Living life in last gen is making me feel more distant and disconnected from the current zeitgeist than ever.
But thats cool - I dont have much time to play nowadays, so outside of maybe one or two cases I doubt my list would look much different.
1. Life is Strange ; I had no idea Id rate this so highly when I started it, and I dont think I can pinpoint any specific moments of the game that spike it up so high in my mind, but thinking back on the entire experience of playing Life is Strange (which I played through in one week around Thanksgiving) leaves me with such a warm feeling of bittersweet joy, nostalgia, and closure that I cant help but smile. The unreasonably amazing soundtrack (seriously, hearing a Mogwai tune in a game blew my goddamned mind) helped create such a grounded and tangible sense of place at Blackwell Academy that I loved just walking around and talking to people. While some people talk shit about the game for feeling pretentiously tumblr-y or hipster-y, I thought it hit an honest tone that people just arent used to encountering in games. As a dude in my 30s, I know that a ton of kids like Max and Chloe exist, and it felt so refreshing to live that life through those eyes, even though it was nothing like my own experience - specifically *because* it was nothing like my own experience, actually. And Ive been a fan of Telltale and adventure games in general in the past, but Life is Strange managed to create its own aesthetic and feel. Games that dont rely on violence as the primary verb get a lot of brownie points in my eyes, and in this sense Life is Strange was such a relaxing and refreshing game to play through because it was just
chill.
2. Destiny: The Taken King ; Even though Im not actively playing it right now, in the rawest sense of games that defined 2015 for me, Destiny and The Taken King together lorded over at least three months of my life, and I loved it the entire time. From a play and feel standpoint, this stood head and shoulders over everything this year, and its likely the best feeling shooter Ive ever experienced. This became my go-to title because it scratched my pick-up-and-play shooter itch and my grindy lootwhore itch, whether I wanted to satisfy one in isolation or both together. The loot chase is golden while it lasts, the new abilities and subclasses are hilariously fun, I love all of the new strikes (even Undying Mind, for gods sake), and I havent even tried the Kings Fall raid yet due to time. TTK was, like many have said and will say forever, so close what we all wanted Destiny to be from Day 1. Yes, it has some pretty heinous aspects to it in terms of monetization and overall design, but the sensation of being on the ground floor and in the shit with co-op buddies is unmatched. This isnt TTK-specific, but Destiny has been the one game thats gotten me to open up to randoms online - the PS3 community is genuinely great (outliers aside) and while Ive had to use external sites like Reddit and the100.io, the people Ive found have been amazing - Ive finally had the modern gaming sensation of having a crew of people that invite me to games and jump in unbidden to help out. TTK ratcheted this up by giving my circle all-new content to gorge on, so the chase was made infinitely sweeter by having fresh trails to blaze.
3. Undertale ; While Im not as ga-ga over the game as I know a lot of folks are, it was a fantastically heartfelt and entertaining experience that subverts your expectations and is so much more clever and honest than I ever expected. I havent had more legitimate laughs from a game in ages, and it goes so far beyond the regurgitation of Internet memes that it appears on the surface.
4. Lara Croft Go ; Theres something to be said for the arc and shape of a good short story. In this sense, Lara Croft Go felt just as long as it needed to be - perhaps a tidge on the short side, but thats more a matter of the game simply leaving me wanting a little bit more. The Go format is applied beautifully to the Tomb Raider universe, and its funny how legitimately different this feels from Hitman: Go. The mechanics make perfect sense and somehow manage to make turn-based gameplay feel like a perfect adaptation of the internal logic and puzzle-y nature of old-school Tomb Raider.
5. Pillars of Eternity ; While I havent even come close to finishing Pillars, the 20-30 hours Ive experienced have left me with the bizarre sense of nostalgia for something Ive never experienced. The truth is that Ive always been somewhat of a CRPG poser: While I respect and admire games like Baldurs Gate, Ive never been able to get more than 10 hours in without feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or lost. Pillars manages to sidestep some of the old D&D baggage and has managed to create something that feels simultaneously classic and modern. The writing is sharp and witty, the world feels vast and dangerous, and I cant wait to push further in.
6. Heroes of the Storm ; Who knew I was a MOBA guy? I sure as fuck didnt. By stripping out some of the more insane elements (the in-match item store, etc.), speeding things up, and applying that delectably smooth Blizzard polish, Heroes became a nightly ritual for me for weeks. Ive since toned down on playing, but I still love jumping on for a quick set of 2-3 matches. Its casual nature is what appeals to me most.
7. Her Story ; Genuinely the freshest and most mindblowing game Ive played all year. Its a one-trick pony, but that pony has such a good trick! Its also the most obvious sort of game that no one ever thought to make, and thats what I found so brilliant about it.
8. Shadowrun: Hong Kong ; From a universe and writing perspective, Harebraineds Shadowrun reboots have been top-notch since Returns, but Hong Kong felt the most fresh and inspired because Id never experienced anything China-related in the Shadowrun universe. The SPRG-super-lite gameplay felt a little too stripped-down in Returns and even in Dragonfall; this begins to bring just enough in to the point where I feel a little more satisfied.
9. Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate ;
Loot loot looooooooooot. The online kept me going for about a month straight, and Im not even all that great of a MonHun player. I lost my way in this due to work and getting distracted with other games, but Ill find my way back some day. The best playing Monster Hunter has ever felt.
10. Final Fantasy: Record Keeper ; Mobile energy-based free-to-play games rife with microtransations get shit on (and rightfully so about 95 percent of the time), but FF:RK is a very cool example of how nostalgia and feel can create a fun experience for people that stay casual and low-key about their free-to-play experiences. I wish there were a bit more involvement in the battles themselves, but by and large my latent FF fanboy tendencies from the 1990s were stoked constantly.
Honorable Mentions
x. Tales from the Borderlands ; All of the below are games that I know I would have loved, if Id spent more time with them (and had the time to spend!). Just, you know, I didnt.
x. Darkest Dungeon ;
x. Read Only Memories ;
x. Invisible Inc. ;