Dimentionalist
Member
1. Overwatch ; I've played the game every weekend since its release. I've never been more addicted to a multiplayer shooter, largely because Overwatch invites and encourages players of all playstyles to experiment and find a role or hero that works best for them. I've always enjoyed games with a focus on tactical depth, and with the average Overwatch match constantly changing, I'm always on my toes. Easily my game of the year.
2. Final Fantasy XV ; The platinum demo soured me with its bare-bones combat options, actions executed by holding down buttons rather than twitch reactions, and input delay, while my time with Judgment Disc had me fearing for the game's open world being a MGSV-esque empty, sprawling space. I picked up the game on release day, expecting to be disappointed, but to my surprise, it wound up being my favorite JRPG of not just the year, but the generation. The combat, as I suspected, wound up being fairly simple, but turned out to be far more challenging and demanding than I expected. I particularly liked the emphasis on character positioning and alternating attack and defense in a way that made combat almost feel like some kind of dance.
3. DOOM ; I'd like to echo some of the comments made earlier about single-player FPS games. With the exception of BioShock, I haven't really played an FPS campaigns excessively because my main draw has always been shooting my friends. With this, it was the single-player campaign that kept me hooked. I never played any of the older Doom games, but two of my best friends played Doom 3 and loved the survival horror aspects of it. When I showed them this game, they were taken aback by the game's fast-paced, in-your-face, old-school approach to FPS combat. Comments from old-school fans about the reverence this more recent title has for the original two games makes me want to check out the inspiration behind this modern version.
4. Pokemon Sun/Moon ; I've always felt Pokemon was behind in the presentation department, and the general quest structure had begun to wear on me. Although it is more or less the standard-bearer for turn-based creature combat, by ORAS I started to become tired of the grid-based movement and the gym-based progression. Sun and Moon managed to shed these two elements of the series with a more immersive, expressive world and a more engaging method of periodically proving your strength as a Pokemon trainer. I did wind up missing XY's O-Powers, but as a whole, these entries represent meaningful growth in a classic franchise.
5. Ratchet & Clank ; I played the original, but never cared for it as much as its Naughty Dog-developed sister platformer released around the same time. I picked this up on a whim and really enjoyed this re-imagining for its combat and incorporation of improvements from later titles like lock-strafe mode and experience-based progression. I often shelve single player games upon beating them, but this one I wound up playing for quite a while after I finished off the final boss.
6. Titanfall 2 ; I loved the original game and how it made both Titan and pilot combat viable. Titanfall 2 continues this trend and couples it with a surprisingly enjoyable single-player campaign.
2. Final Fantasy XV ; The platinum demo soured me with its bare-bones combat options, actions executed by holding down buttons rather than twitch reactions, and input delay, while my time with Judgment Disc had me fearing for the game's open world being a MGSV-esque empty, sprawling space. I picked up the game on release day, expecting to be disappointed, but to my surprise, it wound up being my favorite JRPG of not just the year, but the generation. The combat, as I suspected, wound up being fairly simple, but turned out to be far more challenging and demanding than I expected. I particularly liked the emphasis on character positioning and alternating attack and defense in a way that made combat almost feel like some kind of dance.
3. DOOM ; I'd like to echo some of the comments made earlier about single-player FPS games. With the exception of BioShock, I haven't really played an FPS campaigns excessively because my main draw has always been shooting my friends. With this, it was the single-player campaign that kept me hooked. I never played any of the older Doom games, but two of my best friends played Doom 3 and loved the survival horror aspects of it. When I showed them this game, they were taken aback by the game's fast-paced, in-your-face, old-school approach to FPS combat. Comments from old-school fans about the reverence this more recent title has for the original two games makes me want to check out the inspiration behind this modern version.
4. Pokemon Sun/Moon ; I've always felt Pokemon was behind in the presentation department, and the general quest structure had begun to wear on me. Although it is more or less the standard-bearer for turn-based creature combat, by ORAS I started to become tired of the grid-based movement and the gym-based progression. Sun and Moon managed to shed these two elements of the series with a more immersive, expressive world and a more engaging method of periodically proving your strength as a Pokemon trainer. I did wind up missing XY's O-Powers, but as a whole, these entries represent meaningful growth in a classic franchise.
5. Ratchet & Clank ; I played the original, but never cared for it as much as its Naughty Dog-developed sister platformer released around the same time. I picked this up on a whim and really enjoyed this re-imagining for its combat and incorporation of improvements from later titles like lock-strafe mode and experience-based progression. I often shelve single player games upon beating them, but this one I wound up playing for quite a while after I finished off the final boss.
6. Titanfall 2 ; I loved the original game and how it made both Titan and pilot combat viable. Titanfall 2 continues this trend and couples it with a surprisingly enjoyable single-player campaign.
