Susan's 2016 GOTY List!

This year has been very busy for me (graduated, got a job, moved out!!) and yet somehow I managed to make time for games. I think when you look at my list, you will get an idea of what kind of games I gravitate towards (?)

Give me a few days to post my 2016 Top K-Pop Songs List! I'm very excited about it!

10. Owlboy

This was a relatively recent purchase but it surprised me how much I ended up enjoying it. A strong narrative is important to me and the game starts off with a compelling premise and beautiful environments. The game mechanics are a ton of fun and allow the player to pick up others and use their abilities. The idea that the main character isn't perfect or a tabula rasa yet combines the strengths of his friends to make a better team is beautiful in itself. Despite getting this game not very long ago, I can't wait to play more!

9. Stardew Valley

When I first heard about this game, I was completely sold - a farming game that lets you manage your pixel land (my dream)!! Offering that and much more, Stardew Valley is chock-full of things to do (including managing relationships with the townspeople and getting to know them and help them with things too).

8. Hyper Light Drifter

This was another relatively recent purchase but I have already played quite a bit of it - it is just that engaging. It is a beautiful pixel action adventure RPG that many people compare it to Zelda (which is a fair comparison) but with a whole different set of mechanics.

One criticism I do have is that while the game tries to be self explanatory and expects you to put "two and two together" (there's pretty much zero text or explanation in-game), it ends up just feeling very enigmatic and confusing at some parts.

7. Tricky Towers

Okay, imagine Tetris but with real world physics. Add zany magical sabotages and advantages and you have a super fun versus multiplayer. Tricky Towers is basically "can you stack all these pieces as high as you can go without tipping over, and oh, by the way, here's some high winds coming your way and your friend just sent you a gigantic Tetris piece you have to use". Not only that, there are levels where you must careful insert pieces like a Jenga block, survival modes where it's an all out war between your friends, and much more. Overall, this was a very enjoyable casual game to play with friends!

6. Overwatch

I am not the biggest fan of competitive multiplayer FPS games so Overwatch surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. It's straightforward and intuitive enough that any person could learn how to play it after a few games and allows for so much, combat-wise.

Healers are given the same level of recognition as Offense characters are given for kills. There's no big emphasis on dying and killing and the importance lies in the strength of your team.

5. Hitman

When I saw Brad and Dan play this game, I knew I had to play it too. There's just something about an incredibly detailed and responsive open world that allows you endless opportunities to complete an objective. I personally like to take my time and make sure everything is accounted for - and that's totally fine! There's so much room for creativity and different styles of going about accomplishing the tasks at hand. I was at first concerned about the amount of gameplay I'd get out of it and I have been sorely impressed - each map and episode is packed with new ways to kill a target.

4. Overcooked

Goodness, this game is fun. Get you a friend or three and have at it for hours while everyone tries to cooperate and send out a completed dish.

The game is reminiscent of those dime a dozen games like Diner Dash where small tasks must be completed in succession to produce a dish. The fun comes with challenges (icy floors, moving cutting boards, rotating volcanic rocks that contain ingredients...) that require you to communicate effectively with your kitchenmates. It's a ton of twists on a simple formula that make it so engaging and addictive.

Now in my experience, I was able to complete this game in a few hours with a friend and had a blast doing so - the DLC (The Last Morsel) was overpriced for what was provided, but the Christmas DLC was free (and good).

3. Pocket Card Jockey

I actually didn't really know how to play Solitaire before this game (my knowledge on card games in general is really bad) and I was worried that I wouldn't like it very much. After seeing Dan play it, I wanted to give it a shot because I thought the game was very cute and seemed fun enough (and I don't have a lot of games for 3DS)

Pocket Card Jockey combines the fun of Solitaire (adding cards to piles in increasing or decreasing order) while adding a whole set of fun challenges such as moving your horse to the position in the race it likes best, managing its energy, and keeping it happy.

Don't let the cuteness fool you - this is a challenging game. The game berates you for not getting first out of 15 or so competent horses and while it does give you chances to get that first place trophy, there's no real prize for getting second or third, even if it's close!

2. Poly Bridge

Technically I started playing this game in Early Access in 2015 but it was officially released in 2016 when I continued to play it even more.

Poly Bridge is considered a building game but I feel it's more of a puzzle than anything else. With only a certain amount of materials and capital, you have to get a vehicle (or two) from Point A to Point B. The "bridge" in Poly Bridge is sometimes used loosely - there are some pretty creative solutions to completing that objective.

What the game succeeds in is not guiding you to a solution but giving you all the tools to mess with, tinker, and play with everything you have to solve it. You're able to simulate and test your solution, see where the tension in your bridge lies, and keep trying over and over again until you get it.

One of the issues I had in Early Access was that, in a game where you are building and rebuilding, some of the controls/mechanics should be more intuitive and fluid. A lot of these issues are addressed in the official release and really make it a great casual game to play.

1. Pokemon Sun & Moon

If you know me, you know this was the game I anticipated most this year. As a Pokemon die–hard who has owned and played all the main Gameboy/DS/3DS games since Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow, I have some thoughts on the series and I'd like to share them with you.

There have been many generations of Pokemon, each having things that were both great and not so great about them. I'll skip Gen I (Red/Blue/Yellow), Gen II (Gold/Silver/Crystal)*, Gen III (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald)**, and Gen IV (Diamond/Pearl/Platinum)** and focus on the last three generations.

I personally felt that after Gen IV, the Pokemon games fell into a slump. Gen V (Black/White/BW2) added extremely little to what the previous generation had in place. While having the most new Pokemon introduced, it also had the least imagined or creative new Pokemon. The story was as basic as they come. The new region was flashy but left little lasting power. Gen VI (X/Y/ORAS) had similar problems and fell into the same pitfalls. At some parts it almost felt like a drudgery to complete. The exciting adventure that permeates throughout the Pokemon series fell slightly lost on me.

But I had high hopes for Pokemon Sun and Moon. Perhaps they knew this too, that the previous generations had become generic and this new generation desperately needed a breath of fresh air. So they completely changed the environment. Welcome to the Alola Region.

Pokemon Sun and Moon redeemed itself and the series. What had become formulaic and expected was now evolved, exciting, and completely revitalized. It took what fans loved and players wanted and put a new "Alolan" twist on it. Island Challenges were something that no Pokemon veteran anticipated and gave the game a sense of direction while providing a test of progress and skill. Z Moves were bombastic and like signature wrestling moves for you and your Pokemon. The tired and assumed Pokedex is now a "Rotomdex" - quirky and provides natural feedback on what's going on. And perhaps the most significant and invigorating change - old generation Pokemon with new Alolan forms.

Pokemon GO's success and the marketing for Sun & Moon brought in players who haven't played the games since maybe Gen I or Gen II and made allowances for them too, such as displaying move type effectiveness against a foe.

Sun & Moon underlined the importance of bonds between you and your Pokemon. One of the most subtle yet important additions was the ability to groom your Pokemon immediately after a battle. It makes sense too - your dear Pokemon has just duked it out with you, probably got hurt and is a little dirty. There's a sense of almost pet ownership when you tend to them personally and clean and groom them. There's a feeling of pride when your Pokemon avoids an attack just because they love you and want to impress you. The time you spend feeding and caring for your Pokemon directly translates into positive actions. In my opinion, this is just the thing that the series needs to move forward with as it changes - reinforcing the bond with your Pokemon and making interactions like this more unique and fulfilling.

Overall, Pokemon Sun and Moon has become my new favorite generation. Why? It takes the best elements of Pokemon and makes it something even better. When a long running franchise is able to do this, it only makes me wonder what other new exciting things await in the next generation.

* Gen II and Gen III are probably my most favorite generations after this one.

** Included with Gen II and Gen II are the remakes: FireRed/LeafGreen and HeartGold/SoulSilver, respectively.