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GAF Games of the Year 2015 - Voting Thread [LAST DAY FOR VOTING]
- Thread starter Cheesemeister
- Start date
- Status
Impossible. MGS5 is actually good. MGS5 is actually a game.
uh no.
If TW3 wins, then congrats (which i think it will anyway, since it's played by a lot more people)
Halo 5 is beating both
The Xtortionist
Member
Tell that to Bayonetta 2.
You're probably right. I'm seeing a good number of votes for Xenoblade Chronicles X as well lately, maybe people are actually managing to finish it. I'm currently playing it and enjoying it a lot, so I'm curious to see if it will rank decently. Of the two top contenders I like Bloodborne more but all the bickering has turned me off of the race, Give a me good list overall and I'll be happy.
iz.podpolja
Neo Member
Easy. Reality is intersubjective - so are results.
tell what? the line-up is shit in 2014,
OrbitalBeard
Member
Not it wasn't. Bayo 2, Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros., Wolfenstein, Shovel Knight.
I'll take 2014 over this year, easily.
Yeah, I want to see JC's list, too. I haven't seen him in any threads I frequented this year. Usually our tastes have some overlap, but I'm not sure what he played this year!
Fine Ham Abounds
Member
timetokill
Banned
It took us 4 hours to get the results page up last year.
Xenoblade Chronicles X was my GOTY, edging out Bloodborne and MGSV. You can see my illustrated writeup in Part 3 here. I'll be quite happy if it makes the Top 20. The odds are certainly stacked against it, since it was a last-minute release in December, after the holiday shopping rush, so most people haven't played it, let alone finish it (to quote The Donald, "It's huuuuuuuuuge").
oh ok that's great
This needs elaboration.
The Xtortionist
Member
is this an animal crossing reference
Maybe it's a metaphor for his (conscious or subconscious) influence of your taste in action games, you being a turtle now, according to your avatar
The Xtortionist
Member
It's a long and harrowing story...
ViewtifulJC
Banned
I'mma write a list in less than 365 days. Hopefully I'll feel less terrible than I currently do now, friends.
1. Bloodborne ; Having finished the base game, I enjoyed my time with it quite a bit and definitely considered it somewhere at the top of my favorite games of 2015. Great art design, great combat, yadda yadda yadda. However, I didn't feel... entirely satisfied with it. I always felt there could've been a little bit more to the game to make it feel "complete". Then came along the Old Hunters expansion and gave me exactly what I wanted. The moment I realized that this was my favorite game of the year was when I finally beat the last boss of the expansion after a week of failed attempts.
After like an hour and almost giving up on someone joining my game, I finally get an ally to help me take on this guy. We go in, taking turns on getting hits in and tagging out when either of us need to heal. I'm going in full melee, he's got spells and AOE heals. We're doing great, perfectly coordinated despite never meeting this person before. It's the very first time I see this boss get to his second form and my heart is pounding as the music intensifies. My roommate (who's all too aware of how fucking frustrated I've been with this fight for the past week) is losing his shit as we continue to fight. There's a moment where I get hit really bad and got just barely a sliver of health left and he's screaming at the screen while i'm like "wait... WAIT I'M STILL ALIVE HOLY SHIT". I tag out to heal up while my partner is wailing on him with his moonlight greatsword and I'm back in the game. I'm so close to defeating this guy, after a while I've got no vials left, we're both just completely going in on this guy and I'm just yelling "JUST. FUCKING. DIE. ALREADY." ....and then finally. He's dead. My partner still alive too and I'm just sitting there in disbelief at what just happened. I did it. Nightmare Slain.
I message the guy afterwards to thank him for his help and he tells me it was the first time he's seen that boss go down lmao.
No other game recently has managed to give me that feeling of complete exhilaration.
2. Rainbow Six Siege ; This was pretty much the moment where I was sold on this game completely:
Waiiiiiiit for it......
But yeah, great game. Extremely addictive and surprisingly balanced. It's good to see a game where there's a lot of (easily understandable) apprehension towards but its core concepts be so intriguing and then ends up delivering on those ideas (albeit with the help of a few patches or so).
3. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; This was the game that I spent the most time with this year. It was my first "proper" MMO and I had a surprisingly good amount of fun with it especially with the Heavensward expansion. The story and characters somehow became a lot more compelling, even becoming one of my favorite entries in the entire franchise. Despite the fact that I recently unsubbed because of there not being a whole lot to do with where I'm at in the game right now, I honestly cannot complain with how much time I gave this stupid game. It was great and I hope the developers add enough content in the future that'll make me want to renew my subscription.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Probably the most conflicting game I've recently played. It's at times both really frustrating but extremely satisfying when thinking back on my time with it. There are ideas presented here that just makes me shake my head in disappointment but then I remember how fucking awesome it was infiltrating enemy bases with D-Dog or Quiet. Kojima's astounding, almost borderline insane, attention to detail is ever present and the game mechanics are the best the series has ever run with but the incompleteness of this game is very apparent especially in Act 2.
I dunno. Looking forward to whatever Kojima has up his sleeves next.
5. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ; I dunno how they did it but they did the impossible. They surpassed the original Hotline Miami's soundtrack.
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ;
7. Star Wars Battlefront ;
8. Undertale ;
9. Fallout 4 ;
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops III ;
After like an hour and almost giving up on someone joining my game, I finally get an ally to help me take on this guy. We go in, taking turns on getting hits in and tagging out when either of us need to heal. I'm going in full melee, he's got spells and AOE heals. We're doing great, perfectly coordinated despite never meeting this person before. It's the very first time I see this boss get to his second form and my heart is pounding as the music intensifies. My roommate (who's all too aware of how fucking frustrated I've been with this fight for the past week) is losing his shit as we continue to fight. There's a moment where I get hit really bad and got just barely a sliver of health left and he's screaming at the screen while i'm like "wait... WAIT I'M STILL ALIVE HOLY SHIT". I tag out to heal up while my partner is wailing on him with his moonlight greatsword and I'm back in the game. I'm so close to defeating this guy, after a while I've got no vials left, we're both just completely going in on this guy and I'm just yelling "JUST. FUCKING. DIE. ALREADY." ....and then finally. He's dead. My partner still alive too and I'm just sitting there in disbelief at what just happened. I did it. Nightmare Slain.
I message the guy afterwards to thank him for his help and he tells me it was the first time he's seen that boss go down lmao.
No other game recently has managed to give me that feeling of complete exhilaration.
2. Rainbow Six Siege ; This was pretty much the moment where I was sold on this game completely:
Waiiiiiiit for it......
But yeah, great game. Extremely addictive and surprisingly balanced. It's good to see a game where there's a lot of (easily understandable) apprehension towards but its core concepts be so intriguing and then ends up delivering on those ideas (albeit with the help of a few patches or so).
3. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; This was the game that I spent the most time with this year. It was my first "proper" MMO and I had a surprisingly good amount of fun with it especially with the Heavensward expansion. The story and characters somehow became a lot more compelling, even becoming one of my favorite entries in the entire franchise. Despite the fact that I recently unsubbed because of there not being a whole lot to do with where I'm at in the game right now, I honestly cannot complain with how much time I gave this stupid game. It was great and I hope the developers add enough content in the future that'll make me want to renew my subscription.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Probably the most conflicting game I've recently played. It's at times both really frustrating but extremely satisfying when thinking back on my time with it. There are ideas presented here that just makes me shake my head in disappointment but then I remember how fucking awesome it was infiltrating enemy bases with D-Dog or Quiet. Kojima's astounding, almost borderline insane, attention to detail is ever present and the game mechanics are the best the series has ever run with but the incompleteness of this game is very apparent especially in Act 2.
I dunno. Looking forward to whatever Kojima has up his sleeves next.
5. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ; I dunno how they did it but they did the impossible. They surpassed the original Hotline Miami's soundtrack.
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ;
7. Star Wars Battlefront ;
8. Undertale ;
9. Fallout 4 ;
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops III ;
Not sure how to interpret this. Hopefully everything is OK! (Sincerely)
1. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt ; One of the best role playing games in years and a worthy conclusion to Geralt's story.
2. Shadowrun: Hong Kong ; Though most people thing Dragonfall is better, I think this follow up is just as good. Hong Kong is an interesting setting and the combat and role-playing is still entertaining.
3. Pillars of Eternity ; My first RTWP RPG and I really enjoyed it. My only complaint would have to be the difficulty spike at the final boss.
4. METAL GEAR SOLID V: The Phantom Pain ; I have my issues with the last act of the game, but I enjoyed the missions and side-ops.
5. SOMA ; A great story with similar game play to the Amnesia and Penumbra games.
6. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ; Can't say no to more Dark Souls.
7. Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition ; An excellent co-op game and RPG, I just hope they improve or remove the puzzles in the sequel as they really dragged the pace of the game down.
8. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ; Not as good as the first, but a worthy follow up. And the soundtrack is fucking amazing.
9. Grand Theft Auto V ; An enjoyable single player campaign and fun multiplayer. It's just a shame Rockstar doesn't give a shit about punishing cheaters in multiplayer and that inviting and playing with friends from game-to-game can be such a pain.
2. Shadowrun: Hong Kong ; Though most people thing Dragonfall is better, I think this follow up is just as good. Hong Kong is an interesting setting and the combat and role-playing is still entertaining.
3. Pillars of Eternity ; My first RTWP RPG and I really enjoyed it. My only complaint would have to be the difficulty spike at the final boss.
4. METAL GEAR SOLID V: The Phantom Pain ; I have my issues with the last act of the game, but I enjoyed the missions and side-ops.
5. SOMA ; A great story with similar game play to the Amnesia and Penumbra games.
6. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ; Can't say no to more Dark Souls.
7. Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition ; An excellent co-op game and RPG, I just hope they improve or remove the puzzles in the sequel as they really dragged the pace of the game down.
8. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ; Not as good as the first, but a worthy follow up. And the soundtrack is fucking amazing.
9. Grand Theft Auto V ; An enjoyable single player campaign and fun multiplayer. It's just a shame Rockstar doesn't give a shit about punishing cheaters in multiplayer and that inviting and playing with friends from game-to-game can be such a pain.
1. Bloodborne ; Best battle system in any ARPG. Amazing music, level design, enemy design, boss battles and lore. It's a flawed masterpiece however. With the lack of basic stuff like the ability to warp to any location directly from any lantern, share items with friends, a separate jump button, or a PvP arena, the game is missing some features that were present in the last two Souls games. With a few tweaks it can overtake Dark Souls as my favourite Soulsborne title, it certainly has it beat when it comes to combat and traversal at least.
2. Undertale ; The game that came out of nowhere. Most pleasant surprise of 2015. Bought it a week or so after it came out and had no idea what I was getting myself into. It's an RPG that flips the script more often than not, and plays on the player's choices in very creative and unexpected ways, something I hoped more RPGs would do ever since Earthbound. It's also one of the funniest games I've ever played.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; An excellent cast of characters and a gorgeous, expansive world that's full of secrets and activities. While it may not have the best controls or battle system, it makes up for it in almost everything else, especially world building.
4. SOMA ; The horror aspect of this game felt tacked on more than anything, but it tells a very intriguing sci-fi story. It may not be very thought provoking for anyone familiar with the subject matter, but that doesn't take away from how well put together it is.
5. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ; It's the original Hotline Miami but on more drugs than it can handle. Level design isn't as tight as the original, but the highs are much higher this time around, which makes it an even more exhilarating experience. Oh, and the music is even better than the first game.
6. Rocket League ; A very simple concept, football with cars. Easy to get into yet difficult to master. Most importantly, it's a lot of fun for the whole family!
7. Crypt of The Necrodancer ; A rhythm based rogue-like with catchy tunes and challenging encounters. Once you start getting into the groove of things it can be addictive. A form of synaesthesia perhaps.
8. Life is Strange ; Not a fan of how DONTNOD handled the ending, but this is how an adventure game of this type should be. No QTEs or forced action parts and giving the player more time to take in the scenery and environments. I expect the team to receive a higher budget for their next project so they can fix lip syncing, which, other than the charmingly out-of-touch dialogue, was the most jarring part of the game.
9. Technobabylon ; A point&click adventure title that tells a great cyberpunk story. It suffers a little from genre trappings with the occasional pixel hunting and nonsensical puzzle solutions, but rest assured it's not enough to drag the game down. With a great cast of characters and a futuristic, yet believable world that feels lived in, the game sucks you in with its atmosphere.
10. Kerbal Space Program: There will always be a special place in my heart for every single failed rocket launch that lead to my first mun orbiter. A brilliant game that can actually teach players a thing or two about basic rocket science.
Honorable Mentions:
x. The Beginner's Guide ; When I think about it, I believe no other format would've been as effective in telling this very personal story of a troubled game designer.
x. SteamWorld Heist ; A fun little TBS I'm currently in the process of playing on the 3DS. It's a surprisingly well made game that I highly recommend to any fan of the genre. The addition of the gun ricochet mechanic is a game changer in a way, and adds a layer of creativity to the gameplay.
x. Her Story ; A clever little idea that serves as a short, yet enjoyable detective game.
x. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Played probably 30% of the main campaign before moving on to other stuff. Gameplay is incredibly solid, but the story failed to grab me, a first for an MGS title. Considering that I love this series to bits, I'll definitely pick this game up again sometime in the future.
x. Fallout 4 ; With reasonable expectations this game delivers everything you'd expect from a Fallout title by Bethesda. A weak story, but a fun world to play around in for a while. There's simply not many games like it, and it scratches a very particular itch.
2. Undertale ; The game that came out of nowhere. Most pleasant surprise of 2015. Bought it a week or so after it came out and had no idea what I was getting myself into. It's an RPG that flips the script more often than not, and plays on the player's choices in very creative and unexpected ways, something I hoped more RPGs would do ever since Earthbound. It's also one of the funniest games I've ever played.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; An excellent cast of characters and a gorgeous, expansive world that's full of secrets and activities. While it may not have the best controls or battle system, it makes up for it in almost everything else, especially world building.
4. SOMA ; The horror aspect of this game felt tacked on more than anything, but it tells a very intriguing sci-fi story. It may not be very thought provoking for anyone familiar with the subject matter, but that doesn't take away from how well put together it is.
5. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ; It's the original Hotline Miami but on more drugs than it can handle. Level design isn't as tight as the original, but the highs are much higher this time around, which makes it an even more exhilarating experience. Oh, and the music is even better than the first game.
6. Rocket League ; A very simple concept, football with cars. Easy to get into yet difficult to master. Most importantly, it's a lot of fun for the whole family!
7. Crypt of The Necrodancer ; A rhythm based rogue-like with catchy tunes and challenging encounters. Once you start getting into the groove of things it can be addictive. A form of synaesthesia perhaps.
8. Life is Strange ; Not a fan of how DONTNOD handled the ending, but this is how an adventure game of this type should be. No QTEs or forced action parts and giving the player more time to take in the scenery and environments. I expect the team to receive a higher budget for their next project so they can fix lip syncing, which, other than the charmingly out-of-touch dialogue, was the most jarring part of the game.
9. Technobabylon ; A point&click adventure title that tells a great cyberpunk story. It suffers a little from genre trappings with the occasional pixel hunting and nonsensical puzzle solutions, but rest assured it's not enough to drag the game down. With a great cast of characters and a futuristic, yet believable world that feels lived in, the game sucks you in with its atmosphere.
10. Kerbal Space Program: There will always be a special place in my heart for every single failed rocket launch that lead to my first mun orbiter. A brilliant game that can actually teach players a thing or two about basic rocket science.
Honorable Mentions:
x. The Beginner's Guide ; When I think about it, I believe no other format would've been as effective in telling this very personal story of a troubled game designer.
x. SteamWorld Heist ; A fun little TBS I'm currently in the process of playing on the 3DS. It's a surprisingly well made game that I highly recommend to any fan of the genre. The addition of the gun ricochet mechanic is a game changer in a way, and adds a layer of creativity to the gameplay.
x. Her Story ; A clever little idea that serves as a short, yet enjoyable detective game.
x. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Played probably 30% of the main campaign before moving on to other stuff. Gameplay is incredibly solid, but the story failed to grab me, a first for an MGS title. Considering that I love this series to bits, I'll definitely pick this game up again sometime in the future.
x. Fallout 4 ; With reasonable expectations this game delivers everything you'd expect from a Fallout title by Bethesda. A weak story, but a fun world to play around in for a while. There's simply not many games like it, and it scratches a very particular itch.
The Xtortionist
Member
Nocturnowl
Member
I say we peer pressure him into a lacklustre heartless list, just to satiate my numerical curiosity.
I expect to see you in line for whatever game of the insert generation thread turns up next
Fancy Clown
Member
ekka4shiki
Member
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; GOTY. Just amazing.
2. Bloodborne ; Tried Dark Souls once, didn't like it, didn't even finish it. Maybe Souls game is just not for me? Maybe. But with Bloodborne, i can say that I really love it. The combat is very satisfying and the storytelling, oh boy, just so interesting that it actually makes me read that damn long essay to quench my thirst. A great surprise title for me considering my past history with Dark Souls. Only lose the top position because it's Witcher which is already my favorite franchise, but it is close, really.
3. The Witcher III: Hearts of Stone ; Great expansion for already a great game. It also features one of the best villain in the whole series, in my opinion. Now i can't wait for the next expansion, damn you CDPR!
4. Tales of Zestiria ; Despite its clear shortcomings in many other areas, I really like the battle system here. Just having so much fun with it. I think i like better than Xillia or Vesperia in that specific area.
5. FIFA 16 ; Put so many hours in this game, just want to put this here.
Honorable Mentions
x. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD ; Want to put this over FIFA, but I figured that I actually don't really go head over heels for its gameplay. I like the ending though, one of the more memorable ending for me. I like Deuce too. Best girl.
2. Bloodborne ; Tried Dark Souls once, didn't like it, didn't even finish it. Maybe Souls game is just not for me? Maybe. But with Bloodborne, i can say that I really love it. The combat is very satisfying and the storytelling, oh boy, just so interesting that it actually makes me read that damn long essay to quench my thirst. A great surprise title for me considering my past history with Dark Souls. Only lose the top position because it's Witcher which is already my favorite franchise, but it is close, really.
3. The Witcher III: Hearts of Stone ; Great expansion for already a great game. It also features one of the best villain in the whole series, in my opinion. Now i can't wait for the next expansion, damn you CDPR!
4. Tales of Zestiria ; Despite its clear shortcomings in many other areas, I really like the battle system here. Just having so much fun with it. I think i like better than Xillia or Vesperia in that specific area.
5. FIFA 16 ; Put so many hours in this game, just want to put this here.
Honorable Mentions
x. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD ; Want to put this over FIFA, but I figured that I actually don't really go head over heels for its gameplay. I like the ending though, one of the more memorable ending for me. I like Deuce too. Best girl.
justjustin
Member
1. Dying Light ; Imagine a no-frills open world action game where you wouldn't want to use fast travel because every moment of the journey was dangerous and unpredictable. Better yet, play Dying Light. Your eyes won't have a chance to glaze over while you parkour your way through a zombie infested city, busting skulls and hacking limbs with whatever makeshift weapons you can scrounge up.
2. Bloodborne ; Not much to say about it-- not because it isn't great, but because Bloodborne is simply a leaner Souls game with a greater focus on combat. The grim and gorgeous world keeps me coming back for multiple playthroughs.
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Top-notch stealth missions and a story grounded in intriguing themes about language and identity. I really enjoyed playing a game that allowed me to succeed in my own way out in the field. It's a rare game where if you can think of it, it'll probably work.
4. Guilty Gear Xrd ; It's the best looking fighting game in existence-- and in fighting games, looks matter! The game has seemingly clear-cut long, punishing combos but mixes things up with a dizzying array of countering options to keep every match feeling fast and fresh in Guilty Gear fashion.
5. Planetary Annihilation: Titans ; Planetary Annihilation is the most ambitious RTS game I've played. It's actual interplanetary war with no unit cap! The RTS genre got progressively more micro-intensive until it burned out and gave rise to games like Dota, but Planetary Annihilation completely bucks the trend by focusing entirely on broad strategy in the most complex environment yet. As much as I like StarCraft, it's literal "build order" combos can be suffocating, and Planetary Annihilation offers a much needed contrast to it.
2. Bloodborne ; Not much to say about it-- not because it isn't great, but because Bloodborne is simply a leaner Souls game with a greater focus on combat. The grim and gorgeous world keeps me coming back for multiple playthroughs.
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Top-notch stealth missions and a story grounded in intriguing themes about language and identity. I really enjoyed playing a game that allowed me to succeed in my own way out in the field. It's a rare game where if you can think of it, it'll probably work.
4. Guilty Gear Xrd ; It's the best looking fighting game in existence-- and in fighting games, looks matter! The game has seemingly clear-cut long, punishing combos but mixes things up with a dizzying array of countering options to keep every match feeling fast and fresh in Guilty Gear fashion.
5. Planetary Annihilation: Titans ; Planetary Annihilation is the most ambitious RTS game I've played. It's actual interplanetary war with no unit cap! The RTS genre got progressively more micro-intensive until it burned out and gave rise to games like Dota, but Planetary Annihilation completely bucks the trend by focusing entirely on broad strategy in the most complex environment yet. As much as I like StarCraft, it's literal "build order" combos can be suffocating, and Planetary Annihilation offers a much needed contrast to it.
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; Liked pretty much everything about this game. It has flaws, but it's formula is really tight and the gameplay feels very good. Side quests are surprisingly well written and the multitude of "fetch quests" are actually fun to complete because of the fast travel system which works perfectly in the game, I even liked the soundtrack. The plot was dumbed down for the focus on exploration and that's understandable since the world building in other quests gives life to Mira.
2. Undertale ; Completely surprised by this complex and yet simple indie game. The entire game feels solid and well thought; it always seems that the game is one step ahead of you, playing tricks and jokes on the player by breaking the fourth wall or just using it's wit and charming characters. A interesting plot which is immensely helped by the best soundtrack in years which sets the mood of the game. This game deserves all the love it got.
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; The end of one of my favorite game series, MGS will be missed. Despite all the problems and controversies, ranging from the strange chapter division to the unfinished ending, the game is still very solid. It's gameplay is incredibly diverse and balanced, it's easily the best stealth game and it's open-world nature amplifies it's scope; invading random camps and stealing supplies and rescuing (and kidnapping) soldiers feels very refreshing. The aimless narrative is the perfect example of how the series is done, and finishing the series with Phantom Pain gives closure.
4. Splatoon ; Nintendo really showed how they have some of the best development teams in the industry, capable of releasing diverse, well made, polished and especially fun games of all genres. Splatoon is easily one of my favorite shooters. The entire game feels very fresh and fulfilling, be it the (now) diverse multiplayer mode or the small but incredibly fun single player, which ends with one of the most intense and creative final bosses.
5. Tales from the Borderlands: Episodes 2-5 ; Not being a fan of either Telltale or Borderlands, I was reluctant to try this game. I'm happy I was convinced to do it since it's the most funny and well written game in the year. The "Borderlands humor", which normally sucks, is packed with a good script which gives life to it, managing to entertain and keep you interested in the progression. The decisions don't really matter much and there are minor inconsistencies, but Telltale managed to keep the story fresh and, I hope, can use this game as an example to follow.
6. Bloodborne ; Another "Souls" game with solid combat, nice setting, fitting soundtrack, big bosses, uncomfortable set pieces and an obscure plot. Despite being an incredible game, to me each entry in the series gets more boring. It seems most disagree with me, but Demon's Souls was a sublime experience which I will fondly remember, Bloodborne felt very samey despite all the changes, like a repetition; a fun repetion.
7. Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate ; Among the best this industry has to offer. Monster Hunter simply feels satisfying everytime. It's insanely easy to waste hundreds of hours hunting monsters and crafting new gear for more. The series is on the right path and I'm anxious to play the next entry.
8. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; Classy and well made MMO that really nails it down. The development team clearly knows it's public and has made incredible progress so far updating it and this expansion is the perfect example of the dedication of the team. Some quest lines are completely boring but that's par for the couse on MMOs.
9. Rocket League ; Extremely fun and challenging game. Multiplayer matches are always fun, be it playing safe or just flying around and scoring awesomely.
10. Yoshi's Woolly World ; Simple and charming platform game with well designed stages and creative aesthetic that's just fun. The game has this Galaxy feeling of having a new addition or mechanic every single stage that just keeps you entertained. Nintendo really knows how to make platformers. I'm not really a fan of Yoshi's games but this one won me over.
Honorable Mentions
x. Life is Strange ; A good narrative with creative use of the rewind power. Expected way more considering the hype and praise around it, especially since it's "twists" are very predictable and lack impact.
x. Fallout 4 ; Had fun with it, but still a disappointment. Every addition is bad and "everything that's Fallout 3" is good so it feels like a horrible sequel that barely manages to copy it's predecessor. Maybe it's nostalgia, but all of the game felt unmemorable.
2. Undertale ; Completely surprised by this complex and yet simple indie game. The entire game feels solid and well thought; it always seems that the game is one step ahead of you, playing tricks and jokes on the player by breaking the fourth wall or just using it's wit and charming characters. A interesting plot which is immensely helped by the best soundtrack in years which sets the mood of the game. This game deserves all the love it got.
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; The end of one of my favorite game series, MGS will be missed. Despite all the problems and controversies, ranging from the strange chapter division to the unfinished ending, the game is still very solid. It's gameplay is incredibly diverse and balanced, it's easily the best stealth game and it's open-world nature amplifies it's scope; invading random camps and stealing supplies and rescuing (and kidnapping) soldiers feels very refreshing. The aimless narrative is the perfect example of how the series is done, and finishing the series with Phantom Pain gives closure.
4. Splatoon ; Nintendo really showed how they have some of the best development teams in the industry, capable of releasing diverse, well made, polished and especially fun games of all genres. Splatoon is easily one of my favorite shooters. The entire game feels very fresh and fulfilling, be it the (now) diverse multiplayer mode or the small but incredibly fun single player, which ends with one of the most intense and creative final bosses.
5. Tales from the Borderlands: Episodes 2-5 ; Not being a fan of either Telltale or Borderlands, I was reluctant to try this game. I'm happy I was convinced to do it since it's the most funny and well written game in the year. The "Borderlands humor", which normally sucks, is packed with a good script which gives life to it, managing to entertain and keep you interested in the progression. The decisions don't really matter much and there are minor inconsistencies, but Telltale managed to keep the story fresh and, I hope, can use this game as an example to follow.
6. Bloodborne ; Another "Souls" game with solid combat, nice setting, fitting soundtrack, big bosses, uncomfortable set pieces and an obscure plot. Despite being an incredible game, to me each entry in the series gets more boring. It seems most disagree with me, but Demon's Souls was a sublime experience which I will fondly remember, Bloodborne felt very samey despite all the changes, like a repetition; a fun repetion.
7. Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate ; Among the best this industry has to offer. Monster Hunter simply feels satisfying everytime. It's insanely easy to waste hundreds of hours hunting monsters and crafting new gear for more. The series is on the right path and I'm anxious to play the next entry.
8. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; Classy and well made MMO that really nails it down. The development team clearly knows it's public and has made incredible progress so far updating it and this expansion is the perfect example of the dedication of the team. Some quest lines are completely boring but that's par for the couse on MMOs.
9. Rocket League ; Extremely fun and challenging game. Multiplayer matches are always fun, be it playing safe or just flying around and scoring awesomely.
10. Yoshi's Woolly World ; Simple and charming platform game with well designed stages and creative aesthetic that's just fun. The game has this Galaxy feeling of having a new addition or mechanic every single stage that just keeps you entertained. Nintendo really knows how to make platformers. I'm not really a fan of Yoshi's games but this one won me over.
Honorable Mentions
x. Life is Strange ; A good narrative with creative use of the rewind power. Expected way more considering the hype and praise around it, especially since it's "twists" are very predictable and lack impact.
x. Fallout 4 ; Had fun with it, but still a disappointment. Every addition is bad and "everything that's Fallout 3" is good so it feels like a horrible sequel that barely manages to copy it's predecessor. Maybe it's nostalgia, but all of the game felt unmemorable.
1. Rocket League ; An instant classic. I deem it part of the group of best network multiplayer-games ever made. It joins Quake 3, Star Craft, DOTA and Counterstrike.
2. The Witcher 3 ; Perfect concept for the style of game it is. A Witcher is just made for taking random missions from various NPCs. Beautifully crafted world as well.
3. Life is Strange ; I like this model of adventure games and they made a cool one of those around the concept of time travel which I'm not a fan of, but they pretty much nailed it.
4. Kerbal Space Program ; Kerbin is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena but it still offers billion and billion hours of fun.
5. Star Wars Battlefront ; I'm not really a Star Wars guy but this is a fun arcade shooty-bang-bang.
6. Kick & Fennick ; Great start to the year. I'm not a platformer kinda guy but what this 2-person team created is more than commendable.
7. Heroes of the Storm ; Casual DOTA-like with a shitty pay system. It's quite fun though.
8. Mad Max ; The most fun I had with one of this year's generic AAA-genre game batman-combat variant.
There are of course other games I played but I don't feel are worth noting. Maybe The Order 1886 or Until Dawn get an award for being a game you can finish without getting utterly bored by the don't-trade-me-in-filler so prevalent in big games now.
2. The Witcher 3 ; Perfect concept for the style of game it is. A Witcher is just made for taking random missions from various NPCs. Beautifully crafted world as well.
3. Life is Strange ; I like this model of adventure games and they made a cool one of those around the concept of time travel which I'm not a fan of, but they pretty much nailed it.
4. Kerbal Space Program ; Kerbin is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena but it still offers billion and billion hours of fun.
5. Star Wars Battlefront ; I'm not really a Star Wars guy but this is a fun arcade shooty-bang-bang.
6. Kick & Fennick ; Great start to the year. I'm not a platformer kinda guy but what this 2-person team created is more than commendable.
7. Heroes of the Storm ; Casual DOTA-like with a shitty pay system. It's quite fun though.
8. Mad Max ; The most fun I had with one of this year's generic AAA-genre game batman-combat variant.
There are of course other games I played but I don't feel are worth noting. Maybe The Order 1886 or Until Dawn get an award for being a game you can finish without getting utterly bored by the don't-trade-me-in-filler so prevalent in big games now.
WiiRevolution1
Member
My 2015 GOTY list is below. But first: The Neptunia games have a semicolon in them. So I removed that like the op said to do with SG, so I hope thats enough to not mess with the parser. Also, will I be able to vote for Life Is Strange next year in 2016 since only the physical version released in 2016 or will that not count? Just wanted to know for when I get it.
Without further ado:
1. Splatoon ; (WiiU) The freshest game all year. A squidding 145 hours played in just the last six months of 2015 and still played alot. It made me feel like a kid again, and for the first time ever I got to experience being a squid, which just feels fresh. The countless hours of fun has made this inkling my number one game of the year and more content weekly was the game that keeps on squidding...Stay fresh!
2. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes ; (3DS) Its a bad game according to reviews. Fuck that! The game has 128 different challenges to be played online and I did them all with randoms in 68 grand hours. Some fustrations with disconnects and trolls, but thats not enough to ruin this masterpiece. 100%ed the online and now 100%ing those same challenges in single player. Another game that keeps on giving.
3. DanganRonpa: Ultra Despair Girls ; (PSV) Another installment in one of the newer series I got into. My hype to play as a girl was through the roof, but what I didn't expect is just how good, surpassing the first two mainline games. A sorta survival horror done up in the crazy DanganRonpa style.
4. Corpse Party: Blood Drive ; (PSV) The end of the Heavenly Host Trilogy. Love this series so much and this would've likely have been number one but the series unlike DangaRonpa did not survive the transition to 3D. Performance issues, and long loading times plague the game. The move away from horror to a supernatural hero team angle was fine with me even if I prefer the horror aspects of the first game, but the constant loading issues were just that distracting. Using 3D for some horror aspects like bad ends just looked choppy aswell. Hopefully if the new Saga ever gets started, they can get it together or even go back to 2D if they have too. The story was top notch however, and enjoyed the end of this great trilogy!
5. Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate ; (3DS) Maybe this would've been higher if I didn't wait until the Black Friday sale to get it on November 29th 2015, but oh well. Tried getting into Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate and couldn't, however this was much easier, especially with online. Finally having online is what made me finally get into it. 50 hours in and at HR4 with no signs of slowing down. I am hooked, and already have tons of great moments in the game. Going into 2016 its a game I will play alot more!
6. HyperDimension Neptunia ReBirth2: Sisters Generation ; (PSV) Played shortly after the first game, I was hooked, beating it nine days. These games hook me with funny characters more than anything. Love the characters.
7. HyperDimension Neptunia ReBirth3: V Generation ; (PSV) Quite liked it, but put Rebirth2 above it since I feel like Neptune can get old after so long lol.
8. Code Name S.T.E.A.M. ; (3DS) Another game that reviewers sucked at understanding. I quite liked it, a challenging game, but I'm glad I played through it. No sequel is likely, but I hope they make more games with this gameplay system.
9. Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows ; (3DS) I count it as a new game. The reuse of levels and not liking Plague Knight as much as Shovel Knight knocked this down a bit, but so many other awesome games came out it was hard to compete! Plague Knight controls are great once you get used to them, and I loved this new spin on this classic!
10. Pokemon Shuffle ; (3DS) Had to include this due to the fact I spent 60+ hours on it in 2015, it deserved some recognition. Basically played mostly to go with podcasts. Not really that great of a game, but got into due to free plus Pokemon. *Link Shrug*
If there are any problems let me know! I tried my best to follow the op's rules.
Without further ado:
1. Splatoon ; (WiiU) The freshest game all year. A squidding 145 hours played in just the last six months of 2015 and still played alot. It made me feel like a kid again, and for the first time ever I got to experience being a squid, which just feels fresh. The countless hours of fun has made this inkling my number one game of the year and more content weekly was the game that keeps on squidding...Stay fresh!
2. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes ; (3DS) Its a bad game according to reviews. Fuck that! The game has 128 different challenges to be played online and I did them all with randoms in 68 grand hours. Some fustrations with disconnects and trolls, but thats not enough to ruin this masterpiece. 100%ed the online and now 100%ing those same challenges in single player. Another game that keeps on giving.
3. DanganRonpa: Ultra Despair Girls ; (PSV) Another installment in one of the newer series I got into. My hype to play as a girl was through the roof, but what I didn't expect is just how good, surpassing the first two mainline games. A sorta survival horror done up in the crazy DanganRonpa style.
4. Corpse Party: Blood Drive ; (PSV) The end of the Heavenly Host Trilogy. Love this series so much and this would've likely have been number one but the series unlike DangaRonpa did not survive the transition to 3D. Performance issues, and long loading times plague the game. The move away from horror to a supernatural hero team angle was fine with me even if I prefer the horror aspects of the first game, but the constant loading issues were just that distracting. Using 3D for some horror aspects like bad ends just looked choppy aswell. Hopefully if the new Saga ever gets started, they can get it together or even go back to 2D if they have too. The story was top notch however, and enjoyed the end of this great trilogy!
5. Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate ; (3DS) Maybe this would've been higher if I didn't wait until the Black Friday sale to get it on November 29th 2015, but oh well. Tried getting into Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate and couldn't, however this was much easier, especially with online. Finally having online is what made me finally get into it. 50 hours in and at HR4 with no signs of slowing down. I am hooked, and already have tons of great moments in the game. Going into 2016 its a game I will play alot more!
6. HyperDimension Neptunia ReBirth2: Sisters Generation ; (PSV) Played shortly after the first game, I was hooked, beating it nine days. These games hook me with funny characters more than anything. Love the characters.
7. HyperDimension Neptunia ReBirth3: V Generation ; (PSV) Quite liked it, but put Rebirth2 above it since I feel like Neptune can get old after so long lol.
8. Code Name S.T.E.A.M. ; (3DS) Another game that reviewers sucked at understanding. I quite liked it, a challenging game, but I'm glad I played through it. No sequel is likely, but I hope they make more games with this gameplay system.
9. Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows ; (3DS) I count it as a new game. The reuse of levels and not liking Plague Knight as much as Shovel Knight knocked this down a bit, but so many other awesome games came out it was hard to compete! Plague Knight controls are great once you get used to them, and I loved this new spin on this classic!
10. Pokemon Shuffle ; (3DS) Had to include this due to the fact I spent 60+ hours on it in 2015, it deserved some recognition. Basically played mostly to go with podcasts. Not really that great of a game, but got into due to free plus Pokemon. *Link Shrug*
If there are any problems let me know! I tried my best to follow the op's rules.
1. Bloodborne ; keeping this short. this game (plus the DLC) is exactly what some people were yearning for, a new fresh excellent Miyazaki souls game. it does have some things I wish they did better or didn't do at all, but it still is a sterling game which deserves to be goty 2015.
2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC ; winner of the award ''best npcs evah'', this along with FC is one of the best jrpgs I've played in a long time. not everything is great, but the world the Nihon Falcom devs managed to create in this series is undoubtedly something worth playing. npcs feel alive, constantly changing dialogues based on what happens around them, traveling around the world just like you, and they usually have some funny and/or interesting story to tell, especially if they're bound to some side-quests, which, in this series, you don't want to miss. the writing is much more clever and thought-out than your average jrpg, same goes for most of the characters in the main cast. the plot doesn't fail on delivering a dose of classic japanese villains doing villainous things in a compelling and intriguing way, with some predictable twists here and there.
3. Pillars of Eternity ; I'll try to be less wordy here, so I'm just going to point out how Obsidian did a splendid job with this game and it is exactly what people were expecting. they perfectly nailed the visuals too.
4. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; here is another game that manages to create an amazing and beautiful world to explore and interact with. great sense of scale, plenty of interesting quests, and the possibility of reaching everything you see in the huge world map. when you first start the game you'll wonder ''can I actually go there? Seems impossibile''. yes you can, with MECHS, and a flight module.
on the other hand, I still cannot fathom how they keep on filling their games with awful fetch requests "pls I need 10 of that material for no reason whatsoever" or with even more annoying "run around this big yellow area until you're lucky and find the right hidden npc - yay" objectives. also, this game's story is just an outline of an actual complete story they (probably) thought about. even considering that, it manages to be really dumb in too many occasions. even as an introduction for future sequels, it's not good enough.
5. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; I played the game on PS4, and the PS4 version fucking sucked. I didn't even play it at launch! Many months later actually, so it was supposed to be ''patched'', can't dream of how bad it was at launch. stellar job, CDPR~
the game itself is really good, I have my share of complaints, but I enjoyed exploring a rich and evocative world, doing quests, playing gwent (yes it's good), and killing monsters. combat isn't as bad as some people want to believe, it does get very repetitive though, especially since the hardest difficulty stops being challenging after 10 hours or so, with the occasional random spike. the characters are very likeable as usual, the story on the other hand, despite having some good moments, ended up being quite anticlimactic, most notably at the end.
6. Splatoon ; such a fresh and colorful fun game, playing online with people on gaf entertained me for many many hours.
7. Grim Fandango Remastered ; even if you're not a fan of this genre (I am not, usually), this game is definitely worth playing at least once. some puzzles might be stupidly hard to figure out, but who cares, it's all about the characters, the world and the story. all those things are great, kudos to Tim Schafer for (most of) the writing and the Peter Chan for the amazing art. +dev commentary is something more games should have.
8. Rocket League ; once you actually play this game you understand that it's much more fun than what you were expecting. very hard to master, but also very satisfying when you realize you're getting better at it.
9. Helldivers ; online co-op? Hell yes. is it fun? Hell yes. gameplay mechanics are deeper than what you would initially think, and if you want to succeed in completing the harder missions, solid teamwork is pivotal. overall it was a good experience, too bad the game lacked variety and content, and the devs didn't waste any time to milk money from DLCs releasing soon after. [to be clear, I played the game at launch on PS4]
10. Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure ; edit. just realized this game came out on steam this year, and I finished it literally 2 hours ago. yes, I want it on my list. it's a silly adorable game, which will make you grind like a kid from the very beginning. simple and yet fun to play.
you play as Parin, a girl wielding a legendary drill, who decides to help some friendly monsters to recover their furniture stolen by not-so-friendly monsters. the plot thickens**
not-honorable mentions~
MGSV /// this would have been in top 5 at least if I stopped playing after 20 hours or so, pretending that the rest of the game was just as good. (I'm sure some people writing stuff about videogames did that) sadly, the more I played the more I realized how flawed, repetitive, dumb and incomplete the game was. yes the gameplay is great, and yes the game looks and runs amazingly even on PS4, yet all of that didn't save me from a huge pile of disappointment.
Fallout 4 /// speaking of disappointment. well, not really, I more or less was expecting this to not be a genuinely good Fallout game, being developed by Bethesda and all. there is some good in it, I found some very enjoyable quests for instance, there is however a lot of bad in it too. I already posted my thoughts in the OT when I played the game but I'll try to summarize,
party members? They randomly join for no reason, only a couple of them have actual quests, they barely have any meaningful dialogue or purpose etc., just awful - the writing is quite terrible most of the time - remember actual cities filled with quests and things to do? Well here you barely have 2 of them, and with barely I mean they're 1/5 of some places you see in NV [just an example] - stat checks? What are those? What are skills? - new dialogue system and how most of the quests go: Yes / No (Yes) / Sarcasm (Yes) / Why? (maybe) - remember Fallout NV? You might want to play that again.
surely forgetting more things I complained about. point is that, no, this game doesn't deserve my points.
2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC ; winner of the award ''best npcs evah'', this along with FC is one of the best jrpgs I've played in a long time. not everything is great, but the world the Nihon Falcom devs managed to create in this series is undoubtedly something worth playing. npcs feel alive, constantly changing dialogues based on what happens around them, traveling around the world just like you, and they usually have some funny and/or interesting story to tell, especially if they're bound to some side-quests, which, in this series, you don't want to miss. the writing is much more clever and thought-out than your average jrpg, same goes for most of the characters in the main cast. the plot doesn't fail on delivering a dose of classic japanese villains doing villainous things in a compelling and intriguing way, with some predictable twists here and there.
3. Pillars of Eternity ; I'll try to be less wordy here, so I'm just going to point out how Obsidian did a splendid job with this game and it is exactly what people were expecting. they perfectly nailed the visuals too.
4. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; here is another game that manages to create an amazing and beautiful world to explore and interact with. great sense of scale, plenty of interesting quests, and the possibility of reaching everything you see in the huge world map. when you first start the game you'll wonder ''can I actually go there? Seems impossibile''. yes you can, with MECHS, and a flight module.
on the other hand, I still cannot fathom how they keep on filling their games with awful fetch requests "pls I need 10 of that material for no reason whatsoever" or with even more annoying "run around this big yellow area until you're lucky and find the right hidden npc - yay" objectives. also, this game's story is just an outline of an actual complete story they (probably) thought about. even considering that, it manages to be really dumb in too many occasions. even as an introduction for future sequels, it's not good enough.
5. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; I played the game on PS4, and the PS4 version fucking sucked. I didn't even play it at launch! Many months later actually, so it was supposed to be ''patched'', can't dream of how bad it was at launch. stellar job, CDPR~
the game itself is really good, I have my share of complaints, but I enjoyed exploring a rich and evocative world, doing quests, playing gwent (yes it's good), and killing monsters. combat isn't as bad as some people want to believe, it does get very repetitive though, especially since the hardest difficulty stops being challenging after 10 hours or so, with the occasional random spike. the characters are very likeable as usual, the story on the other hand, despite having some good moments, ended up being quite anticlimactic, most notably at the end.
6. Splatoon ; such a fresh and colorful fun game, playing online with people on gaf entertained me for many many hours.
7. Grim Fandango Remastered ; even if you're not a fan of this genre (I am not, usually), this game is definitely worth playing at least once. some puzzles might be stupidly hard to figure out, but who cares, it's all about the characters, the world and the story. all those things are great, kudos to Tim Schafer for (most of) the writing and the Peter Chan for the amazing art. +dev commentary is something more games should have.
8. Rocket League ; once you actually play this game you understand that it's much more fun than what you were expecting. very hard to master, but also very satisfying when you realize you're getting better at it.
9. Helldivers ; online co-op? Hell yes. is it fun? Hell yes. gameplay mechanics are deeper than what you would initially think, and if you want to succeed in completing the harder missions, solid teamwork is pivotal. overall it was a good experience, too bad the game lacked variety and content, and the devs didn't waste any time to milk money from DLCs releasing soon after. [to be clear, I played the game at launch on PS4]
10. Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure ; edit. just realized this game came out on steam this year, and I finished it literally 2 hours ago. yes, I want it on my list. it's a silly adorable game, which will make you grind like a kid from the very beginning. simple and yet fun to play.
you play as Parin, a girl wielding a legendary drill, who decides to help some friendly monsters to recover their furniture stolen by not-so-friendly monsters. the plot thickens**
not-honorable mentions~
MGSV /// this would have been in top 5 at least if I stopped playing after 20 hours or so, pretending that the rest of the game was just as good. (I'm sure some people writing stuff about videogames did that) sadly, the more I played the more I realized how flawed, repetitive, dumb and incomplete the game was. yes the gameplay is great, and yes the game looks and runs amazingly even on PS4, yet all of that didn't save me from a huge pile of disappointment.
Fallout 4 /// speaking of disappointment. well, not really, I more or less was expecting this to not be a genuinely good Fallout game, being developed by Bethesda and all. there is some good in it, I found some very enjoyable quests for instance, there is however a lot of bad in it too. I already posted my thoughts in the OT when I played the game but I'll try to summarize,
party members? They randomly join for no reason, only a couple of them have actual quests, they barely have any meaningful dialogue or purpose etc., just awful - the writing is quite terrible most of the time - remember actual cities filled with quests and things to do? Well here you barely have 2 of them, and with barely I mean they're 1/5 of some places you see in NV [just an example] - stat checks? What are those? What are skills? - new dialogue system and how most of the quests go: Yes / No (Yes) / Sarcasm (Yes) / Why? (maybe) - remember Fallout NV? You might want to play that again.
surely forgetting more things I complained about. point is that, no, this game doesn't deserve my points.
Went back and changed my initial post and removed both Fallout 4 and MGSV from my list. I was talking about FO4 with a friend for like an hour about how disappointed and badly designed certain portions were and I realized as time went on I started disliking the game more and more.
Also removed MGSV, cause if I don't have Fallout 4 on there and I dislike MGSV a lot more, I feel like it's kind of dumb to leave it on there.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=190019939&postcount=4
Also removed MGSV, cause if I don't have Fallout 4 on there and I dislike MGSV a lot more, I feel like it's kind of dumb to leave it on there.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=190019939&postcount=4
Just be warned if you do go back that it's kind of a slow burn - it's a lot of being dumped into an environment and asked to explore for a while, so if you aren't into that kind of thing steer clear.
ConfusingJazz
Member
Since semicolons are the delimiter between game titles and comments, this needs to be changed to "SteinsGate". Hopefully 5pb gets over their obsession with semicolons soon!
Normally I'd PM something like this but I just want to make sure everyone's aware of this particular issue since it's a special case.
Yahoo can parse semicolons
Went back and spiced up my list, Photoshopped together some pictures and the like.
Also added Hand of Fate to my list (almost forgot about it :x), and that unfortunately knocked Splatoon out of my top ten list.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=191069520&postcount=1875
So many good indie and smaller games last year!
Also added Hand of Fate to my list (almost forgot about it :x), and that unfortunately knocked Splatoon out of my top ten list.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=191069520&postcount=1875
So many good indie and smaller games last year!
XANDER CAGE
Member
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; The grand black metal adventure I never thought I'd get to play. While I've always been a fan of the series, the open world gave the game's writing a more ponderous, melancholy world to inhabit, which enhanced it immensely for me. The focus on Scandanavian folklore was a huge draw for me, especially the monster contracts. I was consistently impressed at how every side quest I took had a little story with as much care put into it as the main questline. I have problems with the game - especially with the wonky combat and obtuse menus - but as an experience, it was unparalleled for me this year.
2. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege ; A late great surprise. After an initially exciting E3 reveal in 2014, everything I heard about this game sounded bad. I had basically forgotten about it when it came out. Sure, in typical Ubisoft fashion it doesn't look quite the same as the flashy reveal. Yeah, the unlock system is odd (although I disagree that the game is a full-price F2P game as some have suggested) and the season pass seems like a really weird deal. Still, there is no other shooter like this out there right now, and I've already put almost 100 hours into this game since grabbing it in the Steam winter sale. Siege is all about map control and awareness, but speeds up the planning phase by giving players a minute to dart around the map with little camera robots instead of staring at a blueprint of a building like previous (still excellent!) R6 games. A robust physics system forces you to rethink the way you view every room, and unique character abilities make or break many intense situations. Played with a full team of friends, no other game this year has been as exciting, joyous, or heartbreaking.
3. Bloodborne ; I was one of the louder Dark Souls 2 naysayers, so I went into this game with a little hesitation. It turns out I didn't have any reason to worry, as this game does a fantastic job of translating the Souls combat into a different setting with some slight rule tweaks. The shoot-to-parry system is incredibly satisfying, and I really enjoyed the setting. Bloodborne is a far tighter experience than Dark Souls 1 or 2, with no distinct quality cliff like Dark Souls has and nothing as inconsistent or ugly as 2. I will say that in some regards, the story/world of Bloodborne is slightly disappointing. Nearly every mystery in the game was solved a week or so after release, and some of them didn't go anywhere at all. Is this the fault of the game, or just the side effects of a series getting more and more popular? I can't say for sure, but it did lack some of the enigmatic magic the series had previously held for me. Still, an incredible game overall.
4. Undertale ; No other game has made me laugh as hard this year. The soundtrack is excellent. The characters, even with Undertale's far simpler writing and presentation, are equally as charming and interesting as the cast of The Witcher. I wasn't a massive fan of the puzzles or the "combat" system (which kind of felt funny the first time for each sparing method, but boring to repeat) but the game is short enough that I was able to breeze through with a friend without getting irritated. Go home, JERRY
5. Metal Gear Solid V ; It's a good game. I have massive problems with the narrative, but it was at least a ton of fun to actually play. It's hard to separate that from my bad feelings towards the story, but there's no denying that I played the hell out of it and loved every minute that wasn't a garbage cutscene.
6. Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes ; Hands down the best party game released in the last few years. Whether you have a VR headset or not (you don't need one; I only got the chance to try it once) this game is one of the most heated cooperative experiences around. I forgot the name of a greek letter and had to describe it to my friend as "an ass with a line over it" one time.
7. Her Story ; A non-supernatural "let's take another crack at that" version of Shattered Memories I really enjoyed. I loved the VCR aesthetic, and I thought the acting was pretty great. While it's not a horror game by any means, I felt quite uneasy all the way through the game.
8. Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide ; I don't like Left 4 Dead. I think zombie shooters are boring as hell. Hypocrite that I am, however, I loved the shit out of what I played of Vermintide (admittedly, not enough) this past year. It's gothic fantasy Left 4 Dead, blatantly so, with charming one-liners and a dense, oppressive atmosphere.
9. Rocket League ; it was pretty sick. I like physics toy games, and this is a really good one of those.
10. Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector ; fuck you Tubbs
x. Destiny: The Taken King ; I played the hell out of The Taken King. It's a brilliant turnaround of a game I desperately wanted to love when it was first released, a turnaround that legitimized all of my "well, this COULD be cool if..." feelings about the vanilla game. The levels were better, the loot was cooler, the story existed, and for the first time it felt like Destiny was a game with a lot to do. Sadly, support for this game basically disappeared, aside from two events and a microtransaction store. There's no denying the fun I had with The Taken King, but I don't think Bungie delivered on the back end. Hopefully, their next installment will hit the ground running, and we won't need a Taken King to fix what's broken.
2. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege ; A late great surprise. After an initially exciting E3 reveal in 2014, everything I heard about this game sounded bad. I had basically forgotten about it when it came out. Sure, in typical Ubisoft fashion it doesn't look quite the same as the flashy reveal. Yeah, the unlock system is odd (although I disagree that the game is a full-price F2P game as some have suggested) and the season pass seems like a really weird deal. Still, there is no other shooter like this out there right now, and I've already put almost 100 hours into this game since grabbing it in the Steam winter sale. Siege is all about map control and awareness, but speeds up the planning phase by giving players a minute to dart around the map with little camera robots instead of staring at a blueprint of a building like previous (still excellent!) R6 games. A robust physics system forces you to rethink the way you view every room, and unique character abilities make or break many intense situations. Played with a full team of friends, no other game this year has been as exciting, joyous, or heartbreaking.
3. Bloodborne ; I was one of the louder Dark Souls 2 naysayers, so I went into this game with a little hesitation. It turns out I didn't have any reason to worry, as this game does a fantastic job of translating the Souls combat into a different setting with some slight rule tweaks. The shoot-to-parry system is incredibly satisfying, and I really enjoyed the setting. Bloodborne is a far tighter experience than Dark Souls 1 or 2, with no distinct quality cliff like Dark Souls has and nothing as inconsistent or ugly as 2. I will say that in some regards, the story/world of Bloodborne is slightly disappointing. Nearly every mystery in the game was solved a week or so after release, and some of them didn't go anywhere at all. Is this the fault of the game, or just the side effects of a series getting more and more popular? I can't say for sure, but it did lack some of the enigmatic magic the series had previously held for me. Still, an incredible game overall.
4. Undertale ; No other game has made me laugh as hard this year. The soundtrack is excellent. The characters, even with Undertale's far simpler writing and presentation, are equally as charming and interesting as the cast of The Witcher. I wasn't a massive fan of the puzzles or the "combat" system (which kind of felt funny the first time for each sparing method, but boring to repeat) but the game is short enough that I was able to breeze through with a friend without getting irritated. Go home, JERRY
5. Metal Gear Solid V ; It's a good game. I have massive problems with the narrative, but it was at least a ton of fun to actually play. It's hard to separate that from my bad feelings towards the story, but there's no denying that I played the hell out of it and loved every minute that wasn't a garbage cutscene.
6. Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes ; Hands down the best party game released in the last few years. Whether you have a VR headset or not (you don't need one; I only got the chance to try it once) this game is one of the most heated cooperative experiences around. I forgot the name of a greek letter and had to describe it to my friend as "an ass with a line over it" one time.
7. Her Story ; A non-supernatural "let's take another crack at that" version of Shattered Memories I really enjoyed. I loved the VCR aesthetic, and I thought the acting was pretty great. While it's not a horror game by any means, I felt quite uneasy all the way through the game.
8. Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide ; I don't like Left 4 Dead. I think zombie shooters are boring as hell. Hypocrite that I am, however, I loved the shit out of what I played of Vermintide (admittedly, not enough) this past year. It's gothic fantasy Left 4 Dead, blatantly so, with charming one-liners and a dense, oppressive atmosphere.
9. Rocket League ; it was pretty sick. I like physics toy games, and this is a really good one of those.
10. Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector ; fuck you Tubbs
x. Destiny: The Taken King ; I played the hell out of The Taken King. It's a brilliant turnaround of a game I desperately wanted to love when it was first released, a turnaround that legitimized all of my "well, this COULD be cool if..." feelings about the vanilla game. The levels were better, the loot was cooler, the story existed, and for the first time it felt like Destiny was a game with a lot to do. Sadly, support for this game basically disappeared, aside from two events and a microtransaction store. There's no denying the fun I had with The Taken King, but I don't think Bungie delivered on the back end. Hopefully, their next installment will hit the ground running, and we won't need a Taken King to fix what's broken.
1. Super Mario Maker ; What can I say that hasn't already been said? Mario Maker takes some of the greatest platformers of all time and allows you to play them with an endless number of stages and challenges. The trickle of new content and weekly unlocks keep me coming back, while seeing what crazy levels the internet have created is endless fun.
2. Life is Strange ; Living the life of a teenage girl who just happens to have time travel powers is both empowering and at the same time limiting. Unlike Telltale's recent offerings, the ability to change time makes decisions that much harder as both ways usually have positive and negative consequences.
3. Fallout 4 ; War. War never changes and neither did Fallout. Not that it was a bad thing, I enjoyed the game a lot. While some changes (I'm looking at you conversation system) were bad, the addition of settlements was more addictive than it had any right to be. Add in some charming companions and an interesting premise (which unfortunately ends faster than it should) the wasteland is one I hope to return to when the DLC packs hit.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; The best playing Metal Gear Solid game is also one of the worst Metal Gear Solid games in terms of story. Improving on the gameplay introduced in Peace Walker, MGS V plays great whether sneaking or going full rambo on the enemy. Balancing building a mercenary army, upgrading your equipment and building your base (although the timers for some upgrades are way too long) is a great breather between the ops the player is running. While Konami have changed how certain mechanics have worked since launch and the end of the second act leave a lot to be desired, MGS V is still a great game from Kojima Productions.
5. Batman: Arkham Knight ; After Arkham City I was unsure if Rocksteady was overstretching their ambitions with the Arkham games but Arkham Knight proved me wrong. Cutting down on most of the clutter and diversions of the last game (although the get 100% to see the true ending is BS), Arkham Knight plays just as well as the last game while introducing just enough tricks to keep it fresh.
6. Until Dawn ; I didn't expect to like this game as much as I did but Until Dawn is a fresh take on the story based adventure game. Using the most of it's horror homages and elements, Until Dawn is a great homage to the movies it takes inspiration from. Trying to figure out how to get all the characters to survive until dawn gets more tense as the hours tick down and the challenges ramp up.
7. Just Cause 3 ; Explosion Simulator 2015. Probably the most fun action packed game I played in 2015, Just Cause 3 is an exercise in causing chaos and mayhem while rewarding you with satisfying explosions.
8. Helldivers ; The Starship Troopers game I never knew I wanted, Helldivers unforgiving action on alien infested worlds feels great when playing with friends.
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; I didn't play as much Witcher 3 as I would've liked (need to finish the Witcher 2 first) but it's definitely the best looking game I've seen this year. No other game came close (for me) in looking like it was something that could've only been made for this generation of consoles. Also, Gwent is pretty fun too.
10. Splatoon ; Hip squids shooting ink in Nintendo's unique take in the shooter genre. The post release support was top notch too.
x. Assassin's Creed Syndicate ; After last year's Assassin's Creed failed to impress, AC: Syndicate certainly made great strides in concentrating more on the core of assassinating and getting into some pretty brutal looking fisticuffs freeing London from the Templar's control.
x. Star Wars: Battlefront ; EA had a mandate to make a game that looks like the classic Star Wars movies. They succeeded spectacularly in recreating the look and feel of those movies. While thin on content, what is the looks great and plays well.
2. Life is Strange ; Living the life of a teenage girl who just happens to have time travel powers is both empowering and at the same time limiting. Unlike Telltale's recent offerings, the ability to change time makes decisions that much harder as both ways usually have positive and negative consequences.
3. Fallout 4 ; War. War never changes and neither did Fallout. Not that it was a bad thing, I enjoyed the game a lot. While some changes (I'm looking at you conversation system) were bad, the addition of settlements was more addictive than it had any right to be. Add in some charming companions and an interesting premise (which unfortunately ends faster than it should) the wasteland is one I hope to return to when the DLC packs hit.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; The best playing Metal Gear Solid game is also one of the worst Metal Gear Solid games in terms of story. Improving on the gameplay introduced in Peace Walker, MGS V plays great whether sneaking or going full rambo on the enemy. Balancing building a mercenary army, upgrading your equipment and building your base (although the timers for some upgrades are way too long) is a great breather between the ops the player is running. While Konami have changed how certain mechanics have worked since launch and the end of the second act leave a lot to be desired, MGS V is still a great game from Kojima Productions.
5. Batman: Arkham Knight ; After Arkham City I was unsure if Rocksteady was overstretching their ambitions with the Arkham games but Arkham Knight proved me wrong. Cutting down on most of the clutter and diversions of the last game (although the get 100% to see the true ending is BS), Arkham Knight plays just as well as the last game while introducing just enough tricks to keep it fresh.
6. Until Dawn ; I didn't expect to like this game as much as I did but Until Dawn is a fresh take on the story based adventure game. Using the most of it's horror homages and elements, Until Dawn is a great homage to the movies it takes inspiration from. Trying to figure out how to get all the characters to survive until dawn gets more tense as the hours tick down and the challenges ramp up.
7. Just Cause 3 ; Explosion Simulator 2015. Probably the most fun action packed game I played in 2015, Just Cause 3 is an exercise in causing chaos and mayhem while rewarding you with satisfying explosions.
8. Helldivers ; The Starship Troopers game I never knew I wanted, Helldivers unforgiving action on alien infested worlds feels great when playing with friends.
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; I didn't play as much Witcher 3 as I would've liked (need to finish the Witcher 2 first) but it's definitely the best looking game I've seen this year. No other game came close (for me) in looking like it was something that could've only been made for this generation of consoles. Also, Gwent is pretty fun too.
10. Splatoon ; Hip squids shooting ink in Nintendo's unique take in the shooter genre. The post release support was top notch too.
x. Assassin's Creed Syndicate ; After last year's Assassin's Creed failed to impress, AC: Syndicate certainly made great strides in concentrating more on the core of assassinating and getting into some pretty brutal looking fisticuffs freeing London from the Templar's control.
x. Star Wars: Battlefront ; EA had a mandate to make a game that looks like the classic Star Wars movies. They succeeded spectacularly in recreating the look and feel of those movies. While thin on content, what is the looks great and plays well.
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Easily one of my favorite games of all time. While I know the combat could have been better I actually liked it, especially after I started to use all of Geralt's equipment. Only problem I had is that there are not enough interactions between Ciri and Yen.
2. Dying Light
3. Rocket League
4. Metal Gear Solid V
5. Grow Home
Honorable Mention
x. Pillars of Eternity ; I really, really loved what I played of this game, it would easily been my number two, but I didn't play enough of it to put it on my list because I've been waiting for the expansions.
2. Dying Light
3. Rocket League
4. Metal Gear Solid V
5. Grow Home
Honorable Mention
x. Pillars of Eternity ; I really, really loved what I played of this game, it would easily been my number two, but I didn't play enough of it to put it on my list because I've been waiting for the expansions.
generic_username
I switched to an alt account to ditch my embarrassing tag so I could be an embarrassing Naughty Dog fanboy in peace. Ask me anything!
How embarrassing. Thankfully that is not representative of Witcher 3 fans as most do not put embarrassing posts like that.
I was in the same.spot (although not against Bloodborne.) Once I finished it and grabbed the platinum, I ended up knowing it was Witcher 3 easily so if you have time to finish before the deadline, it may make your mind uo for you.
1. Super Mario Maker ; this was tough. i was down to two choices. one was the game that i wanted forever and the other was the one i thought actually tried new things. in the end, i went with a level creation tool for a franchise that's thirty years old. nothing about super mario maker appears fresh or exciting. littlebigplanet happened eight years before super mario maker and since then there have been four more of those. but god dammit, i got to finally make mario levels and that is a childhood dream come true. i've had loads of fun with super creative levels like one where you have to 'fix' a harpsichord, one that has you scale a tall tall tower, and one where you rescue yoshi from a jail in the sky. as fun and as creative as those are, the most joy i get is asking myself if an idea will work and finding out it won't. the fine-tuning and creating of a level: finding a concept, teaching it, iterating on it, putting in a secret here and there for skilled players, and then playing through again and again until it's just right is such a joy. it gives me a better understanding for what video game designers do and a ton of respect for those who can develop some really creative stuff and pull it off.
2. Undertale ; if you're going to make another earthbound game, just make a new game inspired by it (you're on thin ice, mother 4 folks). the love for mother/earthbound is abundantly clear in undertale's presentation, humor, and heart. the characters are fun and quirky and flawed people. it's hard not to identify with the motivation behind toriel, papyrus, undyne, or dr. alphys. the twist of the old-school rpg systems with some bullet hell and how random encounters work was especially fun for someone who grew up on rpgs from the 90s and early 00s. it's a clever package with an emotional core that resonates more strongly than any other game from this year. knowing that a title like this can do well in 2015 fills me with determination.
3. Yoshi's Woolly World ; it's super mario 3d world in 2d yoshi platformer form. level after level there's an idea that's shown and built upon, and then tucked away, never to be used again. woolly world's textile aesthetic fuels these ideas while also making one of the most visually striking games of the generation. the soundtrack is pretty rad too.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; what's obviously an unfinished product with development cut before it was over still turns out to provide an excellent playground for tactical espionage action. in the end, i actually liked kiefer sutherland's venom snake/big boss and the story's emotional heights. plus, how can you hate a game that starts off with 'the man who sold the world'? more than that this is the game that said, "yes! listen to asia's 'time will tell' while you storm an enemy compound. or if that's not to your liking, you'll enjoy a-ha's 'take on me' instead." i can't tell you how well these and other early 80s songs got me into the infiltration spirit. this isn't praise of the game's soundtrack, but rather appreciation that the creators wanted a game that was meant to be fun.
5. Splatoon ; it's about time someone made team fortress 3. this scratches an itch i've had for a while, and it comes with a surprisingly strong single-player campaign to boot. the only issue i've had is that my doctor says my back's only going to get worse if i keep carrying my team.
6. Rodea the Sky Soldier Wii ; i've been looking forward to this for almost half a decade. it's basically 3d sonic the hedgehog in the sky with no bullshit thrown in. only 25 levels makes for a fairly short game (can be less than 5-6 hours long without any replays), but what's there is really solid. it feels like a game from a lost era, out of place in 2015 or even 2005. it could work as an experimental wii game sure, but it also fits in with the kinds of games sega was making on the dreamcast. it's a bit better than some of them, to be honest.
7. Life is Strange ; wowee, a 'your-choice-matters-but-not-really' game that actually works. life is strange feels like a david cage game that doesn't suck, and a telltale game where your decisions feel like they have weight. going in without any expectations, i was surprised to find the story of a high school photography student with time manipulation powers. the time manipulation is not only fun to mess around with, but it allows the player to weigh their decisions based on the reactions of the characters in the game. when the player makes their choice, they're not doing it as part of a qte or by plucking floating answers in a tense situation. they make a consideration and then own it.
8. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; my playthrough of xenoblade chronicles x was a desperate search for the spark of excitement i get from exploration amidst overwhelming boredom. just as i would find the game getting stale, it would open up something new, be it skells, flight mode, or the ares 90. now, with the world 96% mapped, i have lost interest for the last time.
9. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse ; the follow-up to kirby canvas curse is a bit of a disappointment. there's a lot of love behind the claymation, and levels are generally fine to play through. repetition in the boss battles lessened my interest, and the reuse of ideas made the game feel less special than other games this year. what's good still works at least, but having played better titles that were cut of the same cloth, i felt the final product could have been better.
10. The Beginner's Guide ; as with the stanley parable, i have a hard time classifying this. however, unlike the stanley parable, i don't think it's something everyone should play. autobiographical or not, the torment of being a creator and showing your work doesn't come across as honest. i might have appreciated it more without the relationship with coda if these were in fact actually demos that had been locked away. that said, i enjoyed the many kinds of video game ideas interwoven with a narrative. i'm actually not sure whether to classify them as video games or interactive art, but i hope they inspire people.
Benzychenz
Member
I forgot I bought Rodea, need to play that sometime
SatoAilDarko
Member
AniHawk I feel like I'm the only other person who enjoyed the Wii U version other than you.
I honestly found the controls fine after three levels or so. I unlocked everything except one last costume including bonus dialogue.
Will eventually go back to get all medals.
It could probably make my list along with the Wii version but that feels redundant. I would rather give the space to something different.
I honestly found the controls fine after three levels or so. I unlocked everything except one last costume including bonus dialogue.
Will eventually go back to get all medals.
It could probably make my list along with the Wii version but that feels redundant. I would rather give the space to something different.
Seems like most years I never finish much more than ten games that released that year, so my lists are really more of a ranking of the games I played rather than a showcase of 'ten great games'. In any case, here are some thoughts.
1. Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines ; Oreshika is an incredible game. But not only that, it's also incredibly unique in what it offers. Many of the games foundational structures are quite nonstandard to what is typically found in the genre. In fact, many of the game's systems are not initially intuitive, even for RPG veterans. While it takes a little bit getting used to, the experience Oreshika offers is considerably fresh. The most surface-level description of Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is that it is a 'Turn-Based JRPG'. Well, that's true, but there are many other crucial elements to the game architecture that make it more unique and interesting than such a description implies. In fact, the direct battle system is probably least interesting part of the game.
Members of your clan have been cursed to have a lifespan of only two years and cannot have children. The task is to lift that curse and enlist the help of gods inspired by Japanese mythology to procreate a new generation of the clan that is more powerful than the last. You have to balance your characters, their trades, and their abilities in order to overcome foes. There are many subsystems in place, and keeping track of all the possible things you can do is admittedly a little overwhelming. You can travel into dungeons to fight oni and onigami to strengthen your characters or to find new skills and equipment. You can invest in your town to improve its shops and shrines. You can take part in festivals and you can travel to other lands to challenge other clans. You can have your older clan members train the younger ones, and of course you can perform the Rite of Union to give birth to more clan members. Oreshika is a multifaceted, dense game.
Oreshika is definitely the type of game you have to spend some time with to understand it. Its difficult to compare to other Japanese RPGs because its very different in many regards. Dungeons are a good example of this - most JRPGs have dungeon progression done in sequence. You enter and complete the first one, and then you head to the second, and so on. Oreshika switches this up a bit. There are about eight or so main dungeons in the game, but the order in which they become available to you changes from player to player. Not only that, but each dungeon has 4 slightly different possible layouts, and these can change mid game depending on when you enter it. While they are not really randomly generated, this can make traversing them a little confusing as paths can change up on you from one visit to the next. The game does not give you a map either. You have to keep things straight in your head, or do as I did, draw your own maps (as in, literally draw them with pen and paper).
-actual handdrawn map by me
However, any individual character can only power up so much before they reach old age and loss of life. This is where Unions come into play, and those characters can pass on their traits to the next generation. Additionally, as the player progresses, they are given access to stronger gods, which in turns results in stronger clan members.
While there are certainly parts of the game that could be handled better, such as some confusing dungeon design and lack of in-game maps, the overall experience is memorable and refreshing in its uniqueness. The passing of time is an element that I grew accustomed to, and I feel it suits the game quite well, although sometimes annoyances with it do come into play when you have to manage it. It's all part of the package.
It almost goes without saying that the visuals for the title are simply gorgeous, and a fantastic traditional Japanese soundtrack works perfectly for the musical accompaniment. For fans of the genre or fans of the platform, Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is very certainly a title worth looking into, as long as they are willing to take the time to become familiar with the oddities that come with it.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; Without a doubt the strangest entry in the franchise. Within the opening minutes you encounter a creepy looking mask, eerie music, a frightening transformation sequence, and you soon learn that the world is coming to an end in 3 short days. Nothing else in the series comes close to the unusual tone and tense nature that Majora nails right from the onset. It's always been my favorite 3D game in the series, and the 3DS remake (mostly) makes it even better and certainly more playable.
With the repeating three day cycle, Majora welcomes an exploration of a different kind. Most games have some sort of extra sidequest, or hidden objectives that usually come about by wandering the nooks and crannies of the map. This time a temporal element adds a new dimension to exploring the world. The game is very open ended from the beginning. While direction is given in order to progress through the primary tasks, most of the rest has to be figured out from the player. Certain events happen at specific times and some only if other events at other times have been completed. Learning how the schedules of NPCs, actions made by Link, and how it affects Termina ends up as an addicting undertaking in addition to more typical Zelda gameplay. This is done by exploring, talking to NPCs, and manipulating time to continually understand the world and characters.
The dungeons found are largely stellar. While few in number, each offers an interesting structure and behavior. Having various control types with Deku, Goron, and Zora Masks allow for a bit of ingenuity in puzzle design and layout outside of pushing blocks and small keys. The sense of progression from dungeon to dungeon is well paced too, culminating in the Stone Tower Temple, one of the best dungeons in the 3D series due to interesting mechanics and challenging but appropriate level of complexity.
In addition to usability improvements thanks to the 3DS system, a number of other changes have also been introduced to suit a handheld experience. Some are very sensible when considering the new platform, some are mostly negligible with no significant impact, and only a few add some new issues. Saving is now detached from the time cycle and can be done at both Owl Statues and Feather Statues littered around the world, the latter of which being added in the 3DS version. Other tweaks include an improved Bombers Notebook which keeps track of quests in addition to NPC schedules. While the quest tracker is a little bit intrusive in how it updates each time progress is made in any subquest, I found it very useful to stay on top of things considering the sheer number of them found throughout the game. Changes made to Zora swimming creates more problems than they solve, but its nothing that ruins an otherwise fantastic remake.
Delightfully bizarre, and with a structure not found often, Majoras Mask easily stands the test of time. Theres simply nothing else quite like it. The improvements made to game performance and usability dramatically outweigh any new issues, and this version is the best way to experience this one-of-a-kind game.
3. Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker ; Devil Survivor is the strategy RPG subseries of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, but it's a bit different than something like Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem. Instead of simply controlling individual units on a grid, the player forms several teams comprised of a human leader and two supporting demons. It's a hybrid of strategic structure and turn-based battles that allows for a significant level of player agency when it comes to how you can approach combat. Battle movesets, elemental affinities, supporting skills, and of course positioning are all factors to finding success in enemy engagements. The Devil Survivor games are great strategy titles, and offer a gratifying tactical-style game using SMT rules and style.
Where Record Breaker differs from its predecessor is its style and tone. The basic premise of the game is familiar: Japan has seven days left until annihilation, and its up to an unlikely group to solve the mystery of the crisis and put an end to it. However, the narrative plays out very similarly to (popular anime series) Neon Genesis Evangelion more than anything else. The main story beats of the game revolve around plans to defeat mysterious extraterrestrial invaders, whereas Overclocked was structured more like a continually unraveling mystery about the fate of the world.
While there are underpinnings of SMT-style themes and motifs, they are secondary to the main story here. In a nutshell, Record Breaker doesn't really feel much like an SMT game, narratively speaking. This is a little disappointing, but the plot moves with good pace to keep things fresh throughout. The game is a bit more character focused than its predecessor as well, despite having more characters in general. The FATE system (think "Social-Link" lite) is a decent addition, which can unlock new demons and add elemental resistances in battle and make acquiring skills easier. Unfortunately, most of the characters are some of the weakest the series has seen, although a few were amusing enough.
Another big plus for Record Breaker is its musical score. Composed largely by Kenji Ito, the tracks are more musically diverse than those in Overclocked. Melodic and somber menu themes, catchy map tracks, and rocking battle music - the OST is not only varied but very appropriately selected when it comes to their context in the game.
The player is given full control both over how they coordinate their parties and how they decide to tackle the various maps of the game. When challenges arise, it's up to the player to decide how they can tweak their set up and cover for any deficiencies their squad has.
More than a full game with robust gameplay, replay value, and good presentation, it's definitely a solid title.
4. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter ; Not many JRPGs get it so right when it comes to writing, world-building, and character interaction. Trails in the Sky stands apart its genre-peers in creating a fascinating world with creative and captivating characters. The games are certainly pretty talky - you kinda have to allow yourself to get absorbed in the game world - but it's pretty incredible how well thought out everything is.
Sometimes when I'm reading through the plentiful dialogue, I find myself wishing there was a little bit more 'game' to Trails in the Sky, but at the same time, seeing how the narrative continues to escalate and how characters grow over the course of the game is pretty darn compelling in its own right. The writing and localization by XSEED is well done and well worth the wait.
I'm actually going to truncate this description short because I'm not actually quite done with the game yet, but Second Chapter has been a satisfying continuation all throughout. It's easy to see why the games in this series is well-loved by many who have played them.
5. Undertale ; Like most people, I decided to try out Undertale after hearing about it, well, everywhere. I was a bit hesistant because I hadn't played its inspirational games like Earthbound (yet), but everyone was telling me I needed to play this ... so I did.
Undertale packs emotion & wit into a retro-styled RPG about about a human who finds themselves in the world of monsters. Touching on themes of loneliness, empathy, compassion, and aided by a stellar soundtrack, very few titles can connect with the player the way Undertale does, while at the same time delivering humor both clever and wacky. Not only that, Undertale isnt shy to challenge some of the typical conventions found in the RPG genre, from how exposition is delivered to how monsters are engaged.
Its somewhat difficult to describe what Undertale offers without spoiling too much of the experience, but its easy to say theres not much else like it. The game is incredibly responsive in how it reacts to the players actions both in and out of combat, and how character behavior largely depends on player choice - not to mention the game is loaded with secrets to discover. Undertale is also especially cohesive in how all facets of the game work in harmony to deliver one of the most heartfelt experiences of the year.
With a memorable narrative, fantastic music, charming characters, and less than ten total playtime hours, anyone should set some time aside for this gem of a game.
6. Brandish: The Dark Revenant ; At its core, Brandish: The Dark Revenant is an extremely straightforward dungeon crawler. The fundamental mechanics can be grasped within minutes of the start screen.
The main goal is to navigate numerous maze-like floors to reach to top of a tower to escape this labyrinth. Rather than a first person viewpoint like many in the genre, instead the camera is settled on an aerial viewpoint behind your character as he traverses the grid-like environment. This allows the player to see more of the immediate surroundings as well as enemies and puzzles littering the floors.
Some might find Brandish to be a little bare. There are only a couple of optional quests, and otherwise the player is generally performing the same task throughout the entirety of the game. You enter a floor, navigate rooms and puzzles while defeating enemies in the way, go for 100% map completion if youd like, and you go to the next floor and do the same. Nothing is too complex or difficult here. Enemies are not going to harshly challenge you and survivability is easy to come by. Healing potions are abundant and there is also a rest mechanic that allows you to regain health at any time by standing still, but vulnerable, for a moment. You can also save at any time, which makes reloading painless if need be. Puzzles are also largely uncomplicated.
Thats not to say the game isnt enjoyable to work through. It simply relishes in its simplicity as you spelunk through the mazes. Filling out maps on its own is somewhat of an addicting task. Its pretty clear that Brandish isnt trying to be a deep and complex RPG. Instead it tries to find its niche as a charming and pleasant dungeon romp with solid fundamental gameplay (as well as some great background music).
While the game only had a few moments of challenge in the main game (like rooms with invisible pitfalls >_____<), after the main story a second mode becomes available. This is called Dela Mode, where you play as the bounty hunter sorceress instead. Besides some slight differences in attack speed, the game plays identically to the normal game. However, puzzle complexity is ratcheted up significantly, with many more dangerous and tricky traps to maneuver. I think this is where the game really shined, mechanically.
Brandish: The Dark Revenant is short enough to avoid overstaying its welcome. It works quite well as a portable title due to the simple objectives and the ability to start and stop at any point. Real-time action elements also give Brandish a dash of unique flair. While not especially deep, it has its appeal in its directness.
7. The Legend of Legacy ; This game had often been touted as a SaGa title in all but name, with that core team behind the scenes. Unfortunately, I have little familiarity with that series of games directly (I do plan on rectifying that eventually!), although I have played other SaGa-inspired titles. With a few key developer names and an appealing art style, I found myself curious about what The Legend of Legacy may offer.
The Legend of Legacy is in many ways a traditional turn-based JRPG. However, it places a slight twist on the usual experience and stat mechanics. Rather than straight experience-based Levels, instead, characters become more powerful through stronger skills and through stance levels. These slight alterations to typical turn-based design were intriguing enough for a while. Interestingly, using stance and skill levels to determine my characters effective battle strength was kind of refreshing. Although character strength was obscured slightly because there arent really any straight stats (aside from HP), it wasnt hidden enough to be frustrating and at the same time sensible enough to wrap ones head around.
While the opening scenes will provide a basic motivation for character you pick, for the most part the narrative takes a back seat to other gameplay elements. Most of the game is spent exploring Avalon, fighting monsters, & finding treasures with dialogue scarce and cutscenes even scarcer. Some people immediately labeled the game as poor because of its minimalistic take on a narrative. Personally, I don't care too much about that, as long as there some gameplay hook that can keep me interested in the combat or progression systems.
Outside of battle, the main objective is to chart the island. Really your characters are given blank canvas on which you must wander around one of the several separated explorable zones, tracing borders in attempt to fill out each map to 100%. Once youve done this, you can sell the map for cash, and get new ones to repeat the process in new zones.
This is the general gameplay loop in a nutshell: fill out maps by wandering zones, fight battles to improve skills, rinse and repeat. This is where The Legend of Legacy runs into some real issues. Unfortunately, most locations are structured in near identical fashion, with only a slight aesthetic difference to spice things up. Battles, too, also ultimately become somewhat stale, as the system largely gears itself to routine strategy and patterns.
While the overall presentation and SaGa-inspired skill systems bring a little bit of flair - and there's an appropriate level of challenge throughout - battles alone arent quite compelling enough.
8. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim ; I actually ended up playing most of the main titles in the Ys series this year, which now has me quite looking forward to Ys VIII. Ys games are energetic and the music is always great. And these 'solo-Adol' style games are the best of the bunch. Somewhat similar to Brandish (which is by the same developer), Ys is easy to grasp mechanically.
Ys VI is probably one of the weaker entries in the series, but I can give it some concessions knowing it's the first of its style. I wasn't too fond of the three sword system, and it probably has the most tedious platforming, bosses weren't too interesting, and the enemy balance felt 'off'. Still not a bad game, but certainly outclassed by the titles that came later. Still, all the foundations that make Ys great are here, and it's worth playing.
9. Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy ; I've been getting into these first-person dungeon crawler type games recently. They aren't very exciting to look at, but the combination of full party control, navigation of labyrinthine maps, and moderate difficulty are all things that I tend to appreciate.
As with many dungeon crawlers, the heart of the gameplay lies in a class system, and the player has full control in how they coordinate their team of six. Your party can be arranged into a front and back row, and each class has different equipment types they are allowed to wield, as well as special abilities that can be used to deal damage or bolster your squad. The basic set up is satisfactory and allows for a fair bit of customization in how you pick classes and roles to build your team.
While a couple of the very basics are explained, most of the rest is left in an in-game manual things like what various stats do and a glossary to explain specific terms. The game is not one to ease the player into it, and it might take some time to get comfortable. Oddly enough, I think the game still works as a decent introduction to the genre, despite a bumpy introduction. The battle system, dungeon designs, mission structure never become too overwrought, and the flow of the game remains relatively simple the whole way through. Because Operation Abyss is a remake of an older title, it carries more traditional mechanics than something like Demon Gaze, which introduced a few of its own things.
Overall, Operation Abyss is a solid dungeon crawler with a stylish aesthetic and satisfying core systems. The narrative isn't very compelling, but works well enough as a vehicle to drive the game forward behind the plentiful dungeon crawling. It's a surprisingly cohesive game.
10. Summon Night 5 ; Summon Night 5 is a strategy RPG with several of the usual elements you'd expect for the genre. The game is divided into missions, and battles consist of individual units on a tactical grid. Pretty straightforward.
The variety in characters is passable. Some are more suited to magic-type abilities, and some more suited to positions up front as a sort of tank. To be truly effective in battle, you have to be aware of character strengths and weaknesses, but usually basic strategies are enough to overcome the challenge the game has to offer. The translation by Gaijinworks is effective and colorful in the right ways, giving personality to each of the characters. The dialogue is sometimes clever, sometimes amusing, and sometimes just plain wacky, but it manages to work well.
Summon Night 5 is a middle-of-the-road SRPG. It keeps things manageable without going overboard on gameplay systems, and the localization effort is well done. The lack of variety in missions, and the increasingly commonplace narrative don't do the game any favors however, and once I started to lose interest, it never truly managed to grab me back with gameplay or story.
1. Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines ; Oreshika is an incredible game. But not only that, it's also incredibly unique in what it offers. Many of the games foundational structures are quite nonstandard to what is typically found in the genre. In fact, many of the game's systems are not initially intuitive, even for RPG veterans. While it takes a little bit getting used to, the experience Oreshika offers is considerably fresh. The most surface-level description of Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is that it is a 'Turn-Based JRPG'. Well, that's true, but there are many other crucial elements to the game architecture that make it more unique and interesting than such a description implies. In fact, the direct battle system is probably least interesting part of the game.
Members of your clan have been cursed to have a lifespan of only two years and cannot have children. The task is to lift that curse and enlist the help of gods inspired by Japanese mythology to procreate a new generation of the clan that is more powerful than the last. You have to balance your characters, their trades, and their abilities in order to overcome foes. There are many subsystems in place, and keeping track of all the possible things you can do is admittedly a little overwhelming. You can travel into dungeons to fight oni and onigami to strengthen your characters or to find new skills and equipment. You can invest in your town to improve its shops and shrines. You can take part in festivals and you can travel to other lands to challenge other clans. You can have your older clan members train the younger ones, and of course you can perform the Rite of Union to give birth to more clan members. Oreshika is a multifaceted, dense game.
Oreshika is definitely the type of game you have to spend some time with to understand it. Its difficult to compare to other Japanese RPGs because its very different in many regards. Dungeons are a good example of this - most JRPGs have dungeon progression done in sequence. You enter and complete the first one, and then you head to the second, and so on. Oreshika switches this up a bit. There are about eight or so main dungeons in the game, but the order in which they become available to you changes from player to player. Not only that, but each dungeon has 4 slightly different possible layouts, and these can change mid game depending on when you enter it. While they are not really randomly generated, this can make traversing them a little confusing as paths can change up on you from one visit to the next. The game does not give you a map either. You have to keep things straight in your head, or do as I did, draw your own maps (as in, literally draw them with pen and paper).
-actual handdrawn map by me
However, any individual character can only power up so much before they reach old age and loss of life. This is where Unions come into play, and those characters can pass on their traits to the next generation. Additionally, as the player progresses, they are given access to stronger gods, which in turns results in stronger clan members.
While there are certainly parts of the game that could be handled better, such as some confusing dungeon design and lack of in-game maps, the overall experience is memorable and refreshing in its uniqueness. The passing of time is an element that I grew accustomed to, and I feel it suits the game quite well, although sometimes annoyances with it do come into play when you have to manage it. It's all part of the package.
It almost goes without saying that the visuals for the title are simply gorgeous, and a fantastic traditional Japanese soundtrack works perfectly for the musical accompaniment. For fans of the genre or fans of the platform, Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is very certainly a title worth looking into, as long as they are willing to take the time to become familiar with the oddities that come with it.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; Without a doubt the strangest entry in the franchise. Within the opening minutes you encounter a creepy looking mask, eerie music, a frightening transformation sequence, and you soon learn that the world is coming to an end in 3 short days. Nothing else in the series comes close to the unusual tone and tense nature that Majora nails right from the onset. It's always been my favorite 3D game in the series, and the 3DS remake (mostly) makes it even better and certainly more playable.
With the repeating three day cycle, Majora welcomes an exploration of a different kind. Most games have some sort of extra sidequest, or hidden objectives that usually come about by wandering the nooks and crannies of the map. This time a temporal element adds a new dimension to exploring the world. The game is very open ended from the beginning. While direction is given in order to progress through the primary tasks, most of the rest has to be figured out from the player. Certain events happen at specific times and some only if other events at other times have been completed. Learning how the schedules of NPCs, actions made by Link, and how it affects Termina ends up as an addicting undertaking in addition to more typical Zelda gameplay. This is done by exploring, talking to NPCs, and manipulating time to continually understand the world and characters.
The dungeons found are largely stellar. While few in number, each offers an interesting structure and behavior. Having various control types with Deku, Goron, and Zora Masks allow for a bit of ingenuity in puzzle design and layout outside of pushing blocks and small keys. The sense of progression from dungeon to dungeon is well paced too, culminating in the Stone Tower Temple, one of the best dungeons in the 3D series due to interesting mechanics and challenging but appropriate level of complexity.
In addition to usability improvements thanks to the 3DS system, a number of other changes have also been introduced to suit a handheld experience. Some are very sensible when considering the new platform, some are mostly negligible with no significant impact, and only a few add some new issues. Saving is now detached from the time cycle and can be done at both Owl Statues and Feather Statues littered around the world, the latter of which being added in the 3DS version. Other tweaks include an improved Bombers Notebook which keeps track of quests in addition to NPC schedules. While the quest tracker is a little bit intrusive in how it updates each time progress is made in any subquest, I found it very useful to stay on top of things considering the sheer number of them found throughout the game. Changes made to Zora swimming creates more problems than they solve, but its nothing that ruins an otherwise fantastic remake.
Delightfully bizarre, and with a structure not found often, Majoras Mask easily stands the test of time. Theres simply nothing else quite like it. The improvements made to game performance and usability dramatically outweigh any new issues, and this version is the best way to experience this one-of-a-kind game.
3. Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker ; Devil Survivor is the strategy RPG subseries of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, but it's a bit different than something like Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem. Instead of simply controlling individual units on a grid, the player forms several teams comprised of a human leader and two supporting demons. It's a hybrid of strategic structure and turn-based battles that allows for a significant level of player agency when it comes to how you can approach combat. Battle movesets, elemental affinities, supporting skills, and of course positioning are all factors to finding success in enemy engagements. The Devil Survivor games are great strategy titles, and offer a gratifying tactical-style game using SMT rules and style.
Where Record Breaker differs from its predecessor is its style and tone. The basic premise of the game is familiar: Japan has seven days left until annihilation, and its up to an unlikely group to solve the mystery of the crisis and put an end to it. However, the narrative plays out very similarly to (popular anime series) Neon Genesis Evangelion more than anything else. The main story beats of the game revolve around plans to defeat mysterious extraterrestrial invaders, whereas Overclocked was structured more like a continually unraveling mystery about the fate of the world.
While there are underpinnings of SMT-style themes and motifs, they are secondary to the main story here. In a nutshell, Record Breaker doesn't really feel much like an SMT game, narratively speaking. This is a little disappointing, but the plot moves with good pace to keep things fresh throughout. The game is a bit more character focused than its predecessor as well, despite having more characters in general. The FATE system (think "Social-Link" lite) is a decent addition, which can unlock new demons and add elemental resistances in battle and make acquiring skills easier. Unfortunately, most of the characters are some of the weakest the series has seen, although a few were amusing enough.
Another big plus for Record Breaker is its musical score. Composed largely by Kenji Ito, the tracks are more musically diverse than those in Overclocked. Melodic and somber menu themes, catchy map tracks, and rocking battle music - the OST is not only varied but very appropriately selected when it comes to their context in the game.
The player is given full control both over how they coordinate their parties and how they decide to tackle the various maps of the game. When challenges arise, it's up to the player to decide how they can tweak their set up and cover for any deficiencies their squad has.
More than a full game with robust gameplay, replay value, and good presentation, it's definitely a solid title.
4. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter ; Not many JRPGs get it so right when it comes to writing, world-building, and character interaction. Trails in the Sky stands apart its genre-peers in creating a fascinating world with creative and captivating characters. The games are certainly pretty talky - you kinda have to allow yourself to get absorbed in the game world - but it's pretty incredible how well thought out everything is.
Sometimes when I'm reading through the plentiful dialogue, I find myself wishing there was a little bit more 'game' to Trails in the Sky, but at the same time, seeing how the narrative continues to escalate and how characters grow over the course of the game is pretty darn compelling in its own right. The writing and localization by XSEED is well done and well worth the wait.
I'm actually going to truncate this description short because I'm not actually quite done with the game yet, but Second Chapter has been a satisfying continuation all throughout. It's easy to see why the games in this series is well-loved by many who have played them.
5. Undertale ; Like most people, I decided to try out Undertale after hearing about it, well, everywhere. I was a bit hesistant because I hadn't played its inspirational games like Earthbound (yet), but everyone was telling me I needed to play this ... so I did.
Undertale packs emotion & wit into a retro-styled RPG about about a human who finds themselves in the world of monsters. Touching on themes of loneliness, empathy, compassion, and aided by a stellar soundtrack, very few titles can connect with the player the way Undertale does, while at the same time delivering humor both clever and wacky. Not only that, Undertale isnt shy to challenge some of the typical conventions found in the RPG genre, from how exposition is delivered to how monsters are engaged.
Its somewhat difficult to describe what Undertale offers without spoiling too much of the experience, but its easy to say theres not much else like it. The game is incredibly responsive in how it reacts to the players actions both in and out of combat, and how character behavior largely depends on player choice - not to mention the game is loaded with secrets to discover. Undertale is also especially cohesive in how all facets of the game work in harmony to deliver one of the most heartfelt experiences of the year.
With a memorable narrative, fantastic music, charming characters, and less than ten total playtime hours, anyone should set some time aside for this gem of a game.
6. Brandish: The Dark Revenant ; At its core, Brandish: The Dark Revenant is an extremely straightforward dungeon crawler. The fundamental mechanics can be grasped within minutes of the start screen.
The main goal is to navigate numerous maze-like floors to reach to top of a tower to escape this labyrinth. Rather than a first person viewpoint like many in the genre, instead the camera is settled on an aerial viewpoint behind your character as he traverses the grid-like environment. This allows the player to see more of the immediate surroundings as well as enemies and puzzles littering the floors.
Some might find Brandish to be a little bare. There are only a couple of optional quests, and otherwise the player is generally performing the same task throughout the entirety of the game. You enter a floor, navigate rooms and puzzles while defeating enemies in the way, go for 100% map completion if youd like, and you go to the next floor and do the same. Nothing is too complex or difficult here. Enemies are not going to harshly challenge you and survivability is easy to come by. Healing potions are abundant and there is also a rest mechanic that allows you to regain health at any time by standing still, but vulnerable, for a moment. You can also save at any time, which makes reloading painless if need be. Puzzles are also largely uncomplicated.
Thats not to say the game isnt enjoyable to work through. It simply relishes in its simplicity as you spelunk through the mazes. Filling out maps on its own is somewhat of an addicting task. Its pretty clear that Brandish isnt trying to be a deep and complex RPG. Instead it tries to find its niche as a charming and pleasant dungeon romp with solid fundamental gameplay (as well as some great background music).
While the game only had a few moments of challenge in the main game (like rooms with invisible pitfalls >_____<), after the main story a second mode becomes available. This is called Dela Mode, where you play as the bounty hunter sorceress instead. Besides some slight differences in attack speed, the game plays identically to the normal game. However, puzzle complexity is ratcheted up significantly, with many more dangerous and tricky traps to maneuver. I think this is where the game really shined, mechanically.
Brandish: The Dark Revenant is short enough to avoid overstaying its welcome. It works quite well as a portable title due to the simple objectives and the ability to start and stop at any point. Real-time action elements also give Brandish a dash of unique flair. While not especially deep, it has its appeal in its directness.
7. The Legend of Legacy ; This game had often been touted as a SaGa title in all but name, with that core team behind the scenes. Unfortunately, I have little familiarity with that series of games directly (I do plan on rectifying that eventually!), although I have played other SaGa-inspired titles. With a few key developer names and an appealing art style, I found myself curious about what The Legend of Legacy may offer.
The Legend of Legacy is in many ways a traditional turn-based JRPG. However, it places a slight twist on the usual experience and stat mechanics. Rather than straight experience-based Levels, instead, characters become more powerful through stronger skills and through stance levels. These slight alterations to typical turn-based design were intriguing enough for a while. Interestingly, using stance and skill levels to determine my characters effective battle strength was kind of refreshing. Although character strength was obscured slightly because there arent really any straight stats (aside from HP), it wasnt hidden enough to be frustrating and at the same time sensible enough to wrap ones head around.
While the opening scenes will provide a basic motivation for character you pick, for the most part the narrative takes a back seat to other gameplay elements. Most of the game is spent exploring Avalon, fighting monsters, & finding treasures with dialogue scarce and cutscenes even scarcer. Some people immediately labeled the game as poor because of its minimalistic take on a narrative. Personally, I don't care too much about that, as long as there some gameplay hook that can keep me interested in the combat or progression systems.
Outside of battle, the main objective is to chart the island. Really your characters are given blank canvas on which you must wander around one of the several separated explorable zones, tracing borders in attempt to fill out each map to 100%. Once youve done this, you can sell the map for cash, and get new ones to repeat the process in new zones.
This is the general gameplay loop in a nutshell: fill out maps by wandering zones, fight battles to improve skills, rinse and repeat. This is where The Legend of Legacy runs into some real issues. Unfortunately, most locations are structured in near identical fashion, with only a slight aesthetic difference to spice things up. Battles, too, also ultimately become somewhat stale, as the system largely gears itself to routine strategy and patterns.
While the overall presentation and SaGa-inspired skill systems bring a little bit of flair - and there's an appropriate level of challenge throughout - battles alone arent quite compelling enough.
8. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim ; I actually ended up playing most of the main titles in the Ys series this year, which now has me quite looking forward to Ys VIII. Ys games are energetic and the music is always great. And these 'solo-Adol' style games are the best of the bunch. Somewhat similar to Brandish (which is by the same developer), Ys is easy to grasp mechanically.
Ys VI is probably one of the weaker entries in the series, but I can give it some concessions knowing it's the first of its style. I wasn't too fond of the three sword system, and it probably has the most tedious platforming, bosses weren't too interesting, and the enemy balance felt 'off'. Still not a bad game, but certainly outclassed by the titles that came later. Still, all the foundations that make Ys great are here, and it's worth playing.
9. Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy ; I've been getting into these first-person dungeon crawler type games recently. They aren't very exciting to look at, but the combination of full party control, navigation of labyrinthine maps, and moderate difficulty are all things that I tend to appreciate.
As with many dungeon crawlers, the heart of the gameplay lies in a class system, and the player has full control in how they coordinate their team of six. Your party can be arranged into a front and back row, and each class has different equipment types they are allowed to wield, as well as special abilities that can be used to deal damage or bolster your squad. The basic set up is satisfactory and allows for a fair bit of customization in how you pick classes and roles to build your team.
While a couple of the very basics are explained, most of the rest is left in an in-game manual things like what various stats do and a glossary to explain specific terms. The game is not one to ease the player into it, and it might take some time to get comfortable. Oddly enough, I think the game still works as a decent introduction to the genre, despite a bumpy introduction. The battle system, dungeon designs, mission structure never become too overwrought, and the flow of the game remains relatively simple the whole way through. Because Operation Abyss is a remake of an older title, it carries more traditional mechanics than something like Demon Gaze, which introduced a few of its own things.
Overall, Operation Abyss is a solid dungeon crawler with a stylish aesthetic and satisfying core systems. The narrative isn't very compelling, but works well enough as a vehicle to drive the game forward behind the plentiful dungeon crawling. It's a surprisingly cohesive game.
10. Summon Night 5 ; Summon Night 5 is a strategy RPG with several of the usual elements you'd expect for the genre. The game is divided into missions, and battles consist of individual units on a tactical grid. Pretty straightforward.
The variety in characters is passable. Some are more suited to magic-type abilities, and some more suited to positions up front as a sort of tank. To be truly effective in battle, you have to be aware of character strengths and weaknesses, but usually basic strategies are enough to overcome the challenge the game has to offer. The translation by Gaijinworks is effective and colorful in the right ways, giving personality to each of the characters. The dialogue is sometimes clever, sometimes amusing, and sometimes just plain wacky, but it manages to work well.
Summon Night 5 is a middle-of-the-road SRPG. It keeps things manageable without going overboard on gameplay systems, and the localization effort is well done. The lack of variety in missions, and the increasingly commonplace narrative don't do the game any favors however, and once I started to lose interest, it never truly managed to grab me back with gameplay or story.
i was really thinking the same regarding to spaces, but i only played 11 games from 2015 and i was really turned off by the beginner's guide in the end.
SatoAilDarko
Member
I didn't play many 2015 games either. I actually played five of my 15 or so since December.
same here. i crammed kirby, the beginner's guide, yoshi, undertale, and life is strange all into the last month. i started on zelda: tri-force heroes but... yeah that's not going up.
CMojicaAce
Member
1. Bloodborne ; When Bloodborne was announced, I knew that the only other game that could take away its game of the year title from it could be Uncharted 4. When Uncharted 4 was delayed, I knew this would be the best game of the year. Almost everything about this game is amazing. The combat is fun and addictive, the enemies are incredibly designed, the music sets the tone perfectly, and the world is beautifully crafted. Bloodborne has become my favorite "souls" game and my game of the generation so far. In addition, The Old Hunters expansion just makes the game even better with its new weapons and epic boss fights. Thank you From Software, for giving us this masterpiece.
2. Rocket League ; I first heard about this game because of the beta signup thread here on NeoGAF. I just had to check out a game where you score goals while driving cars. Boy, am I glad that I did. I had so much fun with this game that I even considered naming it my game of the year at one point. I don't think I've ever played a multiplayer game at an almost daily basis this far after release. Making a clutch save or scoring a tricky goal is just so satisfying. I would have gladly paid $60 for this game had it come out at that price, and I hope more people check this game out.
3. Tales from the Borderlands ; You know, by late December I thought I had my top 5 games of the year locked in. It's all thanks to the great PSN price that I got to experience this wonderful, wonderful game. I had heard the praise this game had received, but I was skeptical to try it out as I wasn't the biggest fan of Borderlands 2. Am I glad to say that this game exceeded all of my expectations. It has great humor, memorable characters, and some incredible set pieces that put a giant smile on my face. I really hope that Telltale makes a Season 2 with the same characters because I already miss them.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Metal Gear Solid 5 was on track to being in my top 3, if not top 2, games of the year. Unfortunately, the second half of the game happened: there were very few memorable missions and it just felt incomplete in the end, even after playing for over 60 hours. It's a shame, as the gameplay and presentation itself is incredible.
5. Life is Strange ; I had no clue what to expect when I bought this game on sale on Steam. Episode 1 left me pleasantly surprised and the episodes seemed to get better and better. However, I have to say that the last episode was disappointing in the sense that it came down to an A or B ending instead of having your choices you made throughout the game impact the ending in a meaningful way. But that doesn't take away the good that the rest of the episodes brought, and I'm intrigued on what Dontnod does next.
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; This game would be a lot higher on my list if it weren't for the pretty mediocre gameplay. Almost everything else in this game is outstanding, but a lot of the times I just felt like I wanted the fights to end quickly so that I could continue on with the story. Still, the beautiful world gave me an enjoyable experience and I'm excited to try out the DLC.
7. Fallout 4 ; Personally, I liked this game better than Fallout 3, which I played this past summer for the first time ever. While the gunplay was much improved, I felt that the quests left something to be desired. After 70+ hours of playing, I can only remember a handful a quests that I actually liked. Nevertheless, I had a real good time with this game and I'm excited to see what kind of DLC Bethesda creates for it.
8. Batman: Arkham Knight ; This game left somewhat of a sour taste in my mouth. First it was because of the terrible PC performance and second because of how much the batmobile was shoved down our thoats. But besides that, I still believe it is a great game with great gameplay and a good conculsion to the Arkham trilogy.
9. Super Mario Maker ; While I wasn't as hyped to play this game as many others were, I still ended up getting it (due to some Best Buy credit) and actually really enjoying it. It was neat to mess around with the tools and create wacky levels and to see what other people had created.
10. Star Wars Battlefront ; To be honest, this game came out at a really bad time for me. Fallout 4 was still fresh and the Bloodborne DLC was right around the corner. Because of that, I got very little play time with it. However, despite the fact that it is very light on content, it is a lot of fun to play in the Star Wars universe. The graphics, sound design, and gameplay are all good and I hope the DLC ends up bringing more variety into the game.
2. Rocket League ; I first heard about this game because of the beta signup thread here on NeoGAF. I just had to check out a game where you score goals while driving cars. Boy, am I glad that I did. I had so much fun with this game that I even considered naming it my game of the year at one point. I don't think I've ever played a multiplayer game at an almost daily basis this far after release. Making a clutch save or scoring a tricky goal is just so satisfying. I would have gladly paid $60 for this game had it come out at that price, and I hope more people check this game out.
3. Tales from the Borderlands ; You know, by late December I thought I had my top 5 games of the year locked in. It's all thanks to the great PSN price that I got to experience this wonderful, wonderful game. I had heard the praise this game had received, but I was skeptical to try it out as I wasn't the biggest fan of Borderlands 2. Am I glad to say that this game exceeded all of my expectations. It has great humor, memorable characters, and some incredible set pieces that put a giant smile on my face. I really hope that Telltale makes a Season 2 with the same characters because I already miss them.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Metal Gear Solid 5 was on track to being in my top 3, if not top 2, games of the year. Unfortunately, the second half of the game happened: there were very few memorable missions and it just felt incomplete in the end, even after playing for over 60 hours. It's a shame, as the gameplay and presentation itself is incredible.
5. Life is Strange ; I had no clue what to expect when I bought this game on sale on Steam. Episode 1 left me pleasantly surprised and the episodes seemed to get better and better. However, I have to say that the last episode was disappointing in the sense that it came down to an A or B ending instead of having your choices you made throughout the game impact the ending in a meaningful way. But that doesn't take away the good that the rest of the episodes brought, and I'm intrigued on what Dontnod does next.
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; This game would be a lot higher on my list if it weren't for the pretty mediocre gameplay. Almost everything else in this game is outstanding, but a lot of the times I just felt like I wanted the fights to end quickly so that I could continue on with the story. Still, the beautiful world gave me an enjoyable experience and I'm excited to try out the DLC.
7. Fallout 4 ; Personally, I liked this game better than Fallout 3, which I played this past summer for the first time ever. While the gunplay was much improved, I felt that the quests left something to be desired. After 70+ hours of playing, I can only remember a handful a quests that I actually liked. Nevertheless, I had a real good time with this game and I'm excited to see what kind of DLC Bethesda creates for it.
8. Batman: Arkham Knight ; This game left somewhat of a sour taste in my mouth. First it was because of the terrible PC performance and second because of how much the batmobile was shoved down our thoats. But besides that, I still believe it is a great game with great gameplay and a good conculsion to the Arkham trilogy.
9. Super Mario Maker ; While I wasn't as hyped to play this game as many others were, I still ended up getting it (due to some Best Buy credit) and actually really enjoying it. It was neat to mess around with the tools and create wacky levels and to see what other people had created.
10. Star Wars Battlefront ; To be honest, this game came out at a really bad time for me. Fallout 4 was still fresh and the Bloodborne DLC was right around the corner. Because of that, I got very little play time with it. However, despite the fact that it is very light on content, it is a lot of fun to play in the Star Wars universe. The graphics, sound design, and gameplay are all good and I hope the DLC ends up bringing more variety into the game.
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