Hello, Gematsu community! Community mod-guy Zero here.

The votes for the 2015 Gematsu community overall Game of the Year have been tallied up! But before I announce the winner, I’d like to give a big “thank you!” to the over 1,500 users that voted. The plan is to build on this and do more in 2016. I’d like to have more categories, polls, and of course, more votes next time. I’m very interested in any feedback you might have, so feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. (Or, contact me directly.)

Without further ado, it’s time to announce winner.

The Gematsu community Game of the Year is …

Bloodborne!

Here’s how everything tallied up:

Bloodborne (Sony Computer Entertainment, FromSoftware) – 579 votes

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt RED) – 308 votes

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (XSEED Games, Falcom) – 300 votes

Xenoblade Chronicles X (Nintendo, Monolith Soft) – 248 votes

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Capcom) – 82 votes

Ori and the Blind Forest (Microsoft, Moon Studios) – 27 votes

From the very beginning, Bloodborne was a strong candidate to win it all. Congratulations, FromSoftware! You created a game our community loved. This begs the question, what makes Bloodborne so good? Why should I play it? I decided to ask our community their thoughts in the Open Forum:

PuppetMaster “After you pass the first cut-scene, you wake in a strange place with a pleasant atmosphere, like a beautiful dream. You meet a man in a wheelchair and a girl, they give you some information about Yharnam (the fictional city Bloodborne is set in) and why you must go there, but the explanation doesn’t satisfy you. You want to know more, what’s really happening in Yharnam? And so, the hunt for the truth begins.” ayanami-chan “It’s a Souls game at its core, and that’s where it starts to be brilliant. The way it tells its narrative and presents its world to you requires thought and analysis. It’s a game that doesn’t hold your hand from a mechanic standpoint, while also challenging you to solve the narrative. It’s a challenging game and the kind that makes you feel a genuine sense of accomplishment after you do something, even something small.” Bebop “It has perfect combat…I’ve never played something so satisfying in terms of combat. The co-op is a blast. Bloodborne gives you the feeling you had back in the PlayStation One era. That feeling of experiencing something special for this first time.” 36Chambers “It’s got this cool HP Lovecraft Gothic horror vibe going on and I love it. The level design is also TOP NOTCH. You’ll be dumbfounded more than a few times on your first or subsequent playthroughs on how certain areas connect to other areas in ways you’d never have thought possible. As for bosses and things of that nature, I’m not in the business of spoiling things but rest assured that you’ll have some epic fights in this game.” Skerj “It has so many WTF!? moments. It’s like ‘What The F— is That!!!??? The Game.’ Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something else comes along ten minutes later and beats it, yet somehow you feel compelled to keep playing. I wish I could tell you my favorite moment but its a spoiler and I can’t rob you of that.” Nu Hades “I feel Bloodborne is perfect in every way. From the atmosphere, to the music, the enemy designs, the difficulty, the weapon designs, the boss designs, the combat, the level designs, all of them are top notch.” Evil Ascendant “Bloodborne is not the type of game that I normally find myself interested in. But boy, was I surprised how much I liked it. As soon as I started out in the game, from my first kill to my first death and beyond, I was immediately under the impression that this game had a special quality about it. I found Bloodborne to possess both atmospheric music and ambiance, giving it the feeling of being a lived-in world in which death and misery have taken hold… and that’s pretty awesome.”

It’s clear to me from these replies and from other comments I’ve read this year, Bloodborne is a very special game. Just reading everyone’s thoughts about it makes me want to play it right now. Bloodborne is not just a game that will stick with our community for a little while, it’s one that will create memories that last a lifetime. Thanks so much to everyone above for the great responses. And once again, congratulations to Bloodborne, the 2015 Gematsu community game of the year!

I also thought it would be fun to get some staff selections for Game of the Year. It’s worth noting that while a lot of great games came out in 2015, both Sal and I didn’t get to play as much as we’d have liked to.

Sal Romano N++ for PS4 I loved the original N browser game and the Flash-based downloadable client from way back when. I never got around to playing N+ for PSP or Xbox 360, but when N++ came around I was ready. It can get insanely difficult and there are times I thank Metanet for not making it a disc-based release so I don’t break it in frustration (I’m kidding, I’m super calm), but finally getting past the intense obstacles many of its stages present is so rewarding. It’s also another game to add to the small list of local co-op games. (I actually just recommended this to a friend of mine and his girlfriend last night, since they were looking for more co-op games.) Danganronpa: Another Episode for PS Vita I see a lot of people on the internet say this game is bad, and I’m like, “nah, you cray.” It’s obviously a departure from the rest of the series, and while the third-person mechanics are extremely wonky at first, they grow on you rather quickly. The gameplay and story are enjoyable, and I love the dynamic between Komaru and Toko. This is also the first Danganronpa I played with English voice acting, and the voices aren’t bad. Some of the kids’ voices can be annoying (Jataro), but they’re kids, they’re supposed to be annoying. Zero Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward for PS4, PS3, and PC I know. “It’s just an expansion pack.” While that’s true, this is one of the best MMORPG expansion’s I’ve ever played. I haven’t enjoyed an expansion this much since Chains of Promathia for Final Fantasy XI many years ago. So, what makes Heavensward so good? It’s tough to pick one thing. The expansion introduced three new jobs to play, the Astrologian being my personal favorite. I leveled it up while playing all the way to level 60. I could go on about the music, which is amazing, the beautiful new zones, how amazing it feels to take to the sky and fly. All of that is great, but for me the best part of Heavensward was the story. It’s not very often an MMORPG features such a terrific story line. It’s classic Final Fantasy with dragons, knights, death, political intrigue, amazing story battles, and more. They even managed to fit lots of fan service in for classic Final Fantasy fans. I don’t want to spoil any of these moments, but one of my personal favorites features a battle they recently made an extreme version of. The worst part of Heavensward was finishing the campaign and desperately wanting more. Thankfully, they have started releasing new patches, which brings new content, including more story missions. I don’t get to play a ton of games, but I spent quite a bit of 2015 enjoying Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward. It’s my favorite game of 2015. I wish I had another game to list here. I’m currently trying to find more time for Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below, which I’m really enjoying. Let’s hope 2016 brings me more time to finish games. Pekola Ori and the Blind Forest for XB1 and PC Now I have to say, I did not play much of this game. But what I did play left a lasting impression in me. It is absolutely beautiful. Not only in visuals, but also in its presentation, which is absolutely touching. I pick this game, because I would love to see more games of its kind come into the forefront of gaming alongside what we already have.

Even if Bloodborne wasn’t your favorite game of 2015, we would love to read your thoughts in the comments below. Did you enjoy another game more? What was your favorite moment in the game? Feel free to discuss below, but please be mindful of spoilers.

So, what comes next? Now that we are in 2016, I think everyone is very excited about the games coming out this year! What games are you excited to play? Stay tuned for our most anticipated game vote coming soon.