2015’s almost done.  It’s been a whirlwind year.  There have been some awesome highs, and some indescribable lows.  Time to put it all out there, so to speak.

Let’s start with the lows.

1. Konami

Wow.  Where do I even begin?  From the rumors of Hideo Kojima’s employment status, to the reports of their management skills and treatment of Kojima-sensei’s employees prior to the release of Metal Gear Solid V (being demoted to janitorial work, limited access to the company intranet, and even the removing of Kojima’s name from his magnum opus, Konami tops SSB’s list of 2015’s lows.  You can’t get much lower than they did.  They tried pretty fuckin’ hard.

2. Valentine’s Day

Going on a Valentine’s date with your arm in a sling due to an accident during MMA training sucks hard. And it’s pretty embarrassing. (Sorry E!)

3. Ronda Rousey

Ronda’s place in the UFC hall of fame is pretty much guaranteed.  She’s blazed the way for all female MMA fighters in the public eye and there isn’t a damn thing anyone can do to take away her legacy.  The legacy however, can be tarnished a bit.  And that’s exactly what happened to her.  It took 2 rounds for Holly Holm to systematically dismantle the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion.  2 rounds and a head kick.  She probably wouldn’t even be on the list, but since the fight was anything but close, here she is.

4. The San Diego Chargers

Come on Chargers, you can’t be doing SD dirty like you are right now.  Then again, it’s kinda hard to argue throwin’ more money for a new stadium when y’all haven’t won a super bowl like ever.  I did learn that there are a bunch of loyal fans that are gonna be mighty sore if/when you do leave.  Fans including my legs.  My Muay Thai coach threatened leg conditioning days if they leave.

5. The UFC apparel deal with Reebok.

From shitty designs to an apparent apathy for all things MMA-related, it’s hard to suck harder than Reebok these days.  How can they release a shirt for a fighter named “Anderson Aldo”?  Or a fight kit for a fighter named Giblert Melendez?

And onto the highs!

1. Conor McGregor

He was riding on an 10 or 11 fight winning streak when he stepped into the octagon against Jose Aldo a couple weeks ago.  He’s proven every single naysayer wrong (hell, even me).  Now, after his 13-second dispatching of Jose Aldo Jr., nothing seems impossible for Conor McGregor.

2. ONE PUNCH MAN

Saitama is a superhero for fun, and he’s capable of stopping most monsters-of-the-week in one punch.  Fucker’s gotten so strong that he’s bored.  ONE’s webmanga about a bored superhero spawned one of the most visually satisfying anime series ever seen in a good long while.  Props to MADHOUSE for animating this series, and you bet there’s gonna be a second season.

3. Metal Gear Solid V

Sure the ending may have been rushed (thanks KONAMI), but this game really was Kojima-sensei’s magnum opus.  I loved every minute of this game, and I haven’t even started playing Metal Gear Online yet.  The way that the game ended was mind-blowing at best (especially for veterans of the series), but mind-scratching at worst (if this was your entry game in the series, you’ve got some lore to catch up on).  The FOX Engine really brought Afghanistan and Africa to life, and didn’t drop in framerate or lag during any portion of the game.  Yeah.  That’s how you do open world and not fuck up.  I’M LOOKING AT YOU BETHESDA.

4. Sony Computer Entertainment

The PS4’s been kicking ass in the market, and they’ve left the Microsoft PR guy saying the classic “Hey we’re in it for the gamers” line.  Meanwhile, Sony’s helped SEGA bring the rest of the Yakuza game franchise to the rest of the world, helped Hideo Kojima relaunch Kojima Productions as an independent creative studio, and just been awesome all around.  Oh, and there’s that Final Fantasy VII remake too.

5.  Rooster Teeth/RWBY

Monty Oum’s untimely passing earlier this year was a tragedy nobody could’ve foreseen.  The future of his brainchild was in question, but Rooster Teeth, the production company responsible for RWBY, Red Vs. Blue, X-ray and Vav, and a few other shows stepped to the plate and continued production of the series.  Worries of whether or not the series would live up to the standards that Monty put on the series were laid to rest when Volume 3 started earlier this year.  Not only has the animation quality vastly improved, the rest of the production also improved as well.  They scored some high quality voice actor talent and it shows.

I had a chance to go to the Rooster Teeth panel during comic con 2015 and my Lie Ren cosplay went over really well.  I hope to do it again next year.

And that’s my 2015 in a nutshell.  Bring on 2016!