Thanksgiving 2015. It's going to be a little bit different this year, with a few new twists. One thing that will stay the same by all accounts is that this year I'm offering up the Gamer's Thanksgiving blog that I usually put up. There's quite a bit to be grateful for this year, so let's settle in and have a look.

First, Fallout 4. I can't start an article about things I'm thankful for in gaming without talking about the game that I spent about four months in nigh-breathless anticipation for. Lapping up the news, talking about it here, watching that "Atom Bomb Baby" video over and over again as the days slowly ticked by, drawing ever closer to that magical Monday night / Tuesday morning where Fallout 4 went from "thing on my Xbox One hard drive" to "thing I can actually play." It was a wonder, and every bit worth the wait--two weeks of fairly routine play have revealed a good chunk of the game but likely nowhere near all of it--so it tops the list of things I'm thankful for.

Second--and this actually relates to the first--I'm thankful for the still phenomenal growth of open world games. While waiting for Fallout 4 to arrive, I tried Mad Max, Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain, and several others, but I didn't even try them all yet. There are others I haven't even had a run at yet, and that amazes me. What's more, there's plenty to follow yet, as we still haven't seen much out of Tom Clancy's The Division. Throw in the still all-too-possible release of Dead Island 2--admittedly kind of on hold, but still slated for a 2016 release at last report--plus whatever follows up at the upcoming E3 2016 event, and we could be in for another great year of open world gaming thanks to the sheer success it's enjoyed.

Third, I'm thankful for a flood of gaming news. Sure, some days are richer than others in terms of things to talk about, but it seems like most every day there's some new development somewhere to talk about. Sometimes there's more than one, and so many good topics to talk about that I end up working ahead a little bit just to have the presence ready to go.

It's been another great year of talking about games with you guys, and I'm grateful for all the people who show up here and read this little blog, even after all this time. I'm grateful for a great place willing to put it up, and there should be plenty more End Game to follow. Thank you all for showing up, have a happy Thanksgiving and a Black Friday filled with deals. I'm looking forward to putting out plenty more content.