The best video games of 2016 so far

The concluding instalment in From Software's acclaimed action role-playing series provides all the impassable enemies, labyrinthine locations and gothic cruelty we expect from director Hidetaka Miyazaki. What we said: The Dark Souls series is beloved of designers, who see its singular, idiosyncratic approach, and seemingly uncompromised vision as an example of everything they hope to achieve. Chris Bourassa and Tyler Sigman's unrelentingly doom-laden exploration game follows a group of treasure hunters as they wander monster-infested tunnels, going slowly mad in the process. What we said: Darkest Dungeon is something fresh in one of gaming's most overdone genres, and the stress system is a winner – a particular delight being how a long-lived character will accumulate various mental scars. Gambling against death is at the heart of the game, because every time something glitters, the truly crazy decision would be to walk away. Returning to the glory days of the famed Colin McRae Rally series, Codemasters provides a thrilling and highly authentic off-road driving sim, jammed with exciting vehicles and snaking international circuits.