Splatoon is the true game of the year, really.
Alex Navarro
Senior Editor at Giant Bomb from 2010 - 2021. Formerly GameSpot editor and PR specialist for Harmonix. He previously worked for Whiskey Media on their movie site Screened. Drum God. Ask him about Big Rigs.
Alex Navarro's Top 10 Games of 2015
I'm more convinced now that had the GBeast crew finished Life is Strange before the deliberations, Austin would have had it in his top 10 and there'd be a good chance of it being a real contender for Vinny and Alex's GOTY. Maybe it doesn't beat Splatoon for Alex, but Vinny's love for adventure games might have been enough for it to top his list.
But yeah, hella awesome for the game to actually be that high on their lists despite not having finished it, especially considering it's a narrative-focused game!
Yesss. Alex with the correct choice for best game of the year. I hope you mounted a good defence for it at the discussion table! That Dreamcast remark from Jeff was wildly off the mark.
For what it's worth, I don't really think Jeff was saying that pejoratively, but rather was using it as an example of why Splatoon is such a weird and cool thing, especially coming from Nintendo. There's no short number of things I think Jeff says about games that are either off the mark or based on unfair prejudices/early impressions, but I'd kind of agree with him here.
I'm super glad GBeast exists and Alex's list is a direct demonstration of why. I feel there are a ton of games here that would likely have never been touched without the GBeast spin.
This year's GotY has placed a huge lense over issues with awards of this nature at all. That being that people only have so much time to see a very specific slice of content per year.
It was not the games that appear on anyone's list that I am disappointed by, but the lack of games appearance simply due to the fact that they were not played. Due to people prejudging an IP or simply underestimating the game from it's premise.
I can only hope that this becomes a teachable moment for the GB staff that perhaps they should take some risks like our friend Patrick Klepek and step outside their comfort zones to expose some truly amazing gems.
This is probably the closest staff list to mine again this year. Haven't played Her Story or Life is Strange yet though.
Alex, you're a man after my own heart for putting 19 games on a top 10 list. I'm bad at picking favorites too.
Having just beatin Soma 5 minutes before reading this. My eyes still a bit moist. I cant express how much sci fi fans should go play it. Its so fucking good. Now im going to go resume listening to the goty podcasts because I stopped at best moment for fear of Soma spoilers.
Maybe, it just felt like damning it with faint praise. Same for the comment about the game being the best shooter saying more about the other shooters this year than about Splatoon.
I don't think people are giving witcher the spot it deserves because they like Alex can't come back. Syndicate rise and witcher 3 are my top 3 games easily but that's because I don't have any friends to play games with so a lot of these I never got to try
Great list and its good to see Until Dawn and Life Is Strange getting much deserved respect. Those were two of the most surprisingly enjoyable games I played this year. Great stories, great characters and just enjoyable to play by being focused.
Wow, Splatoon at #1! I keep waiting for it to go on sale, but it founds like a full price worthy purchase.
More guns of navarro please alex; not to pressure you or anything and obviously you don't have to do it, but only cause youre such a damn fine writer and i would so love to see more.
@bybeach: until dawn just seems too goofy/slasher flick for me while SOMA just feels built on pure dread. Regardless, due to all the hype on this site it sits on my hard drive ready and waiting for when im not a wuss.
@bamse: agreed, great list, but I feel like Rocket League is way overrated. It's a simple game that I get tired of very quickly lol
@bamse: agreed, great list, but I feel like Rocket League is way overrated. It's a simple game that I get tired of very quickly lol
That's the great thing about these personal Top 10's. Nothing is overrated. Rocket League is exactly where it needs to be on this list, Alex's list.
For me, it won't touch my Top 10. I don't like it that much.
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