2015 was an incredible year for gamers. This year saw some of the best (and best looking) AAA games we’ve played in ages. Splatoon, Batman: Arkham Knight, Star Wars Battlefront, Super Mario Maker, Fallout 4, The Witcher 3, Black Ops III… There were almost too many awesome games to play this year, and we at CheatCC worked extra hard to keep you up to speed on all of the biggest and baddest. The fact that we had so many big releases is a blessing and a curse. There are some other great games and gadgets that came out this year that you may have missed out on while you were watching all of those fancy new Destiny: The Taken King commercials. Take a moment to peruse the best of the rest of 2015; you’ll thank us later.
OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood
The original game was a smash hit published and developed by Roll7 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Olliolli 2: Welcome to Olliwood broke new ground as a side-scrolling, platforming, rogue-like, old-school, skateboarding game. Sounds like fun, right? It’s a maddening combination of easy to learn, hard to master gameplay mechanics and addictively short levels that get frustratingly difficult late in the game. The sequel builds upon its predecessor in every way imaginable, sporting beautiful visuals, more content, and a new manual mechanic that makes it possible to string together enormous combos throughout an entire level.
Lara Croft GO
Square Enix has been focusing a lot on mobile lately, which is awesome. Some of the best Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games have made their way from our hearts to our pockets, and we’ve even had some unexpected surprises as well. Lara Croft GO was an incredibly pleasant surprise, and it might just be the best mobile game of 2015. It was published by Square Enix for Android, iOS, and Windows. Versions of Lara Croft GO were later available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Steam in 2016.
If you played Hitman GO, you’re already familiar with the turn-based, board game layout that works so perfectly for a pick-up-and-play mobile game. Lara Croft GO plays similarly, but incorporates the puzzle solving, tomb exploring, and woman-vs-beast elements that made old-school Tomb Raider games so fun. Plus, the game looks gorgeous.
Runbow
Talk about hidden gems. Runbow is a truly special game that, unfortunately, not many people will have the pleasure of playing the way it is meant to be played. Runbow was developed and published by 13 AM Games, an independent video game developer for Wii U, Microsoft Windows, New Nintendo 3DS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Ideally, you’d have your entire family, or a group of friends gathered around the TV, shouting and laughing, as you all race through a level and knock each other off of platforms to be the first to reach a trophy. The catch? Each stage cycles through a few colors that sweep through the screen every few seconds; any platform that matches the incoming color will disappear when that color fills the screen. This keeps everybody on their toes, struggling to occupy what little, fleeting real estate is available at any given moment lest they fall to their doom. The cast is a huge mash-up of indie game heroes that include Shovel Knight, the Clone from Stealth, Inc., ARID from The Fall, and more. Grab this one from the Wii U eShop and hop online if you have to; there’s plenty of single-player content here as well.
Sphero BB-8 App-Enabled Droid
Out of all the toys inspired by the impending release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this little droid is by far the best, and the most expensive. Yes, this little softball-sized droid will set you back about $150, but it’s so cool! It looks just like the new film’s leading droid, which has garnered a massive fan base ever since it was revealed in the original trailer. You can pilot your very own BB-8 around your house or set it on a patrol pattern (or let it wander freely) with the capable companion app that you’ll use to command the little guy. Plus, it comes with a snazzy little docking station where BB-8 will rotate and look about as it charges. It’s the perfect toy and the perfect desk companion.
FAST Racing NEO
The Wii U had a pretty solid 2015, all things considered. If you’re one of the lucky few who owned Nintendo’s little rectangular underdog, no doubt you’ve been enjoying some Splatoon, Mario Maker, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Yoshi’s Wooly World. But what about us speed freaks? Where are we supposed to get our thrills outside of Mario Kart 8 ’s 200cc mode? Look no further, friends. The publisher and developer Shin’en Multimedia knew what they were doing. FAST Racing NEO is futuristic and best of all fast, it’s as fast and furious (and beautiful) as we hoped it would be. Who needs F-Zero? For just 15 bucks you’ll get all the white-knuckle racing excitement you can handle.