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Dixavd

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Shockingly had a lot to say for GOTY despite playing so few games in 2016

2016 has been a terrible year for me: wrapped up in hospital visits, the hassle of missing hospital visits, and the interference my health has had on University. I'm living through a four-pronged attack on my health which doesn't look set to improve soon, and in 2016, it leached so much time and energy away from me. That left me with little time to play games, thus I completed very few, however, they did bring much-needed moments of joy back into my life.

List items

  • Technically it came out in December 2015, but there is no game I played as much of, or had as much fun with this year.

    And guess what? I still haven't progressed far enough to get the mech yet... Maybe it will be on my list again next year when I (hopefully) finish it.

  • I have complex feelings on this game, but ultimately the puzzles are so good, I can't hold the rest of the game back for it. The game truly got under my skin and kept me thinking about it constantly until I beat it (...except the Challenge, which beat me).

    Oddly, this game also wins the award for the game I played which made me scared the most; the lack of music, or many sounds, and the sparse island areas (albeit creepy statues) really left me on edge at times.

    Nevertheless, I do think the game is beautiful. I'm also so impressed that the art-style is informed by the game mechanics such that they omitted a recurring structure you see in the real world, because otherwise it would break the game. When you do see the few instances of it returning, though: God Damn is it awesome

  • The first game in years I got all the achievements in because I absolutely had to keep returning to experience the serene sea-life and underwater beauty. Plus, the music is like an orchestral show urging you to return.

  • I'm only on Chapter 3 - but after playing for 30 hours, I'm happy putting it high on this list (albeit not higher as I've experienced so little into the story).

    I bought a PS4 for this game, and what's struck me is how much I've enjoyed taking screenshots. XV's Photography mechanic with Prompto is a novelty, and mixing them in with my own screenshots has been a true joy. The main cast really speak to me as real characters, and the environment is truly stunning, so the photography beautifully encapsulates both things.

    In fact, this whole game is filled with character from Noctis being a oblivious fishing, Ignis' cooking and Gladiolus, "the only guy who understands priorities", keeping them on track. Cooking, eating, sleeping, fishing, photographing, fighting... the game has it all.

    While rocky to begin with, I now have a handle of the combat and am having a blast exploring and doing quests. I have been enjoying the story too (I even enjoyed Kingsglaive - Nyx was great). Soon I'll head out on the main path and follow through with the main quests, but right now I'm content with just existing in this world.

    P.S. The Soundtrack is fantastic - I really love Yoko Shimomura's take on the Final Fantasy style. That said, car radio and handheld player includes tracks from every numbered Final Fantasy game (including X) which we all automatically makes it the best music in any game ever.

  • This game is an oddity. I had an inkling that a Fire Emblem game would be on my list, but it turns out I didn't even play Fire Emblem Fates (to be fair, I still have more Awakening to go back to if I want my Fire Emblem fix). Instead we have this: a J-Pop heavy, bubbly Shin Megami Tensai game.

    I heard about this game's Japanese release last year and immediately wrote it off, but word of mouth, and Austin's quick look, got me interested enough to give it a shot.

    I am so glad I did - this game is just a good time encapsulated. In terms of JRPG mechanics, and overall style, it's very similar to an alternate-reality Persona game. The characters are silly and fun. The whole game is colourful and joyful - which means a lot when I needed a good dose of joy this year.

    Again I've yet to finish it, but that's not to the game's discredit. This was my summer game that I adored playing even though I lacked the energy to do much at all.

    And even still I have some of the songs stuck in my head. I'm not hugely into J-Pop (my love of the genre is based mostly on how it intertwines with gaming - Utada albums, and some Ayumi Hamisaki songs) but this game nails the J-Pop aesthetic with some great songs to boot.

  • Pokemon meant a lot to me this year: With the 20th anniversary rolling around, my inconsistent love of the series was back in full swing. I started collecting Pokemon cards again (first time since I took a break at Diamond and Pearl - though I began at the base set. I watched the World championships, and got incredibly into the competitive TCG to the point where I entered my first tournament even though I've been solely a collector my whole life.

    In the video games department, the monthly mythical pokemon distributions got me through to the end of Alpha Sapphire, and kept me coming back. The lead up to Sun/Moon was filled with excitement that I couldn't help but follow. That said, on release I didn't have the time to play it (no time outside University and my health all Autumn for games) so Pokemon Moon lay in its box until I was home for the holidays.

    I ended up turning this into an event, so that on Christmas Day, I gave my sister Pokemon Sun and we both started at the same time. Neither of us are very far (I'm furthest having just beaten the Kahuna of Melemele island) but we're both really enjoying it. While the start is sluggish, and some of the music is repetitive, I really enjoy the characters, writing (especially how everyone treats Team Skull as a bunch of dumb kids), combat improvements and story changes.

    My biggest gripe right now is that each route has so many Pokemon on it, I spending hours on each one (exploring, catching, evolving) and I can't choose what team to stick to.

  • The Last Guardian was well-worth the wait. I played the whole thing over a few nights and am left really happy with it overall. On the other hand, there were a couple puzzles that were incredibly frustrating because I new knew whether an issue was my own incompetence at figuring out the solution, or if adorable Trico just needed a little more time.

    I should say, that ultimately I don't think the biggest problem with the game is Trico's temperamental attitude. Nor do I believe it is the controls or camera. Ultimately, I think it is the environmental designer's inability to usefully sign-post the places the player should be heading or can interact with. The majority of my deaths were due to actions I took trying to grab on ledges that were actually just textures. The game is beautiful, and evokes the ICO art-style the best it has ever been, but some restraint (or the use of more symbolic colour) could have lead to clearer levels. In the end, Trico is only annoying when the game is ambiguous on whether what you want them to do is the correct action. Were the game to have been consistent in letting the player know what they could do, then the rest of the time could be spent learning to have patience with Trico.

    Still, like my pets (which frustrate me similarly), I love this game through-and-through. There were tears in my eyes in parts, and the final act is truly something to behold - a really phenomenal ending.

  • I'm about half way with Aldrich: Devourer of Gods, as expected, devouring me (in sludge). I usually end up finishing Dark Souls games a year after release (i.e. after two long stints far apart), but this one was hindered further (despite me not yet playing Bloodborne) because I had yet to complete the DLC and main story of Dark Souls 2 first.

    Nevertheless, there are some really fantastic moments in Dark Souls 3 so far. The Magic mechanic is a welcome change after obtaining a few more Estus shards (though I think the lack of Estus Flasks as the start mean most players are incentivised to never even give the weapon skills a chance.

    I guess my biggest issue with the game (outside of the yellow used in the logo and promotional material - which I hate) is that it feels a little safe in design and ideas. I'm at the point where I've seen a couple moments if interesting twists (and they're happening more frequently) that stick with me, so maybe when I get through to the end, I'll love the game rather than just like it (which is what happened with Dark Souls 1).

    P.S. Fuck the Catacombs of Carthus, and the Jailers.

  • I don't really like Pokémon Go as a game, but I'll cherish the summer day I walked with my sister around the town I grew up to catch Pokemon.

    Pokemon Go also incentivised me outside when all I wanted to do was wallow in my illness, which probably lead to me believing in myself enough to return to university. It was also a good excuse to be outside and explore, which reinvigorated my love of photography again.

  • I'm not very far into it. I don't remember much of the story so far other than Faith as a character, her wishes and desires... But damn if this game doesn't have style. Solar Field's soundtrack is subtle but evokes the architecture of each area. Plus, this game introduced me to Chvrches whose main theme, Warning Call, is one of my favourite songs of the year.

    The rooftops are stunning. The running is fluid. The platforming is a joy. And even the combat is good this time. I remember so little of the story because I haven't gone to many of them, just running around the open world and doing time-trials is fun.

    The original Mirror's Edge is one of my all-time favourite games, so I will return and finish Catalyst. Right now though, I'm content leaving it as a beautiful world I glimpsed for an ephemeral few hours.
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