Top games of 2016

2016 has been a good year for games. It feels like something that ends up being said every year, but I really can’t stress enough how spoiled we have been this year with fantastic content. We’ve seen Some great new IPs, some good sequels, and releases of long awaited titles. I shan’t give out specific honours, I’ll just list a few of my favourites and say why I felt they stood out. Tokyo Mirage Sessions A crossover between the popular Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei series had been teased for some time, and the final product certainly lived up to expectations. I personally feel it was one of the most overlooked titles of the year, and I urge any fan of JRPGs to go and check it out. Great gameplay and solid character design and development really leave a long lasting impression. Time will tell if this becomes a modern classic or not, but I can confidently say that most fans of either source material will feel better off for having played through it. It takes a good amount of elements from each game and references them often, whilst still being completely able to remain its own entity. Dark Souls 3 The dead and dreary environments of Dark Souls 3 are ironically full of life and colour, with a strangely inviting allure to them. They’re designed to be grotesque and repulsive, and that they are, but still manage to remain full of mystery and excitement. There’s something hidden away in almost every little nook and cranny, and sometimes you’ll simply end up going down an unassuming path and coming across and entire new area, or perhaps a deadly foe, never before seen. It’s really more of the same Souls gameplay thet you’ve come to love over the years. That’s not at all a bad thing though, as the Souls series is solid. Each environment has plenty to find and do, and whilst death will come quickly and often, it doesn’t feel like a trial and error system. Most traps and instant death instances can be avoided if you keep your eyes and ears peeled and think on your feet. Whilst the game can be sped run in a couple of hours, you’ll want to take your time with it, and put countless more than that in it. It’s less of an obstacle course, and more of a grand, twisted epic. Overwatch I’m really not a bag fan of first person shooters. Something about them just fails to hold my interest. I can often barely stand to finish the story, let alone play more than a handful of multiplayer matches. I’ve been playing Overwatch since release day. Not every day mind you, but at least at a steady rate. The game fails to become boring to me. Many people found the idea of a limited number of game modes and content rather off-putting, but honestly, I think it was the perfect decision. All of the maps and characters are really well designed, and what may look like a fairly limited kit at a glance actually lends itself to fairly limitless interactions. There’s also a real sporting feel to how the matches play out. You’re not just running around a map mindlessly shooting the other team, you’re making plays to achieve a specific objective. It’s like a futuristic tug of war. There are also semi-regular free updates made available at no extra cost, such as new maps and characters. You don’t have to earn enough points or gold to unlock them over time, they’re just there, ready to use. The developers have managed to create a level playing field in which all that really decides the outcome of a match are your skill, strategy, and ability to work as a team. Final Fantasy XV In a series that is about huge, world altering events, Final Fantasy XV constantly reminds us that it’s really important to sometimes just relax, spend time with your friends, do dumb stuff, and change your fishing line before it breaks. The game doesn’t particularly break new ground with any of it’s features, and it’s not hugely polished either, unlike the car that features in it. What FFXV does offer however, is just a really warming, satisfying experience. The characters are obviously caricatures of standard personality tropes, but at the same time, they’re down to earth. Even if you can’t relate to any of the protagonists on a first hand basis, you’ll surely see something in them that reminds you of someone you know, and it helps the world feel just that little more grounded. Galavanting around plains filled with giant crystal meteors and monsters may not be down to earth, but eating Cup Noodle and playing games on your phone in a caravan certainly is. It also helps that there’s more than a fair few quests to undertake. You’ll be playing this one for a while.

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