Like my list last year this list is purely what I’ve played this year, i’ve not played every AAA title, some of which I think would have been close to making this list (Dying light) and others I played a bit of but I couldn’t get into (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt). I’d have love to found a place on this list for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, just to justify the amount of hours i’ve sunk into it, but it also falls short because A. It came out a long time ago and B. I’m not sure its a game.
Some fantastic games fell short of my list, reissues of Grim Fandango, Resident Evil, The Last of Us and the Unfinished Swan as well as Everyones Gone to the Rapture, Destiny (post patch), Yoshi’s Wooly World, 80 Days, Downwell, Gauntlet and Cities Skylines.
10 Her Story (Steam) Weirdly this was the most memorable thing I played for the weekend I played it, then instantly I forgot it. While I was getting through this mysterious game most of my time not playing it I was thinking of phrases and words to look up to help me unravel it, I’m not sure if the experience could be repeated or copied in other games but it was a remarkable and unique experience.
09 FAST Racing Neo (WiiU) With F Zero forgotten about for the time being this game snuck in and filled all my futuristic racing needs. Beneath the sparse menus lies a deep game with a variety of unique environments to race on. Adding a mechanic that involves changing the colour of your ship to boost at points makes some races feel like a rhythm game, the only downside is the cost of making a mistake can seem fairly harsh, but the speed of the game makes sure that the pack of other racers are always in reach. On top of all this it looks great, has robust online play and is relatively cheap too.
08 Rocket League (PS4) Playstation Plus has become a great place to find gems like this. Simple in its concept, football with cars, but the delicacy of the controls and physics of the ball add much more depth. A great game online, although failed attempts at clearing the ball or stopping it on the line left me with nowhere to hide on a few occasions (luckily the community is forgiving). Not much more to add about this game, great fun and really addictive.
07 Journey (PS4) The HD reissues of this and The Unfinished Swan gave me a chance to experience two games I'd been interested in for the first time. Journeys relatively short and sombre story of a characters travels through a desert is fairly ambiguous but delves into some deeper concepts toward the end. Gameplay is fantastic, and it's a game which gives you new mechanics quickly then takes them away so nothing really gets repeated or feels overused and awesome moments like gliding down massive sandy dunes are more memorable because they feel unique. Bumping into other players made me feel connected whilst almost more alone on my journey, especially the harrowing moments when they exit your game. Loved it all the way to its emotional conclusion.
06 Splatoon (WiiU) In many ways the antithesis of an online shooter. Short easy to understand bursts of gameplay without voice chat and oozing Nintendo charm. Playing it never feels too overwhelming, and while other players are at a higher level than me (and better at the game) I always feel useful and that winning matches is within my grasp. Add to this the constantly expanding roster of levels and weapons, the surprisingly deep single player campaign and the robust online play (I've never been kicked out of a match or experienced any lag) and Nintendo have made one of the most inventive and addictive shooters i've played.
05 Bloodborne (PS4). I doubt I'll ever finish Bloodborne, and I didn't get much over halfway through the game. The time I spent with it though was unlike anything I'd played before, addictive while unsettling at the same time. Progress is painfully slow, but played at such a rhythm that I wanted to keep coming back, in fact if and when I return to it I'd be tempted to start again as the game relies so much on knowledge of the areas your in and enemy placement. The few bosses I beat took everything I'd learnt in the game to beat, and none of them felt easy while at the same time they all felt beatable, a hard thing to balance. On top of all this it's probably the best looking game of 2015 with some fantastic art direction.
04 Mario Maker (WiiU) As the WiiU began to seemingly wind down its output of games Nintendo shook things up with one of the best titles I can remember them releasing in years. A simple enough idea, give the player the tools to make a Mario game through 4 different styles, is made all the better by the ease of use and fantastic UI. Its only flaw, is a personal one. Beyond creating levels with a theme, my abilities, or patience are limited and I don't get to experience the full extent of the creative tools given to me, instead I play others levels in awe of whats made. On top off all this its got a great integration with Amiibo (and possibly the best) and continues to be supported with updates.
03 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (PS4) I had so much fun with this game, a large sandbox with dozens of bases to approach in countless ways, and it allowed a lot of leeway for my appalling stealth ability. The game gets a lot better story-wise in the second act, with the final revelation being fantastic (although predictable). I had a couple of issues with the game, it went beyond frustrating with a couple of missions (including the fantastic climax to Quiets story) and the character Quiet was way over sexualized, which is such a shame as she was a great character with an interesting story to tell, its hard to take any of that seriously when she's parading about almost naked for little reason. These issues were minors blips though in a great game.
02 Undertale (Steam) Charming, witty and dark at the same time. Amongst a small group of games which have made me laugh aloud (intentionally) and I found it hard not to adore its twisted cast. Along with this it keeps messing with traditional turn based combat, turning most encounters into fun, skill based mini-games (think Warioware with a story). I thought it looked great, simple graphics but well done, especially at points when it played with weather and light. The ending I got was a brutal fight with a boss, but leading up to that there was a touching message from the game which made the 6 hours or so I spent with it worthwhile. Despite being wrapped in an RPG shell, probably the most accessible game on this list, and the one I'd recommend the most.
01 Fallout 4 (PS4). Since Fallout 3 I've grown to love the world the games exist in. Whereas a lot of RPG worlds feel created or false, Fallouts world feels beaten up and lived in. Rifling through long dead peoples belongings can be tragic or funny while useful at the same time. The step up to the new generation of consoles has made the world seem less grey, small settlements are now filled with neon and storms of a bright green rage from time to time. It's still a buggy game in places, and some mechanics are either still a bit fiddly or are added and a whole new type of contrived (base building for example). Beyond that though its a fantastic experience, features added like a more streamlined weapon customisation, power armour which runs on fuel and the aforementioned base building fit into the game seamlessly and makes the hoarding through junk meaningful. Storylines unravel throughout the map as you wander about and can be funny, unsettling or sad. There was a weight to the choice of what faction I choose to join, or at least support, and instead of going with the most powerful group I actually toyed with the morality of my choice. Its a game I'll keep coming back to and is everything I'd have hoped for.
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