This game pretty much kept me playing throughout the whole of 2015. Chances are, if you're interested in this, you've read around with demon's Souls and the Dark Souls series. While this game is definitely in the "Souls" genre, it's also very much it's own beast (pun intended).

is an amazing, exacting, and exhausting pilgrimage through a gorgeous land that imposes the feeling of approaching the bottom of a descent into madness. Though extended load times and minor frame-rate hitches have an effect on the pacing, it's otherwise an intensely challenging and rewarding game.

Stunning world artistry; Fast; tactical combat; Creature/boss design; Level design

Frame rate; load times

Yarnham is a cursed city, a sprawling 19th century metropolis writhing in the grip of a terrifying infection. Those few citizens who still cling to their humanity barricade their homes against the ons

Incredible atmosphere; Immediate; brutal combat; Impeccable level design

Slight performance issues; Lengthy load times

The evolution of the Souls formula to the next generation, this game demands your time and attention.

Super aggressive combat; fantastic world and art design; and wonderfully mysterious environments

Death sometimes comes from slight control and camera issues rather than a player mistake

HIGH Charging up an axe attack that stuns large dudes so I can rip their innards out. Neat! LOW The Chalice Dungeons look and feel almost identical no matter which variations are triggered. WTF The 'real' ending. Who thought that would be a satisfying conclusion to a forty-plus hour adventure?

Charging up an axe attack that stuns large dudes so I can rip their innards out; Neat

The Chalice Dungeons look and feel almost identical no matter which variations are triggered

Dark Souls was about the futility of life, or rather, immortal life. Trapped in their personal prisons amongst the ranks of crazed, Hollowed Undead, the tired souls and sad sacks mocked the player for fighting against an unbeatable fate.

It's been a bit of a rough start for the PS4 when it comes to AAA retail exclusives. Both inFamous: Second Son and The Order: 1886 were disappointing to one degree or another and that has left Bloodborne as the great red hope of the console's initial exclusive retail line-up.

It took longer than we would have hoped, but here it is: the PlayStation 4's first must-have exclusive. From Software's Bloodborne is a beautiful, brutal masterpiece that differentiates itself just enough from the standard Souls formula while still retaining what makes that series so extraordinary.

With every game of his that releases, it becomes increasingly remarkable what Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team at From Software have accomplished with the Souls series. These titles really do constitute their own subgenre; the heavy combat, winding level design and minimalist storytelling methods are...

'Bloodborne' arrives on the PS4 as one of the biggest exclusives of the new generation, and with good cause. Though it seems like just yesterday that ' Dark Souls II ' made its debut on the PS3 and 360, From Software made their most indelible mark back with the PS3 exclusive 'Demon's Souls,' which...