With that in mind, here are the top five examples of excellence in handheld gaming for 2015. A huge thanks to our 2015 Awards Committee.
Handheld Gaming
Excellence |
Winner: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
Dev: Nihon Falcom | Pub: XSEED Games
Dev: Nihon Falcom | Pub: XSEED Games
I'll spare you the history lesson that typically prefaces any piece of writing on The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter. Suffice it to say that this long-awaited sequel exceeded my expectations in delivering a satisfying finale to a tale four years in the making. Trails SC feels like a long-lost relic of the golden age of RPGs; like its cousins Grandia and Lunar: Silver Star Story, its charisma carries it far beyond a tepid premise. It speaks to a yearning for adventure, weaving an intricate web of characters together in a story that's heartfelt, dramatic, and humorous without pandering to the lowest common denominator. There's a little bit of magic in Trails SC that we don't often see in today's RPGs, and despite its age, it stands out as one of the best gaming experiences of 2015. - Derek Heemsbergen
While I really loved where the story went toward the end of the original Trails in the Sky, I felt like it just took way too long to get there. I was thrilled to find that The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC took everything I loved about the first game and brought it back while improving on all aspects that I found lacking. The storytelling was in your face right from the start. All of the game's characters have a place within the story, even tons of the NPCs who you could skip over if you're a monster. I felt like the gameplay was faster and tighter than the prior game as well, which helped immensely with the pacing. And the soundtrack is truly outstanding as well, adding even more personality to a game already loaded with it. Despite being a Japanese 2006 release, Trails in the Sky SC is one of the best English releases of 2015 and one of my new favorite RPGs of all-time. - Michael A Cunningham
Localizing a PSP title in 2015 surely deserves an award all on its own, but the fact that it was the followup to one of the best RPG's of 2011 does it one better. Trails in the Sky SC continues the exploits of Estelle and Joshua, finally bringing their story to a close while maintaining the quality writing and gameplay that made the original such a hit with fans. - Sean Madson
Chalk me up as one of the skeptics who thought we would never see this in English. I'm awfully glad we finally got it, though. If you love JRPGs, the Trails series is one of the safest bets out there, and at least for me, the Sky sub-series is a sentimental favorite. - Shaun Musgrave
While I hesitate to say the wait was worth it just in case it encourages that long a wait again, the joy of finally being able to get through the Second Chapter of Trails in the Sky in English is almost palpable. Able to pick up right where things left off, Trails SC is able to get going right from the outset in a twisting tale packed full of incredibly well developed characters. - Alex Fuller
2nd: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Dev: Capcom | Pub: Capcom
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is arguably the best Monster Hunter game to date! The added jumping mechanic and varied terrain makes the fights even more dynamic, and Capcom's steps toward more comprehensive tutorials is especially welcome for newcomers. - Anne Lee
Every year there are a few games that baffle me because they run and play so great on the 3DS. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is one such game. It sucked me in and got me tons of co-op with friends across the world. - Mikhail Madnani
Monster Hunter is a series where any game can give you a ton of satisfaction, but finally getting a handheld version that supports online play without any extra hardware puts Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate over the top. Realistically, I could have been totally content playing MH4U and only MH4U all year. Especially as the post-release support was so wonderful. - Shaun Musgrave
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate was the most fun I had all year playing games with others, and the game had a great single player mode to go along with it. Capcom did a tremendous job supporting the title with free content, and it had some of the most intense combat I've ever been a part of. - Donald Theriault
As if the slew of copycat games based on the franchise wasn't already an indication, Monster Hunter has always been the go to series for gathering a handful of friends together and slaying larger-than-life creatures. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate takes it a step further by being the most polished and accessible entry yet, opening itself up to new players without compromising the integrity of what makes it special in the first place. - Sean Madson
3rd: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Dev: Nihon Falcom | Pub: XSEED Games
Discovering Falcom thanks to the Ys PSP games on Vita has been absolutely amazing. Their games are memorable, and the music is fantastic. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is one of my favourite games of all time, and I'd rank it lower than only Persona 4 Golden on the Vita. XSEED nailed it with the localization and voice acting as well. Bring on Cold Steel II. - Mikhail Madnani
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel shifts the focus from a party of bracers to a group of teens at a military academy. While that concept gets dangerously close to sounding derivative, the end result is anything but. You could give me six games in this franchise in the same year and I would gladly play them all if they were as good as this. - Sean Madson
Whoever would have thought that there would be a year where we get not one Trails game, but two? Trails of Cold Steel is a couple of years after the events Trails in the Sky, but with its own storyline that doesn't require knowledge of the others to enjoy (though you should play them anyway). Although its gameplay evolutions give it a step up on some front to its predecessors, Cold Steel never forgets what made those games so special. The character and world-building is again exemplary through another fascinating, winding tale, and now we all wait with bated breath for the next part to arrive in 2016. - Alex Fuller
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel shifts the focus from a party of bracers to a group of teens at a military academy. While that concept gets dangerously close to sounding derivative, the end result is anything but. You could give me six games in this franchise in the same year and I would gladly play them all if they were as good as this. - Sean Madson
Whoever would have thought that there would be a year where we get not one Trails game, but two? Trails of Cold Steel is a couple of years after the events Trails in the Sky, but with its own storyline that doesn't require knowledge of the others to enjoy (though you should play them anyway). Although its gameplay evolutions give it a step up on some front to its predecessors, Cold Steel never forgets what made those games so special. The character and world-building is again exemplary through another fascinating, winding tale, and now we all wait with bated breath for the next part to arrive in 2016. - Alex Fuller
4th: Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker
Dev: Atlus | Pub: Atlus
Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker is one of the best games on the 3DS and a vast improvement on Devil Survivor: Overclocked. The new content added is great, but the base game itself will stand the test of time as an SRPG great. Bonus points for some new music by Meguro. - Mikhail Madnani
The Devil Survivor games are secretly some of the best strategy RPGs on Nintendo's handhelds. Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker builds on the already-excellent foundation of the Nintendo DS original, making for the best installment yet. - Shaun Musgrave
As an overall package, Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker is one of the best games on the Nintendo 3DS system in 2015. A hybrid of strategic structure and turn-based battles, Record Breaker offers a delightful and unique flair on the genre. More than a full game with robust gameplay, high replay value, and good presentation, it's an exceptionally satisfying title that strategy RPG fans should not miss out on. - Adam Vitale
I missed Devil Survivor 2 in its DS incarnation because I was all in on the 3DS, but Record Breaker gave me a 70 hour ride through a great strategy RPG and added great twists to the characters in a second quest on top of it. The soundtrack still runs through my head nearly a year later. - Donald Theriault
Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker is far more than an improved version of the 2012 DS game. More than anything else, I feel like it's taking steps to make these types of games more accessible than ever before. With added difficulty options and free DLC that help to alleviate both the grind and the challenge for potential newcomers, this is definitely a game that's easy to recommend to everyone. And with an entirely new story that fleshes out already-developed characters even more, plus with one of the coolest last boss fights I've ever seen in a strategy RPG—it's easy to recommend to folks who played the original, too! - Jonathan Higgins
The Devil Survivor games are secretly some of the best strategy RPGs on Nintendo's handhelds. Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker builds on the already-excellent foundation of the Nintendo DS original, making for the best installment yet. - Shaun Musgrave
As an overall package, Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker is one of the best games on the Nintendo 3DS system in 2015. A hybrid of strategic structure and turn-based battles, Record Breaker offers a delightful and unique flair on the genre. More than a full game with robust gameplay, high replay value, and good presentation, it's an exceptionally satisfying title that strategy RPG fans should not miss out on. - Adam Vitale
I missed Devil Survivor 2 in its DS incarnation because I was all in on the 3DS, but Record Breaker gave me a 70 hour ride through a great strategy RPG and added great twists to the characters in a second quest on top of it. The soundtrack still runs through my head nearly a year later. - Donald Theriault
Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker is far more than an improved version of the 2012 DS game. More than anything else, I feel like it's taking steps to make these types of games more accessible than ever before. With added difficulty options and free DLC that help to alleviate both the grind and the challenge for potential newcomers, this is definitely a game that's easy to recommend to everyone. And with an entirely new story that fleshes out already-developed characters even more, plus with one of the coolest last boss fights I've ever seen in a strategy RPG—it's easy to recommend to folks who played the original, too! - Jonathan Higgins
5th: Persona 4: Dancing All Night
Dev: Atlus | Pub: Atlus
After an enhanced port that was regarded by many as one of the main reasons to own a Vita, the Inaba Investigation Team is back for another portable outing. Persona 4: Dancing All Night highlights one of the best aspects of the game it was spun from, while still standing on its own as an engaging and addictive entry to the rhythm genre. You'll bear-ly have a reason to put it down. - Sean Madson
A tremendous send-off for the Persona 4 cast, Dancing All Night gave me a new appreciation for the music of a game I largely treated as a podcast game before. The story mode even taught me some things about the Japanese idol industry I never thought I would want to know. - Donald Theriault
Even for someone relatively unfamiliar with the Persona franchise, Persona 4: Dancing All Night still presents a toe-tapping rhythm game with colorful visuals and a catchy soundtrack. Fans of the series will surely love the story mode for the added time they get to spend with their favorite Persona 4 characters, too! - Anne Lee
The fantastic music and visuals of Persona 4: Dancing All Night go a long way toward making a mechanically unremarkable rhythm game worthwhile. As always with Persona games, there's a lot — a lot — of story in there too. - JC Fletcher
I'm not qualified to say whether Persona 4: Dancing All Night is among the pinnacle of rhythm games, but I can note it as an excellent gateway for many to try out the genre. Shoji Meguro's score already lends itself well to rhythm games, but the remixes from various artists help to give the game its own identity within the Persona 4 sub-series. Just like Persona 4 Arena, Dancing All Night offers the more than welcome chance to use the cast in a different aspect, and the characters are utilised well within the story, keeping them consistent with prior appearances. - Alex Fuller
While this may not be the best rhythm game, it is close to my favourite for a variety of reasons. Persona music has always pushed the bar, and most of the remixes available here are amazing. It isn't often I end up with three physical copies of the same soundtrack, but Persona 4: Dancing All Night with its plentiful content and great visuals has earned a permanent spot on my Vita memory card. - Mikhail Madnani
A tremendous send-off for the Persona 4 cast, Dancing All Night gave me a new appreciation for the music of a game I largely treated as a podcast game before. The story mode even taught me some things about the Japanese idol industry I never thought I would want to know. - Donald Theriault
Even for someone relatively unfamiliar with the Persona franchise, Persona 4: Dancing All Night still presents a toe-tapping rhythm game with colorful visuals and a catchy soundtrack. Fans of the series will surely love the story mode for the added time they get to spend with their favorite Persona 4 characters, too! - Anne Lee
The fantastic music and visuals of Persona 4: Dancing All Night go a long way toward making a mechanically unremarkable rhythm game worthwhile. As always with Persona games, there's a lot — a lot — of story in there too. - JC Fletcher
I'm not qualified to say whether Persona 4: Dancing All Night is among the pinnacle of rhythm games, but I can note it as an excellent gateway for many to try out the genre. Shoji Meguro's score already lends itself well to rhythm games, but the remixes from various artists help to give the game its own identity within the Persona 4 sub-series. Just like Persona 4 Arena, Dancing All Night offers the more than welcome chance to use the cast in a different aspect, and the characters are utilised well within the story, keeping them consistent with prior appearances. - Alex Fuller
While this may not be the best rhythm game, it is close to my favourite for a variety of reasons. Persona music has always pushed the bar, and most of the remixes available here are amazing. It isn't often I end up with three physical copies of the same soundtrack, but Persona 4: Dancing All Night with its plentiful content and great visuals has earned a permanent spot on my Vita memory card. - Mikhail Madnani
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