Yesterday we kicked 2015 out of the door and today we welcomed 2016 in our lives. Before we fully abandon the past year, it's time to look back and reminisce on the best games of 2015.
In an environment in which negativity and cynical, jaded views are often way too visible, we'd like to paying homage and express our thanks to the many developers that worked hard to provide us with much needed fuel for our hobby. That's why, after a year of hiatus, we decided to bring back DualShockers' Game of the Year Awards.
Before I leave you with the awards themselves, let me share a word on the voting process. There was no nomination stage. Every writer and editor at DualShockers was asked to freely express three preferences in order for each category. The first was assigned three points, the second two and the third one.
Only games released with at least one platform in the west in 2015 were eligible, and major expansions were also included in the vote for all categories.
After the votes were collected, the total of points for each title was used to determine its position in the ranking. In case of a tie, the game that was voted as first preference the most won. If the tie persisted after that stage, then both games are honored in the same position.
Admittedly, it's not a perfect process, but a perfect way to express the preferences of several people with a very wide range of tastes doesn't exist, and we felt that this was the best way. Awards will be presented without comment, as we'll leave the games themselves speak, and the motivation behind each decision vary from writer to writer.
Remember that we're all simply gamers, which means that it's perfectly ok to disagree with our tastes. Our Game of the Year awards are just one example of many, and they aren't necessarily better or more valid than your own personal ranking.
What matters the most, is that we're paying homage to many men and women that worked extremely hard for years to bring us the games that we loved, and there's no right or wrong in that.
Best PS4 Game
Winner: Bloodborne
Runner up: Until Dawn
Best Xbox One Game
Winner: Rise of the Tomb Raider
Runner up: Halo 5: Guardians
Best PC Game
Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Runner up: Undertale
Best Wii U Game
Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles X
Runner up: Splatoon
Best 3DS Game
Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
Runner up: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Best PS Vita Game
Winner: Persona 4: Dancing all Night
Runner up: Sword Art Online: Lost Song
Best Mobile Game
Winner: Lara Croft GO
Runner up: Transistor
Best First Party Game
Winner: Bloodborne
Runner up: Halo 5: Guardians
Best Shooter
Winner: Halo 5: Guardians
Runner up: Splatoon
Best Adventure/Action Adventure
Winner: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Runner up: Batman: Arkham Knight
Best RPG
Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Runner up: Fallout 4
Best MMO
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward
Runner up: Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - Knights of the Fallen Empire
Best Sports Game
Winner: Rocket League
Runner up: FIFA 16
Best Platformer
Winner: Ori and the Blind Forest
Runner up: Super Mario Maker
Best Puzzle Game
Winner: The Talos Principle
Runner up: You Must Build a Boat
Best Fighting Game
Winner: Mortal Kombat X
Runner up (tied): Dragonball Xenoverse - Dead or Alive 5: Last Round
Best Racing Game
Winner: Forza Motorsport 6
Runner up: Project CARS
Best Music/Rhythm Game
Winner: Persona 4 Dancing All Night
Runner up: Guitar Hero Live
Best Indie Game
Winner: Rocket League
Runner up: Ori and the Blind Forest
Best Graphics
Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Runner up: Bloodborne
Best Story/Writing
Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Runner up: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Best Character
Winner: Geralt - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Runner up: Ciri - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Best Music/Audio
Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Runner up: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Best DLC/Expansion
Winner: Destiny: The Taken King
Runner up: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone
Biggest Shocker (Best Surprise/Announcement)
Winner: Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Runner up: Hideo Kojima's breakup with Konami and formation of Kojima Productions
Most Anticipated Game for 2016
Winner: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Runner up: Horizon: Zero Dawn
And now, the moment you were all waiting for. Ok... I guess the picture at the top kind of spoiled it, but here goes...
Game of the Year
Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Runner up: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
So there you have it. Our game of the year is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. There are many reasons why it's there, but mostly, it demonstrated that it's possible to create an open world RPG with an absolutely fantastic story and characters with deep emotions and progression, without sacrificing either narrative or freedom.
Again, our list is by no means more valid or relevant than your own, so feel free to express your preferences in the comments for everyone to see and discuss, as we enter a new year that will hopefully be even better than 2015.