2. Bloodborne ; best in class combat and level design. I've always been a fan of the Souls games and this one might be my favorite.
3. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; Great expansion for the best MMO out there. The story felt like classic FF, which the series hasn't felt like in ages.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Gameplay more than made up for any story, or lack thereof. Put close to 100 hours in this game and never got tired of all the ways you could play it.
5. Splatoon ; My favorite MP game this year. I constantly come back to it with all the free updates this game gets.
6. Rocket League ; Definitely didn't expect to put hundreds of hours into this game when I downloaded it for free on PS+. I hate car games. I hate sport games. Yet here we are.
7. Guilty Gear Xrd ; Only recently came out on PC, but I've had a lot of fun with it. I completely suck at it but it's fun to just press buttons. It's also one of the best looking games out on PC right now.
8. Life is Strange ; Despite having problems with the last episode, I really enjoyed the previous ones. Especially episode 3 and 4.
9. Until Dawn ; One of the biggest surprises of the year for me. Don't think many people expected it to be as good as it was. It knew exactly what it wanted to be and pulled it off greatly. A better David Cage game than actual David Cage games.
10. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; I had problems with this game, but I can't deny the amazing world, quest, and great story. It would be on this list for those reasons alone.
1. Bloodborne ; I've been into the Souls games since the beginning. The faster paced gameplay as well as the Lovecraftian story and atmosphere made this game refreshing. Once again the Souls formula fucking works, easily outclassing most other RPGs or action games I've played in my life.
2. Life is Strange ; I always appreciate games that try to do something other than give people fun ways to kill things. Gameplay is nonexistent, but that's to be expected. This is a game about story, interactions with NPCs, and the world of Arcadia Bay. All in all, this game was a fun ride, and deserves its praise not only for its quality but also for the fact that this is an excellent game about a normal, teenage girl (and fortunately in the most unperverse and serious way possible, with nothing weird about it). Life is Strange is a brilliant game out there helping to legitimize games as an art form.
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; By far the best open world experience I have had. The world feels like it is alive, and you're just a small part of it. Outstanding visuals and story.
2. Kerbal Space Program ; Probably the best sand box game I have played. Who knew refining and launching rockets could be so much fun?
3. Splatoon ; Making a mess has never been so fun!
4. Dying Light ; Not what I expected, but Techland really stepped up with Dying Light. There's a lot of little design decisions that I wish were slightly different, but at the end of the day they created a really amazing world with very compelling game play. The day and night cycle is outstanding and jarring. The first time you step outside at night, you feel nearly completely helpless except for the fact you can run like a pansy. The parkour is the best I have experienced, and playing as a zombie is also fun. I can't help but feel they missed an opportunity- the loot system could have been adjusted so survival felt much more touch and go. But the campaign unlocks ammo at all vendors after about 30% of the mainline story, and there's also a skill that gives you an enormous amount of crafting loot without much effort. But that's just a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things- there's nothing more fun than going from someone barely getting scrapping by into the Lord of Darkness who makes even the hunters quake in fear at night.
5. Super Mario Maker ;
6. The Witcher III: Hearts of Stone ; Probably the best DLC I have ever played. Really haunting characters here.
7. Ori and the Blind Forest ;
8. Cities: Skylines ; A really enjoyable city building experiencing.
9. The Talos Principle ; Probably my favorite puzzle game since Portal 2. Mixes in a healthy dose of philosophy.
10. Pillars of Eternity ;
1. Rocket League ; The most fun I've had with a sports game since NBA Street. This game is as easy to pick up but has a much higher skill season. Pure bliss.
2. Bloodborne ; It might not have the character building possibilities of a typical Souls game but the switch away from shields helped me approach and appreciate the combat like never before.
3. Monster Hunter 4 ; I'm new to the series and have invested 120 hours into the game. I think I've just scratched the surface but I love how everything you collect serves a purpose.
4. Mario Maker ; I wish Nintendo would have focused on one entry in the series to make Mario maker around and the creative community is going through odd waves (automated levels at first and now hard as nails) but I'm really excited for the future of this title.
5. Kerbal Space Program ; A game that makes me wish I were smarter but is also helping me get there. It would be higher on my list but I spent a lot of time with it prior to the official release.
6. Undertale ;
7. Until Dawn ; A David Cage styled game except with great writing and characters. I think the horror genre also fits particularly well with this style of game. I can't recommend it enough.
8. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Sublime game play that is hindered by a terrible story, horrible voice acting, weak second act and Konami tinkering with microtransactiosn that will probably keep me from ever replaying.
9. Splatoon ; Last generation burned me out on shooters so having this game on my list is surprising. It's a very creative take on territory control.
10. Downwell ; Cheap, addictive and fun. It has a great soundtrack as well.
1. Mad Mad ; fun gameplay, stunning open world, Mad Max
2. Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain ; Metal Gear, open world, dozens of hours put in
3. Bloodborne ; fuck it that game is scary
4. Just Cause 3 ; explosions
5. Hotline Miami 2 ; soundtrack, soundtrack, worse than 1, soundtrack, brilliant story
6. Need for Speed ; closest thing to Underground 3 we'll ever get
7. Splatoon ; fun, just fun
8. Assassin's Creed Syndicate ; ayyyy lmao (Unity 2)
9. Grim Fandango Remastered ; so good it's on the list even though it's a remaster
10. Life is Strange ; feels
1. Bloodborne ; the game of the gen so far for me. Originally, I kept telling myself that Demon's (my previous favorite From game) was better, but after getting the platinum (something I NEVER be bother to do), I'm not so sure. Amazingly tight combat and the best enemy design / ambiance in a game this year make it the clear cut winner for me.
2. Until Dawn ;
3. Rocket League ;
4. Tales from the Borderlands ;
5. Wolfenstein: the Old Blood ;
I played a few more games this year, but many I haven't spent enough time with (Witcher 3, etc.), didn't like enough (The Order, etc.) or were from previous years (seriously, the FFVII PS4 port with 3X speed is absolutely amazing).
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X; even though the game has some bizarre flaws, it's still amazing
2. Splatoon; stay fresh!
3. The Witcher 3;
4. Halo 5;
5. Rocket League; it's car soccer, and it's great
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt; Admitting this probably won't make me popular, but my favorite genre of games has to be dialogue heavy, cinematic "choice" games. It's the reason I love Alpha Protocol, Mass Effect 2, and even why I enjoyed Dragon Age 2. And yet, out of all the games in the genre, I can't think of one that does it better than The Witcher 3. The game is an absolute achievement in writing and scenario building, there just isn't another game with such a wealth of compelling and diverse content waiting for the player to find in every corner. It also has the most beautiful open world I've ever seen, a kick-ass soundtrack, fun and strategic combat, and Geralt, who is now one of my favorite protagonists in any medium. It all added up to make one of my favorite games ever and, without a doubt, my game of the year.
2. Tales from the Borderlands; If you read the blurb above, you'll understand why Telltale game have a lot of appeal for me. Sadly, most Telltale series seem content to reuse the same tricks and end up in a cycle of mediocrity. TftB was a huge surprise and a massive return to form for Telltale. It didn't reinvent the formula, but the adventures of Rhys and Fiona were so flat out entertaining that I just didn't care. Great comedy, well done ridiculous action sequences, endearing characters and some surprisingly poignant moments along the way. Even if you're burned out on Telltale games, give this one a try. And it better get a sequel.
3. Undertale; This game was another big surprise. A lot has been said about it, so I'll just reconfirm that the characters are charming, the music is some of the best I've heard all year, the combat system is unique and fun, there are maybe a few too many anime jokes, and the fourth wall stuff was fucking nuts. Great game, and very, very impressive considering it was made almost entirely by one person.
4. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number; My favorite game this year on a pure mechanical level. They twisted the mechanics of the first game into something nightmarishly difficult, and, as a gaming masochist, I loved it. If you think it's too hard or unfair, I suggest you suck it up and get good. Also found the story surprisingly compelling.
5. Until Dawn; I didn't actually play this game (I only watched the Giant Bomb streams) but I think I've seen enough to know that I love it. It's a fun, fresh take on my favorite genre and features some absolutely incredible facial capture technology that highlights the great performances from the actors.
Honorable Mentions-
Dark Souls 2: SOTFS- I'd include this on the list, but the portions I enjoyed the most (the DLC) were technically released in 2014. Still, incredible fun and beating the Fume Knight was fucking satisfying.
Metal Gear Solid V- The story was trash, the second act was trash, but the stuff they put effort into was pretty fantastic.
Hand of Fate- I feel this game didn't get its due recognition, it's a novel little game and I would love to see a sequel.
Awesome year for games, and next year looks like it could follow suit.
1. A Beginner's Guide ; The most interesting game I played this year.
2. MGSV ; Amazing gameplay. Fuck konami though.
3. Bloodborne ; Excellent in every way.
4. The Witcher 3 ; Best open world to-date.
5. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; A great return to the classic.
6. Batman: Arkham Knight ; So much potential for greatness in this one. If only the open world hadn't gone to their heads..
1. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; Loved trying to master the combat system against new, stronger monsters while the building gear along the way. Both singleplayer and multiplayer are great. Most rewarding game to play
2. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; Enjoying exploring the world and the transition from no Skell to one Skell to multiple Skells has opened it up each time (although I haven't got flight module yet). Also, slowly learning all the systems has been fun.
3. Kerbal Space Program ; Feels great to build stuff and iterate on designs to achieve small goals along the way to bigger goals.
4. Super Mario Maker ; Again, making stuff is great and for this game other people got to evaluate the creations.
5. Devil's Third ; Primarily played multiplayer and had lots of fun with the movement and the mix of melee, guns and explosives. The various multiplayer modes provided plenty of variety to require change ups to playstyles. It was a great palate cleanser game while I spent a lot of time playing Monster Hunter. Most silly fun game to play
1. Bloodborne ;
2. The Witcher 3 ;
3. Batman Arkham Knight ;
4. Dying Light ;
5. Metal Gear Solid V ;
6. Call of Duty Black Ops 3 ;
7. Heroes of the Storm ;
8. Rocket League ;
9. Star Wars Battlefront ;
10. Telltale's Game of Thrones ;
1. Life Is Strange ; What an emotional, affecting ride. I was pretty skeptical about the game at first, but largely thanks to GAF I gave it a shot and ended up falling completely in love. The story and setting really resonated with me - I felt myself taken back to my time in high school with my best friend, so the emotions portrayed within the game hit pretty close to home. While the plot is uneven and there's a lot of really awkward dialog, the earnestness and honesty of the writing sells it. And it's delivered with a wonderful painterly aesthetic, perfect soundtrack, and fantastic performances by Hannah Telle and Ashly Burch. The episodes vary pretty wildly in quality, but overall it's an incredible journey with moments and characters that will stay with me for a long, long time.
2. Invisible, Inc. ; This turn-based, procedurally-generated strategy title is the best stealth game to come out since... well, Mark of the Ninja. Klei have done it again, bravo. Incredibly fine-tuned systems and the campaign is surprising and engaging every single playthrough.
3. Shadowrun: Hong Kong ; Another tight and incredibly well-written RPG from Harebrained Schemes, with even more non-combat options which I always appreciate. I don't think the pacing is as strong as Dragonfall's, but the cast is just as good and the setting is easily one of my favorites of all time - Hong Kong itself just has so much character.
4. Her Story ; Brilliant use of FMV and desktop simulation that succeeds on the strength of Viva Seifert's performance.
5. Technobabylon ; A cyberpunk adventure game that explores really interesting themes and has a fleshed out setting. It's another game from Wadjet Eye that does everything well - a diverse, interesting cast of main characters, clever puzzles, some astonishing images despite the low-res visuals, and an engaging story from start to finish.
6. Splatoon ; Pure fun. I don't play console shooters too much these days, but I still get the urge to play Splatoon quite a bit. Nintendo took the best mechanics out of team-based shooters, put their unique spin on things, and packaged it in a super appealing and stylish world.
7. Super Mario Maker ; While I'm not into level-creation myself, I've been challenged, amused, and surprised every time I boot up this game and see what the community has to offer. It definitely helps that Nintendo is supporting the game with much needed improvements to functionality and discovery, so SMM will easily continue to have a spot in my rotation.
8. Destiny: The Taken King ; I enjoyed getting back into Destiny for a few weeks after the release of this expansion. The gunplay has always been top notch, but Bungie put out a cool new environment with some fun content. I especially liked my time with the raid (eat it, Oryx!). Also, as the Hunter in my group I found the Nightstalker subclass amazing - Shadowshot for critical sword slashes and rocket fun, smoke grenades to speedrun/gain positioning, etc.
9. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; The original MM is actually my single favorite game of all time (and it still holds up, some odd choices for the port notwithstanding), but I'm not super interested in highlighting remakes/remasters in my list so I stuck it down here.
Still need to play Undertale and Trespasser for Dragon Age: Inquisition. Hopefully I'll finish 'em before the year ends...
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; I am at around 40 hours in this game, and I am not yet halfway through it. I find it so easy just to get lost in the world. One Affinity mission I was working on, I found a new area and then spent about an hour or two just getting sidetracked before I remembered that I should continue progressing. I expect the game to get even better once I get a Skell, I just need to focus on advancing the story one more chapter.
2. Splatoon ; This is probably the most fun I have had with an online PvP shooter in a while. I have not found much in any game to be more fun than a round of Rainmaker on Camp Triggerfish. The single player also deserves a mention, especially the final boss. I have high hopes for the eventual Splatoon 2, but it has an amazing foundation to build off of.
3. Bloodborne ; This was my first game in the so-called Souls series. Honestly, the first few hours were rough. I was stuck on trying to defeat that one executioner enemy they decided to throw in at the beginning. But that sense of accomplishment once I did felt so good. The atmosphere and style of this game is masterfully done. My only problem is that the difficulty at some points really makes this a love-hate relationship for me. And getting the Platinum in NG+ chalice dungeons (having just entered NG+) put a little bit of a damper on my feelings toward it.
4. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. ; This game has Abraham Lincoln. In a mech. Fighting aliens. And that's just in a pre-release trailer. Oh, and it's a strategy game by intelligent Systems. It went places I didn't expect. I just wish more people would give it a chance.
5. Tales from the Borderlands ; This was my first Telltale game, and it was a fantastic ride. I already enjoyed the Borderlands series, and this felt like it belonged in that universe.
6. Yoshi's Woolly World ; This game was as good as the original Yoshi's Island. And it was full of charm. The special levels and boss rush were a nice dose of difficulty as well.
7. Helldivers ; This game was hilarious with just two people. There were a few times my friend and I failed a mission right as we were going to get extracted. The Starship Troopers homages were pretty funny too.
8. Super Mario Maker ; Never knew I would have so much fun trying to make my own Mario levels. I just wish I had more time to tinker around with it.
9. Star Wars Battlefront ; I enjoyed playing the game. Unfortunately, the friend I would play with started to dislike playing due to imbalances and such. Though it was a beautiful game and ran very well on my PC.
10. FAST Racing NEO ; I am not much for racing games, but I enjoyed what I played of it. I think what the developers have achieved with their talents is impressive for a small team on the Wii U.
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; I suspect its hard to fully appreciate the scope and ambition of The Witcher III for those who havent been with the series all the way through. Released back in 07, The Witcher was an incredibly ambitious, and ambitiously flawed, roleplaying game. Its enormous world, layered story and dwarven cocks remain impressive to this day, even in spite of other systems that were horribly out of touch even back then. Jump forward a few years, and Witcher 2 completely outdoes what people expect from a sequel. Witcher 2 is a graphical feat! Gone are the archaic MMO-lite combat systems, replaced with a far more intuitive and skillful physics based design. The production values skyrocketed, and the game was bigger, better and dwarven cocks. And then comes The Witcher III. Its so rare to see the third entry of a series have as much of a leap from the second, as the second did from the first. Everything is better. The story is epic, one of political intrigue, personal romance, fatherhood, and just maybe the end of the world. Its the best looking game Ive ever played, and its astonishing to me that a hundred hour game could ever hold my interest for as long as it did. The Witcher III is in a class all of its own, from a fantastic user experience, continued developer support in patches and the best DLC in a loong time, detailed and involved quest design, a complete respect for player time and intelligence, and all the dwarven cocks you could want.
2. Grow Home ; You make a big tree and you can climb it. Its amazing.
3. Rocket League ; Youre a rocket car in a football league. Its amazing.
4. Undertale ; You can date skeletons. Youre filled with determination.
5. Until Dawn ; I hated nearly every single character in this game and then watched them die in horrific ways. Its amazing.
6. Halo 5 ; Its halo.
7. Life is Strange ; I hated nearly every single character in this game and then fell in love with everyone and cried. Its amazing.
8. Nuclear Throne ; SCreeEEnn SHHaaakKKKEEee iS AMAzZinGG
9. The Beginner's Guide ; Rush through this game so you can request a refund. Haha just kidding if any of you do this I will find you and it will be amazing
10. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ; The soundtrack is amazing
1. Bloodborne ; Outrageously good gameplay, possibly the best single player RPG gameplay to date. Overall, it lacked the depth of Dark Souls I feel but the playability is unmatched and very close to what I consider 'perfect'.;
2. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 - Break Record ;
3. Dying Light ;
4. Pillars of Eternity ;
5. Xenoblade Chronicles X ;
6. Wasteland 2: Director's Cut ;
1. Bloodborne ; Much has already been said about this game so I will keep my comments brief. It is unbelievable how much of a difference seemingly small tweaks to combat can make in such a combat focused series. Couple those changes with chilling cosmic horror, hauntingly beautiful soundtrack and art direction on top of the top tier level design that Miyazaki is so known for and you get something truly noteworthy. No doubt this will be high on my list of games for the entire generation.
2. Shovel Knight ; I was quite surprised by just how much I enjoyed this game. As a throwback to the games of my childhood it really hit home for me in all the right ways. Charming art design was complimented by incredibly tight gameplay, inventive mechanics, fun boss design, AMAZING cheat codes and genuinely humorous writing. The ability to play on the go (on my vita) meant it was one of the few games I played through multiple times this year just for the sheer fun of it. Simply cannot recommend this game enough.
3. Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition ; One of the best RPGs I have played in a very long time. The combat options and strategies available are mindboggling and the art direction is often stunning. The game is challenging in a way that I haven't experienced since my days playing Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. It is a game that consistently forces you to think as if every combat scenario is a puzzle to solve and rewards you handsomely for solving them. The story and characters are also notable and the game is basically infinitely replayable. The only drawback were the sometimes awkward console controls. Overall this is a true tour de force of classic RPG greatness and an incredible value for any fan of the genre.
4. Mario Maker ; I willl admit I wrote this game off prior to release as just another wacky gimmick game but having sunk an unreal amount of hours into the game I could not have been more wrong. Nintendo has managed to make the act of creating levels so intuitive and simple that it is actually fun. Playing through the creations of others leaves me constantly floored by the creativity they bring to bear. Of course this is all made possible by the rock solid platforming that has always been a staple of the Mario franchise. It is this core that provides the game with the vital backbone upon which it builds one helluva package. To put it simply this is the most fun I have had with Mario in a very very long time.
5. The Talos Principle ; This was a game I picked up on a whim with no prior knowledge and it quite literally took over my life. One of the most engrossing and ingeniously written games I have played this gen. If it werent for a few glitches this would be much higher on the list. But please don't let these minor hiccups deter you form trying this game. As a fan of classic cerebral science fiction it is, quite simply, one of the best in the genre. I don't want to go into much more detail here for fear of spoiling anything about the game for those like me who would go into it knowing nothing about it.
6. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Few games inspire the amount of awe that this game did for me. The art and sound direction are second to none and engross you in a world that is both beautiful and treacherous. It cannot be understated how gorgeous this game truly is. It is a shining example of the power that art can have for video gaming. With a brilliantly simple and understated story it manages to convey just enough to keep you enchanted with the characters and world it creates. It is among a special tier of games that have art, music and sound design that perfectly compliment their narrative. Were it not for some performance issues I ran into on PC which resulted in a number of frustrating deaths it would have been ranked much higher on this list. Anyone who is able should play this game.
7. Abyss Odyssey: Extended Dream Edition ; This is another game where the striking artwork elevates the experience.The art in this game is very unique thanks in part to its 19th century chile setting. I had originally purchased this game because I found its setting and artwork fascinating but as I played I was surprised with a deceptively deep combat that is more than a little reminiscent of Smash Bros complete with a formidable roster of characters to play with. As such this quickly became a go to party game thanks to its versus arena modes. Definitely one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. The single player campaign is certainly no slouch offering gobs of content and tons of replayability but it was the competitive vs mode that stole the show for me. The only caveats I give when recommending this game are that it takes a few hours for the combat to click and the soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired but if you can over look those two minor grievances you'll have a truly unique and feature rich gaming experience. So if this sounds at all interesting to you then consider picking the game up.
8. Rogue Galaxy ; As an unrepentant level 5 fanboy words cannot begin to express how happy I was to hear Rogue Galaxy was among the first PS2 titles to be released on PS4. This is one of my favorite games on PS2 and it holds up remarkably well even today. The cell shaded aesthetic looks great with the higher native rendering and it still has some of the best combat in an RPG to date. I've had an absolute blast playing through the game again. If you are a fan of JRPGs and have for some reason not played this incredible space pirate game you should take this opportunity to fix that ASAP. It truly is Level 5 at their best.
9. Star Wars: Battlefront ; This game has been criticized heavily for what many claim as a lack of content. Meanwhile I have sunk countless hours into a single mode: Fighter Squadron. In my dreams there will be a game in the future made solely around this mode with its ship based combat. It's made all the more enjoyable by its spot on sound design and I simply can't get enough of it. It is also worth mentioning that it has the most impressive realistic graphics I have ever seen in a game let alone one that runs at 60 fps. I have no idea how they pulled that off but wowwwwww does it look great. While I also enjoy the classic arcadey gameplay that it provides in the copious other multiplayer modes in the game I just keep coming back to Fighter Squadron and I don't see that stopping anytime soon.
10. Astebreed ; This game is shootem up heaven. Its the sort of unholy combination of mecha and shoot em up that has no right to be as good as it is. I have sunk so many hours into this game and while I enjoyed the game a lot I would be remiss to not acknowledge its shortcomings: mainly inconsistent art/graphics quality and lack of options. But I simply don't care. It is SO much fun and when the art gets the chance to shine it really is impressive. If you like mecha games or shootemups or both you would hard pressed to find a better deal for $20 or less.
Honorable Mentions
x. XeoDrifter ; This game usurped Axiom Verge as best metroidvania style game for me this year thanks to its excellent sound design and soundtrack along with its vivid art style and simple but addictive gameplay. It also didnt hurt that the game was free for PS+.
x. Dragon Quest Heroes ; Another big surprise for me. This game deviates a lot form the tried and true musou formula and succeeds when doing so. As a fan of the Dragon Quest series this is one of the best fan service games the series has ever had. The only thing keeping it from being on my list this year was the mindnumbing repetitiveness that so often accompanies the genre. Luckily this is broken up fairly well with all of the other content present in the game but it is still there and is painfully noticeable on more than one occasion.
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; A very special game. I came into the game as a huge fan of the series already. I fell in love with the Witcher world from the previous entries but even with sky high expectations, I was blown away by what CDPR was able to achieve with this game. It's a massive RPG, bigger than I could have possibly imagined, but with that huge expansion of scope there was a worry that the game would have traded quality for quantity. However, that was not the case here. They were able to fill the huge and exceptionally well realized world with interesting characters, each with real believably human motivations and diverse stories. Main quests, side quests, major characters, minor characters the quality of writing remains consistently high. I wanted to experience everything that I could be the game was so huge, I couldn't hope to play all the available quests. This is the best game I've played in years.
2. Kerbal Space Program ; I haven't played this nearly as much as I've wanted to but I can't deny that this game is important. I would love to see this game become a modern day Oregon Trail. The concepts it teaches about physics and orbital mechanics and in such a fun way. It puts a huge smile on my face whenever I hear that a child loves this game.
3. Rocket League ; This game came out of nowhere. I saw the buzz surrounding the game but a vehicular multiplayer soccer game didn't really seem like something I'd get into. Then some friends bought it so I caved and tried it. What an incredible competitive experience. The skill ceiling is shockingly high, the amount of control and tactical options are completely unexpected. On top of that, it is just fun, pick up and play at any time fun. The perfect game to play with and against friends. Its runaway success is completely deserved.
4. Grand Theft Auto V ; I don't have a ton to say about this game. No one can compare to Rockstar when it comes to creating a lifelike lived in modern day city and this time they delivered an outstanding PC port. I had a lot of fun and the ability to mod the game gives it a new life for years to come.
Honorable Mentions
x. Elite: Dangerous ; This is my true game of the year, but it's late December release last year prevented me from choosing it. Elite is not a game for everyone. It is mechanically dense but the gameplay system that link together the different activities are shallow. It does not guide players to a goal and if players that need constant progression should avoid the game, at least for now, because the most efficient paths for progression are grindy. That all being said this game was made for me. Its 1 to 1 scale Milky Way galaxy procedurally generated based on our current scientific understanding may seem excessive but is key to driving home a major key to the game, space is unfathomably huge and we are unfathomably insignificant. The flight mechanics and ship controls feel "real" with the right amount of complicated management and future tech assistants. Traveling from system to system, planet to planet, station to station, is handled so well. Nothing else I have ever played comes close to giving a proper sense of the enormous scale of the galaxy. You are able to travel light years, light seconds, megameters, kilometers and meters to your destination in a ways that make sense. You change your perspective as you approach your destination and something that was so tiny and insignificant in the distance can quickly dominate your entire perceivable space. With planetary landings added this year with Horizons, that aspect becomes even greater. I'm in love with this game and continue to play it every week.
x. Pillars of Eternity ; This is a game that I played for 20 or so hours but put on hold waiting for a patch and failed to return to. What I played hit its mark. I've was returned to a time when isometric CRPGs weren't just a popular genre, they were the king of the PC gaming. I plan to return but my Elite: Dangerous addiction has really hurt my ability to finish a lot of the games I wanted to this year.
I also played and finish MGSV but soured on the game to the point that I didn't want to highlight it in this list. I've played a lot of Fallout 4 but burned out on the game faster than any other Bethesda RPG that I played.
1. The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt ; Even though I was a big fan of the second game, Witcher 3 still blew me away. I have a hard time with Bethesda open world RPGs for some reason, but I think Witcher 3 was the perfect balance of character-driven storytelling and a living breathing open world that no game has matched. This might be one of my favorite games ever, as well as game of the year. CD Projekt Red are probably one of the best developers out there right now.
2. Mario Maker ; This is one of those games that you know what you're getting into, so there aren't many surprises. The good news is that it met my high expectations perfectly. Nintendo achieved what other first parties had tried and failed, creating a game that has truly intuitive creative controls along with proven and perfect platforming. It's great for people like me who respect game design from a distance and only want to dip their toes in, and people who truly have a passion for it and want to create levels that rival a lot of official Nintendo levels.
3. Metal Gear Solid V ; I took a long break from Metal gear after Metal Gear Solid 3 on the PS2. I didn't have a Playstation 3 for a long time, and the look of Metal Gear Solid 4 was a big turn off for me for a long time. I eventually got around to it just before MGSV was released and, while it was better than I thought it would be, was a little too convoluted-story heavy for my taste. That being said, MGSV's focus on gameplay was refreshing to me. Since MGS3 is my favorite in the series, I was hoping for more story involving Big Boss, so that was a bit disappointing. The gameplay was spot on, and probably made this the best action game of the year.
4. Rocket League ; This is the first "sports" games I've gotten into in a long time. The extreme simplicity combined with excellent physics made this great for me. It's the kind of game that you can shut off and just play for any amount of time. There's a lot of satisfaction from it when you do something cool, as well. Soundtrack is fantastic.
5. Elite Dangerous ; I may be biased since this is the first game I bought since getting my HOTAS, but I really enjoy it.
6. Pillars of Eternity ; Very well made throwback to the CRPGs of old. The gameplay was a little uneven, but at its peak it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the story quite a bit.
7. Star Wars Battlefront ; I'm a big star wars fan, mostly because of the Star Wars videogames. It's #7 because of the lack of content, but it's on my list because of the amazon graphics and sound. It's also fun to fly vehicles around.
8. Game of Thrones ; I wasn't expecting to like this, but it feels on par with some of the television episodes to me.
9. Lego Jurassic World ; Another game I was surprised by. I don't play many Lego games, but as a fan of Jurassic Park, I jumped on this when I saw it on sale. The production values are pretty good for this kind of game. I know this isn't the popular opinion, but I really like the movie clip voice acting.
10. Dirt Rally ; Another relaxing game that looks amazing and controls extremely well. As a fan of the previous Dirt games, this one is a welcome addition.
1. Bloodborne ; I've been a fan of Miyazaki's since Demon's Souls released on the PS3. While the "Souls" games are quite similar to Bloodborne, the focus on combat and faster pace differentiate them enough to breathe new life into these games. The atmosphere throughout the entire game is like the Tower of Latria (probably my favorite area in any of these games) stretched out across 40 or so hours and then some. They took one of my favorite formulas and married it with cosmic horror—yet another subject I'm highly fascinated by. In a year of many fantastic titles, I was constantly itching to play Bloodborne because nothing else could quite topple it as my game of the year—this was before the expansion arrived. I don't know how they managed to do it again, but as tradition would hold it, the DLC upped the ante and surpassed some of my favorite areas and boss fights from the vanilla game. A masterpiece.
2. Rocket League ; It's not often that I'm hooked on a multiplayer game, but this title is pure digital crack. I knew it was special the moment I felt my body jerk forward in anticipation as I was hurtling towards a large soccer ball, bracing for impact. Just one more.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ;
4. Life Is Strange ;
5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ;
6. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ;
7. Ori and the Blind Forest ;
8. Until Dawn ;
9. Splatoon ;
10. Disgaea 5 ;
1. Fallout 4 ; I knew from the second Bethesda made the drop-the-mic announcement that Fallout 4 was releasing this year that it would be my game of the year. I'm glad it didn't prove me wrong. It gave me exactly what I wanted: a brand new wasteland to explore. One minute your on your way to your next quest and then you see it. An interesting unexplored structure on the horizon. Two hours later you remember that at one point or another you had a "next quest." That experience is why I play games. To get lost. To leave the world I'm in and explore one rich with opportunities. That is why Fallout 4 is my game of the year.
2. Tales from the Borderlands ; Even being a huge Borderlands fan and a huge Telltale fan, I never expected this game to be one of my favorite games this year. And yet here it is at number 2 on my list. From the very beginning you know this game is going to be something special. I remember with each episodes release looking forward to the intro title card and music. Then came Episode 4 and with it the best shootout to ever take place in a game (you know the one). Seriously, no matter how you feel about Borderlands or Telltale, you NEED to give this a try. You'll love it.
3. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; I have put about 40+ hours into this game and I'm not even close to being finished with it. And yet I know that this game is truly something special. You can feel the love the developers poured into this game. And than there is Gwent! If they released a standalone Gwent game, it would make my top 10 list easily. Can't wait to sink my teeth back into this one and its DLCs!
4. Batman: Arkham Knight ; This was a damn good Batman game. The gliding was perfect and despite what some think, so was the Batmobile. Plus this game made me jump more than any other game this year. Can't wait to see what Rocksteady moves onto next.
5. Mad Max ; The beautiful vistas of this game rocket it into my top 10 list alone. This game gave me a reason to use the screenshot option on my Xbox. The gameplay was nothing new, sure. But I have no problem with a game copying the Ubisoft formula for open worlds. Especially when they knocked it out of the park.
6. Yo-Kai Watch ; Just beat this one last week and I cannot wait for the next one to be localized. This game had more charm than any of the recent Pokemon releases. Plus I loved the true open world, something I've wanted Pokemon to adapt for awhile. But honestly I'm just happy to have yet another monster collection game. The more the merrier!
7. Assassin's Creed Syndicate ; After the bad taste in my mouth that was Unity I was skeptical about this one. On one hand I love the AC series (even have a tattoo) but on the other hand....Unity sucked. When I finally picked Syndicate up I was ever so happy with this return to form from Ubisoft. This is the step in the right direction we needed the series to take. Hopefully the momentum continues next year. And can we finally get an Asian setting? Pleeeeeease?
8. Just Cause 3 ; Still working on this one but I can confidently place this one at number 8 on my list. The wing suit was a genius addition. Throw in propulsion grenades and multiple tethers and you have yourself a perfect cocktail of destruction.
9. Life is Strange ; I'm addicted to these episodic walking/talking simulators so getting one from someone other than Telltale was refreshing. The characters and setting really pull you in on this one. The journey may ended up being better than the destination but what a journey it was.
10. Dying Light ; Its felt like ages since I've played this (taking part in the 52 games challenge does that I guess) but what I remember is a great open world zombie game. The atmosphere and parkour were great and it really felt like the game Dead Island should have been. It would probably place higher if the final boss fight didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Honorable Mentions
x. Until Dawn ; Like with many this year, Until Dawn was a surprise for me. Beat it in a day and loved it.
x. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection ; Borderlands 2 is still my favorite game of all time so of course this had to make my list somehow.
x. Splatoon ; A unique take on the multiplayer genre proving that violence isn't needed when a game is pure fun.
x. Super Mario Maker ; Felt like I was child again while playing this one. Not sure were they could go with 2D Mario after this.
x. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Not a Metal Gear fan, and I didn't finish this one but what I did play of it stuck with me. Especially that opening.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt; Simply amazing. I can't believe how large the world is and how 'new' all the areas feel when you've been running around in them for hours. While the combat could be better (honestly, this is more camera than combat) I find that everything about this game is so inviting. I want to finish the side quests, I read all the books (or at least skim them) that I pick up. I don't skip through conversations. And I actually go through the screenshots I take.
2. Divinity Original Sin: EE; Great game to play co-op, the world was well done and I loved most of the banter. The fact that one person could play with you and be in a totally separate area was cool, I do wish controller support was better but overall, amazing experience co-op.
3: Elite Dangerous; The game I love to hate. For all the shortcomings, I still find myself to coming back to this game for a spin in my 'Conda. I just wish that updates were more frequent and less mp/pvp related. It's still one of the best experiences I've had with the DK2 and the visuals are stunning, if not repetitive. Even after the moaning, bitching, and complaining ... I've still logged over 400 hours and earned half a billion in credits. So they are doing something right, right?
1: Life is Strange ; This game enters my "all-time favorites," because of its strong character development, memorable plot, fantastic environments, and great voice acting (Ashly Burch nails it). The soundtrack across all five episodes is so fitting with the nostalgic setting (and let's not forget DJ Doom's excellent party suite at the swimming pool) that it threw my mind back into what I thought youth was, utterly romanticized, and drove an atom bomb of inspiration directly into my creative side. The game will be something special to me for any foreseeable future, for what it gave and what it managed to pull out of me.
2: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; narrative, gameplay, characters, visuals, and general depth. Incredible product.
3: Rocket League ; likely the greatest multiplayer game I've ever experienced. And perfect for a quick pick and drop in between bigger games
4: Her Story ; I got to be a detective and I did it all on my own! Fantastic narrative and a fantastic method to discover it.
5: Cities Skylines ; My city can be big, beautiful, offline, and it has mods!
6: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes ; Keanu and Jeff presents Speed 3, and it kicks total ass with family and friends climbing at one another's throats to beat the clock. I'm gonna apply to tech support jobs immediately.
7: MGSV: Phantom Pain ; Terrible writing, but the gameplay is sublime, however shallow the world is. Missing cooperative, though. The stealth and controls makes up for everything, pretty much.
1. Splatoon ; Probably my favorite FPS/TPS game ever. I have some reservations about placing a multiplayer game at #1, but I think this game is something pretty special.
2. Yoshi's Wooly World ; The original Yoshi's Island is my favorite game, and I loved this follow up.
3. Mushihimesama ; I think this is the first time the game has been available in the west so I'm counting it. Probably a Top 15 shmup. The Matsuri Version is great too.
4. DariusBurst Chronicle Saviors ; This is a really fun game, I love the dual monitor support. It's a very impressive game. The presentation is ridiculously awesome and over the top.
5. Super Mario Maker ; Probably the most intuitive level editor ever. It's really fun to make levels.
6. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; I'm still playing through this but I thought it should belong in the Top 10. I'll reserve further judgement until completing the game though.
x. Resident Evil Revelations 2 ; I didn't feel this was really Top 10 material, but it has some good moments. Probably one of the weaker games in the series though.
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; a top tier game that combines the best rpg elements and sheer environment scale in to one complete game. The antithesis of the market practice and publisher game development strategy.
2. Until Dawn ; my unique game of the year. Really interesting story line and solid scary tactics.
3. Rocket League ; solid controls and over-all fun game. The DLC pack is also worth buying.
4. Bloodborne ; The game has a steep learning curve. If I want to finish this game, I should not play any other game because it messes up my timing.
5. Tearaway Unfolded ; A game that is colorful and have so much charm. Really exemplifies the creativity of the sony development team.
6. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection ; a solid collection of the games; fun and interesting historical look of how Naughty Dog became a top tier game developer.
7. Bastion ; great game, controls are fine and the voice over is amazing.
8. Grow Home ; controls are wonky but the premise was good.
9. Super Meat Boy ; the game is punishing, that is all I can say.
10. OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood ; another enjoyable game; easy to play difficult to master.
6. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection ; a solid collection of the games; fun and interesting historical look of how Naughty Dog became a top tier game developer.
7. Bastion ; great game, controls are fine and the voice over is amazing.
As a big Jak fan this hurts me, but you have Olli Olli 2 on your list so I'll let it slide. Also does Bastion count? I love it but it was released years ago.
As a big Jak fan this hurts me, but you have Olli Olli 2 on your list so I'll let it slide. Also does Bastion count? I love it but it was released years ago.
1. The Witcher 3 ; It's a game I give up on. I didn't like the controls, the combat and after the first area I was encumbered and my weapons began degrading so I decided to stop playing because of those annoyances. Then months later after hearing so much praise I decided to give it a second chance and just do quests and main story and boy did this games suck me in. 35+ hours and I believe I'm still in act 1 and have went through multiple amazing stories already. After having a slump this year from playing games this is the one that I want to play all the time.
2. Metal Gear Solid V ; MGS is my favorite series of all time and while the story wasn't what I hoped for but the gameplay has blown me away.
3. Tales from The Borderlands ; I have never laughed playing a game that much ever before tftb. Great story, great characters and awesome music.
4. Batman Arkham Knight ; I'm not so familiar with the comics so some of the story elements that people figured out I didn't and made the story more enjoyable for me. Great gameplay. This would've been higher if it wasn't for those Bat Mobile stealth sections.
5. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; really solid game all around, Improved story and gameplay and the tombs were super fun to do.
6. Bloodborne ; it was my first souls game. I really loved the combat and the controls. Atmosphere, boss designs and soundtrack of the year. However, I didn't like the checkpoint system and I know that souls fans won't be happy for saying that. I would've preferred an option when dying at the boss between retrying the boss or going back to the lantern but I know fans won't like that and that's fine with me but it means that I will not go back to the series again because I only have limited time to play and having to run back to a boss is a waste of my time even with shortcuts. Also harvesting blood vials could get annoying if stuck at a boss thankfully that didn't happen to me only once.
7. Rocket League ; very fun game it's the only multiplayer game I played all year.
8. Until Dawn ; Fun characters and cool atmosphere. It's game that does things differently which is rare now a days.
9. The Order 1886 ; I really liked how the weapons felt. With cool two new weapons that I haven't tried in other games, wished we kept them for longer period though. Great graphics and characters but a terrible ending and bad enemy encounters what dragged this game down.
10. Fallout 4 ; I loved Fallout 3 so I was really anticipating this game. But Fallout 4 really didn't grab me even 20 hours in. There is nothing bad with the game but there is nothing great either it just stays at one level through out the game. The animations and lip syncing took me out of the experience consistently. Quest designs aren't that impressive and not a lot of new enemies or cool designs to it. It just feels dated.
1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Not a Metal Gear fan, but I had a hell of a time playing this from start to "finish". This may not be the game MG fans wanted from Kojima, but it's the one they deserve. May Kojima be able to prosper to something better.
2. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; FF14 continues to suck my life away and I continue to still enjoy it.
3. Until Dawn ; Shouldn't have waited until dawn mid-January to finish my first run-through. This game is a blast and can get pretty fucking scary too. This is definitely one game that is worth checking out.
4. Mortal Kombat X ; Fatalities are still gruesome and fucked up as ever. And I love it. Thank goodness the final boss fight in story mode wasn't a giant pain in the ass like in MK9. And I'm glad I didn't bother with the Kombat Pass or buy additional characters.
5. Resident Evil Revelations 2 ; Kinda wish the Raid Mode was as good as Revelations 1's Raid Mode, but other than that, I enjoyed this game. I was wise to wait for the physical release.
6. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round ; This is more of a pity vote. Played enough of vanilla DoA 5 and DoA 5 Plus that I barely did jack in this game (character training, some survival, and costume buying).
7. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster ; Another game I've barely played, but since FFX was the first FF title I ever played back on its original PS2 release, I had to buy the HD remaster. I hope to spend more time with it in 2016.
8. Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment ; Briefly played it on the Vita in 2014, briefly played it on the PS4 in 2015 :/ I really need to finish games I actually buy.
9. Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson ; I...actually have not played this even though I own it. But I bought it to support the life and hometown (mostly life) so I'm giving it a vote.
10. Sword Art Online: Lost Song ; Another game I own but have not played yet. But I love SAO so I'm voting for it.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; Yup this was the system seller for me from when I 1st saw the initial trailer at E3 a few years back. Didn't disappoint at all. Heck I even started to enjoy the extremely polarizing combat by around half way through. It has a weird flow and pace to it, but once you adapt and get used to it, it was pretty fun. The way dismemberment worked especially was great.
Aside from that it had a world you wanted to explore, and not just go from shiny map icon to shiny map icon, as well as some amazing characters that for the most part, were actually believable. The Barons storyline gets a lot of love and rightly so, but the part where Geralt and Trish infiltrate Mengs hideout will stay with me for a while. I stuck with Trisses plan the whole way (and I liked Triss, but she knew what she was in for) and it was so nailbiting (ha) and tense going through all that dialogue, while worse and worse shit kept happening to her. Also the whole Kaer Morhen section (the boys getting on the sauce and then THAT battle) was probably the most memorable afternoon of single player gaming I have ever had. I wasn't a huge fan of Lambert up until that point, but his antics on the boys night were genuinely hilarious. I think the "We need some bitches" line broke me and literally had me shedding tears. The whole thing was another case of characters acting in a believable manner, and it just kept getting funnier and funnier. And that battle was just so amazing. The last battle felt really disappointing compared to it, and I really think they should have switched them around if possible. Or at least made the last battle more then 2 boss fights and not much else
I could write stuff all day about all the stuff I loved about this game, but character limits etc, and I need to write some thoughts on other games too
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; This is a tough one, cos I really loved the game below as well. In fact while I was playing it kept going through my head that this may well be my GOTY. Its internal development issues, really showed in the second half though where everything got rushed to a close and plot points totally abandoned.I've been a fan of the franchise since the PS1, but despite that am a long way from a hardcore lore junky, so the issues that a lot of people had with the 'big twist' didn't bother me so much. In fact I felt a little stupid for not even considering it.
But controversial stuff aside, the open world sandbox is totally unparalleled with how much freedom you have to fuck around with enemy AI. And the AI itself was about as good as you'll see. Still not perfect, but pretty damn believable. It also had a nice sense of progression in terms of upgrades you could unlock. I think my 1st playthrough was close to 100 hours, and there was still things I was working towards and excited to see get built.
All up, as much of a wet fart that it ended with, I've always been someone whos been more about the journey (hence why I hold Mass Effect 3 in high regard - despite THAT ending) and considering how good the actual gameplay is, I couldn't not rate it high on my list. Thinking about it now actually, my numbers 1 and 2 are sort of a ying and yang in gaming with each games strongest point, being the others weakest. Vidyagames huh
3. Bloodborne ; Hoo boy. What a game. Love the souls games too but I think I enjoyed this a little more. The faster paced combat and having no shield to turtle behind made all the difference. Also dual wielded Blade of Mercy might be the best weapon in any video game ever (closely followed by the Dubstep gun in SR4). You also really felt like the hunter as opposed to the hunted, which is how you felt in Souls. What, a pack of 13 scrubs with pitchforks and shit. You're given the tools to carve through them all very quickly if you abandon the whole '1 at a time' mindset that you get used to from the Souls games.
I still need to beat it properly too. I took time off work when it came out and had it beat about 3 days after release. What I became aware of a little later was the lazy boss bug, that affected at least a few boss encounters (wet nurse, dude at the end of the snowy castle, Rom the dickhead, Amygdala and maybe one or two others as well). Unfortunately my copy is loaned out at the moment and the person has gone overseas for a while, and didn't think to give me back my games before leaving. Still haven't tried the DLC for the same reason, but keen to get into it.
Also, fond memories, of the days that I spent camped outside of Bloods Starved Beasts lair helping with co-op. I must've beaten her up a couple of hundred times in the few weeks I played for. My favourite boss encounter in the whole series hands down. Rolling up as a summon as a nicely dressed female, with the shitty shield in 1 hand and a little knife in the other made for some interesting encounters with other players. It also added a little pressure that I didn't wanna fuck it up and look stupid in the process.
4. Wasteland 2: Director's Cut ; I'm just going to leave this right here. As of writing I'm probably 20-30 hours in and not sure I'll beat it before the cutoff. My top 3 is pretty impenetrable anyway. Its a wonderful old school inspired RPG, with a (getting less) unique setting. Exploring the various maps for their secrets is really addictive, the writing and tales you come across are great, and after a shaky start I've even come around on the battle system. Also some of the choices forced upon you really make you think, and can really change the course of the game. And I'm not even half way. Have had a few technical issues, but that hasn't detracted from the overall experience so far. Can't wait to see it through, and likely go back for another playthrough with different decisions
5. Mortal Kombat X ; This was fun. I really liked 9 and Injustice as well. Didn't put as much time as I wanted to on it, but enough that I beat the story and saw at least 1 fatality and 1 x-ray attack from each character. My initial plan was to train up on single player towers etc before diving in for some online. I never got that far because a) I am naturally very reticent when it comes to vs online play, so I kept on putting off the 'jump' and b) I wasn't able to settle on a character to knuckle down and learn properly. They were all pretty sweet. I sorta settled on Devorah (sp?) but was distracted by other games not long after that.
Have been meaning to get back into it though. I think Predators playable now and I HAVE to give that a look at some point
6. Assassin's Creed Syndicate Just beat this yesterday and really enjoyed it. It did start to wear out its welcome towards the end, so that made it a pretty good length all up, as I was really invested for most of it. The star of the show was London, without doubt. Traversing about town and taking in the sites was a lot of fun, and pretty damn impressive at times. I also like where they have the combat now. It more or less feels exactly like Batman and thats not a bad thing at all. Main disappointments were they could have done more with the dual protags setup, and the missions and there structures were mostly pretty mundane. Given I thought I was done with the series, this was the 1st entry I actually saw the ending of since 2 (played and enjoyed a fair bit of Brotherhood and Black Flag, just wasn't able to see them through) so it definitely did something right.
7. Until Dawn ; Got this because of the Heavy Rain comparisons, and was after playing something a little different. I nearly put it down somewhere around chapter 4, as all it seemed like I was doing was walking along tensely with some form of light, waiting for jump scares, and making the occasional decision. The QTE's were no where nearly as well implemented as Heavy Rains interesting use of them. I still remember sitting down 1 night a few weeks ago, sighing and going 'one last chance to grab me'. And it did. The story picked up and went in some very interesting directions, and I even took a liking to one or 2 of the characters. Fuck Emily though. Especially after the ending I got. Spoilers re a big decision regarding Emily and game ending
obviously I didn't want to shoot her with Mike, but after that ending and the fact she was actually HAPPY that her BF died (Matt didn't make it in my game), fuck me, it made me wish I capped her there and then. Matt did everything he could to save her, she was just being a dumb bitch, and not helping him, help her. Fuck her.
I don't usually garner that level of hatred towards videogame characters too, but that shit was so outta line.
Also, game has purdy, purdy graphics
8. The Order: 1886 ; Here's where it shows I haven't played many game this year Picked it up for $20 recently, and that's prob exactly what its worth. Amazeballs to look at and admire, but really, really uninspired gameplay with no real reason to play on after beating the already short story. Was still enjoyable though. There were more then a few times, especially in the slower moments that I had to blink a bunch of times, because how realistic everything was looking.
Someone, somewhere on GAF made an interesting comparison to the original assassins creed games. Obv a totally different genre of game, but the point was the 1st game was basically a glorified tech demo, and the second they took the time to build a good game into their tech. I feel like The Order is in a pretty similar spot if given the chance at a sequel.
Honorable Mentions
x. Warframe ; I know its been around a while now, but I only discovered it a few months ago. Sooooo much content and quality from a free to play game its pretty mind-boggling, Pretty sure I'll be playing for quite some time. Nice little GAF community too
x. Marvel Heroes ; Another game that's been around a while, and I've been actively playing for a year and a half now. I have to mention it simply because it's quite easily my most played game this year, and probably ever. Steam has me over 2000 hours now. Despite its ups and downs the game continues to do things that interest me and plus I'm a total mark for the Marvel license. Its something i'll likely be logging a lot more hours in the months/years to come.
x. Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition. I have about 20 mins logged on this at the moment. Why is it here? Well, through nothing but shear ignorance I only discovered the game a week or 2 ago. Everything points to me loving the shit out of it though. I'm currently fighting a strong urge to jump in as I want to beat Wasteland 2 first.
Edited to include Wasteland and Divinity. Should be the last edit
I have a question about the spreadsheet. Steins;Gate is listed as SteinsGate but the actual title has the ; in its name.
Does this cause any problems for the parser if you write it with the semicolon included?
And a small correction: Actual Sunlight is on PC and Vita, not on PS4.
I have a question about the spreadsheet. Steins;Gate is listed as SteinsGate but the actual title has the ; in its name.
Does this cause any problems for the parser if you write it with the semicolon included?
And a small correction: Actual Sunlight is on PC and Vita, not on PS4.
It's the one game title that uses a semicolon. We're using that character as a delimiter, so it's not included in the title here. If you use a semicolon in that title, it'll turn out as "Steins" and it won't get sorted automatically.
So, don't use a semicolon in that title. Use it as a delimiter.
1. Splatoon ; Brilliantly designed, great controls, put 1000 hours into it, favorite multiplayer game since dota 2.
2. Undertale ;Basically a flawless game.
3. MH4U ; Most complete game in the series, but not as impactful as Tri's guantlet of Wall monsters. I miss being terrified of a Barroth and having a 45 minute nailbiting 1v1 vs a Rathalos.
4. Bloodborne ; Scariest game I have played, great level design. Blood vial system was annoying however, and the battles did not have that much depth to them after you got used to the mechanics
1. Splatoon- Brilliantly designed, great controls, put 1000 hours into it, favorite multiplayer game since dota 2.
2. Undertale- Basically a flawless game.
3. MH4U- Most complete game in the series, but not as impactful as Tri's guantlet of Wall monsters. I miss being terrified of a Barroth and having a 45 minute nailbiting 1v1 vs a Rathalos.
4. Bloodborne- Scariest game I have played, great level design. Blood vial system was annoying however, and the battles did not have that much depth to them after you got used to the mechanics
1. Undertale ; Where to begin? Amazing characters, wonderful dialogue, fantastic music, a challenging battle system, hidden gems, and multiple endings, one of which was so thoroughly satisfying to me that I could never play...that other ending. Every little action you do plays out in context despite the multitude of choices open to you, keeping you both engaged and in anticipation. And best of all, the more you play the more you realize just how tightly everything meshes together. What a fantastic little gem that i almost didn't pick up and started playing blind. This is one of those experiences that can only be enjoyed through the gaming medium, and every moment was a blast. Will remember this game fondly for years and years to come. Not just my GotY, but one of my favorite games ever.
2. Xenoblade X ; While not as charming to me storywise as the original, Xenoblade X manages to weave together fantastic visuals, a compelling world that rewards exploration, and some pretty amazingly in depth customization out on the battlefield. In spite of the weaker story, however, Lin deserves major props for being one of (if not the) most likable/well written child team members among an adult cast that i have ever seen. Almost makes up for a certain orange doughball who can't hold a candle to his predecessor.
3. Divinity: EE ; One of the best RPGs of the gen was notably improved in several aspects. How could I not give it props?
4. Splatoon ; Only reason i didn't rate it higher is because of the sparse content at launch, this game is quite stylish and colorful while having deep shooter mechanics to make me happy to play one again. A great new IP and I certainly hope to see more (though at this point we will) .
5. Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon ; Quite delighted to rate this so high. I enjoyed the previous entries enough, but this one managed to make my top 10 due to the sheer amount of improvements to the series, while being a solid game on its own right.The difficulty is tighter, the options are more varied, the new items like Looplets and Gems add variety to every mission, and the connection system lets you know where to work to get the 'mons you want. Very nice
6. Shadowrun: Hong Kong ; While this entry to the franchise did very little new to the formula, it was already solid to begin with. Minor bugs aside, it's arguably the best entry in an already solid series, but if you didn't like the first ones there isn't a whole lot of new stuff to pull you in
7. Codename S.T.E.A.M. ; A wonderful strategy/shooter hybrid that everyone forgot about due to the questionable load times (that have since been fixed), it manages to have quite a ridiculous variety of characters, guns, and objectives throughout the game. While it doesn't control as smooth as I would like at times, and waves of enemies can appear without warning, it never felt cheap or unfair. Shame it didn't do so hot, but I will treasure it regardless.
8. Fallout 4 ; While not exactly everything I hoped it would be, it's still a fun enough game with a world I enjoyed my (abet limited) time with. As far as base games, bugs and locations go, it seems on par with 3 and a step below NV, but NV was a pretty great game, so I am willing to give it a somewhat stiff nod. Already craving some DLC and mods, but they are on the way I am sure.
9. Yo-kai Watch ; A charming game that has a lot of great ideas that kept me playing and a really fun and engaging battle system not seen in most monster collectibles. The open world was fun to explore and while the story was a bit goofy, there was nothing too outrageous for me to not have a good time with it I would have rated it a bit higher if not for a few rather annoying design decisions (monster befriending is pretty annoying, for example, and the Rank Up quests felt rather forced). Regardless, i am excited for a sequel and hope that it comes here soon (with maybe a few improvements)
10. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; Despite my recent disappointments with the 3.1x patch leaving not very much to do (that I find fun), the story remains top notch, the music absolutely incredible and I managed to find a class so engrossing to play that it actually tore me away from my former favorite class. I won't let an (admittedly large) smear on the track record let me forget the fun I had (and am still having). They can only go up from here.
Honorable mentions (aka probably would have made the list had I time to play them)
1. Bloodborne ; If anyone ever asks me what sort of games I'm into, I can point to Miyazaki's masterpiece and say "exactly this".
2. Life Is Strange ; This game really shows how compelling interactive entertainment can be. If you took the characters and plot and made it a TV show I would shut it off after five minutes, but in the context of an adventure game I was completely hooked. Also demonstrates the benefits of using licensed music.
3. Rocket League ; The initial joy of this game is all in the controls and the physics, but what kept me playing was the constant feeling of improving both in skill and tactics.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
5. Her Story ; I keep recommending this game to people who don't play videogames. You don't need to shoot anything or jump over any pits, you just have to watch, listen and think.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; Best RPG ever. The world is massive and full of content, with awesome sidequests, the story and characters are a step above the competition, combat is fun, beautiful graphics and soundtrack, DLC is great.
2. Metal Gear Solid V ; Best stealth action mechanics ever conceived. Simply a joy to play and with a flawed, yet engaging story.
3. Batman Arkham Knight ; Best Arkham game. More of the same but with a better story, incredible visuals and the addition of the batmobile, which is really fun to control.
4. Fallout 4 ; not the best Fallout, but the gameplay was greatly improved with refined shooting controls. Massive, well realised world to explore.
5. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 ; sleeper hit of 2015 alongside Mad Max. Probably my favorite Resident Evil game after Resi4. Episodic format worked well, great characters, story and ending.
6. Mad Max ; another sleeper hit. They nailed the wasteland and the atmosphere. Driving controls and car combat are very good, upgrading the Magnum Opus gives you a very nice sense of progression.
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; I love pretty much everything about this game. The writing, quests, world, graphics, combat.... I love it all.
2. Ori and the Blind Forest ; One of the most beautiful AND fun games this year. Or ever.
3. Pillars of Eternity
4. Grow Home ; One of the most unique games I've ever played. I found it so endearing. I'd love to play more.
5. Rocket League ; I suck at it, but it's still very fun and easy to get a quick game in here and there.
6. Dirty Bomb
7. Dying Light
8. Fallout 4 ; It's extremely flawed... but the sheer number of hours I got out of it are worthy of a mention on this list.
Holy shit at people that can't be bothered to read the fucking rules.
TW3 doesn't stand a chance, you can make like 10 errors in the title, and Bloodborne is just one word.
