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[Won]

Well, the year is over. Spending less time on gaming in recent years and most of it in online games/MMORPGs these list are getting pretty short. So will just list the things I spent more than an hour on.

1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; After MGS4 I didn't really expect anything from this franchise, let alone something that could take spot #1, but here it is. Where it's predecessor forgets that it's a game and sacrifices it's gameplay for it's silly story, MGSV does the opposite. The story becomes to a large extend background noise (somewhat literally with playing tapes during missions) and allows the player to focus on its gameplay. And this gameplay is second to none. The game offers seemingly endless options to control Big Boss and tackle the mission. It ended up being a rare treat and I don't believe I will play a stealth game like it in the years to come.

2. Invisible, Inc. ; Hey, more stealth! Who doesn't love stealth. But this time it's turn based strategy! Played this much less than I wanted too. But I loved every minute of. It is fun, it's challenging and looks stylish to boot.

3. Cities: Skylines ; I'm not gonna lie. A lot of the excitement for the game for me exists only because the last Sim City game was so unbelievable awful. In the end it's good to have a good city builder in the hands. Many potential productive hours were lost this year here.

4. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Not much I can say here. It is pretty and executes what it sets out to do pretty much perfectly.

5. Fallout 4 ; Like usually with Bethesda games there is a lot of wrong here. The writing is blah, the dialouge system awful and having a voiced protag in a game like this is a sin. But despite that it still was a fun game to play. Thanks to a new graphic card even the old engine provided some nice looking vistas.

6. Beginner's Guide ; Hmm, well, yeah, that was quite something.

7. Broken Age: Act 2 ; I finished it, so it probably was OK, but don't ask me what actually happens in the game.

Honorable Mentions:

x. Heroes of The Storm ; A decent game, the shorter game times compared to dota are more than welcome, but sadly like so often then F2P model just pushes me away. On top of that it was pretty much rushed out by Blizzard into a full release and often feels aimless because of that.

x. Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns ; I play GW2 quite a bit as my MMO fix at the moment so I don't want to ignore it. The expansion sadly was pretty much a complete dud. But it being Arena.net the few zones we got as usually come with great art and great level design (and glinding through them is a lot of fun) and that deserves at least some appreciation even if some frauds who call themselves game designer tried everything to keep players away from it.

 

[V-Faction]

"I didn't." -- by V-Faction

I didn't play Batman despite loving Asylum and City.
I didn't play Halo despite loving 2, 3, and Reach.
I didn't play Assassin's Creed despite loving 2 and Brotherhood.
I didn't play MM3D despite it being my most cherished Zelda.
I didn't play StarCraft despite my fascination for it years ago.
I didn't support Codename Steam, Fatal Frame, OR Woolly World.

Games of the year? I feel like a failure because I passed up some of my quintessential favorites due work, time, or just plain laziness. Like, why am I typing this post? I could be playing one of those games. There's no justifiable reason why I couldn't! But it's too late; not unless I invent the Sands of Hyperbolic Time Delorean Chamber.

So what did I do? Mostly watched games. Played a bunch of games from other years. Became casual and played only the popular things. 2015 is, by far, the BEST YEAR FOR GAMES. At least, in a very long time. Thanks to my bullshit, I pretty much wasted it. Thus, here are my choices. They won't be in any particular order, and then won't be properly formatted because I don't think it really matters. I cannot choose a favorite. They're all #1 to me.

Super Mario Maker Undertale Bloodborne Metal Gear Solid V Xenoblade Chronicles X Until Dawn FAST Racing Neo

Now excuse me while I go watch some Hearthstone, play some Diablo 3, and hem n' haw at the proposition of undertaking the HUGE task that is... The Witcher 3.

 

[Steel]

The OP says go for it.

Whoops, missed that despite reading the line above that. My bad.

 

[foxtrot3d]

1. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt ; What can be said that hasn't already been said about this game? Amazing story, amazing world, inventive quests, great characters, all tied up in this wonderful end to the story of our favorite Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.

2. Batman: Arkham Knight ; While making this list I was surprised at how high I placed this game but it makes sense for me. The conclusion of Rocksteady's Arkham trilogy was somethign I had been looking forward to this year and while the game didn't fully meet my expectations it was still one hell of a blast that gave a sufficient end to our Caped Crusader.

3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; The game I thought would be my GOTY but as a life long MGS fan I walked away disappointed. It's a great game on a purely gameplay level, the best the series has ever been, but the story is a broken mess that doesn't even have a real ending. Still, it's just so satisfying to actually play.

4. Fallout 4 ; Another game I thought would be higher on my list but this latest effort from Bethesda slips far from the series RPG roots in favor of a Minecraft-lite experience and non-sensical story you are forced to roleplay from Bethesda's new limited voice protgagonist. At the end of the day roaming the Wasteland can still be fun but the experience pales in comparison to past efforts.

5. Star Wars The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire ; Do you KOTOR? Do you hate that we never got KOTOR III? Do you wish SWTOR was just basically KOTOR? KOTF has BioWare finally listening to the fans and delivering a full KOTOR like SP-RPG experience within the MMO trappings of SWTOR. The only downside is that the story isn't over and we'll have to wait until Early 2016 to conclude the story of our Outlander.

6. Tales from the Borderlands ; A hilarious story from TellTale set within the Borderlands universe, a BD story has never been so enjoyable and actually funny before this. The only real complaints is the same from all TellTale games, lack of real gameplay and the realization that your choices don't make a serious impact on the story.

7. Life is Strange ; A wonderful adventure game set within the quaint town of Twin Peaks Arcadia Bay, this wonderful little mystery story wrapped inside of a high school drama is endearing with it's quirky humor, realistic characters, and heavy hitting emotion. The only thing that brings it so low for me is the lack of weight to the myriad of choices you make in the end.

 

[tuxfool]

1) The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
2) Batman: Arkham Knight
3) MGSV: The Phantom Pain
4) Fallout 4
5) Star Wars The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire
6) Tales from the Borderlands
7) Life is Strange

Fix your formatting. Or better yet read the OP.

 

[selfconfessedcynic]

1. Tales from the Borderlands ; My favourite game of 2015. I love the cast and crew and could honestly say that I look forward to season 2 more than anything else bar Persona 5 and Uncharted 4.
2. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; The best game of 2015. Man, it'll be a while till another WRPG tops this.
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I'll miss Kojima Metal Gear games...
4. Fallout 4 ; More fallout aint the worst thing ever.
5. Life Is Strange ; Wow, I didn't think I would fall for this game as hard as I did. The "good" ending was very strong.
6. Bloodborne ; Souls games still have draw - just seriously lacks the build diversity that would have made it great.
7. Undertale ; Man, this game had heart.
8. The Order: 1886 ; Guilty Pleasure.
9. Cities: Skylines ; Sleepless nights.
10. Contradiction - Spot The Liar! ; What if I do... this? Does this mean anything to you?

 

[alr1ght]

1. Bloodborne ; As a complete sucker for Souls games, not a surprise. Dark Souls 3 will most likely top my 2016 list. The formula is tweaked in such a way that it brings something completely unique, but familiar. Excellent level design, animation, the right level of challenge make this top the list. The Chalice Dungeons are garbage, though. ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; A completely terrible Metal Gear Solid game. Terrible characters, open world, padded, and Kiefer Sutherland. The gameplay and the options it brings are great, it just takes you 20 minutes of running in an empty desert to get to actually use them. A sad ending to my favorite franchise.

3. The Beginner's Guide ;
4. Until Dawn ;
5. Her Story ;
6. Rocket League ;
7. Hotline Miami 2 ;
8. Broforce ;
9. Transformers Devastation ;
10. OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood ;

There's still a bunch of games I want to play, but time won't allow. Oh well.

 

[Panzon]

1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Had so much fun with this game and especially with the mods. Didn't care for the story but the gameplay was more than enough to keep me hooked for over 200 hours

2. Batman: Arkham Knight ; What can I say other than I'm a sucker for these new Batman games. All of them are great and super fun for me. Arkham Knight's gameplay improved over the others and exploring Gotham City never felt better and I was one of the oddballs that actually enjoyed all the tank stuff in the game. Here's hoping Rocksteady makes a Justice League game

2. GTA V: PC version (had never played it prior to the PC release) ; Not much to say other than it's motherfucking GTA. Always great

 

[Kuni]

1. Bloodborne ; A masterpiece, Miyazaki refined and tweaked his formula to nigh on perfection. The whole experience from start to finish was brilliant, with the world and weapon design in particular being standouts. The story, in classic style, is left to the player to discover and fill out but once you do you find a very interesting tale that adds to subsequent playthroughs as you keep finding out more. Just a blast to play and very rewarding, Bloodborne easily takes Game of the Year for me.

2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Mr Kojima's swansong was always going to be different. I didn't expect the gameplay to be so very good. It is MGS gameplay perfected and it was a joy to play throughout and had one of the best companions in gaming with DD. It was so good in fact I couldn't stop playing and I eventually platiumed the game. The story was decent with some very cool ideas but criminally cut short at the end though. Whether that was due to Konami's fun times I don't know but I still loved the game and look very forward to see what he and this team makes next.

 

[oroboros]

1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Possibly the best gameplay in a video game ever. Enjoyed playing with all the buddies in their own unique ways. Story was fine for me, much better than drowning in cutscenes like in MGS4. One of my top games ever just because of the overall fun.

2. Life Is Strange ; Really beautiful game, amazing story & characters, total mind-fuck, loved it.

3. Pillars of Eternity ; Reminds me of the classic CRPGs. Some people do not like the real-time with pause gameplay, but I find it really engaging, tactical, and fun. Cool characters, locations, and writing.

4. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Only played about 12 hours of this so far, but I can tell it's damn good and had fun. Didn't quite hold my attention like some of the others this year, but looking forward to jumping back in and finishing it before all the big 2016 games start dropping.

5. Rocket League ; Great multiplayer pick up and play game. Nice to have a skill-based game to learn and improve in while also having tons of fun.

 

[canedaddy]

1. Bloodborne ; the first Souls game I've been able to get into, and man, what a ride. Brutal, fast and unforgettable.

2. Fallout 4.

3. Rocket League.

4. Shovel Knight .

5. Destiny: The Taken King.

 

[Serpens007]

1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; The game had issues, but even the dissapointed fans are putting it in their lists. That speaks louder than anything: this game was something else. The story, while not on the level of MGS2, had really memorable moments, specially one that I'm sure it is stuck in a lot of player's minds. The themes, the tone, left you wanting more, sadly, it seems that the Konami/Kojima split left his mark on the game. Nevertheless, this game is pure, raw fun. The freedom you have is unparalled, you feel every step, you never know what is going to happen, and it forces you to improvise on the way. That is the mark of a good game, and it is certainly the best experience you'll have this year. The ending was great. So many people pissed is the mark of a good MGS twist. And Sins of The Father is fucking awesome. It's kicks Spectre's Written in the Wall out of the window.

2. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ; My most underrated game of the year. Hotline Miami was one of the most fun games to play a couple of years ago, and the sequel promised bigger, better and harder, and my god did it acomplished it. A longer, more challenging game, with the best soundtrack of the year, different gameplay styles, and a rewarding finale to the Hotline Miami story makes it one of the best games of the year. Sadly it got buried under the big titles this year, and for an indie game to stay in these lists, it seems that it needs to be released later in the year. Anyway, a game that it's a fun ride from start to finish, and a good one to jump on it afterwards just for the fun.

3. Rocket League ; Again: pure raw fun. Such a simple, mindless idea, became a total hit. The best couch game this year, It's the most fun I've had with friends, split screen vs online users works wonderfully, and it's just that. You can never go wrong with Rocket League to play with some friends.

4. Batman Arkham Knight ; Despite the lackluster Seasson Pass, Batman Arkham Knight was the perfectioning of the Arkham formula and gameplay. The story is top notch too, with the fucking amazing performances, specially the one from

Spoiler

Mark Hamill as The Joker

. It's a love it or hate it with the Batmobile, and though I agree that some times could it be "too much" of it, I'm part of the crew that loved it. Even the tank sections.


5. Star Wars: Battlefront ; In a time where every game tries to be an RPG, and tries to be "deep to master", comes a game that puts the controller in your hands and tells you "just play it". While you can critize it for not beign "hardcore" enough, or "battlefield" enough, the game is a total blast. Graphics, sound desing, it's inmersive as hell as a Star Wars fan. If the game had launch with more maps, and a single player campaing, it would be higher on my list.

6. Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones ; I'm part of a minority maybe, but I loved Stealth Inc. A clone in the Dark. The music, the puzzles, everything I enjoyed so much. So when Stealth Inc 2 was released, I was excited. The game took the approach of the Metroidvania Style, mixing it with the "test chamber" structure of the previous game, making it more complex, but familiar at the same time. More gadgets to use as you like, and more challenging puzzles, makes it a worthy sequel to an already great game.

7. Schrödinger's Cat And The Raiders Of The Lost Quark ; A throwback to the 90's mascot plattformer, but with it's own personality. Even though it can get repetitive from time to time, it always throws something at you to keep you playing. With unique mechanic of multiple puzzle solving, Schrodinger's Cat is a game I really enjoyed.

8. The Order 1886 ; When I started the game, I said to myself 'let's see the clusterfuck everybody talks about'. I finished, and I'm still waiting for it. The game is quite good. Even though the level design is a little generic, it is compensated with the visuals, art direction, sound design, voice acting and story. The lenght and ending is the only thing that keeps it from beign great.

9. Super Mario Maker ; My childhood dream came true. I remember drawing stages for fictional Mario games. Now I can do it, and it is wonderfully done.

10. Uncharted The Nathan Drake Collection ; A great remaster, Bluepoint never fails to deliver, and this was not the case. A game already fun, at 1080p60fps with beautifully enhanced graphics, to give the ultimate experience. I am gadly replaying this on PS4, and not regreting any moment of it.

 

[Hey_Blinkin]

1. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; The only game to come out this year that will be going into my "all time" list. A big, beautiful world that incentivizes you to explore every single inch, not just horizontally, but vertically also.
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I hadn't played a metal gear game since solid back on PS1. As someone who prioritizes gameplay over everything they just never appealed to me. I couldn't really tell you what what went down in the Phantom Pain, I just know I enjoyed the hell out of the 80 hours of finding interesting ways to take over compounds and steal giant tanks.
3. Fallout 4 ; 75 hours of more Fallout.
4. Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance ; 85 hours of more Disgaea.
5. Bloodborne ; While it's my least favorite "Souls" game to date, I still enjoyed my time with it. Also, the Kirkhammer might be the best weapon ever.
6. Destiny: The Taken King ; Played it primarily solo and still managed to enjoy myself up to 290 light. Burned out after hitting the heroic versions of missions. Interested to see where this game goes next.
7. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; As someone who loves loot games this was one that scratched a different type of itch. One that I never noticed needed scratching until playing this game.
8. Rocket League ; "Just one more match and then I'll go to bed."
9. Sunless Sea ; What a weird, cool thing this was.
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops III ; I never touched the single player but I am still having fun with the multiplayer.

What a great year for games, RPGs in particular. Here's hoping 2016 can match it.

 

[Majestad]

1) The Witcher III - Wild Hunt
2) Rocket League
3) Fallout 4
4) Batman Arkham Knight
5) Bloodborne

Read the op. Your votes won't count if they are not properly formatted.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The game had issues, but even the dissapointed fans are putting it in their lists. That speaks louder than anything: this game was something else. The story, while not on the level of MGS2, had really memorable moments, specially one that I'm sure it is stuck in a lot of player's minds. The themes, the tone, left you wanting more, sadly, it seems that the Konami/Kojima split left his mark on the game.

Nevertheless, this game is pure, raw fun. The freedom you have is unparalled, you feel every step, you never know what is going to happen, and it forces you to improvise on the way. That is the mark of a good game, and it is certainly the best experience you'll have this year.

The ending was great. So many people pissed is the mark of a good MGS twist.

And Sins of The Father is fucking awesome. It's kicks Spectre's Written in the Wall out of the window.

2. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

My most underrated game of the year. Hotline Miami was one of the most fun games to play a couple of years ago, and the sequel promised bigger, better and harder, and my god did it acomplished it.

A longer, more challenging game, with the best soundtrack of the year, different gameplay styles, and a rewarding finale to the Hotline Miami story makes it one of the best games of the year. Sadly it got buried under the big titles this year, and for an indie game to stay in these lists, it seems that it needs to be released later in the year.

Anyway, a game that it's a fun ride from start to finish, and a good one to jump on it afterwards just for the fun.

3. Rocket League

Again: pure raw fun. Such a simple, mindless idea, became a total hit. The best couch game this year, It's the most fun I've had with friends, split screen vs online users works wonderfully, and it's just that. You can never go wrong with Rocket League to play with some friends.

4. Batman Arkham Knight

Despite the lackluster Seasson Pass, Batman Arkham Knight was the perfectioning of the Arkham formula and gameplay. The story is top notch too, with the fucking amazing performances, specially the one from

Spoiler

Mark Hamill as The Joker

.

It's a love it or hate it with the Batmobile, and though I agree that some times could it be "too much" of it, I'm part of the crew that loved it. Even the tank sections.


5. Star Wars: Battlefront

In a time where every game tries to be an RPG, and tries to be "deep to master", comes a game that puts the controller in your hands and tells you "just play it". While you can critize it for not beign "hardcore" enough, or "battlefield" enough, the game is a total blast.

Graphics, sound desing, it's inmersive as hell as a Star Wars fan.

If the game had launch with more maps, and a single player campaing, it would be higher on my list.

6. Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones

I'm part of a minority maybe, but I loved Stealth Inc. A clone in the Dark. The music, the puzzles, everything I enjoyed so much.

So when Stealth Inc 2 was released, I was excited. The game took the approach of the Metroidvania Style, mixing it with the "test chamber" structure of the previous game, making it more complex, but familiar at the same time.

More gadgets to use as you like, and more challenging puzzles, makes it a worthy sequel to an already great game.

Wrong format too.

 

[Unison]

1. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; Two thigns to regret here... No console version and no confirmation of MHX. Otherwise, this is the best entry yet in an amazing time suck of a series.

2. Super Mario Maker ; I barely even make levels in this, but it's become something that I turn on a few times a week to just play around with. The overall quality of the levels that I'm playing seems to be on the rise constantly, and the game just stands as a reminder of what makes the franchise great.

3. Fallout 4 ; Garbage compared to New Vegas, but I got lost in this game for 50-60 hours and didn't mind the lack of a good narrative. Part of this is because of the considerably improved combat mechanics but part of it is because Bethesda, whatever their shortcomings as scriptwriters might be, are masters of world building.

4. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; My interest in this died after I got the mech, ironically, but until then it was free-roaming exploration bliss. Still packed with unforgettable moments.

5. Pillars of Eternity ; A bloated, loving mess of a game that is a better successor to the RPG genre's turn of the century peak than we deserve in 2015.

6. Undertale ; Super innovative, even if it's derivative of Earthbound in spirit.

7. Guitar Hero Live ; I get why this might have been poorly received by the hardcore music genre fans, but for casual music gamers like me it's bliss, offering more songs for your money than any other game. The improved guitar is awesome as well.

8. Axiom Verge ; Almost makes up for that Metroid Rocket League clone thing...

9. Yoshi's Wooly World ; Cutest game... and impeccable level design to boot.

10. Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush ; Once I got over my stupid need to look at my TV, I realized this is a worthy successor to one of the best DS games ever made.

Honorable Mentions:
x. Rare Replay - Without a doubt the gaming value of the year, presented with love and attention to detail... Backwards Compatibility on the Xbone is wonderful as well... for those who bought a lot of digital games on the 360, it's like getting a dozen or so free games each month.

x. Tales from the Borderlands - Telltale's masterful in their own way, and as interactive fiction it was the best of the few games in the genre I played this year (e.g. Her Story, Life is Strange) Up there with The Walking Dead Season One as their best.

x. Splatoon - The best shooter since Titanfall, all the more surprising considering the source.

 

[E-phonk]

1. Bloodborne; the only reason i bought a ps4. For sure the most lean souls game 'till now, loved the atmosphere and faster action
2. Super Mario Maker; it's everything you could dream of from a make-your-own-mario-game
3. Shovel Knight; 8bit done right and improved in every way. It's action platform perfection
4. Rocket League; best unexpected multiplayer game. Need more time with it to get good though
5. Hearthstone; been playing this almost every day for 5-10 minutes. As a 90's magic player I totally love it in short bursts. Also the game I spent the most money on ever.

 

[Sallokin]

1. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; I'm still playing this one. I'm roughly 90 hours in and despite repetitive quest design and a fairly slim battle system, the sheer scope of the game blows me away and I'm having tons of fun with it. Not sure I understand the complaints about the lack of story because literally every main quest and affinity quest is world expanding and builds on the main krux of the story. I think it's pretty great in fact.

2. Splatoon ; So fresh. I feel like even Nintendo was probably shocked at how well this game was received and how it came together. Single player has the coolest final boss of the past few years, and the rest of the game has a super eclectic/fun soundtrack. The art, world, and fashion design are on another level. Great DLC support too!

3. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ; If you're one of those people complaining about how Final Fantasy isn't what it used to be, and you haven't played XIV and this expansion you are a fool. Hyperbole aside, this is an incredible expansion that fleshes out the world and story in a meaningful and impactful way. This team gets it.

4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I sure thought this would be higher on my list, but I played it way too much and the online mode and final 10 or so hours really soured me on the game. Incredible up to a point. Open world mechanics are nearly perfect.

5. Read Only Memories ; Pretty much everything I love about adventure games and it's cyberpunky and modern and has a great soundtrack.

6. Yo-Kai Watch ; Fantasy Life was my favorite game of last year and this feels like a great evolution on that design mixed with some pokemon/SMT collecting mechanics. I'm only a few hours in, but I'm IN. Hope we get part 2 and Busters.

7. Yakuza 5 ; Awesome evolution and characters. Series felt kind of stale after 3 but this is super fun and I'm so happy it got released in the west.

8. 3D Picross 2 ; I've put so many hours into this. I love the puzzles. I played it so much I couldn't sleep because I saw the puzzles when I closed my eyes. Amiibo puzzles were a nice addition too.

9. Bloodborne ; Really tight and well crafted experience. It was a nice deviation from the souls games, but I'm super over the art design and dark fantasy stuff.

10. Yoshi’s Woolly World ; Bright and cheery and cute. 100%ed this with my girlfriend who couldn't stop thinking about it. On my list mostly because I enjoyed watching her play it as a non-gamer and because it taught me that "woolly" has two Ls in it.


Honorable Mentions

x. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter ; I wasn't able to put enough time into it, but it's really good (like the first one) and the localization is heroic. I gotta get through this so I can play Trails of Cold Steel too (and 2). It's too much.

x. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 - Break Record ; Awesome update. Game story is much better than the first game too and I really dug the additional story mode they added for this release. It's sort of like a mini-sequel to itself. Can't stand the focus on chesty underage girls but that's a Japan thing more than an issue with the game.

x. Rhythm Tengoku The Best+ ; The best in the series in my humble opinion. We'll never see it in the west I guess, but it's out there if people want it and it's worth their time. Fun in every sense of the word.

x. Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX ; Better note tracking/paths than the Project Diva games and the song selection was pretty nice. Chibi Miku and co. aren't for everyone, but the actual rhythm game mechanics are the best in the genre. Also, there's like a whole other game packed with the sim-like life management stuff, OH and there's a literal extra game packed in (puyo puyo).

x. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD ; On here because I thought the update was pretty well done. I dug the school life aspect and the combat system was pretty dope. Glad they fixed that camera somewhat with the patch.

 

[Grexeno]

1. Bloodborne
2. Super Mario Maker
3. Shovel Knight
4. Rocket League
5. Hearthstone

You must leave at least one comment for your ballot to be counted.

 

[J 0 E]

1. Witcher 3 ; A masterpiece in open world RPGs and my first WRPG.
2. Bloodborne ; Never thought the Souls formula was this addicting.
3. Metal Gear Solid 5 ; The perfect Metal Gear.
4. Fallout 4 ; The world + art + weapons
5. Halo 5 ; Best FPS of the year
6. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Everything about the reboot > better
7. Batman Arkham Knight ; I like the Batmobile
8. Assassin's Creed: Syndicate ; A more polished Unity + better characters and settings
9. Mortal Kombat X ; Fighting game of the Year.
10. Dying Light ; The 2nd best co-op experience this year after Halo 5

 

[ScaIeboundGOTY]

1. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; Obviously.
2. Metal Gear Solid V ; Best 3rd person stealth action game ever, has d-dog.
3. Dying LIght ; Best Zombie game ever period.
4. Assassins Creed Syndicate ; Best Ass Creed since 2.
5. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Dumb Fun, holds your hand the whole time. Not enough Boobs.
6. Star Wars Battlefront ; Great fun for 30 mins at a time.
7. Transformers Devastation ; Would be goty but not deep enough combat.
8. Mortal Kombat X ; I think this one was pretty good but i forget.
9. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; I didn't even play this game but i'm sure it's top 10.
10. Fallout 4 ; by default.

Dishonorable Mention:

The Order 1866 : Duck Hunt has more gameplay............

UNTIL NEXT YEAR

 

[asocirev]

1. Witcher 3 ; The Witcher 3 had amazing quests and dialogue which prevented the Open World Fatigue I normally experience in games this big.
2. Ori and the Bind Forest ; A charming platformer that was fun to explore and experience.
3. Halo 5 ; The campaign is thought provoking, I am torn on the direction Halo is going. I don't think about many games weeks after completing. The Halo MP is very, very good.
4. Fallout 4 ; So much freedom... but that's about it.
5. King's Quest ; Maybe it's nostalgia, but I loved playing a Sierra game again.
6. White Night ; A very unique game from it's art style to single-night-full-moon achievements!

 

[dofry]

1. Bloodborne ; It's a game that sparkled that childhood-like enthusiasm in me. One that I haven't felt in a long time. The game came out at a bad time for me as I was way too busy to deal with any games but I started it just to test a bit. I was hooked on meth called b-borne. I felt anxious at work because all I wanted to do was to play. I did graduate eventually but Bloodborne might have delayed that for a month. Oozing atmosphere and great combat with delightfully good enemies.
2. The Talos Principle ; I don't normally play puzzle games but god damn this game was good. It was also wrapped up in a nice narrative that made you think about humanity. Excellent overall.
3. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; Witcher felt like home when the world eventually opened up and I feel the story has some really good characters that make you care about the outcome. While killing is ever present, the scenery created by the engine makes you stop and stare constantly in awe. Some of the best sidequests in gaming.
4. Her Story ; Typing keywords has never been this engaging.
5. The Swapper ; Surprisingly enjoyable game with a perfect length.


Honorable Mentions
x. Destiny: The Taken King ; Bough the game again to play with friends and it has been a supergood time waster. Still a bit empty content wise if you play alone or with a group of three, but it manages to be engaging and addictive enough.


I played way less this year due to a busy schedule but what I played made me extremely happy. Games might not be in tip top shape out of the gate but once I get into a game, time flies.

 

[loki 16]

1. The Witcher 3; The best game I have played the decade. From the solid gameplay to the amazing story this is one of the best games ever.
2. Destiny the taken king; They made Destiny in too the best shorter ever.
3. Rocket League; The most entertaining multiplayer game of the year.
4. Bloodborne; The first "souls" game I actually enjoy.
5. Mario Maker; The most fun I have had with Mario in years.
6. Dying light
7. Metal Gear Solid 5 The phantom Pain
8. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker
9. Life Is Strange
10. Fallout 4

 

[Tagg9]

1. Rocket League ; Ironically, the simplest game in my list is my game of the year. It's only fair given the sheer amount of time I've spent playing it (probably an average on 1 hour per day since it came out). I don't know how to explain how good the game is beyond extolling how brilliant the core mechanics are, and how each round seems so radically different from the last.
2. Life is Strange ; Huge credit to DONTNOD for creating the best video game story this year. I was captivated by the plot, the characters, and the crazy events that unfolded over the course of the game. $20 was an absolute steal for something of this caliber. The ending disappointed slightly, but Episode 3 was probably the most satisfying couple of hours I've had this year playing games. Note: Please improve on the lip sync for Season 2!
3. Until Dawn ; The game came out of fucking nowhere with an enormously enjoyable story and a cast of very distinctive characters. I love games that go for the movie experience, and this really satisfied that itch.
4. Bloodborne ; A friend loaned me Dark Souls II but I couldn't get through it because of the terrible performance on PS3 and sluggish gameplay. Bloodborne rights all of these wrongs and more with supremely satisfying gameplay and ridiculously fantastic level/enemy design.
5. Batman: Arkham Knight ; The third (main) title in the Arkham series completely met my expectations. I thought the Batmobile was a nice addition, albeit slightly overused. And the rest of the mechanics were brilliant (as they should be, having been borrowed from previous entries in the series). Also worth pointing out how strong the game was visually.
6. SteinsGate ; (Vita) I've previously seen the anime, but I was holding out from playing the game until it was available on Vita. And I'm glad that I did! Steins;Gate truly is the pinnacle of visual novels and probably the best time travel story I've ever experienced. Also, I love the lavish production values in the game (seen so rarely in earlier visual novels).
7. The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes ; I expected very little from this game given the lukewarm reviews it received. Thankfully, it turned out to be one of the better co-op experiences I've had, and the bite-sized nature of the levels meant it was a perfect game to play before going to bed. The major downside is the unpredictability of online connections and the idiots that you might find online.
8. The Talos Principle ; (PS4) There are a dearth of interesting puzzle games to play, and the Talos Principle filled a giant hole in the PS4's library. I didn't entirely understand the overarching theological plot, but the puzzles were generally well thought out and very satisfying to complete.
9. Metal Gear Solid V ; Fantastic gameplay and a silky smooth framerate. The controls are probably the smoothest of any game ever made. The only detractors are a handful of boss fights that unfairly impossible to complete when the rest of the game could be completed stealthily. Also I really disliked going back to base and doing micromanagement.
10. The Order 1886 ; Fuck the haters, I loved every minute of The Order until it was over. Having said that, it's hard to look past the length and unsatisfying conclusion to the story.

 

[Fletcher]

1. Witcher 3 ; Perfect game for me at a time that I needed a game like this. Huge beautiful game that continued to wow me with its scope and detail. Have put more time into this game than I have any game in recent memory. I can not wait until Cyberpunk.

2. Batman:Arkham Knight ; Luckily I had this on a console so there were no problems for me. The Arkham series is one of my favorites and this entry was great to me. Great batman gameplay, great graphics and good story. I even am in the minority and enjoyed the tank gameplay.

3. Tomb Raider ; really liked the direction they took this series with the previous game and this game improved on it all. Best graphics I've seen on a console yet and fantastic gameplay.

4. Mad Max ; I was anticipating this game, but it came out and everyone was down on it. It also released the same date as a different big name title, so I skipped it. Bought it for cheap on Black Friday and man. This game is sleeper hit of the year for me. Sure it's an empty world and a collectathon, but man. It's scratching an itch I didn't know I had. Love the game and the graphics are gorgeous. This game is so underrated and should be given a second look.

5. Splatoon ; surprising game that was very fun to play. Game looked great and it had the best multiplayer I've played in quite some time. Can't wait to see where they go with this series.

6. Just Cause 3 ; Love the graphics, love the game play, and love the sheer size of the game.

7. Metal Gear Solid 5 ; I was very disappointed in MGS 4 and was not looking forward to this game at all. While the game failed for me on a number of things, it's actual gameplay did not and that made up for a lot. Best playing MGS ever.

8. Fallout 4 ; very disappointed with a lot of this game. Yet I have still managed to put a considerable number of hours into it.

9. Ori and the Blind Forrest ; beautiful game and it controlled/played great. Enjoyed my time with this one.

10. Bloodborne ; while being a major disappointment for me this year there are many aspects of it I enjoyed. I was fully ready to jump onboard a souls game. I hated the previous games, not because they were hard or anything, but because they were just ugly, boring, and not fun for me. This game looked to change that with an art direction and setting I really like and a focus on quicker gameplay. While I enjoyed all the changes made for this game, I can't get past the downright abysmal camera. For a game that focuses on punishing gameplay, I found myself really only being challenged and frustrated by the camera. I would say 80% of the times I died weren't from the actual difficulty level, but from a truly god awful camera. Constantly getting stuck on some form of wall while trying to focus my attacks on an enemy too large for the narrow corridor they are in. I will say I understand why people like this game and this game was a step towards fixing the problems these games have and was damn near close to being an actual good/fun game. Just fix the camera work to make this game actually enjoyable for me and I'll be onboard. I want to like these games.

 

[Tizoc]

Phew done
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=190331628&postcount=1108

 

[Calm waterfall]

This is a discussion forum. If we didn't want discussion, ttk and cheese could just set up a poll somewhere and then post the result later.

Sure, we get empty, useless posts where someone says "gameplay best evar" in an attempt to meet the bare minimum requirements. But having posting comments be the norm also results in the fun, big posts where people talk about why they liked each game in depth. It results in people learning about games they might not have otherwise known about.

If the thread was only "hey neat Witcher/Bloodborne won" and nothing else, why bother? Just have a thread about mainstream gotys and be done with it.

I did not say that there should not be any discussion. The discussion should not be forced. I also enjoy some posters in depth analysis about the game that they are voting for. But that is still not a matter subjected to discussion in a GOTY thread because people are just writing what games they enjoyed. It still enjoyable to read, but it´s still subjective opinion. Just forcing people to make comment does not contribute anything to the discussion. The discussion should be optional, which is what i meant in the post that you quoted. People who want to discuss stuff will discuss it. Forcing people to make a comment to justify their choice does not constitute a discussion.

if you want a stronger reason why we have comments, moderation strongly prefers comments to justify choices. a couple years ago, there would be a couple list threads a month. they were pretty dull and moderation eventually put a ban on all of them except a select few that did have comments in them.

plus i think arguing against discussion (which does happen, whether you see it or not), is not the best hill to die on.

I am fully aware that list threads are banned because they don´t serve any purpose. GOTY thread is a list thread, and that serves a purpose to show what are the games that are enjoyed by Gaf members the most. You are listing the games that you enjoyed. The comparison that you made is stupid. As far as discussion goes it´s very minimal. On this page there are like 15 posts out of 90 that have discussion in them. And most of the discussion is about what defines an RPG. Just forcing people to write one liners does not constitute a discussion. People who want to discuss stuff can discuss them without being an arbitrary rule about people being forced to comment and validate their choices.

 

[nel e nel]

1. Grow Home; What a great little game. So tranquil just climbing vines and growing sprouts. The procedural movement of the robot made for some hilarious pratfalls, and it's balanced with some really great floating mechanics which was great fun to just cruise around the world and sight see.

2. Life Is Strange; Only 2 episodes in, but loving it so far. Yeah, the dialogue is uber cringeworthy - as a Cali native the use of 'hella' is particularly eye rolling - but the story is compelling and the mystery is engaging.

3. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood; 'nuff said.

4. Xeodrifter; After some initial frustration with this title - and almost giving up - I got a couple of gameplay tips from friends ("Wait, you can duck?") and ended up loving it so much that I platinum'd it - TWICE! - in a single weekend.

5. Until Dawn; What's there to say about this that hasn't already been covered. A+ tropey teen horror flick. I played it twice to try different decisions, and while it doesn't change the broad story beats, it does make for a more personalized experience with some of the finer details, and how you may connect the dots in your head.

6. The Order: 1886; Yeah yeah yeah, the gameplay is a bit light, but the world and lore was fun, and of course those graphics.

7. Grim Fandango Remastered; I'm really loving the writing and the overall story, but I fall into the 'these puzzles are too obtuse for obtuseness sake' camp. I generally don't like using game guides unless as a last resort, but I also don't want to stall out on the story progression either.

8. The Nathan Drake Collection; I'm enjoying my time so far, but I am also finding it a bit underwhelming in comparison to all the praise I've read and heard over the years. As a 360 only person last gen, I was really looking forward to playing one of PS's flagship titles, but I was surprised at how moderate my reaction has been. The graphics were a bit more stylized than I had anticipated, as a big Gears of War fan the gameplay felt a bit flat, and the stories really jump the shark in the final acts. The UC4 multiplayer beta was great though, and it got me back into TLoUR multi for now.

9. Super Exploding Zoo!; Just a super fun and cute Vita game. Had a lot of fun with this one.

10. Monster Bag; Ditto for this.


x Rocket League;
x Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones;

 

[Arnie7]

1. Bloodborne ; Look I know some souls fans can be a little obnoxious when it comes to praising games like this, but speaking as an outsider new to the series all I can say is that I agree with them. I've not seen a game so well designed in terms of art but also mechanics as well as this in a very long time. I know it's brutal and hard but if you have the patience to grind and learn there is no other game quite like this. Just beautiful.

2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; What every open world game should aspire in terms of performance. Glorious 60fps and controls.

 

[Serpens007]

Wrong format too.

Fixed. It is now OK?

 

[opticalmace]

Fixed. It is now OK?

no, see OP for instructions.

 

[michaelius]

1. Toukiden: Kiwami ; So far my favourite hunting game since first God Eater.
2. SteinsGate ; one of best VN ever made.
3. Dragon Blaze ; suprisingly enjoyable and addictive.

A pity I didn't find time to play TW3 this year properly as it would surely make top of this list but I don't want to vote on stuff I haven't put enough time to judge properly.

 

[Lunar15]

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; One of my favorite games of all time. Managed to live up to my hype. It's a surprisingly niche game despite its AAA trappings, and often felt like it was made for someone like me who doesn't love the triviality of a lot of open world games. Its world felt rich both from a macro and a micro standpoint, with both the intriguing politics we've come to know from the series but also some stellar character writing for both major and minor characters. It's not perfect, it has some weird pacing mid way, and the skill tree wasn't really intutitive. It makes up for these however in providing so many substantial rewards for exploring outside of experience or gold. Most everything you do or find in that game enriches you, the player, with some piece of that world. It's a game for someone like me, who wants to curl up with a great story instead of grinding out a few levels. The last 20 hours are absolutely bombastic, right at a time when most open world games stumble in the second half. There's some set pieces and environments that are by far some of the most impactful to me in a long time. Add in one of the best expansions I've ever played, and this is just a game, and a world, that keeps on giving.

2. Undertale ; There's not much that hasn't been said about Undertale, but what I appreciate most is that it's a game that deeply understands the person playing it. It plays a lot with Earthbound's "player jabbing" humor, making them think they're going to do something annoying before giving them last minute relief. It's a comedy that works and Toby Fox really pulled so much of it off. It's a laugh-out-loud game, and the characters are immensely relatable and memorable. My theme for last year's GOTY games were games that knew how to take nostalgia and make something new of it, and this game would do real well under that label. It's both familiar and new, and that's exactly what I want to see. It's fresh, it doesn't waste your time, and had me in stitches.

3. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; I put nearly 300 hours in this game. That's really all there is to say. I never would have expected to like this game, but I did. It's really good.

4. Rocket League; Total surprise and an idea that just works because it controls so well. You want to keep playing not because of some skill grind, but because it feels genuinely enjoyable to play.

5. Bloodborne ; I love souls games, so this is no surprise. It's impossible to go back to the slower movement of older souls games now, bloodborne totally nailed this. That said, the world lacked variety and the blood vials was a regression from the original dark souls. It lacks the punch that the original had, and that's why it's a bit lower than it otherwise would have been. Still, a stellar game, and worthy of being on the list.

6. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; I didn't want to like this game, but against all odds, I kind of did. The affinity quests are genuinely addicting, and a lot of them are pretty funny to boot. Thematically, it's such a strong concept: The idea of exploring this vast world in a quest to survive... it's romantic in the best way. Still, the MMO-lite design and some really, really bad mechanics put this lower than it should.

7. Splatoon ; I didn't get enough chance to play this game, but it's really solid and I like what it's trying to do. I had a lot of fun during splatfests and I totally dig the aesthetics.

8. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood ; The writing in this series continues to surprise me. For a DLC, this game had some incredibly memorable moments and the gameplay still scratched an old itch.

9. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; Oh Metal Gear... I enjoyed this game, I really did. It's on the list for that reason. The mechanics are enjoyable and the stealth is great. But the mechanics lose luster over time, the game becomes broken easily, the world is shallow, and the pacing completely dies in what has to be the most disappointing second half of a game ever. That said, it did a lot of things I liked and kept me going for 60 hours, so I'll put it on the list and raise a glass to Kojima and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

 

[hurricanes]

1. Undertale; Short but charming; Characters are full of personality. I played though the Pacific Route and cannot bring myself to reset the game. It is the best surprise game of the year and my personal GOTY.

2. Xenoblade Chronicles X; I haven't finish the game, but I already seen many disappoint directions it chose to go compare to the much stellar Xenoblade. Music is bad, pacing is bad, plot is scattered, side missions are annoying. That said... It also has one of the most massive and beautiful game world that you can explore freely with customizable mech. Characters are likable and battles are good once you understand it. The game is overall very enjoyable to play, and that is what matter the most.

3.Grim Fandango Remastered; I can't believe I put a remaster game on the list... But it captures me like the first time I played.

4. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate; A complete package of the series with some bad design choice. Hopefully Monster Hunter X will fix those.

5. Pillars of Eternity;

Honorable mention:
x.Bloodborne; Great combat, great settings. However, Chalice dungeon was boring and some desgin choices of the game didn't jive with me.

x.The Witcher 3; Hate the combat which is main reason it is not on the list. Beautiful world, good writing for the most part. I always try to compare it to TES series and I think they kind of share some similarity...

 

[RespectThySole]

1. The Wither 3; The best game I have played the decade. From the solid gameplay to the amazing story this is one of the best games ever.
2. Destiny the taken king; They made Destiny in too the best shorter ever.
3. Rocket League; The most entertaining multiplayer game of the year.
4. Bloodborne; The first "souls" game I actually enjoy.
5. Mario Maker; The most fun I have had with Mario in years.
6. Dying light
7. MGS 5 The phantom Pain
8. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker
9. Life Is Strange
10. Fallout 4

You're missing a c in Witcher and MGS needs to be spelled out for it to count, no abbreviations.

 

[Atilac]

I don't understand how people are screwing up the formatting.

 

[tuxfool]

I don't understand how people are screwing up the formatting.

Yeah. Maybe READ OP should be written into the thread title.

 

[opticalmace]

I don't understand how people are screwing up the formatting.

You can almost make this a survey of how many people read OPs these days.

Yeah. Maybe READ OP should be written into the thread title.

Doesn't help TBH.

 

[Lady Siara]

1. Life is Strange ; This game resonated with me so strongly that I'd be remiss to not put it as my number 1. It's such an organic world full of interesting characters. I couldn't wait to talk to the next NPC or even read the main character's journal, something I almost never do in games. Nearly every reference I came across tickled my fancy (a callout to the ridiculous Cannibal Holocaust, for example) and the soundtrack is sublime. Both Chloe and Max's voice actresses do a fantastic job bringing these two friends to life.

A dash of Twin Peaks, a sprinkle of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and a pinch of Donnie Darko combine to make something hauntingly beautiful. The feelings this game dredged to the surface were unreal. I won't be forgetting this game for a long, long time.

2. Undertale ; Let me just start by saying I was initially put off by all of the praise this game was getting. As someone who wasn't a big fan of Earthbound, that was another strike against it. I kept thinking to myself, "Yeah, it's probably good but there's no way it could live up to all of this hype."

It's definitely worth the hype, and that's not something I say lightly. It's a game that constantly flips your expectations and keeps you guessing. It's expertly crafted and slowly climbs until it explodes into one of its breathtaking endings.
Also, to those of you avoiding it because "memes", don't. The only memes I can recall are ones that were spawned by its own quality and popularity.

3. Her Story ; I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting into with this. The trailer and promotional media do a poor job selling it as "A video game about a woman talking to the police." But then I thought to myself, how exactly does one sell someone on an experience like this?

The script, the acting, and the intuitive way you interact with and unfurl the plot are truly captivating. I started this at midnight and found myself staying up into the wee hours of the morning just to see every clip I could, to wrench every last drop the game had to offer. It’s the game I’ve thought about and interpreted the most on this list after completion. It’s pretty incredible in that I've spent more time thinking about it than playing it.

4. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; As a pretty big fan of the first Xenoblade Chronicles, X had a lot to live up to. The huge open world being the focal point of X made me wary as I find myself getting bored in open world games.

Xenoblade Chronicles X has, thankfully, not fallen into this category of dull open worlds with little to do. There's a metric fuckton of things to do and the tasks always feel rewarding. It's capable of being binge played for hours or even for a few minutes a day. I loathe restarting games and happily restarted 40 hours into this one. That's how much fun I'm having. It has a few baffling design decisions (switching out party members is a huge pain in the ass, story is a bit thin, etc.) but it's been a loooooong time since a game has captured my attention this intensely. Bravo, give me more, Monolith Soft!

5. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Ori has had my undying love ever since it was unveiled at E3. Breathtakingly beautiful, Ori's world is smooth and calming. The game has some pretty large difficulty spikes that may turn new players away, but stick with it! The story is front and center, which is pretty surprising for a metroidvania. Moon Studios' pacing is perfect here; I didn't feel that the game was constantly stopping me for plot yet I always had an idea of what to do next. I found myself genuinely in awe at the lush landscapes at play here, and the sweeping score is quite emotive.

Moon Studios knocked it out of the park with Ori and I can't wait to see what they do next. Impressive showing from a new studio.

6. Rocket League ; I can see this being on nearly every list here, and for good reason. Rocket League is bliss, simply put. Conceptually, it's simple, and, like Her Story, is a bit of a hard thing to sell. "You play soccer with flying cars." However, it's so much more than that. The way Psyonix has handled additional content and DLC is worth a standing ovation: all maps and modes are free and the paid DLC is purely cosmetic. The skill ceiling is sky high so there's always room for improvement. When you're outclassed, you take notice and try to improve. When you get that clutch goal or block, you feel it. That primal energy builds and swells until you just feel like shouting out in euphoria.

That's Rocket League.

7. Until Dawn ; How do you feel about horror film cheese? If you're a cheese connoisseur like myself, Until Dawn is an all you can eat cheese buffet. It's not pre-packaged cheese either, it's the fresh stuff. Mmm.

In all seriousness, Supermassive Games graced us with one of my dream concepts for a game: a horror game done in the style of Heavy Rain. Characters can die relatively early and that's it for them on that playthrough. You'll need to be in top form and have a bit of genre knowledge to keep everyone alive. QTEs often mean life or death for a character so don't blink! I liked subtle inclusion of the DS4 features like using the touchpad to turn pages of a book or using the integrated move controls for hiding QTEs (don't move the controller or you could die). It's a thrilling ride and the death scenes are fan-fucking-tastic.

8. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ; It's Monster Hunter at its best, simply put. There's simply more of everything: more monsters, more quests and more equipment. The new weapon additions are quite fun and carve out their own niche in parties. MH4U not only is the deepest in the series, but is also the easiest to get into. Each weapon type has a tutorial that you can play through an unlimited amount of times. It also does a pretty good job of easing those new to the series into the various systems. The verticality added into 4 keeps the game feeling fluid and climbing over little ledges is no longer a drawn out animation. Leaping off of a wall and into a monster, bringing them crashing down to the ground to be climbed upon and clubbed on some more is wildly satisfying.

If you can master the combat, this is one of the best gaming values this year.

9. Bloodborne ; A worthy spiritual successor living up to Souls pedigree. I have to imagine that they designed the combat to really shake up the core Souls audience. It's much faster and with shield turtling gone, it was like playing an entirely different game. Gone are the days of shuffling forward with your shield up and merely reacting. It's kill or be killed and Bloodborne makes sure you know that. Striking boss encounters will burn into your memory (either from their designs or being stuck on them). Bloodborne is a twisted amalgamation of flesh, blood, new tricks, old trappings, misery and triumph.

10. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; I feel bad putting such a high caliber release so low on my list. The world is absolutely massive, the quest lines are quite memorable, the graphics are superb, and the acting is top notch. And yet, it's such a god damn monument that I have barely scratched the surface. I've put over 50 hours into the game and haven't even finished the first chapter. It's so damn dense that it feels untouchable at times, which isn't a problem I felt with Xenoblade Chronicles X, oddly enough. It's a vast ocean of content and can feel overwhelming in that sense.

Still, a master class RPG tour de force on display here from CD Projekt Red and a world worth losing yourself in.



Honorable mentions (in no particular order):

x. Crypt of the Necrodancer ; Interesting concept, a mishmash of a roguelike like Dungeons of Dredmor and Dance Dance Revolution. If you like roguelikes and enjoy rhythm games, definitely check this out. You can even use your own music!

x. Soma ; I went into this with the wrong mindset. It wasn't nearly as frightening as Amnesia was as the horror elements are pretty light. The story, however, is executed well, even if it doesn't tread new ground.

x. Killing Floor 2 ; Quite good in its current state, yet ineligible since it's an early access title. Don't worry, there's always next year!

x. Super Mario Maker ; One of the few creation tools I've had a ton of fun making things with. Simple enough to pick it up without feeling overwhelmed, yet deep enough that you can craft the level of your dreams (or nightmares).

x. Splatoon ; One of the most exciting new IPs from Nintendo in a long time. The post-game support has been righteous and I look forward to what the new blood comes up with next.

x. Axiom Verge ; Frustratingly opaque in the beginning, this game really rubbed me the wrong way for the first few hours. However, after I grew to accept its quirks, the game becomes an extremely memorable and rewarding metroidvania.



Games that I wish I had played:

Tales from the Borderlands
Broken Age
Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide
The Talos Principle

 

[Majestad]

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt ; An absolute masterpiece. W3 gave me a similar feeling to when I was a kid and I discovered the worlds of Super Mario 64 and Zelda Ocarina of Time. This behemoth of a game excels in most areas. Audiovisually is stunning. Gameplay-wise is fun. The real star of everything though is the world and the characters that inhabit it. One of the most memorable games ever.
2. Mortal Kombat X ; Pretty much the best MK game ever.
3. Fallout 4 ; For all its faults, it does twice as many things right. Writing and story are lacking, and the engine is old, but the exploration, music, world art direction and atmosphere are still fantastic.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; An unique experience that has a story unlike anything else. Fantastic world.
5. Splatoon ; Pure fun and refreshing mechanics.
6. Super Mario Maker ; Timeless gameplay in a modern package that oozes charm.
7. The Witcher III: Hearts of Stone ; An insane value for the money and a story with excellent characters.
8. Steamworld Heist ; A great game where the developers stood out of their comfort zone and delivered something unique, polished and very fun.
9. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; Massive, breathtaking, and fun.
10. Her Story ; An unique experience that basically turns you into a "real-life" detective. Writing clues and notes with pen and paper while trying to solve the crime.

 

[Rephin]

1. Bloodborne ; The story is not spoon fed to the player, rather it is told through the world and events, and even in the tidbits you pick up off the ground. The rules of combat are the same for both the player and his opponents, and it is challenging, fast paced, and satisfying. There is no map to help explore, leaving it up to the player to remember the details, and this leads to some exciting discoveries when secrets and shortcuts are found. The atmosphere is oppressive and impressive. This is the purest form of gaming in all respects, and I cannot think of a better game to come out all year.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; The story is pretty good, but what really took me was the experience of exploring a strange alien world and seeing the creatures residing within it. The exploration felt better than it did in Bloodborne, and that's no small feat IMO.
3. Metal Gear Solid V ; Regardless of what people hate about this game, I was still moved quite a bit by the story as it still filled in some gaps in the MGS timeline. It's also the most fun gameplay-wise in a MGS game. I spent the most gameplay time this year on this game, and I feel that it was a great experience. It's not quite the swan song Kojima envisioned for his work, but it's "good enough".
4. The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel ; My actual favorite JRPG of this year. It's everything I love about Legend of Heroes, now enhanced, and the cast of characters is just fantastic.
5. Stella Glow ; I was taken by surprise by this game. It's a fun ride that seems like it'd be trope city, but actually manages to merge great characters, surprisingly good plot, and an above average SRPG combat system into something pretty special. Imageepoch went out on a high note, and I think that one of the greatest casualties is that this game will never get a sequel or spiritual sequel.
6. Star Wars Battlefront ; I'm not really a shooter guy. But I do love Star Wars, and this game really scratches that Star Wars itch for me. It's a great game despite not having a lot of depth.
7. Persona 4 Dancing All Night ; As far as rhythm games go, this isn't my favorite one of the year (that honor actually belongs to Superbeat Xonic). However, P4D is still a great rhythm game, but vaults over Xonic due to its story mode that advances the P4 story a little bit further.
8. [REDACTED] ; Unfortunately, I cannot talk about this game on GAF.
9. Rocket League ; The best sports game I've played in years. I generally hate sports. Car soccer, though? I'm down.
10. Her Story ; Short, but unforgettable. A masterpiece in the way the game leads you to discover the truth of everything on your own. It also led to one of my favorite discussions at work due to the way you could interpret it.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

1. The Wither 3; The best game I have played the decade. From the solid gameplay to the amazing story this is one of the best games ever.

Maybe you would like to help your best game ever win by spelling its name correctly?

Fixed. It is now OK?

snip

Replace ":" and "-" by ";" to separate games names and comments.

 

[Aarglefarg]

Let me know if separating by quotes messes with the voting.

Yes it does. It ignores what is in quotes so that people can quote others without it interfering with their own votes.

 

[Vice]

1. Fallout 4; This is a series that has fascinated me since I was a child. After getting a computer at the age of 12, I quickly got a copy of Fallout 2. I was overwhelmed, but in love. And, while the series has changed greatly since I discovered it 13 years ago on a list of the best rpgs, I still love every bit of it. The gameplay has improved greatly, base building finally scratched the itch that most got plugged by Minecraft or other building games. The story is -- what I expected from Bethesda. It's greater than the sum of its parts for me though. It's not the same as the older titles, and is pretty different from the most recent ones, but it still scratches an itch nothing else can seem to in me.

2. Super Mario Maker; I'm no Miyamoto and I find the process of creation frustrating. Thsi however is a dream come true. I love the Mario series and ever since Little Big Planet was announced I hoped that Nintendo would create somethign similar. I may not be able to make a good, or even OK stage, but playing the creations of others who have wanted to make a Mario game for ages without the resources is amazing.

3. Mortal Kombat X; The first MK game that clicked for me. After years of playign every title from 1-9 I finally learned to like MK. It just feels so responsiove and snappy compared to previous versions and it's just a very fun game.

4. Her Story; I never though I would enjoy an FMv game and I was happy to be wrong.

5. Star Wars Battlefront; The first FPS I've enjoyed playing nearly every night since Modern Warfare 2 was released.

6. Final Fantasy Record Keeper; It's a game about grinding. The most mind-numbing and thoughless activity in most RPGs somehow filled up more time than most nay other game in 2015. It's an ATB-fueled nostalgia trip that's brought down by the worst part of f2p games (Random items that can be bought with real world money and a stamina system).

 

[Lady Siara]

Yes it does. It ignores what is in quotes so that people can quote others without it interfering with their own votes.

Ah yeah, that makes sense. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[Dr. Feel Good]

1. Super Mario Maker ; Pure fucking fun.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D ; The best game ever made, remade.
3. Pac-Man 256 ; Pac-Man is back.
4. Pokemon Shuffle ; Addicting.
5. Rare Replay ; Lots of great games for great price.

 

[Toki767]

1. Bloodborne ; This was probably the most rewarding game for me this year. Especially as someone who couldn't get into Demons/Dark Souls. The quicker gameplay really made the difference for me. Plus all of the boss fights were memorable in their own way. Then adding in The Old Hunters is just a cherry on top.
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ; This was an amazing world. But not without its flaws. To me it was a really close call between this and Bloodborne as my GOTY but The Witcher 3 combat was kind of terrible to borderline offensive so even though the world was great and the story was great, I just had more fun playing Bloodborne.
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; This was easily the best gameplay Metal Gear has ever been. It's a shame a lot of the story was told through audio logs and such because there were some really interesting bits in there. From a gameplay standpoint though, I probably had more fun with this game than anything else this year aside from Bloodborne.
4. Destiny: The Taken King ; I played Destiny for like a month or two last year. Completed the raid one time and felt like I had seen everything there was to see. The Taken King basically rewrote everything I knew about the game I played before and fixed a lot of it. There are still issues with the game, but for me, this is the game I've played the most the entire year mostly due to the Destiny GAF community. Destiny GAF makes it perhaps the best multiplayer experience for me in a long time.
5. Super Mario Maker ; This might possibly be the only game I'd need on my Wii U. Almost everything about it is just genius and Nintendo really stepped it up by delivering a game that makes it ridiculously easy to create levels and really fun to play brand new levels all the time. The only thing wrong is that discovery has typically not been great.
6. Rocket League ; This was literally a game that came out of nowhere. The game is tons of fun and the concept of car soccer was fairly original and executed really well.
7. Splatoon ; For Nintendo's first real attempt at a multiplayer shooter experience, this game is a prime example of Nintendo knowing how to create an enjoyable and engaging experience for anyone. All of the updates throughout the year was a nice touch as well.
8. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; This is the best game this year that no one played. Not without its problems, but the pacing of the game was great and the overall platforming and level design was great. Only real issue was the input lag which made the combat feel like a step behind the 2013 game.
9. Until Dawn ; This was an adventure game done right. Choices you made actually did matter (which is typically my main complaint about Telltale's adventure games) and everything was typically very well done. Definitely hope for another game from this developer.
10. Batman: Arkham Knight ; This game might be the weakest (in my opinion) of the Arkham trilogy that Rocksteady made, but it's still a really good game. The Batmobile tank/stealth sections were the only parts I really disliked. Just felt really tacked on for no reason. Other than that though, the game was as good as you would expect.

Honorable Mentions:
x. Ori and the Blind Forest ; Gorgeous game in a Super Meat Boy style environment. Definitely a game worth playing and supporting, but certainly not for everyone.
x. Persona 4 Dancing All Night ; The remixed soundtrack is great if you liked Persona 4's music. As a rhythm game it was serviceable.
x. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel - I haven't finished the game yet so I didn't want to include it in my countdown but I'm definitely enjoying what I've been playing of it so far.
x. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC - Also haven't finished this yet but I definitely enjoyed what I've played of it so far. It's been such a long wait for this game too.

Admittedly I haven't played too many games this year (or have forgotten what games I did play).

 

[Serpens007]

Maybe you would like to help your best game ever win by spelling its name correctly?




Replace ":" and "-" by ";" to separate games names and comments.

Thanks, done.

I couldn't distiguish " ; " from " : " when I read the OP, so thanks for the heads up and explaining instead of beign a dick, mate

 

[Neff]

I shan't be counting ports in my top ten, otherwise it wouldn't reflect 2015 terribly well, but let it be known that Out Run 3D, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin and Majora's Mask 3D were all ace.

With that out of the way-

10. Fallout 4 ; While probably the weakest of the 3D Fallouts for me, it's still a very strong game, mostly as a result of being so close to its predecessors. It doesn't change a lot, because it works, but this also comes at the cost of comfortable -at times dull- familiarity, and the sense of a franchise which is clearly needing a rethink. And everything you've heard about the new dialogue system is true, it sucks. But exploring Boston is a treat, and it's by far the best-looking game in the series, with the slickest, most polished gameplay. It's as atmospheric, fun, and funny as ever, but maybe that's the problem. Still, well worth the ride.

9. Super Mario Maker ; The ability to utilise Nintendo's 2D Mario-making toolset, from home, and share creations with players all over the world would once have seemed an impossible dream, but here we are, doing just that. Already I've played things of true genius, like seriously brilliant game design, from apparent amateurs. Anyone who is good enough to be a Miyamoto or a Tezuka or a Koizumi now can be, there are no limits. The only things letting the experience down is the inevitable deluge of bad levels and an unfortunate propensity for gimmick levels to receive the highest ratings, but yeah, the feeling of being a virtual Nintendo employee really is something, even if we're not getting paid.

8. Yoshi's Woolly World ; Tezuka and Good-Feel deliver a 2D platform experience on par with the 1995 original, for real. Adorable as it is devious, brilliant as it is brutal, it covers the entire spectrum of Tezuka level greats- 'athletic' self-scrollers, mazes, vertical climbs, high speed rail platforms- it's got it all. While the necessity of finding the game's higher than normal quotient of secrets to unlock everything can sometimes be a pain, and the challenge can sometimes feel unreasonably stiff, there's never a dull minute. This one's up there standing toe-to-toe with some of the best 2D platformers in the world.

7. Devil's Third ; I feel like an adoptive mother defending a hideous, awkward, brilliant child when talking about this game. Much has been said about the game's shortcomings, and they're apparent to even a casual observer, who would rightly surmise that it looks like crap, and assume that it probably plays like crap too. But a casual observer cannot hope to appreciate what Devil's Third succeeds at. It gets said a lot, but you've really got to try this one for yourself. The design and controls are simple, but the frenetic speed of the game, the importance of firearms/melee switching, your proximity to the enemy, enemy types, the slide mechanic, weapon types and so forth blend together to offer something quite unique. Without apology or restraint, DT is a heart-pounding old-school action game where death comes quick for you if you hesitate, but quicker for your enemies if you have nerves of steel and an infallible aim. It's Ninja Gaiden meets Quake, basically, which is apt since the game's MP is Itagaki's crown jewel here, and it's fucking MAD. If there's one thing almost universally agreed on in the OT, it's that DT's multiplayer is hot stuff. DT's enthusiastic community is pure (if sadly small) vindication for Itagaki and Valhalla. Guys, you are cool.

6. Transformers: Devastation ; PlatinumGames can put out anything and it'll catch my attention- I regard them that highly. If they put out a game based on one of my favourite entertainment franchises, packaging it as a faithful, perfume-scented love letter to my favourite era of that franchise, then you can bet I'm going to go nuts. And I did. But Transformers Devastation is not only pitch-perfect fanservice, it's also a superb character action game slash shooter with an awesome, obvious gimmick and a variety of selectable characters. Its only failing is that it's relatively short (and grindy), but it's endlessly replayable, and for the duration that it lasts, it'll always be the dream game of my ten-year-old heart.

5. Resident Evil Revelations 2 ; Revelations 1 was a confusing game for me. At first, I loved it. Being on a creaking, dark ghost ship with explorable maps and locked doors and keys and puzzles... it was everything I loved about old RE and desparately missed from modern RE... on the surface at least, since all these elements are mostly stacked at the front end. What I was left with afterwards was a braindead simple combat system, a small menagerie of enemies, and a terrible story even by RE standards. For these reasons I wasn't exactly excited about Revelations 2. So it was some surprise to discover that Revelations 2 is actually really damn good from beginning to end. I still have issues with the 'creative' translation, but Revelations 2 revelates one of the more compelling stories from the franchise. The first girl/girl team up of Claire/Moira is very well done, and while clearly attempting a cheeky homage to TLoU, Barry and Natalia strike up a fun pair. The co-op mechanics are excellent, giving each player a distinct role and set of responsibilities. The level design is great, with the first good puzzles the series has had in over a decade. It's just a damn shame there's no online mode. Great (secret) finale, too.

4. Splatoon ; Hands up who saw this coming? Liar. Nintendo's home-run multiplayer not only re-invents the wheel, it goes surfing through brightly coloured ink with it, slides up a couple of walls, scope-drenches a naysayer or hundred, and scrawls an in-depth thesis on how to revitalise a stagnant genre in garish neon grafitti for everyone to see. Splatoon is not only brilliant, daring, meticulously constructed and insanely polished, it's also videogame crack. And above all, it's stunningly original. There is simply nothing like it.

3. Bloodborne ; I remember the wait for this being agonising, but of course it was so, so worth it. From's fourth Souls game and first gen 8 game was everything I wanted it to be and everything it needed to be. Georgous, scary, atmospheric, frustrating and satisfying in equal measure, and daaaaark. Miyazaki channels regular inspiration Lovecraft harder than ever before, almost to the point of making an unofficial 'official' Lovecraft game. Containing just enough new ideas and concepts to freshen up what was becoming a rather samey franchise, Bloodborne delivers bandaged, diseased, wretched quality in spades.

2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ; I'm not a Metal Gear guy. I like the series, but I couldn't tell you much about the background workings of this series' huge universe. I don't necessarily want to listen to every codec conversation and try to make sense of the what, when, why and where. I just wanna play cool spy games while I groove on Kojima's eccentricities and brilliant design pedigree. And that's what I got with MGSV, more than any other MGS game I've ever played. Taking MGS open world was the best thing to happen to this series since Playstation. The freeform nature of the gameplay, and the feeling of being in a spontaneous, dynamic environment where objectives and plans can change in an instant is a truly unique thrill. The attention to detail is as wonderfully insane as ever. But what really surprised me is just how damn slick moving Snake through this world is. I've often considered MGS a series which requires a fair bit of dexterity and understanding of the control limitations to play well, but here everything is a breeze and a pleasure, which is quite some feat when you consider the sheer wealth of strategies and interactions available to Snake. While there's a definite sense that the game is longer than it should be (and perhaps spread a little too thin), and clearly unfinished to boot, I can wholeheartedly say that MGSV has been one of the greatest gaming pleasures of this year for me. I really did love every minute.

1. Arkham Knight ; All of the Arkham games are great. Seriously great. Even Origins, which I'd consider by far the weakest, is still a solid, fun game, with enough cool stuff of its own to stand out. Equal parts Metroid, MGS, Zelda, with a dash of Pilotwings and a bizarre but fun rhythm game-esque combat engine binding the thing together, it's a series which came out of nowhere in 2009 and knocked me on my ass, continuing to surprise and delight with each new title. And Arkham Knight is better than all of them. One of the things I've missed about this gen is that feeling of discovering powerful new technology, of being blown away by stuff not previously possible. Arkham Knight was the first game, visually at least, to give me that N64/Dreamcast event horizon moment of being part of something jaw-droppingly sexy and impossible. A lot has been said about the Batmobile. I personally absolutely love it. I've been driving it around Gotham's streets for some half year or so, and it still hasn't gotten old. And I'm deeply appreciative of the fact that it's not just a cool looking set of wheels thrown in to cut down on travel. That it's an integral part of both puzzle-solving and combat is something to the game's credit imo. Taking on 50 tanks and choppers and coming through without a scratch on hard is a real buzz, and some of the creative methods of overcoming obstacles are truly brilliant. It's the definitive Batman gaming experience, there's really nothing more I want from this series after AK, but of course I welcome any future attempts.