Rocket League

GWJ Community 2015 Game Of The Year

Section: 

Thank you so much to everyone who voted. Here are your results!

10.) Super Mario Maker (Wii U)

"This is the game I have wanted ever since I was a schoolkid first venturing into the Mushroom Kingdom back in the days of the original Super Mario Bros. I vividly remember the many hours I spent drawing my own levels, making up my own Mario power-ups and enemies, and dreaming of a day I might be able to make my own Mario game.

"That day is now, and I am hard-pressed to imagine Nintendo doing a better job with this first offering of a creation toolkit of this pedigree." — Farscry

"Just the act of creating is so satisfying, so intuitive, so egregiously Nintendo that I had to give this game a spot in the top five." — doubtingthomas396

"A childhood dream come true. Nintendo's focus on ease of use really pays off here and they've created the best game making toy thingy ever conceived." — garion333


9.) Dragon Age: Inquisition (Multiplatform) — Special Award: Classic Game of the Year

"I love the characters, the incredible dialogue writing, and the voice acting. I love the graphic design. I love the unorthodox open world exploration-based story telling. I love the crafting system and the variety of items. I love the variety of spells and abilities, the way they work, and the way you can use them to create teams with great synergy." — BadKen


8.) Pillars of Eternity (PC)

"A mature story told with good characters, an initially confusing combat system, and at least one metacontroversy that was handled with the grace of a sedated cow in a trebuchet." — Tanglebones

"Pillars is a strong and engaging start to Obsidian's foray into making games on their own. Competently written throughout, with moments of actual brilliance (Grieving Mother was... something else)." — Hyetal

"It evoked the Infinity Engine games of old, while still feeling fresh and unique. And the lofty thematic goals were built on top of a solid foundation of design decisions." — BNice


7.) Life Is Strange (Multiplatform)

"Truly loved the overall experience. The characters, the soundtrack, the presentation really delivered." — Shadout

"There's just something here, love the entire aesthetic." — Infyrnos

"Life is Strange managed to keep me engaged throughout in a way that few games before have, and certainly none of its particular style. I fully bought into every twist they presented me with and by the end I realized I was going to miss those characters the way I sometimes miss characters after I finish a good book." — nako

"If you buy this, be prepared to go on an emotional roller coaster that may ruin your mood for days afterwards...but it is worth it. It is rare that a game can actually teach someone something about themselves." — Granath


6.) Cities: Skylines (PC) — Special Award: PC Game of the Year

"What a terrific answer to recent city builder games. I got lost in a few cities, and have returned to it many times over the year to tinker. For me, it triggers a very zen state as I work to build a city that is both beautiful and functional, and it does it while looking amazing at the same time. What puts the game over the top, though, is the support after the fact in the form of changes from the dev and the community. It's going to be a staple that I pull out for years when I want my fix." — mateofalcone

"Fun and beautiful successor to the SimCity series." — WolverineJon

"Hey, EA. EA! Yeah, yeah you. Paradox took you to lunch in a category you should have owned. With the way this game is continuing to evolve and be supported, we may just have ourselves the new Kings and Queens of the city management genre." — UMOarsman

"The most relaxing, pleasant game I encountered this year - it was a delight to watch the sun rise over my city, or follow a doughnut van on its rounds. And it was an interesting experience to take what I've picked up about real-life urban design - the importance of infrastructure, amenity, etc - and apply it to the game." — PeterS


5.) Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Multiplatform)

"What the hell is this?
Really - what the hell is this?
I fultoned a goat." — Aristophan

"This game surprised me. I've never enjoyed the MGSV series - can't get into wacky story-lines like this. But the gameplay, enemy AI, and spectacular combat opportunities and freedom to engage missions any way you want is wonderful." — WyattERP

"The controls, structure, everything was just fantastic, and I loved the hell out of it." — Chaz

"I FULTONED A BEAR." — cube


4.) Bloodborne (PS4) — Special Award: Console Game of the Year

"It got its hooks into me deep and in strange way was a huge creative inspiration for my own personal work. I can't think of any part of it I didn't thoroughly enjoy. This is a gem of a game that was completely off my radar when the year began." — TheHarpoMarxist

"The mix of Castlevania themes with the intense combat and sense of real, skill-based progress mean that I never get too far from this game. One playthrough isn't enough for this one." — Gains

"The mechanics are superb, and the feeling of accomplishment it can give you is something I don't think I've experienced in any other game." — Clusks

"Bloodborne continues the high standard set by the Souls Series, and it returns to the interconnected world design established in Dark Souls. Yharnam is a terrifying world that makes you want to tread cautiously into each new area, especially as the world slowly transitions from gothic horrors to Lovecraftian horrors. The removal of shields, introduction of gun parrying, and modification of the lock-on dodge system makes Bloodborne feel familiar yet entirely new at the same time. Whether I was smashing heads with my Kirkhammer or plucking away with my Saw Cleaver, fighting and exploring my way through Bloodborne was my favorite gaming experience of the year." — Dyni


3.) Fallout 4 (Multiplatform)

"The finest duct-tape hoarding simulator ever created. The other parts are good too I guess." — muttonchop

"Bethesda makes amazing games set in huge, fascinating worlds, and offer unparallaed freedom to their players in just about every respect imaginable. Generally speaking that’s enough to make me go head over heels about a game. And, Fallout 4 did all of that!" — zeroKFE

"Bethesda nail open world exploration, you don't know what's gonna be around the next corner or what secrets the various vaults littered around the wasteland hold within." — Spikeout


2.) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Multiplatform) — Special Award: Most #1 Votes

"Easily my Game of All Time. I can’t think of a game that pulled me in more, from the responsive and fun combat to the expansive story(which I adored). This game was an absolute treat and I enjoyed all the hours it took to complete all the sidequests(and achievements, natch)." — SallyNasty

"This is my favourite game. Ever. Geralt is like a family member, I love that guy. He was wooden and one-dimensional in Witcher 1, now he’s compassionate, humorous, sensitive, but still a total badass witcher. The quests are so varied, but great care has been taken with each of them, and the voice acting throughout is mostly outstanding." — kergguz

"It took 15 years, but TW3 finally dethroned Planescape: Torment as my all-time favorite game. I loved everything about it." — conejote

"Witcher 3 was something special, it came out and became my absolute favourite of all time, with no other coming close. The writing, the caharacters and the world building are unlike anything I've ever experienced." — MrDeVil909


1.) Rocket League (Multiplatform) — Special Awards: Most Overall Votes; Indie Game of the Year

"One of the best games ever made. The definition of 'easy to learn, difficult to master'." — _Free_

"I almost feel dirty putting this at number one as it's so simple and the scope is so much narrower than some of the others, it almost feels unfair. But what can I say? Sometimes somebody writes a song that only has 3 chords, and I can recognize the simplicity, but they do it so well, I can't help but love it. That's Rocket League. Three beautiful chords, arranged just so." — Localgod54

"It's a game that can be a blast playing with friends over some drinks, and at the same time it can be an amazing competitive experience when you really know what you're doing. Either way you want to play, this game will fit your need." — CptDomano

"Best Sports game of the decade, I reckon." — rattlehead57

"This game is a joy to play, in large part because of the GWJ community, but also the game itself is a distillation of fun. The developers stripped out all the nonessential elements of a sports game and kept all the things that make sports fun to watch and participate in. You have drama, heroics, mistakes, great saves, awesome plays, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat - all in five minute chunks. Then you play again. And again. And again." — tboon


In addition, we have two honorable mentions:

[b]Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate[b] (3DS) — Special Award: Mobile/Portable Game of the Year

"There is no better co-op experience in all of gaming than monster hunting with three friends." — Dyni

"Great depth along with great co-op. This game really knows how to keep battle system interesting while also having great loot system. Always something new you want to try." — escher77


Yo-Kai Watch (3DS) — Special Award: Highest Average Vote

This award is a new one this year, and it's awarded to the game with at least three votes that received the highest average score. Yo-Kai Watch only barely qualified: it needed three votes to be counted, and it got only three votes total. However, every vote for Yo-Kai Watch was a #1 vote. If it was listed at all, it was that person's game of the year.

"A good substitute for a new Pokécrack release, with the added bonuses of being from Level-5, and actual references to Japanese culture." — sometimesdee

"Yo-Kai Watch came out of nowhere and sucked me in." — garion333

"This is probably the most realized world I've ever seen in a JRPG." — cube

Comments

LeapingGnome wrote:
Spikeout wrote:

Out of interest how close was this photo finish between Rocket League & Witcher 3? If that information isn't top secret

Clocky posted the link of the scores earlier in the thread. It was really close between #1 and #2:

Rank Title Score
1 Rocket League 440
2 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 426
3 Fallout 4 367

Whoops missed the link, thanks for the post.

Has there been any two games that have as closely contested the 1 + 2 spots in any of the previous years?

There were just five points separating XCOM and The Walking Dead a couple years back.

Eleima wrote:

Aaaaand once again, not a single game of my top ten makes it into the community GOTY list. :D

Au contraire! Your #5 pick, Life Is Strange, made it onto the community's list at #7.

Whoops, I'd totally forgotten about that. *blushes* You're a sharp one, Clocky, I'll give you that.

Wow. I played almost none of these. I failed at games in 2015. Dragon Age:Inquisition, sure, but that was more in 2014. Also Cities: Skylines but I was awful at it.

Awesome job Clocky!

Didn't get to play much last year, and consequently didn't submit my one-game list of "Football Manager", but I really appreciate the work you do organizing these, Clocky - and definitely enjoy reading both the voting and the results threads.

Eleima wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
Eleima wrote:

Aaaaand once again, not a single game of my top ten makes it into the community GOTY list. :D

Au contraire! Your #5 pick, Life Is Strange, made it onto the community's list at #7.

Whoops, I'd totally forgotten about that. *blushes* You're a sharp one, Clocky, I'll give you that. :D

Yeah! Stop trying to sneak into the esoteric gaming club, Eleima!

GWJ Community 2015 Game Of The Year
Is my thread of the year. What a great job done by everyone!

Mantid wrote:
Eleima wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
Eleima wrote:

Aaaaand once again, not a single game of my top ten makes it into the community GOTY list. :D

Au contraire! Your #5 pick, Life Is Strange, made it onto the community's list at #7.

Whoops, I'd totally forgotten about that. *blushes* You're a sharp one, Clocky, I'll give you that. :D

Yeah! Stop trying to sneak into the esoteric gaming club, Eleima! :P

Where's my membership card!? The highest any of my games got was #13.

Thanks, Clocky. Extra points for using community members' quotes. I can only assume that someday those will make the GOTY edition box art.

I'm also really glad to see we got it right in terms of the best game.

mrtomaytohead wrote:
Mantid wrote:
Eleima wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
Eleima wrote:

Aaaaand once again, not a single game of my top ten makes it into the community GOTY list. :D

Au contraire! Your #5 pick, Life Is Strange, made it onto the community's list at #7.

Whoops, I'd totally forgotten about that. *blushes* You're a sharp one, Clocky, I'll give you that. :D

Yeah! Stop trying to sneak into the esoteric gaming club, Eleima! :P

Where's my membership card!? The highest any of my games got was #13.

Clearly, I'm not half as weird as I think I am!

Oh, you're weird alright. You're just not in the esoteric gaming club. It's okay, though, I think they're kind of mean. One of them usually snorts and gives me the side-eye whenever I make a comment about a AAA game.

Great job, Clocky! Thanks for putting that together. I kept meaning to vote but time got away from me. Great list of games, most are already on my list to either finish or start.

I was surprised there was no quote about Rocket League being the best league in the world. Rocket League!

As one of the few WiiU owners on the forum, I feel guilty for not voting up Splatoon. I never got around to purchasing it - and even a #1 from me won't have moved the needle - but I can't help feeling the WiiU was sorely underrepresented this year.

At least MH4U and Yo-Kai Watch got the shoutout for the Big N. Thanks Clocky Yo-Kai is right up there with Splatoon at the top of my games to buy list.

Nice list! Wish I wasn't a space cadet and took part in the vote.

Jeepers, Dragon Age Inquisition is considered a classic game?

Maclintok wrote:

Jeepers, Dragon Age Inquisition is considered a classic game?

Don't take the word "classic" too literally. It's simply the award that's given to the game that received the highest overall rank that was released prior to the current year.

Kyekye wrote:

As one of the few WiiU owners on the forum, I feel guilty for not voting up Splatoon. I never got around to purchasing it - and even a #1 from me won't have moved the needle - but I can't help feeling the WiiU was sorely underrepresented this year.

Nintendo is doomed to be under-represented every year given this community's proclivity for PC and Western gaming. Just how it is. However, it does mean those of us that favor or simply love Nintendo become a bit of a tight-knit-niche, creating a sort of camaraderie.

I will say that I'm amused the top WiiU game wasn't one of the new IP's from Nintendo, but the Make-Your-Own-Nostalgia Machine.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

There were just five points separating XCOM and The Walking Dead a couple years back.

Thanks Clock, talk about a photo finish. Loved XCOM!

Was the difference in number 1 votes between The Witcher 3 & Rocket League much? Sorry for all the stat questions

Which game got the most #8 votes? (Or, as I like to call them, Sideways Infinity Votes.)

Spoiler:

(you don't actually have to answer this question - I know it is on the link and I'm not asking in earnest. I'm just feeling punchy.) :)

Spikeout wrote:

Was the difference in number 1 votes between The Witcher 3 & Rocket League much?

TheHarpoMarxist wrote:

Which game got the most #8 votes?

You can answer these questions yourself by viewing the spreadsheet that Clocky linked on the previous page.

Spikeout wrote:

Was the difference in number 1 votes between The Witcher 3 & Rocket League much?

One vote.

What.. is the average velocity of an unladen swallow?

MeatMan wrote:
Spikeout wrote:

Was the difference in number 1 votes between The Witcher 3 & Rocket League much?

TheHarpoMarxist wrote:

Which game got the most #8 votes?

You can answer these questions yourself by viewing the spreadsheet that Clocky linked on the previousfirst page.

Don't worry, I had trouble finding the post, too (Maybe post the link in the OP, if possible?). It's sometimes more helpful to just provide the direct links instead of telling people to find it themselves.

I was being just kidding around! I know there's a link!

I've caused so much chaos.

Spoiler:

How did many #5 votes do we think No Man's Pie will get next year?

TheHarpoMarxist wrote:

I was being just kidding around! I know there's a link!

I've caused so much chaos.

Spoiler:

How did many #5 votes do we think No Man's Pie will get next year?

IMAGE(https://anobium.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/dr-ian-malcolm-jurassic-park-jeff-goldblum-chaos.jpg?w=800&h=400&crop=1)

TheHarpoMarxist wrote:

I've caused so much chaos.

The real chaos is that apparently my work firewall blocks OneDrive so I can't see the breakdown!

*runs away crying*

Thanks Clocky, didn't realize the spreadsheet was up for viewing.

Mantid wrote:

Woo! I voted for none of those! :D

lol same. I sometimes feel so nich n lonely...

Is this happening again? Do things not normally kick off until the new year begins? I'm keen to see all the great games I didn't have time to play this year...