This year was a great year for games, especially huge, open-world games. The new console generation is starting to hit its stride with some of the most technologically advanced and biggest games ever created. Below are some of the best games to come out in 2015. If you are going to play anything this year these are the top games to check out.

6. Disney Infinity: 3.0 Edition

The last iteration of Disney Infinity was lackluster but “3.0” was built from the ground up as a collaboration between great developers. The highlight of “Disney Infinity 3.0” is the introduction of “Star Wars” and Disney took great care to make it the best game possible. The combat was made by Ninja Theory and the flying and racing by the company that made “Mod Nation Racers.” The pedigree, art style, and attention to detail make this a must play for any “Star Wars” fan and one of the best family friendly games of the year.

5. Fallout 4

It’s been about eight years since the last “Fallout” game and the series has come a long way. Set in a post apocalyptic Boston, you will find one of the most dense action RPG games. The amount of places to explore and story elements to uncover is just astounding. “Fallout 3” was a big game but part 4 is considerably bigger and not just because of the size. There is also the addition of crafting items and base building, so you are going to want to find more crafting elements. The story is great, the world is enormous and there are enough collectibles to keep you playing for hundreds of hours.

4. Ori and the Blind Forest

This is one of the most beautiful and touching games I have ever played. There was a huge storm, now the forest is dying, and it’s up to Ori to save it. “Ori and the Blind Forest” is one of the most gorgeous action platfomers released and it’s also one of the most challenging games of the year. Over the last few years the genre term “Metroidvania” gets tossed around a lot but “Ori’s” is one of the best, it’s beautiful to look at and a blast to explore. This is one of the best Xbox exclusives so far for this console generation.

3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The “Metal Gear Solid”(MGS) series is known for great stealth action and a crazy story filled with long movie scenes. “MGS V” doesn’t have as much story but what it does have is a huge open world full of things to do. There is a story that you can uncover by finding documents and recording but the tale you will tell your friends is about the crazy things you did while playing. The amount of content in the game is immense, there are a ton of missions to play but the highlight of the game is building your base. As you play you collect resources to upgrade your base which in turn lets you research new equipment and gear. The gameplay is the fun stealth action you remember from the older games but on a much bigger scale, the story is as convoluted as ever but you will have a blast finding all the things you can collect.

2. Mario Maker

This year is the 30th anniversary of the Mario series and the best way to celebrate is by letting you make your own Mario levels. “Super Mario Bros” has been the inspiration for people looking to get into making games and now you can use the Wii U touchpad and innovative controls to make the level of your dreams and post it online for people to play. You can switch between several different art styles which change the way the game plays adding to the amount of options at your disposal. You can also play more than 100 professionally designed levels as well as a nearly endless amount of user submitted levels. If you are a Mario fan this is a must buy.

1. “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”

The conclusion of Geralt of Rivia’s story is one of the biggest and most beautiful games ever created. The open world is incredibly big and full of life, there is a ton of quests to complete and even the side stories are interesting and well written. The story is full of twists and political intrigue and the graphics are just breathtaking. If you are fan of RPG games the “Witcher 3” is not only the best in the series but one of the best RPG games in recent years.

2015 was jammed packed with quality games, way too many to talk about in this article and 2016 looks to be another amazing year in gaming. There are a ton of high profile sequels, a bunch of new IPs and the release of virtual reality gaming to look forward to, it’s going to be an exciting year.

Robbie Vanderveken is the digital operations specialist at The Times Leader. E-mail him at rvanderveken@timesleader.com.

By Robbie Vanderveken

For Weekender

Disney Infinity: 3.0 Edition brings Star Wars to the gamer’s console.
https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_disney-infinity.jpgDisney Infinity: 3.0 Edition brings Star Wars to the gamer’s console.

Fallout 4 is set in a post apocalyptic Boston, and is one of the most dense action RPG games.
https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_fallout4.jpgFallout 4 is set in a post apocalyptic Boston, and is one of the most dense action RPG games.

Mario Maker marks the 30th anniversary of the “Super Mario Bros.”
https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_mariomaker.jpgMario Maker marks the 30th anniversary of the “Super Mario Bros.”

“Ori and the Blind Forest” is an Xbox exclusive and one of the most touching games of the year.
https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_ori.jpg“Ori and the Blind Forest” is an Xbox exclusive and one of the most touching games of the year.

“The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” is Get Your Game On’s No. 1 video game of the year.
https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_witcher3.jpg“The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” is Get Your Game On’s No. 1 video game of the year.