Disappointment. I feel that’s what best described 2015 for me. It was a year that held so much promise, but as the games that we looked forward to the most were released, it started slowly becoming evident that many of these titles were not going to deliver. The truth is self evident: Mortal Kombat X, Fallout 4, Batman Arkham Knight, Star Wars: Battlefront, and a list of many other highly anticipated AAA games are not anywhere to be found on my top list.
But it is not all bad news, from the ashes of these fallen idols, the real GOTYs of 2015 have arisen. We live in a world where a fantastic game can come from anywhere, and if nothing else I feel my list proves that. Some of these games I expected to be among my favorites of the year though perhaps not as high, but most of them came as absolute surprises, but all of them are awesome.
Splatoon (Wii U)
I still have trouble believing that Splatoon exists. Not because I don’t play it. I’ve played it at least once a week since it came out, but because it just doesn’t seem like something Nintendo would do. It is a shooter, a genre Nintendo has stayed away from. It’s core gameplay takes place primarily online, something nintendo has shied away from for years. And it’s a brand new IP with no apparent connection to any of their other IP’s, the first one in over a decade.
But Splatoon also addresses some of the nagging issues I have with shooters today: its game modes prevent camping, the pre-made loadouts feel balanced so that you can’t dominate with just one weapon, the options in the equipment can make a difference in the game while retaining options to keep your inkling looking stylish, and perhaps most importantly, with the lack of voice chat, it is one of the few online games I feel comfortable with letting my young kids play. With the support and updates that it has been receiving and an active community, I expect to be playing Splatoon well into 2016.
Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)
Xenoblade Chronicles X is what I would consider my oddball pick this year. It is a game that is flawed, a game that somehow is on the list despite some puzzling decisions that they creators made. But man, when Xenoblade Chronicles X is good it is so good. Annoyances fade, and you just find yourself playing for hours on end. Were it not for these strange choices made during development it might be my game of the year.
The game will push you to venture further and further out into Mira becoming more hostile as you leave the safety of New LA, but at the same time becoming more alien and enchanting. It makes you want to explore, to cross the next river and climb that last mountain to see what treasures and vistas are there. And as the game goes on, your means of traversing this vast, beautiful world become more varied and more fun. You receive more incentives to keep traveling and discovering. This is definitely a must own for any JRPG fans that own a Wii U.
Rocket League (PC, PS4)
In a way Rocket League reminds me of what made me fall in love with videogames. Rocket League is fun, just that, pure careless fun. It doesn’t matter that its concept makes little sense. It doesn’t strive for realism. It embraces its “video gameness” and delivers something that is unique and hugely entertaining in the process.
Of course, being simply mindless fun is not enough to be in the GOTY list. Rocket League boast fantastic physics, giving you an unprecedented level of control over the gigantic ball in the game. The speed, angle, and area of your car you hit the ball, added to the motion of the ball itself and the place of the ball where contact is made all play a part in determining where it will go. Once you play for long enough you will figure out how to play actual positions with other team mates to elevate the level of your matches. Add to that near constant updates and a plethora of unlockables, and Rocket League is a game that will keep you entertained for a while.
Pillars of Eternity (PC)
If I have one regret about my experience with Pillars of Eternity, is that I waited so long to play it. Lately, AAA RPG’s are suffering from an identity crisis. They are eliminating hallmarks of the genre while trying to include things to get them closer to the action adventure ideal game that developers feel will be the panacea that will finally yield the coveted Call of Duty numbers. Pillars of Eternity rejects all this. It has a challenging battle system that will not hesitate to punish you if you decide to take threats lightly. It expects you to learn the world and the game’s systems. It is not afraid to challenge the player with complexity.
But beyond that it is extremely well written. It has great quests with diverse outcomes that you can affect not only by your stats, but by your previous actions, and your current choices. It has the flexibility to allow you to create your own party, but you don’t really want to because the default companions are well written and likable in their own way.
I recognize that part of the appeal Pillars of Eternity has has to do with the nostalgia for this kind of game. It is more than any other game released recently, a throwback to the golden age of old school isometric RPG’s. However it is a very well done one and a fantastic game in its own merits.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC, PS4, XB1)
The Witcher 3 is a game that has been a long time coming. The first game in the series was unpolished and had a lot of design decisions clearly made by amateurs. The second game was a marked improvement, and one of the best RPG’s of the 7th generation, but it felt like it was just on the cusp of true greatness. The third time has proven to be the charm and CD Projekt Red has nailed it, finally delivering on the enormous promise they’ve shown in the past. When it was announced that The Witcher 3 would be an open world game, a part of me lost hope, but in the end I am glad they took that chance because The Witcher 3 not only delivers everything it promised, but it moves the entire RPG genre forward as well.
Sure, it does fall for some of the traps open world games often fall for, but The Witcher 3 has proven there can be a balance between accessibility, depth, and size. Before this game, I used to think of these three attributes as points in a triangle. You could try to pick two, but never all at the same time. You can be big and deep, but not accessible. You can have a game that is accessible and big, but not deep, but CD Projekt has proven you can have all three if you want to take the time to craft that game. Add to this a gigantic world full of small details and quests that can start as innocent fetch quests, but end up being masterfully written adventures by themselves, and you can see why this is my favorite game of 2015.
Check back every day this week to see a new editor’s list. You can head back to our GOTY coverage hub by clicking here.
