Adventure games brought a lot to the gaming industry this year. The two main contenders for the Adventure 2015 award come from two beloved franchises, and while one of them has been around much longer, both franchises are iconic in the gaming industry as a whole. With games like Batman: Arkham Knight and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain pitting against each other, the choice isn’t exactly automatic, since both are the finest points built on the foundations of their previous titles. We, as a community, have chosen Kojima’s final romp in his esteemed franchise over Rocksteady’s latest superhero romp.
Winner: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
The fifth listed title in the Metal Gear series has the complete package of game delivery: It contains the best of both Eastern and Western influences to create a universal product which hit big across all kinds of fan bases. The story of Big Boss reaches a fruition here, and if the experience is too intense, there’s always downhill box sledding to take the edge off. Alongside a single player experience chock full of immersive narrative and extensive extras is a multiplayer experience strong enough to draw attention from elite and casual players alike. All in all, The Phantom Pain takes the greatest parts of the previous titles in the series and makes them better with new ideas and innovations for a wholly polished gaming experience.
Runner-up: Batman: Arkham Knight
For years, Rocksteady has been making waves with its Batman franchise, which is the best rated superhero franchise to date hands down, delivering a flowing experience of combat, exploration, and narrative, with Arkham Knight being the fine-tuned result of what came from Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. With each title, the overall concept of each game grew in scale, customization, and capability. Though the story slumped at times and boss fights weren’t quite engaging, Arkham Knight has everything an iconic adventure title needs to last a long time, and winner or not, there’s no going wrong with digging into Batman’s newest villain-riddled foray.