2016 was a great year for video games. It may not go down in the history books as the most memorable year in the industry, but it was a solid year for bitg AAA and indie games alike. As always, my tastes often align with games with amazing a story and characters. For the sake of transparency, I feel the obligation to point out that, to me, gameplay always takes a back seat to narrative, before diving headfirst into last year’s lineup. Without further ado, below is a subjective list of my personal top ten picks of video games in 2016:
XCOM 2
10. XCOM 2
XCOM 2 is a pretty standard sequel. With 2K Games publishing, and Firaxis developing, they didn’t feel obligated to reinvent the wheel that drove the first game and I think that works in its favor. However, there are some major refinements to what is already there, and with the addition of destructible environments, the game feels new enough to not feel like a retread of the original. XCOM is easily one of the hardest games I have ever played, which forced me to lower the difficulty to easy, for the first time in my gaming career. XCOM 2 is no different.
Now I excuse myself from this gamer sin by reminding you all that I am usually not a fan of the strategy RPG genre…but this series is so good. Build up your base, manage resources, send soldiers to their permanent deaths on away missions, upgrade gear and weaponry using stolen Intel, this game is stuffed to the brim with activities that will ensure that each play through feels different than the last.
Firewatch
9. Firewatch
Walking simulators and linear narrative experiences have become all the rage in the industry over the last few years. Games like Firewatch are top echelon examples of this genre. Campo Santo developed and produced a scenery is always captivating. However, the final smidgen of immersion is thanks to this game’s amazing musical score. The big achievement, are the characters in this game. Delilah and Henry are so lifelike that they are unforgettable.
I still think about the brilliant performances of Cissy Jones (Delilah) and Rich Sommer (Henry) that even a year later I catch myself thinking of their interactions. The sense of mystery permeates through the entire run-time, and while the big reveal did come off as critically polarizing, I felt it was the perfect way to resolve the narrative.
Mafia 3
8. Mafia 3
The gameplay loop of Mafia 3 is very apparent early on in the experience. This turned many off, but those who stuck with it experienced next level story telling that transcends average game narratives. I thought the mechanics of the game were good enough to warrant its repetitive nature, but there is certainly a case to be made against that I am sure. By the time the credits rolled, I was completely fulfilled by the characters and narrative.
The story is so paramount in the personal success of this game for me, that i found it incredible easy to overlook its shortcomings. Also, if era based license music is your bag, this game does to the 60’s what GTA: Vice City did to capturing the music of the 80’s. Developers Hanger 13 did a fantastic job of capturing what it feels like to be in late 60’s New Orleans. Check out my review here.
Fire Emblem Fates
7. Fire Emblem: Fates
Handheld games are woefully underappreciated these days. Fire Emblem: Fates is a shining example of the quality Nintendo still puts out on its mobile systems. Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD really stepped it up from the last entry, Fire Emblem Awakening. The game has you managing relationships with characters, dealing with perma-death of said characters, and trying to pair them up properly to create the best children to help you in your quest.
You have 3 completely different stories to choose from, and each story represents your character on different sides of the same war. The run time is packed with cheeky humor, a very interesting tale about war, and some feel good character moments. Also the tactical RPG mechanics are above and beyond the others in the genre. If you own a 3DS, you should be playing this game. There should be a law.
Forza Horizon 3
6. Forza Horizon 3
Nobody warned me that I was going to be getting the best racing game of all time this year. Racing games always act as the perfect pallet cleansers for the bigger Triple A games that flood the market, so I try and pick up one racing game annually. I am a big Forza fan, and usually enjoy the simulation entries in the series more. Well there is a new love in town, and it is Forza Horizon 3. Playground Games has made trekking across the Australian landscape as beautiful as it is exhilarating.
The sacrifice of true simulation controls are for the better as these tracks often lead you through dense forests, and varied environments are more fun to traverse with the more forgiving controls. The cars still feel amazing to drive, each with their own varied feel. The amount of vehicles and customization to choose from are staggering and the freedoms each race offers ensure you will have a tailored event to every race you want to participate in. This is a masterclass racer that deserves all the praise it is getting.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided reels in the big story moments to create a much more subtle and low key narrative. While the first game focused itself on more wide reaching conspiracies that could affect the world, this game was more about trying to investigate a singular terrorist attack. Now as the mystery unfolds you will see the larger conspiracies begin to showcase themselves but the story never feels as large scale as Human Revolution. This is by no means a bad thing. Edios Montreal made sure the world felt more fleshed out and detailed as you explored the HUB areas, picking up missions, items, and intel.
The story itself serves as a stepping stone to set up a much larger narrative that is sure to come in either DLC or the next main entry to the series. The characters, specifically the antagonists, can be archetypal at times but they never fall short of interesting. Adam Jensen never felt better to control, and this will be one of the few games from this year that I will go back and replay as I missed many of the completely missable side missions.
Inside
4. Inside
By the time Inside wraps up you will be left with so many questions that you will have to do a little research on yourself to fully understand. While some hate the post credits homework assignment, I loved it. Working towards understanding a complex and cerebral story in a visual medium is why video game narratives work so well. Collectively, fans worked together to pull in the major themes and ideas to cultivate quite the amazing answer to what it is you are exactly experiencing at the end of the game.
Inside’s aesthetics are simple but somehow always manage to be impressive. Developer Playdead uses light puzzle mechanics that are a welcomed feature and are challenging enough to make you feel smart when you complete them, but not overly hard and time consuming to the point of frustration. Come for the gameplay, stay for the graphics, leave with a wonderfully complex narrative. It is easily the most atmospheric game of the year. Check out my review here.
Quantum Break
3. Quantum Break
Boy howdy what a polarizing game. This is a hard experience to gauge as it seems like a 50/50 split on people who enjoyed it and people who just did not like it. Remedy Entertainment, the developers, had the idea of having a game that is part playable video game, and part TV show, was bold and innovative, and for me it totally paid off. The TV section could have come off corny and boring, but they were everything but. The actors nailed their perceptive roles and the production value was high. I eagerly awaited the next episode at the end of every playable act.
The gameplay itself is some of Remedy’s finest. The shooting controls are tight, and they work brilliantly with the time manipulation mechanics. I feel powerful in this game, while never sacrificing the challenge. I think this is one of the most well performed games on the block, and the story is an incredible time traveling tale, that rivals even some of the best movies of the same subject.
Final Fantasy XV
2. Final Fantasy XV
This game had every right to be bad, but ten years in the making, it comes out the other side a not only playable but fantastic Final Fantasy game. The game is equal parts something old and something new. It always feels like Final Fantasy but the new combat mechanics are such a welcomed addition. After all, a complete overhaul of mechanics is the modus operandi of Final Fantasy, always exchanging a materia system, for a gambit system, never using the same mechanics more than once.
While the story is not present enough, and character motivations are hardly, if ever clear, I never felt robbed of the story or experience. Enough was there to deliver the big and small moments, and it created an interesting journey that has a very rewarding destination. This was the first Final Fantasy, I ever beat only to immediately start a new game over again. The adventure was addicting enough to make up for its noticeable shortcomings. Hajime Tabata and his team at Square Enix Business Division 2, finally brought us the Final Fantasy game we’ve been waiting for.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Never in my life have I seen revisionist history work so quickly. This game came out to dropped jaws, near perfect scores, and collective praise across gamers and critics alike. Fast forward a few short months, and people deem this game a disappointment, forgettable, and long in the tooth. Well, you’re all wrong, I am sorry to say.
The game IS objectively a technical masterpiece. Uncharted 4 DOES have some of the best performances and voice acting in the whole industry. You WILL experience one of the best original scores of the year. Uncharted 4 delivers stand out moments in both action and character in a way that Michael Bay wishes he could recapture. These are all undebatable things in my eyes, and not only does it deserve to be my personal number one, but it deserves the right to be called Game of the Year 2016. No other game comes close to deserving such praise. Niel Druckmann,and his team at Naughty Dog has created a near perfect experience, and it deserves your attention if you are a PlayStation 4 owner.
So there ya have it, a full year in review of the totally subjective best games of 2016. There are so many Indie games I wish i could further represent here. Games like Oxenfree, Virginia, Abzu, Stories: The Path of Destiny, Salt and Sanctuary, and I am Setsuna, are beautiful, narrative driven experiences that deserve a place on this list, and surely your absolute attention.
Plenty of big Triple A games did not make it either, but are worth the call out. Games like Doom, Titanfall 2, and Dark Souls 3 are also unmissable entries in their franchises. We were far from lacking as gamer’s this year. How did this year fair for you? Anything you felt I missed or overlooked? If there is one thing you could take away from this year, what would you say it is? For me I noticed a very obvious turn in the use of original scores in games. This has easily been one of the best years for the industry in terms of music. Share your list down below in the comments! Let’s chat about last year!
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Coming up with a definitive top ten list for what I feel are the best video games of all time was not an easy task. How much nostalgia do I represent? Should I allow so many newer games on here? What are the rules I should be setting for myself when conjuring such a list? I racked my brain about all these things for days but in the end I felt that the list should be comprised of games that reminded me of why I love this industry.
Below is a list of my top ten favorite video games of all time. You will notice that many games are from the year 2000 and on. I don’t want to make it seem like I didn’t have a fondness for games in the 90s or that nostalgia is completely lost on me. I by no means only enjoy “newer” games. These are just the games that stood out to me in a big way. As the industry grew, so did the ability to weave incredible stories and amazing worlds to occupy. That’s what was important to me when collecting games for this list. I can only choose one game per series but besides that small rule, all bets are off. Let’s get started:
10. Final Fantasy X
I feel this Final Fantasy focuses on what is most important to my game experiences, and that is story. To me this is the best narrative in any Final Fantasy. The idea of Spira and its anti-technology, Sin fearing, magic using, summoning praising, pilgrimage taking, is a world I think about often when I reminisce about JRPGs. This game has my favorite cast of character in the series, and dwells on a touching love story between main character Tidus and Yuna.
The sphere grid was introduced in this game, which does away with the traditional leveling mechanic in turn for this customization heavy grid. You can make any character play any role that you want them to. I also love the ability to trade out characters without sacrificing a turn. Little things like this elevate a very standard turn based fighting system. I will always remember the ending of this game when thinking about best conclusions in video games. It is a powerful experience that has great pacing for this otherwise stuff genre.
9. Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3 may be in the lower part of my top ten, but it may have the best writing out of all of these games. You can easily distract yourself form the main quest of finding Ciri, and instead get absorbed into the smaller, but equally emotionally heavy narratives of the side quests. The Bloody Baron is a side quest in this game that has a better story than most games’ main quests.
This experience is cultivated by amazing writing, inspired performances, and so much content that you could spend a lifetime with this game and not see every corner or mission this game has to offer. Walking into larger cities and seeing them alive is awe inspiring, just as much as climbing a large mountain and getting a view of a large island you are occupying. This game is a visual feast and may be one of the best looking and smoothest running open world games in the biz.
8. Grand Theft Auto V
This may be the most lived in world on the list. The wider San Andreas area is mesmerizing as Blane County’s country bumpkin northern parts give way to mountains a bustling downtown metropolis with such seamlessness sometimes I swear they photo-captured it form the real world. The way the natural geography of this map is, is unlike anything else that is out there. It just feels real, so real that you could just stand on a street corner and listen to passing by NPCs as they have full blown almost unrepeated conversations with one another. The heists and gameplay mechanics are great but the real star of this game is how every moving part builds an immersive world where even staring at the trash, drifting I the wind can be an elevating experience.
7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
No world has ever drawn me in so much as Skyrim has. With its Nordic aesthetic, and strong native people, I found myself getting lost in every corner of this world. I spent nearly 300 hours in this game, and with the newer Special Edition coming out to current generation consoles, I will happily spend another 300. This game is an example of ultimate escapism, as I feel transported to this land and quickly become engrossed in its culture and lore. To me, world building isn’t done any better than how it is handled in the Elder Scrolls series.
6. Persona 4
With all of the JRPGs I have under my belt, I can easily say Persona 4 is the best of them. The series gives us a cast of amazing characters as they trouble their way through classes in high school while fighting demons at night in an alternate dimension. This game is no different, but it just does it right. The voice acting is stellar which is hardly ever the case for western released Japanese Role Playing Games. This story is more of a mystery, as it tells the personal narrative of an entire small town where everybody knows one another. As suspects begin to form, the gang uses their abilities to uncover as much as they can, while also juggling social relationships with one another, as well as taking time out to grab a bite to eat at the local diner. Persona 4 is as zany as they come.
5. Uncharted 4: A Thieves End
I’m sure I will get plenty of hate from all those Uncharted 2 loyalist out there. Heck I even thought 3 was better than the second, but I digress…Uncharted 4 is easily my favorite in the franchise. I thought the brotherly story was filled with so many emotional moments as all of the best characters come back for another adventure romp. The set pieces while not as plentiful, are jacked all the way up to 11. Speaking of 11, Chapter 11 may be one of the greatest couple hours of video games to ever exist. The controls have never felt better and it may be the most beautiful game to currently exist. The ending to Uncharted 4 has no right being as good as it is, and ending on such a high note is so hard for a series to do it seems.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
I remember riding my bike up to the local Blockbuster every week, to extend my rental on this game the day it came out. The same man checked out my order every time, and as weeks went by he noticed that I had paid for the game twice over with my rentals. He allowed me to take the game home as the new owner of what I like to think of the best Zelda game there ever was. I was totally lost in this world, and loved every second of the journey. I think the time traveling elements created a great story which leads to some of the better dungeons in the whole series. Plus those boss battles are just unforgettable. This is the first game of this caliber and size that I ever remember beating, and it will stick with me forever.
3. Mass Effect
Everybody loves to beat the drum for 2. The suicide mission was so good, how could it not be 2? Well I enjoyed 3 much more than the masses seemed to and after a while I grew to really love the endings after months of picking it apart. The first Mass effect will always be the strongest for me though. The RPG elements were the strongest in this game, and while the shooting got better, it was never bad in my opinion. I thought the story and world building in this game was so strong, and it carried the weight of setting up the entire universe on its shoulders. The game did this without flinching. It is one of the strongest examples of world building in a game that I can give.
I thought the more personal story of chasing Saren across the galaxy to stop him from causing more chaos than he already has. Of course the reveal of the universe’s big bad, the Reapers, was nothing short of spectacular. Choices mattered in a big way, and carried over into the next installment of the game, and that created a personalize narrative that you could easily be immersed in. Space Operas just don’t get better than this.
2. The Last of Us
Few games carry the emotional weight that The Last of Us does. The opening moments in the game are devastating, and that tone never lets up. In a game where truly no character is safe, I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat as I navigated my way through the Clicker filled halls, and deranged humans who occupy the desolate streets.
The story of Joel and Elly is so powerful and nuanced. Anytime Joel is reminded of his daughter by Elly, he looks at the watch his daughter gave him as a gift. Small moments like this conjure so many feelings within that I dare anybody to play through the end and proclaim they felt nothing. The ending is so satisfying but as always, the journey to get there was unlike anything I have experienced in this medium. This is easily one of the strongest narratives ever told in any form.
1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
It would have been so easy to pick the first Metal Gear Solid here. It was the game that made me realize that amazing stories were possible in this medium. I could also go with Metal Gear Solid 2, as it is the most cerebral of the series and the one that gets the most fuss. Ultimately I had to go with 4 because in the end this game was for the longtime fans of the series. This game was filled to the brim with answers, connections, call backs, and character moments that were all building to this amazing conclusion. I have never in my life been so satisfied with an ending to anything. It was everything I could ever hoped it would be.
Guns of the Patriots is politically and emotionally charged, and the big action moments and boss fights are pinnacles of the series. Games to me just don’t get better than this. The creator, Hideo Kojima, has always been such a huge inspiration to me and while this series may not be for everyone, the people who it is for I seem to have an instant connection with. Metal Gear Solid, bringing people together since 1987.
So there ya have it. This is my very subjective top ten games of all time. This should not be taken as an example of that I do not appreciate older games, instead try thinking of it as how lucky we are to have games currently that really push the envelope forward to create a healthy an innovative industry. I like new games, hell i love them, but I do not forget my roots or where this industry came from. I may not wax nostalgia with this list, but it is an ode to how far we have come in terms of storytelling, interesting characters, and living and breathing worlds. What is your current top ten list? Sound off in the comments below!
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Cartoons have existed for a long time to make you happy. Even when Bugs Bunny was fighting Hitler, they were still generally designed to put a big old smile on your face or at the very least, let you zone out over a bowl of cheerios on a Saturday morning. For some reason, Avatar: The Last Airbender decided to come around and upset that comfortably numbing cartoon experience (thank you, Mike and Bryan. I hate/love you forever). For every couple of silly moments of Aang riding some new hybrid beast or a kick-ass action sequences, there’s a truly touching or heartbreaking scene that has us fans bending the tears right out of our eyeballs. Seriously, thank god I saw this show when I was basically an adult because while I was barely able to handle all the feelings at 18, I can’t imagine how a 12 year-old would cope. Anyway, if you’re in the mood for some punishment, take a gander at the list below.
10) Katara Grosses us out with some Blood-bending.
When the leader of your team is an adorably pure child-monk, it’s hard to consider yourself a champion of goodness. However, as far a morally righteous characters go, Katara is pretty up there. That’s why it was so emotionally trying to watch her battle with her own demons and unethically awesome power of blood-bending.
This wasn’t the last time we’d see the issue of benders subjugating their will upon non-benders(*cough* Legend of Korra *cough*), but we were right with Katara’s ultimate conflict between stopping the vengeful Hama and using a forbidden art.
Plus, how disgusting is the sound effect used for blood-bending? I want to hurl-bend every time that I hear it.
9) Aang Finds Gyatso Slightly…Dead.
After 100 years of war, I think it can be generally summed up that Aang’ abandonment of his Avatar duties was largely a bad move. However, he really was just a scared kid so we forgive him. Besides, the little monk probably had a harder time of forgiving himself.
While Aang remained in pretty good spirits after waking up from his ice ball, perhaps he did not realize the consequences of a world without an Avatar fully until finding the long dead skeleton of his friend and mentor, Air Nomad Gyatso. The Southern Air Temple was destroyed in the Fire Nation’s pursuit of total domination and Aang’s consuming grief over their loss was enough to bring us all to tears.
Ultimately, Gyatso’s death was just another mark on Aang’s path to a fully realized Avatar and he was able to let go of his grief with the help of Pathik. Still, our hearts go out to the little dude who will always consider his greatest weaknesses to be those moments when he fails to save a friend’s life.
8)Zuko’s Very First Agni Kai and Banishment from the Fire Nation
At the beginning of Avatar, Zuko was just the angry dude with the scar and top-knot who happened to be on a relentless quest to find the Avatar. We didn’t like him, but we also didn’t know much about him. Well turns out, his dick-wad father punched him, scarred him, and then banished him for daring to speak out against irresponsible actions of his generals and then refusing to fight his father in an Agni Kai.
This back story gave incredible depth to our favorite prickly prince, whose pursuit of the Avatar became an obsession of a hurt boy whose concepts of family, duty, and honor were completely warped. Plus, we learned that his face wasn’t actually always permanently frozen in that terrifying scowl. We maybe still didn’t outright like Zuko after this flashback (He was still imperialistic and ruthless fire nation after all) but at least now we knew he was a human being and not just an evil bratty prince Joffrey( I don’t know how to help people who don’t know their Game of Thrones. I really don’t).
7)Appa Gets Kidnapped and Nobody Cares
As if losing Appa wasn’t emotional enough, we then get to witness the normally very cool and calm Aang flip the flip out when none of the gaang seems to care very much. He first freaks out on Toph accusing her of never caring for the fuzzy air bison and then rails on the group for only lamenting on losing their designated driver. Not only does an angry Aang make me want to go cuddle in a corner somewhere, we also get a touching picture of how close Aang and Appa are. He’s not his pet, he’s his best friend, and in that instant, his new chums weren’t looking all that good or worth the hassle. It arrives at a conflict every Avatar must deal with: how much should they sacrifice for an undeserving and selfish world? All I have to say is that thank Agni Appa returns.
6) Zuko’s Second Agni Kai Versus Azula.
The last few episodes of The Last Airbender were like a kick to all the major organs. While Aang was busy triumphing over the Phoenix King, Zuko faced his own battle against his sister, Azula. Not only was the fight scenes amazing, but we get to see Zuko finally battle his own inner demons (as well as the outer, Azula), but we see Katara entering the fray in defense of her former enemy.
Plus, Zuko masters the art of channeling lightening and symbolically becomes the man his uncle believes he could have always been. As fun as it was to see Zuko finally kick the snot out of that…well, bitch, in the end I still felt for her in that any descent in to madness is pretty hard to stomach.
5) It’s Not You, It’s Just That I Have To Go Be the Moon.
Normally our big gift of comedic relief, this is Sokka’s first appearance on the list. It’s got to be rough when not only does your first girlfriend’s family consider you pond scum but she is also the moon spirit. Basically, the universe decided that it was wrong for Aang to be the only one to sacrifice things to save the world, so it decided to take a shot at Sokka next. While Sokka remains disturbed by losing Yue or failing to protect her, I honestly can’t say that I cry for him too much since warrior bad-ass Suki is a much funner love interest for our boomerang wielding-water-tribesmen. Still, it sucked for Sokka.
4)The Fire Nation Club
Ok, so I have mixed feelings about this episode. On one hand the Azula beach party was a fun time, but it was also bit of a complaint fest. Ultimately though, even if you’re incapable of feeling truly bad for a bunch of spoiled teenagers who spend their time trying to kill our heroes, you can at least sympathize with their situation. These are really just kids who, like the Gaang, are given heavy responsibilities way beyond their years.
In the face of their waning childhoods, they look back and realize they never had much of one in the first place. What was supposed to be a few moments of respite turns in to the interlude that prepares us for the final battles. In the end, these teens will have to make choices that will either forsake their family, duty, or sense of righteousness, and this short confessional on the beach gives us a chance to still like these characters for their small display of humanity after the bloody conclusion to come.
3)No but really, Where is Ursa?
Aang defeats the Phoenix King, YAY. Aang get the girl, YAY. Hakoda reunites with his kids, YAY. Iroh opens a tea shop, YAY.
Ok but wait, what happened to Ursa, the misplaced Fire Lady and Zuko’s beloved mother? After the incarceration of his father, Fire Lord Zuko demands that Ozai reveal the fate of his mother. Yeah, nothing doing. It was emotional seeing the newly crowned Zuko have to come crawling back to his father for the one power the crippled emperor still possessed, the power to fuck with his son.
All we really wanted was a scene reuniting mother and son next to a pond of turtle ducks, but Avatar can’t just love its fans like that. Those few who still care about the poor Fire Lady, check out Avatar: The Promise, which continues where Book Three Ended.
2) Iroh and Zuko Reunite.
The relationship between Iroh and his young angry nephew is probably the best on the show. After the death of Iroh’s son and the banishment of Zuko, the young prince and general assume the roles each has lost.
While Iroh embraces his new duty as surrogate father to Zuko, the prince decides to just become a giant brat. However, giant brats are a lot more terrifying when backed with an army and royal status. Once stripped of his title and powers, Zuko spends a great deal of Book Two shedding his darkness and becoming closer to his uncle…that is until he betrays him and the Avatar.
Unlike most characters, Zuko is given a second chance at redemption, one that he embraces…for good this time. Despite proving himself to Aang and the resistance, nothing is as difficult for Zuko as asking the forgiveness of the uncle that raised him. In one of the most heart-wrenching moments in the whole series, General Iroh embraces his nephew in a teary hug and admits he was never angry with Zuko, only sad that he had lost his way. Oh. My. God. The. Tears.
1) You Should Already Know What It Is.
In the most emotionally heart-wrenching moment in cartoon history, Avatar tries to trick you with a fun and light episode of cute vignettes. Just when you think Tales of Ba Sing Se is fun filler fluff, it hits you with this: The Tale of Iroh.
In the short segment, Iroh bops around Ba Sing Se like his happy Iroh-self, collecting different objects and getting in mini adventures. You’re right there with the loveable teddy bear until the final scene: his small shrine to his late son, who passed away during the siege of the city years ago. Iroh sings us a song so beautiful, if you don’t cry, you’re just a monster. ( Amonster…not the time for jokes).
Not only is this a touching scene, but we are shown the reason General Iroh stopped fighting and gave up the throne and it is so freaking sad.
If your heart can stand it, come back later for the most touching moments from Legend of Korra.
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