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[Cheesemeister]

It's time! Welcome to the official voting thread for GAF's Games of the Year 2015.

Your hosts are timetokill and I. The official rules and sample ballot are below.
If you do not follow the rules, your vote may not be counted. You have been warned.

2015 Voting Rules

• Comments on games must begin on the same line as the game title itself, following a semicolon ( Not a hyphen. Not a dash. Not a slash. Not a space. Not a period. A semicolon.
• You may vote for any playable content released in 2015.
• The current spreadsheet of nominated games can be found here.
• You may list up to 10 games for your ballot. The games must be numbered, and consecutively listed in numerical order from 1 to 10.
• Games must be listed using their full title. Abbreviated entries will not be counted. Copy-and-paste from the spreadsheet to be sure.
• You must have at least one comment in your ballot or it may not be counted. The comment must be more substantial than "GOTF lol" or what have you. Posting without comments may also subject you to a ban.
• You may list any number of honorable mentions in your ballot, and these must be indicated by a "x."
• No "reserving" posts to hold your ballot later. This just clogs up the thread with wasted space and ensures that fewer people will actually see your list. Such posts will disqualify your ballot, even if edited in later.
• No posting unofficial, preliminary results. This may influence the voting.

I've taken the liberty of posting a list of users who have ballots with no comments. Fair warning.

Voting Ends: Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 5:59am PST / 8:59am EST. No extensions. No exceptions. Here's a countdown clock and here are worldwide times.
​

Sample Ballot
Ready to vote? Get started quickly by copying and pasting the ballot below into your reply.
To ensure the parser correctly tabulates your ballot, please follow this format as closely as possible. Don't actually post "Game A" or "Your thoughts on Game A," etc.

1. Game A ; Your thoughts on Game A.
2. Game B ; Your thoughts on Game B.
3. Game C ; Your thoughts on Game C.
4. Game D ; Your thoughts on Game D.
5. Game E ; Your thoughts on Game E.
6. Game F ; Your thoughts on Game F.
7. Game G ; Your thoughts on Game G.
8. Game H ; Your thoughts on Game H.
9. Game I ; Your thoughts on Game I.
10. Game J ; Your thoughts on Game J.

Honorable Mentions
x. Game K ; Your thoughts on Honorable Mention Game K.
x. Game L ; Your thoughts on Honorable Mention Game L.


Ballot Scoring
Note that while all points will be tallied, only NEW playable content will be eligible for GOTY and Genre Award consideration.
All content is eligible for Platform Award consideration. Rereleases, ports, and other content will be awarded in their own category.

1. Game A ; 4 points
2. Game B ; 3 points
3. Game C ; 3 points
4. Game D ; 2 points
5. Game E ; 2 points
6. Game F ; 2 points
7. Game G ; 1 point
8. Game H ; 1 point
9. Game I ; 1 point
10. Game J ; 1 point
x. Game K ; 0 points
x. Game L; 0 points

Honorable mentions will not receive points, but they will be tracked and used for tiebreakers, assuming you list them appropriately.



----- Game Eligibility Rules -----

Eligible games:

• Playable content released this year is eligible. This includes new games, remasters, ports, and so on.
• DLC, including expansion packs, are eligible to be voted on as long as it's playable. Destiny: The Taken King is eligible. Horse Armor is not.
• Episodes of games released this year are eligible.

Queried Eligible Games: iRacing: Nordschliefe, Kerbal Space Program
Queried Ineligible Games: Besiege, Blackbay Asylum, Darkest Dungeon, Digimon Reigitize, Duskers, Exanima, Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae, iRacing, Kero Blaster, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Persona Q, Posting Simulator 2016, Score Classic Goals 2, Sound Shapes, The Walking Dead, Warframe



----- FAQ -----

Is (insert game here) eligible?
1. First, check the spreadsheet list of eligible nominated games. Note that this list isn't exhaustive, but if it's on there, you're good.
2. Not on there? Check the confirmed eligible and ineligible games listed above.
3. If a game you want isn't listed there either, and you're SURE about it, just post it in your ballot. We'll automatically add it to the list. If you're not sure, shoot me or timetokill a PM and we'll get it sorted out.

Are Early Access games eligible?
No, Early Access, beta, demo, and Greenlight games are not eligible. PC games must reach full release, or version 1.0 in order to be eligible. Therefore, this is the only year that Kerbal Space Program will be eligible for the overall GOTY ranking.

Can I talk about somebody else's list?
Discussion is encouraged! Want to talk about another poster’s list? Quote it. Any unquoted ballots (those outside a quote block) will overwrite your own previous vote.

Can I use images in my ballot? I want it to be BEAUTIFUL!
Absolutely you can, but all numbering and formatting must happen as indicated in the sample ballot above, meaning your numbers cannot be within the image itself. Here are some examples of beautiful, rule-abiding ballots from last year: NotLiquid, JDHarbs, TheVisualizer.

My ballot is too long! Can I split it into two posts?
You should NOT split your ballot into two, because the parser won't read it correctly. What you should do is make sure that your "official" list is somewhere in your posts, and that the rest does not conflict. For example, check Dark Schala's short novel from 2013's voting. The official ballot is appropriately listed at the end.

I want to change my list. Do I have to make a new post?
No, you can simply edit your original vote up until the deadline.

My ballot was disqualified! Why?
Most likely, you didn't follow the rules above. What you probably did: You didn't number things correctly. You didn't write any comments. You listed the same game more than once. You didn't follow the formatting rules.

Can I order my list from 10 to 1?
Yes, but this may increase the chances of you accidentally skipping a place and invalidating your ballot.

OMG what about The Witcher III and Metal Gear Solid V? Lots of people are using Arabic numerals. Will they be counted?
First of all, using a Roman numeral in a logo and an Arabic numeral in text materials is really, really dumb on the part of marketing for the former. Second of all, we'll be fairly lenient on variations, but the only way to guarantee that your vote will be counted is to copy-and-paste from the spreadsheet. But again, just because a game isn't listed doesn't mean you can't vote for it if you're sure it's a 2015 title. Just use the most complete and official title available.

Steins;Gate has a semicolon in its title! What do I do?
It's the one game title that uses a semicolon. We're using that character as a delimiter, so it's not included in the title here. If you use a semicolon in that title, it'll turn out as "Steins" and it won't get sorted automatically. So, don't use a semicolon in that title. Use it as a delimiter.

When will the results be posted?
As soon as is possible given the copy-paste technology at our disposal. Last year it took 5 hours. This year, we want to beat that time significantly.

Happy voting, everyone!

 

[doowrah]

1. Splatoon ; The combination of shooting tied to running which is also crouching, reloading, and climbing? Never seen such a cohesive set of gameplay elements.
2. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; I'm a huge monster hunter fan, and logged 300 hours plus, and the only thing stopping me from playing more is the excitement for X. There's no other series like it.
3. Boxboy ; Absolute favorite surprise of the year to me. Only game I've started and couldn't stop for anything. Beat it in one sitting despite not being very short. Nintendo somehow made one of the best "indie" style games of the year.
4. Halo 5 ; Thrilled to have such a fast paced long TTD game back. The gunplay feels better than ever before and boosting feels like the missing piece that left 4 feeling like stale sprinting everywhere.
5. Grow Home ; Adding physics is my favorite easy way of creating emergent gameplay. But when you get to build the world around you too? That constantly felt unique.
6. Downwell ; Unfortunately have only played on ios, (curse of a mac) but even there, the game shines as an example of a tightly designed game in scope and execution. The visual style is also a highlight.
7. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime ; Actually had been waiting years for this since it's original reveal as an iphone game. Pure style and creativity created something worth running over and over.
8. Just Cause 3 ; The wingsuit alone pulls it to this spot. It's like playing spiderman 2 all over again. A totally new thrilling way to move, and no matter how stale the missions are, I can spend hours flying.
9. MGSV ; I was totally consumed by this game for weeks, and the depth of mechanics is something you can only find in MGS. But by the end of it, I couldn't imagine going back for more. It was #1 for a while though.
10. Nintendo Badge Arcade ; Barely counts as a game, but I religiously check in every single day. I hear about the wild things the bunny is saying on twitter and from friends. It's like a communal event that's purely addicting.


Beyond these, I still need to play Rocket League, Undertale, and Bloodborne. All seem VERY much my kind of game, may update later to reflect once I do.

 

[Megatron]

1. Metal Gear Solid 5 ; The best game I played all year. Kojima's first attempt at the sandbox genre is a rousing success, as he makes the most addictive, compelling, fascinating open world game yet. This game had such a great mix of missions and side opps, I could always pick this game up and play something no matter how much time I had. I have a couple hours? Great, I'll play a mission. I only have 30 minutes? Great, I'll play a side op. I really liked the difficulty on this as well. It was definitely challenging to play through the first time, I died so many, many times, but always was compelled to keep going, and never thought it was unfair.

2. Life is Strange ; It's fitting I suppose, that Metal Gear Solid 5 and Life is Strange are my top two games. They are complete antitheses of each other. Metal Gear Solid is the most exceptional gameplay experience I've had all year, and almost no story to speak of, while Life is Strange is the most moving and thought-provoking story I've ever experienced in a game but has very little actual gameplay. Episodic games have become synonymous with Telltale games over the years, so it's impressive that a relative newcomer and step in and out-perform them. They did this by setting the game in a school environment we can all relate to, hiding tons of interesting optional story bits if you happen to look in the right place and correctly make use of the game's unique time-bending feature. Add to that a mesmerizing soundtrack and Dontnod created a phenomenal game that, like many of the twists in the story, I never saw coming.

3. Batman: Arkham Knight ; this game seems to drown in negative publicity. The PC versions the season pass. The bat mobile. As a console gamer who skipped the pass, the first two don't apply to me. As for the bat mobile, I found the rage against this to be (and this was just a huge shock /s) completely overblown. Sure the first couple hours force you to use the bat mobile, but that's the tutorial, just teaching the new content. After you get past that part, for the most part the only time you have to use it are the optional challenges (and at the end). And honestly, I LIKED the bat mobile! I thought it was a great change of pace. As for the rest of the game, it's better than ever. The controls, the combat, the graphics, the story (although I'm sure anyone with a passing knowledge of batman knew who the final villain was long before it started dropping ham-fisted clues.) everything is better, I loved jumping into this game and playing in this world. Best game of the series, IMO.

4. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; speaking of negative publicity....oh boy. I loved the 2013 TR game, and this game is better than that game in every way. The set pieces are fun, the back story is interesting, but I mostly just love going back to the early parts of the game now that I have everything, and finding all the stuff I missed/couldn't get to previously. The tombs are not quite up to par with the series' heyday, but they are a great improvement over the original game, and I think it was a great idea to make them optional. Hope they carry that over into he next game. PC and ps4 gamers, circle this one on your calendars. You are in for a treat.

5. Halo 5 ; I've played every Halo since the first game. I loved the first and third games. The others just didn't do it for me. Halo felt so formulaic and predictable, not much different from a Ubisoft game in that way. Enter Halo 5 and the franchise finally feels fresh to me again. New enemies, new weapons, new movement mechanics all combine to give this game the welcome changes it needed. And it's still the best campaign co-op experience in the business. I don't play multiplayer really, so I can't comment on that aspect, but when it comes to the single player, this is the Halo experience I have been waiting for since Halo 3.

6. Assasin's Creed Chronicles: China ;2015 was a strong year for side-scrollers. Ori and the Blind Forrest, Axiom Verge, Yoshi's Wooly world, among others. But for my money, no game was as much fun as ACCC. Originally concieved as a Prince of Persia game, this title was adapted to the AC formula for the better, in my opinion. It keeps the strong platforming aspects, and adds stealth mechanics: Hiding in the shadows or behind curtains, whistling to get unsuspecting enemies near your hiding place, and stealth kills with the hidden blade are all welcome additions to the PoP formula.

7. Dying Light ; I wasn't sure what to make of this game at first. The first person perspective with mostly melee weapons, the extremely akward use of the left bumper for jumping, as well as the fact that the game is hard, especially at first.. But as the game moves on you level up and you get to add traits to your character that open things up in terms of both combat and traversal that make the game much more satisfying. The story is intriguing, and option for campaign co-op is very welcome here as well, and their approach to that is interesting and satisfying.
8. Xenoblade Chronicles X ;
9. Ori and the Blind Forrest ;

10. Splatoon ; not being that into multiplayer I was mostly interested in the campaign,which is is terrific here. This puzzley first person squid based shooter's campaign has hints of portal in it, not a copy by any means, a total breath of fresh air. Traversal in this game is a pleasure. Loved the campaign. After finishing the campaign I played with the multiplayer. Man, to my surprise,that's great too. Wonderful, wildly inventive game that was a pleasure to play. And the way this game has been supported both in terms of free content and advertising pushes to draw new players int the game is unparalleled.

 

[DNAbro]

1. Undertale ; Easily, and I mean easily the best thing I've played this year. Calling it my GOTY is understating how much I enjoyed this game. To me personally it may be one of the single most brilliant games ever released and it is my second favorite game of all time. The characters, the music, the story, and the gameplay come together in a near perfect manner. The gameplay perfectly compliments the story and gives incredible insight into the different characters. The soundtrack is GOAT tier, and is expert use of motifs throughout create incredible impact when certain songs play. Choice in this game feels like it matters more than any other game I played. You can see the small and big impacts of the choices you make and how it effects others. The amount of detail put into this game is staggering as well. Toby Fox pretty much thought of every single way you could react to almost every situation and created a tiny detail to make note of it. Not to mention it is one of the funniest game I've ever played and got plenty of actual out loud laughs. My opinion of this game has only gone up over time and it easily deserves a spot as GOTY.

2. Bloodborne ; Some of the best gameplay in any game I've ever played. It just feels so good to struggle against a boss and then through perseverance and learning how to fight them and then come out on top. The Gothic horror mixed with Lovecraftian influence was a great setting and set it apart from most other games. Music is also top notch. Only complaints is that the core story is almost throw away and I had little incentive to try and figure out what was happening. Regardless still an incredibly satisfying experience.

3. Witcher 3 ; One of the best worlds in any game. Got completely enthralled in the world and loved many of the characters that you meet along the way. The game's strongest point is the characters and the world and it was awesome. Core gameplay wasn't that satisfying imo, but the story and characters were strong enough to make up for it. Also Gwent is awesome.

4. Splatoon ; One of the most original games I've ever played. Takes the shooter genre and makes it new again. It's incredibly stylish, fun, and great. Content updates throughout the year also increased the longevity. The community is great too.

5. Destiny: The Taken King ; Was in a fight for the top 5(edit: and now is), but loses out due to how Bungie has continuing content this year. It is one of the most satisfying shooters I've played and Bungie has fixed many of the complaints the community has had from Year 1. New problems arose and the end game was a bit of a bore. The raid though was one of the most satisfying things I've done this year when I went through the first time. Still the best co-op experience in any game.

6. Shovel Knight ; Played this on PS4 this year and I'm so glad I did. Easily surpasses the games that it is based on to make one of the most satisfying retro action platformers ever made. Fantastic soundtrack and world and the tiny details that developers put into it really shine through.

7. Downwell ; My new favorite game to play on my phone. A somewhat simple game where you fall down a hole and shoot things as you fall. It's charming, difficult, and incredibly addicting. Probably the perfect game for my phone and is definitely worth playing.

8. Rocket League ; One of the best multiplayer experiences I've had. Game controls perfectly and is the definition of easy to play, hard to master. Lots of content updates were great and I come back every once in awhile for a few games with friends.

 

[SplitYourInfinities]

So i have 1 month to play Fallout 4, The Witcher 3 and Xenoblade Chronicles X.... not gonna make it lol

 

[Purest 78]

1. Bloodborne

 

[zxcv11223300xi]

1. Yakuza 0 ; 4 points
2. Bloodborne ; 3 points
3. Fallout 4 ; 3 points
4. Dragon Quest Heroes ; 2 points
5. EDF 4.1 ; 2 points

 

[Endo Punk]

1. Bloodborne ; A gameplay experience so pure it's one for the history books. Classes should be taught on the way BB handles level design, not linear that it becomes boring fast and not so open that it lacks identity and detail, it's just perfect.

2. Axiom Verge ; Love the soundtrack and the suitably alien level design. The fact you can lock your character as well as shoot diagonally makes this the best side-scrolling shooter of the year for me.

3. Undertale ; Played the demo then bought the game. Adorable, simplistic and a lot of fun to interact with characters especially the battle interactions. Just love how this game plays out.

 

[Cheesemeister]

Splatoon

Games must be numbered from 1 to 10. This will not be counted.

I will probably edit, but here is my early list.

1) Metal Gear Solid 5 - The best game I played all year. Kojima's first attempt at the sandbox genre is a rousing success, as he makes the most addictive, compelling, fascinating open world game yet. This game had such a great mix of missions and side opps, I could always pick this game up and play something no matter how much time I had. I have a couple hours? Great, I'll play a mission. I only have 30 minutes? Great, I'll play a side op. I really liked the difficulty on this as well. It was definitely challenging to play through the first time, I died so many, many times, but always was compelled to keep going, and never thought it was unfair.
2) Batman: Arkham Knight -
3) Rise of the Tomb Raide -
4) Dying Light -
5) Assasin's Creed Chronicles: China -
6) Halo 5 -
7) Tales of the Borderlands -
8) Ori and the Blind Forrest -
9) Splatoon -
10) Transformers: Devastation

Titles and comments must be separated with a semicolon ; and not any other delimiter like a hyphen.

1. Undertale
2. Bloodborne
3. Witcher 3
4. Fallout 4
5. Splatoon.

You must include at least one comment.

 

[BY2K]

1. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; One of my big surprises of the year. I'm not normally into big open-world games because they overwhelm me and bore me if it was a MMO-esque quest system with repetitive missions, but there's something about XCX that makes me not want to put if down. The Skells gives you so much freedom it's no wonder they wait for you to be halfway through the game to give access to them and 3/4 into the game to give them the ability to fly. The anime-esque structure of missions, with the Main Chapters used to advance the central plot and the "affinity" missions being more of a way "problem/monster of the week" structure that concentrates on character development is an interesting way of storytelling. This game has erased every doubt in my mind that Nintendo could pull off an open-world game.
2. Bloodborne ; My first big love of the year. My only real experience with From Software was Dark Souls II so I didn't really know what to expect from Bloodborne. What I got was their best atmosphere to date. The Victorian/gothic/lovecraftian style of the game is just a blast to play through. Punishingly hard but highly rewarding. And the soundtrack gives me chills.
3. Undertale ; The other big surprise of 2015. I have my girlfriend to thank for nagging me into playing it. She wouldn't stop talking about it so I just had to play it. What I got was a game that emotionally had me by the balls. Actually shouting curses out loud as I was discovering just how much the game KNEW about your previous actions, in-game and OUTSIDE the game itself.
4. Life is Strange ; Yet another surprise, but this one I saw coming. I knew this game would surprise me with its unique setting and mechanic. This game gives Telltales a run for its money. Never before did a game hit me with the hardest choices I have had to make in a video game.
5. Super Mario Maker ; Not much to say about Super Mario Maker outside of it being an absolute joy.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; A remake of one of the best Zelda games and one of the best games of all times. Enough said. And unlike many, I don't mind most of the changes. (The swimming IS a bit shittier, though.)
7. Batman: Arkham Knight ; I was one of the lucky people that was actually able to decently run on the game on PC and thank God it did. It's a satisfying conclusion to the Arkham saga and yes, I DID enjoy the Batmobile, even if it does overstays its welcome in a few instances.

 

[Megatron]

Titles and comments must be separated with a semicolon ; and not any other delimiter like a hyphen.

Yeah, I realized that right after I posted and edited it. Whoops.

The no reserves part should probably be bolded. That'll be easy to miss.

 

[dreampeppers99]

1. Xenoblade Chronicles X
2. Splatoon
3. Metal Gear 5
4. Super Mario Maker

 

[Steverulez]

1. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt ; Its just incredibly, every aspect of it is awesome
2. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Fantastic metroidvania and game in general
3. Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain ; Say what you will about the story but the gameplay is phenomenal
4. Gears of War Ultimate Edition ; Love me some Gears, great remaster to bring back the franchise under The Coalition
5. Halo 5 Guardians ; 343 made some great gameplay changes to improve it over Halo 4
6. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Really enjoyed it, expands on the reboot really well
7. Planetbase ; Management/city building tycoon builder I loved
8. Until Dawn ; Really enjoyable game that surprised me a lot
9. Wolfenstein The Old Blood ; More Wolfenstein by Machine Games, TNO was awesome in 2014
10. The Swindle ; Indie game I enjoyed a ton, basically robbing vaults in procedurally generated levels, great fun

Will sort out 7-10 once i'v played a few games I've got going on right now

 

[Kriken]

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt; This game deserves all the praise it has gotten and then some. This game does an excellent job of introducing so many different characters and enemies and the locations never felt stale or boring. I continued to find new areas as I'm exploring the map and was continuously amazed at how well done the side quests are. For example, there's a side quest where a bunch of monsters try to kill Geralt, but the player's previous actions can result in the fight being Geralt vs one monster to Geralt vs them all. Ultimately what you do does matter and I am glad I can be rewarded for being sympathetic to "monsters" where other games would just have me blindly hack their head off. This game's writing makes you care about moments like that and makes you care about the people you meet and where you meet them. The scene where Geralt reunites with Ciri might just well be the best done emotional scene in recent video gaming history. This is a game with loads of content that never gets stale, characters that add a ton of charm and choices that actually feel meaningful and for all of that, it is easily my 2015 GOTY.

2. Undertale; One of my all time favorite games is Earthbound and 90% of that is due to the charm of the characters/setting and well written humor. Undertale takes a lot of those same aspects and is able to produce a memorable, great game. Combine that with an interesting kill or spare mechanic that makes battles into a puzzle themselves and it adds a whole new dimension for how to turn a realtively short game into a fun replay experience. The soundtrack is really what pushes this into my number two spot as almost every track is equally amazing and memorable. All that said, this game is my second favorite game from 2015.

3. Splatoon; This REALLY caught me off guard with how special of a game it is. I thought it'd just be some above average TPS attempt by Nintendo, but it's really addictive and has kept me coming back for more with every update and splatfest. The mechanic of moving through ink and regenerating your ammo by moving through the ink is ingenious. It's a fresh take on the online shooter genre and combine that with the quality music and it's going to be a mainstain of my Wii U for a while.

4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; While the story disappointed me and the side content was by the numbers, MGS V's gameplay is great. One of my favorite aspects is trying to find new ways to replay missions to get higher ranks, although I will admit, I'm not a fan of how the grading system works in respect to stealth vs action. When it's all said and done, I have to say that the disappointment of this being Kojima's ultimate Metal Gear is outweighed by the fun I had with this game.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D; I love Majora's Mask and I love what they did for the remaster. While not as good as the original imo, they really kept a faithful adaptation here and improved on various things like the save system and keeping track of sidequests. I will admit I did not like the new swimming mechanic, but it was still serviceable, just not amazing. Overall, it reminded me why I love this game and will continue to love this game.

6. Ori and the Blind Forest; This Metroidvania deserves the praise it gets for its amazing level design and beautiful aesthetic, combine that with a touching narrative and this was a pleasure to play this year.

7. Yoshi's Woolly World; Yoshi's New Island disappointed me and I didn't even play Yoshi's Island for the SNES or GBA. This game on the other hand remedied a lot of what I disliked from YnI and like Ori is such a feel good game to play.

8. Super Mario Maker; it's a game where I can make levels and realize how awful other people are at making 2D platformers. It does have a few flaws and missing features, but the recent update really added a new dimension to what this game can be and I am excited to see what's in store for 2016

9. Dying Light; I had no interest in this game whatsoever, from Pewdiepie's first footage to Angry Joe's PC footage with massive tearing later on, I saw this as "another dull zombie game" I am eating crow and it is delicious. This game took a routine, bland idea and gave it a nice twist. There are certain things I'd say I didn't like (The story, the characters and certain chase sequences) but overall, I had fun, and that's what matters.

10. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood; Wolfenstein The New Order was better than it had any right to be, and The Old Blood, while not as good as TNO was still exceptional with it's gunplay and stealth mechanics, I hope Machine games is allowed to make another game in this style.

 

[Arthea]

the spreadsheet of eligible games is missing The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC, which is first time release in the west and is totally eligible, or I'll riot

 

[Plague Doctor]

1. Bloodborne ; Best game of this current generation so far. Aside from framerate and loading time, could be flawless.
2. The Witcher 3 ; Amazing game, might have been number 1 had it not been for the horse riding mechanics and a little more focus on the combat system.
3. Fallout 4 ; Solid game with massive replayability value. Expected glitches and the end game story holds it back.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Amazing game for the first chapter. The second chapter shows it's incomplete and the end game story had issues.
5. Pillars of Eternity ; Awesome game and story. I am personally not as into the classic rpg approach anymore. YMMV and that is totally cool.
6. Sunless Sea ; Loved the setting, atmophere, and world building. Not a huge fan of the Rogue-like game though. Can't wait for more Fallen London games.
7. Rocket League ; Despite not liking sports game and multiplayer, this was suprisingly a lot of fun and sublimely happy I gave it a chance.
8. Until Dawn ; Expect little from this game due to its gameplay and blown away. A lot of fun and felt like I was participating in a horror movie.
9. Arkham Knight ; Awesome game, didn't care for heavy focus on the car and the cast of some of the villians towards the end.
10. Assassin Creed: Syndicate ; A massive step up from Unity and hopeful hint at the future of the franchise. Still suffers from scavenger quest bonaza but the characters and the setting really carried it.

 

[sense]

1. Destiny TTK ; I put a ridiculous amount of hours into this and the gunplay is solid. A little disappointed with the add on content so far but that can't be used against the game
2. Bloodborne ; haven't finished it but I definitely see the appeal of these games now so I will get back to it when I have time and patience but what I played was very good and satisfying
3. Uncharted NDC ; love the series and felt very good to revisit them

I assume all of them are "reserving" their slots in a round about way

 

[DaxMedFlax]

1. Bloodborne ; GOAT material. The atmosphere, the lore/story, the creature design, the music, the lightning fast gameplay, the feeling of dread...
2. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; I really dislike the 3DS. Still, I bought a stupid circle pad thing for this game. 100 hours later, totally worth it.
3. Dark Souls II: Scholar Of The First Sin

 

[Regiruler]

11 days early, ffs

 

[toddhunter]

I can't get to a full list of 10, I think it was a pretty average year in terms of "quantity". And it seems pointless to flesh it out in the face of the Nintendo army anyway, so here are my votes for what it is worth:

1. Bloodborne ; I think it has a lot of faults and the DLC makes my eyes hurt. But it is still raw gaming goodness and a return to form for the simultaneously amazing and disappointing Dark Souls 2.
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Sure we only got episode 1 and some "extra stuff", but the actual game bits were still amazing and all the crap that went with it could be safely ignored.
3. Pillars of Eternity ; Just shows that when people say "RPG" they don't have to mean AAA crap that forgets the RP stuff and just gives you lots of G, where G = guns.
4. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; I think this is a pretty overrated game and only just a step up from crap like Dragon Age Inquisition. BUT, it is still a step up and I enjoyed my time with it. Hopefully this becomes the new minimum for generic open world RPG games and things only get better from here.
5. Hearthstone ; It isn't on the list of games, but should be because although The Grand Tournament sucked, The League of Explorers expansion was/is excellent and has added a lot to the game.
6. Mega Man Legacy Collection ; I'm already scratching around a bit for games, but I enjoyed this well enough.
7. Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance ; I think this is the best Disgaea game in a long time. It is nuts, but not too nuts and the graphical upgrade was welcome.
8. You must build a boat ; Better than 10000000 or whatever it was and a great little ios timewaster (on steam too I think)

 

[Dynasty8]

1. The Witcher 3
2. Bloodborne
3. Fallout 4

 

[Nothing1016]

1. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; Massive world, fantastic gameplay, and scale unlike anything ever seen in a Nintenod game.
2. The Witcher 3 ;
3. Bloodborne ;
4. Metal Gear Solid V ;
5. Splatoon ;
6. Life is Strange ;
7. Super Mario Maker ;
8. Ori and the Blind Forest ;
9. Halo 5 ;
10. Fallout 4 ;

Will edit in comments later.

 

[Se7enSword]

1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter ; One of the most underrated gems and a beautiful game rich with amazing lore, fantastic characters and tons of dialogue where every character (Even NPCs) are given much depth and character! Also has a fun battle system. I have been waiting for it's localization for 4 years, and it has delivered! Worth the wait. Did I mention it has the best chest lines? Heh.
2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel ; The year of Kiseki continues with the last entry for the year! Trails of Cold Steel improves the battle system/combat of Trails in the Sky by leaps and bounds! Other than that, I enjoyed the cameos of old characters and the reasoning of the high school setting as well! The characters also grew upon me. Laura and Sara are the best! The epilogue was an incredible game changer! Simply wonderful. Very excited for the sequel.
3. Ys VI: The ark of Napishtim ; While not as excellent in combat mechanics and boss battles as its successors, this game was still very good and connects the lore with all the other Ys games. One nice feature of this game was that other than just having a different special attack, each sword had their own unique swing animations and combos.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Despite the disappointment in the story and character department, it still delivered and exceeded on the gameplay front. It is such a blast to sneak in or find creative ways to clear an objective.
5. Contradiction - the all video murder mystery adventure ; A great title! Jenks is such an amazing and amusing character.
6. Life is Strange ; This was a surprise sleeper hit for me. The last 2 episodes could have been much better imo.
7. Pillars of Eternity ; Obsidian's kickstarter project, and my first entry to this style of game. It was quite fun and had several interesting ideas. It didn't capitalize on some of them though, disappointingly.
8. Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition ; I am still far from completing this game, but I enjoyed what I played. Very rich in customization and humorous dialogue. The decisions and dialogue options are pretty good too. Story could have been better.
9. Shadowrun: Hong Kong ; An interesting world and cast. I enjoyed my time with the battle system too. Could be better.
10. GUILTY GEAR Xrd -SIGN- ; Really fun fighting game! The mechanics are quite interesting compared to its competition and even casual fighters can easily get the hang of it.

 

[DNAbro]

Games must be numbered from 1 to 10. This will not be counted.



Titles and comments must be separated with a semicolon ; and not any other delimiter like a hyphen.



You must include at least one comment.

yeah that was my bad. Fixed.

 

[Sayers]

1. Witcher 3 ; A beautiful world, great writing and a wonderful conclusion to Geralt's story
2. Fallout 4 ; Enjoyable combat and some welcome improvements to the Bethesda formula
3. Star Wars Battlefront ; I don't think anyone would argue it's a little light on content but I haven't had this much fun in a multiplayer game since Warhawk on PS3
4. Rocket League
5. Cities: Skylines ; What I wanted SimCity 2013 to be.
6. Life is Strange ; I appear to be in the minority in that I thought the entire final episode was just bad but that doesn't negate my enjoyment of the other 4

 

[haikira]

1. Soma ; A taut and suspenseful piece of Sci-Fi-Horror that expertly builds up to an unforgettable ending, and it's most chilling moments are thanks to it's interactive nature, not despite.
2. Tales from the Borderlands ; So much better than I, or anyone else seemed to think it was going to be. It's charming, genuienly funny, and features a stacked cast. I was sad to see it end, and it's some of the most fun I've had a with a game all year.
3. Helldivers ; Get to travel the galaxy, meet new people, and spread managed democracy, in this white knuckle ride of a coop shooter. It's tough, but fair, deceptively simple, but has real hidden depth, and it's got a killer soundtrack. I just love the cooperation and synergy that occurs when playing it with friends, where everyone's required to work together, rather than just simply working to the same end.
4. Life Is Strange ;
5. Rise of the Tomb Raider ;
6. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood ;
7. Fallout 4 ;
8. Until Dawn ;
9. Dying Light ;
10. Splatoon ;

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical)

x. Bloodborne ;
x. Dmc Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition ;
x. Nuclear Throne
x. Rocket League ; A simple premise that's executed with tremendous skill, and it's just a ridiculous amount of fun to play with a group of friends.

 

[post-S]

1. Metal Gear Solid V ; Even thought the game is largely unfinished, it is still such an entertaining experience;
2. Rocket League ; Never thought there could be a soccer game better than FIFA/PES;
3. Bloodborne
4. Undertale
5. The Witcher 3

 

[Hellshadow]

1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Kojima's games are always special and this is no exception.
2. Bloodborne ; my third favorite 'souls game' almost breached the top this year.
3. Dying Light ; had a blast with this underrated game.
4. Fallout 4 ; solid game but didn't capture my attention like previous titles.
5. Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void ; not a big strategy fan but this is the best of the bunch.
6. Mortal Kombat X ; my favorite MK since part II
7. The Order: 1886 ; beautiful game but needed more gameplay.
8. Axiom Verge ; best soundtrack this year, made me want a new 2D Metroid.

 

[Cheesemeister]

the spreadsheet of eligible games is missing The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC, which is first time release in the west and is totally eligible, or I'll riot

my list goes in there later when problem above is fixed

Spreadsheet is also missing Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim which was released by XSEED this year for PC.

Will edit this post with my nominees when it is resolved.

Again, if a game you want isn't listed, and you're SURE about it, just post it in your ballot. We'll automatically add it to the list.

 

[NIGHT-]

1. Witcher 3 ; This is the open world game I've been wanting for years, it just hits every note so good. Combat could be better, but it more than makes up for that in every other area, there's simply not a better game that came out this year.

2. Splatoon ; The freshest and most addictive multiplayer experience I've had since my Quake 3 days, it's just so good.

3. Super Mario Maker ; I've been wanting something like this for years, it's true that LBP came out first, but it was poorly executed with horrible gameplay and the editor not being as user friendly.

4. Ori and the blind forest ; easily the most beautiful game released this year. The art style is just incredible.

5. Rocket League ; my 2nd favorite multiplayer this year. I've had so many memorable sessions with this one, I can't wait to get the Xbox one version as well.

6. Transformers Devastation ; platinum

7. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; one of the best Zelda games, now portable, what's not to love?

8. MGSV ; it has tons of issues, I won't go into detail with what I don't like, but man, I'm so glad to have finished the metal gear experience, what a ride

9. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; I hope a lot of people don't over look this game with all the drama surrounding its release, it truly is a great game.


10. Halo 5 ; it's Halo

 

[RespectThySole]

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Possibly my favorite game of all time. This game is a masterclass in nearly every aspect. Divine atmosphere that is varied in each location with a lovely designed world that you can get lost for months in. My personal favorite would be the oppressive vibe in the war-torn and haunted Velen/No Mans Land. Novigrad is one of the best cities in a game, full stop. The realistic scale of it alone puts other cities in recent games to shame. Going to Skellige and Kaer Morhen was like playing a sequel. My jaw dropped when I first arrived to Skellige and heard the glorious "Fields of Ard Skellig" playing. The gradual change of the aesthetics as you journey is highly impressive and believable. The attention to detail is just staggering and seeing landmarks in the distance such as lighthouses, mansions, cities, etc. feel like rewards that the game is giving you and all of them feel distinct in some way. It's unbelievable how seamless everything is for a world that is so handcrafted/ It features a soundtrack that perfectly captures the feel of the Eastern European folklore the franchise is based on. I actually listen to the soundtrack from front-to-back frequently on Apple Music and I'm not really that big on listening to game music outside of the actual game. Some of the greatest characters in gaming not just this year, but ever. A few of my favorites are Gaunter O'Dimm, Olgierd von Everec, Keira Metz, Cirilla, the Bloody Baron, Djikstra and the ghost of Vlodimir von Everec just to name a few of the new ones. Every single sidequest in this game is very high quality and often takes twists in ways you wouldn't expect. This is true with even quests that appear simple and routine such as the infamous "pan" quest. This is probably the only game where I've ever done sidequests because they were that damn good rather than to reap rewards or experience. It's hard to argue that this isn't the best written game in a long time. How is it even possible that a 200+ hour game actually didn't disappoint with the ending of its narrative? Combat nails the feel of being a witcher and is almost dance-like once you get into a rhythm and realize the importance of utilizing your full toolset instead of just slash/dodge. I'm a huge fan of The Witcher series and CDPR managed to completely shatter my extremely high expectations. I generally do not like most open world games, but if there ever was a model that showed the validity of that design, this would have to be it. If this was truly Geralt's last ride, then it was one hell of a way to go out. Did I mention that Gwent is amazing and that the content in the Hearts of Stone expansion is just as good as anything in the main game? I cannot wait for Blood and Wine, Cyberpunk and whatever else CDPR decides to do next.

2. The Witcher III: Hearts of Stone ; The best expansion I've ever played. 20 hours long and it includes some of the best content the series has to offer. This is an absolute steal for the price. The new armor sets and the runewright are greatly appreciated. More brilliant themes. Excellent boss fights. Gaunter O'Dimm is one of the most memorable antagonists in gaming history. It was great to see Shani again. Love the von Everec brothers.

3. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky ; Great dialogue and world building. Fantastic OST. Estelle is an awesome protagonist. I actually haven't finished this yet, but I've played enough to rank it this high.

4. Transformers: Devastation ; Bayoformers combat with a groovy soundtrack. My only big gripe is the lack of variety in the environments. This is the dream Transformers game I didn't know I wanted and no one, but Platinum could've possibly made it. If you're a character action fan, Transformers fan, or both, this game is simply unmissable.

5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Crazy amount of options available to the player. The buddy system is nice. Great controls and mechanics. However, the game did feel like a bloated slog at times and there are numerous frustrating design choices that sour the experience a bit. Even still this is an absolute triumph in the stealth genre and a future classic. It wasn't what I expected at all from the final Metal Gear from Kojima, but it's still fantastic in its own way. It's pretty funny that I actually ended up liking it this much because I originally hated it. However, I revisited it in December and started approaching missions differently and you really have to appreciate the amount of care that went into the game systems even with all of its flaws elsewhere. I actually like many of the cassette tapes as well. Some of them are overly long and probably should've been cutscenes instead, but understand why Kojima shied away from them after the MGS4 criticism. The game is clearly unfinished. The open world was mostly useless and the game would've been better served with a bunch of varied (environment-wise) Ground Zeroes-style hubs. The F2P-style unlocks are just artificial game lengtheners to waste the player's time. The mission design was repetitive and there are many other flaws that I could also list, but I don't want to dwell too much on the negative. This is the ultimate Metal Gear, from a pure combat perspective and you really feel like Big Boss with all of the tools at your disposal, Diamond Dogs growth and the ever expanding Mother Base.

6. Undertale ; Witty, humorous, and charming. Undertale is one of the most soulful games I've played in years. It features an inventive battle system that is part-turnbased, part-bullet hell shooter that tests your reflexes, while also giving you information about the enemy you're fighting. Its soundtrack is very engrossing with many great tunes. My personal favorite being the rhythmic "Spider Dance." Choices are vital in this game and shouldn't be taken lightly. The game even remembers what you did in previous playthroughs and punishes you for it. The aspect that truly makes Undertale shine though is its characters. Every major character is layered and well done, which is quite a feat in a game that only lasts 6-7 hours. Finally, one of the things I love most about this game is how it features virtually no "filler", which plagues so many games today. The nearly perfect pacing makes Undertale an easy game to replay and an even easier one to recommend.

7. Her Story ; Novel idea. Less than stellar writing and acting somewhat holds it back, but it wonderfully captures the feeling of being a detective. I wrote notes in my phone as I played this game.

8. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Solid mechanics, beautiful artstyle and great soundtrack makes Ori one of the must-play metroidvanias of the past decade. The majority of the level design is also amazing, but a few areas such as Forlorn Ruins are a bit disappointing. There also a few areas that you can't revisit in the game. Missable content in this type of game sucks. Hopefully, this issue is addressed in the definitive edition releasing next year. It also suffers from trial-and-error design at times, but it was well worth it to push through. My favorite part of the game is probably the Escape from the Ginsu tree sequence.

9. Downwell ; Addictive roguelike with rocket boots. Perhaps the quintessential "pick up and play" game this year.

10. Life is Strange ; Yes, the pacing isn't the best and the writing can be iffy at times, but this game managed to capture my attention in a genre that I'm hardly fond of. It was simply a joy to experience the adventures of Max Caulfield. The mystery, characters and soundtrack kept me hooked even through the dull portions.(of which there are more than a few) I do wish the ending was better, but the journey was mostly decent so I'll forgive it.

Honorable mentions:

x. Until Dawn ; Fun game that ended up being way better than I expected, but my interest started to wane in the latter half.

x. Batman: Arkham Knight ; The battank sucks and the batmobile in general is unwieldy. There aren't any great boss fights and the sidequests are terrible and repetitive. The story was mediocre and the Arkham Knight reveal was awful. Challenge mode was also significantly cut down just to be sold as DLC. This wasn't the great return to the horror-like atmosphere from Arkham Asylum either. However, the Joker was absolutely fantastic and the predator missions were thrilling. It probably has the most fun traversal of any open world game and combat is still pretty good. Batman controls really well. It was also quite a looker even with all the post-processing effects muddying the visuals a bit.

x. Fallout 4 ; A step back from previous games in the series in nearly every way except for combat, which is still pretty unsatisfying anyway. The Glowing Sea was very atmospheric(if only the other areas of the game were as interesting as this) and radiation storms were pretty to look at. It was my second most played game that released this year though so it must've done something right.

x. Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition ; The RPG with the best turnbased combat system ever returns and is even better. The controls are absolutely sublime. What more needs to be said? I'm only putting it here because it's not a new experience.

x. Sunless Sea ; Fantastic writing. Not a fan of much else.

x. The Beginner's Guide ; Interesting look into the mind of a game developer. Feels a bit too melodramatic and contrived to make my list, but I can see many loving this.

x. Halo 5: Guardians ; The maps are trash and the campaign is passable, but has way too many Warden Eternal fights. It also lacks many of the classic modes that make Halo, Halo. It doesn't even have splitscreen and the default aiming scheme is a bit wonky. Having only 3 levels where you play as Master Chief was a bad decision as well. The storytelling is not very good and the campaign ends on a cliffhanger. However, this game shows that 343 is a talented group of individuals. The core shooting and moving mechanics are easily the best in the series and among the best that the genre has to offer. Warzone and Breakout are compelling new modes that do need some tweaking, but I can seem them being staples in the series moving forward. If 343 can manage to have more consistent level design in the vein of Swords of Sanghelios, Halo 6 will be something special even if the series no longer dominates the charts like it used to. That mech level was pretty awesome too!

x. Dragonball: Xenoverse ; Good base here for a sequel, but it leaves much to be desired.

x. Mortal Kombat X ; Story mode was alright. MK just isn't my preferred style of fighting game so it never really clicked with me.

x. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood ; This might've made my list if I put more time into it, but those stealth sections at the beginning of the game are awful and not what made The New Order so great.

x. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Didn't get too deep into this yet. It seems exactly like the first Tomb Raider(which I'm not a big fan of), but with a ton of input lag this time. Hopefully, this is fixed in the other versions.

 

[BoxManLocke]

1. The Witcher 3 : Wild Hunt ; Probably the second best game I ever played. Beautiful, detailed world, interesting and complex characters, great and natural dialogue, amazing and original main quest, side-quests that are actually fucking worth it, and haunting soundtrack. A masterpiece.
2. Life is Strange
3. Tales From The Borderlands
4. Rocket League
5. Until Dawn
6. Bloodborne

 

[kamineko]

1. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 ; This wasn't the best-made game I played in 2015. Other games were better looking, or more innovative technically, or offered more polished writing. But as a long-time resi fan ambivalent about franchise direction, this title was exactly what I needed. The asynchronous co-op was fun. Raid could have been better, but ate up hours and hours of time just the same. This title for me represents everything that the mid-budget release promised during its PS2-era peak. I think the first episode is still free. Why not give it a try? Don't take my word for it.

2. Life is Strange ; This game had so much heart. I really didn't expect to like it at all, but fortunately GAF set me straight. I'll note that a big part of my enjoyment of both titles (this and RERev2) also included the experience of anticipation. It was fun to share this with other GAF peeps.

3. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; The new gold standard for quest design, and worldbuilding generally. The combat could've been better, it's true. Oh well, System Shock could have had a better ending. Some games transcend their shortcomings. The world of Witcher 3 is lovely, well-realized, and tremendous. It's an *important* game that, I feel, history will recall favorably.

4. Undertale ; This crazy, hilarious, wonderful thing. Do you know about the Undertale? You really ought to play the Undertale. I mean, has GameFAQs ever steered you wrong?

5. Dying Light ; This game came out of nowhere. I bought it and then immediately regretted it. Then I played it & regretted regretting it. The traversal works shockingly well and feels really satisfying once mastered. Melee combat didn't sound promising, but it feels good, too. The bland, by-the-numbers plot almost feels refreshing compared to some of the silly, convoluted shit we've seen this year. Really fun with friends too, you guys.

6. SOMA ; Instead of a bunch of scares (though there are some moments), SOMA delivers a more thoughtful, unsettling experience. It's a smart, well-realized title that absolutely sticks with you long after the game is completed.

7. Resident Evil HD Remaster ; My only Platinum/100%. I usually get bored, but it's REmake. I had a blast all over again, particularly focusing on Real Survivor mode this time around.

8. Pillars of Eternity ; I was a little disappointed with the conclusion, but unforgettable characters like Grieving Mother, combined with that old IE-style combat really scratched an itch.

9. Yakuza 5 ; It's Yakuza

10. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Just a gorgeous, wild ride. The endgame gets a little stupid, but the improved exploration and encounter flexibility makes for a great time that improves significantly on the strengths of the 2013 reboot. It's the best-looking title I've played for X1. Hopefully this game finds an audience in spite of some very questionable business decisions.

 

[Sinoox]

The Witcher 3 and Battlefront as a second option. Despite EA's painfully horrible business practices Battlefront is a stellar game.

Fallout and Metal Gear Solid were disappointments for me.

 

[FriedConsole]

1. Rocket League ; (PS4) Best sports game this generation.

2. Helldivers ; (PS4) They finally nailed a co-op dual stick shooter.

3. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. ; (3DS) Need more turn based tactics games like this. Too many tactics games are getting way too technical and niche.

4. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 ; (PS4) Best COD multiplayer. Split screen is still alive in 2015. Less focus on kill streaks. Finally a global mute. Maybe I will try the single player campaign sometime.

5. Adventures of Pip ; (PS4) Indie 2D puzzle platformers can still be good.

6. Mad Max ; (PS4) As a Mad Max super fan, this nailed my itch. Total captured the spirit of Mad Max in a open world game.

7. Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved ; (Vita) On Vita it was a perfect port of an excellent game. Seemed like it was made for Vita.

8. Whoa Dave! ; (Vita) Your going to hate this game at first. It takes a little time to get used to non standard game conventions like auto picking up everything and nothing is explained. Deaths will seemingly come out of nowhere but there is actually reasoning for things that are happening that you will learn after time. Almost gave the game up early but now I am addicted.

9. Transformers Devastation ; (PS4) This game is awesome. The fighting is top notch. Switches up the fighting with some other crappy things like platforming and vertical shooting but doesn't matter because the fighting is so freaking awesome. Still not a AAA game and has lots of B game jank including a bad camera. Soundtrack is killer. Things are significantly different with different weapons and characters. All the classic G1 characters and lore makes me want to explode with happiness. Too many brawlers are ridiculously difficult these days and this one hits the curve perfect.

10. Star Wars Battlefront ; (PS4) Literally squealed with glee when playing it. I keep coming back for more Star Wars fix. The problems with this game are overblown and don't bother me. People need to relax and just have fun.


Honorable Mentions:
x. Shovel Knight ; (Vita) A polished to perfection game.

x. Super Time Force ; (Vita) I wait to play my indie games on Vita. This port runs amazingly especially considering everything going on with this game.

x. Olli Olli 2 ; (Vita) Doesn't do that much different from the first one but improves in many ways.

x. VVVVVVV ; (Vita) LTTP on this but it is a great game on Vita.

x. Ziggurat ; (PS4) Procedural shooters can be done right.

x. 3D Out Run ; (3DS) I don't even turn on the 3D. Classic games are still good 20 years later.

x. Fat Princess: Piece of Cake ; (Vita) It is stupid match 3 gameplay that I couldn't stop playing because I like stupid match 3 gameplay.

x. King's Quest Chapter 1: A Knight to Remember ; (PS4) Thought this would be a PS+ stealth demo but there is a lot of content. Really great adventure game that mixes the openness of Kings Quest with some modern adventure game mechanics. It is pretty open about being influenced by the The Princess Bride complete with the voice of Wallace Shawn. I wish TellTale games were this good.

x. Penarium ; (PS4) Really fun arcadey one screen platformer reminiscent of Whoah Dave. Surprisingly keeps things fresh by changing a lot during the campaign.

x. Nuclear Throne ; (Vita) Sometimes you don't need fancy graphics and complicated gameplay to make an engaging game.

x. Bastion ; (Vita) I didn't like Transistor so I was surprised I liked this so much. Mission structure is perfect for Vita.

x. Galak-Z: The Dimensional ; (PS4) Tried it because of GOTY lists. This game is awesome. Roguelike space shooter. Non twin stick shooter controls that take a while to get use to. Great fun when you master it. Only complaints is that it is too harsh on mistakes. It is hard to feel progression because you carry very little from run to run. Great music and art.

x. The Swindle ; (Vita) This game should be the next Spelunky phenomenon. It is a rougelike but with stealth mechanics and a unique limit on runs to reach the end. Beautiful Steampunk look.

Portable gaming isn't dead yet. Much better year than last. So many good games.

 

[N.Domixis]

1. Bloodborne ; First Game I played this year.
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; Reason I originally bought was the beautiful scenery.
3. Rocket League ; Got it for free and was awesome.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

 

[Wingus]

1. Undertale ; Very unique RPG with incredibly personality and soundtrack
2. Fallout 4 ; Massive fun world to explore and incredibly addictive as Bethesda games are.
3. Super Mario Maker ; What I always wanted, an official Mario level editor.
4. Final Fantasy Record Keeper ; Perfect example of fan service. Still playing since Feb.
5. Tales from the Borderlands ; Genuinely funny game with a great cast of characters.
6. Until Dawn ; Fantastic performance and dialogue makes this a great horror game.
7. Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold ; Dungeon crawling at its finest
8. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter ; Classic style JRPG returns!
9. Persona 4: Dancing All Night ; Another great fanservice game featuring the best Persona cast. An extensive story mode too!
10. The Legend of Legacy ; Basically a SaGa game in all but name. Great Hamauzu soundtrack as well.

 

[Corpekata]

1. Undertale ; If you told me in a year featuring a new Fallout, Witcher, a new From Software title, and Metal Gear that my favorite game would be a 10 dollar RPG, I'd have called you crazy. I like a lot of indie games and this snuck up on even me. Funny, inventive, and with a great cast of characters, Undertale is not only my favorite game of the year, I think it'll be one of my favorites period. It has a kicking soundtrack and also solves one of the big problems JRPG throwbacks like Lisa have which is boring combat. Making combat defense oriented was a a brilliant touch.
2. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Sweeping and expansive, Witcher 3 is an open world RPG that manages to feel like its' own entity. A fitting conclusion to the game series, with involved side quests, it was a pleasure to revisit Geralt again.
3. Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition ; This likely would have been number 1 if I hadn't played it in the original PC release as well. One of the best RPG combat systems ever made, and the new modes are how you do hard modes.
4. Her Story ; I am a sucker for games that let you play detective. Very few actually let you, despite many having so called detective modes, or starring actual detectives. Her Story lets you do it all on your own, and creates a great atmosphere of solving a cold case.
5. Tales from the Borderlands ; Telltale plus Borderlands is not something that feels like it should work. But it does. Very funny, well paced with a great cast of characters. It leans into the main series story but doesn't rely on it too much, like for instance their Game of Thrones game does.
6. Nuclear Throne ; Probably the best game Vlambeer has made yet. I waited mainly until it was out of early access to play and once I did I got hooked. I fire it up for a session at least once a day, but often far more. Easy to get into, with satisfying weapons and enough secrets and upgrades to feel like each run is unique.
7. Fallout 4 ; While I am frustrated with Fallout 4 at times, the early going of this game is fantastic. Monsters have more variety than before and actually seem scary at first. The shooting is a lot better, though the roleplaying aspect took a dive. Still, it's fun in an escapist way. I built a power armor with a jetpack, after all.
8. Pillars of Eternity ; A nostalgia trip that isn't too reliant on outdated mechanics. Geat cast of supporting characters, though the main story takes a while to get going. It would be higher if it didn't suffer from a lot of early bugs and design decisions that got patched later, like stealth actually making sense. I will be revisiting it when the final DLC launches and I imagine my opinion will improve
9. Crypt of the NecroDancer ; An inventive combo of roguelike and rhythm game. Very tough, but once you get into the groove, it's hard to get out.
10. Dying Light ; A game of simple pleasures, like drop kicking zombies off of roofs. The main story kind of sucks, but the side quests are fun. I'm a sucker for games that make movement a lot of fun, and DL does this well. Plus you eventually get a grappling hook. Everyone loves grappling hooks.

Honorable Mentions
x. Bloodborne ; I'd probably have this higher if I hadn't impulse purchased it with a PS4 shortly after playing DS2: Scholar. Kind of got stuck in a rut around the chalice dungeons and lost interest. I plan to revisit it along with the DLC, but before I got distracted the combat, mood, and story were great.
x. Ori and the Blind Forest; I loved what I played, but got distracted eventually, and then I heard about the definitive edition, which killed all my intentions to revisit until release.
x. Contradiction - Spot The Liar! ; I didn't have a lot of FMV experience, but I'm glad I took a chance on this. Very fun lead character. A little frustrating at times, and ends in a cliffhanger that I didn't particularly care for. Taking a chance on this led me to jumping on Her Story early and I'm glad I did.

 

[EvilKatarn]

1. Bloodborne ; I'm probably biased but I legitimately don't think there was a single better game made this year. Best lore and atmosphere in the series with a cool new twist on the gameplay. Transforming weapons are a blast and The Old Hunters expansion only solidifies this game's #1 spot.
2. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Sure, I'm disappointed in the combat too. Doesn't change the fact that this game is to me what every other Bethesda snorefest is to you. A huge open world to sink your teeth into for easily over a 100 hours. Geralt is my favorite lead in a WRPG, the supporting cast rules as well and even though I haven't managed to finish the game I'm certain it'll deliver.
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; The biggest dud of the year is the third best game of the year! No one's taking those first 40 hours from me. The open mission structure was a ton of fun and hearing all the different ways people completed Mission 6 is pretty much a testament to how well the game is actually designed. People tend to forget good things though and would rather sink into outrage.
4. Fate/Grand Order ; An absolutely solid and well produced mobile game that'll dig its filthy mobage claws into any Fate series fan.
5. Hotline Miami 2 ; Very hard, very solid, very much more of the same. I can't say I was thrilled with most of the soundtrack having been part of my music collection for years but it fit well into the game and slaughtering fools sure does add a nice new dimension to your old music.

 

[Dangoesforth]

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; This game has changed the way I think about RPGs, the level of detail in the background characters and the ability for the deep side quests to distract me from the main quest for 80+ hours without repetition makes it my GOTY.
2. Bloodborne ; Never played a souls games and due to this I went back and completed them as well.
3. Undertale ; Has one of the best battle systems I have seen, I chose the innocent route of course. Genuinely engaging characters.
4. Pillars of Eternity ; Excellent coop on PC, haven't had this experience in over 10 years.
5. Metal Gear Solid V ; Gameplay improved significantly from previous entries and simply Kojima being Kojima
6. Batman Arkham Knight ; On PS4 had a blast with this, fitting end to the Arkham series (for Rocksteady anyways)
7. Rocket League ; Just.... so... addictive.
8. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Amazing story and visuals hope they are allowed to continue producing games like this.
9. Fallout 4 ; Without the Witcher 3 this would be higher up the list, improved on a formula from before just not enough of a jump from Fallout 3 in regard to quests and story.
10. City: Skilines ; Very much underrated and brought me back to city building games after the calamity of SimCity

(Do not own WiiU)

 

[kgtrep]

1. Until Dawn ; Had great fun unraveling the story with my best mate. Visually stunning game with engrossing mood and atmosphere.

2. Life Is Strange ; Loved every little moment I played as Max. Game features so many great songs.

3. Rocket League ; A sleeper hit and the best online multiplayer game I played.

4. SteinsGate ; A great VN game with compelling story and characters. Tsundere Kurisu is the best.


5. Lara Croft Go
6. The Order: 1886
7. Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
8. King's Quest
9. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
10. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection

x. Bastion
x. Grim Fandango Remastered
x. Hatoful Boyfriend
x. Kick & Fennick
x. MonsterBag

 

[John Kowalski]

1 life is strange

straight up the most important game of the year

 

[Glass Shark]

I don't even think I played 10 games that came out this year...

 

[joecanada]

1. Bloodborne ; just so original, creepy, tense, scary. very good

2. Fallout 4 ; just more of the same good stuff. Not a drastic improvement on fo3 but still fun

3. Rocket League ; fun

Played some others that I don't feel really deserve votes

 

[SalvaPot]

1. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; By far the most impressive game of the year. The scope of the world is huge and the way it presents its story organically its just brilliant. I also liked how every single game element has a story element to it. Easily my GOTY.
2. Yoshi's Wooly World ; The adorable artstyle hides a challenging and fun experience, this one is the closest we have to Yoshi Island for SNES, and, in my opinion, its even better.
3. Devil´s Third ; A strange choice for many, Devil's Third proves its worth in what matters most: Fun. The game is just undistilled fun.
4. Splatoon ; The new I.P. from Nintendo showed the naysayers that the company still got it. Splatoon was a smashing success in a dimming console, and for me it was a brilliant surprise. I got hours and hours out of it and the constant new content and splatfest keeps reeling me in for more.
5. Super Mario Maker ; A surprisingly addictive game, exploring and discovering all you can do in building your own courses is a delight. You could take hours tweaking and fixing every single detail in your work, and by the time you were done realize there is always something new to do. Lovely game.
6. Box Boy ; A game I got on a sale and was far more creative that I was expecting. The puzzles are challenging and the way box boy walks is mesmerizing.
7. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M ; A game that most people should give the change, it provides fun gameplay and even more fun multiplayer, sadly no one paid attention to it.
8. Pokemon Shuffle ; This is the game I give the most hours of my year, its F2P done right. I have yet to spend a single cent on it, but I want to just because the game deserves it.
9. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; An improved classic, Majora's Mask has never looked better. This one could be a GOTY contender any year.
10. Monster Hunter 4U ; As always a challenging experience, this time it didn't ranked as high because I got tired of the eternal grind, but its still very good.

 

[James Scott]

1. Splatoon ; Probably the most time I've invested into a multiplayer. Fresh new concept that's a ton of fun even with the limited content at launch that I managed to play it for over 100 hours. It was essentially my summer.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; While not exactly what I wanted, it still turned out to be a highly ambitious Japanese RPG which had great gameplay ideas and a good cast of characters and has made Monolith Soft into a studio that I can look forward to.
3. Super Mario Maker ; I didn't think I would enjoy making levels more than playing them and I feel like I'm pretty good at it too. Really great dev tools on top of a creative community. Hope to play more once I'm free for the holidays.
4. Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes ; A very interesting project, feels like the first truly cooperative experience I've played. Played with the friends online on Twitter and it was a very pleasant experience.
5. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; would've been higher, but it is a remake. One of my favorite games ever made with a nice face lift and a more modern interface. Great story, gameplay, characters, music, etc
6. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; there's a lot to say about this game and not all positive. The second half is complete garbage and it wastes the player's time far longer than should be acceptable but the gameplay and scenarios of the first half are pretty damn amazing to make up for it.

I'm thinking of others to put here, do I need to include 10 in total or is 5-7 fine?

 

[Death Metalist]

I'll join in probably late January. Have to go through some of the other games I have in mind before nailing down the list. Good to see it's up though! exciting times ahead.

 

[texhnolyze]

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; The best RPG that I've played in years, in a decade perhaps. CDPR totally nailed it, the characters and their details, the world, the atmosphere, the graphics, the quests, the open world, and even the combat (imho).
2. Pillars of Eternity ; The return of classic cRPG that we've been waiting for.
3. Life is Strange ; It's a strange game for me, totally got fooled by the twists.
4. Fallout 4 ; Dumbed down in RPG aspects, better in everything else. Typical Bethesda stuff.
5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I didn't finish it, but it's a well-polished game overall.
6. Batman: Arkham Knight ; Kinda underrated, enjoyed the tank battles.
7. Grand Theft Auto V (PC) ; As expected from Rockstar, an amazing game.
8. Tales of Zestiria ; Exceeded my expectation from a Tales of game.
9. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD ; Loved the somewhat grim setting of the game.
10. Monster Hunter Online ; It's a Monster Hunter game, and it means fun and addicting.

 

[TheJoRu]

1. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; Offers a truly open, sprawling world of immense scale that is a joy to explore. The amazing part is how free you are to explore it in your own way; spending five minutes scaling a mountain by grasping for a foothold in your every jump is exhilarating. Once you reach the top and gaze down to the environment below you don't feel like you "tricked the game" by getting this high on your own, the game was designed to be freely explored and to let you go to anywhere you like without invisible walls or limits to how you go about in your adventure. This is just one part of what makes XCX so great.
2. Splatoon
3. Undertale
4. The Witcher 3
5. Yoshi's Woolly World
6. Tales From The Borderlands
7. Ori And The Blind Forest
8. Rocket League
9. Super Mario Maker
10. Life Is Strange

 

[Myzer]

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt; This game dominated my year. It has been a LONG time I have been so invested in the world and story telling experience of a game.
2. Cities: Skylines; Fixes almost every single problem I had with SimCity. Best city builder in over a decade.
3. Galactic Civilizations III
4. Rebel Galaxy
5. Heroes of the Storm
6. Ori and the Blind Forest
7. Kerbal Space Program
8. Bloodborne
9. Rocket League
10. The Beginner's Guide