And now a sentence I thought I would never say, writing poetry might be the best thing I have done in an open world game. Dotted around Tsushima, are designated Haiku “locations”, sit by one and you will be treated to a sensory delight. First you are presented an initial landscape, be it a rushing waterfall or a sun drenched Japanese Maple tree, you can then choose between 3 opening lines for your Haiku before being drawn closer in to the scenery and given further options to complete your poem, the whole while being transported by this ethereal yet somewhat gutteral monk like chanting. It’s an experience that genuinely imbued a deep sense of serenity in me and I can’t recall another time a game did that.

TLOU2 takes place 5 years after Joel makes his now infamous decision and both he and Ellie have found some solace in a large settlement in Jackson, Wyoming. Life is practically peaceful, trade has been established for meats, metals and mead and there is a real sense of community permeating the air, of course this peace doesn’t last long. Ellie witnesses a horrific and violent murder and vows to have her revenge, thus casting us on a tempestuous journey

Death Stranding is a game that defies conventions, it doesn’t follow unwritten rules laid out by an industry that nowadays over relies on gimmicks, lacks creativity and favours profits above all else. Hideo Kojima’s virgin voyage, free from the clutches of Konami, is a middle finger to this industry and the former gaming giant he helped create, but also sometimes feels like a middle finger to the player

Disco Elysium, developed and published by ZA/UM is a ROLL Playing Game at it’s core (emphasis on the ROLL), in the familiar guise of a point and click adventure. With DE, table top gaming has been brought directly to your screen and my what a smooth transition it is. Think Dungeons and Dragons, but your Dungeon Master dropped 2 tabs of Acid and watched an all night History Channel special on the socio-political strife during the pre and post cold war era of Russia, before planning your grand adventure.

Stealth has long been a secular genre in the gaming industry, some of our most loved titles rely heavily on stealth, think Hitman, Splinter Cell or Dishonoured, but none have truly dedicated themselves to the dark arts like Shadow Tactics.

In Shadow Tactics we have a game that is uncompromising in it’s offering, shooting your way out of it’s 13 levels is rarely an option, you don’t have the tools to survive protracted engagements and you will quickly be overwhelmed by the innumerate enemy, this is a game that forces you to employ cunning, trickery and the patience and restraint of a Buddhist monk .

Ryse is a classic (and rather plaguerised) story of revenge, loosely set in the golden age of Rome’s warring empire. Rome is locked in potracted and bloody warfare with the British Celtic Tribe, led by King Oswald and his warrior daughter Boudica and our protagonist, Marius, finds himself rapidly ascending the Roman ranks as he hacks and slashes through their hordes, hell bent on bloodshed following the dramatic murder of his family at the hands of the Celts.