AcademicSaucer said:

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You need semi colons as separators between your game name and comments.

mrtoffee said:

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Some of your picks (top 3 at least) need semi colons as separators between your game name and comments.

1. Clash Royale ; Yes, 2016 was such a year so full of dull software, I am picking a mobile game as my one and only pick. I think the Witcher 3 spoiled me so badly, I couldn't really get into anything else this past year. Anyway, Clash Royale is mobile gaming done right. Quick to play, very hard to master, clan functionality is good with a lot of potential... Supercell finally made a legit game that is fun to play and isn't overly annoying with the F2P aspect.

AleeN634 said:

Tricky Towers : The other big local coop game, Tricky Towers is Tetris but it's not. While it offers several different modes the game shines in race mode where players build towers while obtaining powerups to slow their opponents in a variety of ways. There's nothing like seeing a tower fall over and scrambling to rebuild on the wreckage.

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This might be the first time I recall seeing this game in the thread, this was one of the surprises of the year when I consider that I'd never even heard of it until it appeared on PS plus.
One game that was as good online as it was played locally with friends.

1. Forza horizon 3 ; spent more time playing this than anything this year, and I'm at 42%, just unbelievably good in everyway. Best racing game of the generation and its not even close.
2. Gears of war 4 ; Tbh a real surprise, played it with no expectations and even if I had a lot it would have surpassed them.
3. Doom ; because fuck yes is apparently a game mode
4. No man's sky ; sometimes ambition is enough, sometimes. Plus soundtrack...oh...yeah.
5. Quantum break ; story and action and ambition, oh and it's a beautiful thing too, one of the games my wife asks me to play through so she can watch the story.
6. Inside ; bloody good thing.
7. Hyper light drifter ; just, one of the few perfect games that come out. Beautiful, precise, deep.

1. Overwatch ; I skip this game until the free weekend, but only 1 match and I fall in love. Perfect gameplay and presentation, rly good caracters and beautiful art style.
2. The Witness ; So underrated, beutiful game with awesome pluzzes. I play that game with my wife and we have been amazed with how god are the design of the pluzzes.
3. DOOM ; Fast and brutal, this and Overwatch made FPS fun again. The organic way that the enemies move in the arena, just perfect.
4. Uncharted 4 ; The 2° best Uncharted game, good with everthing and incredible with the graphics. They made a perfect end to the story.

1. The Last Guardian ; Ueda continues to elevate the medium. I wont go too much into this because its something that has to be experienced firsthand (preferably going in blind like I did.) This game really made me ponder what drew me to the medium of video games so much. Why did I get such a meaningful experience from this game when so many other games fail to do the same? Was it the bond between me and Trico? The excellent level/puzzle design? The moving soundtrack? Great pacing? There's no one thing that I can think of that makes this game so great but I keep constantly thinking of why I begun playing video games in the first place. In the end TLG is escapism at its finest. TLG is a powerhouse and a truly intense and cathartic experience that I'll never forget.

2. Uncharted 4 ; UC4 is a technical masterpiece and a grounded and realistic send off for our favorite honorable thief Nathan Drake . The game features the best game play of the series and the best story without delving excessively in spectacle / setpieces. It instead opts to humanize the characters in a meaningful way. You dont realize the level of attachment you have for the series until it's too late . The truest testament to UC4s greatness is that my favorite and most everlasting memory of the franchise isn't an action scene but will always be Elena and Drake lying on the floor laughing and hugging as the background noise fades and the track A Normal Life plays.

3. Ratchet & Clank ; A beautiful game that single handedly restored my interest in the series. This remake really is just fun. Something a lot of games just fail to be. There are games that I know are gamey gamer games that aren't for everyone. RaC isn't one of those games. My cynical and jaded brother even enjoyed this game. It's one of those games for everyone that can bring out that sense of childhood joy within us all.

4. Valkyria Chronicles Remastered; This game is an addiction that really sneaks up on you. VCR contains refined and mechanically sound gameplay. Replaying a mission never feels like a chore. This game actually was one of those games that got me back into Japanese anime style games and having a Japanese track included definitely helped! One of the best tactical role playing games of the last two gems for me even personally edging out XCom.



Wish I had more to contribute I played a lot of games but they were all old. =)

thiagopos said:

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Don't worry about your english, fix your formatting.

For example:

thiagopos said:

3. DOOM
Fast and brutal, this and Overwatch made FPS fun again. The organic way that the enemies move in the arena, just perfect.

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should be

thiagopos said:

3. DOOM ; Fast and brutal, this and Overwatch made FPS fun again. The organic way that the enemies move in the arena, just perfect.

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The semi colon ";" is needed to make your vote count.

1. Dishonored 2 ; incredible level design, superb stealth gameplay experience and a unique atmosphere. This game is amazing and I enjoyed every second of it.
2. Watchdogs 2 ; A huge leap from the first game, WD2 improves on almost all fronts in a drastic manner. Fun and colorful with a lot of nice missions and cool gameplay. Mechanically poor stealth is its biggest flaw
3. Uncharted 4 ; Graphically second to none, a high octane adventure game with incredible production values
4. Tom Clancy's The Division ; I really enjoyed solo PvE-ing this game. Just walking through a barren New York was an awesome experience.
5. Hitman ; Only started playing a few days ago but already absolutely love this game. Massive mission areas with a huge amount of freedom to achieve a goal. Feels very James Bond-esque, which I really enjoy
6. Windlands ; PlayStation VR title with an amazing sense of mobility and locomotion. Best VR game I've played all year by far
7. Dark Souls 3 ; more of the same, but that's not a bad thing
8. Event[0] ; a nice sci-fi oriented exploration game, simple as that
9. Mafia 3 ; Incredible presentation, voice acting and soundtrack brought down by utterly mundane mission design
10. American Truck Simulator ; Surprising amount of detail, and surprisingly fun. Not as good as EuroTruckSim 2, but the dev has made HUGE strides in terms of updates including rebuilding the entire map to increase scale. Amazing.

Man reading this thread has me realising how few games I played this year, feeling rather out of touch with the community
The Last Guardian and FFXV would most likely be on this list if I had a PS4/XB1.

1. The Witness ; Even if I did play more games this year, The Witness would still be number one. Probably my favourite game in years. It avoids every single thing I dislike about modern popular videogames, allowing me a tranquil experience where I can explore and discover on my own with no interruptions. The sense of accomplishment this game gives you is unrivaled, and the puzzles are genius. Even just figuring out the complete rules of each symbol is a puzzle all on its own, I've never seen anything designed like this honestly. You have to figure out what the hell the puzzle is first, then you solve increasingly creative versions of the puzzles where you realise you don't completely understand the symbol yet, until finally at the end of the game your blasting through complex multi-layered panels through intuition alone. And then, after hours on seeing line puzzles, you sit back in your chair in silence for a minute after discovering obelisk puzzles... and The Witness becomes GOTY. On top of all this is a great sense of mystery and beautiful graphics, honestly I think this game is an achievement on all fronts.
2. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ; I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Finally got to play the port. The game really stuck in my memory and made me remember I enjoy anime-style games when done right. A memorable cast and scenarios really propel this game for me, as the gameplay was only OK and the puzzles were kind of elementary after years of playing adventure games.
3. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ; Couldn't decide which game I liked more so I just went with release order. After a slightly rocky start, this game grew on me quick and I ended up loving it just as much as the first. The ending goes "full anime", but in context of the game, it's self-awareness and just general silliness, I can easily suspend my disbelief. And it's impressive that a game so exuberant and loud can actually have me feeling uneasy at times, these games can actually get quite unsettling.
4. Paper Mario: Color Splash ; Stifled by an unfortunate battle system, I thought the world, set pieces and characters elevate it and really hit all the right notes. The game is endlessly creative and funny, extremely polished, and was the first Paper Mario since TTYD to make me not just constantly long for it.
5. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice ; Another great entry in one of my favourite game series. It's a particularly good entry also. I don't have much to say about it, it's another fantastic Ace Attorney game.
6. Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma ; This was ultimately a little disappointing just because of an unsatisfying ending, but I still thought the meat of the game was enjoyable. I'm just happy this fantastic series got a conclusion at all. If they had landed the ending, this game would have been looked back on a lot more positively in my eyes. Still, had a good time with it.
7. Pokemon Moon ; After X and Y I thought I was done with Pokemon, I played half that game before stopping. Sun and Moon? Took me 130hrs to think maybe I should move on. First Pokemon game where I have ever got 100% on the Pokedex. I still long for more from the Pokemon series however. This is a great entry but I think we all have this fantasy of what a Pokemon game could be, and it's still a far cry from that sadly.
8. The Jackbox Party Pack 3 ; This game has allowed more laughs than any other.

Note to OP: The spreadsheet says "Zero Escape: Time Dilemma" instead of "Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma", and was also on PC and Vita, not sure if this matters though.

1. VA-11 HALL-A ; Of all the games that I've played, this is the least....gamey but everything else about this game was so strong and has left such a powerful impression on me that I have to hold this game up top and shout it from the heavens.
2. Witcher 3: Blood and Wine ; It speaks to the skill and finesse of CDProjektRED thatone of their expansions can compete with the rest of the titles in a rather strong year of video games. While not as strong in pure narrative as Hearts of Stone, the overall theme, gameplay, music and general send off of Geralt made this feel like a celebration of the series.
3. Dark Souls 3 ; The soulsbourne games have always been games that i feel like i should like given my penchant to action adventure type games. That said, Dark Souls 3 was the first I was able to actually complete. A super satifying romp through the world they crafted that was as enjoyable to play with others as it was to slowly creep around solo and to ward off invaders. I was fortunate to play this game at launch before everybody knew what the best things were.
4. Final Fantasy XV ; The game has definite issues in its story and presentation. The game oddly feels incomplete despite such a huge development style. But dammit I love the world the game takes place in. I love the conceit of this game as 4 buddies that road trip around and develop their interpersonal relationships with one another. It was the roadtrip/vacation simulator I always wanted and I hope more games follow with what they did.
5. DOOM ; Focusing on its super tight gameplay and have the health/ammo regen mechanics and audio play straight off it made this such an addictive romp.
6. Superhot ; One of the "coolest" games of the year. This game makes you feel bad ass without needing to do crazy combos or bear witness to wild cut-scenes. Your replays are practically cut-scene generators once played in regular speed.
7. Forza Horizon 3 ; I love racing games and Forza Horizon 2 was one of my all time favorites. Forza Horizon 3 topped it.
8. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare ; A gigantic curveball pick but as someone who normally plays campaigns only, Infinite Warfare's was one of the most satisfying of the year. The story was super engaging and despite its simplicity, flying the jackal was such fun for me. Playing the missions where you go from COD style combat to Jackal flying felt like a simplistic version of Star Citizen's promise. Almost a Wing Commander type game, this is one campaign people shouldn't sleep on because it has the Call of Duty name.
9. Pokemon Sun & Moon ; Whilst I was completely burnt out on the pokemon series, the latest version did just enough smart moves in streamlining and shaving off the rough edges to make this game a fun romp that hit enough nostalgia bones while structuring the main game progression in fun an interesting ways thanks to the trail conceit. I hope future games experiment with that further and don't revert back to the old gym system.
10. Tyranny ; Obsidian made a fun rpg with an awesome conceit. While the main narrative did not grab me as much and that the ending made the game feel like it was missing an Act, It was one of the more original experiences that I had the pleasure of playing.

Honorable Mentions
x. Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma ; While i didn't love how they wrapped it all up, I did love revisiting the story and was thankful the series had a conclusion. I def look forward to a fresh start from the creator of the series.
x. The King of Fighters XIV ; As a Diehard KOF fan, I was horrified when the game first debuted but by the time of release, I felt that KOF is back on track. The gameplay translated near flawlessly into 3d and the changes they made were smart in keeping things approachable and fresh. Sadly the game did not crack my top partially due to the graphics making this difficult to get others to play (though the graphics patch may change that) and that I just wasn't in the mind set to delve into fighters this year.



Looking back there's still a ton of other games I left off that I really loved including Firewatch, Overwatch, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Hitman, The Division, the Witness, Furi, and more.

1. Pokemon GO ; Even I am surprised this game is my number 1 game of the year. This game just came out of nowhere for me and I was immediately addicted. Catching ‘em all has never been more fun and rewarding than it has been in this mobile game. I would plan my days, and still do, around catching em all with my girlfriend or by myself. I would search around for the best spots to find Pokemon, or the best spot to camp and set up lures. There was just so much joy this game brought to me in 2016, and I am honestly not sure if I will ever experience something like this again

2. Final Fantasy XV ; My god this game. It had so much to live up to, and for me, it completely delivered. I am in the process of platinuming this game, which I have never done before. This game gives me a reason to explore every part of the world, whether it's incentives like xp or items, or just the banter between the four friends. While some parts of this game need polish or to be finished, the other instances make up for this. I had so much fun being a part of these four friends' journey, and I am looking forward to whatever additions Square-enix decides to make in 2017.

3. Battlefield 1 ; A return to form for the franchise. I had been fatigued on modern and futuristic shooters for awhile now, so Dice's decision to go back in time was a welcome one. The map's are some of the best we've gotten on launch day in the battlefield series, and the problem free launch was another welcome addition. A lot of care and love went into this game, and you can tell. I just hope as much love goes into the DLC and additional content that I can look forward to in 2017.

4. INSIDE ; This game oozes atmosphere. I beat this game in one 3 and a half hour sitting, and it was worth it. I was completely enthralled the whole time, on the edge, terrified, enamored, and astonished by the perfection of visual storytelling on display. This is one of the most engrossing games I have ever played and I can't wait to see what the studio puts out next.

5. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I missed out on Uncharted 3, but I have played all the others in the series. This game made me feel like I didn't miss a beat, and while the addition of Nathan's secret brother, Sam, was jarring at first, the game does a great job of revealing things about him. These revelations help make Sam more believable and his connection to Nate more palpable. The interactions between all the characters feels more natural this time around, and the Captain Avery mystery was one of the most interesting in the series. The game does have some pacing issues, which is what prevented it from ranking higher on my list, but with that said, this is an adventure I won't soon forget.

6. Hitman ; It's been awhile since I had played a Hitman game, going back to the original. This entry has reinvigorated my interest for the franchise, and the episodic releases were a brilliant touch. This format allowed each episode to be it's own self-contained story while also being part of a broader picture. Some levels, like Sapienza, were some of the most fun I had all year. However, there are some episodes I enjoy more than others, the colorado level being my least favorite, but even that was a good episode. Also, strangely enough, this might be the game that got the most laughs from me this year, an unexpected but welcome surprise.

7. Dark Souls III ; This was one of my most anticipated games coming into 2016. I was looking forward to the Souls series return to form, and for the most part, it did. After the disappointing second entry in this series, three was able to redeem what the original Dark Souls laid out, while also harkening back to the first entry. The bosses are some of the most diverse and tough in the Soulsborne series, and this was a great, if a little samey, sendoff to one of the best series' of all time.

8. No Man's Sky ; I, unlike many others, was pretty much on media blackout about this game. I've always had a passion for space and exploration, so this game seemed right up my alley. Exploring each system, landing on a planet, and getting out of my ship was all seamless and helped me stay immersed in the galaxies Hello Games created, or algorithmed or something. I took a ton of pictures in this game, and some of the images that I got still stay with me. A fun and interesting game, with the potential to become even better in 2017.

9. Firewatch ; This game has some of the most interesting and natural feeling dialogue of the year. The exchanges between Henry and Delilah were always entertaining, enlightening and sometimes even emotional. Their relationship was what kept me engrossed throughout the entirety of Firewatch. The one disappointment I have with this game, and why it is not ranked higher, was because the ending just fell flat for me. It was so abrupt and unsatisfying that I couldn't help but feel somewhat letdown. Even still, these two characters were so interesting that they were able to help me overcome most of my disappointment with the ending.

10. Oxenfree ; This game was a shot in the dark for me. I had heard good things about it, and that it held some similarities to my favorite game of 2015, Life is Strange. My favorite part of this game was the interactions between all the friends. It all felt incredibly natural and believable and kept me involved in the story and the outcome. Since this game is so heavily influenced by its story and mystery, I don't want to delve too deep into specifics, but I will just say that this game, despite some backtracking and slow sections, left me satisfied.

Damn, 2016 was stacked. My ranking for the top 5 games changes every other week but I'm sick of hmm-hawing over these artificial ranks so I've just decided to go with whatever my gut tells me my top 5 games are today.



1. The Last Guardian ; TLG is a game that is more than just the sum of its parts. It's a special gem of game that you might get once per generation if you're lucky.

There are moments in this game that are as exhilarating as the setpieces in UC4. You're jumping down from a ledge as you look across to Trico, thinking, ‘I don't think I can make this jump. But if I don't, you've got my back right, buddy?'. And watching as the Boy falls right past the beast, feeling disheartened as you expect the game over screen to appear-- only for Trico to swoop down and pick you up by the scruff of your collar with his beaked mouth. You're running across disintegrating bridges. Swinging on rusty chains. Desperately grappling up Trico's tail. It's all exciting and exhilarating; A welcome surprise and it's definitely not something that I expected to get out of this unassumingly gentle-looking puzzle adventure game.

And even in the strangely self-contained and eerily silent ruins that TLG takes place in, it manages to create sequences that are surprisingly intense. Having just one the precariously narrow, winding stairwell of a dimly-lit tower in TLG can be just as butt-clenching as being hunkered down by a five-story high deformed, wailing dragon in Dark Souls 3.

Yet the game is more than the puzzles, the wonky camera and the exhilarating action sequences. It's the game's ability to craft a real, emotional connection between the player and Trico (with barely any words spoken or exchanged) -- that is where the game truly shines.




The relationship feels natural-- organically grown through your interactions with Trico throughout the game. He bows his head towards you, seeking comfort/ in thanks/ or perhaps a mixture of both, . Later on, the boy laughs-- his surprised laughter mirroring my own-- when Trico playfully bumps his beaked mouth into the boy, seeking a well-earned pat on the head after a particularly well-timed leap from a pillar.

The pitch of the boy's voice changes from high-strung desperation when he sees Trico being attacked to soft, lulling murmurs as he tries to console him. He stops midway through an open balcony to turn back to Trico and (with the surety that only a young child could have) reassures him that ”It's okay. I'll be back." Trico whines and tries to push himself through little openings to get to you. He cocks his head to the side when you give a command that he doesn't quite understand. In an age where we're quick to point out the artificiality of scripted scenes and the importance of player agency, TLG feels surprisingly organic.

TLG is all about these little things to me. The game is charming, heartwarming and has a poignancy that few games seem to have. I really do hope Ueda continues making games because TLG is another masterfully crafted game that can stand tall amongst his other two classic works.

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As an aside, I'd also like to take a moment to gush about Trico's feathers. They. Are. Stunning. The way they naturally rustle about in the wind. The way they fan out and stand on their edges when Trico feels threatened. The almost wtercolour-effect that the feathers take on when the light hits them just right. It's incredible stuff.

Also, the boy's movements have some of the most top-notch animation I've seen in a game. The way he stumbles and trips over himself, the clutching of his ankle after a particularly hard fall, the heaving of the barrels... I can go on and on really.




2. Final Fantasy XV ; This is a controversial pick for me. Especially in a year as competitive as 2016 was. I have incredibly polished, almost technically faultless (for the most part) games like Overwatch and Uncharted 4 on my list and here I am, putting FFXV as my number two pick of the year. It didn't do anything particularly uplifting or magical like TLG did. It didn't blast open the doors to a genre I previously disliked like Overwatch had done so for me. It didn't have any memorable ‘Oh shit!' moments that I gleefully experienced in DS3. And it definitely did not provide me with a satisfying closure to a story I was deeply invested in like the one I was presented with (with the utmost cherished care) in UC4.

Still, despite the weak story, stilted dialogue, janky NPCs and at times lackluster quests, FFXV did something that I thought was nigh impossible.

It restored my faith in a series that was, prior to this game , flailing to the point of indifference. I had to be convinced by a friend to pick up this game-- a mainline Final Fantasy game that I had been waiting for for years-- a whole decade even. And even when I did pick it up, I was expecting it to be boring. Dry. Mediocre at best.

And they proved me wrong. Against all odds, they actually proved me wrong. This game, with its troubled development, slew of negative articles and terrible demos, turned out to be actually, really fun. Just honest-to-god plain ol' fun. The combat is stylish, fluid. Almost addicting-ly so. And this is coming from someone who was once a turn-based ATB purist. Someone who also, by the way, played the Platinum Demo and was left at loss for words by how terrible, awkward and unresponsive the battle system was. To think that they took that garbage and changed it into this-- it's humblingly impressive.



And there are moments in the game (like coming across the Chocobo Wiz for the first time, having free reign over the busy streets of Altissia, getting lost in the maze-like sewers of some optional dungeon, sprinting down the slope of a hill as towering beasts grazing by a large lake fills your vision, or even the little things like being able to see the food you've purchased at a cafe or diner) where I find myself saying, ”This is it. This is what I've always wanted a modern Final Fantasy to be." As a kid who had explored Spira and Midgar and Alexandria in that old-school top-down, elevated camera approach, there are moments in FFXV that showed me just how close Square is to having that dream of a modern Final Fantasy finally realized.

Whatever it was that made the world of FFXIII so cold and lacking is gone and replaced with a world that is lively, wacky and at times achingly reminiscent of the magical quality of the FF of old-- a quality that I thought Square had completely lost touch with. And it's this game's ability to reignite my love for a series that was waning, to re-instill my confidence in a company that I was ready to overlook-- that ultimately made FFXV my 2nd pick for 2016's GOTY.




3. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; It's a testament to the strength of Uncharted 4 that I came out of the game wanting so much more (more set pieces, more humour, more action, more gunfights, a new supernatural hook etc.) and yet was still left suitably impressed and satisfied enough with the game that it made my top 3.

Uncharted 4 tackles adult issues that are a little too human, too real and hit a little too close to home, with a grace that only a few developers could manage. The restlessness that comes with settling down. The difficulty at having to admit to, not only yourself, but to everyone else that you might actually not be satisfied with what you already, comfortably have. These are struggles that Nate grapples with and it's a great thematic anchor that acts as the main backdrop for the closing chapters to Drake's legacy.



The game is as fun and exciting as always, with improved gunplay and the introduction of a new rope-swinging mechanic (although I wished there were more gunfights to even out the game's slower moments). And, as expected from the technical wizards at Naughty Dog, Uncharted 4 is an undeniably stunning game. I'd even go as far as to crown it as the best-looking console game to date. I took screenshots of some rocks in a cave. Yes. UC4 is that pretty. And there are even moments of almost Dark Souls-esque level-looping where you're able to turn around, look back at the map as a whole and spot all the places you've been trudging through.



It's polished, runs well, plays well, is well-written and, save for a few faults, is an undoubtedly worthy send-off to Naughty Dog's iconic leading man. From the humble beginnings of a game that opened to mediocre sales to the juggernaut of a franchise that it now is. 'Sic Parvis Magna' indeed.




4. Dark Souls 3 ; A From Software game not making the top 3 is almost sacrilegious to me but it is what it is.

Talking about worthy send-offs to iconic franchises that came from humble beginnings, Dark Souls 3 tops off at number 4 on my list. It's a culmination of the things From has learned along the way-- a love letter to its fans with callbacks that feel like they actually matter. While Andre is an obvious throw-away easter egg, the inclusion of characters like serve to tie up the loose plot points that have been left unanswered or expand on the lore that was introduced in the previous Souls games.

And using a fan's prior knowledge of an area in the previous game as a map to a secret NPC is genius. Genius. The feeling of shock and elation that I had when and subsequently, realizing that there was -- it's hard to put to words.



Dark Souls 3 is filled with little moments like this. Seeing . It's something that I've always loved about Dark Souls and I'm glad that it's here in spades.

The world feels realized this time round (ala Dark Souls 1). The bosses are challenging (although I wished they toned down the number of NPCs you could summon), the level-design is top-notch and the secrets-- hooboy, the secrets and all the diverging side quests that this game has makes DS3 one of the top Soulsborne games for me.




5. Overwatch ; Blizzard sometimes feels like the King Midas of the gaming world. From WoW to Hearthstone to Diablo, Blizzard is hoarding some secret blueprint on how to make immensely successful games, I'm sure of it.

Competitive shooters is a genre that I'm not generally a fan of. I've given COD, Destiny and Battlefield a fair shake-- okay that's a lie, I've played them for about an hour at most but it's just a genre that I just can't seem to get into. Overwatch though, has somehow managed to dispel all the troubles that I had with this particular genre of games.

Maybe it's the colourful cast of diverse characters that are brimming with personality, maybe it's the varied sets of abilities that each of these characters have, maybe it's the way Blizzard engages with the community-- listening to the feedback, working on balancing issues, always keeping an open ear and open mind-- in a way that few developers would be inclined to do.

It's a culmination of those things and more. Overwatch is fun. Plain and simple. I never understood the appeal of playing games that don't have an overarching narrative or an end goal of some sorts yet here I am, religiously putting in a few games of Overwatch a week. And the fact that Blizzard has managed to do this with so many other people like myself--- that's a feat that should certainly be commended.




6. Oxenfree; If you're a fan of Life is Strange and you never understood why people were so critical of the game's dialogue, go try out Oxenfree-- maybe you'll finally get to see where they're coming from.




This is how you do a teenage drama with a supernatural twist. The dialogue never feels stilted or forced, the characters are surprisingly likeable, well-realised and grounded. The story has a great hook and feeds the player with just enough plot points to keep you coming for more.

This a game from a small studio that's giving the bigshots over at Quantic Dream and Telltale a run for their money. Anyone who's a fan of the choose-your-own adventure genre and have still yet to give Oxenfree a go, should hold off on buying TWD S3 and try out Oxenfree instead.




7. Ace Attorney 6: Spirit of Justice ; I'm not sure what to say about AA6 really.

It's another solid entry to a solid franchise that I'm a big fan of. A great follow-up to the equally well-received AA5. They've brought Maya (finally!) and Ema back to the series which is an automatic plus in my books. The new mechanics introduced were fine and strangely easier to swallow (for me personally) than Athena's mood reader or Apollo's Bracelet of Truth. There were a couple of weak cases (a staple of every AA game-- even the best ones) but overall, I still enjoyed my time with it. 7th spot feels like the right place for it.

1. Doom ; For someone looking for the combat precision of Quake with an appropriate notch down, it’s hard not to recommend Doom. If someone wants to explore a magnitude of well-designed, expertly-crafted weapons and their uses on various beasts, try Doom. If you want to kill a lot of monsters in a manner that feels right on a gameplay mechanical, narrative, and design perspective, try Doom. If you want to play what I consider the game of the year 2016, get your hands on Doom now!

2. Pokémon Sun/Moon ; Removing HMs with the inclusion of a Pokemon pager, shifting away from gyms in exchange of regional challenges, an extensive post-game experience; Pokemon Sun/Moon gave me dozens of hours’ worth of incredible charm with an incredibly challenging level of depth.

3. Dark Souls 3 ; From one chapter closing to the next, Dark Souls 3 marks the end of the medieval fantasy ARPG series that From Software has delivered on time and time again. The Ashen One’s journey through the dilapidated kingdom of Lothric represents a love letter to the series, spiritually touching on the journeys of the past while still crafting a standalone adventure worthy of recognition on its own.

4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; A fitting farewell to a story of lovable characters, Naughty Dog went all out with Uncharter 4: A Thief’s End. Pushing the limits of the basic PlayStation 4 hardware, the engineering geniuses at play in tandem with the art department, sound designers, and conceptual leads, created wonderful setpieces the likes have not been seen in such prestige quality.

5. Titanfall 2 ; Titanfall 2 has a single-player campaign that defies that admittedly low expectations going in. What I expected to be a throwaway was a pleasant surprise, especially when the story takes standard FPS conventions and flips then upside down. Futuristic shooters have been moving faster, more vertically, and pushing the limits of movement in combat because of this series, and Titanfall 2 keeps players guessing with a campaign they haven’t likely seen before.

6. Hitman ; Paris, Sapienza, Marrakesh, Bangkok, Colorado, and Hokkaido are breathtaking in their design, graphical detail, and depth of design. There are a ton of NPCs around in all maps, putting the emphasis on both planning ahead and following opportunities as they arise. You can’t really go guns blazing around corners, taking out targets and slinking away; being a silent assassin is the preferred way.

7. Darkest Dungeon ; Darkest Dungeon has great gameplay that mixes turn-based tactics with party composition, random number generation luck, and preparedness. Are you going to bring extra materials, or will you prefer to bring home more loot? Every decision you make is both correct and will ultimately be someone’s undoing. Welcome to hell; bring your game face.

8. Inside ; Before that initial reveal trailer all those years ago, had you told me that Inside would be so transcendently haunting in its approach to ambiance, so dramatically improved in its puzzle-based gameplay, and so much more effective in its ability to tell a story without uttering a single word than Limbo, I would have thought you were crazy.

9. Fire Emblem Fates ; The dance between Hoshido and Nohr and your place in this crumbling world makes for an interesting perspective, complemented by an intense approach to tactical combat.

10. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Married with the intrinsically dynamic RPG systems that the game carries, you have a multitude of ways to carry yourself as Adam Jensen, a protagonist who maintains the gruffness of his exterior with hints of a whimsical charm.

1. Uncharted 4 ; Love the series. A perfect ending for Nate's adventures.
2. The Witness ; Brilliant game. It made my head hurt for a couple of days but I really enjoyed it.
3. Firewatch ; I fell in love with the characters and I enjoyed the story.
4. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition ; My first time playing the game with mods (on X1) and it's such a blast. Mods make it feel like a new experience.

Writing up this list made me realize how little I cared for new releases this year. I was spending my time going back to play old games instead of playing the new ones lol. I am currently playing through ROTR (PS4) and I really like it so far. I still have Hitman, Dishonored 2, and Ratchet & Clank in my backlog too. Lots to look forward to.

I haven't really played ton of new games in 2016. Plenty of my gaming time has been spent on older gems so I'm not sure if I can even name 10 games here...

1. Overwatch ; Blizzard is great at taking rough concepts and polishing them to perfection and it shows again here. My most played game of 2016.
2. XCOM 2 ; Almost everything was improved compared to the first game, and even that was already a pretty good game.
3. NHL 17 ; Love me some hockey!
4. Darkest Dungeon ; Great atmosphere, too grindy.
5. Stellaris ; Decent start. Will be a great game in couple years after all the DLC and patches it is going to get.

1. SteinsGate 0 ; A sequel to my GOTY of 2015 is my GOTY of 2016. I loved the darker tone and the comedic moments were great in breaking the tension. Some of the new characters were great and others were missed opportunities or just not that great in my opinion. The presentation and art was better than the first game and the OST was great at delivering the right emotion for each scene, enhancing my experience with the game as whole. I adored this game as much as, if not more than, the first game!

2. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; A great JRPG that took elements of SMT and Fire Emblem and blending them together with its other elements to make a crossover that shocked me in how much I personally liked it. The characters were likable, the dungeons were well-designed enough to make me want to push forward, the battle system was awesome, the text message system was entertaining, and the presentation was just what I would expect from an Atlus game. I originally was disappointed with the soundtrack, but it grew on me after a while and I really enjoy it now. This was definitely a game that surprised me in how much I loved it!

3. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2 ; A sequel to Cold Steel, this game was an improvement on the first game in most regards in my eyes. The plot picked up a lot quicker and kept me engaged more easily, most characters seemed to be progressing far as their arcs went, the structure of the game kept my interest a lot more, the amazing soundtrack was just as good as the first game and the tweaks to the already great battle system were awesome. The main thing I can complain about is that ending hours and final area dragged a lot, even more than the first game. Still, I absolutely loved this game and can't wait for the third one!

4. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse ; An improvement on SMTIV in almost every way in my opinion. Better map navigation, a more engaging story, the tweaked already-good battle system was welcomed and the added challenge and difficulty made me love this game more than SMTIV, which I already enjoyed. The soundtrack was really great as well. Definitely a great game if you love more challenging JRPGs.

5. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; I already enjoyed Triple Deluxe with its great presentation and soundtrack, but Planet Robobot stood out to me even more with its mech gimmick compared to the Hypernova of Deluxe and its even better soundtrack. The story, while not great, was an improvement over Triple Deluxe in my eyes. Adding the Kirby power-ups to the mech was one of the best part of the game. The level design was really good with an epic boss battle as a finale in true Kirby fashion.

6. Pokemon Sun and Moon ; The changing of the Pokemon formula worked on me. No HM requirements, the gyms being taken out for trials and other things helped me get back into the franchise after the disappointment of X and Y. Best story in a Pokemon game since Black and White and a slightly more difficult campaign, Sun and Moon are definitely some of my favorite Pokemon games in a while.

7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice ; Definitely liked this more than Duel Destinies. Some of the best Phoenix Wright cases are here along with one or two duds. The characters and story kept me engaged along with the typically great soundtrack. Loved this game and hope for that next entry is just as good, if not better!

8. Fire Emblem Fates ; Having played all three, I'd say Conquest was the best design wise far as map and difficulty went, but Birthright was the best story wise, even if that doesn't mean much since they all disappoint story wise. Still, I had a pretty good time with all three paths for the most part as they all had amazing soundtracks to accompany the action. I'm glad I got the special edition and got to experience the game for myself. In some ways, I enjoyed it better than some previous Fire Emblems like Awakening, but there are still some things like some of the characters and their support conversations along with the plot that just disappoint and frustrated me. Overall, though, I'm glad I played Fates and I'm still interested in what Intelligent Systems comes up with as far as the series goes.

9. Rhythm Heaven Megamix ; A great collection of past and new Rhythm Heaven mini-games. Absolutely adored this game. Definitely one to check out if your a rhythm game fan!

10. Ratchet and Clank ; My first Ratchet and Clank game and I loved it. I was always wanting to get into the series when I was younger, but I never got into it at the time the first games were coming out. A really great action platformer.

Honorable Mentions

x. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero ; Fun, but short platformer. I say platformer, because the Metroidvania elements the series is known for are nowhere near as prominent. I didn't mind the change back to Shantae's traditional dancing transformation, but I definitely enjoyed the pirate gear of Pirate's Curse more. The levels were still varied and fun for the most part and the soundtrack was awesome as always.
x. Gurumin 3D: A Monstrous Adventure ; A fun, little action RPG by Falcom. I never tried the game until this release and I'm glad I played it. A nice relaxing game to wind down to. Great soundtrack as well.

There were some games like Paper Mario: Color Splash, Doom, Valkyria Chronicles Remastered and Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth that I haven't finished, but have enjoyed my time with and could have possibly edged out others. I wish I had gotten The Last Guardian, but I'll probably get it sometime soon.

1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Great story, voice acting and characters. Legitimately could not put it down once I started.
2. The Witness ; Bought this on a whim and immediately had a blast with my roommates. The puzzles were great and the way you had to teach yourself the rules of the puzzles provided many eureka moments that I'll never forget.
3. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Managed to avoid spoilers for this game to play it on PS4 and it was well worth it. The gameplay loop was great and the side stuff never felt like too much.
4. Doom ; Personally my favorite shooter of the year. I have no idea what was going on as I played, I just wanted to keep advancing because of the smooth gameplay.
5. XCOM 2 ; Admittadly bad at games of this genre, but had a blast trying to keep my friends alive lol
6. Rocket League ; Would be higher if not for the fact that I've been playing since it was free on PS+. I thought I put competitive gaming to rest, but Rocket League has made me reconsider.
7. Life is Strange ; Emotional experience that I am glad to have experienced. I love the story and really connected with the characters.
8. Watch_Dogs 2 ; Almost what I wanted from Watch_Dogs 1, but more hacking.
9. Hitman Go ; Had to get a Vita game on here and this one was the one I spent the most time on.
10. Virginia ; The ending lost me, but the journey was well worth it.

There are a lot of games which I've probably should have liked and most likely would have put on this list if only I have played them. I'll list some of them below the list.

1. Bound ; Bound encapsulates everything I like about storytelling: it takes a simple story and explores the different aspects of the core conflict through metaphores (gameplay). It's a very somber game.

2. Rez Infinite ; It almost feels like cheating when you can list one of the all-time classics again on a GotY-list but I'm going all in. REZ is a wonderful game that's a joy to play, feel and listen to.

3. Sid Meier's Civilization VI ; Just one more round.

4. Pokémon Go ; For all its missing features: what there is--is a lot more than the sum of its parts. Pokémon is a goldmine which Nintendo has refused any creative undertaking with until now. Pokémon Go is a game that not only interacts on a gameplay level but also a social and cultural one. Few games have the capacity for that.

5. Uncharted 4: A Theif's End ; Uncharted 4 made all the previous installments unplayable. It also made me want to play it when I'm playing other adventure games.

6. Abzû ; Just inching it's way into the toplist is ABZÛ which is both a testament to its legacy and its merits.

Honerable mentions: Virginia (for it's use of editing which I want in more games instead of pointless corridors), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition (which I don't count as a game since there's no new gameplay but have already caused me a relapse), and Super Mario Run (for making Mario accessible again).

Unplayed and therefore not on list: The Last Guardian, Doom, Overwatch, Oxenfree, Stardew Valley, The Banner Saga 2, The Witness, Firewatch, Dark Souls III, Titanfall 2, Battlefield 1, Inside, No Man's Sky, Pony Island, Superhot, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2

1. The Witness ; some of the most satisfying puzzle gameplay of all time, one of the best games I've played in a long time

2. Uncharted 4: A Thieves End ; great wrap to one of the best game series of all time

3. Stardew Valley ; the addiction to this is so real, what a joyful experience, so many times I've said just one more day to only realize it's 4AM

4. Overwatch ; great game that had it's hooks in me initially but has slowly let go as of late, still a ton of fun, great shooter

5. Civilization VI ; great successor to Civilization V

6. Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered ; nostalgia fueled fun with this one

1. Overwatch ; No other game brought me as much fun this year as this one did. Its artstyle and animation is just the cherry on top of its insanely awesome gameplay cake. I love it and will definitely play it a lot in the coming months as I did since the Open Beta.

2. Dark Souls III ; It has some flaws (like some unnecessary fan-service) but I love it. Definitely the best of the series. I haven't played the DLC yet but will do so once I'm going through all the Soulsborne games again.

3. Zero Escape: Time Dilemma ; First of all, I copied the name from the chart. It's actually called "Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma". But whatever. I love it. I love the whole series and I like its conclusion. This game didn't sit well with some others and I can see why. It has one stupid ass-pull that I don't like much either but at least it's used well enough to shrug it off. Everyone should play 999, VLR and ZTD.

4. Doom ; From the astounding amount of technical polish to the awesome graphics to the best soundtrack of the year this game delivers on all fronts. I had tremendous amounts of fun with it. The Glory Kills don't become boring as fast as I thought they'd get. The final boss was a tad meh, though. Still highly recommended.

5. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I still haven't completely played through this entry yet but what I played so far is simply astounding. This is what cinematic video games should look like. The amount of detail is amazing. The story is really good and I love the easter egg inclusion of a specific character that's not from this series (or developer even). Gunplay has been drastically improved over the first three games, too.

6. Paper Mario: Color Splash ; Even though it's not as good as PM64 or TTYD it still is a very solid entry in the Paper Mario series, especially after the dissapointing Sticker Star. The graphics look phenomenal, the music is catchy and the humor is spot on. The battle system is a bit meh, but at least you get something of worth this time around for battling enemies.

7. Final Fantasy XV ; Another entry that I haven't played through as of now but it definitely surprised me. I like its road trip feeling. I like the soundtrack. I like that the game actually runs at a smooth 30fps most of the time. The battle system feels great. The German dub is surprisingly okay (not great, but not horrible either). The fact that it even HAS a German dub is amazing. Story so far is...exisxtant. But I'm still doing sidequests. Gives me big Xenoblade vibes. I like that.

8. Rhythm Heaven Megamix ; Or "Rhythm Paradise Megamix" as it's called in Europe. I fuuuuuucking love this series. This is probably the best entry in the series yet. Yeah, about 75% of it is old minigames, but who cares. It's not like they took the absolute worst of the previous games. The new minigames and songs are great. The soundtrack is amazing. The gameplay is challenging. The timing window is very tight. It's got unlockable minigames. But it also has the Quiz Show from the GBA game. Nobody wants that. Give me Manzai instead! At least it has Badminton which is the best minigame ever.

9. Day of the Tentacle: Remastered Edition ; If there's anything I love it's point & click adventures from LucasArts. Day of the Tentacle was the first p&c I ever played. I loved it. It took me months to finish it, with much help from my dad and my uncle, but I eventually got it. I was hooked on LucasArts p&cs ever since. Nowadays I can easily speedrun this game in ~1 hour. Still, it's awesome. And it looks nice in this version, too.

10. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 ; Not cheating since it's on the list. My most favorite fighting game of all time. Thanks for porting it, Capcom. Thanks for giving Capcom the license back, Marvel. Thanks for making me happy. Now if the PS4 version only supported PS3 arcade sticks...

Honorable mention: AM2R ; Sadly it's ineligable. But that doesn't stop me. Had it been eligable it would've been my 3rd place. I love this game because I love Metroid II, as it was one of the first games I owned for GameBoy. It's creepy. It's atmospheric. It is the missing link between Metroid and Super Metroid. And I cannot understand why people don't like it. That said AM2R is exactly what it says on the tin: A(nother) Metroid 2 Remake. And by god is it an awesome one, too. New bosses, new areas, new graphics, new features, new everything. It could just as well be its own game. It's a shame that Nintendo C&D'd it.

1. Doom ; A true return to videogames. Simple, addicting and rewarding. Rip and Tear with a great Soundtrack.
2. Dark Souls III ; Great gameplay and world, not to hard and very funny in co-op.
3. Battlefield I ; The best multiplayer shooter this year. Operations Mode is a nice new addition and the weapons and maps are great.
4. Dying Light ; The best Zombie/Parcour/Open World Game to date.
5. Forza Horizon 3 ; After the meh World of Part 2, Australia is awesome. Best Racer this year.
6. The Division ; I was blown away by the Graphics and New York. With the recent Patches, this Game got a nice shiny loot system that got my friends back to the game.



After writing this list, i recognized that i haven't played many games from 2016.

Bjoern the Smexy said:

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Click to expand...

Your vote is currently ineligible, fix your formatting.

1. Planet Coaster ; the best theme park game ever concived, spiritual successor of the true RCT series. The building tools at your disposal make it the most creative game ever done, the sound design is out of this world. Management is not its strong suit, but its never really been on the RCT series either. More than 1000 hours and counting.

2. Overwatch ; This and Splatoon are the only multiplayer shooter games ive been interested. The character designs and personalities help a lot and found a lot of great people online.

3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; This would probably have been 1st if Planet Coaster was not here and becuase its an expansion, its already one of my favourite games ever, and new games should have the honor. Still, probably one of the best expansions ever concived, of course, with Hearts of Stone.

4. Rhythm Heaven Megamix ; Paradise in my pal lands, biggest Rhytym Paradise game ever. A lot of difficulty spikes in the red challenge train that IMO shouldnt be there, but the rest of the game is enjoyable and has all the favourites of the series and then some.

5. Star Fox Zero ; The controls where really well made with how the game was designed, is super fun, the spanish dub is great and some of the new stuff is great. The problem, theres not enough new stuff, they should have added MORE planets, and the game would be amazing for me.

6. Stardew Valley ; Bought it on a whim when it was released just becuase I got hyped from the gaf thread and was in the mood of some farming. Super fun game with lots of secrets and impressive it was done by only one person!

7. Fire Emblem Fates ; Great game but I think it was too bloated for its own good (im counting the 2 games and the DLC expansion, because I bought the 1 card version). The story was also sadly super uninteresting.

8. Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic ; The first game, and the second game on the go, with the first game expanded with all the introductions 2 did (so you can finally build buildings on Forest Frontiers for example). Its amazing. Theres one big cavebeat though. Even if Chris Sawyer and his team are making the game (thank god) the publisher and the one taking a cut is Atari, and they dont fucking deserve anything. That and having already the game multiple times makes it down the list. Still, amazing version of the game.

1. DOOM ; (PC) The best thing about DOOM is how it was supposed to be a total turd but turned out to be totally amazing against all odds. Super fast non-stop FPS action from the beginning until the end. No bullshit cinematic, just running around like crazy and shooting stuff in the face. Cool weapons, cool power-ups, cool runes, cool monsters. Truly the Fury Road of video games. This is the DOOM feeling I remember from the original two games. The stupid brain dead video gaming award of the year goes to DOOM.


2. The Witness ; (PC) I really like how uncompromising Jonathan Blow is, both in his artistic creations and with his public persona. He's not afraid to come of as pretentious in front of a community that is mostly all about the HYPE and the memes and the zero shits given. As such he is a much needed balance in the force, and a great contrast to all the stupidity going on the industry and in many gaming communities. His latest game is also seems to be made without compromising his artistic or creative vision. I remember a notorious press conference where Japanese game development became a topic. Mostly notorious because Phil Fish kind of made a scene (love him too btw). But I mostly remember Jonathan talking about how players today often are robbed of the experience of learning and figuring out the mysteries of the games they play at their own pace and on their own initiative. The sense of discovery, the experience of actually learning something while playing thus tend to disappear completely from lots of modern games. Almost like developers want everyone to be able to master games immediately, like they are afraid to challenge their audience intellectually. Yes, like they seem to think modern consumers would be offended by having to figure out things on their own. But The Witness is refreshingly free of tutorials, and if you use a guide for this game you are really robbing yourself of something unique. Blow has created a beautiful world where at times nothing makes sense on your first encounter, but where sense is gradually constructed in the space between your head and his world as you gradually blend with it. Drawing lines has never been more complicated, intriguing and satisfying.


3. Pokémon GO ; (iOS) Honestly, I don't think this is a very good video game. Strictly speaking. But it was probably the most interesting gaming phenomena and social event of the year. I didn't even play it much myself, but I did accompany my 7 year old son at times this summer and I was intrigued by the hordes of children (and adults) roaming all around town, like packs of wolfs, hunting pokemons, pokestops and battling at the gyms. It was also nice to see him and his friends and cousins sharing the experience during the summer holiday. This is a game that was a news story for almost the whole summer in Norway. Even my father, who NEVER plays video games, downloaded this and cought a few to show off to his grand children. Pretty amazing.

My nephew is 15 years old and plays a rather good amount of games. Mostly PC stuff, mobas and CS GO. Bur during the summer both him and all his friends ditched CS GO for Pokemon GO and were back outside roaming the streets like little rascals are supposed to do.


4. Thumper ; (PC) Arcade game of the year, gamy game of the year. If you like rough score challenges at super speed and with THUMPIN' good music you better get THUMPING. I played it for like 15 hours, S-ranked the first 4 worlds (will probably try to s-rank them all at some point). Was within the top100 scores for the first couple of worlds at the time I played it (October), and I see I have dropped down to like ~220 now. As you can tell, it's a game you can allow yourself to obsess about for a while, take breaks, and come back to it. Like every good arcade game it can be left alone for as long as you like, and be just as good to come back to later.


5. Dark Souls 3 ; (PC) For me, Dark Souls 3 was a step up from Dark Souls 2. It got much closer to recapturing the dark mood of the original Dark Souls, while keeping the mechanical improvements that the sequel had over the original. Sort of the best of two worlds in that regard. I'm not sure I'd talk about a franchise fatigue yet (and I didn't even play Bloodborne), but of course it's getting harder to be blown away by a Souls game after experiencing three of them. The best quality of Souls games are that they're really Soulsy, but that is probably also the biggest challenge when it comes to creating additional sequels. That said, I quite enjoyed the entire play-through of this one. I sort of missed upgrading my armor, and I think I just stayed on more or less the same gear the entire game.


6. Firewatch ; (PC) Firewatch is solid and subtle story telling about a relationship falling apart and a strategy for coping in solitary that involves taking a job as a Firewatch far out in the wilderness. There you encounter mysteries, both in the shape of weird and disturbing happenings and of a mysterious woman on the walkie-talkie. I had a wonderful time trekking around the forest, figuring out what was going on, both outside in the forest and inside the character I was playing. It's a trek-and-reflect kind of game that leaves you time to relax and let your mind wander as well.


7. Stardew Valley ; (PC) A beautiful little farming game with wonderful aesthetics. Probably the best Harvest Moon game ever made. It had me hooked for a little while, tending my gardens, building my farm, fishing, working in the mines and getting to know all my co-villagers. Most of all the game made me realize how much I look forward to Animal Crossing Switch! There's not enough psychedelic animals in this game, sadly.


8. Owlboy ; (PC) I was really excited for Owlboy, there was this whole mythology evolving around the crazy long development period. And then the reviews began pouring out, and most of them was full of praise. The developers are also Norwegians, and live in the outskirts of the city where I live, so there was also a tiny bit of local patriotism involved in my expectations for the game. When all is said and done I think the game turned out fine. It didn't blow me away, I didn't love it, but I quite enjoyed it. I mostly like the world and the characters that inhabit that world. The characters have the classic old Lucasart charm to them, and the world is both interesting and visually impressive. The main drawback is that I did not find playing the game particularly interesting. There was no interesting and defining mechanics that comparable games has, e.g. Fez and the world-rotation. There was no particularly interesting puzzles to figure out, even though the games was enjoyable to explore.


9. Day of the Tentacle: Remastered Edition ; (PC) Yes, yes, yes, a remaster. But it's one of my all time favorite games! I was 13 when it first released and the humor and mood of the game instantly won me over. Point and clicks were such a vibrant genre back then, and I really miss enjoying these kinds of games like I did back in the heydays of the Monkey Islands, the Indiana Jones, the Sam and Max hit the Road and the King's Quests.


10. Oxenfree ; I don't really have that much interesting to say about Oxenfree. I enjoyed the mood of the game, I enjoyed exploring the Island and getting to know the characters. I enjoyed gradually unraveling the mysteries and stories of the characters.


Honorable Mentions:

X. Enter the Gungeon ; (PC) Another really fun and gamy game. Kind of reminds me of Binding of Isaac. It has that just-one-more-round quality to it.
X. Battlefield 1 ; (PC) This game really made me appreciate the new graphic card that I bought this year (1070).
X. ABZÛ ; (PC) A beautiful and very relaxing game. If you need to unwind or de-stress, this is the game for you.
X. Stellaris ; Sadly none of the Grand Strategy Games managed to capture me in the way Europa Universalis 4 did this year.
X. Hearts of Iron 4 ; see Stellaris.


Games I wished I'd played after reading this thread, but didn't have the time and/or will for:
X. Overwatch
X. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
X. Fire Emblem Fates
X. Monster Hunter Generations
X. Pokemon Moon ; Actually played a couple of hours before getting lost in the Final Fantasy anniversary replay thingy. FF VI too good.


My 2015 ballot
My 2014 ballot
My 2013 ballot

1. Doom ; Unapologetic, fast and brutal return to the glorious shooters of the 90s. My game of the year for sure.

2. Titanfall 2 ; Great campain, great multiplayer and amazing movement and gunplay. Such a shame it did so poorly.

3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; More Witcher with the same if not better quality than the main game and a great sendoff for Geralt.

1. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; I loved this game. I knew I'd like it based on the videos they showed. The beautiful graphics, the engaging combat system, and the persona-like vibe I got from the game overshadowed any doubts I had about the story being based on Japanese idol culture. Ultimately, the story was much more interesting than I'd ever hoped for, the dungeons were thoroughly fun and inventive, and the combat system was the most fun I've ever had with a turn-based RPG. The atmosphere, the integration of Fire Emblem Characters, the upgrade system, the special quests, the incredible music...I could go on and on about what works in this game. One of my top five Wii U games and my absolute favorite game this year.

2. Pokemon Sun/Moon ; I downloaded Sun as soon as it was available and I have a blast with it ever since. A fresh breath of air with no gyms, Alolan forms of old favorites (Muk was actually on my team all the way through! Muk!) and ultimately a breezy adventure that I enjoyed from start to finish. I'm still grinding out some end game stuff (and I wish the Battle Factory would return dammit) but I can see this as a game I return to whenever I have a craving for good old Pokemon deliciousness.

3. Stardew Valley ; I only picked this game up recently during the winter sale, and it's already jumped to number 3 on my list. Any game that can get me to stay up to 1am and make me say "Just one more day!" is a great game. I have some problems with the combat in the mines and the relationship stuff everyone hyped up is super boring, but the gameplay loops with farming, fishing, ranching, foraging and just day to day life is wonderful. Now excuse me, I need to get back and upgrade my barn once more so i can unlock sheep and pigs.

4. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice ; This is here if only for the puns. Pees'lub'n Ahndistandin and Albhi Urgaid alone are worth the price of entry. Paul Atishon was icing on the cake. But, wonderfully awesome names aside, the gameplay is wonderful, the investigations feel better than the last game, the addition of Khurai'n channeling into the gameplay felt good, and the characters were fun as always. Can't wait for the next one and Capcom, BRING OVER THE GREAT ACE ATTORNEY. 'Cuz this stuff is great and I WANT MORE.

5. Pokemon Go ; What more can be said about this phenomenon? I got up at 4am in the midst of summer to hunt Vulpixes. I use it on my daily walk to work to get more Gastly candy in hopes of evolving my Haunter. I have bug bites and muscle pain because of this game. No other game has captured my imagination this well, even if the actual gameplay features are lacking. If Niantic can make some significant improvements (battling, trading, adding more Pokemon) then this could easily be one of my favorite games of all time. For now, it's number 5 on 2016's list.

6. Orwell ; I got turned on to this because of More_Badass's topic. It's a meaty Papers Please style government satire game where you control a computer desktop and rummage through people's personal info in order to incriminate them for potential crimes against the state. It really shows you how easy it is to dehumanize folks you're actively researching and how easy it is to promote misinformation (a joke can be read as seriously advocating for violence, or maybe someone's bigoted accusation taken as gospel truth) and how without accountability, the system is ultimately just looking for someone to blame, truth be damned. I want to replay it again and see what happens if I make different choices. Playing this like a game ultimately made me the villain. I love games that challenge our expectations.

7. Oxenfree ; I really liked this game, but it had a few issues. The atmosphere, graphics, and story were all fun. As someone who doesn't like scary stuff, I felt like they did a great job walking the line between outright horror and Lovecraftian terror. The dialogue system gets some serious props; I love interrupting characters and seeing how they react. The voicework is among the best I've ever heard. But the reason it's number seven on my list is because the main gameplay conceit (outside of adventure game puzzles and free flowing dialogue) is moving a radio dial. Which got tremendously tedious by the end and kept me from playing New Game+. I also found the story's conclusion to be unsatisfying a bit muddled; I had to read the official thread to understand more of what happened. Ultimately though, it was worth the money and the time and I had a fun time with it. Great Halloween game.

8. Dragon Quest VII ; A game I had never played (in fact, on the second Dragon Quest I've ever played after 9) and I was super excited to have it out on 3DS. It looks gorgeous, it plays well and the world is super charming. The battle system is a bit archaic (I had like a hundred options for very similar moves at the end of the game) and the final boss was too hard (I'll beat him one day!) but the job system, the episodic story, and the fun crazy townspeople you meet made for a very fun adventure.

9. Super Mario Run ; I wasn't going to pick this up. But then I saw some rave reviews from people I trust, so I got the demo. By world 2 I knew I had to buy it. It's a great time waster with Toad Rally, and getting all the coins (pink, purple and black) makes the challenge of the game increase to dizzying levels. I'll be playing it a lot over the next year.
Also, it helped me create my favorite out of control thread (thanks Chris Suellentrop!)

10. VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action ; I picked this up on a whim after seeing it mentioned here. I was recently unemployed and needed a pick-me-up; what better than a bartending simulation? I was pleasantly surprised with the wit, the satire, and the world-building of this game. The gameplay was minor, but kept me engaged, and I really loved the characters. A game with talking Shibas is always one to keep an eye on!

1. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; What can I say? I'm a big DX fan and the game really scratched that itch. The level design is top notch, the graphics are beautiful, the art design is amazing, and the writing is pretty great. The story does ultimately end too soon and the lack of other hub worlds hurt the game but it was still the game I enjoyed most this year.




2. Overwatch ; It's TF2 with butts, what's not to like. Parah and Widowmaker are my baes for life.



3. The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine ; Last year's GOTY updated with a brand new location and compelling narrative. What more do I need to say? It's more of TW3 and you can never have too much Witcher 3.

Click to expand...

1. Fire Emblem Fates ; All of the revisions they made from Awakening to the gameplay were fantastic. The modified pair up mechanic actually added to the strategy, as well as the different pros and cons for the weapons instead of durability. The varied mission objectives of Conquest usually made the game more interesting. Plus, it was essentially two and a half games. Hope fully they improve the story for the next game, but I think they nailed the gameplay in this iteration.
2. Overwatch ; I bought Overwatch because I had heard many good things about it and a few of my friends bought it. I thought that it would be a fun distraction and I would move on in a month or two. Here I am, still playing it every week, and I don't see any sign of stopping. I like the characters and the game is just addicting to play.
3. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE ; Ever since the re-reveal of SMT x FE, I was really excited for this game. The game was fun, the combat being a highlight with the Session system. The humor was good, the characters were mostly likable, I enjoyed the homages to the Fire Emblem series. An excellent game, and I hope we get a sequel that focuses on a different industry.
4. Ratchet & Clank ; The first Ratchet and Clank game I have played, and I really enjoyed it. The graphics were fantastic and the gameplay was quite fun.
5. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero ; Shantae has been a quality series, and I look forward to the DLC campaigns that are coming to the game to continue the fun I've had with the game.
6. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; I really like the combat, and overall the game is really enjoyable to play.
7. Star Fox Zero ; The controls may not have clicked with many people, but if you figure them out I think you have a great game on your hands.
8. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; I think Uncharted 4 refined the gameplay for the series, it suffers a little from an imbalance in action, traversal, and dialogue sequences.
9. Paper Mario: Color Splash ; I think the writing and personality was top notch in this iteration. I think that they maybe should consider going to an complete action based combat system if they are dropping most of the RPG elements though.
10. Shadow Warrior 2 ; The changes made coming from the first one were interesting. It was a fun game to play with friends.

Honorable Mentions
x. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD ; A remaster of my favorite Zelda game. I wish they could have made more improvements to the lighting, but the texture work and other enhancements made this an excellent remaster.
x. Gravity Rush: Remastered ; A remaster of my favorite Vita game. I Platinumed it for a second time. I am really looking forward to the sequel.

Is PlayStation VR Worlds eligible? I didn't see it on the spreadsheet, I may have missed it though.

Can I do just a top 3? I guess so, right?

1. The Last Guardian ; One of the most unique experiences gaming has ever offered. Trico is a new milestone for this industry. An absolutely masterpiece of a game.

2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; The culmination of everything Naughty Dog has been evolving over the last years. From presentation to storytelling to gameplay, this game exceeds on everything it does. The perfect finale for this incredible series.

3. Inside ; It is a Limbo 2 with even more style, atmosphere and smart game design.

1. Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight ;
By far my standout this year. Beautiful pixel art, a wonderful soundtrack, intriguing world, solid combat. It all comes together to make a very satisfying metroidvania that spells great things for the future of the franchise. Even on its own though, the game has stuck out in my mind from day 1. It was purely a joy for me to play, and I can see myself playing it countless times in the future. Something with this game just clicked for me unlike any game in a long time.

2. Stardew Valley ;
I'd been following this game for years. At one point I remember going on the devblog every morning as a habitual beginning to my day. I love Harvest Moon but I haven't been able to feel invested in one since AWL came out, and even that one was spotty. Stardew is pleasant from head to toe, and it digs its hooks into you DEEP. I suspect I'll play even more of this in 2017 then I did in 2016 due to the console version and the upcoming multiplayer.

3. Hitman ;
This one's a shocker to me. I've never liked the Hitman games, but this one just feels good. Watching your stupid plans become a reality is so satisfying, and often hilarious. This is one of the few games I can sit down intending to spend 10 minutes with, and end up playing for 3 hours.

4. Dragon Quest Builders ;
Another shocker. I tried the Vita demo and hated it. Even still, by chance it ended up one of the games I got with my PS4 and after 20 minutes I was in love. The combat is not very good, the story is cute even though I generally skip it, and the quests are fairly monotonous. I can't explain why I love this game so much, but it just brings me joy. Watching my town grow and molding it the way I want is fun as well. I'll definitely come back to this one.

5. Overwatch ;
Overwatch is the go-to game when I want to shut off my mind for half an hour. It's just dumb fun and the new modes are great. I'm a 3v3 fiend.

6. Clash Royale ; I've never been more angry at a video game before. It's good enough to keep me coming back though.

7. Firewatch ; I wasn't bothered by the story like some were, I found it enjoyable from start to finish, and shared the experience with my wife and roommate. We all enjoyed ourselves.

8. The Witness ; This game includes the most satisfying puzzles I've ever encountered. It's taxing though.

9. Pokemon Moon ; It's a good Pokemon game. Can't go wrong.

10. Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate ; If I had free time in my life, this would probably be top 3, but unfortunately things did not work out that way. I'll come back to it in the future, because I love what I've experienced so far.

1. American Truck Simulator ; When this came out, people complained about the lack of content, having only California, Nevada, and 2 trucks. Now we have 4 trucks, Arizona, and a map rescale. This game is addictive, especially in the exploration aspect. It's simple and relaxing to play, and gives me an excuse to listen to podcasts. In the 11 months this game has been out, it's rocketed to my 2nd most played Steam game, only behind Euro Truck Simulator 2. I'm looking forward to putting in hundreds more hours as more states come out.

2. Master of Orion ; I admit I haven't played Civilization VI as much as I should, but Master of Orion is the best iteration of the series, and a great, addicting, overlooked 4X game. All the old races from MOO 1 & 2 are back, and it's amazing seeing them and hearing them voiced. You still have GNN. You have Antarans. It feels like such a breath of fresh air for the franchise, especially since the last good one (MOO 2) came out 20 years ago.

3. Pokemon Sun and Moon ; Nintendo and Game Freak have finally listened and broken away with the cliches of 8 Gym Leaders and a Team that wants to destroy the world with the cover legendary. No more HMs. The region of Alola seems small on paper since it's split into 4 islands compared to its tropical cousin Hoenn. I'm just waiting for the Bank to unlock...

4. Kirby: Planet Robobot ; Following up on Triple Deluxe, this game comes up with a mechnical motif, which lends itself well to some levels and helps break away from the straight grass/rock/water/air worlds. The robot feels powerful without feeling invincible, and the bits of customization are nice.

5. Thumper ; A rhythm game that seems simple on paper, but it hits you hard and fast. It's difficult, but in the "one more try" kind of way.

6. Shadow Complex Remastered ; A great Metroidvania with an intriguing story and plenty of that classic exploration, collection, and aquiring gear gameplay.

7. INSIDE ; An atmospheric platformer in the vein of LIMBO, but better with lighting and its environments, and mysterious enemy force.

8. Angry Video Game Nerd II: ASSimiliation ; An improvement over the original. The difficulty isn't as rough. There are more levels in a Super Mario Bros 3 style map. There are NES accessories you can collect that give you special abilities a la Mega Man X, starting with a useful wall kick. There's some shameless self-promotion by throwing in levels based on the AVGN movie, take that as you will.

9. Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location ; It's good that Scott took his time on this. You're doing something unique every night, rather than just sitting in an office defending yourself from increasingly difficult to deal with animatornics.

10. TRON RUN/r ; A nice 3D endless runner with a good amount of customization options for your character...mostly. You can play as 2 different versions of Quorra and even Jem, but not Sam Flynn or Legacy Kevin. You can be 3 shaes of blue, but not orange. You can play as characters from the first TRON, but you can't use the frisbee identity disc. Also needs a way to tell if you've completed a level or not. Other than that, it's a fun, challenging game.

Honorable mentions:

x. ABZU
x. DOOM ; Haven't played enough
x. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI ; Haven't played enough
x. Overwatch ; Got into Beta. Love the variety of interesting characters. Not into competitive FPSs.

1. Overwatch ; Yup, another multiplayer game takes my Game of the Year spot, same as last year with Rocket League. Overwatch came out of nowhere for me. I wasn't hyped for this game at all, did not watch any trailers or gameplay videos since I despised MOBAs or "hero shooters". Well, that was until I got my hands on Overwatch. I tried beta only for a brief amount of time (since I was finishing up my masters degree) a was surprised with the game. Fast-forward to this November when I finally bought it in the sale with my friends and lo a behold, it became my GotY almost instantly. Insanely fun gameplay, diverse characters and great game design totally sold me. I can see myself playing Overwatch for years to come. Based Blizzard.



2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Uncharted 4 was my most anticipated game this year and it did not disappoint. Naughty Dog beautifully finished up Drake's story while keeping their back doors open for possible future Uncharted related project (The Lost Legacy etc.) I was glad they decided to tone down set-pieces and action in exchange for more mature story. With that in mind I can't wait for The Last of Us: Part II, I will be there day one. Also, those graphics man.



3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; If I could choose one game from last year and put it into this list, it would be The Witcher 3. Last year I gave it 3rd place, simply because I only played few first hours. This year I was finally able play more (180 hours with both DLCs in total to be precise) and oh boy, it was all worth it. Incredible cast, characters, quest and world design, that was elevated in Blood and Wine last May. Hurry up 2020, or whenever Cyberpunk 2077 is released.



4. Doom ; RIP AND TEAR. I didn't care much for Doom after it's E3 demo or disappointing Multiplayer beta. Then there were reports of no day one reviews and everyone was worried about quality of final product. Thank god we were wrong and id and Bethesda served us one of the best singleplayer shooter campaigns of recent years. Minute to minute gameplay in combination with that amazing soundtrack kept you on your toes at all times. What a genuine surprise.



5. Clash Royale ; The horror, THE HORROR. Mobile and F2P game in Top 10? List invalid. You know what? Out of all games I played this year, Clash Royale is still the one that I play everyday. I was never into 1v1 battles, either in card games, or similar strategy games. Clash Royale changed that. Game is definition of easy to play, hard to master. Supercell doubled the number of cards in only one year, added tournaments, challenges and others neat features. I can't wait to see that they come up with in 2017. Also, huge shout-out to our very active NeoGAF clan where I virtually met some cool always helpful dudes.



6. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes ; Only VR game that lands a place in my Top 10 is not the one I would pick at the begging of this year. Last October I bought PSVR and jumped in onto VR hype train. I always believed in the technology since the time I was able to try it out on Gamescom. Out of all VR games I played, KPaNE (catchy abbreviation, I know) is the one I (and my friend) had the most fun with. Sure, it isn't anything special in VR and you could probably play it without it, but the whole game concept is truly amazing. I even printed out paper manual in our local language so my friends can help out and understand all the different modules.



7. Unravel ; Unravel is and probably will be one of the most underrated games of last year. Yes, it will get overshadowed by similar 2D puzzle platformer games (I am looking at you Inside) or other huge hitters, but not on my list. Touching story, beautiful graphic and sound design deserve my number 7 spot.



8. Inside ; Yes, I liked Inside (despite what I said in previous post). I didn't care much for Limbo as I found it's puzzle gameplay annoying. Here, I loved every second of the game, from it's clever game mechanics, or it's haunting atmosphere. Sure, last 15 minutes were hit or miss (depending how you look at it), but I have to applaud Playdead for the most polished game I have probably ever played.



9. Watch_Dogs 2 ; It was actually pretty good! After first game, which naturally couldn't lived up to it's hype, many people were bashing second one long before it came out. Just looking at the cast of main characters above, most will still bash it. Your loss. WD2 is clever in many ways. Ubisoft handled hacker theme exactly as they should, with humor and exaggeration. San Francisco was beautifully realized, too bad for broken multiplayer features at launch. Nod to Hudson Mohawke for great Soundtrack.



10. Layers of Fear ; Last game that was able to make it into my Top 10 is Layers of Fear. Little PT-esque horror game that almost gave me couple of hearth attacks when I played it alone at 2-3am. Clever ever-changing environments and haunting atmosphere were the horror fix I was looking for this year.

Honorable Mentions



x. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Great combat and openness of the environments kept me busy for hours and hours, too bad for it's (again) mediocre story and forgettable characters. Really like those optional tombs tho.



x. Titanfall 2 ; Oh Titanfall. Another great game that unfortunately did not make it onto my Top 10 list. Really liked the fluidity of the movement and it's clever level design always surprised me. Too bad Multiplayer portion of the game was not my cup of tea.



x. Ratchet & Clank ; My last honorable mention goes to Ratchet and Clank. Insomniac showed everyone that you still can make great action platformer, even in 2016.

1. The Last Guardian ; I never get emotional in games. This was the first game ever to get me super emotional. I enjoyed everything about it. The puzzles were just right with some aha moments. The AI was perfect for me and I never had big issues with it. The set pieces were exciting and lively something I hadn't experienced since Uncharted 2.

2. Titanfall 2 ; Incredible campaign ride with cool gimmicks for every level. It was the first game in a while to get me to play multiplayer for few hours. Enjoyed the story and characters a lot. Fun boss fights. Only downside is unbalanced multiplayer matches.

3. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; For an Uncharted game to be third on my GOTY list is a little disappointing as the series is one of my favorite of all time. First I liked the game a lot but had some issues with it. Pacing was off, no new exciting enemy types, set pieces were brief or already exhibited in trailers. Enjoyed the old and new characters, the stealth and the verticality of the encounters were awesome. Graphics and art style was on a different level.

4. Final Fantasy XV ; A bit of a weird game for me. As I absolutely hated some parts of the game such as sidequests, driving, and the general wasting of time nature of the game. However, I really enjoyed other aspects of the game and made me think of it days after I finished it which is all I want of a game. Great combat, characters, villain, music, and boss fights.

5. Watch_Dogs 2 ; Incredible mission designs with a lot of freedom and options. Fun characters that are memorable. Catchy soundtrack with beautiful and lively city

6. Ratchet & Clank ; Fun combat and platforming but forgettable story. My favorite graphics of the year.

7. Arkham VR ; Short and sweet. Incredible immersion and jaw dropping ending.

8. Rise of The Tomb Raider ; Start great but end up as a monotonous game. Bad story and characters. Some fun combat and set pieces.

9. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare ; Good graphics, combat, characters, and story.

10. Quantum Break ; Enjoyed the combat a lot with some of the powers.

1. Uncharted 4; An amazing climax to an amazing series. High adrenaline, great set pieces, visually stunning but still fun to play. Multiplayer is also great too. The ending was perfect.

2. Paper Mario Colour Splash; After sticker star I cringed when this game was announced and initial impressions were poor. However the game is great, it's fun to play, is incredibly well written with witty often self deprecating humour and I'd put it close to thousand year door.

3. The Last Guardian; A truly emotional experience. Trico feels like he is my pet. Beautiful game with a few camera issues, constantly surprising, good puzzles if at some points infuriating. A true work of art.

4. Pokémon Moon; best Pokémon entry to date. I like that they have slightly altered the format of the gym battles and overall it's a big improvement over x/y which I also enjoyed.

5. Pokémon Go; the first of 2 mobile games that have incredibly made my list. The premise of this game is so basic it shouldn't be good, but it is. It's incredibly addictive, and has caused my wife and I to do more walking in the past few months than probably several years previously, which can only be good. It has also got my 7 year old daughter into gaming. After playing it on Daddy's phone a few times I showed her "real Pokémon" and now she's hooked. She beat Pokémon moon before I did.

6. Kirby Planet Robobot; after triple deluxe I felt that this game had come too soon and it would be more of the same, however I felt the mechs added a new dimension to the game which made it really fun. The plat forming as always was spot on and Kirby, as always, just oozes charm.

7. Overwatch; little confession on this one, I've only played it on the free weekends. However what I played made me wish I had the free time to sink into this game. With the 15 or so hours I played, I absolutely loved it, I can't purchase it though because I'd get addicted and I have a wife and kids, if I'd bought it, it'd likely be higher on my list.

8. Super Mario Run; another mobile game on my list, crazy times. Mario Run is a fun little game. The black stars are frustratingly difficult and I'm rubbish at toad rally but it's a solid foray into mobile gaming from Nintendo.

9. Ratchet and Clank; this is what remasters should be like. Beautiful game with fun gameplay and a decent script. Thoroughly enjoyable wee game.

1. Imbroglio ; A turn-based roguelike that was sadly ignored by most of the gaming community. It's a masterclass in game design, though, and my favorite game since Spelunky.

2. Oxenfree ; Conversations are incredibly difficult to pull off realistically in video games but Oxenfree overcomes that hurdle in a way that felt grounded even as supernatural events are happening all around you.

3. Tharsis ; Eating your friends' remains on a doomed space mission? Sold!

4. Hidden My Game By Mom ; No game brought me more joy this year than this oddball adventure game.

5. Quadrilateral Cowboy ; Even though it was on the easy side, I loved the imagination and creativity in each of this game's heists.

6. Stardew Valley ; If only this was on Vita, it would have been my second favorite game of the year.

7. No Man's Sky ; Loved exploring the many mysteries in the enormity of space

8. Inside ; I consider this the best game of the year even though I enjoyed others more. Makes me wonder what a Braid 2 could have been if Jon Blow went that route instead of The Witness.

9. Firewatch ; If sex and violence equal mature in the context of games then Firewatch one ups that by being adult. I'd love to see more developers cast relatable characters as protagonists dealing with real problems.

10. The Witness ; Gorgeous, captivating, and utterly brilliant.

Haven't played: The Last Guardian, Zero Time Dilemma, Superhot, or Virginia.
Most disappointing: Uncharted 4, Abzu, Rise of the Tomb Raider

Damn...I really need to play Inside, The Witness and Pokemon Sun/Moon. Wished I had more time to play these games last year.

1. Overwatch ; Every character is like their own game, and it's one of the few MP games I can enjoy solo.
2. Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright ; Took everything I loved from FE:A and improved upon it.
3. Final Fantasy XV ; Far more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Really liked the road trip aesthetic.
4. Quantum Break ; Fun mechanics and bridges TV Show and game perfectly.
5. Doom ; Was great fun to play an FPS that was basically the doom comic.
6. Gears of War 4 ; A nice return to roots for the series, while adding some freshness
7. Recore ; A nice breath of fresh air in both gameplay and setting.
8. Zero Time Dilemma ; Made up for VLR, and was a nice close to the series.
9. Ratchet and Clank ; Way better than any budget title has the right to be.
10. Titanfall 2 ; An enjoyable shooter, mainly for the SP which doesn't follow the typical COD standards of today.

1. DOOM ; I wasn't a big fan of the direction ID took for Doom 3 and I always preferred old-school fast paced arena shooters over the linear COD type shooters that are common today. But once DOOM came out and I played it earlier this year it blew me away! DOOM is one Bad-Ass Shooter, large open environments, crap-ton of Demons to kill, kick-ass soundtrack, and that fast paced no reloading action I love from the old school shooters of the 90s.

2. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen ; Yea I know the original Dragon's Dogma came out in 2012 on 360 and PS3, which I played the crap out of then, but in January of this year it came out on PC and I was finally able to play it at a steady 60 FPS making this great game even better. Damn that combat is amazing and the monster battles awesome making up for the crappy story and bland world.

3. Final Fantasy XV ; I always admired the Final Fantasy series but never really got into the mainline games, I only played FFX for little bit, some of FF XIV and played most of Lightning Returns but never finished one of them. FF XV had some fun combat, excellent music, great enemy designs, and huge open world to explore although suffered a little bit with its story and some boring chapters like the infamous chapter 13. Overall though it was great and I had fun playing it.

4. Titanfall 2 ; It had a fun and some-what unique campaign and great multiplayer definitely a step up from the first one.

5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Too bad this game has a unfinished story but whats there is great the game-play is even better than Human Revolution and the level design has a lot of options for stealth enthusiasts. Also I enjoyed the Prague hub area but wished there was more hub areas to explored besides that one. Hopefully one day will get the missing content but whats there is great.

6. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; I really enjoyed the 2013 reboot so its no surprise I like this one but improvements were made with larger worlds to explore and better puzzle rooms although the story is still rather bland. Also the graphics were amazing on PC.

7. The Last Guardian ; Even though the camera, how the little boy controls, and how Trico would sometimes not listen to your commands all could be frustrating The Last Guardian is still a great Team ICO experience and has a really emotional ending to it that I won't forget.

8. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine ; The best DLC of 2016 fantastic story (like usual for a Witcher game) and a awesome Italian-like country-side to explore makes this one of my favorites. Also a great send off for the series.

9. Shadow Warrior 2 ; Although I didn't like it quite as much as the 2013 one it still had some kick ass shooting and big open areas to explore just wish they scale back the loot and more varied environments.

10. Uncharted 4 ; I really enjoyed the story in this game and as always the characters were fun and interesting, which is to be expected by a Naughty Dog game. Also the game-play was a step up from past Uncharted games although I found myself bored with certain chapters in this game. Overall though a great game with amazing graphics.

1. Forza Horizon 3 ; My favourite racing franchise ever just got better.
2. Forza Horizon 3 : Blizzard Mountain ; Then it snowed.
3. The Division
4. Titanfall 2
5. Gears Of War 4 ; Might have been higher if not for the shitty dlc practices.
6. Quantum Break ; I wouldn't want every game to have fully filmed episodes between every chapter but it worked really well here.
7. Deus Ex Mankind Divided
8. Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2
9. The Technomancer
10. The Witness

1. Dishonored 2 ; The original Dishonored was the first game where I "got" the immersive sim genre when I played it earlier this year. Dishonored 2 takes the game systems and world building I loved and makes virtually everything better, with a special focus on providing for non-lethal options. Hampered by performance issues at launch the game is now in a pretty good state, even if it's not what a game of this caliber deserves. Nevertheless it's the most fun I had with a game in 2016 and could very well be again in 2017 if Arkane gives us the kind of DLC that graced the original.
2. Firewatch
3. Stellaris
4. XCOM 2
5. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
6. Total War: WARHAMMER
7. Hyper Light Drifter
8. Dark Souls III
9. Sid Meier's Civilization VI
10. Tyranny

Honorable Mentions
x. Grim Dawn ; A great follow-up to Titan Quest by many of the same devs, even if I dislike the setting quite a bit in comparison. Please, Nordic, commission Crate to do a TitanQuest 2!
x. Duelyst
x. Darkest Dungeon
x. Crashlands

Getting some neat "ive only heard the name of this game" #1 nods today. Interesting reading!

Reading this thread makes me realize i havent played a single game that came out last year. Guess 2016 wasnt that great after all for me. At least 2017 is going to have Zelda so that should definitely improve!

1. The Witness ; The line puzzles were initially a bit dull, and I found myself waiting for new mechanics to present themselves. Going into this game blind, I was ready for some good old fashioned Myst/Riven mechanical puzzles etc.. After my initial disappointment in learning that this was 'just' line puzzles, I gave it a fresh go and was extremely impressed. The genius of some of the mechanics is unbelievable. To have a single designer turn out such a varied and polished system, and one that teaches itself no less, is an incredible feat. Solving the last of the Mountain puzzles without ever touching a guide or looking for help on forums was one of the most satisfying game experiences I've had.

2. Hitman ; This title hit me out of nowhere. I grabbed the Amazon $15 price error for the whole season and it has been such a treat. The episodic model and elusive targets keep bringing me back for me and I can't wait to see what they do for season two.

3. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare ; I was ready to write this year's game off. With RNG loot crates putting a terrible taste in my mouth with Blops3, I was ready to hate this title. Also, I was in the crowd of thinking I craved more boots on the ground. Not only did the campaign prove to be top tier for COD, its one of the most engaging shooter campaigns I've played in years. Multiplayer is tight, and the maps (while a bit dull/repetitive with the space theme) are well designed. Fresh modes like team tactical and frontline are entries I hope stay with the series. DLC is still up in the air, but this is my go to shooter once again.

4. XCOM 2 ; A huge fan of the last XCOM, this one was a bit of a 1.5 iteration for me. While I enjoyed returning to the world of XCOM, it just was not as striking as the first. Still, for turn based tactical games, it scratches an itch not often scratched for me. The lack of controller support (sans steam controller) out of the gate hurt this a lot. XCOM has been my stationary bike game, and taking the controller away initially knocked this down a bit. Overall though, it's well designed, fun and painful as ever when you lose a favorite soldier.

5. Forza Horizon 3 ; The new world is fun and varied. Its a great kick back and relax game that controls perfectly and has a great feel when it comes to speed. The poor multiplayer implementation hurts this one. Its great solo, but such a world should make better use of playing with friends.

Honorable Mentions
x. Minecraft ; My kids finally got me to play Minecraft this year. It's about all they want to play and talk about. Well, that was for good reason. This game proved to suck me right in with them. Not only was it a blast to play together, I found myself wanting to play it solo as well. There is nothing quite like building your own castle into the side of a mountain; sculpting it block by block and seeing the creation come together over countless hours. I'm hooked, and while it came out so long ago, it is certainly worth a mention here.

x. Civilization VI ; With Civ 4 and 5 having hundreds and hundreds of hours in my game log, I was surprised to find a lack of stickiness with Civ VI, at least out of the gate. It's tough to put my finger on, but something just drags a bit in this one. I can really appreciate the attempt to freshen up the Civ experience and recognize there is a ton of potential in here. City placement matters, the cities on multiple tiles is really interesting (albeit a bit overwhelming trying to learn/remember what districts get bonuses with others, on top of feature bonuses like water etc). I'm still not a fan of one unit per tile, and likely will never be. Endless Legend has a great approach to this, though I'm not sure that fits within a Civ game. I'm hoping that patches and expansions manage to bring back the magic, but for now this one has hit the backlog. Still, it is worth a mention as I appreciate their attempt to smartly change things up a bit.

1. The Witness ; Intricately designed puzzle gem
2. DOOM ; Frantic, frenetic combat mayhem
3. Thumper ; A brutal show-off of VR's brilliance
4. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ; Open-ended adventure in a terrific mini open world
5. Super Mario Run ; A proper Mario game, which fits the platform perfectly
6. Titanfall 2 ; Wonderfully inventive campaign, uber addictive online
7. Hitman ; A masterfully crafted sandbox of systems that just begs you to come in and screw it all up
8. Dishonored 2 ; The true return of the immersive sim, with insane level design and infinite options.
9. The Last Guardian ; A sweet story, told through gameplay.
10. Event[0] ; Bold and ambitious, and while not perfect it was a wonderful surprise.

1. DOOM ; Fast frenetic fun. Brings out the best of classic Doom while giving us some of the best FPS combat ever made. Oftentimes it feels more like a character action game than a FPS.

2. Dishonored 2 ; The problem with the first game was that it lost me as it went on. In this, it gets better and better as it goes on. Great free-flow stealth, action or stealth-action gameplay, combined with awesome powers, combined with capable enemies, combined with some of the best level design I've ever played makes this a classic. Shame about the performance though.

3. Dark Souls III ; Most consistent Dark Souls game. The areas in general are wider and more open than any other Soulsborne title, with the DLC pushing that idea even further. Fantastic combat and great level design, but it didn't seem to have that je nais se quoi Demon's, Dark 1 and Bloodborne did.

4. Final Fantasy XV ; I don't know why, but this is a very relaxing game, especially when I don't bother going along with the story. Somehow they made something good out of this whole mess. Nice.

5. The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine ; While the main story isn't as good as Hearts of Stone, Blood and Wine gives us one last taste of Witcher goodness. 30+ hours of gameplay and a lot of really great fan appreciation sprinkled throughout the experience.

6. Uncharted 4 ; Best combat mechanics in the series, might have the greatest action set piece ever put into this medium. Unfortunately, the inconsistent pacing never delivers the same highs as UC2 or the Last of Us did.

7. The Witness ; Brilliant, if sometimes too esoteric of a puzzle game.

8. Titanfall 2 ; Fun campaign with really fun and fluid mechanics. Hoping FPS games takes cues from this and DOOM going forward.

9. Hitman ; Pretty promising from what I've played so far. Clunky mechanics aside, this is the sequel to Blood Money that we've waited 10 years for.

10. Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- ; Moar Guilty Gear Goodness baby.

1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; Not that many games last year that stand out, but I'll remember this adventure with its visuals until they manage to wow me again.
2. Dark Souls 3 ; Ain't the best Souls-game, I'd argue it was actually pretty lazy at points, still manages to be one of the best (gameplay-wise) if not the best game of the year. Visually underwhelming after Bloodborne even on PC.

Honorable mentions
x. Overwatch ; Great multiplayer game that is sadly lacking in content, nevertheless hundreds of hours can be easily sinked into it.
x. Doom ; Not my genre or type of game, yet I finished it on Hard and liked it.

I have a feeling Tokyo Mirage Sessions would be up there if I had the time to play it, can't really remember most of the games I played in 2016.

Morfeo said:

Reading this thread makes me realize i havent played a single game that came out last year. Guess 2016 wasnt that great after all for me. At least 2017 is going to have Zelda so that should definitely improve!

Click to expand...

How do you know it wasn't great if you haven't played any of its games?

1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; One of the best game series ended this year. And what an ending it was. Expect for a slow start(and a long boat tour) the pacing was perfect. Story was grounded yet exciting and the finale was awesome.

2. The Last Guardian ; Instant Classic. This game will be remembered as one of the greats in a few years.

3. Final Fantasy XV ; FFX was maybe the first jrpg i played through and finished. Since then i was waiting for something alike. XV was different but had the classic FF feel to it. That was enough to overlook the forgettable second part of the game.

4. Street Fighter V ; What a bad release but it got me into the FGC and to my first offline Tournament. Awesome gameplay with an awesome community.

5. Overwatch ; Best Multiplayer of the generation. Easily. Polished to infinity.

6. Dark Souls III ; First DS Game, except for Bloodborne. Fantastic Gameplay.

7. Ratchet & Clank ; First R&C game i played. A lot less platforming than i imagined. The weapons make it a great game.

8. London Heist Getaway ; First VR Experience. Just wow.

9. Heavy Rain ; and Beyond2Souls. First time playin these games and i liked it alot.

10. Rise of the Tomb Raider ; Not as good as i expected it to be. Still a good game.

Honorable Mentions

x. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered ;
x. Inside ;

1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II ; This is not only my goty, it's one of the best jrpgs of all time for me. Such a good writing and world building, a fun battle system and that wonderful falcom music. CS3 can't come soon enough.

2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End ; The perfect closure for the adventures of Nathan Drake, it takes every strenght of the previous games and elevates them to another level.

3. Dark Souls III ; In the same vein, From Software takes the best of DS and DS2 to make the perfect ending for the series. Plus fanservice on spades.

4. Final Fantasy XV ; Despite the flaws, this was a journey worth taking. Playing FF for the story is not something I've done in 15 years, so in return I've got a very fun battle system, one of the best soundtracks of all time and a ton of fun content that I've not even done with yet. Pitioss is the best thing ever, please sell me more stuff like that SQE.

5. The Witness ; It feels like so long ago but I can't still forget the game that kickstarted one of the best years for gaming. It was an amazing puzzle game at first, it reached classic status once you tear down the wall and see the real deal.

6. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse ; More SMT IV is always a wonderful thing, regardless of the crazy amounts of reutilized content and the questionable decisions regarding the few new dungeons.

7. Furi ; One of those games that achieves perfectly what it wanted to do and focus on that instead of bloating you with weaker content just to make the game longer. And what a soundtrack.

8. Salt and Sanctuary ; It's both a very good metroidvania and a quality souls game in 2d. That combination makes it an instant classic for someone who loves that stuff.

9. Ratchet & Clank ; Better than the original in every aspect, and I loved the original. I just wish it was longer because I need more of this.

10. The Last Guardian ; I'm still playing it so I don't feel it is fair to put it higher in the list, even if I already know I would when I finish it.