I Wrote A GOTY 2015 List Because I Have Nothing Else Better To Do

There have been a wide range of video game critics saying that 2015 has been a good year for gaming, and I cannot disagree. Even with the few games I did get to play, lots of them struck me in the feels bone and it is always good when games strikes you in the feels. With that in mind, here are five games that I consider to be the diamonds for gaming in 2015. It will be followed by two honorable mention lists, one for the games that didn’t quite make into top-5, the other for games that were released in 2015 that I really should’ve played, but didn’t.

No.5 DiRT Rally

I have literally zero interest in any form of motorsports other than off-road racing, and rally racing really stands out for me because of its unique form of sportsmanship. It is purely about speed-running. It goes against the rules of track racing, and through going sideways through corners, your seeming lack of control is giving you more of it. Beneath the engine roars and flailing gravel and mud is a certain form of zen — no rules, no race track curtsies, just you, your car, your trusty co-driver and the bumpy road. It is not a fight with physics — you cannot win against physics. It is a dance with physics. Your car is the ball room and the road is the music. You play by the rules, you watch your partner and go with the flow.

DiRT Rally captures that flawlessly. “Intuitive” is the best word to describe DR. You can literally feel the bumps on the surface translate into the movement of the suspensions, then into the movement of your car. You can have a very good guess of a car’s performance judging from the numbers before you even drive it, if you know what to look for. If I have to describe the game to those who are not into rally racing at all, I would say: imagine Super Meat Boy on four wheels with the rules as strict and fair as Dark Souls.

Also, it should be mentioned that the last rally sim has been over an decade old, and DiRT Rally is like a goddamn thunderstorm for this drought-plagued barren land. DR is basically the second coming for lots of rally fans, and you know what, they have their point.

No.4 Ori and the Blind Forest

First, listen to this fucking soundtrack. Just listen to it.

It’s, objectively, doubtlessly, heart-wrenchingly, FUCKING BEAUTIFUL.

If you mix Disney and Studio Ghibi and pack all the goodness into a platformer, Ori is the magical crystal that comes out of this enchanting sorcery. I am a person who has, again, zero interest in action platforming, and I bought the game solely because I once Googled Ori’s soundtrack. I have zero regret.

Before Ori, Super Meat Boy is most widely regarded as the shining example of 2D platforming. Ori is leagues ahead of it. Rock solid gameplay aside, instead of taunting the player with comical gruesomeness, like what Super Meat Boy did with its replay systems and splashes of meat-juice, Ori goes to the other extreme and constantly tries its best to smothers you with beauty. Every background image is good enough to be framed and hung up on a wall. Every major character is packed full with emotions. Fueled with its breathtaking soundtrack, the game fills your heart with trembling compassion, and even when the game treats you with controller-breaking difficult puzzles, you just want to help this glittering little cat-squirrel monster to fulfill its destiny. Ori is colorful, reactive, stunning, and in a genre that is full of strong titles, Ori is the game that elevates itself from others and ascents into the realm of artistic masterpiece.

And again, just listen to the goddamn soundtrack:

No. 3 The Beginner’s Guide

I have never seen a video game that tackles so many things in so little time. It is a story of a genius locked behind their own wall. It is a metaphor of obscenely passionate fandom. It is a question to all those who decided to create something, a introspective challenge to the values they hold. I cannot say anything more about it, because one, that would be spoilers, and two, I’m still not quite sure if I have recovered from the aftermath of intense introspection triggered by this game.

But again, if a game tickles your feels bone, it’s a good game. And The Beginner’s Guide quite literally crushes it.

No. 2 Undertale

Undertale is a full goddamn EVENT.

Oh jeez where do I even start. If I have to describe Undertale with one word, it would be “meta”. Beneath the disarming coat of a conventional turn-based JRPG/bullet hell hybrid is the work of an absolute genius. The game’s interface is not just a medium to deliver information to the player — It IS a dynamic part of the gameplay mechanism. It is packed with random things, and it breaks its own rules and that makes you giggle. It is a game full of references and easter eggs. It acknowledges itself as a game to the degree that it would manipulate the player’s SAVE FILE in order to progress the plot. But most importantly, thanks to its relatively simple, cliche story, Undertale truly empowers the player to choose their own way to play the game.

And you know what? It worked.

From the hailstorm of praises this game received by pretty much every major gaming critique out there, to the absolute bombardment of fan-arts and soundtrack remixes, Undertale had such a cultural impact that it has assembled a fevered fandom that is rarely seen elsewhere. And it’s hard to believe that it is done by mostly one person, including the mind-boggling soundtrack with way too much diversity and complexity than it has any right to have. That’s it. Toby Fox is kind of a gaming demigod. There’s nothing left to be said for that matter.

Actually, there is an additional reference that goes into the realm of weeb talk:

Toby Fox is the first person that comes anywhere close to the status of ZUN.

And for those who gets it, that is no mere complement.

No. 1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

There has been a void left by Witcher 3 that no game has been able to fill yet.

I am, in all sense of the word, a proud Witcher fanboy. I am “that” person who dug around the internet to find and read all the Witcher novels, both official English version and fan translations, during the vacuum between Witcher 2 and 3. The original Witcher saga, minor spoiler here, did not end too well, and Witcher 3 gave the fans a chance to amend that and give our heroes a chance for a happy ending. The Witcher games are, simply, the greatest fan project ever made.

Though that alone would not make Witcher 3 the game that it is, and my most heartfelt praise for W3 is rooted elsewhere.

Despite the divine production quality of the game itself — the stunning graphics, the believable performances and the engulfing soundtrack, I believe Witcher 3 truly excels in the way it structured its story. It is the best RPG game I’ve played that creates a“character-driven story” in the true sense of the words. The main plot, Geralt’s agenda, was established at the beginning of the game, and as the plot developed into the three main regions of the open-world, it entwined itself with stories of other well-developed characters in the three regions, keeping the direction of the plot instead of losing itself in an ocean of “things you could do”, a common symptom of open-world RPGs. Some may argue that this story structure takes away from the game’s open-word nature, and though I would not disagree, I am of the opinion that story should come first. A video game, however good, has its limits and could only keep you entertained for a while. A good story stays with you for the rest of your life, and Witcher 3 is a damn good story. As someone who attempts to be a writer from time to time, there’s so much I have learned from Witcher 3 that I could use for the rest of my life.

I may have to replay Witcher 3 later and see if I could dedicate an article about how its story is structured (and take the chance to rant about the Bioware formula. Seriously, ever Bioware game since Dragon Age: Origin is deep down the same game and CDPR shits all over them. Bethesda is not even in the picture. Ugh.)

And, man, I mean, Blood Baron, man.

Honorable Mention List #1: Games That Didn’t Quite Make It

• Gravity Ghost: a short but bittersweet tale of love and lost enshrined in an adorable 2D physics puzzle. Soundtrack by Ben Prunty, which is ON POINT.
• Life Is Strange: I’ve played only the first two episodes, and it’s a game that requires my full emotional fortitude to play it, which I don’t usually have. Still love it. Maybe inside me there is indeed a liberal-art hipster girl somewhere.
• Elite Dangerous: Space Truck Simulator sandbox thing that technically was not released this year, but I didn’t really play it until 2015. It’s kinda my go-to shut-down-my-brain game. Cracking some space rock with alcohol and podcast is indeed relaxing.
• Fallout 4: a solid sandbox FPS RPG whose story is borderland retarded.
• Tales from the Borderlands: likely the best Telltale game so far. A light-hearted interactive action adventure that stinks of American middle-class-ness. If that is a thing.
• MechWarrior Online: again, not released this year. Giant fucking robot tho.
• Alan Wake: once more not released this year. Though I have a certain fondness of Remedy games. They have…a good vibe, and Alan Wake has the best vibe among them. I mean, a disturbed writer fighting mysterious evil with a gun and, literally, light? With adorably edgy writings intertwined in the plot? Alan Wake has become “that game” for me, and I’m gonna make playing Alan Wake an yearly tradition until Remedy BRINGS GODDAMN QUANTUM BREAK TO PC

Honorable Mention List #2: Games That Was Released In 2015 That I Really Should’ve Played But Didn’t

• SOMA
• Dropsy
• Her Story
• Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
• Rainbow 6: Siege
• Bloodborne