Rami Ismail's Top 10 Games of 2016

People often ask me what I think the industry will be like in five years, and I answer that if I knew, I’d get bored and leave. If you would’ve told anyone in 2010 what games would look like in 2016, you’d probably get laughed at. In 2016, consoles are more like mobiles, with multiple hardware devices sharing SDK. Mobile is more like console, with pre-orders and connections to TV’s. PC has no idea what it’s doing, but I guess no one is really in charge of PC, so that’s no surprise. Nobody has fully figured out VR yet, and in the meanwhile AR and MR are somewhere around the corner. It’s all rather incredible.

In 2016, the industry finds itself at a strange impasse. As an economy, this industry is hitting a lot of records. As a community, we’re slowly improving our diversity, our ability to deal with toxicity and harassment, and our support structure for developers from countries outside of the traditional game-making world. As a culture, we have seen some of the most impressive gameplay and __game narrative ever this year.

I can’t help but feel that the AAA industry is feeding off of the last remnants of ancient IPs, with only a few new titles punctuating a steady drip of rereleases, remasters, and sequels targeting the nostalgia of the audience that has so far kept the traditional AAA blockbuster alive. On the other hand, if there’s anything you can’t accuse the behemoths of our industry of, it’s a lack of genuine enthusiasm: it felt like each blockbuster might be the magnum opus of its series, with no effort or money spared.

In the independent space, my home, the battle for visibility rages on amongst increasingly polished titles with increasingly large budgets. “Indie” in 2016 is barely recognizable from the frustrated counterculture making games for the hell of it in 2010, and while I must admit a certain fondness for that period of time, the games that the scene produces today are of such quality and relevance to the medium, that I don’t think I’d ever wish to go back.

As the mobile space earns more and more each year, with a projection that it will earn more than PC and console in 2017, I can’t help but feel that 2016 might have been the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one. Microtransactions, loot boxes, and gachapon mechanics have snuck their way into some of the most popular AAA games of today. Infinite replayability in the Twitch-era almost comes for free for online multiplayer games, and eSports are an enormous part of games culture in 2016. With the increasing pressure of the finances of blockbuster games, I feel like we’re going to see much more of that in the future.

Oh, and before we get started, I didn’t like how the action feels in Overwatch. It’s brilliant __game design, it’s a perfect blend of genres, and it’s a piece of craftsmanship, and it has well-designed, diverse characters, and it has gorgeous aesthetics. You should absolutely play it--and it’s not in my list.

So, let’s go. 2016 - the ever-odd transitional year full of masterpieces.

Best Game: Final Fantasy XV (XB1, PS4)

I’ve been hoping for a road trip game for almost a decade, and this is the first open-world game where the controls encourage and allow you to drive a giant world according to the law.

I could spend time talking about how clever the mechanics are, the beautiful mechanics applied to the day-night cycle, the amazingly clever trick of using maximum HP as a variable, the smoothness of the combat, the impact of the series’ summons--but they’re all not relevant.

Final Fantasy is defined by people navigating a world of crystals and monsters and magic and gods, but roadtrips are defined by the people you travel with, the stops you make, and the stories you experience during the trip. Final Fantasy XV spares no effort to let the player feel the moments that matter, and the moments that matter aren’t the enormous set-pieces or towering monsters. It’s the pat on the back when someone stumbles, the jokes that are snarky but never at the expense of someone, and the frank conversations only four people entirely comfortable with each other can have. When your party rests at a camping site, you can choose a meal that offers stat boosts. Not only are there an obscene number of beautifully rendered meals to choose from, they’re rendered to the point of applying different physics to the food based on its consistency. It’s such a small detail, but it does so much to sell the trip.

This game is the best. Final Fantasy XV aimed to retain the soul of a Final Fantasy game, while breaking from the disappointments many felt with recent installments in the series--to reclaim the Throne as the best JRPG. The result is a fresh, unique, courageous, and confident game with a flavor of fantasy I’ve never seen before.

Favorite touch: The way Final Fantasy XV turned “Max HP” into a variable that’s central to most of its systems. When your characters "die", they don’t faint, instead going into a highly limited "Danger" state. While in Danger, your maximum HP slowly drains, and any damage you take is instead deducted from your maximum HP. Characters in danger can be healed with potions or rescued by party members, but if your maximum HP reaches zero, the character faints. At the end of battles, your HP fills back up to its current maximum, but your maximum HP remains lowered--which can be recovered by making camp (and later on, elixirs). At camp, your gained experience points get tallied and you can make a meal for a stat boost for the next expedition, thus tying back into the whole road trip. I just love it when a small system does so much.

Least favorite thing: The second half of the game accelerates and decelerates the game in so many strange and unique ways that it’s bound to cause controversy, but I loved it. My main complaint was that the trope of ‘the maze with the maniacal narrator’ returns in FFXV, and while it does a great job of emphasizing the bleakness the scene is meant to evoke, it probably poses the weakest moment in the game on all accounts.

Alternatively: In a year where Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare both delivered some of the best FPS campaigns in recent memory, it’s almost surprising that both were easily outclassed by id’s DOOM. Blendo Games’ Brendon Chung--one of my favorite designers--summarized the game in a tweet: “Doom 2016 feels like it had one design pillar: is it speed metal?”

Best AAA Game: Titanfall 2 (XB1, PS4, PC)

2016 felt like a return to form for the FPS genre. In the gorgeous world of Titanfall, Pilots are elite soldiers capable of adapting quickly to any situation and any terrain, and their prowess on the battlefield is enhanced further when they are piloting their Titan. There’s an absurd level of comfort and confidence the developers show in that exact premise. There’s a fluidity in the movement that rivals Mirror’s Edge at times, as you wall-run, double-jump, and slide under and over obstacles while shooting your targets. But the real confidence shows in how the game uses entire mechanics for only a single mission, or sometimes even mere seconds, Titanfall never fails to throw you into a new situation to adapt to.

Favorite touch(es): Titanfall 2 uses pretty much every possible scenario in the game to squeeze more uses out of the remarkably simple main mechanics. From moving between realities to auto-headshots, from moving platforms to holo-arenas, from giant battlefields in your Titan to platforming puzzles as a Pilot. At the end of Titanfall 2 it’s hard to think of anything fun left to do with the mechanics.

Least Favorite: Where BT-7274’s character shines as an endearing execution of the ‘robot learning humanity’ trope, the protagonist of Jack Cooper could not be a more bland character if Respawn tried for it. It makes it hard to care for anything that happens to Jack, and it makes some of the later sequences in the game difficult to care about.

Alternatively: Remedy’s Quantum Break broke every expectation in delivering a game that was half game, half episodic television series. While much of the gameplay wasn’t particularly inspired, the integration between the media was so well done that immediately after finishing the game, I genuinely couldn’t remember which parts I'd played in-engine and which parts I'd watched in the real-life series. Mixed with the unique perspective-switching between protagonist and antagonist, Quantum Break managed to do something unique and interesting.

Best Multiplayer: Inversus (PS4)

Inversus is an abstract two-to-four player versus game (online and local) in which players try to shoot each other. It is the cleanest distillation of minimalist versus design I’ve played in a long time. Players control a square that can move on tiles of their own color, and every bullet they fire (limited to vertical and horizontal directions), turns every tile it touches into a tile of the players’ color. There’s a charge shot, and a fast shot power-up, and that’s about it. The mechanics mix together into an incredible way, giving every shot such an opportunity cost that every shot matters in more ways than one.

Most Favorite: The way every split-second in the moment-to-moment gameplay is important enough that you could spend a minute discussing the optimal strategy. To make that level of strategic complexity available through a single analog stick and the four face buttons is remarkable.

Least Favorite: The levels in which Inversus keeps things focused on the moment-to-moment are phenomenal, but quite a few levels focus on wrapping and other mind-bending tricks to spice things up--and those levels often end up being the weakest part of the game.

Alternatively: Overcooked! is the most wonderfully chaotic cooperative multiplayer game I’ve played this year. It’s an adorable-looking game in which everyone simultaneously has to complete extremely simple tasks under absurd circumstances as you yell at your friends that the onion soup is overcooking while they’re yelling at you that you’re late with a tomato. I’m not sure if it’s a good time or a stressful time, but either way it’s memorable.

Best Emergent Territory: 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (PC, Android, iOS)

Part of my work is traveling around the world to find games that could never have been made in the traditional centers of the gaming world. This year, the winner is a bit of a cheat from my end, because iNK Stories is technically based in New York. But there’s no denying that 1979 Revolution: Black Friday shows how games can bridge the cultural gaps between countries. Black Friday is a tense, choice-driven adventure set in 1978 to 1980, the years around the Iranian Revolution. Throughout the game, players control an Iranian protagonist through a historically faithful representation of the situation in Iran at the time. Where other choice-based adventure games can be tense, 1979 Revolution adds an additional layer of intensity by proposing that the events in this story aren’t unlike those that actually happened.

Most Favorite: The main character is a pragmatic photographer that prefers to "choose no sides" in a politically confusing time. That allows the players--who might be completely unaware of Iranian history--to share the confusion and bewilderment of the main character as he gets caught up in the vortex of a political revolution.

Least Favorite: Sometimes, the game turns into a bit of a "click the pixel" exercise, something that--while it encourages you to look closely--also sometimes just feels ever-so-slightly broken.

Alternatively: I do also want to specifically point out ليلى و ظلال الحرب, or Liyla: Shadows of War, a Palestinian-made platformer game that, while somewhat crude in its delivery, is a perfect example of the power of games to communicate perspectives and stories through agency and immersion.

Best Atmosphere: Event[0] (PC)

I’ve always wondered what it’d feel like to be Dave in the HAL scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Event[0] answered that question. In an abandoned spacecraft, you have no way of doing anything except for reluctantly working together with the spaceship’s AI, a dubious but apparently friendly computer system named Kaizen, accessible through chat terminals throughout the spaceship. The way you interact with the computer is entirely through chat, forcing developer Ocelot Society to reinvent first person movement and interaction to allow complete use of the keyboard for typing.

The most clever thing about the game is the inversion of reliance that only an interactive story could bring. In the real world, if Siri or Google or Alexa or Cortana doesn’t understand you, that’s an annoyance. In the world of Event[0], it can be the difference between life and death. By building itself around the "what if" of being reliant on a fallible system built with a different logic, Event[0] forces us to evaluate human-computer interaction and conflict, to think about what it means to exist, and to learn to communicate with something that isn’t like yourself--and eventually, maybe even trust them.

Favorite touch(es): Event[0] is full of magnificent little touches, but there’s a moment early on where the computer asks you to do it a favor by not moving into a room as it prepares it for you. It’s a simple way of world-building, and a way of establishing that both of you are reliant on each other, and that your ability to trust each other is going to be a factor in the game.

Least Favorite: There’s a single sequence in the game that is so extremely “video game”, a three-part fetch-quest, that it temporarily reminded me that I was playing a video game.

Alternatively: I have never played something like nilo’s Asemblance before. It’s a mix of Stanley Parable, Myst, and a psychological thriller. It’s a thing.

Best Whimsical: Stephen’s Sausage Roll (PC)

In Stephen’s Sausage Roll you roll sausages with an aerodynamic fork. It’s $30, has a terrible Steam page with a trailer that explains nothing, and the full text on the page is "a simple 3d puzzle game." It is what happens if Stephen Lavelle--one of the best puzzle designers in the world--decides Snakebird is a bit too easy, and The Witness is a good warm-up exercise.

Most favorite touch: The game has an absolutely redundant day-night cycle, that is just there to stare you in the face as it laughs at your failure.

Least favorite: After hours of sublime puzzling, the later puzzles feel less about understanding a mechanic, or finding a leap of logic, and more about keeping track of the logistics of executing a four-billion step sequence.

Alternatively: No Man’s Sky is a miracle. We can argue in circles about what it could’ve been, what it should’ve been, what it would’ve been, but let’s talk about what we got. What we got was a game that fulfilled its promise of every good screenshot being a sci-fi book cover. While there’s enough to criticize, I have enough great stories to tell from my 40-ish hours of No Man’s Sky that I easily consider the game a success.

Best Mobile: Clash Royale (iOS, Android)

Only four days into 2016, Clash Royale became my favorite mobile game ever. It was cemented at that top spot for almost the entire year. The sublime Reigns made a huge leap for the spot, but fell short in the endgame. Pokémon Go deserves a mention but not an award. It wasn’t until Ridiculous Fishing collaborator Zach Gage released Really Bad Chess that I thought I had found a game that could replace Clash Royale. But ultimately, even Really Bad Chess’ brilliance couldn’t topple Clash Royale’s simplified MOBA. The tiniest details in the design give the game an enormous amount of depth, and the entire game is built in such a way that it remains fun for months, even without paying.

Favorite touch(es): The brilliance of how variable a spawned unit’s performance is depending on their placement. Even the tiniest change in placement can fully change how a unit functions, while never actually changing any variables or functionality in the units. It’s simple, it’s intuitive, it’s a skill to master, it’s a sight to behold for someone who loves good design.

Least Favorite: Eventually, you do hit that paywall. It might be months into the game, eventually the progression curves even out at a point where the only way forward is through your wallet. I can barely fault the game for that, and I’ll happily admit I bought some gems to thank Supercell for hundreds of hours played.

Alternatively: Reigns is a Tinder-esque interface-meets-kingdom management sim. It’s fiendishly clever, and even though it eventually overstays its welcome, the experience is positive enough that Reigns is easily one of the most interesting mobile games ever created.

Best B-Game: Devil Daggers (PC)

Devil Daggers is first person shooters at its most pure. It’s a game about dodging, jumping, shooting, and combining those three. The goal is to grab the titular Devil Dagger, and survive the demon onslaught that results as long as possible. You will die. If you’re pretty good, you’ll last 30 seconds to a minute or two. If you last for 8 and a half minutes, you beat the game. If you’re the world record holder, you’ll maybe last for almost ten minutes. It’s simple, it’s tense, no pretense, tightly scripted, all gameplay. It also has some of the best audio design I’ve ever come across in a game.

Favorite touch(es): Devil Daggers looks like the most simplistic FPS in years, but it is remarkably complex. There’s reload through the gems only coming to you when you’re not shooting. There’s shoot-‘em-up in crowd management. There’s FPS in the enemy weak spots. There’s level design in the enemy spawns. There’s weapon management and crosshair leading and strafing and bunny hopping and rocket jumping. Devil Daggers is more FPS than most blockbusters will ever be able to claim.

Least Favorite: A useful trope of shoot-‘em-up design, the “shotgun” in Devil Daggers feels like it prefers ‘active clicking’. If you hold the mouse button, it fires slightly slower than if you rapidly click the mouse button--which is both tedious and stressful for player hands--not to mention near-impossible for people with disabilities or pain in their hands that could otherwise still get a perfect run. In design, it’s always worth looking at the costs and benefits any choice has, and active clicking has such a minor effect on the skill ceiling, feel, or gameplay, that I don’t feel it’s worth it.

Alternatively: Duskers sets itself up to be the ultimate B-game. Sci-fi drones being remote controlled through a console interface and a visual representation that would’ve made '90s hacker movies proud. Poke just beyond that, and you’ll find a remarkably deep game with layers of existential crisis and terror. The way it should be, really.

Best Indie: Thumper (PS4, PC)

Thumper describes itself as a “violent rhythm action game”. I’ve been trying to come up with a better way to describe it, but I can’t. Thumper is like boxing with music if music was twice your size and twice your speed. Thumper is Audiosurf if Audiosurf had only custom-written tracks and wanted to hurt you. Thumper is like bringing a Guitar Hero guitar to a Vanquish fight. It’s intense, relentless and oppressive. It is overwhelming on a screen, and all-consuming in VR.

Most Favorite: The way the obstacles’ play sound effects twice, once for the obstacle to appear and one for the obstacle to be passed, while entirely fitting the flow and track of the music.

Least Favorite: The first few levels of Thumper are entirely accessible, while remarkably challenging. They play with reflex, flow, and music. The latter levels of Thumper feel remarkably less interesting for their almost cruel pacing and mechanics, although some of the best sequences in the game outside of the sublime first world can be found near the end.

Alternatively: I didn’t like Limbo. Limbo was that game that felt like it was trying to be a thing, but Playdead just couldn’t push itself to make it. It’s the bear traps, you know. You see, in Limbo, part of the journey was death--powerful, grotesque deaths. But at no point did the deaths feel meaningful, because in many cases they were trial and error. A walk through a forest had a bear trap in the middle of it, and while it was shocking and interesting the first time, dying just stopped having meaning and kept the puzzles from having room to breathe. Inside sees Playdead with both the guts and the experience to create what Limbo wanted to be. A game where death is avoidable, where the puzzles breathe, where a walk through a cornfield is just that.

Best …: That Dragon, Cancer

There were so many brilliant games that I wanted to give a mention, that I just didn’t have the space for. I spend a full month on this list, shifting things around and rewriting things, and in the end I’m quite comfortable with what ended up on this list.

I do still regret not being able to include gems like the instant classic of The Last Guardian, where classic is both a positive and a negative. There’s no mention of the phenomenal Picross 3D: Round 2, or the lovely Soft Body, the deep-dive that is Imbroglio, the brutal style of House of the Dying Sun, or the chaotic laughter in Flat Heroes. There was no space for Hyper Light Drifter, Oxenfree, Virginia, Pony Island, Killing Time at Lightspeed, or Civ VI. I couldn’t make space for the worthy sequels of Dishonored and Watch Dogs, which both improved tremendously on games that were already noteworthy. There’s no mention of the behemoth undertaking that was Owlboy, a game that was in production before Fez or Super Meat Boy were ideas, and before I joined this beautiful industry.

Ratchet & Clank didn’t make it despite being a lovely modern take on the classic 3D platformer. Notably, both Gears of War 4 and Uncharted 4 managed to surpass their series’ high points, the 2nd games in their respective installments.

Destiny: Rise of Iron is forever going to be one of the most impactful games I’ve ever played played, although that might’ve been affected by the fact that my fiancée proposed through the game. With the help of the folks at Bungie, she had a custom ring artefact, a letter, and a (now-public) Proposal emote modeled, mo-capped, and hidden in the game. It helps that Rise of Iron has some of the best Destiny content in it, and if you’ve read my previous lists, you know that I’m a huge fan of the game.

This last category is my crutch, my way of giving an award to a game that deserves it that doesn’t fit the other categories. This year, there really can’t be any other game than That Dragon, Cancer. A beautiful tribute to a real human life, Joel Green, That Dragon, Cancer is the surest confirmation yet that genuine games have an unparalleled ability to communicate experiences and perspectives. It takes a lot of confidence to make a game, because you tend to become personally attached to what you create. I once led a Q&A panel with the creators of the game after the Making Of-documentary Thank you for Playing screened at PAX, and it was one of the most emotionally distressing things I’ve done in my life. The amount of grace, care, and love that the team has despite the emotional investment of making a game about a child you lost is unparalleled, and sincerely awe-inspiring. In not holding back, the game offers a stunningly emotional insight into a family dealing with hope, despair, faith, mortality, life, death, and more than anything, love.

Favorite Touch(es): Ryan and Amy Green, Joel’s parents, are devout Christians. Instead of shying away from that, they incorporated their faith into the game. It is such an uncommon perspective to see religion in a game as anything but a narrative motivation for an antagonist, that a human exploration of it can easily catch you off-guard.

Least Favorite: That Dragon, Cancer’s gameplay can feel somewhat clunky at times, which can get in the way of your connection to the narrative at unfortunate moments.

Alternatively: Firewatch is beautifully written, gorgeously crafted, and a masterclass in making things that are painfully human.

Filed under:

Rami Ismail

Inversus

1979 Revolution: Black Friday

Clash Royale

Titanfall 2

That Dragon, Cancer

Event[0]

Final Fantasy XV

Devil Daggers

Stephen's Sausage Roll

Thumper

game of the Year 2016

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Mike Drucker's Top 10 Games of 2016

Mike Drucker is a Giant Bomb contributor and co-head writer for “Bill Nye Saves the World,” coming to Netflix in 2017. He's also written for The Tonight Show, Nintendo, The Onion, and SNL. He also co-hosts the podcasts, “How To Be a Person” and “The Room Where It's Happening.” You can follow him on Twitter @mikedrucker and watch him on Twitch under the surprising name “MikeDrucker.”

Is this where I write 2016 was bad? We all know it was bad. And maybe it wasn't even bad for you. Maybe you had a baby and that's what you wanted. Or maybe the election went your way while people like me endlessly talked about it online and our pain was like the sweetest spice in your mouth. Totally understand that; it was a different year for different people.

And--cool news--games had a pretty awesome 2016. Outside of No Man's Sky. Hoo boy. No Man's Sky. Remember that? We were all pretty certain that was going to change the world. That shit got fever pitch, right? People getting death threats for reporting on delays. And then it came out and we were all like, “Oooooooh right. Even a cardboard box counts as an open world if you say you can do anything in that box.”

Good thing almost everything else in games was surprisingly good. Think about how many games we expected to suck but didn't? Seriously. A good third of my list are games I didn't expect to even like that much. While the rest of my list are games I did expect to like. And a few are games I'm not sure I like, but I keep playing because I don't know.

Why am I still writing an intro? None of you are reading this part. Let's go!

10. Final Fantasy XV

I forgot how to enjoy a Final Fantasy game. For the last 10 years, Final Fantasy felt like required reading. You'd buy it when it came out, hate it, remember you're not a kid anymore, and then give up halfway through. But Final Fantasy XV is good? And I don't hate all the characters? And a third thing?

Final Fantasy XV shouldn't be good. Its character designs are lazy, even by recent Final Fantasy standards. Its combat is fun until it yells at you for not being good at the exact thing they expected you to learn by magic. It features sponsorships that don't even make sense (American Express somehow exists in a world that doesn't have America). But the writing and music and mood and the goofy upgrades kept me playing, even if my nickname should be “Finesse Score D.”

I don't see why this __game took a decade to make, but it also doesn't feel like homework. That's a bar so low you can step over it.

9. XCOM 2

Remember when everyone in the media was like, “Hillary Clinton has a 92% chance of winning?” and a few of people were like, “Oh, she's definitely losing.”

Those were XCOM players.

I know that's not really a description of why I liked XCOM 2, but you're all gamers. You're reading this list to see if I agree with you, not to find out about hot, new games you might've missed. But here's why XCOM 2 is on my list: Because it's XCOM. And I hate myself. Which is why anyone plays XCOM.

8. Sid Meier's Civilization VI

Here's the thing: Am I good at Civilization? Or really bad at Civilization? Is it wrong to want a country where you just build nice things and nobody bothers you? Is that what North Korea wants? Oh my God, am I North Korea? Socially, I don't have a lot of friends. I tend to get really anxious for the wrong reasons. And my father was considered a God King whose words could destroy millions. Maybe.

7. Inside

OH GOD THAT WEIRD WATER GIRL! OH JESUS! OH FUCK! WHY?!

6. Street Fighter V

Ah, my annual, “But this isn't a good game!” game. Don't worry, I did a few checks here or there and it's still Street Fighter and I can still have fun with my friends playing it without worrying about frames and shit. I do understand that the launch of this __game was terrible, the season pass system is terrible, and playing online is terrible. But that just makes Street Fighter V sound like, oh I dunno, literally any video game.

I enjoyed hitting the “punch them in the face” button and that button worked at punching someone in the face. I don't have a better justification than this.

5. Stardew Valley

Who didn't like Stardew Valley? Maybe people who have had actual jobs in their life. I wouldn't know. My entire career involves saying, “Uh... George W. Bush?” and hoping nobody knows I'm a fraud. It's a Forrest Gump life, people. Someone's gonna find out eventually. Then it'll be relying on the ole English Master's degree for work. And that English factory ain't hiring.

Stardew Valley was the most pleasant game of the game of the year. It just felt nice to play it. What a nice world to play and not live in. Living in it would be terrible. It's all farm work and asking out people who don't want you. Man, what a nightmare. Great game, though.

Let's be honest: We just like Harvest Moon done right.

4. Pokémon Moon

Why not Pokémon Sun? BECAUSE I WAS A GOTH KID, AND NIGHT TIME WILL ALWAYS BE THERE MY PEOPLE SHINE. You really think I was gonna get Pokémon Sun? Come on. I want that Pokémon game that makes everything super inconvenient by setting the clock 12 hours ahead.

Pokémon (or, “Pokey Man” if you're garbage) Moon and Sun were the first games in a while to really grab me and keep me playing. Maybe being 32 has that effect. There's a theme in these entries: Games I was excited to actually finish. It feels challenging and casual at the same time, a game you can play while you're bored rather than a game you must return to with every free moment.

Oh, God. Listen to me. I want casual games.

3. Firewatch

SPEAKING OF WHICH!

I love Firewatch. It depressed me. It made me feel bad. It ended weirdly. It's every relationship I've ever had. I also played it while my long-term relationship was falling apart. Listen, I could lie to you or I could write something real.

Is Firewatch a good game? Or even a game at all? I don't know. And honestly, I don't care that much. I was compelled by the story to keep playing and I felt like my little choices--while not affecting the ending as much as you'd believe--mattered, if only in the moment.

2. Doom

Every moment of Doom works. The combat, the movement, the little Easter Eggs, the protagonist ignoring the shit out of the unreliable guide. It just felt right. The best video games make you feel like you're actually the cool one--that you're transcending being you and really kicking ass.

Doom is the Final Fantasy XV of games where you chainsaw through demons for health.

1. Overwatch

It's hard to put Overwatch down as my game of the year because everyone is putting down Overwatch for their game of the year. And honestly, it's not even that packed a game. It's deep--nobody's saying it's not deep. But the width of the game is basically, “Shoot stuff. Defend stuff. Get mad at people who can't stay on the payload.”

But Overwatch does everything it wants to do right. It's great for newcomers. The art style is fun and exciting. There's a gorilla with glasses and fictional women who make real people on the internet mad when it turns out they're in committed relationships or something. It's really everything I want in a game.

There should be something else here about sweeping changes to the industry, but nah. Playing as Mercy is fun and it makes me feel needed and wanted, which is very nice. Heroes never die. They do complain a lot. And they don't protect Mercy ever. But they never die.

BONUS: PSVR

You can watch movies in a fake movie theater in the Hulu app while drinking whiskey from a cup with a straw. There aren't really any good games out that you must play (although a lot, like I Expect You to Die are really fun for what they are). But donning that dumb VR helmet and sitting in an X-Wing for 15 minutes or playing HoloBall or dancing in front of a mirror as Batman were neat moments.

It's still not worth getting unless you're a very forgiving gamer. But I'm a giant first-adopter sucker and I liked the crap out of it and it allowed me to escape the world for a little while and also show off to people who ranged from thrilled to “why am I standing underwater?”

PSVR has got terrible tracking, often muddled graphics, and a selection of games that feel more like they should cost a quarter at an arcade than 30 bucks to own permanently. But goddamn if I don't feel like I'm living in the future when I put it on. 10/10.

Mike Drucker on Google+

Filed under:

Stardew Valley

XCOM 2

Doom

Final Fantasy XV

Inside

Street Fighter V

Overwatch

Sid Meier's Civilization VI

Firewatch

Pokémon Sun/Moon

PlayStation VR

game of the Year 2016

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Christian Elverdam's Top 10 Games of 2016

Christian Elverdam is the creative director at IO Interactive, makers of this year's breakout episodic hit, Hitman. If you would like to watch him give assassination tips to Brad and Dan, that is something you can watch right here.

This time of year there is that usual flurry of lists of the top games of 2016. From many perspectives, different attempts are made at boiling down the wealth of offerings into a succinct, objective list. And 2016 was a great year for games, which makes that endeavor almost impossible.

So I chose another approach. First of all, I’m not going to talk about our __game where I probably put in the most hours…! But the games I’ve listed here are very subjective (as you will see) and many of them are not even from 2016. So how does that make sense? I always found that a great __game can come your way and be your personal game of the year for that reason, that was the year you played it or some times where you replayed it. Great games last more than a calendar year.

So in alphabetical order here are some of the games that stick out in particular as I look back on this year:

Civilization VI

When I think of Civilization I think of Zen. It’s a slow-burn flow, where one turn takes the next until you wake up hours later and realise you need to eat. It’s newest installment has every indication of being as addictive as Civilization V. I expect to spend more countless hours pondering barbarian threats, worrying about the restless Aztecs to the east, that look with hungry eyes on the same lands that I would claim. Firaxis show a consistent mastery of the formula. They figured out what works and they stick to it, and that can be refreshing in its own right.

Company of Heroes 2

I grew up playing a lot of games with my dad. I still vividly recall the day he came home with a Commodore 64 and two cartridges. That was the beginning of a lifelong, shared passion for games. We still play to this day and most often throughout 2016 that meant playing co-op in what I hold as one of the best WWII-era RTS games ever made. We have been playing the series on-and-off for a decade now, but it had a major resurgence this year, in part because Relic and the community is doing a marvelous job keeping the game alive with constant updates. If you are into tactics and coop boot up a skirmish match with your friends and take on the computer together, it is an easy recommendation.

DiRT Rally

Again, not strictly 2016, but I got into it this year. It’s been a long while since played a proper racing game. I used to play them more frequently almost a decade ago, but this year I discovered just how much I missed the thrill of a good, no nonsense race. Adrenaline, reflexes, skill. It's very well crafted. It feels great, and you feel like you can truly get better at it in a very satisfying way. It was one of the bigger surprises for me that I would be racing this year, and it again underlines how many games, from so many diverse genres there we can choose from.

Inside

There is much to say, and much that should not be said about this game. I highly recommend checking it out without too much foreknowledge. Jump in with an open mind and it will take you on a journey you will not soon forget. It represents game artisanship on the highest level. On all fronts. Play it. Period.

It is also exciting to see a fellow Danish studio come out so strong this year. Our small country is merely 5.5 million people so I feel that between IO Interactive and Playdead we managed to hit way above our weight this year. The wonderful part of it is that we only managed to do so by attracting people from more than thirty different countries, working together across different languages, cultures, and disciplines. It is a constant reminder of how much we can accomplish when our focus is on what we can do together, not on what sets us apart.

Overwatch

You have to hand it to Blizzard. They are just unbelievably good at perfecting a genre. Overwatch is an incredibly polished, well-playing fun-machine. I have spent my share of time in Team Fortress 2, which to me is the main inspiration for Overwatch, but Blizzard managed to add elements associated with MOBAs to the mix and crafted a game that feels very familiar, yet completely its own. If you are into team-based multiplayer FPS action, in my mind this is the got-to game at the moment. It strikes an almost perfect balance between classic FPS virtues (like good aiming and fast reflexes) versus your ability to think as tactically with your character skills, and ever so importantly to think as a team.

Panzer Corps (Tablet Version)

Part of my job involves a fair amount of traveling, often long flights across the Atlantic. I have come to associate flying with tablet gaming and this year I got into Panzer Corps. It is a throwback to an older series of turn based strategy games that I recall playing on the PC many years ago. And it is brought to the tablet with an uncompromising will to make a relatively complex strategy game that is still highly enjoyable with touch controls. It has the aforementioned slow-burn flow, where one decision takes other. As my Desert Rats work tirelessly to liberate North Africa I am suddenly reminded by the cabin crew that we are about to land.

Plants vs. Zombies (1 or 2) (Tablet)

So, I mentioned playing together with my dad. And while that is still rare in this day and age, what is much more common is to play games with your kids. And in 2016 there were many great games to get into and they also took up quite a lot of my time and made for some quite remarkable experiences. One of the games that was played this year was Plants vs. Zombies (both 1 and 2). It combines humor and simplicity with an ever deeper layer of complexity. It has been perfect for our kids, since it creates some super-intense moments, while at the same time teaches you to think a few minutes ahead. It may seem simple, but buying a Wall-nut that apparently does nothing and then understanding that it helps protect your other plants is a profound learning. On the side, it also set off a small math revolution, since all of a sudden it became really interesting for the kids to figure out what plants you could get for 200 sun, and what they would add to the table. If you have kids the right age, I think this game makes for some wonderfully geeky gamer conversation.

Pokémon GO

In a similar vein, Pokémon GO set the world on fire this year. And for good reason. Alternate reality games are certainly nothing new, but Pokémon GO made it mainstream. It meant long walks with the kids, and even as the cold Scandinavian weather put somewhat of a stop to the exploration, the game made for some profound conversations on those walks. Like “What is reality--is the Pokémon on the street real? What world are we in? What is a game avatar?” Seen through the eyes of children you get great questions like that and I do not think the answers are straightforward either. At the same time, it was a great way to talk about phones as computers in your hand, where people (or companies) can track where you are in the world. Which can be sinister or convenient (or both) depending on your point of view, but a good topic to talk about nonetheless.

Titanfall 2

When many say 2016 was a great year for gaming, I think Titanfall 2 is great example. There were so many well-crafted games that you would be hard pressed to spend the time that they truly deserve, if you got to play them at all. I had many great games that came and went too fast: Uncharted 4, Dishonored 2, Dark Souls III, Battlefield 1, Final Fantasy XV are just a handful of examples (there are many more). I mention Titanfall 2 because it is such a well-crafted game, that I think it got lost in the mayhem of great games coming out. If you did not already, pick it up and give it a spin. It plays amazing and has some outstanding moments.

Toca Lab (or pick any game by Toca Boca)

Swedish Toca Boca make games for kids for the tablets, and as I mentioned before, we spent a lot of time playing together. It would feel wrong not to mention their series of games. It feels like the organic food of the app store, if that makes any sense. Solid, friendly games with no hidden agendas, made for kids but enjoyable for grown-ups as well. Specifically, Toca Lab and its wonderful periodic table of funky creatures you can discover stood out, but as I said I would recommend most if not all of their games. Depending on interest, you can hardly go wrong.

So there it is. My personal and awfully subjective list. 2016 was great year for gaming, and whether you discover an old classic or play the game of the month I am sure 2017 will be as well. It was nice to get a moment to reflect, to look back on the year that passed measured in game-time, in game experiences. When you look back on 2016, what would your list look like?

Filed under:

Christian Elverdam

Titanfall 2

Plants vs. Zombies

Overwatch

Panzer Corps

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time

Inside

Company of Heroes 2

DiRT Rally

Sid Meier's Civilization VI

Pokémon Go

game of the Year 2016

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Coming Soon: The Big Journey

Coming in early 2017, The Big Journey is a roly poly cat-tastic physics-based casual storybook adventure for players of all ages.

Armor Games Studios is proud to announce that in early 2017, our fuzzy family will be growing a bit with the addition of The Big Journey. Developed by Catfishbox and releasing first on iOS with other platforms to follow, The Big Journey is a roly poly physics-based platforming adventure starring Mr. Whiskers… a snuggly, squishy blue cat who loves to eat dumplings more than anything else. When the man who makes the best dumplings in the world goes missing, Mr. Whiskers sets out to bring his buddy home, and travels across the land in the process.

The Big Journey website

The Big Journey press kit

The Big Journey is designed to be an all-ages game, as friendly and accessible for kids as it is gorgeous and relaxing for adults. To play, you can use the onscreen buttons to rotate the world and roll and jump Mr. Whiskers around, or tilt your device. Each new location you travel to has friends to find (including a familiar face!), bugs and dumplings to eat, baddies to avoid, and optional objectives to complete. Add in an original soundtrack and beautiful storybook visuals, and you have a recipe for one delicious adventure… assuming you like bugs and dumplings, that is. And really… who doesn’t? It’s a taste sensation!

For more about The Big Journey, visit the official website, follow Catfishbox on Facebook and Twitter, and visit The Big Journey press kit. Follow Armor Games on Facebook and Twitter.

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Xavier Woods and Kenny Omega's Respective Top 10 Games of 2016

Xavier Woods (aka Austin Creed) is the host of UpUpDownDown, a YouTube channel dedicated to his enthusiastic love of video games. When he's not touring the globe looking for the hottest games to play, he sometimes professionally wrestles alongside Kofi Kingston and Big E in The New Day, a stable that now holds the record for the longest Tag Team Championship run in WWE history. You can find him ranting and raving about '90s TV shows and world politics, and showing off his super complex and amazing cosplays on Twitter.

Kenny Omega is one of New Japan Pro Wrestling's top stars. In 2016, Omega rose from the company's junior heavyweight division to the top of the card after winning the prestigious G1 Climax tournament, thereby securing himself a place in the main event at Wrestle Kingdom 11. An avid gamer, Omega also found his way to C.E.O. this year, and bested Creed in a Street Fighter V exhibition match. You can follow Omega's exploits with #theELITE via Twitter.

Austin: It's ya boy Austin Creed, the host of the greatest YouTube channel in existence, UpUpDownDown (go subscribe if you haven't already!). I am also known as WWE superstar Xavier Woods, and am part of the longest reigning Tag Team Champions in the history of the WWE! So it's that time of year again, time to list my top 10 games of 2016. This year has been quite intense for not only video games but for life as well. I've had the opportunity to travel around the world and meet some truly awesome people, especially in the fighting __game community. They welcomed me with open arms, so I wanna say thank you to them for that. It has also given me the chance to acquire a new video __game rival, a man you may all know by the name of Kenny Omega. I cannot stand this man, but I respect him as both one of the most talented Professional Wrestlers that I have ever seen, and a gamer in the truest, most dedicated sense of the word. But let it be known, while he may have beaten me in our Street Fighter V meeting at C.E.O. this year, he can't touch me in DDR, Def Jam: Vendetta, Tekken, or Windjammers ;)

This year, we shall be giving out our top 10 games together. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the one and only Kenny Omega.

Kenny: Greetings, Giant Bombers! After Austin Creed tarnished the reputation of wrestlers everywhere, Giant Bomb has called upon me to offer a more distinguished opinion for this year's top 10. Yes, much like my good friend Austin, I too make a living as a pro wrestler. If you're only familiar with the WWE, there's a chance you've never heard of me. No problem--I'll explain! I work full time in japan for the country's largest promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). Known as a member of #theELITE, leader of the Bullet Club, and Best Bout Machine, I’m doing quite well for myself. I mean, I'd rather not toot my horn but...

Austin: Then don't, no one is forcing you to cont--

Kenny: BUUUUT if I must, I'll just come out with it; I'm a legend.

Austin: LEGEND?!?!

Kenny: I'm also widely considered today's greatest active wrestler. If you need any other proof, check the star ratings, check the tapes, check the internet. Just make sure if you want to see ALL of my accolades, that you set aside a good afternoon/evening…

Austin: Are you done yet? This thing is already getting to TLDR status.

Kenny: Not quite. I also want to add, you know, for the readers that care about the games and stuff… I didn't think Bloodborne was a bad game. Not at all.

Austin: As much as I would love to debate the complete opposite with you, thats an article for another day. Lets go!

Kenny: On to the list! But first, a few footnotes...

Top 3 Games Kenny Wishes He'd Played:

Kenny: Yes, much like Austin, us traveling entertainers work upwards of 300 days a year. As much as we'd like to, we can't play everything, even though there are titles we wish we had. Here are the top 3 I wish I'd played...

3. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

I'm a sucker for anything cyberpunk, and Deus Ex has always scratched that itch when I needed it the most. Human Revolution was great and the general consensus I've heard is that this latest installment is just as good, if not better. Sounds like a potential top 10'er.

2. Doom

As a kid, there were only ever two reasons to own a computer. First was Doom, the second was Duke Nukem 3D. Based on nostalgia alone I wanted to give this a shot. For whatever reason, I never got around to it this year...

1. Owlboy

I'm never one to invest all of my chips into a game or product based on a teaser trailer, but Owlboy sold me 1000%. There's no question about it, I WILL play this game, but I'm also waiting/hoping/praying for a PS4 release.

Austin: Alright! Thanks for that Kenny. Now lets get into our top 10 gam--

Kenny: Now for some honorable mentions! These are games, or non-games that I couldn't add to the real TOP 10, but definitely had an impact in 2016.

Austin: What?! Kenny! This thing is gonna be long as it is! We gotta go!

Kenny: Don’t sweat it, Creed, it’ll only be a minute. Plus, I checked your notes, plenty we can cut if worse comes to worse.

3. NES Classic

Kenny: Can you even find this thing yet?

Austin: I actually was able to get hands on one as soon as it came out. And we did a giveaway of an extra one on UpUpDownDown (my YouTube channel, go subscribe if you haven't already). But we did a giveaway so there would at least be one person out there who didn't get hit with that disgusting price gouging that people were doing on the internet.

Kenny: Yes, it was a shame that the shortage encouraged scalping, but a noble act of you to give one away to a lucky subscriber. You might not be all bad after all, Creed…

Anyhow, the NES Classic offers up a collection of some of the best games of all time in a cute package and in HD. I must note that IF I had the gall to use NES Classic titles in my top 10, five or six slots could easily go to games that came out 20+ years ago. And that just defeats the darn purpose of this whole thing...

2. Pokémon GO

I'm an OG Pokémon fan. Avid player of all games, watcher of the series/movies... That being said, I just CAN'T call this a game. Yes, it was fun. Yes, it's rewarding and exciting to find/hatch *insert name here*--BUT, I can't call it a game. I can't and won't. It was a cool little fad while it lasted, though. All three weeks of it. GG's Pokémon Go.

Austin: ::sigh:: I'll speak on this game later...

1. Resident Evil 7 Demo

No main protagonists appear in the demo and nothing in the demo appears in the full game. All the same, how could this demo not get one hyped for RE's comeback to the numbered series??? Upon playing the first version, apart from being scared out of my britches, I knew Capcom was onto something revolutionary. Not only were we playing scared, but the game consumed our thoughts post play. I have complete faith that in 2017, RE7 will rank high in the top 10. Who knows, maybe even top damn one.

Finally, the most honorable of mentions(!!!):

Street Fighter V

This is a tricky one because I've invested more time into this game than any other on this list. Maybe all of them combined. It's made me feel joy, pain, sadness... It's allowed me to make new friends, establish bonds between common enemies...Body said enemy and embarrass them in front of tens of thousands of people...

Austin: Sounds like it was a good time! Who is this enemy that you speak of?

Kenny: Look, Creed, you’re a hero to UpUpDownDown subscribers everywhere, and we’ve long since buried the hatchet… I really don’t want to embarrass you here and pour salt on those old wounds.

Austin: Oh, so you think you’re talking about me? You said you bodied him. You definitely didn't body me, so don't get on your high horse.

Kenny: Okay okay, you had one or two rounds, fair enough… Besides, the question isn’t whether I took you to the cleaners or not, it’s: “Why the heck is SFV NOT on the gosh darn list?!” Well, I had to be fair, I disqualified it. Yes, now would be the time to explain an unwritten rule of this top ten. No seasonal/evolving games, no ports, no HD remixes/remakes.

All that notwithstanding, I must note that to me, SFV transcends being just a game. Thanks to Street Fighter and it's inner community (the FGC), I've had some truly great memories in 2016. Big thanks to them and see you all at events/online in Season 2!

Austin: Well, since you threw yours out there I'll do mine as well! My honorable mentions are as follows (in no specific order)

• Final Fantasy Explorers (3DS)

• Mighty No. 9 (PC) - People got hot cause it wasn't Mega Manny enough. Sir, if you wanna play Mega Man then GO PLAY MEGA MAN! Just to be clear, I absolutely love Mega Man. I may be working on a cosplay for DragonCon 2017...

• Doom

• Battleborn

• Titanfall 2

Kenny: NOW FOR THE REAL LISTS!

No more stall tactics, here we go!

Austin: Now we shall alternate between the two of us. Try not to get confused. I think we already are beyond befuddled at this point, so let's see if this works out!

Kenny's #10: Battlefield 1

I'd all but given up on FPS games. Not that I dislike them, but the market is oversaturated and I've been burned out since COD: MW3. 2016 hasn't had any shortage of FPS titles, and even though these types of stories (WWI/Alternate WWI) have been done to death, it may have been done the best ever here. And wow, such stellar visuals from that tweaked Frostbite engine.

Austin's #10: Super Mario Run

I wasn't sure about Mario coming to iOS, and then once I got hands on it I was completely in. I got to interview Miyamoto, which was unreal, but he reminded me that Nintendo has been in the touch screen business way longer than iPhones. So it made sense that they would be able to make something that worked well and looked great. It really has that nostalgic Mario feel and is extremely easy to play. You literally just jump. The game does everything else for you. It's also a great bathroom time waster.

Austin's #9: RPG Creator (iOS)

It's so hard to find a good RPG creator for those of us who have no idea how to code. I found one on my computer called RPG Maker MV. I was using this to create my very own RPG and I was 45 hours in (yes I was actually logging my time) and my computer exploded and I lost everything. I wanted to burn everything to the ground... Anyway, the iOS version has been released, which for me is great since I travel a ton. It gives you the chance to create your own game, add text, build cities, and pretty much anything else you wanna do. So if you're one of those creative types, having a mobile RPG creator may give you an outlet for that novel you have been working on for six years and still haven't finished.

Kenny: Let me guess, in the fictional world you created “Austin Creed” is a half decent wrestler with segments on TV the are actually interesting?

Austin: Nope, I created a character named Kenny Omega. You would have loved it! The story was about him and his two buddies who were constantly stealing t-shirt designs from their rival group, The New Day. They also appropriated hand gestures, sayings, and crotch chops from past eras. It's definitely a work of fiction and not based on anyone I know. Moving on.

Kenny's #9: Titanfall 2

EA with back-to-back entries on the list, with games that coincidentally almost released simultaneously. Why Titanfall over Battlefield? This, I'm chalking up to bias... Both games are done superbly well, but I find that Battlefield’s time period limitations ultimately allow for Titanfall’s victory. The futuristic artillery of Titanfall 2 is so destructive and fun to use, and though there are cool vehicles in Battlefield, I’d rather take me a mobile suit with almost-Optimus Prime voice any day of the week..

Kenny's #8: Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 (3DS)

Many invested their faith (and money) into Mighty No. 9 being the heir to Mega Man throne. Some idiots out there, some of which may be among us here, even accepted it as such...*cough*...

No way, Jose.

Austin: Ummm wowwww, name calling? Such a lack of class after I was kind enough to invite you into my Top 10. Wow Kenny, wow.

Kenny: Invited?! Alex Navarro paid me with pizza and $5 an hour to babysit you throughout this thing! We both knew you’d bring up that sorry excuse for a Mega Man game and--

Austin: I already stated that I didn't take it as Mega Man! It's a different game! Try thinking outside of the box for once! Maybe if you quit wearing sunglasses indoors then you would be able to "see" what I mean. (Bars) GOT YO ASS!

Kenny: ANYWAYS. Enter: Azure Striker Gunvolt. The first installment was great. Better than great, even. The controls and story were tight, art direction stylish, and the J-pop was just so darn catchy. Take that formula, add an extra character story, hidden Shovel Knight boss fight, and you've got yourself a must own 3DS game.

Austin's #8: Superhot

I heard about Superhot the day before it came out, so I downloaded it at midnight. I was planning on just playing a little bit of it for my channel (UpUpDownDown on YouTube, go subscribe) and then I realized that I had finished the game and hours of my life had disappeared. In this FPS, time only advances when you're moving and it moves as fast as you move. It's kind of wild and out-of-the-box, but very enjoyable. I even like the almost unfinished-looking art style. It's almost as if they were waiting to input the actual art into the game, but it makes the game look unique. It really allows you to focus on the puzzles at hand, which get pretty complex by the end of the game.

Austin's #7: EA Sports UFC 2

This game surprised me more than any other game this year. For whatever reason I wasn't really expecting much, so I went in with crazy low expectations. Started doing tutorials and the controls were soooooo complex considering you're doing all types of fighting with all the fighters. Then I found "knockout mode". First player to get hit five times loses and the knockout animations are hysterical. This kept me playing it with friends as a great local, king of the couch type of game. Then one friend wanted to play the actual game. We were all weary of the controls, but learning how to play together kept us all extremely into it. When one person would figure something out, they would explain it to the others until our collective knowledge of the game became pretty good. The point is that this is an amazingly fun game to play with friends. For me it's not so much fun alone. Playing online is great when people rage quit, tho. Love that. But the in-room hype between people playing this can get extremely out of hand and, isn't that what we really want?!? YES!

Kenny's #7: Thumper

I'm glad I'm not a salesman, because I'd have no idea how to explain Thumper to a potential customer. It's completely original, frenetic, and (for me at least) kind of panic inducing. It borders on a horrific experience, but still feels so satisfying when your reactions are firing on a hair trigger and you're grooving to the music. One of the best games I'd played last year also made me feel this way, and it's something I wish I could bottle. I'm glad Thumper did that in its own original way. What game was I talking about? Oh, the second best game to ever be released on Sega CD, Road Avenger. Duh.

Kenny's #6: Kirby: Planet Robobot

I'll come clean with everyone: Kirby is my favorite Nintendo IP and Kirby's Dreamland for the NES is my favorite game for the system. That's right, Kirby, not Mario 3. Get over it.

Long story short, I'm a fanboy 4-life, and always down for any and every new Kirby game from now until the end of time. That's not to say they're all good though. Epic Yarn wasn't a top 10 game, and the difficulty, or lack thereof, really hurt its fun factor. This game isn't the Dark Souls of Kirby by any stretch, but it recaptures the old NES spirit while adding more power-ups, and the ultimate destructive power of mechs. I love that this became a thing in Kirby. Great job, HAL!

Austin's #6: Attack on Titan

You know this wouldn't be an Austin Creed list if there wasn't a Koei game on here. AoT rocked the world (for those that hadn't read the manga) when the anime dropped. This game places you right into the AoT universe, and you actually feel what it's like to fly around cutting up titans and saving the city you love. After an intensive tutorial (the controls are kind of bonkers, but so worth it) you gain the knowledge of how to use the movement gear to Spider-Man around all over the place while slashing titans' necks up. The game follows the storyline of the show, and still has that Dynasty Warriors feel. You can play as different characters and upgrade your weapons, which helps as the titans grow in strength. Overall it's a really fun hack-'n-slash game that's even more fun if you've ever wanted to be a member of the survey corps. (I would never in real life, real titans would be absolutely terrifying...)

Austin's #5: Oh...Sir! The Insult Simulator

Not a game that hit crazy big on the charts, but I believe it should have. Oh Sir is a game that was created at game Jam, a gathering of people who each build a game in about 72 hours. It won there, and then was later fleshed out into a full game. The premise is that two people argue in the most polite manner possible, and the person with the best insults wins. Words are chosen from a collective word pool in the middle of the screen, and then each player has two words or phrases that only they can select. The better the insult, the more damage is done. Insults are all created by the player and can range from things like "Your mother has never seen Star Wars and smells like a nazi", to "Your hovercraft is disgusting and your father looks like your math teacher, SIR!"

My favorite part about this is that you can play online with other humans. I cannot explain the joy of properly insulting another human so eloquently, and then having my hand raised in victory. I think I enjoy this game so much because it reminds me of the continuous conversations i've had with Kenny. Me eloquently verbally ripping him apart while he frantically and desperately mumbles his way along, trying to string words together to form a sentence. Maybe we inspired them to make this game?!?

Kenny's #5: Broforce

First off, I'm a huge fan of couch co-op. Call me old fashioned, but I almost couldn't care less about online functionality in games. I've passed up a ton of otherwise great games because they skipped out on a couch co-op function that should have been there. (Shame on you guys, btw)... Thankfully, Broforce didn't do that. In fact, I feel as though this game was made for guys like me: '80s/'90s action movie buffs. Nonstop fun and laughs from start to finish and really, the only gripe I have with this game is that there was an end!

Kenny's #4: Final Fantasy XV

It's not the GOAT of all FF titles, but it never had to be. It's still awesome, and great balance of old and new. So was it worth the wait? Yes, yes it was. Truthfully, I feel guilty for having to place this game where it is on the list... It has everything it takes to be #2, or heck, maybe even #1, and yet my lifestyle on the road prevents me from enjoying it more. I want to grind, and I want to enjoy the huge world, but these things take so much time, and I rarely had enough to feel satisfied with a single session. Of course, FFXV has its share of problems. The framerate is erratic, the camera will sometimes lose its mind during battle, but...Well, that’s really it. (I’ve heard complaints about combat and music, but I love both, actually). No huge qualms from me, plus you’ll hear more from Creed, so I’ll wrap this up by saying that this game and series are alive and well. I will continue to scour the lands, complete side quests, and play/pay for any DLC upcoming. Give me Gilgamesh, Battle on the Big Bridge, and give me the damn Death Train (w/ Sabin).

Austin's #4: Overwatch

Obviously this is on my list considering my respect for the all mighty Zenyatta. I played as him before his insane buff, so don't get any ideas. When this game dropped I wasn't sure what all of the hype was about. My head was involved in all kinds of other things, so at launch I wasn't phased while everyone else was drooling all over themselves. But when I finally played it a few weeks later, then I understood. This is one of the most fun FPS games that I've ever played. Also, there is no story mode, but Blizzard managed to create stories for each of the characters and put them online for us to watch. Between these videos and the various pieces of lore published around the internet, suddenly Overwatch becomes a very story intensive game. Watching these stories and learning why each character is the way that they are really creates a solid bond between player and the various personalities in the game. I've come to hate the words "high noon", and found myself running away when I heard them in real life once. Not proud of myself...

Austin's #3: Street Fighter V

One thing that Kenny and I do agree on is that this game is incredible. Street Fighter has been wild this year. I don't think I've ever been into a Street Fighter as much as this one. I've played them all my life, but never trained to make an attempt at defeating a rival who trains with world champions. First off, the community for Street Fighter is amazing. Getting the chance to be welcomed into the FCG has been really cool. That definitely adds to my enjoyment of the game. There are so many excellent people who are willing to take their time to help you get better if you're willing to put the time in. Now the game, it was definitely rough at the beginning, and people were upset with the lack of characters and content. At this point that's literally the last problem they have. There are all kinds of skins and stages, plus even more stuff coming out all of next year. Playing the game is beyond fun, even if you're trash at it And I'm a prime example of that!

Kenny's #3: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

If this is indeed Drake's last adventure, what a way to close the series. Flawless storytelling, lush environments, great set pieces, gameplay that feels fluid and organic. All that, and they still fit in a cameo from Crash Bandicoot... It's that high standard of quality we've come to expect from an Uncharted game, and it never fails to be the Cadillac of all AAA franchises. In terms of in game performances, Nolan North steals the show, but that isn't taking away anything from the rest of the cast. An immersive, cinematic and interactive masterpiece that is a must own for PS4 owners.

Kenny's #2: Pokémon Sun/Moon

I had used the words "flawless" and "near perfect" to describe Uncharted 4, and I'm gonna do it again here. This takes the tried, tested, (and addictive) formula of Pokémon and spreads improvements across the board. The visuals, music, story, added features...some serious time and effort went into this game and you can tell Game Freak/Nintendo intended this to be the Pokémon title of the year. I've beaten the main quest and am still playing at around 88 hours in. For all that wanna know, I went with Rowlet as a starter. My leader, however (and easily new favorite Pokémon, btw) is the almighty Mimikyu.

Austin's #2: Final Fantasy XV

Clearly this was going on my list considering that I'm kind of obsessed with RPGs and specifically the Final Fantasy franchise. Plus my Square Enix bias, but anyway I'm sure you all have either by now played and beat it, or at least seen someone playing it. Obviously it's Final Fantasy, so there are certain tropes that we're going to get. In VII we got the hard-ass protagonist who thinks he doesn't need anyone to get by. In X we got the protagonist with daddy issues that effect all of the decisions he makes through the story. In XIII we got our headstrong female protagonist who could most likely put us all in body bags (I really liked Lightning). And now in XV we actually have gone back to a trope previously used in X-2. In X-2 the story revolved around a female pop group, similar to Jem and the Holograms with how they could magically change clothes and crank out sweet tunes. In XV, we find ourselves controlling the leader of the hottest new boy band to hit Eos. Hair gelled and ready to get young Prince Noctis to his betrothed, his crew of Ignis (the smart one), Gladiolus (the rugged one), and Prompto (the shy one) all are integral players in this story.

On a serious note, it's actually really cool to see the relationship between these characters play out especially on the car rides. By not skipping them, you get a chance to hear banter between the boys, which makes you feel like you're really on a road trip with these guys. That sort of feeling feels rare in games nowadays. It's become harder and harder for me to actually feel like I'm a part of the game as I get older. I'm not sure if it's me changing or the games, but regardless, this one made me feel like I was part of the crew even from the start. You begin by pushing a car that has run out of gas. So brutal, but it's actually cool because the contemporary soundtrack brings out certain emotions that I don't think would have arisen otherwise.

They also did a great job of making me care about each of the characters, to the point that I almost cried when one of them was killed (it was during a live stream, hard times man). Also, the fact that, while you're in the car, you can listen to the soundtracks from the previous games, gives you a customizable experience. It's great for people who have been fans from day one, and also for people who are new to Final Fantasy and JRPGs in general. The fact that they were able to make these two types of people mix and have something to talk about with each other is pretty cool. The goal is always to draw everyone in and make sure they enjoy the experience, and that's exactly what this game does. Every part of it, minus the chapter where you don't have your weapons and can't run. It's way too long and I may have almost had an aneurysm (sarcasm) while trying to finish it. Other than that I loved it!

Austin's #1: Mafia III

I already know what some of you who have played this are going to say. "But this game became so repetitive WAAAA WAAAA WAAAA". ::stands up and pushes chair to the table:: You know what else is repetitive? Dynasty Warriors, Final Fantasy, RPGs in general, brushing your teeth, Street Fighter, all fighting games for that matter, waking up, breathing, shooters, and yes, even the process of getting a game, playing a game, finishing a game...then getting a new game. But these things are also all amazing (especially Dynasty Warriors), so let's agree to set this nonproblem aside as we talk about how incredible this game is.

I felt an immediate attachment to this game from the time that I saw a video explaining the story and mechanics at E3. You play as Lincoln Clay, a soldier who has just come back from serving in the Vietnam War. He happens to be black, and this story is set in a time where black people were treated quite poorly by a lot of the American population. Not to get to real and make things too serious, but this really hit home for me and drew me into wanting to play it in the first place. No punches are pulled with the language and how Lincoln is treated by many people through the game. There is even a disclaimer at the beginning pretty much stating that you're gonna hear a lot of pretty horrible racial slurs, so prepare yourself. The fact that they were not afraid to make it feel as real as possible with the current social climate really made me respect the people that worked on this game even more than I normally would. If this aspect of the game would not have been included then it would have felt like a regular open world mob game, which might have been fine, but wouldn't have had nearly the same impact. So kudos to 2K and Hangar 13 for having the balls to really dig into some serious stuff. At one point you legit have to fight the KKK...like...what? This is a thing that I'm doing right now?!?! Inflammatory images, inflammatory speech, inflammatory story, and you get the chance to overcome all of it. I love it.

Now as far as the actual game goes, it's gorgeous, the soundtrack is amazing, you really feel like you've gone back in time to this era, and the story is so strong that if you let it then it will suck you in completely. The controls are intuitive, the side quests are interesting, and taking over parts of the city really enhances the story. When you take a section of the city, you give it to one of your three underbosses, and if one feels left out then a side mission opens where they'll turn on you, forcing you to take them out. It's great that your choices over time essentially mold how the story unfolds. Then once you make it to the end of the story, then there are three separate endings that have awesome cinematics explaining how events unfold after you take over the city.

I've never played the other Mafia games, so I'm not sure how many similarities this one has to the earlier games, but I do know that this one is beyond incredible on so many levels. In my opinion, Mafia III is the best game released in 2016.

Kenny's #1: Enter the Gungeon

I'm thinking this may be a shocking choice to some, but all things considered I can't deny that this was my GOTY. I can't remember a game in recent memory that I had so much trouble putting down. That even when it felt impossible (sometimes unfairly so), that I couldn't stop. Even after encountering a bad room, or an unlucky loadout, there was always a feeling of progression and a feeling of, "OK, one more run, motherfucker". It harkened to the old NES days. Not so much where games were a lengthy grind, but a collection of white-knuckle sprints. Countless oh-so-close, throw your controller at the wall moments, and then that one, special, "legendary run" where the stars align and you do the impossible. Those moments, especially when shared with friends, live forever. I'm nostalgic for stuff like that, so bringing back those old Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden-esque feelings carries a ton of weight with me.

I hope to see more of the Gungeon from Dodge Roll and Devolver Digital in the future. If the characters' past scenarios are any indication, there's huge potential for varied environments and even deeper stories/situations to explore.

Austin: And that's it! Those are our top 10 games of 2016!

Kenny: Thanks for sticking with us till the end!

Austin: I'm actually really surprised that we got all the way through this without killing each other. I'm proud of us!

Kenny: Yeah, and you know something? Your choices were pretty good! Could I maybe suggest shorter reviews next time, though? I felt myself nodding off a bit towards the end...

Austin: This coming from the guy with five honorable mentions before the top 10! Perhaps a friendly game to snap you out your drowsiness?? Def Jam? Windjammers? Mario Kart?

Kenny: I’ll pass, Creed. We got our work cut out for us if we’re gonna do this again in 2017

Austin: Speaking of... Tekken 7 drops next year, so if you want it in that, then i would be glad to handle you again.

Kenny: You would have the audacity to challenge me in a game that’s officially partnered with my company in Japan?! Oh Austin, the size of your ego never ceases to amaze me. You do remember what happened the last time you challenged me in a fighting game, right?

Austin: Yeah yeah yeah, we know, you beat me in Street Fighter. Always bringing up old stuff. That's your problem! You're living in the past! 2017 means there will be tons of new games for me to obliterate you in!

Kenny: Yes, and since there’s no way Giant Bomb will ask you back for another top 10, you can just focus on one or two of them, and get reeeeally good at them. Well… for you, anyway...

Austin: My god, even though you have been SO RUDE, I'll let you close this thing out...I'm a man of class, unlike you.

Kenny: You’re G-rated television, you have to have more class than me. But hey, as a friend, I’ll keep it clean for the next few sentences.

Austin: We are PG! Like Shrek! And Shrek is hilarious!

Kenny: Thanks for everything, folks. Those are our lists! Agree? Disagree? Wondering where your favorite game(s) were? Well, if you have problems, I assure you it’s all Austin’s fault. So just leave some negative feedback on his YouTube channel, and remember that I tried my absolute best to carry him through this sucker.

Austin: By negative comments, he of course means positive comments and likes! It helps my algorithms and whatnot. Gotta get those likes on my videos to keep this thing gaining steam. Don't play with my channel Kenny, don't play.

Kenny: Happy Holidays, (even to Austin), and thanks for reading!

Austin: OH! ONE MORE THING! This wouldn't be a top 10 from me unless there was a rant of some sort, so here it is.

Most anger inducing game of 2016

Pokémon GO

Austin: OK, so if you're like me, or anyone else who has a heart pumping blood through their veins, then you probably downloaded Pokémon GO. Considering I'm basically a 12-year-old with a bank account, I was stomping my feet waiting for this to drop. When it finally did, then it was like the world was overrun with happiness. But for me it wasn't long until this happiness turned to pure rage. For maybe two months, I was a devoted, playing-every-single-day type of person. I could deal with the stalling out while trying to overtake a gym, I could deal with my GPS not realizing I was literally on top of a Pokéstop, I could even deal with the app freezing when I was trying to catch a Charizard in the middle of Times Square at 5:30 a.m. (this really happened).

What I could not deal with was the realization that the only two things that I and all of my friends wanted would not be added to the game. All we wanted was to be able to trade and fight each other! Considering that we put so much time into this (and possibly money... possibly...) WE GOT PISSED 'CAUSE WE WANTED TO TRADE! This may have upset me way more than it should have, but c'mon, man. To me, that's what Pokémon is built on. Trading and fighting, and we can't do that?!? I have just tried to forget about GO while I've been playing through Sun, and it's definitely helping my mood towards Pokémon. But the app lies dormant on my phone, taunting me daily as I wait and hope for a brighter tomorrow. I just wanna be the very best...

Filed under:

Superhot

Final Fantasy XV

RPG Creator for iOS

Thumper

Titanfall 2

Oh...Sir! The Insult Simulator

Enter the Gungeon

Battlefield 1

Attack on Titan

Street Fighter V

Broforce

Azure Striker Gunvolt 2

Pokémon Sun/Moon

Super Mario Run

Mafia III

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Pokémon Go

EA Sports UFC 2

Kirby: Planet Robobot

Game of the Year 2016

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