Welcome wonderful people of the internet to my now annual listy type thing. Those that read last years list will be familiar with the general idea, but for the benefit of those who are new (or forgot) here is the general premise of this list;
1. The games that appear are ones I have played this year.
2. They are in no particular order.
3. The games in question don’t have to have been released this year, merely played by me.
Now that, that’s all done with lets get this list started… some of us have places to be.
Every so often my mind just goes back to this game. It’s got a strange mix of point and click, platforming and shooting that, while jarring at first, grows on you. But its the narrative that really made it stay in my mind long after I’d finished it. Your expectations are played
with and twisted in unexpected ways.
Its only the first part of a series, but its a strong one and I truly hope that the next installment will be as memorable as the first.
This game was very much ahead of its time and a critical success, sadly like most things that are like that it was a commercial failure. It
laid the ground work for the Bioshock series and many other games came to adopt some of its techniques. Perhaps its a case of rose
tinted glasses but for me I still say it holds up well, especially now that there are some mods that overhaul the graphics.
I’m also happy to report that it seems that the System Shock series isn’t dead just yet. It seems a indie team by the name of Otherside
Entertainment are working on System Shock 3… here’s to hoping they do it justice.
This game surprised me, it really did. I mean, I knew I’d like it from the very premise of the game, but what surprised me was just how well it was actually done, far far above my expectations. True, the arkham style combat didn’t have quite the fluid feel that the Batman series does and there were plenty of times I could just scream in frustration at the game… actually at one point I did and had to go
for a walk before returning to it.
But that’s just it, I kept coming back. Over and over I pushed until eventually I won, and then I did it all again. There aren’t many games that can get me do that.
I’ll tell you a secret, I really like cartoons, old and new, and I really love playing games that make me feel like I’m playing a cartoon. Rayman Legends is one such game. Throw in that this game is challenging and funny (especially on those musical levels at the end of each world) and you have a bit of a winner with me.
What would you say if I said that a game that forces you to make some absolutely abhorrent and morally grey choices which in turn makes you feel like a horrible person is perhaps one of the most engaging games to come out in recent years? Well it is. This War of
Mine makes the act of resource management actually mean something, do you steal food from an old lady so that perhaps one of your team can survive another day? That’s the kind of thing this game will make you decide with reasonable frequency.
Go play it, feel awful and then try to do better and I don’t mean just in the game either.
Who thought that Creative Assembly, a company best known for creating the Total War strategy games series would be the ones to create a good Alien game? It certainly wasn’t me, but I’m certainly glad that they did. This game managed to create the same fear and tension that the films have without resorting to too many cheap jump scares. You can tell they studied to source material of the films in great detail from just the way the walls and furnishings look, its actually quite amazing.
Steampunk mechs, those two words sold me this game utterly. I’ll admit I bought this game after having watched Totalbiscuit play it, it just looked so fun and a really unique way of utilizing the match three formula.
This game is hard too, and has a lot of depth. You’ll be making strategic choices and whooping for joy with each win. Also this game is the only one this year that had me yell the words ‘FIRE!’ when I shot rockets at enemy mechs… I don’t know why.
I was shocked by how good this game was, yes its a run and gun shooter in the vein of many old school shooters, but this had a brain to go with its guns. It’s an over the top, bombastic, romp that will literally take you to the moon and back.
Honestly if you like first person shooters at all you’ll probably really love this game. There is so much I want to say for it but I think perhaps its best you just read my review.
Is it a game or not? Who cares! It tells a great story that the player has to piece together themselves, in fact that’s kinda the point of the game. Perhaps it more aptly fits the term ‘Interactive Narrative Experience’ but I think that’s just a bit pretentious. Either way, I’m not here to argue the merits of whether its a game or not. It’s a good experience and I hope that other titles aspire to experimenting so boldly.
Whimsical. If I had to describe Child of Light in one word it would be that. The story of the game is pretty basic and those that have played a few of the more eastern inspired RPG’s will be familiar with the combat. Its the art style that had me so captivated, I’ve always had a weakness for the art nouveau art movement and this game totally takes advantage of that. I kept exploring the world to see what else I could find.
There you have it, my favourite games (that I’ve played) of 2015. If you have any disagreement, or just want to talk about it feel free to hit me up on the messenger or reblog.
Have a wonderful new year everyone!
