10 Early Contenders For Game Of The Year 2016

8. Hitman

They say Bethesda are the kings of the open-world when it comes to designing intersecting A.I. paths and animations that give the illusion of another 'world' on the other side of the screen - but to that I say nay, because IO Interactive have created something truly outstanding with the latest Hitman.

Rebuilt from the ground up in between 2012's divisive Hitman: Absolution, IO have taken the character back to his roots - which is to say, there is nothing but a huge focus on dispatching targets in as many ways as humanly possible. By releasing one gargantuan map every month and feeding the community with 'Elusive Targets' (hits that disappear after a certain amount of time, and give you but one chance to complete) it's changed the very notion of what we consider the 'Hitman experience'.

In the jump between console generations, Agent 47's chrome-dome is now shinier than ever, as are the environments you get to pilot him around. Honestly, I've never been so consistently blown away by a game's art department in years; the sheer amount of detail in everything from pressed suits to teacups, environment architecture and usable objects is staggering.

Check out Hitman, forget the woes that come with the words 'episodic release', and you won't be disappointed.