LONG BLOG
Ooktar's games of 2015... finally.
What? 2015 was over 3 months ago? Well tough titties. I've been rather busy with all sorts of stuff from getting my license to breaking my pelvis to buying a car and having it crap out the same day and all sorts of other fun real life stuff.
Anyways getting away from all that grim crap I finally put together a list of games that I liked from 2015. Like last years, these aren't in any particular order as I hate trying to put anything into any particular order. 2015 wasn't such a hot year for games in my opinion. I mean there were definitely some games that I liked a lot but frankly there were more games that I was disappointed in. So out of those here's a bunch of games that I enjoyed.
Super Mario Maker
I admit I wasn't initially all too excited about Super Mario Maker. I never felt I was that great of a level designer and as such I wasn't sure I would really get into making levels in Mario Maker. I couldn't have been more wrong as Nintendo managed to make making levels so accessible and fun that I was immediately pulled in trying to see what sorta stuff I could pull off. Though Post Launch support could be a bit better than it's been and there's a lot of stuff not present that I'd like to see added, what's there is still worth checking out.
Her Story
Her Story was so great that I already wrote a whole blog about how much I enjoyed it. To sum up my opinion though, it's a fantastic mystery game that uses it's mechanics in a very unique way to tell it's story.
Cities Skylines
Sim City has been one of my favorite series since I was a kid playing it on the computers at my school. After the disaster that EA put out a few years ago now, I wasn't too hopeful of seeing a proper modern update to one of my favorite games. Then out of nowhere came Cities: Skylines which took almost everything that I wanted in a new Sim City game and made it a reality. Cities Skylines may be the best City Building game I've played and it's support from both the developers and the community make for a game that will last for a long time.
Mad Max
Mad Max sorta has the same reputation as Alien. It's inspired all sorts of video game franchises and media but any attempt at an actual licensed game until recently has turned out to be a dud (until Alien: Isolation at least). In comes Avalanche, the folks behind Just Cause, finally making a game worthy of the Road Warrior. Cruising across the desert in your custom vehicle as you work your way to making the ultimate car manages to really make you feel like Mad Max out in the wasteland. Taking little bits and pieces from other games it's not the most original experience but like Shadows of Mordor or Sleeping Dogs, it takes various mechanics and manages to mix them up right.
Soma
I've never actually beaten Amnesia The Dark Descent. Not that it's too scary but for some reason every time I've started it up I manage to get to around the same point and end up getting sidetracked and not coming back to beat the game. Soma however I beat in one sitting because it pulled me in and gripped me tight from start to finish making me constantly want to see what's next. It's incredible atmosphere, design and deep thought provoking story makes for one of the best atmostpheric horror games I've played.
Hotline Miami 2
Hotline Miami sorta came out of nowhere when I first played it and it just blew me away. It's incredible violence and unique 80's atmosphere made for one of the most unique games I've ever played. So obviously I was pretty stoked to see a sequel. Hotline Miami 2 delivers the same kind of ultra violent fast paced action of the previous game with a few tweaks and multiple characters with different playstyles. While I personally didn't think the overall story was quite as good as the original it's still interesting and makes you think.
Wolfenstein The Old Blood
The first PC game I ever played was Wolfenstein 3D, so as such I got a lot of nostalgia for the series. While over the years the series has had ups and downs with the excellent Return to Castle Wolfenstein followed by a mediocre reboot, Wolfenstein The New Order was the most fun I've had with a first person shooter in a long time. The Old Blood retains the same fantastic gameplay of The New Order taking place beforehand and seeing the events leading up to it. It doesn't have quite as strong a story but it's still very much one of the better First Person shooter experiences I've had.
Grow Home
Grow Home is hard to explain without actually playing it yourself. You play as a robot who is attempting to grow a giant plant in order to harvest it's seeds. On paper it sounds simple but the game itself is one of the most interesting and unique experiences I've had with a game. With a unique control scheme for climbing and a vast world to explore, it's a relaxing yet engaging experience.
Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask 3D
Majora's Mask is probably my favorite Zelda game so it was a no brainer that Majora's Mask 3D would likely make my favorite games of the year. The game itself still very much holds up but now with it's fresh new look and welcome additions truly makes it a game that must be played. Fans who have played it countless times will still find it a nice fresh change while those who haven't played it now have the option of the definitive version of the game.
Olli Olli 2
Olli Olli 2 is to Olli Olli what Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 is to Tony Hawks Pro Skater. I know that sounds like a rather obvious comparison but it's a bit deeper than that. Olli Olli 2 retains all the same 2D skateboarding gameplay of trying to land the biggest combos possible but also adds a big game changer in the form of manuals. This takes the game to a whole new level as you'll be pulling off 100+ trick combos from start to finish making for an incredibly exhilerating game.
Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition
You ask pretty much any Devil May Cry fan and they'll tell you Devil May Cry 3 is the best in the series. Devil May Cry 4 however doesn't quite get the love that I think it deserves. Nero's Demon Arm and Chargeable sword and Dante's abiltiy to switch styles and weapons on the fly make for some of the best action gaming yet. With Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition, Capcom took a 7 year old game and updated it with new characters, modes, costumes and more which in my opinion knocks it off Devil May Cry 3's spot as the best in the series.
I am Bread
I am Bread is admittedly a novelty game, meant more so to make you giggle at the ridiculous premise more than anything. But like it's creators predecessor, Surgeon Simulator, underneath there actually is a surprisingly fun game to be played. Making your way across various places to become toast can be hard but the challenge is rather fun and there's a funny storyline to go along with it. There's other modes too like Bagel racing and even a no gravity mode that gives your bread booster packs.
Titan Souls
Titan Souls is what you get when you take the tough as nails bosses of Dark Souls and throw them in a Shadow of Colossus like world. It's basically a Boss only style game like Shadow of Colossus but the bosses are incredibly tough. The big catch is that the Bosses only take one hit to kill, however you only get One single Arrow to fight them with. Not a whole lot of depth to the game and it doesn't take long to beat but it's still very much worth checking out still.
Crypt of the Necrodancer
If you took Dance Dance Revolution and combined it with a Roguelike you'd get Crypt of the Necrodancer. An incredibly addictive rhythm based roguelike game where you must move and attack to the beat of some incredibly great music. Unlock characters, weapons, spells, and more and even upload your own songs to play the game to.
Transformers: Devastation
What do you get when you hand the Transformers license to one of the greates Action game developers ever? You get Transformers Devastation. Platinum games challenging high octane action meshes perfectly with Transformers universe to make the best Transformers game to date. With tons of cusomization options, 5 playable characters and all sorts of collectibles make for an all out fun experience.
D4
I admittedly still haven't played Deadly Premonition. I've started it up a few times but then I get sidetracked by other stuff and just haven't gotten back into it. Swery65's other game D4 hit PC though and I love it. It's zany cast of characters and captivating story are some of the most interesting I've seen in a game. Here's hoping that one day it actually gets finished.
Senran Kagura 2
Senran Kagura's rep comes from it's cast of overly busty female characters whose clothes slowly disinegrate as they fight, but under the surface is a surprisingly fun beat em up style game with a Dynasty Warriors like combat system and a few interesting mechanics. Senran Kagura 2 does an excellent job combining the 2D style of Burst with the 3D style of Shinovi Versus into a fluid fun action game that manages to maintain a consistent quality throughout all the action.
Persona 4 Dancing All Night
I only just played and beat Persona 4 about a year ago but it still managed to become one of my all time favorite games which is a testament to the gameplay and characters being able to just suck you in. Persona 4 Dancing All Night doesn't have nearly as strong a narrative as the original game but for someone who just wants to see more of some of my favorite characters then it's pretty much what I asked for. The fact that it's a pretty fun Rhythm game as well is a plus and the music is top notch.
Prison Architect
As I said about Cities Skylines, Sim style games are some of my favorite games which I can easily lose hours to building up a utopia and tending to my people's needs. Prison Architect is a unique take on this concept in that the people your taking care of are violent criminals that you have to keep locked up. Expanding your prison from a small county jail to a full on penitentary makes for a challenging but fun experience.
Broforce
If you took some of the greatest action movie heroes and threw them into a video game about liberating the world from terrorists, you'd get Broforce. Broforce's ridiculous concept on top of it's explosive and action packed game play make for one of the funnest game I've played in recent history.
Nuclear Throne
Vambleer have become masters of their craft. Making addicting fun little arcade style games that are great to just pick up and play whenever you feel like just getting your game one for a little bit. Nuclear Throne is another great game in their repetoir taking roguelike style permadeath and randomization and mixing it with a high octane top down shoot em up. With all sorts of unique characters and a plethora of weapons to come across, Nuclear Throne is very challenging but incredibly addicting.
Fallout 4
Some people seemed a little disappointed in Fallout 4 and it's understandable. Compared to the jump from say Oblvion to Skyrim it's doesn't take quite the technological leap. So those expecting something fresh in the world of Fallout were a little underhelmed. However those of us that really just wanted more Fallout even if there wasn't a whole lot new got pretty much what we asked for. Exploring the wasteland, looting buildings, leveling up, killing raiders, taking on quests and completing them how you see fit is all still there and feels very much like Fallout though a bit more streamlined with the Dialogue Wheel and refined Perk system.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (A Hideo Kojima Game)
Metal Gear Solid V seemed to have generated more controversy than anything with Konami's overall handling of the game and it's creator Hideo Kojima. It's troubled development, evidence of all sorts of cut and missing content and shady post launch support are all seemingly talked about more than the actual content of the game. Which is a shame since what is actually there makes for mechanically the best Metal Gear Solid game, if not the best Stealth Action game of all time. The sheer amount of freedom, new mechanics and interactivity all make for one of the most in depth games I've ever played and one of the few games I managed to easily sink over 100 hours into. It's almost a love letter to the players like me who like to attempt every little thing possible to see how we can go about completing a mission or who just like to mess about in the game world.
So that's another year down the crapper. Here's hoping that his year has a bit more to look forward to.
LOOK WHO CAME:
