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My 2016 in games

Games Galore

This year i thought i'd try and play types of games i'd never given a shot in the past, games i'd either started playing but stopped for one reason or another, or games i'd got as part of steam bundles or humble bundles that have sat in my steam library ever since. I also intended to complete one game a week and a minimum of one game released in 2016 a month. I'm moving countries, and travelling at the beginning of 2017 so will have little to no time to play games so might as well play as many as possible in 2016.

I'm glad i tried to set some kind of goal for this year as it made me experience and enjoy games i'd not have played otherwise, such as Shadowrun: Returns, the first CRPG I've ever played, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which i'd tried to play in the past but couldn't get into it, but someone at my work was playing XCOM 2 and his stories made me jealous, aren't i glad i went back to Enemy Unknown, great game! Then we've got Until Dawn, DmC, Transistor, Shovel Knight, Vanquish, and Binary Domain, all games i owned but never expected to play let alone to enjoy them as much as i did. As well as playing many games that have surprised my expectations this year there were many that disappointed me, and games i thoroughly disliked.

Moving onto next year, i'll only have January to play games then i'm moving to Australia and Asia to do some backpacking. Maybe i'll get a handheld for my travels, but most likely i'll be taking a break from gaming and if i don't i probably won't have any money to purchase new games anyway.

Games Completed in 2016

Games completed in 2015 (34), games completed in 2016 (55). 14 of the games being released in 2016 (Games in bold), By the end of the year i managed to complete 55 games, a huge number i never expected to reach. Mostly older games but i enjoyed them more than most new releases.

10/10 - Red Dead Redemption, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

9/10 - Until Dawn, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, DOOM, DMC: Devil May Cry

8/10 - FarCry 3, Transistor, Assassins Creed: Syndicate, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadowrun: Returns, Uncharted 4: A Thieves End, Bloodborne, Shovel Knight

7/10 - Binary Domain, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, The Division, Metal Gear Solid V, ZombiU, Grow Home, Shadows of the Damned, Vanquish, Tales from the Borderlands, Gravity Rush: Remastered, Titanfall 2, ABZU

6/10 - The Swapper, SOMA, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, Dead Space 3, Halo 5: Guardians, The Technomancer, Heavenly Sword, Trine 2, Oxenfree, Gears of War 4, Star Fox: Zero, Inside

5/10 - Deadlight, Never Alone, The Fall, Her Story, Republique, Broken Age, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Massive Chalice, Killer is Dead

4 and under/10 - Papers Please, Undertale, Oceanhorn, Life is Strange, Quantum Conundrum, Lego City: Undercover, Beyond: Two Souls

Most Anticipated Games 2017

Horizon Zero Dawn
Red Dead Redemption 2
Mass Effect: Andromeda
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Super Mario: Odyssey
Hellblade
Pyre
Spiderman Game
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Ghost Recon: Wildlands

List items

1. Doom

Classic guns, check,
Fast paced Gameplay, check,
Bad-ass metal music, check,
Doomslayer, check,
Doom ticked pretty much every box it needed to, it succeeded in areas you'd expect it to fail. None of this hiding behind walls as cover or picking off enemies from a distance, the best form of defence is a good offence, a challenging yet satisfying experience on Ultra-violence. The most fun i've had with an FPS campaign maybe ever.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 6th December 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 13h 24m
Rating: 9/10
2016 rank: 1
2. Dishonored 2

I never got into the original Dishonored, even after multiple attempts the First-Person Stealth gameplay infuriated me to the point where I just couldn’t continue. I can’t put my finger on what rubbed me the wrong way about Dishonored but 5 years on playing Dishonored 2 it has completely changed my opinion about the series, and has pushed me to maybe go back and retry the original. Not just the original but other similar stealth games I wrote off due to them being of the First-Person Stealth Genre.
Dishonored 2 has a unique sense of art style that bothered me in the original but I found refreshing in this one, a believably built open-ended gameplay with tons of freedom, and a story crammed with characters that intrigued me through each mission. Each mission feels finely crafted but allows the player to tackle it how they see fit, with an exquisite level design that keeps the gameplay feeling interesting. Clockwork Mansion and the time travel mission really standing out!
A huge surprise on a game I had no interest in playing after the first. This game has ensured I’ll be coming back and playing the next iteration in this series. Thank god for Bethesda still making publishing single player experiences!
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 20th March 2018
Time Taken to Beat: 17h 28m
Rating: 9/10
2016 rank: N/A
2018 rank: 2
3. Rise of the Tomb Raider

I loved the 2013 reboot of Lara Crofts Tomb Raider, one of the only games i 100% completed last generation, so i was really looking forward to it's sequel coming to the PC a few months after its Xbox One release.
First things first this game is bloody gorgeous environments with stunning vistas and great detail. The way cut scenes seamlessly fit into the gameplay allowing for much greater immersion, more games need to have these kinds of seamless transitions. Trying to pin down exactly why i liked it so much is difficult, but I’ll try. The gameplay is a lot of fun. Mainly consisting of a lot of very cinematic expeditions where you traverse through extremely dangerous obstacles and do a variety of insane stunts. The rest consists of 3rd person combat encounters where you can choose to be stealthy, or run in guns blazing. This is complemented by an upgrade system for everything, Lara herself and all her equipment. The story was predictable with the plot twists i saw coming from a mile off, but was competent enough, i just wish they didn't always go supernatural with a 'Divine Source' in every game. Lara herself was as good as she has ever been, great voice acting and great looking. Lara however is let down by some of the side characters who were unnecessary or just clichéd (Jonah).
Tomb Raider did lots right in this iteration, with a few improvements for the next game such as not fighting a helicopter as a final boss (Why does every game do that?), more locations (I miss jet setting around the world with Lara), and to make the game a little more challenging.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 6th March 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 20h 06m
Rating: 8/10
2016 rank: 2
4. Hitman

Platform: PS4
Date Completed: 7th October 2019
Time Taken to Beat: 11h 06m
Rating: 8/10
2016 rank: N/A
2019 rank: 4
5. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Uncharted does set pieces better than most developers and that hasn't changed in their most recent release in the series. A Thief's End continues 3 years after Drake's Deception and continues with the same formula that’s served Naughty Dog so well and on the whole it once again delivers.
I've a couple grievances with a couple aspects of this formula however. 1. Too much climbing, which requires zero skill, 2. Some set pieces feel like they're dragging you along rather than you're playing the game, both my grievances are about The Uncharted series not giving the player enough to do, not enough gameplay. Otherwise Uncharted 4 excels at, creating great characters, with some of the most natural dialogue in gaming, the best story in the series, I’m glad they got rid of the supernatural aspect. It also refines the same gameplay that was brought about in the previous games allowing for both run and gun or stealth gameplay in the beautifully crafted environments. Naughty Dog knew how beautiful their game was they put a photo mode in it, which should say all you need to know about Uncharted's visuals.
This game doesn’t quite hit the heights of the previous games but I think that’s down to me wanting different things from the Uncharted series, after 4 iterations of similar gameplay it’s about time they retire Nathan Drake before things get stale.
Platform: PS4
Date Completed: 17th October 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 13h 33m
Rating: 8/10
2016 rank: 3
6. Owlboy

I feel this game fell off everyone’s radar soon after it was released, which is a shame due to it being one man’s pet project for a decade. A game in development for that long rarely breaks out of that cycle; if they do they tend to be unimpressive! Owlboy shakes off this baggage and succeeds where many failed and delivers on all fronts.
It manages to combine a host of interesting characters, exceptional OST, animations that express the characters emotions, in ways words can’t, and a stunning hand animated aesthetic. You can really see a huge amount of time and care has gone into each aspect. Owlboy wouldn’t feel out of place as a new, old Nintendo IP, as it gave me those same feelings as playing the old Zelda games with musical ques and characters right out of a Zelda game.
As much as I loved this game it did have problems. I think it’s down to the game not really doing anything new, everything was very well done but what would make it a great game would be to implement a new feature to define Owlboy. My other minor nitpicks are controls not being quite responsive enough, which I feel the difficulty was dialed down due to this; Level design being a little too similar, with corridors followed by a square for the boss battle. Nonetheless Owlboy managed to capture that old school feeling without feeling old, similar to what Shovel Knight did a couple years ago. A huge recommendation from me!
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 19th June 2017
Time Taken to Beat: 13h 33m
Rating: 8/10
2016 rank: N/A
7. Watch Dogs 2

I was one of the few people who actually enjoyed the first installment in the Watchdogs series, it had it's flaws but i felt it did something different than open world games, with the idea of controlling a city with a touch of a button implemented well in some areas and not so well in others. The idea behind Watchdogs 2 really appealed to me, not only due to enjoying the first game but because i'd just finished watching Mr Robot. Watch Dogs 2 is more Hackers, and War Games than Mr. Robot though.
My initial impression was that of cautiousness, the opening exchanges between characters was cringe, however i soon realised the game was just being self-aware. Having the ability to mock itself and lean into the silliness that is Watch Dogs 2 at it's own expense. The Ubisoft mission is a great example of this, leaking a trailer for a game within a game. This helped in developing the characters who are caricatures of hackers, with the game playing into this with montages and quirky dialogue similar to your favorite cheesy hacker movies. Even Wretch who uses emoticons as his face becomes charming by the end.
The gameplay is best enjoyed as a stealth game, using all your gadgets to break in and hack terminals or servers without the player themselves ever entering the building is very satisfying. This Non-Lethal type play through fits the scenario and the characters your playing, as killing police officers, civilians, and security guards doesn't feel right. Your meant to be taking down the big man upstairs, not just hoards of working men. I must say i did kill a few gangsters who definitely deserved it, and i didn't even feel bad! The levels are well designed to suit this gameplay, with many entrance and exits points, options are plentiful. My only disappointment was the anti-climatic last few missions, up-to them the story felt like it was building to something but the mission structure felt slightly rushed in the climatic moments.
This Hipster Vibe, Dog petting, stealth game has it's serious and it's sad moments, but it also has charming banter about movie trivia, a Knight Rider theft mission, and quotes galore from 80's and 90's pop culture.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 12th August 2017
Time Taken to Beat: 27h 36m
Rating: 8/10
2016 rank: N/A
2017 rank: 5
8. Dark Souls III

The best from Software game?! Not quite but close! I feel Bloodborne just edges Dark Souls 3 out, mainly due to me preferring the slightly quicker combat that Bloodborne offers.
Dark Souls 3 has however improved the speed and flow of combat in this iteration, an improvement on the previous Dark Souls games. DS2 i felt got a bad rap from the fans, playing the two games within a few months from each other, yes DS3 takes the criticisms from DS2 and addresses them to improve gameplay and exploration, but in story telling it takes a step back. The one thing that is missing for Dark Souls games to take that next step is a less hidden and mystique laden plot. I know people feel this series tells it's story with it's environments and item description, that you can piece together if you so wish to take the time. The only story I've ever got from these games is gathered from watching youtube videos but i still can't get into it.
I whole-heartedly enjoy the combat, even if it's a love hate relationship, but would love from software to introduce more storytelling mechanics into there games.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 27th October 2017
Time Taken to Beat: 33h 46m
Rating: 8/10
2016 rank: 4
9. Firewatch

Platform: PC
Date Completed: 16th July 2018
Time Taken to Beat: 3h 16m
Rating: 8/10
2016 rank: N/A
10. Tom Clancy's The Division

I didn't follow this game before release nor did i have any friends who were playing it, so the only information i got was from my usual trusted reviewers and forums.
What i want from my games is a single player experience and The Division allowed for me to have this without any interaction with other humans if that's what i wished for, or on the off chance i felt like teaming up for a mission it allowed that with ease. The missions were all very similar but the perks you unlock allow for customization in how you want to play. The gameplay with the relatively smart AI is probably my favourite aspect of The Division; I’ve loved games like Borderlands which involve excess loot and numbers flying off bodies, so The Division fills that hole for me. Sadly the final boss fight was once again a helicopter :(, the dreaded obligatory 3rd person shooter helicopter boss fight. This was the culminating moment in the story, a paper thin story which deserved to be expanded on, it felt like they were just winging the story as they went along just feeding you a small amount of information each mission. I only ventured into the dark zone on a couple of occasions but gave up due to people having much better gear just sitting at extraction points trolling people trying to extract anything. As a whole i really enjoyed playing The Division, running around a beautifully detailed New York City naturally bumping into enemies, looting, and teaming up with other humans to complete story missions.
A very good initial attempt that i hope they expand on and make a series out of.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 14th May 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 25h 38m
Rating: 7/10
2016 rank: 4
11. Abzû

100 Screenshots and 2 hours later, this zen like experience took me by surprise, i never thought i'd enjoy it as much as i did. It clicked with me, from the stunningly bright visuals (not enough games have this kind of vibrant colour range), to the intuitive controls which allowed the gameplay to flow, all this surrounded by a fitting soundtrack.
It's a game i'll only play once, it gave me what i wanted at the time, lasting as long as it needed to without dragging it out unnecessarily. finishing on a high note as you ascended and summon a shark within the final 5-10 minutes of the game, making it one of the stand out memories of my year.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 29th December 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 1h 56m
Rating: 7/10
2016 rank: 5
12. Gravity Rush

Japanese Superhero game where you play as an amnesic woman in scantily clad clothing, what's not to love!
Actually quite a few things! A plot where threads appear all the time but are either forgotten within a chapter or left on a cliffhanger (so many unanswered questions), all set up and little payoff! The combat system where you plummet about kicking enemies with large red spots on them that works 90% of the time, unless you get stuck on a lamppost or railing and flail about until you can reorient yourself. Chaotic fun is how i would describe the combat, how can it not be when controlling gravity.
Even with all its flaws something about it just worked, with nothing quite like it on the market. Gravity Rush is a game that has charmed me into admiring it.
Platform: PS4
Date Completed: 30th September 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 9h 32m
Rating: 7/10
2016 rank: 6
13. Titanfall 2

I don't play multiplayer games so i missed out on the original Titanfall. Luckily Titanfall 2 remedied this by building campaign alongside its multiplayer. And what a very solid FPS campaign it is.
I had fun during the single player, more-so outside BT than in him, the wall running and speed when on foot surpasses most FPS's I’ve played and allows you to be daring in your approach when attacking enemies rather than hiding behind cover. Pulling off chains of fluid jumps while headshotting enemies one minute, subverting time with a press of a button the next, then Piloting BT on top of a moving ship keeps the campaign enjoyable and fresh, with the only problem being it's short length. Some single-player DLC would be great.
So nearly great.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 20th November 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 6h 09m
Rating: 7/10
2016 rank: 7
14. Dead Rising 4

Platform: PC
Date Completed: 14th May 2018
Time Taken to Beat: 18h 47m
Rating: 7/10
2016 rank: N/A
15. Quantum Break

Platform: PC
Date Completed: 10th April 2018
Time Taken to Beat: 8h 56m
Rating: 7/10
2016 rank: N/A
16. SteamWorld Heist

Steamworld Heists title is an exceptionally fitting one, set in a steampunk world and you’re carrying out heists. What is there not to like?
You play as Captain Piper a smuggler and pirate recruiting crew ragtag crew for a space adventure. Along the way you bump into scrappers and robots onboard enemy spaceships in order to proceed into the vast frontier. The combat onboard these ships is a 2D turn based combat system, an XCOM light as I like to call it, unlike XCOM however you aim the guns yourself which reduces the chance factor, the only chance is whether or not the hit was critical or not. So if you mess up during a combat encounter it really feels like it’s your fault, and once you’ve lost a crew member some scenarios can be a real struggle. Choosing crew members to take onto your party is a balancing act, as the only way to upgrade the crew is when you take them with you, but without the ability to know there unlocks it turns into a guessing game. Not only is the character choice vast but the loadouts are customizable for each crew member with a selection of hats to complement them. Hard but rewarding is how I’d sum up the gameplay in Steamworld.
Driving the story along is a range of characters with distinct personalities personified by the unique 2D art style and one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in a while. Combining Western, Space, and Heist music into one is some feat, just from the opening menu music got me pumped to play this game. One grievance about the sound was the noise the characters made when speaking, it really grinded my gears.
Steamworld Heist is a game that’s packed with character in every aspect; visuals, audio, character development and story. A truly unique game that managed to be enjoyable throughout the 15ish hours without outstaying it’s welcome
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 14th June 2017
Time Taken to Beat: 12h 6m
Rating: 7/10
2016 rank: N/A
2017 rank:
17. Mafia III

Where to start! It’s probably fair to say Mafia III is a mess of a game with some great aspects.
The game couldn't have begun better in my opinion, the opening 2-3 hours were a joy, moving about from area to area as a documentary about Lincoln Clay explains the circumstances surrounding what's unfolding. I wish they'd just continued down this route, however instead of what could of been a great story based campaign, you're given a large open world with repetitive missions that would make Assassins Creed blush. It's a shame because i enjoyed the shooting, with the guns having a weight behind them, a great soundtrack which I’ve continually been listening to, and voice acting that compliments character development during the cut scenes. Out-with the cut scenes the game looks a generation behind, it's quite jarring when you compare it with them, compile that with shocking performance on a system that is more than capable to run it you wonder why it was released in this state.
I could have forgiven it for said flaws, but without a range of varied mission objectives, the majority of the game felt like glorified side mission. A game with a soundtrack this great deserves better!
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 14th January 2017
Time Taken to Beat: 28h 7m
Rating: 6/10
2016 rank: N/A
2017 rank:
18. The Technomancer

B-Tier games are back. I felt they disappeared for a while with only AAA and indie games on offer, and I’m glad they are. The slight jank, and half completed mechanics and ideas can offer some great experiences; if can you forgive them for their short comings.
Technomancer created an interesting story if a bit clichéd that tailed off towards the end (Like it was rushed for release). A combat system that could be frustratingly difficult one minute, then far too easy the next. Visuals that were solid if a little same-y from area to area (I would love just a little more neon or vegetation). Hit or miss voice acting to go along with the hit or miss dialogue.
Through all of its faults i still found myself having fun being a Technomancer, and I’d happily become one again if a sequel was released. Even if I wouldn’t recommended this game to my friends.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 20th July 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 26h
Rating: 6/10
2016 rank: 8
2017 rank:
19. Inside

Limbo was the first "Indie" game i played, simplistic but horrifically beautiful aesthetic built in grey, white and black tones, offering a competent trial and error puzzle plat-former. Based off my experience with Limbo I had high hopes for Inside, especially after listening to the hype surrounding it. I tried to avoid spoilers but simply hearing there is an amazing twist is enough to slightly spoil that moment. Low and behold it didn't have the impact on me it had on others, the anticipation i had for a ground breaking moment was dulled by hearing people hype it. The Puzzles were also far too simple, never did i really have to think, maybe only scratching my head once over 3 hours of gameplay.
Inside was a well-crafted enjoyable experience but Limbo still has a place on my heart.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 31st December 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 3h
Rating: 6/10
2016 rank: 9
2017 rank:
20. Aragami

Some of my fondest memories of playing my PS1 came from randomly selecting a game called Tenchu: Silent Assassin in a used game pile. That game introduced me into the stealth genre and became my bar for what a stealth game should be, even if it my be swayed by the fact i was 10 year old! In that time i'd say only Splinter Cell games have filled that whole in my life until a Tenchu remake arrived, then came Aragami. A game that looked stunning and when watching the trailers brought me back to my childhood, sadly it lasted a few hours and the reality of what Aragami is set in
Aragami turns from a stealth game in the first couple of levels to you becoming an all conquering super hero of an Assassin that trivializes the gameplay. That combined with the repetitive mission structure of destroy light orbs, and move through to the next room, rinse and repeat.... That combined with It's initially appealing aesthetics but throughout the game don't change, which makes each area feel too similar. These two aspects left me feeling unfulfilled and bored in the latter stages
What started as an intriguing stealth game, with stunning visuals, and a formulaic if well told story, turned into a repetitive and simple game that is taken down a few notches by it's copy and paste level design, and lack of visual variety. Tenchu this game is not but it was a fairly employable ode to the best stealth game ever made
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 27th August 2017
Time Taken to Beat: 8h 26m
Rating: 6/10
2016 rank: N/A
2017 rank:
21. Star Fox Zero

Some of my earliest memories are playing StarFox 64 on the N64, a game i have very fond nostalgic memories. However since then StarFox games have never lived up to my high expectations for them, StarFox: Adventures was good game but it wasn't a StarFox game, and StarFox assault was just a sloppily made game with the only good parts being when piloting the Arwing.Then arrives StarFox: Zero, a game I had high hopes they would return to their roots with. Sadly it’s plagued by the same deficiencies as its predecessors.
Using the Wii U pad control scheme was frustrating but once i got used to the slightly ridiculous control scheme i enjoyed the parts in the Arwing, especially the free fly areas where dogfighting takes place. The free fly events in the Arwing are few and far between, with the best part of the game involving a skirmish with Wolf O’Donnell and his crew. The lack of time you spend in the Arwing means your split between the Landmaster, Walker, and the Gyrowing. Unlike previous games, Zero only offers one path through the story so once the 5-6 campaign is over there’s no reason replay it.
If they built a game around the Arwing combat, and reintroduced the multiple paths in the story mode, StarFox could become the game I’ve been craving all these years. I hope they give it another chance, and reboot StarFox properly.
Platform: Wii U
Date Completed: December 17th 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 5h 23m
Rating: 6/10
2016 rank: 10
22. Oxenfree

I’m surprised i enjoyed this game, in terms of a walking simulator it's probably one of my favorites.
I enjoyed the characters, if a little un-relatable for me. Both the art and music looked and sounded good respectively. The paranormal ghost story was cool but i felt they didn't do enough with it, leaving me feeling unfulfilled when it ended.
When the game was finished i was left a little disappointed, i wanted to play more of a game, or make my choices feel like they make a big difference in the paths the story took. I'm interested in the next game they make but this one just wasn't quite where i wanted it to be.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: November 16th 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 3h 21m
Rating: 6/10
2016 rank: 11
23. Unravel

Platform: PC
Date Completed: 16th February 2018
Time Taken to Beat: 6h 51m
Rating: 6/10
2016 rank: 14
24. Gears of War 4

I think may be the last Gears of War I’ll play. I enjoyed the original trilogy, but was never overly taken with the bullet spongy gameplay or brown/grey tone aesthetic they chose. However I was willing to give the new iteration a chance, hoping they'd take some chances with the characters and gameplay, sadly they stuck to the same formula that'd served them so well thus far.
The new characters are all the most clichéd cookie cutter characters they could've created, JD, it’s like they tried to copy Nathan Drake's personality of quipping but it just feels awkward in the Gears environment, and to be honest the rest of the characters don’t hold their own either. None hold a candle to the characters in the initial trilogy, luckily they reprise their roles at some points in the campaign. The gameplay is more of the same, which is fairly enjoyable. Being able to saw your enemies in half never gets old, but i always feel cheated when you're head shooting an enemy over and over and it feels like you're doing no more damage than shots on other parts. The enemies also seem really stupid, they will never finish you off on the ground so a teammate can always recover you, so death is never really a threat.
If the next two games follow in the same vain, I can't see myself playing them. Playing another trilogy but with less likeable characters, and the exact same combat system. No thank you, I’d take Gears of War 1 anyday.
Platform: Xbox One
Date Completed: 12th December 2016
Time Taken to Beat: N/A
Rating: 5/10
2016 rank: 12
25. No Man's Sky

I fell for the facade. I got sold on No Man's Sky from the E3 trailer and Sean Murray's lies, i feel stupid admitting it but i also preordered the Explorers Edition for a stupid amount of money.
The game itself is ok, nothing more, if all the hype hadn't been surrounding i probably wouldn't have purchased it, especially if it was an Early Access game which i refuse to buy. Early Access is where this game should still be, lots of ideas that don't have the execution you'd expect from a finished product. I had a modicum amount of fun with the game for about 10 hours but i never felt i needed to go back,
I’d seen everything this game offered within those 10 hours, the endless universe was indeed vast but when the gameplay is this shallow and variety so narrow I can't willingly continue playing it.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: N/A
Time Taken to Beat: 9h
Rating: 5/10
2016 rank: 13
26. Republique

Republique became a game i started resenting as i played it.
That's such a shame because the original concept of stealth via controlling cameras is a good one, after a while though the repetition of the game began to wane, by the end of episode 3 i needed something to keep me intrigued, i was not expecting them to lose everything the initial 3 episodes had set in place. Episode 4-5 were utter rubbish, the gameplay fell apart and the plot went AWOL.
A game which showed such promise, lost it's magic, and became nothing more than mediocre.
Platform: PS4
Date Completed: 11th August 2016
Time Taken to Beat: 10h 38m
Rating: 5/10
2016 rank: 14
27. Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You

Orwell Is probably the most fun I’ve had with a text based game….. that still just doesn’t push it past the ok barrier. I didn’t find it very provoking or game changing as I’ve read a million books with similar themes that put me in the characters chair better than Orwell tries to do by putting you in the investigators chair.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 26th February 2018
Time Taken to Beat: 12h 08m
Rating: 5/10
2018 rank:
28. The Last Guardian

Platform: PS4
Date Completed: 2nd June 2018
Time Taken to Beat: 10h 48m
Rating: 4/10
29. Superhot

Platform: PC
Date Completed: 25th September 2018
Time Taken to Beat: 2h 18m
Rating: 2 Stars
2016 rank: N/A
30. Maize

Platform: PC
Date Completed: 18th January 2018
Time Taken to Beat: 3h 38m
Rating: 4/10
2018 rank:
31. Neon Drive

All style but lacking in substance. An Audiosurf/Thumper style game with a synthwave retro feeling, completely my kind of style. I was hoping the music would have been on Drive's level, sadly it all just sounded like commmon synth music without any personality. The gameplay is what it is, move the car/jet in time with the music to avoid incoming barriers until the song completes.
Cool Artwork but with ok music, below mediocre rhythm gameplay, and lacking in gameplay options. There's much better options available for these types of games.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 7th June 2017
Time Taken to Beat: 1h 15m
Rating: 3/10
2016 rank: N/A
2017 rank:
32. Tyranny

Platform: PC
Date Completed: 2018 Retired
Time Taken to Beat: 3h 02m (Retired)
Rating: N/A
2018 rank:
33. Crypt of the NecroDancer

Rogue-likes are just not my forte! I’ve tried multiple times to get into this genre but the feeling of not moving forward quick enough doesn’t give me the reward other games do. Repeatedly having to replay the levels, with them just being slightly different doesn’t appeal to me. Then you combine a rogue-like with a rhythm game, another genre I’ve never got into! This created probably the most infuriating gameplay combination I may have ever played.
Platform: PC
Date Completed: 2017 Retired
Time Taken to Beat: 1h 51m (Retired)
Rating: N/A
2017 rank: