This year, Microsoft kicked some serious ass. While their first-party future will still take some time to be realised, Microsoft’s third-party offerings were incredibly exciting. From Devil May Cry 5 finally emerging from the darkness to a hat trick of Gears of War announcements, Microsoft was throwing punch after punch in their press conference, with knockouts aplenty finding their mark. Did you miss all of that hot action? Well here's a handy round-up for you.

It's back to the post-apocalyptic wastes of Russia with Metro Exodus, now with 100% more irradiated sharks

Metro: Exodus has been delayed into the early months of 2019, perhaps in a bid to avoid the silly Christmas rush entirely.

In Metro Exodus, will get to have a bigger hand in the process of creating said weapons, with the end result being actual firearms that could be built in the real world.

THQ went bankrupt, its properties were sold off and the legacy of that company was buried. Until a new successor rose from its ashes that is. Having acquired numerous video game licenses, Nordic Entertainment rebranded itself as THQ Nordic back in 2016, building a new company that featured plenty of hits from the past and new titles with which to create a legacy of success. That legacy may have just come full circle, as THQ Nordic has closed a deal to acquire Koch Media.

Quality over quantity you could say, as a smaller arena within which to murder everything with a digital pulse can provide a more concentrated experience. By the sounds of things, that’s the direction that upcoming on-rails (heh) shooter Metro Exodus is aiming for. All the strengths of a game which very much knows which direction it wants to move players in, with the chance to deviate outside of those parameters if players feel like doing so.

Going mobile and exploring the Russian countryside, Metro Exodus represents a big change for the series. How big? So big that several established gameplay mechanics are being overhauled or scrapped entirely for other systems

With 2017 done and dusted, it’s time to look forward to what 2018 has to offer. Will there be more loot boxes, controversies that explode in our faces and at least one instance of a game being broken on launch. Probably! But it’ll also be a year filled with all manner of new games, titles which can scratch specific itches and prove that the video game industry is the single greatest entertainment medium alive today. Here’s a look at ten games that we’re hot under the collar for in the year ahead.