GAME OF THE YEAR
Previous Winners 2012: Xenoblade Chronicles 2013: Fire Emblem: Awakening 2014: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

This is it folks: our Game of the Year for 2015. And when you look at the previous winners, it has so far been dominated by Nintendo, with runner’s up Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, and Shovel Knight unable to break the hold. The pressure is on. Can someone slay the giant this year?

Our nominees for Game of the Year are:

• Eiyuu Senki – The World Conquest (Download-Only Winner)

A PSN visual novel/strategy RPG game that was colorful and featured an amazing cast. The story was also top notch and combined with the gameplay made for the best digital experience.

• Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U Winner)

The heir to the Xeno name, the sequel to the beloved Wii game, and the one that is the standard bearer for Nintendo in this fight. Does this huge game have the power to reign or will it trip over its ambition?

• Bloodborne (PSconsole Winner)

We love us some Dark Souls here at oprainfall, so of course this would take a prize. The only question is if it made a strong enough case to give From Software the top prize.

• Rise of the Tomb Raider (Xbox Winner)

Well, somebody had to win that one. Might as well have been Lara’s Xbox exclusive that went multiplatform last month.

• CLANNAD (PC Winner)

The best pure visual novel of the year. One of the best we’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. A surprise contender, but definitely one with a puncher’s chance at winning it all.

• Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS Winner)

If there’s one thing to learn from the 3DS finale, it’s this: don’t ever underestimate Monster Hunter… or its fanbase. An excellent entry into the long running series that looks to add our top prize.

• Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal (PS Vita Winner)

More hardcore dungeon crawling on the Vita? Well, when they’re as well put together as Dungeon Travelers 2, why not? Thank you, Atlus.

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Multiplatform Winner)

It’s hard to take something already great and make it even grander. Yet, that’s exactly what CD Projekt Red did with Wild Hunt. But can it add the Raindrop trophy to its already massive haul? We find out now!

THE WINNER, AND THE 2015 OPRAINFALL GAME OF THE YEAR IS…

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Homers, much? Perhaps, but we’re not apologizing for it. This game earned it.

Runner-up honors go to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The game absolutely deserves praise for what it brought this year. Wild Hunt was the most ambitious project to date for the Polish studio, which went from creating a fun little title based on a national book series to creating one of the best RPGs around in almost a decade. Can’t wait for Cyberpunk 2077.

Also up for honors this year are Bloodborne and CLANNAD as the two tied for third place in the final vote. A perfect compliment to show how we not only love a highly detailed big budget game but also the engrossing story of smaller titles. Congrats to both.

As for our winner, Xenoblade Chronicles X makes it four in a row for Nintendo and two Game of the Year wins for the monolith that is Monolith Soft. The game grew upon what the original did, giving us the giant planet of Mira, robots known as Skells that we can use for transport and combat, some great gameplay, and a musical score that is as good as it is controversial. It may not be perfect, but it is the best this year and earns the title of Game of the Year for 2015.

And with that, we close the 2015 oprainfall Gaming Awards. I’d like to thank Steve Baltimore, Phil Schipper, Walter Pierce, Benny Carrillo, Will Whitehurst, Quentin, Azario Lopez, Alexander Jones, Joseph Puntschart, Tom Tolios, Josh Speer and Justin Guillou for their help in writing this up. I don’t know if you count every year, but there’s somewhere around 15,000 words total for all three posts. I also want to thank Brandon Rose and Brodie Dayton-Mills for their amazing custom images used during the awards. Finally, I would like to thank you for coming here and supporting oprainfall. Without you guys, none of this would happen.

And with that, here’s to 2015, and the hope for an even more fruitful 2016.