I don't spend nearly as much time on this website as I used to - but doing up my list on here has become a bit of a tradition among friends.
So - despite having not had the time to play as many games as I have in previous years - let's do this.
This game is a few years old now but it gave me something to sink my time and mind into when I was in a bit of a dark headspace.
Yes, it's just more Fallout. But this year was just the right time for that kind of post-apocalyptic goodness. It was one of the few big STORY games that I sunk time into this year and I came away super happy with it. The settlement stuff may be a bit arcane - but it keeps me wanting to come back to the game to just tinker with it a little more.
FINALLY, someone has made the Civilization clone with a fantasy-edge I've always wanted. I spent a lot of time with this early in the year and dread the thought of those DLC expansions drawing me back in.
Life is Strange ended up being one of the most talked about, and original gaming experiences of the year for me. It was not at all what I was expecting - but it was super refreshing. I hope more companies look at tackling the Telltale style of adventure game.
Like many, the marketing campaign for Evolve (and the price of it) turned me off the game in the lead-up to its release. However, I grabbed it on the cheap towards the end of the year and have found it to be one of the most satisfying co-op experiences I've played in years. Turtle Rock have nailed the sci-fi horror aesthetic and there's a dynamism to the rhythm of hunting monsters in Evolve that keeps me coming back to it - and encourages me to try and recruit others to play.
Following on from my early adventures with Danganrompa last year, I got into the Zero Escape series and didn't look back. ARGH. So good! Gimme that third game already.
Time will tell if Hotline Miami 2 holds up to repeat playthroughs in the same way as the original but for now it remains a stellar highlight of my gaming year.
I got a lot of mileage out of Heroes of the Storm this year. It's a MOBA that strips out a lot of the fat and filler that makes other MOBAs such a struggle and, as always, Blizzard's slick presentation makes jumping into the game a quick and easy experience that I struggled to find with other MOBAs.
A combination of Hearthstone and Civilization. I Kickstarted this game and am 100% satisfied with the results.
There were plenty of episodic adventure games to go around this year but SWERY's 'time-travelling detective with a dark past and a head of gold simulator' is well worth your time - brief as it is.
