31 December 2015
2015 has been an awesome year for gaming, which has come as a welcome surprise given this is only the second full year of the 'next-gen' consoles. Brilliant games launched throughout the year, especially in the period from September to December, and I have a pretty big backlog that'll keep me playing games from this year well into 2016.
January saw the release of Dying Light, another zombie apocalypse game many might say, but with this being the only big retail release that month it stormed in sales numbers, and was critically well received too. If this game launched in a busier period, say the 'fall', it would have been swallowed. This prompts the question, who will take the Dying Light window in 2016?
In February, Bloodborne was a massive release for fans of the Dark Souls series, and did so well it attracted newcomers to the series as well. The dark, bloody and gothic atmosphere looked amazing but it wasn't my type of game. Plus I was still playing Destiny and Trials Fusion, and Infamous First Light was free via PS Plus.
March saw the launch of Battlefield Hardline, a game I never showed interest in until a few weeks before its release. I happened to see a gameplay demo of the new Hotwire mode. A twist on the classic domination mode where vehicles become the capture points. I loved the concept and had to buy the game. Having always preferred Call of Duty to the Battlefield series, it was great to fully invest in the more realistic, tactical team-based shooter for once. Having said that, more realistic is laughable when this game is a fully fledged war between cops and criminals. But I didn't care one bit. I loved the episodic campaign, and the Hotwire and Heist modes in multiplayer were an absolute blast to play.
Later in the Spring, the epic RPG that is The Witcher 3 launched. An immensely large game that manages to maintain gorgeous visuals throughout and keep bugs to a minimum, which is a staggering achievement. This combined with its story and gameplay easily make it a game of the year contender. I was certainly considering buying The Witcher 3 but knowing the time investment involved, I had to play other games in my preferred genres. I picked up Project CARS at its delayed launch date to continue the 3-way racing game battle, and finally played through the excellent Far Cry 4. I also had a resurgence with Trials Fusion and finally completed some Extreme levels. The sensation on completing Rock of Rages for the first time was amazing - I literally cheered out loud.
Moving into July I was eagerly awaiting the release of Rocket League, which was launching for free via PS Plus. Developed by Psyonix, this was the sequel to the potentially longest game name ever, Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars. Or SARPBC for short. As many people have said, this was barely played by anyone back in 2009 on PS3, but I played it to death. It was a fantastic little £10 downloadable title that provided hours of car football fun, both in single player and multiplayer. On playing Rocket League for the first time I couldn't believe how similar it was. Controls and mechanics unchanged, similar cars and map layouts the same. In fact SARPBC had more map variations and more challenges available. But it was without doubt that Rocket League had a superior polished look, and focused on core 5 minute matches on standard maps to attract the esports scene. It was a winning formula, sales rocketed (ha), and there are competitive MLG series that will continue to run in the new year.
September 1st saw two big titles release on the same day. Mad Max and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (MGS5). It does make you wonder how this happens. Two massive open world games not in too dissimilar genres, should make it a priority not to launch on the same day. As a result Mad Max, a good game in its own right, was completely overshadowed by the incredible work of Hideo Kojima in MGS5. My only previous Metal Gear experience was with Raiden in Metal Gear Rising Revengeance. I loved it, and as MGS5 was receiving some impeccable reviews I had to pre-order it days before release. MGS5 really is a masterclass of a stealth game. I've never approached an enemy base with so much caution and taken the time to plan every enemy takedown as silently as possible. Of course, when shit hits the fan and you're spotted, it's even more thrilling. Either wipe everyone out with your vast arsenal of weapons or run for cover and plan a different stealth approach. Either way the game demands tactical play from the player, which is a treat for gamers wanting a challenge. I'm currently no where near finishing MGS5 and will happily return to it in 2016 and beyond.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate was the first triple-A title to launch in the busy 'fall' period, and after E3 I had lost all interest in the game due to its endless story CGI trailers. But after finally seeing a proper gameplay demo (below) I was hooked right back in. This showed a typical mission playing as Evie, the sister of the sibling protagonists, and there were 5 possible entry points to the target. The route chosen involved using an allied guard to conduct a false kidnapping, and then waltzing in through the front door. The freedom and options available to the player are great additions to the series. Ironically I even enjoyed a later CGI trailer showing the brother and sister banter in game cutscenes. I wish this stuff had been shown at E3 as it completely turned me around, to the point of getting the game at Christmas. This will be one of the first things I jump into in 2016.