GOTY 2015: Some Games Great, Other Games Greater

This year’s list was the hardest to write in recent memory. Unlike 2014 where I struggled to come up with 10 games I was really passionate about, the past 12 months have seen a lot of titles that I’m genuinely sad to leave off the list. When it came down to filling the very final slot it took me a long time to figure out what was going to make the cut. What I ended up with is a mix of sequels and new games that were fun, funny, touching, thought-provoking, and in the case of my game of the year, all of the above.

The List!

10. Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate

Ubisoft bounced back from the garbage fire that was Assassin’s Creed: Unity with what is easily the best entry in the series since AC2. Gameplay refinements abound and the grappling hook is the single best addition to the series outside of the Jackdaw in ACIV: Black Flag. The development team even managed to create an incredibly likeable cast of characters, something they’ve failed to do again and again since Ezio Auditore and his crew of Italian compatriots. Even the side missions, especially solving spooky ghost mysteries with Charles Dickens, were particularly engaging. Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate has gotten the series back on track (train pun intended).

9. Rocket League

What’s there to say about Rocket League? It’s a simple game; just a handful of players, a ball, and rocket-powered cars topped with silly hats. I don’t particularly care about soccer in real or video game format but Rocket League still managed to draw me in match after match. And that’s really all I have to say about the game. Oh, except that my car poops money when I boost, there is that.

8. Bloodborne

Bloodborne has that special something that Hidetaka Miyazaki brings to the From Software games he directs. It’s a combination of great art direction, smart combat encounters, fiendish difficulty, and a world that feels lived-in. There’s an allure to the game that kept me coming back even after I beat it, going even as far as earning the platinum trophy. The speedier combat sets Bloodborne apart from the Souls series and the risk/reward system centered around striking enemies back after they hit you was a brilliant addition.

7. Heroes of the Storm

I’ve always wanted to try a MOBA but the barrier to entry for DOTA and League of Legends seemed too daunting. After watching Dan Ryckert play and enjoy Heroes of the Storm I thought maybe I had find the MOBA that was right for me. One week and fifty matches later I was sure I had. Deep yet accessible to new players, Heroes of the Storm is fun, challenging, and addictive all at the same time. If this is what Blizzard does with MOBAs I can’t wait to get my hands on Overwatch and see what magic they work on class-based shooters.

6. Super Mario Maker

Who would have thought designing good Mario courses would be really difficult? It’s almost like there’s a reason you can’t find a 2D platformer that tops the series. Despite that, Super Mario Maker has allowed players to create wonders and monstrosities that Nintendo’s designers never could have dreamed of. Everytime I turn the game on there’s a seemingly infinite number of new levels to tackle and Nintendo has been providing a steady stream of new parts to build with. The expansive toolset makes the possibilities mindboggling. Using everything at your disposal to craft a level specifically for one of your friends is almost as fun as watching them bang their head against it for hours as you laugh at them.

5. Rise of the Tomb Raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider takes the already solid foundation from Crystal Dynamic’s 2013 reboot and improves upon it in every conceivable way. This is a larger, better playing game, with deeper gameplay systems, visual splendor, a more engaging plot, and a well developed cast of characters led by a fantastic performance from Camilla Luddington. The game balances exciting set-piece action with smart puzzles to make a much more rounded package than the last title in the series.

4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

I did not play The Witcher. I tried playing The Witcher 2 but couldn’t get into it. I was going to completely skip The Witcher 3. Not doing so is probably one of the best decisions I made in 2015. CD Projekt Red’s massive RPG held me in its grasp for 90 hours and only let go long enough to make me wait for the first of two expansions to be released. Smart writing and combat sit atop some of the best open world RPG design ever done. Even the smallest side-quests feel like fleshed out stories rather than typical filler content. Not to mention the fact that The Bloody Baron questline might be of the RPG all-time greats.

3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

It’s a testament to how well MGSV plays that I feel comfortable ranking it this high despite the slapdash second act and half-baked plot. MGSV is a revolution in open-world gameplay design with a staggering number of ways to tackle missions. From a playability perspective, the tight controls alone could easily take The Phantom Pain to the top of the Metal Gear pile but when you factor in the buddy system, marking enemies, and the number of toys you get to play with, the game captures the crown with ease. All of this makes it even more of a shame that the Konami-Kojima falling out has all but guaranteed we won’t see a Metal Gear game of this caliber again.

2. Undertale

Undertale is funny, charming, clever, heartwarming, determination-filling, and full of really smart and really dumb (in a good way) jokes. A game that simultaneously takes it’s battle system cues from Wario Ware and bullet-hell shooters, Toby Fox’s RPG is well deserving of the praise that has been heaped upon it by players and critics. Like Bloodborne and MGSV this is another game that I kept coming back to after the credits had rolled. The style of humor may not be for everyone but if you’re one of the people that this game appeals to it’s impossible not to fall in love with it.

1. Life is Strange

It’s hard to explain why Life is Strange was so impactful without spoiling some of the game’s best and most heart-wrenching moments. Suffice to say no game (except maybe Season 1 of Telltale’s The Walking Dead) has forced me to make more meaningful decisions that left me wondering if I was doing the even remotely right thing. The story weaves a large cast together that you really get to know as the game’s 5 episodes unfold, making every change to their lives substantial. Unraveling the overarching mystery is engrossing but the core friendship between Max Caulfield and Chloe Price (played to perfection by Ashly Burch) is what Life is Strange is really about; an amazing portrait of being an awkward teenager, unsure of yourself, trying to navigate the minefield of high school life. So many moments in this game spoke to me on a personal level and when it came to finalizing this list of 10 excellent games, I couldn’t put Life is Strange anywhere but at the top.

Miscellaneous Awards! (AKA I Can’t Not Mention These Games)

“Best” Vocal Track - Anything from Xenoblade Chronicles X

The orchestrated music in Xenoblade Chronicles X is excellent but listen to this.

Actual Best Vocal Track - “O Death” from Until Dawn

Until Dawn’s late opening credits do an even better job of setting the mood than the opening gameplay segment. Take a listen and think about how to save those teens (or not).

Game That Should Be in the Top 10 But Is Technically DLC - Destiny: The Taken King

The Taken King and Destiny 2.0 in general took the game from a recommendation with major caveats to a solid “You should play this.” The excellent core shooting is still intact but the progression in Destiny 2.0 is almost unrecognizable from the base game. Between weaving the first two DLC packs into where they logically fit in the main story and improving just about everything with The Taken King, Bungie is on the right track.

Best Story (I Think?) - Puyo Puyo Tetris

I have no idea what’s going on in this game, it’s all in Japanese. There’s aliens? And they’re trying to stop an invasion of Puyos via Tetris? What’s up with the dog doctor? One of the kids looks like a vampire?

Game That Would Make This List if I Was Finished It - Xenoblade Chronicles X

This is a hell of an RPG but I’m only 24 hours into it and don’t even have my giant robot yet. Things could somehow go completely off the rails before I’m done but barring that Xenoblade Chronicles X is definitely in the Top 10.

Best MOBA-fication of a Game - Halo 5: Guardians

Warzone mode is the best thing to happen to Halo multiplayer since Xbox Live. It combines the great gunplay of Halo with the addictive leveling of a MOBA. The game didn’t quite make the Top 10 due to stiff competition but this year I played more Warzone than any other multiplayer mode outside of Heroes of the Storm.

Dopest Basketball Court Builder (Inspired by Austin Walker) - Fallout 4

You should check out my Fallout 4 base. It has a dope basketball court, a jazz club, a power armor garage, and a brahmin that won’t stop spawning on the roof of my house.

Game I Wish I Could Play (Powered By AMD) - Just Cause 3

I built my first gaming PC this year and it’s a beast. I want to play Just Cause 3 but when I boot the game most of the ground is missing because I’m on an AMD GPU. This is why consoles will continue to be a thing.

I Like the Term Metroidvania and You Can’t Stop Me From Using It Award - Ori and the Blind Forest

A gorgeous, tightly controlled, well designed Metroidvania.

Special Award for Kind of Making Zombie Games Cool Again - Dying Light

It’s like Dead Island but with really cool/fun parkour. A great game that I’m afraid is getting forgotten at the end of year because of how early it came out.

Old Game of The Year - Grim Fandango: Remastered

Sure, it’s an adventure-ass adventure game, but the setting and writing are brilliant. I had never played it before and now it’s easy to see why it’s a beloved game.

The End!

And there you have it. 2015 was an amazing year for games and here’s hoping 2016 can top it.