2015 Pure Nintendo Award Nominees

PNM subscribers have already read this article in our latest magazine, issue #26.  We’re now opening up the voting to a wider audience …

This year’s PNM winners will not just be decided by the staff.  You, our awesome readers, get to weigh in on the best of 2015!  Please read through the nomination list, carefully narrowed down by the Pure Nintendo crew.

We have nominees for both the Wii U and 3DS GOTY, as well as their respective eShops.  We also have a couple of new categories, where you can weigh in on titles that made good use of each system’s key features – the GamePad for the Wii U, and stereoscopic 3D for the 3DS.

Once you’ve selected your winners, you can cast your votes here. Can’t decide on just a single game?  We empathize – it’s tough to choose just one.  Or do you feel we overlooked a title,or missed a game that was a late release?  You can also email Trevor@PureNintendo.com with your write-in votes.

Lastly, would you like an opportunity to appear in the pages of PNM? Send us a picture of yourself with your favorite game(s) of 2015. There’s a chance you could show up in the next issue, where we compare your votes with those of our staff.  Like write-in votes, you can send your pics to Trevor@PureNintendo.com

Wii U Game Of The Year

A list of real heavy hitters, reflecting some remarkable first party efforts by Nintendo in 2015.  You’ll have some tough choices to make.

Honorable mention goes to Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.  Although a late 2014 release in most regions (making our top 5 list last year), the game had an Australian launch in 2015.

– Kirby & the Rainbow Curse (Paintbrush)
– Splatoon
– Super Mario Maker
– Xenoblade Chronicles X
– Yoshi’s Woolly World

Wii U eShop Game Of The Year

An eclectic mix, showing the diversity and strength of the Wii U eShop this year.  A few of these nominee choices stopped to make us think. Is a VC release, even one available for the first time, a true contender?  Or does DLC, no matter how great, really deserve a separate nod?  We all voted separately though, and the results speak for themselves.  Cast your own votes, and let us know what you think.

Honorable mention for this category goes to Adventures of Pip.

– Affordable Space Adventures
– Earthbound Beginnings (Virtual Console)
– FAST Racing NEO
– Mario Kart 8 – Animal Crossing Pack DLC
– Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
– Xeodrifter

3DS Game Of The Year

Two Zelda games made our list, with classic Majora’s Mask battling it out with newcomer, Tri Force Heroes.  Four other games received multiple votes, so this category has plenty of nominees to pick from.

Honorable mention goes to Shovel Knight, which got a physical 3DS (and Wii U) release in 2015, along with some free DLC.  Our number one eShop game of last year just got better!

– Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash
– Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition
– The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D
– The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
– Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
– Yo-Kai Watch

3DS eShop Game Of The Year

This was definitely the hardest category for to us nail down, with a wide range of games considered but no runaway winners.  Still, even with a weaker year in 2015, the 3DS eShop produced a number of high quality game releases.  With an average review score of 8.7, these nominees are nothing to sneeze at.

Honorable mentions goes to both 3D Gunstar Heroes and 3D Outrun.  Great games for sure, but 3D Sonic 2 proved the winner of the SEGA 3D Classics, and just barely edged both out in the nominee voting.

– 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2
– Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure
– Gunman Clive 2
– Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
– Pokémon Shuffle

Best GamePad Use

While Off-TV play is great, there’s something to be said for games that make good use of the Wii U GamePad.  Nintendo’s big guns Mario Maker and Splatoon duke it out with their smaller offering Art Academy.  Indie hit Affordable Space Adventures, and popular third party game LEGO Jurassic World round out this high scoring nominee list.

– Affordable Space Adventures
– Art Academy: Home Studio
– LEGO Jurassic World
– Splatoon
– Super Mario Maker

Best Stereoscopic 3D

Which game looked the best with the 3D slider cranked to the max? Cast your vote and let us know.  Several of these are repeats from the 3DS GOTY category, while Animal Crossing and Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. make their lone entries.

– Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
– Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash
– Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
– Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition
– The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

So there you have it.  Cast your votes, and let your voice be heard. Thanks in advance for your participation.  We’re excited to see our reader picks, and look forward to sharing them.