Turin Turambar
Member
Heh. I don't know if you can notice, but the fact you say that tells more of yourself than of the game.
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GAF Games of the Year 2015 - Voting Thread [LAST DAY FOR VOTING]
- Thread starter Cheesemeister
- Start date
- Status
Heh. I don't know if you can notice, but the fact you say that tells more of yourself than of the game.
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X; The best open world game I have played. The biggest surprise here is how amazing the gameplay feels. Exploration is incredibly fun and rewarding unlike any other game, combine this with the stunning soundtrack and art which just makes me say 'wow' every few minutes.
2. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate; The 4th entry in this series and what feels like perfection from a gameplay perspective. The team at Capcom know how to make a Monster Hunter game and this is the best yet. Tons of content, great localization, unmatched gameplay satisfaction.
3. Splatoon; Nintendo somehow managed to make one of the best shooters in the last decade (alongside COD4 and Titanfall) and I love it. The style, the feel of movement, the soundtrack and the surprising single player being almost like a 3D platformer with one of the best final bosses in gaming. Everything is just right here.
4: Rocket League; My friends are also my biggest enemies.
5. Metal Gear Solid V; Outstanding gameplay but it's an unfinished game with a disappointing story.
6. Bloodborne; Good combat and great atmosphere.
7. The Witcher 3; I really enjoyed this game when I played it but time has not been kind to my memory of it. The story was one of the best in gaming but I never want to revisit the game.
2. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate; The 4th entry in this series and what feels like perfection from a gameplay perspective. The team at Capcom know how to make a Monster Hunter game and this is the best yet. Tons of content, great localization, unmatched gameplay satisfaction.
3. Splatoon; Nintendo somehow managed to make one of the best shooters in the last decade (alongside COD4 and Titanfall) and I love it. The style, the feel of movement, the soundtrack and the surprising single player being almost like a 3D platformer with one of the best final bosses in gaming. Everything is just right here.
4: Rocket League; My friends are also my biggest enemies.
5. Metal Gear Solid V; Outstanding gameplay but it's an unfinished game with a disappointing story.
6. Bloodborne; Good combat and great atmosphere.
7. The Witcher 3; I really enjoyed this game when I played it but time has not been kind to my memory of it. The story was one of the best in gaming but I never want to revisit the game.
timetokill
Banned
1. The Witcher 3 ; it's the best game of 2015. That's why I ranked it number one.
2. Bloodborne ; This is the best game at being number two. In a sense, it's the best number two I've had all year.
3. Undertale ; SJW propaganda aimed at privileged sic white males to make them feel bad about themselves. I'm so angry right now.
4. Rocket league ; The game I have played the most of in 2015. I would argue this is one of the best competitive gaming titles release this generation. Who knew rocket propelled RC cars could be so fun?
5. Life is Strange ;
6. Until Dawn ; The horror genre is full of clichés which we all love and hate. Until Dawn acknowledges these traits and let's you prove if you're actually better than the clichés themselves.
7. Tomb Raider GO ; a spiritual successor to the original Tomb Raider, and the games emphasis on platforming and puzzles over void action sequences is refreshing. It may not play same as the originals, but the heart is in the right place.
8. Her Story ; I admire games that are aware of their purpose, and execute it to a high standard, even if it's only has one purpose to it. Her Story doesn't need to do anything else to achieve its excellence.
9. Journey ; You have to acknowledge it's not about how it ends, but how you you get there. I missed this games original release, but the use of art in this game is brilliant. I can only applaud that the game chooses to remove the emphasis of identity and communication of the players, and instead focus on building a bond.
10. Metal Gear Solid V ; Your thoughts on Game J.
2. Bloodborne ; This is the best game at being number two. In a sense, it's the best number two I've had all year.
3. Undertale ; SJW propaganda aimed at privileged sic white males to make them feel bad about themselves. I'm so angry right now.
4. Rocket league ; The game I have played the most of in 2015. I would argue this is one of the best competitive gaming titles release this generation. Who knew rocket propelled RC cars could be so fun?
5. Life is Strange ;
6. Until Dawn ; The horror genre is full of clichés which we all love and hate. Until Dawn acknowledges these traits and let's you prove if you're actually better than the clichés themselves.
7. Tomb Raider GO ; a spiritual successor to the original Tomb Raider, and the games emphasis on platforming and puzzles over void action sequences is refreshing. It may not play same as the originals, but the heart is in the right place.
8. Her Story ; I admire games that are aware of their purpose, and execute it to a high standard, even if it's only has one purpose to it. Her Story doesn't need to do anything else to achieve its excellence.
9. Journey ; You have to acknowledge it's not about how it ends, but how you you get there. I missed this games original release, but the use of art in this game is brilliant. I can only applaud that the game chooses to remove the emphasis of identity and communication of the players, and instead focus on building a bond.
10. Metal Gear Solid V ; Your thoughts on Game J.
Melchiah
Member
Heads up: You need at least one comment on your choices in order for it to count.
Cheesemeister
Member
Not true.
Messofanego
Banned
Since last June, I got an intense job. That meant no time for long AAA games, so I really only had time for smaller and shorter games. I felt I got a more memorable year of gaming by seeking out more intimate experiences.
1. Fran Bow ; As someone who works in the field of psychology, Fran Bow struck a chord with me. Despite sporting some of the most imaginatively grotesque and inspired horrific imagery in a videogame in many years, it's a tragic and empathic examination of a mental illness back during a time when caring was in short supply. The game doesn't pull any punches when it comes to why the children are there such as sexual abuse where a hallucination of a shadow creature is seen leaving bloody marks on the child's body. Nearly every single screen in the first few chapters has a messed up hallucinatinatory side, and credit to the artists that despite the gore, it's evocative in macabre beauty. Much like Neverending Nightmares in the year before which dealt with obsessive compulsive disorder, Fran Bow in dealing with paranoid schizophrenia and dissociated personality disorder has reality and fantasy mixing enough that it's hard to make out what exactly is going on. There is an element of dark humour as Fran herself is a strange character who reacts to intense imagery with child-like innocence such as when ghouls are holding her disembodied head outside the window, she just wants them to give her head back. Maybe that element of lightness is part of her denial and also for the game to differentiate itself from grimdark horror games, rather more in line with American McGee's Alice games. It's a pure point-and-click adventure that requires looking at items, combining them with each other, in addition to having lots of keys and locks. Sometimes I wish there was a way to find out what the objective was when I came back to this game after a few days. There's a lot of variety in the environments and backgrounds especially in the last couple of chapters when multiple realities keep popping up. All this trouble just to find a cat! Aside from the Alice videogames, there are very few psychological horror games that maintain this kind of darkly humorous yet intense tone so if any of this intrigues you, check it out.
2. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood ; No matter what it may look like thanks to big marketing campaigns, first-person shooters especially narrative ones, are rare in a given year. Machinegames made the best FPS of 2014 with Wolfenstein The New Order and they've been able to accomplish that feat again this year with little competition. Set as a prequel to The New Order, it takes you to new locations like snowy mountains with cable cars that you'll be fighting in or a sleepy village turned apocalyptic with raining zombies. Despite a laborious forced stealth section early on for story purposes, the game picks up quickly in quality from there on. The Old Blood still has the same excellent shooting mechanics along with great new weapons like the Bombenschuss rocket pistol, even more open level design especially in combat scenarios, likeable and interesting characters whose plight you care about (Annette, Kessler, Pippa), fantastically dark humour, great pacing, and brilliant music with the returning composer Mick Gordon (the last track will pull at heartstrings). A bar full of Nazis is a highlight where you get to see them let down their hair and in classical ex-Starbreeze fashion harkening to NOLF days, enjoy lighthearted enemy conversations. There are some new wrinkles gameplay-wise in the second half such as being able to turn AI vs AI (one of my favourite things in games) as you can pit Nazi zombies versus human Nazis during big battles to turn the tide if you're in a pinch like on the hardest difficulty. Still being a finely tuned narrative shooter that reminds you that the mechanics in Machinegames' FPSs are still top of the line, it was the emotions I felt that that kept on bringing back the most positive memories about this whole game throughout the year. I don't want to spoil it too much, but the hidden subtext behind Annette's (*SPOILER VIDEO*) relationship specifically which eventually becomes the text in the ending was cleverly handled. The bittersweet foreshadowing to The New Order's horrible events at the ending of this campaign especially with Mick Gordon's masterful cover of The Partisan (one of the year's best songs) had me welling up. It's those emotional memories while playing that are truly unforgettable, and I can't say that for any other shooter this year.
3. Not A Hero ; OY FAM WAT U SAYIN?! I've been wanting to prop up a British shooter but Sir You Are Being Hunted was not good enough. Thankfully, Roll7/John Ribbins' Not A Hero is here. I never knew I wanted a game that reminded me of Max Payne and Vanquish in 2D but with buttloads of British anarchic humour until now. Zipping around levels, laying down explosives, and smashing doors into enemies' faces is just fun. Not only is the sliding/shooting/executions/cover mechanics tightly executed with levels that you want to replay to master in order to get the superbly satisfying multiple endings, there's a whole darkly humorous political satire angle that I greatly appreciated as a Brit. I wouldn't have been surprised if Brass Eye would make such a zany videogame where a time-travelling Bunnylord who wants to become the mayor of London hires mercenaries to kill his way to election. The multiple playable characters all have their own very hilarious personality (the character select screen is great) and mechanical advantages even if there's a bit of cloning for there to be 9 of them, from the freewheeling welsh girl Samantha who's great for running-and-gunning to the London brat katana-wielding Kimmy who can make quick work of an entire level, the challenge is finding the one character who'd be perfect to Global Megalord a level. For example, the functioning alcoholic Mike has a shotgun which is great against hordes, but also has a knife for more stealthy surprises so you don't attract as much attention. The posh Bond-like Clive is great for the level when you have yakuzas, ninjas, and samurais coming from every angle as his special is shooting both guns in both directions John Woo-style. Then you bring in the weapon buffs like Speedload, Ricconade, or Laser/Drill-shots on top of the existing mechanics which makes for even better mastered runs. What might be more fun than the gameplay itself are the post-mission debriefs in grandma's diner. Cletus "shotgun problem solver" is worth it just to hear his pseudo-Scottish accent. The game is full of oddball charm thanks to Bunnylord's procedural dialogue ("ORGANISED RELIGION IS A BAG OF GHASTLY BUTT-FLAPS") that seems nonsensical but forms its own sensible absurdly surreal language where having frog in your milkshake seems feasible in this quirky world.
4. Her Story ; A completely refreshing take on storytelling in videogames by being non-linear but also one that harkens to the very first videogames that told a story. It's basically a graphical text adventure where you're back to typing suggestions to a game to further the story along. Due to the stenographic technique devised by Sam Barlow where every word can be grabbed from every video session in this murder mystery that's more akin to a weird twisty Roald Dahl short story, there's little frustration in feedback compared to the first text adventures back in the 70s and 80s. Viva Seifert really sells the complexities of the case with her duplicious acting for what is essentially a one-person play. It's interesting that you can come to the revelation at any point because of the nonlinearity, but when you think you've figured out, there's quite a bit more. What caught me off-guard was the emotional aspect that only gets resolved when every clip has been hunted down that's only hinted throughout by the reflections on the screen (similar to Spec Ops The Line). That's what has stuck with me ever since finishing the game, the consequences.
5. Grow Home ; This is the ET game that we deserve! Finally a gorgeous 3D platformer that brings enough new wrinkles to the formula to set it apart and be worthy of being compared to the 90s golden era for this genre. BUD's design is possibly the cutest and clumsiest for any videogame robot I've ever seen what with his procedural animation making his individual parts move on their own accord similar to another Ubisoft property, Rayman. There are very few 3D platformers that are just about exploration and with this, you're trying to get from ground zero on a planet to space through the help of making tree branches grow higher into the atmosphere. The music, the low poly aesthetic, the atmosphere, all come together that fit with the game's philosophy of being a relaxing experience. But don't let the production values fool you, the game can be quite challenging because there's very little hand-holding or automaticity to the platforming (like there's no ledge grab). You can grow the tree branches in whichever direction and that manual freedom can make for tense involving platforming. Abilities get introduced throughout but just the simple joys of clumsy platforming with the GIRP-like controls that have to be mastered and even if you fall, it's still fun to freefall into the ocean to then get back all the way up with the use of teleporter checkpoints. There's no other game from 2015 that gave me this simultaneous atmosphere of relaxation and challenge, and I commend it for that.
6. Apotheon ; The best Greek myth videogame ever. Fantastic and memorable battles (Poseidon, Hipparchos, Apollo, to highlight a few), great variety in locales and enemies, lots of character in the world and NPCs (like drunk naked erect satyres that you have to sneak past), a dizzying amount of weapon variety that made the combat keep you on your toes, and an engaging classic tale that'll take you through some impressive setpieces especially when you fall back to Earth from Olympia and see your city in ruins. The Athena labyrinthine puzzle with the rotating screen is kind of mindblowing, that itself is almost worth the price of admission. Just like Grow Home's physics based design but in a different aspect of gameplay, you're given manual freedom in the combat mechanics so here you can aim your weapon in whichever direction which means you can take down enemies at the legs or head to make short work of them. Once you've mastered the controls, there's a lot of agency in that regard which makes for tense duels. In terms of a complete 2D hack-and-slash action package, this delivered the most for me in 2015.
7. Toren ; A Brazilian game that came out of nowhere on my radar and stole my heart in 3 hours. It's a bleak, bittersweet, subversive (only a girl can save the world), surreal, coming-of-age fantasy tale that reminds of Team Ico's isolationist atmosphere and Tale Of Princess Kaguya. That latter comparison makes more sense when it's all said and done. Clipping and weak combat are the main issues, but they don't take too much away. An evocative soundtrack, gorgeous unforgettable imagery, post-apocalyptic vibe, cool female protagonist, and seasonal theme tied to aging makes this one of the most memorable storytelling experiences I had in 2015.
8. The Beginner's Guide ; If you wanted a confrontational and powerful playable mockumentary that encompasses the struggles of creativity, validation, fame, shame, and how the audience factors into all that, you won't find many games quite like this. It grips you from the collar and doesn't let go to the very end. There are debates still raging about whether it's non-fiction and that's probably down to how convincing the storytelling is. This and Orchids To Dusk are about the few walking simulators from 2015 you must try.
9. Orchids To Dusk ; Minimalist astronaut and space videogames seem to be a pleasing trend now, with past releases of Lifeless Planet, MirrorMoon EP, The Swapper, with the upcoming Outer Wilds and Adr1ft. All those games have different themes but one that combines all of them is isolation. Orchids To Dusk is basically Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain in space. Despite being in a tragic environment, it's an uplifting take on death. While that might seem like a spoiler, a plot is not what the game is going for where this might be a reveal but rather to contemplate this world you've landed on. It's a thirdperson walking simulator (with a much faster speed than those kind of games) where you're running out of oxygen and can walk for as long as you can until you die. What is up to you is where you want to have your final moments. It's very condusive to screenshot taking with the eye-catching art direction and sense of scale. It's free, only lasts a few minutes, so give it a try.
10. Off-Peak ; As a fan of the surreal, a train station transformed into a metropolis of art that reminded me of Jazzpunk (#2 GOTY of 2014) was right up my alley. Trying to figure out what's going on in this strange world full of oddball characters and soak in the skewed imagery is most of the joy. It's perfectly short (30 minutes) so to not feel like filler at any point and has a weird enough ending to leave you pondering. It's also free.
x. Wheels Of Aurelia ; What happens when you combine a fun Micro Machines-like game with a road trip narrative set in 70s Italy about culture, politics, womanhood, feminism, politics, racing, bank robberies, UFOs, and 10 multiple endings? You get Wheels Of Aurelia (by Santa Ragione of MirrorMoon EP fame), of course!
x. Beyond Eyes ; Another thirdperson walking simulator and another game about a girl trying to find her cat! You're playing as a blind girl trying to find her lost cat which will take you through forests, towns, and ports. It's a short tale of adventure, danger, senses, illusions, and loss. The art direction is lovely with an emphasis on the colour purple (my favourite!). It's really bittersweet, and the gut-punch of an ending had me welling up a bit.
Wish I had time to finish Invisible Inc but that's a really hard game (especially on Expert difficulty) and I don't think anyone can give a better impassioned recommendation for this game than Austin Walker's.
1. Fran Bow ; As someone who works in the field of psychology, Fran Bow struck a chord with me. Despite sporting some of the most imaginatively grotesque and inspired horrific imagery in a videogame in many years, it's a tragic and empathic examination of a mental illness back during a time when caring was in short supply. The game doesn't pull any punches when it comes to why the children are there such as sexual abuse where a hallucination of a shadow creature is seen leaving bloody marks on the child's body. Nearly every single screen in the first few chapters has a messed up hallucinatinatory side, and credit to the artists that despite the gore, it's evocative in macabre beauty. Much like Neverending Nightmares in the year before which dealt with obsessive compulsive disorder, Fran Bow in dealing with paranoid schizophrenia and dissociated personality disorder has reality and fantasy mixing enough that it's hard to make out what exactly is going on. There is an element of dark humour as Fran herself is a strange character who reacts to intense imagery with child-like innocence such as when ghouls are holding her disembodied head outside the window, she just wants them to give her head back. Maybe that element of lightness is part of her denial and also for the game to differentiate itself from grimdark horror games, rather more in line with American McGee's Alice games. It's a pure point-and-click adventure that requires looking at items, combining them with each other, in addition to having lots of keys and locks. Sometimes I wish there was a way to find out what the objective was when I came back to this game after a few days. There's a lot of variety in the environments and backgrounds especially in the last couple of chapters when multiple realities keep popping up. All this trouble just to find a cat! Aside from the Alice videogames, there are very few psychological horror games that maintain this kind of darkly humorous yet intense tone so if any of this intrigues you, check it out.
2. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood ; No matter what it may look like thanks to big marketing campaigns, first-person shooters especially narrative ones, are rare in a given year. Machinegames made the best FPS of 2014 with Wolfenstein The New Order and they've been able to accomplish that feat again this year with little competition. Set as a prequel to The New Order, it takes you to new locations like snowy mountains with cable cars that you'll be fighting in or a sleepy village turned apocalyptic with raining zombies. Despite a laborious forced stealth section early on for story purposes, the game picks up quickly in quality from there on. The Old Blood still has the same excellent shooting mechanics along with great new weapons like the Bombenschuss rocket pistol, even more open level design especially in combat scenarios, likeable and interesting characters whose plight you care about (Annette, Kessler, Pippa), fantastically dark humour, great pacing, and brilliant music with the returning composer Mick Gordon (the last track will pull at heartstrings). A bar full of Nazis is a highlight where you get to see them let down their hair and in classical ex-Starbreeze fashion harkening to NOLF days, enjoy lighthearted enemy conversations. There are some new wrinkles gameplay-wise in the second half such as being able to turn AI vs AI (one of my favourite things in games) as you can pit Nazi zombies versus human Nazis during big battles to turn the tide if you're in a pinch like on the hardest difficulty. Still being a finely tuned narrative shooter that reminds you that the mechanics in Machinegames' FPSs are still top of the line, it was the emotions I felt that that kept on bringing back the most positive memories about this whole game throughout the year. I don't want to spoil it too much, but the hidden subtext behind Annette's (*SPOILER VIDEO*) relationship specifically which eventually becomes the text in the ending was cleverly handled. The bittersweet foreshadowing to The New Order's horrible events at the ending of this campaign especially with Mick Gordon's masterful cover of The Partisan (one of the year's best songs) had me welling up. It's those emotional memories while playing that are truly unforgettable, and I can't say that for any other shooter this year.
3. Not A Hero ; OY FAM WAT U SAYIN?! I've been wanting to prop up a British shooter but Sir You Are Being Hunted was not good enough. Thankfully, Roll7/John Ribbins' Not A Hero is here. I never knew I wanted a game that reminded me of Max Payne and Vanquish in 2D but with buttloads of British anarchic humour until now. Zipping around levels, laying down explosives, and smashing doors into enemies' faces is just fun. Not only is the sliding/shooting/executions/cover mechanics tightly executed with levels that you want to replay to master in order to get the superbly satisfying multiple endings, there's a whole darkly humorous political satire angle that I greatly appreciated as a Brit. I wouldn't have been surprised if Brass Eye would make such a zany videogame where a time-travelling Bunnylord who wants to become the mayor of London hires mercenaries to kill his way to election. The multiple playable characters all have their own very hilarious personality (the character select screen is great) and mechanical advantages even if there's a bit of cloning for there to be 9 of them, from the freewheeling welsh girl Samantha who's great for running-and-gunning to the London brat katana-wielding Kimmy who can make quick work of an entire level, the challenge is finding the one character who'd be perfect to Global Megalord a level. For example, the functioning alcoholic Mike has a shotgun which is great against hordes, but also has a knife for more stealthy surprises so you don't attract as much attention. The posh Bond-like Clive is great for the level when you have yakuzas, ninjas, and samurais coming from every angle as his special is shooting both guns in both directions John Woo-style. Then you bring in the weapon buffs like Speedload, Ricconade, or Laser/Drill-shots on top of the existing mechanics which makes for even better mastered runs. What might be more fun than the gameplay itself are the post-mission debriefs in grandma's diner. Cletus "shotgun problem solver" is worth it just to hear his pseudo-Scottish accent. The game is full of oddball charm thanks to Bunnylord's procedural dialogue ("ORGANISED RELIGION IS A BAG OF GHASTLY BUTT-FLAPS") that seems nonsensical but forms its own sensible absurdly surreal language where having frog in your milkshake seems feasible in this quirky world.
4. Her Story ; A completely refreshing take on storytelling in videogames by being non-linear but also one that harkens to the very first videogames that told a story. It's basically a graphical text adventure where you're back to typing suggestions to a game to further the story along. Due to the stenographic technique devised by Sam Barlow where every word can be grabbed from every video session in this murder mystery that's more akin to a weird twisty Roald Dahl short story, there's little frustration in feedback compared to the first text adventures back in the 70s and 80s. Viva Seifert really sells the complexities of the case with her duplicious acting for what is essentially a one-person play. It's interesting that you can come to the revelation at any point because of the nonlinearity, but when you think you've figured out, there's quite a bit more. What caught me off-guard was the emotional aspect that only gets resolved when every clip has been hunted down that's only hinted throughout by the reflections on the screen (similar to Spec Ops The Line). That's what has stuck with me ever since finishing the game, the consequences.
5. Grow Home ; This is the ET game that we deserve! Finally a gorgeous 3D platformer that brings enough new wrinkles to the formula to set it apart and be worthy of being compared to the 90s golden era for this genre. BUD's design is possibly the cutest and clumsiest for any videogame robot I've ever seen what with his procedural animation making his individual parts move on their own accord similar to another Ubisoft property, Rayman. There are very few 3D platformers that are just about exploration and with this, you're trying to get from ground zero on a planet to space through the help of making tree branches grow higher into the atmosphere. The music, the low poly aesthetic, the atmosphere, all come together that fit with the game's philosophy of being a relaxing experience. But don't let the production values fool you, the game can be quite challenging because there's very little hand-holding or automaticity to the platforming (like there's no ledge grab). You can grow the tree branches in whichever direction and that manual freedom can make for tense involving platforming. Abilities get introduced throughout but just the simple joys of clumsy platforming with the GIRP-like controls that have to be mastered and even if you fall, it's still fun to freefall into the ocean to then get back all the way up with the use of teleporter checkpoints. There's no other game from 2015 that gave me this simultaneous atmosphere of relaxation and challenge, and I commend it for that.
6. Apotheon ; The best Greek myth videogame ever. Fantastic and memorable battles (Poseidon, Hipparchos, Apollo, to highlight a few), great variety in locales and enemies, lots of character in the world and NPCs (like drunk naked erect satyres that you have to sneak past), a dizzying amount of weapon variety that made the combat keep you on your toes, and an engaging classic tale that'll take you through some impressive setpieces especially when you fall back to Earth from Olympia and see your city in ruins. The Athena labyrinthine puzzle with the rotating screen is kind of mindblowing, that itself is almost worth the price of admission. Just like Grow Home's physics based design but in a different aspect of gameplay, you're given manual freedom in the combat mechanics so here you can aim your weapon in whichever direction which means you can take down enemies at the legs or head to make short work of them. Once you've mastered the controls, there's a lot of agency in that regard which makes for tense duels. In terms of a complete 2D hack-and-slash action package, this delivered the most for me in 2015.
7. Toren ; A Brazilian game that came out of nowhere on my radar and stole my heart in 3 hours. It's a bleak, bittersweet, subversive (only a girl can save the world), surreal, coming-of-age fantasy tale that reminds of Team Ico's isolationist atmosphere and Tale Of Princess Kaguya. That latter comparison makes more sense when it's all said and done. Clipping and weak combat are the main issues, but they don't take too much away. An evocative soundtrack, gorgeous unforgettable imagery, post-apocalyptic vibe, cool female protagonist, and seasonal theme tied to aging makes this one of the most memorable storytelling experiences I had in 2015.
8. The Beginner's Guide ; If you wanted a confrontational and powerful playable mockumentary that encompasses the struggles of creativity, validation, fame, shame, and how the audience factors into all that, you won't find many games quite like this. It grips you from the collar and doesn't let go to the very end. There are debates still raging about whether it's non-fiction and that's probably down to how convincing the storytelling is. This and Orchids To Dusk are about the few walking simulators from 2015 you must try.
9. Orchids To Dusk ; Minimalist astronaut and space videogames seem to be a pleasing trend now, with past releases of Lifeless Planet, MirrorMoon EP, The Swapper, with the upcoming Outer Wilds and Adr1ft. All those games have different themes but one that combines all of them is isolation. Orchids To Dusk is basically Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain in space. Despite being in a tragic environment, it's an uplifting take on death. While that might seem like a spoiler, a plot is not what the game is going for where this might be a reveal but rather to contemplate this world you've landed on. It's a thirdperson walking simulator (with a much faster speed than those kind of games) where you're running out of oxygen and can walk for as long as you can until you die. What is up to you is where you want to have your final moments. It's very condusive to screenshot taking with the eye-catching art direction and sense of scale. It's free, only lasts a few minutes, so give it a try.
10. Off-Peak ; As a fan of the surreal, a train station transformed into a metropolis of art that reminded me of Jazzpunk (#2 GOTY of 2014) was right up my alley. Trying to figure out what's going on in this strange world full of oddball characters and soak in the skewed imagery is most of the joy. It's perfectly short (30 minutes) so to not feel like filler at any point and has a weird enough ending to leave you pondering. It's also free.
x. Wheels Of Aurelia ; What happens when you combine a fun Micro Machines-like game with a road trip narrative set in 70s Italy about culture, politics, womanhood, feminism, politics, racing, bank robberies, UFOs, and 10 multiple endings? You get Wheels Of Aurelia (by Santa Ragione of MirrorMoon EP fame), of course!
x. Beyond Eyes ; Another thirdperson walking simulator and another game about a girl trying to find her cat! You're playing as a blind girl trying to find her lost cat which will take you through forests, towns, and ports. It's a short tale of adventure, danger, senses, illusions, and loss. The art direction is lovely with an emphasis on the colour purple (my favourite!). It's really bittersweet, and the gut-punch of an ending had me welling up a bit.
Wish I had time to finish Invisible Inc but that's a really hard game (especially on Expert difficulty) and I don't think anyone can give a better impassioned recommendation for this game than Austin Walker's.
1. Life is Strange ; Great loveable characters where the choices felt like they mattered since it was contained to this small town.
2. Tales from the Borderlands ; Funniest writing this year with a great cast. Never liked the Borderlands universe but this I liked.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; Solid game with a great story.
4. Rocket League ; Combined two genres I don't like into one that I like.
5. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Great art, gameplay and sound design.
6. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Great gameplay but it's unfortunately an incomplete game.
7. Fallout 4 ; Addictive game that's easy to pick up for half an hour.
8. The Beginner's Guide ; Very interesting experience.
9. Her Story ; An engaging game where you want to know the truth.
2. Tales from the Borderlands ; Funniest writing this year with a great cast. Never liked the Borderlands universe but this I liked.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; Solid game with a great story.
4. Rocket League ; Combined two genres I don't like into one that I like.
5. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Great art, gameplay and sound design.
6. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Great gameplay but it's unfortunately an incomplete game.
7. Fallout 4 ; Addictive game that's easy to pick up for half an hour.
8. The Beginner's Guide ; Very interesting experience.
9. Her Story ; An engaging game where you want to know the truth.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; Few WRPGs have managed to create such a distinct and coherent universe the way this game does. It's to Elder Scrolls games what STALKER is to Far Cry: superficially similar, but tonally so different. The harsh nature and the wars have made this world a terrifying and occasionally depressing place to live in, yet the characters never give up and instead look for some warmth in the love and camaraderie that remain. A beautiful game in so many ways.
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Unfinished yet sublime, The Phantom Pain succeeds in completely re-imagining what its brand of stealth can be once thrust in the open world genre. The freedom and breadth of options it offers are a stealth fan's dream, and even the unfinished, oddly paced storytelling can't keep it from being a masterpiece in its own right.
3. Bloodborne ; A wonderfully haunting and mesmerizing nightmare of a game. Infused with the sense of cosmic terror that can be found in Lovecraft's work, Bloodborne proves that the Souls series needs only a change of setting to reinvent itself and entrance its fans all over again.
4. Soma ; The best storytelling of the generation that I've experienced, an ambitious sci-fi game that manages to tackle complex and interesting topics in a way that's both exciting and very well paced. The actual danger and the puzzles make it more involving that your average walking simulator by demanding your contribution if you're to progress the narrative.
5. Rainbow Six Siege ; Right until the launch this one could have gone either way, Evolve's being the one that I was afraid it would take. But the tactical options and intricate level design make it exciting the way a US football game can be: both teams picking a strategy and then in the chaos of the ensuing conflict players frantically trying to find weaknesses in each other's plan while bullets and explosions are destroying the map. Few games have managed to be as tense and funny at the same time.
6. Rocket League ; A perfect distillation of the fun and organic nature of the game of football, with controls and mechanics that are easily understood but still leave room for plenty of acrobatics and finesse.
7. Invisible Inc ; My favorite Klei Entertainment game so far, with an innovative and wonderfully executed twist on the turn based strategy genre and a clever integration of the stealth genre's guiding principles.
8. Batman Arkham Knight ; The Batman game I had the most playing so far, despite some fairly weak tank combat, because of the small improvements Rocksteady made to each gameplay area of the franchise and of a narrative that remains interesting all the way through.
9. Sunless Sea ; I need to play more of this one but its setting and mood are so unique and manage to evoke the creepiness of the oceans so well that I need to put it on this list.
10. Dying Light ; Probably the worst narrative I've experienced this year in games, but the mix of traversal and combat has such great weight in an open world setting that I forgot the stupid dialogue and enjoyed kicking zombies off rooftops and holding my breath before making a particularly daring leap.
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Unfinished yet sublime, The Phantom Pain succeeds in completely re-imagining what its brand of stealth can be once thrust in the open world genre. The freedom and breadth of options it offers are a stealth fan's dream, and even the unfinished, oddly paced storytelling can't keep it from being a masterpiece in its own right.
3. Bloodborne ; A wonderfully haunting and mesmerizing nightmare of a game. Infused with the sense of cosmic terror that can be found in Lovecraft's work, Bloodborne proves that the Souls series needs only a change of setting to reinvent itself and entrance its fans all over again.
4. Soma ; The best storytelling of the generation that I've experienced, an ambitious sci-fi game that manages to tackle complex and interesting topics in a way that's both exciting and very well paced. The actual danger and the puzzles make it more involving that your average walking simulator by demanding your contribution if you're to progress the narrative.
5. Rainbow Six Siege ; Right until the launch this one could have gone either way, Evolve's being the one that I was afraid it would take. But the tactical options and intricate level design make it exciting the way a US football game can be: both teams picking a strategy and then in the chaos of the ensuing conflict players frantically trying to find weaknesses in each other's plan while bullets and explosions are destroying the map. Few games have managed to be as tense and funny at the same time.
6. Rocket League ; A perfect distillation of the fun and organic nature of the game of football, with controls and mechanics that are easily understood but still leave room for plenty of acrobatics and finesse.
7. Invisible Inc ; My favorite Klei Entertainment game so far, with an innovative and wonderfully executed twist on the turn based strategy genre and a clever integration of the stealth genre's guiding principles.
8. Batman Arkham Knight ; The Batman game I had the most playing so far, despite some fairly weak tank combat, because of the small improvements Rocksteady made to each gameplay area of the franchise and of a narrative that remains interesting all the way through.
9. Sunless Sea ; I need to play more of this one but its setting and mood are so unique and manage to evoke the creepiness of the oceans so well that I need to put it on this list.
10. Dying Light ; Probably the worst narrative I've experienced this year in games, but the mix of traversal and combat has such great weight in an open world setting that I forgot the stupid dialogue and enjoyed kicking zombies off rooftops and holding my breath before making a particularly daring leap.
Napalm_Frank
Member
This is one of those years where I feel really bad for not being able to vote on some games. I own Witcher 3 but am really early on in it and Mario Maker would probably be quite high for myself. In general I have a ton of 2015 games that I still need to dive into. Anyhoo still managed to play quite a few games I enjoyed:
1. Bloodborne ; Surprise of the year for me. From the ''previous games'' I only played Demon's Souls till the second boss and it wasn't hooking me at all so I had low expectations for BB. The gameplay felt right up my alley with action focusing on fast dodges and parries, almost every enemy encounter is meaningful, bunch of big secrets in the game that I was happy to miss on my first playtrough, good DLC that improves the base game also with new weapons. It just felt really good to not have the game hold my hand all the way trough while still being mostly fair and not too cryptic with some of the mechanics. Also it's great to see more games take the Silent Hill approach of telling the story where you need to keep a close eye on clues to get the full picture and actually have it be worth it. I also adore the horror vibe of this game.
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Despite the narrative side being the weakest of the numbered entries and the ending being cut it happens to have probably the best gameplay of any game this year. I ususally don't care for open world games but most of the locations in MGSV felt crafted for the gameplay rather than scale. And whenever there actually was a cutscene playing it was always a pleasure to watch. There was a bunch of dumb stuff in the game keeping it from being my top pick such as the pointless episodic structure with multiple credits sequences, microtransactions, really dull side missions ect.
3. Pillars of Eternity ; I am very happy that we are getting more of the old school style of WRPGs from good developers these days and this was my most anticipated since Baldur's Gate is one of my favourite series. I really enjoyed this game despite some small problems I have mostly with the combat encounters. I hope this gets a sequel cause that could be something truly special.
4. Batman Arkham Knight ; One of those games that I really enjoyed but don't really think about once I finished it. Just a solid entry in the series and I was playing it on PC back when it was first released so it says something about the core game being competent.
5. Star Wars Battlefront ; I have the same gripes with this that most of other people, lack of content mostly. Still I have had a blast with it and I don't remember when I have had as much fun flying as doing some air support in Hoth.
6. Call of Duty Black Ops 3 ; I'm not a big CoD guy and the last one I played was MW2 but this is just a damn solid shooter. As a game it definately is better than Battlefront at it's core but I just am a sucker for SW so this one got bumped one place.
7. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ; After BB I just had to get my hands on more Souls and I am actually still currently playing this. Lil low on the list since it's a rerelease and all but I'm quite enjoying myself with this one. Gives me a real Severance BoD/Windows 98 vibe.
8. Tearaway Unfolded ; While the gameplay isn't the strongest point in Tearaway I love games that let you be creative outside of just level editing. Also easily one of the best looking games on the PS4. Sadly I do feel I like the Vita version a bit more.
9. DmC: Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition ; Outside of Persona 4 Golden in 2013 which was a rerelease DmC was my GOTY. Definitive Edition is a really neat package that actually adds stuff outside of higher resolution and framerate. Just a jolly game and this version is probably my favourite of the series now.
10. Resident Evil HD Remaster ;Only second to 2 when it comes to classic RE games. I didn't actually expect this to happen at all but I'm really happy I don't need to rely on the Wii to play this. While some of the backrounds could be better it's a pretty good remaster of a classic game overall.
1. Bloodborne ; Surprise of the year for me. From the ''previous games'' I only played Demon's Souls till the second boss and it wasn't hooking me at all so I had low expectations for BB. The gameplay felt right up my alley with action focusing on fast dodges and parries, almost every enemy encounter is meaningful, bunch of big secrets in the game that I was happy to miss on my first playtrough, good DLC that improves the base game also with new weapons. It just felt really good to not have the game hold my hand all the way trough while still being mostly fair and not too cryptic with some of the mechanics. Also it's great to see more games take the Silent Hill approach of telling the story where you need to keep a close eye on clues to get the full picture and actually have it be worth it. I also adore the horror vibe of this game.
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Despite the narrative side being the weakest of the numbered entries and the ending being cut it happens to have probably the best gameplay of any game this year. I ususally don't care for open world games but most of the locations in MGSV felt crafted for the gameplay rather than scale. And whenever there actually was a cutscene playing it was always a pleasure to watch. There was a bunch of dumb stuff in the game keeping it from being my top pick such as the pointless episodic structure with multiple credits sequences, microtransactions, really dull side missions ect.
3. Pillars of Eternity ; I am very happy that we are getting more of the old school style of WRPGs from good developers these days and this was my most anticipated since Baldur's Gate is one of my favourite series. I really enjoyed this game despite some small problems I have mostly with the combat encounters. I hope this gets a sequel cause that could be something truly special.
4. Batman Arkham Knight ; One of those games that I really enjoyed but don't really think about once I finished it. Just a solid entry in the series and I was playing it on PC back when it was first released so it says something about the core game being competent.
5. Star Wars Battlefront ; I have the same gripes with this that most of other people, lack of content mostly. Still I have had a blast with it and I don't remember when I have had as much fun flying as doing some air support in Hoth.
6. Call of Duty Black Ops 3 ; I'm not a big CoD guy and the last one I played was MW2 but this is just a damn solid shooter. As a game it definately is better than Battlefront at it's core but I just am a sucker for SW so this one got bumped one place.
7. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ; After BB I just had to get my hands on more Souls and I am actually still currently playing this. Lil low on the list since it's a rerelease and all but I'm quite enjoying myself with this one. Gives me a real Severance BoD/Windows 98 vibe.
8. Tearaway Unfolded ; While the gameplay isn't the strongest point in Tearaway I love games that let you be creative outside of just level editing. Also easily one of the best looking games on the PS4. Sadly I do feel I like the Vita version a bit more.
9. DmC: Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition ; Outside of Persona 4 Golden in 2013 which was a rerelease DmC was my GOTY. Definitive Edition is a really neat package that actually adds stuff outside of higher resolution and framerate. Just a jolly game and this version is probably my favourite of the series now.
10. Resident Evil HD Remaster ;Only second to 2 when it comes to classic RE games. I didn't actually expect this to happen at all but I'm really happy I don't need to rely on the Wii to play this. While some of the backrounds could be better it's a pretty good remaster of a classic game overall.
Death Metalist
Member
1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; This is the game I played the most this year and the one I enjoyed replying to unlock and experiment with new stuff. This also happens to be the most talked about game before release and after, good and bad. I'm a guy who's a big MGS fan but here's the thing, after MGS4 I was more than just content with the series ending. Anything else is just cherry on top because we already know all the shit that's going to go down one way or the other so it didn't matter if I had to see them or not. I went in knowing full well it won't be like any other MGS game with the exception of Peace Walker because we always knew it was going to be just like that, except better. I mean, what were people expecting from a guy coming back after 9 years to build his army? How are you going to make a game about Big Boss without making you feel like him during that point of time? It just can't possibly be like the previous games where the main point was to infiltrate and finish the mission.
Now after all that you may ask, well, what did you love in it so much that it shot up to your number 1? I'll tell you that it had the most satisfying, most freedom feeling gameplay I have played in a long ass while. The feeling of diving, crawling and pointing your gun to shoot all within a few seconds never got old and it's not just the mechanics that are made to perfection but how it actually combined with your Motherbase as a mini tablet that allowed you to do stuff that you could incorporate into your strategies and do an overwhelming amount of stuff with it, without any limits. Recruiting soldiers, unlocking new things and growing your base had that satisfying feeling because it was always connected to new possibilities that you could use via your Motherbase in whatever mission you're playing. Now you combine all that with Kojima's details in his games and at times, great soundtrack, you get an action/adventure game that's unlike any other, it's also such a shame that it's his first and last take on an MGS in his new engine. Fucking Konami but yet it makes the game a beautiful swansong for him. I don't care about rumors, chapter 3, never be game over or all that shit, I'm judging what I saw and played which I loved. It's absolutely worth any one's time who loves action/stealth and everything in between those genre's, best bang for your buck as well when it comes to an action/stealth game with a competent online mode and tons of shitloads of stuff to do and find, it's going to take a long ass while.
MGSV taught me taught me three things in 2015. 1) People don't experiment much or don't care to. 2) How limiting other games are in how you approach missions or basically anything within the world it drops you in. 3) How fun it is to do what you have in mind, doing it in the game and then see it working better than you have imagined. The amount of stuff you unlock and try out in the game is overwhelming in a way that there will always be so many ways to tackle anything. I also have to mention that it's probably the only game this gen that works on every platform perfectly and it is still without a doubt the most impressive thing I saw in 2015 in terms of it's gameplay combined with how smooth it is.
Now, stories are subjective but for me I enjoyed what I got(although they don't hold a candle to what we used to get). I could see and understand what Kojima was going for even if the execution was not all there and I enjoyed listening to the tapes, some of them especially the last batch of tapes were fantastic. After all that's said and done the strongest feeling or memory I have of the game is returning home after doing what I had to do, kicking back and relax on MGS5 as I ride my horse with my big ass sniper equipped. I order the horse to shit where the patrol usually drives and then move to the side as I get off the horse and just crouch snipe a base full of enemies until the patrol car that usually drives on this road slips off from the shit and I start shooting whoever is in it while I listen to the acoustic version of Love Deterrence playing on my iDroid as the sun is setting in game. Beautiful. It isn't just about what story this game gives you, it's about what stories you can make within that world, with the tools and freedom it offers you.
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2. Soma ; It's been 14 years now since I got chills, a tear in my eye and started going through all the things I went through with the characters when a game ended. The last game that did this which is also a survival horror game, is Silent Hill 2, 14 years ago. Today, it's Soma. I honestly was going to put this at number one after finishing the game because that's how much of an impression it made on me after expecting absolutely nothing from it because I never really got into this hide and seek horror type of game, even in Soma it's annoying. Infact, I went and bought the PC version as soon as I finished it on PS4 just so I can play it without the monster encounters(YAY MODS).
What really makes Soma is how it combines story, atmosphere and horror in such a way that didn't feel as if it's trying hard to scare you. There are barely any jump scares in the game, most of the horror comes from the things you see, hear, read and the situation you're already in. The questions it asks and the answers you get that may or may not be all that terrible, is fascinating. It's a very simple game in terms of it's mechanics but because of what's at stake and what the end goal is, the game feels very grand in scope. You feel as if you're doing something important, as if it's a need in you that you must do to feel normal again.
Soma is like a much more bleak, desperate and fucked up version of Bioshock. The game's strongest strength for me were the characters, I just loved how we had quiet moments between them and with every progress that is made within the game we got to learn more about them in many ways besides learning about the world around us. The game starts simple if not boring but man, when it picks up, it never lets go. That was the case for me atleast. It's a game at average length but at the end of it I felt that I went through ALOT. The game has a definite conclusion but one that packs alot of questions and discussions with it, which is one of the great things about it. It's a horror game that takes its characters as important as the horror and the story. They made the game what it is for me and they, in addition to what the end goal here, is what pushed me to want to get to the end. What a riveting experience, it starts off pleasant but man...
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3. Super Mario Maker ; This may as well be the finest and the highest quality made evel creator a game can get. I mean you got Nintendo's quality with their games + Mario's mechanics from the classic games and what it ends up being is a straight class act of a game from it's presentation to the gameplay. Admittedly while I enjoyed the creation tools, I mostly leaned on the playing part because that's what I look forward when I want a Mario game and to have that while trying out people's levels was great. The random levels are a hit and miss but if you follow people you know, you get nothing but the good stuff.
It's also the only game I enjoyed watching more than playing at times. Dan Ryckert(Giantbomb) vs Patrick Klepek(Kotaku) was a joy and SMM at AGDQ created shit tons amount of hype. Whether you're playing it, creating a level or watching someone play your levels, you're going to have a good time.
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4. Rare Replay ; All in one disk for 30$. Do I have to say anything else? Actually yes, it has a slick ass, neat menu with fantastic recreated themes for each game before choosing it as the one you want to play and tons of bonus behind the scenes footage about everything that is Rare and it's games. This is basically like summer vacation and Christmas all in one package. You can never go wrong with that.
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5. Bloodborne ; This is my first souls like game so I pretty much knew what I was getting into from reading about the souls games as well as watching them. When I tried Demon souls and Dark souls, I couldn't get into them because they were slow as fuck. My brother did though and he enjoyed them, for me, this was more of my thing since it involved faster movements and a much more aggressive push in terms of it's combat.
I honestly don't know what the story is all about for the most part except for a few things here and there but I pretty much made my own story that I've been stuck in hell and much ascend to heaven by killing these amazing set of bosses and that made it much more enjoyable as well as motivating to push through all the way to the end lol. The three things that stuck with me the most are the Bosses, Atmosphere and Soundtrack. I made my character based on Ash(Bruce Campbell) so I guess that was memorable too.
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6. Rise of The Tomb Raider ; What I expected is what I got. A better game in every way than the first one and had tons of replay value without a need of a multiplayer. The story is alright for the most part but for me, the tombs and the variety of places you visit are what's most memorable to me. It's comes highly recommended for lovers of action, adventure or anything that is Tomb Raider. It also looks damn gorgeous, can't wait to see how the PC version looks.
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7. Splatoon ; Leave it to Nintendo to come out with a third person shooter that's all about paint and it ain't even paintball! It's a very unique and quite an addictive shooter that's very fun and also damn stunning to look at. It surprisingly also has a very fun online mode that fires on all cylinders what this game is all about when you and your team try to cover as much of the level as possible with your color instead of the opposite team beating you to it.
It's tough to do a unique shooter, especially a third person shooter and I think Nintendo should be commended for that. It also has a decent if not good SP story mode that builds the world you live in and gives you a "fresh" perspective on everything in the world of Splatoon. One of Nintendo's finest, no doubt.
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8. Dying Light ; I always knew from the moment I spent a month or so just playing with my friends, going through the city in this seamless open world online co-op experience with no complications just jumping in and out with progress still being attached on you just made everything tons of fun. I couldn't get enough of this game and the more I leveled up, the more better it got when it comes to weapons. I rarely used guns if ever, I'm mostly mixing shit up with my melee weapons and dealing devastating damage to any zombie that would turn it to pieces.
With the support this game is going to get and the big ass expansion coming up, it's hard not to see why Dying Light would be on any gamer's list, despite it having a forgettable story because everything else is top notch.
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9.Tales From The Borderlands ; The last time I enjoyed a Telltale game this much was The Wolf Among Us. This probably is as good or even better than TWAU and Walking Dead. I mean, who would have knew? Personally, as much as I love the Borderlands game(mostly 2). I was never that invested in everything except the things that appealed to me however, for Telltale to make something that's enjoyable and smart in that world by playing as normal ass people? That's amazing.
It also isn't what's the most impressive thing about it to be honest. The most impressive thing about it is how it combines editing, good dialogue, humor and voice acting to create something that resembles an Edger Wright film. Comedy in general is very, very hard to do in games and seeing Telltale doing it with flying colors impressed me alot. There hasn't been a game that made me laugh as much as Tales From The Borderlands in 2015.
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10. Grow Home ; I also didn't expect anything from this game but it surprised me with how relaxing, simplistic and beautiful it is. A charming physics based yet very colorful 3D platformer about a robot named Bud who wants to grow a plant all the way to the stars, literally. That's basically what it is, looking at it you'd think that would have been something out of Nintendo but nope its on PC and PS4. Really enjoyed it and made me miss seeing 3D platformers on consoles other than Nintendo.
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Honorable Mentions
Rocket League ; A pretty fun game but couldn't quite make the top 10 as I got bored from it since anyone I know who played the game stopped to focus on other games. It's still cool to get in and score a goal or two every now and then.
Rainbow Six Siege ; This probably is the most fun I've had all year when it comes to MP games, played it for more than 50 hours and I'm still hungry for more. It's just a damn shame we don't have an SP component to it and that it's 60$. I got more than my money's worth out of it already and I hope more people give this a chance and not miss out on this gem. All of it's upcoming DLC are free and the microtransactions in this game are about as worthless a thing could get in a game.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes ; Tons of fun when you got people coming over, never gets old.
Ori and The Blind Forest ; A very enjoyable metroidvania that's satisfying to play, gorgeous to look at and addicting to listen to. It's also quite brutal for how cartoonish it looks.
Her Story ; A pretty interesting idea on paper and it works quite well in how it presents itself as you look over the database for everything that concerns the character. It makes you feel like a detective but it also made me want more from it and not just piece together information by looking at videos even though that alone is satisfying in it's own right when everything lines up.
Undertale ; JRPG's in general are my least favorite genre yet I always have an open mind when it comes to gaming which is why I tried and enjoyed both Earthbound and now Undertale which reminded me of it but not in the same ways, for one Earthbound is a grind fest, this ain't. It's a pretty hilarious game but it's also one I don't see myself revisiting it anytime soon unless I'm going for a different type of playthrough then the one I did.
Batman: Arkham Knight ; I really enjoyed the game even the tank sections, especially the voice acting. The only let down for the most part was the boss fights to be honest however, I love how the game wrapped up that made it memorable for the most part in the end.
1. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Started playing because I liked the art. But surprisingly it's a great 2d platfomer as well, not just a pretty one.
2. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ; It's quite short, but looks great and I really enjoyed the toad levels in mario world, so this is just more of the same.
3. Life is Strange ; I was looking for something similar to the walking dead, but found the new telltale games rather boring. For me this game is an evolution of the telltale "formula".
4. Yoshi's Woolly World ; Although a bit too easy for my taste i found it to be a great co-op platformer.
2. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ; It's quite short, but looks great and I really enjoyed the toad levels in mario world, so this is just more of the same.
3. Life is Strange ; I was looking for something similar to the walking dead, but found the new telltale games rather boring. For me this game is an evolution of the telltale "formula".
4. Yoshi's Woolly World ; Although a bit too easy for my taste i found it to be a great co-op platformer.
1. Life Is Strange ; Grabbed me in a way I never imagined it would and episodic gaming done right- a complete joy to discover this year.
2. Bloodborne ; Really loved the setting and the change in combat from Dark Souls, v satisfying. Still need to complete the DLC.
3. Super Time Force Ultra ; Started this by accident but loved every minute of it, clever mechanics made this stand out in a year where I didn't actually get to play much.
Honorable Mentions
x. The Witcher 3 ; So massive and I feel i've barely scratched the surface, need to find a LOT of hours before I can vote for it.
x. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; it's great, it's just not Metal Gear- gives me mixed feelings.
2. Bloodborne ; Really loved the setting and the change in combat from Dark Souls, v satisfying. Still need to complete the DLC.
3. Super Time Force Ultra ; Started this by accident but loved every minute of it, clever mechanics made this stand out in a year where I didn't actually get to play much.
Honorable Mentions
x. The Witcher 3 ; So massive and I feel i've barely scratched the surface, need to find a LOT of hours before I can vote for it.
x. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; it's great, it's just not Metal Gear- gives me mixed feelings.
Reisläufer
Neo Member
1. Bloodborne ; My clear Number One. Bloodborne is the best thing that could have happened to the Souls formula imo. Take all the things that make the Souls Games great (player investment, level-design, exploration, art-style, approach to story-telling, base combat system etc.), change some aspects of the combat in a thought-out way to give it a new spin ((no) shields, regain system) and build a new world and story from it and you get Bloodborne. What makes it even better is that BB surpasses the older games in certain places. The density of the art and atmosphere is Fromsoftwares best effort yet and the same is true for story and world-building: Every bossfight, every enemy actually, has its ties to the lore, the curiosity towards the question what has happened to the city of Yharnam that drives the player forward is reflected in the themes of the game itself that center on mens search for a higher truth. Bloodborne stands out due to its strong interrelation between story, the world, player objectives and the minute by minute gameplay. Weapons were fewer than in the older titles but every weapon was thanks to the trick system more versatile than than any in DeS/DaS. The only things I feel could be criticized are the Chalice Dungeons: While the system is per se brilliant: a place tied to the story that can be randomized thanks to its linear structure as a tomb-system and thereby offer theoretically unlimited new locations to explore, it fell flat in the long run. I would have preferred one preset dungeon with many optional passages and NPCs you could meet along the way. This brings me to the next point, NPC number: More NPCs would have been great although the ones that were there were phenomenal: Alfred, Gascoigne, Eileen, Djura, Brador are all top-tier NPCs imo. Beastmode: although we got a substitute in the expansion, it would have been so cool if certain conditions would have lead to a real-time transformation into a beast. Maybe make it that by overusing the regain system or blood-vials for healing the player character would turn into a beast. While being a beast you couldnt use weapons and couldnt reach the hunters dream anymore, and you would have to find a certain rune to be able to change back.
2. D4: Dark Dreams Dont Die ; Had this in my list last year too, this time I was able to actually play it thanks to the steam version. Superb style and the gameplay worked really well. The story is typical SWERY craziness, some scenes are totally hilarious (Avant garde!!). Measured on how much I want to play the next episode it deserves to take the second spot on my list. Hopefully SWERY is somehow able to produce more episodes.
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; A great game although I was disappointed by the handling of the story and how act 2 turned out. All the right things were in place to bring MGS back to form but as it stands MGSV cant quite reach the heights of MGS1, 2 and 3 imo. It still is though one of the best games of 2015. The open world approach was the right thing to do but I think KojiPro should have found a better balance between openness and enclosed spaces of which the latter were clearly underrepresented. Also there were too many weapons in the game, every type would have been enough, up to six variations for every one was a bit too much. Personally I just lose interest as soon as the number of weapons reaches a certain quantity. Assembling your own weapon from different parts was super fun though.
4. Gravity Rush Remastered ; Normally I wouldnt want to list remaster games in a GOTY list but 2015 had not that many titles that really excited me and furthermore this title really deserves to be on the list not least because I enjoyed it that much more than the vita version. The basic things im which GR excels are art-style, level/world and especially control scheme. Kat moving through the world by controlling gravity makes this game such a fresh experience. Its nothing like anything youve played before. Using the DS4 to control Kat feels perfect, aiming with the right stick and adjusting by gyro works super well. While sliding you can now steer with the left analog stick which makes the time races so much more fun. So excited for GR2!
5. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Such a wonderful game. Havent finished it yet but Im enjoying every minute of it. The art is picture book like, oris fluid controls feel really good (just dont try to tackle levels for which you dont have the right abilities yet). The game reminds me of Guacamelee! insofar as you gain access to new sections of the level by making use of new abilities you learned on your adventure.
6. Kings Quest: Chapters I-II ; Of all the episodic adventure games of 2015 I think I liked this one the most (apart from D4 of course). Great humor and charming characters.
2. D4: Dark Dreams Dont Die ; Had this in my list last year too, this time I was able to actually play it thanks to the steam version. Superb style and the gameplay worked really well. The story is typical SWERY craziness, some scenes are totally hilarious (Avant garde!!). Measured on how much I want to play the next episode it deserves to take the second spot on my list. Hopefully SWERY is somehow able to produce more episodes.
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; A great game although I was disappointed by the handling of the story and how act 2 turned out. All the right things were in place to bring MGS back to form but as it stands MGSV cant quite reach the heights of MGS1, 2 and 3 imo. It still is though one of the best games of 2015. The open world approach was the right thing to do but I think KojiPro should have found a better balance between openness and enclosed spaces of which the latter were clearly underrepresented. Also there were too many weapons in the game, every type would have been enough, up to six variations for every one was a bit too much. Personally I just lose interest as soon as the number of weapons reaches a certain quantity. Assembling your own weapon from different parts was super fun though.
4. Gravity Rush Remastered ; Normally I wouldnt want to list remaster games in a GOTY list but 2015 had not that many titles that really excited me and furthermore this title really deserves to be on the list not least because I enjoyed it that much more than the vita version. The basic things im which GR excels are art-style, level/world and especially control scheme. Kat moving through the world by controlling gravity makes this game such a fresh experience. Its nothing like anything youve played before. Using the DS4 to control Kat feels perfect, aiming with the right stick and adjusting by gyro works super well. While sliding you can now steer with the left analog stick which makes the time races so much more fun. So excited for GR2!
5. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Such a wonderful game. Havent finished it yet but Im enjoying every minute of it. The art is picture book like, oris fluid controls feel really good (just dont try to tackle levels for which you dont have the right abilities yet). The game reminds me of Guacamelee! insofar as you gain access to new sections of the level by making use of new abilities you learned on your adventure.
6. Kings Quest: Chapters I-II ; Of all the episodic adventure games of 2015 I think I liked this one the most (apart from D4 of course). Great humor and charming characters.
This was a nice read. I've played like one of the games on the list, but bookmarked Fran Bow and Wheels of Aurelia.
Messofanego
Banned
Thanks!
...and for the fourth year in a row, my #1 spot goes for a Vita game; this time is not an exclusive, but still. I didn't get to play much in 2015, would have liked to try some more titles before voting.
1. SteinsGate ; What a ride. By the end I felt like just another lab mem.
2. Tales from the Borderlands ; Fun(ny)
3. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture ; Beautiful on many different levels.
4. Broken Age ; The first act was brilliant.
5. Life Is Strange ; The final stretch of the game brought it down a few spots, but overall another experience that sticks with you.
6. Hatoful Boyfriend ; Whaaat? Amazing.
7. Kick & Fennick ; Great mechanic, nice looking game.
8. Game of Thrones ; I liked having to make some hard decisions and seeing how (some of) them panned out.
9. Submerged ;
1. SteinsGate ; What a ride. By the end I felt like just another lab mem.
2. Tales from the Borderlands ; Fun(ny)
3. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture ; Beautiful on many different levels.
4. Broken Age ; The first act was brilliant.
5. Life Is Strange ; The final stretch of the game brought it down a few spots, but overall another experience that sticks with you.
6. Hatoful Boyfriend ; Whaaat? Amazing.
7. Kick & Fennick ; Great mechanic, nice looking game.
8. Game of Thrones ; I liked having to make some hard decisions and seeing how (some of) them panned out.
9. Submerged ;
1. Rocket League ; Every year there are couple of games that genuinely surprise me . This year was no different. Not only couple of games on my Top 10 list came out of nowhere, but one of them took the top stop. Rocket League is just excellent in everything it's trying to achieve. Fast paced matches, fine-tuned balanced gameplay in addition to quick matchmaking guaranteed pretty much the perfect blend. In short, this is the game that will keep me busy in years to come if the support will continue to be strong as it is now. Also, huge thanks to PS Plus, I'm not sure if I would bought it without trying it out on PS Plus.
2. Life Is Strange ; Another surprising addition on my list. Dontnod Entertainment created a world that up until now I didn't know I wanted to experience in videogames. Stories of Max, Chloe or Kate hooked me from the first moments and they wouldn't let me go weeks/months after I finished the last episode. Not to forget pretty much the most impactful/emotional scene of the year for me (ending of the second episode). Thumbs up for excellent original and licensed soundtrack.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; The strength of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is mesmerizing. Disclaimer, I only played it for about 20 hours and yet, in those 20 hours I can safely say, that it deserves a spot in my Top 3. Beautifully realized world, excellent quests/side-quests and presentation showed, how much can RPGs be pushed this generation. Congrats to CD Projekt Red.
4. Fallout 4 ; I'm not gonna lie. Fallout 4 was my most anticipated game since I was able to finish Fallout: New Vegas in 2010 or so. My first Bethesda's game I have ever played was Fallout 3. It has a special place in my hearth so with announcement and quick release of fourth installment I was stoked. Months passed by and with November's date approaching I was ready. I wasn't expecting major overhauls to system, but I still hoped that Bethesda would yet again push this genre (I'm not even sure if we can call it RPG, or action game with RPG mechanics). Well, my fault. Without any problems I can call it Fallout More. Sure, world and environmental story telling is strong as ever, but story and horrible dialogue system ultimately disappointed me. At least combat was somewhat better.
5. Tales from the Borderlands ; Who would have thought that Telltale still got it? Since the first announcement of this collaboration between Telltale and Gearbox I was skeptical as hell. "Adventure Borderlands game? Are you nuts? Cash-in." Oh boy I was wrong. I wasn't a huge fan of Borderlands universe (played 1 and 2, couldn't care less about characters and story). But here? Great cast and characters, clever and funny writing along with some of the most memorable scenes (openings of every episodes were amazing) landed Tales from The Borderlands fifth spot. It gives me a hope that Telltale could do pretty good job on their upcoming Marvel/DC project.
6. Until Dawn ; I am so glad that I was able to finish this shiny gem yesterday. Supermassive Games developed the best Quantic Dream game. Butterfly effect really meant something and even a small decision matters. Totems and clues are just bonuses that didn't even need to be there, and yet, they are. If you love slasher horror teen movies, this one is for you.
7. OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood ; Best skateboarding game in recent memory? Without a doubt! Addictive gameplay, great soundtrack and crazy level design (world 4 and 5 in particularly) drove me insane until I was finally able to score 1+ millions score on leaderboards. Even though the game is almost year old, every now and then I turn my Vita on and do a Daily Grind.
8. Batman: Arkham Knight ; Let's address elephant in the room first. YES, TANKMOBILE SECTIONS OF THE GAME WERE BAAAAD. Other than that I cannot say nothing that negative about a game. Excellent graphics (PS4 version here), story and psychological struggle of Batman were superb and I even liked natural addition of Batmobile either in main story missions/Riddler trophies. For me it was a great sendoff to Dark Knight.
9. Hotline Miami 2 ; I may be one of the few, but yes, Hotline Miami 2 was better for me than the original. Sure, there are frustrating moments (Dead Ahead, I'm looking at you!!!) and getting shot off from the borders of the screen may not be fun, but everything else just clicked for me. Multi-character interesting twisted story, great new gameplay mechanics and that soundtrack, THAT SOUNDTRACK.
10. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture ; And last spot in my Top 10 goes to Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. There are a few games that are able to tell meaningful and story about heavy topics and EGTTR is one of them. High praise goes to Jessica Curry for her beautiful direction and soundtrack. Best of luck on her next journey.
I got around to even fewer new games that I wanted to than for any other year to date, so while a disappointment for me, I wanted to account for what little I could all the same.
1. BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend ; After having been burnt out on this series following Continuum Shift, and wary of being an early adopter following the release of that version's Extend update, I made a point of occupying my time with other fighters in the meantime, leading to this having been the first time I bothered buying a new BlazBlue in five years (and not having played one since the console patch to CS II four years prior to that). That being said, the choice proved to be a prudent one. Not only did this installment include all of the paid content of the original Chrono Phantasma and more at no added cost, it's easily the most refined iteration of the franchise's battle system to date (the speed, base mechanics, variety, and overall balance far superior to everything in the series before it), finally succeeding in making BB a solid fighter with enough depth and distinction to be considered more than Guilty Gear-lite. Though I have less nitpicks regarding the story in this compared to the likes of Continuum Shift's repetition and insufferably impervious villains (and also appreciate the more streamlined approach of jumping between characters, rather than going through story mode with each one from start to finish), it seems I'll be waiting for the upcoming Central Fiction for the possibility of a satisfying conclusion. I only regret that Arc's release pattern has pretty much guaranteed that I'll also be waiting for the Extend version of that before jumping in once that reaches consoles.
2. Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late ; Though I've had the opportunity to play French Bread's Melty Blood series in the past, this first official North American release for the company as part of their new franchise also marks the first of their games that I've owned for myself. It's quite different from the more air-oriented MB series, as well as most other anime fighters in mechanics and overall feel, but at the same time that is an asset. Though I don't mind the lack of the usual dual-audio treatment that most Aksys-published games receive in favor of going with the original Japanese voices only, a result of UNIEL being a budget release, I do wish there was more in the way of single-player content and gallery unlockables after having been spoiled by GGXrd -SIGN- and BBCPEX. Having had to look up videos online regarding the base mechanics and character specifics as a result of the lack of any in-game tutorials was also unfortunate.
1. BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend ; After having been burnt out on this series following Continuum Shift, and wary of being an early adopter following the release of that version's Extend update, I made a point of occupying my time with other fighters in the meantime, leading to this having been the first time I bothered buying a new BlazBlue in five years (and not having played one since the console patch to CS II four years prior to that). That being said, the choice proved to be a prudent one. Not only did this installment include all of the paid content of the original Chrono Phantasma and more at no added cost, it's easily the most refined iteration of the franchise's battle system to date (the speed, base mechanics, variety, and overall balance far superior to everything in the series before it), finally succeeding in making BB a solid fighter with enough depth and distinction to be considered more than Guilty Gear-lite. Though I have less nitpicks regarding the story in this compared to the likes of Continuum Shift's repetition and insufferably impervious villains (and also appreciate the more streamlined approach of jumping between characters, rather than going through story mode with each one from start to finish), it seems I'll be waiting for the upcoming Central Fiction for the possibility of a satisfying conclusion. I only regret that Arc's release pattern has pretty much guaranteed that I'll also be waiting for the Extend version of that before jumping in once that reaches consoles.
2. Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late ; Though I've had the opportunity to play French Bread's Melty Blood series in the past, this first official North American release for the company as part of their new franchise also marks the first of their games that I've owned for myself. It's quite different from the more air-oriented MB series, as well as most other anime fighters in mechanics and overall feel, but at the same time that is an asset. Though I don't mind the lack of the usual dual-audio treatment that most Aksys-published games receive in favor of going with the original Japanese voices only, a result of UNIEL being a budget release, I do wish there was more in the way of single-player content and gallery unlockables after having been spoiled by GGXrd -SIGN- and BBCPEX. Having had to look up videos online regarding the base mechanics and character specifics as a result of the lack of any in-game tutorials was also unfortunate.
toastyToast
Member
Fairly haphazardly put together list but it's tradition and I couldn't deny you all my shitty ranking
1. The Witcher 3 ; The game way over-delivered on what I had expected of CDPR. Having been a fan since the original game which I was incredibly fond of even during its beyond shoddy initial revision; the move towards an open world structure bothered me quite a bit. What CDPR achieved was creating a world, very diligently structured to tell a series of stories. Nothing felt out of place. I recall on my second playthrough (well over 200 hours logged) I chose to do a major investigation quest siding with another character and that brought into play a burnt out village I discovered at one point. A lot of the landmarks made my mind drift to, "I wonder what's the story behind this place?" and more often than not, more thought went into each area than I rightfully expected. Not going to go into the multitude of interesting characters or morally ambiguous situations old Geralt gets into, just fantastic. The combat was so close to being A1 but I still feel that they came a long way and playing a build heavily invested in signs and light armour is pretty dang fun. Can't wait to see what they do with Cyberpunk, whenever the hell that comes out.
2. Bloodborne ; Putting this at number 2 was tough but I came to that conclusion because I strongly felt that the DLC was absolutely needed to round out this stellar albeit light experience. Not to say that a short game can't be great but I couldn't shake the feeling that there should have been more weapons, more varied playstyles, I'm not a huge fan of how guns work etc. Ignoring that and honing in on the original offering, Bloodborne has, in my mind the pinnacle of Souls melee combat. The weapons are all really fun to use, trick mode was a brilliant idea to expand weapons in interesting and novel ways. A cane that turns into a whip? A short sword with a hammer on it? What? Snazzy stuff. The environmental and creature design are both breathtaking. It's a shame that the chalice dungeons aren't as meticulously crafted as the rest of the game, I feel that hurts the overall experience a bit since you'd have to trudge through the same rooms fighting the same enemies (bell maiden + spiders all day) to get to maybe 4 of the best bosses in the game. The monotony you have to get through to fight Yharnam which is a pretty dang cool fight that ties up the game in a sense is 10-15 hours deep of the same shit.
Still, favourite Souls game besides.
The reason why I chose to exclude the DLC is because The Witcher 3 had some stellar DLC too and if I had to compare the 2 base games, TW3 takes it.
3. Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate ; It's Monster Hunter. You already know I went HAM on it.
4. Splatoon ; Best console shooter I've ever played. Also the freshest.
5. Shadowrun: Hong Kong ; Slightly behind Dragonfall but still a wonderful experience. Kudos to Harebrained Schemes for promising something and delivering exactly when they said they would. Now gimme that post game.
6. Soma ; Really well executed experience that I still think on
7. Undertale ; Really cool experience that I'm glad I got in on before the internet echo chamber went off the rails. A lovable cast of characters, some pretty sweet music and a story that has some interesting things to say or very little depending on how you play it. Very worthwhile to play all three paths.
8. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; So many things I hate about this game but it threw me in the blender and somehow I played it for like 70 hours. Fuck the music, Tatsu, Lin's garbage ass jokes, the music - ay, the music in New LA only gets worse the longer you play. Now it's in my head again and I haven't played the game in weeks. God damn it.
9. Tales From The Borderlands ; Really surprised at how good this was. Writing was on point. Voice actors pile drove it through a table. I don't remember doing very much but when I wasn't doing anything it was pretty fucking great. With Life Is Strange showing that you can do one of these with a bit more for the player to do I'm hoping when that eventual Telltale engine update comes out they can expand the role of the player outside of quick time response choices.
1. The Witcher 3 ; The game way over-delivered on what I had expected of CDPR. Having been a fan since the original game which I was incredibly fond of even during its beyond shoddy initial revision; the move towards an open world structure bothered me quite a bit. What CDPR achieved was creating a world, very diligently structured to tell a series of stories. Nothing felt out of place. I recall on my second playthrough (well over 200 hours logged) I chose to do a major investigation quest siding with another character and that brought into play a burnt out village I discovered at one point. A lot of the landmarks made my mind drift to, "I wonder what's the story behind this place?" and more often than not, more thought went into each area than I rightfully expected. Not going to go into the multitude of interesting characters or morally ambiguous situations old Geralt gets into, just fantastic. The combat was so close to being A1 but I still feel that they came a long way and playing a build heavily invested in signs and light armour is pretty dang fun. Can't wait to see what they do with Cyberpunk, whenever the hell that comes out.
2. Bloodborne ; Putting this at number 2 was tough but I came to that conclusion because I strongly felt that the DLC was absolutely needed to round out this stellar albeit light experience. Not to say that a short game can't be great but I couldn't shake the feeling that there should have been more weapons, more varied playstyles, I'm not a huge fan of how guns work etc. Ignoring that and honing in on the original offering, Bloodborne has, in my mind the pinnacle of Souls melee combat. The weapons are all really fun to use, trick mode was a brilliant idea to expand weapons in interesting and novel ways. A cane that turns into a whip? A short sword with a hammer on it? What? Snazzy stuff. The environmental and creature design are both breathtaking. It's a shame that the chalice dungeons aren't as meticulously crafted as the rest of the game, I feel that hurts the overall experience a bit since you'd have to trudge through the same rooms fighting the same enemies (bell maiden + spiders all day) to get to maybe 4 of the best bosses in the game. The monotony you have to get through to fight Yharnam which is a pretty dang cool fight that ties up the game in a sense is 10-15 hours deep of the same shit.
Still, favourite Souls game besides.
The reason why I chose to exclude the DLC is because The Witcher 3 had some stellar DLC too and if I had to compare the 2 base games, TW3 takes it.
3. Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate ; It's Monster Hunter. You already know I went HAM on it.
4. Splatoon ; Best console shooter I've ever played. Also the freshest.
5. Shadowrun: Hong Kong ; Slightly behind Dragonfall but still a wonderful experience. Kudos to Harebrained Schemes for promising something and delivering exactly when they said they would. Now gimme that post game.
6. Soma ; Really well executed experience that I still think on
7. Undertale ; Really cool experience that I'm glad I got in on before the internet echo chamber went off the rails. A lovable cast of characters, some pretty sweet music and a story that has some interesting things to say or very little depending on how you play it. Very worthwhile to play all three paths.
8. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; So many things I hate about this game but it threw me in the blender and somehow I played it for like 70 hours. Fuck the music, Tatsu, Lin's garbage ass jokes, the music - ay, the music in New LA only gets worse the longer you play. Now it's in my head again and I haven't played the game in weeks. God damn it.
9. Tales From The Borderlands ; Really surprised at how good this was. Writing was on point. Voice actors pile drove it through a table. I don't remember doing very much but when I wasn't doing anything it was pretty fucking great. With Life Is Strange showing that you can do one of these with a bit more for the player to do I'm hoping when that eventual Telltale engine update comes out they can expand the role of the player outside of quick time response choices.
1. Splatoon ; See Nintendo, this is why we want new IPs!!! squad based shooter where you hide in your own ink and the objective is to cover the ground in ink. Sounds like a horrible premise for a game but it works, and it works so well. This game has splatted its way into my top 5 all time games, the multiplayer action is intense, has so many moments that make me shout with glee or frustration as the other team snatch the lead in the last second, the level design is amazing and it secretly has one of the best single player campaigns in a long time (with the final boss level being particularly outstanding) I love the way the content has been drip fed to keep things fresh.
2. Rocket League ; I love football, I love Cars, I love fast paced, rocket powered Car football where you have control to flip your car into an overhead acrobatic attempt to score a goal and spectacularly miss over and over again making you look like a dick before the other team go up the other end and score. Its pure fun, absolutely amazing game, easily my most played PS4 game, my first ever platinum trophy and im still playing it.
3. Metal gear Solid V ; There is a fair bit of negativity around the story, but I loved the story, I loved the gameplay, I loved building my base by fultoning baddies, I loved the companions, thought quiet was possibly the most interesting companion character in any game possibly ever (despite the half nakedness not because of it). Its my favourite Metal Gear to date.
4. Tearaway Unfolded ; Creative, amazing story, beautiful graphics, funny, challenging. this game is a masterpiece that any PS4 owner needs to have in their life. It's only number 4 because its been such a strong year, any other year and this would have been top of my tree.
5. Yoshis Wooly World ; So sweet it gave me diabetes playing it. Beautiful, challenging platforming at times, transform levels are amazing and I got the cutest toys to life toy in the world with it. Much improved over Yoshi's New Island, the hub world is amazing and its super fun in local coop.
6. Super Mario Maker ; Now you can be Miyamoto too!! Some of the user created levels are rubbish, some of them are inspired but getting my daughter to build me the most challenging levels and seeing if I can get through it has just been a wonderful experience (shes a sadist though so at times it stops being fun to play, although I love making her laugh at how much I suck at getting throgh her levels)
7. Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask 3d ; Probably the darkest Zelda game out there but some of the side quests are brilliant, alien invasions, puppy racing, time travelling coupled with the best antagonist in the series (skullkid is amazing) make this yet another Nintendo timeless classic. Looks great in 3d as well.
8. Transformers Devastation ; Platinum Games, they never let you down. This game is phenomenal, fast action pased sheer fun, game length and repetitiveness of enemies put this down on the list, but I had an absolute blast with it none the less.
9. Star Wars Battlefront ; Huge amount of fan service, loads of modes, just not enough maps to play on them and single player might as well not be there for how woeful it is. Can't remember screaming with delight at getting killed though, taking down the enemy then all of a sudden a force choke from Darth Vader takes you out, doesnt get any better than that
10. Mario and Luigi Paper Jam Bros ; Only got this for Christmas, so didnt manage to invest a huge amount of time (4-5 hours) but I love the Mario and Luigi series and despite what others say found this to be (so far) one of the strongest entries so far. Yes Paper Mario doesnt add a whole lot to the gameplay but its still quirky fun Mario and Luigi time
2. Rocket League ; I love football, I love Cars, I love fast paced, rocket powered Car football where you have control to flip your car into an overhead acrobatic attempt to score a goal and spectacularly miss over and over again making you look like a dick before the other team go up the other end and score. Its pure fun, absolutely amazing game, easily my most played PS4 game, my first ever platinum trophy and im still playing it.
3. Metal gear Solid V ; There is a fair bit of negativity around the story, but I loved the story, I loved the gameplay, I loved building my base by fultoning baddies, I loved the companions, thought quiet was possibly the most interesting companion character in any game possibly ever (despite the half nakedness not because of it). Its my favourite Metal Gear to date.
4. Tearaway Unfolded ; Creative, amazing story, beautiful graphics, funny, challenging. this game is a masterpiece that any PS4 owner needs to have in their life. It's only number 4 because its been such a strong year, any other year and this would have been top of my tree.
5. Yoshis Wooly World ; So sweet it gave me diabetes playing it. Beautiful, challenging platforming at times, transform levels are amazing and I got the cutest toys to life toy in the world with it. Much improved over Yoshi's New Island, the hub world is amazing and its super fun in local coop.
6. Super Mario Maker ; Now you can be Miyamoto too!! Some of the user created levels are rubbish, some of them are inspired but getting my daughter to build me the most challenging levels and seeing if I can get through it has just been a wonderful experience (shes a sadist though so at times it stops being fun to play, although I love making her laugh at how much I suck at getting throgh her levels)
7. Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask 3d ; Probably the darkest Zelda game out there but some of the side quests are brilliant, alien invasions, puppy racing, time travelling coupled with the best antagonist in the series (skullkid is amazing) make this yet another Nintendo timeless classic. Looks great in 3d as well.
8. Transformers Devastation ; Platinum Games, they never let you down. This game is phenomenal, fast action pased sheer fun, game length and repetitiveness of enemies put this down on the list, but I had an absolute blast with it none the less.
9. Star Wars Battlefront ; Huge amount of fan service, loads of modes, just not enough maps to play on them and single player might as well not be there for how woeful it is. Can't remember screaming with delight at getting killed though, taking down the enemy then all of a sudden a force choke from Darth Vader takes you out, doesnt get any better than that
10. Mario and Luigi Paper Jam Bros ; Only got this for Christmas, so didnt manage to invest a huge amount of time (4-5 hours) but I love the Mario and Luigi series and despite what others say found this to be (so far) one of the strongest entries so far. Yes Paper Mario doesnt add a whole lot to the gameplay but its still quirky fun Mario and Luigi time
SmarterUnconscious
Member
1. Life Is Strange ; I was surprised by how much LiS resonated with me when I finished the game. I remember watching the trailer way back when it first got announced and not having a very strong impression but that changed as I got to see and hear more about the game. The various issues Life is Strange takes on like regret, bullying, self-confidence, sexuality or mental health to name a few, is something everyone can to relate to in some degree. It's not without it faults but the game affected me much more than I thought it would, even after I was finished with it.
2. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; This was supposed to be my game of the year before Life is Strange took the throne. I've always loved RPGs and this is one hell of an RPG. I loved the world CDPR built and the quests they crafted set the bar high for future RPGs. Geralt and his whole supporting cast were great and I'll miss him. I also didn't mind the combat.
3. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ; I put in around 70 hours into the game and beat it yesterday. I had more problems with it compared to the first game but ultimately, yes its a Souls game and yes it's fun.
4. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; I've probably put more time into this game than all of the other games in my GOTY list combined. It's a great MMO and I'm thankful to have a group of wonderful people to play with every week.
Dishonorable Mention: I only played five new games 2015 so I might as well add the last one. Just Cause 3. It's not a bad game by any means, but it's just not good at the same time. Other than the Wingsuit and booster C4, there was nothing new or fresh in the game worth mentioning. Funish, repetitive, boring.
2. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; This was supposed to be my game of the year before Life is Strange took the throne. I've always loved RPGs and this is one hell of an RPG. I loved the world CDPR built and the quests they crafted set the bar high for future RPGs. Geralt and his whole supporting cast were great and I'll miss him. I also didn't mind the combat.
3. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ; I put in around 70 hours into the game and beat it yesterday. I had more problems with it compared to the first game but ultimately, yes its a Souls game and yes it's fun.
4. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; I've probably put more time into this game than all of the other games in my GOTY list combined. It's a great MMO and I'm thankful to have a group of wonderful people to play with every week.
Dishonorable Mention: I only played five new games 2015 so I might as well add the last one. Just Cause 3. It's not a bad game by any means, but it's just not good at the same time. Other than the Wingsuit and booster C4, there was nothing new or fresh in the game worth mentioning. Funish, repetitive, boring.
1. Pillars of Eternity ; I tend to find compiling a GOTY list really impossible every single year, and yet I also feel compelled to at least try. I never seem to have all the time I want to finish every release I'm interested in during the year. If it's not work keeping me busy, I'm probably catching up on last year's releases at some point too. It all just overwhelms.
Which is all to say that until sometime last week, Pillars of Eternity was not at the top of my list. I played it a lot when it first came out, of course. Quite frankly, I was obsessed. I didn't grow up with a quality gaming PC and missed out on a lot of the classic CRPGs in their heyday. I have always enjoyed them when I've played through them after, but I sometimes felt the mechanics were slightly impenetrable because they were so deep and yet slightly unwieldy to my untrained eye. It's like handing someone a controller and a recent third person shooter when they have little experience with dual analog controls. Sure, I grasp the intent but still have trouble sometimes with execution.
PoE changed all that. It's hard for me to even pinpoint why it works so well, because it's such a delicate balance between approachability and density. There is so much going on, but I never feel totally overwhelmed by any of it. That is, except the lore. At the time of the game's release, I was playing other things too and I was becoming so invested in this world and its characters that I wanted to come back later when I had the time to devote my full attention.
Cut to last week when I start the game over from the beginning and proceed to pour hours of my life into it all over again, sometimes playing well into the night. I may have slept through my alarm the other day because I was exploring a dungeon. In a year filled with standout RPGs, Pillars of Eternity is the one that found the most precise balance between mechanics and narrative and I truly appreciate that.
2. Bloodborne ; This is the game that tore me away from Pillars of Eternity to begin with and it practically ruined me for other games. Specifically: I keep hitting circle instead of x to dodge away in The Witcher 3, which is a bad move that tends to result in drowner claws through you skull. The frenetic, high-pitched energy within Bloodborne has made "circle to escape" such an immediate and instinctive response that it's basically coded in my DNA at this point.
While the world building might have seemed less expansive than previous entries in the Souls universe, the tone was precise and consistent in a way that made the gradual shift to cosmic horror all the more disturbing. The overall look sets a great tone through curling fog and the shifting sound of chains -- alongside the amazing weapon changes -- but even more important than that is the careful execution of gameplay mechanics. The faster pace of this version of Souls combat created a different energy and flow to the game that allowed even series veterans to feel a new and unique rush. A nearly perfect product, it is disappointing only in that its predecessors have nearly been games without flaw.
3. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Like I said, there's not enough time in the year. These three games shifted places many times, largely dependent on which game I was frantically trying to complete I had been playing most recently. The truth is, I didn't manage to finish The Witcher. I certainly didn't have the time yet to tackle the DLC that I'm told is one of the best parts of the game.
Even with all that (basically time itself) working against it, the world and concepts of The Witcher wormed their way into my subconscious on a level where I found myself contemplating concepts from the bestiary once outside the game, to better plan for my next round of hunting for monsters. It's the kind of game that makes you want to do homework on the side, including reading the novels. They're pretty fun, actually.
4. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; I've never really understood the Monster Hunter thing. To be honest, maybe my years with the three Witcher games were what finally convinced me that preparation before a hunt can be super cool. Maybe I just watched the right series of videos that dumbed down the beginner's curve, but suddenly all of it clicked. I'll be honest: I can't say with any degree of certainty whether or not this was the best or most accomplished game in the series. But I can say it was the first of these games to get me hooked enough to give up so many hours of my life. (Maybe next time I'll convince a friend to join me in sacrificing our time and attention together with co-op.)
5. Yo-Kai Watch ; I honestly didn't think this game could live up to the hype built up on the back of a phenomenon of cross-marketing. I was certain it would just be even weirder looking Pokemon than the current generation ones. I was wrong. There is a lot more going on here, and yet the mechanics are never overblown and bloated. I don't feel frustrated or lost -- I mean, that makes sense, this is technically for kids -- but I'm never bored either.
6. Her Story ; The only game I've recommended without reservation this year, even to my friends who wouldn't consider themselves people who are especially into games. Available across basically every platform, Her Story takes something every nerd on the internet in 2016 is good at -- googling to successfully discover the meaning of something, however hidden. What unraveled is an engaging story that makes use of basic everyday activities in new and intriguing ways to create a narrative with enough twists that people still haven't unanimously decided what exactly it was that we saw.
7. Splatoon
8. Undertale
9. Life is Strange
10. Rocket League
Honorable Mention (Not Enough Time):
x. SOMA ; I actually didn't get the chance to even start this one, but from everything I've heard I think it might have made the list.
x. The Talos Principle ; I didn't get the chance to play nearly enough of this to make any kind of judgment call.
Which is all to say that until sometime last week, Pillars of Eternity was not at the top of my list. I played it a lot when it first came out, of course. Quite frankly, I was obsessed. I didn't grow up with a quality gaming PC and missed out on a lot of the classic CRPGs in their heyday. I have always enjoyed them when I've played through them after, but I sometimes felt the mechanics were slightly impenetrable because they were so deep and yet slightly unwieldy to my untrained eye. It's like handing someone a controller and a recent third person shooter when they have little experience with dual analog controls. Sure, I grasp the intent but still have trouble sometimes with execution.
PoE changed all that. It's hard for me to even pinpoint why it works so well, because it's such a delicate balance between approachability and density. There is so much going on, but I never feel totally overwhelmed by any of it. That is, except the lore. At the time of the game's release, I was playing other things too and I was becoming so invested in this world and its characters that I wanted to come back later when I had the time to devote my full attention.
Cut to last week when I start the game over from the beginning and proceed to pour hours of my life into it all over again, sometimes playing well into the night. I may have slept through my alarm the other day because I was exploring a dungeon. In a year filled with standout RPGs, Pillars of Eternity is the one that found the most precise balance between mechanics and narrative and I truly appreciate that.
2. Bloodborne ; This is the game that tore me away from Pillars of Eternity to begin with and it practically ruined me for other games. Specifically: I keep hitting circle instead of x to dodge away in The Witcher 3, which is a bad move that tends to result in drowner claws through you skull. The frenetic, high-pitched energy within Bloodborne has made "circle to escape" such an immediate and instinctive response that it's basically coded in my DNA at this point.
While the world building might have seemed less expansive than previous entries in the Souls universe, the tone was precise and consistent in a way that made the gradual shift to cosmic horror all the more disturbing. The overall look sets a great tone through curling fog and the shifting sound of chains -- alongside the amazing weapon changes -- but even more important than that is the careful execution of gameplay mechanics. The faster pace of this version of Souls combat created a different energy and flow to the game that allowed even series veterans to feel a new and unique rush. A nearly perfect product, it is disappointing only in that its predecessors have nearly been games without flaw.
3. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Like I said, there's not enough time in the year. These three games shifted places many times, largely dependent on which game I was frantically trying to complete I had been playing most recently. The truth is, I didn't manage to finish The Witcher. I certainly didn't have the time yet to tackle the DLC that I'm told is one of the best parts of the game.
Even with all that (basically time itself) working against it, the world and concepts of The Witcher wormed their way into my subconscious on a level where I found myself contemplating concepts from the bestiary once outside the game, to better plan for my next round of hunting for monsters. It's the kind of game that makes you want to do homework on the side, including reading the novels. They're pretty fun, actually.
4. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; I've never really understood the Monster Hunter thing. To be honest, maybe my years with the three Witcher games were what finally convinced me that preparation before a hunt can be super cool. Maybe I just watched the right series of videos that dumbed down the beginner's curve, but suddenly all of it clicked. I'll be honest: I can't say with any degree of certainty whether or not this was the best or most accomplished game in the series. But I can say it was the first of these games to get me hooked enough to give up so many hours of my life. (Maybe next time I'll convince a friend to join me in sacrificing our time and attention together with co-op.)
5. Yo-Kai Watch ; I honestly didn't think this game could live up to the hype built up on the back of a phenomenon of cross-marketing. I was certain it would just be even weirder looking Pokemon than the current generation ones. I was wrong. There is a lot more going on here, and yet the mechanics are never overblown and bloated. I don't feel frustrated or lost -- I mean, that makes sense, this is technically for kids -- but I'm never bored either.
6. Her Story ; The only game I've recommended without reservation this year, even to my friends who wouldn't consider themselves people who are especially into games. Available across basically every platform, Her Story takes something every nerd on the internet in 2016 is good at -- googling to successfully discover the meaning of something, however hidden. What unraveled is an engaging story that makes use of basic everyday activities in new and intriguing ways to create a narrative with enough twists that people still haven't unanimously decided what exactly it was that we saw.
7. Splatoon
8. Undertale
9. Life is Strange
10. Rocket League
Honorable Mention (Not Enough Time):
x. SOMA ; I actually didn't get the chance to even start this one, but from everything I've heard I think it might have made the list.
x. The Talos Principle ; I didn't get the chance to play nearly enough of this to make any kind of judgment call.
toythatkills
Member
2014 was a horrible year for games, like painfully so. When I made my top ten list last year, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call was the only game I could include in good conscience and the rest was basically filler. 2015, thank God, was a lot better, and I actually legit enjoyed playing everything in my top ten - I still probably played Spelunky more than the lot of them, though. Onward!
1. Pokémon Shuffle ; This is a free-to-play mobile game, basically, albeit starting its life on Nintendo 3DS, which is where I play it. I know I'm going to be laughed off NeoGAF for even suggesting that it might be the game of the year, but aside from the aforementioned Spelunky there is no single game into which I have put more hours this year than Pokémon Shuffle, and with that being the case how can I not consider it among the best games I've played this year?
Essentially it is a "match-3" puzzle game but the mechanics differ from most in that you can switch any two tokens on screen rather than any two adjacent tokens, which allows for far more possibilities. There is lots of variation in levels, amounting to powers the enemy Pokémon has, strength, available moves, some levels are timed, others are themed, and the whole thing is wrapped in a "gotta catch 'em all" mechanic which makes it thoroughly addictive.
Obviously there are various things that people criticise, such as the "stamina" bar which only allows you to play a few rounds every few hours (unless you pay up!) but for me, this is what makes the game. It means that I never got bored of it as I undoubtedly would have done if I could sit and play it for hours at a time. It's a game which is best played in very short sessions, which forces you to play in very short sessions, and as such I honestly can't fault it as a piece of "free-to-play" game design. There are numerous ways to earn in-game currency which mean I was never left wanting for that, though the option is of course there to buy it should I want to.
Basically, to sum up, I'm calling Pokémon Shuffle my game of the year. It's one of those rare games which actually benefits from being "free-to-play," rather than being a paid-game - it feels right, it feels as though this is the game it always should have been.
2. The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition ; I didn't know what to expect when I booted this. I knew I was probably going to like it because I absolutely adore logic-puzzles, but I didn't know anything of the nature of the puzzles at all, because all I'd really heard about in regards to The Talos Principle was "the philosophy stuff." I didn't think there'd be much to see there, though, of course it was lauded by gamers but gamers are impressed by absolutely anything a little bit different and so I didn't really read much into it. When I played it, though, I could see why it was getting all the praise it was getting. I don't think a game has ever made me feel so clever and so stupid at the same time - sure I've felt stupid in puzzle games before when I've been stuck, but The Talos Principle made me feel a whole different kind of stupid, and I love it for that.
Of course, even aside from the wonderful and often hilarious writing, the story, there was a puzzle game full of solid and satisfying mechanics which would still have been high up my list.
3. N++ ; My levels of anticipation for N++ were through the roof, I'd been waiting for it for years and years having been a huge fan of N+, and it was literally the reason I bought my PS4 (well, half the reason, Jon Blow is about to provide me with the other half). When I played it, it didn't disappoint. The mechanics were as solid as I remember them being, it felt exactly as I wanted it to. There was tons of content, colours, music, and it was hard as hell. Add to this a huge amount of secrets and other things to discover.
It's a game I will probably never finish, but at the same time that means it's a game I will always be able to come back to knowing that there's something to do, whether that's metanet's work or the community's in the absolutely fantastic editor.
4. Snakebird ; This was a pretty late entry, but very quickly became one of my games of the year. Snakebird is cute. Snakebird is BRUTAL. I had solved a total of five levels the first time I got painfully stuck, and that's the point where most games are still holding your hand!
Where Snakebird is amazing though, is in its puzzle design. There's a very small aspect to puzzles which almost every puzzle game will overlook, but which the best puzzle games will always offer, and that is a false sense of security. Basically, the way Snakebird works is that every time you eat a fruit, your Snakebird extends by one block (you remember "Snake," from your old Nokia phone, right?) and your goal is to eat all the fruit in a level and navigate to the exit. What it does so brilliantly is that it will always make you think like you're on the right path, before all of a sudden you realise that, actually, you've backed yourself into a corner and you have to go back and rethink it. Every time this happens it makes me laugh, because I know that the game has got one up on me, I know that I fell into the trap it had set for me. Then I want nothing more than to beat it, and there's that wonderful feeling of satisfaction when you manage it, because victory feels all the sweeter. SpaceChem does this too, Lup Salad as well. Like I say, it's an aspect that puzzle games will so often overlook, but there's nothing quite like the smile when you know a game has tricked you. It's a sense of humour in the form of a puzzle, and that's why I love Snakebird.
5. Guitar Hero LIVE ; This is a hard one to place. The game itself is a brilliant Guitar Hero game and really freshens up a genre which had become incredibly stale and continues to be so with the likes of Rock Band 4. Guitar Hero LIVE introduces "live" crowds to play to which sounded stupid but when you experience it, it's impossible not to become incredibly involved in the sets you play as you watch the crowds reacting to your song. It's hard to explain how good it feels when you're playing well, but I'm confident that everyone who experiences it will feel it.
Then on the other side of the coin, there's "Guitar Hero TV" mode, which contains hundreds of music videos you remember from back in the day. It's basically a massive nostalgia rush set to fantastic gameplay which feels more like playing a guitar than a plastic peripheral ever has done. When they say it can be easier than ever and harder than ever, they're not lying, the new controller and its two rows of buttons really change up the genre for the better - but at the same time therein lies the problem.
The guitar controller itself is just total shit. It feels cheap, it can be slow to respond, it can miss button presses, and the whole time I wanted to love the game there was a controller in my hands fighting against me. Overall I do still love it, but missed notes that aren't the players fault can be the death of a game like this and it saddens me that the same effort that went into the game did not go into the most important aspect of the package.
6. Rocket League ; I'm not sure I can say anything about this game that someone else won't say better. I got it free on PS+ as many of us no doubt did, and I expected nothing. I only booted it so that I could post on Twitter about how crap it was because I knew it would be crap - I've played "football with cars" games before and they just don't work. Hours later I turned the game off (somehow) and was forced to admit that I was an idiot. Rocket League is the perfect realisation of its genre.
There was a period where suspend/resume on the PS4 made it impossible to play anything else. I'd turn the PS4 on to play something that wasn't Rocket League, but the Rocket League main menu would be sitting right there on my screen - one quick game won't hurt...
7. Big Pharma ; Big Pharma is a pretty brilliant game. Basically it's part puzzle game, part business sim. Your job is to take ingredients, and then create a production line which turns them into a medication for something. At the end of your production line you'll get paid based on the quality of the drug you've made and the side effects it induces. That's the business bit. The business bit is way more complex than that though, because the world outside your factory is constantly evolving. Rival companies might produce a better drug than yours to combat a specific malady and so yours is suddenly not as profitable. Or there might be a particularly harsh winter and if you can get in quick with a decent cold medicine you could make tons of money... but when spring rolls around you'll have a huge production line making a drug no one wants.
There are loads of other elements to the game. You have to research new ingredients as well as new machines to run them through in order to create higher level cures which will earn more money. You have a limited space to work with unless you expand your factory. Everything can be upgraded to become more efficient or cheaper to buy or produce. There's basically a shit ton to manage if you want to be the most profitable pharmaceutical company you can be.
Or maybe you'd rather be a more ethical one? You can remove side-effects from drugs and produce higher quality medication if you want but that could get expensive and if people aren't paying that much more for it well is that headache you're giving them really that bad?
8. Axiom Verge ; Axiom Verge is one of those games where, honestly, there's not a great deal that needs to be said about it. Its inspiration comes from the Metroidvania genre and that's exactly what it is, but with enough interesting twists to elevate it above most in the genre. Chief among these is the Address Disruptor, a gun which, well, disrupts your surroundings. Shoot it at an enemy and they will change form in some way, changing attack pattern or becoming weaker. Shoot it at certain walls and they will disappear. Shoot it in the air and blocks may appear to allow passage to otherwise unreachable heights. The whole game feels as though it's broken, with glitches and graphical effects in plentiful supply, but with the Address Disruptor you see that that's just what you're supposed to think, and the game is suddenly full of possibilities. All your other Metroidvania-esque tropes are there, blocked passages you need to come back to later, a huge map, loads of varied enemies - overall it's just a very, very good example of one of my favourite genres in gaming.
9. Crypt of the NecroDancer ; This is stunning, In essence, it's just a roguelike. You move a space, the enemy moves a space, and your relative positions decide whether or not you'll attack or get attacked. Crypt of the NecroDancer is set to a beat, though, and so rather than moving when you move, enemies move once per beat and you get one action per beat, and staying in time gets you bonuses to the coins you collect.
Basically, it's the genre mash-up I never knew I wanted so badly.
There are tons of enemies, each with different movement patterns and attack patterns and learning how to avoid and then kill each one without missing a beat is key to your survival. There's a few characters, including one (the Bard) who plays more traditionally so enemies just move a space when you move a space - with him the beat is irrelevant. Predictably enough though I find myself mostly moving on the beat anyway because it's really hard not to! That's because the game has an amazing soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky (Super Meat Boy, Binding of Isaac, etc) but if you want, you can just whack any mp3 you want in there. I imagine the results vary depending on your song of choice but I played a stage to The Bay by Metronomy and it was fucking perfect. Enemies, items, traps, power-ups, and some stuff is persistent throughout playthroughs so there's a pleasant grind there too, though it's not too overbearing. Can't wait to play this more on PS4, even if it lacks mp3 support.
10. Box Boy! ; Sneaking in at number ten is another puzzle game, 2015 was pretty good for the ol' puzzle it seems! This one is as minimalist as they come (in a way). You play as a small white box, and can for some reason generate boxes out of your body, using these to navigate pitfalls, pass tiny passages, climb cliffs, and overcome various other obstacles as you try to reach the exit to each level. It's not particularly hard, really, and all the time I wished the criteria for bonus items was more harsh - you collect crowns by collecting them before you've generated a certain amount of boxes, however you have so many extra boxes to play with that it never feels like a challenge - they should really require you to reach them in the absolute minimum possible to really make you think about playing efficiently.
Still, there are enough times that you'll need to stop and think that it's not really a cake-walk either. It's a nice light-hearted break between SpaceChem sessions, and news of a sequel is welcomed.
Honourable Mentions:
x. Super Meat Boy ; I love this and am thankful for the PS4 release, but it didn't seem right to vote for it because I would really be voting for the time I spent playing it on Xbox 360. The music is inferior too, but it doesn't affect the quality of the game a great deal really, it's still amazing.
x. Infinifactory ; It took all the amazing stuff from SpaceChem and made it ever so slightly less playable, but this still makes it better than almost every puzzle game that there has ever been.
x. TIS-100 ; For the same reasons as Infinifactory!
x. Nintendo Badge Arcade ; If Pokémon Shuffle is free-to-play done right, Nintendo Badge Arcade is how you do it very wrong. In spite of this, it has the single most charming, most well written character fronting it that Nintendo have ever created, and that's quite an achievement.
x. Neko Atsume ; Probably the most stress-free game I've ever played - I can barely call it a game in fact, but as a game with no fail-condition it's always a joy to check in and smile.
x. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture ; For being a terrible, terrible game, but a wonderful, wonderful romp through rural England in what feels like the 1980s. I didn't enjoy it, but it felt like home.
x. Pokémon Picross ; Yet another free-to-play effort from Nintendo, this one is predictably enough a game full of Pokémon themed nonograms. It plays nice, and can be completed for free if you have the time, which is always a sign of a good free-to-play thing - it really will take time, and it gets criticism for that, but the option also exists to buy the game outright and remove all timers, etc, and this makes the game accessible to all, however they choose to play.
1. Pokémon Shuffle ; This is a free-to-play mobile game, basically, albeit starting its life on Nintendo 3DS, which is where I play it. I know I'm going to be laughed off NeoGAF for even suggesting that it might be the game of the year, but aside from the aforementioned Spelunky there is no single game into which I have put more hours this year than Pokémon Shuffle, and with that being the case how can I not consider it among the best games I've played this year?
Essentially it is a "match-3" puzzle game but the mechanics differ from most in that you can switch any two tokens on screen rather than any two adjacent tokens, which allows for far more possibilities. There is lots of variation in levels, amounting to powers the enemy Pokémon has, strength, available moves, some levels are timed, others are themed, and the whole thing is wrapped in a "gotta catch 'em all" mechanic which makes it thoroughly addictive.
Obviously there are various things that people criticise, such as the "stamina" bar which only allows you to play a few rounds every few hours (unless you pay up!) but for me, this is what makes the game. It means that I never got bored of it as I undoubtedly would have done if I could sit and play it for hours at a time. It's a game which is best played in very short sessions, which forces you to play in very short sessions, and as such I honestly can't fault it as a piece of "free-to-play" game design. There are numerous ways to earn in-game currency which mean I was never left wanting for that, though the option is of course there to buy it should I want to.
Basically, to sum up, I'm calling Pokémon Shuffle my game of the year. It's one of those rare games which actually benefits from being "free-to-play," rather than being a paid-game - it feels right, it feels as though this is the game it always should have been.
2. The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition ; I didn't know what to expect when I booted this. I knew I was probably going to like it because I absolutely adore logic-puzzles, but I didn't know anything of the nature of the puzzles at all, because all I'd really heard about in regards to The Talos Principle was "the philosophy stuff." I didn't think there'd be much to see there, though, of course it was lauded by gamers but gamers are impressed by absolutely anything a little bit different and so I didn't really read much into it. When I played it, though, I could see why it was getting all the praise it was getting. I don't think a game has ever made me feel so clever and so stupid at the same time - sure I've felt stupid in puzzle games before when I've been stuck, but The Talos Principle made me feel a whole different kind of stupid, and I love it for that.
Of course, even aside from the wonderful and often hilarious writing, the story, there was a puzzle game full of solid and satisfying mechanics which would still have been high up my list.
3. N++ ; My levels of anticipation for N++ were through the roof, I'd been waiting for it for years and years having been a huge fan of N+, and it was literally the reason I bought my PS4 (well, half the reason, Jon Blow is about to provide me with the other half). When I played it, it didn't disappoint. The mechanics were as solid as I remember them being, it felt exactly as I wanted it to. There was tons of content, colours, music, and it was hard as hell. Add to this a huge amount of secrets and other things to discover.
It's a game I will probably never finish, but at the same time that means it's a game I will always be able to come back to knowing that there's something to do, whether that's metanet's work or the community's in the absolutely fantastic editor.
4. Snakebird ; This was a pretty late entry, but very quickly became one of my games of the year. Snakebird is cute. Snakebird is BRUTAL. I had solved a total of five levels the first time I got painfully stuck, and that's the point where most games are still holding your hand!
Where Snakebird is amazing though, is in its puzzle design. There's a very small aspect to puzzles which almost every puzzle game will overlook, but which the best puzzle games will always offer, and that is a false sense of security. Basically, the way Snakebird works is that every time you eat a fruit, your Snakebird extends by one block (you remember "Snake," from your old Nokia phone, right?) and your goal is to eat all the fruit in a level and navigate to the exit. What it does so brilliantly is that it will always make you think like you're on the right path, before all of a sudden you realise that, actually, you've backed yourself into a corner and you have to go back and rethink it. Every time this happens it makes me laugh, because I know that the game has got one up on me, I know that I fell into the trap it had set for me. Then I want nothing more than to beat it, and there's that wonderful feeling of satisfaction when you manage it, because victory feels all the sweeter. SpaceChem does this too, Lup Salad as well. Like I say, it's an aspect that puzzle games will so often overlook, but there's nothing quite like the smile when you know a game has tricked you. It's a sense of humour in the form of a puzzle, and that's why I love Snakebird.
5. Guitar Hero LIVE ; This is a hard one to place. The game itself is a brilliant Guitar Hero game and really freshens up a genre which had become incredibly stale and continues to be so with the likes of Rock Band 4. Guitar Hero LIVE introduces "live" crowds to play to which sounded stupid but when you experience it, it's impossible not to become incredibly involved in the sets you play as you watch the crowds reacting to your song. It's hard to explain how good it feels when you're playing well, but I'm confident that everyone who experiences it will feel it.
Then on the other side of the coin, there's "Guitar Hero TV" mode, which contains hundreds of music videos you remember from back in the day. It's basically a massive nostalgia rush set to fantastic gameplay which feels more like playing a guitar than a plastic peripheral ever has done. When they say it can be easier than ever and harder than ever, they're not lying, the new controller and its two rows of buttons really change up the genre for the better - but at the same time therein lies the problem.
The guitar controller itself is just total shit. It feels cheap, it can be slow to respond, it can miss button presses, and the whole time I wanted to love the game there was a controller in my hands fighting against me. Overall I do still love it, but missed notes that aren't the players fault can be the death of a game like this and it saddens me that the same effort that went into the game did not go into the most important aspect of the package.
6. Rocket League ; I'm not sure I can say anything about this game that someone else won't say better. I got it free on PS+ as many of us no doubt did, and I expected nothing. I only booted it so that I could post on Twitter about how crap it was because I knew it would be crap - I've played "football with cars" games before and they just don't work. Hours later I turned the game off (somehow) and was forced to admit that I was an idiot. Rocket League is the perfect realisation of its genre.
There was a period where suspend/resume on the PS4 made it impossible to play anything else. I'd turn the PS4 on to play something that wasn't Rocket League, but the Rocket League main menu would be sitting right there on my screen - one quick game won't hurt...
7. Big Pharma ; Big Pharma is a pretty brilliant game. Basically it's part puzzle game, part business sim. Your job is to take ingredients, and then create a production line which turns them into a medication for something. At the end of your production line you'll get paid based on the quality of the drug you've made and the side effects it induces. That's the business bit. The business bit is way more complex than that though, because the world outside your factory is constantly evolving. Rival companies might produce a better drug than yours to combat a specific malady and so yours is suddenly not as profitable. Or there might be a particularly harsh winter and if you can get in quick with a decent cold medicine you could make tons of money... but when spring rolls around you'll have a huge production line making a drug no one wants.
There are loads of other elements to the game. You have to research new ingredients as well as new machines to run them through in order to create higher level cures which will earn more money. You have a limited space to work with unless you expand your factory. Everything can be upgraded to become more efficient or cheaper to buy or produce. There's basically a shit ton to manage if you want to be the most profitable pharmaceutical company you can be.
Or maybe you'd rather be a more ethical one? You can remove side-effects from drugs and produce higher quality medication if you want but that could get expensive and if people aren't paying that much more for it well is that headache you're giving them really that bad?
8. Axiom Verge ; Axiom Verge is one of those games where, honestly, there's not a great deal that needs to be said about it. Its inspiration comes from the Metroidvania genre and that's exactly what it is, but with enough interesting twists to elevate it above most in the genre. Chief among these is the Address Disruptor, a gun which, well, disrupts your surroundings. Shoot it at an enemy and they will change form in some way, changing attack pattern or becoming weaker. Shoot it at certain walls and they will disappear. Shoot it in the air and blocks may appear to allow passage to otherwise unreachable heights. The whole game feels as though it's broken, with glitches and graphical effects in plentiful supply, but with the Address Disruptor you see that that's just what you're supposed to think, and the game is suddenly full of possibilities. All your other Metroidvania-esque tropes are there, blocked passages you need to come back to later, a huge map, loads of varied enemies - overall it's just a very, very good example of one of my favourite genres in gaming.
9. Crypt of the NecroDancer ; This is stunning, In essence, it's just a roguelike. You move a space, the enemy moves a space, and your relative positions decide whether or not you'll attack or get attacked. Crypt of the NecroDancer is set to a beat, though, and so rather than moving when you move, enemies move once per beat and you get one action per beat, and staying in time gets you bonuses to the coins you collect.
Basically, it's the genre mash-up I never knew I wanted so badly.
There are tons of enemies, each with different movement patterns and attack patterns and learning how to avoid and then kill each one without missing a beat is key to your survival. There's a few characters, including one (the Bard) who plays more traditionally so enemies just move a space when you move a space - with him the beat is irrelevant. Predictably enough though I find myself mostly moving on the beat anyway because it's really hard not to! That's because the game has an amazing soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky (Super Meat Boy, Binding of Isaac, etc) but if you want, you can just whack any mp3 you want in there. I imagine the results vary depending on your song of choice but I played a stage to The Bay by Metronomy and it was fucking perfect. Enemies, items, traps, power-ups, and some stuff is persistent throughout playthroughs so there's a pleasant grind there too, though it's not too overbearing. Can't wait to play this more on PS4, even if it lacks mp3 support.
10. Box Boy! ; Sneaking in at number ten is another puzzle game, 2015 was pretty good for the ol' puzzle it seems! This one is as minimalist as they come (in a way). You play as a small white box, and can for some reason generate boxes out of your body, using these to navigate pitfalls, pass tiny passages, climb cliffs, and overcome various other obstacles as you try to reach the exit to each level. It's not particularly hard, really, and all the time I wished the criteria for bonus items was more harsh - you collect crowns by collecting them before you've generated a certain amount of boxes, however you have so many extra boxes to play with that it never feels like a challenge - they should really require you to reach them in the absolute minimum possible to really make you think about playing efficiently.
Still, there are enough times that you'll need to stop and think that it's not really a cake-walk either. It's a nice light-hearted break between SpaceChem sessions, and news of a sequel is welcomed.
Honourable Mentions:
x. Super Meat Boy ; I love this and am thankful for the PS4 release, but it didn't seem right to vote for it because I would really be voting for the time I spent playing it on Xbox 360. The music is inferior too, but it doesn't affect the quality of the game a great deal really, it's still amazing.
x. Infinifactory ; It took all the amazing stuff from SpaceChem and made it ever so slightly less playable, but this still makes it better than almost every puzzle game that there has ever been.
x. TIS-100 ; For the same reasons as Infinifactory!
x. Nintendo Badge Arcade ; If Pokémon Shuffle is free-to-play done right, Nintendo Badge Arcade is how you do it very wrong. In spite of this, it has the single most charming, most well written character fronting it that Nintendo have ever created, and that's quite an achievement.
x. Neko Atsume ; Probably the most stress-free game I've ever played - I can barely call it a game in fact, but as a game with no fail-condition it's always a joy to check in and smile.
x. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture ; For being a terrible, terrible game, but a wonderful, wonderful romp through rural England in what feels like the 1980s. I didn't enjoy it, but it felt like home.
x. Pokémon Picross ; Yet another free-to-play effort from Nintendo, this one is predictably enough a game full of Pokémon themed nonograms. It plays nice, and can be completed for free if you have the time, which is always a sign of a good free-to-play thing - it really will take time, and it gets criticism for that, but the option also exists to buy the game outright and remove all timers, etc, and this makes the game accessible to all, however they choose to play.
1. Bloodborne ; what else ? Great gameplay, great atmosphere, it's was a blast to play all year round from the launch in march to the last extension release at the end of the year.
2. The Witcher 3 ; Close runner up, but the gameplay really isn't that stellar. Everything else though... Never have I seen a world that coherent, that alive, that immersive. And I believe - or rather hope - that there will be a before and an after this game in terms of quest writing.
3. Metal Gear Solid V ; Could have been easily number 1 if the damn game had an ending... As it is, it just is the best TPS/infiltration game I ever had the pleasure to play. The bad thing is that every other TPS feels odd to control now that I have tasted that... Always a pleasure to try and retry missions with new tactics and moves. Just a shame we never got Chapter 3 or a true Chapter 2 for that matter.
4. SOMA ; A true masterpiece in writing, one of the best SF experience I had in years, all forms of art included. Not a fan of the few hide & escape sequences, but the theme, and the way it's tackled throughout the game is truly brilliant, and truthfully mindblowing.
5. Rocket League ; Not a fan of soccer, not a fan of driving, not a fan of multiplayer games... But damn, that combination is a match made in heaven. With a spark of randomness, a bit of skill, and a huge chunk of fun. And you can couch play that thing too !
And really nothing comes close to those in my mind. Fallout 4 was truly underwhelming for me, Life is Strange and Undertale, while good, did not live up to the expectations I had for them post-hype, and I never could get into Splatoon myself.
I should also mention Divinity Original Sin, but I am just in the process of playing that, and don't think it fair to include it while still barely a few hours in. Given what I have seen so far, it should deserve a spot high up there, but that will be for another time.
2. The Witcher 3 ; Close runner up, but the gameplay really isn't that stellar. Everything else though... Never have I seen a world that coherent, that alive, that immersive. And I believe - or rather hope - that there will be a before and an after this game in terms of quest writing.
3. Metal Gear Solid V ; Could have been easily number 1 if the damn game had an ending... As it is, it just is the best TPS/infiltration game I ever had the pleasure to play. The bad thing is that every other TPS feels odd to control now that I have tasted that... Always a pleasure to try and retry missions with new tactics and moves. Just a shame we never got Chapter 3 or a true Chapter 2 for that matter.
4. SOMA ; A true masterpiece in writing, one of the best SF experience I had in years, all forms of art included. Not a fan of the few hide & escape sequences, but the theme, and the way it's tackled throughout the game is truly brilliant, and truthfully mindblowing.
5. Rocket League ; Not a fan of soccer, not a fan of driving, not a fan of multiplayer games... But damn, that combination is a match made in heaven. With a spark of randomness, a bit of skill, and a huge chunk of fun. And you can couch play that thing too !
And really nothing comes close to those in my mind. Fallout 4 was truly underwhelming for me, Life is Strange and Undertale, while good, did not live up to the expectations I had for them post-hype, and I never could get into Splatoon myself.
I should also mention Divinity Original Sin, but I am just in the process of playing that, and don't think it fair to include it while still barely a few hours in. Given what I have seen so far, it should deserve a spot high up there, but that will be for another time.
phoenix296
Member
Last minute ballot. Time for few sentence overviews.
1. Bloodborne ; I probably spent the most time on this game this year. Combat is superb and the setting/atmosphere is probably the most disturbing thing I've seen out of a game.
2. Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void ; Best RTS campaign we'll get in a long time. Multiplayer is still fun too! Shame about the story and writing.
3. Splatoon ; The most innovative shooter I've played in a long time with some of the most unique weapons. Loved the gyroscope aiming and I hope it becomes a main stay (it won't), Only thing I dislike about the game and that's keeping me from coming back more often is the map rotation system.
4. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; Haven't finished this but I've liked what I've played of it. The combat isn't the most compelling but Mira is probably the most interesting game I've explored this year with the exception of Bloodborne.
5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I put a lot of hours into this. More than I would have liked too. Great core gameplay/combat but every system surrounding it (motherbase, real time weapons research, FOBs/insurance) was awful.
6. Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer ; Not as compelling as the Animal Crossing main series but it's still fun to design houses.
7. Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX ; Cuteness overload.
8. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Didn't finish this either. The Baron's story was great but I honestly can't remember the rest of it. ¯\_(ツ_/¯
9. Super Mario Maker ; As a budding game designer it was fun attempting to create compelling levels. I only wish the unlock system was faster.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; I feel silly putting this here but it's completely deserving of 10th spot despite being a 16 year old game.
1. Bloodborne ; I probably spent the most time on this game this year. Combat is superb and the setting/atmosphere is probably the most disturbing thing I've seen out of a game.
2. Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void ; Best RTS campaign we'll get in a long time. Multiplayer is still fun too! Shame about the story and writing.
3. Splatoon ; The most innovative shooter I've played in a long time with some of the most unique weapons. Loved the gyroscope aiming and I hope it becomes a main stay (it won't), Only thing I dislike about the game and that's keeping me from coming back more often is the map rotation system.
4. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; Haven't finished this but I've liked what I've played of it. The combat isn't the most compelling but Mira is probably the most interesting game I've explored this year with the exception of Bloodborne.
5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I put a lot of hours into this. More than I would have liked too. Great core gameplay/combat but every system surrounding it (motherbase, real time weapons research, FOBs/insurance) was awful.
6. Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer ; Not as compelling as the Animal Crossing main series but it's still fun to design houses.
7. Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX ; Cuteness overload.
8. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Didn't finish this either. The Baron's story was great but I honestly can't remember the rest of it. ¯\_(ツ
_/¯9. Super Mario Maker ; As a budding game designer it was fun attempting to create compelling levels. I only wish the unlock system was faster.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; I feel silly putting this here but it's completely deserving of 10th spot despite being a 16 year old game.
1. Undertale ; One of the best RPGs I've played in years and my favorite game of the year. The writing is hilarious, the story and the characters are amazing and overall it's just a fantastic game
2. Tales from the Borderlands ; This was the surprise of the year for me. I didn't like some of the recent Telltale games and I didn't care much for Borderlands, In the end, I got to play it and man, what a great decision. It has a great cast of characters, it's funny and clever and it has probably the best QTE ever.
3. Splatoon ; I admit that Splatoon isn't perfect. It's Nintendo's first online shooter and it kinda shows. But honestly, I can forgive all the problems because the game is just so damn fun. I've played this game for hours and I've ner got bored. This game is definitevely fresh.
4 .Life is Strange : Great game that it grabbed me from the start. I admit that Chloe brought the game a bit down for me,
5. SteinsGate ; Another great game, even if the first 4 chapters are a bit slow.
2. Tales from the Borderlands ; This was the surprise of the year for me. I didn't like some of the recent Telltale games and I didn't care much for Borderlands, In the end, I got to play it and man, what a great decision. It has a great cast of characters, it's funny and clever and it has probably the best QTE ever.
3. Splatoon ; I admit that Splatoon isn't perfect. It's Nintendo's first online shooter and it kinda shows. But honestly, I can forgive all the problems because the game is just so damn fun. I've played this game for hours and I've ner got bored. This game is definitevely fresh.
4 .Life is Strange : Great game that it grabbed me from the start. I admit that Chloe brought the game a bit down for me,
5. SteinsGate ; Another great game, even if the first 4 chapters are a bit slow.
Check your formatting. You need to have semicolon after game title and comments need to start on the same line. Also Steins;Gate is special and you need to write it as SteinsGate.
RespectThySole
Member
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=190020983&postcount=31
Updated my post, if anyone cares to read.
Updated my post, if anyone cares to read.
ZettaiSeigi
Member
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Easily my favorite game of the year. Considering that it's the first game in the series that I ever played, I'm amazed that I didn't feel so alienated with everything that was going on. The world was so immersive and the story gripped me from the very beginning. I don't really play a lot of open-world games due to lack of time but this one made me disregard that fact and I'm glad that I put as much time as I did in playing this game.
2. Bloodborne ; What about this game hasn't been said yet? It missed the top spot by a very slim margin but it's also among the best games of the year for me. The gameplay is incredible and the monsters are just so interesting.
3. Until Dawn ; This is the game that made QTEs acceptable for me. I like the butterfly effect mechanic and the effect of some choices are not as obvious as they might seem. I hope that Supermassive Games get to make a sequel that improve on what this game has already started.
4. Helldivers ; I had a lot of fun playing this game at the beginning of 2015. I tend to play online games with people I already know but I found myself playing this game with random folks and still having tons of fun. I still remember playing with some folks from GAF and getting so nervous because I don't see myself as a very skilled player, but I didn't feel like that playing with them at all. Kudos on you, guys. You know who you are.
5. Everybody's Gone To The Rapture ; This one took me by surprise. I'll admit that I bought it because I liked the graphics and it was discounted upon release, but I found the story to be really engrossing. I didn't really mind the slow walking speed because it gave me time to process the bits of information that I was presented with while exploring Shropshire.
6. Tales From The Borderlands ; I bought this after reading a lot of recommendations from folks here at GAF, and I'm so glad I did. I had fun playing this game from the first episode to the last. Which brings me to the next game on my list...
7. Life Is Strange ; I would have placed this game higher on my list but I honestly found the last episode to be quite lacking as opposed to the earlier ones. I didn't really mind that the game looks rough and had framerate issues but the ending just left too many questions unanswered. No, I don't need constant exposition, but I don't think anybody would figure out how Max got her power of manipulating time and how that tornado was related to her. But anyway, it's still a fun game to play and I also liked the fact that the consequences of some choices are not easily seen.
8. Rocket League ; Football with cars. Lots of fun to play with friends.
9. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I was expecting this game to rank higher before playing it but there's something about it that just didn't sit so well with me. I don't know if it's the ending or the new open-world nature of the game, but it just didn't feel like an MGS game to me.
10. The Order: 1886 ; Amazing visuals marred by disappointing gameplay. It would have made a fantastic prologue to a very interesting series but I don't think that's going to happen with how the game was received critically and commercially. I still hope that Sony will give it another chance in the future though.
2. Bloodborne ; What about this game hasn't been said yet? It missed the top spot by a very slim margin but it's also among the best games of the year for me. The gameplay is incredible and the monsters are just so interesting.
3. Until Dawn ; This is the game that made QTEs acceptable for me. I like the butterfly effect mechanic and the effect of some choices are not as obvious as they might seem. I hope that Supermassive Games get to make a sequel that improve on what this game has already started.
4. Helldivers ; I had a lot of fun playing this game at the beginning of 2015. I tend to play online games with people I already know but I found myself playing this game with random folks and still having tons of fun. I still remember playing with some folks from GAF and getting so nervous because I don't see myself as a very skilled player, but I didn't feel like that playing with them at all. Kudos on you, guys. You know who you are.
5. Everybody's Gone To The Rapture ; This one took me by surprise. I'll admit that I bought it because I liked the graphics and it was discounted upon release, but I found the story to be really engrossing. I didn't really mind the slow walking speed because it gave me time to process the bits of information that I was presented with while exploring Shropshire.
6. Tales From The Borderlands ; I bought this after reading a lot of recommendations from folks here at GAF, and I'm so glad I did. I had fun playing this game from the first episode to the last. Which brings me to the next game on my list...
7. Life Is Strange ; I would have placed this game higher on my list but I honestly found the last episode to be quite lacking as opposed to the earlier ones. I didn't really mind that the game looks rough and had framerate issues but the ending just left too many questions unanswered. No, I don't need constant exposition, but I don't think anybody would figure out how Max got her power of manipulating time and how that tornado was related to her. But anyway, it's still a fun game to play and I also liked the fact that the consequences of some choices are not easily seen.
8. Rocket League ; Football with cars. Lots of fun to play with friends.
9. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I was expecting this game to rank higher before playing it but there's something about it that just didn't sit so well with me. I don't know if it's the ending or the new open-world nature of the game, but it just didn't feel like an MGS game to me.
10. The Order: 1886 ; Amazing visuals marred by disappointing gameplay. It would have made a fantastic prologue to a very interesting series but I don't think that's going to happen with how the game was received critically and commercially. I still hope that Sony will give it another chance in the future though.
Palette Swap
Member
1. The Witcher 3 ; it's hard to not be superlative when discussing the game, and at this point everything has been said, but rarely have I seen a game that is so greater than the sum of its (very good) parts. Every aspect works in unison with the others to bring to life this expansive yet detailed, organic world. Even if this universe offers a rich backdrop that conditions how every character thinks, feels or acts, at the end of the day it's still all about the characters, with the game managing to juggle end of the world stakes and very mundane day to day stories, while keeping me engrossed all the way. To put it differently, after 100 hours I was still enjoying it a lot, and I had this all too rare worry at the back of my mind that it was going to end at some point, and that I didn't know when or if I'd experience such an engrossing game again. Months later, the dust has settled, and I still view the game as a complete masterpiece that could only have been achieved on this particular medium.
2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC ; After a grueling wait for its localization, and a heartbreaking cliffhanger at the end of FC, I honestly expected this game to not match my expectations. Boy was I wrong. Some chapters are a bit slower paced, but overall, it's an incredible JRPG that works well on so many levels. Yes, it's a throwback to all these great PC Engine/SNES/PS1 era JRPGs. Yes, it's part of the very ambitious Trails series, with already seven games sharing a common universe. Yes, it finally brings closure to the story FC began. But beyond that, it's a fantastic JRPG with a lot of heart that takes its time to tell the story of its heroine and her journey. It's a genuine pleasure to see that myriad of familiar faces again, to see a lot more character development than in FC, and to start measuring how far this world stretches. It's weird to compare the two, but I honestly think a lot of the things that resonated with me in this game did it for the reason Witcher did. It's probably not for everyone, but I expect that now and then, we'll see people ask "why did no one tell me about this series?"
3. The Talos Principle ; I love puzzle games, and this one was really great. It struck this perfect middle between Portal's elegant minimalism and Zachtronic's system engineering puzzles (I love both). Great atmosphere too. The expansion deserves a special mention as it takes everything the main game does right and takes it a step further.
4. Bloodborne ; I love Souls games, and this was an interesting step in a slightly different direction. Visually, it's probably my favorite of all four games, and I loved the different, more focused, gameplay paradigm. I wouldn't want every Souls game to be like that, and they really botched the online part, but this was a great experience, which I'm glad even exists.
5. Metal Gear Solid V ; From a gameplay standpoint, this proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Kojima is a genius, it's really everything one could hope for. It's such a shame the rest doesn't follow. There are some great story beats and character moments, but the overall game feels very disjointed. It's still overall a remarkable achievement, a phenomenal game I spent more than 100 hours enjoying tremendously, but I'll always regret this wasn't unambiguously great, like MGS3 was for me.
6. SteinsGate ; I had missed having a captivating VN or adventure game that will blow your mind every now and then. This was it.
7. Until Dawn ; I finally know what a good story oriented game with the production values of a Cage game would look like. The fact it's a love letter to the whole horror genre helps a lot.
8. Life is Strange ; A great take on the Telltale formula, with memorable characters.
9. Resident Evil Revelations 2 ; I didn't expect much from this low profile episodic take on RE, but it ended up providing an interesting evolution of the modern RE formula. I really hope the next mainline game keeps spinning off from that unexpected great game.
10. Starcraft II Legacy of the Void ; the RTS genre has lost a lot of clout over the last few years, and SCII never really met the very high expectations we all had after Brood War, but Blizzard has shown again they can craft incredibly solid games. I didn't love the story, it was mostly serviceable, but I did love the campaign from a gameplay perspective.
Yeah, I just realized I hadn't voted, after postponing it so much. I really wanted to play SC before voting, and afterwards, I had to let it sink in.
I thought 2015 was a great year, as any of the first 5 games of that list could have topped a lot of past years.
2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC ; After a grueling wait for its localization, and a heartbreaking cliffhanger at the end of FC, I honestly expected this game to not match my expectations. Boy was I wrong. Some chapters are a bit slower paced, but overall, it's an incredible JRPG that works well on so many levels. Yes, it's a throwback to all these great PC Engine/SNES/PS1 era JRPGs. Yes, it's part of the very ambitious Trails series, with already seven games sharing a common universe. Yes, it finally brings closure to the story FC began. But beyond that, it's a fantastic JRPG with a lot of heart that takes its time to tell the story of its heroine and her journey. It's a genuine pleasure to see that myriad of familiar faces again, to see a lot more character development than in FC, and to start measuring how far this world stretches. It's weird to compare the two, but I honestly think a lot of the things that resonated with me in this game did it for the reason Witcher did. It's probably not for everyone, but I expect that now and then, we'll see people ask "why did no one tell me about this series?"
3. The Talos Principle ; I love puzzle games, and this one was really great. It struck this perfect middle between Portal's elegant minimalism and Zachtronic's system engineering puzzles (I love both). Great atmosphere too. The expansion deserves a special mention as it takes everything the main game does right and takes it a step further.
4. Bloodborne ; I love Souls games, and this was an interesting step in a slightly different direction. Visually, it's probably my favorite of all four games, and I loved the different, more focused, gameplay paradigm. I wouldn't want every Souls game to be like that, and they really botched the online part, but this was a great experience, which I'm glad even exists.
5. Metal Gear Solid V ; From a gameplay standpoint, this proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Kojima is a genius, it's really everything one could hope for. It's such a shame the rest doesn't follow. There are some great story beats and character moments, but the overall game feels very disjointed. It's still overall a remarkable achievement, a phenomenal game I spent more than 100 hours enjoying tremendously, but I'll always regret this wasn't unambiguously great, like MGS3 was for me.
6. SteinsGate ; I had missed having a captivating VN or adventure game that will blow your mind every now and then. This was it.
7. Until Dawn ; I finally know what a good story oriented game with the production values of a Cage game would look like. The fact it's a love letter to the whole horror genre helps a lot.
8. Life is Strange ; A great take on the Telltale formula, with memorable characters.
9. Resident Evil Revelations 2 ; I didn't expect much from this low profile episodic take on RE, but it ended up providing an interesting evolution of the modern RE formula. I really hope the next mainline game keeps spinning off from that unexpected great game.
10. Starcraft II Legacy of the Void ; the RTS genre has lost a lot of clout over the last few years, and SCII never really met the very high expectations we all had after Brood War, but Blizzard has shown again they can craft incredibly solid games. I didn't love the story, it was mostly serviceable, but I did love the campaign from a gameplay perspective.
Yeah, I just realized I hadn't voted, after postponing it so much. I really wanted to play SC before voting, and afterwards, I had to let it sink in.
I thought 2015 was a great year, as any of the first 5 games of that list could have topped a lot of past years.
A bit late to the thread with this: it's been a hectic start to 2016! As always, I look forward to remembering the great games that should be on this list after I have submitted this list. I can then look at this list with remorse.
Nonetheless, here's what springs to mind for games I had good times with this past year:
1. Crypt of The Necrodancer ; THAT. SOUNDTRACK.
2. Cities: Skylines ; Loved it all, warts and all. If anything, the warts made it an even more enjoyable experience.
3. Rebel Galaxy ; THAT. SOUNDTRACK.
4. Tales from the Borderlands ; Telltale's third best outing (Wolf Among Us still their best) - gosh I had a good time being an awful person in this.
5. Undertale ;
6. The Order: 1886 ; Fuck the haters, I had a wonderful time. If anything, it overstayed its welcome, but man, played at 120" on a PJ this was a real treat.
7. DiRt Rally ; Best rally game since WRC3 on PS2.
8. Pillars of Eternity ; My god I had a good time in here. Can't believe this was 2015, feels like a lifetime ago I sunk hours into it.
9. Until Dawn ; I love David Cage games, and this is a greater-than-David Cage game. A real looker, too.
10. Mortal Kombat X ; So much dumb fun in one package. And another game that looks sensational.
Honorable Mentions
x. Bloodborne ; I picked up a PS4 for this game as I said I would from the get-go. What a bummer it was. My least favourite of the Souls series.
x. Nuclear Throne ; Vlambeer you beautiful bastards. The one game I feel guilty about leaving out of the top ten.
x. The Beginner's Guide ; *wink wink*
x. Galak-Z: The Dimensional ; Along with Cryptark and other titles mentioned above, it was a fine year for space games.
x. Life is Strange ; Oh how I wish I had finished this in 2015.
x. Star Wars: Battlefront ; everything I want in an online shooter these days. Stuff-all perks, bugger-all out-of-match abilities. Just running and gunning.
x. Rocket League ; best $0 I ever spent.
Only game I didn't play this year I regret missing out on was MGS:V. It's real cheap on Steam, but I think I want to play an offline, vanilla off-the-disc edition on PS4 (even though disc-ownership can bite me, I'll make an exception in this case). So it'll have to be on my "2016's 2015 GOTY list".
Nonetheless, here's what springs to mind for games I had good times with this past year:
1. Crypt of The Necrodancer ; THAT. SOUNDTRACK.
2. Cities: Skylines ; Loved it all, warts and all. If anything, the warts made it an even more enjoyable experience.
3. Rebel Galaxy ; THAT. SOUNDTRACK.
4. Tales from the Borderlands ; Telltale's third best outing (Wolf Among Us still their best) - gosh I had a good time being an awful person in this.
5. Undertale ;
6. The Order: 1886 ; Fuck the haters, I had a wonderful time. If anything, it overstayed its welcome, but man, played at 120" on a PJ this was a real treat.
7. DiRt Rally ; Best rally game since WRC3 on PS2.
8. Pillars of Eternity ; My god I had a good time in here. Can't believe this was 2015, feels like a lifetime ago I sunk hours into it.
9. Until Dawn ; I love David Cage games, and this is a greater-than-David Cage game. A real looker, too.
10. Mortal Kombat X ; So much dumb fun in one package. And another game that looks sensational.
Honorable Mentions
x. Bloodborne ; I picked up a PS4 for this game as I said I would from the get-go. What a bummer it was. My least favourite of the Souls series.
x. Nuclear Throne ; Vlambeer you beautiful bastards. The one game I feel guilty about leaving out of the top ten.
x. The Beginner's Guide ; *wink wink*
x. Galak-Z: The Dimensional ; Along with Cryptark and other titles mentioned above, it was a fine year for space games.
x. Life is Strange ; Oh how I wish I had finished this in 2015.
x. Star Wars: Battlefront ; everything I want in an online shooter these days. Stuff-all perks, bugger-all out-of-match abilities. Just running and gunning.
x. Rocket League ; best $0 I ever spent.
Only game I didn't play this year I regret missing out on was MGS:V. It's real cheap on Steam, but I think I want to play an offline, vanilla off-the-disc edition on PS4 (even though disc-ownership can bite me, I'll make an exception in this case). So it'll have to be on my "2016's 2015 GOTY list".
1. Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter ; Bar none the most memorable game experience I will have had in 2015. It's not perfect, but the highs are so high that you can look past some flaws. These games can be a bit long-winded, but even the most mundane dialogue is usually quite well written and the writing is even stronger when it really matters. One of the highest points of this game is how you remember even some very minor NPCs who don't necessarily get more than a line or a few in the game. I remember completely inconsequential NPCs that have no relation to the main plot I've last seen in my playthrough of the first game, what, 4 or 5 years ago. Still, Trails in the Sky SC offers plenty of relatable characters, great world-building and continuation to the story began in First Chapter that doesn't let go once it kicks into high gear.
If these Trails games are to be Falcom's magnum opus, then I'm not afraid to say that this might become to JRPGs what A Song of Ice & Fire will be for fantasy literature (if it's ever finished). Just such an gargantuan effort that one can't even start to imagine how it was possible.
Oh, and Estelle & Joshua are probably one of the best written romances in gaming. It starts off a bit trope-y & cliched teenager drama-ish, but it develops into something that puts most other JRPGs and even WRPGs to shame. Rarely are teenage romances handled this well in any form of storytelling.
2. Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel ; Much of what can be said of Trails in the Sky applies to Cold Steel as well. The world-building these games have is insane and as usually, the story starts off real slow (especially as this is a first part again), but once shit starts hitting the fan it's all that much more worth all the build up & anticipation.The cast starts off a bit more trope-ish than Second Chapter's and because of the main, MAIN cast being larger than two people, they don't all quite get the same amount of (meaningful) screentime, but all in all Cold Steel continues the Trails games' relateable, grounded & nicely subtle character development of previous games. The world-building is again top-notch and while the story takes its time getting going for realziez, it does start pushing some bigger-picture intrique into the spotlight quite early on. Doesn't quite reach the HOLY MOLY levels of insanity until really late into the game, but it's all oh so worth it. Trails of Cold Steel has a lot of quality of live improvements (dungeon map, skip battle animations, quick travel, hitting enemies on the map etc.) that it's more enjoyable to play, though the overall experience of Second Chapter reigns supreme since it's an awesome conclusion to the story it has been telling while Cold Steel is just another beginning.
3. Life is Strange ; Small town drama done really well. The dialogue does leave room for improvement, but it didn't get distractingly bad for me. At times it was a bit cringe-worthy, but then again a lot of the time listening to teenagers talk in real life IS cringe-worthy, even if Life is Strange isn't completely accurate in capturing it exactly as it is in real life. Anyhoo, Life is Strange has a good cast of characters & a decent mystery to boot with lots of nice twists & turns in the story, it was an emotional rollercoaster throughout.
I liked how my decisions had some real impact. The fact that it comes down to a decision between two choices in the end doesn't bother me at all. The story reasons for it are good enough that I can roll with it, especially considering what the choices & consequences are.
4. Tales from the Borderlands ; Belongs in the top 3 Telltale games. Really liked the humor. They took Borderlands' brand of humor and really made it their own. The story develops in all kinds of fun ways and this is one of Telltale's games where I felt like some of my decisions had actually mattered. And the cast of characters is really good. Special <3 for both of the robot ones.
5. Her Story ; Probably one of the more innovative gaming experiences in the last few years. The only thing I'd criticize about it is the UI. I don't mind some of the limitations of the search system (like only seeing 5 results at most, that's actually a pretty good design choice), but the UI itself is a bit too clumsy for my liking. I'd like it if arranging the clips was a bit easier & less painful. Still, all in all this was a masterfully crafted experience.
6. Amplitude ; It's good to have one of the biggest parts of my teenage gaming life back. While the songlist could be a bit more diverse, the songs aren't bad on average. With only a single song that I don't like at all, it's actually a really good list of songs, even if I'd have preferred more rock, jazzy stuff & other stuff a bit more. All in all this shit is still so addictive. Yet more proof that Kickstarter/crowd-funding is one of the greatest things to happen to gaming in a long while.
7. Rocket League ; I personally don't care too much for the kind of obsessive multiplayer gaming where people devote months or years (decades?) towards a single game. I'd much rather experience as many games as possible, enjoying all the possibilities that gaming has to offer than be stuck to a single game for too long. If there is one multiplayer game in recent years that I could almost see myself playing that obsessively, it's Rocket League. Such a superbly unique idea executed to perfection. With its emphasis on team work, skill, craziness and some luck, this game offers some of the best fun multiplayer gaming has to offer.
8. Transformers Devastation ; It's a Platinum action game, it's pretty great. Not Bayonetta caliber insanity and there are a couple of questionable design decisions, but their B game is still about ten times better than most developers' A(AA) game.
9. Pillars of Eternity ; I'm just going to come out with it and say that I do not like RTWP. I much prefer well done turn-based stuff, at least when it comes to cRPGs. Still, Pillars of Eternity is easily last year's best western RPG, which is saying a lot of the quality of the whole package.
10. Yoshi's Woolly World ; Nowadays Nintendo's platformers are a bit of a social thing for me. Turns out adding a multiplayer to platformers is the best thing ever. And as I've found a friend who is as passionate about Nintendo platformers as I am and we are about equally skilled in playing them (neither of us is the best platformer player ever, but we do pretty good), this modern practice of theirs to add multiplayer into traditionally single player franchises has worked out really well for me. After being sorely disappointed by Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze's multiplayer (the game is awesome as a single player, sucks total ass as a multiplayer), this was so much more fun. It's a bit on the easy side for the most part, but it's not a total cakewalk, especially since the other player is often the worst enemy for the other player. Some inventive levels, some really challenging levels & tons of audiovisual cuteness means this is the second best Yoshi game around, after years of more or less disappointing mediocrity.
If these Trails games are to be Falcom's magnum opus, then I'm not afraid to say that this might become to JRPGs what A Song of Ice & Fire will be for fantasy literature (if it's ever finished). Just such an gargantuan effort that one can't even start to imagine how it was possible.
Oh, and Estelle & Joshua are probably one of the best written romances in gaming. It starts off a bit trope-y & cliched teenager drama-ish, but it develops into something that puts most other JRPGs and even WRPGs to shame. Rarely are teenage romances handled this well in any form of storytelling.
2. Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel ; Much of what can be said of Trails in the Sky applies to Cold Steel as well. The world-building these games have is insane and as usually, the story starts off real slow (especially as this is a first part again), but once shit starts hitting the fan it's all that much more worth all the build up & anticipation.The cast starts off a bit more trope-ish than Second Chapter's and because of the main, MAIN cast being larger than two people, they don't all quite get the same amount of (meaningful) screentime, but all in all Cold Steel continues the Trails games' relateable, grounded & nicely subtle character development of previous games. The world-building is again top-notch and while the story takes its time getting going for realziez, it does start pushing some bigger-picture intrique into the spotlight quite early on. Doesn't quite reach the HOLY MOLY levels of insanity until really late into the game, but it's all oh so worth it. Trails of Cold Steel has a lot of quality of live improvements (dungeon map, skip battle animations, quick travel, hitting enemies on the map etc.) that it's more enjoyable to play, though the overall experience of Second Chapter reigns supreme since it's an awesome conclusion to the story it has been telling while Cold Steel is just another beginning.
3. Life is Strange ; Small town drama done really well. The dialogue does leave room for improvement, but it didn't get distractingly bad for me. At times it was a bit cringe-worthy, but then again a lot of the time listening to teenagers talk in real life IS cringe-worthy, even if Life is Strange isn't completely accurate in capturing it exactly as it is in real life. Anyhoo, Life is Strange has a good cast of characters & a decent mystery to boot with lots of nice twists & turns in the story, it was an emotional rollercoaster throughout.
I liked how my decisions had some real impact. The fact that it comes down to a decision between two choices in the end doesn't bother me at all. The story reasons for it are good enough that I can roll with it, especially considering what the choices & consequences are.
4. Tales from the Borderlands ; Belongs in the top 3 Telltale games. Really liked the humor. They took Borderlands' brand of humor and really made it their own. The story develops in all kinds of fun ways and this is one of Telltale's games where I felt like some of my decisions had actually mattered. And the cast of characters is really good. Special <3 for both of the robot ones.
5. Her Story ; Probably one of the more innovative gaming experiences in the last few years. The only thing I'd criticize about it is the UI. I don't mind some of the limitations of the search system (like only seeing 5 results at most, that's actually a pretty good design choice), but the UI itself is a bit too clumsy for my liking. I'd like it if arranging the clips was a bit easier & less painful. Still, all in all this was a masterfully crafted experience.
6. Amplitude ; It's good to have one of the biggest parts of my teenage gaming life back. While the songlist could be a bit more diverse, the songs aren't bad on average. With only a single song that I don't like at all, it's actually a really good list of songs, even if I'd have preferred more rock, jazzy stuff & other stuff a bit more. All in all this shit is still so addictive. Yet more proof that Kickstarter/crowd-funding is one of the greatest things to happen to gaming in a long while.
7. Rocket League ; I personally don't care too much for the kind of obsessive multiplayer gaming where people devote months or years (decades?) towards a single game. I'd much rather experience as many games as possible, enjoying all the possibilities that gaming has to offer than be stuck to a single game for too long. If there is one multiplayer game in recent years that I could almost see myself playing that obsessively, it's Rocket League. Such a superbly unique idea executed to perfection. With its emphasis on team work, skill, craziness and some luck, this game offers some of the best fun multiplayer gaming has to offer.
8. Transformers Devastation ; It's a Platinum action game, it's pretty great. Not Bayonetta caliber insanity and there are a couple of questionable design decisions, but their B game is still about ten times better than most developers' A(AA) game.
9. Pillars of Eternity ; I'm just going to come out with it and say that I do not like RTWP. I much prefer well done turn-based stuff, at least when it comes to cRPGs. Still, Pillars of Eternity is easily last year's best western RPG, which is saying a lot of the quality of the whole package.
10. Yoshi's Woolly World ; Nowadays Nintendo's platformers are a bit of a social thing for me. Turns out adding a multiplayer to platformers is the best thing ever. And as I've found a friend who is as passionate about Nintendo platformers as I am and we are about equally skilled in playing them (neither of us is the best platformer player ever, but we do pretty good), this modern practice of theirs to add multiplayer into traditionally single player franchises has worked out really well for me. After being sorely disappointed by Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze's multiplayer (the game is awesome as a single player, sucks total ass as a multiplayer), this was so much more fun. It's a bit on the easy side for the most part, but it's not a total cakewalk, especially since the other player is often the worst enemy for the other player. Some inventive levels, some really challenging levels & tons of audiovisual cuteness means this is the second best Yoshi game around, after years of more or less disappointing mediocrity.
Messofanego
Banned
You're welcome
kuroneko0509
Member
Lazy mode for voting this year, so won't comment much on each games. Besides, I spend last year trying to clear my backlog so not much 2015 games that I end up playing at least more than 30 minutes
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; Exploring Mira makes me wish that world is real.
2. Splatoon ; Legitly enjoyed playing this game. Even though I'm not that active playing it (still level 20 or so) and haven't even manage to finish the single player mode yet, I'm not regretting all the time spent on this game.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; something something about best 3d zelda game :3
4. Nintendo Badge Arcade ; This thing allows me to customize my 3DS home menus!
5. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 - Break Record ; Playing this just for Durarara!! crossovers... not really.
6. Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector ; Stress max - > launch neko atsume -> stress gone
7. Pokémon Picross ; I'm ashamed that I never play picross or nonograms or whatever it is called before this. Quite enjoying myself with the puzzles and thanks to this game, I end up 'addicted' with picross and playing some random ones from the internet.
8. Rodea the Sky Soldier ; If anyone wanted to try this game, don't play 3DS/Wii U version. Play the Wii version instead!
9. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; Not to say that I'm totally disappointed with the expansion, but some decision that the team made lately makes me not as excited like during A Realm Reborn. With that said, the story is still good, the music is still top notch.
10. Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 1 ; Wanted to try the series for quite a while, and finally pulled the trigger thanks to one of the Steam sales lol. Really enjoy all the parodies and reference to the real stuff in the game.
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; Exploring Mira makes me wish that world is real.
2. Splatoon ; Legitly enjoyed playing this game. Even though I'm not that active playing it (still level 20 or so) and haven't even manage to finish the single player mode yet, I'm not regretting all the time spent on this game.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; something something about best 3d zelda game :3
hey i'm on lazy mode this year!
5. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 - Break Record ; Playing this just for Durarara!! crossovers... not really.
6. Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector ; Stress max - > launch neko atsume -> stress gone
7. Pokémon Picross ; I'm ashamed that I never play picross or nonograms or whatever it is called before this. Quite enjoying myself with the puzzles and thanks to this game, I end up 'addicted' with picross and playing some random ones from the internet.
8. Rodea the Sky Soldier ; If anyone wanted to try this game, don't play 3DS/Wii U version. Play the Wii version instead!
9. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; Not to say that I'm totally disappointed with the expansion, but some decision that the team made lately makes me not as excited like during A Realm Reborn. With that said, the story is still good, the music is still top notch.
10. Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 1 ; Wanted to try the series for quite a while, and finally pulled the trigger thanks to one of the Steam sales lol. Really enjoy all the parodies and reference to the real stuff in the game.
Chalupa Batman
Member
1. Dying Light ; The biggest surprise of the year, even a year after release. I'm not a fan of zombie/horror games or movies--I actively avoid them--so the only reason I picked this up was because of the infamous GameStop glitch. And boy am I glad I did. It was a blast to play from start to finish, giving me serious Mirror's Edge vibes throughout. It's an incredible value as well, as I spent more than 65 hours on the base game and the subsequent DLC has added at least 30, with another huge DLC pack to come. In a time when developers are nickel and diming with season passes and microtransactions of questionable value, credit Techland for nailing everything with this game.
2. Until Dawn ; The best of Heavy Rain combined with the best of Telltale games, with an awesome soundtrack, lots of tension, and gorgeous graphics. This game knew exactly what it was trying to be and didn't mess around. Tons of reliability due to the awesome Butterfly Effect. Like Dying Light, the game drew me in even though I actively avoid the horror genre. And kudos for including behind-the-scenes videos, which are always welcome.
3. Ori and the Blind Forest ; This could easily have been my GOTY. It is beautiful, controls perfectly, and has a ton of depth to the gameplay. It has the polish of a major developer, but it's made by an indie team. An incredible accomplishment and a must-play for anyone.
4. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; An amazingly fun game to play. Stunningly gorgeous, too. Only held back by weird control issues, about 25% too many collectibles to find, and another awful story/awful writing combo. If you are waiting for the PC or PS4 version, you're in for a treat. Congrats to Crystal Dynamics for making an Uncharted-style game that is truly different from Uncharted in almost every way.
5. Batman: Arkham Knight ; The most disappointing game I've ever played (but yes, still #5). My hype for this game was almost at Uncharted levels, as I considered Arkham City better than Uncharted 3 overall, and seeing as Uncharted is my all-time favorite series, that isn't an easy crown to take. But the Batmobile really ruined the game for me. It was fun at first, but then the tank sections became overwhelming. It might have been nullified if I played on an easier difficulty or only played the story, but I played on hard and got the 100% Knightfall ending, so the tank sections really wore me down. Still, it was a beautiful game and the DLC, while overpriced, added a lot more play time.
6. The Order: 1886 ; I enjoyed this game for what it was. It had a unique presentation, really cool, unique guns, unmatched graphics (a title which may last the entire generation), and an awesome setting and story. Yes, there's nothing else to do but play the story, but I didn't mind not having a lot of extras.
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops III ; The campaign was terrible, by far the worst of the COD entries. But the multiplayer and zombies is fantastic, by far the best of the COD entries. Major props for the sheer amount of content as well.
8. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection ; My favorite series of all-time, so I have to include it. The speed run modes were a fun addition for a seasoned veteran like me, but that's pretty much it if you've played these games before. If multiplayer was included it would be #1. Yes, I'm still bitter.
Honorable Mentions
1. Rocket League ; I mostly played this for the easy plat, but it was fun and a fresh experience. Pretty amazing that it was made by a few people.
2. Until Dawn ; The best of Heavy Rain combined with the best of Telltale games, with an awesome soundtrack, lots of tension, and gorgeous graphics. This game knew exactly what it was trying to be and didn't mess around. Tons of reliability due to the awesome Butterfly Effect. Like Dying Light, the game drew me in even though I actively avoid the horror genre. And kudos for including behind-the-scenes videos, which are always welcome.
3. Ori and the Blind Forest ; This could easily have been my GOTY. It is beautiful, controls perfectly, and has a ton of depth to the gameplay. It has the polish of a major developer, but it's made by an indie team. An incredible accomplishment and a must-play for anyone.
4. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; An amazingly fun game to play. Stunningly gorgeous, too. Only held back by weird control issues, about 25% too many collectibles to find, and another awful story/awful writing combo. If you are waiting for the PC or PS4 version, you're in for a treat. Congrats to Crystal Dynamics for making an Uncharted-style game that is truly different from Uncharted in almost every way.
5. Batman: Arkham Knight ; The most disappointing game I've ever played (but yes, still #5). My hype for this game was almost at Uncharted levels, as I considered Arkham City better than Uncharted 3 overall, and seeing as Uncharted is my all-time favorite series, that isn't an easy crown to take. But the Batmobile really ruined the game for me. It was fun at first, but then the tank sections became overwhelming. It might have been nullified if I played on an easier difficulty or only played the story, but I played on hard and got the 100% Knightfall ending, so the tank sections really wore me down. Still, it was a beautiful game and the DLC, while overpriced, added a lot more play time.
6. The Order: 1886 ; I enjoyed this game for what it was. It had a unique presentation, really cool, unique guns, unmatched graphics (a title which may last the entire generation), and an awesome setting and story. Yes, there's nothing else to do but play the story, but I didn't mind not having a lot of extras.
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops III ; The campaign was terrible, by far the worst of the COD entries. But the multiplayer and zombies is fantastic, by far the best of the COD entries. Major props for the sheer amount of content as well.
8. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection ; My favorite series of all-time, so I have to include it. The speed run modes were a fun addition for a seasoned veteran like me, but that's pretty much it if you've played these games before. If multiplayer was included it would be #1. Yes, I'm still bitter.
Honorable Mentions
1. Rocket League ; I mostly played this for the easy plat, but it was fun and a fresh experience. Pretty amazing that it was made by a few people.
SuperBanjo
Member
1. Super Mario Maker ; The main Mario platformers are already great and combine that with endless creativity, this is my favorite game of the year.
2. Splatoon ; Definitely the most fun and creative shooter I have played in years. The new modes, stages, and weapons have kept the game fresh all year long and I love the world and character designs as well.
3. Yoshi's Wooly World ; The best Yoshi's Island game since the SNES classic. The yarn world as well as the soothing music is just amazing, and of course the levels themselves are fun.
4. Halo 5: Guardians ; A great campaign with great multiplayer.
5. Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon ; Another great installment of the series and made a lot of great changes to the formula. And it always amazes me how touching the story and world is.
6. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse ; A very creative game with a nice artstyle.
7. Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition; I never played the original P&D but the idea of a puzzle RPG was interesting. It turns out both games are very well done and have a ton of content.
8. Dragon Ball XenoVerse ; A fun DBZ fighter that really makes you feel like you are part of the series alongside some interesting "what if" scenarios. And the MMO aspects definitely ups its replayability.
9. Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden ; The lesser known DBZ game of the year is actually pretty fun and also has an adventure mode with some cool scenarios like XenoVerse. It is a shame that online is not available outside of Japan, but I still had fun with it.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes ; An interesting take on the Zelda franchise with its multiplayer focus. It's not a Zelda main Zelda title, but it's fun for what it is.
2. Splatoon ; Definitely the most fun and creative shooter I have played in years. The new modes, stages, and weapons have kept the game fresh all year long and I love the world and character designs as well.
3. Yoshi's Wooly World ; The best Yoshi's Island game since the SNES classic. The yarn world as well as the soothing music is just amazing, and of course the levels themselves are fun.
4. Halo 5: Guardians ; A great campaign with great multiplayer.
5. Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon ; Another great installment of the series and made a lot of great changes to the formula. And it always amazes me how touching the story and world is.
6. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse ; A very creative game with a nice artstyle.
7. Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition; I never played the original P&D but the idea of a puzzle RPG was interesting. It turns out both games are very well done and have a ton of content.
8. Dragon Ball XenoVerse ; A fun DBZ fighter that really makes you feel like you are part of the series alongside some interesting "what if" scenarios. And the MMO aspects definitely ups its replayability.
9. Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden ; The lesser known DBZ game of the year is actually pretty fun and also has an adventure mode with some cool scenarios like XenoVerse. It is a shame that online is not available outside of Japan, but I still had fun with it.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes ; An interesting take on the Zelda franchise with its multiplayer focus. It's not a Zelda main Zelda title, but it's fun for what it is.
Every year.... Every fucking year.... I wait for the last minute to be able to play as much as possible of the games in consideration, and every year, I don't play much in the last few weeks before the end of the vote and have to drop a quickly written vote and this year it's even worst as my thoughts are still clouded by the alcohol of last night... Great... One day, I will be more organized than that ....
Anyway, after a disappointing 2014, I feel that this year was a great year for games, and I still missed a lot of games, my backlog is out of control. I feel a bit bad to vote without having time to play undertale or TIS or Splatoon or enough tomb raider or a bunch of other games, some of those could have taken a spot on my list, but I can't play everything.
So the games that I have enjoyed the most this year :
1. Bloodborne; A lot has already been written about bloodborne and its qualities have already been described, but what impressed me the most and why I think I enjoyed this game the most this year is probably the coherence and the overall quality of its parts from the world to the system or aesthetics. I can't think of anything that I would consider a big flaw, GOTY.
2. Rocket League; I love you Rocket League, you were almost my game of the year, you are so much fun. I hate you Rocket League, you make me remember that I can rage because a stupid ball doesn't want to go in a stupid goal
3. Contradiction - Spot The Liar!; yes, I know that Contradiction is probably not a good game even in it's genre, but it's my list, so I do what I want. Seriously, a game didn't make me laugh that much since .... forever... Best use of FMV, awesome actors, I will be there day 1 for Contradiction 2
4. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt; This could have been so much higher, the world and the writing are one of the best out there, but the game has too much flaw that inders its immense qualities. The combat, the menus, the skill system were not enjoyable enough or just in the way.
5. Soma; My favorite story this year, not much to say without spoiling it. It's great, play it ^^
6. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; I love metal gear. It's one of my favorite franchise. It's the best playing game of the series. And still it is this low on my list... I enjoyed it a lot but it didn't grab me, I just stopped playing it, but what I played of it is definitely the best stealth game I have played.
7. Until Dawn; I like the "david cage game" (or at least I liked Heavy Rain) applying this formula to a teen slasher story was just the perfect match. A lot of smart design decision and what seems like a clear vision of what this game is from the developper, makes it two or three notches above the games in the same genre
8. Axiom Verge; It's a really good one of those, it's not just another metroid.
9. Her Story; Simple, short, smart, it felt like something new and fresh.
10. Crypt of the NecroDancer; I am terrible at it but even then it's so much fun, I like music game a lot and mixing that with pretty much anything makes me interested and when the mix is something like Crypt that just makes me want more (where is patapon, sony?)
Anyway, after a disappointing 2014, I feel that this year was a great year for games, and I still missed a lot of games, my backlog is out of control. I feel a bit bad to vote without having time to play undertale or TIS or Splatoon or enough tomb raider or a bunch of other games, some of those could have taken a spot on my list, but I can't play everything.
So the games that I have enjoyed the most this year :
1. Bloodborne; A lot has already been written about bloodborne and its qualities have already been described, but what impressed me the most and why I think I enjoyed this game the most this year is probably the coherence and the overall quality of its parts from the world to the system or aesthetics. I can't think of anything that I would consider a big flaw, GOTY.
2. Rocket League; I love you Rocket League, you were almost my game of the year, you are so much fun. I hate you Rocket League, you make me remember that I can rage because a stupid ball doesn't want to go in a stupid goal
3. Contradiction - Spot The Liar!; yes, I know that Contradiction is probably not a good game even in it's genre, but it's my list, so I do what I want. Seriously, a game didn't make me laugh that much since .... forever... Best use of FMV, awesome actors, I will be there day 1 for Contradiction 2
4. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt; This could have been so much higher, the world and the writing are one of the best out there, but the game has too much flaw that inders its immense qualities. The combat, the menus, the skill system were not enjoyable enough or just in the way.
5. Soma; My favorite story this year, not much to say without spoiling it. It's great, play it ^^
6. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; I love metal gear. It's one of my favorite franchise. It's the best playing game of the series. And still it is this low on my list... I enjoyed it a lot but it didn't grab me, I just stopped playing it, but what I played of it is definitely the best stealth game I have played.
7. Until Dawn; I like the "david cage game" (or at least I liked Heavy Rain) applying this formula to a teen slasher story was just the perfect match. A lot of smart design decision and what seems like a clear vision of what this game is from the developper, makes it two or three notches above the games in the same genre
8. Axiom Verge; It's a really good one of those, it's not just another metroid.
9. Her Story; Simple, short, smart, it felt like something new and fresh.
10. Crypt of the NecroDancer; I am terrible at it but even then it's so much fun, I like music game a lot and mixing that with pretty much anything makes me interested and when the mix is something like Crypt that just makes me want more (where is patapon, sony?)
Your honorable mention is formatted wrong and will disqualify your vote.
Servizio
I don't really need a tag, but I figured I'd get one to make people jealous. Is it working?
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; It feels a little redundant to heap more praise on this game at this point, but what the heck. This is the capstone to one of the games that seriously got me into PC gaming. An epic farewell to a series and a cast of characters I've grown quite fond of.
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I really had doubts about how viable open world stealth could be, but this was an amazing proof of concept. Sadly, will likely remain unfinished and lacking an improved upon sequel for a long, long time.
3. Shadowrun: Hong Kong ; Harebrained Studios continues to hone their RPG craft with this series, with a clever blend of writing and role play mechanics. One of the more interesting settings in video games if you can get past the initial reaction to "Dungeons and Dragons meets Neuromancer".
4. Pillars of Eternity ; I started my first playthrough in March when the game launched and only finished in January of this year. A dense, challenging piece of interactive fiction on many levels. I found myself staring off into space as I wrestled with the dialog choices. I dedicated an entire day to respeccing my characters in order to tackle the optional boss. I still died multiple times. I keep thinking about character builds and role playing decisions for a next playthrough.
5. Tales from the Borderlands ; An all-star cast gives an all-star performance in what has turned to be one of the bigger surprises 2015. Am I invested in the Borderlands lore now? Do I care about these characters? Do I somehow want more from the Borderlands universe? Yes, yes to all of it. How did this happen?
6. Satellite Reign ; This game drips cyberpunk and bleeds neon. A very satisfying simulation of what it's like to tear down a dystopian megacorporation one four-clone raid at a time. So much brainwashing. So many explosions. So much stealth.
7. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood ; An expansion to my favorite game of 2014. Sadly, robbed of some of its impact by re-treading a lot of what made the first one great. I think I would have liked it to have leaned even harder into the horror pulp zombie silliness it was playing with and foregone its attempts at recreating the drama of the first one. Mechanically, much more oldschool run and gun than the first one and maybe a better shooter for it.
8. Rebel Galaxy ; I blew up so many people and sold their space slaves to whoever would pay the most for them. I really wish this game was deeper than it is, the same way I wanted AC: Black Flag to magically have Sid Meier's Pirates! depth. The dev's have said no expansions or content updates are forthcoming, but I would be so down for more of this. Tens of hours into it, and blowing up fleets of enemies with swarms of missiles and raking lances of laser turrets somehow hadn't lost its appeal. One of those games it's addictively easy to pour hours into doing the same thing.
9. HuniePop ; I thought this would be a lot less funny than it was, a lot less challenging than it was, and lot less raunchy than it was. Pleasantly exceeded my expectations for what I fully expected to be a joke game. I think I became a better conncent three player because of this, for whatever that's worth.
10. Undertale ; I wish I had played this before hearing about it. Which would have been a neat trick. Sadly, I think a lot of the novelty and joy of exploration and discovery was lost to me thanks to internet enthusiasm. Still manages to round out my top ten by being charming, clever, and sincere.
x. Mad Max ; 8-10 hours of good gameplay stretched drumskin tight over a gorgeous 40-60 world. I wonder what the original design called for, because it's hard to believe anyone thought stockpiling scrap and collectables was a great idea.
x. Assault Android Cactus ; A challenging twinstick shooter, above average on mechanics. What pushes it over the top for me is the plot and characters, acting out an homage to Mega Man X and...Metal Gear!?
x. Prison Architect ; A fantastic simulation. A thoughtful story/tutorial. A somber rumination on the business of incarceration.
x. Party Hard ; Hitman meets Hotline Miami. You should have let me sleep.
x. Exanima ; QWOP meets Diablo. A demo/proof of concept for a full fledged game coming later. What happens when fantasy dungeon crawling meets meticulous physics simulation.
x. Saints Row: Gat out of Hell ; More Saints Row! A brief, but amazing Saints Row musical! Super powers! In Hell! It's okay.
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I really had doubts about how viable open world stealth could be, but this was an amazing proof of concept. Sadly, will likely remain unfinished and lacking an improved upon sequel for a long, long time.
3. Shadowrun: Hong Kong ; Harebrained Studios continues to hone their RPG craft with this series, with a clever blend of writing and role play mechanics. One of the more interesting settings in video games if you can get past the initial reaction to "Dungeons and Dragons meets Neuromancer".
4. Pillars of Eternity ; I started my first playthrough in March when the game launched and only finished in January of this year. A dense, challenging piece of interactive fiction on many levels. I found myself staring off into space as I wrestled with the dialog choices. I dedicated an entire day to respeccing my characters in order to tackle the optional boss. I still died multiple times. I keep thinking about character builds and role playing decisions for a next playthrough.
5. Tales from the Borderlands ; An all-star cast gives an all-star performance in what has turned to be one of the bigger surprises 2015. Am I invested in the Borderlands lore now? Do I care about these characters? Do I somehow want more from the Borderlands universe? Yes, yes to all of it. How did this happen?
6. Satellite Reign ; This game drips cyberpunk and bleeds neon. A very satisfying simulation of what it's like to tear down a dystopian megacorporation one four-clone raid at a time. So much brainwashing. So many explosions. So much stealth.
7. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood ; An expansion to my favorite game of 2014. Sadly, robbed of some of its impact by re-treading a lot of what made the first one great. I think I would have liked it to have leaned even harder into the horror pulp zombie silliness it was playing with and foregone its attempts at recreating the drama of the first one. Mechanically, much more oldschool run and gun than the first one and maybe a better shooter for it.
8. Rebel Galaxy ; I blew up so many people and sold their space slaves to whoever would pay the most for them. I really wish this game was deeper than it is, the same way I wanted AC: Black Flag to magically have Sid Meier's Pirates! depth. The dev's have said no expansions or content updates are forthcoming, but I would be so down for more of this. Tens of hours into it, and blowing up fleets of enemies with swarms of missiles and raking lances of laser turrets somehow hadn't lost its appeal. One of those games it's addictively easy to pour hours into doing the same thing.
9. HuniePop ; I thought this would be a lot less funny than it was, a lot less challenging than it was, and lot less raunchy than it was. Pleasantly exceeded my expectations for what I fully expected to be a joke game. I think I became a better conncent three player because of this, for whatever that's worth.
10. Undertale ; I wish I had played this before hearing about it. Which would have been a neat trick. Sadly, I think a lot of the novelty and joy of exploration and discovery was lost to me thanks to internet enthusiasm. Still manages to round out my top ten by being charming, clever, and sincere.
x. Mad Max ; 8-10 hours of good gameplay stretched drumskin tight over a gorgeous 40-60 world. I wonder what the original design called for, because it's hard to believe anyone thought stockpiling scrap and collectables was a great idea.
x. Assault Android Cactus ; A challenging twinstick shooter, above average on mechanics. What pushes it over the top for me is the plot and characters, acting out an homage to Mega Man X and...Metal Gear!?
x. Prison Architect ; A fantastic simulation. A thoughtful story/tutorial. A somber rumination on the business of incarceration.
x. Party Hard ; Hitman meets Hotline Miami. You should have let me sleep.
x. Exanima ; QWOP meets Diablo. A demo/proof of concept for a full fledged game coming later. What happens when fantasy dungeon crawling meets meticulous physics simulation.
x. Saints Row: Gat out of Hell ; More Saints Row! A brief, but amazing Saints Row musical! Super powers! In Hell! It's okay.
1. Bloodborne ; If perfection was a game, itd be a whole lot like Bloodborne, thats for sure. The changes to the combat are all for the better, and all the meachanics complement each other to create a perfect blend of intense combat. The regain system promotes being aggressive and staying close to the enemy. The quickstep, increased i-frames, and decreased stamina consumption whole quickstepping then allow you to survive fighting like this by making you able to dodge every whirlwind of slashes your enemies might present you with. The transforming weapons allow you to switch tactics, range, and even playstyle at every moment, even within a combo. With the addition of the DLC weapons, I think the actual weapon variety is much greater than in Souls games because every weapon is truly unique and oozes style, rather than a lot of weapons sharing movesets but having slightly varying stats and a different name.
The aggression which the combat allows you is countered by a similar level of aggression of some enemies, especially bosses. And where previous Souls games had my heart pounding when I just about died and I scurried to heal, the aggression of Bloodborne bosses keeps your heart pounding from the very start of the battle right up until the end. And when you need to find a space to heal, the stakes get much higher as its harder to find a moment in between enemy attacks. Again, the mechanics help you here, as blood vial healing is much quicker than Estus healing. Fights with Gherman and Lady Maria felt more like a deadly dance, with both you and the boss executing attacks and dodges with elegant fluidity and lethal precision. I could replay those fights forever, theyre simply that good. Overall, Bloodborne provided a rush that previous Souls games never did for me.
The design of the world, weapons, characters, and everything else is simply unparalleled. Every area is beautifully crafted, intensely atmospheric, and full of dread and despair. Not only are the areas a joy to look at, theyre also fun to explore and get lost in. Over the years, From has gotten even better at creating intricately connected levels and worlds, and it shines in Bloodborne like never before. Whereas Dark Souls has Lost Izalith, Bloodbornes levels never disappoint, even when switching gears to something like the Nightmare of Mensis. Which is very impressive considering the variety in locales and enemies. The lore is sparse, but interesting and engaging. It constantly raises questions and makes you wonder what the world is hiding, what the important characters are not telling you.
Complementing this phenomenal world and art design is an equally beautiful and fitting soundtrack. Tracks like The First Hunter and Ludwig, The Accursed and Holy Blade are stand-outs among a soundtrack that never disappoints. It perfectly manages to be subdued when it needs to, or bombastic when the situation requires it. The boss tracks are so distinctive and memorable that Listening to a them afterwards will immediately bring you back to the sensation of that particular fight.
Ill end my confession of love for Bloodborne with the beginning. When I first played the Alpha, I was stumped. I always played the Souls games with a shield, biding my time for the right moment to get in and get out. When I first saw the bonfire and the huge number of enemies standing around it, I was mortified. How was I going to do this, without arrows to lure enemies to me one by one? But Bloodborne isnt interested in keeping you in your comfort zone. It forces you to either accept defeat and run past them or to understand the changes to the combat. And even if you run, you will learn the lesson soon enough. When I had come to terms with the increased speed of the combat, the increased crowd control abilities of the new weapons, and the fact that enemies would give you far fewer breathing room, I knew that this game would be something truly special. At the end, I realized that truly special is a colossal understatement of what Bloodborne is.
2. Rocket League ; The fact that a multiplayer game is so high up my list says a lot about Rocket League. It has the uncanny ability, which other multiplayer games rarely have, to still be a ton of fun even while losing and playing terribly. And post-launch it only got better with the modifiers and hockey mode.
3. Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter ; Features the best characters and most believable world of 2015. Every little NPC has its own personal journey throughout the game which you can experience with them if you keep talking to them at every opportunity. The level of detail in those interactions and in the world itself is just astonishing, and makes you truly care when they fall on hard times. And it makes roaming around Liberl to help people a very fulfilling and fun endeavor. Unfortunately, the main quest is a little too anime, trite, and predictable for my tastes and theres one chapter which just turns into a dungeon crawler and saps all of the joy from the game. Thankfully, the game doesnt end on that note though, and it shines again in the next chapter(s).
4. Tales from the Borderlands ; I dislike Borderlands, a lot. And, sure, most of that is because I despise MMO game design, but I also disliked the setting and characters of the previous Borderlands games. But Telltale managed to make me love this game anyway. Almost every character is likeable and relatable. The dialogue is well written and often hilarious. Most importantly, the journey these characters go on stays intriguing till the very end.
5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; A great world and great characters marred by terrible combat and a main story which wildly varies in quality. For example, the Bloody Baron parts are fantastic, but the Wild Hunt portion is just boring. This game would have been a lot better if it was shorter, and it cut some of the copy-paste quests (couple of lines of dialogue (sometimes just a note) -> go to marker -> press L2 -> interact with everything red -> maybe combat -> repeat until end of quest). Still, compared to a lot of other open-world RPGs, it manages to craft a lot of quests which are truly memorable. And, in a true breath of fresh air, not every decision that Geralt makes has an immediate, world-shattering impact on the world. Geralt is not the chosen one, and not a Jesus figure. For that alone, everyone that likes open-world RPGs should play this. I though the Hearts of Stone expansion was better, because it is shorter and more focused, which ensures the quality never dips. Hopefully they can realize something similar for Blood and Wine.
6. SteinsGate ; It takes a long time to get going, and its a little too anime for my tastes, but when the story is good, its really good. The story keeps you guessing and does some very clever things with the time-travel elements. But, most importantly, it really makes you care about the characters and their struggles.
7. Yakuza 5 ; Still Yakuza, but with more variation than ever. Even though not all of the cities are as interesting as Kamurocho, it at least makes for a nice change of pace coming from the other games. Story is still very much Yakuza as well, some nice twists but a lot of predictability as well (this guys dead -> [5 min later] nope, hes alive). Let's face it, scraping a guys face on the floor is enough to make me love this game. All the rest is just a nice bonus.
8. N++ ; A ton of content, which means a lot of great, difficult levels to overcome. Shame the game starts to rely on pattern based difficulty a lot near the end which is not all that fun to me.
9. OlliOlli2 ; The additional of manuals changes everything. Its such a great feeling when you can do an entire level in one flashy combo.
10. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; The core gameplay is fantastic. There are just so many ways you can tackle each situation, and its rife with Kojimas trademark silliness. Problem is, the open world adds nothing but tedium to the game. And dont get me started about Chapter 2. Its impressive, to make a 50+ hour game seem like its woefully incomplete, but Kojima managed it like no other. As such, the game goes out on a whimper.
The aggression which the combat allows you is countered by a similar level of aggression of some enemies, especially bosses. And where previous Souls games had my heart pounding when I just about died and I scurried to heal, the aggression of Bloodborne bosses keeps your heart pounding from the very start of the battle right up until the end. And when you need to find a space to heal, the stakes get much higher as its harder to find a moment in between enemy attacks. Again, the mechanics help you here, as blood vial healing is much quicker than Estus healing. Fights with Gherman and Lady Maria felt more like a deadly dance, with both you and the boss executing attacks and dodges with elegant fluidity and lethal precision. I could replay those fights forever, theyre simply that good. Overall, Bloodborne provided a rush that previous Souls games never did for me.
The design of the world, weapons, characters, and everything else is simply unparalleled. Every area is beautifully crafted, intensely atmospheric, and full of dread and despair. Not only are the areas a joy to look at, theyre also fun to explore and get lost in. Over the years, From has gotten even better at creating intricately connected levels and worlds, and it shines in Bloodborne like never before. Whereas Dark Souls has Lost Izalith, Bloodbornes levels never disappoint, even when switching gears to something like the Nightmare of Mensis. Which is very impressive considering the variety in locales and enemies. The lore is sparse, but interesting and engaging. It constantly raises questions and makes you wonder what the world is hiding, what the important characters are not telling you.
Complementing this phenomenal world and art design is an equally beautiful and fitting soundtrack. Tracks like The First Hunter and Ludwig, The Accursed and Holy Blade are stand-outs among a soundtrack that never disappoints. It perfectly manages to be subdued when it needs to, or bombastic when the situation requires it. The boss tracks are so distinctive and memorable that Listening to a them afterwards will immediately bring you back to the sensation of that particular fight.
Ill end my confession of love for Bloodborne with the beginning. When I first played the Alpha, I was stumped. I always played the Souls games with a shield, biding my time for the right moment to get in and get out. When I first saw the bonfire and the huge number of enemies standing around it, I was mortified. How was I going to do this, without arrows to lure enemies to me one by one? But Bloodborne isnt interested in keeping you in your comfort zone. It forces you to either accept defeat and run past them or to understand the changes to the combat. And even if you run, you will learn the lesson soon enough. When I had come to terms with the increased speed of the combat, the increased crowd control abilities of the new weapons, and the fact that enemies would give you far fewer breathing room, I knew that this game would be something truly special. At the end, I realized that truly special is a colossal understatement of what Bloodborne is.
2. Rocket League ; The fact that a multiplayer game is so high up my list says a lot about Rocket League. It has the uncanny ability, which other multiplayer games rarely have, to still be a ton of fun even while losing and playing terribly. And post-launch it only got better with the modifiers and hockey mode.
3. Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter ; Features the best characters and most believable world of 2015. Every little NPC has its own personal journey throughout the game which you can experience with them if you keep talking to them at every opportunity. The level of detail in those interactions and in the world itself is just astonishing, and makes you truly care when they fall on hard times. And it makes roaming around Liberl to help people a very fulfilling and fun endeavor. Unfortunately, the main quest is a little too anime, trite, and predictable for my tastes and theres one chapter which just turns into a dungeon crawler and saps all of the joy from the game. Thankfully, the game doesnt end on that note though, and it shines again in the next chapter(s).
4. Tales from the Borderlands ; I dislike Borderlands, a lot. And, sure, most of that is because I despise MMO game design, but I also disliked the setting and characters of the previous Borderlands games. But Telltale managed to make me love this game anyway. Almost every character is likeable and relatable. The dialogue is well written and often hilarious. Most importantly, the journey these characters go on stays intriguing till the very end.
5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; A great world and great characters marred by terrible combat and a main story which wildly varies in quality. For example, the Bloody Baron parts are fantastic, but the Wild Hunt portion is just boring. This game would have been a lot better if it was shorter, and it cut some of the copy-paste quests (couple of lines of dialogue (sometimes just a note) -> go to marker -> press L2 -> interact with everything red -> maybe combat -> repeat until end of quest). Still, compared to a lot of other open-world RPGs, it manages to craft a lot of quests which are truly memorable. And, in a true breath of fresh air, not every decision that Geralt makes has an immediate, world-shattering impact on the world. Geralt is not the chosen one, and not a Jesus figure. For that alone, everyone that likes open-world RPGs should play this. I though the Hearts of Stone expansion was better, because it is shorter and more focused, which ensures the quality never dips. Hopefully they can realize something similar for Blood and Wine.
6. SteinsGate ; It takes a long time to get going, and its a little too anime for my tastes, but when the story is good, its really good. The story keeps you guessing and does some very clever things with the time-travel elements. But, most importantly, it really makes you care about the characters and their struggles.
7. Yakuza 5 ; Still Yakuza, but with more variation than ever. Even though not all of the cities are as interesting as Kamurocho, it at least makes for a nice change of pace coming from the other games. Story is still very much Yakuza as well, some nice twists but a lot of predictability as well (this guys dead -> [5 min later] nope, hes alive). Let's face it, scraping a guys face on the floor is enough to make me love this game. All the rest is just a nice bonus.
8. N++ ; A ton of content, which means a lot of great, difficult levels to overcome. Shame the game starts to rely on pattern based difficulty a lot near the end which is not all that fun to me.
9. OlliOlli2 ; The additional of manuals changes everything. Its such a great feeling when you can do an entire level in one flashy combo.
10. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; The core gameplay is fantastic. There are just so many ways you can tackle each situation, and its rife with Kojimas trademark silliness. Problem is, the open world adds nothing but tedium to the game. And dont get me started about Chapter 2. Its impressive, to make a 50+ hour game seem like its woefully incomplete, but Kojima managed it like no other. As such, the game goes out on a whimper.
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