Twitch's Chase Shares His Top 5 Games Of 2015

Chase is a video game industry PR veteran who has been promoting software and hardware as far back as SEGA Dreamcast and over a hundred games since then, including Bioshock, Bayonetta, Disney Epic Mickey and The Last of Us. Last year, he left Access Communications, his former agency of 14 years, where he worked on the launch of Twitch to go in-house as the live streaming platform’s Director of PR. Before his PR days, he was a freelance games journalist, so we invited him to pick up his virtual pen again.
Here are Chase's favorite games of 2015:

There were so many great games this year, especially on the AAA front, that I’m going to bookend this with some obvious choices but focus on some smaller games too.

1.    Rise of the Tomb Raider (Xbox One). Back when I started doing PR during the launch of the Dreamcast, I recall promoting the realism of Shenmue. From that point on, at least once and usually close to half a dozen times, I was hyping games as being as realistic as possible. However, most of the realism of these games was showcased using video cut scenes in the trailers more than actual gameplay. With Rise of the Tomb Raider, it’s one of the few time I felt I was playing one of those gorgeous cut scenes. Even after I beat the game, I still enjoy running around the environments looking for exotic animals to hunt and gut. Granted, looks will only take you so far, but fortunately, I loved the gameplay too. The game is like a better looking expansion to the previous Tomb Raider, but sometimes what you want in a sequel is more of the same. It’s the same thing I felt about Borderlands 2, which is another favorite of mine. Therefore, if you loved the last Tomb Raider like I did, prepare to have that love carry over into this one. Your move Nathan Drake.

2.    Grim Fandango Remastered (PS4). When I first played the original Grim Fandango in 1998 I was immediately pulled into the game by its unique Dia de los Muertos-inspired art style and wry sense of humor. About 10 years later I tried re-installing it for my kids, but my computer disagreed and suggested I wait for a proper re-release. That day happened this year and now everyone can visit or revisit this charming stylish world for a point and click puzzle-laden adventure.

3.    Undertale (PC). Stylistically, Undertale looks like something that crawled out of the 80’s, but this indie game’s charm lies in its dialogue and script. Throughout this RPG, you run into a host of creatures and situations riddled with humor, such as a skeleton who--spoiler alert—threatens the player with several intense challenges that end up to be unchallenging. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound funny on paper, but trust me, it is.

4.    Legend of Dungeon Masters (PC). This is an old school side-scrolling beat ‘em up that on its own merits might not have caught my attention, but it features an interface that lets people in Twitch chat take part Hunger Games-style. Not only can you drop items—such as weapons, potions, and monsters—into the game to help the player, some items can be used to hinder them. Adding to the fun, you can include text that pops up in a bubble above the item so the player knows who provided it and to make a clever comment. Am I biased because they found a way to integrate Twitch? Well, yes, but they are also the first to integrate viewers in this creative manner.

5.    Fallout 4 (PS4). Read Game Informer's review…they nailed it.