Editor’s Choice: Jake's Top 10 Games of 2015

<br>I don't have many vivid memories of things I saw on my Facebook news feed, but this is one of them. I'm scrolling past updates from my friends who play League of Legends, and one post was about how a new champion added was so good. One of their friends commented "Is he worth?" to which my friend responded "So worth."<br><br> <br>No list of Blizzard cinematics would be complete without mention of the original World of Warcraft reveal trailer. In many ways, this is the trailer that kicked off the modern era of Blizzard gaming. The reveal trailer takes players back to Azeroth after Warcraft 3 and offers a brand-new perspective on the Warcraft setting. Aside from Trolls, just about every race and class get some love in this trai<br><br>I admit that Dota 2 has the benefit of an established fan base unmatched by almost any free-to-play game (League of Legends excluded). Not many games have fans who are willing to pay for something that doesn't benefit them in any way. Taking that into account, though, there still is no good excuse for free-to-play micro-transactions that benefit the company more than the player. Honestly, the solution is just to make your game cost money. Remember that? When games cost a flat fee for the entire thing? This was a largely successful model, and the only reason I can see for the shift is pure greed, especially by a company like EA that already has boatloads of money to roll in.<br><br>Plants vs. Zombies 2 already has 10 "premium plants" for a total cost of more than $30 altogether, tax included. And that's just plants. You can also pay for upgrades and in-game coins. To my knowledge, Plants vs. Zombies never went higher than $20 for the whole <a href="https://nyan-chuke.hatenablog.com/iframe/hatena_bookmark_comment?canonical_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fbbs.aldgame.com%2Fhome.php%3Fmod%3Dspace%26uid%3D255786">moba Game story Guide</a>, with no micro-transactions, so I can only assume PopCap is making a truckload off of this. Now I know people like to point out how less than 10 percent of people who play free-to-play games participate in micro-transactions. This makes it seem like the companies are doing what's best for the player by offering a portion of their game for free, while only making a small chunk of change on the side to get by. It's a compelling narrative that doesn't hold up to scrutiny. This number conveniently leaves out how much money they're actually making from those ten percent of people who want a full gaming experience.<br><br> <br>Who's a good Frostwolf? WHO'S A GOOD LITTLE FROSTWOLF?! This World of Warcraft Frostwolf Cub Plush is great for some holiday snuggling or as the latest trophy up on your wall of gaming collectibles. An official Blizzard Gear product, this pup's soft blue-eyed gaze will never betray the fact that it's seen some seriously harsh things on the battlefronts of Draenor and Alterac Valley while serving the Ho<br><br>I saved the best for last on this list. While many folks pointed out Nintendo’s lack of original titles, Splatoon made a splatastic debut and made up for the last few decades. The cute, colorful, simple online shooter is a friendly way to introduce players to the genre. Clever weapon designs and fresh gear to wear makes Splatoon a uniquely designed game. It’s not serious or violent like many others, which appeals to players of all ages. Friends, parents, kids and squids can all enjoy this game together and not have to yell or scream about campers. Inking the entire level and fending off the other team is a big task, but Nintendo made it enjoyable. Plus, you might run into a Squid Party and those are always fun to mess with. Splatoon is my choice for best game of 2015.<br><br> <br>In comparison, some have accused Justice League of copying Marvel's The Avengers a bit too closely. Of course, both movies follow a similar basic structure with certain heroes trying to recruit others to a team in order to fight an invading alien who wants to conquer the Earth, only for them to realize the importance of teamwork and unite to ultimately defeat the threat. While the highly anticipated uniting of DC's biggest heroes in live-action for the first time is momentous, the story of Justice League left a great deal to be desired. In the five years since The Avengers debuted, it's not unreasonable to think superhero movies have evolved and fans expect more than what amounts to a movie essentially resting on the excitement for, simply, superheroes teaming<br><br> <br>Doomhammer is one of the most feared weapons in WoW history, but now everyone can wield one of their own with the World of Warcraft Doomhammer Toy . Designed for ages six and up, this collectible is great for play or display. While it may be just a toy, it features a Blizzard-approved design that captures all the little intricacies of the Doomhammer from the game (and the mov<br><br>That would be like the U.S. claiming it isn't a militarily focused nation, because they spend a relatively small percentage of its GDP on military. This overlooks the fact that the U.S. is perhaps the richest nation in the world, meaning that that small percentage is more than the next 30 or so developed countries combined. So how much money do free-to-play games make off micro-transactions? I don't know. But I know it's more than enough to stay in business, it's more than enough to make PopCap not even consider bringing Plants vs. Zombies 2 to any other platform besides mobile , and it's more than enough to entice several other games to go free-to-play, or at least to use micro-transactions.<br>