Best Games of 2016

[Riku Rose]

We all love our lists.

No including games that where released in different years such as HD ports of games that came out in Japan 4 years ago but just came out in the West.

13. Star Fox Zero



All I want is a simple Star Fox game like we had back on the N64. Sure I enjoyed Star Fox Adventures and the pilot missions in Assault but all I really wanted was something like the N64 game so I was excited when Nintendo announced this.

It just wasn't to be though. With no option but to use the Wii U tablet it just felt clunky and one step forward but two steps back from what everyone wants.

12. Abzu



A Journey like game set underwater by some of the people who made Journey, what's not to love? Well there is no emotional attachment like there was in Journey. By the end of this game I just felt like I had played a tech demo to show off aquatic life.

11. Virginia



If you tell me something is Twin Peaks-esque it's going to peak (No pun intended) my interest. You play an FBI detective going into a small American town to look into a boy who has disappeared but the entire game has no voice acting and is silent. The first 45 minutes of this game I was blown away and thought the game was fantastic, then it get's weird and quirky for the sake of it. Had the game just stayed grounded I think this could have been groundbreaking, instead all you get is a cool idea which kinda does what it sets out to do.

10. The Walking Dead: Michonne



A fun little side story for people who are fans of Telltale's Walking Dead series. It doesn't do anything mind blowing or take big risks with the story but it's more of the same and was a fun few hours while we wait for Season 3.

9. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Spirit of Justice



It's always fun to come back to Ace Attorney every 2-3 years and solve a few cases. This entry was set mainly in a foreign land where if the accused party is found guilty they're sentenced to death but so is their lawyer. It's a bit silly but that's why I love the series.

8. Oxenfree



A group of kids get a ferry to a small island so they can have a night of hanging out and drinking on the beach. But things get weird, really weird. It's something that saying it here would kind of spoil as it's best to go in blind. I've only played the game once and got to know some of the characters really well and really liked them. Others will have played it and bonded with characters I barely spoke to.

7. Firewatch



As soon as I saw the trailer for this game it became one of my most anticipated games just because of how cool the interaction between the two main characters seemed. That aspect really didn't let me down but the rest of the game felt very flat. The game tried to add a mystery element to it which really didn't work and it's main strength is the conversations between Henry and Delilah which are very strong.

6. Final Fantasy XV



The Final Fantasy series is my favourite series in video games so when I say this is one of my least favourtie that doesn't mean the game is shit. I really enjoyed the game while I was playing it but there is so many major issues with the game that seemed preventable and would have made it amazing, the only problem is that it would have required another delay which would make the internet cry like the bitch it is.

5. Inside



Don't read anything about this game and just play it.

4. Quantum Break



This is a weird one since it is half game and half TV show. A time travel story that actually tries something different instead of following the beats that every time travel story has told since Back to the Future came out. Not only does it tell a unique story but the gameplay is on point and an improvement on Remedy's last game Alan Wake which was already a blast to play.

3. Batman: The Telltale Series



I'm a massive Telltale fanboy and love me some Batman so this is like if Ryan Gosling got with Emily Ratajkowski and made a fucking beautiful baby. In Telltale games there is no good and bad option like in Fable or InFamous but just massive grey areas which fits with Batman perfectly. I just get giddy at the idea that they will keep this series going for years and years, I seriously want them to milk it to death.

2. The Last Guardian



I've always called my dog my best friend because there is something special about the connection and friendship that man can have with a pet. After playing ICO and SotC I thought I knew how this game would end when it was announced 7 years ago but man was I wrong. The ending blew me away and was one of the most emotional things I've ever seen in the medium. For that ending to have the impact it does though you have to build a connection with Trico which you defiantly will do when you play this gem which was worth the wait. I beat the game in two sittings which is something very rare for me these days.

1. Uncharted 4



Although I may have built up a connection with Trico in 10 hours I've built a love for the characters of the Uncharted series over 3 games before this one. I doubt that this really will be the swansong they said it was since something so successful never get's left alone but it truly was a great way to say goodbye. I don't know what they're putting in the water at Naughty Dog but they are by far the best studio currently making games at the moment.

[sand4fish]

1. The Last Guardian - Most original game of the year (a good one). It is so because your AI partner is your main mechanic to progress through the game, but you as the player do not control him directly and he does not listen to you at your prompt wish. Because of his own will, your progress comes in the form of paying attention to his mood and reactions, and acting accordingly to fulfill his "demands" so he can do your bidding. And that dependence is how the relationship between the two of you grows throughout the game. Besides the superb art direction, there's zero UI interference onscreen to give the player maximum game immersion, with the only little annoyance being the narrator spouting obviousness at some points of the game.



2. Dark Souls 3 - More of the dread, loneliness and careful tread into the unknown the last installments offered, and it just never gets old.



3. Dying Light: The Following - It's a DLC but it's its own game, separate from the main campaign. If before the game was Dead Island + Far Cry + Mirror's Edge, now it adds a Mad Max element to it as well. Simply gaming heaven.



4. Street Fighter V - Game representing one of the genre survivors of the now defunct arcade culture. Still present in 2016 for a good reason.



5. Monster Hunter Generations - Action game that has a culture of its own, and its general audience are hardcore gamers. You can play it for 100 hours, feeling like a noob and still yearning for more.



6. Civilization VI - It's Civilization, pinnacle of the Turn Based Strategy genre.



7. Battlefield 1 - Theatrical and poignant campaign, very distinct weapons and vehicles and sheer scale of the battles make this one stand out among its peers. Instant classic FPS.



8. Dead Rising 4 - If people think Beat'em Ups are dead, think again! It's as hilarious and relaxing as a gaming experience can be.

[Hyo Razuki]

There is still a few on my backlog which I haven't played yet, but so far I'd say:

1. Root Letter
2. The King of Fighters 14
3. Senran Kagura: Estival Versus
4. Firewatch
5. Valkyria Chronicles Remastered (if this wasn't a remaster, it probably would have made number 1 or 2)

Hasn't been a great year for gaming as far as my tastes are concerned but I still haven't gotten around to playing Dishonored 2 yet and Uncharted 4 yet and also I will be getting Last Guardian at some point next year, when the price drops.

[Axm]

Why would you pay £50 each for these games when Minesweeper's free?

[Henry Spencer]

There is still a few on my backlog which I haven't played yet, but so far I'd say:

1. Root Letter

Interesting. Is it a mystery visual novel? I seem to recall it a while back. It's really niche, isn't it? Not heard anyone talk about it.

Anyway my list (not played FFXV, Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse or The Last Guardian yet) :



1. The Silver Case - Visual novel masterpiece. Not my favourite Goichi Suda game but you can see the inspiration the presentation of Suda's scenarios had on killer7 with its constantly changing presentation style - live action, anime cutscenes, different art styles. The fantastic artwork and story is accompanied by a fantastic musical score from Masafumi Takada who takes his electronic synth and puts it to the side in favour for jazz and piano making for easy listening, similarly to his work as Flower, Sun & Rain but more sombre and reflective rather than crazy. The game is also more laid back than what you might expect from a normal Suda game. The game's story very much favours working in the real world and with a psychological tint, like the other Kill The Past games. It also blows open some shocking twists than explain Flower, Sun & Rain in ways that might not be expected, in a good way. There was one moment that actually made me go "woah" at the revelation when it hit.

The game is split into the "main scenario" following detectives (including hard boiled Tetsugoro and the weird Sumio Kodai) and the "side" scenario following journalist and general lazy lounger Tokio which involves repeating tasks over and over into monotony similar to Flower, Sun & Rain (don't worry, no 50 mile running trip this time around). The story is basically one you should not spoil yourself on. If you love weird/quirky Detective/Mystery storylines with a surprising amount of depth to the characters then this is for you. heck, if you enjoy Adventure games/Visual Novels even a little bit, this is for you. It's also a great entry point for people new to Suda, I think, since it's not full of weird game design issues that might put people off his later work.

If you go in expecting "Suda craziness" you might actually be disappointed, I mean, it's in there, of course, with a real horror tinge (this game gets dark and fucked up) but it's not on the scale of killer7 and I appreciated that about it. Seems like a time when Suda didn't throw in the "crazy" for the sake of it and was writing to make a sombre tale with lots of themes that goes into some dark places about a cast of messed up people and looks inwardly in other areas (definitely throws up a new twist on the "silent main character" trope). It's probably the best "visual novel" game that I've played yet (and it very much is a visual novel, hardly any adventure game segments in it, which was kind if a disappointment but still...the narrative and music were both so good that it propelled it to top of my list). I came away from this game wanting more and look forward to 25 Wards since this is a really interesting world and cast of characters.

Also, Tokio Morishima is frigging amazing. The interactions between him and the Bartender (and Tokio and his pet Turtle) is hilarious.

2. Dark Souls 3 - A beautiful, nostalgic and reflective adventure for one last time through the world of Dark Souls. I will miss this series, no doubt there will be more games in this style by From Software in the future but the world of Dark Soul 1 and 3 will forever be memorable and special to me. The last third of this game is absolutely amazing. Best last third in the series, quite easily for me. The level design, atmosphere and boss battles are top notch. Miyazaki is a brilliant game director.

3. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Not as amazing as Human Revolution was in some ways (actually bothered to have boss battles unlike Mankind Divided, felt like a complete self contained storyline, much better cast of characters like Pritchard and Malik, Mankind Divided's ending was too rushed and open) and better than it in others (level design is much better, best side quests this generation yet, actually they're better than the main quest for the most part, it's generally just a better designed game than Human Revolution but the actual storyline is not as good but feels more like Deus Ex 1 than what HR did). Still really enjoyed my time with it.

...That's about it, really. Not really played much else from this year particularly. May lend Dishonoured 2 off my mate but that's about it (outside some indie stuff, which was okay, I guess, oh and Zero Escape 3 which had a really disappointing narrative).

[OL]

I was all excited to make a list... but then it occurred to me that I haven't actually played many new games this year.
I thought I had.
I was about to mention Warhammer: Vermintide... but then I looked it up, and saw that it was actually late 2015.
Was going to mention Soma... but then I looked it up, and that was also late 2015.
Thought about mentioning Transistor... but oh shit, that was actually 2014.
I just didn't get around to any of this stuff until this year, so it was new to me.
Anyway, guess I have to actually finish the stuff I'm playing now before I can really choose anything. I've honestly only got about 6 or 7 games I might be able to mention. Wasn't much of a crazy year in gaming for me I guess, and the majority of the stuff I really wanted to play only released recently. Still haven't even played through The Silver Case, just because the whole "fuck you, you're stuck with the PC version" move by Grasshopper put a bad taste in my mouth, so I have to wait a bit before tackling it so it doesn't affect my experience (I'm sure it's good, I just don't want to be playing it begrudgingly). Gonna have to come back to this.

[ys]

I haven't played any game that was released this year. I got my PS4 about a year ago and was still playing titles from 2014-2015. But there are several games in this thread that I already intended to play soon. And a few others that I discovered here that look interesting.

[Henry Spencer]

I was all excited to make a list... but then it occurred to me that I haven't actually played many new games this year.
I thought I had.
I was about to mention Warhammer: Vermintide... but then I looked it up, and saw that it was actually late 2015.
Was going to mention Soma... but then I looked it up, and that was also late 2015.
Thought about mentioning Transistor... but oh shit, that was actually 2014.
I just didn't get around to any of this stuff until this year, so it was new to me.
Anyway, guess I have to actually finish the stuff I'm playing now before I can really choose anything. I've honestly only got about 6 or 7 games I might be able to mention. Wasn't much of a crazy year in gaming for me I guess, and the majority of the stuff I really wanted to play only released recently. Still haven't even played through The Silver Case, just because the whole "fuck you, you're stuck with the PC version" move by Grasshopper put a bad taste in my mouth, so I have to wait a bit before tackling it so it doesn't affect my experience (I'm sure it's good, I just don't want to be playing it begrudgingly). Gonna have to come back to this.

Did you end up finishing Dark Souls 3? And I am kinda shocked you didn't play Mankind Divided after Human Revolution. :O

Wait a minute, didn't you play Mirror's Edge 2 and Dishonoured 2? Or am I remembering that wrong? And you're playing The Last Guardian right now, correct? No inkling to get FFXV in the near future? No interest in SMTIV: Apoc either? And Let It Die came out as well this year. You finished Far Cry: Primal & Watch Dogs 2 as well recently...wouldn't they qualify for you? So you've played/considered more than you might remember.

I was kinda the same way this year though, only played a few.

[OL]

Hate to be so blunt, but Mirror's Edge Catalyst kinda sucked, so it wouldn't count for me. Probably ended up being just about the most disappointing game I've ever played in my life, considering how much as I love the original (no exaggeration there at all). Was such a damn shame. Resisting the urge to rant on it.
Still haven't finished it, but I did get far in Dark Souls 3 (was working on the teleporting prince/princes; felt like it must have been really far). I liked it a lot, but something about it didn't really pop that much for me personally. Not sure why exactly; it obviously isn't bad, it just didn't hit me as hard as I'd hoped. Gotta go back to that eventually.
Otherwise, yeah, most of that is all stuff I either haven't finished at all yet (Dishonored 2 and The Last Guardian, though they're still pretty recent) or haven't gotten a chance to play yet (still planning on Mankind Divided, SMTIV: Apocalypse, and FFXV).
So the only ones I had at the tip of my brain were Far Cry Primal, Uncharted 4, Watch_Dogs 2 (even though I like the original better by far, so I actually might not mention it), and one you didn't mention: the remake of Assault Suit Leynos. Let it Die is still a work in progress for me.
But yeah, I'll come back and elaborate eventually. Probably just after I finish Dishonored 2 and TLG.

[Hyo Razuki]

There is still a few on my backlog which I haven't played yet, but so far I'd say:

1. Root Letter

Interesting. Is it a mystery visual novel? I seem to recall it a while back. It's really niche, isn't it? Not heard anyone talk about it.

Yes, it's a very niche kind of game. It's a visual novel by Kadokawa Games. It has a really gripping story with multiple endings and side quests which also give it enough replay value. It was the first time I ever played anything like it, so it felt very fresh to me.

These kind of games don't seem to make it to the West too often though. It came with English subtitles and original Japanese dub.

[Anonymous81]

I bought very few games in 2016.

For me, those I loved were (and I know one on this list will provoke enormous criticism but... I can't change what I like no matter how weird it makes me lol):

5. Dreamfall Chapters. I refused to play it until all chapters were complete. It had its issues, but as the likely final entry in a series I have always loved, it was worth the wait for me.

4. Stardew Valley. Best Harvest Moon game that isn't a Harvest Moon game since the original Harvest Moon game imo.

3. Earth Defense Force 4.1 on PC. I am hopelessly addicted to the EDF series, and while nothing will ever match the first time I 100%ed EDF 2017, this game is just oodles of endless EDF content and I adore it.

2. Doom 2016. Most fun I've had in a single player first person shooter since Serious Sam. Absolutely loved it, played just the campaign alone for 80+ hours.

1. No Man's Sky. (Yeah, I know.) I won't expound on this other than to say I'm 115 hours into it and still loving it so... just chalk it up to me being bizarre lol.

Honorable mention: Trillion: God of Destruction.

[yuc02]

Only bought 3 new games this year, so the list is pretty short.

1. Rez infinite - always a fan of Tetsuya Mizoguchi's vision, it's the definitive version of his definitive game. Everyone should try Area X at least once, and I just can't imagine what it'll be like to play it in VR.

2. Abzu - great looking game, but yeah slightly lacks the emotions of Journey.

Also bought Yakuza 5, but I guess that doesn't count since it came out last year...

[AnimeGamer183]

Gravity Rush Remastered

Literally the only new game I completed that actually came out in 2016 (wait or did it come out in 2015?)

Either way, hands down the best game I played all year but I only played like 3 games this year :x

I was in and out of the hospital most of the year battling disease/recovering from surgery so game sessions were seldom.

As far as games that did not come out this year I would have to say Dragons Crown on Vita and PS3 (I bought both versions) was up there, that was just good old fashioned gaming fun.

[south carmain]

Only 2 games released this year that I played were FFXV and Dragon Quest builders which I both enjoyed.

FFXV I won't lie was a disappointment for me not because it was a bad game but because I felt like it fell short in areas a final fantasy game normally wouldn't.

Dragon Quest builders is pretty fun although being only halfway through I can't really make a review of it but so far it has a lot of charm to it.

My favourite game that I played this year is by far the witcher 3 but I guess that was released last year so doesn't count.