Villagkouras
Arcane
Happy new year everyone!
What happened to Codex? No GOTY lists this year? No math drama to count everything?
So, I've made my list of 2016 best games that I played (I know I missed a lot of them and my list would probably change) and decided to share it with you. I've got to say that I small games are my thing than AAA games, so this list focuses mostly on them. Here goes:
Best AAA Game: Dark Souls 3
The Souls series are not the typical Action/RPG game anymore. Instead they are games that matter to all gaming fans. DS3 does not have the charm of DS1 nor the length and diversity of DS2, but it's a fine game, great looking with deep lore, maybe the best set of bosses in all Soulsborne series, a worthy entry and finale of the series that never got into decline by the industry's standards.
Best Indie Game: Inside
I'm a big fan of Limbo. But Inside is so perfect, it blows Limbo to pieces. It has some of the most exciting puzzle set pieces I've ever seen, so much atmosphere and the best animation I've witnessed in a pc game. Who cares about the plot or its meaning? Inside is a great experience and you should indulge yourself in it.
Best RPG: Tyranny
I haven't finished it yet, but I will in short time. It's not perfect, but it's the better release in a not so good year for RPGs (2017 would be a lot better). I like the setting a lot, I enjoy combat a lot more that PoE and the plot is much more appealing to me. I would like it to be a bit shorter to play it again with different choices.
Honourable mentions: Grim Dawn, Avadon 3: The Warborn
Letdown: I Am Setsuna (I needed a good JRPG and I was hoping this one would be nice, but it was very weak, too easy and full of cliches. Too bad)
Best Platformer: Owlboy
There is no explanation for this game being so delayed, apart for the love and care these devs gave it. And it really shows. The (really tortured by everyone) pixel art is perfect, animations are great, the (JRPG like) plot is not as childish as it seems. It has the perfect length for this kind of game before it becomes tiresome and very balanced level of challenge.
Honourable mention: Salt & Sanctuary (the opposite of Owlboy in cuteness, but just as great)
Best Adventure: Candle
What the fuck, people? Why is everyone ignoring it, don't you like good games anymore? With great puzzles that require observation and imagination only, marvelous hand drawn graphics and a very nice narrator? I feel Candle is the most underrated game of 2016 and this is totally undeserved.
Honourable mention: Samorost 3
Best Action Game: Hyper Light Drifter
At first, while the game had all the elements for being a classic, the 30 fps cap ruined it. I never thought that the difference between 30 and 60 fps would be that decisive in terms of gameplay quality. After the 60 fps patch, it was a different game, all the frustration vanished, everything flowed much better and matched the quality of world building, secrets and lore to an extremely satisfying level.
Honourable mention: Furi
Best Strategy/Tactics: XCOM 2
Ok, this one is pretty obvious and well known, but XCOM 2 managed to meet its own expectations. As a package it has no flaws, especially after the optimization patches and it has great modding community for new content and fixes.
Honourable mentions: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, Hearts of Iron IV
Best Walking Sim: Firewatch
Walking sims are not my cup of tea, but Firewatch is definitely worth of your attention. While the plot is not groundbreaking, the bond between the two main character is so well constructed that you actually care of what's going to happen in the end. One of the keys is the great job of Rich Sommer in acting.
Honourable mention: Event[0]
Best Game that No One Knows: The Way
If this game had just ok gameplay, it would be one of the best. Still, it reeks 90's atmosphere, it has nice story and reminds a lot Another World. Oh, and great soundtrack too. It just needs better gameplay.
Feel free to shit on everything I wrote and contribute your shit too!
What happened to Codex? No GOTY lists this year? No math drama to count everything?
So, I've made my list of 2016 best games that I played (I know I missed a lot of them and my list would probably change) and decided to share it with you. I've got to say that I small games are my thing than AAA games, so this list focuses mostly on them. Here goes:
Best AAA Game: Dark Souls 3
The Souls series are not the typical Action/RPG game anymore. Instead they are games that matter to all gaming fans. DS3 does not have the charm of DS1 nor the length and diversity of DS2, but it's a fine game, great looking with deep lore, maybe the best set of bosses in all Soulsborne series, a worthy entry and finale of the series that never got into decline by the industry's standards.
Best Indie Game: Inside
I'm a big fan of Limbo. But Inside is so perfect, it blows Limbo to pieces. It has some of the most exciting puzzle set pieces I've ever seen, so much atmosphere and the best animation I've witnessed in a pc game. Who cares about the plot or its meaning? Inside is a great experience and you should indulge yourself in it.
Best RPG: Tyranny
I haven't finished it yet, but I will in short time. It's not perfect, but it's the better release in a not so good year for RPGs (2017 would be a lot better). I like the setting a lot, I enjoy combat a lot more that PoE and the plot is much more appealing to me. I would like it to be a bit shorter to play it again with different choices.
Honourable mentions: Grim Dawn, Avadon 3: The Warborn
Letdown: I Am Setsuna (I needed a good JRPG and I was hoping this one would be nice, but it was very weak, too easy and full of cliches. Too bad)
Best Platformer: Owlboy
There is no explanation for this game being so delayed, apart for the love and care these devs gave it. And it really shows. The (really tortured by everyone) pixel art is perfect, animations are great, the (JRPG like) plot is not as childish as it seems. It has the perfect length for this kind of game before it becomes tiresome and very balanced level of challenge.
Honourable mention: Salt & Sanctuary (the opposite of Owlboy in cuteness, but just as great)
Best Adventure: Candle
What the fuck, people? Why is everyone ignoring it, don't you like good games anymore? With great puzzles that require observation and imagination only, marvelous hand drawn graphics and a very nice narrator? I feel Candle is the most underrated game of 2016 and this is totally undeserved.
Honourable mention: Samorost 3
Best Action Game: Hyper Light Drifter
At first, while the game had all the elements for being a classic, the 30 fps cap ruined it. I never thought that the difference between 30 and 60 fps would be that decisive in terms of gameplay quality. After the 60 fps patch, it was a different game, all the frustration vanished, everything flowed much better and matched the quality of world building, secrets and lore to an extremely satisfying level.
Honourable mention: Furi
Best Strategy/Tactics: XCOM 2
Ok, this one is pretty obvious and well known, but XCOM 2 managed to meet its own expectations. As a package it has no flaws, especially after the optimization patches and it has great modding community for new content and fixes.
Honourable mentions: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, Hearts of Iron IV
Best Walking Sim: Firewatch
Walking sims are not my cup of tea, but Firewatch is definitely worth of your attention. While the plot is not groundbreaking, the bond between the two main character is so well constructed that you actually care of what's going to happen in the end. One of the keys is the great job of Rich Sommer in acting.
Honourable mention: Event[0]
Best Game that No One Knows: The Way
If this game had just ok gameplay, it would be one of the best. Still, it reeks 90's atmosphere, it has nice story and reminds a lot Another World. Oh, and great soundtrack too. It just needs better gameplay.
Feel free to shit on everything I wrote and contribute your shit too!
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