Role-Playing Games have had an exceptionally strong showing in 2015, with sequels to two of the biggest franchises in the genre, The Witcher and Fallout, gracing our screens on PlayStation 4 and proving their worth in equal measure. In fact, this is probably one of the toughest categories yet in our annual awards, given that both title are easily worthy of nabbing the accolade of Best RPG. However, after much deliberation, we have a winner, and it’s CD Projekt RED’s sprawling fantasy romp that ultimately triumphs over Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic RPG sequel.
The final chapter in Geralt’s bloody saga, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt encapsulates everything great about the RPG genre while combining it with the dreamy escapism of a vast, sumptuous fantasy backdrop. Developer CD Projekt RED has crafted a completely believable world to immerse yourself in, and backs it up with one of the best narratives seen in an open-world RPG for some time. If the lure of the main quest isn’t enough to keep you hooked, then prepare to lose dozens of hours in the prodigious amount of side quests available as you expand and grow your character via a brilliant levelling system. Thankfully, The Witcher 3 is just as competent at action-packed combat as it is storytelling and exploration, with Geralt able to wield an assortment of weapons in a battle system that is an emphatic step up from the game’s predecessor, ensuring that mixing it up with the game’s varied bestiary is both fun and satisfying.
Skyrim may have set a blueprint in how to craft an open-world fantasy RPG game four years ago, but The Witcher 3 sets a new standard standard by raising the bar firmly up a notch. Completely unmissable.
Runner up – Fallout 4
Bethesda has been dipping its toes in the realm of open-world gaming for years now, and no one does compelling post-apocalyptic mayhem quite like the creator of The Elder Scrolls franchise. Fallout 4 may not quite be the huge overhaul of the venerable franchise that some had expected, but what it does it does incredibly well, while still managing to inject a few surprises into the mix to keep you hooked. Performance niggles aside, traversing the wastelands of Boston is as captivating as you’d expect from Bethesda’s rich open-world chops, bringing with it a gripping questline and hours upon hours of distractions to keep you busy as you immerse yourself in a world struggling to reclaim some sense of normality in the post-nuclear landscape. It also helps that the series’ revered shooting mechanics have been refined, and there’s a brilliant settlement and crafting system to sink your teeth into when you’re not blasting mutant scum in the face. If you loved Fallout 3 and are clamouring for more, then you can’t go wrong here.