Tom Stretch

This is quite simply breathtaking in video games terms, it's a sprawling Homeric epic set in an exquisitely crafted evocation of the demise of the American frontier and its way of life for every character, great or small, within it. The story is a rich tapestry of complex, nuanced characters and how each copes with the ruthlessly savage, inexorable attrition of all they have ever known, leaving them palpably bereft. The meticulous attention to detail in the content is stunningly rich, the visuals are vividly breathtaking, whilst the storytelling and gameplay are just outstanding. The painstakingly meticulous re-creation of every aspect of this game universe, from climes, flora, fauna and fungi to contemporary superstitions and social mores, combined with attitudes to the advent of the new technology of the 20th Century alongside it's actual effects on the inhabitants of the comprehensive in-game world. I really think it's quite unreasonable to expect more than this from a video game, it is more than just magnificent entertainment, it is interactive art of the most remarkable order.