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2015: A Fantastic Year for Gaming

This year has been a fantastic year for gaming, but there have been a few games that have really captured my attention.

I was looking forward to Super Mario Maker from the moment it was announced in 2014. It’s an official level editor for all of the best 2D Mario games, so easy to use that anyone can pick it up in minutes. The game only disappointed me once, by not including mid-level checkpoints - until Nintendo added them in an update shortly after release. Since then, Nintendo has continued to update the game, keeping it fresh and making it closer and closer to being a creative tool on the same level as Minecraft.

Halo 5 had a great story that I couldn’t put down from start to finish, but after that, I became completely immersed in the game’s multiplayer. After Halo 4’s multiplayer that felt more like a Call of Duty game, I’m happy that the latest game’s online modes feel much more balanced. Perfectly balanced, actually - for the first time in Halo’s 14 years, every weapon feels like a viable choice, and I never feel stunted just because I don’t have the Rocket Launcher or Sniper Rifle. The 24-player Warzone mode is one of the best new ideas in a Halo game since Halo 2 let you play online.

My favorite game this year has been Metal Gear Solid 5. I haven’t spoken about the game much here, just because I still haven’t finished it - I’ve put in dozens of hours, and the game tells me I’m only around 25% complete with it. It’s a culmination of everything every previous Metal Gear Solid game ever did right, and if this truly is the last game in the series, as it seems to be, it is a fitting conclusion to a truly, classically epic story.

Samuel McConnell is a games enthusiast who has been playing games in one form or another since 1991. He was born in northern Maine but quickly transplanted to Wichita.