Favorite Games of 2016
I have a lot to say about games this year. I try to stick to a list of 10 for my favorites of 20xx lists like the staff does, but I find it increasingly difficult to do as games just keep getting better and more interesting.
List items
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I was completely immersed in Doom this year and it was fantastic. I read Masters of Doom, played through all episodes of Doom and Doom II, and even played little bit of Doom 3 again. Doom 2016 is such a perfect follow up to the original two Doom games. It preserves everything Carmack, Romero, and the fans liked about Doom games back then. They wanted games to be fast and brutal; And that's exactly what Doom 2016 is. It's amazing a development team could adapt the spirit of old Doom so well in modern and refreshing ways.
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I've played every game in the "Soulsbourne" series, and this entry still finds refreshing ways to refine a familiar formula. The dark, gothic, and haunting environments are fun to explore and look at. These ominous scenes and environments are used in similar ways to previous entries in the series; Clues as to what might have come before, or a glimpse of what might be. I found myself watching youtube videos examining the lore, items, and environments - trying to make sense of this twisted fiction. I very much enjoy how the Souls games have this cryptic nature, it's compelling and mysterious - gameplay and story wise, and they don't really make games like that anymore.
This entry plays smoother than ever. And there are tons of new ways to play some of the familiar archetypes. I constantly found myself experimenting with new builds and weapons. This game feels like a greatest hits of the previous two Souls games in that regard. The invasion system in this iteration is maybe not as good as previous entries, but I still dumped hours of time into it and enjoyed all the quirky situations that could arise during invasions. I'll definitely be back for the DLC's.
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I liked this game and played it way more than I had believed I would. The 90s PC shooter like aesthetic is quite charming. The dirty, ugly sounds emanating from the enemies as you're chased around the arena filled me with adrenaline and dread. That feel when the game informs you that you've just set a new personal high is one of accomplishment, but also thinking, just let me last a little longer, don't fuck this up! On top of all that, the game was amazingly addictive. It really was my "just one more round" game. I would stay up playing round after round trying to improve my time. I can see myself coming back to this game for a long time. It's five bucks, maybe try it for yourself if the nostalgic art style and it's challenge intrigue you.
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I probably spent more time thinking about what The Witness is about, reading interpretations of the game, and listening to Johnathan Blow talk about The Witness and philosophy more than I did actually spend time playing The Witness - which I loved. I really like games that drive me to look for meaning in them. I like it when games like this consume my thoughts and make me think about something beyond the game itself. It's a fascinating game with a lot of things to say. What a wonderful and rich experience The Witness is.
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I platinumed this game - I just wanted more of it. I loved every build I played on all three playthroughs. The game is all the parts of Dark Souls I loved, but with it's own distinct style and personality.
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Furi feels like a combination of so many things I enjoy and have enjoyed from other games. It has the bullet hell play I love from some of my favorite shmups, the snappy mechanics of a Souls game, story telling that reminded me of Surge's Afro Samurai, the water color painting like worlds reminiscent of Ignition's El Shaddai. And like Shadow of the Colossus, it's a game that presents to you only what is essential - meaning a world that is fun to look at on your way to the next great boss fight without any artificial padding to distract, that in combination with it's fantastic 80s'ish synth soundtrack, adds a lot of weight to every word and encounter. There isn't anything about this game I don't enjoy.
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In my opinion, the best and most memorable story in the series.
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An absolute joy to play. So smooth. Everything just goes.
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I remember backing this game and then completely forgetting about it until I received an email with my game code. It was such a delightful surprise to play through this year. The art, music, lore, and world all make this a strangely soothing experience, despite its, at times, challenging difficulty.
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This game plays really well, runs well, feels good, and didn't have any of the server issues that has plagued some previous entries in the series. The team behind BF1 is constantly trying to balance the game, which is appreciated.
However rather than stick with BF1, the game peaked my curiosity for BF4 or Bad Company 2 again. While the setting of BF1 is much different for the series overall than the two BF entries I mentioned and I actually like the WWI setting, after many hours your sort of run up against the limitations this time period is working with. I just didn't feel like I had enough customization options to keep playing the same maps and game modes in new ways. And speaking of maps, I did not feel like the game had a deep enough map pool to keep my interest as long as some of the previous entries.
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I came to this game later in the year. I picked it up on a steam sale along with the season pass for $45. Maybe I missed all of the complaints people had with this game at launch, but I have so far enjoyed my time with this game a lot.
The game is absolutely gorgeous to look at. I like all of the paths and back alleys you can go through. Their recreation of New York is interesting to look at, play in, and traverse - things I consider very important in these types of MMO-esque experiences. The way the guns handle in this game feel fantastic. The game also sufficiently satisfies my loot lust. I know people are still mixed on this game, but I can see myself playing this game for a while longer, or at least until Destiny 2 hits PC.
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This is exactly the type of horror I like, psychological, non gory, dread inducing, and tragic. It's a good type of one of those types of games. If you're into that type of thing.
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It was a shame to see such a beautiful game held back by poor controls and camera. With that said, I still really enjoyed my time with this game. The journey you go on with Trico is wonderful and heart wrenching. If you're a big fan of Shadow of the Colossus and Ico like I am, by all means, play this game.
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It was a pretty neat Gears game.
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Jumpin' around and shit.
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I really like the core of what's here, but Capcom missed the mark by shipping this with a limited feature set for $60, as well as numerous issues. The game shipped without it's story mode, the in-game shop did not work for months, it shipped with limited fight stick support on PC, and as of the latest patch I'm not getting sound anymore. I really want to get back into Street Fighter, but they are making it hard for me to care at this point.
With that said, I had a good time with my friends all huddled around a monitor passing fight sticks back and forth, waiting for next. In any other context though, I don't want to play this game in its current state. I hope that changes.
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