2015 is my first time owning all the current consoles and handhelds. Despite that, I struggled to come up with 10 games, partially due to delays (Persona 5, No Man's Sky) and later than expected localizations (FF Explorers, Digimon Cyber Sleuth, FE Fates)
1. Splatoon ; If you told me a year ago that my most played game of 2015 is a competitive online third person shooter, I’d think you were crazy. Splatoon takes the “just one more” elements from Smash and Mario Kart, settling somewhere inbetween. More than any other 2015 game, Splatoon ozes style, from the menus to the music to the satisfying way ink splats and spreads over stages. Never thought a game would tear me away from Smash Wii U, a game I anticipated for years, but Splatoon managed to do it.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; XCX is the perfect fusion of PS2-era JRPG tropes and 360-era open world gameplay. I’ve liked open world games before, but this is the first one where it actually felt like a full world. Skells are a highlight of the game, but Monolithsoft’s choice to delay that gratification until later in the game was smart. The first flight out of NLA is one of the most beautiful moments of gameplay that I have ever experienced. As a bonus, it’s an open world game that manages to be fun without horrible game-breaking bugs.
3. Code Name S.T.E.A.M ; Nintendo’s other new Spring IP didn’t fare as well as Splatoon, which is a shame considering Intelligent Systems hit another one out of the park. The lack of overall stage map forced players to be more cautious and filled battles with tension. This franchise is likely dead, but I’m glad I got to experience another compelling IS strategy series (now please give me another Advance Wars pls)
4. Rocket League ; Mario Kart 8’s lack of a proper battle mode is its only blemish. Thankfully, Rocket League filled that void. With Splatoon, RL dominated my online playtime this year. Easily one of the best games I’ve never paid for.
5. LBX: Little Battlers eXperience ; The story is cliche anime trash, but the gameplay is arcade era fun and fast. Bought this to tide me over until I got to play with XCX’s skells, but found a game with a great, high energy battle system and creative boss battles. Lack of online play is my only complaint.
6. Grow Home ; What an odd game for a juggernaut like Ubisoft to make, but I’m glad they did. Feels like a Dreamcast game that was unfrozen in 2015. Weird robot main character, interesting gameplay concept, and beautiful art.
7. Undertale ; The OST alone could earn it a spot. Like last year’s Shovel Knight, Undertale managed to synthesize decades of JRPG tropes and concepts into an original, yet familiar new game.
8. Chroma Squad ; Yet another great indie game. Fun postmodern take on the power rangers formula. Great music and a satisfying battle system
9. Box Boy ; very under-the-radar puzzle game. Box Boy is the type of thing Nintendo games do best - introduce a gameplay concept, then stretch that concepts in as many ways as possible.
10. Super Mario Maker ; While it didn’t stick with me thanks to Splatoon/XCX, I enjoyed my brief time with it.
Honorable mentions aka games I wish I had more time to play
x ; Fast Racing Neo
x ; Persona 4 Dancing All Night ; I finished P4G this year for the first time. A rhythm game sequel still feels like a stretch, but P4G’s excellent soundtrack is reason enough for the series to get a rhythm game.
x ; The Witcher 3 - feels more like an action game than an RPG
x ; Yoshi's Wooly World - burned by the past few Yoshis, but I keep hearing good things
x ; Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush - Should be on 3DS
x ; Rare Replay - So much to get through, but Probably the best game value this year
x ; Starcraft 2 Legacy of the Void - now that the whole game is out, it's time to finish the saga.
1. Splatoon ; If you told me a year ago that my most played game of 2015 is a competitive online third person shooter, I’d think you were crazy. Splatoon takes the “just one more” elements from Smash and Mario Kart, settling somewhere inbetween. More than any other 2015 game, Splatoon ozes style, from the menus to the music to the satisfying way ink splats and spreads over stages. Never thought a game would tear me away from Smash Wii U, a game I anticipated for years, but Splatoon managed to do it.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; XCX is the perfect fusion of PS2-era JRPG tropes and 360-era open world gameplay. I’ve liked open world games before, but this is the first one where it actually felt like a full world. Skells are a highlight of the game, but Monolithsoft’s choice to delay that gratification until later in the game was smart. The first flight out of NLA is one of the most beautiful moments of gameplay that I have ever experienced. As a bonus, it’s an open world game that manages to be fun without horrible game-breaking bugs.
3. Code Name S.T.E.A.M ; Nintendo’s other new Spring IP didn’t fare as well as Splatoon, which is a shame considering Intelligent Systems hit another one out of the park. The lack of overall stage map forced players to be more cautious and filled battles with tension. This franchise is likely dead, but I’m glad I got to experience another compelling IS strategy series (now please give me another Advance Wars pls)
4. Rocket League ; Mario Kart 8’s lack of a proper battle mode is its only blemish. Thankfully, Rocket League filled that void. With Splatoon, RL dominated my online playtime this year. Easily one of the best games I’ve never paid for.
5. LBX: Little Battlers eXperience ; The story is cliche anime trash, but the gameplay is arcade era fun and fast. Bought this to tide me over until I got to play with XCX’s skells, but found a game with a great, high energy battle system and creative boss battles. Lack of online play is my only complaint.
6. Grow Home ; What an odd game for a juggernaut like Ubisoft to make, but I’m glad they did. Feels like a Dreamcast game that was unfrozen in 2015. Weird robot main character, interesting gameplay concept, and beautiful art.
7. Undertale ; The OST alone could earn it a spot. Like last year’s Shovel Knight, Undertale managed to synthesize decades of JRPG tropes and concepts into an original, yet familiar new game.
8. Chroma Squad ; Yet another great indie game. Fun postmodern take on the power rangers formula. Great music and a satisfying battle system
9. Box Boy ; very under-the-radar puzzle game. Box Boy is the type of thing Nintendo games do best - introduce a gameplay concept, then stretch that concepts in as many ways as possible.
10. Super Mario Maker ; While it didn’t stick with me thanks to Splatoon/XCX, I enjoyed my brief time with it.
Honorable mentions aka games I wish I had more time to play
x ; Fast Racing Neo
x ; Persona 4 Dancing All Night ; I finished P4G this year for the first time. A rhythm game sequel still feels like a stretch, but P4G’s excellent soundtrack is reason enough for the series to get a rhythm game.
x ; The Witcher 3 - feels more like an action game than an RPG
x ; Yoshi's Wooly World - burned by the past few Yoshis, but I keep hearing good things
x ; Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush - Should be on 3DS
x ; Rare Replay - So much to get through, but Probably the best game value this year
x ; Starcraft 2 Legacy of the Void - now that the whole game is out, it's time to finish the saga.