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

1. Doom ; Fast, fun, awesome, way better than it should be
2. Dark Souls III ; It's Dark Souls. Come on man, come on.
3. Overwatch ; McCree is my waifu
4. Uncharted 4 ; So cinematic also the best possible sendoff of a great franchise I guess.
5. Firewatch ; The writing and dialogue were so good.
6. Final Fantasy XV ;They actually made it work.
7. Pokemon Sun and Moon ; Token Nintendo game.
8. Salt and Sanctuary ; More people need to mimic Dark Souls.
9. Ratchet and Clank ; Better than the movie. That never happens
10. Gravity Rush Remastered ; "But it came out in 2012." Oh like you actually played it in 2012.
 
1. SteamWorld Heist; This is one of the freshest takes on turn-based strategy in a long time. Witty, challenging and highly replayable. Loved it.
2.Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest; I really enjoyed the challenge in this installment. The story wasn't believable but the gameplay made up for it. Great map gimmicks.
3.The Banner Saga; the choices in the game gave me anxiety!
4.Super Meat Boy; nailed the retro gamer niche.
5. Resident Evil 4; absolute classic. Keeps you addicted and moving forward.
6.The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD; such a great adventure. Loved the music and many of the characters were memorable.
7. Rhythm Heaven Megamix; as a musician I can really appreciate this game. Hits all the right notes and beats.
 

Bronetta

Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
Ive been dropping in frequently to read up on people's lists and seriously, you dont realize how many games you forget about until seeing them on these lists.

I still have a lot of games to go through so Ill wait till the end to really form a solid opinion. I know what my top 3 is but the rest of the list is just as important.
 

Opt1kon_

Member
1.The Last Guardian ; one of the best games I've played this gen so far, & not solely because of graphics, but mainly because of the AI companionship in trico, I had so much fun playing this game it was well worth the wait

2.Final Fantasy XV ; a long time coming is an understatement I've enjoyed this Game beyond what I had expected to be somewhat mediocre but it blew me away definitely loved the battle system and the battle music crafted into each encounter

3.Battlefield 1 ; always been a battlefield fan, however this one had piqued my interest when the leaks started pouring in and when it got announced from beta to release I've literally enjoyed every ounce of this game

4.Watch Dogs 2 ; Now this Game was one of my surprises of 2016 I actually expected this game to be utter crap, however this one was definitely an amazing game, so great I ended up purchasing on both PS4 & Xbox One and I haven't regret my purchase really likable characters and an enjoyable story not as drab as the first

5. Ratchet & Clank ; definitely enjoyed this, surely it's a Welcome game between the TPS and FPS games this year

6.Uncharted 4 ; once again Naughty dog brought an amazing game, Graphically beautiful and great story, however the AI was something akin to a hit or miss but it was enjoyable overall with the hidden Easter eggs in the game and the MP Survival I'm still playing this game till today well into 2017

7.TitanFall2 ; Defintely enjoyed this game more than I expected the story was actually pretty damn amazing and the MP is top notch

8.Gears Of War 4 ; Had a blast playing Gears Of War 4 MP but ultimately I ended up enjoying the Story more than I thought , maybe it's the fact that I haven't played gears since 3 but this game was definitely a different Feeling for TPS for me coming into the holiday season of 2016

9.Overwatch ; I once though this game to be overhyped and undeserving but ended up eating crow for how greatly this game meshes together, got this for the Xbox one, & it's a game that's so good I may end up purchasing it again for the PS4 because the fun factor in the different types of heroes and friendly encounter with different players who actually PTFO is just an overall great feelings especially in the FPS genre

10.Mafia 3 ; This was an amazing game for what it was besides the pacing issue, & some of the repetitive I still enjoyed the game w| the brutal melees, & the story of it and its setting


Honorable mentions

x HITMAN ; Really didn't think I'd enjoy an Episodic AAA Title, now I'm ready for FVII

x Forza Horizon 3 ; Defintely an amazing game and the fact that it was set in Australia made me curious to want to play it even more

x ABZÛ ; enjoyed a fresh take on great indie titles made by the folks of journey really enjoyed this game overall

x World Of Final Fantasy ; The only game that was equal to A Pokémon Game on the PS4 really enjoyed this game more than I actually thought

x RoTtR PS4 version ; really loved the reboot of the 2013 version but this one here was definitely amazing

x ReCore ; Great game, loved the atmosphere really enjoyed what it had to offer with the different character companions

x Quantum Break ; this game came in as a shocker, was amazing and fun to play however the only thing i really didnt like about this game was the show tie in which was annoying instead of just making it traditional with the cute scenes it went the extra mile for something that was unnecessary imho
 

shintoki

sparkle this bitch
1. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius; Never thought my GOTY would have been a F2P mobile game, but here I am. It's easy to get into and I think highly rewarding,

2. Rocket League; No other game can win the 5 minutes more award.

3. Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen; GOTY a few years back and the PC version brought out its full potential.

4. The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine; How Expansions use to be done, where they are better than most full games now.

5. Pokemon Go; Better than Google Maps.... no joke. I use it when getting around by foot.

6. Deus Ex Mankind Divided; Sadly its more of the same, good it's more of the same.

7. Overwatch; It's a TF2 clone, but a good one at that.

I didn't play anymore games from this year. A bit more of EUIII on the side, CSGO, and go through the backlog
 

Teggy

Member
1. Dishonored 2 ; Absolutely incredible level design that extends well beyond multiple paths and allowing you to play your way. Explaining the details would be spoilers.

2. XCOM 2 ; Finely tuned and addictive. Every class has their purpose and is needed. I don’t generally play strategy games and I sunk 50+ hours in.

3. Doom ; A perfect translation of classic Doom for modern systems. Incredibly fun and brutal.

4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Not as good as Uncharted 2, but the writing and performances were a perfect conclusion a favorite series.

5. Obduction ; What seemed like a basic first-person adventure game turned out to be so much more. Engaging, clever, unique and beautiful.

6. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Not as good as Human Revolution, but the basic gameplay can’t be beat. Making your way through these environments however you wish is very satisfying.

7. The Witness ; A simple puzzle game on its face, but the island is vital to its design and deciphering the puzzles. There’s no real story, but you won’t mind, because the game will drive you forward and each area you solve will make you feel incredibly smart.

8. Severed ; The best use of a touch interface ever. Someone finally got it right.

9. Hitman ; The flexibility the game provides is unmatched.

10. OneShot ; Charming and unexpected. Like Pony Island a game that messes with your expectations, but I thought this was a better game, rather than just a strange experience.

x. TitanFall 2 ; An unexpectedly worthy single player experience that deserves recognition. The multiplayer is great as well.
x. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun ; The game is tough as nails and sometimes frustrating as hell, but I keep throwing myself against it because it’s so good.
x. Valley ; A platforming adventure that is a joy to play.
x. ReCore ; A ton of issues, but the core platforming is so good that it is well worth a playthrough. I hope there is a sequel.
x. Tom Clancy’s The Division ; Notable because the devs continued to work on the game and made it better and better.
x. Aragami ; Flawed in places, but very fun if you are into stealth games.
x. Forza Horizon 3 ; As close to a Burnout Paradise sequel that we've gotten so far. I just haven't put enough hours in yet.
 

Aaron D.

Member
1. SteamWorld Heist; This is one of the freshest takes on turn-based strategy in a long time. Witty, challenging and highly replayable. Loved it.

Yeah, I just nabbed SWH iOS for holiday travel and am really enjoying it. Great production values and a ton of personality. Looks dreamy as F on a 6s+ in 1080p.
 

Triteon

Member
1. Titanfall 2 ; I am still playing this regularly, the movement and the shooting are really on point.
2. Forza Horizon 3 ; I haven't liked a driving game this much since Burnout Revenge.
3. Total War: Warhammer ; Its probably the best representation of WHFB in videogames.
4. Thumper; I got really absorbed into the "one more try" loop for this game.
5. Mafia 3 ; I loved the shooting and driving and the world was really great. it was right up my alley.
6. Battlefield 1 ; visceral, beautiful and fun in equal measure.
7. Inside ; Sure the puzzles were easy but the atmosphere was perfect.
8. Doom ; its the perfect iteration on the original game for 2016.
9. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir ; really good feeling combat and a wonderful art style.
10. Final Fantasy XV ; I haven't beaten it yet, but doing hunts and camping and talking to my bros for over 40 hours has been a pretty damn good time.

Honorable Mentions
x. Street Fighter V ; I liked what was there but the overall package was just not up to snuff for it to make my list this year.
x. Stardew Valley; I've only played about 4 hours of this it seems really good but I just haven't put the time in for it to join the list proper.
 

Zackat

Member
1. DOOM ; I could write a few paragraphs on what I love about this game, but I'll just let this song explain my feelings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAMuiAYCRac

2. Street Fighter V ; I have put more hours into this game than any other this year. It has been my first foray into playing a fighting game past plain button mashing. It has problems, but I just love the gameplay so much I am willing to forgive many of its faults.

3. Overwatch ; I haven't played it as much since Legion came out, but this is an incredible multiplayer game with fresh, diverse characters. Blizzard has done it again, taking an amalgam of different games and polishing it into their own creation.

4. World of Warcraft: Legion ; This expansion is packed to the gills with content for casual and veteran players alike. At the time of this post, it is by far the best paced expansion yet for WoW and is in the running for my favorite addition to the game yet.

5. Titanfall 2 ; If GotY was about choosing your single favorite mission in a game for the whole year, this game would be number 1 for me. I loved the whole campaign, the multiplayer is great fun as well. A game that was sent out to die with an extremely inconvenient launch time, it deserves more success than it garnered.

6. Uncharted 4 ; Visually stunning and made with care. There are some parts of this game that are completely forgettable, while others will stick with me. A worthy conclusion for the Nathan Drake saga.

7. Obduction ; I backed this game on kickstarter and eagerly awaited it for years. It was worth the wait. Cyan once again showed their clout in their genre of choice. Though there were obviously spots where the budget showed it had been scaled back, it is still an incredible experience.

8. Ratchet & Clank ; A fun little romp of a game that had fantastic visuals. Hopefully we get more games like it.

9. Dark Souls 3 ; Not my favorite game of the series, but still one of the best games this year.

10. Hyper Light Drifter ; Dashing through this eerie, vibrantly colored world was very memorable. This is another game I kickstarted that was easily worth the price of purchase. If you love 2-D action RPG's this game was made for you.
 

BillyJack

Banned
1. Uncharted 4 ; Perfect way to close out the series.
2. Ratchet and Clank ; Gorgeous and the most solid entry gameplay wise yet.
 
1. Uncharted 4 ; Superb finale to a genre defining series but the single player is not the reason it's my game of the year. It's criminal that the Multiplayer isn't talked about more considering that it's expertly crafted, tons of guns, perks, abilities that you'd want from a modern TPS. Naughty Dog went out of their way to support the game for the audience in China when our silly ISP blocked AWS servers. There are balance fixes very often, the in-game currency is simple to accrue, I haven't paid a dime and unlocked every gun, skin, taunt that I wanted. No other multiplayer has hooked me this bad since Halo 2. The recently added Co-op mode is intense and rewarding, I find myself rotating between PVP and PVE every other match.
2. DOOM ; This would have been my GOTY because it has the superior Single Player campaign but the multiplayer was uninspiring and even boring. The campaign is intense, pump your fist in the air fun. The only game where I went back into to discover all the collectibles and secrets.
3. The Last Guardian ; It's everything I wanted from an Ueda game, beautiful and convinced me to get a pet.
4. Ratchet & Clank ; This turned out to be more than just a visual upgrade, after getting all the bolts and unlocking infinite ammo my 5 year old son finished the game on his own. Wish they had co-op in this series as standard.
5. Titanfall 2 ; Really fun campaign with a few standout levels that I've played multiple times over by now.
6. The Witness ; Loved the visual design and the 5 second rush of "I'm so smart " chemicals in my brain once I solved a puzzle.
7. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; A very well made sequel, improved on the gameplay of the first in a lot of ways.
8. King Of Fighters XV ; I can't believe that I'm playing an awesome KOF with great netcode at home, finally.
9. No Man's Sky ; It was exactly what i thought it would be. I pop the game in once a week to just relax and travel from planet to planet looking at the vistas.
10. That Dragon Cancer ; The gameplay isn't great but it's the premise and execution that made me bawl twice. As a parent it hit home for me in more than one way.
 
1) Overwatch: great game with constant new content that oozes style
2) Rhythm Heaven Mega Mix: so much more than just a remix of the other games
3) Picross 3D Round 2: improved sequel to my favorite puzzle game
4) Final Fantasy XV: bro roadtrip surprised by how good it was
5) Hitman: episodic gaming done right
6) Paper Mario Color Splash: best writing in the series yet
 
Started listing out games as they came to me and oddly enough, I think this is close to the order that I'd end up with. Some tweaks here and there....

Battlefield 1
Grow Up
Doom
Dishonored 2
Deus Ex Mankind Divided
Dark Souls 3
Hyperlight Drifter
Salt and Sanctuary
Hitman
Enter the Gungeon
Superhot

That said, there are some games I haven't played yet....

Inside
Watch Dogs 2
The Last Guardian
Thumper

I gotta see I can get through at least a few of those before finalizing my top 10. I still have quite a bit of time.

Not convinced I should try Final Fantasy 15. I didn't like 13 at all which kinda turned me off the series.
 
1. Doom ; Biggest surprise of the year in terms of this game not sucking and actually being awesome. Amazing music, great gameplay, no bullshit.
2. Hearts of Iron IV ; Was hoping this would be the top of my list, but it made it in #2 instead based on it being a bit disappointing compared to its potential. It succeeds in making the game approachable, but will need more patches and content to make it truly top tier. I've put several hundred hours in, so even so, I can't say I haven't got my money's worth.
3. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Also a bit disappointing compared to what it could have been, but so-so Deus Ex is still better than most games.
4. Quantum Break ; Great gameplay, too much story. The story isn't bad, in fact by game standards it's fairly good, but the TV episode format was a failed experiment after all was said and done.
5. Stellaris ; Fun, sometimes imaginative, but ultimately too simple to hold my interest for a really long time. Hoping that with more content, it will become great.


Honourable Mentions:

Pokemon Sun/Moon - Still playing this, so I can't give a final verdict.
 

Vagrant

Member
1. DOOM ; I can't stop playing this game despite getting it near release. Nails the gameplay loop and it just feels great to play. Has pitch perfect intro and captures the spirit of classic Doom while being its own thing. By far the best bang for your buck this year. You get the best FPS campaign in years, one that runs at 60fps and looks and sounds amazing on PC and console. You get the a surprisingly robust DOOM maker with snapmap, which is a real technical achievement despite its modular nature (I can't imagine the headache getting that to work on consoles). Oh and you get a serviceable MP, too. Additionally all of the above are being constantly improved upon with free DLC like the added arcade mode. Just my favorite this year, no question.

2. The Last Guardian ; I love Trico. Really got me emotionally while playing it. I appreciate the unique approach to game and level design.

3. XCOM 2 ; The turn timer really helps keep the tension despite being lenient. Loved XCOM and this is it, but better.

4. Dark Souls III ; Fantastic boss and enemy design.

5. Uncharted 4 ; Fitting climax to the series.

x. Titanfall 2 ; I just started this and am having a lot of fun, probably will be somewhere on this thing when I'm done.

x. Hitman ; Still playing this as well, only done the first episode though so I can't rank it in good conscience.

x. Thumper ; Again, haven't beat but really diiging what I've played.
 
GOTY

1. Thumper ; (PSVR) amazingly guttural and its got this potent energy
2. Uncharted4 ; For all its flaws, the one game that made me beam with delight (chapter 10) and closed off one of the best franchises
3. REZ infinite ; (PSVR) brought to life again in VR with an "must play" Area X.


I bought a fair few games and finished some but these were the most memorable and ones I'd consider individually GOTY.
 
1. Overwatch ; Pulled me back into multiplayer in a way I haven't been since I escaped from TF2's hatconomy. Always fun when not taken too seriously, with great characters that have caught on instantly.
2. Enter the Gungeon ; A wide variety of guns and effects keep me coming back, and the core of the shooting and bullet dodging is tight and responsive.

Honorable Mentions
x. Pokemon Prism ; My actual second favorite game of the year. It's tons of improvements gameplay wise from later games in the series, inside the wonderfully nostalgic Crystal graphics and sound. Seeing and hearing the generation 3 and above Pokemon in the retro presentations had actually made them feel more like real Pokemon to me and made them grow on me. Thank god for leaks and #FuckNintendo.
 

Aceofspades

Banned
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; DLC done right, it adds a lot of masterfully crafted content to an already beautiful game.
2. The Last Guardian ; With all development hell this game encountered, I expected a half-assed product with a fraction of the original vision. I was proven wrong, so thank you Sony for believing in Ueda, and thank you Ueda for this timeless title.
3. Uncharted 4 ; ND best Uncharted imo, great graphics and great sendoff of Nathan story.
4. Rachet and Clank ; Light hearted and amazing throwback to OG Rachet game.
5. Dark Souls III ; Not the best in the series but still Goty contender.

2016 had a larger number of great titles compared to 2015, but I firmly believe that 2015 top games (wither 3 and Bloodborne) are both better than anything released in 2016.
 

Rymuth

Member
1. The Last Guardian ; Poetry in motion. The scale of the game when I looked down at the end made me shake at the very core.
2. Uncharted 4 ; Polished to a mirror sheen. Naughty Gods prove their name once more
3. Hitman ; Pretty high on the list because it gave me such joy. I was squealing from the tension.
4. Overwatch ; Love this game so much.
5. DOOM ; Fantastic and catharsis campaign.
6. Dark Souls III ; Pretty low on this list for me, especially since I'm a Souls-fanatic, but I felt DS3 didn't bring something new to the table, unlike my top 5 which each gave me sensations I've never experienced before (or in a long time)
7. Titanfall 2 ; FPS platforming done right
8. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; A better Starfox than Starfox Zero
9. Alienation ; Housemarque can do no wrong
10. Ratchet and Clank ; Wonderful little platformer.
 

F0rneus

Tears in the rain
1. Dark Souls III ; Probably the best game From Software has made. I think that Bloodborne is stronger in many important ways, but DSIII has some of their best ever level design, perhaps their best soundtrack, and the sheer variety of content is staggering.
2. Doom ; I shitposted so much about this game when it was shown at E3. Turned out to be the best FPS campaign ever IMO and one of the most barbaric treats I've ever played. This game is metal. Pure and simple.
3. Rise of the Tomb Raider 20 Years Celebration ; I missed out on the game last year, but the PS4 version is easily one of my favorite games of the year. Incredibly beautiful, fun and expansive in the best way.
4. Salt and Sanctuary ; It's 2D Souls. Sure it's a ripoff but what a damn fantastic idea. Melding Metroid like gameplay to the Souls formula.
5. Gravity Rush Remastered ; A game I always wanted to play, but never expected too! Thank God for this port. What an incredibly charming experience. It's so unique. I have nothing but love for this weird little game. Beautiful.
6. Mirror's Edge Catalyst ; A game I felt was a bit misunderstood. It felt like a fantastic sequelboot to the original game, mixing open world design with more focused missions that were exhilarating. Faith is still one of gaming's most intriguing protagonists.
7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition ; Don't need to play too much (level 25 ahoy!) to know that this old stalwart is still as good as it's always been. Once a masterpiece, always a masterpiece.
8. The King of Fighters XIV ; A looker? No. A damn fantastic fighting game package that offers pretty much everything one needs in a fighting game? Hell yeah! I had a grand ol' time with this one.
9. Street Fighter V ; The antithesis of KOF. It has pretty much nothing in terms of content. But the core mechanics are incredibly fun. Some of the best couch fighting I've ever had.
10. Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator ; Haven't spent too much time on this one but I've played enough to see it's brilliant qualities. A rock solid fighter with perhaps the best graphics in the genre. What a looker! And I love it's attitude.
 

Freeman76

Member
1; The Last Guardian - No other game has come close to evoking the feelings this did. I fought with the camera and controls all the way through and yet still it turned out to be one of the greatest gaming experiences of my life
2; Hitman - So much depth and variety
3; Dragon Quest Builders - Gave me an old skool rpg tingle
4; Doom - Killer from start to finish
5; Final Fantasy 15 - Epic
6; Dishonored 2 - Intelligent level design + fun
7; The Division - As much as it got boring the first 30 hours were amazing
8; No Mans Sky - See above
9; Rise of The Tomb Raider - Worst writing but great gameplay
10; Forza Horizon 3 - The only game I bought on XB1 turned out to be the only one worth having the console for.

To be honest the rankings mean fuck all, but to have some form of order I ranked them somehow, even though I like most of them just as much.

Honourable mentions;

The Witness; Could have been near the top but my colour blindness made some of it too hard to make out.
Titanfall 2; Epic campaign
Dark Souls 3 (just too much of the same now let the series die pls)
Xcom 2; great game shit performance
Deus Ex; Jack bauer simulator
Watch Dogs 2; Will probably make the list but im only halfway through
EDF 4.1; So much fun
STEEP; Best snowboarding game since 1080 easily
 
C-c-c-c-c-c-placeholder

1. Uncharted 4 ; where we're going we truly are the four of us. Bonus no ice level
2. Brut@l ; needs a sequel to properly expand the potential
3. No Man's Sky ; journey to the center of exploration
4. MLB the Show ; never fails after the 07 stumble
5. The Tomorrow Children ; played and thought about this game too much before the release. Screw you bus stop
6.
7.
8.
9. Alienation ; Housemarque hasn't failed, never go big budget please
10. Civilization 6 ; fuck Steam and the requirement to use it to play
 
1) Overwatch; Blizzard has taken control of another genre.
2) Tyranny; The C&C is way better than pillars of eternity
3) DOOM; ID software is finally back
4) Dishonored 2;
5) Civ 6;
6) Hearts of Iron 4;
7) Ratchet and Clank;
8) xcom 2;
9) Fire emblem fates conquest;
10) Tokyo morage sessions;

Honorable mentions:
X) Dark souls 3;
 
1. Stardew Valley ; It's just a wonderful, joyful game to play. And so much content for an indie game.
2. The Witcher 3 ; Blood and Wine ; A huge new area, a new look, new music, fun characters, it's a perfect way to end the series.
3. Overwatch ; It's Team Fortress 3 but in the best possible way.
4. Doom ; Brutal, fast action that never got boring. An amazing FPS.
5 Forza Horizon 3 ; A gorgeous racing game set in places I've seen in person which makes it even more special to me!
 

crimilde

Banned
1. Final Fantasy XV ; It may not be a perfect game but it's the one I connected with the most this past year. I simply loved the feel of the world, the main characters' banter, the music, the atmosphere, the combat. My most played game this year, too. It has been too long since a good Final Fantasy game and this one is on the right track, giving me new hopes for the future of the series.
2. The Last Guardian ; Having 2 cats as pets, this game resonated a lot with me. I love the music, the story is masterfully crafted and Trico warmed my heart.
3. Uncharted 4 ; A good ending to Nate Drake's story, I loved the environments, combat and characters. That world is so much fun to explore!
4. Dragon Quest Builders ; I wasn't expecting it to be so good when I started it, I don't like Minecraft, I can't build without a purpose, but DQB gave me that purpose and a very well thought out mechanic, it was just so jolly and full of good vibes. I adored it.
5. Ratchet and Clank ; My first time playing a Ratchet game, and I loved the graphics, environment and the 4th wall breaking jokes. COmbat is mad fun and the weapons are great.
6. World of Final Fantasy ; My second most played game this year after FFXV, I had fun with the stack system and seeing all the iconic FF characters return in Grimoire.
 

acidagfc

Member
1. Civilization VI ; I cannot stop playing it! It's that very "just one more turn" syndrome that older Civ games had. Game may not be perfect yet, but it soooooo good. The graphics, the music, that fog of war is so damn beautiful. Cannot wait for more expansions\DLCs.

2. DOOM ; You guys know it already, it's just the best FPS this year, if not the best FPS period. I have upgraded my PC to play this game at Ultra settings and it was well worth it.

3. Tyranny ; Good ol' CRPGs are coming back and this one is too good to miss.

4. Hearthstone ; Expansions keep rolling out and I cannot foresee dropping this game anytime soon. It truly is a love\hate relationship. Love everything about it except, well, playing it for anything longer than 15 minutes, as my sodium levels go through the roof.

5. Rise of Tomb Raider ; Really enjoyable action\exploration\platformer gameplay. Story was absolutely nonsensical though. I wish they'd go full Saints Row level of crazy for next game.

6. Dark Souls 3; This is a last minute sneak-up on my list. I only really started it this year (2017), but hey, the vote runs til the end of January and by that time I will probably be like 50 hours in. Never played souls games before, they always seemed too intimidating. Decided to give this one a shot, why not, I can drop and don't feel ashamed. Boy, am I having a blast right now! And I also want to try all the different weapons and builds too! And I just went ahead and bought Bloodborne as well. Regretting I did not jump to this series earlier. So, so good.

Honorable mentions:
x. Overwatch ; Love the art, the sound, that special 'Blizzard quality' feel in every detail of this game. Do not care for the gameplay, which is such a shame.
x. Hitman ; Bought season pass on launch, only played 1st episode. I am sure it is is a great game, yet somehow cannot force myself into actually playing it.
x. World of Warcraft: Legion ; Every goddamn time - I get hyped, I jump in, I level up to the cap, run some heroics aaaand that's it. Usually I start leveling alts after this point, this time they killed alting with artifact weapons. Oh well, it is time to finally move along.
 
1. Civilization 6. I cannot stop playing it! It's that very "just one more turn" syndrome that older Civ games had. Game may not be perfect yet, but it soooooo good. The graphics, the music, that fog of war is so damn beautiful. Cannot wait for .
א)your format is wrong
ב) hearthstone is illegible so that vote won't count
ג)you have room for 5 more games, so why are you using the honorable mentions?
 

TheMagicMax

Neo Member
1. Dishonored 2 ; Easily my favorite this year. The first one is one of my top ten games and this one surpassed it. The level design alone deserves an award!
2. Forza Horizon 3 ; My first Forza Game. As of now, my favorite Racing game of all time (Burnout Paradise being second).
3. Zero Time Dilemma ; I can see why many people where disappointed by the game but even being the worst game of the series, it's still a fantastic journey.
4. Fire Emblem Fates ; Didn't deliver on the story front but the gameplay is easily the best i've seen so far in the series.
5. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Honestly the first Uncharted Game that i was able to really enjoy. While i wouldn't go as far as to call the first three games bad, they had their problems. (Enemy Encounters, Shooting mechanics). This entry does those things significantly better.
6. Monster Hunter Generations ; Positively surprised me with the new fighting styles. After Tri Ultimate my favorite MH.
7. SteinsGate 0 ; I wasn't sure at first whether i should wait for the Anime which doesn't have a release schedule yet or read the VN. After some thinking, i went with the VN and boy, is the story good. For me, the story is on par - if not better - than the predecessor.
8. Dark Souls III ; After Bloodborne my second souls game. Not much to say, it's pretty great.
9. Overwatch ; After playing it for about five minutes on a friends PC, i instantly bought it. The last Multiplayer Shooter that i put this much time into was Battlefield Three.
10. Trackmania Turbo ; Got Platinum in under a week. Anyone who likes difficult, fast and arcadey racing games should try this. I feel that it flew under the radar of too many people (Also, the lack of proper support for the pc version is a real shame).

Honorable Mentions
x. Inside ; It's easy to see the insane amout of work and quality control that went into most elements of the game. A masterpiece for sure.
x. Life Is Strange ; As a big fan of time travel stories, i was hooked instantly.
x. XCOM 2 ; My first purchase of the year. As a big stealth fan, i really liked the addition of the stealth phase at the beginnig of many missions. Also, those enemy models look fantastic.
x. Owlboy ; Came out of nowhere (for me) and was an impulse buy but man, did it pay out. Charming, very polished, unique and a nice soundtrack make this game really special.
x. Forza Horizon 3: Blizzard Mountain ; Best Expansion that i've played this year.
x. F1 2016 ; Finally another good one. After the disappointing games that were 2015 and 2014, this years entry manages to deliver the great package that the last two were trying to be.
 

Nick

Junior Member
1. The Last Guardian ; It was worth the wait. I've never played a game like this before, and I'm pretty sure I never will again.
2. Titanfall 2 ; The original Titanfall was already pretty great, and this game expands upon it in every way. The single player campaign is excellent!
3. Uncharted 4 ; I never thought I would see the day where an Uncharted game would rank below other games released this year, but this one was truly a beauty. I really loved this game, and it was a perfect sendoff to the series.
4. Thumper ; What a blast, with a thrilling soundtrack to boot. 1/2 of one of my favorite rock groups Lightning Bolt helped create this masterpiece. Love it!
5. Rez Infinite ; It's one of my all time favorite games, in 1080P and VR. What else can I ask for?
6. SUPERHYPERCUBE ; This one is a brain worm. When I'm not playing it, I'm thinking about playing it. That's the making of a great game.
7. Street Fighter V ; I'll throw this one a bone, only because it's #foreveralone and had a busted launch. I don't play it as often as I should, but I watch enough tournaments on twitch, so it deserves a shout-out. #kappa
 
What do you mean? Mine is perfect.

The parser attempts to be flexible in reading in posts, interpreting text that looks like a numbered list as a ballot and attempting to read the following text as titles. Don't start new lines with Arabic numerals or you're likely to have your ballot wiped.
 

Creamium

shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup
Title should have 'read OP before voting' because there are numerous entries with formatting issues on this page alone. You don't even have to read the entire OP, just follow the sample entry...
 
1. Doom ; Probably the purest game of this generation. It knows what it wants to be and excells at it in tech, design, sound and gameplay. Most fun I had in years.
2. Witcher 3 Blood and Wine ; An expansion that could be a full price title with tons of content and amazing production values
3. Deus Ex Mankind Divided ; While not as good as HR, the mix of good level design and interesting stories made this a very enjoyable game to play through.
4. Picross 3D 2 ; Tons of content, whimsical art style and even deeper puzzles. What's not to like
5. Axiom Verge ; Good Metroidvania game with interesting mechanics that is a blast to play on the Gamepad
6. Uncharted 4 ; A solid game that didn't blow me away, and actually bored me a little, but the amazing production values secure it a spot on here.
7. Battlefield 1; Even though it's currently unplayable for me on PC due to crashes, the time I got to spend with it so far has been very enjoyable.
8. COD IW ; Simply one of the best SP FPS campaigns in years.
9. Steamworld Heist; Not as engaging as Dig, but still an amazing addition to the Steamworld franchise and filled with character, wit and attention to detail.
10. Pokemon Go ; Even though I only played it for a couple of days, the impact this game had socially, worldwide was unparalleled in the history of games. It's importance as a phenomenon alone secures it a place on my list.
 

Randam

Member
1. Dark Souls 3 ; I'm just a huge Souls fan. didn't play it as much as part 1 or even bloodborne, but still an great entry to the franchise and an awesome game once again.
2. Stardew Valley ; the game I played the most this year.
3. Firewatch ; neat little experience.
4. Ratchet & Clank ; I like the games.
5. Uncharted 4 ; actually, pretty dissapointed by this one. sliding and hookshot felt tagged on. overall gameplay wasn't as fun as in the first 3 games. and I missed some "super natural" elements.
 
1. The Last Guardian ; If Fumito Ueda needs eight years to make another game as good as this, by all means please give him the time. Gameplay-wise Last Guardian is similar to how ICO worked, but with bigger (and great) level design, and bird-dog creature Trico being basically a friendly Colossus. Compared to the other Ueda games, there is more storytelling here that I won't spoil of course, even though it's hard to relate to how emotional this game can get without describing certain events. So while there's still plenty of mystery in the game, you will get a well told story on its own, that made me shed a tear or two. The journey of Trico and the boy is all about them getting to know and trust each other, because only as a team they can succeed. When it works the best, this game is like a eulogy on the relationship between humans and animals, or more specifically - of a pet and his owner. I really hope Ueda continues making games like this, because honestly, no one else is making them. Technically, it ran fine for me on an original PS4. Sure there is occasional frame rate stuttering and the camera could use some improvements, but I didn't mind either a few hours in. Trico not doing what you're ordering him to do is another big criticism I read, but really, as a pet owner this was nothing new or especially frustrating. He just has his own head, and part of the game is figuring out how to progress - together. Once you beat the game,
there's some stuff to unlock
. So I restarted, but when I saw Trico there in the cave again, and the boy trying to free him, I simple couldn't do it. This wasn't my Trico, who I just went through the game together, this was another Trico's story, that I will gladly return to in a year or two, but not now. GOTY.

2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II ; Easily the best console JRPG since the original Xenoblade Chronicles. It's just that good. Don't get scared away by what may look like another cliché anime-like game with early PS3 graphics on first sight. While the pacing might not be for everyone, it's exactly that slow but interesting buildup of the world and its many characters and dialogues, which makes the Trails games so great. Add to that, light Persona-style elements like social links and a
Tartarus-like dungeon
, with probably my favorite JRPG battle system ever. Both Trails of Cold Steel 1 & 2 came out in 2016 in EU, and having also finished the two available Trails in the Sky games this year, Falcom instantly turned into one of my favorite developers. Yes, I know I'm late.

3. Dark Souls 3 ; Much better than Dark Souls 2, while not really offering anything new at all. It feels like a Greatest Hits album by your favorite band, that also has a handful of solid new tracks on the b-side. Enjoyable to listen to once or twice, but ultimately pretty forgettable. I had some time off, so I played it early in Japanese, which added a bit of the mystery and obscurity that made Dark Souls 1 so great for me. However, even though they tried very hard, it never reached the atmosphere and world building the original Dark Souls (or Demon's Souls) had. The "Ashes of Ariandel" DLC was alright, but basically just more of the same, with Bandai Namco once again screwing up the digital release.

4. Final Fantasy XV ; This game is a beautiful mess. It feels like Tabata and his team pieced together whatever was still lying around when Nomura left the project, but had no idea how to properly tell a story that connects all those fragments. They also clearly ran out of budget/time around
chapter 9
. The open world is decent, but the last third of the game, especially
chapter 13
is absolutely awful. Still, I enjoyed FFXV a lot, and playing it gave me comfort in a hard time. The chemistry between Noctis and his friends was refreshing, and at the end his whole "overwhelmed by duty" attitude made totally sense. When Noctis then finds himself and his "teenage angst" is finally gone, it leads to a dark but satisfying ending, that made me feel good about the game, as well as the future of Final Fantasy.

5. Yo-kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls ; Not a huge Pokemon fan, nor am I into monster collecting games at all. However, I do enjoy Yo-Kai Watch, since it reminds me a lot of the nostalgic atmosphere of the Boku no Natsuyasumi (My Summer Vacation) series. You're just a kid having adventures in a typicall Japanese town. Sure, there's the Yokai causing trouble, and you're fighting them, but compared to Pokemon, at least not every NPC talks about them all the time and points out how great they are. Yo-kai Watch 2 did improve on the original game in many ways, and while the battle system is still not 100% my cup of tea, it just has that "Level 5-iness" that I cannot resist. In the end, I even befriended almost every Nyan in the game.

6. Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale ; Criminally underrated title that mixes Popolocrois with Harvest Moon gameplay into a relatively easy but sweet SRPG. While I was originally expecting something more Fantasy Life-like, I still enjoyed it a lot, mostly for its Dragon Quest-like charm and the lovable characters. Didn't do too much farming, but it's in there too if you want to give it a try, even though more limited compared to Harvest Moon/Story of Season. For me, it was exactly the right dose, and a relaxing break from the fun main story.

7. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past ; Originally played this on PS1 a few years ago, long after it came out, and it moved right into my Dragon Quest top 3. Really enjoyed the game, no matter how much people were complaining about the dated graphics and how slow paced it is. Didn't plan to play it again right away, but I couldn't resist since the remake looked so good. Beside the improved graphics, they streamlined the game a bit, but of course it's still very long, but that's part of what makes it special I guess. The only reason this isn't higher up my 2016 list is that it's "just" a remake.

8. Fire Emblem Fates ; While I do own all three versions of Fates, so far I've only finished Conquest. That means my final opinion could still change, but probably not until 2017. So yeah, initially I liked the Samurai-like "Hoshido"-setting even more than FE Awakening, but in the end it was lacking the memorable characters and just general freshness. The story didn't grab me either so far, but it will probably feel pretty epic once I've played all three games/seen it from all three sides.

9. Gravity Rush Remastered ; Don't own a Vita, so I was really happy to finally be able to play this. Kat has so much potential/charisma, unlike many other recent Sony first party characters. Exploring the world and fooling around with gravity was fun, with the game almost showing signs of that Mario Galaxy magic. However, towards the end and in some side missions you could clearly see that it was originally a handheld title with not the biggest budget, but that's fine. I hope they will improve on that in the sequel.

10. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; In theory I should really love this game. I do like both Persona & Fire Emblem, and played through all the idol sub missions in Yakuza 5. However, mixing all of it together didn't really work for me, and it felt half-baked. Add to that, the story didn't interest me at all. The battle system gets interesting after a while, but not without some BS moments in a few boss fights. All in all, I think the game is still alright, but it just didn't click with me.

Top ten-worthy games that also came out in 2016 that I own and haven't played yet, or plan to buy at a later date:
Paper Mario Color Splash, Gurumin 3D, Bravely Second End Layer, I Am Setsuna, 7th Dragon III, Xanadu Next, Zelda Twilight Princess HD, Zero Time Dilemma, Phoenix Wright Spirit of Justice.

Added spoilers tags, just in case.
 

JimiNutz

Banned
1. DOOM ; It's incredibly rare that I would chose to play a single player FPS campaign over some online MP FPS. Sure there are some good single player FPS campaigns but they always feel pretty mundane to me in comparison to the frenzied adrenaline rush that you get from playing online against real people. DOOM is the exception. The combat is so gloriously fast paced, violent and challenging (must be played on higher difficulties) that I would come out of encounters buzzing in the same way that I do during an intense online battle. Sure the gameplay can be repetitive but there is a huge variety of different enemy types and a nice selection of different weapons (with multiple secondary firing modes) that must all be used to progress effectively. On top of that it has an absolutely glorious soundtrack pumping you up and a large number of fun collectibles and character upgrades to keep you exploring the levels. In a time where there are so many good games vying for your attention, it's incredibly rare that I instantly replay a game the moment I'm finished, DOOM is once again the exception. What an exceptional game and easily my GOTY.

2. Ratchet & Clank ; I hold my hands up and admit that I have never played a Ratchet and Clank game before but my love of Sunset Overdrive meant that I wanted to give another Insomniac game a try. This doesn't quite live up to Sunset Overdrive for me personally but is still an incredibly well made game. Although it starts slow it has a huge variety of different weapons and enemies to keep combat fresh and fun. The graphics are jaw dropping (I hear even more so on a Pro) and the world and characters have a Pixar like charm and quality to them. This is a game that just always feels fun to play.

3. Overwatch ; This is probably only not number one because I've only had the game for a few days. Already I can safely put it in my top three and I've barely scratched the surface. Immediately accessible but with an apparent wealth of depth once you start to experiment with all of the different characters and play styles (I've still only played with 5 of the characters!) The art style wasn't really my sort of thing but has grown on me and each character has such a unique design and personality. This is the FPS for everyone. A game that seems to have almost universal appeal. Really pleased that they keep on adding new content for free as well.

4. Furi ; I haven't seen this game appear on any other game of the year lists and that's a shame. There are so many good quality indie/PSN games this generation but Furi has been my favourite. A collection of boss fights mean that the game has no extra fat or boring gameplay segments (the auto walking story segments create nice downtime but aren't exactly gameplay). This game is all action. The mechanics are incredibly simple and easy to pick up and play but the mechanics are used in interesting ways to keep the game engaging. The game is very good at constantly switching between bullet hell and melee combat so that your brain doesn't get too settled into a routine and you're constantly having to adapt. Although easy to pick up and play it's also very challenging (but fair) and I found myself constantly saying 'one more go'. I haven't even mentioned the incredible art style or soundtrack which really enhance the appeal.

5. Guilty Gear Xrd - REVELATOR - ; I played two fighting games this year. One had barely any single player content, terrible tutorials and a relatively small roster of characters. One was packed to the brim with content and did an incredible job trying to teach new players to the genre the ropes. Guilty Gear Xrd REVELATOR was the latter and in an age where 2D fighting games are popular but still kind of niche, the game did an incredible job of trying to grow the genre and hook in new players. I am new to the genre and not very good at all but I really appreciate the effort made to teach me the game in a fun and engaging manner. Capcom, take note.
 

thumb

Banned
1. Dishonored 2 ; Stealth action perfected. Arkane has created a varied and intricate world that is a joy to explore. They also added fantastic voice acting for Corvo and (adult) Emily, and both protagonists will speak in ways that reflect your play style.

2. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Continues the Deus Ex tradition of player empowerment in a fascinating cyber dystopia. Mankind Divided managed to create more mysteries than it solved, but perhaps that it is the way of things in the Deus Ex universe.

3. Seraph ; A brilliant 2D action shooter that quickly becomes an acrobatic bullet ballet. Enmeshed in fantastic progression systems, Seraph invites and rewards your investment.

4. Warframe: The War Within ; The latest major quest for the long-running F2P shooter shows Digital Extreme's commitment to providing players with meaningful choices. The War Within also shows the studio's growing skill at level design, which must be difficult given the high speed, nearly unrestricted movement of its space-ninja protagonists.

5. Mirror's Edge: Catalyst ; The long-awaited follow-up to the original Mirror's Edge was a joy to play, but received odd criticism for providing players with an open-world parkour playground. Mirror's Edge: Catalyst managed to reboot the series with a world inhabited by more interested characters than the first game. Although hamstrung by a combat system that rarely feels rewarding, the game is still worth your time.
 
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1. Dark Souls III ; FROM Software’s “Soulsbourne” series has had a bit of a mixed reception from me as of late. Bloodborne (My 2015 GOTY by the way) was a brilliant alternative to the more slower-paced and methodical combat of it’s Dark Souls brethren and easily the best console exclusive of the generation so far for me. Dark Souls II on the other hand was an unfortunate misstep in a franchise that up until then had a flawless track record with Demon Souls and Dark Souls 1. It was still a great game and better than the vast majority of other games but it’s level design suffered, boss encounters, and the just the overall atmosphere felt half-arsed and lacking in comparison to the first Dark Souls. The third game in the series though is a glorious return to form. While the atmosphere still isn’t on-par with the first game for me, the game’s level design and boss encounters are the most consistent in the series in terms of quality in my opinion, it’s great to see well designed areas again that often come back on themselves, much like Dark Souls I, and giving the combat a hint of bloodborne-esque speed and fluidity was a great decision, weaving in and out and rolling around at a faster pace really breaths new life into 1v1 encounters with the games vast bestiary of undead marauders and beasts. Sure the game’s lore gives a few too many winks and nods to the first game at times, but after Dark Souls II’s unremarkable world building and lore going back to basics was refreshing again. The boss battles for the most part are outstanding. The Two Princes, Pontiff Sulyvahn, and the Abyss Watchers easily rank in my top 10 bosses in the entire series with only a small handful of duds scattered throughout the course of the game in my opinion. 400+ hours across 5 or 6 characters should be a pretty good indicator of just how much I love this game, and while some aspects of the combat, and overall class balancing is botched a little (Much like the previous games), the overall package is just too damn good overall for those niggles to become major issues for me and is the sequel to the first game the second game should’ve been. If this is Miyazaki’s last Dark Souls game then I’d be more than happy for him to call it quits and leave the series at a high point.

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2. Doom ; From a depressingly generic looking first draft of the game that mirrored modern FPS games and a woefully mediocre multiplayer beta close to the games release to one of the best FPS campaigns ever created upon release, Doom has surprised me more than any other game this year. After Rage and id’s non-existent output during the 5 years since that game’s release I was more than a little apprehensive about diving into this game. But from the first moment the doom slayer emerges out of the elevator up to the surface of Mars and bookends a sick remix of E1M1 with a cock of his shotgun the game had me hooked. It’s been a long time that a FPS with a campaign that lasts well into double digits worth of hours has consistently kept me enthralled and entertained throughout. The level design in this game is outstanding, pausing the game and booting up the 3D map really showcases how much attention and care went into the layout of each map, tons of paths winding up and down and around each other with tons of secrets to unearth and discover, it’s a breath of fresh air during a time where FPS development now more than ever feels like it needs to go back to basics. Being able to hold and wield any and all weapons in the game at once, not having to aim down sights, double jumping across platforms with ease, and grabbing power-ups ala-quake and tournament shooters all come together to make this one of the most satisfying shooters to play in recent memory. I expected mediocrity but got so much more. Just ignore the multiplayer, seriously, the single player makes up for that and then some!

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3. Titanfall 2 ; Did you buy this game? If so, give yourself a pat on the back! If you didn’t? What are you waiting for? Go out and get this game now and help Respawn make this game a success. Titanfall 2 is by far the biggest surprise of the year! The campaign in particular blew me away, everything from the map design, moment-to-moment gunplay, set-piece pacing and gameplay variety is outstanding. It’s hard to talk about the campaign without spoiling too much but there’s one moment halfway through the game that really stands out, an entire level that strays so far away from the games established formula that it easily ends up being one of the most striking, and enthralling moments in any FPS game to date, taking a mechanic that’s only been dabbled in a handful of times in other shooters and mastering it! While the campaign is brief, it easily ranks up there with some of the best games in the genre in my opinion, and the fact that I’ve played through it 4-5 times over the course of a month is a testament to just how good it is! Throw in a fantastic multiplayer with free content updates and an update schedule that respects both the player and their wallet and you’ve got the biggest underdog of the year! It’s a shame that EA sent this out to die with BF1 and CoD coming out around the same time. Buy this game people!

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4. Overwatch ; Well, Blizzard finally did it, they finally developed a game that actually appeals to me! Overwatch is an absolute master class in multiplayer game design, combining traditional team based FPS gameplay and the hero based mechanics of more recent MOBA’s, Blizzard have managed to fuse the two together almost near flawlessly! The game’s visual and audio design is peerless, everything from the map designs and hero designs to the audio cues feel like they were designed with moment-to-moment gameplay in mind first before everything else. The entire character roster feels great to play, all with their own unqiue personalities and abilities, no two characters feel like they play the same at all, which is quite the feat considering there’s over 20 characters. 250+ hours into playing the game and it shows no sign of getting boring in the immediate future, that’s something that few games can accomplish these days. Well done Blizzard, you’ve created the best competitive multiplayer game of the year, and one of the all-time greats in the genre as well!

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5. Rez Infinite ; This is the fourth time I’ve bought Rez now. And even the fourth time round I’m still not bored with it! Everything about this game from it’s immaculate presentation, (which has only been made better each time with each subsequent version of the game) hypnotizing soundtrack and pulsing, rhythmic on-rail gameplay is timeless, the whole package is pure audio visual bliss! Flying through and all of the game's surreal landscapes in VR is an amazing experience as well, and that combined with the game's new level, Area X makes Rez Infinite one of the most visually arresting games this year. Viewing all the action and panning around the environments from a first person camera control adds a whole new level of excitement to the proceedings and if you’re ever looking for a reason to invest in PSVR this is the game that should push you over the edge. One of the best shooters ever to come out in my opinion and still in a class of it’s own even after all these years. A game so great that I even put up with terrible service from the con-artists at iam8bit to secure a physical copy of this game as well. Now that’s dedication! Buy it even if you haven’t got a VR headset!

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6. Forza Horizon 3 ; Well this game caught me by surprise! FH3 is a game that by all means shouldn’t appeal to me at all. I don’t know anything about car culture at all and the technical side of things, such as car tuning and upgrades may as well be an alien language to me! But Forza Horizon 3’s more arcadey and streamlined take on the realistic driving genre hits that sweet spot for me, everything from muscle cars, sports cars, and hell even archaic cars that most people won’t even think of driving like the Reliant Robin all feel satisfying in their own way to take out on the road for a spin without feeling too overcomplicated for a simpleton like me to control efficiently, it’s a nice balance of realism and fun! Visually the game is outstanding too, all of the different vistas dotted around the games world map are gorgeous to look at, hell even the Australian outback, a mostly flat red desert looks appealing! PGR3 back in 2005 was the last time I enjoyed any game like this, so for FH3 to suddenly come out of nowhere and rekindle my enjoyment for the genre is no insignificant feat. Bloody fantastic!

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7. Starfox Zero ; Probably one of the most divisive games of the year, if not the most divisive by far. Starfox Zero irked a lot of people with it’s focus on gyro controls over traditional movement controls, and the focus on using both the gamepad and the TV to aim and move about didn’t gel well for some people but for me it all clicked within an hour of play! The new control scheme adds a whole level of flexibility and depth to the action that the previous games could never reach! The game has tons of memorable levels, some fantastic remakes of older missions from previous games, and a ton of nostalgia heavy moments dotted throughout. Sure the gyrocopter missions are a bit naff but thankfully Nintendo and Platinum focused on the series’ strengths, which are the landmaster and arwing stages and they’re some of the best in the series. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game doesn’t make most people’s lists but for me it’s an underrated gem of a game!

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8. Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair ; Yet again EDF makes my game of the year list. The series shows no sign of shedding it’s jank and low quality production values and that’s a good thing. Shooting giant, shitty looking insects, towering noodle limbed robots and terrible looking dragons is as satisfying as ever, watching their bodies fly about the place in an instant bout of rigor mortis upon death never fails to illicit a smirk from me and the new mech on kaiju monster battles are a total blast, that voice acting is also fucking woeful which just adds to the games charming low-budget feel. All of these elements would usually kill most normal games, but EDF focuses one thing and does it well, and that’s offering people a satisfying, easily digestable action shooter with short levels that focus on destruction on a massive scale. It may just be the previous game with a few bells and whistles added on, but it’s still engaging and fun enough to keep me coming back a second time around. Fantastic!

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9. Gears of War 4 ; What a step up from Gears of War Judgement. The fifth gears game brings the series groove back in my opinion, you’ve got a well-rounded, well designed campaign that focuses on a much smaller-scale conflict than the previous games and with a more emotional story that I genuinely found enjoyable and engaging, at least by gears storytelling standards! And horde mode is back and better than ever before, the fabricator, the new enemy factions and new weapons adding an interesting twist to the old formula. There’s a ton to like with this new game in my opinion and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next few games add to what this game has established. It’s just a shame that the unlocks and microtransactions really drag down the games progression system. If it wasn’t for this major blemish the game probably would’ve jumped up a few spots on my list. So far though, The Coalition have impressed me, here’s hoping they can keep up the momentum!

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10. The Last Guardian ; It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally here, is it a good game? Absolutely, is it a “flawed masterpiece” like many have made it out to be? A big resounding “no” in my opinion. There’s so many problems with this game that holds it back from greatness, the shoddy framerate and performance, the hit-or-miss AI of your companion, Trico, and the aged engine, slow camera and sloppy controls that clearly can’t keep up with what this game is going for. Yet despite all of these issues, the overall journey and atmosphere is fantastic and it looks downright beautiful at times, these elements are so great in fact that I’d recommend everyone play this game at least once. It’s because of this the game creeps into the last spot in my top 10 despite it’s laundry list of major problems, but just barely! A lovingly told and engaging story from start to end.

Honorable Mentions
x. Ratchet & Clank ; A fantastic remake/reimagining of the original game and an outright gorgeous looking game, felt a tad too short and lacked replay value compared to the other games this year to make it into my top 10.
x. Recore ; A solid game, loved the theme and the combat but the shoddy console performance and optimisation and repetive gameplay holds it back.
 

Renmyra

Member
1. Final Fantasy XV ; Only game released this year I have actually beaten. It's also pretty fun despite the apparent story flaws.
2. Overwatch ; The only other game I spent a decent amount of time in.
3. Witcher 3: Blood and Wine ; If DLC counts, this is the one to go for.
4. XCOM 2 ; Didn't beat it, but spent maybe 20-30 hours save scumming before getting tired.
5: World of Warcraft: Legion ; Well done expansion, but after years of playing and friends quitting, I just couldn't find the will to keep playing past the leveling experience.

That's about it.
 

acidagfc

Member
א)your format is wrong
ב) hearthstone is illegible so that vote won't count
ג)you have room for 5 more games, so why are you using the honorable mentions?

Thanks, fixed formatting.
Hearthstone had expansions this year, so it should count. If it does not, I don't really care.
I only played these 5 enough to nominate them. Not everyone can have 10 actual games worthy of personal GOTY title. I'd be ok with just first 3 really.
 
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