The end of the year means another best of post series for the best of 2015. This was a tough year, with a lot of strong games from the Indie market and some of my most anticipated titles being pushed back. As always, we begin with the pre-show and a chance for me to give out some random awards.
I missed the boat Award — The Talos Principle
I didn’t get a chance to play The Talos Principle until 2015, but it was easily one of my favorite games this year and it would have been a shoe in for the top 3 last year. It was an amazing puzzle title and proved that Croteam is not just a great FPS developer. DLC was released earlier this year to make things even better; making the Talos Principle a must play.
Don’t Hold your Breath Award — Fallout 4
If you’ve a frequent visitor to the site and listener of the podcasts, then you know how much I don’t like CRPGs, especially Bethesda’s style. There was no way I was going to pick up Fallout 4, no matter how much my friends tell me otherwise. Maybe at some point when it’s super discounted, but for now, I don’t think so.
Best of 2016 Award — XCom 2 and Darkest Dungeon
The two games that I was sure would end up on my best of 2015 list were delayed until 2016. While signs are pointing to them being amazing games, I sure hope that this doesn’t come back to bite me in 365 days from now.
Most Disappointing — Prison Architect and Anno 2205
Two games from niche genres which sadly didn’t do enough to wow me. I enjoyed my time with both titles, yet there was something missing from each.
In Prison Architect’s case, I wanted more ways to differentiate prisons from one another and to make each play feel different. Anno 2205 started off well, but it became too much of a grind without any growth to the mechanics. One note, both games are due for more content, which means these problems may not be there in a year’s time.
“I could have been a contender” Award — Metal Gear Solid 5 ,Batman Arkham Knight, Bloodborne and Xenoblade Chronicles X
Sequels to some of my favorite series in recent memory…and I haven’t played any of them. I actually own Arkham Knight, but I haven’t gotten around to playing it. Something tells me that any of these games could show up for the “I missed the boat” award for 2016. As for Bloodborne and Xenoblade Chronicles X, the same thing goes: I simply didn’t have the time to play them; in Bloodborne’s case, I still don’t have a PS4.
11th Place Award — Sunless Sea:
Sunless Sea marks Failbetter Games’ first foray into Early Access and their first title to feature action-based gameplay. Combining their love of storytelling with the Fallen London universe, Sunless Sea was an interesting combination. While the game didn’t hook me, it’s still a great game and hopefully means more unique designs coming from Failbetter.
And that’s it for the pre-show, check back here for updates of my best of, starting with #10.
