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Reviews Of The Year 2015 | GameSided Recap

By Fraser G.

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As another year draws to a close, it’s time to reflect back on 2015, and what a fun year it’s been! Nintendo unveiled a New 3DS XL, PlayStation celebrated their 20th anniversary, and Xbox boasted the “Greatest Games Lineup In Xbox History”. Despite the growing excitement for new hardware innovations such as Virtual Reality, it’s the games themselves that have taken center stage this year, with a number of excellent titles emerging on nearly every platform. Each member of the GameSided staff nominated a different game as their #1 pick in our Game Of The Year list, and that’s indicative of the type of year it’s been. While predicted successes such as Fallout 4 lived up to expectations, it’s also been a year for unexpected surprises, such as Psyonix’s Rocket League.

2015 has also been a fantastic year for us here at GameSided, including our reviews department which has grown tremendously once again. Even more companies have graciously provided us with review copies this year, and that’s largely as a consequence of our readers’ continued loyalty and support, of which we thank you.

On behalf of our editor, I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone that has taken the time to review any number of games for GameSided this year. I’m personally very proud of the reviews below, and we hope that you will find them useful in the search for your next purchase.

Without further ado, here’s your one-stop guide to all of our GameSided reviews from 2015!

January

  • Resident Evil HD: “The brilliant level design, lighting engine, scare tactics and mood-altering score nails the deeply atmospheric vibe as great as we’ve ever seen.”
  • Sega Megadrive/Genesis: Collected Works (Book Review): “It’s certainly a niche title, but one that is so beautifully executed it will be treasured eternally by those certain few.”

February

  • Life Is Strange Episode 1: “Life Is Strange is a promising first step in a new direction taken for choice-driven narrative adventure gaming.”
  • The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D: “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D captures the heart of the original N64’s gameplay while updating its presentation for the 21st Century.”
  • Dying Light: “Dying Light is an amazing example of what can happen to a genre if you infuse even the little bit of fun into it.”
  • Game Of Thrones Episode 2: “The pacing was great, the twists are intriguing and unexpected, and the game strikes a great balance of making the player feel that they can still salvage things, and that things are going to fall to pieces any second.”
  • New Nintendo 3DS XL: “Whether it’s in upcoming exclusives, superior gaming functionality, amiibo support or the community at large, there’s never been a better time to put away the phone and go with 3DS gaming instead.”
  • Kirby And The Rainbow Curse: “If you’re the sort that loves puzzles and full completion, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is the game for you.”
  • The Order: 1886: “I was not underwhelmed by The Order: 1886, but, rather, I took a bite off of a very fancy plate.”
  • Dragonball Xenoverse: “In the end, DBX offers a fun single-player campaign and an interesting and unique battle system. “

March

  • Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered: “…playing Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered is like watching a promising politician fall from grace after a few errors they inevitably can’t recover from.”
  • Screamride: “The silver linings of ScreamRide are overshadowed by a middling performance overall.”
  • Ori And The Blind Forest: “Small blemishes in replayability and rare framerate dips should not overshadow the bigger picture, as players can expect to be fully immersed in a somber, yet enrapturing world full of wonder.”
  • Lords Of The Fallen & Ancient Labyrinth DLC: “It’s not “Dark Souls” and it shouldn’t have ever tried to be, since the comparison makes it look like a toddler trying on daddy’s boots.”
  • DMC: Definitive Edition: “…the fighting in the game is even further refined as you move much more fluidly with less of the stutters or drops one may have seen in the previous version of the game on PS3 or Xbox 360.
  • Code Name S.T.E.A.M: “Such a strange concept promised to be new and exciting, but it ended up just being kind of weird, really hokey, and a bit too challenging.”
  • Final Fantasy Type-0 HD: “If you aren’t expecting a top notch next-gen experience and just want a decent RPG, I’d say it’s worth your time and money.”
  • Mario Party 10: “Mario Party 10, at its core, is a husk of its former self.”
  • White Night: “It’s chock full of rich, textured style, but that style only acts as a covering for threadbare substance.”
  • Bloodborne: “Bloodborne is a rather novel approach at creating a new IP through a familiar style of gaming development.”
  • Game Of Thrones Episode 3: “Game of Thrones Episode 3, “The Sword in the Darkness” is better than its predecessors, picking up the pace and momentum of the story and throwing plenty of curveballs to keep you engaged.”
  • Life Is Strange Episode 2: “Ultimately, as was the case in Episode 1, there is a lot of untapped potential waiting in the wings.”
  • Tales From The Borderlands Episode 2: “This was a road trip. The characters traveled from one place to another. It was an absolutely funny road trip, but clearly the best parts of the story are yet to come.”

April

  • Resident Evil Revelations 2: “…its greatest sin is that even when trying to work up opinions about it while playing it, all I could manage was a resounding “meh.”
  • Pillars Of Eternity: “To call this game an achievement is an understatement. To call it a masterwork is not inaccurate. It deserves to be played by generations of gamers, and studied by generations of developers.”
  • MLB 15: The Show: “Bottom line is that you’re playing MLB 14: The Show but with markedly better performance, and with updated rosters. That’s more than enough for now.”
  • State Of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition: “State of Decay: Survival Edition doesn’t solve the longstanding issues that rankle the game, instead it opts to simply apply a fresh coat of paint.”

May

  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3D: “This is an excellent game, and any RPG fan should give it a couple of looks, at least.”
  • Mortal Kombat X: “Mortal Kombat X might just be the most fun I’ve had with a game this year, even if it only offers that fun in a limited variety.”
  • Project CARS: “…if you are truly keen in replicating a true driving experience with a payoff that acts as a slow burn rather than a quick flame-out, this is the racer for you.”
  • Puzzle & Dragons Z: “…once you figure out what you’re doing in maximizing damage output, defensive measures and evolving/powering up your team, gameplay becomes a monotonous timesink.”
  • Life Is Strange Episode 3: “As the bigger story becomes clearer, the game’s story has obtained my rapt attention. I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
  • Splatoon: “Easy to pick up, hard to put down, Splatoon is definitely one of the Wii U’s shining titles.”
  • Game Of Thrones Episode 4: “The further the series progresses, the more railroaded the plot feels and the less agency I seem to have.”
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Review Journal – Day 1: “As I start trotting through the countryside I immediately notice that the environment feels much more alive.”
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Review Journal – Day 3: “After almost 10 hours I haven’t found anything to seriously complain about; I have very few quarrels or concerns with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.”
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Review Journal – Day 5: “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has the most human and relatable characters of any game I’ve ever played, that’s a strong statement but I stand by it.”
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Review Journal – Day 10: “Almost 30 hours now and The Witcher 3 isn’t backing down. I’m finally at a point where I feel I’ve got a good grasp on every system in the game.”

June

Next: GameSided's July - December 2015 Reviews

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