GameSpew’s Game of the Year 2015
Leo: Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide
For my game of the year 2015, I thought I would put aside opinion and let the figures do the talking. Ever looked in Steam, and seen the amount of hours you’ve plowed into a game? It’s a morbid exercise – I’d advise against it. However, having tallied up the time-slips of my games, I’ve apparently clocked the most on Vermintide.
So really, Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide is the game of the year for me.
As an avid fan of the original pen-and-paper Warhammer game (WFRP), I was delighted to see the care FatShark put into the game design and world building, drawing from original material. It’s arguably one of the only games that you can play as a feisty old woman, and it’s full of refreshing little touches like that. Treading down dark alleys, fending off hoardes, hiding from rat patrols, valiant saves of your close comrades: the game provides so many fantastic, spectacular and immersive moments of fantasy.
The caveat is, it’s only good with four friends, as playing with bots or incommunicado’s is too frustrating. However, if you are blessed to have friends, then get on the next wagon to Ubersreik and meet them in the Red Moon Inn.
Geraint: Ori and the Blind Forest
Game of the Year 2015, eh? I suppose when people on the Internet see this question, you can almost hear screams of “Fallout 4!”, “Undertale!” or “Generic Sports Game 2015!”.
I, myself, am going to take an unusual step and say my Game of the Year 2015 is Moon Studio’s debut game, Ori and the Blind Forest. I grew up on platform games and had a few favourites as a child – The Lost Vikings, Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure and Duke Nukem 2 but I hadn’t really touched platformers since then until I discovered Ori.
I was recommended this game by my friend who, in no uncertain terms, was leaking praise for it out of every orifice he possessed. He even gifted it to me so I could try it, and try it I did. I was immediately enchanted by the art style – a soft, almost fairytale style that reminded me of Trine. Then the music hit me… and I fell in love, simply put.
Gareth Coker, the composer of the soundtrack for Ori, deserves an award for the music he created for this game. Every quaver, every semiquaver and every semibrève shook me to the core and was a perfect accompaniment to the stellar storytelling. I look for good storytelling in games for the most part, and Ori didn’t disappoint. The foreshadowing, dramatic irony and plot twists would be worthy of Academy Awards if they were on the big screen.
I will admit this though: Ori and the Blind Forest is the only game that has ever made me tear up. I’m sorry Undertale fans, but this game stirred more emotions in me than Undertale did.
In terms of gameplay, it was appropriately challenging without pulling too far away from the main story. As such, if you haven’t played this game yet, please do so. You won’t be disappointed.
