HomeVideo GamesThe Otaku's Study's Video Game of the Year 2015 - Award Winners

The Otaku’s Study’s Video Game of the Year 2015 – Award Winners

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Five Game of the Year Nominees: Xenoblade Chronicles X, Disgaea 5, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Bloodborne, Super Mario Maker
Five Game of the Year Nominees: Xenoblade Chronicles X, Disgaea 5, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Bloodborne, Super Mario Maker

As it is now New Year’s Eve and there are less than 12 hours remaining in the year, it is time for me to crown the winners of The Otaku’s Study’s two longest running annual awards – ‘Australian Anime Release of the Year 2015’ and ‘Video Game of the Year 2015’. With Australian Anime Release of the Year 2015 going to Madman Entertainment’s Space Dandy, it is now time to announce which video games have shone amongst the sizable crowd this year.

As a means of stalling, here is a quick look at the criteria for a video game to be considered for this award:

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  1. The game MUST have been published in 2015.
  2. The game MUST have been published in Australia, PAL Regions and/or North America. The Australian day of launch is dominant if the US or PAL release date falls in 2014 or before.
  3. This game must be a brand new title, and not a HD remake or port.
  4. The game must not have won any awards in previous years.
  5. Due to time limitations at certain points during the year, there will possibly be some titles listed below which have yet to receive a full review on The Otaku’s Study. However, I have completely playtested titles considered for this award, and have put them all through the same score algorithm I use to calculate a final score when writing a review. These titles, alongside others, should be receiving mini graded reviews in the next couple of weeks.

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The winner of this year’s awards will be joining the below winners in The Otaku’s Study Hall of Fame:

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The Otaku’s Study Video Game of the Year Awards // Previous Winners

2010

  1. Alan Wake (Xbox360)

2011

  1. Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten (PlayStation 3)
  2. Catherine (PlayStation 3 / Xbox360)
  3. Rayman Origins (Multi-platform)

2012

  1. Persona 4 Golden (PlayStation Vita)
  2. Assassin’s Creed III (Multi-platform)
  3. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 (Nintendo DS)

2013

  1. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3)
  2. BEYOND: Two Souls (PS3)
  3. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy (3DS)

2014

  1. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (PS Vita)
  2. Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One)
  3. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U / 3DS (Wii U / 3DS)

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Without further ado, the winners of Video Game of the Year 2015 are:

xenoblade

BRONZE
Xenoblade Chronicles X
on the Wii U

Launched just in time for the holiday season this year, Xenoblade Chronicles X has proven to be a huge time sink for me. I have found myself on multiple 6-hour long play sessions throughout this month, as I am enticed by the various opportunities and quests scattered across the large open world, which holds a vast number of lifeforms and varying landmasses. Easily one of the most memorable games released for the Wii U to date in my opinion, it features an approachable but satisfying battle system, a memorable storyline, solid visuals and a number of intriguing characters to encounter and battle alongside.

bloodborne

SILVER
Bloodborne 
on the PlayStation 4

While FROM Software’s Dark Souls franchise continues to thrive and will torture gamers once again in 2016 with Dark Souls 3, they have also collaborated with Sony Computer Entertainment to release Bloodborne as a PlayStation 4 exclusive this year. Moving from the medieval era to the Victorian city of Yharnam, players were tasked with making their way through a brutal world where humans have been transformed into beasts by a mysterious illness. The well-crafted setting was complemented by a range of creative enemies, a greater emphasis on using movement to avoid attacks (With shields becoming almost pointless) some distinct weaponry appropriate to the era (albeit with some creative twists) and a lot of the challenge one would expect from a game created by FROM Software.

disgaea5

GOLD
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance on the PlayStation 4

It has been several years since Nippon Ichi Software America’s English localised release of Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten was listed as my Video Game of the Year 2011. I awarded that game the Gold award back then because of the plethora of new features it introduced to what has always been a strong tactical RPG franchise – particularly the networking tools which gave players an opportunity to, through one means or another, indirectly appear in another player’s game. Fast forward to 2015 and NIS America have finally unleashed the latest numbered Disgaea experience on the PlayStation 4 – and like its predecessor has also been able to nab itself my Gold award.

So what makes Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance my video game of the year? Pretty much every element of the game is what I would consider my ideal current-generation “Disgaea” experience. It came with a memorable storyline w/ solid character development, visuals which match the PlayStation 4’s capabilities but don’t stray from the franchises characteristic art style, a wide range of returning and brand new gameplay features, and the usual tonne of replayability as players make their way to level 9,999. I also admire Nippon Ichi Software’s decision to develop exclusively for the PlayStation 4, rather than taking a safer route by making it available on both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.
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