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Let’s put it simply: Hitman is video games.
The appeal of Hitman can only be achieved through the avenue of playing it like a game. Every mission gives the player a loose goal of assassinating targets but between the mission’s start and end lies a world of possibilities.
This is a game that proved its depth by releasing one map at a time and expecting players to replay it over and over until the next one came out. Through the game’s smartly designed challenges and escalations, the same map can produce results that are tense, satisfying, hilarious or outright terrifying.
It’s no secret that I’ve been a Hitman fanboy for a while now, having previously called Blood Money one of the best games of all-time. But where the new game shines is its ability to hook in players who are skittish about experimentation. The various opportunities lend a guiding hand to the madness, but the forgiving unpredictability of Hitman ensures no two runs are exactly the same. Even in the biggest failures players are always given an option to adapt, salvage their gains and cut their losses. Every moment spent tripping your way through a clumsy execution feeds into your general knowledge for the game’s systems and routes. Eventually you experience another level of satisfaction when you successfully complete the game’s more difficult goals like Silent Assassin.
This is a video game that relies entirely on its mechanics and the opportunities given to the player. This is a video game that gives enough direction to aim players toward the fun of it, but all the memorable moments are made completely by the player.
That is video games. The industry has never been better. For 2016, Hitman was the best.
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It’s a mystery that From Software didn’t cash in on the Souls series sooner. Through Demon Souls, Dark Souls and Bloodborne, Hidetaki Miyazaki has felt the need to put a new spin on his beloved franchise for one reason or another. Dark Souls III may be the first true incremental improvement for the series and the result is magnificent. I won’t lie and say I’ve ever understood the Souls’ storyline, but running into familiar faces evoked a sense of nostalgia I didn’t know I had. Despite the dreary tone, I felt at home. Without the barrier of trying to “understand” the game, Dark Souls III offers nothing but constant thrills. With many of the series’ best boss fights hitting back to back, Dark Souls three played like a franchise’s “best of” album and I loved every second of it.
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I’m technically cheating by including Blood and Wine, which is the lengthy expansion released for 2015’s Witcher 3. I personally see Witcher 3 as one of the best games ever, although I didn’t truly sink my teeth into it until earlier this year. Which isn’t to say this is a backdoor entry for a year-old game. Blood and Wine stands on its own. The colorful adventure through the French-inspired country of Toussaint shows a new side of the Witcher franchise while maintaining what made the original game so good. Wrapped around a murder case that takes place during a tournament, the new crafting, alchemy, Gwent and combat allows equal measures of recreation and rivalries. Blood and Wine is more than a continuation of Geralt’s story, it concludes it. Finding a way to send off one of video game’s most iconic characters just after completing the series’ best political vignette so far. This series’ final addition is a great argument for how downloadable content can still be worthwhile, but I guess it isn’t surprising that the studio that created one of the best games ever made an expansion of equal praise.
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The road to Civilization six has been tumultuous. I originally got into the series around Civilization four and I’ve bit my tongue before criticizing the new generation’s incarnations like Civilization 5 or Civilization Revolution which seemed to be simplifying the series without enhancing it. But this year we got Civilization six -- the sequel that I’ve always wanted. Incorporating the best ideas from the series’ history and replacing antiquated systems with progressive mechanics, Civilization six allowed more freedom to a series that was already a notorious time-sink. With a strong base to work from, it’s easy to imagine this game has kicked off the golden age of Civilization.
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Few games provide an experience like Hearts of Iron. As commander of one of the many nations entrenched in World War II, I found it immensely satisfying to play my part as either a small sub nation at the whims of my stronger allies or as a massive superpower deciding the fate of history. The fourth edition of Hearts of Iron made huge strides toward making the intensely complex mechanics more approachable, and although I won’t say it’s an easy game to get into, the barrier to entry has been lowered substantially. I rarely found victory in my military campaigns, but Hearts of Iron’s ability to allow players to affect the gargantuan simulation of World War II is one of the best experiences offered in video games today.
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Recently I’ve thought that I had grown out of first person shooters. More of them come out every year, but they’ve been less engaging than ever. That is until I played Doom. Id Software’s revitalization of the iconic franchise hits the nail on the head. Adding a select few of new features to liven up the formula while enhancing the series’ favorites in a way that was previously thought impossible. Doom is a milestone for a developer’s ability to inject freshness in a stagnating genre and simply should be played by anyone who’s a fan of first person shooters.
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The original Rollercoaster Tycoon has a special place in my heart. Back when games were a curious interest of mine as opposed to a full blown hobby, my low-grade crappy PC could only play undemanding games like Rollercoaster Tycoon. It’s been an absolute dream to play Planet Coaster, a game nearly identical to my childhood favorite. Building coasters and customizing rides has been just as engaging as balancing finances and achieving challenges. Planet Coaster is a terrific modern recreation of a classic game that proves just how timeless the original design really was.
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Our first bout into the world of Dishonored had many interesting ideas but a few flaws to keep it from greatness. Dishonored 2 embraces the open level design and lightens the mood by encouraging players to stab and shoot their way through the game just as much as hiding in the shadows. Arkane’s level design is masterclass compared to the rest of the industry. A simple gameplay tune up would have brought Dishonored 2 to a far higher quality than its predecessor, but the game’s coherent and personal story is what pushed it over the edge. Unfortunately for PC users like myself, the game was plagued by inexcusable technical glitches that bogged down performance even on momentous rigs. It’s unfortunate that a smattering of technicalities have kept back what is otherwise one of the best games this year.
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I have to admit that I was incredibly harsh on Darkest Dungeon before finally turning a corner and deciding I liked it. Like many rogue likes, Darkest Dungeon isn’t necessarily about beating the game but reducing your failure rate as much as possible. In practice, Darkest Dungeon will likely make you fail 100 percent of the time, but learning how to mitigate that risk to a mere 95 percent failure rate was rewarding. In addition to the thought out gameplay, Darkest Dungeon drips with style. From the narrator’s oppressive bass tone and wide vocabulary to the designs and character traits of your various heroes. This isn’t merely style over substance, it’s a style that’s so substantial it greatly adds to an already quality game.
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Everyone remembers their first Battlefield experience. The chaotic multiplayer of online players scrambling around an enormous map pursuing multiple objectives has simply never been replicated in another video game series. Of course there’s always been the concerns of balance and whether you spend your time fighting on the battlefield or sitting at a load screen after getting sniped across the map. In that regard, Battlefield One doesn’t necessarily reach the grand status of Battlefield 2 or Bad Company 2, but after years of blunders with the previous releases, the World War One themed game was both a return to history and return to form for the iconic franchise. The only reason this game isn’t higher on my list is because of an unfortunate internet situation in my life that barred me from playing this game more than I would’ve liked.
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