amstradcpc
Member
If you are talking about consoles versions no doubt.Left stick is a pain in the ass with Doom without analogue accelerated movement(only two states, slow walking and running), and aiming is not as precisse as TF2 for a mile.
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GAF Games of the Year 2016 - Voting Thread [Voting closed]
- Thread starter Cheesemeister
- Start date
I enjoyed this year more than last year. Part of it being my mind is in a better place (thanks to pills yo...also meditation and going to the gym....) but also a lot more great games. Still many games were too flawed or I got bored so I dropped them making it hard to truly reach 10, but my top 5 is full of games that truly gripped me.
1. Final Fantasy XV ; Shit is flawed but damn if I didn't enjoy the ride. I expected this to be a train wreck of epic proportions and in some ways it kinda is. But the feeling of adventure makes up for all of that and more. My GOTY last year was Xenoblade X, and one of my favorite games of all time is Dragons Dogma. XV hits on a lot of the same things those two games did....(also has some of the same flaws lol....). The combat was fun. The bros were great. It often looked great (sometimes not so much) and while the story was poorly told, I "liked" it for what it was. I can see why some people are down on it because it could have easily been the greatest game of all time with ironically more time to cook but that didn't stop it from being the most fun I had all year. Just wish I could talk about it more.....but alas.
2. Overwatch ; another unexpected entry. I suck at FPS. And my anxiety keeps me from ever wanting to be apart of a multiplayer match. Never want to let others down with my shit play. So Overwatch was a no go. But man those characters are so my aesthetic tho and it looked so fun. And I could just be a heal bitch....aw fuck it, lets go. A rare blind buy turned into a game I will continue to get hours of play out of. I still suck mind you but I am not alone (dear god...get on the point please...) but the near monthly new shit and the just one more match feeling is so good. I burned out a bit late in the year but thats a long ass time. Overwatch is more than just a game, but the entire world around it will keep me attached for a long time.
3. Pokemon Moon ; This was my expected GOTY...and it was for a while but FFXV took over and I feel like Overwatch was more important to me this year. That says a lot because Moon is the best pokemon game in years. Gamefreak finally got the difficulty right IMO and the switch up of trials kept it fresh. The cast also was the best in a long time in the series. Plus, it was fun as hell. HOWEVER, the last two islands are lacking in content IMO and the fact that the newer pokemon have such low encounter rates does kinda suck the fun out of the second half of the game. Hopefully this Stars version will add more content to the second half but even with flaws I enjoyed my time in Alola.
4. Dark Souls 3 ; Finally. I have played all of the games in the series and have bounced off of all of them. Bloodbourne happened because of the afforementioned mental problems but still. But after realizing how to approach the series thanks to lets plays and actually buying this one (instead of renting it), I finally beat a Souls game. ...and it was awesome. Also giving me that feeling to adventure mentioned above, DS3 was the GOTY only falling out of favor due to releasing earlier in the year. I am just glad I can now "get" the hype and be excited for From's next entry.
5. Uncharted 4 ; I fucking hated UC3. The set pieces were lame and I am still salty about the bullet sponge enemies on that ship. Fuck that shit. So yeah wasn;t super looking forward to UC4. BUT unlike its predecessor, it fixed all of the problems I had with the previous game. In particular the approach to combat. Fights could be approached stealthily and even when shit hit the fan the various movement options were great. The game overstays its welcome a bit IMO but it was a nice return to form and fitting end.
6. Inside ; I didn't beat Inside. My XB1 kinda shat itself but I did watch a lets play...and even with that lack of connection I was still blown away. The escalation is perfect and the game has the perfect length. The tension throughout is also perfect. Hell I think this game is pretty dang perfect for what it sets out to do. Dang XB1
7. Street Fighter V ; Yet another game I hate talking about now lol. Unlike FFXV, I think SFV's flaws do hurt the game immensely. I personally haven't attached myself of any of the cast playstyle wise (sans my very shitty Ken that never tatsus because I suck) and the flaws are major. Yes it needed arcade mode despite my earlier protests, yeah the servers are borked. Yeah Capcom continues to capcom it up at every turn. So why the fuck is it on my list? For the story mode of course. The story mode is jank as hell but man if I didn't have the biggest goofy grin on my face for most of it. Those two hours were some of the most fun I had all year really. I fucking love Street Fighter and its world...so its really all I need. But no seriously Capcom get your shit together for season 2 please?
8. Gravity Rush Remastered ; I bought this to support the decision to release a physical copy. I had the Vita version. It twas ok but my hands are too borked for the Vita so I never could play it for long. With a PS4 controller tho? Hell yeah. Kat is da bes and flinging yourself accross the world never gets old. Ended up getting a lot more out of a throw away purchase than expected.
9. NBA 2k17 ; I buy 2k every year. So I hate to put it on my top 10 list but here it is. 2k17 isn't that much of a step up from 16 but for the oodles of hours I will get out of it, that cannot be waved away. So yeah..... says more about other games than anything.
10. Watch Dogs 2 ; Late comer to the list and winner of the you had the least problems...so far award. Watch Dogs 2 fixes all of the issues I had with Watch Dogs 1. Less (so far) focus on gunplay. More likable (so far) protagonist. More fun world (so far) to get around in. The issues of the open world structure have already started to pop up but I am still having fun at least...so yay?
HM1 Fire Emblem Fates ; I expected this to be high on the list. I fucking love Awakening. Fates gameplay wise is more of that...but better. But eh. Corrin isn't as cool as Robin and due to the N3DS power button being in a shit spot made me lose progress and I never returned. yep.
HM2 Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE ; I like the FE series I swear. This game is great. Great production values. Great battle system. And while the JPOP overload isn't my thing, thats well done to. So why isn't it on the list? No subtitles in battle. This game not having a dub killed part of it for me. I feel like I am missing parts of the cast because NOA decided to cheap out...and that sucks. Maybe I'll get back to it later..but meh.
All in all a nice year. The top 6 of my list could have been GOTY the year prior for example. Next year has more expected games I'll love (Persona 5, Nier, A NEW 3D Mario..., Zelda, and hopefully some cool Switch game) so yeah I am glad I am not as burnt out on gaming as I thought....
yay.
1. Final Fantasy XV ; Shit is flawed but damn if I didn't enjoy the ride. I expected this to be a train wreck of epic proportions and in some ways it kinda is. But the feeling of adventure makes up for all of that and more. My GOTY last year was Xenoblade X, and one of my favorite games of all time is Dragons Dogma. XV hits on a lot of the same things those two games did....(also has some of the same flaws lol....). The combat was fun. The bros were great. It often looked great (sometimes not so much) and while the story was poorly told, I "liked" it for what it was. I can see why some people are down on it because it could have easily been the greatest game of all time with ironically more time to cook but that didn't stop it from being the most fun I had all year. Just wish I could talk about it more.....but alas.
2. Overwatch ; another unexpected entry. I suck at FPS. And my anxiety keeps me from ever wanting to be apart of a multiplayer match. Never want to let others down with my shit play. So Overwatch was a no go. But man those characters are so my aesthetic tho and it looked so fun. And I could just be a heal bitch....aw fuck it, lets go. A rare blind buy turned into a game I will continue to get hours of play out of. I still suck mind you but I am not alone (dear god...get on the point please...) but the near monthly new shit and the just one more match feeling is so good. I burned out a bit late in the year but thats a long ass time. Overwatch is more than just a game, but the entire world around it will keep me attached for a long time.
3. Pokemon Moon ; This was my expected GOTY...and it was for a while but FFXV took over and I feel like Overwatch was more important to me this year. That says a lot because Moon is the best pokemon game in years. Gamefreak finally got the difficulty right IMO and the switch up of trials kept it fresh. The cast also was the best in a long time in the series. Plus, it was fun as hell. HOWEVER, the last two islands are lacking in content IMO and the fact that the newer pokemon have such low encounter rates does kinda suck the fun out of the second half of the game. Hopefully this Stars version will add more content to the second half but even with flaws I enjoyed my time in Alola.
4. Dark Souls 3 ; Finally. I have played all of the games in the series and have bounced off of all of them. Bloodbourne happened because of the afforementioned mental problems but still. But after realizing how to approach the series thanks to lets plays and actually buying this one (instead of renting it), I finally beat a Souls game. ...and it was awesome. Also giving me that feeling to adventure mentioned above, DS3 was the GOTY only falling out of favor due to releasing earlier in the year. I am just glad I can now "get" the hype and be excited for From's next entry.
5. Uncharted 4 ; I fucking hated UC3. The set pieces were lame and I am still salty about the bullet sponge enemies on that ship. Fuck that shit. So yeah wasn;t super looking forward to UC4. BUT unlike its predecessor, it fixed all of the problems I had with the previous game. In particular the approach to combat. Fights could be approached stealthily and even when shit hit the fan the various movement options were great. The game overstays its welcome a bit IMO but it was a nice return to form and fitting end.
6. Inside ; I didn't beat Inside. My XB1 kinda shat itself but I did watch a lets play...and even with that lack of connection I was still blown away. The escalation is perfect and the game has the perfect length. The tension throughout is also perfect. Hell I think this game is pretty dang perfect for what it sets out to do. Dang XB1
7. Street Fighter V ; Yet another game I hate talking about now lol. Unlike FFXV, I think SFV's flaws do hurt the game immensely. I personally haven't attached myself of any of the cast playstyle wise (sans my very shitty Ken that never tatsus because I suck) and the flaws are major. Yes it needed arcade mode despite my earlier protests, yeah the servers are borked. Yeah Capcom continues to capcom it up at every turn. So why the fuck is it on my list? For the story mode of course. The story mode is jank as hell but man if I didn't have the biggest goofy grin on my face for most of it. Those two hours were some of the most fun I had all year really. I fucking love Street Fighter and its world...so its really all I need. But no seriously Capcom get your shit together for season 2 please?
8. Gravity Rush Remastered ; I bought this to support the decision to release a physical copy. I had the Vita version. It twas ok but my hands are too borked for the Vita so I never could play it for long. With a PS4 controller tho? Hell yeah. Kat is da bes and flinging yourself accross the world never gets old. Ended up getting a lot more out of a throw away purchase than expected.
9. NBA 2k17 ; I buy 2k every year. So I hate to put it on my top 10 list but here it is. 2k17 isn't that much of a step up from 16 but for the oodles of hours I will get out of it, that cannot be waved away. So yeah..... says more about other games than anything.
10. Watch Dogs 2 ; Late comer to the list and winner of the you had the least problems...so far award. Watch Dogs 2 fixes all of the issues I had with Watch Dogs 1. Less (so far) focus on gunplay. More likable (so far) protagonist. More fun world (so far) to get around in. The issues of the open world structure have already started to pop up but I am still having fun at least...so yay?
HM1 Fire Emblem Fates ; I expected this to be high on the list. I fucking love Awakening. Fates gameplay wise is more of that...but better. But eh. Corrin isn't as cool as Robin and due to the N3DS power button being in a shit spot made me lose progress and I never returned. yep.
HM2 Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE ; I like the FE series I swear. This game is great. Great production values. Great battle system. And while the JPOP overload isn't my thing, thats well done to. So why isn't it on the list? No subtitles in battle. This game not having a dub killed part of it for me. I feel like I am missing parts of the cast because NOA decided to cheap out...and that sucks. Maybe I'll get back to it later..but meh.
All in all a nice year. The top 6 of my list could have been GOTY the year prior for example. Next year has more expected games I'll love (Persona 5, Nier, A NEW 3D Mario..., Zelda, and hopefully some cool Switch game) so yeah I am glad I am not as burnt out on gaming as I thought....
yay.
1. Uncharted 4 ; while it wasn't exactly revolutionary, it was easily the best 2016 game I played. The story was good, the characters great and it's gorgeous to look at.
2. The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine ; not as good as hearts of stone and still better than most full games I've ever played.
3. Salt and Sanctuary ; underrated and underplayed, this game is an excellent attempt at capturing a souls + metroidvania feel. Only the art style holds it back from being higher.
I didn't play a lot of games this year (family, work, sold my PS4 in October so that I could buy a pro when we close on our house in January), so my list of games I enjoyed is bare. Cannot wait to play FFXV and TLG but those will have to be 2017 for sure.
2. The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine ; not as good as hearts of stone and still better than most full games I've ever played.
3. Salt and Sanctuary ; underrated and underplayed, this game is an excellent attempt at capturing a souls + metroidvania feel. Only the art style holds it back from being higher.
I didn't play a lot of games this year (family, work, sold my PS4 in October so that I could buy a pro when we close on our house in January), so my list of games I enjoyed is bare. Cannot wait to play FFXV and TLG but those will have to be 2017 for sure.
Primethius
Banned
Nice list but you have to fix the formatting for the parser to pick it up.
I read the post either way but make it count
Uno Venova
Banned
1. Ratchet & Clank ; It’s an unusual thing to mention, but this game is so FAST. The time it takes from launch to start playing, the load times in between planets and when you die, it’s actually jarring since most AAA games have trained me to wait FOREVER for things to start, I forgot how much of a difference that makes.
But about the game, it’s such a beautiful game, the environments are diverse & detailed, the visuals are incredible, the gameplay is Ratchet refined to perfection, the humor, after all these years still cracks me up. I was actually worried this formula wouldn’t work for me after like a decade break, but it’s actually exactly what I’ve been missing. It’s just FUN.
The game is just pure chaos when things get going, particles, bolts, bullets, pixels, shrapnel all litter the screen in fights and just creates audiovisual bliss. And the challenge mode has kept me replaying it, another thing that rarely happens these days.
2. Uncharted 4: A Theif's End ; It doesn’t have a breakneck pace like UC2 but it was probably ill advised to try and top that anyway, going for a more laid back approach, taking place on fewer locations really worked for this game. And they put it all together by refining the Uncharted gameplay to a T. Taking every right cue from The Last of Us but still keeping it different enough to pull off some great moments in their well designed combat section.
Then there’s the presentation, the ridiculous visuals, attention to detail, and voice acting that keeps you glued to every cutscene & banter where I would normally tune out most games, I mean actually having the characters continue the dialog after getting interrupted with planned events blew me away, especially because I never wanted to miss anything these characters were saying for the last time.
That’s my only two votes, I actually played through and completed more games like DOOM, Pokemon, Dark Souls 3, but didn’t enjoy them enough to feel like they deserved a place on my list.
1. Tom Clancy's The Division ; Loved the main game, but the end-game was lacking until patch 1.5 and the Survival DLC, which came out just in time to make it my GOTY.
2. Titanfall 2 ; Hated the tech test, but grabbed it on sale after the good word of mouth, and loved it. Great campaign, and attrition is still good.
3. Inside ; I don't normally enjoy these types of games, but Limbo and this are the exceptional exceptions.
4. Gears of War 4 ; Still the king of pure third person shooters.
5. Forza Horizon 3 ; Though the gameplay isn't that different from FH2, the setting makes it the best racer this gen so far.
6. Super Mario Run ; I don't really care about Mario, or runners for that matter, but this game is almost perfect for phones.
2. Titanfall 2 ; Hated the tech test, but grabbed it on sale after the good word of mouth, and loved it. Great campaign, and attrition is still good.
3. Inside ; I don't normally enjoy these types of games, but Limbo and this are the exceptional exceptions.
4. Gears of War 4 ; Still the king of pure third person shooters.
5. Forza Horizon 3 ; Though the gameplay isn't that different from FH2, the setting makes it the best racer this gen so far.
6. Super Mario Run ; I don't really care about Mario, or runners for that matter, but this game is almost perfect for phones.
MegaSackman
Member
1. The Last Guardian ; A beautiful emotionally supercharged masterpiece. A masterclass of interactive storytelling and a giant step forward for inducing emotions into video games. Technical issues aside this is probably one my favourite games of all times.
2. Uncharted 4 A Thief's End ; It shows that The Last of Us influenced the franchise and in a good way, the script is much more mature and clever with impecable writing and pacing without losing its sense of humor. Naughty Dog is a developer that with every game delivers characters that goes beyond the virtual world to become real human beigns. Chapter 4 is a proof of that (don't care about mp).
3. The Witness ; Mindblowing puzzle game that presents itself like a simple lines puzzles game but constantly destroy your mind with new ways of interaction with the panels. A world carefully designed to inmerse you in the game and it looks beautiful too. The final challenge is the cherry on the cake.
4. Doom ; A monumental surprise for me, I'm not a fan of the series and this is definitely not the style of game that I like but god be damned if I didn't love it! the gameplay is phenomenal, the story while simple it's visceral and entertaining, the atmosphere, music, sound, weapons, everything is at full cylinders all the time. It was dificult for me to make the click at first but after a couple of levels I was heavily invested (don't care about mp).
5. Inside ; This is another game that left my mind numb, I couldn't understand what I experienced but not because is difficult to grasp but because the story is so dense and dark that it leaves you thinking a lot. Art direction and atmosphere are superb. Great sci fi too, and the final act is good crazy stuff.
6. Call of Duty Infinite Warfare ; What a return to form! I abandoned the series after Black Ops 2 and decide to go back with this one, it's like a hollywood Mass Effect game. Spectacular presentation, great characters and dialogues (really surpriesed by this although the story and villain are kinda lame). Missions are excellent and side missions have great production and feel varied. Really great game but I felt it short and is not as creative as Titanfall 2 (don't care about mp).
7. Dark Souls III ; This is where things start to get mixed to me. This is a fantastic game but after Bloodborne it just felt like a step back in almost every way. However gameplay is still great, art is amazing as always, music, boss battles, weapons, atmosphere. Everything is great but not as good as I hoped it be (don't care about mp).
8. Titanfall 2 ; Very good game with insane mission design, really innovative in that regard, and it features great controls, those are aspect that I consider are better than those in Infinite Warfare. However the story and characters are extemely dissapointing, just B.T. gets a pass on this. I don't even know what the game was all about because of lack of interest in its presentation. Another thing that I didn't like are the battles, really easy game with shallow encounters and weak enemies, especially the robots (don't care about mp).
9. Firewatch ; A story that starts as a 10 and ends as a 5. I loved a lot about Firewatch from the art, to music, to dialogues and the chemestry between the actors but the final act was a great dissapointment for me, the game builds a sci fi story that in my opinion shouldn't have built but in the end disregarded everything about it and turned it into a logical real life event. Besides, the developers showed a similar approach as the one in Telltale's Walking Dead Season 1, not a fan of that but the first act is something to remember and take note.
10. Abzu ; A beautiful experience with gorgeous art and music. Sadly is very similar to Journey without the feels trip so it's difficult to elevate it to a classic status because it doesn't produce the same effect.
Honorable Mention
X. Ratchet and Clank ; Really fun and amazingly looking game although it's really generic in its mechanics and design.
X. Alienation ; High octane arcade game that's great to play with friends or random people online but the campaign is not very well directed or at least I expectead something a little more streamlined. In the end I didn't go back to it after a phew missions post completion.
X. Paragon ; Haven't played Monolith yet because I had so many games to play but I can see myself playing this a lot. Really great translation to the moba genre to consoles. Its in early stage but is my most played game so far. By beign a multiplayer only game I can't rank it because I don't look for this experience in the medium, I enjoy them but they're not my thing.
X. Furi ; Thanks PS Plus for this game, really awesome action game that mix insane martial arts with bullet hell arcade style. It's design is weird but I enjoyed it.
2. Uncharted 4 A Thief's End ; It shows that The Last of Us influenced the franchise and in a good way, the script is much more mature and clever with impecable writing and pacing without losing its sense of humor. Naughty Dog is a developer that with every game delivers characters that goes beyond the virtual world to become real human beigns. Chapter 4 is a proof of that (don't care about mp).
3. The Witness ; Mindblowing puzzle game that presents itself like a simple lines puzzles game but constantly destroy your mind with new ways of interaction with the panels. A world carefully designed to inmerse you in the game and it looks beautiful too. The final challenge is the cherry on the cake.
4. Doom ; A monumental surprise for me, I'm not a fan of the series and this is definitely not the style of game that I like but god be damned if I didn't love it! the gameplay is phenomenal, the story while simple it's visceral and entertaining, the atmosphere, music, sound, weapons, everything is at full cylinders all the time. It was dificult for me to make the click at first but after a couple of levels I was heavily invested (don't care about mp).
5. Inside ; This is another game that left my mind numb, I couldn't understand what I experienced but not because is difficult to grasp but because the story is so dense and dark that it leaves you thinking a lot. Art direction and atmosphere are superb. Great sci fi too, and the final act is good crazy stuff.
6. Call of Duty Infinite Warfare ; What a return to form! I abandoned the series after Black Ops 2 and decide to go back with this one, it's like a hollywood Mass Effect game. Spectacular presentation, great characters and dialogues (really surpriesed by this although the story and villain are kinda lame). Missions are excellent and side missions have great production and feel varied. Really great game but I felt it short and is not as creative as Titanfall 2 (don't care about mp).
7. Dark Souls III ; This is where things start to get mixed to me. This is a fantastic game but after Bloodborne it just felt like a step back in almost every way. However gameplay is still great, art is amazing as always, music, boss battles, weapons, atmosphere. Everything is great but not as good as I hoped it be (don't care about mp).
8. Titanfall 2 ; Very good game with insane mission design, really innovative in that regard, and it features great controls, those are aspect that I consider are better than those in Infinite Warfare. However the story and characters are extemely dissapointing, just B.T. gets a pass on this. I don't even know what the game was all about because of lack of interest in its presentation. Another thing that I didn't like are the battles, really easy game with shallow encounters and weak enemies, especially the robots (don't care about mp).
9. Firewatch ; A story that starts as a 10 and ends as a 5. I loved a lot about Firewatch from the art, to music, to dialogues and the chemestry between the actors but the final act was a great dissapointment for me, the game builds a sci fi story that in my opinion shouldn't have built but in the end disregarded everything about it and turned it into a logical real life event. Besides, the developers showed a similar approach as the one in Telltale's Walking Dead Season 1, not a fan of that but the first act is something to remember and take note.
10. Abzu ; A beautiful experience with gorgeous art and music. Sadly is very similar to Journey without the feels trip so it's difficult to elevate it to a classic status because it doesn't produce the same effect.
Honorable Mention
X. Ratchet and Clank ; Really fun and amazingly looking game although it's really generic in its mechanics and design.
X. Alienation ; High octane arcade game that's great to play with friends or random people online but the campaign is not very well directed or at least I expectead something a little more streamlined. In the end I didn't go back to it after a phew missions post completion.
X. Paragon ; Haven't played Monolith yet because I had so many games to play but I can see myself playing this a lot. Really great translation to the moba genre to consoles. Its in early stage but is my most played game so far. By beign a multiplayer only game I can't rank it because I don't look for this experience in the medium, I enjoy them but they're not my thing.
X. Furi ; Thanks PS Plus for this game, really awesome action game that mix insane martial arts with bullet hell arcade style. It's design is weird but I enjoyed it.
1. Overwatch ; After playing Team Fortress 2 for a few years with a community of friends, I slowly faded away from that and stayed away from most multiplayer shooters in general. I came a bit late into this game, but after trying the beta, I thought it would give me some hours. Sure enough, I got hooked on it. This game got me back together with my people I used to play with, and even got to enjoy a game or two and chat with other friends I hadn't found common ground with multiplayer-wise. It's still fun to boot up and play, and Blizzard seems committed to playing the long-game with this and continuing to make new content, and I'll be there to see it.
2. DOOM ; This game has no right to be as good as it is, with the development hell it ended up going through. But it feels, sounds, rips, and tears so well. From the beginning with the shotgun cock to cap off the music all the way to the end, this game feels like everything that really made me enjoy the original Doom games.
3. HITMAN ; I always bounced hard off every Hitman game that came before this. I just didn't have a good handle on the controls, the systems of the game just didn't click with me, and I didn't enjoy how I just heard so many good stories about people playing the games, but I had no connection to the gameplay like they did. This game did a lot of good for me. It made me aware of opportunities and helped you do specific things, but also allowed you to improvise and make do with what you had when you screwed up. The episodic nature of the game kept me focused on one main mission at a time, seeing all the ins and outs of a mission, and the elusive targets shook things up a bit where you had almost no information to go on to take out a target. Of course, the Giant Bomb content involving this game is nothing short of hilarious, and I still laugh thinking about some of the moments they have had with the game.
4. Furi ; Just short, sweet, and to the point. "The jailer is the key, defeat him and you'll be free." The soundtrack was sublime, the action frantic but focused, and the bosses would always have something new to change up the gameplay. Loved it from beginning to end, and really look forward to what this developer does in the future.
5. Let It Die ; I haven't completed this game, but it hasn't stopped me from putting in over 50 hours of the game, just little play sessions here and there. It its a F2P game that hasn't been super oppressive with its microtransactions (spent $0 so far), the community is working to uncover the secrets the game holds, and the PR team is really on point with its communication between it and the users. The gameplay is punishing but fair, and the moments of when your equipment is breaking down, you're low on health, but then...you see an elevator. It's like a moment to jump in the air with joy. It has a skateboarding grim reaper named Uncle Death, of course it's fun!
6. Titanfall 2 ; This was just a fun game, both multiplayer and single player. I never played the original, but this game was fortunately pretty easy to get into. The set pieces of the campaign were great, the Titan gameplay was pretty enjoyable, and the multiplayer kept me playing it for a bit more than I had originally thought. I feel I'll jump back to it every now and then, and hopefully there is more to come from this franchise.
7. Zero Time Dilemma ; This game had a hell of a release period, with copies getting delayed for shipping, and the watch bonus being an ordeal all in its own to get to people that pre-ordered. I was one of them. But even if this game didn't stick the landing the way I'd hoped, I'm still glad the game was made. The story kept me pretty hooked trying to figure out how the threads related to the other games, and the moments between the characters always had some question as to their true motivations and what was going on in their heads. It did have an impact, just not the one I had hoped for. The game held a lot of weight for me regardless, because I still wanted to see what happened with the characters from the series.
8. SUPERHOT ; It's the most innovative shooter I've played in years! But it also falls on the list of being short and sweet with a really interesting gameplay hook. I won't probably ever get to try the VR one myself, but it sounds just as fun. It was a good experience.
9. VA-11 Hall-A ; I didn't know much about this game before playing it, but I'm glad I checked it out. It's a visual novel with a gameplay bit of you being a bartender, where your drinks sometimes determine paths the story takes as well as if characters take to you. I was surprised at how the dialogue was, because the topics got much more mature than I had originally expected, but it handled it pretty well. They even put in a handful of references from TV that seemed a bit silly, but they weren't that jarring to see among the usual dialogue. The range of characters with their different occupations and stories, along with the world itself having its own story was always a point of interest, but the fact that you do *nothing* in that world is even more striking. I'm used to playing RPGs that you go out and there and you change the world yourself, but here you're just on the sidelines and hearing the different responses from people in the world, rather than being directly in the world.
10. Final Fantasy XV ; The game finally came out! And..it was not nearly as bad as people thought it might be. It does have its share of problems, but the bro-venture across the land was overall pretty fun. I think they've really set up some good framework for upcoming Final Fantasy titles, and I'm interested to see what comes next, as long as it's within the next 5 years or so. I enjoyed the combat, the music had some good tracks during battles especially, and some of the features were really neat (like Prompto taking pictures which could look either awesome or capture weird graphical glitches). I of course enjoyed the nostalgic bits and callbacks to previous Final Fantasy games. I wish the story had been handled way better, but the overall experience for me was good.
2. DOOM ; This game has no right to be as good as it is, with the development hell it ended up going through. But it feels, sounds, rips, and tears so well. From the beginning with the shotgun cock to cap off the music all the way to the end, this game feels like everything that really made me enjoy the original Doom games.
3. HITMAN ; I always bounced hard off every Hitman game that came before this. I just didn't have a good handle on the controls, the systems of the game just didn't click with me, and I didn't enjoy how I just heard so many good stories about people playing the games, but I had no connection to the gameplay like they did. This game did a lot of good for me. It made me aware of opportunities and helped you do specific things, but also allowed you to improvise and make do with what you had when you screwed up. The episodic nature of the game kept me focused on one main mission at a time, seeing all the ins and outs of a mission, and the elusive targets shook things up a bit where you had almost no information to go on to take out a target. Of course, the Giant Bomb content involving this game is nothing short of hilarious, and I still laugh thinking about some of the moments they have had with the game.
4. Furi ; Just short, sweet, and to the point. "The jailer is the key, defeat him and you'll be free." The soundtrack was sublime, the action frantic but focused, and the bosses would always have something new to change up the gameplay. Loved it from beginning to end, and really look forward to what this developer does in the future.
5. Let It Die ; I haven't completed this game, but it hasn't stopped me from putting in over 50 hours of the game, just little play sessions here and there. It its a F2P game that hasn't been super oppressive with its microtransactions (spent $0 so far), the community is working to uncover the secrets the game holds, and the PR team is really on point with its communication between it and the users. The gameplay is punishing but fair, and the moments of when your equipment is breaking down, you're low on health, but then...you see an elevator. It's like a moment to jump in the air with joy. It has a skateboarding grim reaper named Uncle Death, of course it's fun!
6. Titanfall 2 ; This was just a fun game, both multiplayer and single player. I never played the original, but this game was fortunately pretty easy to get into. The set pieces of the campaign were great, the Titan gameplay was pretty enjoyable, and the multiplayer kept me playing it for a bit more than I had originally thought. I feel I'll jump back to it every now and then, and hopefully there is more to come from this franchise.
7. Zero Time Dilemma ; This game had a hell of a release period, with copies getting delayed for shipping, and the watch bonus being an ordeal all in its own to get to people that pre-ordered. I was one of them. But even if this game didn't stick the landing the way I'd hoped, I'm still glad the game was made. The story kept me pretty hooked trying to figure out how the threads related to the other games, and the moments between the characters always had some question as to their true motivations and what was going on in their heads. It did have an impact, just not the one I had hoped for. The game held a lot of weight for me regardless, because I still wanted to see what happened with the characters from the series.
8. SUPERHOT ; It's the most innovative shooter I've played in years! But it also falls on the list of being short and sweet with a really interesting gameplay hook. I won't probably ever get to try the VR one myself, but it sounds just as fun. It was a good experience.
9. VA-11 Hall-A ; I didn't know much about this game before playing it, but I'm glad I checked it out. It's a visual novel with a gameplay bit of you being a bartender, where your drinks sometimes determine paths the story takes as well as if characters take to you. I was surprised at how the dialogue was, because the topics got much more mature than I had originally expected, but it handled it pretty well. They even put in a handful of references from TV that seemed a bit silly, but they weren't that jarring to see among the usual dialogue. The range of characters with their different occupations and stories, along with the world itself having its own story was always a point of interest, but the fact that you do *nothing* in that world is even more striking. I'm used to playing RPGs that you go out and there and you change the world yourself, but here you're just on the sidelines and hearing the different responses from people in the world, rather than being directly in the world.
10. Final Fantasy XV ; The game finally came out! And..it was not nearly as bad as people thought it might be. It does have its share of problems, but the bro-venture across the land was overall pretty fun. I think they've really set up some good framework for upcoming Final Fantasy titles, and I'm interested to see what comes next, as long as it's within the next 5 years or so. I enjoyed the combat, the music had some good tracks during battles especially, and some of the features were really neat (like Prompto taking pictures which could look either awesome or capture weird graphical glitches). I of course enjoyed the nostalgic bits and callbacks to previous Final Fantasy games. I wish the story had been handled way better, but the overall experience for me was good.
Backfoggen
Banned
1. The Witness ; Pretty menthol to have a puzzle game at the top but if I'm really honest it's my GoTY. Just beautifully designed, lengthy and full of mystery. No dips in quality. Tough as hell but just designed to keep you progressing.
2. Doom ; I have not felt this way about a shooter since the early 2000s. It scratched an itch I forgot I had. The way it flows is incredible and the keep pushing forward gameplay is amazing.
3. Dark Souls 3 ; From has done it again, not much to say. It's Dark Souls and I have now had enough of Dark Souls which is why it's not rated higher.
4. Thumper ; This shit just blew my mind in VR, man. It made me do things I didn't know I was capable of. Incredible soundtrack that is still seared into my brain. The very last part is one of the wildest game sections I've ever been through.
5. Let It Die ; F2P doesn't mean anything with this game. I would have gotten my money's worth at full price. The layers of mechanics are very well designed and make you come back again and again. Nice sense of danger too, which you don't get with a lot of games nowadays.
6. Rez Infinite ; Having skipped Rez HD and always wanting to play it, it was completely worth it to wait for it in VR. Don't have to say a lot more. It's Rez in VR, it works and is incredible.
7. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Although I ran into tons of bugs and it took me 3 months to finish it in the end, Deus Ex was still a fun time. You just won't find that specific gameplay anywhere else and I like stacking boxes and sneaking through vents into shit.
8. SUPERHOT ; Such an original title and it delivered even past my expectations. I hope to see more from the devs.
9. Titanfall 2 ; Had I had more time to play the MP I might have ranked this higher, but the SP was so damn good that it still ranks from that alone. It's nice to have that snappy CoD-esque gameplay in an inventive campaign again finally.
10. Forza Horizon 3 ; I don't even remember the last racing game I played before this that grabbed me at all. FH3 was a great time for me and I liked driving at high speeds through fields.
2. Doom ; I have not felt this way about a shooter since the early 2000s. It scratched an itch I forgot I had. The way it flows is incredible and the keep pushing forward gameplay is amazing.
3. Dark Souls 3 ; From has done it again, not much to say. It's Dark Souls and I have now had enough of Dark Souls which is why it's not rated higher.
4. Thumper ; This shit just blew my mind in VR, man. It made me do things I didn't know I was capable of. Incredible soundtrack that is still seared into my brain. The very last part is one of the wildest game sections I've ever been through.
5. Let It Die ; F2P doesn't mean anything with this game. I would have gotten my money's worth at full price. The layers of mechanics are very well designed and make you come back again and again. Nice sense of danger too, which you don't get with a lot of games nowadays.
6. Rez Infinite ; Having skipped Rez HD and always wanting to play it, it was completely worth it to wait for it in VR. Don't have to say a lot more. It's Rez in VR, it works and is incredible.
7. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Although I ran into tons of bugs and it took me 3 months to finish it in the end, Deus Ex was still a fun time. You just won't find that specific gameplay anywhere else and I like stacking boxes and sneaking through vents into shit.
8. SUPERHOT ; Such an original title and it delivered even past my expectations. I hope to see more from the devs.
9. Titanfall 2 ; Had I had more time to play the MP I might have ranked this higher, but the SP was so damn good that it still ranks from that alone. It's nice to have that snappy CoD-esque gameplay in an inventive campaign again finally.
10. Forza Horizon 3 ; I don't even remember the last racing game I played before this that grabbed me at all. FH3 was a great time for me and I liked driving at high speeds through fields.
Beerman462
Member
1. Doom ; Just play it
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; Blood and Wine improved an already great game from visuals, animations and story telling. It is the best part of a game of the generation contender.
3. Dark Souls III ; It's a greatest hits of the Dark Souls series in a good way, with a very competent if not a little short DLC in the same year.
4. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Great game play, great graphics and tons of secrets.
5. Overwatch ; Even though my play time has dropped off I still think about this game and all the fun I had. I just wish I was better at it.
6. Inside ; Tight game dripping with atmosphere that doesn't overstay it's welcome.
7. Firewatch ; Suspenseful game that had me on edge more than most horror games. Great chemistry between two characters you never even see.
8. Far Cry Primal ; Not as good as Far Cry 4, but still had a blast.
9. Quantum Break ; Remedy makes great games with interesting narratives and I like this one, just not as much as Alan Wake. Maybe their next game can skip the TV stuff.
10. The Witness ; I never finished it and it could be frustrating as hell, but also very rewarding.
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; Blood and Wine improved an already great game from visuals, animations and story telling. It is the best part of a game of the generation contender.
3. Dark Souls III ; It's a greatest hits of the Dark Souls series in a good way, with a very competent if not a little short DLC in the same year.
4. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Great game play, great graphics and tons of secrets.
5. Overwatch ; Even though my play time has dropped off I still think about this game and all the fun I had. I just wish I was better at it.
6. Inside ; Tight game dripping with atmosphere that doesn't overstay it's welcome.
7. Firewatch ; Suspenseful game that had me on edge more than most horror games. Great chemistry between two characters you never even see.
8. Far Cry Primal ; Not as good as Far Cry 4, but still had a blast.
9. Quantum Break ; Remedy makes great games with interesting narratives and I like this one, just not as much as Alan Wake. Maybe their next game can skip the TV stuff.
10. The Witness ; I never finished it and it could be frustrating as hell, but also very rewarding.
Majmun
Member
1. The Last Guardian; This journey was worth the wait. There are flaws to be find, especially when it comes to controls. But the game feels so special. Only Ueda and Miyazaki can make the game world feel so eerie and desolate. Most vistas are breathtaking. Trico and the boy are well presented as well, and their bond feels real. TLG is one of the rare games that leave me with a special feeling after finishing them. Another Ueda masterpiece.
2. Final Fantasy XV; Another game worth the long wait. I'm currently 55 hours in and enjoying the hell out of it. I'm loving everything, except the non-existing story and mostly lame sidequests. The characters are great, and sometimes it's the best looking game I've ever seen. Great soundtrack as well. I hope the next FF will be of similar quality. But with a better told story.
3. The Witness; My GOTY before the above vaporware games finally released lol. Great puzzels, great style. Another special game. Some moments really blew my mind.
4. Uncharted 4; Naughty Dog can't do no wrong in my opinion. It's not the best Uncharted game, the pacing is all over the place. But it has the highest highs of the franchise. And the conclusion is perfect.
5. Ratchet & Clank; Great reboot. Can't wait for the next one.
This thread made me buy Inside and Salt & Sanctuary. Can't wait to play them in 2017.
2. Final Fantasy XV; Another game worth the long wait. I'm currently 55 hours in and enjoying the hell out of it. I'm loving everything, except the non-existing story and mostly lame sidequests. The characters are great, and sometimes it's the best looking game I've ever seen. Great soundtrack as well. I hope the next FF will be of similar quality. But with a better told story.
3. The Witness; My GOTY before the above vaporware games finally released lol. Great puzzels, great style. Another special game. Some moments really blew my mind.
4. Uncharted 4; Naughty Dog can't do no wrong in my opinion. It's not the best Uncharted game, the pacing is all over the place. But it has the highest highs of the franchise. And the conclusion is perfect.
5. Ratchet & Clank; Great reboot. Can't wait for the next one.
This thread made me buy Inside and Salt & Sanctuary. Can't wait to play them in 2017.
Have you ever played Limbo?
1. Doom; I enjoyed the single player but this wouldn't have made my top 10 at all let alone #1 if it hadn't been for the multiplayer which is what I played more of than anything else this year. I vastly preferred it over Titanfall 2 or Overwatch and it even sucked away most of my Destiny Crucible playtime. Freeze Tag was an incredible mode when there was some playerbase still around, and the first two DLC packs were excellent as well.
2. Obduction; This game's level design, conceptual framework, storytelling, and puzzle-solving are coherently integrated together in a way that perhaps no other game has ever matched.
3. The Witness; This does something similar (though from an opposite design perspective) but without the storytelling part, which makes it much easier to focus on making the other stuff even more satisfying, but makes it just slightly less impressive of an achievement to me.
4. The Last Guardian; The first living creature in a game that was capable of suspending my disbelief.
5. Metroid Prime Federation Force; I had more fun playing this co-op than I did in any Left 4 Dead or Destiny Raid. Obviously it didn't satisfy what I wanted from a Metroid game, but an excellent game nonetheless.
6. Star Fox Zero; I enjoyed the unique play control quite a bit, it's a better game than Star Fox 64 to me, though not as great as the SNES original.
7. Inside; Incredible polish and atmosphere and story pacing, decent puzzles, emotionally satisfying but not profound like The Witness or The Last Guardian were for me.
8. Stephen's Sausage Roll; so much more complex and interesting than it seems, but not quite addicting enough to keep me playing past the first two worlds
9. Superhot; SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT
10. Blue Revolver; as an amateur shmup fan these were most enjoyable bullet patterns I've experienced in a bullet hell, fun as heck with an arcade stick
honorable mentions:
Overload Playable Teaser; I played a whole lot of this short demo for the upcoming Descent-style game from the original Descent team
Uncharted 4; didn't care much about the story, but the beautiful locations were fun to explore in the first half and the combat scenarios were satisfyingly complex in the second half
Ultimate Chicken Horse; couch multiplayer of the year
Star Fox Guard; this satisfied me the way other people are satisfied by mobile games
Super Mario Run; a really good short Mario game, I enjoyed it more than Super Mario Galaxy 2 for example, unfortunately made slightly stuttery and inconvenient by the mobile platform
Inversus; fantastic couch multiplayer, but the arcade mode is just OK, like Box Boy and Minutes the minimalism of this game hurts it rather than helping it
Human Fall Flat; a very satisfying gimmick for a couple of hours, sort of similar to Grow Home but unfortunately without the style and atmosphere, much better than the Grow Up sequel though
Firewatch; actually good writing and voice acting, didn't love how it wrapped up though
Oxenfree; more actually good writing and voice acting
Raiden V; another good shmup
Playroom VR; just the 3d platformer section, my best VR experience
Duke Nukem 3D World Tour Alien World Order; really good new Duke 3D levels
2. Obduction; This game's level design, conceptual framework, storytelling, and puzzle-solving are coherently integrated together in a way that perhaps no other game has ever matched.
3. The Witness; This does something similar (though from an opposite design perspective) but without the storytelling part, which makes it much easier to focus on making the other stuff even more satisfying, but makes it just slightly less impressive of an achievement to me.
4. The Last Guardian; The first living creature in a game that was capable of suspending my disbelief.
5. Metroid Prime Federation Force; I had more fun playing this co-op than I did in any Left 4 Dead or Destiny Raid. Obviously it didn't satisfy what I wanted from a Metroid game, but an excellent game nonetheless.
6. Star Fox Zero; I enjoyed the unique play control quite a bit, it's a better game than Star Fox 64 to me, though not as great as the SNES original.
7. Inside; Incredible polish and atmosphere and story pacing, decent puzzles, emotionally satisfying but not profound like The Witness or The Last Guardian were for me.
8. Stephen's Sausage Roll; so much more complex and interesting than it seems, but not quite addicting enough to keep me playing past the first two worlds
9. Superhot; SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT
10. Blue Revolver; as an amateur shmup fan these were most enjoyable bullet patterns I've experienced in a bullet hell, fun as heck with an arcade stick
honorable mentions:
Overload Playable Teaser; I played a whole lot of this short demo for the upcoming Descent-style game from the original Descent team
Uncharted 4; didn't care much about the story, but the beautiful locations were fun to explore in the first half and the combat scenarios were satisfyingly complex in the second half
Ultimate Chicken Horse; couch multiplayer of the year
Star Fox Guard; this satisfied me the way other people are satisfied by mobile games
Super Mario Run; a really good short Mario game, I enjoyed it more than Super Mario Galaxy 2 for example, unfortunately made slightly stuttery and inconvenient by the mobile platform
Inversus; fantastic couch multiplayer, but the arcade mode is just OK, like Box Boy and Minutes the minimalism of this game hurts it rather than helping it
Human Fall Flat; a very satisfying gimmick for a couple of hours, sort of similar to Grow Home but unfortunately without the style and atmosphere, much better than the Grow Up sequel though
Firewatch; actually good writing and voice acting, didn't love how it wrapped up though
Oxenfree; more actually good writing and voice acting
Raiden V; another good shmup
Playroom VR; just the 3d platformer section, my best VR experience
Duke Nukem 3D World Tour Alien World Order; really good new Duke 3D levels
1. Uncharted 4 ; A perfect marriage of platforming, shooting and immersive storytelling. Among one of the finest adventures I have ever had with a perfect ending to a near-perfect series of games. Seriously, the ending made me tear up and the game's absolutely mind-blowing visuals and story kept me engaged at all time. A true masterpiece.
2. DOOM ; Returning to form, this FPS outdid them all for me. I enjoyed its return to simple game mechanics - run and gun. No aiming down sights, using sprint toggles or simply shooting bullet sponge enemies. It was pure foot on the pedal action. Stop for even a few seconds? You're done for. It is an exceptional shooting experience all should play and 1080/60 on PS4 was a wonderful visual achievement.
3. Pokemon Sun/Moon ; It feels as though as GameFreak finally understood good game design on 3DS. After the large disappointments which were XY and ORAS, GF bounced back with simply the greatest Pokemon game ever. Unafraid to switch up what the games are known for, they took huge gambles which paid of so well. Engaging game, great new Pokedex, impressive visuals (on the Pokemon) and an all round fun adventure for all to enjoy.
4. Battlefield 1 ; I didn't have large expectations going in but hot damned is this the most fun I have had in an online shooter to date. The return to WWI is gritty, dirty and fearsome. DICE's expert sound design and incredible graphics engine makes me feel super immersed in the war and the new and improved online is a blast. Operations resembles the real war-like scramble for designated zones and map design is genuinely well done. Add on a great campaign focused on different groups and it's an all-round solid package.
5. Dark Souls 3 ; I've admittedly not yet beaten DS3 but what I have played has been a dark, eery and creepy venture into an incredible fantasy world of the largest, darkest and most demonic enemies. Something about its graphics engine really adds to the experience and the difficulty never feels unfair. I enjoy games like this, it feels like a super hardcore Punch-Out if that makes any sense, and man did I enjoy what I had played of it. Looking forward to returning to it soon.
6. Monster Hunter Generations ; I feel this game deserves and does not deserve a spot here. Subjectively, it's one of my favourite games - it's Monster Hunter and nothing more needs to be said. It however feels like 4U and I feel it should have released before, not after 4U. Regardless, MHG gets a spot.
Honorable Mentions
1. Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Welcome Amiibo ; AC's massive update has only served to drag me back into a game I already have over 600 hours worth of play time in. Nintendo easily could have just added Amiibo support and called it a day but no, they did not. So many QoL improvements to the game have been made such as the new decorating touch screen mode and the way villagers move out of the town. Over 700+ new items effectively doubles the games already massive inventory and has reinvigorated the charm and spirit of the game and has seen many of my old friends reuniting once again. This does not receive a spot in the Top 10 however as I personally only feel new games deserve the chance.
2. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past ; Huge, engaging and rather deep (and full to the brim with words). This is a JRPG for the lover of JRPG's. Buckle up, get your reading glasses out because there is an absolute metric fuckton of words and ready up for one of the finest RPG's around. Beware, it's long and borderline frustrating with the amount of reading, but is it ever worth it.
2. DOOM ; Returning to form, this FPS outdid them all for me. I enjoyed its return to simple game mechanics - run and gun. No aiming down sights, using sprint toggles or simply shooting bullet sponge enemies. It was pure foot on the pedal action. Stop for even a few seconds? You're done for. It is an exceptional shooting experience all should play and 1080/60 on PS4 was a wonderful visual achievement.
3. Pokemon Sun/Moon ; It feels as though as GameFreak finally understood good game design on 3DS. After the large disappointments which were XY and ORAS, GF bounced back with simply the greatest Pokemon game ever. Unafraid to switch up what the games are known for, they took huge gambles which paid of so well. Engaging game, great new Pokedex, impressive visuals (on the Pokemon) and an all round fun adventure for all to enjoy.
4. Battlefield 1 ; I didn't have large expectations going in but hot damned is this the most fun I have had in an online shooter to date. The return to WWI is gritty, dirty and fearsome. DICE's expert sound design and incredible graphics engine makes me feel super immersed in the war and the new and improved online is a blast. Operations resembles the real war-like scramble for designated zones and map design is genuinely well done. Add on a great campaign focused on different groups and it's an all-round solid package.
5. Dark Souls 3 ; I've admittedly not yet beaten DS3 but what I have played has been a dark, eery and creepy venture into an incredible fantasy world of the largest, darkest and most demonic enemies. Something about its graphics engine really adds to the experience and the difficulty never feels unfair. I enjoy games like this, it feels like a super hardcore Punch-Out if that makes any sense, and man did I enjoy what I had played of it. Looking forward to returning to it soon.
6. Monster Hunter Generations ; I feel this game deserves and does not deserve a spot here. Subjectively, it's one of my favourite games - it's Monster Hunter and nothing more needs to be said. It however feels like 4U and I feel it should have released before, not after 4U. Regardless, MHG gets a spot.
Honorable Mentions
1. Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Welcome Amiibo ; AC's massive update has only served to drag me back into a game I already have over 600 hours worth of play time in. Nintendo easily could have just added Amiibo support and called it a day but no, they did not. So many QoL improvements to the game have been made such as the new decorating touch screen mode and the way villagers move out of the town. Over 700+ new items effectively doubles the games already massive inventory and has reinvigorated the charm and spirit of the game and has seen many of my old friends reuniting once again. This does not receive a spot in the Top 10 however as I personally only feel new games deserve the chance.
2. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past ; Huge, engaging and rather deep (and full to the brim with words). This is a JRPG for the lover of JRPG's. Buckle up, get your reading glasses out because there is an absolute metric fuckton of words and ready up for one of the finest RPG's around. Beware, it's long and borderline frustrating with the amount of reading, but is it ever worth it.
1. DOOM ; This game is a miracle. This one of the most glorious, triumphant comebacks in the history of this industry. I can't say enough good things about every facet of this title, id knocked it out of the park in every aspect. When THE METAL kicks up, and YOUR PLAYTHINGS appear out of thin air, everything is designed to make you feel ready to RIP AND TEAR until nothing remains standing but THE DOOMSLAYER. Doom is a hellscape machinery firing on all cilinders. This is first-person shooting distilled to its barest, purest, most essential of essentials, and then kicked up 200 notches. This is game design at its best, and it has done nothing less than shame every other FPS developer of the last two generations. When I DOOM, this is how I feel, every time, every place, against every one:
2. The Witness ; It'd be hard for anyone to live up to the legacy left by Braid, but Jonathan Blow managed to do that and how. This game tricks you into believing it's a relatively simple line-based puzzle game, but soon enough you'll appreciate how deep the variations go. At its best, The Witness is nothing less than literal genius-level game design. That's no hyperbole, I truly mean that. Never have I been so impressed by the cleverness on display in a game than here. It's just astonishing at times.
3. Thumper ; This is definitely the surprise hit of the year for me. Described as a violent-rhythm simulator, this is THE most intense gaming experience you can get today. When you start going for high scores and trying to link everything together, there are times where everything melds togehter and it feels like you're looking through the proverbial Matrix. Much like Doom and The Witness, it does exactly what it sets out to do and does it in the most excellent manner.
4. Street Fighter V ; This game has its issues, and I air them frequently, and yet it's my most played of the year. I'm not very good at it, but I sure try.
The combat design is top notch and I'd say it's the best fighter I've ever played. The mechanics are fantastic and make for very varied matches. Where it matters, gameplay, it's one of the best games released this year.
5. Dark Souls 3 ; I have to be honest, I've kind of forgotten about this one. It's a Souls game. The experience is frankly not very different from what has come before, but it's still a moderately unique one in gaming, and this one is very well made. I liked it well enough to play over 100 hours of it, so I might as well put it here.
Instead of filling up a top 10 with a bunch of stuff I kinda liked, just gonna do a top five of games I really did. A lot of people are saying how great this year has been for games, but I feel like it's a decidedly downstep from 2015. Maybe I haven't played enough games? Eh.
Best non-2016 game I played:
Contradiction
FMV games got a bum rap during the 90s, with the advent of CD media, but they have kind of made a resurgence lately, with games like Her Story, the Tex Murphy revival, and now Contradiction.
In Contradiction, you play the part of a police detective investigating the mysterious circumstances behind the death of a young girl in a nondescript English village. Contradiction plays more or less like a point and click adventure game of old, you move about a location, talking to people, solving puzzles, figuring things out, and advancing the storyline. However, in this case, the puzzles are about finding 'contradictions' in the stories of the characters you question. The main game loop is questioning suspects and finding cracks in what they're feeding to you.
Inspector Jenks (you) brings about the perfect amount of slightly over the top acting, with at times a tinge of modest self-awareness, such as when you ask something entirely ridiculous that your subject would obviously know nothing about. The tone is just right for the game, it doesn't take itself 100% seriously and yet doesn't feel like outright cheese either.
Anyway, to any fans of old PC adventure games, I can't recommend this game enough. It's also available on mobile platforms. For the genre it lasts a decent amount, took me about 8 hours to finish, and is just $9.99 on Steam.
Great analogy.When I DOOM, this is how I feel, every time, every place, against every one:
ST2K
Member
1. Final Fantasy XV ; The best Final Fantasy in a very long time.
2. Civilization VI ; Another installmet in one of gamings most charming and satisfying franchises.
3. Pokémon Sun/Moon ; This game was so good it made me hopeful for the future of Pokemon, after years of cynicism.
4. The Last Guardian ; A fantastic piece that creates a completely convincing beast you get genuinely attached to.
5. Fire Emblem Fates ; A disappointing story gets in the way, but it's still a compelling strategy RPG.
6. Zero Escape: Time Dilemma ; Sticks the landing of a series long in the making.
7. Stellaris ; 4X goodness, but in space.
8. Mafia III ; A 60's period peace that remains fun, even while it's repetitive and kind of a by the numbers plot.
9. No Man's Sky ; A fun space survival game that's not really like anything I've played.
10. Mirror's Edge Catalyst ; Open world parkour is pretty great, even with a bad story.
2. Civilization VI ; Another installmet in one of gamings most charming and satisfying franchises.
3. Pokémon Sun/Moon ; This game was so good it made me hopeful for the future of Pokemon, after years of cynicism.
4. The Last Guardian ; A fantastic piece that creates a completely convincing beast you get genuinely attached to.
5. Fire Emblem Fates ; A disappointing story gets in the way, but it's still a compelling strategy RPG.
6. Zero Escape: Time Dilemma ; Sticks the landing of a series long in the making.
7. Stellaris ; 4X goodness, but in space.
8. Mafia III ; A 60's period peace that remains fun, even while it's repetitive and kind of a by the numbers plot.
9. No Man's Sky ; A fun space survival game that's not really like anything I've played.
10. Mirror's Edge Catalyst ; Open world parkour is pretty great, even with a bad story.
wild wild rice
Member
Just picked up The Witness from the sale and I know I'll have to modify my top 10 to make room.
Scrotum Phillips
Member
Wasn't able to play as many games as I had hoped in 2016, but the games I played and enjoyed put this as my favorite in years.
1. Uncharted 4 ; Great plot, beautiful graphics and a completely satisfying ending to an already great story. Also, the MP is underrated. Maybe my game of the generation so far.
2. Battlefield 1 ; My first time really digging in deep to a Battlefield game. Love the era and the graphics are ridiculous. 64 person conquest mode is probably my favorite MP of this generation. SP was short but satisfying as well.
3. Titanfall 2 ; Just the complete package. Surprisingly awesome SP and fast-paced frenetic MP that I can't put down. A complete shame that this came out at the same time as BF1 as I love both and they are probably #1 and #2 best MP games this generation for me.
4. NBA 2k17 ; I've basically only played My Career mode at length but it's outstanding and scratches that itch perfectly. Graphics are topnotch as well. Bonus points for being able to play as Michigan State in this game.
5. The Witness ; LOVED my time with this one, but a personal bummer of a situation soon after I got this game made struggling with puzzles not what I wanted to do. Will for sure play this game again soon.
6. Trackmania Turbo ; I've never played a Trackmania game before and wow, just what I had hoped it would be. Fast-paced, challenging and addicting.
7. NHL 17 ; Hockey is a sport that translates well to videogames in my opinion and this version was what I felt was the first "proper" release that didn't feel nerfed of this generation.
Games I haven't played but really want to.
x. Stardew Valley ; Can't wait to let this game suck me in, but the reported problems with the Playstation Pro version have caused my to wait on it. 100% will purchase when things are ironed out.
x. Doom ; Never played a Doom so the nostalgia isn't there, but enough people are telling me its great that I'll give it a try.
x. Watchdogs 2 ; Will hopefully catch this on a sale sometime soon.
x. Firewatch ; I bought this other day, excited to give it a try.
x. Civ 6 ; 100% sure I'll love this, just don't have the time for it now
x. Hitman ; The series never interested me at all, but it's easily my favorite game to watch others play.
x. Last Guardian ; Never played an Ueda game, excited to give this a try.
x. MLB The Show ; Took the year off, but will be there day 1 for The Show 17.
So, I've got the "problem" that I have a bunch to catch up on in 2017, and I expect 2017's offerings to make it a challenge as well. Looking forward to it.
1. Uncharted 4 ; Great plot, beautiful graphics and a completely satisfying ending to an already great story. Also, the MP is underrated. Maybe my game of the generation so far.
2. Battlefield 1 ; My first time really digging in deep to a Battlefield game. Love the era and the graphics are ridiculous. 64 person conquest mode is probably my favorite MP of this generation. SP was short but satisfying as well.
3. Titanfall 2 ; Just the complete package. Surprisingly awesome SP and fast-paced frenetic MP that I can't put down. A complete shame that this came out at the same time as BF1 as I love both and they are probably #1 and #2 best MP games this generation for me.
4. NBA 2k17 ; I've basically only played My Career mode at length but it's outstanding and scratches that itch perfectly. Graphics are topnotch as well. Bonus points for being able to play as Michigan State in this game.
5. The Witness ; LOVED my time with this one, but a personal bummer of a situation soon after I got this game made struggling with puzzles not what I wanted to do. Will for sure play this game again soon.
6. Trackmania Turbo ; I've never played a Trackmania game before and wow, just what I had hoped it would be. Fast-paced, challenging and addicting.
7. NHL 17 ; Hockey is a sport that translates well to videogames in my opinion and this version was what I felt was the first "proper" release that didn't feel nerfed of this generation.
Games I haven't played but really want to.
x. Stardew Valley ; Can't wait to let this game suck me in, but the reported problems with the Playstation Pro version have caused my to wait on it. 100% will purchase when things are ironed out.
x. Doom ; Never played a Doom so the nostalgia isn't there, but enough people are telling me its great that I'll give it a try.
x. Watchdogs 2 ; Will hopefully catch this on a sale sometime soon.
x. Firewatch ; I bought this other day, excited to give it a try.
x. Civ 6 ; 100% sure I'll love this, just don't have the time for it now
x. Hitman ; The series never interested me at all, but it's easily my favorite game to watch others play.
x. Last Guardian ; Never played an Ueda game, excited to give this a try.
x. MLB The Show ; Took the year off, but will be there day 1 for The Show 17.
So, I've got the "problem" that I have a bunch to catch up on in 2017, and I expect 2017's offerings to make it a challenge as well. Looking forward to it.
pots555
Member
1. Deus Ex Mankind Divided ; Loved the atmosphere and excellent gameplay.
2. Sherlock Holmes The Devil's Daughter ; these games have a special place in my heart. Story and cases were excellent.
3. Xcom 2 ; strategy game at it's finest. Got really attached to my squad.
4. Skyrim Special Edition ; spent so many hours discovering everything. Beautiful game.
5. Abzu ; beautiful graphics, gameplay and music.
6. 7 Days to Die ; the game I played the most this year. Surviving those hords is great.
7. The Technomancer ; enjoyed the story and settings on Mars.
8. Final Fantasy XV ; good game with loveable characters.
9. Dark Souls 3 ; so tough but when it clicks it's very fun.
10. Watch Dogs 2 ; so much stuff to do. Better than the first one.
2. Sherlock Holmes The Devil's Daughter ; these games have a special place in my heart. Story and cases were excellent.
3. Xcom 2 ; strategy game at it's finest. Got really attached to my squad.
4. Skyrim Special Edition ; spent so many hours discovering everything. Beautiful game.
5. Abzu ; beautiful graphics, gameplay and music.
6. 7 Days to Die ; the game I played the most this year. Surviving those hords is great.
7. The Technomancer ; enjoyed the story and settings on Mars.
8. Final Fantasy XV ; good game with loveable characters.
9. Dark Souls 3 ; so tough but when it clicks it's very fun.
10. Watch Dogs 2 ; so much stuff to do. Better than the first one.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; I Loved Witcher 3 and this expansion was superb. The whole setting was great loved the knights and the new kingdom. Also loved Regis and all of the sidequests there were some real great ones. I just love Witcher and this did not disappoint.
2. Uncharted 4 ; I also love the Uncharted series and thought this game was a masterful send off to the series or at least to Nathan Drake. I really liked the humanity they brought to this game just the acting and facial expressions were great.
3. Doom ; An Excellent single-player campaign that just left me wanting more of it's brand of excitement.
4. Mafia III ; Some great acting in this game I just loved mostly the whole thing, just some of the side stuff was kinda meh.
5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Loved the previous game and loved this one, the main story didn't have enough but the side-stories and the gameplay made up for it.
6. Titanfall 2 ; I have yet to play the single-player but I've played ton of the Multi-player and just have tons of fun every time.
7. Forza Horizon 3 ; A great racing game, I have yet to do 100% but I've beaten it and had a blast doing so.
8. Final Fantasy XV ; I have some misgivings about the story, but I did basically everything in the game and just loved being in that world.
9. Hitman ; I have 10 hours of play on this game and that's just from the tutorial and first level. I can see myself continuing to pump hours into this fun playground.
10. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Had a lot of fun with this game, I have some hangups on some of the combat and story but I still had a great time.
The only game I really missed out on was Shadow Warrior 2 and I hope to get some time with it soon.
2. Uncharted 4 ; I also love the Uncharted series and thought this game was a masterful send off to the series or at least to Nathan Drake. I really liked the humanity they brought to this game just the acting and facial expressions were great.
3. Doom ; An Excellent single-player campaign that just left me wanting more of it's brand of excitement.
4. Mafia III ; Some great acting in this game I just loved mostly the whole thing, just some of the side stuff was kinda meh.
5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Loved the previous game and loved this one, the main story didn't have enough but the side-stories and the gameplay made up for it.
6. Titanfall 2 ; I have yet to play the single-player but I've played ton of the Multi-player and just have tons of fun every time.
7. Forza Horizon 3 ; A great racing game, I have yet to do 100% but I've beaten it and had a blast doing so.
8. Final Fantasy XV ; I have some misgivings about the story, but I did basically everything in the game and just loved being in that world.
9. Hitman ; I have 10 hours of play on this game and that's just from the tutorial and first level. I can see myself continuing to pump hours into this fun playground.
10. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Had a lot of fun with this game, I have some hangups on some of the combat and story but I still had a great time.
The only game I really missed out on was Shadow Warrior 2 and I hope to get some time with it soon.
1. Overwatch ; It's been a long time since a multiplayer shooter got its tendrils into me and wouldn't let go. The last one was probably Team Fortress 2, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that I love Overwatch - it takes TF2's solid foundation and builds upon it with characters that feel truly unique. It's also a very social game; I can't remember the last time I had this much fun playing with friends. The first time I got a hook with Roadhog, I had the stupidest grin on my face - I knew I was in love.
2. Street Fighter V ; Man, this game. I could write an essay about everything Capcom fucked up with SFV, but the fact of the matter is this - if you look past all of the disappointing cruft, the actual game is incredibly fun. It's a refreshing change of pace from SF4, while actually managing to be more accessible than its predecessor without sacrificing depth. It's a real shame they released this game unfinished because the actual gameplay deserved more attention than it got.
3. DOOM ; I never thought I'd play a FPS that reminds me of a character action game like Bayonetta or DMC, but here we are. Succeeding in Doom is all about staying mobile and reacting quickly - once the gameplay "clicks," it felt like I was orchestrating a symphony of gore and gibs with every encounter. I also enjoyed the irreverent tone - DOOM knows its conceit is dumb as hell, and instead of trying to mask it, the game revels in its own stupidity.
4. Gears of War 4 ; I honestly wasn't expecting much from another Gears game - I was experiencing franchise fatigue by 3 and you never know what to expect when a series gets picked up by a new team. Then I played the campaign with a friend and throughout the whole thing we kept telling each other "Man, this is way better than I thought it would be." It's still the tried-and-true Gears formula, but the new enemy types, weapons, and environments keep things exciting in a way that left me genuinely impressed.
5. Pokemon Sun/Moon ; I've never been a huge JRPG fan, but Pokemon games always manage to suck me in for reasons I can't really explain. A big part of it is that it's a perfect game to play in short bursts, which is perfect for my train commute. As in every installment, Game Freak continues to make small but extremely meaningful quality of life changes that enhance the overall experience without radically altering the series' time-tested formula.
6. Forza Horizon 3 ; I feel like I've tried dozens of "arcade-sim hybrid" racing games over the past decade or so and I honestly think FH3 is the first game I've played that actually pulls it off. This game is a joyriding simulator made by people who obviously love what they're doing, and the amount of content is honestly overwhelming.
7. Ratchet & Clank ; After a number of disapponting spin-offs I thought I might be done with R&C, but this remake/reboot proves that the platformer-shooter formula works just as well as it did 14 years ago. Also worth mentioning this game is absolutely gorgeous - it might be the first game to actually warrant the "it looks like a Pixar film" comparison.
8. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight ; I have a feeling this game is going to be super overlooked, and that's a real shame. It's one of the best Metroidvanias I've played in recent memory, with incredibly impressive sprite work and animation. Also it has a booby witch.
9. VA-11 HALL-A ; Visual novels aren't normally my thing, but I am a real sucker for cyberpunk. The MSX/Sega-CD visual style is nailed perfectly, the characters are surprisingly believable and fleshed out (outside of a few groany lines of dialogue), and story deals with loss and regret in a way that I could really relate to. Plus I just really love the idea of a game from the perspective of a bartender.
10. Titanfall 2 ; While the multiplayer was a little disappointing compared to the original, I have to give Respawn credit for making a memorable single player campaign that managed to keep the gameplay fresh throughout.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; In case you can't tell by my avatar, I love Kirby, and PR is a solid sequel to Triple Deluxe with a cool gimmick that doesn't feel forced.
x. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I clearly didn't enjoy this game as much as other people here did (I think it has very real pacing problems), but I will give Naughty Dog credit for a gorgeous game with a surprisingly poignant story about the risks of obsession and learning when to let go and move on.
x. Hyper Light Drifter ; I haven't played enough of this to formally put it on my list but I'm pretty happy with what I've played so far.
x. Picross 3D: Round 2 ; It's more Picross 3D! I've wanted this sequel for years. P3D is strangely relaxing in a way few games are.
x. Rhythm Heaven Megamix ; Some of the minigames are frustratingly hard, but I still love me some Rhythm Heaven.
x. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero ; Only halfway through so far but it's fun! Not as good as Pirate's Curse, but still a solid platformer with fantastic visuals.
x. Pokken Tournament ; A well-made "easy to learn, hard to master" arena fighter. I will eagerly buy the inevitable Switch version with the new arcade characters.
2. Street Fighter V ; Man, this game. I could write an essay about everything Capcom fucked up with SFV, but the fact of the matter is this - if you look past all of the disappointing cruft, the actual game is incredibly fun. It's a refreshing change of pace from SF4, while actually managing to be more accessible than its predecessor without sacrificing depth. It's a real shame they released this game unfinished because the actual gameplay deserved more attention than it got.
3. DOOM ; I never thought I'd play a FPS that reminds me of a character action game like Bayonetta or DMC, but here we are. Succeeding in Doom is all about staying mobile and reacting quickly - once the gameplay "clicks," it felt like I was orchestrating a symphony of gore and gibs with every encounter. I also enjoyed the irreverent tone - DOOM knows its conceit is dumb as hell, and instead of trying to mask it, the game revels in its own stupidity.
4. Gears of War 4 ; I honestly wasn't expecting much from another Gears game - I was experiencing franchise fatigue by 3 and you never know what to expect when a series gets picked up by a new team. Then I played the campaign with a friend and throughout the whole thing we kept telling each other "Man, this is way better than I thought it would be." It's still the tried-and-true Gears formula, but the new enemy types, weapons, and environments keep things exciting in a way that left me genuinely impressed.
5. Pokemon Sun/Moon ; I've never been a huge JRPG fan, but Pokemon games always manage to suck me in for reasons I can't really explain. A big part of it is that it's a perfect game to play in short bursts, which is perfect for my train commute. As in every installment, Game Freak continues to make small but extremely meaningful quality of life changes that enhance the overall experience without radically altering the series' time-tested formula.
6. Forza Horizon 3 ; I feel like I've tried dozens of "arcade-sim hybrid" racing games over the past decade or so and I honestly think FH3 is the first game I've played that actually pulls it off. This game is a joyriding simulator made by people who obviously love what they're doing, and the amount of content is honestly overwhelming.
7. Ratchet & Clank ; After a number of disapponting spin-offs I thought I might be done with R&C, but this remake/reboot proves that the platformer-shooter formula works just as well as it did 14 years ago. Also worth mentioning this game is absolutely gorgeous - it might be the first game to actually warrant the "it looks like a Pixar film" comparison.
8. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight ; I have a feeling this game is going to be super overlooked, and that's a real shame. It's one of the best Metroidvanias I've played in recent memory, with incredibly impressive sprite work and animation. Also it has a booby witch.
9. VA-11 HALL-A ; Visual novels aren't normally my thing, but I am a real sucker for cyberpunk. The MSX/Sega-CD visual style is nailed perfectly, the characters are surprisingly believable and fleshed out (outside of a few groany lines of dialogue), and story deals with loss and regret in a way that I could really relate to. Plus I just really love the idea of a game from the perspective of a bartender.
10. Titanfall 2 ; While the multiplayer was a little disappointing compared to the original, I have to give Respawn credit for making a memorable single player campaign that managed to keep the gameplay fresh throughout.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; In case you can't tell by my avatar, I love Kirby, and PR is a solid sequel to Triple Deluxe with a cool gimmick that doesn't feel forced.
x. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I clearly didn't enjoy this game as much as other people here did (I think it has very real pacing problems), but I will give Naughty Dog credit for a gorgeous game with a surprisingly poignant story about the risks of obsession and learning when to let go and move on.
x. Hyper Light Drifter ; I haven't played enough of this to formally put it on my list but I'm pretty happy with what I've played so far.
x. Picross 3D: Round 2 ; It's more Picross 3D! I've wanted this sequel for years. P3D is strangely relaxing in a way few games are.
x. Rhythm Heaven Megamix ; Some of the minigames are frustratingly hard, but I still love me some Rhythm Heaven.
x. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero ; Only halfway through so far but it's fun! Not as good as Pirate's Curse, but still a solid platformer with fantastic visuals.
x. Pokken Tournament ; A well-made "easy to learn, hard to master" arena fighter. I will eagerly buy the inevitable Switch version with the new arcade characters.
Majmun
Member
Yeah, it's very similar in how it plays, but with very different setting and theming styles.
You'll dig it.
1. Uncharted 4 ; Perfect end(?) to the series. Would've put it 1 place lower for excluding Chloe. Little did I know they had something bigger planned for her.
2. The Last Guardian
3. Ratchet & Clank
4. Dragon Quest Builders
5. The World of Final Fantasy
6. Final Fantasy XV ; Debated about voting for this. It felt wrong to not vote for my fav series. But it was such an epic disappointment. Had soooooo much potentials to be amazing too. But, ultimately, I had some fun, I guess?
2. The Last Guardian
3. Ratchet & Clank
4. Dragon Quest Builders
5. The World of Final Fantasy
6. Final Fantasy XV ; Debated about voting for this. It felt wrong to not vote for my fav series. But it was such an epic disappointment. Had soooooo much potentials to be amazing too. But, ultimately, I had some fun, I guess?
1. Hitman ; I haven't had more fun in a sandbox since days of passing the controller around as I took turns running from the cops when GTA III first came out. The game is fun to play, fun to watch, and an ongoing thing with more maps and targets coming. my decision for if it beats Doom came down to just playing a lot of both of them the last few days and realizing I HAD a great time with Doom, but I am still enjoying Hitman just as much as the first time I played it and will most likely continue enjoying it into next year in a way that I don't expect from a single player game.
2. Doom ; I was too young to experience the original Doom hype and Doom 3 is a bad game in my eyes. I didn't think much of id anymore and thought Doom 2016 looked sloppy from the E3 stuff and multiplayer beta. That the campaign turned out as good as it was and avoided being corny was a surprise to say the least. I would have had it #1 but the multiplayer is pretty bad. even more disappointing is that id had to stay the course and keep making DLC for it. This game's life could have been extended so easily with compelling single player DLC, an actually good multiplayer, or even just an easier way of parsing through Snap Map and finding more people to play the few good Snap Maps you enjoyed.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; I don't know if I did GotY last year but it would have been Witcher 3. The Blood and Wine chapter tops every thing from the base game and first DLC. If Witcher 3 seems too daunting, do yourself a favor and at least start this DLC with the premade build.
4. Sid Meier's Civilization VI ; Civ VI did a great job of not feeling like too far a drop off from Civ V and it's mountain of user made content. It made big enough changes to stand on it's own feet, but feel familiar. The style of it just feels classy yet inviting in a way other 4x games fail at.
5. Overwatch ; When I think competitive shooter + MOBA style heros my initial feeling is that the learning curve is gonna be rough and you are going to feel awful when you have an off game. Overwatch manages to make everyone feel like they are helping while having a wide enough cast and skill gap to still make you feel like you are continuously getting more skilled.
6. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse ; When this game was first announced as an alternate ending to a game that already had 4 alternate endings, I was a little disappointed. By fixing a lot of the navigation and balance problems it manages to feel fresh though. It probably has the most chatty cast in any mainline SMT game but none of them ever got on my nerves.
7. Street Fighter V ; After all the problems this game had this year, I still enjoyed playing local matches for hours at a time, and I still enjoyed the esports aspect. R. Mika won Capcom Cup. What a world.
8. Fire Emblem Fates ; I didn't get to play all the paths in Fates but what I did play was really good. I enjoyed Awakening more but appreciate Nintendo making a classic campaign for those who were turned off by the simpler maps of Awakening.
9. Dark Souls III ; DSIII feels like a farewell tour by your favorite artist. You know all their moves and tricks, but seeing the bits and pieces taken from their whole career is satisfying. Take some well earned time off Dark Souls.
10. Pokemon GO ; I was outside walking in 100F+ weather because a Snorlax was somewhere within 2 blocks of my house. I never thought Pokemon would take over the world late 90's style again but it happened, if only for a brief period.
2. Doom ; I was too young to experience the original Doom hype and Doom 3 is a bad game in my eyes. I didn't think much of id anymore and thought Doom 2016 looked sloppy from the E3 stuff and multiplayer beta. That the campaign turned out as good as it was and avoided being corny was a surprise to say the least. I would have had it #1 but the multiplayer is pretty bad. even more disappointing is that id had to stay the course and keep making DLC for it. This game's life could have been extended so easily with compelling single player DLC, an actually good multiplayer, or even just an easier way of parsing through Snap Map and finding more people to play the few good Snap Maps you enjoyed.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; I don't know if I did GotY last year but it would have been Witcher 3. The Blood and Wine chapter tops every thing from the base game and first DLC. If Witcher 3 seems too daunting, do yourself a favor and at least start this DLC with the premade build.
4. Sid Meier's Civilization VI ; Civ VI did a great job of not feeling like too far a drop off from Civ V and it's mountain of user made content. It made big enough changes to stand on it's own feet, but feel familiar. The style of it just feels classy yet inviting in a way other 4x games fail at.
5. Overwatch ; When I think competitive shooter + MOBA style heros my initial feeling is that the learning curve is gonna be rough and you are going to feel awful when you have an off game. Overwatch manages to make everyone feel like they are helping while having a wide enough cast and skill gap to still make you feel like you are continuously getting more skilled.
6. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse ; When this game was first announced as an alternate ending to a game that already had 4 alternate endings, I was a little disappointed. By fixing a lot of the navigation and balance problems it manages to feel fresh though. It probably has the most chatty cast in any mainline SMT game but none of them ever got on my nerves.
7. Street Fighter V ; After all the problems this game had this year, I still enjoyed playing local matches for hours at a time, and I still enjoyed the esports aspect. R. Mika won Capcom Cup. What a world.
8. Fire Emblem Fates ; I didn't get to play all the paths in Fates but what I did play was really good. I enjoyed Awakening more but appreciate Nintendo making a classic campaign for those who were turned off by the simpler maps of Awakening.
9. Dark Souls III ; DSIII feels like a farewell tour by your favorite artist. You know all their moves and tricks, but seeing the bits and pieces taken from their whole career is satisfying. Take some well earned time off Dark Souls.
10. Pokemon GO ; I was outside walking in 100F+ weather because a Snorlax was somewhere within 2 blocks of my house. I never thought Pokemon would take over the world late 90's style again but it happened, if only for a brief period.
Glass Rebel
Member
Keeping my list fairly short. I didn't spend enough time with games that otherwise would have made my list (Bravely Default, SMTIV Apocalypse, The Witness, Hitman, Darkest Dungeon) and didn't like others enough to give them a spot (Digimon Cyber Sleuth, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Star Fox Zero).
1. DOOM ; This year's biggest surprise. It was basically the reverse of Duke Nukem Forever, a game so long in development I had given up all hope for it and when it finally came out it wasn't only good, it was the best FPS campaign in years. DOOM somehow manages to combine fast paced combat and light exploration reminiscent of Metroid Prime without compromising either. The gunplay stands firmly next to the best in the genre. Progression is handled in a challenging and varied way. Exploration breaks up the pace of the game nicely. And just like Wolfenstein: The New Order before it, it treated the story and the setting with a great mix of seriousness and humour. DOOM knows that it's a game, it knows that it's making you play a mute killing machine who goes against bizarre demons from hell and is confident in it. I could go on all day about how great it is and I haven't even started talking about the soundtrack (because by now, everyone and their mother has). Everything in this game is just fun. It's a shame they had to go and tack on that multiplayer
2. Titanfall 2 ; Titanfall 2 is a strange game. I bought the original including all of its DLC for cheap on PC and had some fun with it until it became a hassle to find a match and then I shelved it. It was a shame because it had an appealing artstyle and great mechanics to go with it. It was just lacking in compelling scenarios to play in. Titanfall 2 fixes that for me. I realize that fans of the original are disappointed with the MP but it wasn't a huge departure for a casual player such as myself. The addition of a single player campaign was a way bigger deal for me, admittedly. I won't go as far as to call it revolutionary or anything but it's such a brilliantly crafted and paced game, it makes one wonder why Call of Duty and Battlefield can't do the same. The double jump and wall-run add a vertical component to combat and traversal that is sorely missing from most but as if that weren't enough there's the Titan gameplay. They were already pretty cool in the first one but now you get to fight cool bosses with them. I love how they're somewhere in-between a Gundam and a BattleMech. They're neither too slow nor too flashy but have a great weight to them. It's worth mentioning that BT is really the star of this show here. I always loved Wheatley and GladOS because of their antics but Respawn played it completely straight with BT which makes him even more endearing and the ending all the more rewarding. Funny thing is, all the components aren't even hugely impressive by themselves but they are used in such a great way that you never ever feel like you're going through the motions. It really is a game bigger than the sum of its parts and it's a shame it was sent out to die like this. Also: "Trust me."
3. Devil Daggers ; Devil Daggers is pretty much the FPS distilled to its purest form. It has a handful of very simple mechanics that work excellently together and contribute to its "one more try" nature. Every time I go back to it, I find myself getting sucked in again. It's also impressive how the simple visuals and sound design add to this. On one hand, the 90s inspired graphics (especially the first Quake, I assume) and menacing sounds create a really unsettling hellish landscape but it's only after playing for a bit that you realize how this helps you navigate the game. Especially the directional sound design is incredibly impressive and I'd wager the game is nigh unplayable without it. Probably the best 5 bucks I have spent this year.
4. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir ; I forgot to include this because it's a remake/enhanced port but man, I spent so much time with it and enjoyed every single moment of it. It's really an amazing package, offering the original game alongside the remake. Which only further drives home the point how much they improved it. Presentation wise it's obviously top notch with beautiful art and a sublime soundtrack that really makes the story told from five different perspectives shine. One thing that I really like about Vanillaware games is how dark they can get and Odin Sphere is no different and even though the ending is more optimistic, how the characters get there is sometimes downright depressing. The rehauled combat system is also quite fantastic, offering unique varied combat options between the five characters. I prefer the setting of Muramasa and Dragon's Crown has more replay value and co-op but Odin Sphere is the most complete game.
5. SUPER HOT ; SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT. All jokes aside, this was really quite fantastic. Technically the fourth FPS in my list but it's so radically different, it's barely even comparable. It often feels more like an improvisational puzzle game, if that even makes any sense. The story mode serves as a neat subversion of the genre and games in general. It didn't make me rethink narratives in games or anything but it served as a great reminder of what one can do with the medium that is just not possible to recreate in others. Endless mode is a bit of a mixed bag, I feel. It's fun, no doubt, but it doesn't have the same feeling as the crafted scenarios of the story mode. The only reason I put it below the other three is because it felt like it fell short of realizing its full potential the most. A level editor would go a long way to improve this but otherwise I still feel it's a very nice game and one of the most unique experiences this year.
6. Fire Emblem: Fates ; Not much to say about this one, really. It's 3x Fire Emblem. Conquest is clearly the best version here, followed by Revelations and then Birthright. The good thing is that every single one of them is still better than Awakening. The new additions and changes are great for the most part. The reworked weapon triangle and removal of limited uses in favour of stat nerfs are a great step for the series. There's a few things that bother me about it. I like the idea of showing three different paths of a story in theory but it's not a particularly interesting story. My Castle also feels like a very unnecessary addition in order to appeal to a new portion of the fanbase that didn't even ask for it. My biggest gripe with the game, however, is the artstyle and the character designs. I've liked Kozaki's art since No More Heroes and I loved most of his designs for Awakening. Seeing his take on the feudal Japanese inspired designs of Hoshido was great and they have some of my favourite designs in the series. Then there's Nohr and Jesus Christ, some of them like Camilla and Charlotte just make me roll my eyes to the back of my head. I don't wanna complain too much because the gameplay is really good but I do hope they tone these aspects down a bit in the next entry.
7. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; This is a fairly controversial title. When it was announced under the SMT x FE working title, practically everybody assumed a straight forward crossover. Unlike many, however, I was pleasantly surprised that we got something entirely different and more of a mashup of various elements to create something new. One can't avoid comparisons to the Persona series because it tackles many similar themes and gameplay elements in a familiar but different way, some better some worse. The one area where I think TMS#FE definitely got the edge is combat. It really is a shame that the game feels rather amateur-hour in aspects of presentation. Some of it obviously comes from its setting but the outfits and mirage designs are a far cry from the stylish designs we're used to from Persona. It ultimately makes for a less complete and less coherent package.
8. Hyper Light Drifter ; Hyper Light Drifter came during a time where I thought I had grown tired of these retro-looking 2D games but it really is a neat little game with fantastic aesthetics and a good and challenging combat system. And sometimes that's all you really need.
1. DOOM ; This year's biggest surprise. It was basically the reverse of Duke Nukem Forever, a game so long in development I had given up all hope for it and when it finally came out it wasn't only good, it was the best FPS campaign in years. DOOM somehow manages to combine fast paced combat and light exploration reminiscent of Metroid Prime without compromising either. The gunplay stands firmly next to the best in the genre. Progression is handled in a challenging and varied way. Exploration breaks up the pace of the game nicely. And just like Wolfenstein: The New Order before it, it treated the story and the setting with a great mix of seriousness and humour. DOOM knows that it's a game, it knows that it's making you play a mute killing machine who goes against bizarre demons from hell and is confident in it. I could go on all day about how great it is and I haven't even started talking about the soundtrack (because by now, everyone and their mother has). Everything in this game is just fun. It's a shame they had to go and tack on that multiplayer
2. Titanfall 2 ; Titanfall 2 is a strange game. I bought the original including all of its DLC for cheap on PC and had some fun with it until it became a hassle to find a match and then I shelved it. It was a shame because it had an appealing artstyle and great mechanics to go with it. It was just lacking in compelling scenarios to play in. Titanfall 2 fixes that for me. I realize that fans of the original are disappointed with the MP but it wasn't a huge departure for a casual player such as myself. The addition of a single player campaign was a way bigger deal for me, admittedly. I won't go as far as to call it revolutionary or anything but it's such a brilliantly crafted and paced game, it makes one wonder why Call of Duty and Battlefield can't do the same. The double jump and wall-run add a vertical component to combat and traversal that is sorely missing from most but as if that weren't enough there's the Titan gameplay. They were already pretty cool in the first one but now you get to fight cool bosses with them. I love how they're somewhere in-between a Gundam and a BattleMech. They're neither too slow nor too flashy but have a great weight to them. It's worth mentioning that BT is really the star of this show here. I always loved Wheatley and GladOS because of their antics but Respawn played it completely straight with BT which makes him even more endearing and the ending all the more rewarding. Funny thing is, all the components aren't even hugely impressive by themselves but they are used in such a great way that you never ever feel like you're going through the motions. It really is a game bigger than the sum of its parts and it's a shame it was sent out to die like this. Also: "Trust me."
3. Devil Daggers ; Devil Daggers is pretty much the FPS distilled to its purest form. It has a handful of very simple mechanics that work excellently together and contribute to its "one more try" nature. Every time I go back to it, I find myself getting sucked in again. It's also impressive how the simple visuals and sound design add to this. On one hand, the 90s inspired graphics (especially the first Quake, I assume) and menacing sounds create a really unsettling hellish landscape but it's only after playing for a bit that you realize how this helps you navigate the game. Especially the directional sound design is incredibly impressive and I'd wager the game is nigh unplayable without it. Probably the best 5 bucks I have spent this year.
4. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir ; I forgot to include this because it's a remake/enhanced port but man, I spent so much time with it and enjoyed every single moment of it. It's really an amazing package, offering the original game alongside the remake. Which only further drives home the point how much they improved it. Presentation wise it's obviously top notch with beautiful art and a sublime soundtrack that really makes the story told from five different perspectives shine. One thing that I really like about Vanillaware games is how dark they can get and Odin Sphere is no different and even though the ending is more optimistic, how the characters get there is sometimes downright depressing. The rehauled combat system is also quite fantastic, offering unique varied combat options between the five characters. I prefer the setting of Muramasa and Dragon's Crown has more replay value and co-op but Odin Sphere is the most complete game.
5. SUPER HOT ; SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT SUPER HOT. All jokes aside, this was really quite fantastic. Technically the fourth FPS in my list but it's so radically different, it's barely even comparable. It often feels more like an improvisational puzzle game, if that even makes any sense. The story mode serves as a neat subversion of the genre and games in general. It didn't make me rethink narratives in games or anything but it served as a great reminder of what one can do with the medium that is just not possible to recreate in others. Endless mode is a bit of a mixed bag, I feel. It's fun, no doubt, but it doesn't have the same feeling as the crafted scenarios of the story mode. The only reason I put it below the other three is because it felt like it fell short of realizing its full potential the most. A level editor would go a long way to improve this but otherwise I still feel it's a very nice game and one of the most unique experiences this year.
6. Fire Emblem: Fates ; Not much to say about this one, really. It's 3x Fire Emblem. Conquest is clearly the best version here, followed by Revelations and then Birthright. The good thing is that every single one of them is still better than Awakening. The new additions and changes are great for the most part. The reworked weapon triangle and removal of limited uses in favour of stat nerfs are a great step for the series. There's a few things that bother me about it. I like the idea of showing three different paths of a story in theory but it's not a particularly interesting story. My Castle also feels like a very unnecessary addition in order to appeal to a new portion of the fanbase that didn't even ask for it. My biggest gripe with the game, however, is the artstyle and the character designs. I've liked Kozaki's art since No More Heroes and I loved most of his designs for Awakening. Seeing his take on the feudal Japanese inspired designs of Hoshido was great and they have some of my favourite designs in the series. Then there's Nohr and Jesus Christ, some of them like Camilla and Charlotte just make me roll my eyes to the back of my head. I don't wanna complain too much because the gameplay is really good but I do hope they tone these aspects down a bit in the next entry.
7. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; This is a fairly controversial title. When it was announced under the SMT x FE working title, practically everybody assumed a straight forward crossover. Unlike many, however, I was pleasantly surprised that we got something entirely different and more of a mashup of various elements to create something new. One can't avoid comparisons to the Persona series because it tackles many similar themes and gameplay elements in a familiar but different way, some better some worse. The one area where I think TMS#FE definitely got the edge is combat. It really is a shame that the game feels rather amateur-hour in aspects of presentation. Some of it obviously comes from its setting but the outfits and mirage designs are a far cry from the stylish designs we're used to from Persona. It ultimately makes for a less complete and less coherent package.
8. Hyper Light Drifter ; Hyper Light Drifter came during a time where I thought I had grown tired of these retro-looking 2D games but it really is a neat little game with fantastic aesthetics and a good and challenging combat system. And sometimes that's all you really need.
1. Persona 5 ; GAF's game of the year 2017. This title truly delivered. The delay for localization is a travesty if only because those not actively avoiding spoilers may have plot beats ruined for them. Flashy animations, hella style, incredible music... There's so much going on here that it's amazing the team didn't miss the mark a la other long in development games. I'm hoping the english localization is top notch because so much of the game depends on the characters selling the situations they are a part of.
2. Overwatch ; The first month this game was out I played nearly 100 hours of it. I've cooled off on it a bit, but the characters seem so effortless that it's annoying. I love everything about this game and the world it presents. Despite not playing in a few months I still go back and dump money into crates so I get those dumb costumes.
3. Final Fantasy XV ; Yes this game was a mess. Yes the story is unfinished. But I'll be damned if what was there wasn't some of the most fun I've had with a non MMO FF in the past 10 years. There's a truly timeless FF game in there somewhere.
4. Yakuza 6 ; The best entry in the Yakuza series thus far. The story is less grandiose that some of the previous entries, but there's something to be said for how fresh this game feels despite 12 or so various entries. Also this game is really pretty looking, and it retains a lot of the silliness that we've all come to know and love the series for.
5. Pokemon Sun ; The first Pokemon game since gen 1 that I've not only enjoyed, but finished and am still playing. It's real gud. Not much else to be said. Subtle, but much needed changes to the gameplay really helped cement this on my list.
6. VA-11 HALL-A ; Old school feeling VN with really good writing and visually fun characters. The music is dope as hell too. More people need to play this game. I really look forward to the next thing Sukeban games puts out.
7. Hyper Light Drifter ; Another old school feeling indie game. I played this before a lot of the patches hit and it was a little messy. That being said, I dumped about 70 hours into it between the various characters. I really loved the challenge and art design.
8. Picross 3D: Round 2 ; I had to stop playing this game because at night when I'd try to go to sleep I would see the blocks turning and breaking in my mind's eye. It dominated my consciousness in a way few puzzle games can.
9. Titanfall 2 ; On my list more so for the incredibly surprising single player than the multiplayer. That one mission is genius and makes you feel as such when you figure out what's going on.
10. Granblue Fantasy ; I wanted to give this spot to a game I sunk a ton of time into over one I may have liked more. I love the art in this game. Everything else about it is trash and I feel like trash whenever I play it. I'm currently somewhere in the 200 hour range and oh look, next week there's a new character event....
2. Overwatch ; The first month this game was out I played nearly 100 hours of it. I've cooled off on it a bit, but the characters seem so effortless that it's annoying. I love everything about this game and the world it presents. Despite not playing in a few months I still go back and dump money into crates so I get those dumb costumes.
3. Final Fantasy XV ; Yes this game was a mess. Yes the story is unfinished. But I'll be damned if what was there wasn't some of the most fun I've had with a non MMO FF in the past 10 years. There's a truly timeless FF game in there somewhere.
4. Yakuza 6 ; The best entry in the Yakuza series thus far. The story is less grandiose that some of the previous entries, but there's something to be said for how fresh this game feels despite 12 or so various entries. Also this game is really pretty looking, and it retains a lot of the silliness that we've all come to know and love the series for.
5. Pokemon Sun ; The first Pokemon game since gen 1 that I've not only enjoyed, but finished and am still playing. It's real gud. Not much else to be said. Subtle, but much needed changes to the gameplay really helped cement this on my list.
6. VA-11 HALL-A ; Old school feeling VN with really good writing and visually fun characters. The music is dope as hell too. More people need to play this game. I really look forward to the next thing Sukeban games puts out.
7. Hyper Light Drifter ; Another old school feeling indie game. I played this before a lot of the patches hit and it was a little messy. That being said, I dumped about 70 hours into it between the various characters. I really loved the challenge and art design.
8. Picross 3D: Round 2 ; I had to stop playing this game because at night when I'd try to go to sleep I would see the blocks turning and breaking in my mind's eye. It dominated my consciousness in a way few puzzle games can.
9. Titanfall 2 ; On my list more so for the incredibly surprising single player than the multiplayer. That one mission is genius and makes you feel as such when you figure out what's going on.
10. Granblue Fantasy ; I wanted to give this spot to a game I sunk a ton of time into over one I may have liked more. I love the art in this game. Everything else about it is trash and I feel like trash whenever I play it. I'm currently somewhere in the 200 hour range and oh look, next week there's a new character event....
IronLich
Member
1. Overwatch ; Gold Medal to the team at Blizzard. I can't tell you how much of a breath of fresh air this game was for the likes of Blizzard, who have practically been riding the same franchises for over a decade. Blizzard needed this game as badly as the FPS genre needed the colorful facelift. It's not just the sport itself. It's the potential of the universe around it, the upbeat message in a universe that has discarded the hero. It's the cast of characters that you can't escape from as they invade your fanart and your advertisements to a welcome applause. It's the satisfaction of nailing that picture perfect ultimate and getting Play of the Game with your specific intro accompanying it. Bless Team Fortress 2 and what it did for its time, but Overwatch multiplied the addiction, the strategy, and the charm 100 times over. In fact, as I type out this message to confirm that Overwatch is my pick for Game of the Year, I just wrapped up another fun 2 hour session with a good group of friends that I made thanks to Overwatch. There is no other multiplayer shooter this year that I'm still coming back to with a full team behind me, and not one other game this year that I'm crushing on as hard as this one.
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Silver Medal to Naughty Dog still managing to put the pieces together in every checkmark for the ideal roller coaster ride of an action adventure. What an astounding sendoff to a landmark franchise for its console brand. Everything from the story to the gameplay to the puzzles was built to damn near perfection. The story was a great and happy ending for Nate, Elena, and Sully with plenty of fun setpieces laid down from start to finish to keep you on your toes and to tickle your funny bone at times. The gameplay introduced new and interesting ways to get around your environments, including a grappling hook, and grappling hook based swinging events to compliment it. And the puzzles were the fine mix of being smart without being overly complex. This is the one developer who really hits it out of the park when they point to the stands every time. Uncharted 4 was thankfully not the exception to the rule.
3. DOOM ; Bronze Medal to iD Software bringing a franchise back from Hell. While Uncharted 4 was the most engaging third person adventure this year, DOOM telefragged the first person campaign market, and came absolutely out of nowhere. Easily the most frantic, smashmouth, in your face shooter in years. You can hold all the weapons. You can saw all the demons. You can brutally kill them with your hands, and be rewarded for doing so. The fact you're rewarded for getting that one crucial glory kill with a sea of health and ammo makes the risk equal to the payout every time. Gameplay was king for one of the founding father of the FPS genre. And while Overwatch was heavenly, DOOM was truly a hell worth skating in. Especially with all the great easter eggs to offer fans of the old to ease them into this savory new installment with super shotgun in hand.
4. World of Final Fantasy ; Wow! What do you even say to a game like this? Not since Dissidia has there been a Final Fantasy spinoff that is a true love letter to the franchise's rich and storied history of great games. This game is filled with such a happy charm that you can't even describe its warm fuzzy feeling accurately. While the mainline Final Fantasy of this year wants to tell meaningful stories about a brotherhood and their world spanning journey, World of Final Fantasy simply wants to pay respect to what came before it, and didn't do that bad a job in the original story department. But that's not why this game is so high up on my list. It's the brilliant usage of characters from past FF games where they retain their signature personality, and interact with each other in such humorous ways. It's the fact that this game stayed true to its turn based roots and emphasized both proper party layouts, and encouraged a stalwart gameplan to brave the harsh encounters, and add to your ever growing party. It's the music being on par with what you've come to expect with pleasant remixes of old tunes to boot. It's a game bearing the Final Fantasy that truly goes all out with its fantasy elements in a good way. I didn't think that riding a personal Magitek Armor and hearing Omen for the umpteenth time in a Final Fantasy type game would still be exciting, but here we are.
5. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; I swear, the Kirby team outdid themselves again with this installment. I have a soft spot for the Kirby series, and for over 20 years, they've surprised me in how solid, addicting, and satisfying they can make such a simple game, but they keep doing it. How they did it this time was they gave me a robot suit to punch things with, and what they also did was give me a charming new set of villains backed by a very bloodthirsty earworm for a leitmotif that compliment the cherry picked nostalgia tunes from older Kirby games chosen for specific points in the game. So what they keep doing is putting out hit after hit in a franchise that is in very good hands.
6. Ratchet & Clank ; I... was surprised by this game. In just about every way possible. Ratchet & Clank PS4 has outdone itself so well, that going back to replay the PS3 members of the R&C family is now next to impossible. The transformation into a platformer action shooter with a perfect 3rd person camera and control was fully complete with this title. My favorite part of this game by far is any planet that lets you use a jetpack to get around. At that point, this game was pure bliss. The weapon selection is mostly a "Best Of" from previous titles with their own original ideas, but you can upgrade them to the point of insanity. Just silly dumb insanity, and because of this, every weapon is the best feeling weapon in the game. Hats off to Insomniac who have one hell of a bar to overcome should they ever revisit R&C in the future.
7. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir ; Take notes, THIS is how you do a remake. Odin Sphere on the PS2 left much to be desired. Game performance issues and combat speed brought to a screeching halt by its stamina bar. Now with the remake, combat has been overhauled in the best possible way. Now everyone has unique skills and personalized elemental magic to give all five characters different approaches to ending the lives of every hostile on screen. And the actual hacking and slashing encourages more aggressive play with less downtime, and room for more creative means of destruction with air combos everywhere. The fairy tale look and feel of the story is exactly as it was in 2007, and it's what helps this game stand out in terms of visual style and presentation. What was good back then is still good, and what was bad and unpleasant then has been brought up to code now.
8. Street Fighter V ; Yes, even surrounded by how incredibly limited you were outside of the online experience, they really got it right in the gameplay department. Street Fighter V made a bold choice to put the fighting game community first when developing the game, but it meant they took their time to make sure the fighting engine was a rock solid one. What really make this game for me is the initial cast list. Fan favorites like R.Mika and Karin finally get brought back into the Street Fighter fold in grand fashion. Additions like Rashid and Necalli have already made themselves at home in the Street Fighter universe. And there have been such dramatic changes to former clones like Ken and Nash that even Ryu and Guile look fresh and original now. The new system additions like V-Trigger really do emphasize the unique traits of every character, ensuring you're not playing the same character with a different paint job. I really hope to see this game improve within the coming year, but the bottom line is Street Fighter V brought the hype when all was said and done in its rookie year.
9. Project X Zone 2 ; 10 years prior, Namco and Capcom did a handshake agreement, and embarked on a Brave New World. While people had "Fighting game crossover!" on the minds, that is certainly what you didn't get here. You got a slow moving turn based strategy experience that was high on world colliding story, but low on addicting gameplay. And in the present day, the duo is now a trio with Nintendo lending the developers a few of their toys to play with. Project X Zone 2 is part of a franchise that is truly once in a lifetime, and the sequel is truly as good as it gets in the gameplay department. Flashier combos, faster progression, funnier dialogue reinforced by amazing in-jokes and hilarious interactions between both beloved and neglected characters that populate the deep history of some of our most cherished game publishers and series... this one is the peak. Some game series did have to be sacrificed, but the story and the singular universe meshing benefit from less busy hands, making a more cohesive story that allowed multiple different threats to coexist in a sensible manner. This is how you do the company wide video game crossover adventure.
10. Batman: The Telltale Series ; Gotta give credit where credit is due, but leave it to Telltale to take the Batman universe, and splash our eyes with a fresh new take on the dark knight. What makes this such an original Batman world is that... it's about half a Batman game. If you want, you can leave the more intense situations to the man behind the mask, Bruce Wayne, and allow him to give them a more human touch. And certain situations deem it necessary, as this story becomes more about Bruce Wayne and his family's past rather than telling the story of your typical Batman game. I really enjoyed the more personal experience on this particular go at the usual suspects of the Batman universe. That being said, if you do manage to Batman up your scenario, the game obliges with far more edge of your seat action that forces your attention on both screen and buttons alike. There are elements that Telltale introduced to make this series unique from all their other games, especially emphasis on doing detective work and putting together the visions in your head, whether it's solving the what and how of a crime scene, or planning out the step by step takedown of a room filled with lowlife criminals. I really hope Telltale revisits this world, as it gets to sit alongside many other interpretations of Batman and Gotham City, and still stand out in their own special way.
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Silver Medal to Naughty Dog still managing to put the pieces together in every checkmark for the ideal roller coaster ride of an action adventure. What an astounding sendoff to a landmark franchise for its console brand. Everything from the story to the gameplay to the puzzles was built to damn near perfection. The story was a great and happy ending for Nate, Elena, and Sully with plenty of fun setpieces laid down from start to finish to keep you on your toes and to tickle your funny bone at times. The gameplay introduced new and interesting ways to get around your environments, including a grappling hook, and grappling hook based swinging events to compliment it. And the puzzles were the fine mix of being smart without being overly complex. This is the one developer who really hits it out of the park when they point to the stands every time. Uncharted 4 was thankfully not the exception to the rule.
3. DOOM ; Bronze Medal to iD Software bringing a franchise back from Hell. While Uncharted 4 was the most engaging third person adventure this year, DOOM telefragged the first person campaign market, and came absolutely out of nowhere. Easily the most frantic, smashmouth, in your face shooter in years. You can hold all the weapons. You can saw all the demons. You can brutally kill them with your hands, and be rewarded for doing so. The fact you're rewarded for getting that one crucial glory kill with a sea of health and ammo makes the risk equal to the payout every time. Gameplay was king for one of the founding father of the FPS genre. And while Overwatch was heavenly, DOOM was truly a hell worth skating in. Especially with all the great easter eggs to offer fans of the old to ease them into this savory new installment with super shotgun in hand.
4. World of Final Fantasy ; Wow! What do you even say to a game like this? Not since Dissidia has there been a Final Fantasy spinoff that is a true love letter to the franchise's rich and storied history of great games. This game is filled with such a happy charm that you can't even describe its warm fuzzy feeling accurately. While the mainline Final Fantasy of this year wants to tell meaningful stories about a brotherhood and their world spanning journey, World of Final Fantasy simply wants to pay respect to what came before it, and didn't do that bad a job in the original story department. But that's not why this game is so high up on my list. It's the brilliant usage of characters from past FF games where they retain their signature personality, and interact with each other in such humorous ways. It's the fact that this game stayed true to its turn based roots and emphasized both proper party layouts, and encouraged a stalwart gameplan to brave the harsh encounters, and add to your ever growing party. It's the music being on par with what you've come to expect with pleasant remixes of old tunes to boot. It's a game bearing the Final Fantasy that truly goes all out with its fantasy elements in a good way. I didn't think that riding a personal Magitek Armor and hearing Omen for the umpteenth time in a Final Fantasy type game would still be exciting, but here we are.
5. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; I swear, the Kirby team outdid themselves again with this installment. I have a soft spot for the Kirby series, and for over 20 years, they've surprised me in how solid, addicting, and satisfying they can make such a simple game, but they keep doing it. How they did it this time was they gave me a robot suit to punch things with, and what they also did was give me a charming new set of villains backed by a very bloodthirsty earworm for a leitmotif that compliment the cherry picked nostalgia tunes from older Kirby games chosen for specific points in the game. So what they keep doing is putting out hit after hit in a franchise that is in very good hands.
6. Ratchet & Clank ; I... was surprised by this game. In just about every way possible. Ratchet & Clank PS4 has outdone itself so well, that going back to replay the PS3 members of the R&C family is now next to impossible. The transformation into a platformer action shooter with a perfect 3rd person camera and control was fully complete with this title. My favorite part of this game by far is any planet that lets you use a jetpack to get around. At that point, this game was pure bliss. The weapon selection is mostly a "Best Of" from previous titles with their own original ideas, but you can upgrade them to the point of insanity. Just silly dumb insanity, and because of this, every weapon is the best feeling weapon in the game. Hats off to Insomniac who have one hell of a bar to overcome should they ever revisit R&C in the future.
7. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir ; Take notes, THIS is how you do a remake. Odin Sphere on the PS2 left much to be desired. Game performance issues and combat speed brought to a screeching halt by its stamina bar. Now with the remake, combat has been overhauled in the best possible way. Now everyone has unique skills and personalized elemental magic to give all five characters different approaches to ending the lives of every hostile on screen. And the actual hacking and slashing encourages more aggressive play with less downtime, and room for more creative means of destruction with air combos everywhere. The fairy tale look and feel of the story is exactly as it was in 2007, and it's what helps this game stand out in terms of visual style and presentation. What was good back then is still good, and what was bad and unpleasant then has been brought up to code now.
8. Street Fighter V ; Yes, even surrounded by how incredibly limited you were outside of the online experience, they really got it right in the gameplay department. Street Fighter V made a bold choice to put the fighting game community first when developing the game, but it meant they took their time to make sure the fighting engine was a rock solid one. What really make this game for me is the initial cast list. Fan favorites like R.Mika and Karin finally get brought back into the Street Fighter fold in grand fashion. Additions like Rashid and Necalli have already made themselves at home in the Street Fighter universe. And there have been such dramatic changes to former clones like Ken and Nash that even Ryu and Guile look fresh and original now. The new system additions like V-Trigger really do emphasize the unique traits of every character, ensuring you're not playing the same character with a different paint job. I really hope to see this game improve within the coming year, but the bottom line is Street Fighter V brought the hype when all was said and done in its rookie year.
9. Project X Zone 2 ; 10 years prior, Namco and Capcom did a handshake agreement, and embarked on a Brave New World. While people had "Fighting game crossover!" on the minds, that is certainly what you didn't get here. You got a slow moving turn based strategy experience that was high on world colliding story, but low on addicting gameplay. And in the present day, the duo is now a trio with Nintendo lending the developers a few of their toys to play with. Project X Zone 2 is part of a franchise that is truly once in a lifetime, and the sequel is truly as good as it gets in the gameplay department. Flashier combos, faster progression, funnier dialogue reinforced by amazing in-jokes and hilarious interactions between both beloved and neglected characters that populate the deep history of some of our most cherished game publishers and series... this one is the peak. Some game series did have to be sacrificed, but the story and the singular universe meshing benefit from less busy hands, making a more cohesive story that allowed multiple different threats to coexist in a sensible manner. This is how you do the company wide video game crossover adventure.
10. Batman: The Telltale Series ; Gotta give credit where credit is due, but leave it to Telltale to take the Batman universe, and splash our eyes with a fresh new take on the dark knight. What makes this such an original Batman world is that... it's about half a Batman game. If you want, you can leave the more intense situations to the man behind the mask, Bruce Wayne, and allow him to give them a more human touch. And certain situations deem it necessary, as this story becomes more about Bruce Wayne and his family's past rather than telling the story of your typical Batman game. I really enjoyed the more personal experience on this particular go at the usual suspects of the Batman universe. That being said, if you do manage to Batman up your scenario, the game obliges with far more edge of your seat action that forces your attention on both screen and buttons alike. There are elements that Telltale introduced to make this series unique from all their other games, especially emphasis on doing detective work and putting together the visions in your head, whether it's solving the what and how of a crime scene, or planning out the step by step takedown of a room filled with lowlife criminals. I really hope Telltale revisits this world, as it gets to sit alongside many other interpretations of Batman and Gotham City, and still stand out in their own special way.
1. Doom ; Crazy insane stuff that I want more of pumped into my brain. The speed of the combat, the secrets, just writing about it makes me want to take it for another go.
2. Dark Souls 3 ; Still haven't caught souls fatigue. Loved the art direction, the bosses, the weapons. I doubt I'll ever get tired of the series.
3. Oxenfree ; The main thing that hooked me was primarily the dialogue. The way the characters interrupted each other, it was just an enjoyable romp all around.
4. Inside ; Garbage gameplay gets in the way of an otherwise fantastically bleak and hopeless landscape. Beautiful.
5. Uncharted 4
6. Zombie Night Terror
7. Redout
8. Owlboy
9. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
10. Deadbolt
2. Dark Souls 3 ; Still haven't caught souls fatigue. Loved the art direction, the bosses, the weapons. I doubt I'll ever get tired of the series.
3. Oxenfree ; The main thing that hooked me was primarily the dialogue. The way the characters interrupted each other, it was just an enjoyable romp all around.
4. Inside ; Garbage gameplay gets in the way of an otherwise fantastically bleak and hopeless landscape. Beautiful.
5. Uncharted 4
6. Zombie Night Terror
7. Redout
8. Owlboy
9. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
10. Deadbolt
1. Titanfall 2 ; the maps aren't great but the last time I played an online FPS this much was the first Titanfall so they did something right.
2. DOOM ; An amazing blend of old and new that always kept me engaged.
3. Battlefield 1 ; If Titanfall 2 hadn't come out a week later, I would still be playing Battlefield 1. It's probably my favorite of the series.
4. Unravel ; A charming puzzle-platformer that actually got me a little emotional at the end.
5. Forza Horizon 3 ; The most time I've put into a racing game since Forza 3. An amazing experience.
2. DOOM ; An amazing blend of old and new that always kept me engaged.
3. Battlefield 1 ; If Titanfall 2 hadn't come out a week later, I would still be playing Battlefield 1. It's probably my favorite of the series.
4. Unravel ; A charming puzzle-platformer that actually got me a little emotional at the end.
5. Forza Horizon 3 ; The most time I've put into a racing game since Forza 3. An amazing experience.
Glass Rebel
Member
Shit, I didn't even consider that Odin Sphere is eligible for this year. Back to editing my post.
orthodoxy1095
Banned
A great game that I wish I had time to get into.
Glass Rebel
Member
Tons of games this year that made me feel this way. Sadly? Luckily?
amstradcpc
Member
whats the film?.
1. Hyper Light Drifter ; Didn't really thought this would be my GOTY but after playing twice through NG+, I just had an awesome experience.
2. SteinsGate 0 ; Maybe not as good as the first one but nearly. Played through the whole story in round about 30 hours and I really like the time travel, AI and more complicated stuff in the VN.
3. Stardew Valley ; Followed the development of Stardew Valley long ago and everytime the game got delayed I sighed. In the end it was the best thing Barone did and I love it.
4. Killing Floor 2
5. Civilization VI
6. VA-11 HALL-A
7. Zero Time Dilemma ; Not a worthy successor to 999 or VLR but an overall Okish game I guess.
8. The Witness
9. Mirror's Edge Catalyst
10. Grand Kingdom
2. SteinsGate 0 ; Maybe not as good as the first one but nearly. Played through the whole story in round about 30 hours and I really like the time travel, AI and more complicated stuff in the VN.
3. Stardew Valley ; Followed the development of Stardew Valley long ago and everytime the game got delayed I sighed. In the end it was the best thing Barone did and I love it.
4. Killing Floor 2
5. Civilization VI
6. VA-11 HALL-A
7. Zero Time Dilemma ; Not a worthy successor to 999 or VLR but an overall Okish game I guess.
8. The Witness
9. Mirror's Edge Catalyst
10. Grand Kingdom
orthodoxy1095
Banned
Both lol! Sadly because I don't have the time or money for all of them, and luckily because it means there's a nice well of games to go back to if the well runs dry in any upcoming year!
level1
Member
Watchmen
1. DOOM ; Having grown up in a post-DOOM world, DOOM 2016 helped me understand the impact of the original DOOM, or at least what it would have been like to be playing that game in 1993. Graphics might age, tastes might change, but good game design never goes out of fashion. To think, with the tepid reaction to the multiplayer beta, with how cagey Bethesda were behaving prior to release, many would have predicted this to be a Duke Nukem Forever-esque disaster. Instead, it's now the benchmark.
2. Hitman ; Looking back at season one, there's not really a series better suited to the episodic format. One large level, thousands of points of interaction, countless ways to carry out a murder or two. A few moments of frantic improvisation can have the same results as hours of careful planning but a successful hit is hugely satisfying regardless.
3. Inside ; In the year in which Doom released, few would quibble that Inside is the most visceral game of 2016. The game has the power that few do to provoke a reaction from the player - although, admittedly, they're largely of horror, disgust and depression.
4. The Last Guardian ; An astounding technical achievement that is technically unsound. A masterpiece of a game that can be an absolute battle to play. There aren't many games that simultaneously manage to be so beautiful but so ugly. There is nothing like, nor has there ever been anything like, Trico in any other game.
5. Pokemon Sun (& Moon) ; Yep. It's Pokemon alright. The most friction-free Pokemon there is. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, HMs.
6. Titanfall 2 ; The hyperbolic reaction to Titanfall 2 wasn't as easy to understand as one would have hoped. Between the multiplayer and the single player campaign, you have what amounts to the best Call of Duty game in years; an excellent game but not a gaming masterpiece.
7. Ratchet & Clank ; Nostalgic feelings were curtailed somewhat by clumsy movie inserts and a surprising level of difficulty but it's still a Ratchet & Clank game damn it.
8. FIFA 17 ; On the list primarily due to hours put in, not necessarily for astounding quality.
9. Gears of War 4 ; Yep. It's Gears of War alright.
10. Overwatch ; Not my cup of tea but I can admire the achievement.
2. Hitman ; Looking back at season one, there's not really a series better suited to the episodic format. One large level, thousands of points of interaction, countless ways to carry out a murder or two. A few moments of frantic improvisation can have the same results as hours of careful planning but a successful hit is hugely satisfying regardless.
3. Inside ; In the year in which Doom released, few would quibble that Inside is the most visceral game of 2016. The game has the power that few do to provoke a reaction from the player - although, admittedly, they're largely of horror, disgust and depression.
4. The Last Guardian ; An astounding technical achievement that is technically unsound. A masterpiece of a game that can be an absolute battle to play. There aren't many games that simultaneously manage to be so beautiful but so ugly. There is nothing like, nor has there ever been anything like, Trico in any other game.
5. Pokemon Sun (& Moon) ; Yep. It's Pokemon alright. The most friction-free Pokemon there is. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, HMs.
6. Titanfall 2 ; The hyperbolic reaction to Titanfall 2 wasn't as easy to understand as one would have hoped. Between the multiplayer and the single player campaign, you have what amounts to the best Call of Duty game in years; an excellent game but not a gaming masterpiece.
7. Ratchet & Clank ; Nostalgic feelings were curtailed somewhat by clumsy movie inserts and a surprising level of difficulty but it's still a Ratchet & Clank game damn it.
8. FIFA 17 ; On the list primarily due to hours put in, not necessarily for astounding quality.
9. Gears of War 4 ; Yep. It's Gears of War alright.
10. Overwatch ; Not my cup of tea but I can admire the achievement.
Playtendox
Neo Member
1. Final Fantasy XV ; Sure it has it's flaws, but I love it anyway. Put way too much time into this game, and there's still stuff to do.
2. Doom ; Without a doubt the most badass game of the year.
3. Forza Horizon 3 ; It's just such a polished game and the atmosphere is absolutely perfect.
4. Overwatch ; Great characters, many different playstyles and a fun game overall.
5. Uncharted 4 ; Very well paced and one of the best looking videogames out there.
6. Stardew Valley ; Probably the biggest surprise this year. Many hours went into this game.
7. Titanfall 2 ; Innovative campaign and very fun multiplayer.
8. Firewatch ; Fantastic characters and voice acting. Looks nice too.
9. I am Setsuna ; Classic JRPG with a beautiful soundtrack. Heavily underrated.
10. Abzu ; It's a lot like Journey, but at the same time it's unique. Leaves you with the same feeling though.
2. Doom ; Without a doubt the most badass game of the year.
3. Forza Horizon 3 ; It's just such a polished game and the atmosphere is absolutely perfect.
4. Overwatch ; Great characters, many different playstyles and a fun game overall.
5. Uncharted 4 ; Very well paced and one of the best looking videogames out there.
6. Stardew Valley ; Probably the biggest surprise this year. Many hours went into this game.
7. Titanfall 2 ; Innovative campaign and very fun multiplayer.
8. Firewatch ; Fantastic characters and voice acting. Looks nice too.
9. I am Setsuna ; Classic JRPG with a beautiful soundtrack. Heavily underrated.
10. Abzu ; It's a lot like Journey, but at the same time it's unique. Leaves you with the same feeling though.
Magic Mushroom
Member
You need to fix your formating.
level1
Member
Gotta have a semicolon after the game title instead of a dash for your post to be valid
1. Overwatch ; Just a few hours with the beta and I knew this would be a game I'd play for a long time. 250+ hours later, yeah, this is my GOTY. A teambased hero shooter at it's finest.
2. Titanfall 2 ; What a surprise, best shooter campaign in years and amazingly fun multiplayer.
3. Battlefield 1 ; The BF series is the most favorite one of my friends so we play every version together and this year's has been one of the best imo. Looking at my top-3 it has been a great year for online shooters.
4. Uncharted 4 ; Fantastic visuals, cool story and characters and fun gameplay. Finished this within a week while normally I rarely finish games at all.
5. X-Com 2 ; One of my fav turnbased strategy series and the timer twist made it a nailbiting but very fulfilling experience.
6. F1 2016 ; I've been back into F1 since Maxgod is driving and I did not expect the Codemasters game to be this good. Loved the atmosphere with the cutscenes and radiochatter but also had a damn good time with the actual racing.
7. Football Manager 2017 ; The best sports management series with the best version in years.
8. Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 ; The king is back. Even though I play less than back in the day, Pro Evo always makes for some great couch multiplayer nights.
9. Pocket Card Jockey ; Solitaire and horse racing? Whut? Addicting, fun and a pleasing art style. The perfect game for commuting.
10. Mafia III ; Great soundtrack, story, story missions and combat, only brought down by some technical issues and uninspiring side content. Another game I finished within a week (or 2), which can't be said for something like Watch Dogs 2 f.e.
x. Dishonored 2 ; Haven't played this much yet as I got it last week, but it surely is promising and might enter the top-10 if I can find the time to play it more before the deadline ends.
x. Watch Dogs 2 ; Not a bad game at all, in fact it's good. But after 10ish hours I stopped caring about the characters and story and haven't played since. Might be me though.
x. Planet Coaster ; Another game I bought and which looks very promising, but I just haven't played it enough for it to be in my top-10. I also found out I lack the creativity to make beautiful parks.
x. Civilization VI ; Did I mention yet I buy a lot of games but don't have time to play them all extensively? Another promising game..
LTTP. Fire Emblem Awakening ; Bought a New 3DS this year and had tons of fun with this one, fantastic turnbased strategy in your pocket.
2016 has been a wonderful year for gaming, that's for sure!
2. Titanfall 2 ; What a surprise, best shooter campaign in years and amazingly fun multiplayer.
3. Battlefield 1 ; The BF series is the most favorite one of my friends so we play every version together and this year's has been one of the best imo. Looking at my top-3 it has been a great year for online shooters.
4. Uncharted 4 ; Fantastic visuals, cool story and characters and fun gameplay. Finished this within a week while normally I rarely finish games at all.
5. X-Com 2 ; One of my fav turnbased strategy series and the timer twist made it a nailbiting but very fulfilling experience.
6. F1 2016 ; I've been back into F1 since Maxgod is driving and I did not expect the Codemasters game to be this good. Loved the atmosphere with the cutscenes and radiochatter but also had a damn good time with the actual racing.
7. Football Manager 2017 ; The best sports management series with the best version in years.
8. Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 ; The king is back. Even though I play less than back in the day, Pro Evo always makes for some great couch multiplayer nights.
9. Pocket Card Jockey ; Solitaire and horse racing? Whut? Addicting, fun and a pleasing art style. The perfect game for commuting.
10. Mafia III ; Great soundtrack, story, story missions and combat, only brought down by some technical issues and uninspiring side content. Another game I finished within a week (or 2), which can't be said for something like Watch Dogs 2 f.e.
x. Dishonored 2 ; Haven't played this much yet as I got it last week, but it surely is promising and might enter the top-10 if I can find the time to play it more before the deadline ends.
x. Watch Dogs 2 ; Not a bad game at all, in fact it's good. But after 10ish hours I stopped caring about the characters and story and haven't played since. Might be me though.
x. Planet Coaster ; Another game I bought and which looks very promising, but I just haven't played it enough for it to be in my top-10. I also found out I lack the creativity to make beautiful parks.
x. Civilization VI ; Did I mention yet I buy a lot of games but don't have time to play them all extensively? Another promising game..
LTTP. Fire Emblem Awakening ; Bought a New 3DS this year and had tons of fun with this one, fantastic turnbased strategy in your pocket.
2016 has been a wonderful year for gaming, that's for sure!
Playtendox
Neo Member
Thanks I think I got it right now
MineralCraver420
Banned
1. The Last Guardian ; In spite of its flaws, no other game this year tied its mechanics to its emotional storytelling as well as this.
2. Inside ; A beautifully directed nightmare
3. Owlboy ; Polished as fuck, yet with a surprisingly good story
4. Overwatch ; An agressively market tested game designed to appeal to as many people as possible, yet delightfully fun regardless.
5. Hyper Light Drifter ; A minimalist epic; a tragic journey.
6. Dark Souls 3 ; A rehash of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, with few new ideas. Still one of the best designed games of the year.
7. The Witness ; With a better story, and less padding, it could've been a GOAT. As it is, it is only one of the most intriguing and ambitious games of the year.
8. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End; A junk food AAA game with enough polish and care to make it feel fun
9. Superhot; Absolutely style over substance, but god damn is this an addictive score attack game.
10. Pokémon Sun/Moon ; A delightfully charming game.
x. Titanfall 2 ; 3 of the best singleplayer campaign levels ever lie in the middle of this campaign, though military cliche got in the way a bit for me.
x. Final Fantasy XV ; A hot mess, but still undoubtedly charming.
2. Inside ; A beautifully directed nightmare
3. Owlboy ; Polished as fuck, yet with a surprisingly good story
4. Overwatch ; An agressively market tested game designed to appeal to as many people as possible, yet delightfully fun regardless.
5. Hyper Light Drifter ; A minimalist epic; a tragic journey.
6. Dark Souls 3 ; A rehash of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, with few new ideas. Still one of the best designed games of the year.
7. The Witness ; With a better story, and less padding, it could've been a GOAT. As it is, it is only one of the most intriguing and ambitious games of the year.
8. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End; A junk food AAA game with enough polish and care to make it feel fun
9. Superhot; Absolutely style over substance, but god damn is this an addictive score attack game.
10. Pokémon Sun/Moon ; A delightfully charming game.
x. Titanfall 2 ; 3 of the best singleplayer campaign levels ever lie in the middle of this campaign, though military cliche got in the way a bit for me.
x. Final Fantasy XV ; A hot mess, but still undoubtedly charming.
R
Rösti
Unconfirmed Member
1. DOOM ; A parable of the lost son, perfected. While Doom 3 delivered a quite nice action/horror experience, it did not quite give you that certain feeling of dread, haunt and mayhem à la 1993. DOOM (2016) however does. Great gameplay, stunning visuals (kudos for Vulkan support) and sound, a fun multiplayer mode and a storyline that will have you beginng for more makes this my top title for 2016. Nicely done, id Software.
2. World of Warcraft: Legion ; Content is king. And Legion, the newest expansion to the long-running World of Warcraft series, is nearly overabundant in content. A rich story where the Burning Legion once again invades Azeroth features many intense lore moments, woven together through regular quest lines, the new world quests, class campaigns and artifact weapons that you empower as you progress through the world. There is something for everyone, and the first major patch (7.2) hasn't even launched yet. Legion is a triumphant return to glory for the franchise, and I couldn't be more excited for what is about to be released.
3. Planet Coaster ; I have always been a fan of managerial games, especially those where you create a park or resort of some kind. RollerCoaster Tycoon has long been a favorite of mine, but I don't like what has happened to the series in recent years. That's why I find Planet Coaster by Frontier Developments a real treasure. Players are given very rich tools to create their dream parks, and mod support is great. With a nice artistic design, intuitive controls and multiple play styles (campaign, free mode etc.) to choose from, Planet Coaster is a modern theme park simulator, and a really great one too.
4. Pokémon Sun and Moon ; The story of Pokémon Sun and Moon is the usual: A young trainer ventures into the world to find, capture, train and battle Pokémon while embarking on a quest to save the world from an evil organisation. Nothing out of the ordinary there. In other aspects however Pokémon Sun and Moon excel. Charming visual style with an appealing color palette (goes well with the Hawaii theme), a nice soundtrack (I really like the Hau'oli City music) and the Alolan forms of previous generation Pokémon is a great new feature. It's an easy to get into game but deep enough to have you remain in the Alola region for quite a while.
5. The Last Guardian ; Just like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian offers a deep enthralling story with characters you'll come to love as you progress. Coupled with gorgeous graphics, great sound design and intriguing puzzle solving, The Last Guardian is definitely worth a try. But you might want to bring a paper towel just in case.
6. Inside ; Limbo was a great experience, Inside is no different. The visual style is remarkable, so is the animation and the fluid world. The soundtrack by Martin Stig Andersen fits the game really well, be sure to check out how the scores were created.
7. Total War: Warhammer ; A perfect match to me it seems. Great turn-based strategy and resource management, with real-time tactical control of battles coupled with the rich lore of Warhammer Fantasy. A joy to play, and you don't need to be a Warhammer fan to get into it (although some knowledge of the Warhammer universe can help).
8. Forza Horizon 3 ; For me this is mainly a visual experience as I like to just cruise through the Australian landscapes, for it is a beautiful game. Of course Forza has always been rich in letting the user configure the driving experience to be just the way desired, so there's definitely feeling in car handling and whatnot as well. Nice online modes pave for a really nice driving game.
9. Rez Infinite ; A great fit for PlayStation VR in my opinion, and a great opportunity for everyone that may have missed this game when it originally released in 2001. Check it out.
10. Trackmania Turbo ; Trackmania's concept is simple: Race through and build crazy levels. And it's executed well, especially with Turbo. Not much to say really. It looks great, it feels great. It is Trackmania.
forgeforsaken
Member
1. Salt and Sanctuary ; A wonderful blend of latter day Castlevania and Dark Souls. There are flaws, but for the most part a marvelous achievement from a husband and wife team.
2. Overwatch ; Making competitive FPS fun again.
3. Doom ; It's Doom.
4. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun ; An extremely polished love letter to a genre of game we haven't seen in years.
2. Overwatch ; Making competitive FPS fun again.
3. Doom ; It's Doom.
4. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun ; An extremely polished love letter to a genre of game we haven't seen in years.
1. Persona 5 ; Phenominal. Beautiful graphics, interesting story, unique characters, tons of content. It was everything I wanted this title to be and more.
2. Pokemon Sun/Moon ; Fantastic setting, Fantastic new Pokemon. Enjoyed the increased importance of character and story in the Pokemon world and the tiny bit of cinematic feel evoked by the cutscenes
3. The Last Guardian ; Absolutely breathtaking experience like non-other in gaming. Ueda does it again. I don't even care that much about animals in real life, but I truly felt an emotional bond with Trico while playing.
4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Enjoyed the more story heavy focus in this entry. Graphics were out of this world.
5. Tales of Berseria ; Strong cast and interesting story made this a very compelling title and my favorite Tales of title to date.
6. Titanfall 2 ; I don't even like FPS games, but this was truly special. Enjoyed every second of this game and would highly recommend to anyone.
7. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth ; My first Digimon game since the PS1 days and boy did it not disappoint. Such an interesting setting. Looking forward to more Story titles in the future.
8. Ratchet & Clank ; Beautiful, fun, and Ratchet and Clank. Story presentation felt weird which I assume was due to the movie, but a real great experience.
9. Gravity Rush Remastered ; An already fantastic game made even better. Graphical update is absolutely stunning.
10. Final Fantasy XV ; I really did enjoy my time with this, it was just so unfinished storywise I couldn't bring myself to rate it higher on my list.
2. Pokemon Sun/Moon ; Fantastic setting, Fantastic new Pokemon. Enjoyed the increased importance of character and story in the Pokemon world and the tiny bit of cinematic feel evoked by the cutscenes
3. The Last Guardian ; Absolutely breathtaking experience like non-other in gaming. Ueda does it again. I don't even care that much about animals in real life, but I truly felt an emotional bond with Trico while playing.
4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Enjoyed the more story heavy focus in this entry. Graphics were out of this world.
5. Tales of Berseria ; Strong cast and interesting story made this a very compelling title and my favorite Tales of title to date.
6. Titanfall 2 ; I don't even like FPS games, but this was truly special. Enjoyed every second of this game and would highly recommend to anyone.
7. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth ; My first Digimon game since the PS1 days and boy did it not disappoint. Such an interesting setting. Looking forward to more Story titles in the future.
8. Ratchet & Clank ; Beautiful, fun, and Ratchet and Clank. Story presentation felt weird which I assume was due to the movie, but a real great experience.
9. Gravity Rush Remastered ; An already fantastic game made even better. Graphical update is absolutely stunning.
10. Final Fantasy XV ; I really did enjoy my time with this, it was just so unfinished storywise I couldn't bring myself to rate it higher on my list.
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; When this got announced I was a bit disappointed, Naughty Dog had just come off making The Last of Us and it felt with Uncharted 3 they'd already closed off the franchise well enough. Thankfully though I could not be more wrong this is the send off that Uncharted deserved everything about it from the gun play to the set piece moments have been improved on and the area where you get to drive around in a jeep wherever you like in Madagascar was something I never expected an Uncharted game to do and was one of its best moments.
2. Doom ; Such a great game they lean on the Doom nostalgia enough while making something that feels new and fresh.
3. Batman Arkham VR ; I was grinning from ear to ear as I descended into the Batcave and put on the Batsuit this game sold me on VR and it would be number one if it was a bit longer. As it is though it is a fantastic short experience that will sell you on how good VR can be.
4. Titanfall 2 ; A campaign that has some really neat moments and a fantastic multiplayer mode. This is the game I've probably spent the most time playing this year and I won't be stopping anytime soon.
5. SteinsGate 0 ; Not as good as the first game and they fumble the end a bit but the journey through the game is fantastic they took the characters from the first game and fleshed them out a bit more.
6. Superhot ; It's the most innovative shooter I've played in years.
7. Hitman ; After Absolution and the announcement that this game would be episodic I really wasn't expecting too much from this but this is the best the game has been since Bloody Money.
8. Ratchet & Clank ; I never really got into the Ratchet and Clank games but after really liking Sunset Overdrive I decided to give it a go. This game is beautiful and has some really cool weapons to experiment around with, take a bow Insomniac this is how you do remakes.
9. FIFA 17 ; I wouldn't usually put a sports game in here because they tend to be the same every year and gameplay wise FIFA 17 isn't that much different from the last game. However the story mode that they added in was so well put together and enjoyable I had to put it on there, I hope they build on this for next years game.
10. Job Simulator ; A great game to showcase VR with, the devs seem to have anticipated every way you would want to interact with the objects you can pick up and the environments.
2. Doom ; Such a great game they lean on the Doom nostalgia enough while making something that feels new and fresh.
3. Batman Arkham VR ; I was grinning from ear to ear as I descended into the Batcave and put on the Batsuit this game sold me on VR and it would be number one if it was a bit longer. As it is though it is a fantastic short experience that will sell you on how good VR can be.
4. Titanfall 2 ; A campaign that has some really neat moments and a fantastic multiplayer mode. This is the game I've probably spent the most time playing this year and I won't be stopping anytime soon.
5. SteinsGate 0 ; Not as good as the first game and they fumble the end a bit but the journey through the game is fantastic they took the characters from the first game and fleshed them out a bit more.
6. Superhot ; It's the most innovative shooter I've played in years.
7. Hitman ; After Absolution and the announcement that this game would be episodic I really wasn't expecting too much from this but this is the best the game has been since Bloody Money.
8. Ratchet & Clank ; I never really got into the Ratchet and Clank games but after really liking Sunset Overdrive I decided to give it a go. This game is beautiful and has some really cool weapons to experiment around with, take a bow Insomniac this is how you do remakes.
9. FIFA 17 ; I wouldn't usually put a sports game in here because they tend to be the same every year and gameplay wise FIFA 17 isn't that much different from the last game. However the story mode that they added in was so well put together and enjoyable I had to put it on there, I hope they build on this for next years game.
10. Job Simulator ; A great game to showcase VR with, the devs seem to have anticipated every way you would want to interact with the objects you can pick up and the environments.