by teknodwarf
For many people, 2016 was a real shit show. Famous celebrities died one after another. Trump was elected as president of the United States, and several prominent AKB48 Group Members graduated or announced their graduation. That last one may not actually pertain to many people, BUT IT DOES TO ME! That said, 2016 was a kickass year for games. Here is my Top 10 Games of 2016 List.
Showing 1-10 of 10 items
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE combines two of my favorite things in life: Japanese Role-Playing Games and Japanese Pop Idol Culture. Knowing this much about me, it's a no-brainer that this game takes my top spot. While I did put in a couple dozen hours into Persona 5 this year, I decided to wait for the localized version to better evaluate it. Spoiler alert: 2017 is going to be the year of Persona 5. Also, while I harshly criticized it in my review, I've come around on the realization that I am Barry Goodman despite how much I hate to admit it.
Doom is what every cool shooter dreams of being. As someone who normally isn't into shooters, Doom got me with its badass combat system and style. I said it before but I've never felt more badass in any other game ever.
Pocketcard Jockey is the one handheld game I put the most hours into this year that isn't Pokémon GO. The latter being something I refuse to put on the list out of spite. That said, the premise of combining horse racing and solitaire sounds like the quintessential hobby of an 80-year-old chain smoking Japanese man who frequents pachinko parlors. However it's surprisingly fun and unbelievably addicting.
Overwatch is this year's Splatoon. I say this in the sense that it's a competitive shooter that has plenty of casual hooks to welcome players of any skill level. I originally wasn't sold on it until I gave the free weekend a shot and played it with some friends. After that, I was hooked. Oh, and Mercy is my waifu.
Uncharted 4 continues the series' tradition of throwing Nathan Drake into numerous "holy shit" moments: Pulling off an elaborate heist, escaping from a crumbling clock tower, engaging in a high-speed downhill pursuit, the list goes on. I also really appreciated the improvements to combat and stealth in the game and glad to see closure for the series.
Last year, Bloodborne ended up being one of my favorite games of the year despite my ambivalence with the Souls series. This year, hearing they incorporated some of the Bloodborne techniques into combat, I gave this title a try and enjoyed it as well. Beating the bosses is incredibly rewarding and I still have nightmares about the horrorish enemies in the prison.
Inside is a game that gets more and more unsettling the longer you play it. It starts with the mind-controlled dummies, grows with the terrifying underwater creature that strangles you, and reaches peak creepiness with its conclusion. While I thought Limbo was cool but overrated, while Inside is an improvement in every way.
2016 saw the release of not one but two fully-featured Final Fantasy titles. I decided to put my efforts towards the spinoff as I'm a bigger fan of fan service than an original entry that took 10 years to make. I really liked the chibi art style of the characters despite not using them for most of the game as the Jiant forms gave me better combat options. I also really liked how they brought characters to life from all of the games that haven't been in the Dissidia or other series. In other words, I really liked seeing my man King Edgar.
Jackbox 3 blows last year's pack out of the water. I'd argue that just about every game in this pack is solid. My personal favorite being Tee K.O. as it combines crappy Drawful skills with the entertaining one-liners of Quiplash to make super hilarious combinations. The best part is you can buy and wear your creations in real-life for $18. I will admit this game was played daily during the holidays and so this game is the freshest in my mind on this list.
Overcooked was a late entry that managed to find its way into my heart. It brought me back to the days of being a short order cook at Wendy's 10 years ago. And this was confirmed when I played co-op with my buddy and former Wendy's co-worker, Tyler. I really liked how each level presented its own puzzle and it was up to my team to figure out the most efficient way to get orders out. And of course we were always moments away from things getting out of control.
