iLLGames of 2015
The section includes the very best games of 2015, hand picked by our editorial staff.
Heroes of the Storm
Sahil Arora:
Initially, I was skeptical about Blizzard’s venture into the lucrative MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) genre. For one simple reason: I have been a DoTA hardcore since the time it was a mere Warcraft map mod. And I have about 1200 hours clocked on Steam with DoTA. And I was very happy with it. There was nothing stopping me. Every night before I head to bed I make sure I catch an online game. And when I’m done, in my mind I pledge my undying loyalty to the game. Because I know that LoL exists too, and I wont be swayed.
This changed when I first played Heroes of the Storm. This was the MOBA I always knew I wanted but never knew how it would work. The thing is, HotS worked. Even without key MOBA elements like last hits, solo levelling up and gold collection. HoTS was about the team, it was fun, every game felt different, and most importantly, the course of the game can change at point of time. This isn’t true in DoTA. To add to that, the excellent fan service to Starcraft and Warcraft fans. This game’s a keeper.
Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain
Subhadip Sen:
While it exhibits some of the trademark flair the series is known for, The Phantom Pain is a vastly different game from its predecessors. A sparse open world and story make way for an incredibly detailed sandbox, with an endless array of systems and mechanics. We are in full control, with complete freedom to experiment and experience how the world reacts. If Fallout 4 and The Witcher 3 pave the way for freedom in narrative, The Phantom Pain sets the stage for dynamic gameplay.
Tathagata Ray:
The Big Boss is back, and how. The initial 30 minutes of Metal Gear Solid V is better than any movie that is out today. It tells a lot about Kojima, the passion that he always delivers on a franchise that has been his brainchild, and the way he sees the future of one of the greatest video game characters to be ever told – Snake. The new setting of a war torn Afghanistan, and the latter trip to Africa, makes Metal Gear Solid the very first of its kind. An open world, tactical espionage that doesn’t hold your hands, doesn’t hold you back, and appreciates the way you decrypt spy missions – loud or silent. The missions allow you to make your own routes, and with a highly detailed environment physics added to Phantom Pain, and a backpack of ultimate utility, you get to choose how you want to crash a fortress, like nobody saw it coming. The plus of Quiet, both as a character and an NPC, and some wonderful voice acting, and Billy Idol tracks, bring that extra zing to a league of 25-40 year old gamers who still howl to the rhyme of Hideo Kojima.
Anikait Makkar:
Having solely bought this game on the basis of hype I did not really expected much from I but mgs v continued to delight and surprise me every time i played it. Even though I was clueless about it’s tory what made it enjoyable for me was it’s vast number of gameplay opportunities it presented in front of me allowing me to create my own stories within its sandbox. Besides being a stealth game it never punished for going guns blazing but continued to reward my stealth approach. Giving me control of my own military and base management tools really made me felt like a big boss.
Fallout 4
Sahil Arora:
Fallout 4 ranks third on my list. Trust me, it wasn’t an easy decision. But I have reasons why this game comes third and not first: Fallout is not The Witcher, negligible advancement of in-game tech from Fallout 3, same songs on the radio, tedious inventory management, no advancement in lockpicking, pickpocketing is pure stat based. Don’t let these negatives take away the credit the game deserves. Fallout 4 is a sprawling, vibrant and eventful post-apocalyptic world with excellent writing, gunplay and immersion. The writing is what carried the game for me mostly. I’m still playing the game, and with that, I’m also living, breathing and sleeping Fallout. I can say for real, I have no social life. Fallout 4 is my social life.
Subhadip Sen:
In what was surely the strongest year for gaming this decade, we have at least five incredible titles, each deserving of the top spot were it any other year. It was very close, but ultimately, Fallout 4 was the boldest, most focused experience of the year. An immensely dense and diverse world, which has a story to tell around every corner. One of the finest stories committed to gaming, one that’s not just lifted off some movie or novel, but one honed for the medium. On the surface, there are technical shortcomings, but unlike the other titles on this list, there are no creative missteps.
Tathagata Ray:
Exit the Vault and find the evergreen world of the post apocalyptic commonwealth of Fallout welcoming you to its newer perils. The Super-Mutants have long missed you, or maybe the hypnotic VATS driven autopsy of their left limb, and so did the Bloatflies, Molerats and the Deathclaws. Refreshing the same old Fallout feeling are a bunch of new NPCs that you’ll fall in love with – Strong the Milk loving Super-Mutant, Nick Valentine the heartless hero and Piper, the reporter who calls a Spade a Spade. Fallout 4 may look washed out for a game of 2015, but when it gets under your skin, you can be dead sure that it’s the Fallout you’ve been waiting for. Supplemented with an all new Progression Tree, the Settlement Construction mode that had me spend more than 2 hours at a stretch, the improved VATS system and a nightmare of challenges for those who aren’t used to the world of Fallout. And the best bit about Fallout 4 is the transition it took from portraying the Brotherhood of Steel as the ultimate victors, to celebrating a side of the apocalypse that is rarely seen in such light, the rebel synths aka the Railroad.
Bloodborne
Tathagata Ray:
This was the year for the video games, and my top 3 VG are actually at par with each other. For those who are unaware of Bloodborne, this is the game that takes your Dark Souls pedigree to another level. Bloodborne is cruel like truth, quick like blades, and satisfying like victory. The Miyazaki storytelling manages to tie in the fallen kingdom lore that is so crucial to his games, and spins out a Victorian era that calls out to a Hunter, destined to slay demons and resurrect a fallen empire. Within this journey through swords and a few bullets, one cannot miss the history of Yharnam and the way each of the abominations tie its present day scenario to an older truth. Be it in the case of Father Gascoigne and the toybox, the Cleric Beast howling through the moonlight, the Vicar Amelia holding on to her pendant or the rest of the creatures who consider you as an outsider. Stunned by the interlinked world that benchmarked Dark Souls 1 and an equally swelling soundtrack, this is the game that makes the cut for the Playstation 4. When’s the next Bloodborne coming out, BTW?
Rocket League
Tathagata Ray:
How I found out about Rocket League? Guess I was checking out the Playstation Plus Free Games for the upcoming month when I got hooked to what I saw in one of the initial Rocket League gameplay trailers. The game is a perfect example of how to redefine gameplay in this age of standard game genres, sandboxing the shiz and typically pea shooting. Rocket League is all about team effort, but above all, the game allows you to understand the physics of it and then reinvent the game in your own style, to score the most goals in your team, or stand out as the scorpion kick infused goalie that your opponents simply can’t beat. All with a tiny car, and a big Mexican hat, nodding your country flag. Rocket League is in a League of its own. This game had no reason to take 2015 by storm, but look at all the YouTube channels and MLG subs today, they are telling you one thing – Too Fast, Too Football.
Ori and the Blind Forest
Subhadip Sen:
It’s may seem easy to forget this is a game and not a motion painting of some sort – everything comes beautifully together in one incredibly neat and well paced package, with almost no loose ends. However, you are constantly reminded it is a game, a minor inconvenience. A landmark platformer that everyone should play, even if you aren’t into platformers.
Anikait Makkar:
Don’t be fooled by its mesmerizing art design and cute looking characters, what lies beneath it is a challenging platformer built around tight gameplay mechanics with great emphasis on accuracy and precision. Besides it’s solid gameplay it also has a heart breaking story to tell which will surely keep you emotionally captivated till the end.
