To that end, let's talk positives. Here are my Top 10 Games of 2016. First, however, the rules:
1. You won't find any handheld titles here. Yes, there were great games on the 3DS and Vita this year, but I didn't find any up to the caliber of these 10. Plus my time spent with these systems are quite limited anymore.
2. No mobile games here either. Most of the same reasons as for handheld titles, with the added issue of there being so many things on various app stores.
3. MOST IMPORTANTLY: I had to have played it. I am but one man using my own funds to purchase and play these games. The goal/dream is to get a job in the industry so I do have time and the resources to access any game whenever I want, but until then it's on me. So if you think I may have missed a real obvious one, I may not have played it as of this writing.
Enough stalling! From 10 to 1 here are my favorite games of the past 12 months! BEGIN!
10. Hitman
Agent 47 has fallen into the background while other franchises like Tomb Raider and Deus Ex have been getting recent great pushes. That all changed in 2016, but it took a couple risky choices. First of all, calling it simply Hitman, implying a full reboot of the series. Secondly, going the "episodic" route, delivering content on a monthly basis. This means the game had to come out strong so gamers would actually WANT to come back over the lifespan of the game. Luckily it did. The best thing I can say about Hitman is that it strikes a perfect balance between serious stealth action secret agent, and "Well, that's dumb in an awesome way". Add in the "Elusive Targets" and special themed missions, it's no wonder the game is gearing up for "Season 2". There's just something so satisfying about dressing up as a world famous model, strutting your stuff on the runway, then carrying out your mission by chucking a kitchen knife at your target's head.
9. Firewatch
There are so many things that I will take away from my time with Campo Santo's Firewatch, primarily hope. Hope that more games like this can exist. This game was able to combine a colorful and vibrant landscape, with great voice acting, beautiful ambience and smooth controls, and add in that last super important ingredient many games take lightly: an engaging and powerful story. I actually had several moments where I just stopped worrying about what I was doing in the game, took it all in and just thought "Wow". I can not remember the last game that made me feel like that.
8. The Witness
All those things I really liked about Firewatch? Replace "great voice acting" with "mind-bending puzzles" and you have The Witness. Even when you are banging your head against a puzzle, it is just awe-inspiring just to be in this universe. Every puzzle is a unique experience and you get a real sense of accomplishment when you figure out the mechanic. Even when you don't, you are compelled to see it through and figure out what all this is leading to. It's never frustrating, always rewarding and easily one of the best puzzle games I have EVER played.
7. Gears of War 4
The story idea of "Son of original protagonist" can seem a little easy and boring, but Gears 4 pulls it off tremendously as it gives players a great combination of nostalgia and new exciting experiences. It also helps that it's the first in the series on the Xbox One (and Windows 10 with the wonderful "Play Anywhere" feature) and looks gorgeous, especially when it can get to 60 frames per second. Add the usual slew of multiplayer options and nailing the unique feel that makes these games so damn good in the first place, and you have a more-than-worthy entry in a blockbuster franchise.
6. Battlefield 1
Honestly, when I first saw footage of Battlefield 1, I didn't know what to think. Sure, I was glad to see the series go back in time rather than further saturate the market with modern and future shooters, but the bitter taste of Star Wars Battlefront was still present and I was nervous that we would see more of that. Luckily, what we got was a mix of the good design choices from both Battlefront and the mainline Battlefield games on a wonderfully realized backdrop of alternate history WWI. The campaign was told well enough, but this is the most fun I've had in Battlefield multiplayer in quite some time. I'll never forget the feeling of fear I had when I was hiding behind a boulder for cover as explosions surrounded me and watching the bodies of my teammates fly by my head. I mean I chuckled a bit because I'm messed up and that's a fun visual in gaming, but the wonderful graphics, amazing sound design and top-notch control scheme put this game among the best in the genre.
5. Titanfall 2
In wrestling terms, I am a Titanfall "Mark", meaning that I pretty much geek out over anything that says "Titanfall" on it. The first game had such a strong impact on me the likes of which no other shooter had before. Titanfall 2 retains all the fast paced action of the original while adding some fun new toys, my favorite being that grappling hook. I remember getting a melee kill by grabbing an enemy with my hook, pulling him towards me and delivering the fatal kick while Jeff IRL started screaming his head off thanks to a Testosterone and Adrenaline cocktail. There is just a surreal rush you get while playing Titanfall 2 that you don't get anywhere else. Getting rid of the Burn Card mechanic was a great touch but the biggest addition was an actual (and fun) campaign. Is it weird that I am getting a twitch in my hands just from typing about Titanfall? MUST PLAY!
4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Oh nothing much, just another amazing Uncharted game, yawn. This has been the premier series on Sony's platform and you knew it was going big for Nathan Drake's swan song. While there really isn't anything in the way of innovation in gameplay here, Uncharted 4 has the most engaging story in the series coupled with a technical marvel in graphics, sound design, controls and voice work. What it amounts to is a love letter to fans of the franchise which cements the Uncharted series as one of the biggest and best of this generation. This is the best game in the series and that is saying something. Thank you, Naughty Dog.
3. DOOM
I knew this game was something special even before the opening title screen. DOOM comes out of the gate fast and sets the tone with one of the best opening scenes in gaming history, punctuated by slamming your fist into a screen while the guitar starts driving forward, I'm even head banging as I write this just thinking of that part. Everything is just so fluent, whether you are running around the levels shredding enemies with the various weapons, or caving their skulls in with their own feet or feeding them their own hearts, nothing stops the action and it's the ultimate adrenaline rush. There is enough nostalgia here to please fans of the series while also carving its own identity to bring new people into the franchise. The multiplayer, while a little generic, is still a lot of fun and only adds to the experience. DOOM is a blood-soaked guitar-thrashing in-your-face thrill ride the entire way through and I will gladly go on that ride over and over again, cackling all the way. Pure joy.
2. Sid Meier's Civilization VI
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum from DOOM we have Civilization VI. I got into this series with the previous title and it feels like VI took everything that was great about V and somehow made it better. It's a combination of the little things, whether it's combining the Tech Tree and Civics Tree into one menu, opening up the Religion aspect, actively placing districts and Wonders in your city and watching those cities evolve, or simply making it easy to see which Civ is winning. There are enough "under the hood" tweaks here to make a big difference while also keeping the feel of the last game in tact. I have said before that V is one of my favorite games of all time, and VI is even better than that. I have a bad case of "One More Turn-itis" and this game should be filed as a narcotic.
1. Overwatch
It's weird to imagine that Overwatch only came out this year, since it feels like it's been around forever. That's the impact this game already has. Blizzard is the Apple of the video game world because they take a formula that already existed and turned it into something revolutionary. It's a shooter at the core, but it is so much more than that. Every character brings a new experience, each team composition brings a new experience, every match brings something completely new to the table. The characters in Overwatch are quickly becoming some of the most recognizable in gaming while the game itself remains one of the most played games on any streaming service. Constant updates, patches, new characters, themed events and so on just reiterate the fact that Blizzard is all in on this and when they go all in, greatness happens. Even when my team gets "rekt" it's never frustrating because I still had fun playing the game. Overwatch is not only my favorite game of 2016, but it is definitely one of my favorite games of all time.
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There you have it! My favorite games of 2016! See? Some good came from this year.
What do you think? Did I get it right? Did I get it wrong? What were your favorite games this year?
Stay tuned in 2017 as I take the brand even further: Regular Twitch live streams, more YouTube fun, more blogging, more collaborations. 2016 was a good foundation for me and my gaming brand as I work to hopefully get into the industry, and I have a really good feeling about 2017. Happy Holidays to all, hope you get some great games to play!
