With two new consoles on the shelves and Steam continuing to boost the PC development scene, 2014 has been an interesting year for games so far. But has it been a really good one?

Here are our top ten releases of the year so far, selected by our readers via Twitter (with some input from our games writers). Just for the heck of it, we're not allowing new downloads for older titles or updates, remasters or conversions of games that have already been released elsewhere. So that's why you won't find Towerfall: Ascension (which is brilliant) or Last of Us: Left Behind (which is astonishing). Also, Stuart Dredge has compiled a separate list of smartphone titles, hence no Monument Valley, Threes or Hearthstone.

If you are disgusted that Banner Saga, Sniper Elite 3 or another of your own favourite titles is missing, let us know in the comments...

10. Titanfall

"For the sheer insanity of what's going on in almost every match. Turn the sound up and sit too close." Rich Jarman

'Titanfall is a bombastic treat, a hulking armoured paeon to Japanese mech anime like Gundam and Macross in the form of an incendiary first-person shooter.' – Read the Guardian's review

9. OlliOlli

"Super smooth skating game in the vain of Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Completely boils the game down to its purest form." Chris Aka Punk

'For anyone who has travelled with a deck beneath their feet, this is a fascinating interpretation of the experience.' – read the Guardian's review

8. Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes

"Extremely stunning to watch and a nice little teaser to the next MGS instalment" April Showers

'Ground Zeroes is more than anything a showcase for imagination, experimentation, and play for play's sake, because there is simply so much to do in and around this environment.' – read the Guardian's review

7. Valiant Hearts

"Emotional portrayal of WWI. Beautifully presented. Made me want to learn more about the Great War." Retroed

6. Shovel Knight

"Someone finally made a 80s retro throwback that plays fair, plays well and that I'll play time and time again." IfItIsn'tColdman

5. Dark Souls 2

"Mario Kart is utterly brilliant, but Dark Souls 2 just edges it for me. Another masterpiece in the Souls series." John C

'Dark Souls II is an extraordinary game. If it stops short of fulfilling something precious within the soul, it certainly has the heart, mind and fingers covered.' – read the Guardian's review

4. Transistor

"It's literally one of the most inventive, unique and engaging Action RPGs I've ever played." Paddy Murphy

"The combat and function system is unparalleled." Craig Smith

3. South Park: The Stick of Truth

"Best use of a licence ever, faithful to the show and (mostly) perfect in execution." Wayne Emanuel

'By far the best thing about The Stick of Truth is its script and willingness to go places that other games don't.' – read the Guardian's review

2. Wolfenstein: The New Order

"I expected it to deliver quality shooting. I didn't expect it to deliver quality storytelling." Andi Hamilton

"Excellent, polished single-player and great-looking on next-gen." Matt CA Smith

'It isn’t the future of first-person shooters, but it does rank among the best single-player examples.' – read the Guardian's review

1. Mario Kart 8

"One of the few games where the creativity on display continued to surprise me in every level. I am now less jaded." Sanatana Mishra

"The most fun I've had with four-player local multiplayer in a long time." Lukas Roper

'Every aspect of Mario Kart 8 is polished to the finest shine' – read the Guardian's review

• 40 best iPhone and iPad games of 2014 (so far)

• 40 best Android games of 2014 (so far)