I didn’t see a thread for this, so I started my own.
Each year, some friends and I compile a list of our top 10 favorite games of the previous year. We’ve been doing this for over a decade now, and it’s always fun to see what others pick. Usually we do this shortly after New year’s day, however with a new job and a new baby, I have been a bit busy. Finally gotten around to playing everything I plan to play from 2015.
Our rules are our own, and I don’t expect others to agree with them. Nevertheless, the rules that we go by are simple...game must be on console (no PC exclusives) and it has to have a retail release in physical form, which eliminates Xbox Live and PSN titles. We may occasionally make exceptions if something is truly epic (something like, say, Castle Crashers or Child of Light). Digital episodic only games are allowed, like TellTale Games since these all get a disc release eventually, but the final chapter has to have been released for it to be counted.
We also stay away from HD remakes, re-releases and ports. Basically, anything that has just been minimally updated for the current generation of consoles. So that means no Rare Replay, Mega Man Legacy Collection, Resident Evil HD, etc. The only exception is if a remake or port is built from the ground up, so it is essentially a brand new game with a recycled name/plot.
Some games I didn’t play, like Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, so these are off the table.
Anyway, after that needlessly long intro, here are MY top 10 games of 2015:
Honorable Mention:
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess
I love the Deception games, even though they aren’t anything revolutionary. If fact, they’re getting pretty repetitive. But it’s a game I can turn my brain off to and just zone out. Graphics were pretty blah, and the story was mediocre at best. But I love the “trap” style of gameplay, so this was just 10 hours of mindless fun.
10. Mortal Kombat X
How fitting that the 10th game in the series takes the 10th place on this list. What is there to say about MK that hasn’t already been said? It’s the definitive fighter these days (especially since Street Fight seems to have gotten diluted lately) and the kontrols and graphics are as tight as ever. While this game wasn’t as groundbreaking as the previous installment, it still provides a fun story and multiplayer experience. The story mode for this was pretty lacking, but it was still better than any other fighter I have played since...the last MK, honestly.
9. Bloodborne
I hate Dark Souls. I do. Demon Souls was ok, if not ball bustingly hard. But I just couldn’t get into the other FromSoftware games. Bloodborne, on the other hand, was actually pretty fun. I don’t know if I just liked the change in setting (medieval to Victorian Gothic) or the mix up in weapons and style, but I found this to be an enjoyable experience...once that *&^%ing load time problem was patched! Would have been higher, but I felt the story was...well...WTF was up with that ending!?
8. Rise of the Tomb Raider
As a huge fan of the original Playstation, I am no stranger to Tomb Raider games. However, after the second one I really lost interest. The reboot a few years ago was good, and I played it. But it didn’t strike me as anything special. Nothing Uncharted hadn’t already done. So I didn’t put a lot of stock into this title...and I was pleasantly surprised. This felt like an epic adventure, something Indiana Jones or Nathan Drake would embark upon. It brought me back to my 13 year-old self and my experience with the first TR game. I haven’t beaten this, so I can’t say it stays as good as it is, but the 5 hours I played have been great.
7. Halo 5
This is the first time I have made a Top Ten that had a Halo title that wasn’t in the top 5. I love Halo. My favorite shooter series, hands down. But this one felt...rushed. There is too much Call of Duty influence with the fast paced gameplay, requisition packs, new control scheme - it just didn’t feel like Halo anymore. The campaign was pretty fun, which is why it made this list in the first place. Hopefully the next game brings a ‘little’ of the old school Halo back.
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Immersive. That’s the best word I can think of to describe this game. This is the most enjoyable open world experience I have had since the Mass Effect games, and that includes a title higher up on this list. One could spend days just side questing and screwing around in this world. The story is a great follow up to Assassin of Kings, and I honestly don’t know if they’ll be able to top this one. I’m sure a sequel, or sidequel, is already on its way, but this one will be hard to top.
5. Transformers: Devastation
I love Platinum Games. I love Transformers (duh). This was a beautiful hybrid of the two. A basic beat em up with the look and feel of the original series. Getting most of the original voices back was icing on the cake. A lot of people don’t have much to say about this game, and I can understand that. In terms of quality, there isn’t much here beyond the nostalgia factor - Bayonetta 2 this is not. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying the hell out of it.
4. Resident Evil Revelations 2
Capcom doesn’t really know what the hell they’re doing these days. Remakes and rereleases are basically what’s floating the boat for them. And it’s because their side projects are superior to the main entries in their IPs. If Capcom treated the numbered RE titles with the same TLC as the Revelations series, this would continue to be one of the most dominant AND popular franchises in video games. Rev 2 wasn’t quite as good as the first, but it holds its own as a survival horror title. Tense atmosphere, tight controls, and a decent story. It was everything a good survival horror game needs to be. Plus it was scary and fun. An enjoyable, short experience. Now if only Capcom would give us what we all want...a game that controls and plays like a Revelations title with the graphics and game engine of The Order 1886.
3. Until Dawn
Speaking of horror...where did THIS game come from!? After the weirdness of Indigo Prophecy and the snoozefest of Heavy Rain, I didn’t have much faith in games that are more “interactive movies” than anything else. But this game was very interesting...your actions play out a horror themed B-movie where you basically decide who lives and who dies. What I love about this is everyone can live, or everyone can die - the choice is yours. I can’t think of too many games that allow you to flat out kill all the people you didn’t like in high school.
2. Fallout 4
This is a damn good game. Absolutely amazing. A vast open world, with so much to interact with, so much to do - not as much as Witcher 3, but still days worth of entertainment. Some criticize the game for its lack of options in influencing the story, saying that it strayed too far from the Fallout style. Seeing as I wasn’t a huge fan of Fallout 3, and never really played much of New Vegas, this didn’t bother me. I really enjoyed the story of this game and felt like I could basically do whatever the hell I wanted. The game isn’t perfect. But honestly, it gets props for being so damn fun. I don’t think I’ve put more hours into any other title in the last few years.
1. Batman: Arkham Knight
The final game in the Arkham trilogy, this game satisfied me in a way that few games have. This game made me FEEL like I was the Bat. The story needed some work - honestly, anyone who knows anything about modern day Batman stories saw pretty much every plot point coming. But the ultimate saving grace of this game, and what defined it as one of the all time great Batman stories...SPOILERS AHEAD…...is the Joker! Despite being dead, one of the greatest literary characters of all time finds his way back in to the spotlight. And for the first time in video game history, he’s along for pretty much the entire ride. A buddy cop situation with Batman and Joker...who knew how great it could be? Granted it’s all in Batman’s head (thanks to the fear gas), but this made for one of the best campaigns I have ever played. Controls and graphics were solid. The Batmobile was a nice touch, but a bit over used. The game isn’t perfect, and the PC version was notoriously broken. But for Bat Fans, and more importantly us JOKER fans, this was one hell of a ride.
TLDR: My top 10 games of 2015 - what are yours?
