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

I'm always slow to respond to the GOTY thread, because I feel like I don't play that many new games. Then I read what y'all have nominated, and realize that I did play a crapload of new games.

Master of Orion is pretty great!

Rise of the Tomb Raider is also good, and I love that these days I can talk about TR in public without people assuming I'm in it for t&a. It didn't have the same impact for me that the reboot held -because that was such a radical upgrade- but still.

I won't nominate Skyrim: Embiggened Edition because it doesn't need the exposure, although 96 hours played in 2 months is a strong indicator.

BioShock remastered was also excellent. I played about 30 hours of that.

Maybe this year's theme could be "Everything Old is New Again."

1. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/UGmG1Vj.jpg)
Stardew Valley(PC/Mac/Linux)- This is the game that never ends, it just goes on and on my friend... I hear it being compared to Harvest Moon, but I never got into that series. There's farming, mining, fighting, crafting, a bit of exploration, and, best of all, the social aspect. Trying to befriend the villagers and figure out which gifts to give them makes this really addictive. I put about 160 hours into it, and I'm nowhere near done. I'm just...taking a break in order to play...
2. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/edbEWqz.jpg)
Yo-Kai Watch 2 (3DS) - The only surprise is that it didn't end up as #1. Once I started playing, I knew it would be second only to Stardew Valley (and possibly FFXV). The main game is short and sweet, but the post-story is where it's at. Lots of new places to explore, new towns, new forms of transportation, and all new yo-kai to catch earned this game a slot in the Top 3.
3. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/3FZIC66.jpg)
Xenoblade Chronicles X (WiiU) - Amazing. Another game with awesome views and a whole wide world to explore. Yet, it's almost nothing like the original. I haven't quite finished this one either, due to my kid stealing the WiiU for Just Dance 2016 all the time. I really dig the juxtaposition of fantasy and reality (e.g., New LA)
4. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/D1zIRHQ.jpg)
Zero Time Dilemma (PS Vita/3DS) - The final(?) installment of the Zero Escape series ties everything up in a tidy bow, while asking a whole slew of other questions. There's time travel, jumping from soul to soul, puzzles, etc. It's like Professor Layton, but much, much bloodier. My only regret is that I didn't get it for 3DS; it's the one game I think wasn't better on Vita, because I really could have used that second touch screen.
5. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/9FaEK8Z.jpg)
Fire Emblem Fates (3DS) - Another solid strategy game, but they took it up a notch with your first decision: which version to buy? The correct answer is: all of them, because it's Revelations that really ties everything together.
6. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/nNkrX7G.jpg)
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (WiiU) - A cute way to pass the time waiting for Persona 5. There really wasn't as much Fire Emblem as I'd hoped for; it was really a Persona game with a few FE elements mixed in.
7. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/ldwxIhz.jpg)
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice (3DS) - Maya is back! Sort of. So are Athena and Apollo. Once again, a crazy story, but we learn a bit about Apollo's origins
8. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/6EWSlPG.jpg)
Bravely Second (3DS) - I was really looking forward to this, but it really ended up being more of the same, which isn't bad, but there wasn't really anything super-groundbreaking.
9. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/tkBOpjF.jpg)
Pokémon Moon/Sun (3DS) - I could almost use the same blurb as Bravely Second, but the Festival Plaza is a nice touch. It reminds me a lot of Disney Magical World in that you meet people and run errands.
10. IMAGE(http://c.opencritic.com/images/games/1701_banner.jpg)
Just Dance 2016 (PS3/PS4/Wii/WiiU/XBox360/XBoxOne)
Just to round out the top 10. It's a fun little dancing game. My son and I have spent countless hours playing it. I think the controller motion capture could use more work, but maybe that's my excuse for not hitting the moves just the right way.

Too long, haven't played enough (I reserve the right to rank them in 2017):
1. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/udgl3Kd.jpg)
Civ VI (PC/Mac) - The Pile is so large, and kids really cut into my PC gaming time; I've yet to finish a game, but it looks promising.
2. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/2XIFWuR.jpg)
Root Letter (PS Vita) - A visual novel mystery game that Amazon suggested. I like it so far, but it's not a LOVE, and I've only played about an hour so far.
3. IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/GQBGUfx.jpg)
Final Fantasy XV (PS4/XBOne) - I waited ten flipping years for this game. It may very well end up as #1, but I'm not quite done with it yet. Part of me says I should put it in the 2017 list, but the other part of me reminds me that there are 14 days left in 2016, and I can finish this. The world is so lush and beautiful, the sense of a bunch of friends hitting the open road is pretty cool. Sure, there's a lot of willing suspension of disbelief required, but hey, it's Final Fantasy. Perhaps making the main characters into yaoi fantasy fodder is a larger factor in the ranking than I'd like to admit. Seriously, though, I haven't had this much fun with a Final Fantasy game since my first, which was FFVIII.

Instead, I played a large number of really good games.

That might be a fairer description, that 2016 was full of extremely competent, well-designed games, but nothing that absolutely blew the doors off, like Witcher 3 last year.

Although, Blood and Wine was pretty amazing. I was particularly impressed with the fairy-tale section. Not all of the humor there worked, but a lot of it did, and I remember that area so, so clearly.

Nonetheless, even with a relative lack of door removal, the games that did come out tended to be very absorbing for long periods of time. I got a lot of hours out of my gaming dollars, this year.

1. Bloodborne I played 'The Old Hunters' DLC and the second half of the game (after a hiatus. It's very common for me to take a long break from big games so I can come back refreshed and keen to press on.) The 'Lady Maria' fight from the DLC is my favourite boss fight in any game and the pinnacle of my 'Dark Souls' style experiences. It will live in my gaming memory for a long time (and also on Youtube.)

2. Battlefield 4 The game was released in 2013 but I bought it roughly three months ago and LOVED IT. Never believe that games aren't worth playing after a few weeks just because 'everyone' has moved on. Lots of games have large and small communities that are still very active and willing to give you help or offer you a tough fight. I spent the majority of my time playing obliteration mode. That mode has the features shared by all classic games, simple rules with the potential for endless variation and strategic possibilities.

3. Speaking of hiatuses, I'm on one with Dark Souls 3 but I was blown away by the first half of the game. I shall return to it once my Witcher addiction has abated.

4. Speaking of Witcher: Witcher 3. My journey with this game went from 'I'm just not sure this is grabbing me' to, 'Ok. This game is astonishing in all respects.' I also have a full blown man crush on Geralt. Whenever he's in a cut scene I just sit there contemplating how cool he is. Also Gwent.

5. Uncharted 4 Curse you uncharted 4 for completely overturning my hostile stance on cinematic games. Incredible adventure and really fun multiplayer. Although, it's probably just as well I have Spikeout and Co by my side.

**NEW ENTRY** 6. INSIDE One of those timeless, 'perfect' games like Portal or The secret of Monkey Island that stands as a complete world. It has amazing puzzles that aren't hard enough to make you cheat but are trick enough to stump you for a time and give you that little rush of self satisfaction when you solve them. The puzzles in INSIDE are exemplary because of their incredible simplicity. I absolutely love the art style as well pared back but with gorgeous beautifully observed renderings of outdoor and indoor environments coupled with top notch animation that communicates volumes without the need for words.

**These games move down one:**

7. Alienation An incredibly fun co-op game (waves at Spikeout and RnRClown.) It could have done with a slew of DLC but I suspect it just didn't sell well enough.

8. For Honor No, you didn't miss something. It isn't out yet. I played the Alpha. That extended weekend showed me enough of the game to know it is something special. You must have had the experience of starting to play a game that instantly feels right; as if you've come home to a place where everything suits your tastes and needs. That is how For Honor felt for me. I played until they shut the servers down then I was sad that I wouldn't have the game to play until it's release (or until they put out a beta.) It's core system has the potential to be the future of fighting games.

9. Alien: Isolation An amazing game I played from start to finish. I suspect that the game went wrong by setting the difficulty too high. It caused the player to be too frustrated too often. I played the game on easy and died often enough to feel threatened but not so often enough it stopped being fun.

10. Soma A scary game with an incredible story.

The Division fell off the bottom of the list.

sometimesdee wrote:

1. Final Fantasy XV
2. Yo-Kai Watch 2
3. Stardew Valley
4. Xenoblade X
5. Zero Time Dilemma
6. Fire Emblem Fates
7. Bravely Second
8. Pokémon Moon
9. Phoenix Wright Spirit of Justice
10. Tokyo Mirage Sessions

Too long, haven't played enough:
Civ VI
Root Letter

Will elaborate with blurbs later

FFXV with a bullet. Haven't started it yet but that makes me more excited to get to it faster. Lots of games I should get to.

After messing around with some of the numbers of the list, this is it for this year:

1.-Stardew Valley (Most time/fun/surprise had this year, and made by a ONE person team)
2.-Gears 4 (best friends/party game, had a lot of fun, and still having)
3.- Inside (still thinking about this game and messing with my head)
4.- tales from the borderlands (great alternative story... yes I know it didnt came out in 2016, but I just got to it)
5.- FireWatch (not a lot to say if you havent played it, I'll spoil it)
6.- Dont Starve: ShipWrecked(always loved this game/series)
7.- Titanfall 2 (great all around game, too bad it didnt get the sales....)
8.- Rocket League (best GWJ and Curse game)
9.- Grim Down
10.- Kerbal (still loving watching the kerbels fly and dont know what the hell is going on...)

ClockworkHouse wrote:

It has been a very strong year. Looking back over what I've played, there have been some genuine best ever type releases this year.

In my experience, the last several years running have only gotten better and better for strong gaming releases. We've been on a really solid stretch!

Sorry the writing is bit all over the place and bad. I wrote as things came to me and then was corrected and made to feel bad about positing it out of order.

(1)Overwatch - I really don’t know what to say about this one. I’m sure other people are going to put into words why this game is so great, better than I can. It is the game I have spent the most time with this year, by far. It is pushing for the game I have played the most of ever. I never thought that I would be able to play an online FPS, and actually feel like I was being effective. Somehow Blizzard pulled it off. Titanfall 2 proved to me how difficult it is to create that game.

(2) Dark Souls III - I was really worried about this game before it came out. I am one of those people that pretends DS2 doesn’t exist, but has hope that the glory days of DS could come again. And what we have here is, well, as close as we are going to get. One of the best things about DS was the world interconnectedness, and that is completely gone here. It was ditched for a long hallway. Everything else, though it pretty much spot on.

(3) Hitman - What happens when you are released into a video game world that knows it is a video game? Hitman 2016 happens. The ridiculous scenarios that this game has created is some of the best times I have ever had killing virtual people. For instance, I found an explosive golf ball. One would think I would hide the golf ball among malign golf balls, so that when a certain golfer came to practice his stroke he would walk away missing his feet. But, noooooo, I took the said golf ball and threw it the golfer’s head at 100 miles an hour while he was golfing and I was hiding beside a bush dressed as a gardener. If that didn’t sell you nothing will.

(4)Card Crawl - This is by fat the most time I have ever put into a mobile game. It’s a solitaire style mechanics are super easy to learn, and it stays entertaining for hour long sessions. This game got me through a year of my kids baseball, basketball, and lacrosse practices. I commend it for that!

(5)Dirt Rally - On the other hand, if you are want a racing game that does one very specific thing, and that very specific thing you want happens to be Rally Racing, then Dirt: Rally is it. I am not sure I have ever seen a more focused game. It picked one pretty obscure sport, and simulated it perfectly. I mean, how many games warn you when you start that you are going suck because they simulated the game so perfectly.

(6)Project Cars - If you are looking for a racing sim that does a little bit of everything, it’s hard to beat this. It doesn’t do anything extraordinary, but what’s more exciting that being a racing driver?

(7)Motorsport Manager - Another mobile game that entertained me throughout this year. I did not put near as much time in this one as I did Card Crawl, but that’s probably because this game has an ending. That being winning the Formula 1 Championship. Okay, this isn’t a licensed game, but it’s not fooling anyone. We all know what you want to be. I never knew that I was the manager sim type, but this game is simple enough that even I was able to grok it. I heard they made a much more in depth version for PC. If it is just as good as this one, expect it on my 2017 list.

(8)Titanfall 2 - This is on my list for two reasons: I don’t play many NEW games, and the single player is fantastic. The multiplayer is a twitch based shooter, which means I suck. The single player, though, has some of the best moments and set pieces I have ever seen in video games. Period! Not just in a FPS. I haven’t been so emotionally attached to a robot since Dog.

EverythingsTentative wrote:

Sorry this is out of order, but I just wrote as things came to me then numbered them.

If only copy and paste existed.

Clock puts a lot of work into compiling this data don't think we need to make things harder.

EverythingsTentative wrote:

(1)Overwatch - I really don’t know what to say about this one. I’m sure other people are going to put into words why this game is so great, better than I can. It is the game I have spent the most time with this year, by far. It is pushing for the game I have played the most of ever. I never thought that I would be able to play an online FPS, and actually feel like I was being effective. Somehow Blizzard pulled it off. Titanfall 2 proved to me how difficult it is to create that game.

(2) Dark Souls III - I was really worried about this game before it came out. I am one of those people that pretends DS2 doesn’t exist, but has hope that the glory days of DS could come again. And what we have here is, well, as close as we are going to get. One of the best things about DS was the world interconnectedness, and that is completely gone here. It was ditched for a long hallway. Everything else, though it pretty much spot on.

(3) Hitman - What happens when you are released into a video game world that knows it is a video game? Hitman 2016 happens. The ridiculous scenarios that this game has created is some of the best times I have ever had killing virtual people. For instance, I found an explosive golf ball. One would think I would hide the golf ball among malign golf balls, so that when a certain golfer came to practice his stroke he would walk away missing his feet. But, noooooo, I took the said golf ball and threw it the golfer’s head at 100 miles an hour while he was golfing and I was hiding beside a bush dressed as a gardener. If that didn’t sell you nothing will.

(4)Card Crawl - This is by fat the most time I have ever put into a mobile game. It’s a solitaire style mechanics are super easy to learn, and it stays entertaining for hour long sessions. This game got me through a year of my kids baseball, basketball, and lacrosse practices. I commend it for that!

(5)Dirt Rally - On the other hand, if you are want a racing game that does one very specific thing, and that very specific thing you want happens to be Rally Racing, then Dirt: Rally is it. I am not sure I have ever seen a more focused game. It picked one pretty obscure sport, and simulated it perfectly. I mean, how many games warn you when you start that you are going suck because they simulated the game so perfectly.

(6)Project Cars - If you are looking for a racing sim that does a little bit of everything, it’s hard to beat this. It doesn’t do anything extraordinary, but what’s more exciting that being a racing driver?

(7)Motorsport Manager - Another mobile game that entertained me throughout this year. I did not put near as much time in this one as I did Card Crawl, but that’s probably because this game has an ending. That being winning the Formula 1 Championship. Okay, this isn’t a licensed game, but it’s not fooling anyone. We all know what you want to be. I never knew that I was the manager sim type, but this game is simple enough that even I was able to grok it. I heard they made a much more in depth version for PC. If it is just as good as this one, expect it on my 2017 list.

(8)Titanfall 2 - This is on my list for two reasons: I don’t play many NEW games, and the single player is fantastic. The multiplayer is a twitch based shooter, which means I suck. The single player, though, has some of the best moments and set pieces I have ever seen in video games. Period! Not just in a FPS. I haven’t been so emotionally attached to a robot since Dog.

34 seconds worth of work

Fixed.

DP

Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to make things easier for me.

Just the list:

1. Firewatch (PS4)
2. Inside (PS4)
3. Virginia (PS4)
4. Batman: A Telltale Series (PS4)
5. Minecraft: Story Mode (PS4)
6. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4)
7. Gone Home (PS4)
8. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Updated Content Mod (MAC)
9. Hidden my Game by Mom! (IOS)
10. Kingdom Hearts Unchained X (IOS)

UpToIsomorphism's Game of the Year
2016

1. Firewatch (PS4)

IMAGE(http://cdn1-www.playstationlifestyle.net/assets/uploads/2016/02/Firewatch.jpg)

At the risk of stealing a post from another thread, the thing I discovered about myself this year is that I love personal stories in games. I love the feeling that I am inhabiting a person, and going on a journey in that person’s skin—whether I like that person or not, whether I agree with them or not. And that is the reason I loved this game: I felt like I was inhabiting Henry as his life fell apart and as he fled from that life into the forest. I felt his pain as he was making terrible decisions based on inexperience, naivety, and self-delusion. I was upset as he was suffering from loneliness and how that loneliness drove him to despair and delusion. And I felt abysmal

Spoiler:

when the end comes and fire destroys his refuge, his fantasy relationship with a character as flawed as him, and his forest.

Firewatch allowed me to inhabit a realistic person going through a realistic struggle that didn’t involve killing dozens of people. And it did so in a way that rang true to me throughout the game.

2. Inside (PS4)

IMAGE(http://www.playdead.com/css/img/inside/gifs/gif7.gif)

Inside wants to say something profound. Its big reveal is well-worn ground in the video game space, but its dark depictions of industrial farms, bleak cityscapes, and sinister research facilities speak to a greater truth that the game never fully realizes. However, these bleak industrial environments give context to a game that houses itself in a genre filled with dark, foreboding scenery. There are some great puzzles, some exceptional sound work, and an interesting (if not overused) plot twist for those who stick to the end (and play after the credits), but the thing that sticks with me about inside is how darkly it portrays industrialized society.

3. Virginia (PS4)

IMAGE(https://images.nowloading.co/image/upload/c_fill,h_470,q_auto:good,w_620/r9hyl3ynljz3xakr2o0w.jpg)

PLAY THIS GAME AT LEAST TWICE!!! After my first playthrough, I didn’t understand half of what was going on, the ending was nonsensical, and the more abstract metaphors seemed only to be in there to be weird. However, I do enjoy an easy trophy hunt, so I went back. It was in that second playthrough I finally understood what the designers were trying to do. The metaphors that were present at the end I saw in the beginning. The nonsense began to make sense. Most importantly, I was able to patch together the literal and metaphorical story into one of the more unique game stories I have ever played. Plus, I got an easy Platinum.

4. Batman: A Telltale Series (PS4)

IMAGE(http://www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/2016/06/batmantelltale.jpg)

I love the Telltale style of adventure game. I play them all, and many of them end up on this list at the end of the year. Batman is no exception. It is a wonder story, mixes up enough of both Bruce Wayne and Batman to feel more like a true Batman story than the Arkham games do, and most importantly, plays with many of the tropes of the Batman universe so it doesn’t feel like a retread of a comic, movie, or TV show. It gets a slight nod over the next game, only because its release schedule has been consistent and quick (something TT has had trouble with in the past).

5. Minecraft: Story Mode (PS4)

IMAGE(http://assets2.ignimgs.com/2016/05/31/theblueroom1920x1080jpg-d49416_765w.jpg)

I’ve seen a few people around these parts say that they hated the story in Borderlands but loved Tales from the Borderlands. To those people, I say play Minecraft: Story Mode. It works the same magic as TftB, only in a different setting. It is not too kiddy (but it is family friendly) it is not impenetrable for those not into Minecraft (though there were nods in the game for those of you who are). It is a fun story with characters that I grew attached to, hated, and loved. And if you would tell me that I would ever care about the story and characters of Minecraft.

6. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4)

IMAGE(http://images.techtimes.com/data/images/full/236964/uncharted-4-a-thiefs-end.jpg)

With apologies to KaterinLHC, I liked this game, a lot. I admit, the story isn’t as strong as any of the previous games, and the set-pieces aren’t as good as Uncharted 1 or 2, but it still is one of those games. It is a fun roller-coaster ride (even in Druckmann tried to darken it up) and unlike those other games I never had to roll my eyes at the end of the game because of a

Spoiler:

dumb supernatural element that breaks the game.

As someone who is not a fan on The Last of Us, and who wants to see the Uncharted Story really end this time, I am excited for the next new thing from Naughty Dog. But until then, I am looking forward to The Lost Legacy because it will be a fun roller-coaster. And I could use a few more of those.

7. Gone Home (PS4)

IMAGE(https://media.playstation.com/is/image/SCEA/gone-home-screen-05-ps4-us-06jan16?$MediaCarousel_LargeImage$)

Yes, I am very LTTP. And yes, as a social-justice leaning, academic who likes personal stories in their games, I should have played this years ago. But it just came to PS4, and that is the first time I had a platform I was confident would play it. Anyway, the game is amazing and there are thousands of words from people more thoughtful than me on why it is amazing. All I will say is that it holds up, and if you haven’t played it yet, do yourself a favor and go play it.

8. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Updated Content Mod (MAC)

IMAGE(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/29yoxYCj6no/hqdefault.jpg)

This is a bit of a stretch because I have played KotOR II back in the day. . But after getting in a Star Wars fervor after Episode 8, and blazing through Knights of the Old Republic, I downloaded this to my MacBook and gave it another chance. Now that I am more mature (as a gamer and a person), I can appreciate the more subversive elements of the game, and I actively enjoyed the elements when it would play against trope. The UCM fixed many of my larger complaints with the game (including the ending with left a sour taste in my mouth), and I feel this game stands up as an interesting contrast to the usual Star Wars mantra of good versus evil. In the end, I wanted to

Spoiler:

defeat Kreia not for the good of the Jedi or the Sith, but to keep the power I had gained.

And the fact that the game was able to evoke that emotion in me someone role-playing a character was amazing.

9. Hidden my Game by Mom! (IOS)

IMAGE(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SwHFPAr43rm6hH6RgVyi-www2jC_eyJmIESh-mMFq_G1e5MDRAib32jhsdvuXgaRpqE=h900)

This game is free, it takes about an hour, it is weird and fun. To talk about it more would get into spoiler territory. Just know I played this game lying next to my wife on a lazy Saturday and we both laughed several times, and had fun.

10. Kingdom Hearts Unchained (IOS)

IMAGE(http://i.utdstc.com/screen/android/thumb/kingdom-hearts-unchained-1.jpg)

This is the game that I love that makes me hate video games. I love the world of Kingdom Hearts (and Disney in general) and I love the dichotomy of the “good colonist” that the keyblade wielder exists as. So if you give me a game that will scratch that itch (and give me that core KH story) I’m all in. However, this game has all the evil mobile game structures I hate: energy timers, random draws, purchasing energy, etc. I have longed in to this game every day since its American release, and for almost a month, as the game becomes more bloated and more of a data hog, I have thought of deleting it. But every day, I log in, do my dailys, and pray for a good special quest or story update. For my love of the game, it makes this list. And for my hatred of the game, my New Year’s Resolution will be to delete it from my phone.

Games I need to play more of, or that they need to finish releasing.

• Dishonored
• Dishonored 2
• Kentucky Route Zero
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

9. Hidden my Game by Mom! (IOS)

Thank you for reminding me about this one! Off to re-order my draft list, again.

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

For my love of the game, it makes this list. And for my hatred of the game, my New Year’s Resolution will be to delete it from my phone.

I hear you on this. I lost interest months back, but Demyx is still plugging away (somehow). I've pretty much given up on mobile F2P at this point having burned through Marvel Puzzle Quest, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, and kinda petering out on Final Fantasy Record Keeper when I went back to it (not to mention giving up on F2P CCG games).

There's good examples of F2P done well but it seems like they're incredibly rare on mobile

1. Monster Hunter Generations (3DS)
2. Marvel Heroes 2016 (PC)
3. XCOM 2 (PC)
4. Stardew Valley (PC)
5. Stellaris (PC)
6. Factorio (PC)
7. Assassin's Creed Black Flag (PS4)
8. Kingdom: New Lands (PC)
9. Space Run Galaxy (PC)
10. Alienation (PS4)

Game I spent the most time playing not on this list: Clash Royale.

1. MHG - I'd never made it past a few hunts in a demo before this game, but having a community to talk with and help understand what was going on really tipped this game into an amazing experience. The few times I got to hunt with folks was the most fun I had gaming this year.

2. Marvel Heroes 2016 - ARPG meets MMO that is F2P. I just really enjoy getting new heroes and leveling them up. Collecting splinters to buy heroes, blender-ing costumes to get new random costumes, lots of things to collect and feel like you have a decently geared hero without too much difficulty. You can also drop in and out incredibly easy and still feel like you accomplished something.

3. XCOM2 - The XCOM formula revisited and improved for me. A lot of really nice touches added to the game that created even more tension and frustration at times, (timed missions), but ultimately was an excellent game that had a lot of one more turn, oh crap it's 2 am.

4. Stardew Valley - Just a great game that I got to talk with my daughter about as well. She had her own farm going and it was just fantastic to interact with her in a new way. Building my own farm and working through the story was a lot of fun.

5. Stellaris - Still not very good at the game, but keep starting up new games and learning and making it a bit further. A lot to explore and experience, just hasn't grabbed me as much as the above games, so haven't had the time devoted to learning it.

6. Factorio - The automation systems you can build in this game are just extraordinary. When you get a set of things running along nicely, it is just so rewarding.

7. Black Flag - A bit late on this one, but just enjoyed pirating around the world. Follow missions were a pain at times, but had taken a good break from the Assassin's Creed series and this was a nice reentry.

8. Kingdom: New Lands - Similar entry to Kingdom, but some really fun changes with the tower upgrades becoming different types of buildings that could really alter your playstyle.

9. Space Run Galaxy - Spaceship puzzle/tower defense that I enjoyed in it's prior iteration and enjoyed the new types of weapons and learning the new puzzle. Some fun new challenges introduced with a lot going on in some of the later missions.

10. Alienation - Got to play some fun coop with GWJ folks, but schedules ended up not matching well and fizzled the experience. Pretty game, nice twin stick shooter that had some real challenge to it once you got further along in the game. Reaction time continues to diminish for me and being dead more than alive lessened the enjoyment after awhile.

I always pick something up from the eventual winners list and looking forward to seeing what it will be. Thank you very much for putting this together!

shoptroll wrote:

I lost interest months back, but Demyx is still plugging away (somehow).

The "somehow" is that I'm contractually obligated to play any Kingdom Hearts game.

Jonman wrote:

6: Train Valley
The inimitable Dudley Smith gifted me this during the summer Steam Sale, and boy howdy do he and this game have my number. It’s a cute indie game that’s a lovechild of Railroad Tycoon and a pausable-RTS, if that makes any goddamn sense. You are tasked with laying down railroad tracks to connect an ever increasing number of stations, while juggling the trains on those tracks to get them to their destinations. It’s both simple and subtle, and what starts out as pleasant little exercise swiftly becomes a multi-tasking nightmare of head-on train crashes. Each level is done inside of 5 or 10 minutes, but it lends itself well to replaying. Just last week, I spent a feverish afternoon (literally, I was home sick from work with a fever) re-trying the same level something like 50 times in a vain attempt to “3-star” it.

I honestly thought I would be the only one with this on my list (forthcoming). Love the game with the added bonus that it's the first game my (5 y.o.) son learned to play with a mouse at home and he loves playing it when I let him. The sandbox mode is great. I generally set up the tracks and let him go to town sending trains out. Sometimes he gets a little too into crashing them, though.

I've wracked my brain and realized I've lacked both breadth and depth with my gaming this year, finishing very few games (or playing perpetual grinds) and yet buying countless games on sale on both Steam and PSN. Here's my (very) short list of noteworthy games in 2016:

DOOM
Titanfall 2: the only title on this list that I actually finished!
Killing Floor 2
House of the Dying Sun
Redout
Warframe: I had probably installed and booted this up briefly before 2016 but it wasn't until the beginning of January when I reinstalled and fell into the game semi-deeply. Liking it a lot and feeling like it was one of the better experiences in the first half of the year.

edit to add:
1)the Beginner's guide sneaks in under the wire thanks to a generous gift from Bonus to steal the #1 spot. I started playing and just didn't stop until it was done, got me invested in a way I don't often encounte and is still sitting with me as an experience to ruminate over and contemplate. Thanks again Bonus!

2) Devil daggers; this game has kept me coming back for quick drop in sessions ever since I first played it earlier this year. They change things up enough each patch to make it a newish experience built on the same fundamentals.

3) gang beasts; I have not gotten to play this one much but the few coach sessions I've had are some of the most fun and laughter I've had in gaming for many years.

edit to add:
4) Inside forgot this was a 2016 first play, it absolutely deserves to be on this list.

1. Severed (PS VITA)

I simply had to give this little gem the honor. A game that I have no complaints about; it used the VITA's touch screen perfectly, it uses a daring and unique art style, it has a great and succinct story-line, it has a strong female protagonist, it's challenging but balanced, and it is just the right length (at 8-10 hours) to hit all the right spots and not overstay its welcome.

2. Bloodborne (PS4)

A bit late to the party on this one, but well worth the wait. It was the first game I purchased for my PS4 and began playing it in January. By March I had completed and Platinum'ed it along with completing the DLC. The game is the perfect marriage of Lovecraftian horror elements with the wonderful Souls formula. What's not to love?

3. Dark Souls III (Multi)

The third and final (allegedly) chapter of the Dark Souls series and easily my recent favorite game series ever. So much hope, so many expectations, naturally all unrealistic and improbable, yet the game ended up being a good, if not great, culmination to the series. Are there wishes unfulfilled for me as a fan? Of course, but then again, aren't unfulfilled wishes par for the course for these games? I feel it is only because it garnered such a large fan-base and ascended to the gaming pantheon reserved for only the greatest series that we, as fans, got to fantasize about all the answers we might receive, when it reality we got exactly what the series is known for: dropping a few hidden bread crumbs that may or may not act as answers to old questions while dropping a deluge of new questions to pore over and speculate on, all wrapped up in a relatively neat game engine that, as always, scratches most of the fan itches but leaves a few key ones unscratched.

4. Final Fantasy XV (PS4)

Sloppy storytelling notwithstanding (and boy, is it sloppy!), the game is a wonderful thing. Even not taking into consideration that it spent a good deal in development purgatory, its game world is a wonderful thing to behold. Having sunk over 50 hours into it and not being near full completion yet, I am breaking one of Odin's maxims of the Havamal and calling this drink great despite not yet having drank it to the dregs.

5. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (Multi)

The wonders of the classic JRPG, made greater by a strong emphasis on character development, come to a head in this game, for me. Fell in love with the characters, enjoyed the battle system, and loved every minute that I spent in the world. Despite its few short-comings, it's a true gem.

6. Stick it to the Man (Multi)

Luscas-era click adventure humor meets ingenious platforming with a very unique art-style. I loved this short and sweet platformer from the get-go.

7. Adventure of Pip (Multi)

Indy platformer the uses what is now a not-so-fresh narrative and graphical angle about a world where its denizens are aware of their pixelated nature. Fun to the very last.

8. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (WiiU)

Clay animation graphics, always a plus is my book, and decent use of the WiiU's gamepad, made this one a shoe-in. The fact that I got to play it with my daughter from start to finish was the cherry on top.

9. Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (NDS)

Tingle. Water color art style. Sexual innuendo. Greed. That about sums it up.

10. Xeodrifter (Multi)

The little metroidvania that could. Simple yet addictive. This one had to make the list.

Honorable Mention: Fallout 4 (Multi)

Yup. Not in the top ten for me. Still a wonderful game that I completed and Platinum'ed, but it wasn't that amazing, in hindsight. Much of the player agency of previous games in the series was neutered, and so it was more a shooter and exploration game than a true Fallout game. Good, but not GOTY material for me.

mrtomaytohead wrote:
Jonman wrote:

6: Train Valley
The inimitable Dudley Smith gifted me this during the summer Steam Sale, and boy howdy do he and this game have my number. It’s a cute indie game that’s a lovechild of Railroad Tycoon and a pausable-RTS, if that makes any goddamn sense. You are tasked with laying down railroad tracks to connect an ever increasing number of stations, while juggling the trains on those tracks to get them to their destinations. It’s both simple and subtle, and what starts out as pleasant little exercise swiftly becomes a multi-tasking nightmare of head-on train crashes. Each level is done inside of 5 or 10 minutes, but it lends itself well to replaying. Just last week, I spent a feverish afternoon (literally, I was home sick from work with a fever) re-trying the same level something like 50 times in a vain attempt to “3-star” it.

I honestly thought I would be the only one with this on my list (forthcoming). Love the game with the added bonus that it's the first game my (5 y.o.) son learned to play with a mouse at home and he loves playing it when I let him. The sandbox mode is great. I generally set up the tracks and let him go to town sending trains out. Sometimes he gets a little too into crashing them, though.

Love it. I have a copy of Train Simulator sitting on my machine waiting for my nearly-3-year-old to get enough attention-span to sit on my lap and be the conductor. I'll add Train Valley into my future rotation too.

Dyni wrote:
RnRClown wrote:

2016 as it stands is a rather forgettable year

I don't agree with that.

RnRClown wrote:

I haven't had a real standout this year. Nothing leaps out like previous years. Not to the degree of a Bloodborne, or a Splatoon, or a Mass Effect 2.

But I do agree with this. No game I played this year would have made my top 3 from last year.

Could not agree more. So many very good games this year, but it didn't have anything that absolutely blew my mind the way Bloodborne or ARK did. Civ 6 came close, which leads me to...

1. Civilization 6 - Easy choice here. The best Civilization out of the gates since Civ 2. Already sunk dozens of hours into it, will certainly sink hundreds into it eventually. Completely removed any desire to play prior versions.
2. Hitman - So glad I got over my initial concerns over the episodic model. The best entry in the series, tons of fun, and incredible replayability.
3. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - This came from out of nowhere and nearly stole the crown. After Starcraft, the single best example in history of a company taking a pre-existing game concept and then executing a perfect version of it. Great production values, great polish, and features a brilliantly simple set of mechanics that you'll keep finding more and more inventive ways to combine. I reaaaaaally hope it winds up having a long tail, and they have the funding to release more levels.
4. The Division - Tons of fun, and if they hadn't had such a flawed endgame it would have been a landmark game on consoles. I'm in the apparently fraction of a percent of people who had an absolute blast in the PvP Darkzone, and think it's a great idea that just needs a little tweaking. The devs have eaten their humble pie and are reacting well to all the player feedback, so I hope to be back eventually when my schedule allows.
5. XCOM 2 - I was hoping for something a little less similar to XCOM, but still played a ton and enjoyed the hell out of it. DLC was a disappointment, or this would have placed higher.
6. 7 Days to Die - An amazing case of a ridiculously ambitious Kickstarter game that is actually delivering. Tons of fun to play on a private server with a friend or two, and the raid-every-7th-day mechanic goes a long ways to keeping you focused and goal-oriented while playing. Minecraft for people who want a point beyond just creating sh*t.
7. Overwatch - Great execution of a concept, and the high water mark for developer-to-community interaction in the industry. If I was in my 20s and could dedicate the time to gather enough friends to always play with 5 people of a similar skill level, I would probably play nothing but this game, since that's pretty much what I did in college with QWTF. Sadly, that ship has sailed, so it drops to #7.
8. Rimworld - The best alternative I've found to Dwarf Fortress, ever since the development of DF went entirely off the rails. A reliable source of memorable moments.
9. Salt and Sanctuary - Can't go wrong with side scrolling Dark Souls. The creators of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night need to team up with these guys and make the greatest 2D game in the history of games.
10. Dishonored 2 - It's just more Dishonored, but that's good enough for a top ten finish.

Oh, and honorable mention to Helldivers, because dropping orbital pods on your friends' heads never gets old. Ever.

1. The Witness - An elegantly designed puzzle game with many layers to unravel to the quiet island setting punctuated by bizarre discoveries.
2. Dark Souls 3 - A fitting conclusion to the trilogy in terms of tone and perhaps the best-designed game in the series but feels overpolished compared to the twisted genius of Dark Souls 1.
3. Hyper Light Drifter - Ultra-stylish top-down action game that's really getting its hooks into me. Can't wait to plow through it.
4. Quadrilateral Cowboy - More of the now classic Blendo Games aesthetic packaged into a tight game of heists and hacking.
5. Hearthstone - Three new expansions and the Standard format shake up keep me coming back for another year.
6. Overwatch - A worthy successor to TF2 but still didn't quite dig its hooks in me.
7. Firewatch - Intriguing walking simulator in the wilderness with snappy dialog, but with some story lulls and difficult to buy plot points.
8. Headlander - A serviceable Metroidvania that is carried by a cool trippy retro 60s sci-fi art style and some memorable highlights.
9. Darkest Dungeon - Interesting strategy RPG roguelike hybrid with an inventive position-based combat system that unfortunately seems to turn into a grindfest.
10. No Man's Sky - A heavily flawed but incredibly beautiful and relaxing game. I'm surprised how much the Foundation Update got me to play, although a mindless eyecandy-filled grindfest may be just what I'm in the mood for right now.

Honorable Mention: Read Only Memories - A cute retro first-person style adventure game with a charming and extremely diverse cast of characters, particularly in terms of gender identity which ties into the robotic sentience plot. Unfortunately, there's a big dip in quality around the mid-to-end game in terms of writing and puzzle design, but so much so that they've actually done a big revamp of the game since I played it which seems to have been released for PS4 and will hopefully come to other platforms.

Looking to spend more time with QuadCow in the next few weeks and pick up Hyper Light Drifter off the pile if I have time. I'll be away from home for the rest of the year so only laptop capable games will work. See you in the Dishonored New Year Dishonored 2.

Edit: Updated list with Hyper Light Drifter and moved Quadrilateral Cowboy up more.

So, the Expansion/DLC rules make perfect sense, and I love them.

BUUUT

I have one more clarification:

Let's say my #1 Game of the Year by several orders of magnitude is one that isn't new to me and didn't technically release a new paid expansion this year, but DID receive several massive content patches throughout the year, AND I intentionally bought about a games' worth of cosmetic content out of a desire to support the continuing development of my favorite game in many, many years.

And for the sake of clarification, let's also say that the game I'm talking about isn't some abusive MOBA or skinner box CCG or something, but rather a totally f*cking sweet space sim that just this year let me have one of the best gaming experiences of my life flying to the other side of the galaxy and back with a fleet of over a thousand players over the course of four months, and continues to dominate my gaming hours after nearly two and a half years of playing it.

So, can that game still count? Or do I have to wait until next year when it will have another paid expansion that I can list as a technically new game at the top of that list?

Maclintok wrote:

I've wracked my brain and realized I've lacked both breadth and depth with my gaming this year, finishing very few games (or playing perpetual grinds) and yet buying countless games on sale on both Steam and PSN. Here's my (very) short list of noteworthy games in 2016:

DOOM
Titanfall 2: the only title on this list that I actually finished!
Killing Floor 2
House of the Dying Sun
Redout
Warframe: I had probably installed and booted this up briefly before 2016 but it wasn't until the beginning of January when I reinstalled and fell into the game semi-deeply. Liking it a lot and feeling like it was one of the better experiences in the first half of the year.

Sorry, replying to myself so that I can add Stellaris. And I think that's it for me!

zeroKFE wrote:

So, can that game still count? Or do I have to wait until next year when it will have another paid expansion that I can list as a technically new game at the top of that list?

I'd guess there's nothing wrong with doing that, but I'd lean towards no if you can help it. If we all followed that logic, we'd have many lists populated with games like TF2, Rocket League, League of Legends, and DotA 2 at the top slot every year. In my case, it's tough for any game to compete with the hundreds of games of LoL I play each year with my friends.

All of these games are perpetually upgraded with giant patches filled with and all kinds of awesome changes to keep things fresh and exciting for players, but these lists are supposed to be about our favorite new experiences of the year.

Maybe the Clockmeister sees this situation differently. Feel free to correct me if so.

zeroKFE wrote:

So, the Expansion/DLC rules make perfect sense, and I love them.

BUUUT

I have one more clarification:

Let's say my #1 Game of the Year by several orders of magnitude is one that isn't new to me and didn't technically release a new paid expansion this year, but DID receive several massive content patches throughout the year, AND I intentionally bought about a games' worth of cosmetic content out of a desire to support the continuing development of my favorite game in many, many years.

And for the sake of clarification, let's also say that the game I'm talking about isn't some abusive MOBA or skinner box CCG or something, but rather a totally f*cking sweet space sim that just this year let me have one of the best gaming experiences of my life flying to the other side of the galaxy and back with a fleet of over a thousand players over the course of four months, and continues to dominate my gaming hours after nearly two and a half years of playing it.

So, can that game still count? Or do I have to wait until next year when it will have another paid expansion that I can list as a technically new game at the top of that list?

I'm about 90% sure you asked this exact same question about this exact same game last year.

Edit: You did.

I'm not going to police people's votes and make sure they played their games when they said they did. And I get that games aren't just standalone releases anymore but are services that evolve and change in significant ways from year to year. I play a couple MMOs; I know the drill.

On the other hand, the spirit of these votes is to give people a chance to highlight what was new and exciting to them this year without the requirement that it be a new release. I initially put the new-to-you rule in place because I wanted people to be able to vote for what they loved, but I didn't want a bunch of lists with WoW or TF2 at the top year after year.

Like I said, I won't police these votes. I don't play Elite Dangerous, so I don't know if it's a totally different game from what it was two years ago or not. But personally, I feel that voting for the same game three years running isn't in keeping with the spirit of things. I'd prefer that evergreen titles like this that people still love and put a lot of time into get called out as honorable mentions or have votes cast for specific, named expansions or changes.

It's your call. Do what you think is best. One vote here or there for an older game isn't likely to change much, but please do think about the example you're setting.

Dyni wrote:

the Clockmeister

No.