Top 10 Video Games of 2015

Photo courtesy of The Verge. From left to right: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Splatoon, LIfe is Strange, Downwell, and Fallout 4

Gaming had a great year! There were several small releases that really blew people out of the water, and there were a number of games from returning franchises that took a different approach to their series than they usually have. If games did anything this year it was that they proved that games are a form of artistic expression. Just like movies, books, and television, video games branched out and sought new avenues and opportunities and the gaming industry was better for it. I have a few separate shortlists to cover before we get to the big list.

The first sub-list covers games that I was unable to play in 2015 because I didn’t have a system that supports them. Looking back on 2015, I’m really upset that I don’t own a Wii U, because Nintendo released some fun and enjoyable content this year, most notably Splatoon, the companies newest IP in a few decades, and Super Mario Maker, which took the world by storm this year, its online community has become massive in the last few months. Also, for some reason Crystal Dynamics and Microsoft made a weird partnership so that Rise of the Tomb Raider would only be available on Xbox in 2015, coming to PC and PS4 in 2016. I don’t know why this partnership was made, and I’d be surprised if it actually helped Xbox sales. So all it did was upset fans of the past Tomb Raider game who were eager to play more of Lara’s story in the new rebooted series, such as myself. So, here’s a shortlist of games that deserve a mention, but I was unable to play due to not owning the matching system.

Games I missed due to platform unavailability: Super Mario Maker (Wii U), Splatton (Wii U), Yoshi’s Wooly World (Wii U), Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U), Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Nintendo 3DS), and Rise of the Tomb Raider (Currently: Xbox 360 and Xbox One; Eventually: Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4)

I also have a few honorable mentions. These games were really enjoyable, but they didn’t quite make it on to my top ten.

Honorable Mentions: Emily is Away (Microsoft Windows and Linux), Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (Microsoft Windows, OS X, and PlayStation 4), and The Black Watchmen (Microsoft Windows)

10. Downwell

Developer: Moppin

Publisher: Devolver Digital

Director: Ojiro Fumoto

Composer: Erik Suhrke

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android

Synopsis: You play a man with a naturally curious personality. One day when lounging in the park you decide to explore a well to see how far it goes. Knowing there are monsters inside, you strap on your gunboots and jump down the well eager for adventure.

Clever, addictive, and just plain fun. Downwell is one of those games that you can constantly have fun with. Run-throughs are short and randomly generated, meaning you never know what is going to be on the next level. Incredibly simple controls make the game fun and exploring the depths of the well offers new surprises around every corner.

9. The Beginner’s Guide

Developer: Everything Unlimited Ltd.

Publisher: Everything Unlimited Ltd.

Director: Davey Wreden

Composer: Ryan Roth and Halina Heron

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux

Synopsis: Davey Wreden narrates the player through several unfinished games by a developer and friend of his named Coda, who has apparently ceased making games due to an accident that Wreden mentions ominously. You travel the games wondering and uncovering the mind and issues that have troubled Coda and along the tour you uncover why he stopped making games.

A beautiful story laced with amazing themes and thought-provoking imagery. It not only tackles a meta interpretation of what video games are by placing the story taking in a video game, but also deals with issues such as obsession, guilt, insecurity, depression, and friendship. The Beginner’s Guide is not the most revolutionary, or the most fun, game of 2015 but it is certainly one that will stick with you for a long time.

8. Her Story

Developer: Sam Barlow

Publisher: Sam Barlow

Director: Sam Barlow

Composer: Chris Zabriskie

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS

Synopsis: You play an unknown character who has obtained some old police database files about a very mysterious case involving a woman named Hannah Smith and the disappearance of her husband. The database program you are using is very old and you have to sort through a large amount of data related to the case, only using keywords by analyzing dialogue in the various video recordings that make up the database’s files. As you pick through the small clips you just might come across the one clue that will help you answer what happened to Simon Smith.

I have never experienced a game like Her Story before. The game simply revolves around you sifting through video content and it couldn’t be more compelling. The story is riveting, mysterious, and creepy and the visuals are somewhat eerie in the best way. An incredibly clever game both in terms of mechanics and story you should really try Her Story.

7. Bloodborne

Developer: FromSoftware

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Director: Hidetaka Miyazaki

Composer: Ryan Amon, Tsukasa Saitoh, Yuka Kitamura, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Cris Velasco, and Michael Wandmacher

Platforms: PlayStation 4

Synopsis: You play The Hunter, a man tasked with ridding the city of Yharnam from the vile beasts that plague its streets. Armed with a firearm in one hand and a trick weapon in the other, The Hunter must explore the city of Yharnam in search of “Paleblood.” The road is dangerous though, filled with citizens driven insane by plague and vicious monsters who could eviscerate you with a single swipe.

FromSoftware is the studio behind the insanely difficult Dark Souls series, and Bloodborne is more of the same but with a much different setting. A lot of people are drawn to Bloodborne and Dark Souls because of how difficult it is, but really I could care less about how hard the game is. The game's brutal gameplay is frustrating, but as soon as you reach your goal you feel so proud of yourself, that is why the game is so amazing. The horror atmosphere, the design, and the beautiful city of Yharnam make for an amazing game as well. Admittedly, due to its difficulty I’m not that far in Bloodborne, but I am so enamored with it that I knew it needed to have a spot on my list.

6. Fallout 4

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Director: Todd Howard

Composer: Inon Zur

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Synopsis: Boston in the year 2287 after a nuclear fallout. After witnessing the kidnapping of your son, you emerge from Vault 111 determined to find your son and exact vengeance on those who stole him.

Post-apocalyptic Boston is an amazing location, there are always challenging enemies and interesting locations to find around the world. The combat and crafting systems are engaging, searching the Commonwealth for the perfect items to upgrade your plasma pistol (or what have you) is so much fun, and the slow motion V.A.T.S. system is just as fun as always. Fun and quirky characters will also join you on your quest, which is a pretty fun main questline. The appeal of Fallout 4 is really in its fun setting and awesome gameplay though, that’s what makes it so great.

5. Rocket League

Developer: Psyonix

Publisher: Psyonix

Director: Thomas Silloway

Composer: Mike Ault and Hollywood Principle

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Synopsis: Soccer. Rocket Powered Cars. Online.

Rocket League was the sleeper-hit of 2015, nobody expected it to be as fun as it is. This is how sports games should be made! In an industry where your sports games are just a reskin of last years games, Rocket League broke the mold by being genuinely different and giving you more control than any other sports game has before. It’s clever, it is colorful, and it is brilliantly well designed. It also seems to be universally loved, I never would have imagined myself enjoying this game and it is my number five, not to mention Erika, my girlfriend and someone who does not play video games, loves the game as well.

4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Developer: Kojima Productions

Publisher: Konami

Director: Hideo Kojima

Composer: Ludvig Forssell, Justin Burnett, and Daniel James

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Synopsis: After waking up from a nine year coma, Venom Snake is made the new Big Boss of Diamond Dogs, an elite mercenary group. The group is hired to assist in operations in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war. During their missions they encounter the organization Cipher who plan to unearth plans to develop a new Metal Gear.

Amazing performances, beautiful visuals, interesting characters, a gripping story, and amazing gameplay, there is so much to love about Metal Gear Solid V. The gameplay alone is riveting, offering multiple different approaches to missions, you can sneak in and avoid killing any of the guards and simply extracting your target, or intel, or you can run in firing a grenade launcher and punching dudes while a support helicopter blazes music above and fires explosives on Russian soldiers below. You can modify your prosthetic arm to be rocket controlled, you can even train a dog to help you in battle, the dog can stealth kill guards with a knife! He carries it in his mouth, it’s amazing! That’s the appeal of MGSV, its crazy and the gameplay is unlike anything you’ve ever seen, it's somewhat silly, but never detracts from the overall tone of the game. It also has an incredibly intricate and enjoyable story filled with entertaining and fun twists and turns.

3. Batman: Arkham Knight

Developer: Rocksteady Studios

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Director: Sefton Hill

Composer: Nick Arundel and David Buckley

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, OS X, and Linux

Synopsis: It is Halloween night and Scarecrow has plans for Gotham. After evacuating the city Batman joins the police in helping fight the criminals that have remained. He discovers that in an attempt to stop him Scarecrow has hired the Arkham Knight, a heavily armored mercenary who seems to know Batman personally. Batman will have to be at the top of his game if he wants to save his city and stop Scarecrow’s reign of terror.

Perhaps I’m biased, as I love Batman, so it is no surprise that Arkham Knight is at the top of my list. The story is really amazing and the dialogue and writing are spot on. Gotham city is bigger and more beautiful than ever, and the dour, dark tone of the Arkham games always adds for great environment. The combat is more fluid than ever and using it to take down large groups of enemies is very satisfying. The Batmobile is used a little too much, but ultimately I enjoyed using it. The driving was smooth and fun, but the tank battles were a little repetitive and got tedious. There were no hugely memorable boss fights, which the other games are known for. Yet, this doesn’t change the fact that I had a lot of fun exploring Gotham, I was determined to clean up the crime in Gotham once again and I absolutely loved playing Arkham Knight. I sure hope Rocksteady isn’t actually done with the Batman/DC related properties because I want more superhero games from them, especially Batman.

2. Undertale

Developer: tobyfox

Publisher: tobyfox

Director: Toby Fox

Composer: Toby Fox

Platforms: Microsoft Windows and OS X

Synopsis: Long ago the humans banished the monsters to the Underground, and the monsters have been trying to get out ever since. You play a human who has wandered into the Underground and you must get past the monsters and escape, but the choice is yours. Do you slaughter everything in your path to become stronger, or do you treat everyone with peace and kindness?

Wow. Who would have guessed that this game would be so amazing? Toby Fox has done a brilliant job with this game, and for the record, the credits up above are correct, he did every single detail of this game, even the music. The soundtrack for the game is made up of over 100 songs, so Toby Fox is no slouch when it comes to games. Undertale is a beautiful love letter to classic RPG’s of old, but it is so much more than that as well. The music is beautiful, the characters are charming and endearing, the writing is hilarious and heartbreaking, and the gameplay is incredibly unique. Every enemy you encounter can be defeated with weapons, but they can also be talked to, they can be reasoned with. Ultimately, the choices you make affect the entire story, not just the ending, but the entire story, people treat you differently. Undertale, in my opinion, is a seminal videogame, the emotions it evokes alone are compelling enough to explain why it is so amazing, but its art-style, writing, and wonderful gameplay makes it a cut above most games. Seriously, just play it, it is amazing.

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Developer: CD Projekt RED

Publisher: CD Projekt

Director: Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, Mateusz Kanik, and Sebastian Stepien

Composer: Marcin Przybylowicz, Mikolai Stroinski, and Percival

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One

Synopsis: Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, a man-for-hire tasked with killing monsters. Geralt finds out that his adopted daughter Ciri is being chased by the Wild Hunt, a group of Elven radicals who wish to destroy humankind, and they require Ciri’s Elder Blood to do so. Geralt goes on a quest with the help of many friends and foes to help find Ciri before the Wild Hunt finds her first.

Not only the most beautiful game of the year, but the most fun as well. The combat is fun and fluid, combining magic, potions, and swordplay is incredibly easy to grasp, mastering it will you allow you to destroy the toughest of foes. The story is very enjoyable, filled with intriguing characters who you must decide who to be loyal to using well-constructed dialogue options. The different locations having incredibly varied environments which are filled with monsters and hidden treasures for you to discover. The Witcher 3 is an amazing game, it has awesome design, fluid combat, really entertaining enemies, a powerful and enjoyable story, and great characters.

This was a great year for games. Sure there were some disappointing titles, and I’ll say it again, games are too expensive. Still, games really embraced their abilities this year, they explored what they could be, and that’s why video games are the most exciting art form right now. They can explore avenues that we haven’t even discovered yet, and that’s why I can’t wait for the future of this industry.

Happy 2016! There’s so much to look forward to in the coming year, and I hope it turns out to be another great one!