The PlayStation 4 remains the best selling console this generation, but the exclusives aren’t quite as strong as Xbox One’s. However, the PS4 continues to offer unique experiences no found on other systems. The Japanese game market remains the strongest on PS4 and anyone wanting the Eastern experience will the best here.
Bloodborne
Another Dark Souls clone? No, this is the spiritual successor to the series, say a cousin. The game looks amazing, plays well, and has some fantastic lore and gameplay that you won’t forget. The only thing holding it back may be the difficulty, but sometimes that’s what keeps players coming back.
The next-generation consoles finally have enough exclusives to have their own category this year. While it’s a slow start, the Xbox One and PS4 have both sold millions of units and have significant exclusive titles and popular releases that are selling units. The Xbox One probably has the strongest run of exclusives this year and they were pretty fantastic.
Tomb Raider is one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time. With the 2011 reboot, Lara Croft paved a new path for female video game characters and the action-adventure genre as a whole. Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the most brilliant games to be released in the last decade with a fantastic story, great characters, and an amazing world to explore. While the game is Xbox One exclusive for only a while, it remains one of the best on the system.
2015 may be the Wii U’s strongest year thus far. Despite the few AAA titles, there’s not much more in store for the Wii U outside of the indie games splashing around. The Wii U has been on lift support since day one, but those games that are feeding blood to the Wii U are great.
Super Mario Maker
It’s no surprise that a Mario game would be the best one on a Nintendo console, but Mario Maker stands apart from New Super Mario Bros., as it allows users to create fully-fledged Mario levels and download them other than people have made. This allows for an infinite amount of playtime for a series that every single gamer can relate to on the planet. That is a beautiful thing.
Reissues are stronger than ever in 2015 with nearly every major franchise receiving some sort of HD upgrade. A majority of them were pretty great, but the best ones either rebuild the game from the ground up or offer some great extra content for the hardcore fans.
Rare Replay
Not only does Rare Replay include every single Rare game ever made, but they are masterfully recreated with a sleek and beautiful menu system and plenty of extras such as cheats and developer interviews. These games also bring back memories for anyone who grew up playing games in the ’80s to mid-’00s. Some of the most iconic video games ever made are included and they are about $1 apiece. Who can beat that?
Multiplatform games are more abundant in 2015 than they ever have been. With console exclusives being stretched out further and further the line between consoles is becoming blurred. It’s becoming harder and harder to isolate consoles from one another as features become the same with just a different coat of paint. This year had some fantastic multiplatform games, I wish I could list them all, but only the best made it.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3 is a fantastic game and can finally be enjoyed on all platforms. The Witcher 1 was PC exclusive and The Witcher 2 received a very late and rough Xbox 360 port. The Witcher 3 was made for both consoles and PC gracefully with great controller mapping and PC and keyboard controls. While the console versions suffered fewer bugs, they all eventually got ironed out and the game had an overall even performance level. Of course, the PC version looks the best, but big game releases these days all have some sort of major bugs that hinder the game. It was a tough choice this year, and The Witcher 3 came out on top due to wider multiplatform support.
With the power of cell phones doubling every year, we are getting closer and closer to console-quality experiences on mobiles. 2015 brought out the best games yet with beautiful visuals, vast worlds, and lots of strategies.
Lara Croft has been making a great comeback over the past few years with the 2011 Tomb Raider reboot. Lara Croft GO takes the Hitman GO formula and ups the ante with craftier puzzles in the Tomb Raider formula we all love. The mechanics could never have worked better for the franchise and not to mention the beautiful papercraft visuals.
The Vita was a little weaker this year, but overall those games that were released were solid. The Vita has lost steam since last year, but here’s hoping 2015 is the year of the Vita.
Superbeat: Xonic
The PlayStation Vita is a dying system, at least in the West, with no AAA titles in existence for the system’s future. What we have is a steady stream of JRPGs and the occasional visual novel. Superbeat outshines these JRPGs and visual novels because it’s one of the few rhythm games on the system and it’s quite excellent. With great visuals, catchy songs, and a fun rhythm system there’s not much else that stands out on the system this year.
Runner-Ups
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Dispair Girls
Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk
Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~
Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library the Monster Seal
Despite heavy remakes being made on the 3DS, this was a strong year for the system. The 3DS has proven to be one of the greatest handheld platforms of all time even outdoing its larger console brethren.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D may be the most ambitious and largest portable game ever made. Porting an entire RPG onto a handheld is no small feat, and despite a few major setbacks, the game proved extremely popular and well done as well as selling a whole new system. With an epic tale, fantastic visuals, and great combat, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D proves that massive console games can work on handheld systems.
The PC came back stronger this year with quite a few hit releases, however, it still hasn’t been as strong as it could be exclusive wise. Still, PC has remained the go-to system for the best looking games in existence.
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void
StarCraft II has remained one of the best strategy games of all time, and Legacy of the Void gives us a rousing conclusion to a decade-old franchise. With a fantastic new campaign, more multiplayer balance, excellent storytelling, and addictive strategy elements, Legacy of the Void perfect an age-old genre.
When you think about soccer, the last thing you think about is cars. Rocket League takes a joke and turns it into one of the best competitive games in years. That’s a bold statement, I know, but you have to play it to believe it.
There’s no story, no leagues, no teams with some sort of crappy background to tie something in. You just customize your RC car and smack a giant ball with it. It sounds boring and simple on paper, but it is the perfect formula for something amazing. Once you jump into the tutorial, you will think it’s quite simple: drive your car into the ball and get it into the goal. It sounds simple, but when you have five other players doing the same thing, it can become insane and immensely fun. One of the key assets of Rocket League is that the control mechanics are simple to learn but hard to master. Sure, you can do a bicycle kick, launch your car into the air willy-nilly, and even guard a goal, but it’s how you do all this with finesse that will determine how good you are.
When you finish the tutorial, you will notice it will take about a dozen rounds before you start to really grasp the mechanics. Again, it’s not that they’re hard; they just require practice. The maps have speed boosts strategically laid out throughout the map. These are orb globes (full boost) or orange plates (partial) that are placed so well that you will subconsciously remember where they are and hit them as you are going around the map. This is hard to get right without breaking concentration. Hitting the ball into the goal is the main goal, but what’s so great about Rocket League is how this is done. Because this game is online, there will be exciting and memorable moments that you can save via replays, like an amazing pass, a long-shot goal, a great defensive move, or something along those lines. I made some incredible, insane shots and helped my team out without having to communicate, and that’s also hard to get right.
Rocket League doesn’t have voice chat, which is a blessing in disguise. Instead, you get predetermined messages that you can select with the D-pad that get your message across. Most players are great athletes in this game, and the competition is the same. Outside of scoring, there are other ways to get to the ball; you can drive on the walls and ceilings. Rocket League has each map in a glass case, so this allows you to drive up a wall, kick off, and hit the ball that’s high into the air. Even after dozens of matches (probably over 100 at this point), I still miss jumping up and hitting the ball in the right direction. I have to warm up like any good online game.
The visuals are fantastic, with individually rendered grass blades, great lighting effects, high-res textures, and gorgeous colors and sound. I really felt like I was in a stadium playing a sport. The customization for your car is nearly endless, as parts are unlocked based on achievement goals, which makes you want to keep playing to have the best-looking car on the field. There is a great match-making filter implemented, and free maps and updates are constantly being added. 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5 are all possible options, and they are so great. Matches are quick to start up, and there are tons of players online, so you will always find a match to join. The servers are also very stable, with no hiccups during my entire time playing the game.
With that said, I can’t stress enough how Rocket League is more like soccer than actual soccer games are. You get the thrill and joy out of scoring like you would in real life; this is in contrast to the stale solo plays of real soccer games like FIFA or PES. Some people may scoff at that, but it’s the truth of the matter. Rocket League is addictive and fun, and anyone who plays online competitively will enjoy this game even if they don’t like soccer or cars. The game has a wide appeal to all audiences and will allow for hundreds of hours of fantastic gameplay.
thebinarymessiah.com 
Try multiplayer. A lot of fun !