1. Assassins Creed: Syndicate
Why? It's actually good again... Ubisoft managed to bring AC back from its deathbed for (at least) one more go-round, this time in gorgeously-rendered Victorian London. Hey look, I didn't want it, you didn't want it - but Ubisoft did it anyway. Instead of saying goodbye to Assassin's Creed for good following another disastrous instalment (although its sales figures could still make this the case), they actually pooled their resources and made a good Assassin's Creed game - like you remember from what, like 2010? Stealth is improved considerably thanks to a button that toggles a crouched state and lets you spot enemies using a proximity-based 'Threat Ring', anyone you kill can be auto-looted for items and weapons, combat is sped up and group-kills are back in - best of all, the whole thing actually runs smoothly, for the vast majority anyway. I had it get a little spotty when getting to the top of a tower and panning the camera over all of London, but apart from that, this is a good ol' fashioned AC game. Syndicate is the best the series has played since Brotherhood, with new traversal mechanics in the grappling hook and a gang-management stat-screen that connotes the best parts of that game's 'Assassin management' stuff, letting you recruit people on the street to help in all sorts of activities. Unity being a trainwreck only meant we took a year off from the series anyway, providing the (unintentional) break many of us needed from Ubi's relentless release schedule. If any part of you is still on the fence about AC:S following last year's mess vs. the ridiculously high scores Syndicate's been getting (
it's definitely not a 9/10, sorry Gamespot) it'll scratch that hidden-bladed itch with the utmost satisfaction if you let it.
What are you playing as October draws to a close? Let us know in the comments, and create an account if you'd like to submit your own content!