Here are my top picks from the 2016 games I played this year. My criteria is simply what I remember liking the best. Ranks #5-12 were all close for me, but I’m happy with this order.
This year’s honorable mentions are Oxenfree and Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak.
This year, instead of a separate ranked list including older games I’ll list some of my favorite pre-2016 games here. Those are:
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I had just wrapped up Fire Emblem: Awakening, an amazing entry in the franchise, this year before starting Fates. Conquest in particular offers a challenging campaign for fans of the gameplay. My playthrough on lunatic was intense. Fates' setting is also really cool. (Its storytelling... not so much.)
XCOM 2 probably grabbed me in a way Enemy Unknown grabbed most fans of the reboot. (Like Fates) I played more than one campaign and learning, adapting, customizing and executing were exciting. I also liked the storytelling they added to the campaign.
Titanfall 2's single-player campaign is snappy and fun, both gameplay and story-wise. It's multiplayer is also a nice refinement on Titanfall's relatively fresh take on the genre.
#FE's charm and humor repeatedly won me over. The look, music, voice acting and gameplay were all solid as well (and the Fire Emblem skin is a nice touch, if mostly cosmetic).
A cool fantasy setting and story with a lot of decision points. The gameplay is in a familiar style, but it's still fun.
The dungeon-crawling and combat mechanics feel tightly balanced. I enjoyed the gameplay quite a bit, although the repetition and lackluster progression wear it out.
Polished and fun (as one might expect from a Blizzard game). Having a dedicated team would be really cool in this kind of game.
Chasing around commodity prices in this market sim RTS is surprisingly fun. The art style and setting also give it charm that works.
