Game of the Year: Nintendo Life's Reader Awards 2015

Happy to see that Xenoblade Chronicles X did quite well with these reader awards! I'm happy as well with the results overall; Splatoon really deserves thi

Splatoon deserves it.Can't wait to see how far they can take this IP on the nx...

Wow, two remakes above the actual best 3DS game of the year, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. For shame Nintendo Life community.

Still think BOXBOY! would have placed pretty high if it had actually been in the 3DS eShop category.

Pokemon Shuffle would have been #1, but good job for the rest of the games.

Super Mario Maker didn't win? How exactly?

I stand by my vote for Mario Party 10 but to be honest I loved all the games we had this year and look forward to more next year

Good choices overall. It's nice to see Splatoon take off the way it did, new IP's are always welcome.

Can't believe that Codename: STEAM didn't make the top 5 3DS Retail games...

@Wouwter My thoughts exactly.

Not enough people appreciate the brilliance of Monster Hunter!

Paper Jam REALLY shouldn't be on there because it doesn't come out until late January.

" oddly both set of polls even duplicated the weird scenario of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate coming behind The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D in the 3DS Retail vote, but performing better in the overall award."

Makes zero sense. And also crazy why anyone on the planet didnt vote MH4U #1. Get it together people!

I guess everyone who voted for Majora's Mask and Xenoblade 3D in the 3DS category voted for Splatoon and XCX in the overall poll while everyone who voted for MH4U in the 3DS poll also voted for it in the overall poll.

I can respect others' opinions, but I personally disagree with a lot of the picks here.

Wii U: As much as I liked Splatoon, I prefer Super Mario Maker and Yoshi's Woolly World.

1) Super Mario Maker
2) Yoshi's Woolly World
3) Splatoon

Wii U eShop: I bought Fast Racing Neo yesterday, and...not bad. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is good, but I prefer Runbow. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, didn't Pirate's Curse come out last year?

1) Runbow
2) Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
3) Minecraft: Wii U Edition
4) Fast Racing Neo

3DS: Aside from Happy Home Designer, Etrian Mystery Dungeon (which I was unable to bring myself to play it any further past the first dungeon), and Chibi Robo: Zip Lash, I haven't bought any of the others. I honestly don't care what the others say about HHD, I felt that it was okay at worse, but definitely not GOTY material. If Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is as good as the others say, then I guess it's time for me to invest in it. If Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam were released in the US this year, HHD would definitely be tipped off of my list.

1) Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
2) Etrian Mystery Dungeon
3) Chibi Robo: Zip Lash

3DS eShop: Well, I guess Gunman Clive 2 deserves to be on the list and I had some fun with 3D Sonic 2. My pick? That would be The Legend of Dark Witch Episode 2, which is the most fun I've ever had on the 3DS eShop category this year.

1) The Legend of Dark Witch Episode 2
2) 3D Sonic 2
3) Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure
4) Gunman Clive 2
5) Box Boy!

Overall: Super Mario Maker gets my vote for being the most fun I've ever had for a creation tool.

1) Super Mario Maker
2) The Legend of Dark Witch Episode 2
3) Yoshi's Woolly World
4) Splatoon
5) 3D Sonic 2

Compared to 2014, I haven't bought that many games this year, which is why I haven't bought at least five games for most of the categories. Not to say I hate 2015, but I felt a little underwhelmed. Let's hope 2016 exceeds this year.

Nintendo life needs to look at devils third again! Multi player is awesome having alot of fun with it

I think that the readers awards are a bit better than the staff awards. Surprised that Fatal Frame made it in the top 5 eShop too as it could be considered a retail in Europe.
My picks were:
Wii U retail - Xenoblade Chronicles X
Wii U eShop - Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
3DS retail - Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
3DS eShop - Gunman Clive 2
Overall - Xenoblade Chronicles X

Well beside 3DS Download i picked all the winners.
Picked Pokémon Picross there.

Its funny how Xenoblade X got 3rd for Wii U retail just below Mario Maker, but then for overall game of the year it got 2nd, just above Mario Maker. Its too bad we couldn't but Zelda U somewhere on this list...

Splatoon deserves it. Good picks.

@AlexSora89
Because Splatoon is waaaaaaaaay better!

@StephenYap3
Personally SMM bored me soon after it was released. For me it's just a 2D Mario platformer. Maybe because I got turned off on crappy levels, or auto levels, or unfair levels uploaded by users. It made me appreciate Nintendo-created 2D Mario games like NSMBU even more.

Splatoon on the other hand brought entirely new things and ideas on the multiplayer shooter genre. It speaks for itself when it beaten COD, Battlefront, Destiny, etc on the Game Awards for best multiplayer and best shooter category.

@Onion851 Yeah, I have no idea why it wasn't there. It was a fantastic puzzle game.

@Splatburst I can understand that and yes, not-good levels are a problem...but when I encountered such levels, I usually swipe on the GamePad (hold minus on other controllers) to skip them when in 100-Mario Challenge Mode. Creators seriously need to stop with automatic levels or bad levels.

I'll admit that Splatoon did bring new things to the shooter genre and I'll understand why it is very liked among the fanbase (and I'm also quite surprised it won the best Shooter and Multiplayer awards). I also like the game, but not enough to name it my 2015 GOTY. Given how many shooters are nowadays, in this case, I'll be sticking with Splatoon since it feels more fun and satisfying playing it while other shooters...you get the idea.

For Wii U retail game of the year, Splatoon was also my choice, and it was one I expected to win this category. Splatoon has done so well for itself, it's honestly amazing. I expected it to be more popular than the more negative folks were suggesting, but I certainly didn't expect it to take off to quite the level it has. Good on it though, as Splatoon is a fantastic game with a set up that encourages you to come back to it every now and again, if the addictive gameplay wasn't enough to keep you coming back every day. Overall, it's interesting to see that the choices for the top 5 are the same as the staff picks, with a slight difference in order.

The Wii U eShop category makes me the happiest. It may not be number 1, but I'm glad to see there are many fans of Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water who voted for it in this category. 3rd place is nice enough to let me know that plenty of people appreciate this amazing game. FAST Racing Neo and Runbow look like fun games, so I'm not surprised to see them on the list, and Shantae and the Pirate Curse is an amazing game so I'm glad to see it place here as well.

I haven't even played Codename S.T.E.A.M. and I'm disappointed to see it didn't place within the top 5 3DS retail games. Whilst it was of a genre that I cannot get into (I've tried, but I'm pretty bad at SRPG's), it did look like a well crafted game with a lovely setting and cast. I guess it's a shame to see this IP be so less well received than it's fellow new Nintendo IPs of the year (Splatoon, and even Box Boy). Anyway, my two votes for Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX and Fossil Fighters Frontier were unlikely to be enough to get them placed within the top 5, they were kind of obscure choices.

I'm once again baffled to how well received Yoshi's Wooly World has been. I expected it to get voted for within the top Wii U retail games, everyone got three votes for that category, but to see so many of people's single Game of the Year votes go to it surprises me. It's a good game, but I guess I'm not quite grasping the magic and charm of it likes others have been, which is more a shame for me if anything. Splatoon as the Game of the year winner is something I fully expected, as whilst I would have loved to have seen my personal choice of Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water feature at the top, I didn't expect it to. I'm not surprised to see Xenoblade Chronicles X place higher here, it seems that people who enjoyed this game as their favourite Wii U game didn't have a game amongst the 3DS or eShop library they prefer, a rather loyal following. It's not my type of game, but it does appear to be a quality one, so it's good to see it well received by it's fans.

I think every member here who has not bought Xenoblade Chronicles X, whether because they think its not their type of game, or never played RPG's or whatever, should seriously consider giving it a chance.

I implore you to play this game. I know people throw around the words "epic" and "best of all time" pretty casually nowadays, but I think a good argument could be made for Xenoblade X to be one of the best RPG's of all time.

@Splatburst
A little off topic but have you by chance used the Mario Maker Bookmark portal yet? It makes it so much easier to find good quality levels now. I used to have the same problem of having to sift through crappy courses. I love that I can use the portal on my phone at work and then have awesome levels waiting for me at home to play.

@claypool Noone played it so none voted for it.User votings are more "what's popular" then "what's best"

Honestly, this was a really mixed year for Nintendo. There were some large gaps between releases and the 3DS had a rather poor year aside from the first quarter. However, that doesn't mean it was necessarily a bad year. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Majora's Mask are two of the best games on the 3DS, and even though I have no interest in picking up a "new" 3DS, I would be lying if I said Xenoblade on the go isn't awesome. And we can't forget about Steam World (a highly underrated game). Nintendo focused more on the Wii U this year and pushed out some excellent titles such as Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Splatoon, Mario Maker, Yoshi's Wooly World, and Xenoblade. Overall, I can't say Nintendo had an amazing year. But you have to give credit where it's due, and I can still say they got some amazing games out.

@Lightningturtle The discrepancy comes in the fact that we were allowed to vote multiple times for Wii U retail GotY but only once for overall GotY. Basically, more people considered Super Mario Maker one of their top Wii U games than Xenoblade Chronicles X, but XCX was overall more popular than SMM among those who have played both games, which makes sense with how Europe hasn't had a chance to try XCX yet.

I'm kinda surprised/disappointed that FRN also reached 1st place among readers and that ASA only came 4th...

Monster Hunter did not lose because of me! One of the best games on any system this year.

There is a lot of love here for MH4U. It is also my favorite 3DS GOTY. However, considering Zelda's popularity over the Monster Hunter series, the results are far from a surprise, let alone a dissapiontment. For the WiiU, I feel that Splatoon deserves all of the recognition it receives. Merry Christmas to all !

Xenoblade X. Kinda put Splatoon down for a while.

Splatoon didn't deserve these awards.

@JaxonH I couldn't agree more. I recently got the game at the start of the week and have put already 20+ hours on it. It's truly a beautiful game.

@Sligeach I don't think it should've gotten all of the ones it did, but I think it would be inappropriate to say it didn't "deserve" them, because honestly splatoon deserves any award afflicted with it, it's the problem of if it suits it compared to the competition.

@Wouwter Yeah, for shame...
That said, none of the games I've bought this year cracked the top three.

My personal GOTY is Stella Glow, and that's overcoming SMT DS2: Record Breaker and its 120 hours it's afforded me over three playthroughs.

You have to wonder if Splatoon will still be considered better than Super Mario Maker in a few years.

I like the Gunman Clives but didn't expect it to make any of the lists. Congrats Bertil Horberg! That's some good gaming on those lists and there is so much more that didn't make the lists too.

I'm really happy with these results. Splatoon, Fast Racing Neo and Majora's Mask 3D really deserve heir victory.

@Franklin
Do you mean like when Splatoon's online mode has no players anymore?

I love Splatoon but for me it has to be Super Mario Maker. Any game that promotes creativity in such a fun way like SMM does should have won.

1. Splatoon, 2. Xenoblade X

Yup sounds about right!

I won't agree with Majora's Mask 3D getting above Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on Nintendo 3DS, but it really is a fantastic remaster. I just love hunting monsters with friends.

@Onion851 Really strange that BOXBOY was missing from the list, I didn't even vote in that category because of that.

It's all about Splatoon, baby. Here's to a brilliant future for this fantastic IP.

@BulbasaurusRex XCX came out the same day as NA, sales were just very poor in comparison to the other big 2015 games (Splatoon, Super Mario Maker)

I hate to say this but I just can't get into Majora's Mask!! I have played each and every Zelda to completion and got the 3DS version when it came out. I have tried loads of times but keep coming up against irritating barriers. Am I missing something? Have done the first 'dungeon' but I'm still not rally drawn in. And the time thing does my head in as well!

@Souldin Have you played the S levels of Yoshi's Woolly World, and level 4 and above? That's where most of the true magic is.

@Franklin As an IP, Splatoon will be more than remembered in a few years time. A new IP that sells more than any Metroid game (on a console with less users that those other previous consoles) such things don't happen every day.

I understood why ALL of the games for both the Wii U and 3DS were nominated, as I understand the charm of each one, but can anyone explain to me what the hell is the appeal of triforce heroes? To this day, I still don't see what people see in that piece of trash game. I mean, it's just a sh*tty version of four swords adventures, just trying to appeal with the costumes, not to mention that you really need 3 people to enjoy the game to its fullest, and on top of that, the game isn't even that fun.

@Grumblevolcano Oh OK, it did. My mistake. Still, my point remains that not as many people have had a chance to buy and play "Xenoblade Chronicles X" with its recent release date as they would otherwise, yet among those who have they generally consider it more worthy to be Game of the Year than "Super Mario Maker."

Not happy with splatoon getting no. 1. Mario Maker is definitely more deserving. Happy that Xenoblade X hit the top though.

Kind of sad that the Majora's Mask remake can best a game as amazing as Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Don't get me wrong they did a fantastic job on the remake but I would have thought a brand new game would reign supreme in that category.

I find it odd that Kirby WiiU keeps getting voted for after everyone whined how dull it was and that they'd rather play a DS game than this version, and that they hate how P1 is tied to the gamepad. No one's even talking about that game anyone on here so that's so weird.

Majora's Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate are my 3DS choices. Project Zero is my Wii U game of the year.

I'm almost offended that Shantae and (somewhat less so) Fatal Frame made the eShop list. I find the Pirates curse to be a dreadfully dull game and Fatal Frame just lacks the gameplay chops to hang with Affordable Space Adventures and Runbow... Not to mention other exquisite fare, such as Extreme Exorcism, Freedom Planet, etc. Of course, FAST taking home the trophy makes it all worth it.

Beyond that it's pretty solid. Splatoon and Xenoblade are two or my favorite games in years, so it's good to see the readers give them recognition. Pretty great year, I'd say.

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Not exactly a banner year for Nintendo this. As awesome as Splatoon was, it had the long-lasting appeal of a wad of bark gum. As much as I do love it and it's the greatest Zelda game and all that, it's kind of sad to have to yield GOTY to a remake, even if by default.

Unless something changes right fast, 2016 looks equally dark and full of nothing. Retro-Sonytendo is the only way to live!

Boxboy was robbed!

Wow i only liked a single 3DS retail game that was chosen here

This just reminds me what a horrible year the 3DS had lol

Pokemon Shuffle gets no respect

@Solid_Stannis

Are you the same guy who posted as Kenny Powers and Jon Redcorn?

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate really deserved it over two remasters. It's an original game here in the West, and a very good one at that. I bought Majora's Mask the day of the New 3DS's release, and MH4U a month later. Majora's Mask currently has roughly 25ish hours put into it. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate has 380. I have played MH4U for 380 glorious hours, and I'm just not at all interested in Majora's Mask anymore. I heard this from some other people and I myself have seen that Majora's Mask just has trouble keeping interest. It's just like "Eh, whatever". No other game have I been so noncaring about after being so hyped for that I bought it at midnight. Not too surprising that Majora's Mask got 1st, but I don't feel it's really earned the title.