Well, after an hour of writing, here's my list!
1. Bloodborne ; A game so good that I've put almost 200 hours into it over the course of just over 1 month. There's something about the streamlined, fast paced, evasion focused combat of Bloodborne that got me hooked right from the start providing me with instant gratification! You can tell From Software and Miyazaki have put a ton of effort into the world and lore of this game, the inclusion of lovercraftian elements adds a thematic spice to Bloodborne that none of the other games in the series can claim to have. The way areas are designed and manage to loop in on themselves is genius, something which I'd miss greatly since the original Dark Souls and the bosses are some of the most well designed in the series! I haven't played the expansion yet, but the content in the base game alone should be enough to keep most people coming back for multiple playthroughs for months to come. Dark Souls 3 is literally just around the corner and If Bloodborne is any indication of that games level of quality then I can't fucking wait! Well done Miyazaki and company, you got me back into the series again!
2. Super Mario Maker ; I have to admit, I was skeptical about Super Mario Maker when I first caught wind of it's existence. Creating your own Mario levels is something that quite a lot of Nintendo fans have probably wanted to do for years, but a game like this could've either lived or died on how extensive it's creative tools are as well as how easy it'd be to get into creating your own content. I have to admit Nintendo have done a stellar job with Super Mario Maker, it's gamepad and stylus focused interface makes grabbing various assets and piecing them all together a total cakewalk, and after a few hours of toying around with all the tools you'll be constructing levels like it's second nature. There's nothing more satisfying than creating your own level, handing the controller to your friends when they come over, and watching and gauging their reactions as they play through it. Something that I'd never felt before as somebody who isn't knowledgable enough to code or design something from scratch. It's something games likes Little Big Planet could never do for me. Outstanding job Nintendo!
3. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; As somebody who was never really keen on previous entries , The Witcher III finally got me interested in the story and lore of the Witcher universe. Everything about this game reeks of loving attention to detail and polish. Hell, even the side-quests have more thought and attention put into their story-archs than most developers do with their main quests! In a year full of open world games this game feels like one of the few that got it right! It doesn't feel like a chore exploring the vast expanses of land the game is split up into, and there's always something interesting to come across while riding around. CDProjeckt's continued support of this game, with free DLC, and a couple of fairly priced paid expansions shows that they know how to treat their customers on top of crafting a fine game. Even after completing the main game I still find myself diving back in to finish side-quests and explore some more. Something which not many open world games can do. Totally deserving of the accolades it's been getting as of late.
4. Undertale ; A lot of people I know seem to dismiss Undertale based purely on it's aesthetic, and the rabid fanbase and meme culture the game's gathered in the short amount of time it's been out. Fortunately I managed to stumble across the game a few hours after release not ever having heard much about it outside of it's kickstarter origins and I'm glad I took the gamble and bought this blindly because it's easily the best RPG I've played in years. With a cast of genuinely interesting, amusing, and likable characters, a plot that has it's fair share of funny and heartfelt moments, and two polarising ways to play through the game's story that feel completely different from each other and intriguing in their own way (something which most RPG's that boast gameplay and story variety never manage to accomplish) Toby Fox has done a fantastic job with Undertale, it's easily the best thing to come out of crowdfunding in my opinion. Well worth the meager price he's selling it for!
5. Transformers Devastation ; What a total shift in quality from Legend of Korra. Platinum's second attempt at creating a licensed character action game is a vastly better game than the former! While it's not a long game, it's a hell of a ride while it lasts! Everything that Platinum's spent the last few years building it's reputation on is in this game, an easy to learn, but hard to master combat system, the same heavy focus on set-pieces and rapid fire boss battles that made previous games like Bayonetta a joy to play through, and much like Korra, a loving attention to detail, accurately mimicing the style of the source material the game is based on. For a game that was probably developed in a short time frame and a slim budget, Platinum cranked out a real winner here! Here's hoping the TNMT game they're working on turns out just as good as this! It's going to be interesting to see if Platinum can works it's magic in the RPG market with Scalebound and Nier Automata due out for next year as well.
6. Splatoon ; A lot of people criticised Splatoon at launch for it's meager selection of maps and rightly so, myself being one of those people. But as the months went on and more and more maps and weapons came out for free with each update Splatoon really came into it's own. It's a wonderful twist on the multiplayer shooter genre and the primary focus on the games territory control mechanic of spraying Ink around really appeals to me more than the more kill-orientated gameplay of most other shooters. It's great to see a brand new IP from Nintendo, and this game proves that Nintendo still has that creative spark when it comes to pushing new ideas!.Probably my favourite multiplayer game of the year, it oozes charm, and it's a game you could easily play for just a few minutes, or even hours at a time. Wouldn't hesitate recommending this to anyone looking to buy a Wii U, or to anyone who already owns one.
7. Rock Band 4 ; Harmonix has gotten a ton of criticism over the last few months over Rock Band 4. A missing practice mode, lack of online play, and customisation options being cut are all valid complaints which I agree with. But their dedication to allowing users to carry over the vast majority of official DLC, use their old Rock Band hardware and even old Guitar Hero hardware is commendable. The last couple of patches which has added a few extra options and other tweaks shows that they're dedicated to improving the game, and the base gameplay is as solid and enjoyable as ever. Whilst the mixed on-disk setlist is often maligned, I absolutely love it, the mix of lesser known hits from bigger artists, and some obscure songs from lesser known indies really clicked with me for the most part. And the DLC variety this year has been fantastic. Looking forward to what this game offers next year as it's updated. So glad traditional rhythm games are still a thing.
8. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; I have to admit, the original N64 version of Majora's Mask is one of my favourite games of all time, a bloody amazing game, unique in it's own way and a total shift in style and gameplay from anything else in the Zelda series. After years of having not played it, I went into the 3DS remake worrying that the game may have aged badly and that I may have had a rose-tinted view of the game from all those years ago. I'm happy to say that it still holds up today, the dark and alien atmosphere of the game still feels totally unique, and the games structure, groundhog day-esque gameplay mechanics, dungeon design and side-quests are all still outstanding. Grezzo also did a masterful job porting this game, redesigning a bunch of stuff, making it easier to track your progress during your adventure, and upgrading the game visually. Easily my favourite remaster this year.
9. Yoshi's Woolly World ; Much like Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Woolly World makes fantastic use of a unqiue visual gimmick and style that makes an otherwise polished platformer even more fun to play through. It's nice to get back to the stylings of Yoshi's Island, and whilst this may not be of the same quality and pedigree of that game it's still great fun and never really got stale for me from start to finish. There's always something new to see and experience in almost every level, plenty of secrets and collectables to satiate 100% completion fanatics, and a whole load of charming references towards previous games! This and Kirby filled a niche for me this year, they're both just so charming and relaxing to play, I can't help but love both of them! This game in particular seems criminally overlooked.
10. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse ; I hold a soft spot in my heart for this series and the DS predecessor was a refreshing reimagining of the core Kirby gameplay, and to this day it still stands as one of my favourite Kirby games in the entire series. I'm glad Nintendo chose to revisit this style of gameplay, the touchpad is a perfect fit for this kind of game, and it's undeniably unique and appealing visual charm and style really looks fantastic on the big screen....when you get a chance to look away from the gamepad screen and look at it that is! It's not a difficult game, but the games control method, using only the stylus and it's lax approach to how you tackle all of the games individual courses and challenges easily earns it a spot on my top 10. Lovely game.