Winners: PlayStation.Blog 2015 Game of the Year Awards

[PlayStation®]

The polls are closed, the votes tallied, and the winners selected. We asked you what the best games of 2015 were, and you responded in kind — with nearly 600,000 votes in total, this has been our biggest Game of the Year event ever! 2015 was a heck of a year for games, and 2016 is already looking just as bright — thank you for taking the time to support the titles that left an impact on you.

Here are your picks for the 2015 PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year Awards.

Best PS4 Game

The Witcher 3 got a lot of love this year, and it’s easy to see why. From its unbelievably massive scale to its engaging and unforgettable characters, CD Projekt Red’s opus in open world storytelling beat industry goliaths Bloodborne, Fallout 4 and even Metal Gear Solid V for the title of “Best PS4 Game.”

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Bloodborne

Fallout 4

Metal Gear Solid V

Honorable Mentions: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Rocket League, Star Wars Battlefront, Until Dawn

Editor’s Choice

Bloodborne

Nobody builds worlds with such grisly panache as From Software, and the fearsome town of Yharnam is arguably its most focussed and memorable creation yet. I poured countless hours into sheepishly exploring its streets in 2015, and loved every horrible second.

— Fred Dutton // Social Media Manager, SCEE

N++

N++ lies somewhere between improv comedy and throwing yourself down a flight of stairs. And while it may be voluminous in its myriad masochistic challenges, it’s the balletic platforming and devious level design that coheres the experience into something irresistible. And oh so stylish!

— Nick Suttner // Lead Account Manager, SCEA

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Master-class RPG design. Back in May, I wrote this tweet: “Finished a series of quests in The Witcher 3 that was probably more emotionally powerful than the entire story of any game I’ve ever played.” Months later, I can stand by those words.

— Sid Shuman // Senior Manager of Social Media, SCEA

Fallout 4

Fallout 4 has everything. Great music. An engaging story. Robust customization options. Thrilling combat. A dog. It’s the type of game that you need to barricade yourself indoors for days on end to fully play. I absolutely loved it.

— Ryan Clements // Social Media Specialist, SCEA

Best PS3 Game

Big Boss may not have quite earned top billing on PS4, but you can’t keep a good soldier down — Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain extracted enough votes to land at the top of the “Best PS3 Game” category. North American newcomer Yakuza 5 was expectedly well-received, and we saw strong support for Black Ops 3 as well as Telltale’s fantastic Tales from the Borderlands.

Metal Gear Solid V

Yakuza 5

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

Tales from the Borderlands

Honorable Mentions: Shovel Knight, Tales of Zestiria, Dragonball XenoVerse

Editor’s Choice

Teslagrad

I keep coming back to Teslagrad as one of the most thoughtful, quietly clever games I played last year. Its weird fairytale world held just enough mystery without overplaying its hand, and it felt super tight when it could have felt short. Just a really nice puzzle-platformer that deserves some love among the heavy-hitters.

— Nick Suttner // Lead Account Manager, SCEA

Helldivers

Helldivers catapulted Swedish studio Arrowhead into a new echelon that redefines the top-down squad shooter. An intoxicating blur of snarky satire, team kills, and cape twirling. All hail Super Earth!

— Sid Shuman // Senior Manager of Social Media, SCEA

Best PS Vita Game

Like its larger, more stationary siblings, PS Vita had another great year — and one of the most diverse sets of winners in this year’s awards. It’s always nice to see Persona on a Game of the Year list!

Resident Evil Revelations 2

Shovel Knight

Persona 4: Dancing All Night

Super Meat Boy

Honorable Mentions: Sword Art Online: Lost Song, Hotline Miami 2, Bastion

Editor’s Choice

Geometry Wars 3

I’ve still got the calloused groove in my thumb to bear witness to the amount of time I spent with this one. Hugely generous with its content, and packed full of clever twists on a classic formula, it monopolised my PS Vita this year

— Fred Dutton // Social Media Manager, SCEE

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

One of the most rewarding games I played this year, Denaton’s macabre follow-up treads edgy new narrative ground. The characters, the soundtrack, and the visceral combat merge in an almost hallucinatory experience.

— Sid Shuman // Senior Manager of Social Media, SCEA

Shovel Knight

A love letter to the golden age of 8-bit gaming, Yacht Club’s inaugural effort wears its inspirations on its sleeve. It forges its own path though, bringing new ideas to one of gaming’s oldest genres and never falling into the trap of imitation. By story’s end, this unlikely horned hero had me laughing, cheering, and even tearing up a bit. For shovelry!

— Justin Massongill // Social Media Manager, SCEA

Best Story

Telling an effective story is one thing, but doing so when the audience has direct influence over how it unfolds is a very special skill. The team at CD Projekt Red shone especially bright this year, including in the realm of interactive storytelling, but you showed lots of support for Dontnod, Supermassive and Kojima Productions as well.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Life is Strange

Until Dawn

Metal Gear Solid V

Honorable Mentions: Bloodborne, Fallout 4, Batman: Arkham Knight

Editor’s Choice

Bloodborne

Did you read the extraordinary 90-page lore fan essay that did the rounds last summer? I love how creator Hidetaka Miyazaki hides his narrative in the background – unpicking its ambiguous mysteries is a fascinating game-within-a-game.

— Fred Dutton // Social Media Manager, SCEE

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture

Rapture is the story of a small town devastated by… something. But for me, the game wasn’t ultimately about that something – rather, it’s about the more intimate, human moments shared by its citizens in times of tragedy. And while its script and voiceover are excellent, it’s the environmental storytelling that truly stands out – wandering the silent streets and exploring the homes of the departed; a snapshot of small-town culture, forever frozen in time.

— Nick Suttner // Lead Account Manager, SCEA

Soma

I thought about Soma for weeks after watching the credits roll across the screen. A masterful endeavor in atmosphere, Soma poses intense philosophical questions to its audience — and does so with emotional poignancy. One conversation late in the narrative left my heart broken, and I’ll never forget how that felt.

— Ryan Clements // Social Media Specialist, SCEA

Tales From the Borderlands

Believe it or not, I just finished playing Telltale’s bold first step into the Borderlands universe while putting the finishing touches on this post, and I’m glad I did. Not only does it feature the most honest-to-goodness hilarious writing I saw in a game in 2015, I think it’s Telltale’s best work yet. Long live Loader Bot!

— Justin Massongill // Social Media Manager, SCEA

Best Soundtrack

Video game music sometimes gets overlooked in favor of other, more direct aspects of game design, so we wanted to make sure it gets proper recognition in this year’s GotY discussions. Once again, Geralt of Rivia earned the most votes from our readers, but not without D-Dog nipping at his heels.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Metal Gear Solid V

Bloodborne

Life is Strange

Honorable Mentions: Fallout 4, Destiny: The Taken King, Hotline Miami 2, Persona 4: Dancing All Night

Editor’s Choice

Axiom Verge

As much as I adore N++’s opus of licensed electronic jams, I have to give the nod to Axiom Verge – the score is wholly original, and as with everything else in the game, crafted entirely by its sole creator, Thomas Happ. His score maintains every inch of creeping sci-fi strangeness that runs through the rest of the game, the perfect compliment to being trapped in a suffocating alien world.

— Nick Suttner // Lead Account Manager, SCEA

Fallout 4

With Fallout 4, Bethesda created the ultimate cultural mix tape, blending stirring orchestral overtures and suggestive 40s and 50s pop tunes into a surprisingly cohesive mix. “Personality,” indeed.

— Sid Shuman // Senior Manager of Social Media, SCEA

N++

There was a lot of great game music out there this year (I feel terrible not giving this one to Shovel Knight), but I’ve gotta hand it to the team at Metanet for their work here. N++ as a whole is an exercise in deliberate, thoughtful curation and design, and its soundtrack is a reflection of that same design philosophy. Perhaps the chillest collection of tunes in 2015, I keep finding myself with these tracks on loop to help me power through big projects.

— Justin Massongill // Social Media Manager, SCEA

Best Digital Game

No contest here. Rocket League was a force of nature when it debuted a few months ago, catapulting to the top of PS4 owners’ download lists… and our hearts. Daily Rocket League matches are still a thing at SCEA HQ, and based on your votes it looks like we’re not alone.

Rocket League

Life is Strange

Yakuza 5

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture

Honorable Mentions: Hotline Miami 2, Soma, Super Meat Boy

Editor’s Choice

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

Call me old-fashioned, but I like my FPSes linear, single-player only and story-based! It was slim pickings on that front in 2015, but MachineGames turned in a fine snack-sized prologue to its excellent 2014 shooter.

— Fred Dutton // Social Media Manager, SCEE

SOMA

Frictional Games released one of 2015’s most inspired accomplishments: an experiment into the nature of human consciousness that filled me with existential dread. I can’t wait to see what this team tackles next.

— Sid Shuman // Senior Manager of Social Media, SCEA

Nuclear Throne

Why do I love a game that tortures me so? Nuclear Throne ties together lightning-fast combat, strategic weapon selection, and a brutal difficulty into one addictive roguelike. Infuse that with character-specific abilities and Nuclear Throne is the type of hole you could fall down for hours.

— Ryan Clements // Social Media Specialist, SCEA

Axiom Verge

Tom Happ clearly and completely understands the type of gamer who wants to play a game like Axiom Verge, and his five-year project plays to that audience spectacularly. Oh, right! This game was made by ONE GUY. No big deal.

— Justin Massongill // Social Media Manager, SCEA

Best Multiplayer

2015 saw strong entries in the multiplayer arena, from the newest entries in the Call of Duty and Destiny series to the launch of DICE’s blockbuster Star Wars Battlefront. Psyonix’s Rocket League took us by surprise with its instantly accessible and endlessly addictive take on vehicular football, landing enough votes for a shiny Gold Trophy.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

Rocket League

Star Wars Battlefront

Destiny: The Taken King

Honorable Mentions: Rainbow Six Siege, Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward, The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited

Editor’s Choice

Rocket League

Rocket League is great for a lot of reasons, but most of all because it’s a real sport. It’s entirely skill-based, and it’s a total blast whether you’re kicking the ball around the field with some non-gaming friends or flying through the skies, teeth gritted, against seasoned pros. It’s accessible, polished, infinitely replayable, and above all, fun. Everything you (or at least I) could want in a multiplayer game.

— Nick Suttner // Lead Account Manager, SCEA

Call of Duty Black Ops 3

For my money, Call of Duty still boasts the most satisfying feel of any multiplayer shooter. Add in Treyarch’s best Zombies co-op yet and a rock-solid four-player campaign, in regular and Nightmare flavors, and you’ve got a game you could play for years.

— Sid Shuman // Senior Manager of Social Media, SCEA

Destiny: The Taken King

It’s all about the little things. Destiny: The Taken King may have sweeping battles and a ferocious new enemy, but it was the many small improvements Bungie made to the Destiny universe that makes The Taken King so special. The same can be said for its highly addictive multiplayer. There are countless, fun little moments built into one singular package.

— Ryan Clements // Social Media Specialist, SCEA

Most Anticipated 2016

And here we are! A new year, with dozens of new games already announced and on track for release. We don’t yet know everything that’s going to be out by the end of the year, but things are already looking pretty darned good.

Please note: any games that won an award in

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were ineligible to win in the same category again this year. This rule was mostly relevant to this category, which is why we’re putting this lil’ disclaimer here.

Dark Souls III

Horizon: Zero Dawn

No Man’s Sky

Tom Clancy’s The Division

Honorable Mentions: Mass Effect: Andromeda, Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian

Editor’s Choice

Dark Souls III

Yes, correct, I’m your resident Dark Souls bore. You should probably avoid me at parties.

— Fred Dutton // Social Media Manager, SCEE

The Last Guardian

Because duh.

— Nick Suttner // Lead Account Manager, SCEA

Paragon

Epic unveiled Paragon at PlayStation Experience last year with a jaw-dropping trailer — and that was all I needed to begin my jittery anticipation for this ambitious new MOBA. Anything with black hole-inducing super attacks deserves sustained applause.

— Ryan Clements // Social Media Specialist, SCEA

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Dark Souls III is singing its siren song, but ultimately I have to give the nod to Horizon: Zero Dawn. Guerrilla Games’s bold decision to move away from the guns-and-grit of Killzone to this colorful, lush world populated by biomechanical creatures already looks like it’s going to pay off in spades.

— Sid Shuman // Senior Manager of Social Media, SCEA

The Witness

I played an early build of The Witness for around 50 hours a few months ago, going so far as to actually finish the game. So then, it certainly says something that the experience I’m most looking forward to in 2016 is playing it again.

— Justin Massongill // Social Media Manager, SCEA

Best Free PS Plus Game

PlayStation Plus members got dozens of games as part of their subscription this year, but there was a clear favorite come voting time: Rocket League positively decimated the competition in this category, proving that it’s not the size of the team that made the game — it’s how many rocket-powered battle cars they have in it.

Rocket League

inFAMOUS First Light

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

The Walking Dead: Season Two

Honorable Mentions: God of War Ascension, Mass Effect 2, Dishonored

Editor’s Choice

OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood

Roll7 improved on its already-phenomenal 2014 breakout hit in every way. Can’t wait to get my hands on Not A Hero!

— Fred Dutton // Social Media Manager, SCEE

Gauntlet: Slayer Edition

Clearly, Rocket League is the favorite here. But I will buck the trend and highlight this underappreciated gem from Arrowhead, a frenetic multiplayer-focused dungeon crawler that does the classic original proud.

— Sid Shuman // Senior Manager of Social Media, SCEA

OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood

Gotta agree with Fred here. The original OlliOlli was one of my favorite games on PS Vita, and the fact that its better-in-every-way sequel was free on PS Plus at launch was a slam-dunk for the plucky team at Roll7. These guys have a bright future ahead of ’em.

— Justin Massongill // Social Media Manager, SCEA

Best Expansion

Expansions and DLC have been evolving over the course of the generation. Sometimes they stick to a more traditional plan and add new gear or missions, other times they add entirely new chapters to a game’s campaign. Heck, sometimes they launch for free! The voting results were encouragingly diverse, rewarding various methods of expansion (but surprise, The Witcher 3 took home the most votes).

The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters

GTA Online: Heists

Destiny: The Taken King

Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward, Star Wars Battlefront: The Battle of Jakku

Editor’s Choice

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters

In which From Software provides an irrefutable answer to Shakespeare’s 500-year-old poser, “Can one desire too much of a good thing?”

— Fred Dutton // Social Media Manager, SCEE

Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward

Heavensward, above all else, demonstrated a thematic cohesion in nearly every facet of its colossal (perhaps draconic) scope. Story, music, class design, and quests were spun together with aplomb, ensuring that Final Fantasy XIV remain a dominant force in the MMO landscape for years to come.

— Ryan Clements // Social Media Specialist, SCEA

Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward

Another category where someone gets to my pick before I do. It’s okay though: I initially convinced Ryan to play FFXIV in the first place, so my work here is done. Kudos to Naoki Yoshida and his team on a massive, Eorzea-altering expansion that I can unreservedly say is worthy of my time. Hundreds and hundreds of hours of my time.

— Justin Massongill // Social Media Manager, SCEA

Studio of the Year

Finally, Studio of the Year. We’ve been rewarding specific games up until this point, but let’s take a moment to consider that they’re all made by teams of people. People who chose this medium and work tirelessly so we can escape into their worlds, or experience their stories… or just have fun. CD Projekt Red and The Witcher 3 were the talk of the industry this year, and for good reason. This unassuming team managed to earn more votes than the teams behind Fallout 4, Bloodborne and even Metal Gear Solid V. Bravo.

CD Projekt Red

Bethesda Game Studios

From Software

Kojima Productions

Honorable Mentions: Square Enix, Treyarch

Editor’s Choice

From Software

Not only did the supremely diligent Tokyo-based outfit release the GOTY and announce the imminent release of Dark Souls III, it also found time to reward the faithful with the hugely under-rated Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin on PS4.

— Fred Dutton // Social Media Manager, SCEE

Psyonix

Psyonix made a brilliant gamble in retooling their PS3 cult hit (Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars) for the eSports generation, and the result — Rocket League — is a triumph of accessible, competitive action. They stuck to their guns, and had the faith and foresight that success would follow. It did.

— Nick Suttner // Lead Account Manager, SCEA

Kojima Productions

If not this year, then when?

— Sid Shuman // Senior Manager of Social Media, SCEA

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