As we start heading towards 2016, it’s time to start looking back over the year and before the first strains of Auld Lang Syne start to rise Google is looking back over the last year at what the best sellers in each of their major categories of entertainment, as well as apps have been. These lists are usually their best selling – or the ones that were downloaded the most, so it’s a list of the most popular which is usually a good general indicator of how good it is – but it’s all relative.
Apps
Included in Google Play’s list of the Best Apps of 2015 are some expected ones (Telegram, Star Wars, SwiftKey), but there’s a few unexpected ones including Skype and Microsoft Word, which while good, and some could argue great apps you wouldn’t expect to see. There’s also a couple of Aussie entries into the best App category including Catch of the Day and ABC Kids iview.
A number of good apps from all over the place are included, so if you’re on the hunt for a new app to check out you might find one in there.
Games
Google’s list of the Best Games of 2015 actually has some decent games in there, though of course any ‘Best of’ games list has to include Candy Crush and Clash of Clans doesn’t it – and they’re in there – but don’t let that hold you back from checking out the rest of titles. Great games like Stick Cricket 2, Pac-Man 256 and The Walking Dead: Road to Survival are all included in there as well.
If you haven’t got a chance to check the list out now, keep it in mind for when Christmas rolls around and maybe you’ll have a new device to check these out on.
TV
It seems like only yesterday we were all excited about getting TV shows in Google Play. Now we get content from Australia and the rest of the world made available almost as soon as it’s aired – well, except Game of Thrones >grumble, grumble, Foxtel, grumble<
The Google Play 2015 Best of TV list contains the big ones: Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, as well as Netflix original series: Orange is the New Black. Also making the Best of 2015 TV list are Australian shows The Wiggles and Octonauts – trust me if you’re a parent you’ll know exactly what these are. There’s a bunch of great titles in there, but if you’re after my picks, grab Outlander, The Wire, Orphan Black and if you’re a Walking Dead fan, then definitely the 6-part first season of Fear The Walking Dead.
Movies
We had a pretty good year for Movies and it’s not over yet (who has tickets for Star Wars?!). The Google Play Best of Movies 2015 list is highly representative of the mainstream cinema this year. It was the year we saw Keanu kick some major blockbuster butt with John Wick, Colin Firth do the same but with an epic church bust up in Kingsman: The Secret Service, Anna Kendrick (perfection) sing up a storm in Pitch Perfect 2, Pixar deliver a pearler in Inside Out and George Miller return to form with the phenomenal Mad Max Fury Road.
There’s movies here for all the family, with some classic old titles showing they’re standing the test of time like Finding Nemo, and Jurassic Park – or perhaps it was just riding the coat-tails of the recent Jurassic World sequel which also makes the list.
Head over to Google Play to check the list, there’s some good prices there, or add them to your wish list and check in periodically to see if the price has dropped.
Music
I took a look at the Google Play Best of Music 2015 list and from my own admission, and judging by comments on my past posts about Google Play Music I have this to offer:
Head over to Google Play and check out the list of Best Albums and Music for 2015 in Google Play Music and let us know what you think.
Books
The Google Play Best of Books list for 2015 doesn’t include The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett and Google you should be ashamed…
So – we’re nearly done for another year. Google has shown you what’s been popular across the store for all users, but let us know in the comments – what did you think was the best of 2015
