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FakeKisser

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Fakey's 2016 Games of the Year

My list contains games I played this year, regardless of the year they came out.

The big theme for this year, for me, was a lot of good but not great games. I had some big complaints about every game I played. So, reflecting on the year, it was an okay year in gaming for me, but I walked away from games a couple times during the year, simply because I didn't feel the same draw to the hobby, mostly due to the games I was playing.

Honorable Mentions

Lumino City

I was a big fan of Lume, and I was very excited to see what that team would do with a full game release. However, I just felt like Lumino City went on a little too long, and a couple of the puzzles were rather frustrating - I finally had to go to a guide for one, which I hate to do... I can't call it a disappointment, because I still liked the game, but I just felt that if it was a bit tighter, it would have been much better and made it into my Top 10.

Quantum Break

I held out for the PC release, and I didn't expect much. I wasn't going to even buy it at (PC) release, except I wanted the "collector's edition" they put out, and I got it for 20% off on Amazon. In any case, I was in the mood for a heavily-cinematic experience, and it was a fun ride. It definitely was frustrating in parts and was mostly the same gameplay over and over (I had the same complaint with Alan Wake), but I'm glad I did play it.

Rain

Of course, this is quite an old game, but I finally got around to playing it this year. I was excited pre-release, but I read the reviews and was too disappointed with those to actually play the game. I was pleasantly surprised, though. The reviews were correct...it wasn't as good as I had hoped, but it was still a nice experience.

Thomas was Alone

A great little game that deserves the attention it got, but I think I played it too late and the hype built it up too much. While I liked it, I didn't REALLY like it.

Biggest Disappointments

Abzu

I know so many people will disagree with this, but I was very disappointed with Abzu. It felt confining and "small" in a way Journey NEVER did. And I know that's not a fair connection to make, but it's the one many people made, and I just never felt the full mystery of "the deep" I wanted, the scale of the whales and giant squid I wanted, the vastness of the ocean I wanted, and, by the end, I was happy for it to be over - which is always a bad way for me to leave a game.

Contradiction: Spot the Liar!

It is odd to say Contradiction was a disappointment, because I know that many people liked it as more of a "tongue-in-cheek" experience. However, my wife and I really went into it with a love of adventure and puzzle games. While there were great and funny things about it that we loved, there were too many puzzles that didn't make sense, even after we knew the "solution," and it went on too long, in my opinion (and my wife's).

The Witness

I still have only played 4-5 hours of The Witness... I feel very, very, very much like Vinny (listen to Day One of the 2016 GOTY Deliberations), because this seems like a game that should be for me, but it just hasn't grabbed me at all. The puzzles aren't satisfying after I solve them, there are no story hooks to grab me, and the landscape is pretty but not something that enthralls me.

New Games that I didn't get to (but could have been contenders)

Dishonored 2

I really loved the first Dishonored, and while I could have waited another year for a sequel, I really want to play the second game. However, I couldn't get to it right away, and the PC tech issues just made me uninstall it until I can get to it in January.

DOOM

I had no interest in this game until Brad and others raved about it on the Bombcast. I am not into "horror" or anything related to scares, especially jump-scares. From what I've heard, though, DOOM is more sophisticated than that and worth me jumping into it.

Mafia III

I'm one of the people that really liked Mafia, even though I played it several years after it came out, and I also enjoyed Mafia II, even though I understand why others didn't. I even wanted to play through all the Mafia II DLC, until I found out some of it was really, really bad. In any case, I was excited after hearing some of the positive preview coverage and some of the things said on the Beastcast and Bombcast. However, I just haven't gotten around to playing it, yet.

Mirror's Edge: Catalyst

I played the "beta" for this game, and I enjoyed it, so I pre-ordered it... However, I was too busy at release to play it. So, like so many other games, it got pushed down the list...

And my Games of the Year!!:

List items

  • I almost can't believe this is my #1 game of 2016. I obviously loved it, but it seems odd, because I did have some complaints about the ending and, even though it isn't really fair to say about an indie game..., the restricted gameplay options and paths. I also almost always felt like I had missed something, because I felt like I was missing some secret path or something.

  • I loved the last Tomb Raider game (the reboot), and the only reason this isn't my #1 this year is because it just didn't hit me as hard as the first one, since this wasn't as "fresh" to me. However, I still loved the experience and will be very excited to play another in a couple years. :D

  • Cradle definitely has issues (the end was too overly-dramatic to me), but I loved the world, and the way the story was presented. I would love a sequel, but it's definitely a franchise where I'd want a completely different part of the world, different character not at all related to the one of the last game, et cetera.

  • HLD was almost too hard for me (I'm not really into punishing games). However, I was able to beat it, and I felt great about it. I really love the style of the game, and the Fez-like mysterious, "compelled-to-explore" quality to it. My biggest disappointment was that it didn't go deeper. I didn't need it to be as deep as Fez, but I would have liked for it to have another layer to it. Instead, I felt odd when I finished it and didn't feel like there was much reason for me to keep playing.

  • What a tough game to play, especially a dad...especially a dad who has a son that had to have heart surgery at 6 months... I'm so glad this game exists, though, and I'm glad I played it. It will stick with me for a long time, if not forever, in some way.

  • I built a computer for Watch Dogs (1). I still feel ripped off by that. I could have waited until The Witcher 3 came out and built a better computer (it would have had a better CPU and GPU after just that short period of time). In any case, I was SUPER shocked to hear WD2 was actually a good game. So, I pre-ordered it just a couple days before the PC release, and I'm still wrapping it up while having some good times.

  • I'm a huge fan of the Deus Ex series. I went back and played through all the games a few years ago, including the second game, which most people don't like. I found it fun enough... In any case, I really liked Human Revolution, and I "liked" Manking Divided, but it just wasn't great. Nothing really impressed me so much that I always felt the need to play it and go back to it. I didn't get that itch like I currently still have with WD2 (despite the latter having many problems of its own).

  • I wasn't always 100% invested in the story while playing Oxenfree, but I really liked the style of the game and the premise. I also liked the ending quite a bit, which is a stand-out from many games on this list...

  • I was so excited to see this game come out on PC. I was bummed when I thought it was only going to be on PS4. I thought the game went on too long for such little "gameplay," but I really enjoyed the beauty of the village, and the story bits.

  • Inside was so great, until the ending. :) Also, while I really loved the art and the story premise, it didn't hit me as hard or leave as lasting of an impression as the other games on this list.
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