List items
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First person brawler that surprisingly played well with an ultra weird universe.
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Highly enjoyable mostly due to constantly changing battle tactics with a ton of Function combinations. Excellent art direction with an emotional ending, though the unclear world building left much to be desired.
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Endearing, with a character and setting which was easy to personally identify with.
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played banner saga around the same time, preferred this game's gameplay
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top 10 (2015) Takes the frantic formula of the first game and refines it into a puzzle game - sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Regardless, another bumping soundtrack fueled the eerie, disturbing narrative and allowed a previously interesting-gameplay only game to evolve into something with more depth.
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loved banner saga's setting/story/universe as a whole
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top 10 (2015) The first iteration of DS2 was technically my GOTY in 2014 already, but SotFS did an excellent job of retreading a previously jumbled experience by introducing a little more difficulty and a slight change in map progression, all while incorporating 3 somewhat lengthy expansions. DS2 still has its own issues as a whole but this is an amazing package, and the 60 fps goes a loooooong way.
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(2015) Fighting games aren't my thing but I've always been an MK fan. X continued on the heels of MK9's excellent retelling of MK 1-3 by again incorporating a decent story mode. X also introduced a few new characters, including the children of some of MK's oldest heroes. I expected to have no interest in them, but in reality they were my favorite of all the new fighters.
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top 10 (2015) Rally racing is my favorite form of racing video game and it had been too long since a rally racer had held my attention. Dirt Rally (while still in Early Access) is a true to form, point-to-point race against the clock that requires your full attention at every turn. Each race is intense and there are plenty of different cars to choose from - all with their own feel. My first Early Access experience has been wonderful as Codemasters continually improve and add worthy content including more tracks, race modes and more cars.
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(2015) A new spin on the roguelike genre with a pulsing beat that the player must match as they dance their way through dungeons. I've still yet to complete this game because it's rather difficult, but playing the early stages over and over continues to be engaging. A good roguelike has to nail the moment to moment gameplay - and this game does just that.
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(2015) Time as a gameplay mechanic isn't new, but Massive Chalice uses it in a unique way as you guide a kingdom through a thousand years of war. You alone control who leads the ruling families, who they marry and have children with, and what abilities they possess. While the turn based battles weren't always fun, this game really felt like my own personal journey, where I saw bloodlines rise and fall because of my decisions. This game was insanely difficult at times since you could dig yourself into a hole with a depth not immediately apparent. I made it all the way to the end, kicking and screaming, only to find an impossible-to-win final battle. I wasn't mad about this however, as this game is a perfect example of "it's about the journey not the destination." I made my choices, I built my kingdom, but unfortunately it wasn't enough and that feels like an adequate, more believable ending.
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goty? (2015) Geralt of Rivia's final outing breathed new life into a flatlining open world RPG formula. Yes it still had too many unnecessary collectible-esque quests that littered the map like contemporary games. But it also made side quests much more engaging by giving them branching, deep plots with their own characters on the level of typical mainline quests. There were a few times where I didn't even realize I was technically doing a "side" quest. That, and how a few points around the map would trigger scenarios you didn't see coming, launching Geralt into another interesting story. I could talk for forever about how much I liked this game, even though the gameplay still wasn't too engaging. I'm a series fan, invested in the lore, and Wild Hunt delivers an overwhelming amount of content if you're looking for it.
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top 10 (2015) I love Metroid and Axiom Verge is a essentially that. Reductive, I know, but the influence is obvious in terms of level design and gameplay. Those similarities go a long way in feeling familiar in a good way though, and what sets AV apart is how immersive it is. It has to be acknowledged that a lone man made the entire game, which results in a cohesive experience with the art, music and plot stemming from a single creative source. AV also flips a few Metroid expectations on its head in terms of finding new weapons/abilities and how those things are used in the environment.
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(2015) I had high hopes for this but ultimately my enjoyment was stuck in the visuals alone. Gameplay hinted at depth with plenty of weapons, buffs, etc. but battles boiled down to jamming on the attack button and never worrying about blocking. Narrative was essentially God of War.
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(2015) It may be a collection of a lot of games, but Rare Replay is one of this year's best releases. I have a lot of nostalgia for Rare because of the N64 era. I was the perfect age to enjoy everything they did without being too critical. The feeling of realizing I actually played a lot of their older games doubled the pain of nostalgia. With that, I also found masochistic pleasure in Rare's beginnings on the Spectrum computer system that featured a lot of games that are older than I am.
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top 10 (2015) How to tackle this one? MGSV fails miserably in terms of plot for the most part. The tidbits there were interesting, without a doubt, but there just wasn't much of it. I did really love how the game wrapped up in terms of narrative (not so much gameplay scenarios) because it was one of those moments that make you question the entire experience. I thoroughly enjoy how Kojima plays with his own crazy universe and nothing is ever sacred. Overall gameplay wise, MGSV is the best stealth experience I've ever had, with numerous ways to tackle scenarios in an open world environment previously not seen in the series.
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(2015) Rocket League is just pure fun, plain and simple. Its soccer with RC cars and rocket boosters. Oh and the cars can jump. Thats enough to satisfy me, but on top of this, the game feels super tight with a fair amount of depth in just hitting the ball.
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(2015) I doubt it's the case, but Mike Bithel's next game is a love letter to classic Metal Gear Solid gameplay and it just happened to come out a month before MGSV. If you were upset that Phantom Pain wasn't like the older games, Volume is the perfect replacement. That's not to say it doesn't stand on its own. Comparisons aside, Volume turns stealth with sticking to walls while enemies with cone visions wander set paths into a rewarding puzzle game. I loved time attacking this game and the visual style was stripped down in a beautiful way.
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(2015) Wolfenstein: Gaiden. While technically a prequel to the excellent New Order from last year, Old Blood continued the thrill of mowing down Nazi's while adding in a touch of the occult. This standalone title turned the somewhat serious tone of New Order on it's head by becoming a B-movie adaptation a la Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Wonderful.
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(2015) I liked Arkham Asylum, and City got repetitive after about 2 hours of playing, but I really enjoyed Arkham Knight. This is mostly because I only played the main quest. I didn't do a single side mission and I'm glad I didn't. The Bat Tank was my least favorite addition because Batman would occasionally play like a third person shooter, which was completely unnecessary. But it was actually a lot of fun to just drive and traverse the city.
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(2015) An experience worth seeing for anyone who calls themselves creative, and a sobering look at how an audience might influence a creative work in a negative way. There's kind of a lot happening in a game that lasts for maybe an hour with almost no player agency. This makes the Beginner's Guide something special.
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top 10 (2015) It only took a free first episode to radically change my opinion of TellTale games. Tales was a surprising package full of loveable characters wrapped up in a fun, twisting plot. Unfortunately this game ran like absolute garbage, with awful drops in framerate and janky visuals. A good example of a game engine that showed its age in 2015, and needs revamped for future releases.
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(2015) I waited for this game for a long time, as I first heard about it when I was deep into a similar game, Spelunky. Galak-Z does the roguelike-like genre justice with punishing difficulty requiring starting every run from scratch, but incorporating minor progress in the form of available ship upgrades. Sadly, my interest waned quickly with this one, due to the lack of environment and enemy variety. Gameplay is so tight though, and the ship turns into a mech!
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(2015) Another roguelike-like (maybe we need a new name). Downwell, more than others, is insanely difficult, with minimal progress outside of each run. Runs are quick, frantic and different enough with each run to stay interesting. Another wonderful example of how far a simple color palette with plenty of variations goes a long way in keeping the visuals fresh, much like 2014's Luftrausers.
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Watched GB's playthrough
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top 10? (2014)
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top 10 (2015) Made me feel a lot of things, the worst of which was a gut punch at the end that left me reeling. Smart, charming and a challenge. What a surprise.
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top 10 Stunning visuals and art direction, challenging platforming, and expertly crafted metroid-esque progression.
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Watched Patrick Kelepek's playthrough
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