My Favorite Games of 2016
This one goes to 11.
List items
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This won't come as any surprise to those that know me. I have put an ungodly amount of time into Overwatch since it released. I bought the game on all three platforms. I bought an Xbox Elite controller just for this game. Not since the days of Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Halo 2 have I been so thoroughly addicted to a multiplayer shooter. I'm still playing this game weekly, still learning new things every time, still trying to perfect my game with each and every character. This isn't just my favorite game of 2016, it's one of my favorite games ever.
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Like many Hitman fans, Hitman: Aboslution left a bad taste in my mouth. IO Interactive obviously heard the outcry from fans of the series, and responded by creating the best and most robust Hitman game to date. Gone are the painfully linear levels are Absolution, replaced by the sandbox-style levels that made me such a big fan of the series in the first place. Every level offers so much freedom that you can almost become overwhelmed by the amount of options at your disposal. And when you've exhausted every opportunity in each level, you still have elusive target and escalation missions to tackle. The replayability of Hitman is just off the charts.
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I couldn't have been more surprised by how much I enjoyed DOOM. The multiplayer beta wasn't anything to write home about, and it certainly did not inspire confidence that the campaign would capture the magic of the original. But somehow, against all logic and reason, they fucking NAILED it. The pace, the action, the music, the level design, the art... it all came together. The multiplayer is still pretty lackluster, but the campaign is just so damn great. Hit up a Redbox on a Saturday morning, grab a copy of DOOM, and marathon that motherfucker. It's one of the best shooter campaigns I've ever played, period.
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It's a damn shame that Titanfall 2 came out in the same year as DOOM, because it's easily the 2nd best shooter campaign of the year. Respawn made up for the first game's complete lack of a campaign by blowing our goddamn minds with this one. You can see that old Infinity Ward pedigree shining through with every set pieces that unfolds in front of you. The "phase shift" sequences are especially genius. Of course, there's also a robust multiplayer component, featuring the same fast-paced action from the first game with even more options for level traversal, plus a new class-based loadout system for the Titans which makes the encounters and team build feel much more strategic than they did the first time out.
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You can run from your problems, but in the end you're still stuck with yourself. As someone that's recently dealt with heartbreak, depression, and loss, the story of Firewatch hit me in ways I wasn't expecting. If you're not into this genre, I doubt Firewatch will change your mind. But if you want some excellent interactive storytelling, there's no better out there than Firewatch.
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The 2nd best Uncharted game, and easily the best story they've told. See what happens when you tell a grounded story about your characters instead of filling the final act blue guys and alien bullshit?
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Horde 3.0 is either wonderful or terrible depending on who you talk to, but I'm going to land on the side of "wonderful", since the class system and progression gives me more of a reason to replay it. The multiplayer is a return to form after People Can Fly tried their damndest to burn it to the ground with Judgement. The campaign is an enjoyable intro to the new characters that clings to the previous cast just enough to ease old, jaded fans like myself into it, and it sets up a new adversary for future installments. Overall, Gears of War 4 is a great package for new and old fans alike.
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Trippy visuals, compelling characters, and an excellent soundtrack combine with some great storytelling to create some truly fantastic mindfuck sci-fi horror. If you're a fan of Stranger Things, there's a pretty good chance you're gonna like Oxenfree.
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Mafia has always done a great job of being the "serious" open-world crime game. GTA has always been satire, and Saints Row long ago dove headfirst into joyous absurdity, but Mafia III continues the series' tradition of trying to tell an actual story about crime and the mob. Mafia III moves the series into the 60s and the American south, and leans heavily on the racial tensions of the time. The story is framed in a documentary-style presentation, with characters reflecting on the events of the game as they play out. The gameplay itself doesn't reinvent the open-world wheel, but the new emphasis on stealth gives you more options when attempting to take out an enemy stronghold, and the gunplay is very satisfying.
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The original Dishonored was one of my favorite games of a stacked 2012 class, so I had high hopes for the sequel. The level design isn't nearly as good as the previous outing, but the stealth-action gameplay is still top-notch. Given that players now have two power sets to choose from, I find myself compelled to play the game again as Corvo and murder everyone in my path to see how it changes the ending.
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