Action games
GTA 5 runs beautifully on PC, and its open world is still the best of any game, a gorgeous sprawl that replicates everything we associate with Los Angeles: the flat heat, the atmosphere, the fact that the city is so damn big. The campaign is the series' best ever, punctuated by ambitious heist missions involving all three protagonists. It's a lot of fun to spend time in this world.
If you want to take things further, GTA Online is waiting for you with an absolute ton of stuff to do. Not all of it is amazing, but with a few friends, it's great fun to knock through the Online mode's bespoke heists, and owning a business feels pretty cool too. There are plenty of ways to play this game forever, including all of these great mods.
Assassin's Creed: Origins
Released: 2017 | Developer: Ubisoft Montreal | Humble Store, Steam | Our review
Released: 2017 | Developer: Ubisoft Montreal | Humble Store, Steam | Our review
The prequel to the entire Assassin's Creed series is also one of the best games in the series. Set in Egypt during the time of Greek and Roman influence, the open world of Origins is staggering both in size and beauty, an amazingly detailed sandbox filled with bustling cities and towns, fertile farmlands and vast barren deserts, rocky mountain peaks and shining seas. It's a wondrous place to explore and discover.
Combat is an improvement over earlier Creed games, and you're given a host of enjoyable tools and weapons that allow you to slink, slither, and stab your way through the world. Bayek is one of the strongest characters Ubisoft has created, and even after all these years of Creed games, witnessing the birth of the Assassins is a real thrill. (It's also one of the most demanding games around.)
The best immersive sim around, with sprawling, complicated levels that are wonderful to unpack, as well as a couple of high-concept missions that you'll never forget. It's like Arkane made a sequel based on how much everyone loved Lady Boyle's Last Party in Dishonored—most of the levels here are just as good. The option to play as two characters, with their own version of the story and sets of powers, offers even more replay value.
Crucially, too, Dishonored 2 offers more non-lethal ways to play if you're not a perfect stealth player. Being able to block enemy sword attacks, get them into a chokehold, shove them over then boot them in the face, knocking them out, is the best fun. Likewise, using Emily's domino ability to knock out multiple enemies at once feels incredibly empowering. And that's just one of many ways you can play.
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