The addition of online co-op gives the campaign mode a great boost. There are some irritating connectivity issues in co-op and zombies though. The competitive multiplayer is much smoother and reliably packed with maps, modes and a dizzying array of unlocks. You'll struggle to find a shooter with more value than this year's Call of Duty.

With staggering depth to both its map design and new Mastery progression, Heart of Thorns gives Guild Wars 2 players old and new plenty of engaging ways to keep playing. There are still refinements to be made in certain areas, but ArenaNet have shown they are up to the task, making this a worthwhile expansion for MMO fans.

Like a box of assorted chocolates, you might not like everything in the box, but what does take your fancy will have you coming back for more. Coming in at the perfect price point, the Jackbox Party Pack 2 gives you five varied games that will entertain you for hours. Perfect as a party piece, especially with Christmas just round the corner.

While it may be short and lack replayability, Funcom have delivered a well-crafted and finely tuned psychological experience with The Park. The exceptional audio design helps to build a chilling and tense ambiance that will delight fans of The Secret World, while even newcomers can enjoy the chilling tale of one mother’s search for her son. A true psychological thriller that you'll want to play with the headphones on and the lights off.

While there are still blemishes that stop it matching the heights of Brotherhood or even Black Flag, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate restores faith in the series by delivering a highly enjoyable open-world experience. Jacob & Evie make for entertaining characters in a beautifully crafted Victorian London filled with content that will keep you busy for weeks.

This is, without a doubt, the finest series Telltale Games have produced to date. Whether you’re already a Borderlands fan or not, Tales From The Borderlands delivers an emotional, entertaining, and downright fun episodic adventure title.

An essential purchase for Uncharted newbies and the graphical upgrade makes it hard to resist for series fans too. Naughty Dog's trilogy shames the competition with exceptionally detailed levels, blockbuster action scenes and a lovable cast that will be sorely missed when the series wraps up with Uncharted 4 next year.

It doesn’t fix everything that was wrong with Destiny, but The Taken King does enough in all the right places to make it a highly enjoyable FPS experience overall. A renewed focus on narrative and a streamlined progression system helps to push Destiny in the direction it should have been heading all along.

Tearaway Unfolded has found a new home on the PS4 and contains plenty of new ways to use the DualShock 4 for unique in-game interactions. It's still worth owning if you've played the Vita version too. Difficulty is nicely balanced for players of all abilities and there are lots of collectibles for completionists to find.

This generation's finest racer. Turn 10's racer certainly has the looks, but it's the raw speed and intuitive handling that make the occasionally over-long races thrilling from start to finish.

The unfortunate truth is that its narrative fails to deliver a coherent and satisfying conclusion to the series, but as a stealth sandbox The Phantom Pain is peerless.

This interactive horror movie is heaps of fun and packed with moments that'll have you and anyone watching jumping out of their skin. Being able to kill off characters you don't like is more fun than you'll want to admit. You'll definitely want to play it more than once too to put the cast through hell again and again.

Q.U.B.E. is unquestionably fun, it's simplistic and it's addictive. Unfortunately the addiction soon becomes Q.U.B.E.'s downfall as the increasing desire to have 'just one more go' soon turns Q.U.B.E. into a 4-5 hour game.

One of the most relaxing games I've played in ages. Submerged is a game happy to let the player explore, with minimal challenge making for an experience that focuses on player exploration and stopping to enjoy the view. The story of the children and the desolate world around them slowly becomes clearer, leaving just enough room for the player's personal interpretation.

With a host of options adding accessibility and longevity, 3DS Streets of Rage II turns the best game in the series into a definitive version. Crisp visuals and fun, responsive gameplay will remind fans of the original why it was so great, and educate newcomers as to why it was – and frankly still is – the crème de la crème of side-scrolling beat-em-ups.

While admittedly good-looking, there's not much here for anyone that played the game five years ago. For newcomers, especially those without a PS3, Kratos's bloodthirsty pursuit of vengeance is a titan of the action genre. You may want to wait until the price is right though.

The game mode strip down this year by Codemasters with F1 2015 is evidently step one of many for a reboot of the popular franchise. Where modes have been taken, major improvements have been made. A whole new game engine giving advanced visuals and handling makes F1 2015 the best yet.

The definitive version of a true modern classic. Steins;Gate presents a truly captivating and uncompromising storyline with exquisite characters, powerful themes and often heartbreaking choices to make. It's a beautiful, essential thing.

Rocksteady and Batman is a combination we'll sorely miss. Their trilogy ends on a high though, with a refinement of their excellent Freeflow combat and Predator modes. The Batmobile is a somewhat mixed experience, but its heart is in the right place. Our much-awaited tour of the city of Gotham was a gorgeous sight to behold and an unforgettable goodbye.

J-Stars Victory VS+ is a crossover for the ages and a delightfully mad brawler in its own right. A few shortcomings are overshadowed by the attention to detail, great cast, riotous combat and the big silly grin it will leave on your face.

Yoshi's Woolly World is Nintendo at their inventive best. Delightful and deceptively devious, this sensational platformer encourages you to explore, experiment and genuinely play with it at every turn.

While the decidedly average combat and alarming number of technical gremlins are disappointing for a title that's been in development for so long, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is still a must-buy title for genre fans.

Horizon Shift is a seriously impressive bit of SHMUP. Fierce and fresh, it rejuvenates ideas from classic shooters with a sensational twist of its own.

The stealth options aren't quite as reliable as last time, but the core shooting experience is incredibly fun with meaty weapons, a ramped up pace and enjoyably over-the-top characters.

Splatoon blows third-person shooting wide open with its wildly unique mechanics and uninhibited sense of fun. Approachable for newcomers and enjoyable for old hands, it's an impressive Wii U exclusive, though we'll have to take Nintendo's promises of free DLC and updates on trust.

You'll need three forgiving friends and a silly sense of humour to make the most of Magicka 2. It's an utterly sensational cooperative romp that refines the series' superb spellcasting into hilarious yet surprisingly tactical chaos.

A fantastic package, containing two meaty match-3 RPGs and hours of quality content without a single microtransaction. Accessible, deep and involving, it's great for killing a few minutes or an entire evening at a time.

Hyperdimension Neptunia U is a superb tie-in, a saucy parody and most importantly a satisfying handheld brawler in its own right.