Games I Finished in 2015
Arranged in the order I beat them. At the end of the year, I will rank them from best to worst.
List items
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9/19/2015
5/5 - I would have never thought in a million years I would associate Metal Gear Solid with absolutely incredible open-world gameplay, but The Phantom Pain simply blew my mind. I don't remember having this much fun just playing a game in years. The game is at its best when you're improvising on the fly with all of the tools at your disposal. The ending was a great moment as well, even if I thought the implementation of it was lackluster. There couldn't have been a better send-off for the Metal Gear Solid franchise than The Phantom Pain, although this game probably raised more questions about the overarching plot of the series than any other entry. It's a shame the Kojima/Konami relationship had to end the way it did.
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12/28/2015
5/5 - I adore games that involve mystery solving and playing the role of the detective (Ace Attorney is my favorite video game franchise ever). So it shouldn't be a surprise that the initial premise of Her Story was immediately intriguing. What was a surprise to me, however, was how the process of unveiling the truth, piece by piece, was so damn compelling. Every time I came across a new idea, name, or location, I was so excited to search for it next and see what new revelations I might stumble across. And the ultimate kudos needs to be given to Viva Seifert, whose performance makes this story believable and utterly fascinating.
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1/11/15
5/5 - If I had finished this last year, this would've been really high on my list. The cutscenes are amazingly well done, and the gameplay is satisfying as hell. What a pleasant surprise.
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12/27/2015
4/5 - There was something exciting about playing what felt like a triple A action game that was not an open world game. It seemed as if every big budget blockbuster this year opted for an open world, and as a result, Rise of the Tomb Raider felt unique for what it wasn't. With its gorgeous visuals, the addition of more puzzle-oriented tombs, and a surprisingly robust upgrade system, Rise of the Tomb Raider was one of the most enjoyable experiences I had all year.
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1/1/2016
4/5 - I first bought this game on iOS, but then after seeing how this is the type of game that needed split-second decision making and precision jumping, I immediately bought it again on Steam, and it was worth every dollar. Getting a ridiculously high chain combo and being rewarded with gems, hearts, and charge fills me with a certain joy that warms my heart and soul. I bought this game right when it came out, played it furiously, could not beat it, took a huge break, and beat it on New Year's Day 2016. But I don't care! I'm putting it on 2015's list!
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7/8/15
4/5 - Yes, the Batmobile sometimes feels contrived and unnecessarily forced during some parts. And yes, the combat gets a little hard to juggle when the game is throwing a multitude of enemy types at you. Regardless, the story is extremely well done (wrist Alfred conversations aside) and the combat is still first in class.
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4/5 - After hearing about Destiny's shortcomings for what feels like an eternity at this point, getting my first taste of Bungie's ambitious shooter with The Taken King was simultaneously a rewarding and eye-opening experience. It's been said a million times before, but the feel of the shooting and the loot treadmill this game offers is top notch. But I legitimately cannot tell anyone what in the hell is happening in the story, and seeing how much better the new Taken King missions are than the base game's missions made me realize why people had such a love/hate relationship with the original game sans Taken King. Also, I've only done the first raid, but doing that with friends was pretty goddamn fun.
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2/8/15
4/5 - It's a good thing that the combat and the nemesis system are so excellent because the game's story and characters are completely bland and forgettable. The fact that the final boss fight is merely a quick time event that lasts for about 30 seconds is absolutely ludicrous. You have this amazing combat system and the last encounter is a quick time event? Are you kidding me?
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4/5 - This game didn't get its hooks into me like it seemed with other people, but I'd be damned if I didn't say I had a hell of a good time for the first few weeks. The amount of times I uselessly flew past the ball in an attempt to score a goal is too embarrassing to say, but whenever I did manage to score a goal or make a game-changing save, the true beauty of this game was on full display.
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4/5 - As a puzzle game fan, Hitman Go is an ingenious way to take a franchise and make an interesting spin-off that doesn't tarnish or dilute the brand. My only complaint is that Hitman Go felt a little sterile and soulless, especially compared to Lara Croft Go, which has so much more personality and life.
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4/12/15
4/5 - Hotline Miami 2 picks right where Hotline Miami 1 left off, and I was totally okay with that. I treat Hotline Miami almost as a puzzle game, slowly planning out my steps and trying to execute them strategically. But the story was a jumbled mess that confused me more as it went on, as it was constantly jumping around to different characters and timelines. And just by virtue of it being a sequel, Hotline Miami 2 simply didn't have the surprise factor that the first game had.
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4/19/15
4/5 - This game follows a very specific mold, but it has enough distinctive weapons and upgrades to differentiate itself from the classics of old. My biggest knock against this game is how double tapping right or left made you dash. I'm often just trying to inch forward by tapping in a certain direction, and that made me dash to something I wasn't intending to get closer to. That was ridiculously annoying against boss fights that required precision platforming and timing.
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7/25/15
3/5 - As interesting as the premise of the story is, I thought the class trial gameplay sections were straight up bad. The way the game tries to spice up the class trials by adding in elements of aiming and rhythm was lame and unnecessary. Without spoiling anything, I absolutely hated some explanations for certain story beats, and the ending isn't satisfying at all. And Makoto's voice actor has the typical whiny voice of your stock anime protagonist, which annoyed the living shit out of me.
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8/2/2015
3/5 - The story is barely coherent, the gameplay is a series of quick time events, and there might not even be more episodes to resolve the awful cliffhanger the second episode ends on. But with ridiculous shit like Forrest Kaysen's absurd eating habits and "AVANT GARDE!", Swery still somehow manages to create a lovable, charming mess.
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