Fallout 4

There are going to be discussions about which of this year’s titles deserves the “game of the year” title and there are going to be dissenting opinions. The reason for that is that there have been so many quality games released and that each one appeals to different kinds of players. Off of the top of my head I can list a good deal of games that I’d consider for game of the year; The Witcher 3, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Tales from the Borderlands, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Fallout 4 are what I’m thinking of right now. That is an interesting list by any standards, running the gambit from artistic, fun, open-world, insane and rich storytelling. All of those traits are represented and honestly, I’m probably missing a few games that I either haven’t played yet or don’t intend to play that others are going crazy over. Like, the new Assassin’s Creed was actually pretty good! Bloodborne kept masochists happy!

Bloodborne

The big three for most will obviously be The Witcher 3, Fallout 4 and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. For me, personally, The Witcher 3 takes the cake here. Released back in May of this year, which in game terms is a very long time ago, the trials and tribulations of Geralt of Rivia are still etched into my memory. Stuff like the Bloody Baron quest line provided depth and emotion into a game that I am not sure that I’ve seen in a very long time, at least not in a major AAA title. The world was lush and interesting, with every new town feeling unique and like it was actually populated by people who were doing stuff outside of giving the player quests or items. This was also the first game that felt “next generation.” Load times were marginal, the game looked and ran beautiful on every system and it was more than just an incremental step from the previous game.

Regardless of what your jam was in 2015, there is a good chance that you are walking away from this year with a healthy backlog of super, high-quality games that you still need to play.