2015 has been an exceptional year for video games, with there having been a selection of landmark releases across all platforms, leading to one of the most diverse line-ups we’ve seen for quite some time. With so many great games having made their way into our grubby palms this year, it was difficult to narrow them down without feeling like we’d be forced to make some glaring omissions.
So we made a top 20 instead.
Here’s our selection of the top 20 best games of 2015, and as always, feel free to agree/disagree with us in the comments section below:
Top 20 Best Games of 2015
-
20. Super Mario Maker
Nintendo released their own official version of the Super Mario ROM hacks that have proven to be so popular over the years, with Super Mario Maker essentially offering players a barrel full of Mario assets and telling them to go create their very own levels. Getting the chance to assume the role of the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto and design our own Mario levels was a dream come true, even if the majority of our creations veered from the pointless to the absurdly difficult.
-
19. Halo 5: Guardians
Halo 5: Guardians was let down by a tedious campaign that, despite all of 343 Industries' intriguing pre-release marketing, failed to capitalize on the suggested conflict between Master Chief and the game's new deuteragonist Agent Locke. But although its single-player component may have been disappointing, 343 knocked it out of the park with the game's multiplayer, complementing that familiar Halo action with a variety of new gameplay features and modes (including the mighty Warzone) that helped make Microsoft's flagship franchise leap into the current console generation. Though it may not have received as much praise as 343 would have hoped for upon its launch, Halo 5 makes this list on account of it offering one of the best Halo multiplayer experiences ever - and considering the series' pedigree, that's no small feat.
-
18. Ori and the Blind Forest
A Metroidvania-style game with some of the most eye-catching visuals boasted by any release this year, Ori and the Blind Forest was a surprisingly touching adventure that captured our attention immediately with its memorable opening sequence, before taking us on a colorful journey through a selection of disparate environments, aided by wonderfully precise controls and a variety of unlockable maneuvers. One of the most accomplished indie games of the year.
-
17. Until Dawn
A video game homage to horror films, Until Dawn adopted the QTE-focused gameplay of Heavy Rain, threw in its branching narrative paths for good measure and then had the gall to also provide a more interesting game than David Cage's supposed magnum opus, too. Playing out like an interactive horror movie, unlike Cage and Quantic Dream's output Until Dawn didn't take itself too seriously, acknowledging its own ludicrousness and as a result being one of the most entertaining games of the entire year.
-
16. Tales from the Borderlands
Telltale Games have the monopoly on point 'n' click adventure games in the 21st century, so they had no one else to beat but themselves with Tales from the Borderlands. With The Walking Dead Season One still widely regarded as their greatest work, the developer came alarmingly close to trumping it with Tales from the Borderlands, an accomplishment which few thought they'd manage given its less interesting subject matter. Telltale proved they could continue to shine even when not held within the strict confines of another company's license, with Tales from the Borderlands proving to be the studio's finest game since 2012.
-
15. Soma
The survival horror genre has been threatening to make a massive comeback for quite some time now, with us having received a few terrifying games in the past few years that have hearkened back to the glory days of the Silent Hill and (early) Resident Evil series. Last year we had Alien: Isolation keeping us on the edge of our seats, and in 2015 Soma gave us more than a few restless nights, too. Frictional Games took their horror game underwater, a naturally creepy setting as BioShock has proven in the past, and provided the biggest scares of the entire year in the process. One of the sleeper hits of 2015, Soma continued laying down the paving stones for what we hope will eventually be a full-blown horror game revolution in the future.
-
14. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
The 3DS had a pretty unexceptional 2015, though Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate was a standout release that wound up more than satisfying its growing audience in the West. Released in Japan in 2013, MH4 finally made its way to our shores in early 2015 and provided fans of the series with more sprawling worlds to explore, more loot to obtain and, most importantly, more monsters to hunt alongside their friends. It wasn't a reinvention of the series, because it didn't need to be - it was more of the same only better, and that was fine by us.
-
13. Splatoon
When Nintendo first announced that they were working on a new IP for the Wii U, we did not think it would wind up being a multiplayer-focused shooter. But as is the case the majority of Ninty's first-party output, they managed to exceed our expectations by taking this game with the most dull concept imaginable - shooting walls and floors with paint - and transform it into one of the most fun games of the entire year. Splatoon provided a unique alternative to every other shooter on the market and saw Nintendo venturing into unexplored territory with confidence, along with providing one of the catchiest themes of the past few years in the shape of the infectiously joyous 'Squid Kid'. And now it's stuck in our head all over again. Great.
-
12. Forza Motorsport 6
The leap in quality from the underwhelming Forza Motorsport 5 to the excellent Forza Motorsport 6 was comparable to the growth of the Xbox One console itself, with it beginning as a disappointing husk of a machine before transforming into a robust and wonderful system in 2015. Forza 6 saw developers Turn 10 acknowledging the complaints that Forza 5 felt empty in comparison to its predecessors, releasing the broadest entry in the series to date with a vast assortment of vehicles for petrol-heads to race and customize. The end result was the first truly great current-gen racing simulator, and one of the Xbox One's greatest exclusives of the year.
-
11. Broforce
Doing more than just playing on its audience's nostalgia for off-the-wall '80s action movies, Broforce took a roster filled with familiar characters, from Rambo through to the Terminator and Ripley, slapped them in the middle of an hilariously overblown plot spearheaded by a gung-ho, war-mongering general keen for his soldiers to blow up any non-American in their sights, and then wrapped it up in explosive Contra-style gameplay. Fully-destructible environments and a massive roster of playable heroes, each with their own unique abilities, made Broforce a hugely enjoyable run and gun game and offered one of the more frenetic co-op experiences of the year.
-
10. Cities: Skylines
After aspiring dictators throughout the gaming community sighed in collective disappointment following the woeful launch of the underwhelming SimCity 2013, Cities: Skylines answered their prayers this years with a city-building game that was complex, rewarding and intuitive, allowing players to dive into the minutiae of their fledgling community whilst also exercising their creativity in its continued expansion. It put Maxis' game to shame, and wound up becoming the benchmark for any future city-building sims.
-
9. Rocket League
One of the most surprising hits of the year, Rocket League's release as a free download for PS Plus subscribers saw many being courted by this fast-paced game of car soccer, so much so that its servers buckled under the pressure and everyone was left waiting for blindsided developers Psyonix to get them back online again.
Once they did, Rocket League became one of the most heavily played games on both PS4 and PC, with its arcade-y simplicity granting it a high level of accessibility and a broad appeal that not only filled a Mario Kart-esque void in the year's video game releases, but was also one of very few great local multiplayer games that launched in 2015.
-
8. Pillars of Eternity
We don't see many CRPGs these days, with the joy of recreating that sense of adventure that can be found in tradition pen 'n' paper RPGs having been nullified over the past decade or so, thanks to the genre's growing emphasis upon loot-grabbing, leveling up and co-operative play.
Pillars of Eternity was a breath of a fresh air, then, as it felt like a true return to the likes of the Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment, focusing upon recreating that feeling of taking players on an epic journey through dangerous, mythical lands rather than placing an emphasis upon what sweet weaponry they could obtain when they reached their destination.
-
7. Rise of the Tomb Raider
The 2013 Tomb Raider reboot was well-received, but Rise of the Tomb Raider solidified it as one of gaming's top franchises. The most gorgeous Xbox One game to date, Rise of the Tomb Raider took Lara Croft back to basics in many respects, focusing upon goofy, Indiana Jones style adventure and intrigue rather than the grim and violent combat of its predecessor.
While this combat was still present in the game, this time it was complemented by more puzzle-solving and platforming, with its optional Challenge Tombs offering some of its best moments and serving to appease those who felt Tomb Raider 2013 was a little too action-oriented. Those who complained that the reboot was derivative of the Uncharted series now have to contend with the fact that Crystal Dynamics may have beaten Naughty Dog at their own game.
-
6. Life is Strange
Few games emotionally connected with players as much as Life is Strange did, with its engaging coming-of-age drama being blended with surprisingly (though masterfully handled) dark themes and told from the perspective of a teenage time-traveler.
Focusing upon the relationships young heroine Max Caulfield forms with those in the would-be-doomed town of Arcadia Bay, across its five episodes Life is Strange requires some serious decision-making from its players, with it also featuring more definable gameplay than many of its "interactive story" contemporaries. Life is Strange saw creators DONTNOD Entertainment delivering one of the most affecting and genuine stories of the year, putting the small development studio back on the map just two years after it was rumored that they had filed for bankruptcy following the failure of Remember Me.
-
5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
The incalculable level of excitement for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain threatened to be overshadowed by the tension between creator Hideo Kojima and publishers Konami, with the game releasing amid a slew of reports stating that the two parties' storied working relationship had come to an end following a heated disagreement. Fortunately, the quality of the game (which has been labeled Kojima's last, if Konami is to retain the Metal Gear license) showed few signs of its troubled development, as aside from its underwhelming ending - which understandably rattled fans' cages - MGSV boasted the tightest and most enjoyable gameplay of the series.
Some long-time Metal Gear fans were dismayed by MGSV's story taking a backseat to the action, especially considering that the game had been deemed the series' swansong. With every other Metal Gear Solid game having featured a long-winded narrative in which no stone was left unturned without being meticulously explained beforehand, Kojima's decision to leave players to enjoy MGSV without being met with a slew of lengthy cutscenes every few minutes didn't sit well with many. However, the game wrapped around its surprisingly minimalistic story-telling ranks among Kojima's best work to date, introducing a dynamic, open-world environment where players were left to tackle missions as they saw fit, and with protagonist Big Boss being equipped with more gadgets than ever before. While it arguably wasn't the perfect Metal Gear experience fans had hoped for, it was an ambitious and confident entry in the series, and if it is to be its concluding chapter, it was an accomplished and worthy swansong.
-
4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
We were given far more open-worlds to explore in 2015 than we really knew what to do with, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt set an early precedent for what games of its ilk should try to accomplish. CD Projekt Red returned to their beloved RPG series with their best entry yet, a sprawling and gorgeous game packed with a nigh-on unconquerable amount of content, along with a memorable and vast cast of characters and a script that set a new precedent for RPGs in general.
The Witcher 3 may have been somewhat marred by an awkward and imprecise combat system, causing many of the game's confrontations to devolve into frustrating battles of attrition, but there were so many things to do, places to explore and a diverse, often hilarious range of characters to talk to that eventually this flaw nestled into the background, overwhelmed by all the other good stuff the game had to offer. The Witcher 3 was an immensely replayable adventure through one of the most stunning and massive open-worlds we've ever step foot in.
-
3. Bloodborne
Following the underwhelming Dark Souls II, the series' creator Kazuhiro Hamatani returned after a short absence to take the helm of Bloodborne, which would become the PS4's best exclusive to date. While Bloodborne was immediately familiar to anyone who had ever played a From Software game before, it provided ample twists on its tried and tested formula, including a combat system with an added focus upon the agility of the player-character, causing those who were already very familiar with the likes of Demon's and Dark Souls to refine their strategies when engaging enemies.
The most startling addition, though, was its reduced difficulty curve, which served to make it less of an insurmountable task for newcomers (though, with this being a Souls game, still pretty damn difficult) without it being of detriment to the game. In fact, it helped it stand out among From Software's previous output, and considering that the Souls series' fans point towards its incredibly challenging gameplay being its biggest selling point, it's a testament to the quality of the game that few were riled up by it being "easier" than its predecessors.
Bloodborne was a perfect jumping-on point for newcomers to the Souls series, whilst simultaneously proving to be an excellent deviation from the battle-hardened veterans of the franchise.
-
2. Undertale
While those who had followed Undertale since its hugely successful Kickstarter campaign expected good things from lone developer Toby Fox's retro-inspired RPG, few expected it to be as good as it ended up being. Its premise of an interactive plot with branching narrative paths and players' actions having consequences within its world wasn't a particularly unique one, but Undertale pushed this concept further than it's ever been pushed before by having a players' decisions carry over through multiple playthroughs.
As such it felt like Undertale was growing more sentient with each playthrough, with it making a note of its players' actions each time they completed the game, then altering its world accordingly once they played through it again. If they mercilessly killed any creature that stood in their way, its world would become more hostile to the player, recognizing the evil atrocities they had committed and negatively reacting to their presence. However, if they opted to be deal with conflict in a peaceful manner, its world would change to reflect their good deeds and kind nature. As such, Undertale was an immensely replayable game that offered a new experience each time players ventured into its world, becoming the indie darling of the year and seeing its creator being earmarked as one of the best new creative minds in the industry.
-
1. Fallout 4
Though facing mighty competition in 2015, our game of the year has to be Fallout 4. Bethesda excelled themselves with their follow-up to the beloved Fallout 3, with it serving as a culmination of all the wonderful ideas they've inserted into their releases over the years, and tweaking them until they'd created arguably the greatest Bethesda game that we've yet seen.
Fallout 4 is a game which allowed players to get truly lost within its harsh open-world Wasteland. One second you could be embarking upon a quest for a synthetic detective, while the next you were storming a Raider-infested warehouse, methodically sneaking around its rooms with your crummy, underpowered pistol in the hopes that after clearing it of bad guys, you'd be rewarded with a more useful weapon in which to cut through your enemies. After clearing the shop, you could then step outside only to be met by a band of Super Mutants, who would decide to mercilessly rip you to shreds. It's brutal, unforgiving and uncompromising, but no game in 2015 managed to match the level of tension it provided, with venturing out of its pockets of civilization actually feeling as though you were taking your life into your own hands, something which the majority of post-apocalyptic games fail to replicate.
Even the seemingly throwaway new additions to the game, such as its introduction of player-created settlements, became massive time-sinks, with players finding themselves inexplicably addicted to building housing for their increasing band of survivors, developing ramshackle communities in a feature that they could choose to overlook completely with zero repercussions if they opted to do so.
We expected Fallout 4 to be massive, and we also expected it be good, but we didn't anticipated being so overwhelmed by its scale, its sheer level of content and its captivating narrative, which in itself is a vast improvement over Fallout 3 and New Vegas bolstered by wonderful vocal performances across the board. Though naysayers point to the array of glitches and bugs typically present in the majority of Bethesda games as a way of nullifying its triumphs, there's far too much to love about Fallout 4 to classify these as anything more than niggles in an otherwise fantastic experience.
