2015 is coming to a close and we’ve seen a lot of stuff happen this year. Let’s take a look at what has been dubbed “the year of dreams” or “the year of open worlds” and see what our favorite games were.
Don’t be surprised if you see an open world game as someone’ pick because there were a lot of those this year. Overall 2015, from a game standpoint, was pretty fre*king solid. While it might not be as amazing as 2011 and not even close to 1998 (but then again what is, right?) it had some nice surprises. We have four fine gentlemen and one raunchy dude (try to guess who, I dare you) telling you what game they liked the most this year. So with that said let’s get this show on the road shall we:
I didn’t really play a lot of games that came out this year. I’m a huge fan of the Metal Gear series and consider it one of/if not my favorite video game franchise ever. However since I still didn’t play Ground Zeroes I haven’t touched The Phantom Pain yet. Other than that I would have probably loved Bloodborne too. But again, I haven’t touched many games this year. But from what I did play, the game that really got to me is Xenoblade Chronicles X. The first Xenoblade is an amazing game and while I think X fails to deliver on a lot of things that I feel are an essential part of the Xeno games, I still consider this the best game of this year. While its narrative is disappointing (something I thought I would never say about a Xeno game) what it does right it nails. X has one of the biggest open worlds this year, which is crazy considering the amount of open world games this year. While Mira is huge and has a lot of open spaces the game is designed so that it doesn’t feel empty. There is just so much to do, the combat system is one of the recent bests and the game’s visually gorgeous. X is an amazing game with tons of stuff to do.
My runner-ups are Splatoon which just nails everything and I still play.
And Freedom Planet which to me is to the Genesis, what Shovel Knight is to the NES.
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain:
Writing for a gaming website means you’ll play a lot of games in one year. Deciding which game was the best of an entire year is a hard decision. I’m glad Kojima made this decision a lot easier with the release of Metal Gear Solid V. We had to wait a bit longer for the game than we would have hoped for but in the end, it was worth waiting for. The game has one of the best opening scenes and one of the worst endings I’ve ever witnessed in a Metal Gear Solid game. Sure, the ending could have done a lot better but let’s not forget what the game brought us. The Phantom Pain brought back something I thought was long gone, hardcore stealth action. The enemies are smart in this one so you’ll really need to be as stealthy as possible. Don’t manage to be stealthy? You’ll need to wear the chicken hat of shame. Metal Gear Solid V is filled with solid (pun intended) gameplay, a big giant sandbox to discover and classic Kojima fun. All these elements turn this masterpiece into my Game of the Year.
Runner-up – SteamWorld Heist
2015 was a big year for the Indie games. The evidence is our Indie Corner section filled with new Indie games. One Indie made a difference for me and that was SteamWorld Heist. The game combines turn based battles with a lot of interaction and a great story. Be sure to check it out!
If I had to choose one game that earns the medal of “Game of the Year”, it’s without a doubt “The Witcher 3”. CD PROJEKT RED keeps the fans constantly happy with each game they deliver. Every new game of the Witcher is a better and upgraded version of the previous game. “The Witcher 3” is really a game that everyone should try. The open world environment set in this mysterious world gives you a good sense of immersion and it’s very keen to your eyes. Thanks to the latest patches, the game has only improved. The combat system is fluid, the animations of the monsters and characters are well designed and the exciting story can be influenced by your own actions, this makes this game worth your effort.
The Witcher 3, if you have played the game, you just know that there isn’t any other game out there that can beat it. Masterpiece of storytelling, absolute immersion thanks to CD Project RED’s attention to details and music that’s just perfect on the right moments. And that’s just what I felt after playing the intro level.
My runner-ups are Fallout 4 and The Beginner’s Guide.
Given that at the moment, I am only a freelance reviewer for Gaming Boulevard, and the fact that I have only recently gotten back into gaming, I sadly cannot offer a thorough description of my favourite game of the year, simply because I have not played it yet. However, I do want to talk about the fact that Bethesda Softworks managed to completely knock me off my socks by finally releasing the next instalment in their Fallout series. And it looks AMAZING!
After a short 30 minute session at my friend’s place, I can honestly say I am completely sold. The graphics are amazing, though you do not need the MasterRaceBeast computer, also known as ‘Fluffy’ to conjure up wide landscapes and grimy vaults. Score for games with a slightly older system! Just do not forget to install new drivers and download all the patches.
Besides that, the initial revenge story offered me a change of actually playing like a human being, driven by emotions such as anger, sadness, resentment, forgiveness, while wielding a heavy laser rifle and aiming for the head of every ghoul who gave me the stink-eye.
Our in-house reviewer mentioned it already in his review of Fallout 4: some things stayed the same, whereas other elements of the gameplay changed, which shows that Bethesda does not want to dish out ‘more of the same’. The weapons and armour crafting mechanic looks fun, and the ‘build your settlement’ content offers the change to play non-cubic Minecraft in a post-apocalyptic world. Looks like great fun!
Although I did not get a lot of opportunities to play my ‘Game of the Year’ in 2015, I am sure it will dominate 2016, and even 2017, if all goes well and Half-Life 3 still has not been released by then… “
So there you have it. The Witcher 3 seems to be the favorable Game Of The Year of 2015.
And while it certainly is deserving of that, I’m going to honorably mention some games which didn’t make the cut but certainly should not be forgotten:
Undertale, SOMA, Bloodborne, Life Is Strange, Super Mario maker, Halo 5: guardians, Transformers Devatsation, Ori And The Blind Forest and Rocket league.
