The Xtortionist
Member
I'll see you boys in Mario Kart Switch.
edit - wait we're still S Q U I D B O Y S right
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GAF Games of the Year 2016 - Voting Thread [Voting closed]
- Thread starter Cheesemeister
- Start date
I'll see you boys in Mario Kart Switch.
edit - wait we're still S Q U I D B O Y S right
PigzFly
Member
1. Dark Souls III ; The most mechanically refined Dark Souls. Still no match for Bloodborne (my fav game of all time now).
2. Hitman ; The consistently great episodes and challenges were super fun.
3. Stardew Valley ; I had to force myself to quit cold turkey because I was spending way to much time with it. It's very good.
4. Final Fantasy XV ; Surprisingly great game with fun combat and little touches that feel well thought out.
5. No Man's Sky ; The most chill game of the year. I spent so much time just cruising planets and catching up on podcasts. The foundation update was pretty cool and I look forward to seeing how this game evolves.
6. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I never enjoy the combat in these games but turning the aim assist on and difficulty down made this a fun and wild ride.
7. The Witness ; Really enjoyed those epiphany moments in the game when you figure out how to solve the puzzles.
8. Sid Meier's Civilization VI ; Netflix n Civ.
9. Inside ; That ending sequence was disturbing and revelatory, but most of all empowering.
10. Overwatch ; I need to play more of this game. Speaking as a TF2 veteran, it's really fun.
2. Hitman ; The consistently great episodes and challenges were super fun.
3. Stardew Valley ; I had to force myself to quit cold turkey because I was spending way to much time with it. It's very good.
4. Final Fantasy XV ; Surprisingly great game with fun combat and little touches that feel well thought out.
5. No Man's Sky ; The most chill game of the year. I spent so much time just cruising planets and catching up on podcasts. The foundation update was pretty cool and I look forward to seeing how this game evolves.
6. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I never enjoy the combat in these games but turning the aim assist on and difficulty down made this a fun and wild ride.
7. The Witness ; Really enjoyed those epiphany moments in the game when you figure out how to solve the puzzles.
8. Sid Meier's Civilization VI ; Netflix n Civ.
9. Inside ; That ending sequence was disturbing and revelatory, but most of all empowering.
10. Overwatch ; I need to play more of this game. Speaking as a TF2 veteran, it's really fun.
baberunisei
Member
1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 ; It had been seven years since I last enjoyed a football video game like this one. As a Brazilian, this sport runs in my veins and with this version I felt that Konami was finally back in the game. I just hope it's not too late and that the franchise survives what the company is doing to itself.
2. Monster Hunter Generations ; This year I was finally able to understand what this franchise is and holy shit, it really grabbed me. It was also one of the most helpful tools of dealing with the anxiety disorder that I also discovered this year. One of the most relaxing games I've ever played.
3. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; This game also brought many good vibes during a time when I needed them more than ever. Such a pleasure to discover each new transformation and their different moves and abilities.
2. Monster Hunter Generations ; This year I was finally able to understand what this franchise is and holy shit, it really grabbed me. It was also one of the most helpful tools of dealing with the anxiety disorder that I also discovered this year. One of the most relaxing games I've ever played.
3. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; This game also brought many good vibes during a time when I needed them more than ever. Such a pleasure to discover each new transformation and their different moves and abilities.
KenPokesBarbie
Banned
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; It was a masterpiece in terms of storytelling and graphics. The combat may not be for everyone but I really enjoy it.
2. Grim Dawn ; The best ARPG I've played since Diablo 2. The atmosphere and combat are top notch. It also does an amazing job in class variety as well.
3. American Truck Simulator ; This game is fun, just sit back and listen to some music and get lost in it for hours. I had a lot of fun relaxing and driving.
4. Darkest Dungeon ; An amazingly difficult turn-base game. It is so intense so be on the verge of a group wipe and pulling through.
5. Stardew Valley ; Another relaxing game that you can get lost in for hours. Lots of content and the soundtrack is fantastic
6. Overwatch ; Great characters, gameplay and art-style. I just never played it that much but from what I did play it was very enjoyable.
7. Battlefield 1 ; The single player is fantastic. I really like the way the story is told. The multiplayer modes are what I love. They are these huge skill battles that are fun to get lost in for hours.
8. World of Warcraft: Legion ; A great step in the right direction for the game. I really enjoyed coming back and playing it again after taking over a year away from the game. I loved the new zones and the world quest system.
9. Ratchet & Clank ; This game was gorgeous. It was like playing a Pixar movie. It had great gameplay and cool weapons.
10. Clash Royale ; I never thought a mobile game would make it anywhere on my list but I really enjoyed this game. I like building decks and the games are really quick.
2. Grim Dawn ; The best ARPG I've played since Diablo 2. The atmosphere and combat are top notch. It also does an amazing job in class variety as well.
3. American Truck Simulator ; This game is fun, just sit back and listen to some music and get lost in it for hours. I had a lot of fun relaxing and driving.
4. Darkest Dungeon ; An amazingly difficult turn-base game. It is so intense so be on the verge of a group wipe and pulling through.
5. Stardew Valley ; Another relaxing game that you can get lost in for hours. Lots of content and the soundtrack is fantastic
6. Overwatch ; Great characters, gameplay and art-style. I just never played it that much but from what I did play it was very enjoyable.
7. Battlefield 1 ; The single player is fantastic. I really like the way the story is told. The multiplayer modes are what I love. They are these huge skill battles that are fun to get lost in for hours.
8. World of Warcraft: Legion ; A great step in the right direction for the game. I really enjoyed coming back and playing it again after taking over a year away from the game. I loved the new zones and the world quest system.
9. Ratchet & Clank ; This game was gorgeous. It was like playing a Pixar movie. It had great gameplay and cool weapons.
10. Clash Royale ; I never thought a mobile game would make it anywhere on my list but I really enjoyed this game. I like building decks and the games are really quick.
Been forgetting to do this for awhile
1. Titanfall 2; Pretty much the best shooter of the year and game thinking about it. Same group of people that put out CoD4/MW2 and it shows. They have a real understanding of how to make a satisfying shooter. The SP pushed it into the 1# spot simply because of how much it just lets loose on gameplay ideas. Pretty much the top of the mountain. Respawn/ Old IW when shooting from all cylinders are on their Jordan shit when it comes to genre.
2. Uncharted 4; got some pacing issues in terms of gameplay, but everything here is just impressive as hell. First time the treasure hunt actually had some real weight behind it in the series. Went in thinking why is there a 4th game and left being satifised with how they ended Drake's story
3. Dark Souls 3; Feels like they took some of knowledge from Bloodborne and redefined it to work with the slower approach in combat and it's great. I loved that they basically made the lore of this one just a big victory lap of soul games over the years. Good encore of some of the more fun things from the past.
4. Overwatch; Blizz's first shooter and it's not a bad start. Fun characters, color palette and overall core mechanics. The overall approach to how they handle "the loop" and the carrot and stick approach of the game is a bit misguided imo but there is alot of fun here. Good for people who don't like FPS or new to the genre too
5. Final Fantasy 15; game should have been a fucking trainwreck. It kinda is. Calling it a beautiful trainwreck. Actually interested in how they handle the post release because the squad and gameplay was good enough for me to press on despite stupid shit like chapter 3 being 20 years. Also Up to the Challenge is that battle theme.
Top 5 cant really think of anything other then these. Hitman is a big surprise but haven't messed with it long enough plus 5 is a better round off then 6 lol.
1. Titanfall 2; Pretty much the best shooter of the year and game thinking about it. Same group of people that put out CoD4/MW2 and it shows. They have a real understanding of how to make a satisfying shooter. The SP pushed it into the 1# spot simply because of how much it just lets loose on gameplay ideas. Pretty much the top of the mountain. Respawn/ Old IW when shooting from all cylinders are on their Jordan shit when it comes to genre.
2. Uncharted 4; got some pacing issues in terms of gameplay, but everything here is just impressive as hell. First time the treasure hunt actually had some real weight behind it in the series. Went in thinking why is there a 4th game and left being satifised with how they ended Drake's story
3. Dark Souls 3; Feels like they took some of knowledge from Bloodborne and redefined it to work with the slower approach in combat and it's great. I loved that they basically made the lore of this one just a big victory lap of soul games over the years. Good encore of some of the more fun things from the past.
4. Overwatch; Blizz's first shooter and it's not a bad start. Fun characters, color palette and overall core mechanics. The overall approach to how they handle "the loop" and the carrot and stick approach of the game is a bit misguided imo but there is alot of fun here. Good for people who don't like FPS or new to the genre too
5. Final Fantasy 15; game should have been a fucking trainwreck. It kinda is. Calling it a beautiful trainwreck. Actually interested in how they handle the post release because the squad and gameplay was good enough for me to press on despite stupid shit like chapter 3 being 20 years. Also Up to the Challenge is that battle theme.
Top 5 cant really think of anything other then these. Hitman is a big surprise but haven't messed with it long enough plus 5 is a better round off then 6 lol.
1. World of Warcraft: Legion ; got me excited about WoW again.
2. Severed ; my first platinum! By the Gucamelee guys. Has a bright, colorful horror vibe.
3. DOOM ; great pacing, great look, great feel.
4. Gears of War 4 ; looks great, plays great, did not care too much for the new characters though.
2. Severed ; my first platinum! By the Gucamelee guys. Has a bright, colorful horror vibe.
3. DOOM ; great pacing, great look, great feel.
4. Gears of War 4 ; looks great, plays great, did not care too much for the new characters though.
Retromelon
Member
Dark souls 3 is the only game I played in 2016 that came out that year, but I would like to give my vote to watch dogs 2 because it looks like a lot of fun and I can't wait to try it
Retromelon
Member
Lol my post looks dumb reading it back, but I played dark souls 3 for like 30 seconds. Is that my only option
I mean I guess I could vote for the pokemon sun and moon demo, that came out this year. And i played it for a few hours
I cast my vote for pokemon sun & moon demo
1. Pokemon sun & moon demo; an enjoyable and free introduction to the basics of pokemon
2. Dark souls 3; looked really pretty for the minute or two I played of it
Honorable mention - watch dogs 2 - would be my goty if I had gotten to play it
I mean I guess I could vote for the pokemon sun and moon demo, that came out this year. And i played it for a few hours
I cast my vote for pokemon sun & moon demo
1. Pokemon sun & moon demo; an enjoyable and free introduction to the basics of pokemon
2. Dark souls 3; looked really pretty for the minute or two I played of it
Honorable mention - watch dogs 2 - would be my goty if I had gotten to play it
1. Final Fantasy XIV Patches 3.2-3.4; Not sure if this counts, but FFXIV's 3.x patch series was the highlight of gaming in 2016 for me, as in it's all I play nowadays. The story started in Heavensward paid off in satisfying and emotional ways, all while laying the groundwork for upcoming storylines and (literally) expanding the game's universe. The 8-man Alexander raids, despite the Goblins, were a lot of fun. And the 24-man raid "Weeping City of Mhach" was a nice kick in the butt challenge-wise. I never fought Ozma in FF9, but after this I will never forget him.
2. Final Fantasy XV;This hot mess of a game is fascinating. It is a game full of contradictions and compromises. But through all that, it manages to be incredibly fun and full of heart. I mainlined the story over a long weekend as it was very hard to put down. I felt it was flawed, but great. I then fire up and get into the post-game content, and this is where everything really clicked. Without a plot to worry about, I was free to explore the side content and optional dungeons. I found that the game got even better once I wasn't concerned with the plot, but just finding loot and making the bros OP. And there's the whole matter of Pitloss Ruins. What kind of evil genius put that together? And what the hell is it doing in a Final Fantasy game? I really hope the DLCs have more leftfield things like this nightmare.
3. Dark Souls III; From Software did not let me down. This was them at their A-game, channeling everything I love about the Souls series. It honored DS1 and 2, but felt more like Demons Souls than the previous 2 games. The Souls game get praised for their contextual storytelling, but Dark Souls 3 really was the pinnacle. I don't think a location reveal, like a particular one in DS3, has ever had me gasp then slackjawed in stunned silence for minutes after. Combat was also much better and speedier than DS2, which is actually hard for me to go back to after DS3's upgrade. Overall, it was another excellent entry into one of the best franchises of our current gen, and I sincerely hope From is not putting this series to bed permanently.
2. Final Fantasy XV;This hot mess of a game is fascinating. It is a game full of contradictions and compromises. But through all that, it manages to be incredibly fun and full of heart. I mainlined the story over a long weekend as it was very hard to put down. I felt it was flawed, but great. I then fire up and get into the post-game content, and this is where everything really clicked. Without a plot to worry about, I was free to explore the side content and optional dungeons. I found that the game got even better once I wasn't concerned with the plot, but just finding loot and making the bros OP. And there's the whole matter of Pitloss Ruins. What kind of evil genius put that together? And what the hell is it doing in a Final Fantasy game? I really hope the DLCs have more leftfield things like this nightmare.
3. Dark Souls III; From Software did not let me down. This was them at their A-game, channeling everything I love about the Souls series. It honored DS1 and 2, but felt more like Demons Souls than the previous 2 games. The Souls game get praised for their contextual storytelling, but Dark Souls 3 really was the pinnacle. I don't think a location reveal, like a particular one in DS3, has ever had me gasp then slackjawed in stunned silence for minutes after. Combat was also much better and speedier than DS2, which is actually hard for me to go back to after DS3's upgrade. Overall, it was another excellent entry into one of the best franchises of our current gen, and I sincerely hope From is not putting this series to bed permanently.
Vampirolol
Member
It's been a strange year for me. New job, new projects, new dreams and less time for games, so my list has been very hard to write. I know I haven't played some of the best games of the year (UC4, Doom, Overwatch, etc.) but I'll still try to do something that makes sense.
1. Titanfall 2 ; I've always wanted to play the first one but never had the chance. After hearing many good things about this game on Gaf, I've finally decided to pick it up and holy shit, it was amazing. The single player is the best I've played in years, and the multiplayer is amazing. Some guy said that this was the Super Mario Galaxy 2 of shooters and I can't disagree with him. I'm still playing and loving it.
2. The Witness ; This is one of those puzzle games that change the way you look at the world. I love this game, even though I still haven't finished it. Too bad some of the puzzles got me frustrated more than thrilled.
3. Star Fox Zero ; You don't believe me, I know. I remember reviewing this game and thinking "wow, this is actually funnier than SF64". I gave it a 9. Then the other reviews came out and I saw things like 3/10 and thought "maybe I was wrong". So I kept playing it. And no, the game was just amazing: I didn't have any problem about mastering the controls, I just had hours and hours of fun searching all the secret exits, the golden coins and breaking my records over and over. Man I want to play this now.
4. Paper Mario: Color Splash ; Yep, this game is good. Like, really good. There are things I hate, like a big chunk of the combat system and some levels, but the good surpasses the bad by a lot. It felt like an unforgettable adventure, very fun, especially near the end, and I have to say that this had the best OST of 2016 as far as I know.
5. Dark Souls III ; At first I was in love with this game. After DS and Bloodborne I felt like I wanted to play these games forever... but then I started to be bored by it. I forced myself to play it, but I just can't: I'm tired of this series, and I also think that this game doesn't live up to the first DS, even though I understand how some people thought it was the best one. There are some incredible bosses in the game and it's still among my favorite rpg's in the last years.
I know I've played other games this year, but I just forgot about them.
1. Titanfall 2 ; I've always wanted to play the first one but never had the chance. After hearing many good things about this game on Gaf, I've finally decided to pick it up and holy shit, it was amazing. The single player is the best I've played in years, and the multiplayer is amazing. Some guy said that this was the Super Mario Galaxy 2 of shooters and I can't disagree with him. I'm still playing and loving it.
2. The Witness ; This is one of those puzzle games that change the way you look at the world. I love this game, even though I still haven't finished it. Too bad some of the puzzles got me frustrated more than thrilled.
3. Star Fox Zero ; You don't believe me, I know. I remember reviewing this game and thinking "wow, this is actually funnier than SF64". I gave it a 9. Then the other reviews came out and I saw things like 3/10 and thought "maybe I was wrong". So I kept playing it. And no, the game was just amazing: I didn't have any problem about mastering the controls, I just had hours and hours of fun searching all the secret exits, the golden coins and breaking my records over and over. Man I want to play this now.
4. Paper Mario: Color Splash ; Yep, this game is good. Like, really good. There are things I hate, like a big chunk of the combat system and some levels, but the good surpasses the bad by a lot. It felt like an unforgettable adventure, very fun, especially near the end, and I have to say that this had the best OST of 2016 as far as I know.
5. Dark Souls III ; At first I was in love with this game. After DS and Bloodborne I felt like I wanted to play these games forever... but then I started to be bored by it. I forced myself to play it, but I just can't: I'm tired of this series, and I also think that this game doesn't live up to the first DS, even though I understand how some people thought it was the best one. There are some incredible bosses in the game and it's still among my favorite rpg's in the last years.
I know I've played other games this year, but I just forgot about them.
-Stranger-
Junior Member
1. Forza Horizon 3 ; Playground Games have crafted an immense and fun world to race and explore in.
Not to mention this game is absolutely breathtaking graphically.
Also it's simply the most fun I've had with a racer in some time.
2. Dishonored 2 ; Arkane Studios have done a fantastic job on the sequel.
Like the first iteration, this game's world is rich in mysticism & lore.
Secrets, hidden passages & fascinating characters.
It's a game full of replay value as no two playthroughs will be the same.
Different playstyles lead to a whole new experience.
3. INSIDE ; INSIDE hit me right in the feels more than i expected.
I was totally enamored by this game. From it's art, sound design and clever gameplay.
With a story that encourages plenty of analysis and discussion.
Surely this is a game that i'll always remember.
4. Firewatch ; This is storytelling at it's finest
The voice acting and spoken narrative between the two leads is authentic and entertaining to just listen to them chat about life.
The story drew me in and didn't let go until the very end.
I also loved the setting and i feel it was just oozing with atmosphere.
5. FIFA 17 ; As for as authenticity goes FIFA is still second the none.
The gameplay has been tweaked a little this year and it's for the better.
FUT is still as addictive to me as ever.
The new Journey adds another dimension here as well.
6. Titanfall 2 ; Better than the original game in all aspects.
Respawn have also included a very well paced and fun campaign.
7. Final Fantasy XV ; Gorgeous to look at, fun battle system.
Also this deserves to be here just because how good the food looks!
8. Abzu ; No wonder this comes from the same minds that brought us Journey.
It's an absolutely beautiful game, i found myself sometimes just floating in the tranquility of the depths.
9. Mafia 3 ; It's almost feels like such a letdown in that it could have been so much better. However it does tell a captivating story and presents it in a unique way.
For that i'm glad i played it.
10. The Witness ; Probably the reason it's so low is because i suck at it!
It's a thinking man's game and some these puzzles are HARD!
Still the sense of creativity it inspires and accomplishment when you solve a puzzle are great feelings.
Not to mention this game is absolutely breathtaking graphically.
Also it's simply the most fun I've had with a racer in some time.
2. Dishonored 2 ; Arkane Studios have done a fantastic job on the sequel.
Like the first iteration, this game's world is rich in mysticism & lore.
Secrets, hidden passages & fascinating characters.
It's a game full of replay value as no two playthroughs will be the same.
Different playstyles lead to a whole new experience.
3. INSIDE ; INSIDE hit me right in the feels more than i expected.
I was totally enamored by this game. From it's art, sound design and clever gameplay.
With a story that encourages plenty of analysis and discussion.
Surely this is a game that i'll always remember.
4. Firewatch ; This is storytelling at it's finest
The voice acting and spoken narrative between the two leads is authentic and entertaining to just listen to them chat about life.
The story drew me in and didn't let go until the very end.
I also loved the setting and i feel it was just oozing with atmosphere.
5. FIFA 17 ; As for as authenticity goes FIFA is still second the none.
The gameplay has been tweaked a little this year and it's for the better.
FUT is still as addictive to me as ever.
The new Journey adds another dimension here as well.
6. Titanfall 2 ; Better than the original game in all aspects.
Respawn have also included a very well paced and fun campaign.
7. Final Fantasy XV ; Gorgeous to look at, fun battle system.
Also this deserves to be here just because how good the food looks!
8. Abzu ; No wonder this comes from the same minds that brought us Journey.
It's an absolutely beautiful game, i found myself sometimes just floating in the tranquility of the depths.
9. Mafia 3 ; It's almost feels like such a letdown in that it could have been so much better. However it does tell a captivating story and presents it in a unique way.
For that i'm glad i played it.
10. The Witness ; Probably the reason it's so low is because i suck at it!
It's a thinking man's game and some these puzzles are HARD!
Still the sense of creativity it inspires and accomplishment when you solve a puzzle are great feelings.
uncleniccius
Member
1. Overwatch ; The best multiplayer game in years. Great fun, great style and competitive too.
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; A brilliant end to the series. The second is still the best but it is a graphical showcase and has amazing presentation and story as would expect from Uncharted.
3. Dishonoured 2 ; An excellent action game that improves on the first in many ways. I hope for more innovation in a sequel but it did just enough.
4. Gravity Rush Remastered ; I was tempted to place this higher but couldn't with it being a port. It is a fantastic game though, absolutely wonderful. It has a brilliant mechanic, beautiful music and an interesting world. To make it even better the PS4 port is excellent. I cannot wait for the sequel.
5. The Witness ; I did not complete the Witness but spent enough hours for it to make the list. A wonderful game, only let down by the fact that you have to think like the creator to solve many of the puzzles. This is a limitation of most puzzle games though, and does not take away from its brilliance.
6. Inside; Inside is weird and unique. It is hard to describe but it is creepy and endearing. The ending is also a huge WTF moment. Excellent game.
7. Quantum Break ; A solid action game with an interesting premise. It could have been much better, but the TV show was an interesting concept even if it wasn't pulled off perfectly.
I have played so few games this year that this is my list. I have yet to start Blood and Wine as I only just finished the main game, I have hardly started XCOM and HItman is not for me. Quite a disappointing year in gaming - I am certainly hoping for more next year.
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; A brilliant end to the series. The second is still the best but it is a graphical showcase and has amazing presentation and story as would expect from Uncharted.
3. Dishonoured 2 ; An excellent action game that improves on the first in many ways. I hope for more innovation in a sequel but it did just enough.
4. Gravity Rush Remastered ; I was tempted to place this higher but couldn't with it being a port. It is a fantastic game though, absolutely wonderful. It has a brilliant mechanic, beautiful music and an interesting world. To make it even better the PS4 port is excellent. I cannot wait for the sequel.
5. The Witness ; I did not complete the Witness but spent enough hours for it to make the list. A wonderful game, only let down by the fact that you have to think like the creator to solve many of the puzzles. This is a limitation of most puzzle games though, and does not take away from its brilliance.
6. Inside; Inside is weird and unique. It is hard to describe but it is creepy and endearing. The ending is also a huge WTF moment. Excellent game.
7. Quantum Break ; A solid action game with an interesting premise. It could have been much better, but the TV show was an interesting concept even if it wasn't pulled off perfectly.
I have played so few games this year that this is my list. I have yet to start Blood and Wine as I only just finished the main game, I have hardly started XCOM and HItman is not for me. Quite a disappointing year in gaming - I am certainly hoping for more next year.
IAmAnAgnostic
Member
1. DOOM ; No bullshit, just a classical fast paced, brutal FPS. Amazing soundtrack to boot.
2. Final Fantasy XV ; Despite numerous flaws I had fun with the combat and the weird and unique atmosphere.
3. Overwatch ; Finally a new class based, competitive game to replace TF2.
4. The Last Guardian ; Framerate on PS4 is terrible. The controls and camera are clunky. But despite that the game delivers a memorable journey and clever puzzles. And Trico is an amazing technical achievement!
5. Dark Souls III ; The reason this game is not higher despite being a Souls game is the complete lack of repeatability and class variety. You have one path and your starting weapon is the best weapon in the game.
2. Final Fantasy XV ; Despite numerous flaws I had fun with the combat and the weird and unique atmosphere.
3. Overwatch ; Finally a new class based, competitive game to replace TF2.
4. The Last Guardian ; Framerate on PS4 is terrible. The controls and camera are clunky. But despite that the game delivers a memorable journey and clever puzzles. And Trico is an amazing technical achievement!
5. Dark Souls III ; The reason this game is not higher despite being a Souls game is the complete lack of repeatability and class variety. You have one path and your starting weapon is the best weapon in the game.
1. Dishonored 2 ; I loved the first game, and even though the story was slightly less engaging than the last game, I thought this one improved upon every other aspect--especially level design, which were some of the most stunning I've every played.
2. Titanfall 2 ; I already liked the first game, and the multiplayer is about the same to me, with some improvements and some drawbacks from the first one. The inclusion of a great, albeit short, single player campaign pushed this into one the top games of the year in my opinion. In some ways this greatly resembles Splatoon to me, with quirky, innovative gameplay--compared to it's peers in the genre--and a surprisingly good, yet short, single player campaign.
3. Xcom 2 ; An improvement upon every facet of the first game. I already love this type of turn-based tactic type of game, like Wasteland 2, and think this is one of the very best in its genre.
4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; A really good game, one of the best of the year, but it didn't seem so surprising and innovative as the second one in its time. It had a good story, improved mechanics and game-play etc, but it felt like things I've already done before in the series, or in gaming in general in 2016. Nothing didn't really jump out and WOW me besides some story elements. To me, this resembles the third Uncharted game more than anything, in that it was still one of the best games of the year, but not the clear, unequivocal best of the year like the second one.
5. Inside ; Wonderful atmosphere, and absolutely beautiful visual and art design. I liken it to the first Alien movie, which had a simple plot and rail thin characterization but is still an absolute masterpiece based primarily on its incredible atmosphere and visual and creature design. I feel it's somewhat similar with this game, where it's atmosphere and stunning artistic style pushes through any limitations or criticisms that you might have with it.
6. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Again, I was already a fan of Human Revolution, and though it's story was not as memorable, the game-play and mechanics were improved enough to like it more as an overall package..
7. Doom ; This was actually the first Doom game I played. I have a feeling if I was more familiar with traditional elements or enemies or power-ups etc that popped up revamped in this game, I would've liked it even more. But still, it was a breath of fresh air in it's genre, which has gotten a bit stale, until this past year seemed to shake things up a bit.
8. Watch Dogs 2 ; I was in a small group that seemed to like the first game already, and this one had much improved and likable characters (a billion times over the first one) and also improved game-play and hacking and stealth mechanics. Story is about on par with the first, which is nothing really special. The villain is somehow even less memorable than the first one, but it's number of improvements in multiple areas easily won me over.
9. Star Fox: Zero ; Probably the most love-it or hate-it game that came out this year. I can completely understand people for really disliking it if the controls didn't click or just simply didn't work the way you wanted. Even though I'm not really a motion-control fanatic, for some reason, this game's controls clicked from the very first level. Thus, I had a very fun and quirky experience with this game that you can't really find all that often these days. The fact that it did seem like playing a relic from another era with a weird control scheme made it somehow stand out and be more even memorable than if it simply had a more modernized feel, and normal control scheme. Of course, I know, all that wouldn't have mattered if the controls did not instantly click with me.
10. Gravity Rush Remastered ; Quirky world and art design. Zany and colorful characters. Story is so-so, but the best quality of the game (and one the entire game revolves around) is the Gravity-weightless mechanic. It was integrated well enough into all aspects in the game, including combat, that it made the game interesting and stand out, where it might have been a simple an ordinary effort otherwise.
Honorable Mentions
x. Ratchet & Clank ; Enjoyable and whimsical game, with beautiful visual design. A great entry in the series, and I find it on par with A Crack in Time, which I thought was also one of the best games of the year when it came out.
2. Titanfall 2 ; I already liked the first game, and the multiplayer is about the same to me, with some improvements and some drawbacks from the first one. The inclusion of a great, albeit short, single player campaign pushed this into one the top games of the year in my opinion. In some ways this greatly resembles Splatoon to me, with quirky, innovative gameplay--compared to it's peers in the genre--and a surprisingly good, yet short, single player campaign.
3. Xcom 2 ; An improvement upon every facet of the first game. I already love this type of turn-based tactic type of game, like Wasteland 2, and think this is one of the very best in its genre.
4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; A really good game, one of the best of the year, but it didn't seem so surprising and innovative as the second one in its time. It had a good story, improved mechanics and game-play etc, but it felt like things I've already done before in the series, or in gaming in general in 2016. Nothing didn't really jump out and WOW me besides some story elements. To me, this resembles the third Uncharted game more than anything, in that it was still one of the best games of the year, but not the clear, unequivocal best of the year like the second one.
5. Inside ; Wonderful atmosphere, and absolutely beautiful visual and art design. I liken it to the first Alien movie, which had a simple plot and rail thin characterization but is still an absolute masterpiece based primarily on its incredible atmosphere and visual and creature design. I feel it's somewhat similar with this game, where it's atmosphere and stunning artistic style pushes through any limitations or criticisms that you might have with it.
6. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Again, I was already a fan of Human Revolution, and though it's story was not as memorable, the game-play and mechanics were improved enough to like it more as an overall package..
7. Doom ; This was actually the first Doom game I played. I have a feeling if I was more familiar with traditional elements or enemies or power-ups etc that popped up revamped in this game, I would've liked it even more. But still, it was a breath of fresh air in it's genre, which has gotten a bit stale, until this past year seemed to shake things up a bit.
8. Watch Dogs 2 ; I was in a small group that seemed to like the first game already, and this one had much improved and likable characters (a billion times over the first one) and also improved game-play and hacking and stealth mechanics. Story is about on par with the first, which is nothing really special. The villain is somehow even less memorable than the first one, but it's number of improvements in multiple areas easily won me over.
9. Star Fox: Zero ; Probably the most love-it or hate-it game that came out this year. I can completely understand people for really disliking it if the controls didn't click or just simply didn't work the way you wanted. Even though I'm not really a motion-control fanatic, for some reason, this game's controls clicked from the very first level. Thus, I had a very fun and quirky experience with this game that you can't really find all that often these days. The fact that it did seem like playing a relic from another era with a weird control scheme made it somehow stand out and be more even memorable than if it simply had a more modernized feel, and normal control scheme. Of course, I know, all that wouldn't have mattered if the controls did not instantly click with me.
10. Gravity Rush Remastered ; Quirky world and art design. Zany and colorful characters. Story is so-so, but the best quality of the game (and one the entire game revolves around) is the Gravity-weightless mechanic. It was integrated well enough into all aspects in the game, including combat, that it made the game interesting and stand out, where it might have been a simple an ordinary effort otherwise.
Honorable Mentions
x. Ratchet & Clank ; Enjoyable and whimsical game, with beautiful visual design. A great entry in the series, and I find it on par with A Crack in Time, which I thought was also one of the best games of the year when it came out.
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End; A masterpiece that simply excelled in all aspects it set out for, gameplay, visuals, story and characters. Gunplay is massively improved over previous entries and the much larger levels allowed for a great sense of exploration in downtimes and multiple ways to approach a combat scenario. The more mature and grounded approach to story telling allowed for some truly impactful scenes that surpassed any in previous games. The ending was pure magic, hitting nostalgic points for long time fans and absolutely the best way to bid our favorite treasure hunter farewell. Long story short, the Uncharted formula perfected with ND taking influences from The Last Of Us and a perfect sendoff to a legendary franchise. In addition, the game boasts an exceptional and addicting multiplayer mode. All in all, the best game of this generation and what devs should strife for in narrative driven third person shooters.
2. Final Fantasy XV; As a newcomer to this long running, legendary series, I didn't know what to expect. However, after pouring in over a 100 hours, saying it exceeded my expectations is selling it short. While the combat lacks the violent feedback and blood gushing satisfaction of Soulsbourne, combat flows extremely well and feels very satisfying to play. In addition, the game boasts some of the most incredible set pieces in games to date. Side quests are also really well done, and even minor activities like fishing are very enjoyable. However, what the game excels at above all else is the chemistry between the bros. The time you spent with them, the journey you embark on with them, the dangers you face with them. All so well done that it genuinely feels like a real adventure with your best friends. The ending to this game was also pure magic, probably one of the most impactful in the medium. Despite all the praises, the game did have its shortcomings. Camera issues are prevalent and the story, while having an interesting premise and plot, was deeply flawed in execution. However, at the end of the day, the positives far outweigh the negatives and this game deserves to be among the best this generation.
3. DOOM; I'm again a newcomer to another long running franchise. However, DOOM was a pleasant surprise, boasting one of the best FPS campaigns of all time. The non stop action, over the top gore and amazing soundtrack made every encounter truly an adrenaline rush. It also helps that the guns feel very punchy and dismembering demons with your guns or bare hands is very satisfying. For over a decade, many developers have tried to make games that emulate film and worse still, only a few have succeeded. DOOM completely bucks this trend and offers a game where the gameplay takes centre stage instead with minimal cutscenes, and it felt like a breath of fresh air. However, this does result in the game feeling "samey" after prolonged sessions. Either way, rip and tear until it's done!
4. Dark Souls 3; Having played Bloodborne last year and absolutely loving it, I had large expectations for this title and for the most part, it didn't disappoint. The combat is still up there as one of the best in RPG's and the iconic, precise hit detection remain. Enemy and environment variety were stellar as well. As any fan knows, the bosses are the true highlights of the Soulsbourne games and this game certainly maintains the standard we have come to expect. However, the game does suffer from what feels like the game being fanservice above all else and Miyazaki wanting to move on. In addition, I feel some enemies were better suited to the faster paced, more aggressive approach to combat of Bloodborne. On the other hand, not having to farm for curatives and resetting enemies instantly is a big plus as opposed to Bloodborne. Overall, while not quite matching Bloodborne's level of being a well rounded title throughout, it is still one of the best games this year, no doubt.
5. Rise of the Tomb Raider; The sequel to a reboot which felt like it took too much from Uncharted, this new entry instead takes a bold step and tries to be its own thing. Featuring semi open world maps and handing players the freedom to explore, the game essentially prioritizes gameplay over story telling, in contrast to Uncharted. And this is something it does well, the sense of stumbling upon an ancient tomb where you have to use your wits and skills to progress is amazing, and probably the best parts about the game. Platforming requires skill and good timing, not just random button mashing. Sufficiently large levels and a variety of weapons also give you multiple ways to approach an encounter. Gunplay feels great as guns sound good and provide that desired punchy feedback. However, the game truly falters in its story telling. A muddled plot, poor narrative and uneven pacing due to the ability to explore the world greatly hampers any attempts to salvage it. Furthermore, Lara Croft still feels as if she isn't a strong, independent female character yet, just doing whatever makes the plot convenient, and her motivations are poorly related to the player. The supporting cast just fare much worse in the latter. Regardless, it is undoubtedly a great game and arguably a step forward compared to its predecessor.
6. Far Cry Primal; In a decade where it feels every game needs guns to be marketable, this game makes a bold move and throws that thought out the window, putting you in the role of a cavemen, armed with clubs and bows. For the most part, it is a refreshing experience. The Ice Age era is also portrayed really well, with a wide variety of extinct animals brought to live in an imposing and fear mongering manner. The absence of guns means you have to get closer when facing these beasts and fortunately, the game does first person melee well. Nighttime in the forests as wolves howl in the distance is also incredibly atmospheric and unnerving. In addition, the story is kept to a minimum, with the characters having simple motives and the plot being extremely basic, which in my opinion is a plus, seeing as how Ubisoft games tend to generally have unlikeable characters and awful story telling. However, despite the new take for the series, in a few hours, the feeling that it retreats to old grounds persists and the open world design remains the same old Ubisoft formula. But if as a "caveman simulator", it most likely is the best of all time.
7. Quantum Break; One of the few exceptions in both film and games alike that does time travelling justice. The narrative is executed well, the plot is thought provoking and well written and Jack Joyce is a very relatable character. In addition, the gameplay is great. Guns feel satisfying to handle and the time powers add a lot to the encounters, making it more than just the typical cover based shooter. However, the choices you are given ultimately have small consequences and the live action series as a whole failed to impress. Many of the characters, especially in the live action series, are forgettable and lack the proper explaination for their actions. Arguably, the live actions segments could even be seen as harming the pacing and flow of the game. But as a blockbuster about time travelling, it was definitely a great game.
8. Furi; With solid combat mechanics, good soundtrack, interesting art direction and over the top action, Furi does a lot of things right. However, the bullet hell segments are as predictable as they are annoying and having to restart an entire boss fight, which could last over 10 minutes quickly became tedious. While overall enjoyable, it could have been more.
X. Pokemon GO; While the concept of living your childhood dreams of catching them all was initially amazing, the game ultimately lacks depth and content to keep most playing for more than a few weeks.
2. Final Fantasy XV; As a newcomer to this long running, legendary series, I didn't know what to expect. However, after pouring in over a 100 hours, saying it exceeded my expectations is selling it short. While the combat lacks the violent feedback and blood gushing satisfaction of Soulsbourne, combat flows extremely well and feels very satisfying to play. In addition, the game boasts some of the most incredible set pieces in games to date. Side quests are also really well done, and even minor activities like fishing are very enjoyable. However, what the game excels at above all else is the chemistry between the bros. The time you spent with them, the journey you embark on with them, the dangers you face with them. All so well done that it genuinely feels like a real adventure with your best friends. The ending to this game was also pure magic, probably one of the most impactful in the medium. Despite all the praises, the game did have its shortcomings. Camera issues are prevalent and the story, while having an interesting premise and plot, was deeply flawed in execution. However, at the end of the day, the positives far outweigh the negatives and this game deserves to be among the best this generation.
3. DOOM; I'm again a newcomer to another long running franchise. However, DOOM was a pleasant surprise, boasting one of the best FPS campaigns of all time. The non stop action, over the top gore and amazing soundtrack made every encounter truly an adrenaline rush. It also helps that the guns feel very punchy and dismembering demons with your guns or bare hands is very satisfying. For over a decade, many developers have tried to make games that emulate film and worse still, only a few have succeeded. DOOM completely bucks this trend and offers a game where the gameplay takes centre stage instead with minimal cutscenes, and it felt like a breath of fresh air. However, this does result in the game feeling "samey" after prolonged sessions. Either way, rip and tear until it's done!
4. Dark Souls 3; Having played Bloodborne last year and absolutely loving it, I had large expectations for this title and for the most part, it didn't disappoint. The combat is still up there as one of the best in RPG's and the iconic, precise hit detection remain. Enemy and environment variety were stellar as well. As any fan knows, the bosses are the true highlights of the Soulsbourne games and this game certainly maintains the standard we have come to expect. However, the game does suffer from what feels like the game being fanservice above all else and Miyazaki wanting to move on. In addition, I feel some enemies were better suited to the faster paced, more aggressive approach to combat of Bloodborne. On the other hand, not having to farm for curatives and resetting enemies instantly is a big plus as opposed to Bloodborne. Overall, while not quite matching Bloodborne's level of being a well rounded title throughout, it is still one of the best games this year, no doubt.
5. Rise of the Tomb Raider; The sequel to a reboot which felt like it took too much from Uncharted, this new entry instead takes a bold step and tries to be its own thing. Featuring semi open world maps and handing players the freedom to explore, the game essentially prioritizes gameplay over story telling, in contrast to Uncharted. And this is something it does well, the sense of stumbling upon an ancient tomb where you have to use your wits and skills to progress is amazing, and probably the best parts about the game. Platforming requires skill and good timing, not just random button mashing. Sufficiently large levels and a variety of weapons also give you multiple ways to approach an encounter. Gunplay feels great as guns sound good and provide that desired punchy feedback. However, the game truly falters in its story telling. A muddled plot, poor narrative and uneven pacing due to the ability to explore the world greatly hampers any attempts to salvage it. Furthermore, Lara Croft still feels as if she isn't a strong, independent female character yet, just doing whatever makes the plot convenient, and her motivations are poorly related to the player. The supporting cast just fare much worse in the latter. Regardless, it is undoubtedly a great game and arguably a step forward compared to its predecessor.
6. Far Cry Primal; In a decade where it feels every game needs guns to be marketable, this game makes a bold move and throws that thought out the window, putting you in the role of a cavemen, armed with clubs and bows. For the most part, it is a refreshing experience. The Ice Age era is also portrayed really well, with a wide variety of extinct animals brought to live in an imposing and fear mongering manner. The absence of guns means you have to get closer when facing these beasts and fortunately, the game does first person melee well. Nighttime in the forests as wolves howl in the distance is also incredibly atmospheric and unnerving. In addition, the story is kept to a minimum, with the characters having simple motives and the plot being extremely basic, which in my opinion is a plus, seeing as how Ubisoft games tend to generally have unlikeable characters and awful story telling. However, despite the new take for the series, in a few hours, the feeling that it retreats to old grounds persists and the open world design remains the same old Ubisoft formula. But if as a "caveman simulator", it most likely is the best of all time.
7. Quantum Break; One of the few exceptions in both film and games alike that does time travelling justice. The narrative is executed well, the plot is thought provoking and well written and Jack Joyce is a very relatable character. In addition, the gameplay is great. Guns feel satisfying to handle and the time powers add a lot to the encounters, making it more than just the typical cover based shooter. However, the choices you are given ultimately have small consequences and the live action series as a whole failed to impress. Many of the characters, especially in the live action series, are forgettable and lack the proper explaination for their actions. Arguably, the live actions segments could even be seen as harming the pacing and flow of the game. But as a blockbuster about time travelling, it was definitely a great game.
8. Furi; With solid combat mechanics, good soundtrack, interesting art direction and over the top action, Furi does a lot of things right. However, the bullet hell segments are as predictable as they are annoying and having to restart an entire boss fight, which could last over 10 minutes quickly became tedious. While overall enjoyable, it could have been more.
X. Pokemon GO; While the concept of living your childhood dreams of catching them all was initially amazing, the game ultimately lacks depth and content to keep most playing for more than a few weeks.
PancakeBurglar
Member
1. Overwatch ; Not a big shooter guy but this game hooked me. Love the characters and the addicting gameplay. Game looks like it will have a good future ahead of itself.
2. Dark Souls 3 ; Very refined and probably the most consistent souls yet. Great gameplay and atmosphere even if it kind of gives off a been there done that kind of feel at times.
3. Stardew Valley ; A real surprise for me, was never really that into Harvest Moon but this one hooked me. Full of charm and comfy warm feeling, need to return to it soon though.
4. Uncharted 4 ; Probably my favorite Uncharted yet, loved the focus on adventure over shooting personally. Yeah the pacing was wonky but the bigger story focus and beautiful levels and tighter gameplay made up for it to me. Great conclusion to this series.
5. Doom ; Another awesome shooter and metal as fuck. Fast paced action and badass monsters combined with great level design make this one of the most fun shooters I've played.
6. Dragon Quest VII 3DS ; Charming classic jrpg with new coat of paint. Loved the little stories and overall epic feeling of the adventure. Great music and gameplay, still need to finish it though.
7. Final Fantasy XV ; Game is kind of a mess but still managed to be fun in the end. Battle system is fun for the most part when you aren't fighting the camera. Music and visuals were good too, story was disappointing though.
Still need to get around to Xcom 2 and Civ 6 though, would probably have been on my list otherwise.
2. Dark Souls 3 ; Very refined and probably the most consistent souls yet. Great gameplay and atmosphere even if it kind of gives off a been there done that kind of feel at times.
3. Stardew Valley ; A real surprise for me, was never really that into Harvest Moon but this one hooked me. Full of charm and comfy warm feeling, need to return to it soon though.
4. Uncharted 4 ; Probably my favorite Uncharted yet, loved the focus on adventure over shooting personally. Yeah the pacing was wonky but the bigger story focus and beautiful levels and tighter gameplay made up for it to me. Great conclusion to this series.
5. Doom ; Another awesome shooter and metal as fuck. Fast paced action and badass monsters combined with great level design make this one of the most fun shooters I've played.
6. Dragon Quest VII 3DS ; Charming classic jrpg with new coat of paint. Loved the little stories and overall epic feeling of the adventure. Great music and gameplay, still need to finish it though.
7. Final Fantasy XV ; Game is kind of a mess but still managed to be fun in the end. Battle system is fun for the most part when you aren't fighting the camera. Music and visuals were good too, story was disappointing though.
Still need to get around to Xcom 2 and Civ 6 though, would probably have been on my list otherwise.
Fancy Clown
Member
I stuck to the plan, man. I voted Uncharted 4. And for what? Now I'm standing around like a jackass while Net_Wrecker's talkin up a port of a vita anime game and Harvest Moon 10! Where's that list at JC? Huh?? Where's. That. List. At.
Nocturnowl
Member
JC is still busy preparing the LttP entry of his list since he skipped last year, at last his shining endorsement of Devil's Third will be available for all to read.
Fancy Clown
Member
I always knew there was something...funny about him.
Net_Wrecker
Member
I'll fight you bro. RIght here, right now. Vita anime game ports and the resurrected corpse of Harvest Moon deserve as much respect as anything else. Let me live.
Khalifa Jayy
Banned
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End; a stellar finish to one of gaming's best series. Nathan Drake had a great send-off in this game full of lush environments, neat puzzles, incredible voice acting and animation, and an engaging multiplayer to boot.
The Xtortionist
Member
I mean, won't Stardew be on JC's list? It's pretty much Animal Crossing with waifus.
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Finished this game just one day after I bought it. A great end to a series where I've played every game and finished none (but reached the end levels in two of them). Loved the way the characters interacted with each other, the amazing visuals and the great soundtrack.
2. Planet Coaster ; Probably my most played game of 2016. Got into it since the first alpha and I'm having way too much fun. If only I could ride the coasters with my Oculus Rift, then I'd have nothing else to ask (ok, maybe some better management system, but still!).
3. The Last Guardian ; My first and only Ueda game, now I can imagine why people loved the other two. Trico is one of the cutest and best AI I have ever seen in any game out there.
4. Watch Dogs 2 ; I personally somewhat enjoyed the first Watch Dogs but this one improved on the hacking feel so much, that it made the somewhat mediocre shooting system a problem that I have almost yet to encounter since i haven't really needed it.
5. The Witness ; Amazing puzzle game that game me more than a couple headaches (first because of the motion sickness - something I had never experienced in any game -). Solving each series of puzzles made for a really satisfactory experience, and it brought back the use of graph paper for gaming.
6. Overwatch ; While I'm really a competitive gamer anymore, playing this game has been so much fun with friends. I really like that Blizzard went outside their main 3 series for something quite unique that I didn't even expect from them.
7. Hitman ; Amazing level design and stealthy gameplay. I have only played the first map (Paris) and even with that it got into my Top 10. I will be playing the rest of the season this year, since I wanted to clear some other games before getting into it.
8. Firewatch ; I wasn't a fan of the ending at first, but I can see why they went for that. I loved the mood of the game and only wish there had been more firewatch "missions" before the main story got started. It was so much fun
.
9. SuperHOT ; Indeed (probably one of) the most innovative shooters I've played in years. The mechanic was simple yet challenging.
10. The Division ; A loot game that had some of the best atmosphere in a game I've played this year. Playing online with friends and getting into the Dark Zone the first time was quite the experience, with both of us shitting our pants at the sight of any other player. Eventually grew a bit tired of the main loop, but that was after some 60+ hours of gameplay, so that was OK for me.
Honorable Mentions
x. Civilization VI ; Played this a ton and will probably play it more than most of the other titles in this list for the next few years to come (except perhaps Planet Coaster). It's Civilization so it doesn't need much more introduction.
x. Abzu ; I played it somewhat expecting something like Journey and I think that hurt it a bit. Going without that kind of expectation though (at least for me), it makes for a very relaxing game with beautiful visuals.
I have played many other great titles this year, and also missed some titles that I bet are great like Dishonored 2, which I'll grab sometime this year. I also need to play more of Stardew Valley since it's really up my alley, but I'd rather play that on something portable.
Oh, I also got Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4) during Christmas and will start playing it soon. I played a bit of the first part at work and liked it, but wasn't a big fan of the more open world-ish design on the hub area. I haven't done any research on the game (on purpose) so this might not be something to be concerned or maybe it gets better.
2. Planet Coaster ; Probably my most played game of 2016. Got into it since the first alpha and I'm having way too much fun. If only I could ride the coasters with my Oculus Rift, then I'd have nothing else to ask (ok, maybe some better management system, but still!).
3. The Last Guardian ; My first and only Ueda game, now I can imagine why people loved the other two. Trico is one of the cutest and best AI I have ever seen in any game out there.
4. Watch Dogs 2 ; I personally somewhat enjoyed the first Watch Dogs but this one improved on the hacking feel so much, that it made the somewhat mediocre shooting system a problem that I have almost yet to encounter since i haven't really needed it.
5. The Witness ; Amazing puzzle game that game me more than a couple headaches (first because of the motion sickness - something I had never experienced in any game -). Solving each series of puzzles made for a really satisfactory experience, and it brought back the use of graph paper for gaming.
6. Overwatch ; While I'm really a competitive gamer anymore, playing this game has been so much fun with friends. I really like that Blizzard went outside their main 3 series for something quite unique that I didn't even expect from them.
7. Hitman ; Amazing level design and stealthy gameplay. I have only played the first map (Paris) and even with that it got into my Top 10. I will be playing the rest of the season this year, since I wanted to clear some other games before getting into it.
8. Firewatch ; I wasn't a fan of the ending at first, but I can see why they went for that. I loved the mood of the game and only wish there had been more firewatch "missions" before the main story got started. It was so much fun
.9. SuperHOT ; Indeed (probably one of) the most innovative shooters I've played in years. The mechanic was simple yet challenging.
10. The Division ; A loot game that had some of the best atmosphere in a game I've played this year. Playing online with friends and getting into the Dark Zone the first time was quite the experience, with both of us shitting our pants at the sight of any other player. Eventually grew a bit tired of the main loop, but that was after some 60+ hours of gameplay, so that was OK for me.
Honorable Mentions
x. Civilization VI ; Played this a ton and will probably play it more than most of the other titles in this list for the next few years to come (except perhaps Planet Coaster). It's Civilization so it doesn't need much more introduction.
x. Abzu ; I played it somewhat expecting something like Journey and I think that hurt it a bit. Going without that kind of expectation though (at least for me), it makes for a very relaxing game with beautiful visuals.
I have played many other great titles this year, and also missed some titles that I bet are great like Dishonored 2, which I'll grab sometime this year. I also need to play more of Stardew Valley since it's really up my alley, but I'd rather play that on something portable.
Oh, I also got Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4) during Christmas and will start playing it soon. I played a bit of the first part at work and liked it, but wasn't a big fan of the more open world-ish design on the hub area. I haven't done any research on the game (on purpose) so this might not be something to be concerned or maybe it gets better.
1. Uncharted 4 ; The best game in the series. Nathan is a more mature character, new interesting characters, great exploring and awesome graphics.
2. Dragon Quest VII ; number 7 had eluded me for too long. And I'm so happy I finally got to play it! Awesome characters, nice world and tons of content.
3. Playroom VR ; I had already tried HTC Vive, and O. R. But PSVR still blew me away, thanks to the games. And a free game was the highlight for me. Fun and social!
4. Ratchet & Clank ; A game I played through twice, and I still might go back to. That says a lot. It's super fun, I love the characters, it's beautiful and it's funny.
5. Tethered VR ; I like god sim games, and this one is great. Cool visuals and cute creatures.
6. Civilization VI ; I feel like I've only scratched the surface of an incredible game. I love the look of it, it's got the good old "just one more turn" gameplay and it feels fresh because of changes to happiness, use of workers and more that I still might now have grasped.
7. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; I actually liked this a lot more than I belived I would. Fun cast, cool gameplay. A worthy last game on my wiiu.
8. Dragon Quest Builders ; Incredibly charming, and works well both in HD and as a portable game. I used to like Minecraft, but this game got me back into building.
9. World of Final Fantasy ; The gameplay is nice, even if I don't care about the new characters or the story. I also like the aspect of putting characters on top of each other. It's interesting and makes for a fun game.
10. O! My Genesis VR ; Very short, but very underrated. I love this game, and it controls really well. I would like more dlc.
2. Dragon Quest VII ; number 7 had eluded me for too long. And I'm so happy I finally got to play it! Awesome characters, nice world and tons of content.
3. Playroom VR ; I had already tried HTC Vive, and O. R. But PSVR still blew me away, thanks to the games. And a free game was the highlight for me. Fun and social!
4. Ratchet & Clank ; A game I played through twice, and I still might go back to. That says a lot. It's super fun, I love the characters, it's beautiful and it's funny.
5. Tethered VR ; I like god sim games, and this one is great. Cool visuals and cute creatures.
6. Civilization VI ; I feel like I've only scratched the surface of an incredible game. I love the look of it, it's got the good old "just one more turn" gameplay and it feels fresh because of changes to happiness, use of workers and more that I still might now have grasped.
7. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; I actually liked this a lot more than I belived I would. Fun cast, cool gameplay. A worthy last game on my wiiu.
8. Dragon Quest Builders ; Incredibly charming, and works well both in HD and as a portable game. I used to like Minecraft, but this game got me back into building.
9. World of Final Fantasy ; The gameplay is nice, even if I don't care about the new characters or the story. I also like the aspect of putting characters on top of each other. It's interesting and makes for a fun game.
10. O! My Genesis VR ; Very short, but very underrated. I love this game, and it controls really well. I would like more dlc.
I don't usually play that many new games, but here are my highlights of the year:
1. The Witness ; A masterpiece. A game design masterclass, perfect execution of a concept, always fair and treating the player as an intelligent person. I'm impressed at how the game is perfectly crafted to provoque multiple "Eureka!" moments, with puzzles perfectly ordered to push the player. The game is in an almost constant "You think you got the idea of this set of puzzles?, well think again", as you here that "buzz" pointing out you got it wrong and you reflect for a second if you will try again or go somewhere else. And THEN (with "then" being: after 5 minute, 10 different tries or after a week), you see it.
And this doesn't happen 1 or 2 times, the game is full of this moments. A really inspiring game in a sea of "me too" games that rehash old ideas. This game challenges the player and brings something to the table.
2. Sethian ; Arrival: The videogame. Small little indie gem which transcends its puzzle mechanics. One of the most ambitious concepts I've seen in a while, although sometimes more frustrating that it should. It's really intimidating at first, but I really liked the attention to detail in the essential handwritten diary. I was really surprised with this game.
3. Pony Island ; Creative experimental game that just doesn't end there, at gives a proper game while at it. The puzzle portions are really creative, the action sections are serviceable. Really interesting concept and doesn't overstays its welcome. Some well executed 4th wall break in some sections of the game.
4. Rhythm Heaven Megamix ; Nice greatest hits compilations, with added new minigames at the level of the series best (First Contact, Kitties and LumBEARjack being my personal favourites). Some of the structural modifications of the game are a bit questionable, but the the core of the Rhythm Tengoku sage remains as strong as ever.
1. The Witness ; A masterpiece. A game design masterclass, perfect execution of a concept, always fair and treating the player as an intelligent person. I'm impressed at how the game is perfectly crafted to provoque multiple "Eureka!" moments, with puzzles perfectly ordered to push the player. The game is in an almost constant "You think you got the idea of this set of puzzles?, well think again", as you here that "buzz" pointing out you got it wrong and you reflect for a second if you will try again or go somewhere else. And THEN (with "then" being: after 5 minute, 10 different tries or after a week), you see it.
And this doesn't happen 1 or 2 times, the game is full of this moments. A really inspiring game in a sea of "me too" games that rehash old ideas. This game challenges the player and brings something to the table.
2. Sethian ; Arrival: The videogame. Small little indie gem which transcends its puzzle mechanics. One of the most ambitious concepts I've seen in a while, although sometimes more frustrating that it should. It's really intimidating at first, but I really liked the attention to detail in the essential handwritten diary. I was really surprised with this game.
3. Pony Island ; Creative experimental game that just doesn't end there, at gives a proper game while at it. The puzzle portions are really creative, the action sections are serviceable. Really interesting concept and doesn't overstays its welcome. Some well executed 4th wall break in some sections of the game.
4. Rhythm Heaven Megamix ; Nice greatest hits compilations, with added new minigames at the level of the series best (First Contact, Kitties and LumBEARjack being my personal favourites). Some of the structural modifications of the game are a bit questionable, but the the core of the Rhythm Tengoku sage remains as strong as ever.
Fancy Clown
Member
We gotta unite man, this is how Trump won the election. People were throwing their votes away on vita anime games when we all just needed to pull together for a Nathan Drake in order to topple the soul destroying multiplayer hero shooter.
even if what we all secretly really need is a little boy riding a giant cat dog bird. Shhh yes, even you.
I don't know what to believe anymore! Devil's Third, animal waifus...JC is not the man I thought he was.
1. Dark Souls 3 ; A return to greatness. Not quite as good as Dark Souls 1 but much better than Dark Souls 2.
2. Pokemon GO ; More of an experience than a game. My wife got into this more than me but that made it even more fun. It was interesting going to a park and literally seeing a hundred people walking around playing pokemon.
3. Witcher 3 Blood and Wine ; Continuation of an amazing game. Simply one of the best rpgs of all time.
4. Firewatch ; Great music, graphics, and story.
5. The Division Expansion II: Survival ; An almost roguelike version of the Division. I went from not playing the Division for months to playing everyday.
6. Overwatch ; Great game that brings back some of the Team Fortress vibe. This would be higher if I was younger and had time to actually play with friends.
7. Hitman ; I just started getting into this because of all the recent hype. I love all of the different ways you can complete the task.
I'm missing some big games but I just don't have time to play them anymore. I will definitely get caught up on Doom, the Witness, and the Last Guardian some day.
2. Pokemon GO ; More of an experience than a game. My wife got into this more than me but that made it even more fun. It was interesting going to a park and literally seeing a hundred people walking around playing pokemon.
3. Witcher 3 Blood and Wine ; Continuation of an amazing game. Simply one of the best rpgs of all time.
4. Firewatch ; Great music, graphics, and story.
5. The Division Expansion II: Survival ; An almost roguelike version of the Division. I went from not playing the Division for months to playing everyday.
6. Overwatch ; Great game that brings back some of the Team Fortress vibe. This would be higher if I was younger and had time to actually play with friends.
7. Hitman ; I just started getting into this because of all the recent hype. I love all of the different ways you can complete the task.
I'm missing some big games but I just don't have time to play them anymore. I will definitely get caught up on Doom, the Witness, and the Last Guardian some day.
dugdug
Banned
1. Battleborn ; a huge surprise for me. The humor is bad, but, the gameplay is great. Wish this game was treated more fairly.
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; my least favorite Uncharted game, and the multiplayer is a huge let down, but, the setpieces that are in there are second to none.
3. Gears of War 4 ; the best Gears game, IMO. The new weapons and enemies were great additions, IMO.
4. Forza Horizon 3 ; not a surprise considering how good the last two Horizon games were, but, this was still the best of the three, for sure.
5. Overwatch ; took me a while to get there, but, yeah, what else is there to say? One of the best feeling shooters around. Just wish there was more content.
6. The Last Guardian ; still thinking about that ending. One of the worst controlling games I've ever played, but, the ending paid it all off. A beautiful experience.
7. Titanfall 2 ; the first one hooked me longer, but, the campaign in TF2 is worth a spot on the list, alone.
8. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare ; same as Titanfall 2, really. The campaign was fantastic, with some of most memorable characters in CoD history.
9. Dark Souls 3 ; the 2nd best Dark Souls game!
10. DOOM ; because shooting and punching demons is almost always the best thing you can do in any game ever.
Honorable Mentions
x. Hitman ; I can tell this game is awesome, but, I've hardly put any time into it.
x. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered ; I mean, this game is better than any game that came out this year, but, that's hardly fair, is it?
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; my least favorite Uncharted game, and the multiplayer is a huge let down, but, the setpieces that are in there are second to none.
3. Gears of War 4 ; the best Gears game, IMO. The new weapons and enemies were great additions, IMO.
4. Forza Horizon 3 ; not a surprise considering how good the last two Horizon games were, but, this was still the best of the three, for sure.
5. Overwatch ; took me a while to get there, but, yeah, what else is there to say? One of the best feeling shooters around. Just wish there was more content.
6. The Last Guardian ; still thinking about that ending. One of the worst controlling games I've ever played, but, the ending paid it all off. A beautiful experience.
7. Titanfall 2 ; the first one hooked me longer, but, the campaign in TF2 is worth a spot on the list, alone.
8. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare ; same as Titanfall 2, really. The campaign was fantastic, with some of most memorable characters in CoD history.
9. Dark Souls 3 ; the 2nd best Dark Souls game!
10. DOOM ; because shooting and punching demons is almost always the best thing you can do in any game ever.
Honorable Mentions
x. Hitman ; I can tell this game is awesome, but, I've hardly put any time into it.
x. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered ; I mean, this game is better than any game that came out this year, but, that's hardly fair, is it?
kamineko
Does his best thinking in the flying car
Strange year for me. Spent most of my gaming time in the backlog, but these titles stand out
1. SMT IV: A ; Rejoice, for there is more MegaTen of it
2. TMS #FE ; Awesome sleeper game that got hurt by a clumsy reveal. My favorite Wii U game
3. Gravity Rush Remastered ; Gravity Rush kicks ass. Its Vita roots show through, but the characters and world are charming as hell.
4. Dragon Quest Builders ; Props for being a great mashup of different stuff in the intensely likable world of DQ.
5. Oxenfree ; This game really got in my head. Quality of writing reminded me of the old Infocom games
6. Dragon Quest VII ; The return of an old favorite. I didn't care for some of the rebalancing (vs the PS1 version), but it's still a solid version of a timeless game.
7. Let It Die ; haha this game is amazing
8. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; It's truly amazing how bad this game's release and marketing were handled, what with the silly timed exclusive and all. Only Bethesda-tier writing holds this game back from claiming a higher spot
9. Steins Gate 0 ; significantly less charming that its predecessor, SG0 is still a great VN in its own right.
10. Uncharted 4 ; I would have predicted that this game would take the number one spot, but it just wasn't in the cards. The Druckmann/Straley dream team falters terribly where they usually excel. Magical appearing brother is a silly focus for a game that should be a culmination of all that has come before. The randomness of Sam just makes all the glacially-paced expository walking scenes even more excruciating, and Nate's needless lying to Elaine about it was infuriating. While the big names at the top fell short, though, the Naughty Dog technical folks ascended to new heights. UC4 is visual showpiece--a truly impressive achievement for the PS4. For these accomplishments, the ND team still deserves a spot in the top ten. Here's hoping ND is back to their A game for TLOU II
1. SMT IV: A ; Rejoice, for there is more MegaTen of it
2. TMS #FE ; Awesome sleeper game that got hurt by a clumsy reveal. My favorite Wii U game
3. Gravity Rush Remastered ; Gravity Rush kicks ass. Its Vita roots show through, but the characters and world are charming as hell.
4. Dragon Quest Builders ; Props for being a great mashup of different stuff in the intensely likable world of DQ.
5. Oxenfree ; This game really got in my head. Quality of writing reminded me of the old Infocom games
6. Dragon Quest VII ; The return of an old favorite. I didn't care for some of the rebalancing (vs the PS1 version), but it's still a solid version of a timeless game.
7. Let It Die ; haha this game is amazing
8. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; It's truly amazing how bad this game's release and marketing were handled, what with the silly timed exclusive and all. Only Bethesda-tier writing holds this game back from claiming a higher spot
9. Steins Gate 0 ; significantly less charming that its predecessor, SG0 is still a great VN in its own right.
10. Uncharted 4 ; I would have predicted that this game would take the number one spot, but it just wasn't in the cards. The Druckmann/Straley dream team falters terribly where they usually excel. Magical appearing brother is a silly focus for a game that should be a culmination of all that has come before. The randomness of Sam just makes all the glacially-paced expository walking scenes even more excruciating, and Nate's needless lying to Elaine about it was infuriating. While the big names at the top fell short, though, the Naughty Dog technical folks ascended to new heights. UC4 is visual showpiece--a truly impressive achievement for the PS4. For these accomplishments, the ND team still deserves a spot in the top ten. Here's hoping ND is back to their A game for TLOU II
Tyrant Rave
Banned
I bet you didn't know that JC is also a big fan of anime
He's grown so much, I'm so proud of him
Fancy Clown
Member
Is that all? That's nothing! I like Ghibli--
ViewtifulJC
Banned
The Xtortionist
Member
How do you feel about Splatoon, friend
The GOTY has another bring it into it's fold.
Fancy Clown
Member
McHuj
Member
1. Witcher 3 Blood and Wine; Awesome RPG expansion. Probably my most played of the year.
2. Doom; Favorite shooter of the year. Loved the fast paced action and probably the best soundtrack of the year.
3. Battlefield 1; Excellent game multiplayer gameplay although hasn't gripped me like BF4 did, but it took BF4 6+ month to become an excellent shooter. I expect this game to get better overtime with the upcoming expansions. it will probably be my 2017 "2016" GOTY.
4. Dark Souls 3; Good not great. I enjoyed it immensely but maybe I'm suffering Souls fatigue as I didn't want to replay it.
5. The Witness; Great puzzles, but a little too long in the end.
Honorable Mention
X. Inside; Enjoyable experience that I would have like way more if I hadn't already played Limbo. This was too "Limbo-y"
2. Doom; Favorite shooter of the year. Loved the fast paced action and probably the best soundtrack of the year.
3. Battlefield 1; Excellent game multiplayer gameplay although hasn't gripped me like BF4 did, but it took BF4 6+ month to become an excellent shooter. I expect this game to get better overtime with the upcoming expansions. it will probably be my 2017 "2016" GOTY.
4. Dark Souls 3; Good not great. I enjoyed it immensely but maybe I'm suffering Souls fatigue as I didn't want to replay it.
5. The Witness; Great puzzles, but a little too long in the end.
Honorable Mention
X. Inside; Enjoyable experience that I would have like way more if I hadn't already played Limbo. This was too "Limbo-y"
I only came here to cast a vote for Homeworld Deserts of Kharak whom I'm seeing is almost ignored T_T so...
1. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak; amazing, polished RTS experience and a return to the Homeworld Universe, really can't ask for much. Yes, it's a 2D RTS set in the desert but somehow it feels like a Homeworld game, you know, the first true 3D RTS in space, they pulled it off, it's fantastic.
Nothing really grabbed my attention this year, I did play Pokemon Go and Super Mario Run because of ease of access, I guess I'm just getting old and leaving modern releases behind, my gaming in 2016 was mostly GoG games and free puzzles in my phone while in commute.
1. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak; amazing, polished RTS experience and a return to the Homeworld Universe, really can't ask for much. Yes, it's a 2D RTS set in the desert but somehow it feels like a Homeworld game, you know, the first true 3D RTS in space, they pulled it off, it's fantastic.
Nothing really grabbed my attention this year, I did play Pokemon Go and Super Mario Run because of ease of access, I guess I'm just getting old and leaving modern releases behind, my gaming in 2016 was mostly GoG games and free puzzles in my phone while in commute.
JoeFishSticks
Neo Member
1. Dark Souls III ; The culmination of one of the best series in gaming wraps up the franchise on an incredibly high note and proves to be the most consistent entry.
2. The Last Guardian ; One of the most emotionally driven experiences in gaming that tests one's patience in an incredibly rewarding way.
3. Ratchet & Clank ; This game seemingly perfects 3D platforming and shooting mechanics and could potentially put the stagnant genre back in the right direction.
4. Dishonored 2 ; While it may not be as inventive or fresh as the first entry, this game proved to expand and improve on one of modern gaming's best formulas.
5. Overwatch ; The most accessible and likeable multiplayer game in many years that keeps me coming back for more even after almost a full year.
6. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; Though it may not be what people anticipated on launch, TMS ended up being one of the freshest and most exciting entries in the best JRPG franchise with an incredibly addictive combat system and fun, if simple, characters.
7. Stardew Valley ; As a longtime fan of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory, Stardew Valley brought the classic formula to the modern era with tons of content and quality of life improvements that make this game more accessible and easily loveable than any other entry in the genre..
8. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse ; Though it is a bit formulaic, the mechanics in this entry make it one of the most playable and most fun entries in the franchise.
9. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; New, simple mechanics make this the most fun entry in years in a franchise that had been dull and stagnant for too long.
10. Final Fantasy XV ; Though the combat mechanics are a little lacking, a loveable cast and an incredibly bold ending sequence make this a neat entry in the franchise.
2. The Last Guardian ; One of the most emotionally driven experiences in gaming that tests one's patience in an incredibly rewarding way.
3. Ratchet & Clank ; This game seemingly perfects 3D platforming and shooting mechanics and could potentially put the stagnant genre back in the right direction.
4. Dishonored 2 ; While it may not be as inventive or fresh as the first entry, this game proved to expand and improve on one of modern gaming's best formulas.
5. Overwatch ; The most accessible and likeable multiplayer game in many years that keeps me coming back for more even after almost a full year.
6. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; Though it may not be what people anticipated on launch, TMS ended up being one of the freshest and most exciting entries in the best JRPG franchise with an incredibly addictive combat system and fun, if simple, characters.
7. Stardew Valley ; As a longtime fan of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory, Stardew Valley brought the classic formula to the modern era with tons of content and quality of life improvements that make this game more accessible and easily loveable than any other entry in the genre..
8. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse ; Though it is a bit formulaic, the mechanics in this entry make it one of the most playable and most fun entries in the franchise.
9. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; New, simple mechanics make this the most fun entry in years in a franchise that had been dull and stagnant for too long.
10. Final Fantasy XV ; Though the combat mechanics are a little lacking, a loveable cast and an incredibly bold ending sequence make this a neat entry in the franchise.
1. Overwatch ; Overwatch tops my list for a number of reasons. First, the cast of unique characters, each of which plays completely differently. Second, the beautiful graphics, which leave you feeling like you're playing in Pixar's most violent movie. Third, the team play, which is not only perfect but also amazing for the fact that Blizzard managed to do on console what so many others have tried and failed to do. Ultimately, the reason why Overwatch tops my list is because, after nearly a decade of being obsessed with Call of Duty and Battlefield, Overwatch has ruined both games for me. Overwatch is the perfect embodiment of what a competitive FPS should be, and with the free updates it only stands to get better and better.
2. Dark Souls III ; Dark Souls III is one of the best games in one of my favorite series. It makes a lot of good changes to the series' mechanics and systems, even if it doesn't get everything right.
3. Doom ; I love the original Doom and Doom 2, but I don't really care about the rest of the games or the franchise as a whole. At least, until Doom 2016 came along. The game is so amazing and fast, like a dance or a work of art or something. It has a natural rhythm to it, brought about organically via the systems in place, that elevates it to a different class than most games. I can't wait to see what's next for the series.
4. Let It Die ; The sense of humor is great, but what I really love about this Soulslike/Roguelite is how the game just keeps going. At first, I thought it was going to be a very limited experience, where the same few pieces (mechanics, enemy types, environments) were recycled ad nauseum. The further you play, however, the more you realize that a lot of effort and care has been taken with this game. To top it off, the free-to-play pay mechanics are unobtrusive yet useful, walking the fine line of being unnecessary and being so necessary they ruin the rest of the game. What I'm left with is a free-to-play game that I would happily pay $30 or more for, and one which I will certainly spend some money on, if only to show support.
5. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood ; What I thought would be a very limited and disposable PSVR title turned out to be one of my favorite PSVR games to date. It's tense and exhilarating. Coming from someone who doesn't like roller coasters, the game manages to convey an awesome sense of speed and also some gut-wrenching drops (although, thankfully these are not overdone).
6. Darkest Dungeon ; This game deserves to be higher on my list. I love it so much. The writing is amazing, the art is perfect, and the concept is fantastic. Everything is really spot on, except for one thing: the interface. The interface on console is pretty busted, which is really unfortunate. However, despite this bungle, Darkest Dungeon is still one of my favorite games that I've played in a long time and it certainly deserves a spot on this list.
7. The Witness ; This game defied expectations for me in nearly every way. When I heard the game was all line puzzles, I thought it was such a waste of potential. Playing it, however, the line puzzle mechanic feels natural within the world, as if these tablets and monitors everywhere actually functioned in this manner and that's why you're dicking around with them now. The moment you realize there are environmental puzzles everywhere is a revolutionary experience that few games are able to pull off.
2. Dark Souls III ; Dark Souls III is one of the best games in one of my favorite series. It makes a lot of good changes to the series' mechanics and systems, even if it doesn't get everything right.
3. Doom ; I love the original Doom and Doom 2, but I don't really care about the rest of the games or the franchise as a whole. At least, until Doom 2016 came along. The game is so amazing and fast, like a dance or a work of art or something. It has a natural rhythm to it, brought about organically via the systems in place, that elevates it to a different class than most games. I can't wait to see what's next for the series.
4. Let It Die ; The sense of humor is great, but what I really love about this Soulslike/Roguelite is how the game just keeps going. At first, I thought it was going to be a very limited experience, where the same few pieces (mechanics, enemy types, environments) were recycled ad nauseum. The further you play, however, the more you realize that a lot of effort and care has been taken with this game. To top it off, the free-to-play pay mechanics are unobtrusive yet useful, walking the fine line of being unnecessary and being so necessary they ruin the rest of the game. What I'm left with is a free-to-play game that I would happily pay $30 or more for, and one which I will certainly spend some money on, if only to show support.
5. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood ; What I thought would be a very limited and disposable PSVR title turned out to be one of my favorite PSVR games to date. It's tense and exhilarating. Coming from someone who doesn't like roller coasters, the game manages to convey an awesome sense of speed and also some gut-wrenching drops (although, thankfully these are not overdone).
6. Darkest Dungeon ; This game deserves to be higher on my list. I love it so much. The writing is amazing, the art is perfect, and the concept is fantastic. Everything is really spot on, except for one thing: the interface. The interface on console is pretty busted, which is really unfortunate. However, despite this bungle, Darkest Dungeon is still one of my favorite games that I've played in a long time and it certainly deserves a spot on this list.
7. The Witness ; This game defied expectations for me in nearly every way. When I heard the game was all line puzzles, I thought it was such a waste of potential. Playing it, however, the line puzzle mechanic feels natural within the world, as if these tablets and monitors everywhere actually functioned in this manner and that's why you're dicking around with them now. The moment you realize there are environmental puzzles everywhere is a revolutionary experience that few games are able to pull off.
1.Doom - It's the 90s shooter we sorely needed in this age of generic shooters and Modern Warfare clones.
2.Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - I don't miss Persona 5 at all.
3.The Last Guardian - The game can be a slight chore to play, but the last third and music makes up for all of it.
4.Va-11 Hall-A; A great visual novel set in a cyberpunk bar with kickass music. Serve weirdly-named drinks, talk to entertaining patrons who are mostly human.
5.KOF XIV; A huge roster with varying playstyles and great fighting mechanics makes this better than SFV by a small stretch.
6.Titanfall 2; The single-player campaign with awesome time-warping levels and loads more memorable stages.
7. Final Fantasy XV; Finally finished it, and all the more happy for it. There are lots of plotholes, but the fighting and the brotherhood aspect of it rocks.
8.Uncharted 4; I'd be lying if I said the action and ending did not move me to joy and tears.
9. Crashlands; How can I forget this scavenging adventure game? This one's on my tablet permanently. I dig the humor on this.
10. Masquerada: Of Song & Shadow ; An all-stellar VO cast, a great story of intrigue and mystery, and a lovely-crafted side story about coming out of the closet. All this and the lovely music makes up for the micro-managing tedium of combat.
2.Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - I don't miss Persona 5 at all.
3.The Last Guardian - The game can be a slight chore to play, but the last third and music makes up for all of it.
4.Va-11 Hall-A; A great visual novel set in a cyberpunk bar with kickass music. Serve weirdly-named drinks, talk to entertaining patrons who are mostly human.
5.KOF XIV; A huge roster with varying playstyles and great fighting mechanics makes this better than SFV by a small stretch.
6.Titanfall 2; The single-player campaign with awesome time-warping levels and loads more memorable stages.
7. Final Fantasy XV; Finally finished it, and all the more happy for it. There are lots of plotholes, but the fighting and the brotherhood aspect of it rocks.
8.Uncharted 4; I'd be lying if I said the action and ending did not move me to joy and tears.
9. Crashlands; How can I forget this scavenging adventure game? This one's on my tablet permanently. I dig the humor on this.
10. Masquerada: Of Song & Shadow ; An all-stellar VO cast, a great story of intrigue and mystery, and a lovely-crafted side story about coming out of the closet. All this and the lovely music makes up for the micro-managing tedium of combat.
1. The Last Guardian ; Never have I felt an emotional connection to a videogame creature/character as much as I did with Trico. I would find myself audibly talking to him as if he were a real animal. It's been a long time since I was amazed by a videogame, but Trico's AI truly felt beyond anything I've ever played.
2. Dark Souls III ; A great sendoff (hopefully not) to one of my all-time favorite series. I feared the slow movement might be a hindrace after playing Bloodborne for so long, but I fell right back into the groove.
3. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Not the best Uncharted game by far. Gone was most of the bombast and it was replaced by overlong character interactions which brought on pacing issues. It took the wrong lessons from The Last of Us. It has the best gunplay of any Uncharted thus far, but it's sad that it's used so sparingly. The multiplayer for all its faults, is fun if you can get away/avoid all the garbage they piled onto a perfect multiplayer foundation. The graphics are absolutely mindblowing.
4. DOOM ; Pure adrenaline. A great new school take on old game design. Fast paced, extremely gory, and a gameplay loop that is just fun. The enemy spawning routine got a little wrought towards the end, so a little more variety on the order in which the enemies were spawned would have helped.
5. Ratchet & Clank ; A lovingly remade videogame from when videogames were great. Super tight gameplay, amazing graphics, and a whole slew of new extras shows the creation of this was a labor of love.
6. Slain: Back From Hell ; An old school style side-scrolling hack and slash game that is fucking metal. The sprite work here is incredible.
7. Titanfall 2 ; A campaign that did some new things. I don't think I can be wowed by all the bombast without any substance anymore, but that one level (you know the one) was a great concept.
8. INSIDE ; Didn't like it quite as much as Limbo, as it leaned way too heavily on water puzzles (and really, who likes water levels?). Still that last level is truly memorable.
9. The Witness ; I've only put a few hours into this, but it seems right up my alley.
X. AM2R ; Fans do what Nintendon't.
2. Dark Souls III ; A great sendoff (hopefully not) to one of my all-time favorite series. I feared the slow movement might be a hindrace after playing Bloodborne for so long, but I fell right back into the groove.
3. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Not the best Uncharted game by far. Gone was most of the bombast and it was replaced by overlong character interactions which brought on pacing issues. It took the wrong lessons from The Last of Us. It has the best gunplay of any Uncharted thus far, but it's sad that it's used so sparingly. The multiplayer for all its faults, is fun if you can get away/avoid all the garbage they piled onto a perfect multiplayer foundation. The graphics are absolutely mindblowing.
4. DOOM ; Pure adrenaline. A great new school take on old game design. Fast paced, extremely gory, and a gameplay loop that is just fun. The enemy spawning routine got a little wrought towards the end, so a little more variety on the order in which the enemies were spawned would have helped.
5. Ratchet & Clank ; A lovingly remade videogame from when videogames were great. Super tight gameplay, amazing graphics, and a whole slew of new extras shows the creation of this was a labor of love.
6. Slain: Back From Hell ; An old school style side-scrolling hack and slash game that is fucking metal. The sprite work here is incredible.
7. Titanfall 2 ; A campaign that did some new things. I don't think I can be wowed by all the bombast without any substance anymore, but that one level (you know the one) was a great concept.
8. INSIDE ; Didn't like it quite as much as Limbo, as it leaned way too heavily on water puzzles (and really, who likes water levels?). Still that last level is truly memorable.
9. The Witness ; I've only put a few hours into this, but it seems right up my alley.
X. AM2R ; Fans do what Nintendon't.
1. Hitman ; When asked to describe Hitman to a friend I called it, "A puzzle game where the reward is murder". Hitman is a series of intricate interactions trying where the player tries to find the perfect way to assassinate a target. What makes Hitman so interesting is that it's episodic format actually works for its formula. Giving the player time to learn the stages and strategies through repeated playthroughs and slowly introducing new content every month. After a disastrous launch with broken servers and content syncing, the team an I/O Interactive have improved the game with a steady stream of patches and content that helps keep the game feeling fresh and challenging throughout the year. While other games I played and stopped after a while, I found myself returning to Hitman to experience new content, tackle elusive targets or just have fun in this murder puzzle game.
2. Doom ; If Wolfenstein The New Order showed how to deconstruct a character and reboot a series with a weird mix of melancholy and action, Doom throws all that away and instead sticks to it's core principles of action, action and more action. Doom is a game about the ultimate power fantasy over your enemies. Each combat area is about juggling weapon priority, health and ammunition while moving to dodge enemy fire. The glory kills system encourages up close action rather than the cover based shooting action of the last few years. Doom is a lesson that sometimes returning to basics is a good thing.
3. Overcoooked ; Overcooked was my favorite local coop game this year. An absolute riot with friends, trying to coordinate cooking, serving and cleaning dishes. This is easier said than done with players often separated from ingredients or each other making for a hectic game that only gets more fun with additional players.
4. Battlefield 1 ; War is hell and Battlefield 1 does an excellent job at depicting World War 1 on various fronts. Frostbite is shown to full effect as the action rarely leaves any part of the level in the same state as it began. While the campaign is a mixed bag, it does a good job in showing different parts of the game and its environments. Multiplayer (especially the Operations mode) is where the game truly shines depicting the era's warfare with mud, dirt and debris flying all over.
5. Titanfall 2 ; When Titanfall 2 gets going, it gets their fast. Perhaps the fastest first person shooter I played this year, Titanfall 2's campaign is a series of moments that cannot be missed. Titanfall 2 features the most original campaign of the year, with different chapters introducing new concepts and ideas that slowly increase in intensity and insanity.
6. Oxenfree ; Oxenfree is your average adventure game but features one of the best conversation systems I've seen in a game. The game rarely pauses during conversations so while completing puzzles conversations are still ongoing allowing the user to answer questions, make comments or observations. On top of that add a dash of science fiction horror to the story and an interesting implementation of New Game Plus, Oxenfree is an adventure game that shouldn't be missed.
7. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I have mixed feelings on Uncharted 4, while the story is definitely stronger than Uncharted 3 some parts of the game feel padded on to make the game feel longer. Yet, you can tell Naughty Dog went all out with detailed locations, animations and characterization. If this really is the final Uncharted game, Naughty Dog ended the series on a great note.
8. Stellaris ; Stellaris was marketed as the game to: Make space great again. The game mostly succeeds with easy to use and understand systems allow you to manage your space empire to your hearts content. What makes Stellaris stand out is its excellent quest system that allows you something else to do during the downtime of empire management.
9. American Truck Simulator ; American Truck Simulator is the (currently) the southern United States version of European Truck Simulator. Add in a late rescale that helps make the world feel larger and more dense, American Truck Simulator offers the experience of long haul truck driving in bite-sized chunks.
10. Tricky Towers ; The other big local coop game, Tricky Towers is Tetris but it's not. While it offers several different modes the game shines in race mode where players build towers while obtaining powerups to slow their opponents in a variety of ways. There's nothing like seeing a tower fall over and scrambling to rebuild on the wreckage.
X. Hearts of Iron IV ; An easy to learn but difficult to master strategy game set before and during World War 2. The lead up to world war 2 scenario is the more interesting as you spend the first part building your industries, economy and perhaps sneaking in a quick conquest before the world breaks into total war. Balancing your nations's military movements and economy when war does break out is almost overwhelming but easy to use systems help make the game manageable and fun.
X. Dead Rising ; A remaster of one of my favorite games of last generation, Dead Rising faithfully captures all the moments and gameplay (for better and worse) of the original game.
2. Doom ; If Wolfenstein The New Order showed how to deconstruct a character and reboot a series with a weird mix of melancholy and action, Doom throws all that away and instead sticks to it's core principles of action, action and more action. Doom is a game about the ultimate power fantasy over your enemies. Each combat area is about juggling weapon priority, health and ammunition while moving to dodge enemy fire. The glory kills system encourages up close action rather than the cover based shooting action of the last few years. Doom is a lesson that sometimes returning to basics is a good thing.
3. Overcoooked ; Overcooked was my favorite local coop game this year. An absolute riot with friends, trying to coordinate cooking, serving and cleaning dishes. This is easier said than done with players often separated from ingredients or each other making for a hectic game that only gets more fun with additional players.
4. Battlefield 1 ; War is hell and Battlefield 1 does an excellent job at depicting World War 1 on various fronts. Frostbite is shown to full effect as the action rarely leaves any part of the level in the same state as it began. While the campaign is a mixed bag, it does a good job in showing different parts of the game and its environments. Multiplayer (especially the Operations mode) is where the game truly shines depicting the era's warfare with mud, dirt and debris flying all over.
5. Titanfall 2 ; When Titanfall 2 gets going, it gets their fast. Perhaps the fastest first person shooter I played this year, Titanfall 2's campaign is a series of moments that cannot be missed. Titanfall 2 features the most original campaign of the year, with different chapters introducing new concepts and ideas that slowly increase in intensity and insanity.
6. Oxenfree ; Oxenfree is your average adventure game but features one of the best conversation systems I've seen in a game. The game rarely pauses during conversations so while completing puzzles conversations are still ongoing allowing the user to answer questions, make comments or observations. On top of that add a dash of science fiction horror to the story and an interesting implementation of New Game Plus, Oxenfree is an adventure game that shouldn't be missed.
7. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I have mixed feelings on Uncharted 4, while the story is definitely stronger than Uncharted 3 some parts of the game feel padded on to make the game feel longer. Yet, you can tell Naughty Dog went all out with detailed locations, animations and characterization. If this really is the final Uncharted game, Naughty Dog ended the series on a great note.
8. Stellaris ; Stellaris was marketed as the game to: Make space great again. The game mostly succeeds with easy to use and understand systems allow you to manage your space empire to your hearts content. What makes Stellaris stand out is its excellent quest system that allows you something else to do during the downtime of empire management.
9. American Truck Simulator ; American Truck Simulator is the (currently) the southern United States version of European Truck Simulator. Add in a late rescale that helps make the world feel larger and more dense, American Truck Simulator offers the experience of long haul truck driving in bite-sized chunks.
10. Tricky Towers ; The other big local coop game, Tricky Towers is Tetris but it's not. While it offers several different modes the game shines in race mode where players build towers while obtaining powerups to slow their opponents in a variety of ways. There's nothing like seeing a tower fall over and scrambling to rebuild on the wreckage.
X. Hearts of Iron IV ; An easy to learn but difficult to master strategy game set before and during World War 2. The lead up to world war 2 scenario is the more interesting as you spend the first part building your industries, economy and perhaps sneaking in a quick conquest before the world breaks into total war. Balancing your nations's military movements and economy when war does break out is almost overwhelming but easy to use systems help make the game manageable and fun.
X. Dead Rising ; A remaster of one of my favorite games of last generation, Dead Rising faithfully captures all the moments and gameplay (for better and worse) of the original game.
1. Overwatch ; For all the praise that can be leveled at Blizzard and their production talents they'd never made a game that personally appealed to me or my gaming tastes - and this ended up being the game that finally got me into the fold. Overwatch is the kind of game that I don't realize how much I love until after I look at the time and realize how many hours I've put into it; trying to rationalize after the fact that I just want to get one more game in before I put it down. Blizzard's fantastic talent for presentation has resulted in a game that is an audio/visual feast with it's fantastic sound design and wonderful animation. Their dedication to balance and meticulous design brings about one of the most compelling and replayable games thanks to the great maps and amazing characters. It's set the benchmark for which the future titles of this ilk will be judged. There's no way for me to avoid how much Overwatch has become a fixture in my gaming life; it's a game I'll probably keep playing months from now and I can't wait to see it all evolve and take shape. Much like Splatoon proved last year, never count out a storied developer who bides their time for years, in this case almost decades, in order to bring out a brand new IP - because when they do, they do so with an unprecedented vengeance.
2. DOOM ; I had no reason to believe this game was going to be good, and within the five minutes of Doom Guy breaking out of captivity and cocking his shotgun in rhythm to the brutal remix of At Doom's Gate, I knew I was already looking at one of the most fantastic experiences of this year. In a year of abundant surprises DOOM is like a phoenix, perhaps telling the most compelling "rise from the ashes" story that began all the way back at it's inception, through it's marketing and finally the end product. Amid so much skepticism and fan outcry this is a game that managed to prove everyone wrong. It managed to defy every possible expectation and norm placed on the triple A shooters to provide a game that feels like the sequel Doom 2 always begged for. That a game like this can come out in 2016 is nothing short of incredible to me. With it's fantastic level design, surprisingly well written story and lore, incredible gun play and copious amounts of replayability, it has never felt better to be so wrong, and to think that id Software still had it in them to bring about an immortalized classic in this day and age is nothing short of awe inspiring.
3. Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator ; A cheat of a pick some might feel, since due to ArcSys' mentality to sequels this could be argued as an expansion of the original iteration of the game that came out back in 2014 - but with all the hours I've put into the game I'd be lying to myself if I avoided putting this game on the list. Guilty Gear has always been my favorite fighting game franchise due to it's style, mechanics and presentation, and while I'm pretty bad at fighting games, Xrd, particularly this new iteration of it, is chock full with so much material that teaches the player not just the game's systems and fundamentals, but how to apply them in matchup specific contexts. With balance changes, the new lobby system, improved netcode, arcade/story mode and it's supplementary bonus content, Xrd proves how having a feature-rich fighting game is important. While I may be trash at it I'm never going to stop loving it first hand or at a distance. Also it brings back Jam freakin' Kuradoberi.
4. SUPERHOT ; With the triple A industry shifting things up with some surprisingly genre defying games I was surprised that I didn't have to look as much for the indies to get some unique experiences, but that isn't to say that 2016 hasn't had a slew of quality games that are worth of being on anyone's top list. For me, that game was SUPERHOT. Despite being a primitive first person shooter the central conceit of the game builds itself around time only moving when you move, which turns the game into just as much of a first person shooter as it does a strategy/bullet hell game. It feels like a first person equivalent to Hotline Miami that trades the expanded viewing scope for time control. With a breadth of bonus challenges and modes this is a game that can expand in so many different ways that I'd love it for the developers to make even more with a sequel.
5. Let It Die ; Just when I thought Suda51 didn't have it in him to surprise me any more, he comes out with a game that has no right to be as good as it is for it's asking price. With nothing to lose in trying out the game, Let It Die managed to make me forget that Lily Bergamo was ever a "concept" that people still lament over - a subtle yet deceptively scaled title from Grasshopper with a killer vibe, fun characters and a solid Souls-meets-Roguelike setup that despite it's looming intimidation manages to make the binary consequences of death weigh differently depending on the micromanagement at base. Also a contender for best soundtrack of the year.
6. Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma ; It was with a lot of trepidation that I approached Uchikoshi's final installment in the Zero Escape series, and while I had to accept the fact that it may not end up providing everything I wanted, the experience ended up being a riveting one that constantly preys on every assumption we make about the game's story along the way. It also helps that the puzzles of the game were the only time in this series I actively enjoyed doing them and where they felt cleverly integrated with narrative buildup. Whether or not you, as a long time fan, feel like the events and answers happened in a satisfying way, it's as definitive of an ending to this series as we were gonna get, and thankfully the experience as a whole was one that had me at the edge of my seat from beginning to finish.
7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice ; The Ace Attorney franchise is one where I can't say I actively anticipate much improvement in terms of game play formula, and true enough Spirit of Justice doesn't really advance much of the games on that front. I can always count on the series to provide me colorful characters and the always prevalent thrill of pointing out contradictions, but yet I didn't expect AA6 to actually draw me in as much as it did with it's story. Much like AA3 it uses the series' more mythical elements to weave a narrative that feels more personal than ever before, and despite the title this really feels like Apollo Justice's game. The shadow that Phoenix has been casting over him since AA4 has finally dispersed here, where he finally comes into his own. It doesn't take an experienced player to usually suss out who the perpetrator of a case is in this series, but nowadays what makes them great stories are the twists, turns and directions along the way - and AA6 excels in this. While it may not be as great of an entry point as other games due to all the payoffs in the game, it's the kind of game that asks if you're not a fan of this series, why aren't you already?
8. Pokémon Sun/Moon ; I didn't expect much out of this game - the presentation upgrade on hardware that was already buckling trying to run the previous generation of Pokémon made me assume this would be a fairly scarce game as far as content goes. Not only that but as far as Pokémon goes it often occupies a sort of "manufactured quality" category that I end up enjoying but not one that usually ends up being on any best-of-the-year list of mine. But lo and behold, Sun and Moon actually ended up making one hell of an impression thanks to the way it uproots a bunch of Pokémon design philosophies to make a game that feels like the first decisively "new" Pokémon game in such a long time.
9. Titanfall 2 ; As a huge fan of the first Titanfall, I'm not too surprised that Titanfall 2 ended up being good. I am surprised that Titanfall 2 ended up being amazing. With the amount of hubris EA has exhibited with the handling of this franchise and the general state of triple A shooter campaigns I expected Titanfall 2's improvements to be a case of begrudging acceptance, but Respawn were far from slouches when it came to this game and went above and beyond in providing an experience that's pretty much the U R example of learning from criticism. Titanfall 2 makes the original Titanfall look like an early access game in comparison, the campaign is amazingly great with it's multifaceted level design and fun character dynamic. At times it feels like a first person shooter designed by Platinum Games, by far the most criminally overlooked game this year after the game is looking to be a sales disappointment. Also, just when I thought the multiplayer couldn't get any better, they added a grappling hook, and there's few things that can't be improved with grappling hooks.
10. VA-11 HALL-A ; Cyberpunk is one of my favorite genres and Snatcher is one of my favorite games. One of the things that stood out to me when I first experienced Snatcher was how, despite being a detective game, it had a very cozy vibe maintained throughout a lot of downtime, and VA-11 Hall-A is what happens when you weave a story entirely out of that kind of cozy vibe. A simple, pleasant game to unwind, VA-11 Hall-A allows us to enter the eyes of a bartender where the appeal of the game lies less in the implied totalitarian setting and more in the fun characters that just so happen to live in that world. It's a game that may not be for everyone, but it's made with such a level of sincere heart and passion that I found it hard not to love.
1. Overwatch ; This game is polished to a mirror finish. Blizzard did an amazing job designing heroes with play styles that complement/play off each other, making each game dynamic and exciting. Zenyatta has become one of my favorite characters in any game ever. Become one with the universe. Blizzard's first take on a multiplayer FPS, and it's already up there with the classics.
2. DOOM ; Like many others I think it's one of the best FPS campaigns ever made, period. It's the essence of what made the original games so fun in the first place, but it feels fresh and modern. I was worried about the melee finishers/dedicated chainsaw and BFG keys, but they are implemented into the gameplay loop in a fun & vital way.
3. Dark Souls 3 ; "Dark Souls greatest hits" is accurate. But I love Dark Souls. I loved all of the references to the other games, which ranged from really subtle to obvious. The combat is better than ever - gone are the floaty controls of DS2.
4. Titanfall 2 ; Also a very good single player campaign - worth checking out for that alone. Multiplayer is just fun.
5. Planet Coaster ; Was pleasantly surprised that this game feels like a modern take on Roller Coaster Tycoon (also represented on this list!). The coaster designer is fantastic. I like the scenarios, but I have some issues with the simulation part of the game. But as a sandbox theme park creator, this thing is just amazing.
6. XCOM 2 ; Frustrating. Heart pounding. Incredible sense of relief after finishing each mission.
7. Devil Daggers ; I'm reminded of Super Hexagon as I instantly restart the game and try to last for a few seconds longer this time. I love the aesthetic, sound, simplicity and challenge.
8. Tom Clancy's The Division ; I'm really impressed with this game's depiction of NYC. The game got very repetitive but I really enjoyed my time with it, and might go back and check out the DLC.
9. SuperHOT ; A unique game, but the gameplay loop reminds me a lot of Hotline Miami. That's not a bad thing.
10. Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic ; Yeah that's two theme park simulations in my top 10. I love planet coaster but this is the classic. It's RCT2 ported to iPad with the scenarios from the first two games. There's some thoughtful interface design here that gives the game better control than the originals. It's worth your six dollars.
2. DOOM ; Like many others I think it's one of the best FPS campaigns ever made, period. It's the essence of what made the original games so fun in the first place, but it feels fresh and modern. I was worried about the melee finishers/dedicated chainsaw and BFG keys, but they are implemented into the gameplay loop in a fun & vital way.
3. Dark Souls 3 ; "Dark Souls greatest hits" is accurate. But I love Dark Souls. I loved all of the references to the other games, which ranged from really subtle to obvious. The combat is better than ever - gone are the floaty controls of DS2.
4. Titanfall 2 ; Also a very good single player campaign - worth checking out for that alone. Multiplayer is just fun.
5. Planet Coaster ; Was pleasantly surprised that this game feels like a modern take on Roller Coaster Tycoon (also represented on this list!). The coaster designer is fantastic. I like the scenarios, but I have some issues with the simulation part of the game. But as a sandbox theme park creator, this thing is just amazing.
6. XCOM 2 ; Frustrating. Heart pounding. Incredible sense of relief after finishing each mission.
7. Devil Daggers ; I'm reminded of Super Hexagon as I instantly restart the game and try to last for a few seconds longer this time. I love the aesthetic, sound, simplicity and challenge.
8. Tom Clancy's The Division ; I'm really impressed with this game's depiction of NYC. The game got very repetitive but I really enjoyed my time with it, and might go back and check out the DLC.
9. SuperHOT ; A unique game, but the gameplay loop reminds me a lot of Hotline Miami. That's not a bad thing.
10. Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic ; Yeah that's two theme park simulations in my top 10. I love planet coaster but this is the classic. It's RCT2 ported to iPad with the scenarios from the first two games. There's some thoughtful interface design here that gives the game better control than the originals. It's worth your six dollars.
Ultimadrago
Member
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; This game continues to prove what can be accomplished with expansions that take on the established framework of a base title in a meaningful way. The world of The Witcher 3 is expanded upon even more with the Toussaint region opened to explore. The environment is lush with a bright color palette constructed to stand out from the estate in Novigrad. This land is filled with even more fun sidequests, entertaining characters to meet and features to fully flesh out Geralt's time riding in Toussaint.
This additional story also focuses on a primary beast that commonly makes their presence known within bustling cities: Vampires. I won't let much, but this is another great side story added to Geralt's journey log with its own unique characters and perspectives intact. If I did have issues with it, I'd say that the passage of time within the story felt odd at a certain point (skipping events that shouldn't have been traced over) and the motivation for the antagonist comes off shaky. Overall, I'd recall the story in Hearts of Stone being the better overall piece. However, Blood and Wine hosts a story of its own and great sidequests to add to an excellent new landscape. The full package includes a title that adds more than, the also amazing, Hearts of Stone already did. The story is also a bittersweet conclusion for the chapter of Geralt's adventures (in the video games; the books have different lore). The ending tugged great emotion from me, but calmed with satisfaction of the excellent previous content leading up to the narrative's final moments.
In 2015, I placed Hearts of Stone in 8th for the year. I will admit that this was more an action of separating "DLC expansion" from "Base game" titles. With The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt already being placed 1st on that list, I saw it fair to keep the item without pairing it too much with the base game that won GoTY for me and many other outlets.
Blood and Wine has taught me that there is little need for this distinction. The developer, CDPR, added such a breadth of hands-on content past the base game and delivered such a thrilling set of quest lines for the players to engage in. This expansion is the game I look back on this year with a full mind going forward of what big-budget RPGs can achieve and how they can improve. I still can't believe a DLC expansion is winning my Game of the Year award so handily for 2016, but it is a bias I will need to learn to look past if others companies dare follow suit with such outstanding content.
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; A slower-paced and fitting end to Drake's adventures, A Thief's End explored Nathan and his brother reliving past glories. The inclusion of Sam is a questionable one. He certainly has a some chemistry with his little brother, but all-in-all ends up as a major yet uninteresting puzzle piece to Uncharted's full picture. Elena, on the other hand, was a much more interesting character this time around. Watching helplessly while she attempts to stabilize a marriage Nathan has between two women (Herself vs. "Adventure") had me rooting for her in a way I never did in past Uncharted titles.
The overall tone and environments shared here are fantastic. Naughty Dog prides themselves on more animations within cutscenes and during gameplay alike. It makes seeing that kiss shared with Drake and Elena at the beginning of the game or Sam excitedly discussing their next excursion all the better. The title really takes it home for Drake in general, letting go of some of the more insane setpieces for calmly paced platforming. It returns Drake to the roots of his time as a thief-in-the-making and the curiosities that inspired him in the first place. It's less a time for constantly gunning down faceless mercenaries (though there is still plenty of that here), while taking on the reflection with adventure Drake has from inadvertently destroying ruins. The combat mechanics, while fine are nothing too outstanding. The guns feel less satisfying than the melee takedowns that range from fair-to-good on a feedback satisfaction level. The stealth sequences in the game were surprisingly easy and enjoyable to engage with.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End pays tribute to its own lead character by having the player pace themselves with more of Nathan's actual thoughts and decision-making (poor as it can be) regarding subjects past "Should I push this trap button?". It's a title that fittingly takes on the beat of its own drum after taking the reins on generic action films for the past titles its shared. Its approach to storytelling is at times flawed, for example leaving the spotlight on uninteresting characters versus their more intriguing counterparts and some portions of unadulterated meandering. Still, it claims prize as the best Uncharted since Uncharted 2: Among Thieves for what it does right regarding Nathan's historical context throughout the series.
3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice ; I'll share right away that this is the best Ace Attorney since Trials and Tribulations. I was actually one of the Ace Attorney players who was more forgiving of Dual Destinies, but Spirit of Justice clearly puts on display what the previous title was missing: direction. A strong direction is what makes the titles great and Athena's story in Dual Destinies is simply lacking it in comparison to many titles in the series. Spirit of Justice returns Phoenix Wright and actually gives Apollo Justice sorely needed development that he never received in the game of his own namesake. By the end of the ride, I found myself actively liking Apollo now that he was properly explored.
Not all of the cases are as well-done, of course; the third case in particular was of dodgy quality (but great defense side chemistry). Yet, the game maintains its message throughout regarding sacrifice, knowing oneself and taking pride versus crumbling under external pressures. These motifs are not exclusive to this title, but powerful reminders (between all of the silly localized pun names and modern jokes) have not been revisited this well since the original trilogy. Maya's return is unfortunately short-lived, but alas one of my favorite character's poorly executed return was of little consequence compared to making Apollo a more complete, curious individual.
In terms of play, the game makes a callback to most of the past mechanics. It largely sticks to the usually Pressing of Cross-Examination testimony, but the colorful changes of pace including Apollo's Braclet, Athena's Therapy and conclusive "Turnabout sequences" that top things off are making the series easier to keep at for prolonged periods of time. I won't give much on the story but Rayfa, a new character and priestess, is great to interact with. She foils Phoenix Wight and Apollo's awkwardness with her own while not constantly being present in all of the cases. I loved her addition to the cast, which I usually don't for major "one-off" characters. Unfortunately, the title's prosecutor, Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, is simply a more dull version of Edgeworth. He has his own visual flair, but it's backed with a shadow of a personality and doesn't really create chemistry with anyone due to how restrained he is. It's a shame, but the game carries strongly despite this lack.
I am impressed that this installment of the Ace Attorney series successfully added to underdeveloped characters and introduced a new perspective/mechanic while maintaining a great sense of purpose for the series. Combinations of this is why the series deserved my attention in the first place and the return of this execution is much welcome and deserving of its laurels. Here's to hoping I can find myself in the courtroom engaging in good cases with these zany characters a few more times in the coming years.
4. Hitman ; I have never played this series before, but was told multiple times that the feeble story wouldn't require past investment on and was great for newcomers. I have to say, the hype was justified. I got a game that was an adrenaline rush of hiding in boxes, exploiting A.I. and catching hilarious kill scenes with Agent 47. I said it before, but I'm not a big fan of the stealth genre. The pacing in most of them simply isn't for me and I don't find much fulfillment in getting past all the guards in a room with all of their good health in tact.
Hitman, however, gives you a plethora of options. Now, the A.I. isn't perfect (and will drop to the floor over a single coin flipped in their general direction). Yet, the major mechanics are a joy. Walking past restricted areas, killing off potential witnesses and straight jogging past hostiles in vain hopes of finding cover ahead was just the reckless killing I wanted to enjoy from the series. You won't get high ranking from it, but those ranks don't matter anyhow and simply give experience which let you replay the stage starting in a new location with some new toys to play with. The music booms with each successful target assassination and it fueled me with so much excitement as I rushed towards the nearest (or coolest) exit.
There is a particular portion of extra content one can complete by way of Elusive Targets, which give you one real chance at getting the kill on a special target (unfortunately time/online locked) with briefing video and all. While I find it "charming" that this approach makes for a parallel to what a "real assassin" has to go through in terms of preparation/scheduling, it unnecessarily still locks content punishing those that aren't playing the single-player game at a certain time online. This is unacceptable practice. However, there is more content in the way of killing faceless NPCs with specific conditions that is available for all to unlock. I did not find myself doing these as I like to know my prey, as flimsy as their backstories may be, so killing renamed generic character models does nothing for me. The story has me covered on this, thankfully, and is where I spent the most of my time during the game. One should note that the story mode is quite shorts and can be completed in a matter of hours.
I had a great time with this game and it ended up being much more enjoyable than I had even expected going in. The mechanics flow well with each other and even when the A.I. acted up, I couldn't stop laughing at all of the bold, mindless failures I ran into from playing against the environment rules. Yet, I would recommend someone picking this title up for cheaper if they can. It makes for a better cheap purchase/impulse buy than a full $60 investment overall. I am quite eager for a second season, if it is announced and am appreciative to have played such a pleasant surprise.
5. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth ; This has been the best Digimon game released stateside since Digimon World 2. Monster breeding mechanics are centralized and simplified to largely make smooth transitions between digivolutions. Seeing what new monster comes next and what abilities you'd prefer for them has never been better. The game, for a scaled Vita game (I played on PS4), also has some fair-looking digital locales. I wish the scale was broadened more in the city and dungeons alike, but what is there is fair with obviously restricted budget. The sidequests are also decent, lending to making surrounding NPCs including Digimon and humans have a wide variety of personalities/quirks to lend a fetch or completion quest with the occasional accompanied side story. The combat system is enjoyable in its simplicity and allows for you to succeed with many different types of teams. End-game content is there to provide a challenge for the player's team and for testing combat synergy (while repeatedly cheesing strategies) to take on the really unfortunately designed boss fights. These simultaneously provide a challenge and a mark against the game's poor approach to difficulty. For the most part, however, the combat was fun turn-based simplicity that I never found myself tiring from.
The story is satisfactory in a fashion that rings more personally than previous titles. This involves the typical JRPG friendship, powering up and abuse of power with simplistic execution. It's special for Digimon game stories, but really isn't much in its own right. The final stretch is also spoiled by silly writing decisions and an underdeveloped final encounter. The ending itself was sweet, however, and reminisced to feelings of the original Digimon animation's first season. In fact, a few moments in the game run parallel with this source material and they make for the better highlights in the grander, middling story. Cyber Sleuth has been what's called a good "return-to-form" that involves easily digestible monster breeding with somewhat misdirected, but slightly decent storytelling for the Digimon game titles.
I don't know where the idea came from to finally make good Digimon games again, but I hope Media Vision keeps doing it. They could also work on their UI and presentation too, but from what was present in Cyber Sleuth, they already have been! This makes me hopeful for any future titles structured similarly and their progression out of complete obscurity.
Honorable Mentions
x. Final Fantasy XV ; I will say that this year was not among the best year for games, so I will now begin my Honorable Mentions after my 5th main list placer. Starting with Final Fantasy XV, I wanted this game to be so much more. The brothers are great and their chemistry had so much thought placed into their casual interactions. It is then extremely disappointing that the overall game shows as a clearly rushed, barely adequate sum of partially developed ideas. This is apparent in the mechanical departments as well (Poor sidequests, an AP grid not properly able to explore in a normal playthrough, major story details left in random radios/newspapers/books scattered around the land, an early introduced upgrade quest that's essentially useless for a standard playthrough, antagonists clearly explored in the movie Kingsglaive are left with almost no screen time for poorly written narrative beats).
There are some delightful touches for fans of the series: The way Chocobo are implemented, MP3 player filled with past installment scores, pixel art in shops, etc. However, the whole is worse than these little parts taken alone. The open world and game in general simply don't make for what I found was a cohesive package by the time I reached the end. To put it into a picture, it's a work-in-progress object with broken pieces all over the floor. Some are beautiful, most others are hideous. When you piece them together, there's no glue but a shambling final work with missing pieces and a few small gems among chaff. For example, the ending taken alone is great for the simple framework built for the story of brothers on a purposeful journey. However, much of the game after the brief introduction and before the final act is poorly executed to the point of nullifying the glimpses of good nature found in the narrative.
The combat, on another hand, I consider one of these roughed gems. I actually enjoy it in a way. The lock-on could use work, feedback is lacking and the dodge mechanic isn't great, but the whole package is actually fair to work with. It's difficult to not constantly lock-on enemies, but the enemy design is in such a way where you need to sweep the camera when needed to catch flanking enemies and react accordingly. It has been reasonably enjoyable to manage with its flaws, unlike most of the game itself. I would not mind seeing a similar system polished properly in the future for a different title.
I like this game, but I don't like it much. While I still prefer it to the abysmal Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, I don't prefer it much. Final Fantasy XV finds itself as a sloppy work sharing a slightly positive incline of personalized fanservice with a main cast that I wish were in a better game.
x. The Last Guardian ; Ico largely dealt with puzzle-solving and block pushing. Shadow of the Colossus largely dealt with managing giant bosses. The Last Guardian almost cleverly decides to fuse both while keeping the same faulty control scheme, but to no avail. It's the second strongest Team Ico title (with Shadow of the Colossus working the best as a whole), but that does not equate greatness.
This game was poor to control in general. In 2016, I'm not forgiving a title that functions (or lack thereof) like this one does with the actions you must sequence in order to progress. The narrative is minimalist and satisfying, as Ueda is known for. Trico, your giant animal companion with who you explore the ruins, is a great concept and has some moments that can only be described as "heart-warming". Regardless, dealing with and waiting on the hulking beast as controls are ignored or misread happened far too often in this title. It's not cute, it's not cool, it's not "Okay." It's bad game design that serves only to mar an otherwise, decent title.
x. Overcooked ; I had a good time completing this game with all stages 3 Stars with a co-op partner. It's a very barebones title made from a small company and is very short. I found the game did a nice job of creating stages that were a puzzle to figure out at first, but nicely came together on a second or third try. This is best played while working with and shouting at at least one other person.
x. Inside ; I played this. Without explaining any of it, I found making theories about where exactly the character was while playing to be about the best part of the entire game. I liked it alright.