So this year has in my opinion been a very interesting year for gaming as the 8th generation really did shine through this year and as always, we've had more sequels than original IPs, but that's OK. Now just to clarify, this list is games that made their debut this year so any ports will be missed out, but some compilations will still be counted. This is also going to play out the same as my films posts, just with video games. So let's get playing:
Batman: Arkham Knight
Now for this game, there has been a lot of hate for it, mainly to do with the incredibly broken PC version. But saying that, there are some other things people have wrong with this game such as who the Arkham Knight really is and Joker. But as a Batman fan, I couldn't care less what others think. I think its a fine game that is pretty much what I expected for the final game in the series. It builds upon things that were great in the last few games, retains continuity with those other games, has an all star cast and we can finally use the Batmobile which is all prepped for warfare. It is a huge game and is one of the best games in the series, even if it has a confusing ending and a very poor revelation later on.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Since playing the last game, I've started to really enjoy the Tomb Raider games and when this one was revealed, I just had to get it and honestly, its great. It builds upon what made the previous game great and while it may have a very similar story to the last (though this time with less things to worry about), its well acted by all cast members, the new gameplay mechanics are great and if you need anything to play until the next big action packed treasure hunting game, this will no doubt tie you over.
The Witcher 3: Witch Hunt
I got to be honest, I've never really played any of the Witcher games until now. I just didn't really think much about it. But now that I have played this game, I'm interested in seeing what the rest of the series holds as this game is very much like Skyrim in that its a massive game that you could play for hours on end and never get bored with what you get. Its a great game. Fantasy games I've never really been able to complete because of how massive most of them are, but that in itself is a good thing as it gets me to come back for more and this game does that as well. 9/10
Five Nights At Freddy's 3 + 4
So this was the year where I joined the fun in the FNAF games which since last year, have turned from just a simple survival indie game to a franchise where gamers get scared the s**t out off by animatronics and theorists try to go over the whole mystery behind the tragic story these games seem to share. In all my gaming life, I have never played a game where the story is a mystery and its just you in a office, fending for your life against these robot creatures which many claim to be possessed by the spirits of children. Who would've thought a simple point and click game could be so terrifying to the human soul. Still at least we can all be glad knowing that the main story is over, or so we think.
Cities: Skylines
So SimCity hasn't been doing well lately, though with EA, things seem to never go well with the so called "worst company to work for". But when it came to a point when people were crying for a city simulation game, developer Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive then gave us this. A game which is just like SimCity, but much more user friendly and more fun to play and playing it, it is exactly that. Its not entirely perfect as it does have its share of bugs, but nothing too massive to make you want to play this game in all its glory. So check it out, you won't be disappointed.
Codename: S.T.E.A.M.
Me and turn based strategy games have never really played well together. But when STEAM came out, I decided to check it out and honestly, its actually not too bad. The game gets its title from a gameplay mechanic used in the game in which any move you make, uses up steam. So that's moving, attacking and the like. The story kind of follows some kind of alien invasion and its up to this special ops team to put an end to this invasion. Its nothing innovative, but its one of these games in which you can just play to pass the time and while I haven't personally experienced it yet, this was one of the first 3DS games to make use of Amiibo or more specifically, those Amiibo which are Fire Emblem characters. 8/10
Mario Party 10
I may have said this in my initial review, but for many years, I chose to miss Mario Party because of how long the game takes for each player's turn. I even tired out the DS game, but that was beyond long. So in the end, I decided to give the Wii U game a try and I have to say, its certainly an improvement over previous games with things moving much smoother and quicker and there's a lot to do in the game as well and its not just amiibo. If you're wanting the best Mario Party game out there, this would be it.
Mortal Kombat X
Ever since I played Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe, you could say I've become a fan of the former (though I've been a long time fan of the latter too). Mortal Kombat's way of fighting has always made it so that its blood hungry, gruesome and has given us lines like "Get Over Here" as well as showing us that in a fight, you got to have some moves that are so over the top, that it just makes fighting that much more interesting. This game continues all those trends that the franchise is known for and keeps giving us more things to like such as 8th gen graphics, a good story mode and plenty of bonus content and the like to keep us entertained for many years to come, at least until the next game anyway.
I am Bread
Ever since Steam came out, the indie market has gone through the roof with the way Valve has treated Indie developers which is with respect. Its the reason why there are more Indie games on Valve compared to other markets which may sound hard to believe, but as someone who has spent more on Steam this year than any other year, I am one to believe such a thing. But lets talk about I am Bread. This is basically a simulation game in which you control a piece of bread and you just have to get it toasted without hitting other objects. As easy as it sounds, its not that easy to do. Its not your typical game and I wouldn't go as far as calling it great. In fact I would go as far as calling it the funniest game this year with how bizzare it is and how much fun you could have with the game. Its actually more fun than you might think. 8/10
Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Hits
Basically, this is a free Wii U app which you can download from the eShop and as its name implies, you use the amiibo you have and place it on the GamePad and you will then unlock a timed demo of games originally released on the NES and the SNES in their Virtual Console forms. Not much else to say than that, but if you wanting to try before buy, this is a good way to do it, assuming you have amiibo of course. 7/10
Disney Infinity 3.0
Its true that I did miss the first 2 games, but with this one, I decided to finally get into Disney Infinity because with Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars all in one game, this just made my dreams come true. The ability to plays as a wide range of characters from across many of what are now assets to Disney. Its very fun to play. It lets your imagination run wild and with the series continuously bringing out new things throughout the years it has been around, this won't end any time soon. And I'm sure when 4.0 comes out, we can expect to see even more things to come, going beyond what the series has already. A love letter to all Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars fans out there, old and new.
LEGO Jurassic World
As everyone knows, most tie-in games tend to not do well and TT Games has had a mixed to positive response to that remark with many of their LEGO titles. Their latest game which continues that trend, is Jurassic World which unlike the toys, actually bases itself on all 4 films including Jurassic World which released this year. And if I'm being honest, its actually pretty good. It remains true to all the films which each one having their own hub world with stuff to do in each and you can even make your own hybrid dinosaur (which Game Theory did a video on). Its great, can't say any more than that.
Super Mario Maker
This is the Super Mario game that we've all been wanting for years. The chance to make our own levels using elements of some of the plumber's best 2D platformers. And the best thing about it, is that compared to LittleBigPlanet, its very user friendly (though it does take inspiration from that game). It also serves as the last Nintendo game that the late Satoru Iwata worked on before his passing (RIP) and its very clear that a lot of time and effort went in to making this game. Its just a great way for Nintendo to say thanks to all their loyal Mario fans over the years by giving something back in return.
Mad Max
Of all the games WB released this year, this seemed to be the only one where the PC version was not criticised, but it still had some critism, if any. So ever since the first Arkham game came out, WB has had more confidence in recent years to bring some of their most beloved and popular franchises into video game form and in triple A form, something of which wouldn't have been possible back in the 80s, 90s and early 00s. Their latest game to do this is Mad Max. Not intended to be a tie in to Fury Road, but more of a standalone game in the franchise where Max wants his car back and goes to great lengths in order to do so. Its an almost perfect game in every way if it wasn't for how the quests play out and the story being confusing at times. But still, its a great game and definitely one for the fans.
Angry Birds 2
You know after so many games been released, I really don't see how the franchise can warrent a game with the number 2 on it. It just doesn't make sense to me. So here we are with the long awaited sequel to Angry Birds which makes things a bit more difficult, but still retains the gameplay that we know and love and makes things a whole lot different as a result and this is the good different, not the bad. However, it does fall into the trend that most games follow these days which is in app purchases in order to carry on, or wait for a period of time. I've never been a fan of those sorts of games and I never will. But you'll enjoy this game nevertheless if you're a fan of the birds.
Rare Replay
Most times when I do this list, I don't put ports on, I don't put remakes on and I especially don't put compilations on it, unless both provide something new that wasn't seen in the original game and make things better. In the case of Rare Replay, you got 30 games to play from Rare's long history and as you play those games, bonus content gets unlocked so that you can enjoy hearing about Rare's long history. They are not the great developers that they were back in the day, but this compilation hopes to relive your childhood memories while also trying out games you never heard of before while also hearing about the history of the developers. Its not perfect and some of the games didn't age well and/or could've been replaced with something much better than what we got, but as it is, is a good compilation.
LEGO Dimensions
So Skylanders lets you play as characters from that franchise whereas Disney Infinity lets you play as characters from Disney and all its assets. LEGO Dimensions on the other hand, let's you play as characters from all sorts of well known and beloved franchises which are not restricted to just WB. Not only is there DC, Lord of the Rings, LEGO Movie, Scooby-Doo and LEGO's own franchises, but we also have the likes of Ghostbusters, the Simpsons, Back to the Future and even Portal and Doctor Who. I will say that many of you will love this game as it tackles many franchises which nerds have loved for many years and still love to this day. It is pricey, but then again, LEGO is generally pricey anyway. But this game really does embrace what LEGO is and lets us enjoy mashing things up with unlikely alliances and a wide range of weapons, gadgets and the like to choose from. And one of the best things about this is that all franchises are well represented such as each character having their own specialised hearts, characters from the LEGO Movie moving in stop motion like in the film and even the Doctor can regenerate into all his incarnations when he dies. Not only that, but most of the actors who originally played these characters reprise their roles such as Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown and Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly (the first time the latter has done this role in a long time). Plenty of fun to be had here.
PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist
When you have a successful career at being a Let's Play YouTuber, of course things like this are going to happen and despite the name, I'd say this game not only celebrates arguably the biggest YouTube star out there, but also those YouTubers who make a living out of playing video games with interesting commentary for YouTube which has since become big and demanding for YouTube (even going as far as having YouTube make their own platform for those videos which as we all know, Jimmy Kimmel made fun of in his show and was criticised because of it). So anyway, the game sees PDP go on this 8-bit adventure to save his fans from some evil force with the help of some of his friends such as Markipler and Jacksepticeye. I'd say if you like pixelated graphics, pop culture and of course, PewDiePie, this game is for you and it is fun and definitely one to satisfy your nostalgia. 9/10
Assassin's Creed Syndicate + Chronicles: China
Unity and Rouge were not good games, so thank the lord that Ubisoft made the outings to Assassin's Creed this year, much much better. In Chronicles China, you get to play through a side scrolling game playing as this chinese assassin which Ezio meets in the short film Assassin's Creed Embers and while its not perfect, it does change a lot for the series and makes something new and I do like how it goes about this new genre for the franchise. Not only that, but you just got to love the graphics which look beautiful and handrawn. Its great. As for the triple A game, it has become a favourite of mine with it being so far the only game where I know most of the real historical characters as well as it taking place in a time period which I like which is London during the Industrial Revolution. I suppose the only things I don't like about that game is the difficulty in some areas and how it recycles ideas used in games like GTA and Arkham. But don't let those come between you and your decision about the game. Both game are great and will serve you well in the long run.
Nintendo Badge Arcade
It looks like Nintendo really do care about personalisation with their products and continuing this trend, is Nintendo Badge Arcade. A game where you can win badges through playing claw grabbing games and put those badges on your home menu to make it more your own. Its kind of a neat idea, but unfortunately, there are times where you can play for free and then there are times where you have to pay real money. However this being Nintendo, they are not the sort that would rub in app purchases in your face and the price is pretty reasonable so I can't complain. 7/10
Kerbal Space Program
In real life, building rockets is not an easy task as it requires a lot of work and more time than you can count in order for it to be all OK. Kerbal Space Program is quite a complicated game I have to say, but its perfect for people who like making rockets and just want to have fun. This manages to do just that, but don't expect it to be a walk in the park. It is complicated, but you'll get used to the controls very quickly.
Fallout 4
The Fallout games have always been considered to be Bethesda's biggest franchise aside from Elder Scrolls and the like. With Fallout 4 finally released, everyone has been wanting this game and we finally get it. It follows similar gameplay mechanics to 3 and New Vegas and is one game that shows how an open world sandbox game should work. It can be very personalised to all players and has no limits as far as I'm aware. It takes place 10 years after Fallout 3 and takes place in a post-apocolyptic retro setting. Its a good game and probably one of the best games to come out of 2015 and its certainly one that fans have been waiting for, for years and we finally have it. So just remember to get all those bottle caps because you're gonna need them. 9/10
Yoshi's Woolly World
The latest in the Yoshi franchise, comes in the form of a home console game, the first since Yoshi's Story on the N64 and honestly, its great. It's more or less the same story in that Kamek is up to no good and Yoshi and his friends go after him and his minions. But this time, things are all made of wool and the game takes full advantage of that to the point of even getting Nintendo to make Yoshi amiibo made to look like soft toys. And one good thing about it, is that through various means, the game can be played by both hardcore and casual gamers if certain conditions in the game are met. Its tailored to your needs and its fun.
BroForce
To summarise this game, this is basically a game that is on about the typical gamer stereotype, defined as a bro who just loves to run and shoot things. Kind of like Call of Duty, but in a genre and style that I like which is creative 2D side scrolling platforming, and also its pixelated too. Not only that, but they did for a limited time, do an Expendables themed thing which was pretty cool. Its certainly a game tailored to those who love action and retro gaming, but having the sense of things people are familiar with in the mordern days of gaming. Its all good, that's all I can say. 9/10
So that's gaming for 2015. Its been one heck of a year for gaming and I know for sure that next year will be bigger. So happy gaming to you all and I will see you next year.
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