My Most Anticipated Games of 2016

Street Fighter V
Street Fighter IV was a good experience for me as it was the game that got me into the competitive gaming scene. I had a lot of fun playing online and entering tournaments while meeting new people and with Street Fighter V coming out next month it's bringing those memories back and I can hope that I return to the competitive scene. Street Fighter IV frustrated me with some of its links and I never found learning Fierce Feint Fierce with C. Viper any fun, but with the removal of 1 frame links and an entirely new system, it seems like this game will be easier to transition into. The cast looks decent, but it could use a Third Strike or IV character, fortunately I believe we'll be getting both in the first batch of DLC.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst
I've wanted a sequel for this game since I beat the original years ago. DICE's Mirror Edge was a unique game, tackling the platformer genre in a first-person perspective. It felt like a first-person Prince of Persia, but without the time mechanics and with guns. The game is finally getting a sequel, well sort of. Mirror's Edge Catalyst will be a reboot of the first game's story while expanding on the gameplay. From a gameplay perspective this is basically a sequel and I never cared about the mundane presentation of the story in the original game anyhow. The trailer and presentation at E3 last year showed some improvements to the roll performed after making large jumps and disarming armed enemies seems much easier. My number one complaint with the original was the gunplay and DICE has abandoned in favor of a smoother experience.

Final Fantasy XV
I'm a major Final Fantasy fan. Final Fantasy is the cause of my love for gaming. When Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII were revealed in 2006 I was ecstatic, but I never saw one of these being in production for so long. Final Fantasy Versus XIII went on for years with little information regarding the game. Many fans, myself included grew tired with the announcements for dropping announcements that ultimately ended up with not useful information. It wasn't until about a year and some change ago when Square Enix revealed that Final Fantasy Versus XIII would be renamed to Final Fantasy XV making it a entry in the mainline series.
Nomura dropped off as director for the game and Tabata replaced him, but since the title change information for the game has been coming steadily. We got a demo early last year and Active Time Reports. The game finally seems to be coming out now. With the recent information that the game can now be completed from beginning to end, it's safe to assume that this game can reach its intended 2016 release date and I'll be looking forward to experiencing Noctic's journey.

Horizon: Zero Dawn
This was the standout game at E3 2015 for me. A game that takes place in a post apocalyptic future where robotic wildlife roam the world.  Guerilla Games is developing this game and it will be their first rpg as they usually make the Killzone games. The combat will be action-focused with some stealth and shooter elements thrown in. The take down of the the Thunder Jaw (Pictured above) was one of the most intense moments at last year's E3. It's my most anticipated original IP for this year and I hope it can deliver.

That's my list for 2016. Let me know your anticipated games in the comments below.

My Favorite Playthroughs of 2015

Last year I didn't get to play any new games so my entire plays of the year were of games from one or more generations ago. There was a lot of love to be found, some okay games, one I've still yet to beat, and a few bad ones that I didn't spend much time with. I spent some time on some games I've played and completed in the past, but I limiting this to games that I have beaten for the first time this year.

10. Alice Mare
Platform: PC Genre: Adventure Release Date: ????
Recommended to me by a Facebook friend I downloaded this free game onto my piece and found it an amusing experience. Alice Mare is an adventure game made in Wolf RPG Editor.  The game pits the player in the role of Allen, a boy enrolled in a boarding school and his world grows dark and twisted when he stumbles upon a mysterious closet. The game is relatively short, averaging out to about three hours so it's perfect for those who want to finish a game, but don't have much time to play. For those looking for more the game has some replay value as the game features multiple endings. As being an adventure game, the primary focus is on the story and while I don't find it bad, I don't find good either. It floats somewhere in the middle. It appears to be heavily inspired by Alice in Wonderland with certain characters and subject matter. The game has a strong sense of atmosphere as it's garbed in a Gothic Lolita resplendence. The game can be eerie at times, but never genuinely scary. I never quite grasped what was happening throughout the tale, but the ending I got on my first playthrough has me interested in a second run.

9. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Platform: SNES (Super Nintendo) Genre: Action-Adventure Release Date: 1991

The famed Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past. I was familiar with this game in my childhood, but I never had the opportunity to play it until last year. With this being one of the most highly regarded games in the series only behind Ocarina of Time, I new it came with expectations, but I've always kept my expectations in check. Overall, I ended thinking the game was just okay. I liked that the game provided me with more challenge than Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but I found the level design underwhelming and the world map obtuse. The world map wasn't bad, it was just certain points in the game the direction or tasks you needed to take to get to the next dungeon weren't clear and mostly unaddressed. I liked some of the boss encounters and that you could tackle some of the dungeons in whatever you wanted, but the lack of towns and some design choices didn't sit well with me. Overall a decent game and I'll probably give it one more playthrough.

8. Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Platform: SNES (Super Nintendo) Genre: Shoot 'Em Up Release Date: 1993

The last game I was late to playing in 2015, it left quite an impression on me. I had no idea what to expect going in, but what I found I enjoyed and left an impression on me that I won't ever forget. The game's quirky depiction of horror and its faced pace and skill intensive combat left me exhausted, but satisfied. This game featuring tributes to horror characters from the 90s all the way down to the 50s is a whopping 50 levels long. All those levels aren't required to beat the game, 45 are, but I couldn't make it past 32 due the rampant enemies that spawn as the game goes on. I didn't get to try the multiplayer as I had no one to play with, but I can imagine it being tons of fun, while also being frustrating. I'm not sure if I'll ever beat the game, but I look forward to correcting that.

7. Super Metroid
Platform: SNES (Super Nintendo) Genre: Action-Platformer Release Date: 1994 
This was my first experience with the popular series last year and it left an impression. Its floaty movements felt strange to me at first, but I got used to them and was able to conquer this game. It has an atmosphere of loneliness and dread which is something I only get in Survival Horror. The level design I found satisfying, though at times a little confusing and the boss encounters were sufficient. Overall, a well designed game and I look forward to playing another entry in the franchise.
 

6. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Platform: Nintendo DS Genre: Action-RPG Release Date: 2008 
With the Bloodstained Kickstarter Campaign in 2015, I was interested in playing my first Castlevania and this was my choice for an entry point. Order of Ecclesia combines an action-oriented combat system with rpg elements and some platforming thrown in. The combat feels really rewarding once you master it and the game has some great boss encounters and music, but the only fault in this game is the rare item drop rate. Rare drops are supposed to be infrequent, but they are overly so in this game. You could spend hours grinding just to get one item you need to fulfill a quest. It also makes it tedious to level up certain summoning glyphs. It's a big flaw that hinders what is otherwise a great game. I'm likely to play this again one day, but I might try a hack that changes the rare drop rate or just ignore most of the side quests and not bother to level up certain skills.
 

5. Pokemon Black 2 / Blaze Black 2
Platform: Nintendo DS Genre: RPG Release Date: 2012
2015 could've been said to be the year of Pokemon for me as I probably spent the most time playing Pokemon than any other game. Pokemon Black 2, more specifically Blaze Black 2 was the second Pokemon playthrough of the year for me. Pokemon Black 2 is an excellent entry in the series. The combat is blazing fast and there's plenty to do in the game.  You have the Battle Subway, The Pokemon World Tournament and a slew of terrain to explore after you defeat the Elite Four. This Blaze Black hack adds in additional challenge, pokemon variety and early access to certain items. I found that the game was too difficult at times that it deterred my enjoyment, but not enough to hurt my overall experience.  The downside of the post content is that it doesn't really have a particular battle that feels like the end. The Blaze hack adds in the two protagonists from Black which helps, but it didn't feel like there was any build up to it. Overall, this is a great game.

4. Pokemon Soul Silver / Storm Silver 
Platform: Nintendo DS Genre: RPG Release Date: 2009
There's not much else I can say after talking about Black 2, but I found that Soul Silver and the hack Storm Silver resonated with me more because I found the world map and post content designed better and the music was more memorable for me, at least the Game Boy version that you can access in the post game of Soul Silver and immediately in Storm Silver. For hack comparisons I think Black 2 was a little bit better. It felt a bit more progressive while I felt to hit a wall immediately in Storm Silver, but both of them I feel are a bit too difficult. I have yet to tackle Kanto yet in Storm Silver, but from the info I have it sounds like there will be quite a few additions to look forward to from the normal version.
 

3. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Platform: SNES (Super Nintendo) Genre: Platformer Release Date: 1995
Rented this back in the 90's, but could never beat it, but last year I booted this up and managed to beat it. This game was just as hard as I remembered and better than I remembered. This game is among the pinnacle of game design, from great controls to level design, and boss encounters this game a testament of excellent design. There is plenty variety offered in the levels and the game tests your ability to utilize all the mechanics. The graphics still hold up and David Wise composed a few stellar tracks that are among the best in gaming. This game was not only one of the best games I played last year, but one of the best games I played in my lifetime.
 

2. Super Mario 3D World
Platform: Wii U Genre: Platformer Release Date: 2013
My first playthrough of the year. This was a graduation gift given to me in 2014 and became my first and only experience with the Wii U so far, but what an introduction it was. Super Mario 3D World is among the best of 3D platformers. With cleverly designed levels and power-ups that actually make you feel powerful, Super Mario 3D World will be a game not forgotten. It brings back multiple playable characters like Super Mario Bros. 2 and a world map like Super Mario Bros. 3 and World. Most of the characters feel unique in their own with the exception of the blue Toad, but the game gives you incentive to try other characters out with certain switches that can only be activated with a certain character. The game provides some great challenge as the game progresses, especially in the post game. The only downsides I find is that would've liked worlds to be a bit more thematic and most of the music was forgettable to me.

1. Earthbound (Mother 2) 
Platform: SNES (Super Nintendo) Genre: RPG Release Date: 1994 
One of the games I always wanted to play from my childhood and I finally got the chance in 2015. Earthbound not like many others. It has a distinctive sense of personality with its strange and unique humor, American setting, and varied soundtrack. The world of Earthbound is a treat to explore and the journey from beginning to end is filled with interesting encounters. The gameplay is simplistic for the JRPG genre, but it has a rolling HP bar that sets it apart from others. The game is also quite challenging the beginning segment of the game will get you a game over or two and the game constantly keeps you on your toes, but never feels unfair. I loved the relationship between the child cast and this game has some of my favorite monster designs and item names out there. The only downside I say is that the game is devoid of any sidequests and there's no hint for acquiring Poo's ultimate weapons which I hear are tedious to acquire due to a rare drop rate, but other than that this is a spectacular game and it ranks among my top ten of all time.



 

My Top Ten Albums of 2015

2015 was a difficult year for me, but one of the things that kept it somewhat enjoyable for me was the supply of great music. The likes of ChocQuibTown gave me pumping Latin tunes, Stereo Nasty introduced me to metal properly, and I dusted off qualms with Kendrick Lamar and found in it some of the best music of the year. I found Hip-Hop overall to be a bit underwhelming compared to last year, but as a whole 2015 was good. I have not listened to every major release of the year, so this might be a bit more on the obscure side which is good exposure for those artists so I hope you can to come to this openly and without further ado, here are my top ten albums of 2015.

10.  Por Vida

Artist:

Release Date: February 4

Genre: Pop

I came across the album on accident. I was looking up info about a certain neo-soul singer and found this name. I decided to give her a listen and I enjoy what I heard so I looked up this album and her previous. Por Vida is Kali Uchi's first official album, but second project. She is a pop artist that mixes the sounds of swing, 50's era pop, and modern pop. Kali's voice is pretty decent. She is good, but doesn't hit me with the great level. Sometimes she can get a bit too high in her pitches, but the highlight of this album is within the composition and melodies. Most of the songs are pretty catchy and fills you with romp, hype, or tranquility. This project is an excellent introduction into the artist and I hope this is a sign of great things to come.

Notable Tracks: Call Me, Know What I Want, and Ridin Round

9. Cheers To The Fall

Artist:

Release Date: August 28

Genre: R&B and Jazz

The last album of the year that I listened to, Cheers To The Fall left quite an impression on me. I discovered this after catching up to the Nina Simone tribute album Nina Revisited. Her tribute "Mississippi Goddamn" impressed me and decided to look her up and found out that she had an album this year. The leading single to this project "Forever Mine" displays just how strong a vocalist Andra Day is. When she hits the high pitch on "Be" at the end of the song it causes a chill down your spine. The production is also a great compliment to her voice and can be enjoyed alone. The music video directed by the famous Spike Lee is almost as good as the song itself. I often hear her compared to Rihanna and Amy Winehouse and why I found these comparisons weird at first, I can hear the similarities on certain songs, but she is most definitely an artist of her own. The rest of the album isn't quite as good as "Forever Mine", but it's still good. I find "Rearview" to be a bit plain and non-inspirational, but the other than that good tracks all around. "Only Love" stands out to me because it sounds like the opening song of a James Bond movie. The production on this is up to par and don't overbear the artist. Even though I got a more emotional response from Por Vida, Cheers To The Fall places higher because of better writing and stronger vocals. Overall, this is a good album and I'm looking forward to hear more from her in the future.

Notable Tracks: Forever Mine, Only Love, and Goodbye Goodnight

8. Nasty By Nature

Artist:

Release Date: August 8

Genre: Heavy Metal

This was my second metal album and the first one I found myself liking. I wanted to branch out my tastes a bit. I listened to Stolas's Allomaternal last year and liked a few tracks, but I was still yearning to diversify my music library and so I searched on Bandcamp for some metal albums. The album art caught my eye and so I gave it a listen and ended up enjoying it quite a bit. This album is described to be in the style of metal from the 80's and if so I think this is the metal for me. The instrumentals are up to par on this project. The guitar riffs pump you up and the drums, don't really stand out, but that's neither a positive or a negative. They compliment the vocals, guitar, and bass without getting in the way. As far as the vocals go I can't be that elaborate on the subject as I'm still quite new to the genre and not exactly sure what makes for good vocals when it comes to metal. I used to be adverse to these type of vocals, but now I can't necessarily say I like them, but I find that they do add in creating the intensity in the tracks. Each track has their own theme to them. Interstellar focuses on the cosmic, Black Widow speaks on a painful relationship, and "Holy Terror" tears at a fear of an impeding end by nuclear warfare to name a few. The subjects present throughout are a bit dark as I suspected from the genre. There's not much else that I can say here other than I quite enjoyed the album and it left quite an impression on me. If you were reluctant once before to listen to metal, then I recommend this album as a good starting point.

Notable Tracks: Interstellar, Black Widow, and Out of the Fire

7. The Good Fight

Artist:

Release Date: May 5

Genre: Rap & Hip-Hop

One of the best albums put out this year was The Good Fight. Prior to this album I discovered Oddisee through yU who I found through L'Orange and I saw his music video for "Own Appeal". The beat and rhymes were straight so I kept watch on him. When I found out about this dropping this year I made sure to listen to it as soon as it came out. This ended up being one of the albums that stayed blasting in my ears throughout the year. Oddisee is both a talented emcee and producer. His skills at the mic are just as strong as his keys behind the instruments. The Good Fight is filled with keyboards, drums, cymbals, and a touch a soul. The melodies throughout invigorate and calm the soul are in tandem with emcee's rhymes. On the lyrical front Oddisee is stellar when it comes to flow and energy. His rhymes always catch your attention and play off well from the instrumentals. His lyrics are also a bit more layered than others, but nothing in particular stood out to me aside from his story of financial struggle in "Contradiction's Maze". The featured artists on this project also add their own flavor to this album. Vocalist/rapper Maimouna Youssef sings decently on "Contradiction's Maze" and "What They'll Say". The likes of Nick Hakim and Gary Clark Jr. are fine, but don't particularly stand out. The commentary at the end of the album by Tranquil is good and conveys the problems of the mainstream in the current day. This is a stellar album with some really catchy hooks, instrumentals, and rhymes. I'm looking to listening to more Oddisee.

Notable Tracks: Contradiction's Maze ft. Mumu Fresh, First Choice, and Worse Before Better

6. Origin

Artist: Vanilla

Release Date: September 20

Genre: Instrumental Hip-Hop & Japanese Folk

Following the phenomenal Sweet Talk from last year, producer Vanilla brings his latest mixtape Origin. I had high expectations for this as Sweet Talk was my number one instrumental album of last year and while this isn't quite as good, it's still damn good. Vanilla brings the soul, jazz, and hip-hop like usual, but this time adds Japanese folk to this. "Dreamcatcher", "Nana", and "Origin" are the Japanese influenced tracks and each one of them is a pleasurable listen. The combination of Japanese folk and Hip-Hop makes for an interesting and pleasing mix. "Dreamcatcher" is my favorite of the three Japanese styled beats because of the solid wind instrument that eases the soul. "Nana" has an excellent singer attached to it that reminds me just slightly of Meiko Kaji. I am eager to find the sample of this composition.
The soul and jazz tracks are good as usual. The standout in this is "All in My Mind" which features amazing guitars and vocals from an artist I don't know, but would like to know. The track has a rare combination of energy and tranquility and sends off with a complimentary synth. What caught me the most on this project is the astounding mix of  the famous Kool and the Gang's "Summer Madness". Immediately it hits you with nostalgia. Summer days by the pool and August sunsets sprang into my mind when I first listened to this piece. He changes the beat enough to make it his own, but also keeps it recognizable. A knockout piece. This album is a great addition to his discography and I will be there day one when he drops the next project.

Notable Tracks: Dreamcatcher, All in My Mind, and Summer

5. The Rapture: Live from Oaklandia

Artist:

Zion I - Zumbi (Left) & Amp Live (Right)

Release Date: August 7

Genre: Rap & Hip-Hop (Boom Bip)

As I was looking at the customers who bought Phantom Limbs on bandcamp, a certain user profile icon caught my eye and I decided to click on it. The user was Wyatt Armstrong Hunter and noticed that he had a few Cunninlynguists purchases in his collection so I figured he had great taste and decided to give a listen to the first album that appeared on his page, The Rapture: Live from Oaklandia by Zion I. This album released just a few days ago on August 7 and upon clicking on the first track I regretted missing it on release day. This is a live rap/soul album from artist Zion I who I didn't realize was already in a few tracks in my library as he did "In the City" with Cunninlynguists, and was featured on Nneka and J. Period's "God of Mercy". His features apparently didn't capture my attention before, but it certainly has gotten it now. In The Rapture the duo of Zion I focuses on unleashing riveting energy. Zumbi's voice is propelled and projected to get the listeners hype and his flow is at a steady, but quick pace. His energy and pace does start to slow down at the end however, but it's still energetic.

The live instrumentation from the band is also a main contributor to the sound. Drums, cymbals, saxophones, pianos, and guitars are present throughout the performances. There is also a nice electronic sounding instrument I don't recognize at the end of Human Being that I like a lot. It overall has a bit of a jazzy and soul flavor to it. What I like the most about the choice to go live for this album is that it really captures the feeling of being in a concert. The quality is superb and the crowd interaction really sets it home. What is also notable is that most of the tracks seem to flow into one another. In all but one song there seems to be not definite cuts from one track to the next further instilling the feeling of being at a live concert.

Now I haven't touched upon the lyrical skill of the album and I can say it's pretty decent. It's more straightforward and I didn't catch any instances of wordplay, but the themes of goals of this album seemed to be about uplifting the spirit which I typically don't see in those type of songs anyway. His style is more of the boom bap flavor. His pronunciations are clear majority of the time and the featured emcees hold up decently. The singers attached accompany the instruments well enough and none of them are bad, but none of them really stood out to me either except for that end note that Codany Holiday dropped on "Sorry". That was off the chain.

To conclude this, The Rapture: Live from Oaklandia is a great album that makes great use of live instruments and recommendation to those looking for a little more joy in their life. I'm now eager to hear more of him and I think his style would be greatly complemented to the likes of Blitz the Ambassador, Common, Akua Naru, Ben L'Oncle Soul, and Nneka.

Notable Tracks:  Boom Bip ft. Viveca Hawkins, Trippin, and Human Being

2. Cold Winter / The Miner's Canary / Nina Revisited: A Tribute to Nina Simone

Artists: Sheisty Khrist x Lo Fidel / Akua Naru / Various

Release Dates: January 23 / February 20 / July 10

Genres:  Rap & Hip-Hop / Jazz & Hip-Hop / Jazz

The best of 2015 for me was the beginning. Two juggernauts released in the first two months of the year, along with Kali Uchis's Por Vida, but Cold Winter and The Miner's Canary remained in my attention throughout this trip around the sun. Later on towards the end of the year I had came in contact with Nina Revisited and then the top spot became hard to decide. Cold Winter has some of the best instrumentals I've heard among music period. The mix and quality are excellent, providing great range and sounds, going from electronica, metal, and boom bap. LoFidel can't be acknowledged enough for his work on this album. Sheisty Khrist's rhymes are just about as great as LoFidel on this album. His flow and energy are superb. His sound on here actually reminds me of Jay-Z, but better. Khrist's lyrics are sound, but the only qualm I might say is that his enunciation isn't always clear. All of the featured artists are top notch and the two favorite being Natti, and spoken word poet Bianca Spriggs. The Miner's Canary is an entirely different sounding album from Cold Winter. While Cold Winter has some rock, ambient, and electronic influence The Miner's Canary is jazz and soul focused. The Miner's Canary is Naru's third album with The Journey Aflame in 2011 and its live variation Live & Aflame Sessions which dropped in the following year proceeding it. Akua Naru delivers on the poetic front as fervently as she did on The Journey Aflame. Her flow is perfectly blended with the instrumentals and her lyrics evoke emotion. In this album she spreads the messages of love, music, freedom and there's a tribute song to novelist Toni Morrison. The title of the album projects a metaphor in that she wants to relay messages to a community to prevent cancerous thoughts in comparison to the caged canaries miners used to take into mines to warn the miners of poisonous gases.
The featured artists on this album all do a stupendous job. R&B singer Cody ChesNuTT, provided some sensational vocals to "Canary Dreams", Ben L'Oncle Soul evokes a John Legend sound on “Fly”, and emcees Dynasty and Sa-Roc kill it on the microphone in "Boom Bap Back". I hope that the featured artists will gain notoriety in their own right down the road. The Miner's Canary is an excellent follow up to Akua Naru's previous works. I'm not quite sure if it's better than The Journey Aflame and Live & Aflame Sessions, but right now it's sitting right next to them. "Fly" has to be my most listened track from 2015.
The last of this trifecta is the Nina Simone tribute album Nina Revisited that was made for the Nina Simone documentary on Netflix. I had first came in contact with this when I was looking for some new Alice Smith and found her cover of "I Put a Spell on You". At the time I was busy and said I would listen to the rest later, but that later ended up being mid December. I am glad to have finally listened to the entire album. Nina Simone is one of the most recognizable jazz and soul singers, so this project had to be attached with talented artists and it has it in spades. Lauryn Hill, Common, Lala Hathaway, Usher, Jazmine Sullivan, Mary J. Blige, and Nina Simone's daughter Lisa Simone are among the most recognizable on here. All of them give good performances on this, though I feel some could have done better than others, but they're all listenable. I found Lauryn Hill's rendition of "Feeling Good" a bit lacking, primarily because I think her voice doesn't sound as good on this track compared to her past work or on "Wild Is the Wind" another cover on here by her. The decline is noticeable, but not encumbering. I quite enjoy her rhymes on "I Got Life". She shows that still has skills on the mic when it comes to flow, energy, and lyrics. Veteran Common are just as reputable as he talks of the recent killings of unarmed black men and children on "We Are Young Gifted & Black".
Mary J. Blige,  Usher give decent performances, Gregory Porter and Lisa Simone are exceptional, but Grace, Jazmine Sullivan, and Andra Day are even more so. As stated earlier I found this album earlier due to Alice Smith and I found her cover to the best track. Alice Smith is a top tier vocalist and her performance on this track gives me goosebumps. This album also introduced me to a few new artists and the standouts for me are Grace and Andra Day. I spoke of Andra Day earlier so I won't go too much into her, but her performance on "Mississippi Goddamn" is great! Grace was a surprise to me when I found her. With her soulful I expected a black woman, but Grace is a white blond girl from Australia. I was disappointed to find some of her recent work to be more mainstream pop, when she does such an excellent job singing soul and R&B, but there is good work to be found from her.  As for the others I haven't listened to Gregory Porter or Lisa Simone yet, but I will definitely get around to it. This album is a more than acceptable tribute to the late artist and it's a high recommendation. Though these three albums are radically different they are all worthy of the second spot of best album of 2015.

Notable Tracks: Cold Winter (Cold Winter) , Fly feat. Ben L'Oncle Soul (The Miner's Canary), and I Put a Spell on You (Nina Revisited)


Close Calls: Stretch Music by Christian Scott, To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar, Czarface II: Every Hero Needs a Villain by Inspectah Deck, 7L & Esoteric, Mixed Jawns III by Small Professor, Phantom Limbs by Sadistik x Kno and Japanese Disco Edits by Yung Bae

1. Distant Worlds III

Artists:

Arnie Roth (Right) & Nobuo Uematsu (Left)

Release Date: February 5

Genre: Classical

Square Enix provides us with the third installment in the Distant Worlds series. For those unfamiliar, Square Enix is a Japanese video game company famous for the Final Fantasy series and the Distant Worlds projects are classical arrangements of songs from the titular series. This time we get treated to tracks from Final Fantasy games XIII and XIV. The tracks this time I feel are just all around better. The classical variations on some of the series most famous tracks sound superb and even a few tracks spark things up a bit and add some new compositions to the original songs like "Chocobo Medley". The quality of the music produced is excellent, I think better than usual, and it does a great job of instilling nostalgia. Uematsu and Roth are great at creating audio manifestations of peace, beauty, and tranquility within these compositions. "Battle & Victory Theme" and "Blinded By Light" pumps the blood and the rendition of "You're Not Alone" in "Not Alone" is riveting can be argued to be better than the original. This is perhaps the best of the three Distant Worlds albums. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy it is without a doubt that you will love this.

Notable Tracks: Battle & Victory Theme, Not Alone, and Blinded By Light

 That's it for my top ten of 2015. I'm looking forward to what 2016 has in store for me.