Favorite Games of 2015
2015 was an excellent year in gaming. Many surprises, fewer disappointments (I'm looking at you, 2014)
List items
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Out of all the games on this list, this is the one that held my direct and uninterrupted attention the longest. Bloodborne was released a day before spring break, causing my entire vacation to be a straight Bloodborne 60 hour binge. Although I did put 90 hours on Metal Gear Solid V, it was not nearly as focused or as enjoyable as my time in Bloodborne. The best part of the Souls games to me has been the story telling and level design. Bloodborne brought me into it's immersive world and didn't let go. I hadn't felt this way since Dark Souls.
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Undertale is hard to describe, it's inspired by JRPGs like Earthbound but isn't a JRPG itself. It's more of a shmup but even that description barely fits the bill. Undertale starts out as a memey game starring two silly skeletons named after the most hated fonts. As you delve further into it you see that it has much more going on than you might think. The soundtrack has been playing in my mind since I first heard it, and it's ending has been with me since I experienced it.
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Metal Gear Solid is my favorite thing in the world. So for people like me, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain's story is a disappointment. I am so torn on this game, it features the best gameplay in the series, but the worst story. There is so much to this game, managing Mother Base, sneaking around open areas in any way you want, and the usual Metal Gear insanity. Metal Gear Solid V would probably be my number one game of 2015 if it hadn't been such a tease with the lackluster story. There is a very large and obvious gap in the story department, most likely due to the Konami/Kojima Kerfuffle. Although once you know the true ending of this game there is an argument to be made that the game was not meant to be a story experience. But the mere presence of what is Metal Gear Solid V's fragmented story makes the missing pieces that much more confusing and painful to see. The Kojima conspiracist inside of me wants to say that the story is incomplete to give us our ultimate "Phantom Pain." But I also find it hard to believe that Kojima would purposefully damage his game to make us feel that much more like Venom Snake. I expect that we will still be talking about this aspect of Metal Gear Solid V for years to come. Much in the same way that we are still analyzing Metal Gear Solid 2, and only recently coming to terms with that game's twists and turns.
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**MINOR PLOT SPOILERS**
SOMA punches you in the gut, sucks out all of your hope, and forces you to question what life really is. How real does consciousness have to be for it to be consciousness? Are we living in a simulation? And if we are would it matter? Is it better to accept the world as it is, or abandon your body by dumping your mind into a virtual world to escape the apocalypse? Here is my favorite moment in this game: Early in the game you can take a survey asking about how you would feel about living in a simulation. At first I was fully against the idea of dumping my mind into a virtual world. However, in the end of the game you are given the same exact survey. At this point in the game I had gone through a lot. I'd seen more of the world and how messed up it had become. This caused me to change all of my opinions and I was very supportive of virtual consciousness. This is where I realized that SOMA is the best science fiction game ever made and asks the toughest questions I have ever pondered in a video game. I went in fully against an idea, but came out with a completely different opinion.
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The Witcher 3 is at it's best when it is telling stories, featuring some of the most intriguing side quests in video games with branching paths that continue far beyond any other game. This game is big, sometimes TOO big. I don't feel too interested in doing every single thing in this game because it is not all equally good. The map is muddled with hundreds of question marks, some more interesting than others. And the only way to find the good ones is to do all of them.
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The best part of the Bayonetta 2 is that it comes packaged with the best version of Bayonetta 1. Bayonetta is unplayable on PS3 and barely acceptable on 360. The WiiU version does not run at a constant 60 frames per second, but it is still much better than the original releases. Bayonetta 2 felt a bit easier than the original title. This is probably due to Hideki Kamiya not directing the sequel. This is not a bad thing however, as Bayonetta 1 felt a little too hard at times. Both games are gorgeous in style and substance, and two of my favorite character action games.
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Making Mario levels has been a dream of all Nintendo fans. While we have had romhacking tools that have allowed this, Mario Maker makes this accessible to everyone. Mario Maker's tools are incredibly easy and intuitive. Mario is not a complicated concept, so making levels is not a tedious process. The WiiU gamepad has been completely justified by this game. Although not perfect, Nintendo did a much better job than they usually do when it comes to this game's online integration.
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Splatoon is the most Nintendo-ass game ever made. The Nintendo version of the online shooter. Everything in this game is lovingly designed, and I can't get over how cute this shit is. Nintendo still supports this game with free DLC and updates that only made the game better and kept everyone's attention.
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**LIFE IS STRANGE EPISODES 1-4**
Life is Strange is the first episodic game I made it all the way through. Although some of the writing feels a little "How do you do, fellow kids?" The game explores actions and consequences in a proper setting with a time rewinding mechanic that complements the story and alleviates the "X will remember this" problem. I am excluding the final episode of this series because it was very disappointing in all facets. The ending of Life is Strange season 1 was underwhelming and predictable. It also features a horribly annoying stealth section that involves collecting bottles? I have nothing but negative things to say about episode 5, but episodes 1-4 still keep Life is Strange on this list.
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Batman: Arkham Knight may have been a technical mess but as a game it still stands out this year. We finally got to explore a fully realized city to truly become Batman. There are several standout moments in this game, namely the opening cremation/first person sequence and the final inner-psychosis/dream sequence are two of the best moments of 2015. Although the Arkham Knight's identity is very obvious to fans of the comics, I felt that his sequences are done very well. Some people may have their gripes with the real main villain, but every second he is on screen I loved. This game has the best use of loading in things behind your back. Gotham City Police Department;s role as a sort of museum for your completion of the game was excellent, it really allows you to see how much you were accomplishing throughout the night as the Bat. My biggest problem with the game was locking the "true ending" behind the Riddler trophies. There are too many Riddler trophies in this game. I also fault this game for its lame side quest design. Scanning dead bodies became repetitive fast, chasing Firefly was never fun, and the Deathstroke boss fight was somehow not as good as it was in Arkham Origins. There should have been more sidequests like Hush's appearance. Short, interesting, cinematically entertaining, and doesn't feature any repetitive bullshit. The intro to the Man-Bat quest is done very well, but goes on to have you do the same thing multiple times.
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