Best of 2016
My ever evolving list of the best games I played in 2016.
Games I haven't played yet: Watch Dogs 2, Rise of the Tomb Raider, X-COM 2
List items
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As the fourth entry in a series, this game had a lot to live up to, but I think A Thief's End brings a much more human element to the overall story. Naughty Dog shows us Drake's home/retired life, and when he was dragged back into more Indiana Jones shit, I felt like the stakes were real this time. I'm a big fan of this developer, and I think they are one of the best story tellers in the industry, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed this game immensely.
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The art direction in the sequel is a step up from last gen. The combat feels better and more fluid. The AI is much more aware of you this time around, but the stealth system still works well. I enjoyed the story, and Emily's powers are different enough from Corvo that it doesn't feel like a retread of the last game. I had a great time with it. I'm currently playing NG+ with Corvo this time.
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After Bloodborne, the next game in the Souls series had a lot to live up to. With Dark Souls 3, From Software has refined the formula, improved the gameplay, and brought us one of the best boss fights in the entire series (The Nameless King). I had a lot of fun bashing my head against that wall, and I didn't even throw any controllers this time. All in all, it's a very good Souls game, with lots of neat references to the original Dark Souls.
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Wow, what a difficult and amazing game. I backed it on kickstarter after seeing the incredible art style (Lovecraftian horror is my jam) and this game hits all of the right buttons. It's got a combat system that is both infuriating (RNG) and excellent (love those crits). I'm not sure if I'll ever finish it, but I'm having a lot of fun trying.
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Blood and Wine Expansion...I'm not sure that an expansion counts as it's own game, but I love this one so much, I had to include it this year. An excellent stand alone Witcher story, and a very nice send off for Geralt.
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A kind of bizarre mix of different elements - a road trip story, dungeon delving straight out of the witcher, kingdom hearts combat, chocobos and final fantasy hunt marks - all mixed together to make a bit of a clunky mess, but also a very fun game.
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This is a great follow up to Human Revolution. Jensen is assigned to investigate a terrorist cell in Prague this time around, while dealing with the fallout of the aug incident from the first game. Prague is really cool to explore, and the hub is larger and more dense than Detroit. I had a lot of fun playing through it, and I can see myself going back multiple times like I did with HR.
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This game is, at various times, very lonely and sad but also very charming. Sort of a mystery adventure game, where the main character takes a job as a forest fire lookout in a national park (after some truly sad shit) and experiences some strange events. The main character's only other point of contact is another fire lookout, which he speaks to over a walkie-talkie. The dialogue is the real star here, and both voice actors give great performances.
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An excellent dungeon crawler with an interesting "fruit ninja" swiping mechanic. The gameplay really gets you involved, and some fights can be quite difficult towards the end. Highly recommended for Vita owners.
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This is a fantastic game. I love Vanillaware's style, and the studio's beautiful art is really on display here. I also loved the interwoven storylines, the fun combat, and the world building. I can't recommend this game highly enough. It's great on the Vita.
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