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[jshackles]

Welcome to the fourth annual NeoGaf Steam GOTY Award. This award is given to the game that SteamGAF has considered to be the best title of 2016.

Before I go into the numbers here is a reminder of how the results were determined and some statistical data.

• Voting took place in the monthly Steam community thread.
• Up to 5 games were allowed for each person to pick.
• Each game was either awarded between 1 and 5 points in descending order.
• Games had to be released on Steam in 2016. Games re-released during the year were not allowed.
• Episodic games were only eligible if the last episode was released in 2016.
• Early Access and DLC were given separate, optional ballots.
• Overall the poll turnout was: 161
• Total points tallied: 2352
• Points awarded to ineligible games: 28
• 151 games were represented
• Voting was open from January 2nd - January 16th.
• If a user submitted more than one vote, their newest vote was used and all previous votes were invalidated.
• If a user voted for the same game multiple times in a single vote, the highest point value was used and all other points were invalidated.
• If a game was tied in points the 'average point score' (APS) determined who the winner was.
• The official rules and eligibility requirements were listed here.
• Modbot was banned from voting, due to the fact that he is a bot.

So without further delay, here are the results of SteamGAF's 2016 game of the year awards:

Full results here

Full results here

1 | Doom (230 Points / 3.38 APS)
2 | Dark Souls III (138 Points / 3.63 APS)
3 | Stardew Valley (134 Points / 3.44 APS)
4 | XCom 2 (132 Points / 3.47 APS)
5 | Hitman (125 Points / 3.91 APS)
6 | Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (114 Points / 3.56 APS)
7 | The Witness (98 Points / 3.63 APS)
8 | Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (89 Points / 3.42 APS)
9 | Inside (60 Points / 2.5 APS)
10 | Dishonored 2 (59 Points / 3.11 APS)
11 | Xanadu Next (53 Points / 3.53 APS)
12 | Pony Island (46 Points / 3.07 APS)
13 | Oxenfree (44 Points / 2.93 APS)
14 | Firewatch (44 Points / 2.59 APS)
15 | Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight (36 Points / 3.6 APS)
16 | Stellaris (36 Points / 3.27 APS)
17 | Hyper Light Drifter (35 Points / 2.69 APS)
18 | The House in Fata Morgana (33 Points / 4.71 APS)
19 | VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action (32 Points / 3.56 APS)
20 | Darkest Dungeon (32 Points / 2.91 APS)
20 | Enter the Gungeon (32 Points / 2.91 APS)
20 | Tyranny (32 Points / 2.91 APS)
21 | Civilization VI (28 Points / 3.11 APS)
22 | Abzu (27 Points / 2.25 APS)
22 | Superhot (27 Points / 2.25 APS)
23 | Rise of the Tomb Raider (24 Points / 2.18 APS)
24 | Grim Dawn (22 Points / 2.75 APS)
25 | Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (20 Points / 2.86 APS)
26 | Obduction (16 Points / 3.2 APS)
27 | Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (16 Points / 2 APS)
28 | Tom Clancy's The Division (15 Points / 2.14 APS)
29 | SpeedRunners (14 Points / 4.67 APS)
30 | Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator (14 Points / 2.8 APS)
31 | Dead Rising (14 Points / 2.33 APS)
32 | Steamworld Heist (13 Points / 4.33 APS)
33 | Hearts of Iron IV (13 Points / 3.25 APS)
34 | Total War: Warhammer (12 Points / 2.4 APS)
35 | Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (11 Points / 3.67 APS)
35 | Umineko: When They Cry (11 Points / 3.67 APS)
36 | Street Fighter V (11 Points / 2.75 APS)
37 | Furi (11 Points / 2.2 APS)
38 | Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code (10 Points / 2.5 APS)
39 | Owlboy (9 Points / 3 APS)
39 | Planet Coaster (9 Points / 3 APS)
40 | Quantum Break (9 Points / 2.25 APS)
40 | Thumper (9 Points / 2.25 APS)
40 | Watch_Dogs2 (9 Points / 2.25 APS)
41 | Far Cry Primal (8 Points / 4 APS)
42 | House of the Dying Sun (8 Points / 2.67 APS)
43 | I am Setsuna (7 Points / 3.5 APS)
43 | Quadrilateral Cowboy (7 Points / 3.5 APS)
44 | Devil Daggers (7 Points / 2.33 APS)
44 | No Man's Sky (7 Points / 2.33 APS)
44 | Shadow Warrior 2 (7 Points / 2.33 APS)
45 | Duelyst (6 Points / 3 APS)
45 | Killing Floor 2 (6 Points / 3 APS)
45 | Shenzen I/O (6 Points / 3 APS)
45 | Stephen's Sausage Roll (6 Points / 3 APS)
45 | The Banner Saga 2 (6 Points / 3 APS)
45 | The Deadly Tower of Monsters (6 Points / 3 APS)
46 | Final Fantasy IX (6 Points / 2 APS)
46 | Megadimension Neptunia VII (6 Points / 2 APS)
47 | Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (5 Points / 5 APS)
47 | Deponia Doomsday (5 Points / 5 APS)
47 | IMSCARED (5 Points / 5 APS)
47 | Inferno Climber (5 Points / 5 APS)
47 | OPUS: The Day We Found Earth (5 Points / 5 APS)
47 | The Silver Case (5 Points / 5 APS)
47 | The Way (5 Points / 5 APS)
47 | Viking Squad (5 Points / 5 APS)
48 | Day of the Tentacle Remastered (5 Points / 2.5 APS)
48 | Mafia III (5 Points / 2.5 APS)
48 | Virginia (5 Points / 2.5 APS)
49 | God Eater 2: Rage Burst (5 Points / 1.67 APS)
50 | Brigador (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | Earth Defense Force 4.1 (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | Farming Simulator 17 (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | Kingdom: New Lands (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | Masquerada: Songs and Shadows (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | Near Death (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | Onechanbara Z2: Chaos (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | OneShot (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | Orwell (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | Overcooked (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | Salt and Sanctuary (4 Points / 4 APS)
50 | Zenge (4 Points / 4 APS)
51 | Sorcery! (4 Points / 2 APS)
51 | Steins;Gate (4 Points / 2 APS)
51 | Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma (4 Points / 2 APS)
52 | 8-Bit Armies (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | American Truck Simulator (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | Beyond Reality (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | DoDonPachi Resurrection (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | Downfall (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | DreadOut: Keepers of the Dark (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | Grow Up (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | Headlander (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | Higurashi When They Cry Hou (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | Plantera (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | Shadow Complex Remastered (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | Stories: The Path of Destinies (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | Stranger of Sword City (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | That Dragon, Cancer (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | The Room Two (3 Points / 3 APS)
52 | The Sea Will Claim Everything (3 Points / 3 APS)
53 | Dead By Daylight (3 Points / 1.5 APS)
53 | Redout (3 Points / 1.5 APS)
53 | Resident Evil 0 (3 Points / 1.5 APS)
53 | Seasons After Fall (3 Points / 1.5 APS)
53 | Starbound (3 Points / 1.5 APS)
53 | The Turing Test (3 Points / 1.5 APS)
53 | Way of the Samurai 3 (3 Points / 1.5 APS)
54 | Aragami (2 Points / 2 APS)
54 | Crush Your Enemies (2 Points / 2 APS)
54 | Drawful 2 (2 Points / 2 APS)
54 | Final Fantasy X HD (2 Points / 2 APS)
54 | Ghost 1.0 (2 Points / 2 APS)
54 | Icey (2 Points / 2 APS)
54 | Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- (2 Points / 2 APS)
54 | Solitairica (2 Points / 2 APS)
54 | There's Poop In My Soup (2 Points / 2 APS)
54 | Toonstruck (2 Points / 2 APS)
54 | Wasted (2 Points / 2 APS)
55 | Football Manager 2017 (2 Points / 1 APS)
55 | Reigns (2 Points / 1 APS)
55 | Sethian (2 Points / 1 APS)
55 | Shantae Half Genie Hero (2 Points / 1 APS)
56 | 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Alicemare (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Blue Revolver (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Clustertruck (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Cursed Castilia (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | DROD: Gunthro and the Epic Blunder (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Dungeon Rats (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Duskers (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Ember (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Forge of Gods (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Haven Moon (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Kathy Rain (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Neon Chrome (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Phantom Brave PC (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Potato Thriller (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Shadowverse CCG (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Tharsis (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | The Technomancer (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Tricky Towers (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | WWE 2K16 (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Xenus 2 White Gold (1 Points / 1 APS)
56 | Yomawari: Night Alone (1 Points / 1 APS)

I would like to say a big thanks for everyone who voted in this year's event:

A Fish Aficionado, Aaron D., AbundantChoice, Admodieus, Adnor, AHA-Lambda, Alex_CWB, Amzin, Anno, Anteater, ArjanN, Arthea, Arulan, Ascheroth, Atraveller, Axass, Backlogger, barber, Baron von Loathsome, Baron_Calamity, bbd23, BernardoOne, BinaryPork2737, bjaelke, Blizniak, bobnowhere, Bonfires Down, Buraindo, CecilRousso, Cosmic Schwung, Costa1774, Crimsonclaw111, ctw0e, cyba89, d00d3n, darkwing-buck, def ault, Dessart, dex3108, diabolusinmusica, DillonMabry, dirtywhirlwind, DodgeDusk, Dongs Macabre, dot, Dr Dogg, Dragon1893, Durante, Dusk Golem, Echoplx, electroflame, Endruen, fantomena, fenners, FiveElementNinja, FLD, Flips360, Funyarinpa, Garmonbozia, gngf123, Grief.exe, hannes, hardcastlemccormick, Hektor, His Majesty, illusionary, InquisitorAles, iosefe, Iron Badger, J Jizzle, JarrodL, Jawmuncher, jshackles, Kagemusha, KainXVIII, KenOD, Khronico, KingKong, Knurek, Kudo, Kurt Russell, Lain, Large Professor, laserlaser, Last Baron, Leafhopper, Locust, LurkerPrime, Mackenzie 92, madjoki, Miletius, Mivey, Monooboe, More_Badass, Naarmight, Nabs, NeoRaider, Nete, Nillansan, Nzyme32, oipic, Oreoleo, Orgen, Ozium, PandaPedinte, pantsattack, Parsnip, PaulSane, Phinor, QFNS, r3n4ud, Rayge, Regginator, Rhaknar, rickyson1, Rilasciare, Roboleon, Rockin' Ranger, Sarcasm, SatelliteOfLove, ScreamingTrees, septicore, Servizio, Shantom, SilentMatthew, Sinatar, someguyinahat, spinalscratch, spindoctor, Spirited, sprinkles, Stallion Free, Stumpokapow, T-Rex., Teggy, Tektonic, texhnolyze, The Dear Leader, the_firewithin, The_Super_Inframan, TheLetdown, thesaucetastic, ThirtyFour, Tizoc, tuxfool, Ucchedavāda, Uraizen, Uzzy, Vazra, vermadas, Volimar, William Bonney, WinterDemons, Wo33er, Wok, xezuru, Yakkue, yuraya, Zeknurn, Zero-Crescent, zkylon

See you next year!

 

[Oreoleo]

That's a list of games alright!

Spoiler

Superhot was robbed

Thanks for the hard work you put into this jshackles.

 

[Sarcasm]

Pretty happy, especially with that Top 20 GOTY section.

 

[KenOD]

Lot of great games, and WWE 2K17, on that top 50. I highly recommend people clicking on those links to find out what those past the top 10 on.

Just about every genre is there, gems for each of them.

 

[Dusk Golem]

It was a really good year for Steam Games, and I do honestly think the Top 20 is more interesting than the Top 10. So many votes were spread across with only being given 5 games to vote for, and with how much released this year on Steam (as been famously reported, 40% of Steam's whole library released in 2016... and the more surprising part is how much of it is actually good.).

I will also post what I posted in the other thread about OneShot...

---

On one hand, three of the five games I voted for this year are towards the very top of the list, one of them even in the top 10, and all three are in the top 20, so that's good for my usually obscure choices & tastes I'd say.

On the other hand, I was literally the only person who voted for OneShot. I can understand being the only person who voted for IMSCARED, but for OneShot?

Hello Darkness, my old friend...


More of you guys need to check out OneShot though, seriously.



OneShot

Some reviews:

Hardcore Gamer - 4.5/5

OneShot makes players question the reality that surrounds them. Is it just a game or is there more to it? The commentary on player/game relationship is enough for a standalone piece, which we may very well write. OneShot pulls players in with poise and wit in a way most games can only dream of, offering up the best an adventure game can offer. With a character that can easily be understood and cared for, OneShot creates an unforgettable adventure while hiding secrets that could very well be missed. What awaits in OneShot is well worth anyone's time.

Entertainment Buddha - 85/10

Beautiful Puzzle/Adventure with Unique Mechanics
OneShot gripped my feelings almost right away with its lead character Niko. Following this lost child through this dark, beautiful world led to some amazing fourth wall breaking puzzles. During the beginning, without direction, it is difficult to discern what you need to do, but hey it wouldn't be a puzzle game without making you think right?

Cubed3 - 8/10

There's very little that can actually be said about how brilliant OneShot is. Be sure to stay well away from streams or a YouTube playthrough before getting the opportunity to experience it. Just expect to be treated to a thoroughly wonderful tale. Definitely consider checking it out.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Recommended

This is an incredible game. I started it with no expectations at all (as I mentioned before, I can't even remember why I'd flagged the game to look at), and have come away from it as one of my favourite games of 2016. It rather nicely book-ends the year for me with Pony Island, two utterly different games that both explore similar themes from extremely different angles. Completely charming, delightfully written, and extremely clever – stick this on your Christmas playlist.

NitroRad (Video Review)

I easily recommend the game to anyone who's been itching for more of that meta narrative after playing the likes of Pony Island or Undertale... Especially Undertale. I still consider OneShot to be one of the most powerful, original RPG Maker games I've ever played. And the remake only strengthens that bond between Niko and the player, making your decisions and uncertainties towards those decisions all the more taxing. (...) I'm only going to pray for the success of OneShot (to become the next Undertale).

This game did release before Undertale, but this remake is coming after. I also will throw out there the original has stuck with me even these years later, so has my personal recommendation as well. It never got the traction it should of gotten back when it released the freeware version originally, hoping with the game now being over twice as long with a lot of new stuff it might finally get the attention it deserves.

 

[texhnolyze]

Dragon's Dogma 2 when?

 

[orthodoxy1095]

That's a good Top 10.

 

[The Flash]

DOOM, Dark Souls III, HITMAN, and Dishonored 2. Not bad. Not bad at all.

 

[Arulan]

Congratulations to the winners. There are a lot of great games outside of the top 10 too!

45 | Shenzen I/O (6 Points / 3 APS)

Injustice! 6 points is pretty low considering 3 of those are mine.

 

[McDougles]

Clearly, Uncharted 4 was robbed once again.

Spoiler

safety /s

 

[kagamin]

Injustice!

I don't understand how to play it though, I watched my friend and I was exceedingly confused to say the least.

 

[Alex_CWB]

Amazing Top 20. 2016 was a good year.

 

[Ibuki]

Too bad Randy didn't release the Battleborn porn sooner, it could have claimed it's rightful place as #1.

 

[tuxfool]

Dragon's Dogma 2 when?

Nevar.

Capcom sucks.

 

[Vazra]

The House in Fata Morgana and Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight were robbed!

 

[Anno]

Thanks for all your hard work, jshackles!

I feel like we came away with a pretty amazing top 20. And actual GOTY RimWorld taking top spot in EA.

 

[uncredited male]

A SteamGAF mashup game would either be amazing or scary as fuck.

 

[pantsattack]

The sheer amount of diversity available this year is why the spread isn't very great points wise. Every genre has its gems.

Thank you for organizing jshackles!

 

[LurkerPrime]

Yeah, thanks jshackles. These top tens are always interesting, particularly with the experimental DLC/EA categories.

I'm really floored by all of the Doom love. Never would've expected so much over it, although I admit I haven't played it myself.

The sheer amount of diversity available this year is why the spread isn't very great points wise. Every genre has its gems.

Thank you for organizing jshackles!

This year was... too good?!

 

[Arulan]

For comparison:

2015

2014

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

Bloodborne was robbed.

 

[jshackles]

Also, 2013

 

[Jimrpg]

Can i just say The House in Fata Morgana beat out Civilization VI.

WOW!

 

[Stumpokapow]

I think the cool thing about this is not the top 10 (mostly bland AAA stuff), but rather the mess of stuff tied with one or two votes each--all of which are very cool in their own way. The platform's strength to me is that stuff. None of the five games I voted for made the top 10, LOL.

 

[Oreoleo]

Also, 2013

This is a hilarious list in retrospect. Rogue Legacy GOTY? Sad!

 

[Grief.exe]

Rimworld number 1 Early Access game.

 

[jshackles]

I think the cool thing about this is not the top 10 (mostly bland AAA stuff), but rather the mess of stuff tied with one or two votes each--all of which are very cool in their own way. The platform's strength to me is that stuff. None of the five games I voted for made the top 10, LOL.

I definitely agree. Even by virtue of being one of the 151 represented games means that at least one person thought it was one of the five best games they played on Steam last year.

I particularly liked our 11-20th place entries as they are a very good mix of interesting games and genres.

 

[BinaryPork2737]

The House in Fata Morgana has the highest average point score of any game with more than one vote, which makes me extremely happy.

 

[bbd23]

Can i just say The House in Fata Morgana beat out Civilization VI.

WOW!

im on chapter 3 right now...its pretty damn good

 

[Momentary]

It's good to See Momodora and Xanadu Next up there.

OneShot should have been way higher. But I think that's one of those games that will slowly start picking up speed as word of mouth spreads.

 

[Vazra]

im on chapter 3 right now...its pretty damn good

There is love for it tbh

 

[Amzin]

Thanks for wrangling this batch of crazypeople votes, jshackles. I'm curious how different the list would be if people voted on 2016 GOTY at the end of 2017 when more people have played them

Also, someone besides me put Sethian on their list!

I'm kind of shocked Oxenfree didn't make it higher. Maybe not enough players? I don't normally like "horror" games or point-and-clicks but Oxenfree skyrocketed onto my list after like 10 minutes with it and stayed there after beating it. I keep comparing it to Stranger Things... there's just something about it that holds together so well.

Dissappointed Hyper Light Drifter didn't make it to top 10, but would agree with the comments that the top 20 is way more interesting and it's on there, so yay.

Here's my updated vote I sent, if I could change anything I might drop DOOM completely for Stellaris or even something else. DOOM was good, but I think about my previous GOTY, Wolfenstein:TNO, and it is just worse, as well as (IMO) being worse than another 2016 FPS, Titanfall 2. If DOOM's first ~3 levels didn't exist or were better, I probably would keep it there.

GOTY:
(5 Points) - Hyper Light Drifter
(4 Points) - Oxenfree
(3 Points) - Stardew Valley
(2 Points) - DOOM
(1 Point) - Sethian

Hyper Light Drifter appeals to me on a ton of levels. From it's post-apocalyptic aesthetic, the graphics pixel-y enough to pull off the almost-neon-80s-retro look yet detailed enough to appreciate the view and the life/death of the areas, very tight combat and controls, and the ability almost from the start to go the direction you want and fight how you choose.

It can be very difficult at times but you can see immediately where you need to improve, and if you do, you pass that challenge, and onto the next. A lot of games lately confuse tedium for difficulty, and while there is one or two occasions of that in HLD, they are quickly moved past and the smooth flow of the game continues.

There's clearly a lot of love and small touches put into the game, from the protagonists' flourishes after stomping a difficult fight to the little effects and even the hidden areas scattered throughout. The world and story are explored in a very minimalist way, which leaves me wanting more. Even the soundtrack is well honed. It's Shadow of the Colossus mixed with a Link to the Past and Daft Punk, it's a game that has stuck in my head since I started it months ago and like so many other GOTYs of the past, will stick with me for many to come.

EA:
(3 Points) - Empyrion
(2 Points) - Everspace

I picked up Empyrion before I'd heard of NMS, and have played it from two fresh starts, first in January, and then in October. There are patches every month at least, with new content and tweaks, and the potential of the game continues to grow constantly. It's closer to Minecraft than Eve or Colony Wars, or any of the hordes of survival games choking up Steam the lately, but it has more of an adventure element to it than that and promises to expand upon it. While the content for player creativity continues to make it in at a great pace, I do feel like the "game" remains relatively unchanged, and hope that once there's enough "creative" tools in place, the game itself will see some expansion. That being said, it had more features (and depth) in January '16 as an EA game than NMS had on release, and should appeal to a similar crowd, so I definitely encourage people to try it out.

 

[Grief.exe]

Can i just say The House in Fata Morgana beat out Civilization VI.

WOW!

Stellaris is ahead of Civilization VI as well, you would think Civ would be ahead of similar titles due to the saturation of the product in the community.

 

[Anno]

Stellaris is ahead of Civilization VI as well, you would think Civ would be ahead of similar titles due to the saturation of the product in the community.

Yeah Stellaris is just a game with a lot more flavor, I think. Though both are in my top 10 and are probably my two favorite soundtracks of the year.

2017 could be the year that Stellaris really takes off if 1.5 and the expansion hit.

 

[Arulan]

Yeah Stellaris is just a game with a lot more flavor, I think. Though both are in my top 10 and are probably my two favorite soundtracks of the year.

2017 could be the year that Stellaris really takes off if 1.5 and the expansion hit.

Yeah, I feel Stellaris is going to get a lot better with a few more updates and an expansion.

 

[Grief.exe]

Stellaris will likely be on this list for DLC next year.

 

[Oreoleo]

Stellaris is ahead of Civilization VI as well, you would think Civ would be ahead of similar titles due to the saturation of the product in the community.

My thoughts are that 1. Civ 6 is still prohibitively expensive for most people on Steam and 2. A lot of people aren't *that* into the genre and are perfectly happy with Civ5+DLC. I'll admit I was surprised to see Civ 6 SO low on the list but, it makes sense.

 

[AlexFlame116]

Is DOOM really THAT good??? I bought it but still haven't played it yet due to backlog.

 

[Wozzer]

Can't argue with that list; SteamGAF delivers

 

[patapuf]

Is DOOM really THAT good??? I bought it but still haven't played it yet due to backlog.

If you like action, yes, it's that good.

 

[Psychoward]

DOOM is my number two, behind Overwatch. Ya did good Steam GAF.

 

[Tizoc]

Nice list, top 5 is what I expected TBH
Nice to see Xanadu Next at #11 too, at least.

 

[meerak]

Pretty amazing work you do... just wanted to say.

Also YES there it is, SFV in Top 50. Justice is served.

 

[bobawesome]

Surprised to see Dark Souls 3 made #2. For a game with soul in the title it sure was lacking in it. Just goes to show that anything with Miyazaki's name attached to it doesn't automatically make it better.

 

[thesaucetastic]

Xanadu Next got robbed.

 

[Arulan]

2016 was also the calm before the second-wave of crowd-funded releases starting again this year.

 

[goober]

First time hearing about Xanadu Next. Looks neat

 

[duckroll]

Lol Xanadu almost made it. Maybe I should have voted. RIP.

 

[Miletius]

Overall, as others have mentioned, the top 10 is bound to be saturated by hyped up AAA games. More people played = more people put on their GOTY, especially since the games were generally of good quality.

The indie darlings of the year are Stardew Valley and The Witness. Wonder which one will take the top spot in the regular GoTY?

I think that the top 20 is probably the best way to look at this list. There is a 3 way tie for 20, so I guess maybe top 23 is probably a good way to look at the list. 2 of the games I voted for are 20th best game on SteamGAF.

 

[TheRed]

Nice list. I was skeptical hearing praise for Dishonored 2 even when there were a lot of performance complaints. I liked the first game but it didn't blow me away, I beat it and moved on liking what I played. This one couldn't really be that much better. But it really is that much better to me, I am drawn into its world building way more than I ever was in the first game. The levels are huge and very detailed, it's so great to explore. All of the combat options and stealth is really well done. So are the powers.
I can't believe how much I'm loving it about 12 hours in and am looking forward to a second playthrough which is unusual for me.

Performance issues haven't been too much for me, I get a solid 60 except when exiting an enclosed area out into the big open area but it doesn't bother me much.

I really enjoyed Deus Ex:MD but this game feels like a much better sequel to its respective predecessor in all aspects. People really should play it.