2016 Community Game of the Year - Results posted (at last)!

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I know this is terribly delayed, so I'm not going to worry about making it pretty.

Without further ado, the Gamers With Jobs Community Top Ten for 2016 is:

  1. Overwatch
  2. Dark Souls 3
  3. The Witcher 3
  4. XCOM 2
  5. Doom
  6. Stardew Valley
  7. Titanfall 2
  8. The Witness
  9. Firewatch
  10. The Division

Most Unweighted Votes: Overwatch (36 votes)
Most #1 Votes: The Witcher 3 (15 #1 votes)
Highest Average Vote: Bloodborne (8.9 out of 10)

Top PC Game: Stellaris (#12)
Top Console Game: Uncharted 4 (#13)
Top Handheld Game: Monster Hunter Generations (#24)
Top Mobile Game: Pokémon Go (#23)

Top Indie Game: Stardew Valley (#6)

As always, I'll post the raw data in the near future. I need to clean it up just a bit first. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Here are the Official Rules of the 2016 Community GOTY Voting Thread. We'll do this FAQ-style.

  • What games are eligible for voting? Anything you played for the first time in 2015. So, you Dark Souls nuts who have been salivating over that game for years now don't get to vote for it again. But if this was the first year you cracked open a classic like Chrono Trigger or Thief: The Dark Project, go ahead and stick it in your list if you loved it enough. Voting this year is open to any game on any platform from any year.
  • How do you know if I really played it for the first time this year? I don't. We're on the honor system. But what's the point of trying to rig a silly forum poll?
  • What if I didn't finish it yet? If you haven't finished a game but feel like you've played enough to know that you really love it no matter what happens in the end, go ahead and list it. Let's face it: some games are really stinking long, and you might not have been able to finish them yet but still know they're excellent.
  • Why are we doing it this way? Because we're old. This is a site packed to the brim with mature, adult gamers with jobs, family obligations, hobbies, and other things that take up our time. This is also a site packed to the brim with people who can't afford the new hotness as soon as it's released. We've all got piles, and we all play through them, but we don't often get a chance to say that we really love something even if it's old.
  • What if the top game ends up being from 2007 or something? It won't.
  • So how are votes counted? Games in the top spot on a list get ten votes, second place gets nine, et cetera, et cetera, with tenth place getting a single vote. Out of format lists (i.e., lists that aren't ranked and/or lists that go over ten) will get one vote for the first ten games mentioned.
  • Can I vote for an expansion pack? For the purposes of vote counting, votes for expansions are folded into votes for the base game. So for example, a vote for Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is counted as a vote for Diablo III.
  • I played a game before, but this year I played the remastered Director's Cut with new content on a new platform. Can I vote for it? The spirit of this thread is to vote for things that were new to you this year, and replaying a game you love with spiffier graphics runs somewhat contrary to that. On the other hand, some remasters and re-releases significantly change the original game, and sometimes replaying something can feel more revelatory than playing something brand new. So, it's up to you.
  • Can I list a game multiple times so that it gets more votes? No. That's annoying cheating.
  • When does voting open? When does it close? Voting is open as of right now, so go post your list! Voting will close at midnight-ish on the 31st of December. That'll give people time to wrap up some of those late November games and also to sample whatever they might find under the Christmas tree.
  • Are you going to do anything really neat and special with the results? I'm so glad you asked, because yes! Aside from the community's top ten list and the traditional top games for each platform, the results will be sifted through for some other results like:
    • Best-Loved Game of the Year and Most Loved Game of the Year - These are given to the games with the most #1 votes and most unranked votes, respectively.
    • Classic Game of the Year - Given to the game with the most votes that wasn't released this year.
    • Darksiders of the Year - Given to the game that's maybe good. Better ask just to be on the safe side.
    • And more! If I think of something! Or if you think of something! Or something!
  • What if I change my mind after I posted my list? Then pretty please be sure to put up a new post that lets me know you changed your list. It'll seriously mess with my thread-tracking if you don't.

Mass Effect 2
Monkey Island Special Edition

Reasons: These were the only two games I completed this year *and* they were both great games.

I'm happy because usually I can't vote at all in the GOTY because I almost never complete games in the same year I started them. More often than not, it's *years* later!

Mad Max - This game has its problems. But, I'm putting it at the top of my list, over Dark Souls III, because of how much of a pure surprise it was that I enjoyed it as much as I did. The size of the world was nearly perfect for me, and aside from a few things that could be tightened up in a sequel, this game hit basically every note for me. Combat was satisfying, collectibles and open world landmarks had purpose and pushed progression, and the game had some really great moments. If there is anything interesting to you from the games that WB has published over the last 4-5 years, it's likely that this game deserves your attention.

Dark Souls III - What can I say. Anyone who knows me on these forums probably knows that I really, really, really like Dark Souls. I expected to like DSIII. I didn't expect it to have a lot of the content in it that it did. I expected that a lot of the additions and changes they were making would ruin the game, but it didn't. I think this is the best, mechanically and atmospherically, that Dark Souls gets. I'd love to see the first game remastered into the systems that this game uses.

Hexcells (Complete) - a charming little collection of puzzle games on Steam and iOS which really caught me off-guard. They play 2-3 hours each, and if you like Picross or Minesweeper - which I do - you'll probably find a lot to like here. For less than $10 on a regular basis, you can do a heck of a lot worse.
Ultimate Chicken Horse - this had to make the list. After an impromptu play session with a couple Goodjers, I completely lost track of time and 3 or 4 hours flew by. Few games do that for me anymore. This hit a chord that Mario Maker never really managed to hit, and it seems like it will only get better. Completely in love with the idea behind this game.

The Room - another game that I expected to like, but not this much. I've only played the first entry thus far, but immediately bought the other two right after. Aside from a couple touch-related issues (playing on iOS) it controls excellently, and is very satisfying. The sound design here is remarkable. Best $1 I've ever spent, I think.

Suikoden - a 20-year old classic which has aged gracefully? I must be full of garbage. I mean, this game has some localization issues, but man does this withstand the test of time. As a pretty big JRPG fan, I don't get that 'comfort' feeling from many JRPGs anymore. I'm not quite done with this one yet, but I'm hoping the sequels hold up just as well.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - I'll get this out of the way. People don't like Nathan Drake and his witty comebacks. It's a joke. The Uncharted trilogy is a bit dated and they're shallow games. But, you know what? Uncharted 4 fixes most if not all of that. There's some really great character development here, which wouldn't have been heard of in the first games. The game can drag a little in its pacing, but some of the biggest and best achievements of the entire series are on this disc. I'm really glad I didn't pass by this one.

Resogun - I only played this a couple weeks ago, but I instantly sat down and committed to finish the entire game, and I did. I'm not sure I fully understand everything that's going on here, but I had a hell of a lot of fun blindly blowing sh*t up, and saving humans. A visual pleasure.

Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and the Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist - This game is 15 minutes long, and is free. There. Now you have no excuse not to play it. I had to add this one in, if only because I really enjoyed the narrative of the Portal games. This game (which is one of crowscrowscrows' earliest entries) immediately nails that, and is just so great. I can't wait to see what else they release.

SuperHot - I didn't stick with this game for too long, but I had a blast while I did. I need to revisit this one. Often referred to as a 'deconstructed shooter', there's a lot going on here which pushes the envelope for the FPS genre. People who have enjoyed FPS games at any point should give this a shot just to see what's in store.

Honorable mention:

Firewatch - My biggest problem with Firewatch is that it's forgettable. I don't like saying it, but I cannot really remember many moments from the game. I enjoyed playing through it, and the aesthetics were just as good as the voice-acting. But, it doesn't stick with me as being a truly outstanding addition to my list.

bekkilyn wrote:

Mass Effect 2
Monkey Island Special Edition

Reasons: These were the only two games I completed this year *and* they were both great games.

I'm happy because usually I can't vote at all in the GOTY because I almost never complete games in the same year I started them. More often than not, it's *years* later!

You don't have to complete anything, it's just about what you played for the first time this year.

If your own personal rule is to complete a game before voting, that's cool.

Tagging for later

One of my favorite threads of the year.

Still mentally sorting my list.

Not one of my favorite threads of the year. It is the one.

Still not done playing "new" games this year, I hope, so will just hang around and get inspiration for a while.

I could make this list now, but I'd have to kill you. Presuming you're a zombie, since Dead Rising 4 comes out tomorrow.

Hmm. Off the top of my head and due for lots of tinkering...

1. Final Fantasy XV
2. 7th Dragon III: Code VFD
3. Mirror's Edge Catalyst
4. Dragon Quest Builders
5. Titanfall 2
6. Oceanhorn
7. Salt and Sanctuary
8. Dark Souls 3
9. DOOM
10. Monster Hunter Generations

Great now I have to try to remember what all I played this year

I was wondering earlier today when this thread was going to start. I've got a list mostly done but I'm going to hold off until later in the month in case things move around a bit.

Rykin wrote:

Great now I have to try to remember what all I played this year ;)

Keep a gdoc. Even when you inevitably forget to keep it updated, you'll have the harder to remember beginning of the year covered.

Hard to believe it's that time already. Nevertheless, I'm excited to see how our 2016 vote unfolds. I shall make a start on my list tomorrow, getting some thoughts down early before work devours all of my time once more.

I played, and completed, a few retro titles for the first time this year which could rank highly. Where does No Man's Sky come into things, if at all. Can I see out any of the three remaining games in my current rotation - Skyward Sword, Mankind Divided, Chrono Trigger. Will Left Behind remain unplayed for another year. Can Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker creep in under the line. I have some gaming to do!

I see some love for Mass Effect 2 and Resogun. It warms my gaming heart as I still think back fondly on both. I still return to Resogun from time to time.

Thanks Clock for running this! I love this thread!

oilypenguin wrote:
Rykin wrote:

Great now I have to try to remember what all I played this year ;)

Keep a gdoc. Even when you inevitably forget to keep it updated, you'll have the harder to remember beginning of the year covered.

I've maintained a document of my games played/finished/quit/etc all year, and quite frankly I'm still not sure what order to put some of them in. Picking my #1 pick is actually harder than it has been in a long time!

Farscry wrote:
oilypenguin wrote:
Rykin wrote:

Great now I have to try to remember what all I played this year ;)

Keep a gdoc. Even when you inevitably forget to keep it updated, you'll have the harder to remember beginning of the year covered.

I've maintained a document of my games played/finished/quit/etc all year, and quite frankly I'm still not sure what order to put some of them in. Picking my #1 pick is actually harder than it has been in a long time!

I've made it as far as highlighting the ones that will be on my list, and highlighting in a lighter shade the maybes.

Echoing others -- also my favorite thread of the year. It's always such a great way to find out about games that I missed.

Anyway, I thought I had my list pretty well figured out ... and then I started playing Hitman this past weekend. Now I need to decide just how high up the list it lands.

Aaron D. wrote:

One of my favorite threads of the year.

Shadout wrote:

Not one of my favorite threads of the year. It is the one.

Aristophan wrote:

Thanks Clock for running this! I love this thread!

billt721 wrote:

Echoing others -- also my favorite thread of the year. It's always such a great way to find out about games that I missed.

I'm with you lot!

I start thinking about this thread early in the year, to the point it affects my purchasing decisions. Naughty thread! I've been making, adding to and shuffling my list for about 6 months now, and when I post my list on the 31st I'll probably still change my mind a day later.

oilypenguin wrote:
Rykin wrote:

Great now I have to try to remember what all I played this year ;)

Keep a gdoc. Even when you inevitably forget to keep it updated, you'll have the harder to remember beginning of the year covered.

I use backloggery for this - I add a game to the page once I complete it, that way I have a complete 2016 list to sort through (about 45+ games. Which surprises me)

List to follow later...!

Meant to edit, not quote!

Thinking back on 2016, and already looking at some of the early responses, I have a feeling we might be in for one of the more surprisingly diverse years yet. Not only in that I've noticed a lot of community members diversifying via Indie titles, but simply that there were so many types of games to land in 2016.

Due to being able to afford 'em, I actually have more contenders than usual, so picking a top ten is going to be difficult. Even then, I have to keep playing FFXV, World of Final Fantasy and Paper Mario: Color Splash to truly know what does and doesn't fit/belong on that list. So... it's gonna be an interesting December.

Anyone know where the 2015 thread is? I can find the results thread, but can't find the voting thread and wanted to see what I put as some of the released-late-in-the-year games were more 2016 games than 2015.

garion333 wrote:

Anyone know where the 2015 thread is? I can find the results thread, but can't find the voting thread and wanted to see what I put as some of the released-late-in-the-year games were more 2016 games than 2015.

https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/...

cheeze_pavilion wrote:
garion333 wrote:

Anyone know where the 2015 thread is? I can find the results thread, but can't find the voting thread and wanted to see what I put as some of the released-late-in-the-year games were more 2016 games than 2015.

https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/...

TY. How in the hell that doesn't come up when I search on "2015 Community Game of the Year" is beyond me.

1 - Dishonored 2

Literally more Dishonored. I have played 120 hours-worth of the first game and (currently) over 50 hours in the sequel and I still have a good few runs to go (not to mention whatever DLC they have in the offing). Needless to say I LOVE sandboxy stealth focused games and this is one of the best.

2 - Steve Jackson's* Sorcery (Parts 1 and 2)

By the "80 Days" people I believe - Possibly one of the best interpretations of the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks because it knows what to throw out and what to keep. The first part is more or less a straight run through the original four-book campaign's first chapter but then about half way through part 2 it very much becomes it's own thing and I REALLY look forward to finding time to work through the last two parts. And such a FANTASTIC, polished, way of presenting interactive fiction.

*not the GURPS guy. OUR Steve Jackson.

3 - The SOLUS Project

Probably my surprise gem of the year. I'd initially dismissed it as "yet another survival game" but it's really more of a linear survival sci-fi/horror with some minor survival elements. Exploring alien ruins is one of my favorite things to do in games and this is ALL ABOUT exploring lost alien ruins. It's possiby a little TOO long but I found the hard(ish) sci-fi storyline engrossing enough to keep me pressing forward through many grim discoveries. There's more than a passing resemblance to the original UNREAL, too - albeit without the combat.

4 - Rise of the Tomb Raider

You can keep your Nathan Whoevers. I'm Team Lara all the way. One of those games that kept me playing constantly until the end. And GOSH such a good looking game! Still have some secrets and collectibles to go back and hunt for so I'll maybe make that a project for the xmas hols. Never played their weird challenge collectible card thing though.

5 - Quadrilateral Cowboy

My only complaint is that there are too few missions and there doesn't seem to have been a big enough MOD scene to keep it alive. A really clever little heist simulator / cyberpunk hackventure that makes you feel really, REALLY smart when you figure out how to shave 0.5 seconds off of your latest simulated vault robbery.

6 - Dark Souls 3

A fitting end to the Souls games (assuming the dev's are moving on to new things after the DLC and they don't do another one). Yes it's pretty much more of the same but with plenty of surprises (and MUCH better bosses than DS2). Plus it looks AMAZING and ties up a lot of loose story threads that have been running through the earlier games. I've yet to finish the first DLC yet (another xmas project) but it seems just as good as the main game.

7 - Songs of the Deep.

I'll be honest, this is mostly on the list because of it's watercolour cutscenes. Look at it.

IMAGE(http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/105103399192492819/6C081C20AEC1FF56EAF6816BEBBC0A322FA3369D/)

LOOOOOK AT IT!

Oh and it's also a pretty cute little metriodvania with a positive, story-book esque theme that I was actually able to finish.

8 - Everyone's Gone to the Rapture

The end of the world, as presented by Radio 4. There are individual scenes in this game that made me immediately burst into tears and the recreation of an English country village is uncannily accurate. A great little creepy, emotional short science fiction story in game form.

9 - Firewatch

Really great little movie-length suspense story with a couple of really hearkbreakingly sad moments that caught me off guard.

10 - Dreamfall : Chapters.

Ties up the story of TLJ and Dreamfall nicely while leaving room for future expansion (though they wont be making any more games I hear ;_;) It would be further up the list if it weren't for the fact that it's a little technologically janky due to budget constraints and they took FAR too long to get each chapter out but in general, had a lot of fun with this.

Other Notables that didn't make it...

- Xcom 2 (more Xcom...GREAT!....but it was just more Xcom)

- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (the overall package was actually really disappointing)

- Blackwell: Epiphany (a fitting end to the series. If a bit of a downer)

- Oxenfree (Interesting but I found all bits in between the conversations a bit dull. Also had performace issues for me)

- solitairica and Regency Solitaire (because I have a problem. A serious problem)

- Princess Remedy in a World of Hurt (really short. REALLY sweet)

- Alpha Polaris (a surprisingly competent point and click game which borrows the setting of The Thing and does some interesting things with it. A bit on the low budget side but given how much of a struggle the dev's had getting it finished and released it's still quite an achievement that it turned out as good as it did).

garion333 wrote:
cheeze_pavilion wrote:
garion333 wrote:

Anyone know where the 2015 thread is? I can find the results thread, but can't find the voting thread and wanted to see what I put as some of the released-late-in-the-year games were more 2016 games than 2015.

https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/...

TY. How in the hell that doesn't come up when I search on "2015 Community Game of the Year" is beyond me.

I just happened to be looking for that thread, myself, for the same reason--I just went back in the "Everything Else" forum to a year ago.

+++++

TitanFall 2 because, uh, it's the only game I played this year? It's really good, though. It's a lot closer to Modern Warfare multiplayer than Call of Duty was the last time I played one of those. It's even closer than the original TitanFall.

Oh man I was wondering when this thread was going to show up. Definitely Witcher 3 is my GOTY (the last 5 years actually) but unlike last year, where most everything I played was either "pretty good" or "decent", there's been so much quality this year. Actually looking forward to making my 2016 list.

Ok here's my list. Looking back, in 2015 I was underwhelmed overall with what I considered my Top 10 games I played that year. Then this year happened. Take a look at this list. You can make a case for nearly any of the games in the top half of my list as being a community GOTY. I also love how different each of the titles on my list this year are.

1. The Witcher 3: Not only my GOTY, but maybe my game of the last 5 years, and it may be my favorite RPG ever (and I go all the way back to Zork and the original Ultima). I don't even know where to begin with this title. The writing is spectacular. Even the most menial quest received outstanding writing and dialogue. The character animations are brilliant. For the first time I can recall, a game has characters with subtle, lifelike movements and matching voiceover. Geralt will shrug slightly with exhaustion or give a small smirk and nod. The game is funny, but never to the point where it tarnishes the gravitas of the title. The music is wonderful. The characters fully realized and mature. The cinematography as you pull up to the top of a hill to check out the view. The few moments of hope and optimism realized stand out like diamonds in the dark, uncompromising reality of the setting. And Gwent - I'm not even a fan of the card game but I appreciate it; it's amazing even their little side distraction is a fully fleshed out addictive card game perfectly realized. This game took a long, long time to make and it looks like every minute, every hour of effort was put into the game successfully. I'm happy I still have the DLC to look forward to and I'm sad I'll never get to fully experience this title for the first time again. A true and utter masterpiece, and it was an honor to play this.

2. XCOM 2: You know it's been a good year when this is #2 on the list. XCOM2 is one of those games that starts out great but just gets better and better with repeated play. It's one of those titles where you're just going to mess around for a few minutes, then 2 hours pass by. I'm enjoying the DLC too right now - it's a bit underwhelming and too "DLCish", but hey it gives it a fresh coat of paint. I'm looking forward to playing this in 2017 with The Long War mod.

3. Warhammer: Total War: I l love it when a Day 1 purchase turns out to be worth it. When I first heard about this mash up of Warhammer and Total War, it made too much sense. Now after playing through the Dwarf and Empire campaigns, I've come to the conclusion that this may be the best match for the Creative Assembly team. Sure there are a couple of minor issues here and there (for example the need to complete minor Dwarf grudges to win the game even after you've conquered the map), but overall the Warhammer Universe has come alive in the Total War engine, and it's incredibly impressive how the game plays completely differently for each faction. I'll definitely be playing this well into 2017 and beyond, especially with the release of the Beastmen and Wood Elves DLC and whatever new factions they release down the line.

4. Stellaris: Stellaris was released rough, it's midgame was dull, and there were quite a few balance issues that needed to be fixed. Still, I loved it from the moment I played it. This truly is EUIV in space, not just by overall mechanics, but how Paradox continues to support and evolve the title. Stellaris was already a really good game on its Day 1 release, and months later it has done nothing but improve with gameplay fixes, tweaks, DLC, new mechanics, and tons of new storyline content. It's a new and different game everytime, and I'm excited to see how this game evolves as I continue to play it in 2017.

5. Dishonoured and the DLC: How good a year has it been? Dishonoured is #5 on my list. Dishonoured! A game that combines Half Life and Thief and Bioshock into a beautiful Frankenbaby in a Steampunk crib. Everything in this game is lovingly created, and the DLC surpassed it. I was admittedly a bit underwhelmed when I first completed the game, but the DLC made me truly appreciate how impressive this title is, and the memories of this title have done nothing but grow more positive over time.

6. Inside: WTF endings aside, this title was less of a game and more of a view into a fully realized work straight out of an artist's mind. I don't know what the developers were trying to "say" with the tale of the boy in the red shirt in this unrecognizable dystopian world. I don't think any title this year has done so much with so little. A master class in the economics of storytelling.

7. Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars: MOO3 never happened. It didn't. Nope, not listening. But if it did, I would need about 13 years to recover followed by a reboot that combines familiar storytelling with new concepts and a massive amount of polish. And that's exactly what Master of Orion: CTS is. Does the game play it safe? Yes. The criticism that this is just a reskin of MOO2 is not unwarranted, but also not completely fair. I enjoy the cinematic, simplistic RTS space combat, and a lot of effort has gone into distinguishing each of the races. Sure they eventually play similar, but at least there's flavor here. Although I was admittedly happy but a bit unimpressed with the original release, the patches and the recent Races and Antares DLC has greatly improved the gameplay experience enough for the title to make the list. MOO is back and I'm excited for its future. ANOTHER game I'll be playing into 2017.\

8. Star Wars : The Old Republic: SWTOR gets a bad rap. With the recent exception of WoW: Legion, no other title out there has gone out of its way to make the player feel like they are crucial to the MMO storyline. SWTOR's recent expansion, Knights of the Fallen Empire, was excellent. It told a deep story with new characters and a brand new setting. Yes, the gameplay has become a bit stale and I do play the title more for the story than the mechanics and character development at this point. But the story it does tell is well worth the ride. I'll play this into 2017 since the new expansion DLC came out and continues the story, but I may take a break and jump back into another MMO later into next year. But overall I've thoroughly enjoyed the time I've put into this title.

9. Dragon Age Inquisition DLC: Early this year I completed the DLC for DA:I - the Deep Roads and Trespasser. A couple of years ago this was my GOTY. The game is still excellent, but after completing the DLC I just felt I've had enough of the Dragon Age universe for a while. I enjoyed my time exploring the Thedas universe, but after a while I just knew I was done with it, and after playing the Witcher 3 I see how a true open world title should look and play. To be fair, DA:I is not a true open world title. It's closer to a hub game, where you explore mini-settings while being headquartered in your keep. But overall there was a lot more repetition in this title and after a while I felt the game had overstayed it's welcome. If the DA:I title was 20% shorter in content overall I feel it would have a much leaner, focused experience. But with those criticisms aside, I'm happy to have seen these stories through to the end (for now).

10. 80 Days: I'm actually surprised by how much fun I had with this race around the world title. A great game to play, especially when you're traveling somewhere. Lots of imagination in here. Pick this up if it's on sale. A great palate cleanser of a title when you just want to get away for a while.

Honorable Mention: Assassin's Creed: Liberation: Aveline deserved a better game. AC:L was a good title, but not great. Here was this interesting character that could have had so much more offered to it, but instead the game feels like an afterthought. It's well constructed and entertaining, but I felt the whole time that the game feels...incomplete and I don't know why. Maybe it's overall Assassin's Creed fatigue. The whole Abstergo storyline has become very silly, to the point where Black Flag is sitting unplayed on my Steamlist (playing the titles above doesn't help). I think I'm done with the AC titles overall for a while. Too much of a good thing I guess.

Other titles played but didn't make the list:
Tropico 4: Good times, fun for what it is, but the gameplay is all too familiar now.
Total War: Atilla: One of those games where you can see the quality but it just didn't click with me. Not making the list is not a reflection of the quality of the title; it is one of those good games that for some Massive Chalice: Another title that I can appreciate its quality but for some reason didn't click with me. reason just don't grab you.
Star Drive 2: There is a lot of potential in here, but the game is too random and punishing for me to continue playing it any longer.
Polaris Sector: Decent space 4x title, but it can't compete with the titles above.
Out There: Omega Edition: Nice concepts, but too random and difficult to make any decent progress. Sorry, there are better titles out there that deserve my time.
Dungeon of the Endless: Same as Out There, I can see why people would like it, but there are too many better titles for me to consider playing this.
Overwatch: It's great. I just haven't played it enough to justify it making my top 10 list.
Civilization 5: I loved it, but it's time to move onto 6.
Civilization: Beyond Earth: Underrated. I like it, and will continue to revisit it in 2017.
Company of Heroes: Another replay. Still lots of fun.

What a great year! Even though I'm not buying too many titles next year (Mass Effect: Andromeda, that's it), it's great to see 2017 is already covered with such awesome titles.

oilypenguin wrote:
Rykin wrote:

Great now I have to try to remember what all I played this year ;)

Keep a gdoc. Even when you inevitably forget to keep it updated, you'll have the harder to remember beginning of the year covered.

As a single platform gamer (Xbox One) I just check my achievements. I can easily tell when I started a game by when the first achievement was unlocked and if I liked a game I probably played it long enough to unlock an achievement or twenty

Here is my list. All games played on Xbox One.

1. Ori and the Blind Forest. I knew I would like this game from the moment I saw the trailers, but for whatever reason it took me forever to get around to. It had a few parts that had me cussing and about ready to punch the controller, but for the most part it was a joy to play.

2. Rogue Legacy. Another game that took me a while to get around to. I actually got it on Steam years ago as part of some bundle and never did much more than start it up and die a couple of times and then turn it off. Not sure why I gave it another shot on Xbox One, but I did and I really enjoyed it.

3. The Division. A game I intend to go back to at some point. I enjoyed working my way through the content and even had a few fun experiences in the Dark Zone (and a number of not fun experiences there as well). I was completely uninterested in the end game grind though so I lost interest pretty quickly. Loved just running through the city though. That nearly 1 to 1 recreation of that area of NYC was very cool. I wish they would have included some sort of non-PvP shared world type stuff similar to Destiny.

4. Destiny: The Taken King. Maybe a bit of a cheat here, but last year Destiny was a lot like The Division was for me this year. Fun for a few weeks and then forgotten. The Taken King changed that. I went from base Destiny to The Taken King so I had an absolute ton of new content with the first two expansions included with The Taken King version I got. I had only worked a single class through all of the base game content so going into Taken King I started working on a second class and eventually worked all three classes through all of the single player content and most of the Strikes. Still have never bothered with raiding or the end game light level grind.

5. Firewatch. Just finished playing this one. Not quite as good as Gone Home was but it was a neat little adventure game. Could have used some puzzles. Was a very easy 1000 Gamerscore as well. Beautiful art direction and the opening text story bit was pretty heart wrenching.

6. Just Cause 3. I was actually very disappointed by the base game on this one, but the jet pack DLC completely turned that around and the other two DLCs were really fun as well. The jet pack was the type of thing that took this from just being a rehash of Just Cause 2 (which I played to death) and made it something special. If Marvel ever does another Iron Man game they need to hire Avalanche and use the jet pack game-play as the basis of that game.

7. Gears of War 4. This was a lot of fun for a couple of weeks and it is only the second Gears game I have ever played (the other being the first one which didn't impress me much). Would still like to play more Horde mode with GWJ people.

8. Bridge Constructor. Fun little puzzle game with buggy achievements. Was a nice change of pace from games that mostly involved shooting dudes.

9. Halo 5. It is more Halo. The story was a bit odd, but that is Halo for you. Not sure where the other old school Spartans came from since in the first trilogy they were all supposed to be dead. This is mostly here because I had fun with it for a few nights.

10. Pokemon Go. Forgot about this game when I made the list and since I am adding Firewatch I might as well add this. I was really into this for like three or four weeks.

Honorable Mentions (no points):

Skyrim Special Edition. I played the heck out of it back when it first came out, but I am really loving this version. It runs so smoothly (most of the time) and is just so easy to get lost in.

Overwatch. I don't care for the game-play, but I love the characters. If the game had a single player campaign I probably would have gotten it (I only played the beta).

Secret of Mana, Mad Max, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Had lots of fun replaying these games this year.

Hopefully I won't have any edits to my list, but I would like to play the CoD: Infinite Warfare campaign and Firewatch once I am finished with Skyrim Special Edition. I could see Firewatch needing to be added to the list.

Or you could just check out the Finished Any Games Lately? thread. That always helps.

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