NOT Your Game of the Year List // 2015

Warning. This is not the list you’re looking for.

Hundred and thousands of sites, big and small, put out their End of the Year collections of video games that stood out for various reasons. Us gamers also have the one televised event, whose winners will likely reflect those same sites with occasional differences here and there. While some creative folk out there have crafted up quirky categories to give shine to games others may skip for various reasons, I’ve decided to kick the status quo down the chute. This is…

Not Your Game of the Year List

The evolution of gaming and growing exposure in the public eye has been…interesting. We could all wax poetic about defining this and that, but none of the happenings are out of the norm for something that has gone from the hobby most kept tucked in their closet corners to a pop culture mainstay. More publicity = more opinions, some informed and many…not. Regardless, I love gaming from top to bottom. This list is a tongue-in-cheek look at the things that stand out to me. I want to see what games and categories would make your “Not” list in the comment section. So…shall we begin?

Can’t-Stop-Playing-This-Game of the Year | Elite: Dangerous

I’m very aware that Elite: Dangerous dropped in December 2014, but this list is about the games I played in 2015. ED was outside my grasp initially but, once I invested in a stout graphics card, it was the first thing outside of Company of Heroes 2 that I snatched up. If you’re not familiar, it’s a space exploration, trading, and combat simulator.Sim? How does it simulate something we can’t currently do in real life? Shut up. ED’s fun factor is difficult for me to articulate at times. I don’t engage in the combat so much, instead opting for the mostly calm life of a trader. Other than my run in with pirates, my experience is a loop of dock-purchase/sell goods-repair-travel to next station. There’s often a lovely collection of music or a dope podcast serving as the soundtrack to my journeys and it feels like I’m getting away from things. It’s calming. Frontier Developers, the devs responsible for this wonderful game, have added the Horizons expansion in recent months, adding planetary landings. In addition, I’ve convinced a handful of friends to grab the game as well so don’t be surprised if this pops up on my 2016 Not list. We’ll have to see if other space exploration titles like Star Citizen and No Man’s Sky will do enough to pull me away.

Don’t-Pay-For-This-Game of the Year | Smite

While things have changed in the last year or so, console users haven’t been able to experience the lovely world of free-2-play MOBAs. Xbox One has access to Smite and PS4 has a scattering of meh titles, but there’s hope going forward with games like Paragon and Gigantic on the way. Smite slid right into my MOBA slot after kinda of burning myself out on way too much League of Legends (it’s not uninstalled yet, so I could always relapse). It’s high energy excitement that’s a perfect balance of simplicity and strategy. These games also shine the high beams on shameless cash grabs like Rainbow Six: Siege, Star Wars: Battlefront, and more. Gigantic, one of the most fun multi-player experiences I’ve ever had, will be fully releasing this year and is very likely to dethrone Smite. Until then, I’m enjoying the ride.

Possibly-2016's-Game of the Year | Gigantic

Speaking of Gigantic…

I hope it has become clear that this list no place simply for dollar fueled hype, my friend. This is not the category where you see The Division, Uncharted, Street Fighter V, and such ride in on a wave of marketing funds and trailers. No. This a seat for a potential genre-defining, heartwarming, and wallet-caressing tour de force. While Ubisoft and others rape and pillage the Free-2-Play model, developers like Motiga are shaping it into a monumental experience. In Gigantic, officially tagged a “shooter MOBA”, two teams face off on various maps and fight for positions that give tactical advantage via abilities and monsters that can assist in combat, all while fueling their respective gigantic monsters. I can’t speak too much on the earlier version of the game I played at PAX South 2015, but that version alone is better than a lot of the games today. The growth it has seen since is positioning it as a favorite that I can’t stop talking about. Don’t miss out.

Wait-Until-The-Price-Drops-For-This Game of the Year | Rainbow Six: Siege

Hey. Didn’t you kinda rip this game a couple paragraphs ago?

Yes. I also did a full video review, ripping it with some lovely production value. Just understand this: Siege’s PvP is a lot of fun, just not $60 fun. Ubisoft packaged it as a gaming equivalent of a stick-up-man so, while it’s nowhere near worth the launch price + $29.99 Season Pass, the value would be there if you can catch it for $25 or less. I did the same thing with Evolve ($10 on Black Friday, would have got it at $20), suggested a group of friends do the same, and we’re having a lot of fun without feeling flat out robbed. The foundation is there for one of the best tactical FPS experiences, but it’s hidden behind a wall of “WE’RE GONNA ROB YA”, so just wait it out.

Best-Game-That-People-Hate-Is-Possible Game of the Year | Rocket League

It seems that many have an issue if you nominate a game that doesn’t have a sweeping fantasy epic, gun toting protagonist, or Batman for Game of the Year. Rocket League became a cult hit, gaining a lot of traction as a Playstation Plus free title, and has continued to deliver new and free content since. PC players have jumped on the bandwagon and tons of Microsoft only owners rejoiced at the news that it has an Xbox One release date. Why? It’s fun. It’s a lot of fun. It’s the most fun I’ve had with a sports game since NFL 2k5 & Need for Speed Underground 2. I’ve nearly gotten noise complaints from my over exuberant goal celebrations and I’m totally ok with that.

Game of the Year | Pillars of Eternity

For those curious what my more…uniform pick is for the most impressive title of the year, Pillars of Eternity takes the crown. I reviewed the title for The Koalition and honestly, the score (89%) undersells it. I’ve sat with the narrative a bit and Pillars leaves me with a feeling only The Witcher 3 has come close to. Check the hyperlinked review for more on that.

My Steam Blackhole #1 Contender | Undertale

In this last category, I want to pay tribute to my fellow PC gamers. We’ve all been promiscuous with our Steam purchases, leaving us with an ever-growing void of quality games that we may never get to. Every now and then, I find myself with a few free hours to shave off that list and this game will be the next I jump on. Undertale was one of the most interesting happenings of 2015: It found its way onto the VGAs as an RPG Maker indie product and even set gaming “purists” (mad air quotes as I typed that) into a fit because it dominated Gamefaqs Best Game Ever poll. The comment section as the poll went on was hilarious and more than enough to peak my curiosity, but a couple trusted friends and writers also spoke well of it. Hot on its heels is Hard West, a supernatural western Tactical Strategy title. I’m a sucker for isometric tactical ganes so this one immediately caught my eye. We’ll see where these two games fall as the year goes on.

So what games left an impression on you this year? Share your Not list down below!