2015 was the year Sony officially threw in the towel on Vita. It was already a well known truth to many, but there was something horribly final about Sony coming out and saying they simply won’t be supporting the handheld with software any further. So you’d be forgiven for thinking that the winner of the Vita Game of the Year for 2015 would be a sign of that lack of backing. Yet the game voted for the most is a Sony published one. That game is Helldivers; the blessed marriage of Starship Trooper’s campy sci-fi war satire and twin stick shooters, but it is so much more than that.
Arrowhead Studios put out three games in 2015, and while Magicka 2 and Gauntlet were perfectly decent, Helldivers squashed them both like a poorly-designated supply drop with its brutally difficult, and surprisingly tactical, take on co-operative twin-stick shooty bang bangs.
You are a member of the Helldivers, Super Earth’s front line defence against the ongoing alien threat. You head to distant planets to take the fight to the enemy with up to three other human team mates, and you soon learn that Helldivers has a penchant for killing you with extreme prejudice, and you’ll eat it up, because Helldivers is as rewarding as it is punishing.
Everything that can kill you, will kill you, if you fail to pay attention for even a split-second you will be bleeding out quicker than a cheap sweater on a hot wash. Your team-mate drop a turret? Best get prone before it cuts you to ribbons. Swarm of insect-like beasts heading your way? Best check you aren’t standing in the firing line of a panicked squad member. This dynamic leads to one of the co-op multiplayer’s greatest strengths. Shouting at your friends for their perceived incompetence and cackling like a madman when the roles are reversed.
If you’re after a shooter that’s tough as nails and deeper than the usual fare, Helldivers is one to get on your radar.
Runner-up – The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Nihon Falcom’s Japanese RPG offered an absorbing narrative, addictive combat and a cast of loveable characters. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky: SC is just what fans were hoping for, with a unique combat system that adds just enough strategy to keep you on your toes while allowing you to customize your characters abilities with the innovative Orbment system. It’s not everyday that you can fall in love with an entire cast of characters but the great writing and fantastic story ensure you get swept away in its narrative.