ON THE BUTTONS

Get your head in these games…

GOD OF WAR: RAGNARÖK RRP £69.99 VARIOUS RETAILERS

At the end of a lean year for blockbuster videogames, Sony’s big Christmas bet is pulling out all the stops. As with its award-winning predecessor, Ragnarök delivers spectacular deity-smashing action interspersed with father-son bonding. This time, Kratos and Atreus must cross the nine realms to prevent the end of the world – though they’ll first need to get past a vengeful Thor…

01 MARVEL’S MIDNIGHT SUNS

RRP FROM £49.99 VARIOUS RETAILERS

Firaxis’ long-awaited tactical role-playing game is essentially XCOM with superheroes – though with teammates such as Wolverine, Captain Marvel and Blade, you’re unlikely to find yourself on the back foot too often. Leading a small squad of Marvel’s finest into battle as customisable hero The Hunter, you’ll draw from a deck of ability cards to take down the brainwashed hordes of demonic sorceress Lilith.

02 GOTHAM KNIGHTS

RRP FROM £64.99 VARIOUS RETAILERS

DC fans aren’t left out this Christmas, as the makers of Batman: Arkham Origins return with a gritty cooperative action game. With crime on the rise in Gotham following the deaths of Batman and James Gordon, it’s up to Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin and Red Hood to restore order. Among the supervillains trying to stop them are Harley Quinn,

Mr. Freeze and Penguin.

03 CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE II

RRP FROM £69.99 VARIOUS RETAILERS

Not to be confused with 2009’s similarly named entry, this follow-up to the recent series reboot introduces a tense new Prisoner Rescue mode, which sees one team try to liberate a hostage from their captors. A typically explosive campaign takes its cues from the MCU, assembling a superteam of returning heroes – Soap, Gaz, Ghost and Price are all back to tackle a deadly terrorist group.

04 NINTENDO SWITCH: OLED MODEL POKÉMON SCARLET & VIOLET EDITION

RRP FROM £319.99 VARIOUS RETAILERS

Nintendo’s hybrid console might be getting on, but there’s no hardware better suited for family gatherings over the festive season – or as a distraction from terrible Christmas telly. The first truly free-roaming Pokémon games (sold separately) offer an expansive adventure for solo players to luxuriate in, while the lurid colours of Splatoon 3’s ink-splatting online action look particularly resplendent on that dazzling OLED display.