The results have been scored and tallied and here we have the final list of each categories winners. I'll be revealing them in reverse order so scroll slowly for added drama and suspense!!
The Best Game Played That Wasn't Released in 2015 Award
03 - Titanfall
Despite a sharp decline in its community numbers the game has been kept going thanks to some cracking sale offers over the year and gameplay that remains fun.
02 - Bayonetta
The witch that's found a new home with Nintendo continues to prove popular with the original game still in regular play.
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The Winner - 01 - The Last of Us
Naughty Dogs last release continues to attract players across the two host platforms in the build up to their next game.
The Biggest Gaming Victory Moment of 2015
03 - Microsoft announces Xbox One Backwards Compatibility
Not only was it a free function but it managed to make it out in the time frame planned for, with gamers able to play their 360 games as the new year rang in.
02 - Shenmue III Announced
It may have taken a Kickstarter launch, albeit a hugely successful one, but a day came that many thought never would. Shenmue 3 is coming...
The Winner - 01 - Sony at E3
Whilst it wasn't perfect, Sony had a series of key major reveals that secured them a resolute and easy victory for this award.
The Biggest Gaming Failure Moment of 2015
03 - Playstation 4's Catalogue
Though it plays host to a wide array of third party releases, the scrutiny over the lack of key first party offerings on PS4 grew this year, a fact even Sony was aware of.
02 - Nintendo Being Nintendo
Despite one or two well regarded releases, Nintendo was a year which saw Nintendo take a rough ride as their weakening support for WiiU and 3DS began to strain gamers patience.
The Winner - 01 - Konami Being Konami
By the biggest voting margin by far Konami won this award as they spent the year seemingly trying to promote themselves in the worst way thanks to post release support handling, franchise burying, studio closures and their extended treatment of Kojima.
The Most Anticipated Game of 2016
05 - Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
It's been a while since the last entry but its high regard still lasts and has ensured the new game secured itself a slot on the most wanted list.
04 - Dark Souls III
From Software continues to release Soulsesque entries at a steady pace but the fan love still burns strong as the series properly crosses over to current gen with this new installment.
03 - No Man's Sky
It's the little game that could and despite PC space sims starting to explore similar planet hopping antics, the hype remains for this upcoming release.
02 - The Legend of Zelda XVI: WiiU
Despite seeing very little of Nintendo's latest Zelda adventure, the hype remains very strong for the new entry even if many questions still surround its release.
The Winner - 01 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Potentially the final entry in the franchise, Naughty Dog's returning lead Nathan Drake heads this PS4 exclusive that hopes to lead a 2016 that finally delivers those Sony exclusives gamers have been waiting for.
The Best Gaming Platform of 2015
03 - Nintendo WiiU
Some strong love still remains for many when it comes to Nintendo's main current console but a rough year kept it from the higher spots.
02 - Xbox One
For many 2015 saw a strong effort laid out by Microsoft with only a few missteps along the way. Whilst they weren't able to dent the success of their main rival, they scored a lot of points with many gamers thanks to their announcements and line up for the year.
The Winner - 01 - Playstation 4
Despite some of the concerns that remain with the first party line up, the PS4 has now become the default lead choice for many gamers so it proved easy for the PS4 to win the top place as players experience most new releases on the platform and Sony shored up support with their major announcements of upcoming titles.
Online Multiplayer Game of the Year
03 - Super Mario Maker
Nintendo finally got around to officially letting players make their own Mario levels and it proved a success with players tallying up enough points to secure the game third place.
02 - Rainbow Six: Siege
Not many expected this to fare well as its release crawled closer but the final result has earnt itself a nice line of support and enough to push it into second place against some big name rivals.
The Winner - 01 - Splatoon
Arguably the game that carried the WiiU the most this year was Nintendo's successful new franchise launcher, Splatoon. Despite a rolled out and controlled approach to its online aspects the game has proven popular and earnt itself the online top spot.
The Worst/Most Disappointing Game of 2015
05 - Motorcycle Club
Possibly the only game on the list to score genuinely poor review scores, this low budget racer hit all the wrong notes.
04 - Batman: Arkham Knight
Whilst not badly received, the anticipated title did garner some criticism for its reliance on the Batmobile segments. However, it's likely the long running poor handling of the PC edition which helped it most in securing this spot.
03 - FIFA 16
This years entry into the long running football series tripped on the microtransaction ball amongst one or two other complaints which saw it relegated to the third place spot.
02 - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
MGS5 is a game which has had a very long and very clearly troubled development. The end result being a title that pleased and annoyed gamers in equal measure. For every player who holds it as their GOTY there is another hating its unfinished state, lack of franchise traditional plotting and micromanagement/barren open space design. Likely the game fits the disappointing definition much closer than worst but the damage for many was done and made a sombre curtain call for Kojima and the franchise.
The Winner - 01 - Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Once again we're faced with an awkward entry, though this time the winner of the award. Any latest CoD release immediately attracts detraction due a stock list that doesn't always hold true. However Black Ops 3 also maintains some aspects of the franchise that have been developing for a while now and for many it fails to deliver the experience they either hoped for or simply wanted. Like MGS5 though the game also has supporters who hold it as one of the strongest entries in a long while. None the less, it rounds off our category with the title.
The Bordersdown Game of the Year 2015
05 - Forza Motorsport 6
Whilst the latest Forza release didn't receive the hype its predecessors did, the latest entry did attract positive responses due to the way it addressed complaints about the previous entry and set the series back on track.
04 - Rise of the Tomb Raider
Whilst being exclusive to XBO for the moment certainly limited the games success, it has proven a hit with many who came back to see where Lara would go next. This TR sequel could still prove one to watch in the 2016 voting as it reaches other platforms.
03 - The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
Whilst a bit like MGS5 in that it has complaints about its design circling gamer discussions, it seems like the game proved more successful in marrying the franchises expansion in design with the hopes of gamers. With that success comes the third place spot in this years voting.
02 - Splatoon
The only game to appear twice this year as Nintendo's true shining light of 2015 pushes and splatters its way through the competition. The third person inkfest has been a big hit with those still playing WiiU and it lies here as our second place choice for the year.
And now, the final result from the 2015 voting:
Bordersdown 2015 - Game of the Year
Bloodborne
Sony and From brought to the Playstation 4 a platform exclusive off shoot from the Souls series aimed to ride the success of that series and to show the more core gamer market that the Sony platform was a key one to buy. It was a partnership that paid off as the title arrived to high reviews, critical praise and strong sales. Now with the year ending the game is garnering game of the year awards and Bordersdown is no exception. It's unforgiving, it's dark and it's your Game of the Year 2015.
The Best Game Played That Wasn't Released in 2015 Award
03 - Titanfall
Despite a sharp decline in its community numbers the game has been kept going thanks to some cracking sale offers over the year and gameplay that remains fun.
02 - Bayonetta
The witch that's found a new home with Nintendo continues to prove popular with the original game still in regular play.
The Winner - 01 - The Last of Us
Naughty Dogs last release continues to attract players across the two host platforms in the build up to their next game.
The Biggest Gaming Victory Moment of 2015
03 - Microsoft announces Xbox One Backwards Compatibility
Not only was it a free function but it managed to make it out in the time frame planned for, with gamers able to play their 360 games as the new year rang in.
02 - Shenmue III Announced
It may have taken a Kickstarter launch, albeit a hugely successful one, but a day came that many thought never would. Shenmue 3 is coming...
The Winner - 01 - Sony at E3
Whilst it wasn't perfect, Sony had a series of key major reveals that secured them a resolute and easy victory for this award.
The Biggest Gaming Failure Moment of 2015
03 - Playstation 4's Catalogue
Though it plays host to a wide array of third party releases, the scrutiny over the lack of key first party offerings on PS4 grew this year, a fact even Sony was aware of.
02 - Nintendo Being Nintendo
Despite one or two well regarded releases, Nintendo was a year which saw Nintendo take a rough ride as their weakening support for WiiU and 3DS began to strain gamers patience.
The Winner - 01 - Konami Being Konami
By the biggest voting margin by far Konami won this award as they spent the year seemingly trying to promote themselves in the worst way thanks to post release support handling, franchise burying, studio closures and their extended treatment of Kojima.
The Most Anticipated Game of 2016
05 - Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
It's been a while since the last entry but its high regard still lasts and has ensured the new game secured itself a slot on the most wanted list.
04 - Dark Souls III
From Software continues to release Soulsesque entries at a steady pace but the fan love still burns strong as the series properly crosses over to current gen with this new installment.
03 - No Man's Sky
It's the little game that could and despite PC space sims starting to explore similar planet hopping antics, the hype remains for this upcoming release.
02 - The Legend of Zelda XVI: WiiU
Despite seeing very little of Nintendo's latest Zelda adventure, the hype remains very strong for the new entry even if many questions still surround its release.
The Winner - 01 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Potentially the final entry in the franchise, Naughty Dog's returning lead Nathan Drake heads this PS4 exclusive that hopes to lead a 2016 that finally delivers those Sony exclusives gamers have been waiting for.
The Best Gaming Platform of 2015
03 - Nintendo WiiU
Some strong love still remains for many when it comes to Nintendo's main current console but a rough year kept it from the higher spots.
02 - Xbox One
For many 2015 saw a strong effort laid out by Microsoft with only a few missteps along the way. Whilst they weren't able to dent the success of their main rival, they scored a lot of points with many gamers thanks to their announcements and line up for the year.
The Winner - 01 - Playstation 4
Despite some of the concerns that remain with the first party line up, the PS4 has now become the default lead choice for many gamers so it proved easy for the PS4 to win the top place as players experience most new releases on the platform and Sony shored up support with their major announcements of upcoming titles.
Online Multiplayer Game of the Year
03 - Super Mario Maker
Nintendo finally got around to officially letting players make their own Mario levels and it proved a success with players tallying up enough points to secure the game third place.
02 - Rainbow Six: Siege
Not many expected this to fare well as its release crawled closer but the final result has earnt itself a nice line of support and enough to push it into second place against some big name rivals.
The Winner - 01 - Splatoon
Arguably the game that carried the WiiU the most this year was Nintendo's successful new franchise launcher, Splatoon. Despite a rolled out and controlled approach to its online aspects the game has proven popular and earnt itself the online top spot.
The Worst/Most Disappointing Game of 2015
05 - Motorcycle Club
Possibly the only game on the list to score genuinely poor review scores, this low budget racer hit all the wrong notes.
04 - Batman: Arkham Knight
Whilst not badly received, the anticipated title did garner some criticism for its reliance on the Batmobile segments. However, it's likely the long running poor handling of the PC edition which helped it most in securing this spot.
03 - FIFA 16
This years entry into the long running football series tripped on the microtransaction ball amongst one or two other complaints which saw it relegated to the third place spot.
02 - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
MGS5 is a game which has had a very long and very clearly troubled development. The end result being a title that pleased and annoyed gamers in equal measure. For every player who holds it as their GOTY there is another hating its unfinished state, lack of franchise traditional plotting and micromanagement/barren open space design. Likely the game fits the disappointing definition much closer than worst but the damage for many was done and made a sombre curtain call for Kojima and the franchise.
The Winner - 01 - Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Once again we're faced with an awkward entry, though this time the winner of the award. Any latest CoD release immediately attracts detraction due a stock list that doesn't always hold true. However Black Ops 3 also maintains some aspects of the franchise that have been developing for a while now and for many it fails to deliver the experience they either hoped for or simply wanted. Like MGS5 though the game also has supporters who hold it as one of the strongest entries in a long while. None the less, it rounds off our category with the title.
The Bordersdown Game of the Year 2015
05 - Forza Motorsport 6
Whilst the latest Forza release didn't receive the hype its predecessors did, the latest entry did attract positive responses due to the way it addressed complaints about the previous entry and set the series back on track.
04 - Rise of the Tomb Raider
Whilst being exclusive to XBO for the moment certainly limited the games success, it has proven a hit with many who came back to see where Lara would go next. This TR sequel could still prove one to watch in the 2016 voting as it reaches other platforms.
03 - The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
Whilst a bit like MGS5 in that it has complaints about its design circling gamer discussions, it seems like the game proved more successful in marrying the franchises expansion in design with the hopes of gamers. With that success comes the third place spot in this years voting.
02 - Splatoon
The only game to appear twice this year as Nintendo's true shining light of 2015 pushes and splatters its way through the competition. The third person inkfest has been a big hit with those still playing WiiU and it lies here as our second place choice for the year.
And now, the final result from the 2015 voting:
Bordersdown 2015 - Game of the Year
Bloodborne
Sony and From brought to the Playstation 4 a platform exclusive off shoot from the Souls series aimed to ride the success of that series and to show the more core gamer market that the Sony platform was a key one to buy. It was a partnership that paid off as the title arrived to high reviews, critical praise and strong sales. Now with the year ending the game is garnering game of the year awards and Bordersdown is no exception. It's unforgiving, it's dark and it's your Game of the Year 2015.
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