2015 was the year of sequels and the PS4 and Xbox One finally hitting their stride. A tide of strong releases spread throughout the year helped make up for last year's rather slow release schedule. This year games (mostly) worked and there were more than enough different experiences this year to highlight that videogames can be more than mindless experiences. Strong storytelling helped some games stand out, while others had great mechanics.

2 years into this generation of consoles hopefully the trend can continue into 2016.

Best Games of 2015

	1. Super Mario MakerWhat 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 StrangeLiving 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 4War. 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 PainThe 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 KnightAfter 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 DawnI 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 3Explosion 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. HelldiversThe 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 HuntI 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. SplatoonHip squids shooting ink in Nintendo's unique take in the shooter genre. The post release support was top notch too.
	11. Assassin's Creed SyndicateAfter 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.
	12. Star Wars: BattlefrontEA 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.

2015 was a crazy time, lots of great sequels and disappointments. The death of an industry icon and the dissolution of the games division for one of the industry's (former) biggest players. All in all, with the current consoles a few years old some really great games for them finally came out. This year's E3 was crazy in terms of announcements (Final Fantasy 7 remake, Shenmue 3) and this year's holiday release schedule was one of the best is recent memory.

Here's Ggamespot's look back at the last year in videogames.

Here's hoping 2016 can top 2015!

Hard to believe but the Nintendo Entertainment System turns 30 years old today (Octoboer 18th, 2015). I don't remember that much about when the family got our NES but I do remember it was the Gyromite/Duck Hunt combo unit with the grey light zapper and ROB. We never got ROB to work but the light zapper was certainly something else (even though I was terrible at it). Every week a trip to the video store was an adventure to see what new interesting adventure you could rent and play over the weekend. While some were better than others, the sense of wonder and excitement as you based a game solely on its box art and a few screenshots on the back cover is something we'll probably never see again.

It'd only be a few more years until I'd see some of my favorite Nintendo games including: Super Mario Bros 3, TMNT 2 Arcade, Mega Man 2 and 3. Even a few obscure ones like Little Ninja Brothers, The Magic of Scheherazade and North and South.

To read a bit more about the history of the NES in North America check out Kotaku's article.

Happy 30th Anniversary Super Mario Bros!

Gamespot's The Point made a nice and condensed tribute to Satoru Iwata in the wake of his untimely passing. A good look back at the man, his impact on videogames and legacy at Nintendo.

35 years years ago Pac Man was unleashed in Japanese arcades. One of the timeless classics, Pac Man's impact on the videogame industry cannot be understated. While he's fallen on hard times recently, PacMan's appearance in Super Smash Brothers shows that Namco at least cares enough to have him appear from time to time. Happy birthday PacMan!

Plus he also had that can of noodles, that was something.

The 90s were such a rad and hip time that the ads for videogames had to show how badass they were. Luckily someone on the internet has collected and scanned a large amount of magazine ads from the 90s so we can relive Sega does what Nintedon't to the multitude of characters during the mascot wars.

http://kotaku.com/90s-video-game-ads-were-all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips-1697739376

Electronic Arts has closed the original Maxis studio (although the brand lives on). Maker of some of my favorite game franchises Sim City and The Sims, the studio's long history of making excellent simulation games is one that cannot be denied.

An excellent brief look at the history of Maxis.

http://kotaku.com/a-history-of-maxis-thanks-for-simcity-1689490370

An excellent video about Maxis videogames:

The Point takes a look at the interesting true story behind the existence of loading screens and why there aren't more interesting distractions.

So I finally got around to beating Dragon Age: Inquisiton this week and here are some of my thoughts about the game.

Positives:

• Setting up your world state in Dragon Age Keep is totally worth it. For a series that wasn't originally designed for tracking the world state, Inquisition finally lets you see the effect your actions in the previous games have had on the game world.
• I'm glad Inquisition took a lot of cues from DA: Origins since it gives you a wider view of the world instead of sticking to a single city.
• The supporting cast of characters are pretty varied and well written. Iron Bull, Dorian, Varric and Cassandra are all pretty interesting characters.
• The ball sequence is probably the most unique section I've played in a rpg in a while.

Negatives:

• I'm disappointed that one of the early game choices involving the Mages and Templars really hints at you to pick one choice over the other.
• Someone at Bioware figured out how to make things shiny or wet and they pretty much applied it to everything.
• After introducing the main villain the game pretty much sidelines him for random lackeys which is pretty disappointing.
• I could do without having to return to your base to deal with the timed war table missions. What makes it more disappointing is there are a few (luckily not many) that have direct tie ins to quests.
• Don't expect many references to Dragon Age: Awakening (first game expansion). Although some of the other DLCs from both games are referenced.

All in all, I found Dragon Age: Inquisition to be a really good game. If you got scarred away from the series after the 2nd game but liked the first I recommend checking this game out. Oh and nothing beats dealing justice from your throne in Skyhold against those who have wronged you.