These are the 10 best games of the year

The Best Games of 2015
Skye Gould / Tech Insider

Every year, dozens of amazing video games are released. Who can keep up? Probably not you, what with your looming grad paper and proclivity for marathon baking sessions. So we're here to help!

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These are the best games of 2015, from great to greatest. Apologies in advance if we're missing your favorite game — there's only so much time in a year, unfortunately. Head below to see the full list!

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10. "Destiny: The Taken King"

destiny the taken king
Activision

Sure, "Destiny" might've actually launched in 2014, but the game blossomed in 2015 with a massive new expansion called "The Taken King." Here's what Tech Insider resident "Destiny" fanatic Dave Smith had to say about "The Taken King" when it launched back in September

"The Taken King" doesn't completely rewrite the rules of "Destiny": It's still all about shooting aliens, and Bungie still uses some of the same old tactics, namely reusing areas over and over again in different ways. But the emphasis on story through cinematics and in-game commentary makes "Destiny" really come alive in ways it hasn't before.

9. "Lara Croft GO"

"Lara Croft GO"
Square Enix

"Lara Croft GO" is a delightful puzzle game, it costs $5, and you should buy it today. Aside from being an excellent, inexpensive mobile game set in the "Tomb Raider" universe, it's easily the best game on your phone to come out of 2015.

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8. "Rise of the Tomb Raider"

"Rise of the Tomb Raider"
Square Enix

If you even remotely like the third-person action of previous "Tomb Raider" games (or other stuff like "Uncharted" or "Assassin's Creed"), you'll be delighted by "Rise of the Tomb Raider."

Unfortunately for "Rise of the Tomb Raider," it came out on the same day as "Fallout 4" and other major releases. That means it's been missed by many critics, but rest assured it's an excellent game that you shouldn't miss.

7. "Halo 5: Guardians"

"Halo 5: Guardians"
Microsoft

"Halo 5: Guardians" is the best "Halo" game in years, and moves the series' famous multiplayer forward with fresh new modes aimed at pleasing the eSports crowd. It's a gorgeous game that's as fun as the series has ever been, though it's somewhat lacking in the storytelling department. But that's okay! You'll breeze right past the silly story beats while enjoying the game's tremendously fun first-person shooting.

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6. "Splatoon"

"Splatoon"
Nintendo

In a surprise twist, the best shooting game of 2015 is from family-friendly Nintendo. "Splatoon" is colorful and exciting and creative and, best of all, unmistakably Nintendo quality. Yes, it's a shooting game (where you shoot paint), but the goal is to paint the world, not shoot bad guys. It's got a great sense of movement and an endlessly enjoyable online multiplayer section.

5. "Bloodborne"

"Bloodborne"
From Software

"Bloodborne" is a game people love to hate. It's a third-person action game that demands vigilance at every turn. Since even the weakest enemy can handily take you down, your sharpest wits are required to progress even through the earliest stages of "Bloodborne." If you ever find yourself asking "When did games get so easy?", you assuredly haven't played "Bloodborne."

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4. "Super Mario Maker"

"Super Mario Maker"
Nintendo

What happens when you take the most popular game series ever made and create an easy-to-use tool set for creating custom levels? You get one of the best "games" of the year — if it can be called that — in "Super Mario Maker." True, it's more "tool" than "game" in that sense, but after players create levels they can be shared. And that means near-infinite "Super Mario" to play.

3. "Rocket League"

"Rocket League"
Psyonix

What can be said about "Rocket League" that hasn't already been said? It's a delightful, fast-paced game of arcade-style soccer played with rocket-powered cars. Drive on the walls? Sure, why not. "Rocket League" is some of the most outright fun I've had with any game in the past year (years, really). Better yet: it was a total surprise!

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2. "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain"

"Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain"
Konami

For the series swan song, "Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain" certainly takes the franchise out on a bang. It's a terrifically long study on the nature of open-world games and what they mean to players. Few games have gone farther to enable endless player freedom. And fewer games have gone farther to enable vast, unrestricted silliness like "Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain." It's the prettiest, most detailed work of aggressive silliness on any modern game console.

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1. "Fallout 4"

"Fallout 4"
Bethesda Softworks

As one of the most anticipated games of the year, "Fallout 4" beyond lives up to expectations. You're just a man (or woman) trying to survive in the post-apocalypse, with all that entails. Only, in the case of the "Fallout" series, that entails endless tails of jilted lovers and double-crossed friends and entire townships gone awry. 

It's a fascinating game that pulls in long-term players of all stripes, from the occasional gamer to the hardest of hardcore. And yes, it's really, really good. It's no surprise, then, that "Fallout 4" is the best game of 2015. It's a must-play for anyone.

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But no, seriously, you should learn a bunch more about "Fallout 4" — it's really great!

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