Shacknews Community Top 5 Games of 2015 (so far)

We're halfway through 2015, so for this week, Shacknews is taking a look at the games that have graced our screens over the past six months. Throughout the week, individual members of the Shacknews staff will be offering up their favorite games of the year to date. However, we also have a dedicated community of players that would like to chime in with their selections. With that in mind, here are Chatty's Top 5 Games of the Mid-Year for 2015.

5. Heroes of the Storm/Ori and the Blind Forest (tie)

It was a close vote and, in an interesting twist, there is a tie for the 5th and final spot.

After years of tightening its stronghold on the MMORPG market with World of Warcraft and rejuvenating the card battling genre with Hearthstone, Blizzard has been preparing to plant its foot in the MOBA world with Heroes of the Storm. Bringing together the heroes and villains of Blizzard's cherished franchises would be enough of a spectacle in itself, but Heroes of the Storm has also revamped many of the elements of the standard MOBA to make the battleground maps as much a part of the game as anything else. With a great emphasis on teamwork, Heroes of the Storm stands as the latest major pillar of the MOBA genre.

I've always wanted to get into MOBA's but found the communities to be abit too harsh as well as the learning curve. I love the Blizzard universes so this seemed like a perfect but, the playmodes that have available to learn what to do is also great.
-SlingBlaze

Meanwhile, Ori and the Blind Forest dazzled with some of the most impressive visuals seen in a platformer in a long time. The gorgeous woodsy backdrop and the bright, ambient light is beautiful enough to lower anyone's guard, because this is secretly one of the most deviously difficult games of the year. But with some intriguing mechanics that include the ability to save anywhere, Ori is a game that makes it easy to come back and keep trying. The long journey is worth it, because the world only gets more gorgeous as the game goes along.

Beautiful art, slick controls, an exquisitely executed emotional opening, and some rock hard gameplay made for a decidedly old school experience dressed up in modern stylings.
-nodebug

4. Pillars of Eternity

With many recent games tugging on nostalgic heartstrings, it's surprising that more games haven't looked to emulate the classic Infinity Engine games, like Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment. Thankfully, the folks at Obsidian Entertainment have finished their love letter to this era of PC gaming. Their Kickstarter-funded RPG, Pillars of Eternity, bring back many of the hallmarks of those old-school classics, with intuitive combat, D&D-type storytelling, a deep party structure, and a rich story. Pillars of Eternity demonstrates that these classic PC genres still have a place in modern gaming.

Best RPG I've played since Dragon Age: Origins.
-aethyr

3. Bloodborne

From Software has made an artform out of exploration games that are tough as nails to master. Fresh off of Dark Souls and its sequel, the developer moved on to a new world, ushering in Bloodborne. Players explore the city of Yharnam, finding only monstrous beasts that only get more difficult as the game goes along. It's an engaging gothic world that continues to display the successful Dark Souls formula, killing players in droves and yet getting them all to come back for one more round.

I'd tell you, but then I'd have to invite you home, take lots of sedatives because you might be a serial killer, die a few times, drink some blood (this is normal), go crazy because HOLY S*** WHAT IS THAT THING, and laugh maniacally for no reason. Not necessarily in that order.
-ConfusedUs

2. Cities: Skylines

SimCity left so many would-be city-builders feeling unspeakably deflated. If the leader of the genre was letting them down, who could possibly bring the city-building simulator into the next generation? Fortunately, Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order were more than up to the task. Its easy-to-learn building mechanics were enough reason to give the game a try, but a dedicated modding community that expanded the game to new heights has proven to be the main reason to stay and build 'til it hurts.

It's the only game released this year that I've played that I have put more than a handful of hours into.
-boarder2

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

This vote wasn't close. The Witcher 3 won this one running away, easily. CD Projekt RED's third installment of the franchise stands as its best effort to date. But don't take my word for it. Let's allow the Chatty community to speak on its behalf.

The world is massive and beautifully crafted. You can tell that the developers really wanted not just the main questline, but all of the side quests to have impact on your playthrough. It sets a new standard in the industry for games of its genre.
-Ambient80

The Witcher 3 is not only the best game so far this year, it's quite possibly the best game ever. No other open world RPG has yet to feature so much content with the level of depth and execution that this game does. The fact that it's also gorgeous and moving helps.
-Vincent Grayson

The Witcher 3 is the new standard in open-world gameplay. The "main" area of the game is almost overwhelmingly large, but pretty much every single quest provides a detailed and engaging story line to keep your attention. There is easily 200 hours of content included in the game already so you'll get your money's worth.
-raija

I have spent hours - actually DAYS - in this game, and I've only had it for a week or two at this point. That's crazy. I haven't been this obsessed with a game since I was 12. I spend my days in the office thinking about what I'm going to do in The Witcher 3 when I get home, and when I get home I shirk all responsibility and play it non-stop until I realize it's 1:00am. Massive lands, so many quests, and a story that keeps me wanting to know what's going to happen next. I can count the number of times I've said "Holy S***!" at something happening in the story.
-Flakmanz

It improved on its predecessors in every way and raised the bar, not only for other games in the genre, but for other companies that want to create something special.
-VictoriouSecret

The high quality craftsmanship on display in every sidequest/activity in the Witcher 3, combined with the game doubling down on ROLE playing. You actually feel like what it's like to live Geralt's life as a professional monster slayer in a world that largely despises you but still ultimately needs you.
-Sevogajre

The Witcher 3 is one of the most engaging and immersive RPG experiences of my lifetime. It's up there with Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate 2, and Fallout. It elevates storytelling in games to a whole new level and the art, graphics, and music are all exceptional. It's a masterpiece throughout and a game that will be remembered as a watershed moment in gaming history.
-The Grolar Bear

No need to explain. It's just awesome.
-Medic1542

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?