The End of 2015 Awards: Part 1!

As we wind down the year that was 2015, it is time to hand out some vocal hardware and award the games and the moments that stood out in the world of video games.

Part 1 will consist of: Best Sports Game, Best Handheld Exclusive, Biggest Surprise, and Biggest Disappointment.

Ceremony START!

Best Sports Game:

Winner: Rocket League (PC, PS4, coming to Mac, Linux, and Xbox One in 2016)

What seemed like a simple "car soccer" game grew into a thriving community and an absolute joy to play. Not to mention a vacuum that sucked up many of my hours. Updates added new cars, new cosmetics, new maps, and so on, while full on DLC added a Mad Max-style look to certain features. This game is constantly evolving and is my favorite sports game of 2015. Expect this game to only get bigger as it gets released on Mac, Linux, and Xbox One very soon.

Runners Up:

- MLB 15 The Show (PS4)
- Madden NFL '16 (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4) - I LOVE the new "Draft Champions" mode.

Best Handheld Exclusive:

Winner: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS)

I had never been a big Monster Hunter guy, but I knew enough people cared so deeply about this franchise that I figured I would give it a shot, and while Monster Hunter Tri was my first foray into the series, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate had the right balance of "help me, I'm new" and "here is why people love this" and it hooked me from the start. So much so that before buying my NEW Nintendo 3DS XL, I imported a Circle Pad Pro from Japan for my 3DS XL just for this game. Tons of free content only added to the joys I had with this game. I am a Monster Hunter guy now.

Runners Up:

- Persona 4 Dancing All Night (Vita)
- Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition (3DS)

Biggest Surpise (The Good Kind):

Winner: Guitar Hero Live (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, WiiU)

Just when I thought the era of plastic instruments was either dead or treading water, out comes Guitar Hero Live and reinvigorates the genre. They took a huge risk be redesigning the guitar and essentially changing how the game is played, but it works beautifully. Sure, the single-player live-action gameplay is SUPER cheesy and at times cringeworthy, but the online capabilities with Guitar Hero TV is a fantastic, new way to play these types of games. When the game was first announced, I didn't know what to think, but now, I will say, I was very pleasantly surprised by the effort here.

Runners Up:

- Assassin's Creed Syndicate (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - It's quite good!
- Transformers: Devastation (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One) - Took me back to the 80's.

Biggest Disappointment (The Award Nobody Wants)

"Winner": Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

I have never been one to ask for a refund and say something like "This game just plain sucks", but...man...Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 just plain sucks. From the inane missions to the unnecessary lobby structure, to the awful technical issues, to the useless "SLAM" mechanic, everything about Pro Skater 5 made me want to stop playing immediately and find my copy of Pro Skater 3 to relive the good old days. I feel those days are gone forever.

Runners Up:

- How fast the Evolve community fell off
- Lack of details in the Star Wars Battlefront Season Pass. $50 for...what?

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Part One in the books, Part Two will have 5 awards and be out later this week, with my overall Top 10 Games of 2015 to round everything out. Check this space, follow me on Twitter @JeffMcFlyIA, and stay tuned to know when I start my end of year podcasts.