The Best Games Lineup of 2015
Sony has been widely criticised, as you might expect, for not following the annual tradition of giving birth to a monstrous AAA game during the holiday season. The Uncharted 4-sized hole in its fall release calendar is even more conspicuous considering its competition has shipped three fantastic exclusives (Halo 5, Forza 6, and Rise of the Tomb Raider) in the same stretch.
Considering Uncharted 4’s delay to March, along with Microsoft's solid showcase, it's even more impressive and indeed surprising that PS4 nevertheless has this year’s best lineup of games. At the top of the heap is Bloodborne, released exclusively for PS4 in March, which is a strong contender for Game of the Year after garnering perfect scores from publications such as Videogamer, The Guardian, and EDGE (the latter of which ranked it in its all-time top five). GameSpot’s review was glowing, as was its Game of the Month tribute: “Lots of games are fun; very few provide this kind of exhilaration. Congratulations, Bloodborne, for hammering our souls to a bloody pulp. It's an honor to be vanquished by a game so mighty.”
Then there’s Until Dawn, an interactive teen-horror flick laced with so many tropes that it goes full-circle and becomes endearing. It is the sleeper-hit of the year, surprising virtually everyone with how much they enjoyed it. GameSpot’s review concluded: “Until Dawn succeeds in being a thoughtful use of familiar mechanics, a great achievement in player-driven narrative, and a horror game you shouldn't miss.”
Most impressive of all is the sheer number of console exclusives that showcase original IPs and distinct, inventive ideas. Rocket League, another Game of the Year contender, will be remembered as one of the best multiplayer games of the generation and certainly unlike anything else you can find on consoles. Other notable console exclusives include the haunting SOMA, as well as the striking (if slumbersome) adventure Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture.
For Xbox 360 owners who switched to PlayStation this generation, there’s also the PS3 re-releases in the shape of the Uncharted Collection, God of War III Remastered, and Journey (the latter of which scored a perfect 10 in GameSpot’s re-review).
All of this, bear in mind, is complemented by a swarm of fantastic console-exclusive indies that have shipped on PSN this year: Axiom Verge, Race the Sun, Hatoful Boyfriend, The Talos Principle, and so on. Such games showcase the PS4 as an indie haven that dares to rival steam.
"Comes with the best library of games released in 2015."
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-2015-report-card/1100-6432581/
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-2015-report-card/1100-6432582/
Microsoft still needs to build new IPs, and draw in more indie developers, but nevertheless its console exclusive Ori and the Blind Forest is easily one of the most attractive and enjoyable games released this year. At the end of 2014 we concluded that Xbox One’s game library edges ahead of the PS4’s; this isn’t the case any longer, with Sony’s 2015 line-up delivering a more interesting and varied line-up of console exclusives and new IPs. But that doesn’t negate Xbox One’s achievement; it has delivered two sustained years of acclaimed console exclusives.
That best lineup in Xbox history though. I guess that's what happens when you have nothing for the first 9 months of the year.
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