Jason Arriola’s Picks
Axiom Verge
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release Date: March 31
It’s almost as if Thomas Happ, the developer of Axiom Verge, heard my complaints about Metroid a few years ago on a now-lost episode of our podcast. It’s an exploratory platformer (I am not using THAT word) that looks like a high end NES game (although there’s no way an NES could pull this off) and has taken into account the years of development knowledge. If you’re a fan of the genre, I really can’t recommend it enough.
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Life is Strange
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release Date: January 29
I don’t think I can really hype this enough. I got into this enough that we’re doing three, multi-hour long podcasts about it. That you play as an 18 year old girl is different enough, but combine that with time travel (and all the consequences it brings), a well-written story that’s got the strong voice acting to back it up, and an ending sequence that reminds me of my favorite anime’s ending sequence, you’ve got a recipe for a game that surprised me by making it on to the list.
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2015 Games I Wish I Had Played
Astebreed | Corpse Party Blood Drive | Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below | Divinity Original Sin: Enhanced Edition | Massive Chalice | Ori and the Blind Forest | Rodea: The Sky Soldier | Super Time Force Ultra |
Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
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Mega Man Legacy Collection
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release Date: August 25
If you like the Blue Bomber at all, this is a given. The first six games are lovingly emulated in this collection. When I saw that Frank Cifaldi (of 1UP, Retronauts, Lost Levels, and Insert Credit Show fame) was working on this, I knew this collection was in good hands. Not only do you get the first six Mega Man games in this, you also get challenge modes, an extensive art museum for each game, and a database for each character in each game that allows you to practice fighting the Robot Masters. Oh, and you can save scum your way through if you need to, as well!
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Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release Date: September 1
I could ramble on all day about this one, but I’ll keep it brief. It’s gorgeous to look at and plays marvelously. Despite how repetitive the Side Ops can be, I never got tired of doing them so I could get more money to upgrade Snake’s equipment. I don’t think I’m even halfway through the main story, but I probably plugged in close to a hundred hours just screwing around with the game. If this ends up being the end to the series, I can’t see it having a better send-off.
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Rise of the Tomb Raider
Platform: Xbox One
Release Date: November 11
I was completely surprised by this one. What caused me to rent it, I haven’t a clue. I didn’t like the way the story was told in the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot. It reminded me too much of my five year daughter on a sugar rush telling me a story (‘and then this happened and then this and then this and then this and then this’). I put Rise of the Tomb Raider into my recently purchased Xbox One and within the first hour, was hooked. So much so, that I returned the rental and went out to purchase it the following day. Rise of the Tomb Raider is less of a hyper toddler when telling its story. Not a terribly interesting story, but at least it wasn’t so bombastic about it. The combat and the upgrade system were fun (and rather similar to the 2013 reboot) and I never got tired of searching every nook and cranny to find whatever little tidbits were hidden away. A pleasant surprise, to say the least.
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2015 Games I Wish I Never Played
Bloodborne | Citizens of Earth | Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture |
Rare Replay | Xenoblade Chronicles X
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Shovel Knight
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release Date: April 21
If you haven’t heard of Shovel Knight by now, I’m not sure who you are. Think every great NES-era platformer that actually holds up to your nostalgia and you’re on the right track. Sure, this initially came out in 2014 for the Wii U and 3DS, but it just hit the PS3, PS4, Vita, and Xbox One this year, along with a physical copy for the PS4, 3DS, and Wii U, so we’re going to count it, okay? Great controls, great music, and a cool look made this one a given for me to purchase multiple times (digitally on the Wii U, PS3, PS4, Vita and Xbox One and physically on the 3DS). It’s a game that I can keep coming back to time and again and enjoy a quick hit.
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State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition
Platform: Xbox One
Release Date: April 28
I loved State of Decay on the Xbox 360, despite its rather broken framerate, difficulty, and abrupt texture pop-in. Being able to fix most of these issues with more powerful hardware made diving back into the brutal world of State of Decay a given when I purchased my Xbox One. It still kicked my ass, it could be downright frustrating at times, but I never stopped enjoying my time with it. Scavenging for supplies, having to level up and keep my fellow survivors happy, looking for new places to call home, and seeing the often horrible ways my fellow survivors would meet their end means I’ll probably be coming back to this one for a long time to come.
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Games I Spent the Most Time With in 2015
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin | Halo: Master Chief Collection | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | Rise of the Tomb Raider |
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together | Yoshi’s Woolly World
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Titan Souls
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release Date: April 14
I don’t get a whole lot of time to play games these days. Sometimes making forward progress at all is kind of amazing for me. Titan Souls is a fairly short game and made me feel like I was getting somewhere. It’s like a twitch based Shadow of the Colossus (or a game that’s basically just a boss rush mode). Each boss encounter, the only encounters in the game, has a trick to beating them. You’re armed with a bow and a single arrow that can be called back to you, a mechanic that you’ll make use of multiple times. It’s a simple game that was a bit divisive among reviewers. I understand the criticism and still enjoy the quick dip it allowed me either on my PS4 or Vita.
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Yoshi’s Woolly World
Platform: Wii U
Release Date: October 16
I’m as surprised as you that this made it on my list. Yoshi’s Woolly World is a fun game and pretty solid by itself, but add in the hours of fun I’ve had with my daughter and wife either playing with them or watching the two of them play has made it worth every dime. There’s a control mode that plays to those more familiar with Yoshi’s Island and a simpler mode for those who’d rather play it a bit more casually. There’s tons of little knick-knacks to be found (not Rare-level amounts, but still a fair amount) and it’s gorgeous to look at. It’s not the best Yoshi game ever, the twenty year old Yoshi’s Island still holds that title, but it might well be a close second.
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Most Anticipated Games of 2016
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided | Darkest Dungeon | Dragon Quest VII |
Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright/Conquest | Gravity Rush Remastered | The Last Guardian | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD | The Legend of Zelda Wii U | The Long Dark | Mass Effect: Andromeda | ReCore | Valkyria Chronicles Remastered
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Jason’s Game of 2015
