Game of the Year 2016

Games I wanted to add but didn't because they released in 2015 or earlier: Halo 5, Catherine, Danganronpa (kind of hated it so it probably would've been cut anyways), Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Other games I played in 2016 but didn't make the list: The Witness (only spent like 10 min in and eh), Superhot (cool idea, didn't enjoy it in practice), Mirror's Edge Catalyst (pfft), This is the Police (got bored with very quickly), Pony Island (hung around the top for a bit before I removed it after I started to remember what it was--decent game but forgetting most of it was a sign I didn't feel too strongly about it).

List items

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  1. VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

  This was my first place pick while playing the game, but after finishing it I tossed around in my head whether to bump it down a space or not. I was completely blindsided by that abrupt ending. Like there was an end to an arc there but it felt so... unsatisfying? Like there were characters that weren't used enough, arcs that never resolved, etc, etc. While it was in its stride it was my best experience of the year. When it ended it was maybe my biggest disappointment of the year.

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  2. Inside

  Liked the presentation a lot but relies too heavily on that one part for impact. Outside of that section it's a bit forgettable.

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  3. Oxenfree

  Used this game to get over my Life is Strange addiction (is that the right word? I played that game like three times and still wanted to spend time in that world, so I guess "addiction" works). Some of the dialogue was not great and the story had structure issues but enough good here to leave a positive impression.

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  4. Darkest Dungeon

  This game hates me and it hurts so good.

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  5. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

  Story stayed with me in a way I didn't expect. Only rented it so I didn't do much of the side missions, but kind of wish I had in retrospect.

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  6. Titanfall 2

  As someone who actually spent hours in the first game (one of the rare times I actually dove into a multiplayer experience), multiplayer disappointed me immensely, but the campaign was great...even if they tossed out much of what was good about the world-building in the first game.

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  7. Dishonored 2

  Probably the only game this year I was actually hyped for. Came away disappointed and with a bittersweet taste in my mouth. The first game was somewhat of a revelation for me and got me back into gaming after I started drifting away from the habit, whereas this one left me annoyed at the mediocre story and crestfallen that there were only a handful of great levels sandwiched between mediocre-to-bad.

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  8. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

  Great story, bad gameplay. Also played the other three Uncharteds this year: terrible, decent, mediocre.

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  9. My Twin Brother Made Me Crossdress As Him and Now I Have to Deal with a Geeky Stalker and a Domme Beauty Who Want Me in a Bind!!

  This game convinced me that maybe visual novels are not a disaster of a genre. But also the story fell apart towards the end and I really ended up regretting $30 on something I only got a few hours of enjoyment out of.

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  10. Overwatch

  Only played the beta so I don't have that strong of an opinion other than I really liked what I played. Not that much into multiplayer stuff so can't say I'm really pushed to actually buy the final product (shrug).