Game of the Year 2016?

[Oaf]

So, what's yours?

I'm never really sure when to make this thread on here every year. It's usually good to wait until after xmas because people tend to get games as presents, but even then there's not really enough time to properly play and complete those games in that sucky void between xmas and the new year. And then there's the question of do I leave this thread a little longer... and no, I don't, because once it's 2017, who the fuck gives a damn about 2016?

So yeah, I'm doing it now. I'm not doing a proper "send me lists and we'll have a proper countdown" thing because I get the feeling that there aren't as many people on here any more and I wouldn't get that many lists. So we'll do it this way instead; I'll give you my top 10, then you can give yours below. Sound fair? Of course it does. Anyway, my list:

10) Planet Coaster

Back along, Cities XL came out and brought the old, forgotten genre city building games and made it great again. This year, Planet Coaster did the same for the old roller coaster tycoon type games. The customization options on it are literally limitless, so long as you are willing to put the work in (or let somebody else do the work and then steal the design off of the steam workshop, like I did )... to give you an example, my current park has a big Mario 64 castle in the entrance with Mario, Luigi and Bowser stood nearby (and other mario goodies), with a left turn taking you into a Pokemon village, designed exactly like a town on a Pokemon game (complete with Pokemon center, gym and Pokemart - which yes, functions as a shop)... a right turn will take you through the Jurassic Park gates into Jurassic Park itself, complete with a massive T-Rex statue. I'm currently working on a Middle Earth themed section as well. So yeah... if you can think it, you can build it. Which sounds like a shit slogan, but it's true.

9) Battlefield 1

I've not even played the (apparently superb) single player, but the multiplayer is fucking brilliant. I mean, yeah, it's frustrating as fuck that it takes me about 30 seconds and 2 full clips to bring a guy down whereas I'm killed in seconds, but yeah, I love it anyway

8) Stardew Valley

I blame Cas for getting me into this, but it's probably the best farming game ever. Fuck you, harvest moon. Once the multiplayer mod comes out for this, I can see it taking over my life. Such a pleasant experience and it's a real joy watching your farm grow.

7) Pokemon Go

Controversial? Nah, I don't think so. Pokemon Go was special. In fact, I feel like 7th is a bit harsh, but that just speaks volumes to how highly I rate the games I've played above it. But I've never seen anything like Pokemon Go in all my time as a gamer. For starters, it encouraged being outside. But the whole community feel of it was incredible. Going to a park at any given time on any given day and seeing it packed with fellow trainers, mixing about and having fun. And I was lucky enough to go to New York when the game was still in its prime of popularity, and the scenes over there were incredible. An absolute army of people walking around central park together catching Pokemon... it was one of my favourite gaming experiences ever, and I wasn't even sat on my ass.

6) Final Fantasy XV

I'm only 20 hours in so far, but I love this game. The best 1FF since 10... probably not saying much, considering some of the entries since, but hey. I love it though. The world, the characters and the surprisingly good battle system. Comfortably the best battle system since they madly ditched the turn based stuff. Still a long way to go, and perhaps it'll get worse (I'm already dreading chapter 13 and I've not even seen why it's so bad yet...) but so far it's been great.

5) X-Com 2

When the original X-Com (well, not the original original... but you know... the one before this) came out, I'm pretty sure it topped my game of the year list on here (or TFF, whatever)... the fact that this is 5th is nuts, considering the fact that it's just a better version of that. But again, it says more about the games I put above it than anything else. But yeah, I fucking love me some X-Com. No game out there seems to entirely draw me in and keep me hooked until I finish it as well as X-Com games do.

4) Pokemon Moon

A theme of this year seemed to be making stuff great again (Trump reference not intended...)... Planet Coaster did it to coaster tycoon games, Battlefield 1 was the best BF in years, and Final Fantasy is good again... but no game brought their series back for me like Sun and Moon did to Pokemon. FINALLY, after all of this time, they shook up the formula and man did it pay off. It's held of franchise fatigue and has been a lot of fun to play through, rather than becoming a bit of a chore like the last few in the series have. Throw in a great new generation of Pokemon as well and Sun and Moon are the best Pokemon games in a long, long time.

3) PES 2017

Last Year, PES reclaimed the "best football game" crown by making a better game than FIFA, finally. This year, PES went and made a better game than... well, PES. As in, they didn't just make the best PES game in years, they probably made the best PES game of all time. And seeing as I consider the likes of PES 2 and 3 to be the best football games ever made... yeah, I guess that means that I think PES 2017 is the best football game ever released. It's just so fucking good and has reminded me of why I used to love football games so much after putting up with FIFA all of these years.

2) Uncharted 4: The Thiefs End

It's uncharted, it was always going to be great. I still consider it the third best Uncharted game (2 and 3 top it, for me) but being the 3rd best uncharted still means you're one of the best games ever released. A stunning spectacle of a game with a great story and, naturally, amazing set pieces. It's amazing that this didn't make my number 1 spot, but...

1) Overwatch

Usually, when an Uncharted game comes out, that's game of the year wrapped up before anything else even had a chance. So where in the fuck did Overwatch come from, then? I have to admit, I knew of OW before it came out, but I hadn't really followed it that closely. So when it came out and people were raving about it... well, OW, I got you in my sights... and thank god I did. It's so damn good. Even though there's not that much content in terms of maps/game modes overall... it's just such an amazing game. Anybody who's cynical about online shooters owes it to themselves to throw a copy of Overwatch into their Xbox or PS4 and let it rip. I can't see how it wouldn't change their mind and convert them into a believer. It's got so much personality, but at its molten coooore it's just such a well made game.

Such a brilliant cast of Heroes (who, BTW, never die) and such a superb balance which is A-Mei-zing when considering the diversity of them all. And where there is unbalance, they tend to nerf this pretty quickly. Expertly made and filled with bucketloads of charm. I'm pretty confident that of all games released in 2016, Overwatch is the game that this year will be remembered for the most. And, to me, that'll be fully justified. Justice rains from above, and Overwatch stands above all other games released this year.

Also,

Ryuu-ga, Wa-ga-te-ki-wo, Ku-ra-u

So... what's your GOTY 2016?

 

[Eski Boi]

I'm with Oaf,

1. Overwatch

Whilst i have enjoyed some great single player Titles this year, I have never had so much fun with any game as i have with Overwatch.
It's worth reading the seasonal comics and the shorts on YouTube are really good for backstories.

Gamers will still be playing Overwatch in 5 years time. It has a massive fan base with MLG tournaments and is super popular on all consoles and PC. Blizzard are also supporting the game with DLC/Content updates.

An absolute polished gem.

 

[KevinMcallister]

Witcher 3

I'm just too much of an rpg nerd

Oaf how good does my pc need to be for planet coaster? I have 8gb ddr3 and a 3.4 ghz processor quad but I'm worried about graphics I have 1gb gpu will it run ok?

 

[RavenBish]

I still have a backlog so this doesn't include Doom, Inside, Gears of War 4, Final Fantasy or Pokemon Sun (yes, fuck night time)

10) Forza Horizon 3

A fine driving game but I historically like driving games and this was...alright? Visually stunning and plays good - love the 'story' idea but it just really didn't seem particularly deep enough for me and events grated after a while. This makes the list more because it's objectively a good game worthy of recognition rather than me enjoying it a great deal.

9) Firewatch

I was so on-board with this game - it ran like shit but it was intriguing, subtly quite emotional to play and the sort of game I enjoy - it's problem was it fell FLAT at the end. The ending was very bad - I think they tried to dress it up as one of those endings as 'not THE end of his story but the end of our journey as part of his story'...Do me a favour, you just gave us a bad ending.

8) Madden 17

A SPORTS GAME. MADDEN, BUT YOU HATE MADDEN. It's made the top 10 because EA managed to make a good Madden game - one I don't moan about or regret buying - this is like the first time that's happened since maybe 2005 and I was 12 then and didn't moan about anything (and Mike Vick made that game so fun). They FINALLY improved Franchise mode and put that alongside Draft Champions and Ultimate Team challenges and you've got a good game. Player animations got a big enhancement too.

7) Pokemon Go

I can't think of a good enough reason to not consider this a 'game' so it makes the list because it's the 7th most enjoyable 'game' I've played this year. Call it nostalgia or just an excuse to play a game at work because even my boss went into the car park to catch a Dragonair once and there happened to be gyms at my train stations and also a 30 second walk from my office. Going into Market Square in Nottingham at lunch the week this was released was astounding - it seems so long ago now but this game for a few weeks was a phenomenon the likes I've never seen before...if only they'd fleshed it out with trades and friend battles, people might still remember it's existence.

6) Mafia III

Story alone gets this in the top 10 - superbly written game with standout boss/underboss missions ultimately held back by 75% of the game being repetitive and unimaginative. Repetitive bits were saved by the fact the way enemies flew everywhere when you marched into a racket with a shotgun (woo boy was it fun to shotgun people in this game).

5) Titanfall 2

Hello. First quick-twitch FPS I've liked since Modern Warfare 2 - multiplayer = very good, campaign = very good. 2 thumbs up.

4) Ratchet & Clank

Not seen this on any game of the year lists. Guess what, everyone can get to fuck - this was a fantastic game and everyone should play it. Also benefits from the nostalgia factor again though - Ratchet and Clank games on PS2 are probably only behind Spyro the Dragon and Crash Tag Team Racing in games I will not accept as anything other than 10/10 purely because of how much I loved them as a kid even if I played one today and thought it was hot garbage.

3) Watchdogs 2

Really?! Yes. I loved this game and hereby proclaim that any fan of open-world/sandbox games that doesn't like this game is an enemy of fun. Let me tell you why you should play this game. 1) The first Watchdogs game was actually good and this is much better, 2) you control a drone and rc car alot, 3) you can hack strangers' phones to either get them arrested or attacked by a local gang, 4) there is lots of cool music in it, 5) side missions are very fun, 6) you can race go-karts, boats, drones and motorcross bikes, 7) the main villain is a tech CTO who does yoga, has a man bun and punches people in the throat 8) see number 3.

2) Overwatch

I should've hated this game, I don't really know why I even bought it in the first place. There's no single-player, there's not many maps, there's essentially 2 game modes, e-sports are LAME and 99% of it's fanbase are massive nerds who probably spend their free time sketching Widowmaker's arse.
But, it's so fun, it's addictive but also a great casual game you can go back to for an hour or so every now and again. The depth comes from the characters rather than the game modes - not to mention the seasonal events and new maps/characters that will continue trickling out over a year after release (and possibly even longer after that). Cheers love.

1) Uncharted 4

Predictable and I think criticisms of the 4th instalment are valid (did the 3rd act drag? A tad maybe. Did the plot formula of find clue, progress, find clue, progress wear thin? I can see it) but here's the thing - so much about this game was untouchable - writing was on point, visually it was peerless - every time a new location popped up my jaw dropped - starting on the hill in Scotland, look down from the top of the church, going through the ruined city of Libertalia...Naughty Dog are the best AAA games developer going and they made the best overall game of 2016. Let's not overthink this. Uncharted is also my favourite game franchise so in some ways I was just relieved they stuck the landing so well - with the best Uncharted game to date - Oaf, don't you dare try and claim 2 was better than 4. PREPOSTEROUS.

You'll always be in my heart Elena.

 

[Relentless]

Overwatch in second for me. Trails of Cold Steel takes first spot.

Although apparently the sequel is better (only a couple hours in so can't really judge) so my top 2 might become a top 3.

 

[Oaf]

Witcher 3

I'm just too much of an rpg nerd

Oaf how good does my pc need to be for planet coaster? I have 8gb ddr3 and a 3.4 ghz processor quad but I'm worried about graphics I have 1gb gpu will it run ok?

I have to be honest, I don't know PC's all that well so "8gb ddr3 and a 3.4ghz processor quad" is pretty much alien speak to me. But my PC is a bit rubbish and ran it on top graphics just fine until my park got a bit too big and it started to slow it down a bit... still running ok on a setting down from that, though.

I get the feeling that I have the same ram as you and possibly an even worse processor... not a clue on the graphics card, though.

Oaf, don't you dare try and claim 2 was better than 4. PREPOSTEROUS.

3 was better than 4 too

Glad to see the overall Overwatch love in here, though. It really is special.

 

[Megaclyde]

I haven't played that many games that released this year so my list is pretty short. Anyways here goes...

4. Uncharted 4
Undoubtedly a great game and I prefer it over U3 if nothing else than just for the 'cheats' you can use after you finish it. Purely from a story viewpoint I thought the final 3rd was a bit off (basically everything built up just seems to resolve itself) and the last boss fight was tedious.
My impression of it soured a bit as I finally played The Last Of Us for the first time shortly afterwards which completely blew me away so yeah..

3. Dishonored 2
One of my favourite game series so I had really high hopes for this and it kind of delivered I guess. Exactly what you'd expect in a sequel, different location but pretty much the same gameplay. One or 2 particularly good levels, but quite short and the reuse of Delilah as a villain (not even a spoiler since shes shows up within like a minute of the opening) was disappointing and the storys pretty much the same as the first one. But they added new game plus where you can use both Emily and Corvos powers with the same character which is cool.

2. Battlefield 1
The game I'm playing the most atm but I can't give it top spot as it almost completely relies on multiplayer and therefore other people for it's fun. Have a few gripes with it regards to balance ect but still really enjoying it.

1. Witcher 3: Blood and Wine
W3 is already my favourite game so more of that was always going to be great and B&W is an expansion that most publishers would try and sell as a full game. Although the main quest gets a bit iffy towards the end, the whole things full of nods to the books and my fave character returns and generally it's just more witchery awesomeness. Also more gwent

Edit: I forgot Dark Souls 3 was 2016, undecided on which I prefer between that and U4 for 4th place atm.

 

[Jockney]

Naughty Dog sure are great at paying homage to genre cinema, at least...

 

[Eski Boi]

Y'all need to play INSIDE

 

[shane]

Shit I really missed out on Overwatch. Was looking for a FPS game after leaving Xbox (Halo ) and getting a PS4. Definitely going to give it a look.

 

[Oaf]

Yeah, FPS has actually had a superb year with the likes of Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 (which I'm still yet to play, but I always hear great things about) but Overwatch seems to be seen as the very best of them. It's probably my favourite FPS game released since... I dunno... Halo 3?