Compared to 2014, I feel that 2015 was an exciting and interesting year in gaming. We’re now fully out of the previous console generation, as developers are now primarily focusing on the current generation of consoles, and PC, aside from a few stragglers. And with studios now strictly focused on newer technology, we finally got new entries in franchises such as Fallout, Metal Gear Solid, Mortal Kombat and others that have been sitting on the sidelines for the past few years.
It wasn’t all about returning faces and big names, though, as 2015 saw the popularity of indie studios and titles continue to grow. Whether it was Sam Barlow’s engrossing Her Story or Tendershoot’s oddball Dropsy, there was no shortage of unique experiences out there. If anything, the increasing popularity of these smaller titles helps drive home the point that modern gaming is changing into something more than just traditional experiences. Developers aren’t afraid to take chances anymore, and I believe we are all the better for it.
Unfortunately, since I could only choose ten titles for this list, several excellent releases just missed the cut. I’ll pour one out for Tales from the Borderlands, Dying Light, Apotheon, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture and Madden NFL 16 at a later date. I don’t want to stain my carpet with Steel Reserve.
One last thing to note is that before we began to put together our year end lists, the gaming staff at We Got This Covered made the decision to exclude remasters and ports from our rankings. Unfortunately, this means that The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition, Resident Evil HD Remaster and Grim Fandango: Remastered were all ineligible for my list, despite all three being well worth seeking out.
With that out of the way, here are my selections for the 10 best video games of 2015.