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GAF Games of the Year 2016 - Voting Thread [Voting closed]

acevans2

Member
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; NDI took what they do best and did it better. Don't interpret that as anything less than incredible, either- they raised the bar even further with Uncharted 4 and most everyone else is just watching. It gets harder and harder to do something great even better, but like a legendary athlete- we are watching NDI refine their skill to a level we might not even get to truly appreciate until years pass.

2. Final Fantasy XV ; I just wanted a decent Final Fantasy. Starting with Final Fantasy XIII until this November, I had lost faith in the franchise. The only reason I got Final Fantasy XV on release was because I had to know what exactly they had made after all these years. I was wrong to set my expectations so low. This FF lacks some of the things I love PS1/PS2 FFs for, but it took the right approach to making FF modern and I love it.

3. The Witness ; You couldn't have convinced me with a description of this game in words that it would be something I adore. That's part of what I think makes The Witness so great. It's something I could only experience as a video game and it's put together with such care that I think almost anyone could play and enjoy this game, abstract as it may be.

4. The Last Guardian ; I'm so glad this didn't come out on the PS3. If they had cut corners and made this product any less than it is today, it would be tragic.

5. Titanfall 2 ; I don't have an Xbox One and I remember the disappointment when I read the former Infinity Ward heads were sticking with that platform for their new franchise. Disappointment: justified? Now that I have played Titanfall 2 I'm definitely a fan of this new dev team.

6. Overcooked ; I have now played Overcooked with some people I hardly know now, and it's hard for me to believe how this game made us work together (& shout in urgency).

7. Ratchet & Clank ; That film's poor performance better not stop Insomniac from taking this reboot to the next level. Can you even picture the possible sequel that mimics the jump in quality from the original R&C to Going Commando?

8. Unravel ; Music, visual design, and game mechanics complement one another excellently here. Physics-based puzzlers are too few, in my opinion. Unravel coming along and scratching that itch with high overall quality to boot was such a treat.

9. Firewatch ; I will say that Firewatch didn't live up to my high expectations, but I wouldn't ever say it's less than great. Olly Moss's art, the great writing and performances, and the brilliant concept for a setting were just not quite elevated to where they could've been by the way the game (& its mechanics) rolled it all out.

10. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD ; This is no Wind Waker (in terms of the game itself) and the quality of the HD remaster is nothing special...but as it is my first experience with Twilight Princess it does make my top 10 for some obvious reasons. The dungeons are plentiful and well designed and while a lot of the risks it takes seem unnecessary, others are appreciated.
 
1. Bound ; A triumph, an experience I won't soon forget. Beautiful story, visuals, music, animation.

2. Uncharted 4 ; A fitting conclusion. While not my fav from the series, it definitely still had its moments.

3. Virginia ; I love it when a game does something different. This game felt more like a suspenseful movie, and I really liked that.

4. Firewatch ; I was totally absorbed by the story...Almost throughout. But you have to hand it to the game's first time developer: they got A LOT right.

5. Abzu ; While initially sort of "meh" on this one, I came to really appreciate it. They did some VERY cool things with it, and unlike Journey, I feel more of a desire to go back and play it.
 
1. The Last Guardian ; One of the most memorable experiences I've ever had and my favourite game of this gen. Incredible storytelling through gameplay and some of the best set pieces I have ever seen. Great soundtrack and top tier art direction too.

2. Uncharted 4 ; My favourite game in the series, some of the best third person shooting mechanics I've played and the rope adds a ton of fun. The larger levels finally allow for the exploration I always wanted in these games, and it has a great mix of combat and downtime. I never felt exhausted from waves of enemies like I did in previous entries. Emotionally satisfying and a perfect closing chapter.

3. Watch Dogs 2 ; Very different from the first game and despite being worse in some areas (gunplay, stealth, driving) it's probably my favourite open world game since GTAV and Witcher 3. Great personality and characters and a ton of entertaining and fun abilities. The npc interactions in the city are the best I've ever seen.

4. Ratchet & Clank ; One of the few games I ever felt compelled to 100%. Gorgeous and quirky and charming and just a joy to play. I wish we got more of these kind of games.

5. The Witness ; Beautiful puzzle game that does a great job of teaching without telling. The design is so good you can always figure out what to do if you just take your time and pay attention to things around you. Huge surprise for me.

6. Battlefield 1 ; Best multiplayer this gen for me outside of Rainbow Six Siege. The WW1 setting is a huge success. Gorgeous visuals, punchy combat and tons of emergent moments in every match.


7. Forza Horizon 3 ; Big step up over FH2, great soundtrack and a really interesting and varied location. Would be higher if the PC port wasn't a piece of shit.

8. Doom ; Great game that I don't think is quite as perfect as some do. It has too many levels and some of them go on a bit too long, it could have been tightened up a bit more but what's there is very very good.

9. Hitman ; I've only played the first episode since I haven't bought the rest but I already know this deserves to be on here. Incredible level designs and tons of player agency. I can't count how many ways you can approach the Paris mission alone.

10. Steep ; Incredibly relaxing game that has great ski/snowboard/wingsuit controls (paragliding is pretty bad). Beautiful scenery and ambient sounds and nails the feel of tackling a mountain. Tons of fun challenges to unlock.
 

Jyrii

Banned
1. SUPERHOT ; Honestly the game I had most fun with the whole year. Dodging bullets, hitting guy and picking his gun in midair and then shooting another guy with it never gets old. Just when it starts to get a bit too familiar it introduces a new mechanic and fun begins again.
2. Uncharted 4 ; It takes some chapters to really start, but then it hits some amazing highs. Naughty Dog are still the masters of creating slow "breather" chapters in middle of action.
3. Overwatch ; I haven't touched the game in a while and I only played it casually. Perhaps that is why I have very fond memories of Overwatch. The characters are great and variable.
4. Kentucky Route Zero Episode 4 ; It took frigging ages for EP4 to come out, but Cardboard Computer created another very atmospheric episode in which basically nothing happens.
5. Firewatch ; The radio talk between Henry and Delilah is so well done and the art is amazing.The bit before the ending was a bit lame, but it didn't ruin the game.
6. The Witness ; Pretty game and some great puzzles. My biggest gripe is that there isn't an ingame notepad and that some of the puzzles were bullshit hard.
7. Ratchet & Clank ; Loved every minute of it, but it didn't have my favorite planet in the original game. It should have been a bit longer and there definately should have been an arena.
8. Doom ; Fast. Furious.
9. Stardew Valley ; I have never played Harvest Moon, but Stardew Valley really pulled me in. First year was great, but on the second year I felt like I had seen the game already.
10. Dark Souls 3 ; Somehow DS3 felt like a dissapointment to me and I still haven't finished it. But it is still Dark Souls and I love Dark Souls.
 

sublimit

Banned
1. The Last Guardian ; Once again Ueda and his incredibly talented team prove that their vision is way beyond anything else that is being produced in this industry.And once again i find it strange how perfectly everything this team does resonates with me.The Last Guardian is an incredible and extremelly ambitious game that in the end it made me felt as if those characters (Trico and the boy) trully existed in that strange,mysterious and beautiful world.No other developer manages to make me care about characters as much as Team Ico games.All in all these are games that make me proud to enjoy this hobby and i feel bad for people who will never experience these games.

2. Dark Souls 3 ; I will never get tired of this series because the things it does right i really love them.Cryptic,dark,mysterious worlds to explore that really make you feel as if you were there,incredible level designs that should be teached at game design universities,and a combat system that is as tight and as satisfying as almost no other ARPG (except Dragon's Dogma).
There were some things that weren't so much to my liking in this game and i thought that the atmosphere and the subtle mystery from Demon's Souls wasn't there anymore but all in all it was once again an incredible journey with countless moments that i will remember for a long time.

3. Valkyria Chronicles HD Remaster ; Ever since i first played the original (day 1 on PS3) i loved it so much that i instantly put it in my top 10 games of all time.I was never a huge fan of strategy games but this game changed that completely.What can i say?Really deep combat and gameplay,it made the battles so addicting to beat with as few turns as possible,a great cast of main characters and an also equally great cast of supporting characters,a unique art style that gave a vibrant,colorful feel to an otherwise gloomy story and setting and Sakimoto's best ost ever.I played the Remaster recently to show it to my 9 year old nephew (who absolutely loved it) and before i knew it i was in chapter 12.I really hope Sega gives this series another chance (besides Azure Revolution which i'm afraid it will not sell so well) because the potential of the first game was tremendous and although VC2 did offer some improvements i felt that the series needs to make a come back to home consoles (and PC).

4. Dragon Quest Builders ; Not a fan of Minecraft (but a big fan of DQIV and especially DQVIII) i wasn't expecting that i would love this game so much.Then i played the demo and i was shocked at how much fun i had.Then bought the game and my God...i was playing for days and i just couldn't stop.I just loved the combination of creativity,exploration and RPG elements so much.Can't wait for the sequel!

5. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt:Blood and Wine ; Easily the most beautiful and most atmospheric open world game i've ever played.I was continuously talking to myself completely amazed by the art direction of this expansion.I think CDPR's artists really outdid themselves in this one and that is quite the accomplishment when i realize how beautiful the base game was as well.The story and characters were interesting (i expected it would be worse based on other people's impressions) and some sidequests were really well done.Loved that i had my own place to customize (although i wish i had more options for decorations and more stands for displaying armors) and i thought it was a perfect ending to Geralt's story although i do want to see Geralt again.
The only thing i didn't liked was the last boss battle which showed once again that CDPR has a problem designing good boss battles (Hearts of Stone boss doesn't count).
 
1. The Witness ; Rarely have I played a game with such meticulous design. It's an open world, but not one with pointless collectibles and other filler, but one where everything is deliberately placed and has a purpose. It has been described as a Metroidvania where it's knowledge and insight that let's you progress instead of mechanical skills. Everytime I play it I discover something new. There are so many layers to this game. Where lots of games are dumbed down for the masses, here's a title that asks you to think, connect dots, observe. Like Dark Souls, it doesn't hold your hand. Here's a game that puts trust in you and even if you don't 100 percent it, you can achieve a lot if you're willing to make the effort. It's a feast for the brain and bloody gorgeous to boot. Jon Blow is a friggin' genius.

2. The Last Guardian ; In a year that wasn't exactly humanity's finest hour, the most remarkable game of 2016 was a title about compassion and bonding. In true Ueda fashion you didn't bond with Trico through hours of cut-scenes or tons of dialogue, but almost entirely through mechanics. I could wax on lyrically about how Trico is probably the most amazing AI creature brought to life in a videogame, the stunning animation, the set-pieces that rival anything in Uncharted 4, its wonderful ending or the gorgeous, melancholic setting of the Valley, but TLG is a game to be experienced instead of talked about.

3. Doom ; Pure gameplay brilliance. What makes the core gameplay loop of Doom so awesome is the way your movement relates to the level design and enemies.You are constantly strafing, double jumping, shooting and chainsawing your way through tons of enemies, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. You lock, you load and you're into the best combat zone of 2016. I hope more games embrace this kind of design.

4. Hitman ; As a huge fan of Blood Money, I was so happy to see this franchise return to its roots and make some improvements along the way. The levels are large but incredibly well designed, offering tons of opportunities to get to your target. Like the other games on this list, it's a game with meticulous design. You don't explore every nook and cranny of the maps to find some pointless collectible, you explore them because you might find a new way to kill a target. It's a world in which every element is well-thought-out and has a purpose. The elusive targets are the icing on the cake, raising the stakes and tension of an already brilliant murder sandbox.

5. Dark Souls 3 ; No, it's not the most surprising game. After Demon's Souls and the other two Dark Souls games we kinda knew what to expect. Even then, few games this year offered better level design, lore hunting and combat and no other game offered better boss fights. The one thing I hold against it is that it's nowhere near as good as last year's Bloodborne, a game that felt fresh due to major gameplay changes, a wonderful new setting and incredible lore. Something that can't be said about DS3, which feels more like a greatest hits album. Still a great game however.

6. Titanfall 2 ; Another gameplay is king title and one with both a SP and MP of the highest quality. Its traversal systems are second to none and the gunplay is great with weapons that pack a real punch. The different Titans are tremendous fun and Effect and Cause is one of the great FPS levels. It's a game that deserves a bigger audience and like I said about Doom, I hope more devs are inspired by its qualities.

7. Inside ; The shortest game on this list and that's because it doesn't have an ounce of fat on its bones. As fun as its physics based puzzles are, it's the atmosphere that is the true star of this rather disturbing show. Art, sound effects and animation are expertly crafted and building to probably the most impressive climax of any game this year. Where Limbo peaked early with the giant spider sequence, this game is much better paced. An unforgettable experience.

8. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; UC4 has a lot going for it. Naughty Dog does characters and dialogue way better than most, helped by tremendous performances by the voice actors they use. Gameplay-wise if offers some of the best TPS mechanics out there and tied to the more expansive areas this leads to some really dynamic encounter design. The set-pieces, while less common than in the previous games, are as impressive as ever, it's just a shame they already spoiled the biggest one at E3. And it's a technical marvel, easily the most beautiful game produced this year. What holds it back are the simplistic platform sections (TLG does a better job at those), the unbalanced difficulty settings (a flashier, riskier playstyle is often punished on higher difficulties, leading to more boring and safe pop and cover gameplay - it's like the opposite of a Platinum game) and the pacing is simply not great. I can kinda deal with the incredibly slow start to the game and the more story-driven, walking simulator chapters on a first playthrough but they made me less eager to replay the game, unlike the zippier UC2 for example.

9. Hyper Light Drifter ; In some ways this felt like a top down Bloodborne, which is a high recommendation. The constant dashing, switching between the gun in my one hand and the sword in the other and very obscure lore (depicted entirely through illustrations) all reminded me of FROM's masterpiece. The melancholic environments, brought to life by some of the most gorgeous pixel art ever, and stunning soundtrack contributed to one of the most atmospheric games of the year.

10. Thumper ; What can I say? Slamming that metal beetle against the sides of the track at breakneck speeds against a cosmic horror-esque backdrop and a droning soundtrack that was as oppresive as impressive in VR was probably the most intense experience of the year.
 
I didn't play a ton of new games in 2016 but the ones I did are really impressive.


1. The Witness ; I think puzzle games are now my favorite genre and The Witness is one of the best ever made. I love Jonathan Blow's design philosophy about about learning through gameplay and visual clues. The Witness creates an awesome sense of discovery and there is a huge amount of puzzles in the game and some really memorable moments. I can't wait to see what he does next.

2. Inside ; This one was very close to #1 but I think I just enjoyed The Witness a little better. Inside is less ambitious than The Witness but everything in this game has been executed to perfection down to the smallest details. It's a short intense experience that everyone should check out.

3. Stephen's Sausage Roll ; I found out about this one because Jonathan Blow declared it the best game ever made. The game shares his design philosophy through incredibly tight and lean puzzles and reveals new gameplay mechanics though smart level design. Each puzzle in this game feels like a new challenge. Many of the puzzles look incredibly simple and you wonder to yourself how you can't see the solution. The game is never unfair but incredibly challenging. I'm still working through it.

4. Pokemon Sun ; Pokemon games are not really a great example of good game design, but I really enjoy building teams and battling with friends so they will always be on my GOTY lists. Each pokemon game always seems to take 2 steps forward and one step back. This game improves a lot of things from previous iterations. The story and characters are better, the island challenges are a nice change from gyms and the looks and feels more immersive. The hand-holding and blockading are kind of frustrating, and a lot of small annoyances bring it down a bit. The Pokemon franchise has huge potential and I like the direction they are going overall.

5. Pony Island ; This one is a cheap quick fun meta-game about the devil possessing an arcade game. The game plays with your expectations a bit and the humor is great.

I dunno if I played any other notable 2016 releases. My attention has kind of been more focused on board games lately. I'm curious what 2017 will bring. I'm curious to see what the Switch brings and the indie scene is just getting better and better.
 

Roarer

Member
Yoooooo there's a digital form of this now? I have the boardgame, and like most boardgames I never play it because I hate setting it up and tearing it down! Digital would be a godsend!

Yeah, it works great in multiplayer and it even has hot seat multiplayer. Go get it!
 

Roarer

Member
An unconventional and interesting choice for rank 1. It seems astonishingly expensive for a puzzle game though. I'll wait for this to dip below £10.

Like I and many others here have already said, The Witness is so much more than a puzzle game. It is about experiencing the setting, uncovering the secrets and actually teaching yourself a system of thought.

Some people have complained that the game could just as well have been a booklet filled with line puzzles. These people are wrong and totally miss the point of the game.
 

Roarer

Member
Somehow I totally missed The Last Door series. Just got both on iPad. They sound right up my alley

We Know the Devil seems interesting too. That title alone is intriguing

Oh yes, TLD is right up your alley. Some amazing minimalist sprite work going on there. I think both games are extremely well paced and directed. The introduction to the first game is brilliant with its use of gameplay triggered jump cuts.
 
Yeah, it works great in multiplayer and it even has hot seat multiplayer. Go get it!

Like I and many others here have already said, The Witness is so much more than a puzzle game. It is about experiencing the setting, uncovering the secrets and actually teaching yourself a system of thought.

Some people have complained that the game could just as well have been a booklet filled with line puzzles. These people are wrong and totally miss the point of the game.

Oh yes, TLD is right up your alley. Some amazing minimalist sprite work going on there. I think both games are extremely well paced and directed. The introduction to the first game is brilliant with its use of gameplay triggered jump cuts.

You can use the + to quote multiple people FYI.
 

Roarer

Member
1. The Last Guardian ; In a year that wasn't exactly humanity's finest hour, the most remarkable game of 2016 was a title about compassion and bonding. In true Ueda fashion you didn't bond with Trico through hours of cut-scenes or tons of dialogue, but almost entirely through mechanics. I could wax on lyrically about how Trico is probably the most amazing AI creature brought to life in a videogame, the stunning animation, the set-pieces that rival anything in Uncharted 4, its wonderful ending or the gorgeous, melancholic setting of the Valley, but TLG is a game to be experienced instead of talked about.

This is the game that will make me buy a PS4. God damnit.

2. The Witness ; Rarely have I played a game with such meticulous design. It's an open world, but not one with pointless collectibles and other filler, but one where everything is deliberately placed and has a purpose. It has been described as a Metroidvania where it's knowledge and insight that let's you progress instead of mechanical skills. Everytime I play it I discover something new. There are so many layers to this game. Where lots of games are dumbed down for the masses, here's a title that asks you to think, connect dots, observe. Like Dark Souls, it doesn't hold your hand. Here's a game that puts trust in you and even if you don't 100 percent it, you can achieve a lot if you're willing to make the effort. It's a feast for the brain and bloody gorgeous to boot. Jon Blow is a friggin' genius.

Love this description. It perfectly sums up the great sense of discovery and accomplishment that awaits in The Witness.
 

Skyrender10

Neo Member
Final Fantasy XV: Lots of flaws and lack of cutscenes, but noneteless is the most fun I had all year with gaming.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions: One of the best turn based battle systems ever.
 
1. Doom ; One of the things I value most in a game is how fun the very basic controls are to use. Simply running, jumping, and shooting even the most basic enemy type in this game was a blast. Add to that the incredible atmosphere, artstyle, and exploration present and you've got a near perfect revival OF the FPS genre.

2. Pokémon Moon ; A great addition to one of my favorite series. The beginning of the game was a little slow, but I really enjoyed it once things got going. All the shakeups to the formula were integrated well while the series staples were wonderfully polished.

3. Uncharted 4 ; The most beautiful game I've ever played. I was constantly stopping to just admire the detail that went into the art direction. The gameplay itself was serviceable and gave me enough ways to keep things interesting so that I was rarely bored.

4. Inside ; Such an intricately made game that managed to keep me interested despite the puzzles not being super difficult. Its atmosphere, sound design, animation, and world building all contributed to a very rewarding and immersive experience.
 
1. The Last Guardian ; Sometimes you go into a game thinking it will be in your GOTY list and as a result, fail to see faults. It definitely has niggles, but the way the story and relationship with Trico grow and progress as the game moves on, it's hard not to be completely blown away. A masterpiece.
2. Final Fantasy XV ; It was never going to live up entirely to the hype after all these years, but it came as close as possible.
3. Uncharted 4 ; Fourth in the series but still managed to feel relevant. Some of the best set pieces in the series, which is a big compliment.
4. Doom ; As most others say, it had no right to be this good. One of the best FPS I've ever played. Relentless.
5. Rez Infinite ; One of my all-time favourites given a spruce up and a completely new area. Still as relevent as ever.
6. Yakuza 6 ; It's stripped back in terms of playable characters and combat options, but manages to be completely enthralling. The story ramps up and up and ends on a real emotional note.
7. Virginia ; Surreal, hard to follow, open to interpretation but I couldn't stop playing once I started. Music is incredible.
8. Inside ; Ominous and creepy from start to finish and the way it ends is mind blowing. A better Limbo, which is high praise.
9. Alone With You ; The "sci-fi romance" tagline before release had me intrigued and it delivered on that front completely.
10. No Man's Sky ; Not perfect and maybe missing some things, but I loved the setting and freedom that the game offered.
 

8bit

Knows the Score
Final Fantasy XV: Lots of flaws and lack of cutscenes, but noneteless is the most fun I had all year with gaming.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions: One of the best turn based battle systems ever.

If you want your vote to count, you need to reformat and add rankings.
 
1. Overwatch ; The most fun I've had with a multiplayer shooter in years, and possibly ever. This game does an incredible job of highlighting the things you're doing well and making you feel good about yourself. Seeing all the ways the characters' abilities can play off each other provided some of the most memorable gaming moments of 2016.
2. Doom ; Wickedly fast, smooth, gory fun. This game is a pure adrenaline rush. Every weapon felt great and the ease of swapping between your arsenal of guns on the fly made the game's combat flow like nothing else I've played this year.
3. Stardew Valley ; This game just makes me happy.
4. Titanfall 2 ;
5. Dark Souls 3 ;
6. Pokémon Sun ;
7. The Witness ;
8. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ;
9. Thumper ;
10. Devil Daggers ;
 
Another year, another batch of great games that once again require me to do the double post, correct formatting comes at the end of post 2, if i've buggered it up there then you can happily correct me.

A quick round of starters first...

Honourable Mention 1: Pokemon Sun/Moon
A return to form in pretty much every way but online communications after the serviceable but underwhelming Gen 6 entries, the seventh generation of Pokemon games feel like the true arrival to a 3D region after numerous half measures in the past. There's a touch too many cutscenes for a game with a plot that manages to end up rushing itself as well as still falling short of what Gen 5 presented on that front and there's always the feeling that as great as it was it'll be bested by its not quite inevitable (rip Zygarde and Z version) but rumoured 3rd entry. This entry marks an important landmark for me though, the first time I've ever completed a regional dex, for once I caught them all! well all that's available for now so that's like 1/4 of the whole pokedex but let me have this victory. Also Rowlet line is the best starter line.

Honourable Mention 2: Ratchet & Clank
Try as I might I'd never clicked with the Ratchet series as much as I'd have liked, R&C3 and A Crack in Time came closest to making it work for me but ultimately still fell short. Now I'm not sure why we needed a reboot here aside from movie tie in purposes, or is it a remake? a bit of both? well what we got gave me an incredibly well executed slice of the series shooting and occasional platforming combo with sublime visuals and on the whole it just feels right. I'm now fully on board to see where Insomniac take the series next.


Okay enough appetisers, onto the main course.


TEN. Dark Souls 3

mwIcJ7E.jpg


Dark Souls 3 is an odd swansong for the series, straight up I'm going to describe this as the New Super Mario Bros U of Souls games which may seem like an odd comparison point at first but stick with me here. DS3 is the last in a line of similar titles that have been building off one another, aesthetically it's retreading a lot of similar ground so that even the beautifully grim world of Lothric feels a bit too familiar at times. Countering that though is yet more top notch level design that displays a mastery of craft. Included are lots of winks and nods to the series past, a touch too many as you just can't recreate my love for Siegmeyer of Catarina with a renamed knock off but there are times when the throwbacks really work, a certain feeling of greatbow arrows in my face familiarity comes to mind.
So basically what I'm saying is it's another piece of top tier gameplay only feeling a touch tired despite its expertise, I could easily see it being a favourite Souls title for some while for me it falls a bit behind the rest. Of course I could've just said "greatest hits of souls" like others tend to say but NSMBU will make you pay more attention, possibly also pondering what having enemies dancing to "BAHs" would be like in this game.

DS3 picks up some pointers from last years masterpiece Bloodborne though its attempts to tie the faster and more aggressive BB combat with the more option loaded and methodical Souls style doesn't quite mesh as well as I'd like leading to a high damage/fast healing approach that lacks the nuances Bloodborne had in its combat like the health regain and gun parries to make it work as well as it did there. Still when I wasn't getting cheesed off by bosses compensating for your faster attacking and healing with MORE DAMAGE leading to some cheeky moves to be sure it was still From Software making another sublime souls game filled with thrills, terror and traps that kept me on my toes throughout.

Cathedral of the Deep is one of the most tightly designed areas the series has to offer, an encapsulation of everything that makes the series what it is. Numerous looping shortcuts, getting mugged and/or pincered by things lurking on the ceiling, "oh shit!" moments like a limb flailing giant or spider beast. Throw in other notable areas like the sprawling Undead Settlement and tense Irithyll Dungeon it shows that From Software can still deliver the goods, just when you think you know the answers they'll change the questions and you end up shanked in the spine, one never quite gets over losing a ton of souls.


NINE: Stardew Valley

8GepFCX.jpg


The quirky farming life sim (sidestepping the actual yearly farming simulator game here) is a domain almost entirely occupied by the Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons franchises which were one and the same I think until recently, it's all a bit confusing if I'm honest. My personal favourite of these "Friends of Mineral Town" was released many a moon (hoho) ago on the GBA and over the years there's been numerous attempts to mix up the formula from the more successful Rune Factory sub series to a plethora of entries that would take me an age to list.
Despite the sheer volume of games there's been something missing, that kind of simpler yet addictive gameplay loop FoMT offered.
Enter Stardew Valley, a commendable one man development mission that harks back to the earlier Harvest Moon games with some more modern sensibilities, in essence it's the sequel I'd been waiting for.

The formula is of course familiar as you start off with a field that looks like a hurricane just took a dump square in the middle of it and slooooowly work your way up from being a penniless bum foraging off the land and desperately gifting potential partners whatever you fished out the ocean in the hopes that seafood seduction is a thing that works. Slowly but surely there is expansion, progress and you'll wonder why toiling in the virtual fields manages to be a perversely enjoyable experience.
Stardew Valley really ratchets up the addiction factor with its community centre offering tantalising world expanding rewards for meeting its item quotas because damn do I want to know what lies beyond that broken bridge or where the conveniently broken down bus goes. Yes despite the compact size of the game world there always feels like a lot to discover across the shifting seasons, extending to the characters who have more to them than their few lines of initially repeated dialogue appear.

On the whole Stardew doesn't offer much new to farming life as much as it consolidates all the best points of its inspiration into an arguably stronger package and that's more than enough for me.


EIGHT: Owlboy

DaYRcRt.jpg


It'd be fun to make this number 1 because OWLS as well as continuing an upwards trend of Owl representation in my number 1 titles since 2014 (from grunts and a World Boss in Tropical Freeze to Final Boss in Ori to Main character in Owlboy, all 2D as well). Alas Owlboy is great but not quite great enough to top the list my bird bias be damned.

Even so this game is right up my alley, gorgous 2D spritework lending itself to a rather Zelda/Monster World esque title with a cast that includes Owls that are both boys and men alongside chaps who look like Wind Waker expys and even good ol' reliable robots, they had my money day 1. Of course it's been a loooong journey to reach Day 1, Owlboy is mostly known for its long development period and its wonderful to see it finally release as a quality title. I wish there was more to it, the dungeon like areas left me wanting just a bit more, this does mean though that the game never drags, it makes the most of the mechanics it possesses and wraps itself up neatly before it can get stale.

Charm can be a vague arse way to describe some games, generally it's understood what is meant by it, even so it's a touch wishy washy. So let's say that the fine detail in the pixel art reflected in the environments and characters, the adventurous sounding score accompanying the action, the endearing characters that display camaraderie and grow on you in such a short space of time, yes this is a charming game with a ton of heart.


SEVEN: Pokken Tournament

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The most obvious of Pokemon spinoffs sure as heck took a long time to actually happen, bar some Smash Bros playable representation stop gaps the long awaited Pokemon fighter arrived behind the likes of a photography spin off and even the Turn Based Strategy title where Japanese Warlords of the Sengoku era settled their disputes with Pokemon, yes this was a thing that happened (pretty good as well).
Good things come to those who wait as a childhood dream is at last realised and a pokemon game comes close to delivering the kind of battling shenanigans the anime series presented on a good day minus Ash Ketchum bullshittery.

One of the great things about Pokken though is that despite its Tekken influenced title it's more than just a pokemon skin on an existing fighters formula. Pokken Battles switch between long ranged free roaming antics (a touch akin to the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm games) and a more traditional close quarters 2D locked brawl when certain moves connect in the previous stage of combat, it creates an interesting combat loop where you'll be flitting between the two styles of attack which benefit or hinder pokemon depending on their movepool. The roster is a bit sparse as expected of a new fighting franchise and lacks some candidates that would be considered obvious by some (where the heck is Hawlucha?!) but each character occupies their own niche giving the variety in styles the small roster needs.

It's a shame that the extra arcade characters never made the jump to the WiiU game, hopefully this is a sign that the franchise will continue on consoles via either a sequel or updated version as the core combat formula here manages to feel rather fresh all while combining it with a money printing franchise that could've easily just played it safe.


SIX: Paper Mario Colour Splash

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Colour Splash is one of those titles where the very existence of it was considered damning enough for a bunch of internet folks in a misguided moment of not getting the toy they wanted wished to ruin things for everyone else by actually thinking they can make a petition to get a game cancelled, yeah I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure game development doesn't work that way.
Thankfully such dastardly schemes obviously didn't thwart the release of the latest entry to the Paper Mario series which it turns out was a rollickingly good time and what I'd consider the best outing for the paperised plumber just behind the much loved Thousand Year Door.
Colour Splash dares to continue the Adventure game focused approach of the oh so divisive Sticker Star (a title I've only just now got around to playing through) and while it still has a fair amount of issues in its formula it's mostly a huge improvement. The expected setup of collecting a bunch of colourful star doohickeys scattered across a new world map leads to a mix of exploration gameplay and suitably silly scenarios for a self aware Mario series outing.

While I classify it under a vague banner of adventure game seeing that its "things" system is akin to the good ol' screwy logic puzzles of point and click titles alongside a path finding and exploring element it still carries a few of the RPG traits of its first two entries with turn based combat that now works with a card based resource management system that I find simple and effective though at this point I'd rather it just drop all that RPG pretence that creates some mixed expectations and go all in on the adventuring side of things.
And yes adventure is a very fitting term as traversing the well crafted Prism Island (yes that's another awful joke) makes for one of the best overall locations the entire series has had for quite some time, Toad NPC surplus be damned! Though the cast may be more typical Mario fare lacking the more appreciated variety of species you'd see in say The Thousand Year Door the actual writing may well be at a series best and I can always appreciate an increased focus on Shyguys which we all know to be the best mook enemy in video games.

As for the Paper in Paper Mario I really find this one lives the papery aspect more than any other, even aside from the visuals looking so much more convincingly craft like with the advance in graphics there's a number of game mechanics and such that definitely play more with the whole "it's a world of paper" angle than before, Paper isn't just a cut out art style, it's a substantial part of the whole package.
Throw in a fabulous OST and the fact that this is the first time one of those generic Mario RPG/Adventure assistant characters is actually a rather good character in their own right (seriously Huey trounces any previous suitcase/sticker/weird yellow ball thing handily) and you have yourself a fitting swansong* for the Wii U encapsulating the console experience. Which is to say it's flawed, sometimes in obvious ways and ain't for everyone but when it's on form it's a grand time with the Nintendo touch, summing the ups and downs of the short lived consoles lifespan.
Also you fight a realistically rendered piece of steak, amazing.

*No Zelda doesn't count as the Wii U finale, shush!


Part 2: here, or just scroll down a bit, choose your own adventure!
(With the proper formatting included, yes I'm mentioning this twice)
 
1. Hitman ; The biggest surprise of the year for me. Before this, I had never played a Hitman game, nor did I have much interest in them. After watching Giant Bomb's numerous quick looks on this game, I was won over. An amazing sandbox, and an example of games as a service done right.

2. Quantum Break ; I'm a sucker for time travel stories, and Quantum Break does the genre justice. While the TV aspect ended up being largely unnecessary, I loved every other aspect of this game. A word of advice to people playing it for the first time: choose Hardline. That way you'll get to experience the game's best character.

3. Dark Souls 3 ; The ultimate souls game. Some amazing level design.

4. Overwatch ;

5. Recore ;

6. Titanfall 2 ;

7. The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine ;

8. Gears of War 4 ;

9. Oxenfree ;

10. Pokemon Go ;
 
1. Overwatch ; I'm not normally one for multiplayer shooters, but Overwatch is really easy to get into and an absolute blast to play with friends.
2. SteinsGate 0 ; Not the most necessary of sequels, but it provides some great new character insight and an enjoyable new scenario.
3. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; A deceptively great RPG once you get past the cheese factor and often unfortunate censorship. Fantastic battle system.
4. Ratchet & Clank ; The most fun I've had with the series in years. A bit on the short side, but it never once overstayed its welcome as a result.
5. Pokemon Sun
6. Rez Infinite
7. The Idolmaster Platinum Stars ; Very shallow and bogged down like never before with overpriced DLC and microtransactions, but the trademark im@s charm is in full effect here. Probably wouldn't be on my list if I didn't love the series so much, but I did really enjoy my time with Platinum Stars regardless.
8. Resident Evil 4
 

Mazzo3

Member
1. Darkest Dungeon ; This game gifted us the perfect atmosphere for a dungeon crawler, and creative mechanics that suit its dark fantasy theme. Darkest Dungeon is balanced not so that players can always win, but that they are frequently presented with meaningful decisions. How much will you risk?

2. Dark Souls III ; They've followed the Souls formula once again, but for the first time the series has the level of polish it always deserved.

3. Grim Dawn ; Maybe the most competent spiritual successor to Diablo II yet.
 
1. The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine; the best DLC (if you dare to called it like so) of all time and even better than the base game in many aspects; a masterpiece.

2. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End; the perfect end to Nathan Drake’s adventures and a fantastic example to show the industry how blockbusters should be.

3. Firewatch; a deep and moving tale about responsability, careness and communication; the biggest surprise I had in 2016.

4. INSIDE; a game to show the whole world that you can tell an amazing story without speaking a single word.

5. The Witness; one of the most beautiful and smart games I’ve ever played in my life; Jonathan Blow’s swansong.
 
Part 2 of my annual stream of conciousness
(Part 1 back here, well about four posts up really)

FIVE: Doom

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One could say this game was expected to be Doomed on arrival HAHA *slaps right knee hard enough to get into an oddly specific glory kill state*
But yes a game defying expectations is always fun and look no further than Doom for this years triumphant rise above middling expectations to deliver a sensationally satanic slice of its genre. It's more than just returning to the old school of shooter design that made the original Doom a landmark title, in fact it's more of the marriage between old and new that make Doom relevant in the year 2016. So beyond bringing back such OUTRAGEOUS concepts as platforming, being able to hold more than two guns and distinct enemy variety there's still radio chatter, audio logs, map markers, task checklists and collectables dotted on a map. And that's actually okay, one step in the past and one in the present makes it more inviting than a trip to Hell should be.

Perhaps the most underrated strength here is that Doom is a game that understands how to leverage collectables and side challenges in a way that makes them part of the whole package as opposed to filler thrown in there because it makes the game look meatier.
Specifically these aspects get tied to player progression, you're always rewarded for seeking things off the beaten path, in a variety of ways to boot. Yes it can sometimes feel a touch shopping list like as I'm specifically chipping away at the lesser of hells demon's specifically in their left shin (while also wondering if they mean my left of their left) before execution because the game will bless me with a upgrade doodad for doing it 5 times, regardless it's the tasks like this that can clue you into some neat aspects you didn't immediately know about the game like glorious kerb stomping.

Speaking of the Glory Kill executions, talk about taking something that could backfire and instead nailing it, watching the brutal animations play out could've easily clashed in a game as frantic as Doom but the swiftness of the killing blows combined with a small risk reward aspect built into pulling them off when surrounded by foes helps make them another option in a rather robust arsenal. Said Arsenal is wonderfully meaty, packing all sorts of heavy weaponry and explosive ordinance that can be customised somewhat to the player preference. Throw the unlockable runes on top of this (I'm fond of increased range and speed boost on my glory kills for maximum melee goodness) and you have a surprising amount of flexibility for an otherwise straightforward kill everything that moves situation.

In a sense the modern Doom almost feels like an FPS take on the character action game akin to Platinum's ouput, a series of pure combat zones with some platforming exploration downtime in between, you gotta keep moving, be aware of how each enemy works and master an evasive offensive. Doom still stumbles for me in a few minor ways, its multiplayer is just kinda there, it takes like three bloomin' loading screens from boot up to actually getting back to where you left off in the campaign and despite the game doing a good job of pushing the story to the background with a lead who gives as little fucks as I do about it you're still gonna bump into the odd "wait for this in game scene to play out before you can get back to actually playing", gosh it really IS like Platinum at times huh?


FOUR: Hyper Light Drifter

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Advertised to me in a PSN sales thread as a hidden gem of the year that felt like part Metroid and part Zelda with its own twist, I took the plunge on this and I'm glad I did, cheers to that gaffer wherever you are for making me pull the Trigger....happytel, whoops, let it slip.

Exploration is grand, nothing like a video game presenting an unusual world to be uncovered by the player and Hyper Light Drifter tackles the less is more approach thrusting you into a foreign land where what few NPCs you'll deal with speak in gibberish grunts and maybe a few visuals for you to draw your own conclusion about what the heck is going on. The world is split into a number of distinct areas that follow a formulaic hunt for...generator things? like I said it doesn't explain too much, with an underworld and overworld linking together and nary any true guidance in sight its up to you to just get going and figure out the games internal logic. What follows is an incredibly tight game with simple yet gripping combat where you have all the tools necessary to survive but errors are costly. The titular drifter can zip around with dashes, wielding a sword and gun in tandem to deal with the many threats and makes enemy encounters engaging without delving into complexities.

The design ethos feels refreshingly old school, you begin to get a nose for how the game hides its many secrets, it may seem obtuse but keeping a keen eye open is all you need. As I recall I only ended up having to resort to a guide twice regarding the main collectables and considering how the game is set up I consider this a good sign, it's enough to leave you occasionally flummoxed but not in a way that comes across as being to bullshit so to speak.
The incredibly ambient soundtrack by Disasterpiece (of Fez fame) sets the tone wonderfully, the pixel visuals strike a colourful style for a rather bleak world and some of the scenery shots you can stumble across are gorgeous. The characters may all speak in alien gibberish but the game itself has a language you learn to understand the more time you spend with it and it's a language worth taking up I can assure you.


THREE: Street Fighter V

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It's a testament to just how satisfying SFV is to play that despite Capcom managing to royally bugger up so very much with the titles release and dragging their heels on the post release content that it still stands out as a very positive part of my year in games.

The "oomph" factor is off the charts here, when you land a hit the animation and sound design come together wonderfully to really create an impact that adds so much to the proceedings, by comparison I've played other fighters that while perfectly competent games felt like I was slapping my opponent with a slip of wet paper (I call this the God of War syndrome), that's how potent each punch can feel in SFV. Characters animate wonderfully building off the more exaggerated style SF4 went in with a stronger art direction that while not without a few misses really pops, characters can sell themselves so well with facial expressions and movement style that no speech is necessary to grasp what a character is all about.

The few new additions to the SF universe thus far as of season 1 are already a much stronger batch than the series last generation of new blood, be it the ferociously feral Necalli (my personal favourite newcomer) or the eccentrically evil F.A.N.G (can't play as for toffee) you've got some newcomers that leave much stronger lasting impressions. The old guard are also given a fair amount of slight revamps to not just feel like the same ol' stuff, the games V trigger system going a ways towards this and let me just say that despite being able to handle charge characters boy am I glad to experience this newfangled Vega.
At the time of writing Street Fighter V has finally crawled its way to being a rather solid package on the whole filling in a number of noticeable deficiencies that have haunted it for months, it took Capcom entirely too long the clothe their beautiful bodywork here in something more than cloth scraps but hopefully it can only get stronger from here, I expect it to look suited and booted by the end of season 2 at least.


TWO: Titanfall 2

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My props to Respawn for trojan horsing the joy of 3D platforming into the FPS crowd, why I can just imagine captain CoD picking up his latest shootbang campaign and being oblivious to the fact that he's spent at least half of the time there stylishly springing between walls and path finding for maximum efficiency, oh and every now and then you get to shoot dudes, it's a win win!

Okay so obviously at its core TF2 is of course a rip roaring FPS title, one that utilises the joy of mobility to elevate it beyond its more grounded predecessors that couldn't even hop over chest high sandbags. Titanfall's campaign is a tight and well paced outing that stealthily teaches the basics of manoeuvring and Titan tussling wrapped up in a good ol' buddy story with your Titan BT who follows all those lovable robo tropes that I apparently can't get enough of, I may not have had time to tackle the Last Guardian but my bond with British Telecom can more than fill that human and big thing bonding void for the time being. Of course as incredibly solid as that venture was it took me a while to finish it because dragging myself away from the main multiplayer component was a challenge indeed.

Titanfall succeeds in making you feel like a goddamn action hero at the best of times, the mix of human opponents and CPU mooks populating the mp maps can lead to some truly rambo worthy moments of one man army destruction if you get the momentum going, SPRINT, LEAP, SLIDE, PUNCH! Such glorious kinetic movement tied with simple yet oh so satisfying shooting mechanics gives you plenty of options. In other games some sniper lurking on a rooftop could be the bane of your entire match, but this is Titanfall 2 dammit, just give me 5 seconds of improvised platforming with turbo stim legs and I can close the large distance gap and deliver a flying boot to their face possibly while yelling "DYNAMIC ENTRRRY!"
Then you and others drop in your various titans of choice (possibly on someone's head for extra chuckles) and then the dynamic of the match begins to shift in style as David vs Goliath encounters take place alongside FIGHTING MECHA. This may be a western pseudo military FPS but man at times it's channelling the most glorious of anime action adapted to gameplay. Ronin and Scorch being my titans of choice, Ronin in particular with swift mobility paired alongside a sword and shotgun combo is so much my jam I'm spreading it over a months worth of morning toast.

EA may have prepared for Titanfall by calling it down in the middle of a danger zone between Battlefield and Call of Duty but that doesn't mean it has to perish, it's worthy of success, trust me.


ONE: Overwatch

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Oh Overwatch I love you and loathe you, it starts off like whirlwind romance, infatuated with the diverse cast, engaging gameplay and teamplay potential, you spend as much time as you can together but eventually you begin to see the flaws. "I see I'm alone on the Payload AGAIN", "no offense but your matchmaking skills have been less than stellar as of late", "what happened to all the loot you used to give me in the early days of our relationship?" and so on.
And thus the rocky relationship continues over months, some days you just want to give it all up. That Titanfall 2 across the street has caught your eye and you're oh so tired of the teammates lacking situational awareness, sick of your own saltiness and not willing to face that maybe you were the problem in those recent matches. But alongside those lowest lows come the highest highs that remind you why you fell in love in the first place, those perfectly planned team wipes, smacking a cluster of players off a cliff with Winston's primal rage and Zenyatta generally being a character that exists. It's a troubled relationship but I'm determined to make it work.

*ahem* so Overwatch is almost certainly my most unexpected GotY yet, we're talking about a game which I only vaguely knew existed and mainly remember first noticing it due to Tracer's well rounded cheeks causing a little controversy before launch that had me saying "wait, I thought that was a guy!". The console beta was a gamechanger for sure, got a bunch of my friends to join me in giving it a shot and all of a sudden I was more than ready to plonk down the day 1 cash for an online only shooter, this has never happened to me before by the way, not only have I spent the last decade pretty averse to the modern FPS market but online only was a no go zone for me as well. But such is the power of Overwatch that swept through the gaming world with a swift fanart fervor which is surely a sign that you've made it to some degree.

After pumping a worrying amount of hours into the game it's easy for me to forget just how novel its mix of heroes and their mechanics initially felt. The various gameplay applications of Mei's Ice Wall alone tickles me in such a way, the potential to wall off danger like explosive ults and turrets, splitting up the opposing team, create makeshift platforms or a personal escape route... and unfortunately grief your team, that's just the way one single ability can interact with the flow of the match. Strategy also playing a key role helps make this game welcoming for those who like me weren't immediately well versed in twitch reactions skills and sharpshooting, almost like a strange team based rock, paper scissors clusterfuck where amidst the chaos you're keeping an eye on who is susceptible to your character of choice and who you must fear like death itself.

Deep down there's an asterisk I place next to this GotY, no game has managed to quite frankly piss me right off like this one in years, the curse of a game so reliant on teamwork is that sometimes the best you can do truly isn't enough to make a difference, combine that with good ol' community toxicity, some selfish player picks and a number of ever changing balance botches on Blizzard's part and you've got yourself something that can swiftly substitute enjoyment for frustration. On the other hand when you're playing with friends in a non triggered state having a close fought battle of varied heroes mixing up the battlefield with their unique playstyles there's nothing better for me from 2016, the bold visual style and diverse cast make for such a refreshing take on the genre so hats off to Blizzard, you finally got me addicted to one of your zombifying titles, I'm still not sure how I should feel about this!


For the parser

10. Dark Souls 3 ; Even with a bit of fatigue, there's not much out there in its league
9. Stardew Valley ; It's all about that farming life, using the crops to win over your wife
8. Owlboy ; A solid eight that was worth the wait
7. Pokken Tournament ; It's great fun unless I choke, like that Ash Ketchum bloke
6. Paper Mario: Colour Splash ; A comedic caper in a world of paper
5. Doom ; The marine has a flair for rip and tear
4. Hyper Light Drifter ; Dash, slash, enemies down in a flash
3. Street Fighter V: It may be bare but the gameplay is there
2. Titanfall 2 ; Killer mech makes the best military tech
1. Overwatch ; Team mates should visit my abode, it's on the payload!
 
"Deep down there's an asterisk I place next to this GotY, no game has managed to quite frankly piss me right off like this one in years,"

I've been playing games for over 20 years.

No video game makes me as angry, as upset, as downright fuckin depressed as Overwatch.
 
1. Final Fantasy XV ; I absolutely love this game. The world feels so alive, it is definitely my favourite setting of any open world game I've played. The music is amazing and I fell in love with the characters. The combat is also super fun. It was worth the wait.
2. Ratchet & Clank ; I beat this game twice and got halfway through a third playthrough before forcing myself to stop because I had done absolutely everything in the game. Game is just pure fun.
3. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth ; This game really brought me back to my childhood. I freakin love Digimon and the designs look awesome.
4. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel || ; I absolutely loved the first game, this one was more and better.
5. Killing Floor 2 ; Great co-op game.
6. Zero Time Dilemma ; Great end to a great trilogy.
7. World of Final Fantasy ; Really cute and love the monster designs.
8. Valkyrie Drive Bhikkuni ; Really fun beat em up. Also love the plot.
9. The Last Guardian ; A fun pet adventure.
10. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; A really great story to follow with believable characters and touching moments.
 
Owl finds a way to include one game with owls on his list every year, and for that I salute him
It was a good year for Owls, I got to play as an Owl (boy), got to raise a new line of Owlmon and even got to repeatedly murder and skin an Owl beast in the latest Monster Hunter to wear as spiffy armour, that's how deep my love goes.

"Deep down there's an asterisk I place next to this GotY, no game has managed to quite frankly piss me right off like this one in years,"

I've been playing games for over 20 years.

No video game makes me as angry, as upset, as downright fuckin depressed as Overwatch.

I know right? enough that I almost wanted to drop in from number 1 out of spite for all the grief it can cause, I just had to try and remember those early days where I was far more enraptured with being able to help my chums as a support robo Buddha as opposed to now where i'm trying to maintain sanity as certain players run around like headless chickens, possibly alone on the other side of the map demanding healing.
 

Kiyo

Member
1. Uncharted 4 ; I'm a sucker for Naughty Dog's games and Uncharted 4 was no exception. The story and gameplay were top notch as expected and I was completely mesmerized from start to finish. There's not really much else to say that hasn't already been said. I expected the game to be great and it exceeded those expectations. Can't wait for TLOU2 now!

2. The Last Guardian ; I've been waiting for this game for so long and now we finally got it and suprisingly the game was better than I expected. It has it's technical problems, but I was so caught up in the game and AI that they didn't bother me enough to hurt this game's spot in my rankings.

3. Final Fantasy XV ; I was really worried that this game would be a disappointment but thankfully it turned out to be a game I enjoyed spending dozens of hours with (and probably dozens more to come). The gameplay, while not standard Final Fantasy, was very enjoyable for me and combined with the story made the game one of my favorite games of hte year.

4. Dark Souls 3 ; This was a good addition to the Souls series and while not my favorite Souls game, it was still a very good game and I'm looking forward to whatever From delivers next.

5. Overwatch ; A great multiplayer shooter. I've put more time into this shooter than I have any other shooter in the last decade and it looks like it's only going to get better as Blizzard continues to support it.

6. Stardew Valley ; As a longtime Harvest Moon fan, I had been following this game for at least a year before it released and it did not disappoint. A great game and I still find myself going back to it every once in a while.

7. Street Fighter V ; The gameplay is all I cared about and they nailed it in my opinion. Wasn't worried about story or arcade modes. All I wanted was a fighting game that had solid gameplay and I got it.

8. Sid Meier's Civilization VI ; Another solid addition to one of my favorite game series. Just one more turn!

9. Salt and Sanctuary ; A very cool 2D Souls game and I appreciated it keeping me busy until Dark Souls 3 came out early this year.

10. The Witness ; This was so long ago that I almost forgot it was a 2016 game. I really enjoyed the puzzle solving and world exploration.
 
One thing's for sure: this has been a terrible year for Nintendo fans (and I am one). Could be the first time that Nintendo misses out on the top ten entirely (although Pokémon could still make it). And to think Nintendo exclusives dominated the list a mere two years ago.

pray for 2017

Zelda, EAD Tokyo Mario, Pikmin 4 (probably), a new game by Retro fuckin' Studios (hopefully)...it's gonna be Nintendo's year to lose.
 

Ekai

Member
Hmm...well, I want to fit OneShot into my GOTY list but already have 10 games....

3 of them are a bit weaker in reasoning for being there tho.
-DR2 is a re-release (I never played it til the re-release mind you)

-AC: NL I didn't play til this year and technically only applies to the listing this year because of the recent update.

-The Division. I quite like what I played but only played a little bit at a friend's house and don't own it.

Edit: guess I'll remove AC: NL because it's an update and technically not the game itself. : /
 
I'm not ready to lock in my picks yet, but am surprised. About 1/4 through Rise of the Tomb Raider 20 Year Celebration and so far I prefer it over Uncharted 4. What a joy to play and explore Tomb Raider is.

I'm also only 1/3 into Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition on Xbox One. Incredible game that will need a spot.

Playing Forza Horizon 3 too. One of the best racers I've ever played.

This is a tough year to pick a Top 10. I thought I had my 10 set before playing these latest games.
 

Arminsc

Member
1. Dark Souls III ; A sublime entry on the saga in my eyes. A great improvement over its predecessor and the most enjoyable experience I have had with a game this year.

2. DOOM ; The frantic action of this title left me speechless. One of the best fps games I've played in years.

3. Total War ; Warhammer: Great setting for a Total War game. Still need to find more time for it, because if deserves it. For me it's the best Totwal War game.

4. Oxenfree ; Amazing narrative and fun game overall. I loved both the writing and artstyle of this title.

5. SUPERHOT ; Surprising game. For me the most original game this year.

This has been a great year for videogames! Still want to play so many titles that released like finishing Dragon's Dogma and XCOM 2.

Looking forward to the new year, that starts strong with RE7!
 
1. Uncharted 4 ; The perfect conclusion to this great series.
2. Titanfall 2 ; The best multiplayer experience in 2016, plus it has a pretty good campaign.
3. Battlefield 1 ; This is what BF needed. A WW1 inspired battle breathes new life into the military shooter.
4. Deus Ex Mankind Divided ; Improves upon HR in every way possible.
5. Overwatch ; Addicting hero based shooter that I'm still coming back to every week.
6. Doom ; Fast paced action, that reinvigorates the Doom franchise.
7. Hitman ; My surprise of the year. Who would have thought its episodic model would work.
8. Watch Dogs 2 ; Ubisoft has hit its stride with WD, and I can't wait to see what they do with 3.
9. MLB 16 The Show ; The best sports game keeps getting better.
 

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Top 10

1. Dark Souls III ; very tightly designed - as expected - and a nearly-perfected Dark Souls design. While I'm not sure if it's my favorite of the franchise or not since it plays it very safe, it's still a 100+ hour joyride and tops my list (yet again) this year.

2. Pokemon Go ; the sheer reach of it has been staggering, and doing 15 mile walks a day with my family during the launch craze was incredibly memorable and special to me.

3. Dishonored 2 ; Dishonored is a game I played about a year after it launched - rare for me, but I was very attracted to the aesthetic and wanted a stealthier experience - and I loved it. D2 too, again it seems to be a theme this year, is not very risky, but improves on the formula and is a very well designed experience.

4. Watch Dogs 2 ; Saved the franchise. While not a commercial success, critically and community word has been very strong. Tight design, focused experience: WD2 knows exactly what it is, and while sometimes it feels like it's begging you to like it, the experience as a whole works and offers something fresh for the genre. Also, some of the best characters of 2016.

5. ReCore ; What a pleasant surprise! While not the tightest coding job, the world is very fun to navigate (if a little monotonous), Joule is a strong character, the combat is fast and frenetic, and it was some of the most fun I've had platforming in years. Too bad it sold so poorly :(

6. Doom ; My favorite FPS in years. Finally something that feels new - while basically being old - and not afraid to take risks. Bravo.

7. Tom Clancy's The Division ; Very strong game that was positioned incorrectly: it was not an endlessly post-game loop like Destiny. It's a tight, fun, and beautiful 30 hour third person co-op RPG. At launch, if you went into it expecting that, you got your money's worth and then some. If you went in expecting an endless, multi hundred hour Destiny-like, you were probably dissappointed. I stopped playing a month or so after launch, but felt satisfied. The game sold massive and had good word of mouth at launch, but within 2 months the game was practically dead. Now, after many updates, the game has as many players as it did at launch. So, Ubisoft has been slowing (succesfully?) updating the experience to give post-game Destiny-like an experience a go and it appears to be paying off... but either way, I'm satisifed till Division 2.

8. Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest ; I travel a lot. This is the game I play every time I fly. Story is not good, disappointing, but the game is a lot of fun.

9. Shadow Warrior 2 ; I went into this blind for the hell of it on PC, and it's a walking, talking, frenetic cliche that I find super enjoyable haha


Good:
X. Quantum Break ; I like a lot of the ideas, I just wasn't hooked enough instantly to play through the full game immediately. I'll get back to it. So, good enough to be called out, but not enough time-spent to make it into Top 10.

Pending:
X. Gears of War 4 ; same as the above, still too early for a call. Playing co-op story online with friend, but only a couple hours in. The beginning is not a huge hook for me, it's not very innovative and feels very "samey" from previous Gears titles. But I know with enough time, I'll have a good time with buddies.

Disappointing:
X. Uncharted 4 ; 'ehh...?' - I played through Chapter 8 and I wasn't really feeling it. I intend to go back, but similar to Gears, nothing felt innovative enough compared to what I had played in the previous 3, besides updated visuals. Story is slow (so far), and I couldn't get that invested in Sam to plough through. I know it's well made, but I played it after I finished Rise of the Tomb Raider and the gameplay was so much simpler I wasn't as compelled to finish. Will go through it sometime.

Biggest Regret
I missed all of the indie games of 2016.

This has been one of the busiest years of my life (I don't even think I posted here for a couple months), and missed many of what I wanted to play. My job pushes me toward staying up to date on the big blockbusters, so "my free gaming time" for personal use is limited and that time was even more limited this year. I very much wanted to play Witness, Inside, Salt and Sanctuary, Firewatch, Unravel, Virgina, etc.. and I played none :(. I really hope I can get a few done this year, but it's not looking good.
 
Kerbal left Early Access in 2015 though

"The game was officially released out of beta on April 27, 2015"

That text needs to be updated. Kerbal got its 1.0 PC release in 2015 and was ported to consoles in 2016, making it eligible for those specific platforms in successive years. Allowing Early Access and other pre-releases gets to be totally ridiculous. See Minecraft.
 

big fake

Member
1. The Last Guardian ; I still can't get over this game, it really is insane to me after all these years and all the delays and the insurmountable idea of the game ever coming back and releasing, that TLG is the best game released this year. It really did everything Ueda wanted it to convey. Mixed SotC and Ico in such a touching way that made it seem natural and not forced. My main concern was that the puzzles might be an issue and become tedious but.... WAS I WRONG. The puzzles were so well done there was no moment in which I was stuck and was confused what I had to do, it was such amazing and NATURAL level design, it is what Inside did for me this year but on a full 3D scale. Ueda will always be a king for me, he has a singular vision that really no director has shown before. Thanks Ueda, thank you Trico!

2. Inside ; Before TLG this game was number 1 without any single question. This game is possibly one of the most refined games I have seen and have no problem with at all. Its puzzles are some of the best I have ever played in a game and its artstyle/animation is so on point that I felt it was capable of transporting me to the dark and gloomy areas the boy traveled. It really was more than I could have asked for out of a game that was supposed to be super Limbo, which I didn't herald like others did. Inside is a game everyone should play in the dark :D!

3. DarkSouls III ; It is easily the most flushed out game in the souls series, just behind Bloodborne for me. It had some weak areas in certain bosses and areas but It had me playing again and again with the wish to try all the countless weapons out and the various ways I could face game. With amazing art design and wonderful mechanics DS 3 is a great send of to a behemoth of a franchise.

4. DOOM ; Look, DOOM is amazing, it does what it needs to and its a blast. It is DOOM after all.
5. Uncharted 4 ; A good end to the series but I really haven't been a huge fan of the series (I known uncommon opinion). It is the best looking game of the year easily and of the generation so far hands down and had some spectacular set pieces.

6. Ratchet and Clank ; Its Ratchet and Clank so this wasn't unexpected. What was to me was the best platformer visuals I have seen from a game in my entire life. It is amazing what Insomniac was able to do with the PS4 with this game. The game is fun as hell and has amazing particle effects but my only two gripes was its smaller arsenal than usual and the shorter length. I felt I breezed through it and didn't want to go in again on NG+ which I have never felt for any Ratchet and Clank game ever. All in all I wish a non-movie based game can come out and be full length and scale of a Crack in Time.

7. Dishonored 2 ; A great continuation of the first game and does its stealth and sandbox approach better than the first. The level of vertical level design is insanely good. Can not wait for Prey now, BRING IT ON ARKANE!

8. Let it Die; Grasshopper Manufacture. Suda 51 fingerprints all over it. Its an addicting experience that really is really flushed out and with being F2P and all has a lot of hard work and content put into it. It's so addicting that I'm depressed wont be able to play it when I go back to Uni. Get on this game if you can, WHY NOT ??? Its free!

9. Gravity Rush Remastered ; This game couldn't have made me anymore excited for the second game. I really enjoyed my time in wonderful world with Kat and company. Its really great that the game was brought from Vita to a larger install base.

10. Rez Infinite ; Rez is back and it is Rez and it does what Rez does so well. What a god damn experience this was. Really so glad I played it, I was gonna wait for when I was gonna get my PSVR for next year but decided to play it early. Can;t wait to see it on VR!
 

Miletius

Member
Looking at the list after it’s all typed out, I can say that 2016 was a year of refinement for me. There are very few “new” experiences. Instead, the games that stood out this year took a solid formula and integrated, perfected, and otherwise refined experiences, with one standout exception. That isn’t to say that these games aren’t good though. Oftentimes, the best games are ones that take an existing formula and sharpen it to it’s razor point (hello, Blizzard). Here are 6 games that I thought did that this year, and 1 game that seized the world.

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1. Stardew Valley; In the summer of 2002, my girlfriend picked up a copy of Harvest Moon: Back to Nature from the bargain bin of our local BX (military base shopping center). I took one look at the case, the cover, and the price and told her not to waste her money. She did not heed my warnings, on on the way home I poked some good natured fun at what I thought was her loss. HM: BTN would, little to my expectation at that moment, become one of my favorite games of all time.

It’s impossible to talk about Stardew Valley without mentioning Harvest Moon. The game is clearly inspired, to put it lightly, by the series. However, it would also be misleading to also dismiss Stardew Valley as simply a Harvest Moon clone. After over a decade of missteps (with a few exceptions here and there) Harvest Moon had all but faded into obscurity for me, neither providing compelling gameplay nor iterating on their formula in any meaningful way.

Stardew Valley, on the other hand, has not only taken the best elements of Harvest Moon but strengthened the formula. Stardew Valley has infused the compelling day to day farm management gameplay and added a compelling crafting -- creating a custom space for your farm and your family. It has taken a more modern approach to character building, creating a more inclusive and more compelling cast of characters. Every area in the game seems simultaneously inspired by it’s predecessors but also elevated to be more than the sum of its parts. And the most important part is that it’s damn fun. Curling up by the television to play Stardew Valley brings me back to 2002 but also keeps me in 2016.

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2. XCOM 2; XCOM2, unlike it’s predecessor, was not a revolution in the turn based strategy space. Instead of offering us a radically different vision of what a TBS could be XCOM2 refined the formula established by Enemy Unknown into a razor sharp edge. It improved (almost) everything about the first game delivering an amazing experience early on in 2016. The strategic base layer, certainly an afterthought in EU was overhauled, simultaneously streamlining and expanding its strategic depth. The classes were redesigned and rebalanced in order to appeal to different playstyles. The enemies were similarly overhauled to make them more deadly and fun to fight against. Hell, even the engine was overhauled in order to make mod support, a major contributor to the longevity of EU, a baseline feature (in the PC version). Fans, including myself, were ecstatic at the amount of love and care given to make XCOM2 a dream sequel.

That is not to say, however, that Firaxis played it safe. They were not afraid to make difficult choices in order to adhere to their vision of a better XCOM. The tactical maps, which had favored a slow, creeping style of gameplay in the first were changed to make the timing more urgent. This upset some fans but I think overall the gameplay has improved as a result. The class balance, which heavily favored long range tactics and certain gadgets in EU, were also overhauled in order to make gameplay more nuanced. Again, a difficult choice but one that needed to be made and overall contributed to the health of the game. Overall, however, I was extremely pleased with the results of XCOM2 and I hope that Firaxis continues to support the franchise with many releases down the road.

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3. Tyranny; Tyranny, the second game by Obsidian to use the Pillars Engine, was a late addition to my game of the year list. Pillars of Eternity, released in 2014, is a sprawling fantasy epic in the vein of games such as Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn. Tyranny, by contrast, is a darker fantasy epic that explores the notion of morality and choice in a world where evil has already won. And while the promise of the premise does not always hold it offers more nuanced choices than 99.9 % of all role playing games on how to explore that question. Make no mistake, there are no mustachioed twirling villains, ala Bioware or Bethesda, in this game. Even those who you might first condemn as completely evil turn out to be more interesting when looked at closely. Likewise, many of the traditionally heroic archetypes, when reexamined through the lens of your character, seem more like petulant and selfish children rather than knights in shining armor.

That is not to say, however, that Tyranny does not have it’s flaws. The combat system, mostly unmodified from Pillars of Eternity, has some rough edges. Combat is exceedingly difficult at first, and then, by the end of the game, becomes gradually too easy, even on higher difficulty settings. Additionally, there is a serious case of both skill, magic, and inventory bloat for some characters, while other characters (notably the more marital/tanky classes) suffer from too little to do in combat. Thankfully, combat still remains engaging, and the difficulty curve means that a multitude of individual combat styles can be successful. And the magic system, inspired by games like Magika, is actually really cool and fun.

I never really got the appeal of playing a bad guy in most role playing games. Sure, there's some giddy satisfaction that you get the first time your character says or does something morally reprehensible. But ultimately most binary choices seem hollow. Tyranny, however, is a game where I finally felt like I could embrace being a power-hungry asshole not because it was some choice in some sort of imaginary scale, but because it’s what my character actually would want to do. And then, I’m gonna go back, and do it again, differently, just to see how it turns out. After all, that’s the true hallmark of a great role playing game -- diving right back in to see what happens if you try it another way.

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4. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft - Mean Streets of Gadgetzan; Let’s just get this out the way now -- there is no game that I played more of this year than Hearthstone. The simple pick up and play formula has captivated my attention for a third straight year in a row and for good reason. Hearthstone is a deceptively simple take on the CCG genre, featuring easy to understand rules, asynchronous turns all wrapped up in your typical Blizzard charm.

This year in Hearthstone, however, has not been the best. The release of the Old Gods, coupled with the announcement of Standard Mode alleviated some of the problems with a few overpowered archetypes. However, the unintended effect of Old Gods expansion unleashed a hell by the name of Yogg-Saron, a card so game breaking that it, for perhaps the first time ever, forced Blizzard to act, ending its reign of terror. The next expansion, Karazhan, was also perceived somewhat as a flop, introducing powerful cards that relied too much on random chance or just powered up already high powered deck types.

It was not until the 3rd expansion of the year, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, where things began to calm down. Mean Streets is not perfect, but it has yet to be game breaking. The current state of the meta has many playable decks, and quite a few that rely on skilled play. And despite all the ups and downs this year, Hearthstone is still my most played game of the year. For that, I think MSOG deserves a spot on my Game of the Year list. Here’s to another great year of HS.

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5. Pokemon Go; To be quite frank, Pokemon Go is on this list because it is a legitimate phenom. As a gaming enthusiast it is sometimes hard to realize how detached most people are from the world of video games. Sure, there are millions of people who play Candy Crush or Clash of Clans. But it was not until Pokemon Go happened that I could legitimately say that everybody I knew was playing this game. I’d walk down the street and there were kids playing it. Their parents were also playing it. There were people in the park, people in line at the theater, people at home all sitting down and playing it. My sister played it -- so did my girlfriend’s sister. It was everywhere. It reintroduced so many people (including myself) to Pokemon. And yes, it didn’t last forever. But it was an amazing experience to see so many people obsessing over a video game. It is something I doubt I’ll ever see again, so I’ll savor that moment. 20 years later, I expect that if you were alive in 2016 you might be asked why everybody cared so much about Pokemon that summer.


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6. Grim Dawn; It’s no secret that I was hard on Grim Dawn during its early access build days. I’m happy to say that, in it’s final build, I believe that Grim Dawn is deserves to be labeled a spiritual successor to Diablo II. The combat in particular feels really well realized on a moment to moment basis. The loot, as well, enables unique and interesting characters in a way that, until recently, Diablo 3 did not. My character, for example, found something early on that allowed them to dual wield pistols. I was able to take that archetype, not normally allowed via the rules, through the whole game, because I found items that supported that kind of playstyle. How cool is that?

That isn’t to say that Grim Dawn isn’t without it’s flaws. In particular, some of the skills tree remains a bit too lackluster. Additionally, the writing is, at times, painfully grim dark -- in a bad we come from the 90’s Spawn era way instead of the good, balanced way. But overall, blowing up demons cultists (demon cultists?) is truly great when you are playing Grim Dawn.

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7. DOOM; Speaking of blowing up demons and demon cultists… DOOM is next on my list of top games of 2016. There has traditionally always been at least 1 first person shooter on my list -- primarily because there is always at least some point during the year where I just want a good old fashioned shoot out. DOOM, this year, takes that prize. ID software is the master at making fun, satisfying gunplay. There was no point during this shortish experience where I felt bored and that was a good thing. I don’t know that I’d ask for that much more of DOOM, but I do know that what I did play was excellent.

Rather than try to pad my list with additional games that I have hardly (or will have hardly) played I’ve decided to leave it at this -- a top 7. These are all games that I can recommend this year and have the highest accolades from me. There are an additional 2 games I wanted to mention as standouts this year, neither of which are game of the year material, but are nonetheless interesting experiences.


Honorable Mentions:

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x. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition; This is an interesting pick for me. Skyrim is a vast, open world with a million and one things to do. It was one of those games that I always wanted to try but never got around to when it was first released. Now that I’ve had an opportunity I have to say -- Skyrim has completely cured me of the want to play any more open world role playing games (at least for the time being). Don’t get me wrong -- the time I spent in Skyrim was great. My character, a sneaky half cat half man with a heart of gold, was really fun to play. But, the game itself was so overwhelming to an OCD gamer like myself that it totally broke the hold that these types of games normally have on me. It is, however, still, an incredible game, and I had an incredible amount of fun playing it. I just don’t think I can do it again anytime soon. That’s probably a good thing.

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x. LTTP: Renowned Explorers; I know that there is no official late to the party category this year, but I wanted to at least acknowledge one game that I played this year that would have gone into my GOTY category had it not been released more than a year ago. That game, is Renowned Explorers, a deceptively simplistic, yet tactically brilliant rogue-like. The game has you assuming the command of a band of explorers, trekking through the unknown in an effort to become the most famous (or infamous) band that has ever lived. To do that, you’ll have to sharpen your combat skills, make bold choices, and assemble the right entourage of admirers.

The game sounds simplistic, but there are actually many brilliant layers beneath the surface level game. For example, the combat is the game is a turn based system with a twist. You can attack both physically and verbally (in two flavors) in an effort to defeat monsters. Your party, assembled at the start, is probably better at one or two types of combat than it is at all three. Additionally, your opponents are naturally inclined in certain ways as well (for example, sheep are mostly friendly, while wolves are mostly aggressive). The overall mood (i.e. the interaction between you, your opponents, and the environment itself) also plays a role in combat. That’s just one of the many gameplay systems in Renowned Explorers -- and there are many more. I am glad that I took the time to play this game this year because it is very refreshing.
 

Cutebrute

Member
1. Pokémon Go ; It wasn't the best game I have played this year by most metrics, but it was certainly the most impactful for me and was far greater than the sum of its parts. It made me go out and change my habits for a long time and I found myself engaging with strangers in ways I never have, so it helped redefine multiplayer gaming for me. I also loved the communities that built up around this game and how you had to lean on other people and local sites to know where to find different Pokémon nests- the community engagement and word of mouth felt decidedly old-school. Also, nothing was greater than running down the street in a frenzy with my girlfriend while we hunted rare Pokémon together.

2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I thought ND's previous works were fine, but this one really resonated with me. It was not without flaws, but the gameplay was top-notch and the story was beautifully told with a message that really resonated with me. The character interactions and the insight into Nathan Drake were so, so good. The game took what great about its genre and truly elevated it with such an amazing sendoff to the UC franchise.

3. Overwatch ; This game was able to reward my mediocre plays without feeling pandering. That's a very fine line that this game walked effortlessly. For a multiplayer-only game, the amount and diversity of its content kept me coming back for months. I wasn't this engaged in a multiplayer game since I stopped playing Dota 2 years ago.

4. Titanfall 2 ; Holy fuck this was good. It felt like a solid Valve campaign with all of the fluff taken right out. It also has a great multiplayer. It's definitely the best rounded package on my list.

5. Doom ; Rip and Tear. Sure, the structure can be pretty repetitive, but it is so fast, fun, and satisfying that it almost doesn't matter. Who thought Doom could be cool again?

5. Dark Souls III ; I don't think this game quite hit the highs of From's previous outings, but it never comes close to hitting their lows either. Dark Souls 1 is one of my top 3 all-time favorites, and this game is better than at about half of that game. It's a real testament to how great 2016 was for games that DS3 is not even in my top 5 list for games this year.

7. Gear of War 4 ; Honestly, I'm running out of 2016 releases that I have played. But Gears was solid. Marcus was more interesting than ever IMO, and I look forward to seeing where the campaign goes. The multiplayer and Horde modes seemed all-put together, but honestly I think I'm just over this franchise's multiplayer suite after putting in 300 hours or so into the original trilogy.
 
1. Overwatch ; Oh Overwatch, some days I love you, some days I hate you, but one thing is for sure - no other game this year have I spent as much time with and no other game has kept me as interested. Back at release if you had told me it would be my #1 GOTY this year (in a year that a Souls game got released) I would have said you're crazy! I'm not much of a PC gamer so Blizzard aren't really a developer high on my list at all, but once I played the game I was hooked, awesome characters and presentation combined with fantastic and addictive gameplay, well done! I sit here now with a Mercy t-shirt on haha, you've made a fan out of me for sure!
2. The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth ; (console release) Spent hundreds of hours on this expansion to an already fantastic game. Initially I thought it only added more annoying aspects to the game than good but after time I grew to enjoy most of the new stuff and now consider it one of my most fav games of all time.
3. Dark Souls III ; It pains me to admit because I'm such a fan of the series but Dark Souls 3 was oddly disappointing (weird to say 3rd best of the year a disappointment I know), but just compared to the other games in the series I feel it is the weakest one of the bunch. An under-whelming DLC didn't help either. It's still a gorgeous really good game that I had fun 100%'ing but, I dunno, just something didn't 'click' fully with me and I can honestly say I enjoyed it the least out of the series so far.
4. Fire Emblem Fates ; It was a pretty shitty year for Nintendo IMO. As a Nintendo fanboy it really shouldn't be that hard to remember a decent release from them, but I understand it is a tricky 'in-between' year and the upcoming Switch ones should be back to awesome business as usual. I found Pokemon terribly disappointing but good old reliable Fire Emblem still had the stuff. Lots of people don't like the direction the series has taken but I still find the same amount of enjoyment. An awesome light in an otherwise quite and forgetful year for my beloved company.
5. Forza Horizon 3 ; Racing games aren't my thing, but Horizon is the exception. I love the go anywhere, explore everything aspect. I didn't like the 'you're in charge of the festival now' thing as much as just being a random racer though.
6. Final Fantasy XV ; Was it worth the wait? Probably not. Is it still a fun game once you get a hang of the weird battle system? Sorta. I wish we could just go back to the simpler turn-based days some times but it is what it is I suppose. I enjoyed the story line and the characters more than I thought I would (hated the generic anime looking all boy cast thing pre-release) so that was a nice bonus.
7. Doom ; Old school fun, simple to play, but still with the awesome graphics/presentation etc of a modern game! Please developers make more games like this.

AM2R ; Would have been my #2 GOTY if it was eligible. :( A true love-letter to all Metroid fans pained by Nintendo's BS handling of the franchise, such a damn shame it isn't a 'real' thing - the developers done such a wonderful job with it and should be really proud. All Metroid fans everywhere thank you!
 
Had to go back and edit my list because I realized I hadn't played Assault Android Cactus and Alienation. Played these over the last two days and holy shiiit are they good. Made my top 5 immediately and wrecked both of my posts. Finished editing now, but that'll teach me to sleep on amazing games.
 
I keep reading posts that say they would have voted for Life is Strange, but it was a game that came out last year. Yet on the spreadsheet in the OP, it's listed. So that means it's eligible, right?
 
1. Uncharted 4 ; I love Uncharted and feel this is the best in the series.
2. Titanfall 2 ; High mobility gameplay works when facilitated with large scale map design, high visibility and solid netcode. The Call of Duty titles flounder while Titanfall 2 shines.
3. Ratchet and Clank ; Loved this as a kid and this remake was no different, an absolute blast to play through
4. Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2 ; Simple game, incredibly fun, some bad ideas when compared to the first game, but overall a big step up.
5. Street Fighter V ; Despite its flaws the core gameplay is a lot of fun and this game has been a big part of my life this year. My friends and I setup a local fighting game community surrounding this game and Smash 4, and getting together to play like that has been more fun than anything I've played this year, it's a shame that enjoyment isn't extended into other aspects of the game.
6. Battleborn ; Really love the game, but it's undeniable that having few people to play it affects my enjoyment of it. It's a great game and working as a team, working out strategies with each characters and competiting in the competitive modes is really entertaining, shame that very few people share that view.
7. Enter the Gungeon ; Super fun shooter with roguelike elements, recommend it to anyone that likes twins stick shooters.
8. Deus Ex Mankind Divided ; I don't normally like this type of game but I really like Jensen and the games dialogue. It's great to feel really in-control of the games narrative, both via your decisions in gameplay and in conversation.
9. Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero ; Love the artstyle and upbeat tone of the game. Gameplay is tight and responsive, and Shantae is as always, full of personality.
10. Overwatch ; I don't really play this anymore but I really enjoyed the few hundred hours I spent with it.

I will admit the order doesn't mean very much to me. I couldn't reliably tell anyone that I prefer Uncharted 4 to Titanfall, or Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero to Overwatch, but here we are, for the sake of this thread this is my submission. All I know is that I've enjoyed all of these a lot. Some of them I don't play anymore because I burnt out on them or don't play them anymore because none of my friends play them but they've each provided me with ample entertainment at some point within the year.

Generally speaking I like the colourful tone that many games have taken this year. Seeing games like Overwatch, Battleborn, Ratchet and Clank and Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2 has been great.

These honourable mentions are all brilliant games that could easily take one of those top 10 spots depending on my mood: Amplitude, Rez Infinite, Alienation, Darkest Dungeon, Digimon Story Cybersleuth, Assault Android Cactus, Slain, The Witness, Videoball, and Overcooked.
 

fix your formatting
I keep reading posts that say they would have voted for Life is Strange, but it was a game that came out last year. Yet on the spreadsheet in the OP, it's listed. So that means it's eligible, right?
I'm not sure if this was the intent or if it was mistakenly left in the spreadsheet, but it could be eligible because it had its retail release this year. Also think it got OS and Linux ports later too.
 

GlamFM

Banned
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1. The Witness ; The best game of the year without doubt. Only possible because one mastermind with a small team and a lot of money and time could keep his vision intact without any outside influence. MASTERPIECE

2. Titanfall 2 ; You´ve heard it before and it´s all true. BEST FPS CAMPAIGN IN YEARS. Insanely good MP. The full package. Did not sell nearly enough. Buy it, you fools.

3. Forza Horizon 3 ; Vanilla game was my second favorite Horizon (after 1), but Blizzard Mountain changed that. The new king!

4. Obduction ; Best game no one played (?)

5. Uncharted 4 ; Felt let down by 3. My expectations were low going in, but UC4 surpassed them in every way. Not only best UC to date, but also best ND game.

6. Stardew Valley ; Lovely time sink. Stopped playing once I started suspecting that this might come to the Switch. Can´t wait to start over!

7. Destiny Rise of Iron ; Destiny is the GOTG - more Destiny is always a good thing, but it´s time for Destiny 2 now.

8. Final Fantasy XV ; Not exactly what I was looking for in a new FF, but a lovely mess with a lot of soul.

9. Inside ; Insanely beautiful and haunting. A special game.

10. Hyper Light Drifter ; So hard I did not finish it - a shame because I loved everything a bout it. Could be sitting way higher on my list if it had an easy option.
 
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