Ron's Top 10 Games of 2016
A few months ago, I would have told you No Man's Sky had zero chance of making my top 10 list, but here we are after the release of the foundation update and it's literally New Man's Sky. I went back to the game a few weeks ago and I have not been able to put it down. Was it everything that was promised upon release? No, not by a long shot...but the update improves so many things and is a huge step in the right direction. I've been fascinated with space and science fiction for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I had borrowed an Atari 2600 game from a friend where you flew around in space. I had no idea how to actually play that game properly, but I sat there for hours upon end pretending I was flying in space myself. In the early 90's I bought a game for the Sega Genesis called Starflight. There was a universe to explore, and hundreds if not thousands of planets to visit and land on for resources and secrets. It blew my mind, and when No Man's Sky was announced it seemed the game I had been waiting for my whole life had been made.
Upon release, I felt an initial wave of euphoria...followed by slight disappointment. I didn't pile on to the internet hysteria. I just moved on to other games, and patiently waited for news of an update. So much has changed that it's worth going back for a second look. I gave up upon the idea of rushing to the center of the galaxy, and instead approached my new adventure with the same wide eyes I had as a kid playing that 2600 game. I set smaller goals when I play now, and each time I sit down for a session I spend hours out there in space. No other game this year has given me even close to the same experience I've had with No Man's Sky over the past month, and that's why it's my game of the year for 2016. I hope many of you will go back and give it another chance, I'm glad I did.
I still have not played Deus Ex, Watch Dogs 2, The Last Guardian, The Witness, or Dead Rising 4. They are in my backlog for 2017 and that it why none of those games were considered for my list.
