Is it really a surprise to anyone that Splatoon made this list? Nintendo really knocked it out of the park with this one, and in a lot of different ways. Splatoon is a first of many in several different categories for the Big N. It was their first major IP since the early GameCube days that didn’t appeal mostly to the casual audience. It was their first attempt at a competitive online multiplayer shooter. If I’m not wrong, it was the first game Nintendo ever created an online Beta (er… I mean Global Testfire) for. And it marked their first go at testing the waters when it comes to gradually releasing free, but major, DLC. Splatoon nailed all of these attempts and became a massive success story for Nintendo in 2015, selling millions of copies and proving that the Kyoto can still do more than churn out Mario and Zelda games.

For gamers like myself, Splatoon was a pleasant surprise. While the initial product only included a couple of modes, five online maps, and a short (but very, very good) single player mode, Nintendo was quick to promise that more would be on the way. And, boy, did they deliver! Over the last several months we’ve been given hundreds of new clothing and weapon options, nearly a dozen new maps, and two new gameplay variants. Splatoon stayed relevant in gaming news all year long because new, great content was being put out almost weekly, and we’re still getting new maps and weapons heading into January 2016.

More than all of this, though, Splatoon is pure ecstasy in gameplay form. I’ve probably put more hours into Splatoon than all other games combined this year, and I see no end in sight. Mechanically, Splatoon is a joy to control and play. Hopping between kid and squid, swimming through the ink, and jumping out just at the right moment to splat a foe are all extremely satisfying. The bright color pallet is incredibly visually appealing, and while the game isn’t going to win any awards for its graphics, it absolutely oozes style and charm that other games this year didn’t come close to matching. The three minutes spent in a regular match of Splatoon provided me with the most fun, tense, and adrenaline-pumping 180 seconds of gaming this year.

Based on the fan reaction, sales, and promotion we’ve seen of this game so far, Splatoon has a bright future ahead of it. For me personally, it has joined the upper echelon of Nintendo IP. Splatoon was my absolute favorite game this year, and one that just keeps getting better with every update. Here’s to the hundreds of hours we’ll all spend playing this game well into 2016! Oh, and staaaaaay fresh!