It’s hard to believe that we’re already more than half-way through the year.
It’s even harder to keep track of just how many brilliant games have hit the shelves over the past six months.
So, which ones are the cream of the crop?
Let’s kick off with one of our favourites.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
OK, if we’re being strict, this came out at the tail end of last year…. but it’s too good to ignore.
Wildlands offers an enormous open world, tons of missions and addictive co-operative gameplay.
The game is set in a fictional Bolivia – and sees you play as part of a four-man special forces unit tasked with bringing down the cartel, led by the particularly nasty El Sueño.
As we’ve come to expect from Ubisoft titles, such as Far Cry and The Division, the game world is massive.
It spans 11 different ecosystems and 21 different regions – ranging from jungle and deserts to canyons and swamps.
Thankfully, you can traverse the open worlds in cars planes and boats – making it the perfect place to explore until Far Cry 5 comes along.
There’s also plenty of DLC, like the brilliant Narco Road – which sees you go undercover to take down the cartel from the inside.
It’s strictly for adults only, though – there are some particularly nasty scenes.
Injustice 2
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s another superhero game. And, boy, is it a good one.
Injustice 2 is the sequel to 2013’s Injustice: God’s Among Us – a beat-em-up from the makes of the rebooted Mortal Kombat games.
You can play as either the Dark Knight or the Man of Steel – not to mention nearly every other character in the DC Comics universe.
Fan favourites such as The Flash, Bane and Catwoman will return, along with a host of new faces including Deadshot, Poison Ivy and Robin.
All have been re-created perfectly and come with signature gadgets and abilities.
Fighting is incredibly brutal – with slow-motion, high-impact hits and cinematic special moves.
Environments are multi-layered, so you’ll be able to smash your foe through walls, ceilings, the Earth’s atmosphere, you name it.
Horizon Zero Dawn
This PS4 masterpiece is another smash hit that’s utterly essential.
The plot revolves around Aloy, a hunter and archer living in a world overrun by robots.
If you’ve ever thought about investing in a PS4 Pro, then this game will swing it for you. It looks absolutely stunning.
The world is packed full of life – from harmless deer-like robots that scare easily, to enormous predators that’ll rip you to shreds.
Fast-paced combat and an engaging storyline help make this the best Ps4 game of the year so far.
Be sure to check out the new The Frozen Wilds DLC, too.
Crash Bandicoot: N’Sane Trilogy
You wait an age for one Crash Bandicoot game to arrive, then three come along.
N’Sane, developed by Activision, contains the original, Cortex Strikes Back and Warped.
It’s a wonderful ode to the furry Ps1 hero – not to mention a decent platformer in its own right.
But don’t let its cartoonish visuals fool you – all three are incredibly hard games.
The original is easily the weakest of the lot – in terms of visuals and level design.
The other two, though, are master classes in simple, platforming action.
Little Nightmares
Few platformers offer such a chilling – yet beautifully haunting – atmosphere as Little Nightmares.
The game throws you into the world of little Six, a nine-year-old girl in a yellow hooded raincoat who must escape eerie underground hellhole, The Maw.
There is a vagueness to the storyline right from the off – but that unknown nature brilliantly adds to the hopelessness felt throughout the game.
This is reinforced with some delightfully dark settings, full of shadowy corners you scramble to illuminate with Six’s trusted lighter.
The game’s artistry is absolutely stunning and incredibly atmospheric – another clever device used without flaw to keep your heart beating at a frantic pace.
Six only has a handful of simple, almost childlike, actions – dragging a box in order to reach a door handle, or hopping on a mattress to reach a kitchen sink. But the simplicity is enough to test your skills as each puzzle you try to solve is done so under intense pressure. The puzzles are all pretty straightforward – not that it’s a game breaker.
Be sure to play with the lights out, headphones on full… and with plenty of space to see the TV from behind your sofa.
Resident Evil 7
After the action orientated Resident Evil 6, the latest entry in Shinji Mikami’s gruesome series takes it back to its horror roots.
We don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but the game sees you investigate a creepy house in search of your girlfriend – who vanished a couple of years before.
Extreme violence, creepy characters and trademark mind-boggling puzzles are backed up with photo-realistic visuals – creating the definitive horror package.
Try it with PSVR for the scariest possible experience.
For Honor
Think Game of Thrones crossed with Dynasty Warriors and you’ll get the idea.
For Honor is an online hack and slash game that sees you play as either a Knight, Viking or Samurai in large-scale battles around bthe world.
The key selling point is a unique combat system – that scraps button bashing in favour of timed analogue moves.
You’ll have to wait until your foe drops his / her guard before striking – making each close-quarters battle a truly tactical affair.
Plus, it looks stunning – as to be expected by any game powered by AnvilNext.
For the best visual experience, pick it up on PC – but make sure it’s powerful enough. A Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 should do the job at 4K.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Battlegrounds sees you plonked in a world with the sole purpose of trying to kill everyone.
You need to scavenge for supplies and try to be the be the last man standing in an ever-shrinking arena.
Rounds last 20 minutes and deliver nail-biting standoffs. Guns, cars, you name it and you can use it.
sadly, Battlegrounds is only on PC right now, but it’s coming to console later in the year, so we’re told.
Mario Kart: Deluxe
Need we say more? This Nintendo Switch entry is easily the best entry in the illustrious racing franchise.
There’s a ton of tracks, races, characters and karts to choose from – not to mention a new ‘Battle Mode’.
Simply a must-buy for all Switch gamers.
