1. Until Dawn ; Been years since a game blindsided this much. Very effective tension, great graphics, charming actors delivering those campy lines better than in most actual horror movies.
2. Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance ; As a Disgaea nut I was actually worried the series was going to lose me here, but the great enhancements & lovable cast made sure that didn't happen. Probably my favorite cast since Disgaea 2 and favorite Disgaea of all time.
3. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; A streamlined open world RPG with Japanese sensibilities and some very unique and fantastic areas. The enormous scope of some of the geography paired with awe striking draw distance is something to behold. Absolutely amazing.
4. Life Is Strange ; Has some rough edges like the English voice acting and some awkward dialog, otherwise maybe the best story of the year.
5. Cradle ; A short and sweet eerie sci-fi story. All discovery, no drawn out cutscenes. Lame mini-games but they are skippable and become pretty easy once figured out.
6. Her Story ; A completely unique style of game with the story delivered in the perfect way to spark a lot of interesting discussions and theories.
7. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ; Fantastic console port: performance matching PC very closely (3-4 second loads, solid 60fps). The Souls game with the largest variety of great unique weapons, armor, and magic. Also includes the DLC which has some of the best areas and bosses in the game by far.
8. Bloodborne ; The few technical issues and lack of replayability & build diversity took its toll on my enjoyment of the game early on. But it was made up for through its fantastic mood & boss design and, in Souls fashion, probably the best DLC of the year.
9. Soma ; Great execution of first person sci-fi psychological horror. The type of game we need more of.
10. Undertale ; Quirky, funny, thoughtful design, and some spot on brilliant music. A really amazing feat for a single person.
2. Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance ; As a Disgaea nut I was actually worried the series was going to lose me here, but the great enhancements & lovable cast made sure that didn't happen. Probably my favorite cast since Disgaea 2 and favorite Disgaea of all time.
3. Xenoblade Chronicles X ; A streamlined open world RPG with Japanese sensibilities and some very unique and fantastic areas. The enormous scope of some of the geography paired with awe striking draw distance is something to behold. Absolutely amazing.
4. Life Is Strange ; Has some rough edges like the English voice acting and some awkward dialog, otherwise maybe the best story of the year.
5. Cradle ; A short and sweet eerie sci-fi story. All discovery, no drawn out cutscenes. Lame mini-games but they are skippable and become pretty easy once figured out.
6. Her Story ; A completely unique style of game with the story delivered in the perfect way to spark a lot of interesting discussions and theories.
7. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ; Fantastic console port: performance matching PC very closely (3-4 second loads, solid 60fps). The Souls game with the largest variety of great unique weapons, armor, and magic. Also includes the DLC which has some of the best areas and bosses in the game by far.
8. Bloodborne ; The few technical issues and lack of replayability & build diversity took its toll on my enjoyment of the game early on. But it was made up for through its fantastic mood & boss design and, in Souls fashion, probably the best DLC of the year.
9. Soma ; Great execution of first person sci-fi psychological horror. The type of game we need more of.
10. Undertale ; Quirky, funny, thoughtful design, and some spot on brilliant music. A really amazing feat for a single person.