2015 saw a lot of great games. As the New Year approaches, writers Anthony Mendoza, Nile Koegel, and I all put our heads together and compiled a list of the top ten games to come out this year. Let’s take a look!
10. Life is Strange
Produced by Paris developers, Dontnod, with a little help from publisher, Square Enix, Life is Strange was a game that took everyone by surprise. It begins like a typical young adult novel: a passionate, but out-of-place teen moves back to her home in Arcadia Bay, Oregon, to attend a private, artist high school–but the game takes a sharp turn when we find out Max has the ability to manipulate time. Her superpowers, however, come with a price. Through much exploration, adventure, and time travel, we find out Max’s powers are wreaking havoc with not only the timeline, but the people and environment around her. Emotionally devastating, LiS is proof that a game isn’t always about gameplay and graphics. Centered on setting, characters and storytelling, Life is Strange told an addicting narrative in episodic pieces that left us wanting more. With amazing attention to detail, a beautiful evergreen backdrop, and its indie-folk score, the game is a complete package. Don’t miss out on this indie game available on ALL platforms. The Collectors Addition will be out next month! -Sandra Hahn
9. Ori and the Blind Forest
Ori and the Blind Forest adheres to the basic tenets of the metroidvania genre: find items, defeat enemies, explore caves, gain new abilities. Its aesthetics, though, are what truly sets it apart from its ilk. Gorgeous hand-painted visuals and silky smooth animation lend Ori and his world an organic, lush atmosphere that simply feels good to explore. The soundtrack – which is composed by Gareth Coker and was nominated at this year’s Game Awards for Best Soundtrack – takes on a primal quality that evokes memories of Celtic mythology and animated classics like Princess Mononoke. Maneuvering Ori around feels fantastic as well. The controls are responsive and fluid. Stomping and blasting enemies with spirit flames, meanwhile, produces both satisfying visuals and sounds. –Nile Koegel
8. Splatoon
When Nintendo first announced its plans for a shooter game back in 2014, many gamers balked at the idea. This was a company who preached fun for grandma and your five year-old brother alike. The extent of Nintendo’s concept of violence lay in the bloodless Smash Bros. series, so what would a shooter by the Japanese giant look like? The answer: lots of squids, and lots of ink. Splatoon’s major selling point is its ink mechanic. Every weapon in the game fires jets of brightly colored ink that leaves puddles on the ground. Players can shift into squid form to submerge themselves in these puddles, which allows them to swim around the map much faster than they could have by walking and jumping. Creative use of the ink mechanic allows skilled players to create ambushes, escape routes, climbable walls, and the like to gain the upper hand over their opponents. –Nile Koegel
7. Super Mario Marker
To kick off its 30 year celebration, Nintendo launched an excellent tribute to the 1985 legendary side-scrolling game. Originally released for the NES, this modern edition for the Wii U give players the power to create their very own levels and traverse them through the Mushroom Kingdom, with the option to publicly publish their work online for others to play. Nominated for Game of the Year, and winner of Best Family Game 2015, SMM proved to be a positive and challenging experience for both veteran and new players alike. Happy 30 Years, Mario! -Sandra Hahn
6. Undertale
Toby Fox’s first and so far only game, Undertale reinterprets what it means to exercise agency as a video game player. Undertale’s greatest charm lies in just how nuanced it is. Characters’ attitudes toward the player’s actions change depending on their previous decisions, and both the game and its characters will acknowledge that you’re distorting the game’s timelines if you attempt to avoid undesirable outcomes by reloading the game. It’s chilling enough to make the player realize that the seemingly coherent boundaries which define Undertale’s world are mutable, ever-changing, and liable to collapse at any moment. Undertale invites us to question whether we have complete control over the games we play, or whether we actually collaborate with a game and its other players to create new stories, with the knowledge that we were never fully in control of how the story ends. –Nile Koegel
5. Rocket League
Soccer…but with cars. Such a simple concept yet it turned into the breakout game of 2015 in Rocket League. Developer Psyonix had tried their had at the concept in the game’s predecessor and were met with fan adoration but saw very little return. Making Rocket League a free to play game for Playstation Plus users gave the series the spark it needed to enter the mainstream and now with 8 million plus players worldwide it looks like Rocket League is here to stay. At its core, Rocket League is the very definition of what a game should be. Easy to learn, hard to master, addictive, fun. Still a game like this can go completely wrong if the physics weren’t up to par but Psyonix made sure that would be no problem. It’s simplicity allows any level of gamer able to play a game and enjoy themselves. Now with major companies putting their themed content into the game (Back To The Future‘s DeLorean among others) the game can bring fun with a touch of nostalgia for gamers of new and old. –Anthony Mendoza
4. Bloodborne
Already receiving a good amount of buzz prior to its release, Bloodborne was nominated Game Informer’s most anticipated game of 2015. Once released, the game accumulated high praise among critics and reviewers. From the teams at FromSoftware and Sony, the action RPG is set in a dark, gothic world, where fans play as the Hunter, players must navigate and fight through a world infected with disease, dystopia, and gore. Filled with gods and enemies similar to something out of a Lovecraft novel, Bloodborne intrigued and excited many people, and even went on to receive a Game of the Year nomination for 2015. Joystick Awards allotted the game both Best Original Game and Playstation Game of the Year. In November of this year, an expansion for the game was released, The Old Hunters, available for $19.99. -Sandra Hahn
3. Metal Gear Solid V
Hideo Kojima’s swan song to the his iconic creation that spanned generations in both its lore and reality, Metal Gear Solid V was a phenomenal close to the series.Though it’s predecessors paved the way in terms of the stealth genre, Metal Gear Solid V felt like the definition of what a Metal Gear game should be. The decision to make the game open-world allowed players to get more creative in their approach to the game’s missions. Taking the recruitment and building element from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker gave players a chance to slow down the pace of the game and feel a sense of accomplishment in building their own Mother Base. Thats not to say there were no faults in the game. The public feud between Konami and Kojima (which arguably overshadowed the game) was felt in the final product. Missions had to be replayed on higher difficulties to unlock final missions and although the story and it’s themes were strong, some fans of the series were upset over the move away from its more narrative roots. Still with its very little shortcomings Metal Gear Solid V was a masterpiece and a appropriate farewell to the series from creator Hideo Kojima. If only Konami and Kojima were able to get work things out who knows how groundbreaking the game could have become. –Anthony Mendoza
2. Fallout 4
With the all the accolades Fallout 3 received the bar was set immensely high for it’s follow-up. When it was announced it at E3 the biggest surprise was that it was coming this year. Thankfully Bethesda delivered us the game we wanted. Fallout 4 gave fans of the series more of the content they loved about the third installment. Improved combat mechanics, a gripping narrative, and the open-world freedom were just a few of the key gameplay highlights. The ability to build a settlement added a much desired base system that was deeply missed in its predecessor. Character customization was top notch with 275 unlockable perks and it was easy for players to get addicted to finding the next part to upgrade their weapons. As Bethesda games are known for, the game came with its glitches and bugs but with the amount of quests and customization you have its easy to overlook it’s shortcomings. That being said, it’s easy to get lost in it’s world and gamers won’t be surprised when they sink 100 hours into Fallout 4. –Anthony Mendoza
1. Witcher 3
Produced by Developer of the Year, CD Projekt RED, and based off popular Polish fantasy novels by Andrezj Sapkowski, Witcher 3: WIld Hunt is the third and final installment in this bewitching RPG, fantasy series. Players step into the boots of Geralt of Rivia, who serves as a monster hunter for hire. Throughout the game players can explore a variety of different terrains, experience the fickle force of nature that is the dynamic environments, and face eerily intelligent enemies. Commonly compared to both Skyrim and Assassin’s Creed for its large, open world and gameplay, Witcher 3 boasts over 150 hours of play, with a slew of side quests to delve into (just don’t get lost). The all storylines are driven by an almost fantasy noir mystery, as Geralt is often attempting to track down the lost, sift through information, and use his Witcher powers and skills to slay whatever stands in his way. Developers additionally went above and beyond to outdo themselves with critically acclaimed DLC, Hearts of Stone. Winner of consecutive awards (sweeping both the Golden Joystick Awards and Gamspot’s across the board, as well as winning Best Role-Playing Game 2015 alongside Game of the Year 2015) Witcher 3 is playable on Xbox One, PS4, and PC–and is currently on sale with Steam for 50% at $30 USD! -Sandra Hahn
