As 2015 draws to an end it's that time once again - Game of the Year Awards. We're continuing with tradition (albeit with some improved polls) in having both Staff and Community awards; the latter are entirely in your hands.
As in previous years you can vote through a series of polls. We've shaken it up a little this year in that you're allowed to vote for up to three games from each list, with each being limited to a maximum of 30 games. Now, of course, we've had to pick those, so if one of your favoured games is missing from a category hit up the Contact Form and vote for your alternatives, we'll add them to the final results. The only exception to this rule is the Overall Game of the Year category, which is explained below.
Voting closes at 5pm UK / 6pm CET / noon Eastern / 9am Pacific on 21st December, so get your votes in before then. You have all of the same categories as the staff, and a few important details are below:
- Releases that have been eShop-exclusive in one region but also had limited retail releases in another territory are in the eShop categories. It's not ideal, of course, but it seems like the fairest approach.
- As before there are no Virtual Console games included; this is a celebration of new releases.
- A few titles are included that only came out in one region; naturally they'll be at a disadvantage, but this is difficult to avoid.
- The 'Overall Game of the Year' only allows you to choose one game from all platforms, and we've picked a longlist of 20. Hover, this poll does have the 'Other' option that allows you to manually submit a game; these 'other' votes will also be counted as normal.
Without further ado, let's get to the voting!
Voting has now closed, thanks to all who took part!
Comments 219
Splatoon!!!
XCX for me on Wii U.
Honestly, I got bored from SMM already.
Splatoon would be the Runner Up.
As for 3DS, dunno. Haven't played all that much on that list, but from what I played, I went with Stella Glow.
SMT DS 2 for my GOTY (what a perfect game)
I simply haven't played/beaten enough games that have -come out this year- yet... so yeah.
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon!
AC Amiibo Festival, calling it.
Xenoblade Chronicles X.
The End. You can close the vote now. It's not even up for discussion.
"As before there are no Virtual Console games included; this is a celebration of new releases."
> Votes for all SEGA 3D Classics in eShop category.
Splatoon for game of the year
Easiest decision I've ever made...SPLATOOOOON.
Wii U GOTY - Affordable Space Adventures, that game was funny and proved how unique the gamepad can be when used creatively.
3DS GOTY - Majora's Mask, they took a lesser played Zelda title, tweaked what didn't work and made it look fantastic.
I tried to vote for Splatoon 3 times but it wouldn't let me.
So no Majora's Mask 3D? Because it's a remake right?
sigh just waiting for the inevitable win of an unnecessarily limited level editor over the best new idea Nintendo has had in over a decade.
Splatoon was the only game on my Wii U (this year) that was not only original, but it felt fresh and had a certain 'newness' that has been sorely missing from Nintendo for quite a long time.
Super Mario Maker is great however, the community and their ideas were not quite as great unfortunately. This should have been released on the Wii U on day one instead of New Super Mario Bros. U too.
Not a bad year, but not exactly the most compelling compared to 2013 and 2014 respectively. I am still patiently waiting for the new The Legend of Zelda!
Splatoon will win it. It's fresh, it's frantic and it put the fun back into first person shooters.
My GOTY is Freedom Planet.
Wii U Game of the Year would be Splatoon while 3DS Game of the Year would be Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Both games offer hundreds of hours, can't really say anything about Xenoblade since I haven't bought it yet.
Interesting that Pokemon Rumble and Pokemon Picross are on the 3DS eShop list, but Shuffle isn't. Shuffle is the best of those free to play games.
Looking over all of these categories really made it clear to me just how bad a year Nintendo had in terms of games. Wow.
"What Are Your Wii U eShop Games of the Year?"
aka Indie games of the year that happen to be on Wii U.
XCX for me. It's everything I expected and even more.
My runner up would be either Super Mario Maker or Splatoon.
I love Splatoon, but playing it excessively has burned me out a little.
SMM is great game, and the fact they plan to update it again keeps me interested. It's the kind of game that I pick up once in a while to pass time and gets the work done.
Overall, 2015 wasn't as good of a year Nintendo wise, comparatively to the last two years, but what it proposed was still decent, I believe.
And to be honest, the indies really filled the blanks in my book
Just noticed how little I cared to pick up for 3DS this year. Voted Majora's Mask 3D for it.
Splatoon for overall game of the year (with Super Mario Maker right behind it)
Uh... where is BOXBOY?
Splatoon doesn't deserve GOTY. I enjoy it but it's equally as frustrating. The Splatfests are awful. The constant disconnects, the lack of voice chat. The annoying squid sisters every time the game loads up. There's no quick profile options. I'm not a fan of the controls. Also, Nintendo locked away content on the disc on day 1 behind amiibo. With no other way to get it. There's no way of backing out of a lobby once you've entered and the limited amount of stages is limited to only 2 at a time on rotation. The list of niggling problems is quite substantial.
Splatoon, easily. For me it's the best thing to happen to shooters since Doom.
Obviously my vote goes to Splatoon for GOTY. No other shooter (or game for that matter) can make me go online for 100+ hours. Great new IP with as much selling power as established ones like Smash or Mario Kart. Pretty impressive.
Nintendo Badge Arcade?
Yes, I love that game.
GOTY for me is Super Mario Maker for the Wii U because that's all I really bought recently for the Wii U and Kirby wasn't on there.
For the 3DS it would be Legend of Legacy but I didn't see it on here either
I always feel it's too soon to be doing these GOTY award thingies in the same year that they're about, especially as the 'official' ones didn't even wait for all the games to release. I haven't played Xenoblade Chronicles X yet and even most people that got it on release and vote now won't have completed it, albeit it shouldn't be necessary to have to beat a game to have an opinion of it, but still. Haven't even got Wooly World or Rise of the Tomb Raider either, two games I'm very much looking forward to. Do people honesty say there aren't enough games, regardless of which system(s) one owns? I can't keep up.
Wii U- Splatoon
3DS- Code Name: STEAM
Overall: Splatoon
Xenoblade Chronicles X, Splatoon, and Super Mario Maker all showed how the gamepad could be used and were great games. Of the three, Xenoblade Chronicles X is the one that I enjoy the most and just pushes the system to it's limits. I cannot help but just stop while playing and marvel at the size of the world I am exploring, and the fact that despite the many complex systems to master the reviewers still give it high praise speaks volumes to me.
Super Mario Maker, why do you even ask?
The 3DS eShop picks in particular are SO hard. Just the Sega M2 ports alone and my three picks are gone.
Xenoblade X will probably not win, despite being the best game since FF7.
The WiiU eshop kicks the retail's lineup butt.
I'm missing BOXBOY in the best eShop releases. My top choice in that category.
GOTY: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, no question.
XCX, no contest at all for me.
Can't play XCX until Christmas but I'm pretty sure it will be my GOTY. But I haven't played yet so it's possible I'll be let down. In which case it would be Splatoon.
And as great as the Nindie games may be on the Wii U eShop nothing got my vote. Not into racing games and Swords & Sodleries 2 was a mess. Not that there arne't good Nindie games - Guacamelle was good, and I thought Stick it to the Man looked interesting, and still waiting for Trine 3 - just 2015 wasn't to my own personal liking.
@VeeFlamesNL - I could have gotten behind Badge Arcade - the rabbit deserves "Mascot of the Year", even ahead of the squidlings - but the free plays were just too limited I've pretty much stopped playing it. If they gave you a free try every 30 minutes like Pokemon Shuffle, or even every 2 hours, that maxed out at 5 I would play it every morning and every evening. They would need to give me 25 tries per $1 before I spent any money though. Or sell the backgrounds for $1 for all the badges I would be getting. But 1 a day isn't worth booting it up anymore. Sometimes on Mondays to see what new game the rabbit is promoting. But even that is going by the wayside for me now.
Mine is, without a doubt, Yoshi's Woolly World. This game is near perfection for me. It's one of my absolute top favorites of all time, let alone this year. Thank you Nintendo, Good-Feel, and of course Satoru Iwata, for delivering such a marvelous and adorable Yoshi experience. As a huge Yoshi fan, I truly loved every single second of it. The gameplay, the music, the aesthetics.. Everything was wonderful in that game. <3
Super Mario Maker will likely win... but Steamworld Heist is so good.
Where's the option to choose Minecraft? Come on!
@Sligeach It's basically baby's first alternative shooter. I probably would have loved Splatoon if I had never branched out from Nintendo. Right now the game is just too slow and boring, I'd rather just play TF2 or overwatch.
GOTY from Nintendo, uhhh... Woolly World was pretty alright. Most of what nintendo put out this year was pretty bad, but a yoshi game finally not sucking was a nice surprise. Super Mystery Dungeon I probably would have loved if it came out this year for PAL, so lol guess that ain't winning any awards.
@kupocake Haha, I know, it's a distinction between remasters and VC releases I guess. 10/10 for being the first to say that though
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D :}
I had to vote for it, because they don't have the other Xenoblade.
Honestly, it's my favorite game ever. Period. I don't see how Xenoblade X can top it when it arrives on Christmas.
Splatoon!
There was a Pac Man clone in the arcades back in the day where you painted the maze with a roller. So, Splatoon is weirdly nostalgic for me 😎
Mario Maker. And Splatoon follows it.
GOTY? No brainer. Xenoblade Chronicles X
@Onion851 Exactly my thought. I'm not even gonna vote in that category cause Boxboy! was the best but for some reason is nowhere to be found.
X
@ThomasBW84 No Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker?
@rjejr Well, I really think the game is very generous with free plays. That's why I go to the Badge Arcade almost everyday because there's like a 70% chance I will get a free play. This is probably the most generous F2P game I've ever played, so I don't really think the game is limiting with free plays.
@Octane Gah, probably should have included it. A weird one though, it actually came out in North America late 2014, and then had a stealth late December release in the UK before trundling out elsewhere in Europe in very early January. I just plum forgot.
Couldnt choose Splatoon on the principle for some peoples connection the game is fundamentally broken. And no I am not talking about slow speeds as that seems not to matter. I know several people with super fast fibre optic connections and still the game refuses to hold a stable connection, booting people from a match and lowering their rank. So I could never take any vote for Splatoon seriously.
Splatoon!
@ThomasBW84 Why is Senran Kagura on the eShop list, when it released at retail in all regions?
As for my predictions despite my previous post I think Splatoon will be an easy win. Though I think that is criminal. Xenoblade Chronicles is not only my Wii U game of the year. Its not only my GOTY for any system. It is without doubt one of the best games ive played this generation of consoles. The game is outstanding.
Yo-kai Watch is more deserving of GOTY than many in that final poll.
And yeah, just 'cause this site didn't like BOXBOY doesn't mean it shouldn't have been included in the 3DS eShop poll.
Splatoon looked fantastic in all its pre release content, and boy did it deliver. As a big big fan of TF2, it took everything I loved about that game and made it even better. I'll be playing it for many years to come; I'm sure (or at least the inevitable sequel!)
I did vote for PSMD, bc the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series is the best game series ever made imo, but as I'm in Britain and havent been able to play it yet, I couldn't vote it best game overall.
1:xeno 2:splatoon 3 : fatal frame
@Mk_II Splatoon is not a first person shooter
Wow... I didn't realize that the only game I've played from this year is Splatoon. Most of the time when me Wii U is on it's for 2014 games or Virtual Console.
@iphys please let it win
@RainbowGazelle I didn't think it was retail everywhere? Will check, though now voting's started there's not much I can do about it. Just another line on my naughty list for Santa.
Hatsune Miku!!
But she doesn't was (with her name) in the chart for "game of year", only in 3DS retail game.
@Gridatttack
I REALLY wanted to say Xenoblade Chronicles X because I, personally, enjoy it more than Splatoon, but in terms of overall impact on the console and creative, quality gamemaking, I had to say Splatoon.
X marks the spot, can't get much easier than that.
I've lost my favour for Splatoon after concluding that Nintendo won't actually do anything to expand the game at this point, and online has gotten insufferably dull due to "master sets" becoming increasingly common, which basically eliminates the entire weapon selection barring very few exceptions (and Heavy Splatling is clearly not among them). Unless they actually expand on the singleplayer, that game is over for me.
However, I'm not seeing Shantae or Gunvolt in the 3DS eShop category, Senran Kagura 2 belongs in 3DS retail, Fatal Frame had a retail release (even if it was limited). There's some work to be done here.
For me, it was a very close tie between Splatoon and XCX, but I went with X in the end, simply because the universe Monolith has created is truly remarkable. I've never felt so engrossed in a virtual world like Mira since at least LoZ:TP, and even then, X may even have that beat. A fantastic way to close 2015.
in Splatoon i have over 100 hours in since its launch...and in 10 days i have over 50 hours in Xenoblade Chronicles X and it wouldve been more if it wasnt for the fact that i was working doubles....i appreciate everything Splatoon has done and its a great game but Xenoblade Chronicles X is my GOTY...
@rjejr personally XCX has exceeded my expectations but if u need help feel free to ask there is so much to learn and its so rewarding. also u can lower boss difficulty if u are having trouble so you wont be in the same pickle you were with the fantastic DKCTF 2014 GOTY LOL!!!
@Mr_Zurkon I hear you re. Affordable space adventures, exceptional game.
SKYLANDERS KONG RACING!!!
Looking forward to seein the results.
My choices:
3DS: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Wii U: Xenoblade Chronicles X
I'm not 100% sure about my eShop choices yet.
Hindsight is wonderful; too bad I've only had XCX about a week. I may change my mind in a few months, but right now Splatoon is my GotY.
I had a hard time picking from the eShop/Indies list, goes to show how awesome it was this year for them. I pretty much know who will win the retain/overall GOTY, so not too intetested in knowing those, but I definitely want to see who wins in the eShop categories.
Where is box boy in the 3ds eshop titles?
Xenoblade/Splatoon/Fast Neo
Gotta be Splatoon or Monster Hunter 4. I've put way more hours into MH4 and love the crap outta it but Splatoon was very fantastic too.
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is my GOTY. Hands down.
Looking back it really wasn't a very good year for Nintendo. Some great games, but not as many as usual.
My honest GOTY is XCX. MH4U was a VERY close second though. I clocked 300 hours into that sucker and loved every minute of it. However, I am enjoying XCX at a pace that is more fitting for me and isn't reliant on playing with others all of the time.
I wasn't thrilled with Super Mario Maker. I honestly played it for about a week and then stopped. Splatoon, while really fun, honestly didn't hold up for me on a personal level. See, I play multiplayer games like that with friends only. I don't play with randoms. My friends stopped playing Splatoon on days that I could play it so I just couldn't bring myself to play it anymore. Nothing against the game but it really makes me feel like I didn't get enough enjoyment out of it to qualify for GOTY.
I wanted to vote for Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, which was released on 02-01-2015 in Europe. Also where's Nintendo Badge Arcade?
@SakuraHaruka
Agree. Had to use the 'other' slot to give my GOTY vote to Project Mirai.
It also made me think how exactly were the 'slotted' 20 entries in the overall GOTY category chosen, because it was obviously not according to Nintendolife opinnion about them. Case in point, Mario Party 10 and Ironfll Invasion (both were given a good score of 7/10 here in this very site) were included instead of other games that got 8 or 9/10 from this site. Were they chosen because of sales?
Splatoooooo~ooooooooooon
Woulda considered yokai watch if it came out where I live
Almost nothing I've been playing this year actually came out in 2015. I've done allot of backlog clearing and old games, not that I mind
I went splatoon for goty, I loved yoshi but it's not as original as splatoon and even though my internet is rubbish I've sat up mega late to play a few times. Very addictive game!!
Wow. After looking over the lists I discovered that I didn't buy any new 3DS or Wii U games all year. Just VC games. Pretty sad when Nintendo games don't interest me anymore.
I know splatoon will probably win, but SteamWorld heist is definitely my GOTY. I've already played fifteen hours in five days, when a lot of the games I buy don't get that much the whole time I own them.
Goty-Splatoon ru- xcx
Splatooooooon! I honestly hated the game to start with, now I've clocked up over 110 hours! I haven't played XCX yet but I'm sure I'd have trouble choosing between the two once I did.
I guess BoxBoy was released last year. I'd skipped it after the NL review, but picked it up after reading a review on Kotaku.
Kotaku was right! NL review was wrong!
BoxBoy is a super awesome hidden gem of a game! If you like Puzzlers or Platformers, it is for you. Tons of content and charm! Wonderfully innovative concepts for puzzles and EACH WORLD uses its own puzzle mechanics. That keeps the game really fresh all the way through.
Obviosly Xenoblade X is going to win... right??
Could there be a better game?? Yeah, Splatoon is fun and all, a very good game indeed, but come on... Xenoblade guys...
"What is your game of the year?"
This begins to play: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GFx1sOpDSh4
I haven't played X yet since I'm saving it for Christmas, so mine's gonna be probably either FAST Racing Neo, Xenoblade 3D, or Mario Maker.
Splatoon, FAST Racing NEO, Code Name S.T.E.A.M and SteamWorld Heist are the winners for me with Splatoon taking the overall crown.
This is the first time in 10 years (SotC) that my game of the year isn't on a Nintendo system.
Ori and the Blind Forest
@cyrus_zuo Agreed. BOXBOY! Is a fantastic puzzle platformer. Well worth adding to anyone's library!
So hard to pick between Xenoblade Chronicles X and MH4U, and while I am a hunter at heart, Xenoblade blew me away. If we get MHX next year that'll have my vote.
Splatoon. XCX is the runner up. Its areally close one.
I feel like Plague of Shadows deserved to be included. I certainly would vote for it.
Wow voting made me realize how little of what Nintendo had to offer resonated with me this year.. I'm sure splatoon is an amazing game, but I put down the fps'ers a couple years ago. SMM was gold for the first month, but they really fell short at creating an active and engaging community imo.. Woolly world was my most enjoyed considering I've only bought 2 2015 games this year. I'll be grabbing xenoblade and fast racing neo in the next week so that'll bump a bit at the end of the year. But man that's a pretty sad line up if you ask me..
Luckily I had some catching up to do from last year. 100% run on 3d world, shovel knight, and Pokemon x/sapphire all helped fill in this gap of a year. Oh and the dkc trilogy was an awesome throw back too
If splatoon doesn't win GOTY I'll be disappointed for a few seconds.
So tough to pick between XCX and SMM... In the end I went for XCX. Splatoon's an easy 3rd place, too.
DEVIL' THIRD IS THE GOTY.
runs aways
OK. Easily Xenoblade is the GOTY. I voted for Stella Glow as the best 3ds.
As much as I like Neo Fast Racing I love Freedom Planet more.
Xenoblade X is the only game I can acknowledge as being deserving of the title "Game of the Year." I get the feeling Splatoon will end up winning, but Xenoblade X definitely has my vote. Splatoon would be second place, though. I still need to play a lot of games from this year (Super Mario Maker, Yoshi's Woolly World, Extreme Butoden, and Super Mystery Dungeon), so I probably would have voted for those in the individual sections if I'd played them.
....looks at XCX, MH4U, and Super Mario Maker
....I can't choose. T.T
Splatoon #1
MH4U #2
SMM #3
XCX #4
@WanderingPB I'm not too worried about JRPG difficulty, all you have to do is grind more. Plus I got the hardcover guide if need be.
Splatooooooon!!! Followed by XCX.
I'm sorry but Mario Maker for me is boring. I'd rather play Nintendo-made SMB game. I bought Mario Maker day one but didn't have the urge to properly create a level. The user-made levels? It was interesting initially.
@rjejr Not long played Stick it to the Man and I really liked it. The humour I found right up my street, gameplay mostly great except for a couple of enemy areas where the timing has to be perfect.
Super Mario Maker!
I came here to vote for Splatoon.
Why is not Project Zero in the retail list if it's retail in Europe?
Why is not Project Zero a possible game of the year?
XCX is GOTY despite the fact I'm horrible at it and keep dying.
@Gridatttack I agree with you exactly on all fronts.
I like the fact that a lot of 3DS games aren't exactly my "YOU SHOULD GO PLAY THIS NOW" kinda game of the year, more like I really liked it and hope someone else enjoyed it.
But for the most part Nintendo had a real low point in comparison to 2014, some few gems but in a landfill of waste.
@rjejr i hear ya ive been doing a lot of exploring and some grinding but i also have that strategy book but it doesnt really tell u anything new other than what the game manual hasnt already explained...for example it doesnt explain the affinity quests with multiple choices like the "repair job" which u could choose quick fix or actual solution...the book is a nice read but i feel that ive learned more on my own. also there's a trick to mining but you'll understand when u finally play. also level up ur Mechanical to level 4 first then you can level up the rest trust me some probes need a higher level than others. but i hope you enjoy my friend
Majora's Mask 3D is easily the best game I've played all year.
Gotta go with Splatoon. I played it soooo much had so much fun. It still has it's flaws, but while the flaws in Mario Maker, actually ruin the game for me I can get over them in Splatoon.
Looking at this list makes me realize that this really has been a very mediocre year for the Wii U and 3DS. I only purchased 3 2015 Wii U games and 1 2015 3DS game the entire year.
Wii U GOTY & Overall: Splatoon
3DS GOTY: Majora's Mask 3D
@Gridatttack Yeah, I got bored with SMM too. Wasn't expecting that.
GOTY: Splatoon. No contest. None at all.
Xenoblade Chronicles X is my game of the year. I'm also really enjoying Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival. It's really addicting.
Splatoon is my Nintendo game of the year, by far!
Game of the Year: Monster Hunter 4 U, despite the fact it was not really a 2015 game.
Best 3DS games of the year among those listed: Monster Hunter of course, and I am gladly surprised to see Code name: STEAM in the choices. I could have choosed Majora's Mask, but it is not a game of this year in my mind.
Best 3DS e-shop game: hum... should I say IRONFALL, I loved what this game had to "offer". (so sad that my tweaked console has to be sent to Nintendo, I did not actually fully finished an imported game yet)
Easy...Splatoon is likely the game of the generation with Kid Icarus: Uprising as a close second (game of the 3DS generation)
Devils Third. The online is a blast and the most fun I have had playing a game in ages.
I think the overall game of the year should be Xenoblade Chronicles X. It's a huge game that pushes the Wii U to new boundaries. Close seconds include Splatoon, Yoshi's Wooly World, and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.
Super Mario Maker was really cool, but the community just isn't original enough to make it a game of the year contender for me. The game should have allowed you to create your own Super Mario game with full worlds. I feel like people would have felt more obligated to create legitimate levels if the game was structured that way.
2015 was a very interesting year for Nintendo. It wasn't the best, especially when compared to previous years such as 2013, but there were still some nice games on both the Wii U and 3DS. It's just too bad there were some large release gaps.
@Onion851 I was thinking the same thing! What a gem of a game and a real bang for your buck...
As much as I wanted to give Zelda it, I had an amazing 600 hours put into Monster Hunter 4. Had to give it game of the year. I'm sure splatoon will win. Probably would've voted for it if I picked it up. Well hope I get it for Christmas
Splatoon is the GOTY, with Yoshi 2nd and Xenoblade X 3rd, with Mario Maker on a honorable mention spot.
It's easiest to select the 3 top ones on the Wii U eShop titles: Affordable Space Adventures, Runbow and FAST Racing NEO are the ones that stands out.
I'd love to give Yo-Kai Watch and Etrian Odyssey Untold 2 my votes, but I won't since I cannot play them in Europe. If they are included in the polls next year, then they'll probably both get my votes then.
Edit: I was tempted to do Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate or Super Mario Maker as game of the year, but then I looked into my heart and had a journey of self discovery and realised that only Splatoon could be game of the year for me.
Splatoon, Super Mario Maker and Xenoblade Chronicles X are so far above everything else on the Wii U it's unreal. Kirby and Yoshi were decent games, but nothing more. Splatoon edges it overall for me though, by virtue of Nintendo finally trying something new. I hope it's success continues and they take more risks in the future.
The 3DS poll was another hard one... because I think Record Breaker and Codename STEAM are the only decent games I've played on the handheld all year, and even then CS had a ton of flaws and rough edges. (Etrian Odyssey 2 isn't out here in Euorpe).
Splatoon is my GOTY. Followed by Super Mario Maker and Xenoblade Chronicles X.
What is your worst game of the year?
@Nintendo_Ninja
Mine is Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival. Worst Game of the year.
I voted for 2 games as favorite 3DS games of 2015; MH4U & Codename S.T.E.A.M. My 3rd choice would be Shovel Knight as the game got released this year (physical retail). I never played it before the physical release, Shovel Knight definitively deserves/should be on the list, it`s now my favorite 2D platformer franchise next to Megaman.
With Wii U I`ve never bothered. The only game that could tempt me to buy ine would be for Xenoblade X, else I`m still fine with the
Wii for me and my daughter.
Overall GOTY definitely MH4U, clocked over 400 hours and I`m still enjoying grinding after relics-weapons/DLC Armorsets. Hopefully MHX will get a western release asap.
Yoshi, Freedom Planet, and Splatoon were my Top 3 this year.
@Tsurii @Sakura I may play Stick it to the Man someday. If I ever clear out my backlog. Which isn't likely. But I keep it in mind.
@WanderingPB Yeah most of the book reviews on Amazon say it's garbage, but I really just got it for the pictures. I'm not worried about it though, 17 years of JRPG, no matter how hard they made it, I feel confident my wife and I can figure it out. She's been sitting by my side all 17 years, she's a big sci-fi fantasy geek.
@Nicolai Is that PBG? Surely that's a sign of the apocalypse when PBG becomes somebody's avatar.
@VeeFlamesNL "This is probably the most generous F2P game I've ever played"
Well either I'm playing all the right ones or you're playing all the wrong ones b/c NBA is the worst F2P system I've ever played. Pokemon Shuffle is 2nd but even that is 10x better. "70%" of a free play per day is atrocious .Should be more like 700% at least. Great game otherwise.
@rjejr What can I say, his facial expressions are hilarious
I probably would have voted for XCX has I played it already. But I have to wait for X-Mas, so Mario Maker gets my vote.
@SakuraHaruka
Hi Five! Hatsune Miku Projecto Mirai DX is THE game of the year!!!
Tough calls this time round.
I'd like to vote XCX as GOTY, but really can't as I've not played it (but still put it in my Wii U retail top 3), so Splatoon gets it. Despite its annoyances it is still a fantastic game, and it's freshness and the fact it's been around for 6 months and is still going strong merits a No.1 from me.
Wii U eshop? I've only bought one of those titles, and regret doing so so didn't vote for it: FAST Racing Neo - looks nice but is very shallow experience, wish I could get a refund.
Splatoon FTW!!
Splatoon is a blast and took up most of my time earlier this year. It would have been my vote for GOTY. But Super Mario Maker came around and I really don't want to play anything else. I haven't made that many levels, but I put a lot of effort into the one's I do put out. Made a few friends on there, play each other's levels, and bring in more people into our circle. The MiiVerse is a huge help and the forum on this website helps a bit, too.
Splatoon got my vote. It was a tough call between it and Super Mario Maker, but Splatoon being an exciting new IP had that going for it. Still Xenoblade and others deserve honorable mention.
@Nicolai Well, he is really funny, but he doesn't seem to be the happiest guy in the world. My 10 year old son loves him though. 10 year old boys can never have enough sarcasm in their lives.
Mario Maker! A Nintendo fan dream come true.
Was gonna vote Splatoon as my GOTY, but the lag against Japanese players can really piss me off sometimes...
MH4U GOTY
Where's SMTIV?!
But yeah, as much as I want to say Splatoon, I've spent sooooo many hours on Mario Maker that I can't justify not voting it #1.
16E0-0000-00E0-4AF8
Splatoon and SMM are both fantastic. I don't like deciding which is fantasticer, but I think Splatoon has in general had more of an impact on me. It's the reason I got a Wii U, and in hindsight, still seems like an absolutely brilliant reason to do so.
Mario Maker broke down something familiar and gave us the pieces to build something new with. Splatoon was - out of the box - already so fresh and new and zingy and unlike anything Nintendo (or really, anyone) had ever produced, that I can't see myself ever forgetting it.
But they're both monumental, console-defining titles, and I've been very grateful to play them.
XCX, literally no contest at all. The only thing that compares to it is MH4U and Stella Glow. Super Mario Maker doesn't deserve it because even though I like the game there are hundreds of SMB Engines like SMBX has much more content. Splatoon doesn't deserve it because the game online is so damn limited even after the "Splatoon 2.0" update. I still enjoy both games, but there're underwhelming compared to a game as big as XCX. This list also reminds me of how crappy this year it been for Nintendo and Nintendo fans. The indie section is full of games like Freedom Planet, Don't Starve, and many others being out since 2013 and the Wii U is just now getting them nearly 3 years afterwards.
My GOTY is Xenoblade Chronicles X. Monolith Soft knows how to make awesome JRPG games. They should assist Nintendo in getting the new Zelda game ready for next year. (No more delays!!!)
It's now do I realize just how underwhelming this year was.
The 400 plus hours of enjoyment I've gotten out of MH4U easily make it my game of the year. For WiiU I chose Xenoblade even though I haven't played it yet, because it's honestly the only thing there interesting to me and maybe someday I'll get around to playing it. I'm glad others are enjoying Splatoon and Mario Maker but they just don't interest me at all.
For me, Nintendo platforms game of the year has to go to Super Mario Maker.
@theultimateabsol Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon is my game of the year too!
@Chaoz Affordable Space Adventures.It is an great game and you should get it if you have not.
Was really conflicted between XCX and Monster Hunter 4U. In the end I went with MH as I've sunk 250 hours into it and loved every minute. So far I'm 30 into XCX and also loving it equally as much so I kinda just went with the one I know best so far. Maybe if XCX came out around the same time as MH I would be able to decide between them properly but as it stands im loving them both pretty much equally, MH just had the edge because of the time I've gotten to spend on it.
Xenoblade X by miles. Splatoon wouldn't be as good without the 2.0 update. The base game was lacking in every aspect. XCX has so much things to do.
I voted for new style boutique 2 even though I live in North America and we're not allowed to have that game here because Nintendo does not care about gamers on this side of the world
Awesome picks for 2015. Between 3DS and WiiU, this was a good year. Of course, XCX gets my vote for GOTY, but that was a hard choice with the absolutely a-mazing Splatoon and Yoshi's Woolly World in the list.
@rjejr my apologies my friend i did not mean to imply that you or your wife wouldnt be able to figure it...i have no doubt that you both will. I personally was stuck on the affinity mission that i mentioned before for 2 days and in the mean time i just explored until i figured it out! LOL!!! XCX offers so much but its up to the players to figure things out which i absolutely love plus i keep getting lost exploring and sometimes im just astonished at how big this world is! again i hope u and the misses enjoy Mira and maybe i'll catch you online!
The only Nintendo game that I played this year was Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. Fairly average game but it's the only thing I can choose.
@OorWullie It let me.
@Fandabidozi Crush Roller / Make Trax (same game, different title). I remember this game well. You can play it using MAME, or in your browser at the Internet Arcade.
Let's go, Splatoon!
BTW, Splatoon wins by a mile for me. I haven't put in that much game time for anything since Skyward Sword (a year or so ago after getting Wii U, not when it came out). I started on SMM after release, but soon went back to Splatoon. Still, SMM is a solid second place. Haven't played any of the Xenoblade games.
Haven't played much new 3DS, but Zelda MM as it got me to finally pick up a 3DS (the New 3DS of course) so I voted for that, and Yo-Kai Watch though I only played the demo of that one so far.
No third option for either.
So I just realized I have been playing old games all year lol
Tbh it was hard to choose 3 in most of those categories because I've found 2015 to be really underwhelming. XCX, Mario Maker and Splatoon for top 3 though, that was easy. Kirby is a close 4th though.
Splatoon is my favorite for Wii U, with MH4U my favorite for 3ds (Mario and Luigi isn't out in America, and I didn't buy CN: Steam due to cheapness - I suspect they'd be up there). Between MH4U and Splatoon? Thaaaaaat is a hard decision. More play time on MH4U for sure, but for sheer awesomeness/newness? I think I'd have to choose Splatoon. I can't decide!!
The 3DS didn't really have a mediocre year, it's just that the entire lineup sans MH4U is B-tier support titles and spinoffs. Nothing that's very heavy-hitting. That being said, Legend of Legacy and Stella Glow are probably bigger hitters in the spring.
The Wii U was all over the place. Some great games, some decent support titles, some meh support titles, and some downright garbage games.
My overall GOTY goes to Splatoon. Wii U GOTY goes to Splatoon (XCX was a very close second). 3DS GOTY goes to MH4U, no questions asked. No 3DS game came even close to MH4U, and remasters are disqualified imo.
I could only pick two for wii u. I've only bought splatoon and Xenoblade x.
3DS was pretty weak this year overall. But Stella Glow is fantastic and doesn't have much competition
Done voting. Looking forward to see the end results. And yes, you can bet I voted "Xenoblade Chronicles X" every chance I got.
Xenoblade Chronicles X for me. It's the game I always wanted since I was a kid...brimming with imagination and everything an 80s and 90s anime kid ever wanted in one gigantic, and beautiful looking game.
Majora's mask 3d didn't have enough praise from you guys. It really my best 3ds game of all time.
Splatoon bby! Talk about how it should be X all you want, I'm going to have way more play time in Splatoon than X.
And wow, can't believe I haven't gotten a 3ds retail game this year yet.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Splatoon!!! Never have I been able to get into a shooter before. Also I'm looking forward to the next Splatfest!
@rjejr Nintendo Badge Arcade is GOTY now, just for this picture:
Super Mario Maker and Xenoblade X definately. Third choice was difficult but I will put Yoshi's Woolly World before Splatoon - I love both but I feel Woolly World needs my vote more.
On eShop Citizens of Earth is missing in the poll! That would have definately won one of my votes! Found it amazing, despite the many bugs! So I voted for Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, Affordable Space Adventures, and Don't Starve. (I know I have to get Binding of Isaac and Human Resource Machine soon.)
Splatoon wins hands down. It's the best game I've played this generation by a large magin. So original, so innovative and so much fun - it's a masterpiece and will be remembered as an all time Nintendo classic.
Also, what a soundtrack!
Wii U retail - Xenoblade Chronicles X
Wii U eShop - Fatal Frame 5
3DS retail - Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Overall GOTY is a tough choice between XCX and MH4U but I went with XCX.
Looking at these lists really puts a new perspective on the constant litany of complaints about how the 3DS has dried up, had a mediocre year, showing its age etc. I'm still catching up from last year with Etrian Odyssey Untold and Pokemon Omega Ruby taking up most of my time, but the time I've spent on Project Mirai, Majora's Mask and Codename STEAM, along with demos for a few others, has convinced me that 2015 was not a bad year for 3DS by any reasonable measure. And definitely not for RPG fans!
Game of the Year was definitely tough to pick between Xenoblade Chronicles X and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, but Xenoblade wins in my brain by the smallest of margins. Splatoon comes right behind there especially since I'm still playing often months after release.
Splatoon!!!
Disappointed by the lack of Pokemon Shuffle.
Yoshi Wooly World was my fave. I haven't had time to start Xenoblade yet because of Fallout 4
freedom planet, super mario maker, and shantae all the way.
been playing freedom planet alot lately i knew it would be a great game when i played the nindies at home demo and personally i like it way more then sonic. and im replaying shantae for like the 8th time. for the most part i've been playing indie games all year.
Splatoon for me. I have played that game so much it is almost embarrassing to look at the amount of hours I have poured in to it.
No other game this year, on any platform, has been able to grab my attention like Splatoon has.
Game of the year - Rainmaker
Runner up - Tower Control
3rd place - Splat Zones
Honourable mention - Turf Wars
My game of the year would be Super Mario Maker, with Yoshi's Woolly World and Splatoon trailing right behind it.
Wii U Retail Games of the Year: 5,977 votes
Game of the Year: 2,294 votes
Do people not scroll?
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X, only 12 hours in but definitely my GOTY.
2. Splatoon, original and the only online shooter I've enjoyed in years.
3. Yoshi's Woolly World, excellent co-op fun.
Just realised that I haven't played anything new on 3DS this year.
I haven't bought anything that released on the Wii U this year, and I've bought three in the 3DS: SMT DS2: Record Breaker, Lord of Magna (they should've kept the Japanese name...), and Stella Glow.
Of those, Stella Glow is better than Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker, which is waaaaaaayyy better than Lord of Magna.
However, I have been eagerly anticipating Project Mirai DX, I hope I get my gift soon...
Kirby, Yoshi and Codenamed Steam
Voted XCX best Wii U game (haven't played any of them, it just seems the most interesting). And Gunstar Heroes 3D sweeping the 3DS. Because honestly, 25 year old Genesis remakes are usually still better than modern Nintendo handheld games. I think Link Between Worlds is the last 3DS game worth more than 30$.
Personal opinions of course.
Then again, to be frank, my dropped interest in XCX (from E3 on, if I'm being honest) meant I couldn't pick a GOTY from ANY Nintendo product.
So like a 'hater', I took full advantage of the fact the GOTY portion didn't specify Nintendo and voted for the Witcher 3.
For me it is kinda tie for Splatoon and XCX. They are great both in their own way. Even with kinda limited content, Splatoon just doesn't get old. And the fact that "shooting" multiplayer doesn't have to include blood or humans/zombies/aliens And it is all tied together with awesome soundtrack
XCX (I actually got it on release day, but hubby started it first so erm.. he is playing it) is very well done massive JRPG with so many things to do and hours to spend that. It is awesome.
Splatoon will win overall and so it should, Fast Racing Neo would be my top e-shop pick
Not visible picks:
WiiU: Captain Toad TT
3DS Eshop: Shovel Knight
It was a tough choice but.. Splatoon trumps MM as game of the year!
Favorite Wii U Games this year:
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X
2. Splatoon
3. Super Mario Maker
Favorite 3DS Game this year:
1. Zelda: Majoras Mask 3D
2. Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
3. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros.
Favorite Wii U eShop Game:
1. Fatal Frame
2. Fast Racing Neo
3. -
Favorite 3DS eShop Game:
1. Ironfall: Invasion
2. -
3. -
Game of the Year (out of all Platforms)
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X
2. The Witcher 3
3. Splatoon
Wii U GotY
Xenoblade Chronicles X
3DS GotY
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Honestly, the only reason people aren't all voting for these two games is because they just never played them. So unfortunate. Both will be looked back upon as 2 of the greatest games ever conceived. Like, of Final Fantasy X fame, yet the majority of members here are blissfully ignorant, having no clue just much they're missing. A true shame indeed.
Haven't playeded Xenoblade Chronicles yet but for me Super Mario Maker is incredible, it's obviously a load of fun but no-one ever mentions how it can help you relax after a day of work. I find the game really therapeutic and rewarding. On the other hand and complete opposite side of the spectrum there's my other big game FAST Racing Neo, I cannot believe how good this game is in terms of pure high speed racing thrills and the phase change system is inspired. The courses are amazing, brilliantly designed to keep you on your toes. The only thing is novice mode is pretty difficult (for me anyway) so really not looking forward to advanced and expert!
Is it wrong if I chose 3DS eShop games just three perfect M2&Sega releases?
3D Sonic 2, 3D Streets of Rage 2 and 3D Outrun were just so completely perfect releases.
Splatoon for GotY 2015.
Wii U eShop games were definitely Fast Racing NEO, Fatal Frame/ Project Zero 5 (even though I bought the physical version) and Affordable Space Adventures.
I have plans to do a 'game of the year' styled video myself at some point, although as the year has not ended, I will unlikely make or upload this until the first day of the new year. After all, who knows what games I might be able to try out in the remainder of December, maybe even games I obtain on Christmas day.
For instance, throughout the year I have purchased games that I've simply yet to get around to playing; Freedom Planet, Adventure Bar Story, Trine: Enhanced Edition. Funny enough, despite this year being a little lacklustre in some ways, there is still so many games that I've wanted to play but simply never got the chance to play.
So, I wouldn't consider my results... 100% official to what I consider the games of the year for their respective category, given things still might change, but it is close enough. So, below are my votes;
Wii U Retail Game Of The Year
1) Splatoon
2) Yoshi's Wooly World
3) Rodea The Sky Soldier
I think I'd like to point out two exclusions on this list. First off, whilst it's more of an education tool than strictly a game, I still feel that Art Academy Atelier should have been included on this list. Secondly, whilst it was unofficially released in some EU regions before January 2nd, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker's official EU release date was part of this year, and I feel that game should have also been included.
Wii U eShop Game Of The Year
1) Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water
2) Nihilumbra
3) Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
3DS Retail Game Of The Year
1) Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX
2) Fossil Fighters Frontier
Yeah, this year was a little sparse for me on the 3DS front. I'm not a big fan of the 3DS currently, what with it's L and R buttons constantly breaking, and suffering cramps from how small the system is. That said, both of these games have been amazing experiences, and I had a ton of fun with them.
I had considered getting Chibi-Robo Zip-Lash and Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam Bros, but ultimately passed on both games. I was also interested in the upcoming Samurai Chronicles game, but it seemed to pass by without me being aware of it.
Game Of The Year) Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water
As a lucky fellow from the UK, I was able to get this game physically, and am I glad that I did. I've never tried this series out before, I'd barely even played horror games before, but I absolutely love Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water. It's easily one of my favourite games on the Wii U, and whilst it had tough competition from Splatoon, ultimately Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water has given me the greater experience this year.
Super Mario Maker made my year for me, and this game will continue to thrive my house in 2016!
Voted for the retail 3DS. For the eShop, I will have to think a little bit. I won't vote in Wii U polls as I don't have the system. Btw, I think EOU: Fanfir Knight should also has "(NA)" in it as it will be released in Europe in 2016
I probably would vote for XCX, but I won't get to play it until Dec 25th
Here are my votes:
Wii u retail: Woolly world
Wii u e-shop: Shantae and the pirates curse
3DS retail: Triforce heroes
3DS e-shop: Fullblox
Overall best game: Yoshi's woolly world
Why no Xenoblade X, you might ask? Because I still haven't got the time to play it, so it wouldn't be fair to vote for it.
@Sligeach Control wise, I think most people are happy with the motion controls. Yes, it does still need a couple of features (changing loadout, backing out).
Voice chat is NOT essential in this game, that is what the on screen map on the Game Pad is for.
Yes, Nintendo actually copied what most other Devs are doing with most games, locked some content on the disc. However, I do believe they have made up for this with the sheer amount of FREE courses, gear and weapons, releasing on a nearly weekly basis.
But, if you are not happy with a game, you are not happy.
@sketchturner I'd put Ori and the Blind Forest down as my 3rd favourite game of the year, but hopefully Pure Xbox will also host a Game Of The Year Poll. As far as Xbox One games go, Ori and the Blind Forest is certainly number one for me.
@VanillaLake Yeah, I was pretty disappointed to see Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water not listed within the Game Of The Year selection. I had to click on Other to vote for it, and I can't remember any time where an Other option vote has won any of these polls.
@Nintendo_Ninja A Worst game of the year? Well usually I wouldn't feel like saying a game, as whatever game I'd consider the worst of my year would be due to it being just not as good as the other games that year rather than being a bad game. This year however...
My Worst game of 2015 is Legend of Kay Anniversary. It manages to be both boring and frustrating, with a lovely combat system that is quickly marred by terrible camera angles and a difficulty that is done only through swarms of enemies. I made the unfortunate mistake of deciding that my brother and I should record a playthrough of the game for our YouTube channel, combine that with my rule of always finishing off a playthrough for our channel, and we had to suffer the entire extent of what the game had to offer.
@Qun_Mang Funnily enough, that is how I went about playing Skyward Sword as well. I got my Wii U, and in between the release of Lego City Undercover and Wonderful 101, I ended up purchasing Skyward Sword. It's easily one of my favourite Legend of Zelda games and a key reason as to why I love the Wii U having backwards compatibility.
I only didn't vote for Splatoon and Mario Maker, because I know they're going to win.
@Souldin Regarding Legend of Kay, I don't know what you were expecting. He's a C-rate anthropomorphic attempt at a mascot that hardly anyone has ever heard of, created before 3D game development stopped being the default expectation.
Didn't realize how slim pickings it was for both systems this year. You basically have like 5 options for both systems.
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is my game of the year, though I haven't had time to start Xenoblade, sounds awesome.
@WanderingPB You never have to apologize to me, we're good. And you know I'm a horrible gamer anyway. In fact just last night I've decided to give up on Yarn Yoshi. It's not that it's too hard, I just HATE one hit kills and replaying levels. I just can't be bothered, I get bored so easily repeating sections. I was on world 2-5, spikey something, and getting hit by mine throwing cloud riders and falling to the spikes below. After 4 or 5 times I put on Monday Night Football to watch the Giants vs Miami then watched The Flash w/ my wife. Tonight I'm going back to Disney Infinity 3.0 to finish up some hub sidekick missions and The Incredibles playset. Maybe check out Monsters Inc which I heard was horrible.
So XCX may be hard, but as long as I have new areas to explore and can figure stuff out w/ my mind, not w/ twitchy finger action, I'm good. But when I do get stuck I will be asking you on Miiverse.
@IceClimbers Ooh, I need to check in this week just for that Ridley badge. "Ridley badge confirmed!" That rabbit is the best. He needs to be in SSB. Not playable, I just want to see him pop up in the corner occasionally making comments. And a furry amiibo.
Splatoon, hands down. As much as I love Super Mario Maker, a certain brand new IP where you can be a kid and a squid wins my vote.
Why no Fatal Frame for Game of the Year category?
@Souldin It's unfair to ignore Project Zero like this because Nintendo Life puts shabby games in those lists and they make a lot of noise when talking about them.
ATLUS has been amazing this year, SMT DS II and EOUII, they do deserve to be noticed more.
Splatoon FTW!
Amiibo festival GOTY
I voted for Boxboy, a 2015 release in all regions. Criminal that it's not in any of these lists.
Splatoon takes the cake for me. Absolutely the best multiplayer game I have ever played on a console. Runner up is easily Super Mario Maker.
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