tinged combat. Take them together and you get a bargain bundle of post-apocalyptic dread.
If you were a fan of inFamous: Second Son, then First Light gives you more of the same with a neon twist. It has an engaging story, an interesting protagonist and some new tricks to explore, and while the campaign is fairly short there's a lot of stuff to do. If it falls short of brilliance, it's only because the powers might be a little too familiar, while the missions are only sporadically inventive. It's a good expansion and an interesting entry-point for newcomers, but not quite as essential as we'd hoped.
Velocity 2X takes two classic genres and mashes them up into one almost seamless, retro-flavoured whole. It's a thinking person's shoot-em-up that doesn't stint on arcade thrills, showing how you can not only remake the old masters, but re-engineer them into something ingenious and new.
A near-perfect arcade racer, with gorgeous graphics, beautiful scenery and some of the best on-road and off-road driving around. With Forza 5's guts still inside it, you can make Horizon 2 as arcade-easy or demanding as you choose, and throughout the game shows a level of flair and invention that leaves its would-be rivals choking dust. It might not be the best racing game we'll see this year, but it sets a fearsomely high benchmark for others to beat.
It's not perfect, but FIFA 15 is the most exciting FIFA for a couple of years. A drift away from realistic defence towards more aggressive forward play replaces stolid midfield battles with end-to-end drama, and we still get all the great modes – including a stronger career mode and Ultimate Team – that gave FIFA 14 strength in depth. Most of all we get exceptional graphics and presentation, which make FIFA 15 look even more like the real deal on TV. There are wrinkles to be ironed out here, but this is a promising base on which a new generation of FIFA can build.
A richly atmospheric, story-led adventure which makes up for in chills what it lacks in challenge. The puzzles could be tougher and more varied, and at times all the wandering drags, but it's a superb-looking, forward-thinking mystery game that creeps you out without resorting to the usual sudden scares.
It sounds like an unholy Middle Earth mash-up of Arkham City and Assassin's Creed, but the Nemesis system helps turn Shadow of Mordor into something far more entertaining. With good, demanding combat, excellent stealth and enemies worth slaying it's more compulsive than you might expect, and it treats the license with some respect as well. This year's surprise sleeper hit? Don't bet against it.
Terrifying, tense and almost unbearable, this is the Alien adaptation you've always dreamed of. It's not quite flawless and the hide-and-seek gameplay can be tough going, but few other movie tie-ins work so hard to capture not just the look of the film, but the emotion and the pacing. It's also the scariest game since the original Dead Space. Consider yourself warned.
With a fantastic roster of characters, strong graphics and gameplay and a grab-bag of bonus modes, this is as good a Smash Bros. as you could hope for on the 3DS. All the same, you're left wondering if this combination of game and platform is a good enough fit. Play it with friends online or through local co-op and you're guaranteed to have a good time, but this 3DS version can't reach the heights of console Smash Bros, even when it bends over backwards to try.
The cool trapping mechanics and the villains keep the Skylanders formula from going stale, but there are signs that the level designers are running short of new ideas, and the requirements in terms of new figures and trapping crystals feel a bit cynical. Skylanders is still the best of the Toys to Life games for action – and there's a real magic to trapping and taming those evil critters – but it needs more work to the core gameplay if the series wants to keep heading in the right direction.
For once a long-awaited sequel is superior to the original game. Not content with being the best all-action blockbuster on Wii U, Bayonetta 2 is a high-water mark for the epic brawler as a genre, sitting right up there with Devil May Cry and God of War 2 in the pantheon of greats. It's so ultra-violent, innuendo-packed and sweary that it's hard to believe its running on Nintendo, but all credit to them and to the team at Platinum; the Wii U can boast another of the year's finest games.
The Guitar Hero score attack crowd might go away disappointed, but this is a genuinely magical musical experience, and one of the best applications of Kinect. Even when you've burnt through the short single-player campaign, you'll keep coming back to explore the realms and try new remixes, conjuring and conducting your way through bizarre collisions of classical works and Carribean rhythms, or chamber music deconstructions of rock and pop hits. It's a game of exploration, both of the realms and of their music, and brilliant fun for music-loving kids and would-be maestros alike.
It might not be the year's most ground-breaking or innovative action game, but Sunset Overdrive is one of the most entertaining. Its mix of grinding and gunplay works beautifully, and the amps and the ridiculous weaponry ensure that slaughtering hordes of slavering mutants never gets old. It's a little too scrappy and repetitive to be a classic, but who cares? Grab your biggest gun and let the good times roll.
It might be a cover version of Dark Souls, but at least it's a good cover version, with solid mechanics, gripping combat and a few twists that make it slightly more approachable to newbies. Lords of the Fallen suffers from a forgettable story and some generic art, and could be a fair bit tighter, technically speaking, but if you like your Souls and want a slightly different take, it's a decent buy.
Refined gameplay, some fun new toys and a cool Templar twist are enough to make Rogue the equal of Black Flag. In fact, some fans might even prefer it. Though familiar game mechanics and locations create a strong sense of deja-vu, there's enough good stuff here that this final chapter of the American trilogy doesn't feel like a cash-in. It won't change the minds of those bored of the series, but it should please the many who aren't.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 takes important strides forward on graphics, presentation and game modes, while out-performing its arch-rival FIFA on the pitch. Official team names, more accessible game modes and some tweaks to tackling would all be welcome, but it's great to see Konami's football game back on form.
On many counts this is the best of the Lego super-hero games, with some fantastic missions and a feast of characters and costumes. Yet without an open world to tie it all together it feels like it's missing something at its core, and the pacing in the early missions could be better. It's still a must for fans of the Lego games and DC Comics, but it doesn't pack the super-powered punch of Lego Batman 2 and Lego Marvel Super Heroes.
Telltale's video game version of Game of Thrones gets off to a good start, though it's more dialogue-focused than ever and the reliance on quick-time-events is beginning to wear thin. If you're a fan of the books and TV series then you'll be happy with Telltale's faithful approach to the fiction, and this first episode sets up some interesting situations for future chapters to exploit. It's far too early for a definitive verdict, but we like what we see and we're keen to see more.
The Crew has a fantastic open world to explore and some excellent racing, but too much is second-rate about the visuals, the handling, the narrative and the mission design for it to make the most of all that good stuff. It's worth playing for the scenery, the challenges and the variety of the gameplay, but it's neither polished enough nor consistently strong to stand up to Forza Motorsport 2 as a thoroughbred next-gen racer.
An expansion that could have confirmed Destiny's greatness only leaves you feeling underwhelmed. If you want more Destiny, here's more Destiny, and it's still a lot of fun. There's more loot to collect, more weapons and armour to try out, and a handful of new strikes and activities to try with your Destiny friends. When we've played the new Raid there's a chance that it might all seem incredibly worthwhile. For now, however, the main reason to buy The Dark Below is that it gives you more reason to keep plugging away and a handful of new activities, not because it adds anything that new or substantial to the game.