Her Story
Her Story is unlike anything else out there. It’s a mystery game in which you review video interviews for clues about the world at large. The captivating part is the performance given by Viva Seifert in the video material. It’s subtle and nuanced, and requires some sleuthing to figure out what’s going on. Definitely worth a look if you’re looking for the weird side of games, and even if you aren’t.
Cities: Skylines
One of the two games named Cities that came out this year (don’t mix them up!), Cities: Skylines is a fantastic building game. I repeatedly thought “this is what Sim City (2013) should have been” while playing, and for good reason. It’s a flexible and well balanced simulation that rewards smart design and punishes inefficiency, but still allows enough leeway to make your design dreams a reality. With Steam Workshop support, Cities: Skylines holds the city building throne for the foreseeable future.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Hardcore fans are scrunching their faces up all weird right now. “Paul, this isn’t one of the forgotten games of 2015!” The fact is though, there are a huge number of people who either don’t have a Wii U or have never heard of the Xeno series (blasphemy!). Xenoblade Chronicles X is partly on this list because of its release timing too, after most holiday wish lists have been sent off to Santa. Don’t forget this one! It’s a massive, open world, totally Japanese RPG that fans of the series MUST play, and would appeal to anyone who has ever even mildly enjoyed a Zelda or Final Fantasy game. Seriously, it’s great.
Undertale
Another RPG?! Yes. Undertale is absolutely brilliant. It has a fantastic soundtrack, excellent retro visual style, and one of the funniest/wackiest scripts I’ve ever encountered. It’s not terribly long, but the characters you’ll meet and the memories you’ll create are worth every second, and you’ll yearn for more by the end. Oh, it also scores 94 on Metacritic. Don’t wait, go play this right meow.
Prison Architect
Now this is the kind of game that makes you think. Why are prisons built like they are? Is it out of necessity? Or is it a shriveled black hearted mentality that seeks purely to punish? Prison Architect lets you find out by designing and managing a prison however you see fit. It’s a solid management game at its core too, with some pretty diverse building options where the sky is truly the limit. If you like sim games, Prison Architect might be up your alley.