After its initial release last November, Rockstar remastered and re-released "Grand Theft Auto V" last month for the next-generation consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The main addition was a comprehensive first-person perspective mode that lets you see the game in a whole new way. Thanks to this single change, the "Grand Theft Auto" series will never be the same.

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

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The sequel to "Dark Souls" is one of the most difficult, punishing games ever made — but it's also one of the most rewarding. As you traverse various open worlds, fighting off hordes of impossibly strong monsters with very few items at your disposal, you'll be killed again and again. But that means your victories will taste all too sweet.

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

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With jetpacks and giant robots at your disposal, "Titanfall" strikes a unique balance for a first-person shooter, offering plenty of unpredictable and fun moments in a chaotic, approachable package.

Platforms: Xbox One

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As one of the oldest and most iconic characters in all of gaming, Donkey Kong made his triumphant return to the mainstream with "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze," where a band of pirates has cast an ice spell over your once-tropical island. The 3D sidescroller may seem simple at first, but it's by far one of the most challenging games you'll ever play.

Platforms: Wii U

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Bayonetta is one of the best characters ever conceived: she's witty, funny, extremely confident, and is also a butt-kicking witch with mind-blowing spells and powers at her disposal. The sequel to the original "Bayonetta" is exclusive to the Wii U, but between the strong story and tight combat system, it's easily one of the top three titles on Nintendo's console.

Platforms: Wii U

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The original "Halo" redefined the first-person shooter back in 2001; exactly 13 years later, Microsoft released "The Master Chief Collection," which includes remastered versions of the first three "Halo" titles, as well as "Halo 4." Developer 343 Industries, which took over the franchise for Bungie, also recruited Blur to completely remake the cutscenes in "Halo 2." They look absolutely stunning, and worthy of a next-gen release.

Platforms: Xbox One

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The "Far Cry" series has always been about offering a playground full of big guns and bigger explosions, and the fourth edition of the first-person shooter is no different. Set in Kyrat, a sprawling village in the Himalayan mountains, you'll come across all sorts of enemies and animals that are all trying to kill you. The resulting gameplay is volatile but ultimately hilarious and marvelous.

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

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It was easily one of the biggest surprises in 2014, and it's arguably a more enjoyable "Lord Of The Rings"/Middle Earth experience than the last three "Hobbit" films. As Talion, a ranger of Gondor, you set out across Mordor to avenge your fallen family — but you must contend with an army of orcs that are all looking to kill you and climb the orcs' chain of command, which is introduced in the truly unique Nemesis System. This ensures no two adventures are alike, and it means you'll need a strategic mind and a deft hand to take out your enemies.

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

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Nintendo badly needed a hit video game to spark interest in the Wii U, and "Mario Kart 8" delivered in spades. With colorful courses, new and unique vehicles and a wide range of characters to choose from, "Mario Kart 8" carries the same nostalgia from the original Nintendo 64 game but offers so much more in the way of visuals and gameplay.

Platforms: Wii U

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The most anticipated game of 2014 may not have lived up to all its expectations, but Bungie's first new franchise since "Halo" still managed to achieve an incredibly addictive experience with superior visuals and an engaging online component. And with weekly updates and missions, there's plenty of reasons to keep playing this game into the new year.

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

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The best fighting game ever created (sorry, "Mortal Kombat") just got a whole lot better and more chaotic. With an overflowing roster of 49 playable characters — including classic mascots from Nintendo, Sega, Namco, and Capcom — and new ways to play (8 player smash!), "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U" is the ultimate party game and a must-own for any Wii U owner.

Platforms: Wii U

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Bioware is responsible for some of the best role-playing games ever made, including the "Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic" series and the "Mass Effect" series. Though the first two "Dragon Age" games were not as popular, the latest chapter, "Inquisition," is one of the biggest and most captivating games ever created. It has memorable characters at every turn and a breathing world that's impossibly beautiful.

As the leader of an inquisition challenged to save the world from peril, it's your job to grow your army and expand your influence in the world — and since it's a Bioware game, every action and choice you make has its own set of unique consequences. With a story that's over 90 hours (!) long, you will be playing this masterful game for a very long time.

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

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The best game of the year isn't even a game: It's a free downloadable "teaser" for PlayStation 4 owners, which sat completely unassuming in the PlayStation Store until people realized that the ending teases the next "Silent Hill" game coming in 2015. Then the downloads came — then the reaction videos.

Though the game is a setup for a much larger and completely unrelated game coming next year, "P.T." is one of the simplest, spookiest, most beautiful, and most brilliant games ever created. Your environment is a single, eerie photorealistic hallway in an empty house, and your controls are extremely limited: You can walk, and you can zoom in to take a closer look at things. Your job is to figure out what happened in this house to escape this neverending loop — but the game doesn't give you many hints as to how to do that. It's your job to find those hints and decipher them.

As IGN's Lucy O'Brien points out, figuring out the puzzles in "P.T." is less of a game and more of an event. The game never states its plot up front, even though you know it ends by you answering a ringing phone. You go online and look at what other gamers have tried, and you're desperate to know the answers. And as it turns out, the final puzzle of the game has a core social element that requires people who speak all sorts of different languages to solve.

Without giving too much away, this game redefines the horror genre: Even though there's no way to "die" in this game, you're constantly desperate to beat the game just to escape the horrors and the madness — the incessant creaking of an empty house, and chilling, ghoulish sounds from the ghost of a dead woman. If you own a PlayStation 4, you owe it to yourself to jump into "P.T." — even if you need to keep the lights on.

Platforms: PlayStation 4

Download "P.T." for free through the PlayStation Store

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