With the end of 2015 bearing down upon us, we here at Click-Swipe-Play have been looking back at the year’s best games. Now that most of the year’s big titles are out, it seemed only right to pick out the three you should not miss. Or, to put it another way, what to get in the holiday sales.
Each of our editors got one pick… though as I am writing this, I got to sneak in a few honorable mentions at the end.
Danni went first, and in truth is pick is hard to argue with, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Standing as probably the final installment in one of gaming all-time greats, this story perfectly wraps up the series, bringing everything back to where it began with the fall of the legendary Big Boss.
It is a little lighter on bizarre cut-scenes than previous games in the franchise, but it more than makes up for this with some of the best and most open gameplay we have ever seen. Plus, it looks and sounds incredible – finally delivering on the cinematic vision that the game’s director, Hideo Kojima, has been working towards since Metal Gear Solid.
But while Danni was picking out the grand finale of a franchise Maria, another of our editors, was selecting a series that is probably near the middle of its life – Assassins Creed Syndicate. Honestly, this shocked me a little when she said it, but she has been massively enjoying Ubisoft’s latest sneak-and-stab adventure.
And certainly the way she describes it there is much to like. There is the 19th century London setting that allows for access to many fantastic historical characters. Then there is the interplay between the game’s twin leads – Jacob and Evie Frye – each of whom bring a different focuses to the adventure. You are even equipped with a grappling hook, which adds variety and speed to your movement around the beautiful environments.
My pick was the slightly less well known Life is Strange, a downloadable episodic adventure game that has just come to its thrilling conclusion. It is the fascinating tale of photography student who finds she has the power to manipulate time. Cue lots of going up to people, asking them a question, reversing time, and asking the same question differently to make sure you get the right response.
But what really makes Life is Strange special is its character development and the issues it handles. Along with the usual teenage insecurities you face domestic violence, drugs, and other grounded issues that give the world an unexpected impact. Oh, and there is a natural disaster coming to destroy the town that only you can stop – I should probably mention that.
But, as I said at the start, we really have been spoiled for games this year. So, along with the above, I feel we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t at least mention The Witcher 3, Volume, Crypt of the NecroDancer, and Fallout 4.
That’s it for this week, I will be back in seven days with the best three iOS games of the year, see you then.
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