RespectThySole
Member
Hitman's level design is incredible.
Overwatch is up there too.
Overwatch is up there too.
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The "best designed" games of 2016?
- Thread starter Nightengale
- Start date
The game flopping had everything to do with merit. Titanfall 2 is an example of a good game getting sent out to die, absolutely right. Its reviews, hype, and GOTY placements reflect that fact. Battleborn is not the same thing and to pretend it is is flat out disingenuous. It was panned hard because it is a BAD GAME.
KatamariOnTheRocks
Member
It had nothing to do with merit because it's a great game that was also sent out to die trying to compete with Overwatch, care to explain why you think it isn't, though you obviously can't because you're the exact type of toxic person this thread is about
I've explained why it isn't in the battleborn thread many times, and the battleborn beta thread. I'll leave it to the objective matter here of the fact that it reviewed POORLY (Barely 70 metacritic). It's not like I'm just shitting on a good game, the people that enjoy it are the outliers, that USUALLY speaks to the quality of a product. It's not broken, it's not unplayable, it's not something you literally cannot have fun playing, but it's not good and CERTAINLY not great.
KatamariOnTheRocks
Member
We all know that reviews are objective fact, thats why metacritic is gospel. And don't try to deny you're trying to shit on the game, although I wonder why that would be with a Mercy avatar...
I am shitting on the game, but I wouldn't have brought it up here in this thread, I didn't click on 'best designed games' expecting to see ANYONE mention fucking Battleborn, that's all on you. You brought it up, and you are vehemently deluionally fighting for it in a thread it has no place anywhere near.
I quote Metacritic because when it comes to 'this game did not review well' that is a pretty good indication of that fact.
And for the record, my Mercy avatar is poking fun at myself, feel free to ask people about eye lasers sometime.
The answer I came into this thread expecting fwiw. Been playing it the last few days and it actually blows my mind to think of how creative you have to be to perfectly teach the player such an esoteric set of skills without ever writing a word of text in your game.
thesonovabeach
Member
Definetly Inside. I NEVER play a game where I feel every second of gameplay was well thought by the developper. There's always a hole somewhere. But not in Inside.
Also, Reigns is a very well crafted game, that always surprised me.
Also, Reigns is a very well crafted game, that always surprised me.
Crimsonclaw111
Member
lol @ Battleborn being considered anything near a best designed game.
I'll toss in votes for the following:
Devils Daggers
Overwatch
DOOM
Deus Ex Mankind Divided
also lol at this meltdown
I'll toss in votes for the following:
Devils Daggers
Overwatch
DOOM
Deus Ex Mankind Divided
also lol at this meltdown
KatamariOnTheRocks
Member
Well I brought the game up in a thread about how we feel about games so fuck me for that, naturally your only course of action is to be a dick and shit on the game. I'm not vehemently fighting for it, you're vehemently projecting your toxicity onto me and the game because of an embarrassingly pathetic vendetta against either Gearbox or Pitchford because people always have a problem with one or both of them. Unless you have anything to say about the game other than "Its bad because I'm too stupid to even try it out" then get out of here with your vitriol.
And I know about the whole lazer eyes looking at tracers ass thing, doesn't make it any less dumb than you're pathetic hatred inducing vendetta against a fricken videogame.
Rexatality
Member
I'll add Dishonored 2 and Hitman 2016. Both games have amazingly well crafted level design.
If there's anything I'm thankful for 2016 in terms of gaming, it's the return of meticulously crafted level design
If there's anything I'm thankful for 2016 in terms of gaming, it's the return of meticulously crafted level design
LouisaFerre
Member
The Witness has incredible art direction, is stuffed with content, and seems to have a remarkably good grasp on creating focused, meaningful gameplay. The means of input, the mechanics of the puzzles and how you interact with them are as simple as they could possibly be. The game manages to create complex content by structuring everything around that to help you solve them in unique, innovative ways. The environment, pretty much everything you see, is arranged or presented in a way that visually describes the solution, so you're encouraged to pay attention to everything. On top of that, the different areas do a good job of feeling cohesive cause they stick to the same concepts, or the arrangement of similar objects, while fleshing them out as you go along, so you have an idea of what to look out for while still being presented with a challenge.
Thumper is overwhelming. It's fast, frantic, challenging, and pretty much everything that's there contributes to that. You have industrial music as your soundtrack, the visuals shake slightly as you hurtle forwards at speeds that make it so that, even when you know the inputs and you don't have to put them in that quickly, you can't help but feel that sense of pressure or intensity. It's a bit like taking a car in a video game, using a cheat to break the speed limit, and trying to drive down the highway at the equivalent of 400 miles per hour. Even if the other cars are few and far between, the speed at which you get to them and the damage that you do if you hit them makes it feel startling. And there's nothing to distract you from that, not even a HUD most of the time, which is great. a visible UI during the gameplay would make it feel more still. There would be something on screen that wouldn't be flying around as fast as possible, and that would take away from it. I also like the use of turns, that you're essentially grinding against the wall and trying to mitigate the damage from doing so by angling yourself, since that also contributes to the overall sensation. The music is fantastic, intense, and cohesive. So are the visuals, so are the levels, this is straight up the best rhythm game I've ever played. Thumper slays, DROOL slays, Lightning Bolt slays, and Brian Gibson & Marc Flury are fucking geniuses.
Hyper Light Drifter falls short of those by a small margin, but it's still a really good game. My main issue with it is that I feel like some enemies or encounters seem to be stretched to the point that they feel a bit like padding, but the mechanics are tight and decently nuanced, the skill ceiling is higher than expected, the levels encourage careful exploration and have plenty of hidden areas, the music is great, the art and animations are fantastic, and the atmosphere is great. It's somber, ominous, and bleak, while still having remarkably vibrant visuals.
Also, god damn, y'all gettin me hyped to play Hitman 2016 and Doom (both of which I brought very recently). The latter in particular is something I'm looking forward to, since the original and Doom 2 are my favorite FPS games despite playing them for the first time only two years ago. If it's just as fast and the levels are just as well designed, I'm in it. Also dropped 5 dollars on Devil Daggers cause of you.
Thumper is overwhelming. It's fast, frantic, challenging, and pretty much everything that's there contributes to that. You have industrial music as your soundtrack, the visuals shake slightly as you hurtle forwards at speeds that make it so that, even when you know the inputs and you don't have to put them in that quickly, you can't help but feel that sense of pressure or intensity. It's a bit like taking a car in a video game, using a cheat to break the speed limit, and trying to drive down the highway at the equivalent of 400 miles per hour. Even if the other cars are few and far between, the speed at which you get to them and the damage that you do if you hit them makes it feel startling. And there's nothing to distract you from that, not even a HUD most of the time, which is great. a visible UI during the gameplay would make it feel more still. There would be something on screen that wouldn't be flying around as fast as possible, and that would take away from it. I also like the use of turns, that you're essentially grinding against the wall and trying to mitigate the damage from doing so by angling yourself, since that also contributes to the overall sensation. The music is fantastic, intense, and cohesive. So are the visuals, so are the levels, this is straight up the best rhythm game I've ever played. Thumper slays, DROOL slays, Lightning Bolt slays, and Brian Gibson & Marc Flury are fucking geniuses.
Hyper Light Drifter falls short of those by a small margin, but it's still a really good game. My main issue with it is that I feel like some enemies or encounters seem to be stretched to the point that they feel a bit like padding, but the mechanics are tight and decently nuanced, the skill ceiling is higher than expected, the levels encourage careful exploration and have plenty of hidden areas, the music is great, the art and animations are fantastic, and the atmosphere is great. It's somber, ominous, and bleak, while still having remarkably vibrant visuals.
Also, god damn, y'all gettin me hyped to play Hitman 2016 and Doom (both of which I brought very recently). The latter in particular is something I'm looking forward to, since the original and Doom 2 are my favorite FPS games despite playing them for the first time only two years ago. If it's just as fast and the levels are just as well designed, I'm in it. Also dropped 5 dollars on Devil Daggers cause of you.
Mr.Fletcher
Member
Gears of War 4 has excellent design throughout, but particularly in acts three through five.
Meticulous cover placement, smart composition of enemies and dynamic environments really come together to produce some stellar encounters.
i could wax lyrical about Act Four but I won't.
Meticulous cover placement, smart composition of enemies and dynamic environments really come together to produce some stellar encounters.
i could wax lyrical about Act Four but I won't.
lol, "speaking of projecting, allow me to project!"
You mean the next Rocket League?
KatamariOnTheRocks
Member
Great contribution, thanks for adding to the conversation.
You conversation is about Battleborn being "well designed", which is already a lost cause.
KatamariOnTheRocks
Member
Anytime the game is brought up I go in depth about why it's good, do you have any reasons for why you think it isn't? The point of discussing games on a forum is to talk about them, not dismiss them and shit on them without having any idea what you're talking about.
I'm only up to the 3rd episode right now but from what I've seen so far it's absolutely Hitman for me. The levels are great little playgrounds with a wealth of different options for carrying out your hit. The reason I'm only up to the 3rd episode is because I can't just beat a level and move on I have to play it again and again to explore all the possibilities.
There is little that appeals to me more then tightly crafted level design and Hitman has it in spades.
There is little that appeals to me more then tightly crafted level design and Hitman has it in spades.
Crimsonclaw111
Member
it's got balls
Traumnovelle
Member
Hitman
Superhot
The Witness
Doom
Titanfall 2
Dark Souls III
Thumper
Dishonored 2
Superhot
The Witness
Doom
Titanfall 2
Dark Souls III
Thumper
Dishonored 2
Bornstellar
Member
Titanfall 2 like its predecessor, is still leagues ahead of other FPS games.
The "point" of any conversation on Gaf is actually dependent on the thread.
But sure, I'll give my personal impressions of Battleborn (note, I played Battleborn fairly close to launch, first price drop I think is when I bought it). Having characters locked away from the get go is awful for a game where all I want to do is play multiplayer. The best way to learn the champs matchups early on is to play as them, and I had to do challenges to unlock them first.
The game's prologue doesn't explain enough about the game's mechanics, and to be more specific, the multiplayer modes. Having to feel out how stuff works would probably be a positive for me in any other genre than one that's competitive multiplayer. The story modes for each character are fun, but are forgotten after playing any single character for extended periods of time and hearing the same terrible lines from them over and over again. I stopped playing my main with the game audio on after about a month and just switched to listening to Spotify instead.
And the last fatal flaw to any multiplayer game is retention. It's unique to games like this, but it's still massively important. After a month my friends stopped playing and I had to play with rando's. Within a week of that misery I was done with the game. Retention is something specific to multiplayer games, but it's still very real. If you can't keep an audience, then the community dies, and if the community dies then the game is then null.
You can blame Battleborn being disliked or unpopular on "haters" of Gearbox or Pitchford all day every day if you'd like, but the majority of the gaming public wouldn't give a shit about that as long as the game kept them going.
I still have my copy, I was gonna sell it but the value dropped too much for me to bother.
KatamariOnTheRocks
Member
The fact that your impressions are based on launch already makes them useless because multiplayer games change alot overtime and the state BB is in today is a whole different league than it was when it launched. I've been there from the start so I can say things have improved drastically since then.
Complaining about the characters is a bullshit excuse alot of people use to hate on the game when I unlocked every single character in like 2 hours. If you don't have 2 hours to put into a game you intend to play as your "goto" multiplayer game then you should look for a different type of game.
The prologue is to introduce you to the story of the game and the actual matches are supposed to teach you how to play, again if you don't have time for this find another game because the game is easy enough to figure out/understand halfway through your first match.
Retention is directly linked to the commercial failure of the game, if everyone is satisfied with Overwatch then why would they possibly leave it to try what most people perceive to be a lesser game in the same genre? Retention is not a fault of the game design simply a reality of launching during the time period it did. Titanfall 2 is at least unique enough that there isn't a Battleborn VS Overwatch style competitor working against it, the fact that so many people were always mixing up BB and OW prelaunch speaks volumes to the fact that people only want one hero shooter to be playing at a time which is honestly totally valid.
Oh yeah, and literally the first result that comes up when looking at BB threads is this so keep telling yourself I'm just projecting
I'm glad Gearbox failed on this one. They are a terrible company and deserve all the bad karma.
Again, that's Neogaf.
You think the gaming populus in general was spiteful? You think they didn't buy it or abandoned the game because of Pitchford?
KatamariOnTheRocks
Member
No the general gaming populace didn't buy it because they bought Overwatch instead, you know, a game by one of the most beloved companies in gaming with a massive fanbase compared to a game by Gearbox who's unanimously hated for Pitchford's personal decisions like Aliens that people are STILL upset about to this day.
Devil Daggers
#3 on my GOTY list for 2016 so I'm just gonna quote myself from that thread:
I'm going to go with Devil Daggers too. Also quoting my GOTY description:
So you really DO think the gaming populus care about Pitchford? You think that was one of their major drivers against not buying Battleborn?
Because you just said that wasn't one of the reason, but then confirmed it was one of the reasons.
Inside, The Witness, Doom and Dishonoured 2 are all very well designed I'd say.
It terms of pure design, layout, flow, environmental consistency and integration of gameplay without breaking the sense of reality of setting I'd probably put Last Guarduan on top though.
I slightly hesitate because it had two clear flaws (camera in tight spaces and kid auto sticking to Trico). However on a second play I found these so minimal once you really know how to play/manoeuvre with Trico I'd still put it overall top.
Like Ico and SOTC before it TLG delivers a masterclass in world design that is consistent and seamlessly supports a varied flow of mechanics and an uninterrupted flow of gameplay with zero loading screens and totally geographically consistent environment.
All five though are amazing in design execution I'd say.
It terms of pure design, layout, flow, environmental consistency and integration of gameplay without breaking the sense of reality of setting I'd probably put Last Guarduan on top though.
I slightly hesitate because it had two clear flaws (camera in tight spaces and kid auto sticking to Trico). However on a second play I found these so minimal once you really know how to play/manoeuvre with Trico I'd still put it overall top.
Like Ico and SOTC before it TLG delivers a masterclass in world design that is consistent and seamlessly supports a varied flow of mechanics and an uninterrupted flow of gameplay with zero loading screens and totally geographically consistent environment.
All five though are amazing in design execution I'd say.
mcz117chief
Member
EDF 4.1 takes the first place for me. Huge city with lots of enemies to shoot. It also has the 3 Bs "babes, bullets, bombs".
Mech.E. Risarovi
Neo Member
No doubt, The Witness.
Dangerous1992
Member
Obduction was very impressive, it has some problems in the ending segments with long loading times, but the dual world mechanic was very unique and some of the best Environmental Puzzles out there.
It's really a shame it gets overlooked so often
some screenshots of this gorgeous game:
It's really a shame it gets overlooked so often
some screenshots of this gorgeous game:
NightShift
Member
SuperInuit
Member
The ones that stand out to me are Doom, Dishonored II, Inside, The Witness with The Last Guardian being chief among them.
They have all totally nailed pacing the mechanics throughout the game, such as doom's escalation, Dishored's level design intricacy, Inside and The Witness for puzzle escalation and a constant state of player learning.
However, The Last Guardian is the best designed game of this year for me because it manages to completely immerse a player in a consistent world, without (or at least for me) them realising they're playing a game, if that makes sense. Everything is extremely holistic from the art direction to the controls, and every puzzle feels totally at home within the environment, unlike say Uncharted 4's boxes on wheels. A good example of that is that I played both through with my sister - she asked why pirates had left a load of modern looking carts around, which instantly broke the immersion, contrasted with TLG where we both wondered why Trico was scared of them, and both assumed it was because they were used by his captors to make her obedient, which proved true with the shields later on in the game.
So basically, the type of game design I enjoy the most is one which feels totally natural, and TLG utterly nails that in every facet.
They have all totally nailed pacing the mechanics throughout the game, such as doom's escalation, Dishored's level design intricacy, Inside and The Witness for puzzle escalation and a constant state of player learning.
However, The Last Guardian is the best designed game of this year for me because it manages to completely immerse a player in a consistent world, without (or at least for me) them realising they're playing a game, if that makes sense. Everything is extremely holistic from the art direction to the controls, and every puzzle feels totally at home within the environment, unlike say Uncharted 4's boxes on wheels. A good example of that is that I played both through with my sister - she asked why pirates had left a load of modern looking carts around, which instantly broke the immersion, contrasted with TLG where we both wondered why Trico was scared of them, and both assumed it was because they were used by his captors to make her obedient, which proved true with the shields later on in the game.
So basically, the type of game design I enjoy the most is one which feels totally natural, and TLG utterly nails that in every facet.
GenericUser
Member
Doom.
Doom is the new re4 when it comes to game design. Both games have a nearly flawless gameplay loop.
Doom is the new re4 when it comes to game design. Both games have a nearly flawless gameplay loop.
AudioEppa
Member
For me, it's Uncharted 4.
Every location, even the ones I hated (jungle sections) amazingly designed for some action and chilled moments as I'm walking around a bit, it's the kind of openness I can enjoy without it being a open world game.
Close combat is so buttery smooth, I love the way naughty dog has improved on it with lost legacy.
Can't lie, the rope was dope lol
The shooting design was the most satisfying I felt in a TPS so far, at times I would pull off some kills that were just crazy random. I love how the shooting is set up to support if you like to play a little wild.
I only played it once back in May, yet I feel like it was just yesterday. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the game since credits hit.
Every location, even the ones I hated (jungle sections) amazingly designed for some action and chilled moments as I'm walking around a bit, it's the kind of openness I can enjoy without it being a open world game.
Close combat is so buttery smooth, I love the way naughty dog has improved on it with lost legacy.
Can't lie, the rope was dope lol
The shooting design was the most satisfying I felt in a TPS so far, at times I would pull off some kills that were just crazy random. I love how the shooting is set up to support if you like to play a little wild.
I only played it once back in May, yet I feel like it was just yesterday. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the game since credits hit.
My votes would definitely go to The Last Guardian and Hyper Light Drifter.
I'm glad to see HLD getting a lot of mentions here, it really deserves it. I thought it would be way more of a GAF darling than it is, but at least the impressions are generally very positive.
The Last Guardian is so brilliant. It's a shame I have a hard time talking about it without spoiling too much. I wrote a lot about why I think it's a brilliantly designed game in the spoiler thread, though. If someone who finished the game but disagrees with my choice wants to know why I'd call it the best designed game of the year.
As much as I complain about the game, the shooting really is amazing. The combat in Uncharted has always been underrated, imo, but 4 is just on another level.
I did miss more of the Uncharted 2 mini-setpiece encounters, though. Felt like it relied a bit too much on the "ok, this is obviously a combat arena, enemies will appear at any time" type of encounter, as opposed to things like traversing the environment hanging from tall sign posts, and suddenly, enemies. And you have to hop from one side to the other constatly to use it as cover, while you fight in this disadvantegous situation.
I'm glad to see HLD getting a lot of mentions here, it really deserves it. I thought it would be way more of a GAF darling than it is, but at least the impressions are generally very positive.
The Last Guardian is so brilliant. It's a shame I have a hard time talking about it without spoiling too much. I wrote a lot about why I think it's a brilliantly designed game in the spoiler thread, though. If someone who finished the game but disagrees with my choice wants to know why I'd call it the best designed game of the year.
As much as I complain about the game, the shooting really is amazing. The combat in Uncharted has always been underrated, imo, but 4 is just on another level.
I did miss more of the Uncharted 2 mini-setpiece encounters, though. Felt like it relied a bit too much on the "ok, this is obviously a combat arena, enemies will appear at any time" type of encounter, as opposed to things like traversing the environment hanging from tall sign posts, and suddenly, enemies. And you have to hop from one side to the other constatly to use it as cover, while you fight in this disadvantegous situation.
Please do. I'd love to know more about that.
UnluckyKate
Member
Overwatch
Titanfall 2
Witness (watch this one being studied for the years to come in game design school)
Thumper
Titanfall 2
Witness (watch this one being studied for the years to come in game design school)
Thumper
Darkstorne
Member
I've always thought their UI design was their biggest weakness, but I agree that their gunplay is bad as well. It's always been the hideous UI that makes me quit each Borderlands game a couple of hours in, and that screenshot of Battleborn you posted suggests they still haven't learned...
CecilRousso
Member
A lof of things about Inside are good, but it does has it share of frustrating elements. The way it repeats some of the worst parts of the game
dogs chasing you, and the "mermaid"
The submarine sections being the worst offender
Design-wise, Hitman is incredible from what I've seen. Great blend of mechanics, level design, and art direction.
The Witness is sublime. No tutorial or pop-ups, environmental clues, no wasted time in getting from puzzle to puzzle, the feeling of discovery, it's wonderful. It took JBlow & Co. years longer than expected to make it, but it was worth the wait.
I know Dishonored 2 has some technical issues, but I've heard the level design and mechanics are even better than the first (not played it yet myself), so that might be a contender worth looking into.
The Witness is sublime. No tutorial or pop-ups, environmental clues, no wasted time in getting from puzzle to puzzle, the feeling of discovery, it's wonderful. It took JBlow & Co. years longer than expected to make it, but it was worth the wait.
I know Dishonored 2 has some technical issues, but I've heard the level design and mechanics are even better than the first (not played it yet myself), so that might be a contender worth looking into.
BossDarkseid
Member
Doom, Overwatch and Hitman spring to mind. Hitman's episodic nature felt like it gave the developers a chance to get content out when ready but also give people time to explore the density and depth of the levels...it worked very well for the franchise.
Also as a relatively new Hitman fan it had that tried but true accessibility by being easy to play but tough to master. Same for Overwatch really, I usually dislike online FPS games because I'm pretty bad but there's such a range of characters I can have a bad day and pick someone else and make a contribution.
Also as a relatively new Hitman fan it had that tried but true accessibility by being easy to play but tough to master. Same for Overwatch really, I usually dislike online FPS games because I'm pretty bad but there's such a range of characters I can have a bad day and pick someone else and make a contribution.
Offworld trading company for me is the clear winner on this, it is on the surface a very simple game that is extremely easy to pick up and play, yet it has insane amounts of depth to it, all the while he did this with what is by all accounts a small budget, and there really aren't games (that I know of) doing what it tried to do, so it is very impressive that he nailed it so hard.
Obviously stuff like overwatch are insanely well built games, and are highly complex ones to pull off, but they also had a lot to drew from, and virtually all the time in the world to do it in.
Witness and Inside are also very polished and did what they set out to do with aplomb, but in the end by comparison from a design standpoint they are also far simpler games to pull off.
So yeah will have to give it to Offworld trading company.
Obviously stuff like overwatch are insanely well built games, and are highly complex ones to pull off, but they also had a lot to drew from, and virtually all the time in the world to do it in.
Witness and Inside are also very polished and did what they set out to do with aplomb, but in the end by comparison from a design standpoint they are also far simpler games to pull off.
So yeah will have to give it to Offworld trading company.