Robert Zak
For Dead Rising enthusiasts who haven’t played the original, this is a good opportunity to spend some more time with Frank West, as well as take on probably the best bosses in the series. But the design flaws that were small niggles ten years ago will be much more glaring – maybe even unbearably so – for newcomers coming to the series in 2016.
Gears of War 4 epitomises the 'Complete Package' game. Its single-player campaign is simple but spectacular, and its multiplayer makes all the minor evolutions necessary to position it firmly among the big hitters of the online shooter scene. Even though I'm not enough of a shooty-shooter person to call myself a 'Gears fan', I'm certainly now a fan of The Coalition, who've shown a level of respect for gamers that's lacking among other triple-A shooter franchises.
It'll take a few balance patches and expansions before it achieves absolute perfection, but the list of wholesale changes Civ VI brings to the storied formula makes for an instantly sumptuous strategy treat.
To me, Dark Souls 3 was a good curtain call. Ariandel, however, feels like perhaps the series has come out for one round of applause too many, and my hands are starting to hurt now from the perpetual clapping. The combat and visual design are fantastic – that was never in question – and I enjoyed Ariandel for its short runtime of four hours, but it’s engulfed in the shadow of its predecessors’ far meatier expansions.
Planet Coaster isn't Rollercoaster Tycoon, nor is it Theme Park. This may put off those looking for a simpler, more nostalgic take on the genre, but it's nonetheless the most creative, technically intricate theme park sim to date.
Blitz mode aside, Halo Wars 2 sticks with a tried, tested and slightly tired RTS formula that's competent, but lacking in depth and originality.
Just as Endless Legend and Civilization V are now far superior to how they started, so can Endless Space 2 be. It's odd to talk of foundations in something so markedly floaty and space-based, so perhaps it's better to think of this as an outpost, plonked down on a planet waiting to be colonised. It's a fertile planet, sure, but one that's yet to be fully exploited.
This is an ambitious game, polished to perfection when it comes to atmosphere, but rough and cumbersome in many of its moment-to-moment interactions.
An often spectacular space shooter that lacks the variety and depth to justify serious investment.
Still delivers the series' sandbox mayhem, but is underserved by some pretty dated systems.
Work through the presentational ugliness and technical awkwardness, and you'll find an experience of frightening depth.
Genesis Alpha One splices the DNA of some good ideas, but doesn't execute any of them well enough.
A vibrant snapshot of the Victorian era that's bustling with character, but doesn't explore the intriguing, seismic politics of the period.Robert Zak
In expanding on its predecessor, Layers of Fear 2 sinks into a state of deep confusion.
Deck13 has come a long way, welding together a solid, structurally sound Soulslike that adeptly showcases what makes this genre special.
An elegant tactical puzzler that captures the pace and action of the movies.
A well-told campaign and story do their best to mask a rather scrawny service game beneath.
A modest remaster of a fun but flawed RTS that's stuck in the ever-lengthening shadow of its predecessor.
A tense, atmospheric game tangled in the tendrils of poor pacing and grind.
A decent if generic strategy game that lacks the big personality and siegecraft of earlier entries.