Consistently failing to meet the potential visible in any of its currently-slight content, Curse of Orisis does not satisfy as an expansion in its own right, or as an addition to the wider Destiny 2 ecosystem.
Worthy in its (assumed) intent, and visually spellbinding, The Order's archaic, player-detached approaches to interaction and narrative make it a dated and instantly forgettable experience.
Evoking the essence of late-'90s platforming without significantly modernising it, Yooka-Laylee is a game with noble aspirations, grounded by clumsily flawed execution.
A game of inspired highs diluted with pedestrian lows. Worthy, but achieves less than its true potential.
The elements of a fantastic and creative action game are all present and correct, and at times Quantum Break is indeed both of those things. But unfortunately its various disparate parts tend to get in each other's way, leading to a needlessly complicated presentation that inhibits anything from shining as brightly as it should.
Adding good new ideas to the formula, but unable to implement them without diluting the overall experience, Hotline Miami 2 isn't a disaster, but certainly lacks the original's fiery vitality.
A smart, blisteringly fun experience at its core, Tekken 7's limited singleplayer campaign and poor tutorials marr an otherwise resounding win.
Assured creativity and a smart eye for systemic refreshment make for a confident and classy expansion.
Gears of War is fresh and exciting again, and its future is potentially even more so.
Not a bad game, but frustratingly one that succeeds despite its innovations, not because of them. An enjoyable campaign, but not a truly convincing one.
Intelligent, creative, and never less than thrilling, Titanfall 2 finally realises the series' true potential with verve and polish.
Mixing eclectic elements from throughout the genre's history, but making them all entirely its own, LawBreakers is an immediate, energised shot of FPS purity, with intelligence, depth, and exhilarating strategy to spare.
Street Fighter 5 is deep, endlessly fun, and immensely inviting, but local competitive play is currently the primary way to enjoy it.
Damn near essential if you've yet to experience the horror that followed Emergence Day, and very heartily recommended to those who've forgotten just what a special time that was.
Vast, beautiful, and endlessly satisfying, Destiny is like a gradually-opening puzzle box of ever-more involving FPS depth. What's already there can be explored for tens of hours. What's to come is an incredibly exciting prospect.
Deep, intelligent, intense, and utterly unlike any experience before it, Alien: Isolation presents all that's truly great about AAA, and also its evolution.
Aesthetically scintillating, but equally enthralling in its immense depth, Geometry Wars 3 is a sequel whose design insight is matched only by its endlessly creative sense of fun. Close to perfect.
Evolved beyond what anyone imagined, Destiny 2 realises the FPS-RPG dream with a richness, warmth, and player-minded benevolence that needs to be played to be truly understood.
Intelligent, involved, and relentlessly exhilarating, now, just as in '93, the most exciting FPS around is a game called Doom.
The Last of Us remains a must-play, genre-defining action survival game, and the Remastered version brings with it plentiful tweaks and additional content that make it well worth the asking price.