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[Confused Cheeseburger]

1. Bloodborne ; Bloodborne is the greatest horror action game I have ever played. It is one of the most decisively brilliant offsprings of Resident Evil 4 (and obviously Dark/Demon's Souls) to date. Bloodborne is the most completely realized game of 2015, in tune with its incredible aesthetics and fierce loyalty toward the precision of it's gameplay design, Bloodborne rewards those who are willing to learn, preserver and die, is some of the very purest forms in all of gaming. There simply is no other dopamine rush of 2015 greater than defeating a boss in Bloodborne. Persevering, recognizing patterns, instinctively countering attack frames, cutting into enemies rhythms with inches seperating you from a lethal blow, fights in Bloodborne are have narrative arcs in themselves. And it's all presented with a grotesque decadence, a truly invigorating art direction that ensures the player will be transported almost instantly. For my two cents, Bloodborne is simply the greatest game of this generation.

2. Fallout 4 ; Fallout 4 might be Bethesda's most iterative work, but for the usual bag of flaws, it still scratches an itch like no other. 2015 is a golden age for open world games,
but the sense of exploration, discovery and world building of Fallout 4 are still in a league of their own. The investment and connection to the Commonwealth is stronger than Skyrim's playspace because the density and connective tissue between various things in Fallout 4 are intensified by comparison to other Bethesda games. From the decisions you make in allegiances and world-changing choices to the pieces of junk you pick up, Fallout 4's systems seem to interlock with a vice grip that makes turning the game off a truly difficult task. With the big miss of the dialogue revamp and the hit and miss natureof the new perk system, the significantly improved gunplay, great companions and the general cohesion of the Fallout 4's various systems still make it a recommendation without question.

3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; The last third of The Phantom Pain is a bit of a tragic mess. It has some cool ideas and an interesting ending, but they're scattered among a storm of incomplete, dysfunctional mission progression that tarnishes one of the best action games ever made. Even with the rest of the story clearing taking a back seat to the gameplay, Metal Gear Solid V is an incredible gameplay sandbox that is so far ahead of all it's contemporaries, that it makes it bittersweet to know the franchises' best days are gone. The amount of improvisation, considered tactical planing and creative plotting facilitated by the game's brilliantly understated (but decisive) mission design, allows for the most open-ended and rewarding stealth game play I have yet witnessed. It's not without it's flaws, but where it counts The Phantom Pain comes up absolutely huge in the gameplay department with enough overwhelming depth and idiosyncrasies to experiment indefinitely.

4. Rocket League ; A game that almost entirely justified PS plus in one swoop. Rocket League is easily one of the best multiplayer games this generation because it nails a few specific things. It's incredibly intuitive to understand conceptually, the potential for dramatic wild anecdotes are possible at any time, and the game is easy to learn but rewarding to master. Rocket League is one of the feel good releases of the year because it perfectly realized what it was and trusted fans of the game to spread gospel and respected their time. There's nearly no downside to this game, it's fundamentally a powerful synergy of timing, placement and execution.

5. Splatoon ; Nintendo's greatest strength is the ability to defy convention. Even when Nintendo takes familiar franchises, their ability to constantly reinvent is near matchless. Splatoon is completely new however. It's rare that we get a brand new Nintendo franchise, but Splatoon seems to signal the change over of the old guard hopefully ushering a new wave of creators. The vitality of Splatoon flows as hard and heavy as the paint splattering every surface in the game. In some ways, it feels like an entirely fresh fusion of Jet Set Radio, Super Mario Sunshine and Rachet and Clank, but even boiling it down to those influnces is a disservice. Splatoon takes the shooter and twists of all its modern conventions. The style and unhinged fusion of Japanese youth culture into Splatoon's aesthetic is impossibly joyously weird. When Nintendo get's weird, the world is better for it, and Splatoon's aesthetic direction is the proof. Splatoon is also a multiplayer-centric game that gives new importance to objective design in shooters. It's fundamentally a conquest/capture conquer based game but the whole map is a capture point, and the paint serves as the capture but it also serves as ammo and traversal options. In making the intensive purpose of Splatoon to simply cause grafitti anarchy, the dynamics and the depth that slowly rises reveals a surprisingly deep game with a high skill ceiling. Splatoon's is Nintendo's latest incarnation of their ability to make believers out of pessimists, and better yet they did it without Mario.


6. Grim Fandango Remastered ; A game that appears as a fascinating relic in terms of puzzle design, but remains absloutely timeless in story design. Manny's quest from beginning to end is filled with an overwhelming and charm and style that eclipses many if not all of other adventure games following in its wake.By making key upgrades like alternatives to tank controls and cleaning up the visuals, One of the true classics that of the genre holds up to this very day.

7. Undertale ; Undertale's true power lies in the cast of characters. It makes some clever subversion of JRPG/RPG conventions, but the cast of characters across the board are unironically great and memorable. The boss battles are also incredibly inventive spectacles that must be seen to be believed. Undertale best exemplifies the philosophy of working within limitations and boosting creative thinking and design out of necessity to exponential effect. The world buildinig through soundtrack of the game is also some of the very best, and most effective uses of a soundtrack in an RPG in years.

8. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture ; Rapture made me long for a place I had never been. The little vignettes around Yaughton made it feel like a real place. The intentional obfuscation of figures and shapes of people actually has the same effect of novels and allows you to graft your immigration onto a place that already has form, and it's the best of both worlds in that regard. Rapture is one of the most humanizing games I have played this year and the attention to detail in the environments is simply amazing.


9. Batman: Arkham Knight ; A great game comprimised by a logical evolution taken to extremes. The batomobile, makes sense as a mechanic but it's hamfisted use
becomes more desperate as time goes on. That said, Arkham Knight is still a pretty damn good batman game, with the ultimate refinement of the predator system that takes place in the open world instead of enclosed interiors. It also has to be said that Arkham Knight is a technical marvel on the PS4, great performance and amazing detail that comes within spitting distance of the Samaritan tech demo.

10. Nuclear Throne ; Finally, Nuclear Throne can get the full props it deserves. Not since Spelunky has their been such a compulsive play. NT is violently simple, balancing the action perfectly with a punshing difficulty that can end you if you don't respect the game. Vlaembeer's knack for punchy, abbrassive action games is perfected here.The kill everything game loop is in a league of it's own, and has been for a while, but now it's complete.

 

[RustyNails]

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Easily one of the greatest games of the generation, and of my lifetime, and I been playing games since NES. The thought and care that went towards the world, the characters that inhabit it, the random NPCs, even the typical fetch-quests, is unquestionably dedicated and borne out of passion. The music is atmospheric and just gels incredibly with the themes and the locations of the game. Everything comes together just so well. The storyline is very well put together for a game of this size and is indeed memorable. The engine that powers Witcher III forward is the dynamic relationship between Geralt and his protege-daughter Ciri. Their interaction is one of the best parts of the game. And much care is taken to portray them as realistically as possible.

2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; This is a game that makes you question the concept of patriotism, countries and their leaders, and appreciate the camaraderie of soldiers as something noble and much more important. There is no other videogame out there that portrays the heroism and sacrifice of soldiers, and what it means to lose something, and what it means to believe in something. If nothing else, the scenes that show Boss, Ocelot, Kaz (and Quiet) together are some of the most badass scenes you will ever witness. Seriously. Like Boss walking towards the helicopter or just plain riding it. Sounds simple enough but Kojima's brilliance shines and shows how utterly badass and heroic it looks. I also really liked the gameplay and all the micromanagement stuff you get to do.

3. Bloodborne ; I'm sure others have made the case much better for this game. For me, the world was just as amazing as previous souls games, if not more-so. The twisted and macabre storyline suits perfectly with the quasi-victorian setting of the game.

 

[Inyourprime]

1. Tales of the Borderlands ; I didn't play Walking dead, which I know plenty of people like and consider the best Telltale. The only other title I played from them is Game of Thrones and it was... boring, to say the least. This, however, was rich with interesting and funny characters in a world that I enjoy.
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; A great end to the series. Great characters, atmosphere, and environments. Gameplay isn't great but it's serviceable.
3. Pillars of Eternity ; I only put 40 hours into this game. Never got around to picking up where I left off, hell I might just start a new game. But from what I played so far has been great and I can't wait to get back into it.
4. The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone ; Honestly, the best DLC I've played since New Vegas. Had no issue whatsoever on buying the season pass. Just off of Hearts of Stone alone, I know Blood and Wine is going to meet the same mark.
5. Risen 3 ; Not as good as the original, but definitely better than Risen 2. It still brings back things I didn't like about Risen 2, though... but it didn't kill my enjoyment of the game.
6. NBA 2k16 ; Fuck you Live, I went with 2K instead and I had fun too.


Honorable Mentions
x. Divinity Original Sin: Enhanced Edition ; I only played maybe 5 hours of Original Sin. I still want to finish that before I get into the Enhanced Edition. From what I've played, the gameplay is on point and I know I will enjoy it.
x. Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire ; Loved the first 9 chapters and I can't wait to get back into it once the other chapters are out.

 

[irriducibile87]

1. Bloodborne ; An amazing and atmospheric masterpiece, the best game of this generation so far. Unparalleled design and lore. The new faster combat system and the emphasis on lovecraftian horror make Bloodborne one of the best games of all time.
2. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
4. Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition
5. Mad Max
6. Until Dawn
7. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
8. Star Wars Battlefront
9. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
10. Persona 4: Dancing All Night

 

[Vire]

1. Bloodborne ; Challenging, haunting and beautiful, this game is one of the purest examples of what video games can accomplish that no other medium can. Rarely does a game have me on the edge of my seat, sweaty palms and all... holding my breath as I swing against a bosses' final sliver of health. The moment of euphoria as the words "PREY SLAUGHTERED" appear on screen was rarely - if ever - matched by any other game this year. The faster and more responsive combat was right up my alley and I enjoyed pulling off effortless dodges while giant monsters came swiping for my death and laughing mercicilessly. I love the world of Bloodborne, I love the music of Bloodborne, I love the gameplay of Bloodborne.

I fucking love Bloodborne.

2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Simply put, this game is the best open world stealth game ever created. One can wonder what the possibilities would have been for this game with an unlimited budget and the curiously absent 'Chapter 3'... but sneaking around and infiltrating a base as The Final Countdown is playing and I'm rocket punching fools is absolutely one of my favorite moments of gaming this year. The amount of incredible options to continually do dumb shit in this game is astounding.

Can't figure out how to defeat Quiet towards the start of the game? Why don't you order in a giant supply crate to be dropped on her head to knock her out. Moments like these reminded me that this game values your own personal creativity and how to solve obstacles along the way.

3. Rocket League ; The most fun in multiplayer gaming you can have in the year of 2015. Rocket League is the definition of "easy to learn, but hard to master". This game is instantly understandable and enjoyable to even the most casual of gamers, but the ginormous skill ceiling gives this game an unexpected level of depth. I played for hours on end and I'm still just now coming to terms with how to successfully pull off Aerial Goals. This is the kind of game that encourages you to continually hit the Share button because of all the amazing and surprising things that happen on a moment to moment basis.

4. Destiny: The Taken King ; Destiny is the socially awkward geek that constantly got picked on as a kid but ended up blossoming into the confident and cool guy that it always should have been. The Taken King not only improved on the game from the most basic and fundamental level (the improvements to the leveling system and loot drop increases), but also introduced the best quality content that can be experienced in the game to date. The new Taken King Raid is long, inventive and satisfying, the new Strikes feature significantly improved bosses (Shield Brothers), there's a giant new patrol area stuffed to the brim with secrets... and when all is said and done - I couldn't be more pleased with how this thing turned out.

5. Ori and the Blind Forest ; What can I say, I'm a sucker for Metroidvania's. Ori and the Blind Forest is one of the most beautiful looking games I have ever had the pleasure of playing. The lush and detailed watercolor aesthetic of this game was an absolute joy to look at and thankfully... the game was an an absolute joy to play as well. Thanks to tight and responsive platforming controls and a heavy emphasis on exploration, Ori finds a spot in one of the top five best games that I played this year.

(Honorable Mentions) A.K.A. Other games I enjoyed this year.
x. Halo 5 ;
x. Undertale ;
x. Batman Arkham Knight ;
x. Cities Skylines ;
x. Super Mario Maker ;
x. Rise of the Tomb Raider ;

Oh, and more Hearthstone... lots and lots of Hearthstone.

Thank you to all the developers this year who had a part in making some of my favorite games of 2015!

 

[Backfoggen]

1. Bloodborne ; What can be said? This game is insane. It's art design is crazy. The environments and monsters are so detailed. New gameplay dropping the shields made it feel fresh again. It's all we could have wanted. Thank you, Miyazaki.

2. Metal Gear Solid 5 ; Classic MGS ended with MGS 4. You got your billion year final cutscene to end that era. MGS 5 is like a super cool "bonus" game to that series, with perfectly polished gameplay. For the first time a MGS game is no bullshit super fun to play. The 100 hours I spent on this game went by in no time.

3. Fallout 4 ; For as fucked up as this game still is tech-wise, it just does that style of game better than any other. I missed having a world that's just fun to walk around in and find new stuff. One huge strongpoint are the companions which are varied and feel like actual personalities with their own story lines.

4. Soma ; Rarely can a game win me over by story alone. Most of the time it's that plus gameplay. But with Soma just the story kept me going and finishing that game in a few sittings. It brings up questions that still made me think long after I turned the game off.

5. Undertale ; Just a fantastic smart game that does things in ways you would not expect. Much needed in times where a lot of games are just kind of the same. So filled with good stuff that I don't want to list it all here.

6. Rise of The Tomb Raider ; After all the open worlding I've done this year, I think it shows what a good job they did with this game that it still pulled me in despite being one of the last games I started playing this year.

7. Arkham Knight ; Gorgeous game and simply more Rocksteady Batman. Did some clever things and went interesting places. Good trilogy ender.

8. Dying Light ; This game does everything right it sets out to do. Parkour feels good and is fun. Same goes for the melee combat.

9. Rocket League ; It's a game where you play football except cars. It's fun. Not much else I can say lol.

10. Grow Home ; A little short but I still very much enjoyed my time with Grow Home. Looks fantastic and the control scheme feels very tactile.

 

[shadowfall]

1. Bloodborne ; Personally I think this is the best entry on the Soulsborne series. Settings, gameplay, music, location are all top notch.

2. Destiny Taken King ; This game revitalized Destiny. Certainly made the game a lot of fun.

3, MGS 5 ; Its freaking Kojima's game. One of the best stealth games. What more to say.

4. The Order 1886 ; The game was touted as a cinematic experience and it definitely delivered that. One of the best graphics I have seen to date. In a day where most games are ubisofted (open world with to many todo's), this was a refreshing change.

5. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ; I would have rated this #2 if it was not the remastered version of Dark Souls 2. Still an excellent game, but after playing Bloodborne - I am questioning the level design and enemy placement. Still it is a lot of fun to play.

6. Fallout 4 ; The game being rpg lite was infact a plus for me. I enjoyed the upgraded shooting mechanics and simplistic skill tree.

7. COD Black Ops 3 ; This game is a steal for $60. The campaign, pvp, zombie mode and nightmare. So much content. The campaign has a confusing story but I am enjoying it.

8. Batman Arkham Knight ; Atleast on PS4, game was fine. While not as good as Asylum still a worthy batman game.

9. Rocket League ; Another fun game.

 

[Null]

1. Bloodborne ; No game in my opinion does 3rd person action adventure gameplay better than souls games. The faster paced combat of Bloodborne was a nice change from dark souls, The soundtrack, graphics and the general atmosphere of the game is fantastic. In a year when a lot of games didn't live up to what I expected, Bloodborne was the only game that met and exceeded my expectations.

 

[-tetsuo-]

Read OP. Your votes won't count.

Thanks.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

1. The Witcher 3 ; Other than the open world, it's very consistent with The Witcher 2, which says a lot given how fresh it still felt. One of the finest examples of open world games while still being a leap in quality to Witcher 2 in every respect. Games of this scope and quality are understandably rare.

 

[Grexeno]

1. Bloodborne - Personally I think this is the best entry on the Soulsborne series. Settings, gameplay, music, location are all top notch.

Game titles and comments must be separated by a semicolon to be counted.

 

[op_ivy]

1. Halo 5: Guardians ; A halo year means its a given to be at the very top of my game of the year list and this is no different. It makes it especially easy to put this as number 1 as for the first time in a loong time, this halo game has literally zero major issues like 4's infinity settings, loadouts, and armor abilities, and reach's bloom and armor abilities. The multiplayer game is utterly fantastic. Campaign is a little more hit and miss though, the covenant levels are terrific but the experience continues to be brought down by the prometheans.

2. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Not a fan of rpgs generally, this kept me wrapped up far longer than I expected with its fantastic writing and quests. Many of the witchers optional bits are more satisfying than other games main quest line missions.

3. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Very solid sequel to 2013's TR, this adds a slightly bigger emphasis on exploration and puzzling, alongside its combat and cinematics.

4. Project CARS; I wanted to love this more but it was literally filled with terrible bugs, some game breaking. Still, great visuals, handling, tracklist, and depiction of motorsports means it makes my list. I really gotta give thus another go.

5. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Stunningly beautiful title that plays almost as well as it looks.

6. Forza Motorsport 6 ; Forza 6 this far down is almost blasphemy for me, I love this series. Why so low on my list then, even behind pcars? Simple, turn10 continues to move further and further away from what I want in Forza. As good as Forza 6 looks and drives, its the most arcadey of the series in other aspects. Really hoping they shake things up and try to offer something more for actual Motorsport fabs next go around, but I'm definitely anticipating pcars 2 much much more at this point.

7. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; So much brilliant gameplay to be found - thus is almost a perfect blend of mgs and splinter cell in its gameplay. Lack of a real mgs story and especially game balance and terrible "boss" battles hurt it overall quite a bit.

8. King's Quest: Chapters I-II ; Can't believe a point and click adventure game made my list but I'm in love with this game's world, characters, and writing. It's all so magically, deliciously charming.

 

[Ultimadrago]

1. Rance 03 Fall of Leazas ;

Ohyou.jpg

 

[Hobbestetrician]

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Both massive and intimate, Wild Hunt contains what is one of the most well-realized, deftly-written worlds ever. Dozens of unique, memorable characters accompany Geralt to the ends of a gorgeous landscape while undertaking quests both harrowing and tragic. One of the greatest games ever made.

2. Splatoon ; The freshest game from Nintendo, or anyone, in many years. A brilliant twist on normal shooters, Splatoon uses the charm only Nintendo can provide as the beginning of a franchise we will see for years and years. The Inklings, with their fresh gear and cool weapons, are the best new mascots.

3. The Witcher III: Hearts of Stone ; Worthy of its own entry. Distills everything that made Wild Hunt great (the writing! the characters! the quests!) in an expansion that is the deal of the year. A perfect short story to accompany the lengthy novel of Wild Hunt. The wedding might be the quest of the year.

4. Bloodborne ; A haunting and oppressive game world that will get your heart beating through your chest and your hands sweating. A faster-paced and more offensive combat style than previous Souls games. Grotesque and frightening enemy design.

5. Mario Kart DLC #2 ; Mario Kart 8 was my #2 game of 2014 and sat comfortably at the top of best Mario Kart ever. Then they added 8 new tracks late last year, making it even better. Then they added the insane 200cc, even more new tracks (some are the best in the whole game), new karts, and new characters. An amazing addition.

6. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ; With this and Bloodborne on my list I just cannot believe that the Souls games are anything I am going near, let alone enjoying. I think this game stands up well against the original, with lots of great areas, tons of options, and loads of content.

7. Fallout 4 ; While the dialogue system and settlement building additions did not pan out, Bethesda was still able to create a world like almost no one else can. Lots of little environmental stories for the player to discover and other details not found elsewhere. My disappointment of the year but still a pretty fantastic experience.

8. The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited ; I had always stayed away from MMOs in the past but took a chance on this one simply because I wanted some more Elder Scrolls goodness. ESO provided me with exactly what I wanted, being able to run around a huge world doing tons of quests, most of the time totally solo.

9. Super Mario Maker ; A game I like the idea of more than actually playing. I knew I was never going to spend any time designing courses but the tools available are very easy to use. Will only become more robust and filled with more cool ideas as time goes on. I have always adored 2D Mario games but Mario Maker gives me an even greater appreciation for the craftsmanship on display.

10. Resident Evil Revelations 2 ; While I have actually enjoyed the past couple of numbered RE games, the Revelations series is beginning to become an essential part of the series, allowing for smaller, more contained stories. I played it straight through but structuring it episodically really worked well for the narrative. Glad to have Claire back.


x. Gwent ; Spent many hours in Wild Hunt just going from vendor to vendor looking for new cards and kicking their ass. Addictive as hell. Stand-alone, please.
x. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes ; I had to put this in honorable mention because I haven't actually gotten to play it yet but simply watching Youtube videos has demonstrated what a blast (pun intended) this game can be.
x. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; Beautiful world but nothing else really grabbed me.

 

[iBlue]

1. Bloodborne: Amazing gameplay, great atmosphere, great bosses, and a really interesting story/lore.

 

[Fantomas]

1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I played through all of the Metal Gear games last year for the first time and instantly fell in love with the series. The Phantom Pain is not my favorite Metal Gear game, but I like it for completely different reasons than I like other Metal Gear games. The free-form style of gameplay was incredibly addictive for me. Rolling up on a base, marking the guards, choosing my entry path, and making my way to my goal was a different experience every time, even when coming to a base I'd already been to. With so many different weapons and gadgets to bring along, plus the different experiences each of the companions offers, the game's repetitive mission structure wasn't as big of a deal to me. Though my expectations for the story weren't met, I was amazed by how much I enjoyed just playing the game and didn't stop until I had beat every main mission and side mission. Very few games can get me to do that these days, and even fewer let you strap a balloon to a goat and send it back to your base so you can look at it later, which is why Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is my game of the year.

2. Bloodborne ; I've been a fan of From Software's Souls games since Dark Souls came out. I went in to that game knowing nothing about it and have been captivated by them ever since. Bloodborne was a different direction for the series but I loved the changes to the combat and gameplay. It was faster, but not too fast. The difficulty was all still there, but it made me come up with different strategies than I would use in Dark Souls. I also liked it because it got one of my friends into the series and I enjoyed acting as his guide for the game by answering his questions and imparting my knowledge. Overall I think it's another masterpiece by From Software who have clearly proven to me that they are the kings of third-person action RPG combat and the masters of their unique brand of enemy and level design.

3. Pillars of Eternity ; An old school computer RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment. You don't need to say it twice to peak my interest as a fan of RPGs and Obsidian. Great characters, great dialogue, meaningful character creation, and a fun party-based old school combat system. This lovingly crafted new IP was easily one of the best games I played this year and one of my favorite RPGs from recent years.

4. Fallout 4 ; I've been an enormous fan of Bethesda's RPGs since Morrowind, which was the first one I played. However, I personally feel that each game since has been steadily less fun for me to play. At its core, Fallout 4 is still a Bethesda RPG though, and I still love playing it. One thing I don't think will ever get old for me is roaming through a Bethesda-style open world at my own pace and on my own terms. Fallout 4 let me do that again, and though I have gripes about the dialogue and leveling systems, I can't deny that I've had nothing but fun for over 100 hours (and once the mod tools come to PC I'm sure I'll get a hundred more).

5. Rocket League ; This game came out of nowhere. One day I find myself at my friend's house and he's playing this insane looking game with rocket cars and a huge ball he's hitting into a goal. Then for the next couple months it was pretty much all we played together online and we still go back every now and then if we get bored of whatever else we're playing. It's a game that is insanely fun every time you play whether you're a total noob, a decent veteran, or a bona-fide esports pro and that's something that doesn't seem to happen too often with multiplayer games.

6. Guitar Hero Live ; It's been a long time since I've played a Guitar Hero game, but I was once a master of the series. Though my past experience was useful, this new game kicked my ass and made me learn to play a fake instrument again. The new guitar has been so much fun to learn and the soundtrack is absolutely enormous. The GH TV mode, with it's Pandora-style radio stations with real music videos, is my favorite thing. It makes it super easy to just get in and have a bunch of songs dished out to you one after the other.

7. The Age of Decadence ; I actually bought into this game last year in Early Access form when only the first town was available to play through. I was very happy to see it completed and absolutely loved my time playing the finished product. Heavy dialogue and skill/attribute related checks, a variety of classes, difficult and old school RPG combat, and a story that interweaves a main narrative with each of the classes stories and perspectives as well as the player's choices makes it a really awesome old school computer RPG experience.

8. Star Wars Battlefront ; As a rather big Star Wars fan this game hits all the right spots for me. Playing with my group of friends and running around on Hoth or Tattooine fucking shit up together is a blast. I don't really enjoy playing it by myself too much, but with my friends I can't deny that it is a whole lot of fun. I'm sure we'll be playing this one together for a long time.

9. Axiom Verge ; This game is full of nostalgia for Super Metroid, which is a game that holds a close place in my heart. Exploring the creepy environments and finding the crazy secrets hidden within them were some of my favorite moments from any game I played this year. I love everything from the graphics and the sound effects to the gameplay and the music, it's all perfect.

10. Broken Age ; I wasn't entirely sold on this game from it's announcement, but the documentary really got me into it and I'm glad I ended up playing through the game once both acts had come out. It's a very serene but also amusing experience with great characters and dialogue that calls back to the puzzle style of the older adventure games that inspired it very well in my opinion.

 

[criesofthepast]

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Never invested over 150 hours into a game before this. It is close to perfect as you can get. I am probably in the minority of actually enjoying the combat.
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; All time favorite franchise. Was long awaited and I'll always be a sucker for anything Kojima.


Small note to cheese and all else running this: What's with comments being mandatory and them having to be "substantial" to count votes, and also threatning bans if you don't? Comments should be optional. This should be fun. There will always be more than enough passionate people voluntarily commenting to make the thread interesting. There are a ton of one liner comments in this thread and I don't think they are there for anything other than filling the mandate. Just my thoughts.

 

[shadowfall]

Game titles and comments must be separated by a semicolon to be counted.

Thanks. Updated it.

 

[opticalmace]

1. Bloodborne: Amazing gameplay, great atmosphere, great bosses, and a really interesting story/lore.

Semi-colon, not colon.

 

[SprachBrooks]

1.The Witcher 3; A seminal open-world game! I enjoyed the game so much and it's the first game wherein the side-quests felt important. I deliberated the choices I made and I ensured that I did the contracts not just to level up but to find out what happens to the person you've done the quest for.

I find nothing else I've played this year worthy of a mention as the rest were extremely mediocre to me; looking at you Batman.

 

[AntiFacebook]

The Witcher 3; A seminal open-world game! I enjoyed the game so much and it's the first game wherein the side-quests felt important. I deliberated the choices I made and I ensured that I did the contracts not just to level up but to find out what happens to the person you've done the quest for.

I find nothing else I've played this year worthy of a mention as the rest were extremely mediocre to me; looking at you Batman.

You need to add a number before the game's name,otherwise it wouldn't count

 

[spekkeh]

1. Bloodborne: Amazing gameplay, great atmosphere, great bosses, and a really interesting story/lore.

1. The Witcher 3 Other than the open world, it's very consistent with The Witcher 2, which says a lot given how fresh it still felt. One of the finest examples of open world games while still being a leap in quality to Witcher 2 in every respect. Games of this scope and quality are understandably rare.

1. Bloodborne No game in my opinion does 3rd person action adventure gameplay better than souls games. The faster paced combat of Bloodborne was a nice change from dark souls, The soundtrack, graphics and the general atmosphere of the game is fantastic. In a year when a lot of games didn't live up to what I expected, Bloodborne was the only game that met and exceeded my expectations.

The Witcher 3 A seminal open-world game! I enjoyed the game so much and it's the first game wherein the side-quests felt important. I deliberated the choices I made and I ensured that I did the contracts not just to level up but to find out what happens to the person you've done the quest for.

I find nothing else I've played this year worthy of a mention as the rest were extremely mediocre to me; looking at you Batman.

Ugh.
Getting more and more interesting to just disqualify the Witcher and Bloodborne.

 

[SprachBrooks]

You need to add a number before the game's name,otherwise it wouldn't count

Got it. Thanks!

 

[NIGHT-]

You people really only played one game worth noting? It's gonna be super hard to take the results seriously

 

[Fletcher]

Ugh.
Getting more and more interesting to just disqualify the Witcher and Bloodborne.

Why? People like those games.

 

[Atilac]

1. Bloodborne ; The perfect marriage between souls gameplay and character action, amazing art direction, superb music, an intriguing lovecraftian story and universe, and my number one game of the year.

2. Hotline Miami 2 ; The ending to this game is probably the best gaming moment I've had in years.

3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Would be first if Konami allowed Kojima to finish the game, fuckkonami.

4. Call of Duty: Black Ops III ; The best multiplayer COD I've played since WAW, would be third if the campaign didn't suck shit through a straw.

5. Rocket League ;

6. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood ;

7. Rebel Galaxy ;

8. Pillars of Eternity ;

9. Helldivers ;

10. Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved ;

Honorable Mentions:
x. Witcher 3 ; I acknowledge it's excellence in design, story, graphics, and dept and breath of content, it just doesn't click with me.
x. Fallout 4 ; fun as hell but needs innovation and is a technical mess, would be fourth if these issues didn't exist.
x. Soma ; would be on my list if I actually played it, I don't feel comfortable with adding games I only know through let's plays, will snag some day.
x. Splatoon ; my niece loves it, seems awesome, haven't touched it myself.
x. Super Mario Maker ; haven't spent enough time to add to the list.

 

[opticalmace]

You people really only played one game worth noting? It's gonna be super hard to take the results seriously

A lot of people play older games, myself included. I played maybe 5 games in 2015 that were released this year (approx).

 

[Tizoc]

Why? People like those games.

What if those posters only listed 1 or 2 games only? Such moves to only rank witcha 3 or bb fromthat poster goes against the purpose of this voting.

 

[Hasney]

What if those posters only listed 1 or 2 games only? Such moves to only rank witcha 3 or bb fromthat poster goes against the purpose of this voting.

Not if it was their favourite game that was released this year. Let them have it.

Although I did see someone list Bloodbourne #1, say they get it even though they didn't get very far, then list Arkham Knight at #2 and call it their GOTY. That was.... weird.

 

[ohlawd]

Small note to cheese and all else running this: What's with comments being mandatory and them having to be "substantial" to count votes, and also threatning bans if you don't? Comments should be optional. This should be fun. There will always be more than enough passionate people voluntarily commenting to make the thread interesting. There are a ton of one liner comments in this thread and I don't think they are there for anything other than filling the mandate. Just my thoughts.

dude, you've been here since 07

list threads are frowned upon and they usually get locked. I'd rather read lame one liners than nothing at all

 

[ChryZ]

1. Bloodborne ; the works, my very definition of a GOTY
2. Rocket League ; multiplayer done right, digital crack, replayable to the end of days
3. Grow Home ; quirky, beautiful, funny, playful and the perfect length
4. Downwell ; perfect arcade fun straight out of the mid 80s
5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; GOTY material, dragged down by Online/FOB/DLC/Konami bullshit
6. Broforce ; awesome platformer with minor flaws, but tons of humor and chaos
7. Tearaway Unfolded ; super charming and deligtful presentation, fun and playful exerience for all ages
8. The Order: 1886 ; mature story, technical marvel, solid third person shooter
9. Super Galaxy Squadron ; excellent SHMUP, gives cake and lets you eat it, amazing soundtrack

 

[keviny]

1. Xenoblade Chroniceles X ; The beautiful world of Mira.
2. Metal Gear Solid V ; Kojima's masterpiece, the missing link.
3. Yoshi's Woolly World ; Adorable, beautiful and master class platformer adventure.
4. Splatoon ; A Nintendo kind of shooter.
5. Super Mario Maker ; Infinite Mario.
6. TLoZ: Majora's Mask 3D ; The best non-Hyrule Zelda after Link's Awakening.
7. Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush ; Successor to the best Kirby game.

 

[Lanrutcon]

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; One of the most well crafted RPGs ever. Incredible even at its worst.
2. Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition ; The new standard for turn based RPGs. Criminally underrated.
3. Fallout 4.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

 

[ninjablade]

You people really only played one game worth noting? It's gonna be super hard to take the results seriously

You do realize that bias will always play a role in voting, it's why exlusives have a pretty big advantages against mulitplatform games and will usually rank higher, especially sony and Nintendo exlusives. So in the end who cares, exlusives have a much better chance of ranking higher. Bb will win goty here, just like almost every year exlusives win here at neogaf, and in my opinion witcher 3 would easily take goty if it was sony exlusive.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

Bb will win goty here, just like almost every year exlusives win here at neogaf, and in my opinion witcher 3 would easily take goty if it was sony exlusive.

I have no Sony bias. Like Bayo 2 last year, I voted for the game that spoke out to me most. BB was the richest gane of the year for me in terms of mechanics, level design, challenge and lore and that's why I voted for it. Not because it's an exclusive. Couldn't care less about that.

 

[Hasney]

I have no Sony bias. Like Bayo 2 last year, I voted for the game that spoke out to me most. BB was the richest gane of the year for me in terms of mechanics, level design, challenge and lore and that's why I voted for it. Not because it's an exclusive. Couldn't care less about that.

I know, I believe the majority of posters probably do think like you as well, but there are people here that will only vote for an exclusive. I've been told that if a game was exclusive it had more value to them and they were planning to get SFV despite not liking IV for that reason, plus the poster I mentioned above that rated their GOTY second behind Bloodborne for some reason. And those IGN buyers guides each year? "IT SHOULD ONLY BE EXCLUSIVES!!!!" Insanity.

But still, the results always make interesting reading so it's not a futile exercise and Bloodborne is a fantastic game so it shouldn't take away from it. I'd probably laugh myself into a coma if The Order was getting lots of #1's though

 

[Man]

The Witcher is saved by the riches its world, characters and good dialogue brings (it's actually interesting). The combat feels stiff and as a gameplay experience I found it to be pretty ho-hum.

 

[ramparter]

1. Captain Toad Treasure Tracker ; Beatiful, easy to pick up, clever, rewarding.
2. Yoshi Woolly World ; Cute, well designed, even better in co op.
3. Splatoon ; Can be very addicting, fast paced.
4. Super Mario Maker ; Very good editor, very enjoyable when you find the good levels.
5. Majora's Mask 3D ; Very good remake of a great game, more friendly experience, most changes (not all) were for better.

 

[ninjablade]

I have no Sony bias. Like Bayo 2 last year, I voted for the game that spoke out to me most. BB was the richest gane of the year for me in terms of mechanics, level design, challenge and lore and that's why I voted for it. Not because it's an exclusive. Couldn't care less about that.

Obviously not everybody is gonna vote with console bias, but enough to make a difference. it's normal. Console exlusives with always get more votes and hype on neogaf and probably most gaming forums. example many members with splatoon on there list wil be dominated by Nintendo games and include xenoblade x.

 

[spekkeh]

Why? People like those games.

If they played only that game all year, their votes are hardly relevant. If they only vote for the one to juryrig the results, it's annoying; for the thread and the tally. Most likely given that some of those posts are by people with 2-3 posts in total, they're just alt accounts or people from elsewhere flown in to doctor the vote.

 

[antennaehead]

1. The Legends of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; While not being a new game exactly, it was my first my playing Majora's Mask - and it was (as perhaps usually with Zelda games) magical. This is the most unique and strange Zelda game I've played - and one of the best at the same time. It's filled to the brim with weird, memorable moments, thick and gloomy atmosphere and sad (and funny!) side quests. At first, I was a bit afraid of the time limit constraints, but it turned out to be a well thought and interesting game mechanic - in fact, I came out surprised that nobody has really borrowed this "Groundhog Day" elements from Majora's Mask.
2. Splatoon ; The freshest IP of the year. There is almost nothing not to like about this game - from its presentation and mysterious yet oh so familiar world of Inklings - to the brilliant game design that combines shooting and movement (and stealth and reloading and so on) in one core element of the game. I'm not really into a competitive multiplayer shooters, so I haven't spent that much time online with Splatoon (I'm only level 20 or something) - but I definitely enjoyed this new and original take on PVP. What I've enjoyed even better though was short, but entertaining single-player portion of the game - a third-person shooter focusing on platforming, with an excellent boss at the end.
3. Helldivers ; This came out to be somewhat surprising - I've heard good things about Helldivers so I expected it to be a good game - what I didn't expect was to find so much depth and attention to little details in this relatively simple twin-stick shooter. Aside from being great Starship Troopers simulator, Helldivers are also an example of good if not great game design - where almost every element and every game mechanic works together to create a certain experience - even its seemingly tacking story!
4. Batman: Arkham Knight ; Arkham Knight is not perfect by all means - Tankmobile, bosses, story and so on - and yet I had a lot of fun with it and will probably revisit Gotham someday. This is one of the "this is new gen" games to me - with its looks, with its seamless transitions between cutscenes and gameplay, with its raindrops on Batsuit - with all its technical marvel. And as far as gameplay goes - I've really enjoyed Batman combat - simple to learn yet challenging to master system that looks and controls really well.
5. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Amazingly looking game and Metroidvania to boot. I didn't find it to be all that great in game-design department, but I definitely had a good time with it and looking forward to replay it when Definitive edition comes out.
6. Destiny: The Taken King ; I was burned out by the House of Wolves, and yet TTK managed to reignite my interest in Destiny. It was a good expansion with plenty of new stuff - new classes (Sunbreaker!), weapons (swords!), activities, enemies and so on. But the most surprising experience to me was when I hit the new level cap - and yet new missions kept popping out. All in all, I wouldn't say that TTK managed to fix Destiny altogether - but it did good. Unfortunately, without new content coming in forseeable future, I found myself little to no incentive to return to Destiny.


Honorable mentions

x. Bloodborne ; Being a fan of Dark Souls, I was there day one for Bloodborne. And yet, I came out dissapointed. I was hoping The Old Hunters and second playthrough would change my opinion on Bloodborne, but no. Still, it is a good game, I guess.
x. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; I'm playing it right now - and after 50+ hours I'm still not sure how I feel about it. This is a very flawed game - and while some of its flaws are obvious (like the lack of explanations of its game systems), some of them are only became apparent now - like the storytelling, for example. This is a kind of game that I'm fine with conceptually, but have problems with actual implementation. Still, despite all of its problems, Xenoblade Chronicles X is a very unique experience - and when you're running around the world of Mira - exploring, fighting monsters, avoiding monsters, admiring vistas - it's enchanting.

 

[AllGamer]

1. Bloodborne ; The Souls games are already excellent but Bloodborne even tops them. I loved the change to a more fast paced fighting system and the absence of shields. Everything else like soundtrack, art style, bosses and so on is also fantastic.
2. OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood ;
3. Rocket League ; I played SARPBC with friends and it was so much fun so I was going to buy Rocket League and then it was announced that it would be part of the IGC! To support the developers, I have bought every DLC so far.
4. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ;
6. Until Dawn ;
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops III ;
8. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege ;
9. Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition ;
10. Mortal Kombat X ;

 

[Hasney]

With all that exclusive talk too, was interesting to see Witcher 3 win on /r/ps4 with Rocket League as the runner up.

 

[timetokill]

Small note to cheese and all else running this: What's with comments being mandatory and them having to be "substantial" to count votes, and also threatning bans if you don't? Comments should be optional. This should be fun. There will always be more than enough passionate people voluntarily commenting to make the thread interesting. There are a ton of one liner comments in this thread and I don't think they are there for anything other than filling the mandate. Just my thoughts.

Hey there. I've been running the GOTY threads in some capacity since 2009's thread. Cheesemeister came on board in 2010.

Also in 2010, I made the decision to invite the board to make comments on their picks so that I could make the ballots and the results more interesting to look through. In 2012 I made it mandatory. Of all the changes I've made since AniHawk's GOTY thread reign of terror, I think the requirement for comments is the best one. The fact that GAF has (sensibly) banned list threads is part of it, but it's also beside the point. The voting threads are a lot more interesting to read now, and they actually serve great discussion and review/retrospective purposes. I think it's brought the community closer together and made for the best mass GOTY format on the internet. I've discovered a lot of games through these threads that I would never have played without people's commentary on them.

If you can't write even a coherent sentence for your favorite games in a year, why even participate? What's the "fun" in just putting up a list of names to add to the pile of a sea of thousands of votes? It's a discussion board. Discuss! Even the one sentence commentaries are more interesting than just a list of titles.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter.

 

[benny_a]

If they played only that game all year, their votes are hardly relevant. If they only vote for the one to juryrig the results, it's annoying; for the thread and the tally. Most likely given that some of those posts are by people with 2-3 posts in total, they're just alt accounts or people from elsewhere flown in to doctor the vote.

Yeah what this voting procedure needs is more exclusion. If you have suspects that there are alt-accounts then report this to a moderator and they will take care of it as that is not allowed as per the terms of service.

 

[Calm waterfall]

Hey there. I've been running the GOTY threads in some capacity since 2009's thread. Cheesemeister came on board in 2010.

Also in 2010, I made the decision to invite the board to make comments on their picks so that I could make the ballots and the results more interesting to look through. In 2012 I made it mandatory. Of all the changes I've made since AniHawk's GOTY thread reign of terror, I think the requirement for comments is the best one. The fact that GAF has (sensibly) banned list threads is part of it, but it's also beside the point. The voting threads are a lot more interesting to read now, and they actually serve great discussion and review/retrospective purposes. I think it's brought the community closer together and made for the best mass GOTY format on the internet. I've discovered a lot of games through these threads that I would never have played without people's commentary on them.

If you can't write even a coherent sentence for your favorite games in a year, why even participate? What's the "fun" in just putting up a list of names to add to the pile of a sea of thousands of votes? It's a discussion board. Discuss! Even the one sentence commentaries are more interesting than just a list of titles.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter.

This thread is a list thread. There is barely any discussion because the games that are chosen are highly subjective to these individuals. I did not read every post in this thread, but there are only very few posts that complain about people voting for certain games, and these posts don´t serve any kind of purpose or discussion besides the complaint. Having an arbitrary comment for a rule which many, many are are one liners don´t serve any kind of purpose or discussion besides not getting their votes disqualified. People should not be forced to justify their picks, as you are not forced to justify voting in an award show, or in a political process at the voting booth.

 

[Moff]

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; I expected a lot from this, but my expectations were easily surpassed. One of the most believable and living worlds I ever encountered in an RPG with an incredible amount of quality content, which I was led to believe by bethesda was not possible in an open world RPG. CDPR proved me wrong, quest design, characters and story make this game an unforgetable experience and the first game in almost 15 years to make it into my very small circle of my favourite games of all time.
2. The Witcher III: Hearts of Stone ; I underestimated this expansion, I did not expect it to have a fantastic story with one of the most fascinating villains I haver ever seen in a videogame
3. Underrail ; A Deus Ex clone, in an isomectric 2D Fallout Setting. Exceptionally well done. Complex, multi layered, unforgiving.
4. Pillars of Eternity ; Story, characters and encounter design could not reach BGII, but damn, POE just played SO good, RTWP done perfectly right. I want more with this engine.
5. Wolfenstein : The Old Blood ; The new order was the best shooter since HL2, and although The Old Blood could not quite reach that brilliance, it still had the same top tier action/stealth gameplay and mission design.
6. Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void ; SCII was my favourite game of 2010. we finally saw the end of the bad story, but not witthout another campaign with fantastic and memorable mission design and some interesting new multiplayer modes. every mission DLC is day 0 for me.
7. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ; Killing people to fantastic soundtracks never gets old. I did not expect this to have the same WOW effect the first one had.
8. Mortal Kombat X ; Mortal Kombat is the number 1 party franchise since the very first one for me and my friends and although I did not like MKX as much as 9, it certainly did its job very well. It's nice to see how far this franchise has come gameplaywise.
9. Ori and the blind forest ; we knew this would be en exceptionally beautiful game, but I did not expect it to have top notch and surprisingly tough gameplay with many fresh and innovative mechanics. and a GAFfer made it, what's not to love?
10. Sunless Sea ; Fantastic atmosphere with very interesting gameplay, that sadly didn't have a really working concept to hold the game together in my opinion. I did not finish it despite liking it a lot.

x. Bloodborne: I bought a PS4 for this game and had very high expectations because the setting appeals to ma alot. a lot more than the souls games. sadly the poor performance and the lack of various builds made this game far less enjoyable for me than the previous souls games, which already got worse with each installment.
x. Fallout 4: Bethesda games are not for me, I knew that getting into this. I do admit that Bethesda has improved a lot though since oblivion with each installment. Fallout 4 stays a very superficial game, though, that does not manage to give me what I want from an RPG.
x. Metal Gear Solid 5: MY first MGS game since MGS2, I bought it because I heard the gameplay was finally good. and I even agree, the gameplay and controls are supersmooth if not perfect. however, even the best gameplay is no use if the mission design is super repetitive and simply boring. Luckily the nonsense story was cut down to a minimum.
x. Nintendo as a hardcore Nintendo fan since my childhood, it's hard to accept that Nintendo did not release a single game the whole year that truly interested and excited me for either 3DS or WiiU. the 2013 was such a great year for the 3DS.

 

[Smough]

1. Bloodborne ; Great gameplay mechanics.
2. Undertale ; nice story with a remarkable soundtracks.
3. Fallout 4 ; a well developed interactive world.

 

[Kito]

1. Captain Toad Treasure Tracker ; Beatiful, easy to pick up, clever, rewarding.

Can the issue of staggered regional releases be put in the FAQ? I thought Captain Toad was ineligible because it was first released in 2014, but the spreadsheet says it's eligible. I've added it to my ballot now.

 

[Yoshi]

Can the issue of staggered regional releases be put in the FAQ? I thought Captain Toad was ineligible because it was first released in 2014, but the spreadsheet says it's eligible. I've added it to my ballot now.

Are you from Europe / Australia? Of not: It's not eligible to your ballot. It released in 2015 in Europe / Australia.

If people really are starting to try to doctor the vote with single-game votings and alt acounts, fuck them. It's just meant to be harmless fun, not a battle of the fanboys.