Now that we're finally in 2016, I feel like it's appropriate to talk about our favorite games from the previous year! Since a lot of people have already scratched that itch this past week, the week before, this past month...well, I'm still going to go ahead and throw in my 2 cents! These are the games I've played from 2015, in 2015 and the accolades I would bestow upon them using nothing more than my own personal bias! Feel free to do the same of course.
Counting these five games alone, I've spent over 125 hours playing games on my 3DS which I'm sure was my most played console this year. At least it felt like it since the two Wii U games on my list push my total Wii U time above 133 hours! This year, like last year, was primarily a Nintendo year for me but this is mainly because I felt much more comfortable spending on Nintendo Software than shelling out for new Hardware. Not that I'm complaining since every game on my time list was a game I had fun playing.
The Nintendo Badge Arcade is a free to play app that only really offers me two things. It offers me little pieces of flair for my 3DS touch screen and it offers me a wish fulfillment fantasy when it comes to UFO catches and crane games. I haven't spent a single dollar on this app and yet I'm closing in on my 150th badge all from one to three free plays per day since I downloaded it. I've never been someone who has had a lot of success with actual crane games but the Badge Catching Arcade's physics are set up to where it's really easy to get at least one badge to tumble out and into your virtual pocket. I don't really spend money on themes and what Nintendo Badge Arcade provides for me is an inexpensive way to populate my 3DS with some characters who I really enjoy. The Badge Bunny is also an example of Nintendo creating an incredibly charming character for an incredibly small gaming experience.
When it was announced during E3 of 2014, I thought Splatoon looked really interesting. I always thought that Splatoon would be a ton of fun if I could play it and when I got it the week it came out I got it with the understanding that this game would probably not work very well for me. Even when I lived in an area with a good internet provider I've always had trouble playing online games mainly due to lag and latency issues. What made me decide to go with Splatoon though was the positive online experiences I've had with Smash 4 and Mario Kart 8. When I got home with Splatoon I was pleasantly surprised that latency issues and lag were downright non-existent for the first week with minor issues cropping up as time went on but nowhere as bad as what I was expecting. What's more is that Splatoon itself is a really interesting take on online shooters that I have a lot of fun with when Windstream decides to let me use the Internet. Even if I'm stuck offline though, the single-player bosses are worth fighting and the amiibo bonus courses offered a nice challenge...though it would have been nice if the Squid amiibo was sold separately.
So, guess which trap I fell into this year? I waited with baited breath for each new theory on what the Hell is going on in the FNAF Universe and enjoyed those discussions and theories so much that I've watched and re-watched past videos time and again since they were published. I've played the original Five Nights and its first sequel but by playing those, all it really illustrated was that I had more fun with that game series when I was watching other people go through the trouble of playing. I was deeply engaged by the Five Nights At Freddy's series this year but mainly as a passing spectacle.
I only got Xenoblade Chronicles X on the 28th of December and the only reason it's not on my Top Five Most Played Games list above is because I spent exactly one minute more punching out Krillin as Browly. The thing is, I'm well and truly finished with DBZ: Extreme whereas with Xenoblade Chronicles X I'm still relatively early in the game and it has done such a better job of engrossing me than its predecessor that I'll be sticking to it either until I've completed the main narrative or until I've made it to the 80 or 90 percentage mark when it comes to overall completion. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a game that presents a diverse world that I'm having a lot of fun just running around and exploring since it seems like your player character is a descendant of the player character from Crackdown what with their ability to jump about 2-stories high and climb up 80-degree inclines via sprinting. I find the combat a lot more fun in XCX since guns seem more ubiquitous, I love the monster design and the planet Mira and I absolutely can't wait to get back into the game and discover more of that planet's secrets.
I want to like Undertale. I want to go back into Undertale and finish the game off so that I can say I beat it. I really like the characters in Undertale. I absolutely love the dialog in Undertale. The soundtrack to Undertale is probably my soundtrack of the year. The art style of undertale is simple but it's still very effective. The puzzles that you need to solve in Undertale are pretty fun and some are downright funny. My problem with Undertale however is the combat system. I tried going for a pacifist run and that is still my intention when or if I go back. What the game has me do is really interesting conceptually but once I'm in the game I find the bullet-hell type of combat to be tedious if not frustrating. I dread random encounters, I dread boss fights and it got to the point where I just don't even want to bother going back into the game myself. I enjoyed Earthbound because it took what JRPGs were at the time and twisted them just enough to make itself special...something very enjoyable. With Undertale though all I get out of the combat system is frustration. Please understand that this is just a game that disappointed me and there were other games from 2015 that I outright disliked.
This is the one game from this year that I downright disliked. Undertale disappointed me but I would much rather struggle through its combat system to get to those glorious character moments than try and solider through another minute of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D. Now I can already hear you saying, "But Shoggoth! If you hated this game so much than why did you play it for so long?" to which I would reply, "I refuse to be beaten!" When I started playing Majora's Mask I was taken in by the new graphics and the new camera control granted by the New 3DS XL's C-Nub. The first two dungeons were more or less how I remember them...at least until you get to the bosses who fail to convey damage in a significant way unless you hit their unnecessary new Gohma eyes. I never really liked this entry in the series to begin with but what kept me going normally was the promise of the Zora Mask which was fun to use on the Nintendo 64. Acquiring that mask in the 3D version however is a huge let-down when you realize that Link can no longer swim with any speed unless you use magic, thus killing one of the few truly fun aspects of the game. The farther I progressed in Majora's Mask, the more angry I got. The further I progressed in Majora's Mask, the more I encountered side quests and temples that I strongly disliked. When I finally made it to the end and realized that the final sub-dungeons that would unlock the Fierce Deity Mask were also changed so as to be more tedious I snapped on the inside and chose to fight Majora as a human boy. I didn't play through Majora's Mask to the end because I had fun with the game...I played through to the end out of white hot anger and spite. I should have got Monster Hunter 4. I should have got Codename S.T.E.A.M. I should have got Shante or, Steamworld Heist or, Fantasy Life or one of any number of games I've missed from previous years. Majora's Mask is not my least favorite game of 2015 because to me, the least favorite would be the bronze medalist...the number 10 in a top 10. Majora's Mask 3D is the game I hated in 2015.
I loved FTL: Faster Than Light a couple of years ago when it was new and shiny. What I disliked about FTL was how it sometimes felt like when you start a game, you're essentially pulling the level of a slot machine and hoping you line up enough 7's to make it to an end-game victory. Despite putting a lot of hours into FTL, I've never won a single game. Not one, even on easy. Fast Forward to September when this game officially launched. RE:IS is a similar game to FTL in that you are set on the task of going from node-to-node and heading towards a predetermined endpoint. Each node can have an instance or no instance at all. When it comes to instances, your party can defeat foes by brute force, guile or, diplomacy: This is a game whereby you can defeat a Ghost Pirate by emotionally breaking him. The cast of characters is incredibly diverse, with each character having their own quirks, skills, personalities, etc. It makes the game seem more alive despite its cartoony aesthetic. The game can be beaten relatively quickly too, making it a fun pick-up-and-play sort of game and one which I had a lot of fun playing this year.
Xenoblade Chronicles was a game that I played for about 30 or 40 hours back during the 2012/2013 Wii U games drought. It wasn't a game that really impressed me but it kept me playing with my Wii U between sporadic releases. Xenoblade Chronicles X, unlike the Wii original, grabbed me within the first hour and ever since I've been hooked. I don't feel I've spent enough time with the game yet but I also feel like I won't have spent enough time with the game in a few weeks from now when I'm closing in on a hundred hours game time. I find it difficult to put the game down when I get back into Mira but what's keeping me from naming this my game of the year is that I can already tell that there will be lulls in the action. Times when I'll have nothing better to do than grind since I've already hit a wall where my character's were either under-leveled or couldn't find the correct resources. I can't wait to get back to Mira and I'm sure this will be the game I play as I wait for the big releases of 2016.
I've written a review about Yo-Kai Watch so I'll just leave it here;
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.932108-A-Shoggy-Look-at-Yo-Kai-Watch
Yo-Kai Watch is a game I've been anticipating since it was announced back in 2011. Slow sales in the US have me a bit worried about its future as a franchise here on Western shores and those fears are compounded by the fact that Japan is incredibly far ahead when it comes to spin offs and sequels. That being said though, I'm glad we got this game at all. The small scale allows for a greater emphasis on characterization, the Yo-Kai themselves are nicely varied and charming and, there is a ton of content for a new IP on a handheld. Yo-Kai Watch is similar to Pokemon admittedly but the differences are enough to set it apart from its rival and really make it stand out. I really hope the US gets all of the other main Yo-kai Watch games but even if we don't, the first game was my favorite game this year.
Now I'm ready for 2016 and now I've blown my load. Feel free to use my template if you like or feel free to make up your own categories. If you want to go over your favorite games from 2015 again or for the first time now that we're in 2016, feel free to do it here. Just thought I'd also reiterate how this is a 100% subjective list based on how much fun these games were to me[sub][sub]...not that I'm some kind of A-List personality anyway...[/sub][/sub]
5: Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden (19 hours, 33 minutes)
4: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3DS (21 hours, 44 minutes)
3: Splatoon (29 hours, 48 minutes)
2: Yo-Kai Watch (83 hours, 50 minutes)
1: Super Mario Maker (104 hours, 8 minutes)
4: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3DS (21 hours, 44 minutes)
3: Splatoon (29 hours, 48 minutes)
2: Yo-Kai Watch (83 hours, 50 minutes)
1: Super Mario Maker (104 hours, 8 minutes)
Counting these five games alone, I've spent over 125 hours playing games on my 3DS which I'm sure was my most played console this year. At least it felt like it since the two Wii U games on my list push my total Wii U time above 133 hours! This year, like last year, was primarily a Nintendo year for me but this is mainly because I felt much more comfortable spending on Nintendo Software than shelling out for new Hardware. Not that I'm complaining since every game on my time list was a game I had fun playing.
The Game that I wish I had played more of this year
Gunman Clive 2
The Original Gunman Clive was an incredibly pleasant surprise. Not only was its low cost alone was enough to entice my but what I got for the price of admission was an incredibly charming side-scrolling shooter. The sequel, like the original, offers really tight side-scrolling shooting action with a great hand-drawn aesthetic and quirky character, level and enemy design. I played less than an hour of this game mainly because other games came and went either from this year or previous years that captured my attention and kept me away from this inexpensive, tight and, fun platformer.Gunman Clive 2
My Favorite Gaming App
Nintendo Badge Arcade
Nintendo Badge Arcade
The Nintendo Badge Arcade is a free to play app that only really offers me two things. It offers me little pieces of flair for my 3DS touch screen and it offers me a wish fulfillment fantasy when it comes to UFO catches and crane games. I haven't spent a single dollar on this app and yet I'm closing in on my 150th badge all from one to three free plays per day since I downloaded it. I've never been someone who has had a lot of success with actual crane games but the Badge Catching Arcade's physics are set up to where it's really easy to get at least one badge to tumble out and into your virtual pocket. I don't really spend money on themes and what Nintendo Badge Arcade provides for me is an inexpensive way to populate my 3DS with some characters who I really enjoy. The Badge Bunny is also an example of Nintendo creating an incredibly charming character for an incredibly small gaming experience.
My Most Pleasant Surprise
Splatoon
Splatoon
When it was announced during E3 of 2014, I thought Splatoon looked really interesting. I always thought that Splatoon would be a ton of fun if I could play it and when I got it the week it came out I got it with the understanding that this game would probably not work very well for me. Even when I lived in an area with a good internet provider I've always had trouble playing online games mainly due to lag and latency issues. What made me decide to go with Splatoon though was the positive online experiences I've had with Smash 4 and Mario Kart 8. When I got home with Splatoon I was pleasantly surprised that latency issues and lag were downright non-existent for the first week with minor issues cropping up as time went on but nowhere as bad as what I was expecting. What's more is that Splatoon itself is a really interesting take on online shooters that I have a lot of fun with when Windstream decides to let me use the Internet. Even if I'm stuck offline though, the single-player bosses are worth fighting and the amiibo bonus courses offered a nice challenge...though it would have been nice if the Squid amiibo was sold separately.
The 2015 game that I most enjoyed watching other people play
Five Nights at Freddy's 3 & 4
Five Nights at Freddy's 3 & 4
So, guess which trap I fell into this year? I waited with baited breath for each new theory on what the Hell is going on in the FNAF Universe and enjoyed those discussions and theories so much that I've watched and re-watched past videos time and again since they were published. I've played the original Five Nights and its first sequel but by playing those, all it really illustrated was that I had more fun with that game series when I was watching other people go through the trouble of playing. I was deeply engaged by the Five Nights At Freddy's series this year but mainly as a passing spectacle.
The game of 2015 that I'll likely be playing most while waiting for the first big game of 2016
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Xenoblade Chronicles X
I only got Xenoblade Chronicles X on the 28th of December and the only reason it's not on my Top Five Most Played Games list above is because I spent exactly one minute more punching out Krillin as Browly. The thing is, I'm well and truly finished with DBZ: Extreme whereas with Xenoblade Chronicles X I'm still relatively early in the game and it has done such a better job of engrossing me than its predecessor that I'll be sticking to it either until I've completed the main narrative or until I've made it to the 80 or 90 percentage mark when it comes to overall completion. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a game that presents a diverse world that I'm having a lot of fun just running around and exploring since it seems like your player character is a descendant of the player character from Crackdown what with their ability to jump about 2-stories high and climb up 80-degree inclines via sprinting. I find the combat a lot more fun in XCX since guns seem more ubiquitous, I love the monster design and the planet Mira and I absolutely can't wait to get back into the game and discover more of that planet's secrets.
Undertale
I want to like Undertale. I want to go back into Undertale and finish the game off so that I can say I beat it. I really like the characters in Undertale. I absolutely love the dialog in Undertale. The soundtrack to Undertale is probably my soundtrack of the year. The art style of undertale is simple but it's still very effective. The puzzles that you need to solve in Undertale are pretty fun and some are downright funny. My problem with Undertale however is the combat system. I tried going for a pacifist run and that is still my intention when or if I go back. What the game has me do is really interesting conceptually but once I'm in the game I find the bullet-hell type of combat to be tedious if not frustrating. I dread random encounters, I dread boss fights and it got to the point where I just don't even want to bother going back into the game myself. I enjoyed Earthbound because it took what JRPGs were at the time and twisted them just enough to make itself special...something very enjoyable. With Undertale though all I get out of the combat system is frustration. Please understand that this is just a game that disappointed me and there were other games from 2015 that I outright disliked.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
This is the one game from this year that I downright disliked. Undertale disappointed me but I would much rather struggle through its combat system to get to those glorious character moments than try and solider through another minute of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D. Now I can already hear you saying, "But Shoggoth! If you hated this game so much than why did you play it for so long?" to which I would reply, "I refuse to be beaten!" When I started playing Majora's Mask I was taken in by the new graphics and the new camera control granted by the New 3DS XL's C-Nub. The first two dungeons were more or less how I remember them...at least until you get to the bosses who fail to convey damage in a significant way unless you hit their unnecessary new Gohma eyes. I never really liked this entry in the series to begin with but what kept me going normally was the promise of the Zora Mask which was fun to use on the Nintendo 64. Acquiring that mask in the 3D version however is a huge let-down when you realize that Link can no longer swim with any speed unless you use magic, thus killing one of the few truly fun aspects of the game. The farther I progressed in Majora's Mask, the more angry I got. The further I progressed in Majora's Mask, the more I encountered side quests and temples that I strongly disliked. When I finally made it to the end and realized that the final sub-dungeons that would unlock the Fierce Deity Mask were also changed so as to be more tedious I snapped on the inside and chose to fight Majora as a human boy. I didn't play through Majora's Mask to the end because I had fun with the game...I played through to the end out of white hot anger and spite. I should have got Monster Hunter 4. I should have got Codename S.T.E.A.M. I should have got Shante or, Steamworld Heist or, Fantasy Life or one of any number of games I've missed from previous years. Majora's Mask is not my least favorite game of 2015 because to me, the least favorite would be the bronze medalist...the number 10 in a top 10. Majora's Mask 3D is the game I hated in 2015.
Renowned Explorers: International Society
I loved FTL: Faster Than Light a couple of years ago when it was new and shiny. What I disliked about FTL was how it sometimes felt like when you start a game, you're essentially pulling the level of a slot machine and hoping you line up enough 7's to make it to an end-game victory. Despite putting a lot of hours into FTL, I've never won a single game. Not one, even on easy. Fast Forward to September when this game officially launched. RE:IS is a similar game to FTL in that you are set on the task of going from node-to-node and heading towards a predetermined endpoint. Each node can have an instance or no instance at all. When it comes to instances, your party can defeat foes by brute force, guile or, diplomacy: This is a game whereby you can defeat a Ghost Pirate by emotionally breaking him. The cast of characters is incredibly diverse, with each character having their own quirks, skills, personalities, etc. It makes the game seem more alive despite its cartoony aesthetic. The game can be beaten relatively quickly too, making it a fun pick-up-and-play sort of game and one which I had a lot of fun playing this year.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Xenoblade Chronicles was a game that I played for about 30 or 40 hours back during the 2012/2013 Wii U games drought. It wasn't a game that really impressed me but it kept me playing with my Wii U between sporadic releases. Xenoblade Chronicles X, unlike the Wii original, grabbed me within the first hour and ever since I've been hooked. I don't feel I've spent enough time with the game yet but I also feel like I won't have spent enough time with the game in a few weeks from now when I'm closing in on a hundred hours game time. I find it difficult to put the game down when I get back into Mira but what's keeping me from naming this my game of the year is that I can already tell that there will be lulls in the action. Times when I'll have nothing better to do than grind since I've already hit a wall where my character's were either under-leveled or couldn't find the correct resources. I can't wait to get back to Mira and I'm sure this will be the game I play as I wait for the big releases of 2016.
Yo-Kai Watch
I've written a review about Yo-Kai Watch so I'll just leave it here;
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.932108-A-Shoggy-Look-at-Yo-Kai-Watch
Yo-Kai Watch is a game I've been anticipating since it was announced back in 2011. Slow sales in the US have me a bit worried about its future as a franchise here on Western shores and those fears are compounded by the fact that Japan is incredibly far ahead when it comes to spin offs and sequels. That being said though, I'm glad we got this game at all. The small scale allows for a greater emphasis on characterization, the Yo-Kai themselves are nicely varied and charming and, there is a ton of content for a new IP on a handheld. Yo-Kai Watch is similar to Pokemon admittedly but the differences are enough to set it apart from its rival and really make it stand out. I really hope the US gets all of the other main Yo-kai Watch games but even if we don't, the first game was my favorite game this year.
Now I'm ready for 2016 and now I've blown my load. Feel free to use my template if you like or feel free to make up your own categories. If you want to go over your favorite games from 2015 again or for the first time now that we're in 2016, feel free to do it here. Just thought I'd also reiterate how this is a 100% subjective list based on how much fun these games were to me[sub][sub]...not that I'm some kind of A-List personality anyway...[/sub][/sub]
