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

<br>World of Warcraft has been out for 12 years and counting and over that time, Blizzard has produced a massive amount of lore and history to serve as the backstory for player adventures. Trivial Pursuit: World of Warcraft features 600 questions, some of which will put even the most experienced adventurer to the test. The board is a custom Blizzard-approved design and players will take control of adorable Baby Murloc movers as they progress through the game. Categories to choose from include Geography, Player Characters, Lore, Loot, Enemies and Encount<br><br> <br>The World of Warcraft Mega Bloks Sindragosa & The Lich King set features more than 150 parts and random loot. When finished, you'll have your very own Arthas to place alongside his trusted ice queen as he looks down from the iconic Frozen Throne. Frostmourne hunger<br><br> <br>It's hard not to get teary-eyed watching Tyrael descend from the sky voluntarily even out of context, but when the trailer arrives just at the right point in the game's story, there's no denying its impact. Although Diablo 3 is incredibly replayable, the game's story does matter and it's hard not to become attached to its characters in between long sessions of looting. We dare players to make it through the game without getting invested in this st<br><br> <br>It's no secret that Mists of Pandaria is not the most beloved World of Warcraft expansion. Many players were disappointed by the game's move in a seemingly less serious direction, especially as it arrived just after one of the darker stories in the <a href="http://www.city-fs.de/url?q=https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/show_user.php?userid=13191198">Moba Game Builds</a>'s complicated l<br><br>As someone who plays Dota 2, I thought "'worth'? What do you mean 'worth'?" It hit me pretty quickly that they meant worth money. The concept of paying real money for a hero eludes me, as a Dota 2 player, with a game that has more than 100 heroes available to everyone, free of charge. While League of Legends is technically free to play, players can get a better experience by buying access to better champions - champions that have "worth." Dota 2, not so. There's not a single item in the game that can be purchased in any way to give players an advantage. This got me thinking how Dota 2 really is the only game that does Free to Play right, that is, in a way that benefits the player as much or more than the company.<br><br> <br>StarCraft 2's Betrayal on Kerrigan trailer is one of the company's most emotional creations. The cinematic is heartbreaking whether you are a fan of the series or not, but it hits home particularly hard for old school StarCraft fans. The trailer offers gamers a view from the ground as Kerrigan is betrayed by her own commander and left alone to be infested by the Zerg. The legendary betrayal takes place in the original StarCraft and this retelling of the hero turned villain's last moments of righteousness even borrows the original dialogue from the classic <br><br>Another strategy game I played on my list is SteamWorld Heist and it’s a winner for me. Understanding the gameplay is simple and the story jumped right into the action. Exploring randomly generated ships and shooting it out with robots makes every stop along the way a true challenge. The old west aesthetic and steam-powered environment in SteamWorld Heist is pulled off much better than Wild Wild West. It’s almost the complete opposite of SteamWorld Dig but you could say SteamWorld Heist is a more grown-up version in the series. It’s a game to both kill time and robots with.<br><br> <br>In addition to its lore significance, the trailer is also incredibly intense and well done. It manages to pack story, action, and flash all into one package. Just like all the best Blizzard products<br>This benefits the player and Valve equally, because Valve offers players items they genuinely want to buy, not have to buy or be left behind. Valve makes money, Dota 2 players look pretty. But Dota 2 players who haven't spent any money can still stomp into the ground players who have a cosmetic set for every hero. Moving away from League of Legends (since that debate is a particularly stomach-turning can of worms), consider Plants vs. Zombies 2. PopCap was sold to Electronic Arts after the first game, and EA moved the sequel to an all-mobile platform that's free to play, but it's the wrong kind of free to play. It's the kind with micro-transactions that offer a better gaming experience.<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 game, 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>