Top 5 video games of the year

As we countdown to the New Year, I’d like to count down the top five games of this year. Quick disclaimer: I am not a gaming god. I do not have time nor inclination to play all the games that came out this year (I’m looking at you Metal Gear Solid), but of the ones I played here are my top 5. 

Source: Vg247.com

5. "AC Syndicate"

I am Assassin’s Creed trash. I have been with Ubisoft since Altair and while I believe the games probably peaked with Ezio in "AC: Brotherhood," I continue to buy and play every one of them as if I don’t know exactly how each story will play out.  

While there are some interesting new mechanics in the series’ recent installment– a new grapple tool, two different play modes devoted to two different characters – the main thing I’m excited about in this game is a playable girl character. There are not enough girls in video games. 

Let me repeat: There are not enough girl characters that significantly contribute to the plot (ie no man pain, brooding/love interest), let alone playable girl characters. The fact that Ubisoft has a girl character as a main character (even if it was a few games after it was initially promised) is enough to make me excited, regardless of whether the game’s plot is reflective of previous game storylines. 

Source: Minecraft.gamepedia.com

4. "Minecraft Story Mode"

I’m a sucker for Telltale Games. I fell in love with their "Walking Dead" game and made grabby hands at their "Tales from the Borderlands." Their characters are deep, the stories they tell are a perfect blend of funny and tragic, and above all their games are engaging and interactive. Every episode is something new that grabs ahold of the gamers and takes them for a wild ride, be it through the undead world of Southern Georgia, the wild wasteland of Pandora, or the blocky landscape of Minecraft. 

Horrible cliché aside, I applaud Telltale for taking on the wildly popular Minecraft characters and aesthetics in a Story Mode game that will, no doubt, be as fun and engaging as their other narrative games. 

Source: Wccftech.com

3. "Rise of the Tomb Raider"

I adore Lara Croft. And no, not the spiky boob pixel chick from the 90’s, the one who wears impractical short shorts and ridiculous high wedge shoes to take on baddies and raid ancient tombs around the world. I’m talking about the 2013 reboot, the survivor Lara Croft, voiced by Camilla Luddington and full of the raw instinct and violent passion that kept her alive on an island of crazy. 

My adoration of her character did not mean I was blind to the plot holes in the Tomb Raider sequel, but as I have mentioned above, there are not nearly enough female characters in video games. Combining Lara’s A+ badass character with the crafting capabilities and detailed environment of "Rise of the Tomb Raider," I am more than willing to forgive the slight lack of motivation and plot oversight of the Square Enix game. I may not have understood exactly why Lara was traipsing through the Siberian wilderness murdering people in the name of her father, but I definitely enjoyed it. 

Source: Arkhamcity.wikia.com

2. "Batman: Arkahm Knight"

I have never been as excited for a game as I was for Arkham Knight. While I ended up being disappointed by the storyline and the game mechanics — mostly because I am a ball of sympathetic emotions who can’t drive in video games even if her life depended on it — this game still makes it into my top five for its adaptation of the Batman story and for its skill in bringing the Joker back from the dead.

In the previous Rocksteady installment ("Arkham City," not Origins), the Joker died from an overdose of Titan leaving Batman without his nemesis, and Gotham without its Clown Prince of Crime. 

Or so we thought.

While Jason Todd as the Arkham Knight ripped my heart out of my chest and stepped on it repeatedly with his big armored boots and his angry brooding baggage, Batman — finally revealed as Bruce Wayne to the Gotham public and to my intense heart-stopping horror — was busy dealing with a hallucination of the Joker that appeared at random times to deal out sassy one-liners and try to coerce the Dark Knight into handing over the reigns to his crazy. Playing as the Joker at the very end was one of the best parts of the game. Whoops, spoilers!

Source: En.wikipedia.org

1. "Fallout 4" 

Honestly, I could fill an entire blog about why this game is so amazing. I give all my love to Bethesda for announcing and releasing "Fallout 4" a year and I give them all my heart for producing such a wonderful game that I literally cannot listen to old-timey music without thinking of nuclear explosions and Vault Tec. Ah, the apocalypse!

But the best part of this game isn’t the amazing graphics, or the grunge wasteland aesthetic, it’s the voice actors! More specifically, the voice actors of the playable characters. Whether you play as a boy or a girl, tailored to specific situations, quests, and even the very mood of the player. While some people may not like the lengthy dialogue, this gamer girl loves it with every fiber of her being. Almost as much as I love an ice-cold glass of Nuka-Cola! 

My personal opinions and critiques aside, all these games are wonderful and deserve a place in this Top 5 countdown. "Call of Duty: Black Ops III," Imma let you finish, but "Fallout 4" was the best game of all time! (Or at least of 2015)