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2015 has been a massive year for gaming and for gamers – with several big name franchises returning for new sequels.
There’ve been exclusives for both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as the two console powerhouses continue to try to do each other. It’s all meant that they and the development studios are working harder than ever to grab consumer attention.
The technology is better too, with the previously mentioned hardware now being established platforms for better, faster games. The result is happy gamers, but which of this year’s treasure trove of titles has best grabbed the imagination?
A great example in recent years of a reboot sparking new life in a franchise. Rise of the Tomb Raider is the second in this new Lara Croft universe, sending players to Syria and the Siberian wilderness.
There’s a much greater emphasis on survival through sourcing and scavenging – much like the first game in the series that led the reboot. Lara goes through her fair share of rough rides, but the scenery in which it all takes place this time is nothing short of breathtaking. This Xbox One exclusive rightly grabbed attention, critical praise, and probably a few extra console sales too.
Few gaming franchises can place their success on the same level as movies, but Halo is most definitely one of those. It’s embedded in pop culture now and has a legion of fans who are fiercely loyal to it.
So no matter what, the game will sell. The fifth game in the series, and the first to grace the “next-gen” Xbox One, came with enormous amounts of hype and excitement, and perhaps that counted against Guardians, which felt as though it never truly lived up to those expectations.
The multiplayer is again popular, and with added map control and arena modes this is hardly surprising, but the story mode underwhelmed some.
Another big name returning to the delight of fans everywhere, Fallout is a franchise that ticks plenty of boxes – open world, banditry, mysterious friends and foes.
Fallout 4 has continued all of this, throwing in shelter building and impressive levels of crafting – as well as a dog – to create an enchanting gaming world. The wastelands are dangerous, but gamers can’t get enough. A quick glance at Twitter will tell you just how much time is being devoted to it.
Much like Halo, Fallout came with a lot of expectation, but in Fallout’s case it has lived up to it.
Technically a high-profile expansion pack, The Taken King did, however, drop an entire new campaign into the game.
Still a relatively new universe, and one with a supposed 10-year plan, Destiny is steadily growing each year, and with The Taken King this year the aim has been to revitalise those already playing it with new missions – and three new subclasses of playable character – as well as entice in new gamers. 2015 has been solid if unspectacular at doing so.
See what we mean about sequels? Master storyteller Hideo Kojima has signed off at the helm of Metal Gear Solid with what some might argue is the best game since the original.
There’s a pace change in that this game is more open world – with a central base from which you drop in and out of missions rather than a linear story. But it works and all the espionage, and action of Metal Gear Solid that has made this series so popular is still there and working brilliantly. Few could ask for much more.
Few trailers caused more excitement at this year’s E3 than Star Wars Battlefront. The sight of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker appearing before you in-game left many Star Wars fanatics weak at the knees.
The set-up and layout of Battlefront though has divided opinion. With no central story or campaign, there have been suggestions that Battlefront isn’t diverse enough to maintain long-term interest.
While there is no doubt the game is a wonderful love letter to the original trilogy, whether it is a console mainstay is still up in the air.
Among all the high-profile and loud games launches of 2015, one that perhaps slipped under the radar is arguably the title of 2015.
Like many of the others here, The Witcher 3 is a well-established and popular franchise, but this third offering has raised that bar even higher.
The game itself looks incredible, with some of the best sweeping landscapes you will find on any console. The Witcher is a fascinating universe and you want to explore it along with the characters that inhabit it.
There’s no wonder it’s picked up so many “game of the year” awards, and you should consider picking it up too.
