Ninth Coint & Plick: The ~60 best games of 2015 according to ILX

http://i.imgur.com/jQcM0TF.png
#5 - Undertale - Toby Fox
83 Points
6 Votes
1.5 First-Place Votes

Didn't get a chance to play Undertale before voting, but got it as a gift from an ilxor recently (thanking you!) and am really liking it so far.

i'm close to finishing the True Pacifist route and i'm scared to start the Genocide route, on the one hand i want to see the content but on the other hand we're all such good friends :(

really really want to play Undertale, i'm just not in the habit of sitting in front of my desktop PC and playing games. need to get around to it somehow.

^ this

If I haven't liked any MGS games up until now is there any reason to play MGSV? It's not a radical change or anything, right?

also re: undertale, color me impressed that you can call characters on your cell from, like, 3/4ths of all the rooms in the game, and you almost always get unique dialogue. it's the kind of thing they didn't have to include but it makes the experience that much richer.

Dowd: it depends on what you didn't like about them

http://i.imgur.com/FAnMQaj.png
#4 - Her Story - Sam Barlow
88 Points
7 Votes

If I haven't liked any MGS games up until now is there any reason to play MGSV? It's not a radical change or anything, right?

yeah MGSV is radically different from previous games. controls like a dream, no more gameplay-interrupting codec calls, no more overly long cutscenes, mission structure pretty much just play whatever you want to, level design is open world so you can just ditch what you are doing and play around. what Symphony of the Night did for Castlevania, MGSV does for Metal Gear.

i bought Undertale but still haven't played it yet. i have heard good things. how is the music?

Undertale and Her Story are cool. pumped that they both placed top 5.

I talked abt Her Story upthread a little bit. But man. Playing this game I became distracted and kind of obsessed on a meta level. Who am I? Why does this computer have all of these files? Why do I want to sort through them? What room am I in, which flickering lights, a touchy CRT monitor, an outdated OS, etc.? What are the stakes for me? Is this a "cold case"?

I never "100%ed" this game so I can't say for sure if they ever answer these questions but from what I understand they never do. I'm very glad that they don't. It makes the entire thing feel... idk, unnerving. Like, the entire plot-out-of-sequence thing feels unnerving. And the plot itself. So fucked. It's such a cool and fresh way to experience a story.

I don't get the complaints about it. "I knew what happened and I was only 30% in." Great! Then quit playing or explore more. "I had to brute force..." no, you didn't because you don't NEED TO GET 100%. It's not necessary! The joy is in dancing around these interviews, hearing tiny clips... some of which are useful, some funny, some useless, some creepy as fuck (there's one where she puts her head on the table and just starts tapping her fingers in a weird way, it gave me the willies like nothing else).

idk guys what do you think should i post the top 3 now

Yes they do answer those questions! I never forgot that it was fiction or that she's an actor so I never really felt super immersed.

"I knew what happened and I was only 30% in."
Part of the fun is locating the achievement cards and trying to uncover all the videos, filling in the database with all the unwatched videos. It's a new type of puzzle in that sense.

http://i.imgur.com/hGlVhOe.png
#3 - Rock Band 4 - Harmonix
151 Points
4 Votes
6.66 First-Place Votes
http://i.imgur.com/hAe9zUh.png
#2 - Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - Treyarch
151 Points
5 Votes
6.66 First-Place Votes
http://i.imgur.com/avzHr9k.png
#1 - Fallout Shelter - Bethesda Game Studios
151 Points
6 Votes
6.66 First-Place Votes

oh lol the one game I played this year that's on the list was #1

i really pooched it... i wanted to get 3 screenshots of in-app purchases for those 3 games, but since i couldn't find one for rock band i just used a funny photo, but as a trio my fake top 3 actually kinda loses its... point? and now it just looks dumb.

thread: what is your stance on fake top 3s before the real top 3s

asking for a friend

― Worth Taking from Little Kid (Will M.), Friday, February 19, 2016 1:48 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

xpost

are these jokes?

it wouldn't be an ILX top game rollout if i didn't drop a fakeout

lol

correction: an ILX top (ANYTHING) rollout

i lol'ed

http://i.imgur.com/aPRjKTG.png
#3 - Rocket League - Psyonix
91 Points
6 Votes
2 First-Place Votes

http://i.imgur.com/yySbvmO.png
#2 - Bloodborne - FromSoftware
96 Points
5 Votes
1.33 First-Place Votes

http://i.imgur.com/a44ClUG.png
#1 - Witcher 3 - CD Projekt RED
101 Points
6 Votes
2.33 First-Place Votes

I prefer the fake top 3

Rocket League is one of the most instantly addictive games i have ever played

oh WAIT I have played Rocket League! that game is fun

played all of them and they were all great!

oh shiiit I dunno Rocket League. Ima try it out.

i need to give Witcher 3 another try. i couldn't get over the control/general feel of the game at first. may need to sink some hours in to get used to it.

Bloodborne is amazing. love love love the art design. it's a game i would have made if you gave me millions of dollars.

i apparently used 6 full days of my life to play Bloodborne. i regret this generally but not specifically. it actually became more enjoyable the more i played (the DLC coming out helped a lot too). it was also the first From game that clicked with me in terms of pvp, which makes me even more excited about DS3 coming out.

hopefully this doesn't destroy any browsing experiences

Rnk| Pts |Vts| #1s  | Game Title                           | Platform
 1 | 101 | 6 | 2.33 | Witcher 3                            | CONS / COMP
 2 |  96 | 5 | 1.33 | Bloodborne                           | CONS
 3 |  91 | 6 | 2.00 | Rocket League                        | CONS / COMP
 4 |  88 | 7 |      | Her Story                            | COMP
 5 |  83 | 6 | 1.50 | Undertale                            | COMP
 6 |  83 | 5 | 2.33 | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | CONS / COMP
 7 |  68 | 4 | 1.00 | Life is Strange                      | CONS / COMP
 8 |  68 | 4 | 0.50 | Super Mario Maker                    | CONS
 9 |  50 | 3 | 0.50 | Downwell                             | CONS / MOBI / COMP
10 |  48 | 3 | 0.50 | Beginners Guide                      | COMP
11 |  47 | 5 | 1.00 | Fallout 4                            | CONS / COMP
12 |  41 | 3 | 1.00 | Sunless Sea                          | COMP
13 |  40 | 5 |      | Alto's Adventure                     | MOBI
14 |  39 | 3 |      | Crank                                | BWSR
14 |  39 | 3 |      | Goat Simulator (PORT)                | CONS
14 |  39 | 3 |      | Batman: Arkham Knight                | CONS / COMP
17 |  35 | 3 |      | You Must Build A Boat                | MOBI
18 |  35 | 2 | 1.00 | The Executive                        | MOBI
18 |  35 | 2 | 1.00 | The Jackbox Party Pack 2             | CONS / COMP
20 |  32 | 3 | 1.00 | Destiny: The Taken King              | CONS
21 |  30 | 2 |      | Tales from the Borderlands           | CONS / COMP
22 |  30 | 1 | 1.00 | Marvel Puzzle Quest (PORT)           | CONS
23 |  30 | 1 | 0.50 | Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate            | HAND
23 |  30 | 1 | 0.50 | We Know the Devil                    | BWSR
25 |  29 | 4 |      | Neko Atsume                          | MOBI
26 |  28 | 2 |      | Trimps                               | BWSR
27 |  27 | 3 |      | Agar.io                              | BWSR
28 |  24 | 1 |      | Q.U.B.E.: Directors Cut              | CONS / COMP
29 |  23 | 3 |      | Grow Home                            | CONS / COMP
30 |  23 | 2 |      | Broken Age                           | CONS / HAND / MOBI / COMP
31 |  21 | 2 |      | Hotline Miami 2                      | CONS / HAND / COMP
31 |  21 | 2 |      | Everybodys Gone to the Rapture       | CONS
33 |  21 | 1 |      | Until Dawn                           | CONS
34 |  20 | 3 |      | Dr. Langeskov (...)                  | COMP
35 |  20 | 1 |      | Yo|kai Watch                         | HAND
36 |  19 | 1 | 1.00 | Ori and the Blind Forest             | CONS / COMP
37 |  18 | 2 |      | Helldivers                           | CONS / COMP
37 |  18 | 2 |      | Super Mega Baseball                  | CONS / COMP
39 |  17 | 2 |      | Assassins Creed Syndicate            | CONS / COMP
39 |  17 | 2 |      | Dropsy                               | HAND
41 |  14 | 2 |      | OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood      | CONS / HAND / COMP
42 |  14 | 1 |      | Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth         | CONS / HAND / MOBI / COMP
42 |  14 | 1 |      | Mad Max                              | CONS / COMP
44 |  13 | 1 |      | Invisible, Inc.                      | COMP
45 |  12 | 2 |      | pillars of eternity                  | COMP
46 |  12 | 1 |      | Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions          | HAND / MOBI
46 |  12 | 1 |      | The Curious Expedition               | MOBI
46 |  12 | 1 |      | The Room 3                           | MOBI
49 |  11 | 1 |      | Fran Bow                             | MOBI / COMP
50 |  10 | 1 |      | Brain Guzzlers From Beyond!          | BWSR
50 |  10 | 1 |      | Captain Toad Treasure Tracker        | CONS
50 |  10 | 1 |      | Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes     | COMP
50 |  10 | 1 |      | Lost Constellation                   | COMP
50 |  10 | 1 |      | Midnight. Swordfight.                | BWSR
50 |  10 | 1 |      | Minkomora                            | BWSR
50 |  10 | 1 |      | Renowned Explorers                   | COMP
50 |  10 | 1 |      | Saints Row: Gat Out Of Hell          | CONS / COMP
50 |  10 | 1 |      | Splatoon                             | CONS
50 |  10 | 1 |      | Talos Principle                      | COMP
60 |   7 | 1 |      | Guitar Hero Live                     | CONS / MOBI
60 |   7 | 1 |      | Leons Cool Game                      | COMP
60 |   7 | 1 |      | Super Blackout                       | HAND / MOBI
63 |   6 | 1 |      | Cities: Skylines                     | COMP
63 |   6 | 1 |      | darkest dungeon                      | COMP
63 |   6 | 1 |      | I Am Bread                           | CONS / MOBI / COMP
63 |   6 | 1 |      | Hook                                 | MOBI / COMP
63 |   6 | 1 |      | Heroes of Loot                       | HAND / MOBI
63 |   6 | 1 |      | Kings Quest Ch.1: Knight to Remember | CONS / COMP
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Apotheon                             | CONS / COMP
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Blades of Brim                       | MOBI
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Cibele                               | COMP
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Hand of Fate                         | CONS / COMP
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Landsliders                          | MOBI
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Massive Chalice                      | COMP
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Pocket Mine 2                        | MOBI
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Star Wars Battlefront                | CONS / COMP
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Steven Universe: Attack the Light!   | MOBI
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Tobys Nose                           | BWSR
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Wasteland 2: Directors Cut           | COMP
69 |   5 | 1 |      | htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary          | HAND
69 |   5 | 1 |      | Sunset                               | COMP
82 |   4 | 1 |      | Crimsonland                          | HAND / COMP
83 |   3 | 1 |      | Back To Bed                          | MOBI / COMP
83 |   3 | 1 |      | Nihilumbra                           | HAND

PREDICTIONS ITT (italic: incorrect; bold: correct)

i am not sure if MGSV or Bloodbourne will win this. ― ulysses, Feb 18, 2016 12:53 PM
What, Witcher at number one? I really have no idea. ― Old Lunch, Feb 19, 1:47 PM
Bloodbourne / Witcher 3 / MGS V / Rocket League should be top four ― ulysses, Feb 19, 1:53 PM
Her Story hasn't placed yet, right? But I imagine it'll probably be up next (in 6th place) ― emil.y, Feb 19 1:54 PM
surely undertale is still to come, yeah (top 5)? ― reddening, Feb 19, 2:01 PM

Wait, I thought 5 points was the minimum you could give?

my ballot

15: Fallout 4
14: Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth
13: Invisible, Inc.
12: The Curious Expedition
11: Sunless Sea
10: Renowned Explorers
5: Hand of Fate
5: Destiny: The Taken King
5: Alto’s Adventure
5: Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
5: Steven Universe: Attack the Light!

Did not make it but I wish I could’ve voted for:

Brain Guzzlers From Beyond!
Cities: Skylines
Darkest Dungeon
Fallout Shelter
Heroes of the Storm
NEO Scavenger
Prison Architect
The Executive
The Jackbox Party Pack 2
Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut

5 pts was the minimum, but i received a couple of ballots late that didn't adhere to that policy so i just included them.

will probably get rid of the 5 min rule next year tbh.

The loneliest voters in 2015, based on number of points given to games nobody else voted for:
abcfsk - 70
Mordy - 64
Old Lunch - 52
one way street - 50

Least lonely is a 3-way tie between forks, orifex and methanietanner (0 "lonely" points)

i wish i could do all that "closest neighbour" stuff but it seems monumentally complicated rn

Lol, 5 point minimum is probably correct because those are all my games at the bottom. Sorry if that was the case and I am a failure with instructions. Clearly, I had a great deal of conviction in several of my picks (although they're all decent if ultimately inconsequential).

Probably not much interest in relatively casual Vita games here anyway, though, if I had to guess.

lol even with the explicit warning that there would be a fakeout i had a moment of "oh FFS really?"

thanks so much for running this, Will!

yes, thanks Will!

Read that as "ruining this", lol.

Re: Her Story - I never forgot that it was fiction or that she's an actor so I never really felt super immersed.

Do you mean her acting wasn't convincing to you (in which case fair enough, I thought her acting was very very good but different things appeal to different people) or do you mean that ~the very fact of it not being a true story~ ruined the immersion for you? Because someone else said something similar about Beginner's Guide and now I'm just afdslhflakshflihfas have you guys never heard of fiction before?

I guess I'll do some light stumping for htoL#NiQ, which is basically a Japanese Limbo without that game's aesthetic (which I gather is most of the appeal of Limbo) and in which the Vita's back touchscreen plays a more instrumental role than 'a place to rest your fingers'.

Thank you for your hard work, Will!

i couldn't have ruined this without all of you <3

sorry I didn't vote after making you put Marvel Puzzle Quest on the ballot

Someone should run a 'Best year in which to play Marvel Puzzle Quest' poll.

I am actually doing a closest neighbnours thing now though lol

basically it checks everyone else's ballots against yours, and sums all of the points you gave the game based on whether or not they're on the other person's ballot (their number of points doesn't matter, but there are several ties so i am figuring out how to break those ties now)