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

doubtingthomas396 wrote:
Aaron D. wrote:
doubtingthomas396 wrote:

10: Offworld Trading Company
I have never liked real time strategy games, but I've always wanted to...Offworld Trading Company circumvents that problem by removing units-- and combat-- from the equation entirely. Bravo!

Hmm...I'm in the same camp. I appreciate RTS titles from a distance, but they've always looked too overwhelming. Just watching high-level Starcraft gameplay vids gets me all panicked. Wonder if OTC is for me? (there's an OPP joke in there somewhere)

OTC is a good place to get your feet wet if you don't like unit micromanagement. I would also suggest Sins of a Solar Empire, which is the first RTS I ever actually enjoyed playing. The AI is actually useful in SoaSE, so you can just tell your fleet to attack something and they'll take care of the positioning.

I think it works because it's in space, which means there's no path finding issues to overcome.

Whether you go with SoaSE or OTC, those games are all about the tech tree, which is what I love about them.

Well it sounds like I'll get to find out sooner than later as garion has just gifted me a copy of Offworld Trading Co.!

Yippee!

Thanks a bunch, garion!

I didn't play many games this year so I only have 6, I DID play more than 6 games but I based my list off of which ones stuck with me enough to talk about.
Click spoilers for more details!

1. Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

Spoiler:

IMAGE(https://puu.sh/qDCG4/d63fb27dfa.jpg)
While technically DLC, to me, "Blood and Wine" is more of a throwback to RPG expansions that I grew up with that created whole new condensed worlds to explore like Bloodmoon, Shivering Isles, The Conquerors, and Episodes 1/2. It has more than enough content to stand on it's own as it's own game and in some ways is even better than the original. After W3 is was pretty burnt out on the game and had no interest in the DLCs until a couple months ago. Shout out to Squee9, the most enthusiastic gamer I know, for convincing me to play them. What's also as enjoyable as playing the game is discussing it with friends after. Additionally the DLC of course comes with all the improvements to the base game that CDProjektRed has worked on in the time between and after the 2 DLC. Witcher 3 is my favorite RPG ever made and "Blood and Wine" is an improved on, tightened up expansion of that game wrapped in the most beautiful world I've ever experienced in a video game.
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/IOtMtRV.jpg)

2. Stardew Valley

Spoiler:

IMAGE(http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/stardewvalley/images/6/65/Elliott-Portrait_192px.png/revision/latest?cb=20160306050502)
Stardew is a game that I originally only paid attention to because I saw it blowing up on Steam. I never played Harvest Moon and don't generally have much interest in that type of game. I bought it out of amusement from the farm and train screenshots (spoiler alert, there isn't much train content) and for a distraction from some unfortunate life circumstances. From start to finish I had a smile on my face playing this game. It's BY FAR the most relaxing experience I've ever had playing a video game. There is so much more to discover from town and the characters beyond just the farming that is as rewarding as a bountiful harvest. Shout out to Free for being my farm buddy, talking about the game was as much fun as playing it (I know I used that one already). Stardew Valley is the video game embodiment of the chillzone.

3. Bloodborne

Spoiler:

IMAGE(http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2015/09/18/ludwig1280jpg-b69eca_1280w.jpg)
Yeah, I know, I'm late to the party on this one. Bloodborne is my favorite game FromSoft has made by a very large margin. It's fast, it's fun, it's a never ending adrenaline rush. Bloodborne is bursting with so much style it's almost exhausting to explore the world from the sheer amount of awesome sh*t to behold. Bloodborne strays away from the Dark Souls staple of killing the player just for fun and puts an incredible amount of effort creating engaging environments, unique enemies, and interesting challenges where I felt almost every death was completely on my own play. It misses the mark on a few things like giving the player freedom to try different weapons and playstyles without having to completely restart and weapon variety balance. Even though I used 1 weapon pretty much the entire time I still constantly found new ways to fight due to the fluid nature of the gameplay. I'm so down for another Bloodborne but please From, stop listening to your hardcore base and give us a respec option.

4. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Spoiler:

Dragon's Dogma is one of the goofiest games I've played and it's an absolute blast. The combat is fun, and the AI works remarkably well (up until some of the endgame/dlc stuff where it's like raiding with the dumbest PUG imaginable). The game is all about flexibility and freedom of choice to how you play and how your party plays. The writing is at it's best when it's complimenting the natural humor of the game but still does a solid job delivering a dramatic fantasy tale. The glaring flaws become quite apparent the further you get in where enemies start repeating and you realize there are really only a handful of cool fights to be had. The endgame dungeons where the enemies start to get bigger and more complex shows the huge flaws in the AI and leaves you wanting. I greatly anticipate a sequel where hopefully the enemy variety, inventory management and party AI is spruced up, that pipe dream of a game could be one of my all time favorites.

5. Dark Souls 3 - Have not yet finished

Spoiler:

IMAGE(http://cdn.gamer-network.net/2016/usgamer/Dark-Souls-3-Undead-Settlement-13.jpg)
The detailed, engaging, cohesive world of DS1 combined with the mechanical proficiency of DS2 (as well as the streamlining of Iframes) to make the best feeling even if not my favorite of the Dark Souls series. To be as harsh as I can be DS3 honestly just feels like another Dark Souls without any big standout qualities but that comes from jumping into is straight after Bloodborne which is a stylistic masterpiece. In a positive light of coming into DS3 from BB is the freedom to play around with a whole slew of weapons and styles is refreshing. Bosses are challenging enough and well designed to be fun and engaging (for the most part thus far). The vistas are quite stunning to look at (even if some of the environments aren't that special to look at up close). The enemies are mostly rehashed but still feel engaging to, uh, engage due to new movesets and behaviors. Overall Dark Souls 3 is probably the best Dark Souls so far to play even if it's not my favorite of the series but it isn't making me very excited to play a fourth installment unless they really work hard on some new enemy/level design.

6. Overwatch

Spoiler:
boogle wrote:

IMAGE(https://overwatch-a.akamaihd.net/img/logos/overwatch-share-3d5a268515283007bdf3452e877adac466d579f4b44abbd05aa0a98aba582eeaebc4541f1154e57ec5a43693345bebda953381a7b75b58adbd29d3f3eb439ad2.jpg)
8. Overwatch ; Blizzard made tf2 and it's pretty good I guess. There's no spy class (sombra ain't count) and I guess I'm just not 18 anymore.

carrotpanic wrote:

6. Overwatch - Was really into it for a month or two, and it's still fun to play even if I don't feel compelled to do so.

SAME IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/OKMMPcP.png)

Honorable mention: Path of Exile. Yep, they're still updating the game and yep, it's still the BOAT despite still being absolutely hideous. I still continue to go back to the game and notch another 40 hours or so every 2-4 big patches.

Well this is a quandry. Do I replace all 10 of the games on my list with Witcher 3? I think I might have to. It might be the best game I've ever played.

a. First 10 hours of Witcher 3
b. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
c. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
d. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
e. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
f. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
g. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
h. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
i. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
j. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3

It could work.

Jonman wrote:

Well this is a quandry. Do I replace all 10 of the games on my list with Witcher 3? I think I might have to. It might be the best game I've ever played.

Personally, I think that would be a perfectly fine choice
But I am a CD projekt fan boi so what would I know?

FedoraMcQuaid wrote:

SAME IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/OKMMPcP.png)

Cathadan? I don't know where this came from, but I'm saving it.

Dyni wrote:
FedoraMcQuaid wrote:

SAME IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/OKMMPcP.png)

Cathadan? I don't know where this came from, but I'm saving it.

I want a big head of it, but I can't get a high enough resolution.

1) Street Fighter V (PC)
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/tUgO7lZ.jpg)
Even after 300+ hours, it feels like I’ve just begun on a long and rewarding journey.

And the hours playing with fellow GWJ members was a lot of fun and helped me hash out the important topics of our time like if a fruit salad can be complemented, the right way to face in a shower and just how garbage Almond Joy is (it's garbage).

2) Overwatch (PC)
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/4DaMh7q.png)
Blizzard doing what Blizzard does best; take an existing genre, question the design decisions behind it, find interesting ways to solve those problems and polish it to a mirror shine.

f*ck Mei though.

3) Dark Souls III (PC)
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/dW2xhsG.png)
The beautiful, dark and twisted fantasy series comes to an end. Kanye approves.

4) XCOM 2 (PC)
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/GDaewSb.jpg)
That moment when you are biting your fingernails over where to send the soldier you spent 20 minutes customizing to look like Michelangelo from the Ninja Turtles, only to move him 2 spaces, activate a pod and send him to pizza heaven (RIP Michelangelo ). That’s XCOM baybee!

5) Tyranny (PC)
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/fLy8kQI.jpg)
A fascinating setting and premise. The hyperlink feature in the dialogue is a wonderful addition to the genre and the world flexibility made multiple playthroughs interesting. Definitely want to see more from this series.

6) Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (PC)
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/TlhG6pg.jpg)
A really enjoyable Commandos-like. Varied mission design, solid stealth mechanics and likeable characters made this the surprise of the year.

7) Stellaris (PC)
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/6G9viuP.png)
Just one more century. My cute Gecko species is so close to enslaving Earth.

8) Killing Floor 2 (PC)
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/XdKwFJN.jpg)
Really satisfying moment to moment gameplay.

9) Hyper Light Drifter (PC)
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/w4irCBd.png)
Gorgeous visuals and a real sense of adventure. I need to go back since they patched it to support 60fps.

10 ) RIVE (PC)
IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/BZ0TWTd.jpg)
Two Tribes going out with a bang with this challenging and frenetic platformer/shooter hybrid.

***************************************************************************

2016 games I didn’t play that I would probably enjoy: The Last Guardian, DOOM, Dishonored 2, The Witness, Inside, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Hitman, Shadow Warrior 2, Stardew Valley, Final Fantasy XV and Total War: Warhammer.

2017 looks bananas with the loaded first quarter and Nintendo Switch. Nier and Breath of the Wild are going to go head to head for GotG.

Shadout wrote:

a. First 10 hours of Witcher 3
b. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
c. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
d. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
e. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
f. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
g. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
h. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
i. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3
j. Next 10 hours of Witcher 3

It could work.

No.

boogle wrote:
Dyni wrote:
FedoraMcQuaid wrote:

SAME IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/OKMMPcP.png)

Cathadan? I don't know where this came from, but I'm saving it.

I want a big head of it, but I can't get a high enough resolution.

That's going straight to the slack channel.

1) Overwatch
2) Mech Warrior Online - first time I've ever joined a clan in any game
3) Guilty Gear Revelator - VERY BEGINNER-FRIENDLY FIGHTING GAME
4) Thumper - FEEL THE RHYTHM
5) Blue Revolver - I could actually intuit that the creator took inspiration from Raiden Fighters and I was right!
6) Star Fox Zero - probably would have been placed higher if I hadn't quit playing it.
The old school notion of playing a game multiple times to gain mastery is, well, old, because it's been replaced by either games as movies or New Game+ modes, but I really miss the good old days (Warhawk/Wipeout/Twisted Metal) where games were about controlling awesome vehicles instead of generic brown-haired dudes.
7) Jamestown - I love shmups with stories, this has one of the best. Also, I played at the tail end of last year but I'm not gonna go to last year's thread to check.
8) DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours - WOULD YOU LIKE A REASON TO BUY A 21:9 MONITOR?
9) Gratuitous Space Battles - lived up to the name, but apparently I don't like to work for my gratuitous anything.
10) TOXIKK - Maybe it's because I've played 1000+ hours in FPS titles since I quit UT2k4, but I'm not as horrible at this as I thought I might be. Also, the weapons are way better than UT, I just wish it had massive on-foot plus vehicle battles.

Honorable mention to Arcana Heart 3: LOVE MAX!!!!!! because I bought it again, this time for PS3.
Honorable mention to Megaman X and Megaman X 2.

I wish I'd gotten to play DOOM and SuperHot this year.
DOOM because at first I saw original reveal and hated the gore, but everything's been refined so that holy frick I know I'd love the hell out of it.

SuperHot, freakin' brilliant, would love it, saw a Let's Play and they do this flashing thing at the end of every level, which you can turn off, but you have to do every time, so f*ck off I guess.

BNice wrote:

And the hours playing with fellow GWJ members was a lot of fun and helped me hash out the important topics of our time like if a fruit salad can be complemented, the right way to face in a shower[....]

I had never even contemplated that this could be a question.

Truly, this thread delivers.

RolandofGilead wrote:

I wish I'd gotten to play DOOM and SuperHot this year.
DOOM because at first I saw original reveal and hated the gore, but everything's been refined so that holy frick I know I'd love the hell out of it.

I was also really put off by the gore in the Doom previews, but the game really is brilliant enough that I overlook it. I'm pretty sensitive to gore, and it is gross, but it's so fast and so fun that it doesn't register.

Love the Eastern-influence that permeates this list. Comes off looking really diverse to me 'cause I'm so Euro-obsessed myself (sim/strat/etc.).

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I was also really put off by the gore in the Doom previews, but the game really is brilliant enough that I overlook it. I'm pretty sensitive to gore, and it is gross, but it's so fast and so fun that it doesn't register.

I never thought of it like that, but I think I agree. For me, I've no tastes or over-the-top violence. Stuff like God of War makes me both roll my eyes and yawn. Same goes for most shooters. But Doom comes off as cartoon violence and hardly registers at all. Certainly doesn't feel offensive. I wonder if it's also because the 90's roots were a time when games like Doom & Mortal Kombat were pushing boundaries in this dept. and pushing against lobbyists who wanted to shut the whole thing down because they were offended. Come to think of it, I wonder if that's part of the reason I enjoyed MK9 so much.

My brother showed me the NoClip documentary on the making of the game, and it was evidently a concept from an older version that was a lot slower. What they found was the glory kills were fun if they were quick and kept the player in the action-to-action moment. In particular, before the animation is complete, control is restored to the player. It's a small detail that you likely wouldn't notice without really focusing on it, but that little adjustment is imperative to keeping the glory kills from being unnecessarily time consuming. You smash a skull, and before your gun is back you're able to turn and start moving to your next target.

This means the moment is also moving fast enough that, while the animation is playing, you're instead thinking about your next move so you aren't focused on the gore playing out on screen. You can, but if you're like me you're instead thinking about the second Hell Knight running around and which direction you're going to run in order to escape it for a one second breather to change weapons.

I may not love Doom as much as everyone else, but it's hard not to acknowledge how well polished and refined that game is. They figured out what they were doing and they did it really well.

Aaron D. wrote:

I wonder if it's also because the 90's roots were a time when games like Doom & Mortal Kombat were pushing boundaries in this dept. and pushing against lobbyists who wanted to shut the whole thing down because they were offended. Come to think of it, I wonder if that's part of the reason I enjoyed MK9 so much.

The older I get, the more it seems like it's not the 'intrinsic' nature of things that defines them, it's the context in which they are experienced.

Aaron D. wrote:

Love the Eastern-influence that permeates this list. Comes off looking really diverse to me 'cause I'm so Euro-obsessed myself (sim/strat/etc.).

I don't even think of it that way, but yeah. I started my descent into geekery with mid-90's anime, so I'm naturally predisposed to JRPGs.

I'll leave Absurd's comment on the definition of "diverse" to D&D, though.

RolandofGilead wrote:

5) Blue Revolver - I could actually intuit that the creator took inspiration from Raiden Fighters and I was right!
8) DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours - WOULD YOU LIKE A REASON TO BUY A 21:9 MONITOR?
10) TOXIKK - Maybe it's because I've played 1000+ hours in FPS titles since I quit UT2k4, but I'm not as horrible at this as I thought I might be. Also, the weapons are way better than UT, I just wish it had massive on-foot plus vehicle battles.

Well done, Roland. Thanks to your list I have 3 new games on my radar and I'm downloading TOXIKK as I write this.

RolandofGilead wrote:

3) Guilty Gear Revelator - VERY BEGINNER-FRIENDLY FIGHTING GAME

Bought this on sale during the fall and promptly forgot about it. I may end up sneaking enough hours into this to make it a last-minute addition to my list for 2016. But... beginner-friendly? This is the first I've heard of that! It's certainly easy and entertaining to mash but there are so, so many things I'm missing under the hood as I dutifully play through each character's arcade story mode.

GG Rev: (I have it on PC and PS3)
Hehe, well, it's got a tutorial that covers every mechanic you need to start with. Good wiki here though.
It also has Stylish Mode which will do things like combos and specials for you.
I think the usual quarter circle stuff is more forgiving, timing of button presses for combos is just something that has to be learned, but each hit provides visual feedback to help with that.

I'm serious about DARIUSBURST being a great reason to buy a 21:9 monitor though

While TOXIKK retains the dodge-jumping and wall-dodge-jump stuff that I absolutely hated with a passion in ut2k4 (partially because I could never find a tutorial on it), I'm able to do the simple stuff just automatically again thanks to 1000 hours of WASD practice (and Shift being dedicatd to Dodge) and I can even do the occasional wall-dodge-jump-whatever accidentally.

Guilty Gear Xrd is certainly beginner-friendly compared to previous Guilty Gears.

The tutorial actually is really awesome though, the most in-depth one I've seen in a fighter yet, the combo-trials also are much closer to useful BnBs than in most other games. I'd still say that overall it's a rather daunting game to try to get good at.

Here's my list:

1. Uncharted 4
It is a remarkable game, everything about it is just top notch. Mechanically, narratively, technically it's a complete masterclass.

Spoiler:

Absolutely brilliant end to a great series. Huge set pieces are abundant in true Uncharted fashion, but what made this game stand out to me was the moments where the pace slows down and you get to appreciate the vistas, the environment and the characters. Two moments in particular that spring to mind, one was the section driving around with Eleanor (the part in the lift may be one of my favorite moments in the whole series). Then when you finally find Libertalia I loved that they took a chapter just to look around the ruins and learn about the pirates (as opposed to the other games where it's right into the next action sequence where the city gets destroyed), really got a Last Of Us vibe from that section.

2. Witcher 3
Only built my PC halfway through this year so never got a chance to play The Witcher 3 last year. What else has to be said about this game that hasn't been said before?

Spoiler:

The scale of this world is incredible, and the level of quality which stretches over the entire game is a true testament to work of CD Projekt Red. The writing is some of the best I've seen in an open world game, the stories that are told both in the main quest and in the massive number of side quests are great. The characters of this world feel real and fleshed out, as does the world itself. The Witcher 3, moreso than any other open world video game feels like a world that has been lived in. I'm just wrapping up the main quest now after ~80 hours, and I'm really looking forward to diving into the DLC in the new year.

3. Edge of Nowhere
Created by Insomniac, this story driven action/adventure game is an example of what the VR medium can bring to traditional games. It's creepy and the lovecraftian psychological-horror elements work even since you feel like they are right next to you. It has fairly straightforward gameplay, which will be familiar to anyone who has played a third person action/adventure game before. But being in VR really makes you feel like you are in the world.

4. DOOM
Wow this game is incredibly fun to play, the combat is super fast and feels great. Mechanics like using close combat glory kills to regain health and chainsaw kills to regain ammo forces you to charge headfirst at the demons of Hell.
The weapons are just as fun as ever, and each have their own pros and cons. By the end of the game I was using pretty much all of them in each battle. The music and sound design might be one of the best things about this game, everything sounds great and the combat music helps to pump you up as you slaughter your way to Hell and back.

5. Chronos
It's an atmospheric game, the music and the environments work really well together. Combat is slightly simple but changing weapons and abilities keep it pretty fresh, mechanic of aging with each death is neat. The puzzles are all pretty decent and occasionally require some proper thinking to solve them. Real polish to this game, the level of detail and the length of the game (~15 hours) makes it feel like one of the first true AAA VR games.

6. Superhot VR
Now this is a game that makes you feel like a complete badass, it's definitely a stripped down version of the original game but the feeling of dancing around bullets while punching enemies and catching guns out of middair is something special.

7. Rez Infinite (Area X)
This level is magical, I think that's the best word to describe it. I sat there with a huge smile on my face through the whole thing and even teared up a bit. This is what VR was made for, these kinds of experiences.
Playing through the remastered Rez in VR is quite cool, the original game is a good fit for the medium, but Area X goes above and beyond that.

8. Thumper
The term that the developers of this game use to describe it is perfect: "Rhythm Violence". This game is intense, put on some good headphones and lose yourself in this experience. After finishing the demo of Thumper I was pacing around the living room trying to calm down, it's a surreal and amazing game. It makes this list purely for the feeling I get while experiencing it, the way it just pulls me in and severs any connection to the real world.

9. Elite Dangerous
I've had this game for a long time but only just decided to play it after I got my Oculus Rift and HOTAS. Some of my favorite gaming moments of the year were in this game, I spent most of my time just flying around being a space trucker and having a great time. But the really memorable parts are things like entering a high conflict zone on the edge ofn asteroid field, with ships and lasers all around me it felt like I was in a sci-fi movie. Just an awesome time all around.

10. Downwell
Downwell is an addicting and well designed mobile game which draws inspiration from several other games. The controls are impressive for a mobile game and the difficulty ramps up quickly as you get deeper into the well. The combo system is simple to understand and definitely adds to the reply-ability of the game.

kergguz wrote:
carrotpanic wrote:

8. Witcher 3 - Really evocative world that is rewarding to explore and bursting at the seams with content, but falls a little short in story and combat.

No game is perfect, but of all the criticisms aimed at Witcher 3 I never saw that one before. Explain yourself!

I mean...the story is just not that good. The main story is insanely circuitous and filled with stuff I don't care about. Some good side stories, though.

Also, I edited my post from #7 - #10. Sorry, clocky.

ccesarano wrote:

They figured out what they were doing and they did it really well.

It just took them 5+ years to get to that point

1. Titanfall 2 - Bought 2 weeks after launch - am still playing nightly and learning awesome new things to do in game.
2. Rocket League - There's a reason it won last year's GWJCGotY. This is one of the most sport-like video games I've ever seen. Actual sport games are less like real sports, if that makes any sense.
3. Just Cause 3 - Like JC2 - but with a wingsuit and usually a bit more interesting things to explode.
4. Dirt Rally - Takes a ton of getting used to after all these years of arcade racers, but man what a thrill when it clicks.
5. Cities: Skylines - Loved the little bit of time I put into this so far.
6. Stardew Valley - Same as above.
7. Dark Souls II / Scholar of the First Sin - Man, this one just misses the mark compared to D.Souls 1 when it comes to
8. Train Valley - Surprise of the year. My 5 y.o. son loves playing this game (sandbox mode, and I lay out the tracks for him), and I've enjoyed it a ton before he ever saw it.
9. Metroid: Other M - I actually enjoyed it since I knew what to expect going in. The mechanics delivered on making me feel like I really could take on all sorts of encounters unsing my mobility to my advantage, which is the one thing the Prime series tends to lack.
10. Yoshi’s Woolly World - Would be so much higher if the levels were not almost all about 3 times longer than they felt like they should have been. Same problem as the original, really.

Wow, all PC until 9 & 10. Then a Wii, and then Wii U game. Guess I should be happy I was able to put anything Nintendo on here. Even crazier looking back at my post from last year which was basically the opposite and I made a comment about how PC wasn't so hot for me then.

Overlooked Indie Game of the Year: Airscape: The Fall of Gravity Too distracted to love it. It’s like 2D Mario Galaxy. That's good and bad. Good because it's really fun. Bad, because that's all it is.

Retro replay of the year: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Still the best Zelda game. I had a moment walking the overworld where it reminded me why I love Nintendo so much. That moment alone was worth the whole replay, even thought it's all been fun.

Tough one this year, been a whole variety of games I've really enjoyed, only one outright winner though!

10. Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance: Those Japanese and their whacky, over the top titles! This was a game I took a bit of a chance on and knew nothing about, as I've always wanted to experience more JRPGs and, being a fan of turn-based combat, it seemed perfect for me. So much stuff to do in this game, and I imagine for hardcore fans of the series it is brilliant. After around 50 hours completing the main story, I felt satisfied to say I'd got the Disgaea experience.

IMAGE(http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/nisamerica/disgaea5/disgaea5610919.jpg)

9. Inside: I loved Limbo, so I was immediately interested in this. It feels like a lot more of the same, which, although not a bad thing, was slightly disappointing, but I still enjoyed the whole puzzle solving experience.

8. Fire Emblem: Fates: The last Fire Emblem on the 3DS was one of my favourite games of all time, but sadly this one failed to grab my attention as much (the 3DS as a whole has been largely neglected this year.) It's still a great game, and I love it enough to put it in my top 10, but there's just something different compared to Awakening, it might just be that there's a bit too much unnecessary filler here.

IMAGE(http://statici.behindthevoiceactors.com/behindthevoiceactors/_img/games/banner_2362.jpg)

7. Football Manager 2017: Probably the worst reviewed FM I can think of in years (although still did OK), but I have found it to be great. I was a lapsed FM player who couldn't get into the complexity of the newer games, but the penny has finally dropped, and I am addicted again.

IMAGE(https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/942367578id8371gol.jpg)

6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Pestered for a whole year about this game by friends, being told it's God's gift to the world. I decided to play on one of the harder difficulties, as I read it makes the game a lot better. Within my first two hours of playing, I hated the game. I just couldn't see why everyone lauded it so much. However, I stuck with it and sunk almost 50 hours in. Although I still have gripes with the game (mainly the combat feeling a bit dull), it's the world which sets it apart from other games, and I can see how people get lost in it.

IMAGE(http://www.sticktwiddlers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-banner.png)

5. Hitman (2016): I didn't buy this as episodes came out, and only recently purchased it via a PSN sale, but it's quite clearly the best Hitman game ever made. Worlds that are so vibrant and offer multiple ways to play is what I really want from a Hitman game. In the first true mission in Paris, I managed to do everything without having to restart the whole level, and the seamless nature of the game makes you feel like a real Hitman. The fact it's in bitesize levels too makes it perfect for saying that "tonight is my Hitman night".

IMAGE(http://www.gamepur.com/files/images/2014/hitman-cover-1.jpg)

4. Starbound: A game I never felt would be up here, and one I probably would've never played had a friend at work not bought it for me. I'll admit I've only got 12 hours played of this, but all of that time has been great fun, being able to play and build in a world with my aforementioned friend. The mysteriousness of the universe draws you in constantly, and the way the game makes you and a friend set unique objects (like saying we're going to mine loads of iron to build something, despite it not being part of any main quest) is remarkable. I definitely feel, however, that I wouldn't enjoy playing this on my own, and losing bookmarks of planets has been an annoyance. Still, though, I'm hoping to play even more of this in 2017.

IMAGE(http://gamereviewsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/starbound-logo.jpg)

3. Dark Souls 3: Way more accessible than Bloodborne, but not quite as good. It's still a brilliant game, I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to get started on the Souls series. Dark Souls has a certain intricacy that is hard to understand until that eureka moment goes off in your head. Some more great boss fights, as well as plenty of frustrating moments kept me coming back over and over. I'll never forget my absolute adulation when I finally beat the final boss (it took me about 10 goes to realise that you should probably back off when he starts wildly swinging at you!)

IMAGE(http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/screen_medium/1365/13658182/3035271-darksouls3-review-promo.jpg)

2. Battlefield 1: I've never been able to get into Battlefield games, as I've always found them way too hard. Despite this, however, I decided to jump on board with Battlefield 1 due to positive feedback and a bit of peer pressure. Although the story in the campaign borders on stupid sometimes, it's a brilliant way of teaching you how the game works and has helped me a load online. Playing online is intense, I remember the first time I played it I actually had a tiny sense of fear due to all the explosions and fighting going on around me, and I think any game that can bring out emotion like that is somewhat brilliant.

IMAGE(http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/screen_medium/536/5360430/3147127-m.jpg)

1. Overwatch: As I've become older, I've tried to be more responsible when it comes to spending money on games, and that often means that I don't buy that many games on day one for full price, especially not PC games which are download only. I played the beta of Overwatch briefly on PS4 with a friend, and at the end of our session he described it as "absolutely terrible". Despite this, however, I still saw something there which seemed quite fun, but thought it would be a lot better to play it with others. So, on day one I bought it for PC, and I've since managed to log over 100 hours on the game and it's just brilliant. Despite an overly toxic community even by PC game standards, the game gives me hours of fun, and mastering different heroes shows how deep and complex the game really is. I have a friend who said that Overwatch didn't deserve to win GOTY at the game awards because of "lack of content". I beg to differ!

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Man, times like this I wish I had some way of keeping track of all the games I've played this year (across all platforms). Raptr used to be a good choice but it's pretty much dead. Anyway, my list is:

1. Overwatch - By far the most fun I've had with multiplayer in years. Amazing game.

2. XCOM 2 - I'm a sucker for good strategy games and Firaxis didn't disappoint. It is quite different from Enemy Unknown but I actually like the changes, makes the game more dynamic. Plus mod support on PC is awesome.

3. DOOM - Such a breath of fresh air in the single player FPS genre. Still play it to clear my head after a stressful day.

4. Forza Horizon 3 - Been waiting years for a Forza game on PC now it's a reality. Sure, the Windows 10 platform is not the best and performance on PC was so-so, but still had a blast cruising and drifting.

5. Skyrim (Special Edition) and Fallout 4 (DLC's and Survival Mode) - I think these 2 took most of my gaming hours this year, by far. Didn't really think I'll be back in Skryim after around 300+ hours and maybe 4 characters but I got pulling into SSE again and still enjoy just wandering around.
Fallout 4 and it's DLCs were good as well, mainly Far Harbor and Nuka World. Plus the survival mode makes the vanilla experience a different beast. It's like all of the gameplay mechanics you thought were useless suddenly make perfect sense.

mrtomaytohead wrote:

8. Train Valley - Surprise of the year. My 5 y.o. son loves playing this game (sandbox mode, and I lay out the tracks for him), and I've enjoyed it a ton before he ever saw it.

I really need to check this game out.

mrtomaytohead wrote:

Retro replay of the year: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Still the best Zelda game.

Damn skippy.

Short list spoilered for bookkeeping.

Spoiler:

1. Crashlands
2. Codingame
3. Factorio
4. Pocket Mortys
5. Pokemon Go
6. Rocket League
7. Duelyst
8. Stardew Valley
9. Dungeon of the Endless

1. Crashlands - A fantastic iOS/Android/Steam ARPG/crafting game from Butterscotch Shenanigans. Delightfully whimsical and funny, great combat and crafting, and perfect for "I only have 5 - 10 minutes" mobile play. One of the few games I actually beat. I came dangerously close to pulling it out at red lights while driving.

2. Codingame - A web-based programming puzzle/contest web site. Players solve single-player coding puzzles as practice for multiplayer bot games and contests. One of the best features of the site is automatically generated videos of your code running, so you get instant visual feedback on behavior bugs. If you've ever been interested in AI programming, simple or complex, definitely check it out. The most recent contest added was a two-wizard version of Quidditch, and is a ton of fun!

3. Factorio - The game I probably re-started my initial position more than any other. An amazing crafting and automation game where you build a factory for building things, that you then install in your factory so you can then build more things...

4. Pocket Mortys - Another amazing iOS/Android game, Pocket Mortys is a pokemon-clone in the Adult Swim TV show Rick & Morty. You play Rick and must collect, level up, and combine Mortys to defeat the Rick Council and earn your freedom. Silly, funny, and beautiful.

5. Pokemon Go - The star that burned brightest, but shortest.

6. Rocket League - I didn't start playing Rocket League until after the GOTY thread last year. What more needs to be said about it?

7. Duelyst - A free-to-play tactical collectible card game. Imagine Hearthstone with gorgeous pixel art graphics that look a bit like the love child of Hyper Light Drifter and Dungeon of the Endless, but you play your monsters to a chessboard. On your turn you can play new monsters, play spells, and move your hero and each monster around the board. It's deep and amazing and has a great community, including a Discord chat channel with the developers.

8. Stardew Valley - I need to go back and spend more time with this gem, but it is delightful. Might have ranked higher if I had spent more time on it.

9. Dungeon of the Endless - Did not put nearly enough time into it, but enjoyed it. Great mix of tactical and strategic decision-making, and turn-based and real-time mechanics.