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The games to look out for in 2016
Okay, we know you're still trying to clear a backlog that happens to include The Witcher 3, Mad Max, Just Cause 3 and a little life-eater called Fallout 4, but there's another 365 days of gaming incoming.
Add in the launch of all the big name VR headsets this year and we're going to spend a significant chunk of time with our eyes on a screen of some variety. Here's our pick of the biggest games of 2016 to whet your appetite.
One question: are your thumbs ready?
Tom Clancy's The Division
Platform: PC / PS4 / Xbox One
Tactics and online co-op are key as you and your fellow special agents reclaim control. The game uses the Ubi developed Snowdrop Engine that focuses specifically on environmental realism to bring even more bite to those infamous New York winters. Wrap up warm for this one.
Release date: March 8
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Platform: PS4
Drake's latest promises not only to deliver a fitting farewell for the PlayStation action hero but even offers dialogue trees, and an explosive multiplayer with the interesting addition of mystical items that mean you can literally set ghosts on your enemies. Handy.
Release date: March 18
Quantum Break
Platform: Xbox One
This is no mere fancy shooter either. Remedy has, err, shot more than an hour and a half of live action footage starring actors such as Game Of Thrones' Aiden Gillen and Lost's Dominic Monaghan. These mini star-packed episodes will play as cutscenes that are dependent on decisions you make throughout the game.
Release date: April 5
Dishonored 2
Platform: PC / PS4 / Xbox One
Kaldwin has been displaced by an 'otherworldly usurper' and the mysterious Outsider has returned and gifted her with a handy new set of powers to reclaim her throne. Both Corvo and Emily will be playable and once again it will be possible to sneak through the new area of Karnaca without killing a soul, but where exactly is the fun in that?
Release date: Spring 2016
No Man's Sky
Platform: PC / PS4
There is a main goal to No Man's Sky as you journey to the centre of the universe in your spaceship but there's many, many ways to get there and the game never truly ends. Planets can be mined, wildlife obliterated, resources sold, new players met, and there's even a unique periodic table to discover and craft.
Release date: June
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Platform: PS4
Yet this new stone age isn't about sabre-toothed tigers. We'll be taking on a slew of robot animal hybrids that include a T-Rex style monster known as the Thunder Jaw that shoots barrages of missiles. Surviving means Aloy needs to find new and inventive ways to hunt the myriad techno-beasts that stalk the open world. With inspirations for her character including Game Of Thrones' Ygritte and Alien's Ripley, it looks like she's up to the job.
Release date: TBC
Doom
Platform: PC / PS4 / Xbox One
While everything you've loved from the series is here - shotguns, chainsaws and veritable rivers of blood - there's all new melee attacks and a double jump to add even more chaos into the mix. Sprinkle in classic enemies such as Pinkie Demons, Barons of Hell and Zombiemen and we're going to have one hell of a good time.
Release date: Spring 2016
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Platform: PC / PS4 / Xbox One
While Human Revolution restricted your choice when it came to ways to play, Eidos Montreal wants players to be able to do exactly what they want and fully non-lethal playthroughs are possible this time around. With Jensen's fist-mounted electroshock tools, they don't even have to be fully stealth based. Ideal for some guilt free violence.
Release date: August 23
Mass Effect: Andromeda
Platform: PC / PS4 / Xbox One
Eagle-eyed fans have spotted the name 'Rider' in the latest trailer so we might already have a name for our hero who will be exploring the Andromeda galaxy. Research and exploration will apparently be key and we'll be seeing the return of Mass Effect's Mako vehicle which Bioware has confirmed will be far more fun to steer. Reassuring.
Release date: Winter 2016
