The year of 2016 was a fantastic year for video games. I was completely surprised at how many games I played and enjoyed this year. I was so surprised that I could not limit this list to only 10 games like I usually do, however, that's not a bad thing in any way. Without further ado, these are the best games of 2016 - this was one of the best years ever for video games.
Hitman was always going to be my Game of the Year. Ever since I first played it, it was impossible to put it down, or even stop talking about it. I put over 100 hours in the game and only managed to fully complete 4 of the 7 maps. Hours, or time played, is not a signifier of a good game, but in this case it was a beautiful addiction.
Hitman is one of the most intricate, open-ended, and rewarding non turn-based strategy games I have ever played. Each level is immediately daunting and overwhelming to the point where it takes considerable patience and persistence to complete it. After a couple of runs, the level becomes its own little self-contained story filled with brilliant moments that stick with you for a long while.
This is a stealth game - one that has revitalized stealth games and helped me appreciate so many stealth games that came out this year. It's not just a stealth game, though. Hitman is also an action game, and a strategy/planning game. Agent 47 can use so many tools to complete his missions, and every one of them feels somewhat viable. It really is rewarding in the sense that it never feels overly punishing, nor does it take itself too seriously. Dropping a chandelier or dressing up as Santa Claus to take out targets feels just as rewarding as the most silent assassination.
Hitman is a world of assassination. Hitman is the best stealth game of 2016. Hitman is the best game of 2016. Play Hitman. Hitman, Hitman, Hitman.
I cannot describe how unrelenting and captivating DOOM is without sounding pretentious. It's a game that everyone who likes first-person shooters should play. The characters, music, gunplay, and enemies are all so completely captivating. DOOM is a game that is difficult to put down, because of how fluid it feels. When it was first announced, it was hard to imagine how the glory kills could contribute to a fast-paced shooter like DOOM, but they only enhance the gameplay. Each encounter becomes the perfect blend of precision, gore, and puzzle-like elements than any shooter I have played before.
I cannot talk about how good this game is. It needs to be played. The demons must be eliminated.
Telltale told a story about Batman as a character more than they told one about Batman being Batman. Most people will tell you that Bruce Wayne is the Batman, but also only be able to list his main character flaw being that his parents die. The problem is that Bruce Wayne has many more sides to his character than that, but Telltale brilliantly brings all of that to the light.
Bruce Wayne is the face of a company, he is a billionaire playboy, he is a traumatized person who lost his family, he is also discovering more things about his family after their death, and ultimately he wants to make the world a better place. He is a 3-dimensional character who is almost never represented well in video games. Telltale games offer the opportunity for characters like Bruce Wayne to finally reveal themselves in video game form. Oh, and he is also Batman.
I believe that's the theme of Telltale's Batman game - He is also Batman. Bruce Wayne is a character who becomes Batman when he needs to. Batman is another side of Bruce Wayne that can do things that he normally cannot. It is not a super powered suit that a lot of portrayals of Batman lead people to believe. Batman breaks bones and has his own bones broken. He gets hurt and has to stop being Batman for a while.
Besides the plot and the characters, the game looks fantastic in the comic book art style it presents its characters in. I really enjoyed this game. I enjoyed it despite it's many technical flaws which Telltale cannot seem to eliminate. This is definitely the third best game of 2016.
Inside is a game that I put off playing because everyone said it was amazing, just like Limbo. I liked Limbo, but it did not blow my hair back like I was led to believe. Inside feels like the real Limbo that Limbo was trying to be.
Inside has more atmosphere than any game I have ever played. Everything in this game feels so complete and yet there is always more to interpret. It honestly is the closest that a game has come to a haunting art piece than anything before it. The puzzles are a great way to inject the player in a world that is full of discovery and unsolvable mystery.
I played Inside always wondering what was happening, and also what was going to happen immediately after - in the most positive way possible. When people don't want to talk about what happens in the game, it's because they don't want to rob people of what it's like to play Inside.
Furi was released on the Xbox One in 2016, and I had been wanting to play it since way earlier in the year (since the quick look). It just looked and sounded so stylish that it caught my eyes instantaneously. What I did not know is how cool it would make me feel while playing it.
Furi's gameplay is outstanding in that it responds to what you do when you do it. Not only that, but Furi gives you all of the tools that you need from the very beginning. There are demanding, timing-precise moments that require nothing more than your knowledge of a few mechanics and skill. There is not long-winded leveling system that gates you from certain abilities or enemies. Furi pits you against several bosses, and it's your job to kill them all.
This game absolutely has the best catchy soundtrack since Hotline Miami. I actually enjoyed the story as well given how vague it is throughout the course of the game. Furi is a neat game that I completely enjoyed and is only not higher on my list due to some of the technical issues it suffered from.
The Naruto games have always been favorite games of mine. I really enjoy the show, but less so as it had become ripe with filler and dragged itself like a big, dead corpse. I apologize for being so grim and negative, but that only enhances my stance of this game being one of the best games of 2016. This game is so incredibly stylish even for an anime game whose genre is almost always weird and quirky. The art in this game is so colorful and creative that watching the anime on television later feels like you've been robbed.
Art aside, the gameplay is better than it has ever been. The combat has always been good, but it has also always strived for balance that it could never really find. This year, it has found it and it feels great. There are so many characters in the game, and with the character swapping, it feels so good and cool in every battle. I always ended up playing this game more than I meant to in any given session, because it's so fun. The combat is simple, but there is enough nuisance to keep me going for a long time. This is, surprisingly and unsurprisingly, my favorite fighting game of 2016 and one of the best games of the year.
It seems that I enjoyed Quantum Break more than most. I like stories that revolve around time travel. I don't think that any single story is ever told well enough where there are no plot holes, but it is incredibly difficult and borderline impossible. With that said, Quantum Break is an action movie that has time travel and television show quirks. The plot and characters are likeable and created to fit an action videogame and I really enjoyed this game. The combat remains fun the whole way through and never overstays its welcome. I do wish there was more combat, but I was satisfied with it at the end of it and I wanted to play it to completion without ever stopping.
Arkane Studios has finally convinced me that Dishonored is a worthy spiritual successor to Thief. The newest Thief game had a lot of issues, and these are issues that Dishonored 2 does not have, and even excels at. The level design in Dishonored 2 is the absolute best I have seen this year. Each mission has a beginning and an end, but Arkane provides many options and paths to reach that end. I always appreciate when stealth games allow for Ghost, or nonlethal playthroughs, and Dishonored 2 does this well. I am looking forward to playing through the original again and giving it another chance.
Overwatch is a game that I struggled to come to terms with this year. I could not deny that there were elements of it that I enjoyed - characters and positive stat tracking. I did, however, get in the way of my own fun by letting winning become my number one priority. Overwatch is a fun game when you let it overwhelm you with what it does well and enjoy the ride. That is to say, I do not take it too seriously.
I am delighted that I turned the corner on my own frustrations with the game, and have allowed myself to enjoy the game for what it does well. There are so many compelling classes and characters in overwatch, and Blizzard has done a great job balancing the game post-release. I was excited to see an option to 'group up' after matches and see more opportunities to earn more loot boxes. If Blizzard can fix my previous issues I had, then I am confident that they will support the game for years to come. I am excited to be excited to play Overwatch. Somehow it turned into one of my favorite shooters this year.
P.S. "I AM A ONE-MAN APOCALYPSE"
Final Fantasy is back! This game is everything that Final Fantasy XIII was not. Although XIII was somewhat saved by XIII-2 and Lightning Returns, I was forever soured because of its convoluted world, cardboard characters, and annoying dialog. Final Fantasy XV has a simple story, memorable characters, and combat that is so fun to engage with!
Final Fantasy XV's combat is so much fun. It sounds weird, because XIII's combat was so boring. I have laughed so many times at what the characters have said, and I genuinely find them endearing. I had been wanting to play Final Fantasy XV since I first saw the combat, and it did not disappoint. This game is fantastic and I look forward to playing more of it.
Any excuse to put this game on my game of the year list is fine by me. This is one of my, if not my all time, favorite multiplayer shooters of all time. Call it nostalgia or whatever, but I would've rather have played this game on xbox 360 than any other shooter. Now with the remake, I can play this game again for the first time... again! The multiplayer is the same, but also new again. I really, really, REALLY enjoy playing this game and I don't think this will ever change.
Any game that follows the format of the masterpiece that is Fire Emblem Awakening is an automatic favorite of mine. Fire Emblem Fates is maybe not as incredible as Fire Emblem Awakening, but it is still a compelling and gameplay rich strategy game. Fire Emblem did not originally sit well with me with how difficult the games used to be, but with Awakening and now Fates, I am definitely a huge fan of this series.
