The year 2014 saw the awkward transition between an old console generation phasing out and a new console generation moving in. With that comes a jerky influx of titles as developers try to cater to audiences on six different platforms. As gamers embrace what’s in the horizon for 2015, here are five games you should have played in 2014:

1. South Park: The Stick of Truth

South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker brand of comedy have conquered TV, film and even stages of Broadway. South Park: The Stick of Truth brought everyone’s favorite quiet little mountain to home consoles and it was awesome. Obsidian Entertainment recreated the town of South Park in a 2.5D role-playing game, where the player feels like they are starring in an episode of South Park. Any fan of South Park will appreciate the not so politically corrected humor, while gamers will find a rewarding combat system.

2. This War of Mine

This War of Mine is a survival based strategy game inspired by the events of the Siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. Instead of the Call of Duty style action commonly seen in military first-person shooters, This War of Mine has players take control of a group of survivors in a war-torn city. Every night, the player must send a survivor out to scavenge while the rest hold down the shelter. Scarce food and supplies can be scavenged, bartered or stolen from innocent people — whatever it takes to survive the war. It is an emotionally driven game, where every decision that players make will affect their party’s will to push on.

3. Infamous Second Son

Infamous Second Son is the first game in the PlayStation 4’s line up to show off the graphically powerful console with a beautiful super hero open world adventure. Players play as Delsin, a super human known as conduits, with the power to absorb the powers of other conduits. As Delsin, players will traverse a beautifully re-imagined Seattle as they blast away enemies with colorful neon powers or choke them with smoke. Infamous Second Son is a fantastic ride and worthy of a spot in any PS4 owner’s collection.

4. Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation was the game that Sega needed to redeem the Alien video game franchise after numerous blunders and failed attempts. Last October, Sega and The Creative Assembly gave Alien fans the game they deserved with Isolation. Isolation is a survival horror title that is a throwback to the early days when horror games were brutally hard. No other Alien game to date has faithfully translated the feel and tone of an Alien movie to a video game. The dark and sterile corridors of the space station Sevastopol will trigger an experience that will remind fans of Ellen Ripley’s first standoff with the Xenomorph. Isolation is the best film adaptation, as well as the best survivor horror game the industry has seen in years.

5. Dragon Age III: Inquisition

Bioware has been caught in quite a slump after the disappointing releases of Dragon Age II and Mass Effect 3. Dragon Age III: Inquisition is a fitting return to role-playing splender for Bioware on a new generation of consoles. All the staples of a Bioware role-playing game are present: a beautiful world to get lost in for hours, interesting lore, an intriguing story and characters to fall in love with. The refined class and skill system alone makes Inquisition a game that gamers will continue to sink into for months far beyond its initial November 2014 release.