Such a late list, but in my defense it took a long time to play everything that interested me. I also couldn't believe how janky Fallout 4 was, which surprised me. Wish I had played Tomb Raider and Life is Strange, and since I don't have a Wii U or PS4, games like Bloodborne, Mario Maker, and Until Dawn are out of my reach.
Easily became my favorite RPG of all time, and cemented the 3-game saga of Geralt as one of my favorite stories of all time. From the murky ethical dilemmas to the tangible relationships with characters such as Ciri, Yen, Dandelion, and Zoltan; I can't say enough. I've played all the way though 3 times now. I knew it was gonna be a massive time sink but 365 hours and counting on Steam is scary even to me.
Adding to this list in 2017 is really ridiculous, but having the final excuse I needed to purchase a PS4 (Uncharted 4), I also finally got around to playing Bloodborne and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Bloodborne is the best Souls game EVER in my opinion. While Dark Souls 1 is still the series most important game, Bloodborne throws out all the familiar Dark Souls trappings of Estus Flasks, Humanity, the need for a shield at all times, etc, and launches you into this Gothic world of pure terror, relying mostly on it's speedy combat to keep you hooked.
I also liked that this was the first game that I could sorta formulate an idea about what the plot was really about, and it was cool that there were other characters in Yharnum that were just trying to survive. (The posse I assembled in Cathedral Ward was so fun.) I like to imagine that we all can gtfo and go live together faaaaaaaar away from the Old Blood once the nightmare is over.
Best exclusive on PS4, bar none.
I can't stop playing Rocket League. It's the first time I really find myself caring about on online multiplayer game since the days of early 360 games like Gears of War and Halo 3. And what's more, it's the game that I love more than any other, soccer. It's most likely due to the parallels it shares with soccer (my favorite sport) yet it also nails the other aspects like fast breakaways, missed chances, and all around dickishness off the ball.
I really love the game part of MGS V, but not so much the other aspects of it. The story makes little to no sense to me at all, and I was only playing the game mission by mission, seeking to gain new upgrades to the platforms or adding animals to my zoo (which took forever to make a respectable collection). Companions such as D-Dog and Quiet also helped to add a lot of variety to how I would approach missions. It's just a shame that the game feels so unfinished in regards to Eli and the eventual fate of Quiet. Fultoning might just be the coolest game mechanic of all time.
This was a game that I didn't even know about until 2016 and after the Community voting, so I feel kinda bad I couldn't give it the respect it deserves. The whole genre of roguelike video games is so hit or miss with me, but this is one that was actually extremely fun and reminded me of the halcyon days of NES/SNES arcade ports and getting just a little farther to the next level.
I hadn't played this game until after the massive hooplah it caused last year and didn't really understand the commotion until after I beat it the first time. The second time, I understood. My favorite character is the ice-cream vendor guy.
Not much changed but I still played it a lot.
The platforming is basically perfect, but I feel like the game was ridiculously tough at certain points in the game. I didn't finish it, but I might go back someday and do so. Easily the best looking 2-D game I can think of.
I don't know if the whole narrative of the game is actually true, and if it is, it's some sort of voyeuristic trek through some strange exchange between two weird people. In any case, the narrative did affect me quite a bit for the next couple of days. Weirdest game of the year for me.
Pretty short, but the exploration is fun even if the rigid controls and slow ass climbing get in the way.
