GOTY 2015
Notable exceptions:
Assassin's Creed: Syndicate. Having delayed a year in playing AC: Unity because of its dubious quality I didn't start playing Syndicate till the new year - would have easily taken a spot in the list.
Fallout 4: Game #11
List items
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Loved the game. With all the success Telltale found, it's refreshing that another contender could show up and knock it out of the park on the episodic front. Besides having a more modern engine and a subjectively better story and characters, Life is Strange has appreciably dark themes that might not be apparent at the start of the game. Absolutely my kind of game, looking forward to more like this.
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I have a huge appreciation and respect for good horror games, despite being very easily scared by them, and generally finding it a huge challenge to beat the best of them. I played through SOMA with my girlfriend in its entirety over a few days, having played the original Amnesia together too. It was such an entertaining experience, so many panicky moments that are hilarious in retrospect. SOMA is just an excellently realised concept, with a great story and was one of the most exhilarating games I've played in a while. Superior to the original Amnesia in my opinion, and well worth the lengthy wait.
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I wouldn't have expected an RC car football game to be on this list at the start of the year. Even seeing the game show up on PS+ wasn't enough of an incentive to even try it, "just another multiplayer only game" I thought. After seeing the Giant Bomb staff playing it I couldn't wait to start playing. What a goddamn blast, Rocket League wonderfully balances control and chaos, you can pull off phenomenal feats, with acrobatic goals and clutch saves happening all the time, but with plenty of clumsiness thrown into the mix too. Easily the most fun I had in 2015 playing online.
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Until Dawn came out of nowhere. Most anticipated games are in well established series. Even for horror games, there are a few well-known series, and you know what to expect from those games. Until Dawn has such a neat concept that I absolutely adore. I love suspenseful games and consequence - things this game delivers in spades. The jump scare photo feature was amazing too, I could hardly ask for a more entertaining idea. This was another game I played with my girlfriend, me on the controls, her making the decisions and both of us jumping when shit hit the fan.
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Metal Gear V is quite unlike the rest of the series, which while it has its pros and cons, I think is a change for the better. There's a certain bombast that feels distinctly Metal Gear, and that's present here. I played on PC, and the engine ran like a dream. I really enjoyed the story, as I did with Ground Zeroes - though Phantom Pain doesn't frequently hit such peaks in story and set piece intensity, or rather they're spaced out. I have some qualms with the game (namely the hundreds of helicopter rides) but it's still a great fun, and quality game. It had been a while since I'd played a game relentlessly from release to completion at the time, and it was certainly a ride.
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It had been a while since I'd played Wolfenstein: The New Order, and after seeing The Old Blood in a sale I decided to have a go at it. It reminded me how exceptional the game must have been, it looks amazing and ran flawlessly. It's one of those games that cares more about being entertaining and exciting than making any damn sense or being realistic, which I respect. I usually don't revisit games for DLC, but I'm going to try to make an exception for expansions, they're often better than the original games they expand in a more concise package.
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I had no idea how much I was going to like this game going in. It's been in my library for a long time, and I'd happily ignored it during its long Early Access stint. After finishing Fallout 4 I was looking for something else to play, and luckily gave this a go. The concept is a little novel, and my word does it deliver on its goals. It's possibly the best turn-based RPG I've ever played, everything is just so well thought out, and the balance is exquisite. I honestly see the Double Fine stamp as as much of a concern as a promise of quality these days, and this may be my favourite of their games - with the possible exception of Psychonauts. Just an excellent game.
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