1. DOOM ; If you had asked me (and probably most people) if DOOM would be a contender for game of the year after seeing the snippet of the campaign revealed at E3, its development delays, and the multiplayer focused promotion, then I would have said no. Its amazing what a bad promotional campaign can do for a games initial impression, but DOOM turned out to be incredible. id Software managed to blend the old with the new to bring a fine balance between having the pure fast action the series is known for, but throwing in some modern mechanics to let us know that this is DOOM in 2016 and feeling fresh in the genre. Its single player portion is a pristine example of level design, incorporating well crafted platforming, which isnt easy in the first-person view, while the DOOM guy uses his agile movement and double jumping skills that add much to the combats tight, brutal mechanics that forces players to constantly get in the enemies faces to rip and tear them, rather than crouch behind cover and pop out to snipe at the demon spawn of hell. This is a game for the 80s/90s action fan that wants nothing more than to rave in sheer joy of stopping hells invasion, and while that might sound shallow, DOOM has complexity built under it to achieve the modernise take on old-school action, and my god, does DOOM want you to bask in that idea to the fullest. Oh, and the soundtrack is outstanding.
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Blood and Wine ; I thought The Witcher 3 was Game of the Year 2015, and all the great stuff I mentioned back then when we voted for NeoGaf GOTY 2015 rings true for Blood and Wine, as the best parts of the main game are dropped into the final expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This is an expansion that felt like expansions of old on the PC platform. This wasnt a trash DLC thrown into a expansion pass for the sake of adding some worthless content, this was 30 hours of new stuff bigger than most new AAA games set in the whole new land of Toussaint with more fascinating stories, in-depth characters and a host of quality of life upgrades that make it now the best time ever to play one of the best RPGs of all time.
3. Forza Horizon 3 ; Adventurous, beautiful, stimulating, and a bloody great time, thats what the people at Playground Games has created when building on top of the first two Forza Horizon games to crafted one hell of a racer in Forza Horizon 3. The team has taken the idea of driving a car of choice, doing all the custom body work, modifications and art, then taking it around for a dream drive in the open world of the holiday brochure pampered Australian setting to utmost gratification. Not interesting in all that car technical stuff? Then just bask in the sheer joy of driving fast through the outback, drifting around tight corners in the local rainforest, getting dirty in a wet trip to the beach to race against speed boats, doing a spot of drag racing on the tarmac strips of the skyscraper city, or even downhill racing on icy cold mountains of the recently release blizzard expansion. This is a racing game with so much to give, with options to cater for arcade or sim-like fans to play alone or with friends, and with so much variety packed in its vehicles, events and locations, Forza Horizon 3 is built for pure fun, an absolutely amazing racing game that goes above its genre. This isnt simply one of the greatest racers ever, but is one of the best video games of the current generation.
4. Uncharted 4: A Thiefs End ; After an impressive run of Uncharted games on the PS3, Naughty Dog had to make a strong follow up to the trilogy with what they described as Nathan Drakes final adventure. With Uncharted 4: A Thiefs End they did craft what is arguably one of the most gorgeous and spotlessly animated titles, but unlike the constant bombardment of set pieces that came with Uncharted 3, A Thiefs End blends the trilogy together to bring a fair balance of climbing, shooting and actually being able to sneak past people without handicap, and all these mechanics feel the best they have been in the series. Its something crafted with a maturity only a developer gains from working on a franchise for 10+ years to build a cast of colourful characters that we have genuinely grown to be fond off over this time span. Its this experience that makes Naughty Dog a master of the cinematic story driven craft, delivering an engrossing story about marriage, commitment, friendship and addiction, all while globe-trotting to beautiful vistas of the world. Naughty Dog said goodbye to Nathan Drake and the gang in the most rewarding way, bringing a tearful goodbye to one of gamings best guys.
5. Titanfall 2 ; The inclusion of a single player component for Titanfall 2 might have been known, but who would have thought that its campaign would be as refreshing and so Nintendo-esque in design with its aim is to bring new mechanics at every chapter. Sure its a short experience, but the campaign is full of imaginative level design, from time warping platforming to jumping off the walls as a base is constructed in real time in some underground factory those are some of the spectacle highlights the campaign has to offer. This is all while having an improved multiplayer that comes loaded with class based titans to make every match a thrilling combination of agile mobility and accuracy.
6. Overwatch ; Blizzard shines once again as it takes another genre and steals the show. While Overwatch might not be doing anything innovative (which you dont have to be to be amazing), what it does do is jam this multiplayer shooter with a stylish design and a beautiful collection of varied characters that play differently due to the hero skills available to each one. Blizzard has managed so much personality with the characters and their banter (just look at all the fan art), taking an idea that Team Fortress 2 had and turning it up to 11. Anyone who has played it will easily be able to throw some character lines at you, but Blizzard has done this masterfully to keep you alerted to the action on the field. Hear Ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau? Then you get the hell away as Hanzos giant dragon comes raiding through the walls. Or better yet, Heroes never die! as your Mercy healer resurrects your team mates to continue the fight at the choke point. Its audio design is phenomenal. Blend all that with its charm combined with its fantastic, hectic gameplay and masterful map design that its easy to see why people keep coming back to Overwatch, and why I can overlook it for only include two modes of play payload and capture point to be the shooter that anyone can enjoy.
7. Inside ; Learn from the development of your past game and return making something even more strange, improved and just better at what it was trying to portray. Playdead's lastest title is much better than Limbo and the aesthetics feel more developed. An experience unlike anything else this year.
8. Killer Instinct Season 3 ; I thought Street Fighter V would have been a sure fire hit for my top ten this year, but while its central gameplay is quality, everything that is wrapped around the game sadly wasnt up to scratch in its first season. Killer Instinct, on the other hand, continues to keep bringing the goods, building on its unique combat mechanics with a constant supply of well designed characters and traits, while bringing a competent single player mode in Shadowlords and the best online net code for a fighting game yet. Hopefully the support continues on into 2017 for what Im finding is the best fighting game for the current generation.
9. Darkest Dungeon ; Darkest Dungeon is not for the faint of heart, its a stressful game, a cruel game, one full of tight tension and psychological testing that is enough to make anyone scream in the beginning. This is until you understand that this is a game that makes you learn to not get too attached to your party members. This isnt because there are some soulless fighters, but because its inevitable that they will die and you need to replace them with new members. This is the games addictive draw, exploring each randomly created dungeon to hunt for better gear for your heroes or to take down a boss while fighting off against the physical and mental instability that can send any hero through so much despair until they are in the grave. All this stressful adventuring is covered in a strikingly dark aesthetic with some great 2D artwork, and a narrator who will use his twisted deep voice to keep you informed of the dangers, and how my level 5 Jester just became an abusive dipsomaniac who wants to steal every item from my party members. I have that sinking feeling coming on again, I think I am about to lose my best guy .
10. Shadow Warrior 2 ; Wang returns with amazing first-person combat and abilities that could challenge Titanfall 2 with its moveset. Just an absolute blast to play. No other game lets you double jump, air dash and then dice someone's head in from above with a chainsaw.
1. Batman Arkham VR ; Forget game of the year, game of the decade. I was Batman.
2. Inside ; One of the best sit down, start and finish games I've played.
3. Abzu ; If it was in VR it would have been my GOAT.
4. The Last Guardian ; Well worth the wait.
5. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Never a big Uncharted fan but this one I couldn't put down.
6. Battlefield 1 ; Its Battlefield.
7. Firewatch ; Suck it, I thought the ending was perfect.
8. Ratchet and Clank ; My first Ratchet game. What fun!
9. Stories: The Path of Destinies ; More for the narration. Very well done.
10. Bound ; A stunner in VR.
1. Pokemon Sun & Moon ; Ever since I first played Red and Blue back in 1998 for my ninth birthday, the Pokémon series has been my video game equivalent of digital comfort food. I havent missed a mainline entry since, and while theyve certainly varied in quality over the years, theyve consistently been a source of fun and joy for me. Like many, I feel the second generation of Pokémon -- Gold, Silver, and Crystal -- was the pinnacle of the series. Those games introduced so many new mechanics and systems that truly brought the series forward, elevating them to the realm of some of the best RPGs in the medium. Well, in my eyes, Pokémon Sun & Moon represent the most noteworthy evolution for the series since the second generation, and easily stand as the second best entries in the franchise, if not the very best (like no game ever was) in some key aspects. When 2016 was at its absolute shittiest, I took so much comfort in laying in my bed, powering on the 3DS, putting on my earbuds, and losing myself for hours on end in Alola region. While even I dont think theyre objectively the best games released in 2016, for me personally, Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon are by far and away my Games of the Year.
2. DOOM ; The new DOOM is masterful combination of hectic old-school shooting mechanics, smartly implemented modern design conventions, and a surprising amount of wit. This isnt a game about taking cover behind chest high walls, or well, taking cover at all really. This is a fast-paced, exhilarating dance of shotguns and strafing around the demonic hordes at high speeds, occasionally getting in close in order to execute immensely satisfying Glory Kills, melee finishers that rip enemies open like health and ammo piñatas. Its a game about quickly switching between said shotgun to rocket launchers, machine guns, energy rifles, or BFGs depending on the situation, keeping a corner eye on health and armor meters, all while a heart-pumping metal soundtrack elevates the thrill of combat. Its a game about pulling up an in-game map and navigating sizeable, complex levels with dozens of paths that twist and turn back on one another, searching for with upgrades, power-ups, secrets, and easter eggs. Its a game with a ridiculous story about deranged scientists fracking Hell for demonic energy, demons glorifying the resurrected player character -- the Doom Marine from the original games -- as some prophet of death of destruction, and the appropriate about of reverence (or irreverence) for the dumb but fun stories of the original 90s PC games. Simply put, the new DOOMs single-player campaign is a masterwork.
3. Overwatch ; While I always respected Valves Team Fortress 2, its brand of class-based team shooter was one I could never really get into. Enter Overwatch: Blizzards take on the concept, but with a MOBA-esque hero character twist. To be honest, I didnt think itd appeal to me. It only took one match in the first public beta I got into to open my eyes to how wrong I was. Within minutes, it was immediately apparent that Blizzard had crafted something special: all twenty-one bright and colorful characters were easy to use and fun to play, their various abilities seemed to complement one another in surprisingly enjoyable ways, and the game seemed to be going out of its way to make you feel positive about your performance.
4. The Last Guardian; With The Last Guardian, its clear that Ueda and his team set out to tell an extraordinary tale of companionship, and if were judging the game in that respect, it completely succeeds. Despite its technical flaws, as a lifelong pet owner and lover of dogs, The Last Guardian resonates with me more than just about any game released this year. I was completely sold on the relationship between Trico and the boy well before the end of the game, and just hearing the theme for the credits in this game can have me swell up with emotion. Its a game I find myself thinking about a lot in the days since I beat it, and I look forward to playing through again when I have the time.
5. Dark Souls III ; The Soulsborne series is perhaps my second favorite in all of gaming. I love the original Dark Souls and Bloodborne, both of them ranking among my favorite games of all-time. In the context of this series, I think Dark Souls III sits comfortably in a somewhat distant third place for me, just narrowly beating out Demons Souls in my book. Its a fantastic game, one that I played A LOT of this year. Its just that, with this being the third one of these games in the last three years, its hard not to feel a little fatigued.
6. Hitman ; The new Hitman now sits alongside the very best of Telltale Games work as a shining example of how to do episodic gaming right. By staggering out the release of each major in-game map in episodes, it not only allowed IO to polish each level to a near-perfect sheen and fill each release with plenty of worthwhile bonus content and challenges that would last the player base between episodes, but it was conducive to a wider portion of said player base gaining familiarity and appreciation for the maps themselves.
7. The Witness; Ive yet to actually finish The Witness, but Im still comfortable in declaring it one of the greatest puzzle games ever made. A players progression in The Witness is never gated by typical video game milestones like reaching a scripted sequence or acquiring a new ability, but rather by the knowledge that theyve acquired and have internalized. Which brings me to the following summation: The Witness is secretly a really good Metroidvania game where the key items you need to proceed are all in your mind.
8. SUPERHOT ; Playing SUPERHOT is like playing some crazy, John Wick-esque action movie where you face off against a dozen bad guys, do all the crazy bullet-firing stunts in slow motion, and then the movie speeds up to all the bad guys dropping dead in real-time. Its an insanely cool, frankly brilliant game, particularly in short bursts. Theres zero twitch involved. No need to be a first-person shooter pro. This is a strategic puzzle game at heart, and its one with considerable style.
9. Overcooked ; The local multiplayer couch co-op Game of the Year, ladies and gents. Whether you play with one other person or you form a full four-person squad, Overcooked is a brilliant little cooperative cooking game, really only held back by minor technical blemishes and a short length (which is slowly, but surely, being alleviated by DLC -- both paid and free). Itll bring you closer together with whoever you play it with, even if you feel like its simultaneously destroying your relationship while youre playing it.
10. Titanfall 2 ; Not only did they make good on the multiplayer side of things, with more Titan chassis, more weapons, mode gameplay modes, more pilot abilities, more maps, the promise of free DLC maps for everyone that buys the game, and one of the smartest matchmaking systems Ive ever seen, but they also shipped with a surprisingly awesome single-player campaign thats probably the best Source Engine FPS campaign since Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Its a tightly-paced, highly memorable five hour jaunt that tells the age-old story of a boy and his mech, complete with boss battles that feel like they fell out of pre-MGS4 Metal Gear Solid.
1. Dark Souls III ; While I must admit that the Souls formula for me is beginning to run a little bit out of steam (the setting and multiplayer focus especially), and that I might not have enjoyed this third installment as much as Demon's Souls or Dark Souls, this third game is still the one game that I put the most time in this year - both directly by playing it myself as well as indirectly by watching many, many videos about it. The lore analysis videos in particular kept me glued to my screen all year long while having me tip my hat to FROM for being able to create another game where no enemy (type), level or item is simply placed where it is without a story reason. That said, while I definitely hope that they will stick to this high standard of level and game design, I do hope that they will do so within a new (Bloodborne-esque) framework complete with a new setting to keep things fresh.
2. Doom ; This game could have taken no. 1 if not for me running into a few bugs that I have not heard others talk about, bugs that occurred while I was doing my favorite thing in this game: exploring every nook and cranny of the massive levels (one bug had me teleport to the other side of a door while instantly repopulating the corridor I just came through with enemies simply because I opened said door from the "wrong" side, while another bug caused a small automatic elevator inside a ventilation shaft of sorts to magically become misaligned and go into the floor instead of up and down, causing me to not be able to complete the level). Bugs aside as well as minor complaints about some guns not sounding meaty enough and the melee taking up too much of the combat arguably, this game pretty much was the perfect storm of visceral action, character building without words and exploration-driven gameplay in cool locations. Now where is that much needed single player DLC id?
3. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Maybe not a strong of a game as its predecessor due to the less varied locales (save for the awesome final parts) but still a great game due to combination of exploration, combat, puzzle solving and collecting / hunting. I even completed it 100%, including all the DLC, which I rarely try to achieve nowadays - I guess simply enjoyed traversing the world using Lara's abilities so much that I wanted to find everything (while the Croft Manor DLC offered a nice Gone Home-esque change of pace that also rewarded careful exploration). In a way, this game is really a nice companion series to Uncharted. While that series does set pieces, globe trotting and spectacle better, Tomb Raider gives the player more breathing room by not dragging you from set piece into set piece but rather switching up the action segments with semi-open segments that reward careful exploration and offer Zelda/Metroid-like progression by gradually aquiring new gear. I'm curious to see what a third game by this now seemingly well-oiled development team could bring. (I hope it finally involves dinosaurs to some degree!)
4. Titanfall 2 ; If the campaign had been even a bit longer and if I played multiplayer as well, this game would have been higher on my list, which is quite a surprise for me as I don't consider myself a FPS guy at all apart from classics like Doom and Half-Life (in part because I don't play them in multiplayer at all). This game just clicked with me because of the tight controls, the level design, the unique gimmicks used effectively and the interaction between Cooper and BT. One of the few games I would not have minded playing again immediately after completion, just to see how much better I'd do after mastering the controls some more. Highly recommended and I can only hope we'll see a third game at some point as well.
5. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Partly blemished by the lack of any actual
supernatural elements near the end of the game, like it seemingly was building up to as usual,
and a brother character that to me doesn't match up perfectly with flashback scenes in previous games, this game did deliver on pretty much all other things: story and dialogue, set pieces, action and puzzling, atmosphere, facial animation, a strong sense of adventure, etc. A memorable game despite being the fourth that deserves to be played, even if I at the same time am kind of happy that Naughty Dog will try something new next (after the stand alone expansion that is, which I will play for sure).
6. Abzû ; A late entry to my list due to me only recently completing it but a deserved one. To me, art design pretty sometimes can trump all else in a game, even gameplay in some ways, and this game truly shines in the art department. Visual designs on par with Journey depict a uniquely colorful, vivid, sometimes alien, lived-in underwater world that begs to be explored. Sure, the game is quite short and quite light on actual interactive things to do beyond using a sonar (and Journey-) like "ping" or riding larger creatures, but the atmosphere, fluid controls, collectibles and incredibly detailed wildlife make the simple act of swimming through this world something worth doing and enjoying. The fantastic Austin Wintory orchestral and vocal soundtrack complements this activity really well, with nice subdued parts and more bombastic parts when the action heats up. Drew of Giant Bomb should have fought harder for this game in the style and visual categories if you ask me, but a greater crime is that this game seems quite highly overlooked in general compared to Journey. Give it a go if you loved that game and if you liked something like Super Mario 64's underwater levels where more careful exploration was key.
7. Street Fighter V ; I was one of those filthy "casuals" that bought the game on day 1 expecting an arcade mode and more single player content in general (even after playing the beta). What I got was a quite barebones and (still) somewhat unpolished game that did end up delivering quite a few of the missing things later down the line. I particulalry got a good chuckle out of the cinematic story mode and hope we'll see a new season of that that goes fully into SFIII territory. While I have accepted the fact that I'll never play fighting games online due to the high stress levels that this brings for me, my love for SF is undying in the sense that I will always keep rooting for it to continue and be improved, even when I mostly enjoy spending time watching tournaments and playing single player content to earn fight money and buy new stuff. Guess I'm weird like that.
8. Inside ; While I can't fully shake the feeling (just like Jeff Gerstmann it seems) that this is largely a "hold right simulator" interspersed with cruel death animations and occassional puzzles from a gameplay perspective (just like Limbo), the amount of detail put into each sombre and disturbing diorama you go through is good enough to make me forget that fact for the most part. Visually this game deserves much credit as each area looks and feels unique; I simply could not wait to discover what I would be getting into next. The puzzles were cool too, more varied than Limbo's I think, while the finale felt downright alien to me in a good way.
9. Dragon Quest Builders ; While I have not completed it, I've played enough to consider this to be a game that is only a few missteps short of essential. It got me in a building mood as well as a DQ mood, which I rarely - if never - have had before. I'm still unsure what to make of the fact that you lose so much between chapters though; as to me that seems to go against the building aspects and sense of progression one would expect from normal action adventure games. Apart from that and the slightly underwhelming combat this game really scratched an itch that I did not know I had though and I can't wait to dive back in.
10. Overcooked ; A near perfect pick up and play local multiplayer game that is sure to make its rounds again during any holidays and such. The simple controls, everyday life activities meet weird setting premise, and the top-down perspective help a lot to make this approachable to a wide audience, which I truly applaud. More games should be like this one in design philosophy.
2016 was another year where I barely managed to play enough games to completely fill a top 10 list. Blame it on me taking care of our 1 y.o. Tasmanian Devil daughter during the day, our taxing and multi-part move from the UK via The Netherlands to Germany that took up multiple months to fully come to a close; or, if I'm most honest, blame it on me simply spending too much playing time on watching more and more youtube content about games. I guess my childlike fixation on watching others do stuff and talk about stuff instead of me doing them myself is still there...especially now that I have little to no friends who play games anymore to share the fun with...sigh...
Anyway, for my honourable mentions, finally, I've listed all the games that I almost certainly could have put on my top 10 list if I had managed to play them (instead of mostly watching others play in them in some cases), while sharing some thoughts on why I bought them and why I will likely like them:
Honorable Mentions
x. The Last Guardian ; A masterpiece if it ends up delivering a similar experience to Ico and SotC, which it likely will, and a crying shame I have not had the chance to play it yet. Could have been my no. 1 under different circumstances. Luckily it's on its way now so I'll soon manage to catch up.
x. Wild Guns: Reloaded ; My copy got held up in customs, which is why I still haven't had the chance to play it. That said, based on what I've seen of the game, I say it should count as a shining example of how to do a remaster of an old sprite-based game, especially a cult classic like this one. Lovingly redrawn visuals by a small team of veteran developers to enable wide screen support, to add new stages, new enemies, and new playable characters. And that with a niche game that probably did not warrant a large budget. A monumental effort and one that sets a new benchmark for any retro revival project to strive towards. (I'm looking at you SNK, Nintendo, Capcom, and Konami - you now know what to do with your old IP.)
x. Final Fantasy XV ; A game I have been quite excited for (despite my lingering dislike of the main characters and overt realism shown in places) but also one I'm kind of glad to have not started yet now that Squenix has commited themselves to try and improve the weaker story segments and such.
x. The Witness ; Depending on whether I can get along with this game's puzzles or not, which I still have to find out, The Witness might end up being one of my favorite games ever or one of my biggest disappointments ever. I do like the look of the world though, that much is certain.
x. Let It Die ; A game that for some weird reason is not released everywhere in Europe, such as in The Netherlands in particular, and as such I have not been able to try it yet despite it looking quite appealing to me because of its setting, humor and combat. I wish more (American) people (from media outlets) would notice its non-universal release and question Sony about it.
x. Hyper Light Drifter ; I decided to wait for the 60fps patch on PS4 before diving in but apart from that, this game looks to be great fun. I love the pixel art, silent storytelling and color schemes used quite a bit as well.
x. Picross 3D: Round 2 ; I have simply not gotten around to this one yet due to its late EU release but I nearly always adore these types of Nintendo puzzle games and this one in particular seems especially good.
x. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice ; Another game I have not gotten around to yet despite buying it day 1 but since I still consider myself a big fan of the series and have seen no reasons for thinking that this latest installment would disappoint me, I decided to put it up here.
x. Grow Up ; This game might be a classic case of it being too much of a good thing because of how similar it looks to its fantastic predecessor and how quickly it got released after Grow Home. I will play it later down the line and am sure to love it again then, but I needed to let some more time pass after my (late) playthrough of GH. Still a release I wanted to mention.
Edit: one last thing to mention is that this year might have marked the first time where I did not have any Nintendo (console) games in my top 10, which is a really weird thing for me as a lifelong Nintendo gamer. If that doesn't tell you anything about the current output by Nintendo and how much they need to improve things, nothing will I guess. That said, things are already looking better in 2017 with Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey standing out as GOTY contenders already (IF I end up buying a Switch with regards to the latter two I suppose).
Edit 2: changed some text here and there while adding Abzû to my top 10 as the final entry.
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; What can I say about this game? I fell in love with the series ever since I played the original almost 10 years ago. Being the final game in Nathan Drake's adventure, I was a little wary that Naughty Dog would do it right. Boy was I wrong. Everything from the downright gorgeous environments and vistas, attention to detail, the writing, the voice acting, the emotions in characters, the level variety, the much improved combat and encounter design, everything was excellent. I loved the downtime in between all the action. The ending was what left a mark on me. I fell in love with these characters like I mentioned, and it was absolutely perfect. It gave me complete closure and made me feel at ease saying goodbye. What a game. Rest easy Nate and Elena.
2. Life is Strange ; Another game that I finally played as a complete package in 2016. Holy shit what an emotional experience. I never even knew the video game medium could make me feel so many emotions like this game. I grew to love the characters. I could understand their struggles, I could empathize with them. Absolutely incredible writing and voice acting that felt so real. Without sounding hyperbolic, this one is quite literally an unforgettable game for me. I loved every damn second.
3. The Witcher III: Blood & Wine ; The base game was easily my #1 in 2015, and this expansion felt like an actual whole new game. It had more content than many full RPG games. Everything from the combat, environmental design, visuals, voice acting, writing and narrative were just as top notch as the base game. It wrapped up Geralt's story perfectly.
4. Inside ; I expected myself to enjoy this as I liked Limbo, but damn did it blow away my expectations. The gorgeous art direction, sound design, animation and level design all stood out. The whole game gave me an eerie feeling of a dystopian future. There were so many moments of fear, relief and suspense that I won't forget. Fantastic game, and that ending sequence still blew my mind.
5. DOOM ; I honestly didn't expect this to be as good as it was. I knew id had it in them, but not to this degree. It really capture the old school sensations of the past with fast paced movement, incredible music, and shooting that was so damn satisfying. I had an issue with some levels feeling like arena after arena but I had a ton of fun killing some fucking demons. HELL YEA. (pun intended)
6. Dishonored 2 ; I liked the original quite a bit and this improved on that. Improved level and scenario design were standout. Clockwork Mansion was one of the best missions I've ever played and I just love the world Arkane built with this series. Dunwall and Karnaca are so interesting to explore and learn about. I just really enjoyed me time with this one. (High chaos play through, kill them all baby) I will say one mission disappointed me as I'd heard a lot about it but I didn't enjoy losing my powers.
7. Gears of War 4 ; I adore this series. It's one of my favorites from the last generation and it continues here. I loved that The Coalition decided to continue from the original trilogy rather than completely reboot everything. There's a perfect sense of continuity without feeling overbearing. The new characters were allowed to shine. It's gorgeous, combat scenarios were great, new enemies felt new but familiar too, shooting is as fun as ever and the ending missions were fantastic. Ending was very intriguing. Great new start to the franchise.
8. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; The original reboot in 2013 was one of my top games of that year. I liked it so much I bought the Definitive Edition the next year. I love what Crystal Dynamics is doing to the series and it continues here. Beautiful and fun open'ish world to explore and the combat is as intense and brutal as ever and I love it. I like Lara as a character, even though the story wasn't all that impressive. Still, it's a continuation of greatness from the original reboot and I thoroughly enjoyed my time. Can't wait for the next one.
9. Titanfall 2 ; I only played the campaign and damn was it good. Literally every mission was great. Everything from the feel of shooting to moving around the battlefield to taking out enemies in titans, it all just felt good to do. I grew to like BT too. Effect and Cause blew me the hell away. What a level.
10. Tales from the Borderlands ; Telltale games are a passion of mine it seems. They've done an excellent job with The Walking Dead games, I LOVED The Wolf Among Us, and Tales from the Borderlands is another entry in that love. I first played it in 2016 as a complete package. The humor and writing were on point. I was expecting some cheese but damn it, it was all genuinely hilarious. I loved the characters. Can't really say much more. I sincerely hope Telltale continues this sub-franchise.
I'm finishing up my post right now and it's extremely similar to yours, especially the top 5 which is just in a slightly different order. And yea, getting them down to an order for the purposes of the thread was really tough. I ended up just doing an assessment of the games and the state they came out in (how polished etc) to be able to rank them because I know a week from when I post the list, I'll have settled on a different game as my "GOTY."
I lost count of how many times I re-ranked things at the top...I had all of my top 4 at #1 at one point or another. Level of passion ended up winning out because objectivity wasn't getting it done for me.
What sealed it for The Witness is that a couple of my co-workers just started playing it, and we've been discussing it just about every morning instead of doing real work. All of these great moments from almost a year ago come rushing back, and these guys are gushing about the game, I'm gushing about the game. As they've been progressing through it, and the more we've been sharing about our own experiences with it, what we did differently and similarly, etc., it just kept building its case. Four of us at work have played it now, and these morning discussions just always end up devolving into fervent enthusiasm from each one of us. Just from hearing myself talking out loud about The Witness, I knew what had to be done.
1. DOOM ; The ultimate, well-oiled murder machine. Filled to the brim with lovely action scenarios, great interplay between its fast-paced action and ripping soundtrack and just the right amount of humour. "I'm not locked in here with you. It is, in fact, you who are locked in here with me!"*kisses fingertips*
2. Stardew Valley ; A hugely impressive one-man project which strikes the right notes and achieves its goals in just about every way.
3. Titanfall 2 ; I bounced off of Titanfall 1 during its beta phase but I thought that with a few changes and additions it could be a great game. Respawn totally delivered with Titanfall 2. Both the single player and multiplayer are great.
4. Hitman ; I've been a fan of the series for a long time and while there were gameplay improvements this time, the real reason it's up here is because of the release model, elusive targets and other non-gameplay tweaks and additions. ♫~Come with me, and you'll be, in a world, of pure assassination~♫
5. Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- ; An incredibly deep fighting game with lots of lovely, player-friendly touches. Did I mention it also looks positively stunning?
6. Superhot ; [Disclaimer: I helped kickstart this video game.] It may be a g bit of a gimmick, but damn if it isn't a fun one! This game's got styyyyyle out the wazoo.
7. Thumper ; AC⚡DC's Highway to Hell performed by Aphex Twin or Squarepusher by the way of Guillermo Del Toro's Cronos. I'm terrible at rhythm games but this game's sinister attraction proved irresistible.
8. Abzû ; 2016's Soulja Boy Award for Games To Play If You Drink And Get Drunk or Smoke And Get High.
9. Dark Souls III ; The formula is getting a bit long in the tooth and repetitive. The series frustrates me in its inability to improve on what seem like brilliant ideas executed kind of poorly or incompletely. That being said, it's still a damn fine game. I'm just glad it's over.
10. Dishonored 2 ; Dishonored seems like the series a lot of people want to say they like but don't actually like or play that much. It's hard to deny this game's sense of style, design and its level construction though. What an impressive toybox to tool around in. And then they give you The Darkness as well? I'm totally on board with that!
I want to give a special mention to the 2 games I played the most this year. Neither of them made it onto the top 10 list.
1. Street Fighter V
I played a solid 650 hours of this game, not including the beta, but I could not in good concience put it on my top 10 list. Don't get me wrong. The core aspects of the game are mostly sound and I also know why it launched in such an unfinished state but in the end I feel like it was a massive misstep for Capcom. A dearth of content at launch, limited battle lounges, technical issues during both offline and online play, no protection against -or punishment for- ragequitting. Its list of problems seems near-endless. And let's not forget one of this game's updates basically had a rootkit in it. I don't particularly blame Capcom for malice in this case, just gross incompetence. When I look at the polish Street Fighter IV and Marvel vs Capcom 3 had at launch I can't help but be sad about how things have evolved.
2. Overwatch
As someone who sunk a solid 2000 hours into Team Fortress 2 (without idling!) I was very hopeful for this game. I had not really liked any of Blizzard's output since The Lost Vikings so I was a bit apprehensive but I definitely wanted to try the beta to see if Overwatch could fill the hole TF2 left when it died due to Valve basically using it as a testbed for their other video games and letting go of all quality control.
I reconnected with a few of my old TF2 friends and off to the races I went. The beta was promising, maybe not on par with TF2 in its heyday but I felt it had the potential to get there for sure. After all, Blizzard's support for its franchises has historically been very strong and enduring. With that in mind I put down the money for the full release and jumped in.
I ended up playing a whole lot of Overwatch. I'm not sure exactly how many hours since Battle.net doesn't appear to show that information but I reckon it's my second most played game of the year after SFV.
However, as I spent more time with it I started to notice some structural problems. The 6v6 nature of the game actually made it far less forgiving or beginner-friendly than many other competitive multiplayer games. It also made it a terrible game to play by myself (aka solo queue) due to the fact that if you only have 6 players on a team, even having 1 player not pulling their weight can pretty much destroy any chance you have of winning the match (depending on the hero). After trying it a few times I quickly learnt to only ever play it with my dedicated group of friends.
Its usage of the MOBA-style Heroes instead of classes or loadouts also didn't really make for a more varied game, it actually made for a more restrictive one, often slavishly adhering to a certain optimal "meta", basically being forced to have certain characters on the team because their abilities are too essential (hello, Lucio!) really drove home just how limited this system actually was.
Then there was the general issue that hurts many modern multiplayer games: A slavish adherence to the matchmaking system and no dedicated servers. This prevents communities from forming around these servers and generally prevents you from really making new online friends to play with. To this day, most of my Steam friends are people I met playing TF2 on a few great servers with awesome communities. Online friendships which have lasted for years and which are basically impossible to build up in many of today's online games.
The far more locked down nature of these types of games (no custom maps, no fun rule or physics changes aside from the ones Blizzard gives the community to experiment with, etc.) also limits the amount of variation you can have within a game which in turn hurts their longevity.
As these issues started to become more apparent my interest in the game started to wane. I think I had reached around level 79 when Blizzard rolled out its competitive mode and I stopped playing cold turkey shortly after that. (I went back one more time a while later because a friend invited me to try Lucioball but that's about it. Lucioball sucked btw.) The game's problems had combined and amplified, resulting in a profound sense of boredom and lack of self-expression. Playing became a chore even when grouping up with friends the lack of variety in maps, strategies and hero combinations turned me off faster I had thought possible when playing the beta.
For the reasons I stated above and a few others, Overwatch is the recipient of my "Most Disappointing Game of the Year" award.
1. DOOM ; Without a doubt the best FPS I played since COD4 released, pure old Id Software fun, rip & tear and a godly soundtrack to pump me up for the carnage with meaningful exploration, fantastic performance on PS4 and its polish. Too bad about the patches size and overlong loading times, but nothing to strip it of its title as my GOTY
2. Clash Royale ; I've been playing it daily for almost a year and I'm not a mp (online) kind of guy and definitely not into f2p hooks and mucrotransactions. Super solid mechanics and genius gameplay, I love (and HATE) this game, I spent roughly $5 on it and it delivered hundred of hours of tight matches and deck building, also props to my fellow members on the NeoGAF clan!
3. Uncharted 4 ;
4. Inside ; a bit too Dragon's Lair-y in some instances but a remarkable experience and a master class in creating an atmospheric environment to try and wrap your head around... man THAT final sequence, oh man...
5. Wild Guns Reloaded ;
6. Street Fighter V ; it at least succeded in bringing back a SF2 aficionado like me thanks to its strive for simplicity, something SFIV failed to do before despite almost a decade of iterations
7. Sega 3D Classics Collection ;
8. Battle Garegga ; M2 showing how it's done with its ShotTriggers' series debut
9. Thumper ;
10. Forza Horizon 3 ; only racer that I can fully enjoy even without a wheel, and that says a lot knowing me, even if its not 100% pure arcade. A masterpiece.
----
It sucks that I couldn't play so many potential GOTY material on time to make the list (got Last Guardian and plenty others on my shelves), but here's what I actually did play and enjoyed lots:
1. Final Fantasy XV ; I loved every second of my camping/roadside assistance/hunting vacation. Every. Single. Second. (30+ hours spent along in chapter 1). Also, what an opening. I had watched the Youtube series and Kingsglaive prior and when the music started and I heard Florence and The Machine's vocals kick... It hit hard.
2. Forza Horizon 3 ; The formula is wearing a little long in the tooth but I still really enjoyed flying around the Australian countryside in a stupid loud car.
Looks like I'm going to be voting for Early Access releases next year in Factorio, Rimworld, Subnautica, Long Dark, and more. 2017 is going to be an amazing year.
1. Overwatch ; Love the fast-paced nature of the game, love Blizzard's take on TF2, and will continue coming back to this game for years to come.
2. Stardew Valley ; An indie, PC exclusive, created by one person, that will likely be elevated to the top of the GAF GOTY list. Amazing.
3. Civilization VI ; Another great entry by Firaxis in one of the best series of all time.
4. Elite Dangerous ; Like many games on this list, Elite Dangerous is a very niche game that will appeal to a hardcore demographic, but I enjoyed my time with Elite and it continues to receive compelling updates going forward.
5. XCOM 2 ; Haven't gotten a chance to play this yet, but I know it will be on the top of my list when I finally do. Loved the first game, and this one looks to improve on that release.
6. Dead Rising ; Still an excellent game, thoroughly enjoyed my time with the rerelease.
7. Dragon's Dogma ; Another Capcom game that truly earned its spot as a underappreciated classic. Glad Capcom finally corrected its mistake in not releasing a PC version initially.
8. Dark Souls III ; Souls. From Software. Enough said.
9. Kerbal Space Program ; Didn't play the PS4 version, but I have to vote for one of the best games I've ever played. Kerbal received a huge update this year, one of the largest in its history, that brought me back to dump more hours into a game that I have already played to death.
10. Stellaris ;
Honorable Mentions
x. Hyper Light Drifter ; Great game, and the developers went back to dump a ton of work into an oversight that occurred early into development. Hats off to them.
x. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ;
x. Doom ;
x. Hitman ;
x. Super Hot ;
x. Firewatch ;
x. Furi ;
x. World of Warcraft: Legion ;
1. Stardew Valley ; I never played the Harvest Moon games and I'm glad with this game there's very little reason to. It's simple and addictive fun which never seems to get old.
2. Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition ; This would've been my GOTY but since I played it last year already on the Xbox One and now this year's definitive edition on my PC I'm letting it slide just a bit. This is my favorite Non-Nintendo 2D platformer which will always have a spot in my top games of all time list.
3. Titanfall 2 ; That campaign is the best I've played in a long time of any genre. The mulitiplayer is now my go to for FPS action. This is so surprising since the beta for me was lackluster. GG Respawn
5. Hyper Light Drifter ; After playing through the Oracle Zelda series on my 3DS I was still itching for more. Fortunately Hyper Light Drifter was the stylish, engrossing, action game I was looking for. Slashing then shotgunning never felt so satisfying.
6. Destiny: Rise of Iron ; For 3 months I binged on Destiny before and after ROI. Though the lasting power of the expansion eventually wore off, it was a great ride.
7. Ratchet and Clank ; Smooth, beautiful, and fun, Ratchet and Clank was a game the kids and I could play and watch together. Being a newcomer to RC, I'm excited to play more down the road.
9. No Man's Sky ; Definitely my biggest disappointment of the year but I can't ignore the shear sense of discovery and awe when I finally broke out of the planet's atmosphere and warped to another solar system. I'm hoping there's more reason to get back into it in the future as the Foundation patch was a good start.
10. Witcher 3: Blood and Wine ; One my GOTY's last year I'm just scratching the surface of the expansion but already I know it's going to be great farewell adventure for Geralt.
1. Overwatch ; Nearly every hero in this game is a delight to play. Some of the skills and ultimates are so ridiculous, you wonder how it's even possible to balance the game around them. But it all works. This is a better follow-up to TF2 than I could have ever hoped to have. And because it's Blizzard, Overwatch is incredibly polished, has, and will continue to receive, tremendous post-launch support.
2. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 ; This game deserved better. Both in terms of install base and support. It suffered with some fairly bad balance issues for too long after launch. Unlike Overwatch, it had a fairly substantial single-player portion. The backyard battleground was a great way to pass time between matches. Hopefully Popcap returns in another iteration, because GW is tons of fun.
3. Dark Souls 3 ; This sequel played it a little bit too safe. But it also refined quite a bit. Even as a mediocre Souls game, it still stands as a fantastic experience.
4. Hyper Light Drifter ; After the 60 FPS patch, I returned to the game and devoured it. An exceptional experience.
5. Forza Horizon 3 ; Fraught with technical issues on the PC, but underneath, it was still an excellent driving game.
6. Inside ; A joy throughout. The ending sequence is one of the weirdest but awesome experiences you will ever have.
7. SuperHOT ; The most innovative shooter I've ever played!
8. Redout ; Face melting in VR.
9. SuperHOT VR ; Too short, but shows the potential for VR like nothing else.
10. Lucky's Tale ; VR elevates it, but it's a wonderful 3D platformer.
1. Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; God, what an ending to an emotional and epic adventure the last expansion was.. Truly a work of art. One of the best if not THE best expansion to one of the greatest games ever played.
2. Dishonored 2 ; I've played it on the PC and despite its many performance issues, and being a huge fan of stealth the obvious choice is this game. What an amazing atmosphere and the level design..truly amazing. Shame it didnt improve much on its story telling.
3. Hitman ; Amazing level design, a return to the classic open ended gameplay that we knew, with breath taking locations and a variety of fun ways to assassinate a target. Great stealth game. Needs a little more focus on the story as well though.
4. Shadow Warrior 2 ; Not much to say except super fun game with a lot of obscene and terrible but still enjoyable humor. Playing with the Wang is always a pleasure. Coop was a huge plus.
5. Doom ; The perfect FPS. Simply badass. Its not higher simply because of the multiplayer.
6. Overwatch ; Best multiplayer game of the year without a doubt. Fun and awesome characters and a great lore as well. Fan service is a plus.
7. Hyper Light Drifter; Best indie game of the year, amazing soundtrack and atmosphere.
1.Dark Souls 3 ; Even though it has a few problems and sticks to close to the lore of DS1, it still has some of the best levels and bosses in the series.
Unlike other games in the series, the quality never has an huge drops.
2.Doom ; I haven't played too much of this game, but so far so the game is so good that I have to put in this high on my list.
3.Salt and Sanctuary ; As far as I'm concred, this game ranks on the same level as the souls games and Bloodborne.
The few short comes it have can be easily overlooked by it's much lower price tag.
4.Pony Island ; A fantastic and very unique game. The less you know before playing the better.
The OST is pretty awesome as well.
5.Stardew Valley ; Usually I'm not into this kind of game and I lost interest after the first year, but I don't regret the 50 hours I put into this game.
6.Captain Forever Remix ; A very fun game about building a spacecraft on the fly.
7.Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero
8.Hitman ; This game could be higher if I could play it more, but what I have seen was still quite impressive.
9.Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma ; While the weakest game of the series, it's was still very engaging.
10.Furi ; As a huge fan of boss rush game, this game was right up my alley, but I wasn't too found of the second half of the game.
1. The Last Guardian; Despite my high expectations, it was better than I could have imagined. A new modern classic and one of the few games from 2016 that will be talked about for decades. Ueda made another masterpiece that delivered outstanding sense of friendship.
2. Overwatch; My first ever online-only game and it's already my most played game of the year. It is pure fun.
3. Uncharted 4: A thief's end; A perfect conclusion to a perfect series.
4. Dark Souls III; I can never get enough Souls games and the third game was no different.
5. The Witness; An extraordinary puzzle game.
1. Inside ; When thinking over my favorite game of the year, one of the things I tend to look at more than any other is vision: how well did the developer accomplish what they set out to do? I feel Inside succeeds in that respect more than anything I've played in quite a while. The game is built around the feeling it wants to convey to the player, one of unease and confusion, with moments that left me in awe. Playdead learned a lot from making Limbo, best of all in avoiding repetition. Never did I feel like I was doing a puzzle I had done before, just made more complicated. Every encounter is unique and bold, and entirely avoids the trial-and-death approach of its predecessor. It asks you to be smart about anything you run up against without seeming unfair in what it throws at you. The visuals are haunting, as are the designs of some of the things you come across. The oppressive mood is absolutely dripping from every visual the game gives you, driving home how creepy and cryptic everything in its world is. Its story is told brilliantly without so much as a single piece of dialogue, and gives just enough info to the player to let you formualte your own theories on just what the hell is going on here. Inside, to me, feels like a blueprint for how games should tell their stories: through mechanics and visuals, and not through passive moments and cutscenes. It is now the gold standard for storytelling in games, in a way that only games can, and it is easily my Game of the Year.
2. Doom ; I'll say this upfront: I haven't finished Doom. I think the main reson why is that I don't want it to end. The speed of the movement and the feel of blasting demons to bits is a better feeling mechanically than anything in any other game this year. Doom gets everything about the pace of combat absolutely dead on, whether it's the weapons, the environmental design, the enemies, or anything else really. I haven't had much experience with the franchise outside of this entry, but even I can feel the reverence for the Doom brand throughout the whole campaign. The fact that id, hell, MODERN id managed to reboot one of gaming's most important franchises so flawlessly is hard to believe, but here we are, with maybe the best shooter in a very long time. Congrats to the team, and thank you for the awesome game.
3. The Last Guardian ; Finally, I can say I've played the Last Guardian. Not only that, I can say it's a great game! The decade of waiting and being teased by Shuhei that it was still coming left me resigned to believe that, if it ever was released, it would be a massive disaster. I was still eager to play it, but more out of curiosity than an expectation of quality. Surprisingly, they pretty much hit their mark entirely. Trico really does feel like an actual creature that may or may not care that you're trying to issue it commands at times. I can totally understand if some people hated the game for that very reason, but for me, it may be the reason I even liked the game at all, as it drives home the believability of Trico as a real life animal. The relationship developed over the course of the game, not only between Trico and the boy, but between Trico and the player, is one of the rare things that is unique to the interaction afforded by games, and is not done nearly often enough in the medium. The Last Guardian is a very special game that, through the frustration and technical hiccups, I'm sure I will remember fondly for many years. Thank you, Ueda.
4. Dark Souls 3 ; I love Souls games, and this is more of that. Coming back to a regular Souls title after Bloodborne took some getting used to, but the adjustment came quick for me, especially with the increased pace this entry has over past ones. This really does feel like the actual sequel to the first Dark Souls. The zones connect in a way that DS2's didn't, and the boss fights are varied and memeorable. Combat just feels right, maybe even more than DS1's did. It does tread heavy in nostalgia for the first game, but I think I just appreciate which call-backs it made and the way that they're executed. The only real knock I can give is that it doesn't do much mechanically or environmentally to set itself apart from the others in the series. Maybe Bloodborne spoiled me in that respect, but I can't really point to a thing that this game does that the previous ones don't. Still, a well-made Souls game is one of the most reliable games in terms of overall quality, and this one fulfills that entirely.
5. Chronicles of Teddy: Harmony of Exidus ; Easily my surprise of the year. If you like Metroivanias, BUY THIS GAME. I only bought it because it was on sale for really cheap on PSN one week. I looked up a trailer for it and thought, yeah, this looks decent, why not give it a shot. What I got might be my favorite indie in the entire genre to date. The platforming is smooth but has a good weight to it, combat is measured without feeling slugish, and the pixel art is fantastic. Seeing some of the massive creatures animate is some of the best looking stuff I've seen this past year. Plus, there's this whole music-as-a-language system in place for solving puzzles and finding secrets. I really can't recommend this game enough.
6. Zero Escape: Time Dilemma ; I know, "complex motives". They absolutely dropped the ball in explaining why the central villain of the entire series, and the reason any of this has even happened in the first place, is doing what they're doing. The animation can be pretty rough in spots, and the version I played on the Vita could run pretty poorly at times. But aside from these flaws, there's still a great game in here with some interesting stories to tell. Wrapping up a series like this, where story is not only critical but exceedingly complex, is a tough task to nail. ZTD misses its mark by a bit, but I still loved my time with it, specifically the way it ties some of its "Bad Ends" into Virtue's Last Reward. Those moments when you realize that the timeline you're on is heading toward the sad future of that game are brilliant, and not the kind of thing games do often enough. The twist this time might be a bit too much like VLR's, but I still appreciated how foreshadowed it is in retrospect: certain bits of dialogue will tip you off to the fact that something is being hidden from you, and when you finally see what it is, it makes some unusual things over the course of the game make actual sense. The ending gets some flack for not being conclusive enough, which I get, but maybe I'm just more open to being given something to interpret for myself. Lastly, seeing more of Junpei and Akane interacting, and the relationship they have in this entry, is probably the highlight of the whole thing for me.
7. Furi ; Oh boy did Furi surprise me. I hadn't even heard of it until it was announced as a PS Plus game, and thought it looked a little weird when I first saw footage of it. Well, turns out it's a fantastic character action/shoot-em-up hybrid with awesome music and crazy character designs. Everything about this game screams STYLE. Not only that, but it's so damn fun. Furi demands a level of skill in its mechanics to even get anywhere, and by focusing only on boss fights, I feel it forces you to learn them in a really smart way. Each boss tests a different aspect of fighting, and by the time you're done you can handle whatever it throws at you. If you missed it or passed on it for whatever reason, I implore you to give it a shot sometime.
8. Hyper Light Drifter ; Really, the Zelda game I've wanted all along without knowing it. I've been closely following the game since its Kickstarter a few years back, and it's lived up to all the expectations I had for it. The combat is fast and fluid, the world is beautiful and mysterious, and there are secrets everywhere (I'm a secrets-whore, so that's a big plus for me). It can be a bit tough at times, but I've come to like that about it, especially when compared to how annoyingly easy Zelda can be. Can't really find a glaring flaw in this one, just an all around great game. We'll see if it holds that quality through to its ending.
9. Pokémon Sun/Moon ; I'm a bit of an on-again off-again Pokemon fan: I loved gen 1, played a little gen 2, then took a long hiatus and didn't come back until X & Y came out. I didn't know how I'd feel about another new entry after just returning to the series, but Moon is great so far. The island vibes make the whole game feel really jolly, and it's the most 3D the series has been, making it seem like Alola is actually a pretty big and fleshed out place. They've also done some simple things to change up the old formula, like island challenges replacing gyms and FINALLY getting rid of HM's. Regional variants have made my team composition shuffle between more Pokemon than I think I ever have before because I feel like there are so many Pokemon I'd like to use. I'm not done with the game yet, but I figure I'll stil be playing it well into this year.
10. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I think I can understand why people are tired of the Uncharted series by now, and I can feel a lot of it too. Beside the grappling hook, U4 doesn't really add anything new to the way the games have played. What this one does do is make the story far more interesting than any of the prevoius entries did. I couldn't tell you anything about the previous villains other than their names, but Rafe is well fleshed-out and genuinely an asshole. Nate and Elena's relationship really does get the full examination its needed for a couple games now. Nate's past is given the longest and most important look it ever has, and the story in general does a great job of explaining his inherent need to be an adventurer. I feel that the game does drop the ball in a few ways, like how Nadine falls into the background through the second half, and how some of the themes about Nate's lifestyle being detrimental to his life aren't truly driven home. Still, it's a great send off for the Nathan Drake character. Oh, and I actually enjoyed that last fight.
Honorable Mentions
x. Titanfall 2 ; I already liked the first Titanfall, but all I could think while playing it was "Man, I wish this was a campaign instead." I got exactly what I wanted this time. The pilot parkour fits perfectly in single player, and the environments and enemy encounters are designed to push you toward switching up what you do on a regular basis. Titans are still a lot of fun too. Unfortunately I didn't find multiplayer as engaging this time and only put in a couple hours before I was done with it. This was on my list up until I remembered Chronicles of Teddy was earlier this year, so sorry Titanfall 2.
x. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; A game that improves on the good things about the last game while also making its negatives more prominent. To explain what I mean: the semi-open hub area style of the first game is intact, and these places give you even more to do in them this time, especially with the tombs being harder to find and naviagte through. On the other hand, the story is even worse than the first's, considering I couldn't even recall the villain's name or his motivations after seeing the credits come up. I had fun, but I worry about where this style of Tomb Raider goes from here, more so considering the rumors about another studio taking the next one. Still, I definitely recommend playing it.
x. Anatomy ; A very different kind of horror game. Don't want to say much as going in blind like I did is for the best, but I'd totally recommend it, especially since it's only a few bucks. Just make sure you read the txt file that comes with it after playing.
x. Ratchet & Clank ; Through the first half, I was reminded why I like Ratchet games as much as I have in the past. Through the second half, I felt like I was just trying to get through to the end of the game so that it would be over. Nothing new is added to the franchise in this entry, at least not anything that stands out at all. Still, it looks beautiful and was worth the $20 I spent on it.
x. AM2R ; Metroid 2, which I already liked, but made much prettier and with a few extra mechanics thrown in.
x. Layers of Fear ; What I've seen a few hours in is great, but for all I know it goes way downhill from there. Still, I plan to finish it soon.
x. Abzû ; Looks great and controls really well, but haven't played enough yet.
x. Bound ; See above.
x. The Witness ; I really respect what this game is, but I'm not nearly good enough at it to consider it a game I enjoyed. I can totally understand why other people love it and would rank it high on their list, but I spent too much of my time being frustrated and wondering how I would even solve a lot of its puzzles to say I had a good time with it. It does look gorgeous, and I love that it doesn't try to lead you around all that much.
x. ReCore ; Only played a few hours but I like it so far.
1. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice ; I enjoyed all the cases, the new setting, and the new characters. It was another solid Ace Attorney release. Objectively not the most innovative or even the best game of the year, but I personally had a lot of fun returning to one of my favorite series.
2. Doom ; Blistering quick gunplay with challenging, nicely crafted encounters. Doom tested my abilities with fps games, which honestly isn't that great, but it felt like a great accomplishment finishing each stage as it progressively became harder.
3. Pocket Card Jockey ; The silly writing, surprising amount of game mechanics, and just racing horses, Pocket Card Jockey was a wonderful surprise by Game Freak. I would rate it higher, but the game steals your time with impossible races you have to come back to with better horses.
4. The Last Guardian ; I honestly didn't enjoy my time playing this game for a decent chunk of my playtime. It was frustrating fighting the camera and getting Trico to follow your commands. The story though, solely told through actions made by me and Trico, was a brilliant way of writing a game. I'm glad I stuck with it and finished the game because the ending was perfect.
5. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; Breezy, relaxing Kirby game similar to the previous 3ds Kirby game, full of charm. It's the opposite of Doom and its challenging gameplay, but I get something different out of it and it's fine.
6. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; An okay game. Better paced than 3, not quite as good as 2.
These are basically all the games I was able to play this year, haha.
1. The Last Guardian ; I'd been waiting for this game for years and years. When it was re-revealed, I got super emotional. And it all made up for the long wait. Amazing, amazing game. I love you, Trico. <3
2. Final Fantasy XV ; Unlike TLG, I was not that interested in XV for years, kind of laughed at the boy band look, gave up being interested during the wait, didn't care during the re-reveal, and didn't care until maybe a couple months before it came out. But WOW, I actually ended up adoring this game, it's probably in my top 3 FFs. The boys ended up being awesome, I loved Noctis, liked the story a lot (even though some is obviously missing lol), had a lot of fun with the battle system, the music is great. I just loved this game. I consumed it and play 40 hours from start to finish in about 4 days, cried multiple times, got super emotional a lot. It just really worked for me, and really made up for all of the years of 13. This would have EASILY been my number 1 of the year if TLG hadn't come out a week later haha.
3. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I love the Uncharted series and this was an amazing send off. However, I'm also awful at the games, so even on easy, I was angry at the encounters all the time haha. But I love the stories, writing and characters so much that it makes up for it.
4. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth ; Just a really fun turn based RPG that I picked up on a whim and really enjoyed. But oh god, turned off the VA really quick haha. So annoying.
5. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice ; It's Phoenix Wright. Really all that needs to be said
6. Firewatch ; Loved the slice of life story, the art style, the paranoia, Delilah. Really great.
7. Oxenfree ; Picked this up on a whim and really really enjoyed it. Really liked all the characters and the story was really neat. Bit too much running from map to map by the end but I didn't mind it too much.
8. Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma ; A good wrap up to the series but kind of not quite up to par. I still liked it a lot, but I expected something bigger, I think.
9. Abzû ; Shark friend <3
10. Virginia ; By the end of the first go around of the game, I was so confused, I couldn't even decide if it was a good confused or bad confused. I was literally yelling WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON at the screen. Once I read some online writing about the game and played it again with that in mind, it made more sense and I liked it haha.
That was my year in games. The year when two "they're never coming out" games came out and managed to be amazing, despite the years of development hell.
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; My favorite series from my favorite developer, Drake's last adventure sure lived up to the expectations. Masterfull, simply best in the class and game of the generation so far.
2. The Last Guardian ; ~9 years of waiting and building expectations. All it took was a few minutes with Trico and I knew Ueda had done it again. Magical. I pray that this isn't his last game in this universe.
3. Firewatch ; Incredible dialogue and extremely beautiful.
4. Batman Arkham VR ; If I'm gonna mention one VR game, this is it. I'm Batman!
5. Final Fantasy XV ; Very uneven but at times impossible to put down. Finally a worthy game in this old favorite series of mine. Would be higher if chapter 13 didn't exist.
6. Abzu ; It's Journey underwater! Mesmerizing and stunning all around.
7. Dark Souls 3 ; Growing a little tired of Souls but it's impossible to deny that the third one is a very well-made game.
1. Hitman ; I often criticize games for lacking "thoughtful design" so it's only appropriate that my GOTY be a game with *incredibly* thoughtful design. Every guard, every target, every level layout, every item in a level, everything is so carefully considered and placed it's almost bewildering. Combined with the sandbox nature of the gameplay, the overflowing wealth of content, no game from 2016 deserves GOTY more.
2. Superhot ; I loved every single thing this game does. "But it's only a two hour game!" Bullshit, I say! I have 18 hours logged and still some of the harder challenges to beat and basically all of the endless mode maps to unlock still. I also thought the story and the way it was presented was impeccable. No game has gone so meta and completely shattered the fourth wall like this since MGS2.
3. Doom ; The best FPS campaign in years. However, it felt sort of one note and while I was playing I found myself pondering on Half-Life 2's vehicle sections and how important they were to breaking up the game play. So it became kind of a one-and-done game for me and that lack of desire to replay it keeps it from being higher on my list.
4. Dark Souls 3 ; My thoughts are more or less the same as everyone else's. Great game and an above average entry into the Souls franchise, but trying to recapture the magic that Demon's/DS1 exhibited so far down the line is like trying to squeeze blood from a stone.
5. Dead By Daylight ; While y'all were playing Overwatch, this was the multiplayer game I was sinking all my time into. Flawed in ways, but there's nothing else like it and I never failed to have a blast playing this with friends.
6. N++ ; Platforming perfected, and a dizzying amount of levels to work through.
7. Enter the Gungeon ; This game sucked me in big time. However, the grind for all the best weapon unlocks is real, and the game is a *bit* too hard which sours my opinion on it a bit (35 hours played, have only seen about 2/3-3/4 of the content. Kind of given up on ever beating it. Maybe the free DLC in 2017 will tone that down some).
8. Battlefield 1 ; If it weren't for the Operations mode in MP this probably wouldn't even make my list. The gameplay doesn't really seem to work for me outside of that one mode, but when it clicks, BOY does it click.
9. The Witness ; Obscenely well designed puzzle game. Every time I turn on the game I expect to hit a wall and be unable to make any progress anywhere. Hasn't happened yet. This would probably be higher if I'd had more of the year to play it and soak it in, but as it stands I'm a little over halfway through it but it's obviously something special.
10. Firewatch ; Conversely, this is only on my list *because* I played it early in the year and had so much time to ruminate and reflect on it. Immediately upon completion I was overwhelmed with disappointment at how the external narrative unfolded in the final act. However, over the months those feelings faded away and I was left with thoughts of the exceptionally written (and acted!) main characters, gorgeous, GORGEOUS aesthetic, and the soothing, perfectly fitting soundtrack. And even though the ending left me kind of cold, there's something to be said for the fact that almost a year later I'm still able to recall the plot almost beat for beat speaks highly of the writing, and the game deserves to be acknowledged for that if nothing else.
Honorable Mentions
x. Unravel ; Visually stunning. You can tell this was made with nothing but heart and care by the devs. Really, genuinely unique platforming mechanics that impressed me more than once. And yet, it doesn't really stick with you for some reason.
x. XCOM 2 ; XCOM is great, but man that difficulty really kills it for me, and I love hard games.
x. Hyper Light Drifter ; Case in point, people seem to say this game is too hard, but I thought it wasn't hard *enough* and hard in all the wrong ways (as a result of not having enough health for an encounter rather than from being outplayed by the AI). In some parallel universe this is one of my favorite games of all time, but what we ended up with I found myself frequently disappointed with.
x. Mirror's Edge Catalyst ; Speaking of disappointing! At the end of the day, I'm just happy there is more Mirror's Edge, but a lot of this game is kind of bullshit. The open world seems like barely more than an excuse to add Donkey Kong 64 levels of collectathon-ing to pad out the game. And the devs responding to criticisms of the first game by removing guns from Faith's repertoire is great... except it's replaced with one of the worst melee combat systems I've ever experienced. Oh and also there's about 500% more required combat than in the first game. I'll take the guns over that shit any day, plz k thx. Oh and the Faith character model redesign looks like she got veneers. Gross!
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Real talk though, this was one of the best years for gaming in a long time by my count. I played more new releases this year than I did in the last 2 or 3 years combined. There's still 10 more games that didn't make this list. Gotta cut off the honorable mentions at some point. And a handful more that I still didn't get a chance to get to that would have almost certainly made the cut (Apologies to Inside, Tyranny, Thumper, and Total Warhammer).
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; The Uncharted series has been one of the most well made, and amazing game series ever made. Finishing that series off was a tall order. Despite fantastic entries like Among Thieves, Naughty Dog managed to make what is in my opinion the best entry in the series with A Thief's End. Improved combat, the inclusion of the grapple hook and rope, fantastic set pieces and characters that you actually cared about all presented in some of the best visuals, sound, acting and music that the industry has seen. At time it's hard to remember you are playing a video game and not taking part in a blockbuster action movie. My favorite game of the year, and one of my favorite games of all time.
2. Overwatch ; Everything Blizzard touches turns to gold. Overwatch is no exception. Some of the most addicting and fun multiplayer moments I have experienced. Every character is like playing a new game. Spending hours learning a new character could have felt like a chore, but it never did. The intense matches really made you play each character's strengths and actually encouraged you to try out multiple classes. Overwatch somehow even made me enjoy the act of just healing other players, some matches I never fired a single bullet. While the idea behind Overwatch may not be unique, Blizzard managed to do every aspect of the genre better than anyone else has to this point. I'll be playing this game on and off for years to come.
3. Stardew Valley ; If you had told me that I would spend almost a hundred hours planting crops, raising animals, exploring caves and raising a family in a video game this year, I would have laughed in your face. My surprise favorite of the year, Stardew Valley manages to make the most mundane tasks fun and addicting. The SNES inspired graphics and sound feel comfortable and fitting without feeling dated or unimpressive. With so many things to do, and so many choices on how and when you do them this game turned out to be a real gem. Considering this one man creation was more fun to play than some multiple million dollar AAA games released this year, I think it deserves a high spot in my list.
4. Titanfall 2 ; I love my FPS games. And I would have never guessed that in a year of so many, Titanfall 2 would be my stand out favorite. The single player campaign is absolutely fantastic, and makes me wish Respawn would invest in a 20 hour version of something just like it. The campaign kept me enthralled every minute with it's fanastic set pieces, like navigating an active assembly line, flipping back and forth through time in a destroyed research base, or battling Titans in a poisonous miasma. And to top it off you are escorted the entire time by the fanstastic BT 7274, a Titan companion so well scripted and animated that by the end of the game you will feel like he's your best friend. The multiplayer is well crafted and addicting, and includes much customization between your pilot, Titan and weapons. While nothing incredibly impressive is present in the online multiplayer, it will keep you busy for dozens of additional hours.
5. Final Fantasy XV ; Boy had I been waiting on this one for awhile. The wait was worth it! While I found parts of the story confusing and rushed, I enjoyed it overall and was really drawn in by the friendship and camaraderie between the "Bros". Some of the best moments in this game aren't during the huge set pieces that see you battling giant gods or magitech armor, but instead can be found just wandering the gorgeous world or by listening to the banter between the team. Combat was fun, if incredibly easy. I found myself holding the attack button and randomly tapping dodge for most of the fights in the game. This was in part due to the fact I was having so much fun exploring the open world that I quickly became over leveled. Despite it's obvious flaws and pacing issues the game still managed to keep me very entertained for almost 60 hours.
6. Dragon Quest Builders ; First of all I want you to know that I mostly dislike Minecraft. Yet somehow I found myself playing this game for hours and hours. The main story is fun and gives you a sense of purpose that is sometimes lacking in other games in this genre. Each time the game moved me to a new town and reset everything I could have felt like I was being punished, but instead I found myself excited to build a better town, or to design a better layout. And each time I got better at the game. The cute enemies and music that is so reminiscent of the Dragon Quest series also help make the game less serious and more fun. I strongly recommend this game to everyone, give it a chance and you will be rewarded.
7. Battlefield 1 ; A beautiful game. One of the better looking games you will play this year, especially if you own a high end PC or a PS4 Pro. The lighting and textures are fantastic as well as the way the game handles smoke and water. The gritty and terrifying struggle that was WW1 is amazingly captured by the folks over at DICE. Running across a field as mortar shells go off all around you, or flying as a tail gunner in a dogfight the game gives you so many things to participate in that you might even forget your just playing a shooting game. Make sure you turn your sound up extra high to really enjoy the cacophony that is war.
8. Ratchet and Clank ; I initially bought this game only because I heard it looked really nice on my PS4 Pro. What I ended up getting was an incredibly fun and challenging platformer with a huge selection of weapons and special moves. Oh yeah and it looks great while doing it! I had never played any of the games in this long running series but the fun level design and challenging boss fights in this game will have me looking forward to more in the future.
9. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare ; The only reason this game makes my top ten this year is because of the incredibly well designed single player campaign. After a terrible campain in BLOPS 3 the year before I was happy to see a return to the big set pieces, over the top bad guy and exciting action sequences. The dog fighting missions were an added bonus and I thought they were a really cool addition to the CoD campaign package. I hope to see more inspired campaign from Activision's studios next year and every year that we keep getting these iterations.
10. Batman: The Telltale Series ; Nothing new here, but I felt it deserved a spot because I felt they did a good job representing the Bat universe, something I hold very dear. Setting up some of the take down scenes one at a time and then launching into the action was a nice addition to the regular QTE scenes we get in these games. While not as good as last years Tales from the Borderlands I still feel it was one of the better Telltale games.
Honorable Mentions
x. No Man's Sky ; You shot for the stars, you failed, but you aimed high and for that I will give you a small amount of props. Learn from this and in the future only promise what you can deliver. Without all of the false hype this game was an interesting attempt at something that had never been done before.
x. Star Ocean 5: Integrity and Faithlessness ; A mediocre entry in a once great franchise. The fun crafting and combat really saved this game into something I somewhat enjoyed, while the voice acting and story were forgettable at best. Overall I enjoyed the game enough to give it an honorable mention in hopes that we see better attempts in the series, in the future.
1. Final Fantasy XV ; Not the best game released this year, but my favorite despite its flaws. The open world was fun to explore and the ending was amazing.
2. Overwatch ; Don't normally play FPS or multiplayer only games, but Overwatch is amazing.
3. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; If you told me this wasn't going to be my GotY after I finished it I never would have believed you. Great year.
4. Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma ; My least favorite of the trilogy, but the worst Zero Escape game is still better than most other games.
5. The Last Guardian ; The camera is awful, the controls are janky, and I think it takes too long to start giving you story. But once the story kicks in, it's pretty darn good.
6. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; One tiny notch below Human Revolution, still a great game. Exploring the hub and the side missions are fantastic but the main quest is just kinda there. Ending was also not great.
7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice ; Great new characters, the final case is one of my favorites in the series.
8. Pokemon Moon ; A significant improvement over previous games in almost every way except one... A lack of new Pokemon, which is my favorite part of playing new Pokemon games.
9. Inside ; Even better than Limbo, wasn't a fan of the ending though.
10. I Am Setsuna ; It's Chrono Trigger with FFXs story. It's not as good as either of those games, but few games are. Solid, and scratched an itch for me this summer. Can't wait to see what they do next.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Doom ; Like I said above, I'm not a huge FPS fan, so the fact that I finished it means I dug it quite a bit. I think the campaign was actually a little bit too long, and the ending was pretty lame. All buildup, no payoff.
x. Overcooked ; Fantastic multiplayer game, maybe a little too easy to get 3 stars on all the stages.
x. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; I only played for 9-10 hours so I didn't feel right putting it on the list. I really enjoyed it, just got distracted by other games. I'll get back to it soon.
x. Ratchet and Clank ; Wow, just too many good games this year. I definitely meanto have this in my top 10 but I forgot about it when typing up the list. By the time I remembered it, I couldn't pick a game to remove for it. Beautiful, fun, colorful game. Only wish they had more new weapons instead of almost all retreads (the pixelizer was sweet though)
Started playing DOOM and Dishonored 2 and man, both of these games will have to go on my list in some fashion. Gonna have to edit my list and repost it.
1. Overwatch ; Blizzard presentation, polish and charm make Overwatch what is quite possibly the most accessible multiplayer shooter ever. On top of that, it manages to be incredibly fun, mostly balanced and competitively viable.
2. Doom ; A triumphant and wholly unexpected return to form for the grandfather of the FPS genre. A game that eschews several modern day design principles and instead emphasizes pure, fun gameplay over everything else.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; A beautiful expansion that encapsulates everything that made The Witcher 3 great and improves upon it in several ways. It has a gorgeous game world with great quests and activities and ends up as a most fitting epilogue for Geralt's ten year long journey in video games.
4. Hitman ; An excellent sandbox game which perfects the Hitman formula of puzzle solving and assassination. Although controversial at first, the episodic model was an inspired choice that let players fully digest every map and kept them playing the game all year long.
5. The Witness ; A masterpiece of game design. The visually gorgeous island packed to the brim with puzzles hides it's true genius of level design until the player discovers it for themselves. That discovery is the single greatest gaming moment I've experienced in a long time.
6. Dark Souls III ; A great game to end the Dark Souls trilogy. It pays homage to it's roots and yet manages to keep things fresh with it's new, faster combat styles. An entertaining journey with several gameplay improvements and fun levels and bosses to fight along the way.
7. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; A great RPG/immersive sim and a fine followup to Human Revolution. While the story ends somewhat abruptly, it does not feel incomplete and the entire game before it is great fun to play. Prague is a dense and interesting location to explore and the game tightly holds on to it's legacy of letting you deal with any situation in several different ways.
8. Battlefield 1 ; This is the best looking game I've ever seen. After the disaster that was BF4, DICE have really come through to deliver the most polished Battlefield at release they've ever done. A short and sweet single player that tries to remain respectful of the human tragedy that was WW1 and a multiplayer mode that captures everything a Battlefield game has to offer despite the limitations of the time period.
9. Titanfall 2 ; Respawn have delivered a very fun single player campaign that makes great use of it's core mechanics and keeps evolving them with fantastic new ideas and level design. It also has a very fun multiplayer mode where player skill in parkour is rewarded and extremely satisfying.
10. Inside ; A visual treat of a game that successfully manages to convey it's dark, depressing and dystopian atmosphere without any words. A short game but it has little repetition of any of it's puzzle mechanics so it stays fresh throughout. One of the most unexpected endings of any game in 2016.
1. The Last Guardian ; Another emotional masterpiece and almost worth the wait.
2. Dark Souls III ; An extremely well made game combining some of the best parts of the Soulsborne series.
3. Unravel ; A charming platformer in its own right, but as someone who grew up in those environments, completely irresistible.
4. Inside ; The very definition of cinematic platformer.
5. Street Fighter V ; Pretty much everything I wanted from the game. A solid sequel to Street Fighter Alpha 2.
6. Rez Infinite ; VR makes the game finally complete after all these years, and Area X is sublime.
7. King of Fighters XIV ; SNK put together an extremely solid game after a very doubtable start.
8. Salt & Sanctuary ; Aside from some early bugs, a very cool combination of Souls-like and Metroidvania.
9. Pokemon Go ; Despite its limitations, it made me walk miles and miles.
10. World of Warcraft: Legion ; Ridiculously packed with content of the highest quality. Possibly the best since Wrath.
Didn't get around to actually playing 10 new games released this year but this will have to do:
1. Fire Emblem: Fates ; I put more hours into this game than I care to admit and despite the consensus, I found all three routes perfectly enjoyable even if Conquest is the clear star here. The gameplay here is exactly what I want out of my Fire Emblem games, and I appreciate the little gimmicks each map has to offer as it makes the maps the most memorable in the series. I also find Fate's cast and music to be amongst my favourite in the series, which really solidifies it as my favourite game of the year.
2. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice ; There's not much to say here other than this is another fantastic game in the Ace Attorney series. The characters, story and music are all top notch with cases 2 and 5 being the clear standouts for me. I very much enjoyed what was effectively an Apollo Justice 2 in terms of bringing the character into the limelight and focusing the finale around him. Overall, the game installs me with confidence that the series will continue to prosper even after six mainline entries.
3. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; An almost perfect way to round off the adventures of Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4 is a hybrid of the strongest narrative moments of the Last of Us and the thrilling and entertaining rides of the Uncharted series. The characters are all top notch once again and the fantastic landscapes visited eclipse the previous entries in scale and design. I appreciate the stealth approach you can take in many encounters which makes the gameplay replayable and varied in how you can approach it. I also really enjoy the pirate theme the game goes for and the mystery of Henry Avery is compelling and works as a nice backdrop to the struggle Drake faces concerning his relationships with both Elena and Sam. All in all, a very satisfying end to one of my favourite game series.
4. Pokémon Sun and Moon ; I am always a fan of mainline Pokémon with even my least favourite gens being strong entries overall. Sun and Moon are definitely great Pokémon games but I hope a lot of the new features do not end up as series mainstays. Trials are interesting for what they are but ultimately, the whole gimmick ends up making me want to see these trial captains as gym leaders. Too many routes are populated with the same frustratingly boring Pokémon such as Gumshoos, Pelipper and Magikarp with interesting Pokémon hidden behind 10% encounter rates. On top of this, the SOS system leaves plenty to be desired. Despite these negatives, Generation 7 may end up being my favourite generation for new Pokémon. By concentrating on a smaller group of new Pokémon, Game Freak have created a selection with very few duds, standouts being Palossand, Xurkitree, Dhelmise and Decidueye. On top of this, finally doing away with HMs is the best improvement made the the series since the Special/Physical split.
5. Ratchet and Clank ; I've been a massive fan of the Ratchet series since the PS2 days and seeing the series break into the mainstream with this game is heart warming. The remake is a real nostalgia trip being a big fan of the often overlooked original and the visuals are truly stunning at times. Having said this, while the game is ultimately a very enjoyable experience, I can't help but feel it is a step back from Nexus, which continues to serve as having the strongest parts of what the series can offer despite it's short length. The story is laughably weak although this can be chalked up to the film's influence but everything outside the core Ratchet gameplay is as bad as it gets IMO. The ship sections outstay their welcome and are frustrating to pilot. The Clank sections are a large step back from ACiT with the infuriating "Boss Fight" auto runner section threatening to be the bane of any future playthrough. Despite this, I am truly happy that the series is doing well and if the sequel (please be based on Ratchet 2!) irons out these issues, it will be a marvel to play.
6. Dishonoured 2 ; I still haven't finished Dishonoured 2 yet but what I have played has been a very enjoyable experience for the most part. I a massive fan of games which allow for numerous play styles to flourish and no game accommodates this better than Dishonoured which is crafted to allow for at least four very defined ways of playing. From stealthy no kill runs to all out chaos, the styles in which you can play are all made possible by some of the strongest level design I can think of in recent years and some very enjoyable powers to play around with. What I found myself surprisingly enjoying was just how interesting the cast of characters and the world is. Karnaca is a wretched city and its inhabitants make for some great villains. There are some slight annoyances that I admit have a lot to do with my own inadequacies with how I play, but I am happy I didn't sleep on this one.
7. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; With modern Kirby games you know exactly what you are going to get, and that is not a bad thing when the games are this good. Robobot improves considerably upon Triple Deluxe with better copy abilities, more aesthetically interesting levels and absolutely better boss fights. The music is fantastic as always with Dinner Desert being a new favourite of mine. I don't have much to say about the game but I am very happy with the current output of Kirby games.
8. Firewatch ; Firewatch is an enjoyable experience and I loved the time I spent with Henry and Delilah. Yet while exploring the rural forest region of Shoshone was something new and interesting, the story really didn't go in the way I wanted it to. I am completely on board with a tragedy story grounded in reality every once in a while but I wanted something different out of Firewatch. The conspiracy angle was shaping up to be something special and then... it just peters out and the story never really recovers. With how the climax progressed, I didn't find the ending nearly as disappointing as most but I can't help but lament what could have been with this game. Regardless, I look forward to what Campo Santo have planned next.
1. Overwatch ; My most played game this year, by a lot, great gameplay, awesome characters.
2. Stardew Valley ; Took me by surprise, I didn't think I'd play so much of this game.
3. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; While not as good as HR, the gameplay was a lot better and Prague was awesome.
4. Titanfall 2 ; Great SP, if a little short, and awesome MP.
5. The Witness ; One of the best puzzle games I've ever played. Misterious. Great mechanics.
6. Oxenfree ; The story on this game is fucking great, a must play.
7. Pokemon Sun and Moon ; First pokemon game I've played in a long time. Word of mouth was right.
8. Quantum Break ; Played the PC version, the gameplay was extremely great, and the story was bonkers, but the game was too short for my tastes.
9. Hyper Light Drifter ; Great gameplay and graphics.
10. SHENZEN I/O ; Great programming puzzle game, I recommend it to whoever whats a good challenge.
Honorable Mentions
x. No Man's Sky ; Even if the hype was too much, I still enjoyed playing.
x. Pony Island ; Good meta game if a little too short.
If there's been an agreed way to put Hearthstone in the ballot, can someone let me know? I see Whispers of Old Gods in spreadsheet so I guess I'll go with that for now, but Mean Streets of Gadgetzen is the real star for me, I don't know if that counts?
The List
1. The Witness ; Cannot believe that I waited for a sale to pick this up (actually, was waiting for the physical release that they talked about at launch and then it got late in year so I figured there would be a sale...anyway). Who knew that drawing lines could be so fun. World is cool, puzzles are great, lots to do if you get stuck somewhere and want to go do something else. It's relaxing, frustrating, and rewarding all at once. Using a pen and paper to make notes on what I think I should be doing, thinking about some puzzles throughout the day, and coming back to see if they work is something I haven't done with a game in a long time (and when it does work, wow!). I just really loved it.
2. Firewatch ; A game that I feel is much more about the journey than the destination. Loved the visuals, the setting, the characters, and the writing/character interaction. I even liked the ending. Don't know how spoilery to be in a goty thread, so I'll tag it out
I liked the empty feeling I got at the end of the game. The conspiracy went nowhere (like a real world conspiracy, lol), Delilah simply leaves Henry without even ever meeting because she doesn't commit to anything, and Henry trudges back to his car and the real world still without answers. No happy ending, just a continuation of life that I really enjoyed in a depressing way. I don't know, felt like how a book would end and not a videogame if that makes sense.
And the ps4 theme is awesome and I never even think of changing to something else.
3. Titanfall 2 ; Thought this would be my game of the year when it got its release date. Single player is a terrific ride that is a perfect length and that keeps changing things up to keep it fun an interesting throughout. Multiplayer is fun, but there are just some nagging issues and I don't find it as great as the first's multiplayer gameplay. Slide is great and grapple is cool, but maps are meh, still don't like the battery mechanic or no shields for titans, bounty hunt isn't a proper replacement for attrtition and attrition in two doesn't seem as fun/hectic/AI-populated at Titanfall 1. Still play it almost daily though so its doing something right.
4. Virginia ; I probably shouldn't have liked this game as much as I did simply because there isn't much you are actually interacting with...in a videogame. The style, atmosphere, and creepy vibes, strange imagry, and interesting story kept me glued to screen to the end. And then I went back and played through it a second time right away to see it all again.
5. Battlefield 1 ; Hooray, boots-on-the-ground combat is back! Seriously, even though I put Titanfall higher, it feels great to play a shooter where I don't have to worry about a jetpacking super soldier wallrunning 100 ft above me and quickscoping while he's calling in killer aerial drones. Stunning graphics, great sound, and great large scale warfare. It does make me wish for a WW2 to modern warfare call of duty again though.
6. Hearthstone ; I don't know if we have to specify or if Mean Streets of Gadgetzen count or it has to be Whispers of Old Gods or what, but this was my most played game this year. I only started at the end of last year, so the introduction of standard and wild has made it a lot better for me. Mean Streets is also a great expansion and got me to spend some real money on the game, so Blizzard is doing something right (like usual, I guess).
7. Final Fantasy XV ; I haven't played a Final Fantasy game in years, but for some reason I was actually excited for this one. And I guess it's good because I keep playing it? Hard to explain because I definitely do have issues with it, but I just keep playing it. I don't have much else to say about it.
8. Darkest Dungeon ; The thrill of victory, the agony of people going insane, the common factor that is your party being wiped out. It's all good. But someone somewhere also wrote that this is a game that gets kind of worse the further you get and I have to agree. Losing your great party members late game and then trying to grind people back up isn't the most fun thing in the world.
9. Hitman ; I hesitated putting it on my list because I haven't played a ton if it yet, but what I have played I have really liked, and definitely more than other games that I've played this year that I would consider putting on this list. So even if it hits a point that I get tired of it, what I've played so far was more fun than those.
10. Overwatch ; I've kind of soured on it since all the meta came in and people seem to really angry about how you play and which character you use now, but man, when it first came out it was great. I'll still play when my friends do, but I don't really bother soloing anymore.
1. Fire Emblem: Fates ; Liked Birthright more than Conquest
2. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir ; Never played the original. Beautiful game.
3. The Last Guardian ; Lived up to the hype and was worth the wait.
4. Battlefield 1 ; Great atmosphere, lots of ways to play, solid shooting mechanics.
5. Uncharted 4 ; Solid game in the series, almost as good as 2.
6. Dragon Quest VII ; Glad I waited on 3DS version, PSone version is super expensive.
7. Bravely Second ; Much better game than the first, better humor and Yew rocks!
8. I am Setsuna ; Very under-rated title with not enough exposure.
9. Yokai Watch 2 ; Like a more polished and streamlined version of the first game.
10. Ratchet & Clank ; Short and sweet. Lovely visuals.
Strange to make this list when I didn't finish some of the games but this was based on fun I had so far even if I didn't finish some of them (didn't included remasters like COD MW that I've already played before).
Still overall a great year for games and some of the good games are still unopened (Deus Ex or The Last Guardian will probably be my 2017 "2016 GOTY"). Let's hope 2018 is even better.
1. Firewatch ; The last third of the game is definitely not the best part of the game but it would be silly to dismiss what the developers managed to do with the mechanics in this game. The first 2 thirds of the game is how "walking sims" should be, just a crescendo that unfortunately doesn't delivery entirely. My biggest complaint is some padding to increase length but the exploration, story telling, character building is incredible especially how they managed to approach a very tricky situation with care but at the same time making you relate with the main character life and his wife and how he decided to approach it (good or bad is for you to decide).
2. MLB The Show 16 ; There is no other sports franchise that is even near what MLB The Show does to keep me interested every year even when franchise mode is still lacking compared to NBA 2K's association mode. The attention to detail, the ability to change settings to allow me to play the way I want, the dynamic difficulty that always keep it interesting, the unbelievable tension of the late innings, the furious rage of being unable to hit one game after getting 12 runs the game before, the rage of being unable to get an out with an elite closer, the euphoria of scoring a walk off home run, losing your ability to play because I actually lost my composure. Can't wait for this year game. By the way this exactly the same stuff I wrote last year about MLB The Show 15 which is a feat in itself. Game is simply on another level and fish eye camera made batting much better (one of the previous weakness). Can't wait!
3. Battlefield 1 ; The approach to the campaign is an interesting one but makes it feel like just a series of episodes that teaches how to play the game on multiplayer. Strangely the cover didn't deserve more than just 3 minutes in the game which is definitely odd. Still I found that besides all the fantastic bravado and impossible tasks achieved they managed to touch the subject of WWI with some dignity (not like Valiant Hearts though). However as always it's the multiplayer that shines bright as the sun. Team based gameplay, boots on the ground with rudimentar weapons really feels fresh and fun nowadays. Even with some balance flaws (gas grenades...) the game is just fun to play.
4. FIFA 17 ; Didn't found The Journey particularly interested in continuing to play it but career mode against AI has been the best FIFA since 2010 FIFA World Cup. Still a lot to go to be a great experience against AI (especially regarding opponent AI and tactical dynamic AI) but this is the first FIFA this gen that I can easily consider it a great game. It isn't perfect, some changes to FUT make me happy that I'm not interested anymore because they were made to force you to spend real money on the mode. Still on the pitch FIFA 17 is by far the best game EA has released this gen.
5. Assault Android Cactus ; What a game. People said it was great and indeed they were right unless for me. The game pushes for continually improving previous scores but I can't figure how anyone can S+ rank some of the levels. Then some of the strategy where you pick your character is essential especially in some boss levels was what sold the game to me. The constant "go for battery or keep here safe?" when a battery spawns. Last boss is a bit OP but with the right strategy even a scrub like me can finish the game.
6. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I'm probably 2/3rd into the game and while I've enjoyed the game and the storytelling, the pacing is not right for what I wanted from an Uncharted game. It almost feels like Naughty Dog paid too much attention to those saying Nathan Drake is a murderer and toned down the combat in the game. Still the more open gameplay and more exploration is welcomed. Maybe the rest of the game is better on that balance and would make it higher on my list, but I don't think I will finish it before the deadline.
7. Dirt Rally ; Finally a fantastic game from Codemasters after so many failed attempts in the last 4 years. Unfortunately they failed to make a decent campaign mode because it's completely fake (AI stage times depend on your own performance, so Codemasters decides previously if you are going to end 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc... also depressing to see the leader of a championship lose 5 minutes in the last stage of a championship...randomly. which gives you the championship...). Also the upgrade system and locking cars via purchase has no place in a game that is already so hard. Fortunately they completely nailed the stages and the handling which is why I absolutely love the game.
8. Titanfall 2 ; What I've played the campaign (very little) felt good but not great despite the highpoint of titan combat. Multiplayer has been my substitute for the miserable COD:IW multiplayer when I just want to spend 15 minutes playing games. I don't find multiplayer has the lasting appeal like the good old days of Call of Duty which is why this isn't any higher on my list. Unlike the campaign I don't find 4 vs 4 titan combat in multiplayer very fun, maybe they should raise the requirements to get a titan...
9. Assetto Corsa ; Wow. Just wow. I don't have words to describe how I first felt playing this "game". What an incredible racing simulation experience. Driving the Porsche 919 Hybrid inside the cockpit really made me feel like I was driving the real thing, the sound is just unbelievable and the physics are just on another level compared to Gran Turismo or Forza. Even Project CARS can't reach anything that Assetto Corsa does. Every car feels real different and the way they translated understeer into the game deserves praise. Unfortunately the game part isn't there. AI isn't fun to drive against and the online is really barebones. Considering how niche this game is considering how hard and realistic they wanted to be, this should have been the iRacing multiplayer on consoles. If they did that this would have been my GOTY but right now it's simply the best sim on consoles so far but just for hotlapping...
10. Hitman ; This game has all the makings of potentially being my GOTY. Unfortunately I've only played 2 hours so far and had a fantastic time failing and trying to play with the multiple ways to approach objectives. The dilemma here is that I played so little to really know if it holds, but if it does I will be very happy.
Honorable Mentions
x. Tom Clancy's The Division ; I was definitely hooked on the game for the first 20 hours of it but quickly realized how the game didn't scale for the fact of playing solo vs coop, solo is very hard even if you are overpowered, coop is too easy. Loot system is garbage and the dark zone is a mixture of so many failures.When I reached the end and level 30 I found no reason to continue to care for the game which is a shame because there is a good base there. I'm even a season pass owner and never played any of the DLC. To me this feels like a game where they worked so much to get the mechanics, engine and environment to work perfectly but didn't had time to make the same about mission and story design. Maybe the sequel...
x. F1 2016 ; Career mode is improved, handling is also a lot better but the game still feels empty. Online mode is just a simply lobby, nothing about skill based approach to online. Career needs to have some kind of real R&D, driver market movement which is something the current license doesn't seem to allow. Maybe Liberty Media will finally allow some fresh ideas into their official videogame.
x. Overwatch ; Polished experience and fantastic character abilities design really stands out. My main issues aren't overpowered characters but the decision of allowing more than 1 character in a team and the lack of maps in the game. I know they fixed this meanwhile but I already lost interest in the game which by itself is a clear indicator about how I feel about the game. Rainbow Six Siege remains the best the generation by far.
1. Ratchet & Clank ; Strip away the parts shared with the movie (sheesh, some of those one-liners), and you're left with rock-solid, razor-sharp gameplay and the most addicting upgrade loops of this gen. And that's not to say anything of the first-class art and animation. This was my quickest Platinum ever for the simple fact that I couldn't put it down (also, it's an easy Platinum). Undeniably so, so, so fun. While other games might be more original, more intricately pieced together, or more evocative, nothing was more fun than this. Believe.
2. Dark Souls III ; For now we might lament this game for lacking certain details of the original Dark Souls or Bloodborne, but the core gameplay remains an inimitable experience, and this is more accessible to newcomers than ever before. After a couple years of failed imitators, we'll be praying for the real deal and hoping it's as good as this.
3. Doom ; In going to back to it's roots, it bucks so many contemporary FPS trends that the series is likely to reinvent (or at least reinvigorate) the genre again. In a console generation filled to the brim with remakes and remasters, this is the most thorough and thoughtful reimagining I've played yet.
4. Rhythm Heaven Megamix ; This harkens back to PaRappa and Vib-Ribbon in that it back gets to the rhythm at the heart of the rhythm genre. It's mini-meta-narratives, wacky permutations of itself, and funky beats keep me coming back to the watering hole. Woah, you go big guy!
5. The Witness ; In some regards it feels like the evolution of Braid - it's 3D, it's openworld, it's even more thematically scattershot and open to interpretation. But it's also the evolution of level design, the first-person perspective, and games-as-art. Environmental!
6. Pokémon Go ; A failed game in so many ways, this was still the most unique gaming experience I had this year, the game I played the most, and the game I'll associate with 2016 more than any other.
7. Pokémon Sun/Moon ; The formula remains unchanged, but several new components contribute to a sense of place that makes this the most absorbing core Pokemon title since the Gameboy. Also, Pokemon Go called for help (ugh) so this came swooping in right under it.
8. Overwatch ; As a jaded FPS oldtimer who misses the day when being a shooter didn't mean a rote straining for grainy realism, this ranks alongside Splatoon as the most vivacious and enjoyable multiplayer shooter experience I've had this gen. If I played more of this it probably would have ranked higher.
9. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir ; A cult classic is given new blood in this modernization of the beloved PS2 game. Structurally, it gets a bit repetitive, but the combat is so rewarding and the art so delightful that I didn't mind the grind.
10. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; As a fan of some of the weirder Kirby games (shoutout to Block Ball), I wrote this off as another Adventure-like. But the varied gameplay, mech abilities, and story make this the most fun I've had with a 'proper' Kirby game since the original Super Star.
1. Doom ; For a game I was at first expecting nothing from, this turned out to be the more pure fun I had playing a game in a long time. Everything about this game is metal in the best way.
2. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; The individual mechanics to Deus Ex may be a bit lacking, and the game may be shorter than I would like, but the depth and quality of content in this game has left me discovering interesting and fun new things every time I turn it on. It also deserves a special mention for the thorough integration of its themes and its high quality writing that is present no matter where you go or what you do.
3. Dark Souls III ; I've played every Souls game and Bloodborne and all their DLC. It's a testament to the quality of the games that I still enjoy them so much to this day, still want to go back and play more. Dark Souls III in particular feels like the perfect send-off for the series, a game content to take from each of its predecessors and polish it all to a spit-shine. It's the Dark Souls I've been waiting for, no rough patches or obvious budget cuts: just a damn good game the whole way through.
4. Ratchet & Clank ; I was surprised by this game. I rented it from the library on a whim, and I found myself playing a PS2 game dropped onto the PS4 in all the best ways. Though I still prefer Going Commando, this game was the breath of fresh air I desperately needed, and reminded me of all the fun I had with the series over the years. An astonishing return-to-form that I hope to see more of, but at the same time, I would be happy with this as the send-off to the series. Plus, the game looks gorgeous.
5. Bravely Second: End Layer ; This game works in spite of itself, it feels like. The story is a nonsensical mess with no pacing or flow, but the characters all shine and are lovable despite the mess of writing they have to deal with, thanks in large part to great voice-acting. The dungeon design may be the worst I've ever seen in my life, and the random mob fights boring after a time, but the boss fights were so interesting and fun that I persevered despite it. There are a handful of things that this game does well, and a lot of things it doesn't, and yet it comes together in this strange mess that I can't help but love.
1. Dark Souls III ; Best Souls game.
2. Hyper Light Drifter ; Best Zelda game.
3. Furi ; Best synth soundtrack since Hotline Miami.
4. DOOM ; Best comeback.
5. Uncharted 4 ; Most polished.
6. Thumper VR ; MOST INTENSE!!!
7. FFXV ; Most unlikely boyband I ended up liking.
8. The Banner Saga 2 ; Best co-op choice simulator.
9. Devil Daggers ; Best fifty-five seconds of 2016.
10. Inside ; Best flesh-based physics.
1. World of Warcraft: Legion ; Blizzard learnt from the mistakes in its last expansion, providing plenty of content, and it looks like this is going to continue.
2. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; The setting can be a bit off-putting, but other than that this is exactly what I want from a JRPG. It feels like a natural evolution from the PSOne era RPGs.
3. Dishonored 2 ; Great level design and a new set of abilities make stealth very satisfying. I rarely replay games, but with two characters and two ways of playing this is one I'll return to.
4. Bravely Second: End Layer ; Improves on Bravely Default in almost every way, with interesting new jobs that encourage experimentation with combinations. The story's a bit basic, but at least it lacks the original's repetition.
5. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; Some of the best DLC I've ever played, extending the base game while introducing quests that aren't just more of the same.
6. Stephen's Sausage Roll ; A great example of how to introduce new elements into a game. No tutorials, but all of the rules are discovered through experimentation. Very hard, but extremely satisfying when you figure out the solution.
7. The Last Guardian ; A great creature with mannerisms that make it feel believable, but let down by its behaviour sometimes making it unclear whether what you're trying to do is possible.
8. Doom ; It's a long time since I played an FPS that didn't feel like it was just following rules thought up two generations ago. Fast moving and encourages getting into the fight rather than hiding while your health recharges.
9. The Witness ; Another great example of how piuzzle games should introduce rules, although the way some post-game puzzles worked discouraged me from fully completing it.
10. Final Fantasy XV ; I had low expectations from this, but it surprised me. The open world is fun, and this is where most of the game is spent, but the more linear chapters are much poorer.
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Naughty Dog at their best. The graphics and small details are simply a world apart from any other game. The gunplay improvements, rope, and other added mechanics made a great addition allowing for the ability to approach many of the sandbox areas in new and exciting ways. With the increased focus on the characters, dialogue, and interactions I felt that the storytelling in this uncharted was the best of the series.
2. Dark Souls III ; It has been a few years since I have really been in the mood for a souls game and I felt this game had taken the best aspects of the previous games and made a truly memorable game. From deep gameplay to amazing bosses and location I was once again reminded why I am always drawn to the souls games.
3. Doom ; A standout from recent shooters which tapped into its old roots while still introducing new ways to combine gameplay with new mechanics.
4. Overwatch ; One of the standout multiplayer experiences in quite some time. It provided fun characters, interesting strategies, and great maps while being very accessible to both beginners and the hardcore.
5. Titanfall 2 ; While a little different than the first game I thought they kept much of the same feel while creating a uniquely entertaining multiplayer experience. However, the true standout was the campaign which felt well designed around the movement and mechanics that set up some truly memorable set pieces.
6. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; A fantastic follow up to the first game that offer some fun and exciting with new augs and great side missions.
7. Forza Horizon 3 ; The Horizon series continues to be my favorite racing series and 3 brought some amazing locations and countless hours of enjoyment.
8. Inside ; An extremely well-polished and crafted game that left a lasting impression.
9. The Witness ; I am not one to usually enjoy puzzle games, but the way these progressed, built on what I knew, and connected with the beautiful world I was exploring was a treat I couldnt step away from.
10. Civilization VI ; Just one more turn.
1. Pokemon Moon ; (3DS) My favorite game of 2017. I mainly got it for the online, but it would be my GOTY even if it was single player only. For the first real time I was hooked into the story. So many great characters and memorable moments. When you add in the great online this comes off as a truly fantastic game and my favorite Pokemon game of all time.
2. Yomawari: Night Alone ; (PSV) This game had so many memorable moments, from the tuorial to its final moments, this is a great game unlike any other. I love top down/RPG Maker horror style games but they're mostly on PC so I don't play them, only watch let's plays since I don't have a PC, but finally after the Corpse Party Trilogy another one comes around to a system I own and this one is one to remember. I hope this devlopment team makes many more top down horror games in the future!
3. Zero Escape Vol. 3: Zero Time Dilemma ; (3DS) The end of the Zero Escape Trilogy. Replayed the first two games right before the final one came out and had a blast. Great closure for the old characters and cool new characters too. With its many twists and turns I really loved this game and was a great way to end the trilogy!
4. Life is Strange ; (PS4) Got the physical edition on PS4 and blasted through it in a couple days. Such a great story with many great characters. The time mechanics really shine and makes for lots of memorable moments.
5. Pokken Tournament ; (WiiU) Another great online game. Not as hooked into it as Pokemon Moon, or previous years Splatoon and Smash 4, but with over 100 hours played throughout the year I had many great matches online and got better and better.
6. Super Mario Maker ; (3DS) First time playing it and actually just having a blast creating stuff even if you can't share. Endless levels online and the hard challenges in single player makes for a powerful game.
7. Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest ; (3DS) The only Fire Emblem game I played this year. It was great fun from start to finish in casual mode and many great characters. Since its easier, I plan to do Birthright on perma-death mode in 2017 along with Revelations but never could get around to them this year. Conquest was a great experience all on its own however, and is a fantastic game.
8. Paragon ; (PS4) My first MOBA and having a blast! Theres other online games I like more, but got hooked imto this real good and can see myself playing for another year or so.
9. Severed ; (PSV) A unique JRPG with touch screen slicing mechanics that you wouldn't think would work, but do perfectly. Really intense in some parts.
10. Mutant Mudds Super Challenge ; (3DS) Really hard sequel to a game I loved. Also loved this one and 100%ed it.
Honorable mentions:
These are all games that would've made my top 10, but there was simply far too many great games this year for them to make it.
x. MegaDimension Neptunia Victory II ; (PS4) The fourth installment in one of my favorite franchises. Story was top notch but the grinding really wore me down.
x. Monster Hunter Generations ; (3DS) Got it after playing over 100 hours in Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate, but ultimately got burn out on Monster Hunter in general.
x. Kirby Planet Robobot ; (3DS) Great game that I 100%ed (the platformer levels, not minigames yet.) but doesn't really hold up against the top 10.
x. Hyrule Warriors Legends ; (3DS) My first Musou and its awesome with Zelda being one of my favorite franchises but I got it too late in the year and couldn't play enough to justify top 10.
x. Kill Strain ; (PS4) Pretty cool game, but as I only wanted one tv online game as I'm mainly a portable game I stuck with Paragon.
1. Doom ; The one game from 2016 that is a surefire instant classic.
2. Battlefield 1 ; Does online multiplayer as well, if not better than any game b4 it.
3. Titanfall 2 ; Probably the most "complete package" of 2016.
4. Forza Horizon 3 ; Racing game of the generation so far.
5. Dark Souls 3 ; Excellent game, I need to play it more, but I love what I've played.
6. Furi ; A new take on twin stick shooters. Oozes style, excellent music. Loved it.
7. Watchdogs 2 ; This game should of been the first Watchdogs.
8. Final Fantasy World ; An utterly addictive RPG, best Final Fantasy game in years.
9. King of Fighters 14 ; Hopefully KoF14's quality is a sign of things to come from SNK.
10. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Story and characters are boring. Level design however is top notch.
Honorable Mentions
x. Xcom 2 ; I enjoyed the first Xcom more, but that was my GOTY the year it got released
x. Recore ; Heavily flawed gem... I would love to see a sequel, but know that'll never happen.
x. Ratchet and Clank ; I had a hard time not putthing this in my top 10. Excellent game.
x. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 ; Excellent game, deserved more time than I gave it
x. Grand Kingdom ; One of the most overlooked games I've seen in a while. Not sure why it hasn't gotten more recognition because it's a pretty great game.
x. Assault Suit Leynos ; Not sure if this is a remake, or a reimagining. But if you like 2d shooters, then this is a must buy. Especially since you can buy physical copies for 20 bucks.
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; What can I say about this game? I fell in love with the series ever since I played the original almost 10 years ago. Being the final game in Nathan Drake's adventure, I was a little wary that Naughty Dog would do it right. Boy was I wrong. Everything from the downright gorgeous environments and vistas, attention to detail, the writing, the voice acting, the emotions in characters, the level variety, the much improved combat and encounter design, everything was excellent. I loved the downtime in between all the action. The ending was what left a mark on me. I fell in love with these characters like I mentioned, and it was absolutely perfect. It gave me complete closure and made me feel at ease saying goodbye. What a game. Rest easy Nate and Elena.
2. Life is Strange ; Another game that I finally played as a complete package in 2016. Holy shit what an emotional experience. I never even knew the video game medium could make me feel so many emotions like this game. I grew to love the characters. I could understand their struggles, I could empathize with them. Absolutely incredible writing and voice acting that felt so real. Without sounding hyperbolic, this one is quite literally an unforgettable game for me. I loved every damn second.
3. The Witcher III: Blood & Wine ; The base game was easily my #1 in 2015, and this expansion felt like an actual whole new game. It had more content than many full RPG games. Everything from the combat, environmental design, visuals, voice acting, writing and narrative were just as top notch as the base game. It wrapped up Geralt's story perfectly.
4. Inside ; I expected myself to enjoy this as I liked Limbo, but damn did it blow away my expectations. The gorgeous art direction, sound design, animation and level design all stood out. The whole game gave me an eerie feeling of a dystopian future. There were so many moments of fear, relief and suspense that I won't forget. Fantastic game, and that ending sequence still blew my mind.
5. DOOM ; I honestly didn't expect this to be as good as it was. I knew id had it in them, but not to this degree. It really capture the old school sensations of the past with fast paced movement, incredible music, and shooting that was so damn satisfying. I had an issue with some levels feeling like arena after arena but I had a ton of fun killing some fucking demons. HELL YEA. (pun intended)
6. Dishonored 2 ; I liked the original quite a bit and this improved on that. Improved level and scenario design were standout. Clockwork Mansion was one of the best missions I've ever played and I just love the world Arkane built with this series. Dunwall and Karnaca are so interesting to explore and learn about. I just really enjoyed me time with this one. (High chaos play through, kill them all baby) I will say one mission disappointed me as I'd heard a lot about it but I didn't enjoy losing my powers.
7. Gears of War 4 ; I adore this series. It's one of my favorites from the last generation and it continues here. I loved that The Coalition decided to continue from the original trilogy rather than completely reboot everything. There's a perfect sense of continuity without feeling overbearing. The new characters were allowed to shine. It's gorgeous, combat scenarios were great, new enemies felt new but familiar too, shooting is as fun as ever and the ending missions were fantastic. Ending was very intriguing. Great new start to the franchise.
8. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; The original reboot in 2013 was one of my top games of that year. I liked it so much I bought the Definitive Edition the next year. I love what Crystal Dynamics is doing to the series and it continues here. Beautiful and fun open'ish world to explore and the combat is as intense and brutal as ever and I love it. I like Lara as a character, even though the story wasn't all that impressive. Still, it's a continuation of greatness from the original reboot and I thoroughly enjoyed my time. Can't wait for the next one.
9. Titanfall 2 ; I only played the campaign and damn was it good. Literally every mission was great. Everything from the feel of shooting to moving around the battlefield to taking out enemies in titans, it all just felt good to do. I grew to like BT too. Effect and Cause blew me the hell away. What a level.
10. Tales from the Borderlands ; Telltale games are a passion of mine it seems. They've done an excellent job with The Walking Dead games, I LOVED The Wolf Among Us, and Tales from the Borderlands is another entry in that love. I first played it in 2016 as a complete package. The humor and writing were on point. I was expecting some cheese but damn it, it was all genuinely hilarious. I loved the characters. Can't really say much more. I sincerely hope Telltale continues this sub-franchise.
